Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIA’S OMBUDSMAN: IF THE GOVERNMENT ABANDONS ORGANIZING OF 2-3 CONCERTS, THIS WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO NORMALLY FINANCE ACTIVITY OF THE KEY STRUCTURES

by Ashot Safaryan

ARMINFO
Thursday, October 31, 13:39

Armenia’s Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan said in the parliament today
that he is displeased with the financing volumes from the state budget
2014. The total of 213 million drams will be allocated from the state
budget to the Ombudsman’s Office in 2014.

Karen Andreasyan said that the Office of the Human Rights Defender
of Armenia refused grants a year ago, so that not to depend on
international structures. This means that the refusal must be
compensated from the state budget. He said that first he had asked
for 244 million drams from next year’s state budget, the latter
allocated only 213 million drams. This means only three of the six
regional offices will continue functioning plus the rapid response
service will be closed starting 1 January 2014, he said.

He also added that this helpline service needs 10 million drams and
three staff to run normal operations. “In 2013, this service received
1,025 calls day and night, and quickly responded to 273 of them,” –
he said.

Touching on raising of salary of top officials Andreasyan said that
according to the legislation, the level of his salary will be similar
to the salary of the chairman of the Constitutional Court. However,
it differs. In fact, they are trying to limit his authorities, he
said and added that this may be understood like imposing pressure upon
the ombudsman. “Members of the parliament should deal with protection
of my rights, and I will protect the rights of 2,5 mln. I ask you to
help me get those 10 mln drams to preserve rapid response service”,
– Andreasyan applied to members of the parliament.

According to his calculations, if the government abandons organizing of
2-3 concerts, this will make it possible to normally finance activity
of the key structures.

OSCE DISCUSSES POLICE REFORM, FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION IN ARMENIA

31-10-2013 11:12:50 | Armenia |

YEREVAN, 31 October 2013 – Police reforms, fight against corruption
and building integrity and accountability in policing are the topics
of a discussion organized in Yerevan today.

The aim of the roundtable meeting organized by the OSCE Office in
Yerevan and the Armenian Police in co-operation with the Geneva
Centre for the Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (DCAF) is
to share international practices related to police integrity with
Armenian counterparts.

The event participants were presented with the Armenian version of
the publication “Toolkit on Police Integrity” developed by DCAF and
published with the support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. It focuses
on the organizational impact of police corruption, as well as on
values and ethics in police services.

“Corruption is a complex phenomenon and it is very important to tackle
it at all levels and in all institutions, including the police,”
said Ambassador Andrey Sorokin, the Head of the OSCE Office in
Yerevan. “We hope that the publication presented today will become
a useful instrument for both police policy-makers and practitioners
for addressing the corruption problem and instilling anti-corruption
practices and values in their organization’s culture.”

Philipp Fluri, the Deputy Director of DCAF, added: “Transparency,
accountability and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms
are the pillars on which the management of the justice and police
sector needs to rest on. Decision-making mechanisms and police
procedures need to reflect these principles”.

The event participants from Armenia discussed with DCAF experts the
concepts of integrity and accountability in the police activities
and also learned about the police reform process in South-East Europe.

The Armenian version of the publication can be found here

News from Armenia and Diaspora – Noyan Tapan – See more at:

ARMENIA POSTPONES PUBLISHING OF MIGRATION DATA

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 30 2013

30 October 2013 – 3:07pm
The Zhovokhurd paper of Armenia says that delays in publication of
the socio-economic report for January-September 2013 composed by the
National Statistical Service of Armenia are a result of major concerns
caused by demographic problems, News.am reports.

Armenian opposition often speculates about catastrophic emigration
tendencies. Right-wing political figures respond that worries about
demography are much exaggerated.

SYRIAN AL-QAIDA BRANCH TORCHES CHURCH

Assyrian International News Agency
Oct 30 2013

Posted GMT 10-30-2013 16:59:41

BEIRUT — Militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
set fire to an Armenian church in Tal Abyad on Syria’s northern
border with Turkey before dawn on Tuesday, activists and a human
rights watchdog said.

“ISIS set fire to the Armenian church in the city of Tal Abyad. They
also forcibly took down the cross from the church building,” the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said, strongly condemning the attack.

The Britain-based watchdog, which has tracked rights violations
throughout the conflict, pointed out that the Syria al-Qaida branch
previously “desecrated both the Armenian and the Roman Catholic
churches in Raqqa city, forcibly taking down the crosses, sculptures
and artwork and burning them.”

Video footage posted to YouTube by local media activists showed the
inner walls of the church foyer charred black and smoke emanating
from inside. The structure was still intact.

The Twitter account Rabia Jihad (Jihadi Spring), known as a reliable
source for ISIS news, said that ISIS had broken the cross of Tal Abyad
church and seized the building after its congregants had “failed to
adhere to their compact of dhimma.”

In Islam, dhimma are the terms that can be imposed on non-Muslim
religious communities. These may include payment of jizya, a tax
collected in return for security.

Jimmy Shahinian, an opposition activist from Raqqa city, said that the
Tal Abyad Armenian community had dwindled to only a few impoverished
families. The church complex itself was being used to house refugees
at the time of the attack.

“The Armenian school, which is attached to the church, was being used
as a shelter for three displaced Muslim families. Now they have no
place to live,” Shahinian said.

While the Christian communities of Tal Abyad and Raqqa city are tiny,
activists and analysts said that does not preclude extremist groups
from asserting their dominance and sending a message to the broader
society.

“This is a classic ISIS message of Islamic supremacy,” said analyst
Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi.

“In Iraq, the [Islamic State] would demand the jizya tax on
Christians. They would extort money from most businesses and any
churches in the town. If a bishop refused for his congregation to pay,
he’s kidnapped and killed.

“When you have a marginal Christian presence, almost unseen, then
you move on to asserting Islamic supremacy by desecrating a church,
or raising your flag,” he said.

Reckless Sectarianism Goes Unchecked

The brash, sectarian attacks on Christians have set ISIS apart from
other rebel factions. Even Jabhat al-Nusra, the fellow al-Qaida
affiliate from which ISIS split, has distanced itself from attacks
on Christians.

According to Tamimi, ISIS has lost any reservations about sectarian
attacks since the local Syrian leader of al-Nusra broke ties with
them in July.

“When Abu Saad al-Hadrami declared allegiance to ISIS … his status
translated into a degree of restraint on the part of ISIS. Thus the
churches were still protected in Raqqa while he was in command. After
he defected, ISIS behavior became increasingly harsh, leading to more
arrests of local rivals culminating in the clashes with Ahfad al-Rasoul
in August and the desecration of two churches in Raqqa in September.

“Both groups are quite happy to target Alawites, but you don’t see
al-Nusra rhetoric targeting Christians,” said Tamimi. “But knowing the
roots of ISIS and how many times they bombed churches in Iraq, it is no
surprise they regard Christian symbols as something to be destroyed.”

When Jabhat al-Nusra entered the ancient Christian town of Maloula
in September, a directive from its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani,
was circulated, outlining a code of conduct to abide by when dealing
with Christians in rebel-held territories.

“No crosses shall be broken and there shall be no violation of
Christian holy sites. No Christians shall be abused, unless they
are fighters, who shall be treated as enemy combatants,” read the
statement.

Ahrar al-Sham, a Salafist fighting force that controls the gates to
the town, distributed food baskets to local Armenians and Christians
in August. Activists said the charity was intended to “prove to the
world that this revolution is for all Syrians.”

In the wake of the church attack, the Hamza Battalion–the sole
Free Syrian Army force in Tal Abyad–quickly issued this statement
following reports that the arsonists had used one of their vehicles:

“Christians are our brothers and have the same rights as other citizens
… We ask anyone with information on this incident to inform us,
and we, God willing, will bring them to justice,” it said.

But while the Salafist Ahrar al-Sham movement holds sway in Tal Abyad,
bolstered by alliances with Jabhat al-Nusra and the Hamza Battalion,
none are interested in picking a fight with ISIS, despite differences
in ideology.

Tamimi noted that even the insignia of the Hamza Battalion, which is
affiliated with the Western-backed Supreme Military Council, features
both the three-starred flag of the revolution and the black jihadist
flag. “It’s like playing it both ways,” he said.

“Part of the reason tensions are not big between these local Tal Abyad
battalions and ISIS is because of the common enemy of the YPG. The
Kurdish militias were expelled in August and confined to the rural
peripheries, but they’re still trying to get rid of them,” he said.

Tamimi said that while al-Nusra had made veiled references to the
abuse of its banner when it returned to ISIS-dominated Raqqa city
in September, there was no explicit criticism of its fellow al-Qaida
affiliate.

Shahinian says an atmosphere of fear reigns in ISIS strongholds,
where the group has employed violence, kidnappings and intimidation
to sideline opposition activists, journalists and even other rebel
factions.

“No one likes ISIS, not the civilians, or the activists, or the FSA, or
even Jabhat [al-Nusra], but no one wants a problem with them either,”
the activist said.

By Alison Tahmizian Meuse

SPAIN’S AGRICULTURE COMPANIES WANT ACTION IN ARMENIA

October 30, 2013 | 15:05

YEREVAN. – Riegos Levante Hellin and INGESAgua agriculture companies
of Spain wish to carry out activities in Armenia.

Companies’ representatives Antonio Montoya Villena and Javier Tuñon
Valladares stated the aforesaid at their talk withArmenia’s Agriculture
Minister Sergo Karapetyan.

In turn the minister noted that drip irrigation systems and anti-hail
nets are very vital for Armenia, informs the Agriculture Ministry
press service.

In addition, horticulture and viticulture are developing in Armenia,
and they require modern technology.

The minister also proposed the Spanish businessmen to explore the
possibility of manufacturing drip irrigation equipment and anti-hail
protection nets in Armenia.

The companies’ representatives noted that they will examine Armenia’s
agricultural capabilities and come up with specific proposals.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

EGG IMPORTS INTO ARMENIA GROW FIVEFOLD COMPARED WITH LAST YEAR

Wednesday,
October
30

Egg imports into Armenia grew fivefold in the past six months as
compared with last year, the chairman of Agrarian-Rural Union NGO Hrach
Berberian told reporters today. About 1.5 million eggs were imported,
while poultry imports have doubled compared with last year.

Hrach Berberian reminded reporters that only two or three years
ago Armenia was an exporter of eggs and poultry. According to him,
the rise in prices of these products is advantageous to domestic
producers who want to reap super profits.

TODAY, 17:43

Aysor.am

MARGVELASHVILI’S VICTORY WILL CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN RELATIONS – ANALYST

15:22 30/10/2013 ” TOPIC OF THE DAY

The victory of Georgian Dream coalition’s Giorgi Margvelashvili in
the Georgian presidential elections will create new opportunities
for the further development of Armenian-Georgian relations, political
scientist Alexander Iskandaryan told a press conference in Yerevan.

“The fact is that under Saakashvili, Georgia was one of the countries
who did not decide their own foreign policy. Georgia’s capital was
not Tbilisi, but rather Washington, which has different political
priorities,” the analyst said.

“Currently, there is an opportunity for Georgia to decide its foreign
policy taking into account its own interests and Georgia is changing
its policy. This, for its part, creates new opportunities for Armenia
and Armenian-Georgian relations,” Iskandaryan said.

The expert also said that normalization of relations with Russia is
one of the most important issues for Georgian authorities and Armenia
can play the role of a mediator in Georgian-Russian relations.

Source: Panorama.am

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS ARRIVE IN ARMENIA TO GATHER INTELLIGENCE? – NEWSPAPER

October 30, 2013 | 08:44

YEREVAN. – This year’s session of the European Union (EU)-Armenia
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, which was to be convened on
Monday and Tuesday in Armenia’s capital city Yerevan, was not held
because the European Parliament delegation members did not arrive,
Haykakan Zhamanak daily reports.

“But Milan Cabrnoch, [European Chairman of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary
Cooperation Committee and] head of the European Parliament delegation,
did arrive in Yerevan this evening.

“Even though the European members of the committee did not come so
as to ‘topple’ the session, several other members of the European
Parliament have arrived in Yerevan together with Cabrnoch.

“Following the [recent] news that was received from Moscow, according
to which Armenia has started to have problems with the Customs Union,
they came to investigate whether Armenia may change its position 180
degrees again-that is, [whether President] Serzh Sargsyan may go and
sign the EU-Armenia Association Agreement package-by November 28-29,
when the agreement was expected to be signed,” Haykakan Zhamanak
writes.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARTSAKH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER VISITS ARS HEADQUARTERS

Tuesday, October 29th, 2013

Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Aghabekyan
(center) with members of the Armenian Relief Society of Western USA

GLENDALE-Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Deputy Prime Minister Arthur
Aghabekyan, who was in Southern California this past week for the
unveiling of the Armenia Fund Telethon 2013 logo, was invited to
the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) of Western USA Regional Executive
offices in Glendale on October 21 to give a briefing on the status
of projects in Artsakh.

Lena Bozoyan, Chairperson of the Regional Executive made the welcoming
remarks and introduced the decorated Lieutenant General, who has
participated with distinction in the liberation struggle of Artsakh.

Aghabekyan praised the ARS for serving the people of Artsakh since
the liberation struggle.

Aghabekyan addressed a select audience of ARS Regional and Chapter
executives about the Armenia Fund’s latest project, stressing the
importance of funding the construction of the Vardenis-Martakert
highway linking northern Armenia and northern Artsakh.

He was accompanied by the Armenia Fund of USA Western Region Chairman,
Antranig Baghdassarian, and Executive Director Sarkis Kotanjian. ARS
Central Executive Board Chairperson Vicky Marashlian, Regional
Executive board members, former ARS Regional Executive Chairpersons
and current Chapter Executive chairpersons attended the briefing,
which was followed by a reception in Aghabekyan’s honor.

Baghdassarian, also invited to speak, appealed to the ARS to help
in the fundraising for the Thanksgiving Day Telethon. The ARS is a
member agency of Armenia Fund and participates in the Telethon each
year. ARS members and supporters are urged to pass on their donations
and pledges to their local ARS chapters or the Regional Executive by
November 25, 2013.

The Armenian Relief Society of Western USA, established in 1984 and
with regional headquarters in Glendale, CA, has 27 chapters and more
than 1,200 members in five western states. The ARS-WUSA operates a
Social Services Division and Child, Youth, and Family Guidance Center,
and funds numerous youth programs, scholarships, and relief efforts.

The ARS Regional Executive headquarters are at 517 W. Glenoaks
Blvd., Glendale, CA 91202. For further information, please visit
or call (818) 500-1343.

WEBSITE THAT DEFAMED WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTER REFUSES TO PUBLISH RETRACTION

10.29.2013 20:54 epress.am

The dispute between the Women’s Resource Center of Armenia (WRCA) and
the website Zaruhi.com, which began last year, has not been resolved:
Zaruhi.com’s editorial team refuses to publish a retraction or
apologize for defamatory statements made about the NGO on its website.

In 2012, Zaruhi.com journalist Ruslan Tatoyan published a piece on
Zaruhi.com in which he called the WRCA a “grant-taker” and “family
destroyer”.

The WRCA took the matter to court, requesting a retraction from both
the website and the journalist for defamation and insult. The first
instance court sustained the lawsuit and ordered a compensation of
50,000 AMD (about $120 USD). The appeals court, however, found only
the journalist (and not the website) liable.

“An apology should’ve been published on the website, but since only
the journalist is responsible, he is unable to do so – the journalist
does not have access to the site. Moreover, he no longer works there.

The journalist is prepared to publish an apology, but the website
doesn’t allow him to publish a stand-alone article, offering he do
so by leaving a comment [on the website],” WRCA’s attorney, Nvard
Piliposyan, informed Epress.am today. She said they have already said
the only way to resolve the issue is to publish a retraction on the
website, after which the matter can be considered closed.

According to Piliposyan, Zaruhi.com’s former director, current
Republican Party of Armenia MP Hayk Babukhanyan, who till today is the
chair of the website’s editorial board, after the incident, began to
take action against the Center, discrediting it and making offensive
statements, including complaining to the police with false accusations.

“[The Center] has a strained relationship with this person in
particular, and as a result, the website is not agreeing to voluntarily
publish an apology. In any case, we have a verdict confirming the
defamation; it’s just that, because of one move, the court omitted the
website from the list of respondents and the verdict is not actually
being executed. The law requires that the apology must be published
in the same way and in the same place as the [original] article,”
said the attorney.

Piliposyan said the omission in the law is obvious: a lot of fuss is
raised when cases go to court, but in many instances, court rulings
aren’t executed, as there are no ways to implement them.

The Epress.am correspondent also spoke with the journalist, Ruslan
Tatoyan, who said that the article was originally supposed to be
published in the newspaper Iravunq because he works there.

“The fact that the article was published on Zaruhi.com was not my
fault, though Zaruhi.com belongs to Iravunq. The trial took place
against Zaruhi.com; meanwhile, I was a newspaper journalist. I quit my
job in March, then I saw the verdict: both the financial demand and
publishing the article were laid on me. I had no leverage: how could
I publish the article on the website or without the editor’s knowledge?

If there’s a court process that’s issued a ruling then it has to be
executed. I never wanted to insult the Center or women; there are
things I agree with and others I don’t, but there were epithets in the
article which had nothing to do with me. Amazingly, only I was left
as the defendant, and they washed their hands,” said the journalist,
referring to Zaruhi.com’s editorial team.

According to him, he is also finding ways to publish a public apology
and get rid of all this preposterous red tape.