Author: Badalian Vardan

SYRIAN TROOPS RETAKE CHRISTIAN TOWN

Tehran Times

October 28, 2013 Monday

Syrian government forces retook a Christian town north of Damascus on
Monday after a week of fierce clashes with al-Qaeda-linked fighters who
had recently captured key parts of it, state media said. The state-run
SANA news agency said the army “restored security and stability”
to the town of Sadad, 120 kilometers (75 mile) north of Damascus,
early on Monday. It said “a large number of terrorists” were killed
and their weapons seized, adding that the army dismantled scores of
roadside bombs planted by gunmen around the Christian town.

Sadad had been in opposition hands since last week, when
al-Qaeda-linked groups captured a checkpoint that gave them control
of the western part of the town.

The rebels appear to have targeted Sadad because of its strategic
location near the main highway north of Damascus, rather than because
it is Christian. But hard-liners among the rebels are hostile to
Syria’s Christian minority, which fears the radicals and tends
to favor Assad. Other al-Qaeda-linked fighters have damaged and
desecrated churches in areas they have seized. SANA said the army was
still pursuing opposition fighters who fled Sadad for surrounding
farms. It also reported that the rebels had vandalized the town’s
Saint Theodor Church and much of its infrastructure. Meanwhile,
the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that
jihadis in Syria torched an Armenian church in the northern town of
Tel Abyad along the border with Turkey late on Sunday. The fighting
came as the UN-Arab League envoy arrived in Syria on his first trip to
the country in almost a year. Lakhdar Brahimi is trying to prepare a
peace conference on Syria supposed to take place in Geneva next month
but the gathering has been increasingly in doubt as Syria’s warring
factions refuse to face each other at the negotiating table. The
United States and Russia have been trying for months to convene the
conference to negotiate a political solution to Syria’s civil war,
which has killed more than 100,000 people and forced some 2 million
to flee the country since the conflict erupted in March 2011. After
his last trip to Syria in December 2012, Brahimi had angered Syrian
authorities when he said that 40 years of President Bashar Assad
Enhanced Coverage LinkingBashar Assad -Search using:Biographies Plus
NewsNews, Most Recent 60 Daysfamily rule in Syria was “too long.”

Syrian officials then accused him of being biased. This time, Brahimi
visited several countries in the region, including Iran, where he said
Saturday that the participation of Iran – a key backer of Assad – at a
Syria peace conference was “necessary.” On Monday, Brahimi travelled
from Tehran by private jet to Beirut, then continued by road to
Damascus. In the Lebanese capital, he would not speak to reporters. “I
will speak when I return,” he said. Arab League’s chief Nabil Elaraby
recently said the Geneva conference would be held on Nov. 23. Brahimi,
however, has stressed that no date has been set but that the United
Nations hopes to organize the gathering in late November. Russia on
Monday issued a stinging rebuke to the rebels’ recent threats against
those who are planning to attend the proposed Geneva conference. “It
is outrageous that some of these extremist, terrorist organizations
fighting government forces in Syria are starting to make threats,”
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in televised comments. “The
threats are directed at those who have the courage to attend the
proposed Geneva conference being offered by Russia and the United
States with the entire world’s support,” Lavrov said.

FROM ELIZABETH TAYLOR TO ANDY WARHOL: CAPTURING THE FAMOUS FACES OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Slate Magazine
Oct 29 2013

the 20th Century

By Sarah Moroz

Copyright Estate of Yousuf Karsh/Collection of the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston Yousuf Karsh has snapped portraits of some of the most
iconic figures of the last century. His wide-ranging pool of subjects
includes John F. Kennedy, Joan Crawford, and Walt Disney.

And yet, behind that lens, Yousuf Karsh remains a rather unknown name.

Though his photographs captured world-famous celebrities and
intellectuals, Karsh himself grew up with difficult circumstances.

Born in Turkish Armenia in 1908 during the Armenian genocide, he and
his family were forced to flee their homeland when he was young. By
way of Syria, Karsh eventually settled in Canada. He lived with his
Quebec-based uncle, a professional photographer who mentored him in
the craft.

Karsh’s career took off independently in the 1930s, boosted by the
artsy network of his first wife, French-born Solange Gauthier. He
also developed a repertoire photographing political events through
his friendship with Canada’s then-Prime Minister Mackenzie King. His
career was launched into an international realm when, in December
1941, Karsh was asked to take a portrait of Winston Churchill during
his state visit to Ottawa, Canada. That success helped his portfolio
expand to include celebrities and dignitaries from the vast worlds
of politics, art, literature, architecture, and the humanities.

Karsh produced more than 150,000 negatives using a large-format 8-by-10
camera throughout his career. Each sitting he would take about 15 to
20 photographs over a two-hour period. He used Tungsten studio lights
or natural light rather than flash so he could follow the organic
progression of his conversation with his subject and photograph him
or her without interruption.

Jerry Fielder worked with Karsh for 13 years and assisted the
photographer on hundreds of sessions. “He would learn as much as he
could about each person he photographed in advance of their meeting,”
Fielder said. “He always required time with his subjects beforehand,
either dinner the night before or a couple of hours the morning of
the session.” Fielder called Karsh “a raconteur,” noting that he was
“very charming and people enjoyed talking to him.” But, Fielder said,
as Karsh’s subjects were enjoying his company, Karsh was watching them.

“He would ask them about their children or about their work, and he
would see the expressions on their face. So when they got in front
of the camera later, when he saw a moment they were being themselves,
he knew what to do.”

Karsh’s images have an elegant plainspokenness to them: direct, often
closely framed. Many portraits highlight the attributes you’d expect
of these famous personalities, though with some of the artists and
architects (Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, I.M. Pei), Karsh widens
the framing to include them in their studio settings, revealing their
personalities by their facial expressions and postures and by what
their surrounding environments say about them.

Karsh worked for more than half a century before he closed his studio
in 1992. Since Karsh’s death in 2002, Fielder has been the director
of the Karsh estate. He curated a show of Karsh’s work at the Mona
Bismarck Foundation in Paris, currently on view through January.

“Because of the background he came from-which was so awful-I think
you can emerge bitter and resentful,” Fielder said of Karsh. “But his
approach was that he saw the worst of life, so he wanted to celebrate
the best of life-he wanted to celebrate people of accomplishment.”

Sarah Moroz is a freelance journalist living in Paris. She writes
about photography, literature, fashion, and other cultural topics.

View photos at

ABKHAZIAN RAILWAY: NEW CHALLENGES

The Messenger, Georgia
Oct 29 2013

BY: CGS GROUP Tuesday, October 29 On September 11, 2013, the Russian
Duma adopted a package of decisions with regard to Syria, where the
main resolution was to supply Iran with military weapons and ammunition
in the event of a U.S. Military strike against Syria. With this
gesture, Russia openly revealed its support for Assad’s government,
which receives much of its weapons from Iran.

The question then becomes: how, and in which ways, does Russia plan
to implement its decision? In particular, how will it supply Iran
with weapons?

Logically, the fastest, most cost-effective and economically viable
way is through the Transcaucasian railway line, neglected since
the Abkhazian war. In particular, its Ochamchire – Ingiri (Zugdidi)
section requires rehabilitation.

A few days prior to the Duma’s resolution, on September 6, the Armenian
News agency News.am released a statement by Armenian National Security
Council Secretary Arthur Baghdasaryan, who stated that “Armenia is
actively negotiating with Abkhazia and Iran about the issue of the
railway construction-rehabilitation process. Iran is ready to finance
the costs of railway construction. There are active negotiations
on this issue. Armenia has a strong interest in the opening of the
railway line. Georgia and Russia are also parties having interests,
and Abkhazia has agreed to open the railway line.

Now we must continue the negotiation processes.”

Also on September 6, Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued
a response to the statement made by Baghdasaryan. Foreign Minister
Maia Panjikidze stated that “The issue of this railway is a very
interesting topic that may lie within our sphere of interest. However,
when negotiations about this issue began, we made it plain that the
Georgian government will do nothing against its own interests, and
that future developments will guide us in how to act. Any information
you may have heard indicating that a permit has been issued by us,
or that any agreement has been reached, is false.”

Knowing that the Georgian government has denied the existence of
any negotiations process in this regard, what could Baghdasaryan’s
statement mean, that outran the decision made by Duma? Is this a
random coincidence? Or is there a more far-reaching and deliberate
motive behind this?

The issue of opening this railway line is not something new, but has
been the subject of discussion since the close of the Abkhazian war.

At the press conferenceon July 3, 2013, Georgian Prime Minister
Bidzina Ivanishvili talked about the recovery of Abkhazian railway
line. He made it clear that rail traffic will be restored, where the
Russian position will be a major factor, and that the rehabilitation
process should be gradual. In fact, he repeated what he had said on
January 17, on the meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan during his
visit to Armenia, where he had also described Russia’s position as a
key factor. This had at that time given rise to talk in opposition
parties of “impending dangers.” The Prime Minister’s statement was
also criticized by President Saakashvili, who claimed that this
process wouldl slow the integration process and help accelerate
Russian expansion in the Caucasus.

But it must be said that comments of opposition and the President
were politically motivated, since Saakashvili’s government also
engaged in active negotiation for the restoration of railway, and it
can be said that these negotiations were conducted unsuccessfully,
since Russia managed to establish full control over the railway,
which facilitated the Kremlin’s military presence in Abkhazia.

Following Georgia’s parliamentary elections in October 2012 and
approval of a new cabinet, the issue of restoration of the railway
line came to the forefront once again.

In November 2012, the new Minister for Reintegration Paata
Zakareishvili initiated the idea of restoration of the railway and road
transit traffic, as presenting a step forward for conflict resolution.

Zakareishvili’s initiative was not new but an issue that had been
raised by Aslan Abashidze during President Eduard Shevardnadze’s
government. At the time, the Kremlin considered Abashidze as
Shevardnadze’s successor, and Abashidze assumed the role of mediator
as a way to raise his rating with support of IDPs from Abkhazia.

Abashidze gave Russia the opportunity to defend its interests during
the negotiation processes. The issue of restoration of the railway
in Abkhazia as a topic for discussion was provided by Russian side.

Restoration in this case meant the restoration of Leselidze –
Ochamchire section, but not the whole traffic.

This enabled Russia to transport military goods in Abkhazia, and
this process was not related to the issue of restoration of transit
with Armenia. In fact, restoration of the whole line was not in the
Russia’s interest, as in this case people of the disputed regions
would be able to have contact with each other and this would be the
serious step forward for conflict resolution.

At that time the chairman of the Supreme Council was Tamaz
Nadareishvili, who managed to neutralize Abashidze and remove him
from the processes, lately the issue of restoration of the railway
was closed. Significantly, pressure from the Armenian side has ceased.

But soon after Saakashvili’s arrival to power in 2004, as a result of
Armenia’s activity (and behind Armenia, there was Russia’s interests)
the issue of restoration of railway reawakened. The process was
under UN Observer mission’s control. Georgian-Abkhazian commission
was created, restoration works defined, finances was guaranteed
by Russian side and the process was officially registered on the
basis of a special report. Russian railway troops began to move to
Abkhazia but suddenly the process of negotiations was halted and only
Leselidze-Ochamchire road was restored.

It should be noted that Saakashvili’s government was either unable
or unwilling to accurately assess the situation. For all practical
purposes, Russia reached its goal, strengthened its presence in
Abkhazia, and restored the railway line that was acceptable for it.

As a result, Georgia was automatically removed from the issue
of restoration of railway and the topic has been left open, with
Ochamchire-Ingiri (Zugdidi) line still in need of restoration to
ensure transit to Armenia.

Armenia has the greatest interest in this issue, as restoration of
the railway is considered strategically important for Armenia, as
the shortest and cheapest route to Russia. For Armenian business,
transporting cargo to Russia currently costs 190 USD per ton, and
would be much lower were use of the railway line restored. President
Sargsyan has high hopes regarding this issue; he has had negotiations
with Putin, who promised to consider this topic.

However, Azerbaijan’s interests also must be considered, as they do
not share common satisfaction. Azerbaijani experts believe that this
process may irritate Azerbaijan and this will have negative effect
on the Azerbaijan-Georgia relationship. They think that restoration
of this railway line will facilitate market movement in Armenia and
as a result it becomes stronger, and this is the matter of concern
for Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani experts believe Georgia would do well to remember that
Azerbaijan is Georgia’s strategic partner who always supports Georgia
on International arena, and that economic relations are another
important part of this relationship, as Georgia receives natural gas
with special tariffs and receives investments from Azerbaijani side.

Georgian politicians should make no decisions without consultations
with the Azerbaijani side.

However, it should also be remembered that in 1999 Azerbaijani
government together with EU signed an agreement giving Georgia,
Azerbaijan and Armenia responsibility to open the railway line. This
means that Azerbaijan has signed the document according to which it
has to facilitate restoration of railway line.

In addition, the Azerbaijani Government must accept the fact that this
issue is related to Georgian-Russian relations, in which Azerbaijan
does not have the right to interfere. Moreover, Georgia has not taken
an international obligation about withdrawal of restoration of railway
line, nor has Georgia made any promises to Azerbaijan about this issue.

Regardless, Georgia and Azerbaijan should remain strategic partners,
and Azerbaijan should be interested in this, as Georgia is the only
route for exporting oil and gas to Europe. In addition, Azerbaijani’s
private sector has made significant investments in Georgia which they
want to protect.

Russia, who has its military bases in Armenia, is also interested in
this issue. It takes considerable resources for Russia to maintain
these bases and provide logistical support. The issue of the rotation
of military personal is another difficulty. Restoration of railway
line will give Russia the opportunity to keep these bases and squadrons
located near the Turkish border, with less expenditure.

Russia has more far-reaching ambitions. Several years ago, the Russian
Railway bought the Armenian railway line and gave it old Soviet name
“Transcaucasia Railway” (General Director Viktor Rebets). Russian
Railway also controls Abkhazian railway lines, and has hopes that its
restoration of the aforementioned railway line would give it access
to control the “Georgian Railway.”

In fact, Russia could not only control railway transit in the South
Caucasus but also have direct access to Iran and Islamic Republics,
who have their own interests regarding the railway line issue.

There is an embargo imposed on Iran by the international community
and in fact it is in isolation. With the restoration of this
railway line, it would have access to its strategic partner Russia,
with whom it actively cooperates in many fields including nuclear
energy issues. At this stage, Russia is not able to supply Iran with
radioactive substances, although there have been several attempts to
do this by using Georgian territory. Restoration of the railway line
would give Russia the potential to provide Iran such resources.

Certainly the railway, specifically the Abkhazia-Ingiri (Zugdidi)
line, has great economic importance in terms of regional policy. But
first of all it is an important step for normalizing Georgia-Russian
relations- one of the requests of the western alliance partners. In
addition, Prime Minister Ivanishvili and the prevailing government
have recognized the Regional Policy as a priority in foreign relations.

When we speak of the issue of restoration of the railway line and
its economic importance, we should bear in mind the risks that may
accompany this process. However, these can be minimized or avoided if
the existing government, unlike the previous one, is realistic about
assessing the landscape and milieu including Russia as a key player.

Areas of risk that should be singled out as needing particular scrutiny
include, first of all, that Georgia must not gave up “Georgian railway”
in favour of Russia. On the contrary, Georgia must try to incorporate
the Abkhazian railway into the Georgian railway line. Secondly,
as the Abkhazian side lacks specialists, it is important to employ
Georgian Specialists along with Russians. Thirdly, Russia must
fulfil its obligation, taken on as a condition of membership in the
World Trade Organization, and let Georgian customs officers on River
Psou. Fourthly, Georgia must be alert to the categories of Russia
cargos, to avoid further military ammunitions and arms movement in
Armenia that would contribute to instability in the region, and be
the violation of OSCE’s 1999 Istanbul decision. Finally and related,
international organizations should monitor cargos to prevent delivery
of uranium to Iran.

CGS Group is an American research and consulting firm, which offers a
variety of services to clients interested in establishing themselves
in Georgia and the South Caucasus. Committed to the success of our
clients and partners we offer experience and resources in the areas
of ? Government Relations & Public Affairs ? Business Intelligence
? Due Diligence ? Political Risk Analysis ? Security & Preparedness ?

Investigations & Forensics. Apart from research and consultancy
activities, CGS Group publishes two weekly newsletters to report
on business, economics and political news of Georgia. Find more at

TURKEY’S 90TH ANNIVERSARY: BLOODY PAST, UNCERTAIN FUTURE

October 29, 2013 – 17:55 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Ankara marks the 90th anniversary of the proclamation
of the Turkish Republic on October 29. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who
massacred the Greek population of Smyrna (Izmir) and dethroned the
last, 36th Sultan Mehmed Vahideddin, proclaimed the Turkish Republic
in 1923.

“Kemal celebrated his triumph by reducing Smyrna to ashes and
slaughtering the Christian population there,” Winston Churchill said
upon proclamation of the Republic.

Built on the blood and bones of the Christian population of the
Ottoman Empire, present-day Turkey is not much better than its founding
father. It was Ataturk who initiated the policy of nationalism, with
the phrase How happy is the one who says “I am Turkish” (Ne mutlu
Turkum diyene!) as its motto, which, however, became non-obligatory
in the country’s schools according to a new package of reforms.

Ataturk has done a lot for his country by cancelling the caliphate,
orders of Dervishes, veils, giving equal rights to women and family
names to Turks. Still, Turkey remains a cruel and authoritarian
country, where democracy and European values remain mere talk, with
Erdogan coming to replace Ataturk.

The celebrations went as usual: after President Abdullah Gul laid a
wreath on Ataturk’s tomb, he stood with other attendees for National
Anthem.

“As we approach our country’s centennial anniversary, our gains [and
successes instill a sense of] pride in us, [as we bear witness to
Turkey’s] rise in all fields and its development as a global center,”
Gul’s entry in the special guestbook at Anıtkabir mausoleum said.

Turkey, however, forgot all about the Treaty of Lausanne signed in
Switzerland on July 24, 1923. The treaty not only recognized Turkey’s
independence, but also stipulated for the country to lift military
defenses in Black Sea straits. The oil-rich province of Mosul, which
was part of the Ottoman Empire, was annexed to Iraq.

Greece was obligated to compensate the damages inflicted on Anatolia
through actions of Hellenic army. On the other hand, Turkey,
considering the situation Greece was in, refused any reparation
claims. Ethnic Greeks were evicted from every Turkish territory except
Constantinople. Currently, around 4000 Greeks reside in Istanbul.

Turkey caused Tripe Entente to abandon the idea of forming a ‘national
center’ for Armenians. Out of 2 million of Armenians once residing
in the Ottoman Empire, 60-70 thousand currently living in Istanbul
remained.

Today, Turkey faces a choice to either follow Kemal’s covenants or turn
the country into an Islamic republic. The General Staff responsible for
decision-making no longer exists; instead, the Justice and Development
Party (Ð~PÐ~ZР) or rather, its chair Recep Tayyip Erdogan are in
charge. True, if Turkey were to resolve the Kurdish issue, peace
may come into the country. Yet Kurds, determined to defend their
independence, are demanding autonomy.

With bloody past and uncertain future, Turkish Republic starts
its last decade ahead of its 100th anniversary. 10 years is a lot,
especially if events veer off the Erdogan-planned course. And the
next year’s elections will show if they will.

Karine Ter-Sahakian/ PanARMENIAN.Net

SAMSUNG DONATES LATEST X-RAY MACHINE TO YEREVAN HOSPITAL

October 29, 2013 | 13:55

YEREVAN. – Samsung Electronics company donated the newest digital
X-ray analysis apparatus to Surb Grigor Lusavorich (Saint Gregory
the Illuminator) Medical Center of Armenia’s capital cityYerevan.

The donation was made within the framework of Samsung’s corporate
social responsibility program, andArmenia is the first post-Soviet
country where such extensive program is carried out in 2013.

SAMSUNG XGEO GC80 is a digital universal roentgenographic device
whose components are function completely by remote control, and it is
unprecedented in the market. The equipment significantly reduces the
duration of the X-ray examination, and it is Armenia’s first fully
digital X-ray machine.

The Armenian Government press service informed that Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan paid a visit toSurbGrigorLusavorichMedicalCenter,
and got familiar with the capabilities of this modern digital X-ray
equipment which the hospital received.

To note, SAMSUNG XGEO GC80 can examine about 200 patients in one hour.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIA, GREECE SET TO DEEPEN BILATERAL COOPERATION

16:03 29.10.2013

Karen Ghazaryan
Public Radio of Armenia

Armenian Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan received today the visiting
Minister of National Defense of Greece Dimitris Avramopoulos.

The two summed up the results of the meeting at a joint press
conference.

Dimitris Avramopoulos attached importance to the issue of integration
of the defense systems of the two countries. He noted that despite
financial difficulties, both countries have managed to maintain
the best defense system – one of the best tools to impose peace on
the neighbor.

The Armenian-Greek defense cooperation based on the friendship
of the two peoples, the willingness to help each other and common
approaches has a long history, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohnayan
said. He added that the two countries have similar approaches towards
reinforcement of regional and international peace.

In this context Minister Ohayna reminded that the Armenian divisions
made their first steps in the international peacekeeping with the
support of the Greek side.

“We have been successfully cooperating since 1996. My visit means
we’re opening a new page not only in the field of defense,” Dimitris
Avramopoulos said, adding that a defense agreement will be signed in
the future during Armenian Defense Minister’s visit to Greece.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES TURKISH COUNTERPART ON REPUBLIC DAY

17:01 29.10.2013

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan sent a congratulatory message to
the President of the Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gul on the occasion
of Turkey’s National Holiday – the Republic Day, President’s Press
Office reported.

FARE FIGHT: PROTESTORS CALL OFF SIT-IN, BUT VOW TO STOP HIKE IN TRANSPORT COST

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

SOCIETY | 29.10.13 | 15:15

Photolure

By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
 

After the almost 100-day sitting strike, next to the Yerevan City Hall,
against an increase in public transportation fares, civil activists
left the area on Tuesday, stopping the protest, vowing to continue with
“more drastic and active moves”.

Members of “We pay 100 drams” initiative Suren Sargsyan, Vahagn
Minasyan and Gor Arakelyan partaking in the sit-in made a demand
last week that the municipality’s transport department head Henrik
Navasardyan and YerevanTrans company director Misak Hambardzumyan
were not discharged in seven days’ time, they would “take any actions
within the principle of rule of law that would force the solution of
the issue in people’s favor”.

The activists say they no longer are willing to sit down at a
round table and discuss anything with the authorities, as long as
“corrupt officials who have breached the norms of ethics work there”
and urge all the residents and civil organizations and entities which
“believe that the establishment of the institute of accountability in
the country is significant as well as elimination of the atmosphere
of impunity, the need for systematic changes in the transport sphere”
to “join this statement and after developing a joint agenda, take up
the solution of the above listed issues”.

Hayazn and Heritage’s Hayq youth-student union members joined it
this Tuesday.

In July Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan suspended the application of his
decision to raise the transport fares after a weeklong civil protest
in the Armenian capital. He also stated that a commission of experts
and concerned citizens would be formed to develop all the mechanisms
that would allow completing the decision on “Reconsideration of the
passenger transportation fares in Yerevan city”. The civil activists,
not satisfied with this solution, continued the struggle and demanded
dismissal of several high-ranking officials.

The work of the 36-member commission created last month as
instructed by the mayor is aimed, activists claim, at finding more
“convincing” argumentation on why the raise of public transport fare
is necessary. (Presently, public transportation costs 100 drams –
about 25 cents – but a commission is now considering the costs and
may come up with a proposal that would raise the fare to 150 drams
or even 200 drams – about 37.5-50 cents.)

All this while the activists have made numerous claims on attacks
against them, perpetrated with the knowledge of the police, which
takes no appropriate measures to investigate the cases, and this has
become an issue between international human rights watchdogs along
with the international community and the Armenian authorities.

“We pay 100 drams” initiative member Sevak Mamyan told ArmeniaNow
that the sit-in has brought the accountability issue to the agenda,
while during other acts of protests such civic issues were not raised
and officials keep making illegal decisions.

“The greatest achievement of these days is the formation of the
accountability discourse, it was also this hot hearth that has kept
the transport issue on the agenda for this long,” says the activist.

LE NOMBRE DES ADEPTES DE SECTES NE CESSE D’AUGMENTER

ARMENIE

Hayots Achkhar relève que, si en 1988 le nombre des adeptes de
sectes religieuses ne depassait pas 10 000, actuellement leur nombre
serait de 300 000, soit plus de 10% de la population armenienne. Le
quotidien considère ce chiffre comme preoccupant, dans la mesure où
dans les autres pays, le nombre des adeptes des sectes representerait
seulement 1% de la population. En Russie, ce chiffre serait de 1%,
aux Etats-Unis, 1,5%.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 22 octobre 2013

mardi 29 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

LE PRESIDENT DU KARABAGH SALUE LE CHOIX DE L’UNION DOUANIÈRE PAR EREVAN

KARABAGH

Bako Sahakian, le president de la Republique non reconnue du
Haut-Karabagh (NKR), s’est felicite de la decision controversee de
l’Armenie de se joindre a l’union douanière dirigee par la Russie.

Bako Sahakian a declare qu’il n’etait pas surpris par la decision
annoncee par le President Serge Sarkissian le mois dernier.

” La decision de l’Armenie de se joindre a l’union douanière est
encore une autre etape pour renforcer la cooperation avec la Russie
” a-t-il declare a des journalistes russes visitant Stepanakert.

” Rien d’etonnant s’est produit. Je pense que l’Armenie et la Russie
vont en beneficier. Donc, nous nous felicitons de cela “.

L’entree de l’Armenie dans le bloc dirigee par la Russie a alimente
la speculation que l’Armenie pourrait etre contraint de mettre en
place des points de contrôle douaniers pour les marchandises entrant
dans le pays a partir du Karabagh. Les fonctionnaires a Erevan ont
implicitement ecarte cette possibilite.

Les echanges commerciaux entre le Karabagh et l’Armenie ne sont pas
actuellement soumis a aucun impôt ni restrictions. Le territoire
est economiquement et militairement integre avec l’Armenie depuis sa
secession de facto de l’Azerbaïdjan au debut des annees 1990.

Bako Sahakian a declare que le Haut-Karabagh ne peut meme pas envisager
d’adherer a l’union douanière, car elle n’a pas ete reconnue par aucun
Etat, y compris l’Armenie. ” Ce sera une autre affaire si nous sommes
invites a y participer ” a-t-il dit. ” Nous aimerions organiser des
reunions et des discussions avant de decider d’y adherer ou pas “.

mardi 29 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com