Author: Badalian Vardan

BRUSSELS SHOCKED BY ARMENIA’S DECISION AND AWAITS CLARIFICATION FROM YEREVAN

Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 4 2013

Diplomats and officials in Brussels are shocked by the unexpected turn
of Armenia, which announced its intention to join the Customs Union
of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, Secretary General of the Heritage
Party Stepan Safarian who is in the Belgian capital of Brussels on
an EU programme said, Novosti-Armenia reported.

On Tuesday, after talks between the Armenian and Russian Presidents,
Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin, it was stated that Armenia intends
to join the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia and
subsequently participate in the formation of the Eurasian Economic
Community.

“For the past several hours they can hide neither their surprise,
nor rage and it was obvious at all the meetings. Both the European
Commission and Parliament are waiting for Yerevan to offer an
explanation. I wonder what fairy-tale they will come up with this
time,” Safarian wrote on his Facebook page.

A summit of the EU leadership and leaders of EU Eastern Partnership
programme member states will be held on November 2013 in Vilnus.

During the summit it is expected to initial an Association Agreement
and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with several countries
including Armenia.

The Eastern Partnership initiative was put forward by Poland and
Sweden, approved at the EU summit in Brussels in 2008 and officially
established in May 2009 in Prague.

The programme’s goal is the convergence of the EU to Ukraine, Armenia,
Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Belarus without their admission to
the EU.

The programme provides a significant increase in the level of political
cooperation and broad integration of the former Soviet republics in
the EU economy, increasing the amount of financial assistance for
them and strengthening energy security.

ARMENIA EYES TO JOIN RUSSIA-LED TRADE BLOC

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Sept 4 2013

NOVO-OGARYOVO – Reuters

Armenia will join a customs union led by its former Soviet master
Russia, President Serzh Sarksyan said on late Sept. 3 after talks
with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Much smaller than its energy-exporting neighbors, Armenia’s economy
will not hugely increase the union’s overall trade figures when it
joins Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in a bloc based on ties remaining
from the former Soviet Union.

But Putin welcomed the move as a diplomatic victory at a time when
he is struggling to bring former Soviet republics closer together
and stop Ukraine from slipping into the orbit of the European Union.

“The Russian side supports the decision by Armenia to enter the
customs union … We will fully work for this to happen,” Putin said.

Yerevan’s membership still must be approved by the other union members.

Russia is the country’s largest trading partner, and their bilateral
trade grew 22 percent to $1.2 billion last year. Russia is also
the biggest foreign investor in Armenia with a total of $3 billion
in investments.

September/04/2013

EXPERT: ARMENIA’S DECISION TO JOIN CUSTOMS UNION WILL BENEFIT ALL ITS MEMBERS

Belarusian Telegraph Agency
Sept 4 2013

04.09.2013 16:08

MINSK, 4 September (BelTA) – Armenia’s decision to join the Customs
Union makes economic sense and will benefit all its members, Doctor of
Economics, head of the economic policy sub-department at the Belarusian
State Economic University, Professor Alexander Bondar said commenting
on the statement by Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan about Armenia’s
plans to join the Customs Union and take part in the formation of
the Eurasian Economic Union.

“It is interesting and economically beneficial for Armenia and
the existing members of the Customs Union. The accession of new
members promises more export opportunities and will help address
import-substitution targets,” Alexander Bondar said. The Customs
Union member states have the single customs territory with no customs
duties and economic restrictions, which considerably facilitates
product promotion and sales.

“Integration is gaining momentum on the group level. It is sometimes
hard to penetrate the market of the European Union, but by expanding
and strengthening the Customs Union we are creating our own market
that might grow strong enough to rival the EU market and become its
partner. Therefore, when the Customs Union strengthens its positions,
there will be more areas of common interest and more opportunities to
develop partner relations. We are expanding integration, building up
our capacities and creating additional opportunities,” the expert said.

Speaking about a possibility of Ukraine’s accession to the Customs
Union Alexander Bondar noted that so far Ukraine has an observer status
in the Eurasian Economic Community and is an important trading partner
of the Customs Union member states. The expert said that much will
depend on how visible the efficiency of the Customs Union will be,
because it will allow demonstrating the advantages of being a Customs
Union member. “It will need time. The Customs Union will first welcome
Armenia, and some time later the country will see economic advantages
of its membership in the Customs Union,” he said.

At present the Customs Union comprises Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan.

Ukraine’s Nikolai Azarov announced Ukraine’s willingness to join the
Customs Union agreement on removing technical barriers in mutual trade
with the CIS member states that are not members of the Customs Union.

ARMENIA CHOOSES RUSSIAN TRADE DEAL OVER EU

Russia Today
Sept 4 2013

Published time: September 04, 2013 12:48

Armenia has decided to hang its hat with its former Soviet ally Russia
instead of joining a European free-trade agreement, President Serzh
Sarksyan announced after meeting with Vladimir Putin.

Armenia said it would join Russia in the Customs Union, as well as
engage in the Eurasian integration process instead of negotiating
a free trade agreement with the EU. The move is seen as a political
victory for Putin, who has been rounding up former Soviet states to
rival the EU, promising lower gas prices and other trade perks.

“Russia supports the decision by Armenia to enter the customs union
… We will fully work for this to happen,” Putin said at the bilateral
talk at his countryside house outside of Moscow .

Russia is Armenia’s largest trading partner and the largest foreign
investor in the small, landlocked Caucasus country. Trade in 2012
reached $1.2 billion and Russian capital investment was over $3
billion, or nearly half of Armenia’s foreign investment, Putin said.

In July Armenia engaged in technical talks on a ‘deep and comprehensive
free-trade agreement’ (DCFTA) with the EU, and observers largely
expected the country to initiate a free trade agreement with the EU at
the Vilnius summit in late November. The EU has stated both publicly
and privately membership of the Russia’s Eurasian Customs Union is
“incompatible” with DCFTA.

The three-member customs union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus was
founded in 2010 as a counterweight to the EU. Putin hopes to expand it
into a ‘Eurasian Union’- a political and economic union of post-Soviet
states like Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.

While President Putin said earlier the Eurasian Union would be built
upon the ‘best values of the Soviet Union’, critics claim that the
drive towards integration aims to restore the ‘Soviet Empire’.

It has been suggested the Eurasian Union could also include other
countries that have been historically or culturally close, such as
Finland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Mongolia,
Cuba and Venezuela. This is expected to incorporate the countries
into a common body where Russian would be the common language of
communication and economic cooperation.

Russia has so far failed to lure Ukraine away from an EU trading
alliance and relations with Belarus have soured after they detained
and jailed the CEO of Russia’s largest potash producer, Uralkali.

NORDIC, BALTIC FOREIGN MINISTERS HOPE TO SIGN AA WITH ARMENIA, GEORGIA, MOLDOVA WITHIN EP SUMMIT

ITAR-TASS, Russia
September 3, 2013 Tuesday 06:25 PM GMT+4

STOCKHOLM September 3

– Foreign ministers of Nordic and Baltic countries (Denmark, Iceland,
Latvia, Sweden, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Estonia) hope to sign
the Association Agreement with Armenia, Georgia and Moldova within
the Eastern Partnership.

The ministers also support the signing of the Association Agreement
between Ukraine and the EU at the Eastern Partnership summit due to
take place in Vilnius in November “if Ukraine proves real progress
in key fields in compliance with the resolutions of the EU summit of
December 2012”.

The Eastern Partnership is a cooperation programme between the
European Union and Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova
and Ukraine. Poland and Sweden initiated it in 2008. The project was
launched on May 7, 2009.

The Eastern Partnership was created to bring closer positions and
strengthen relations between Eastern Europe and the European Union.

The priorities are to create a political community, to strengthen a
free trade zone and cancel visas.

DIMEJIAN, BEZDIKIAN TO HEAD ANCA-WR 2013 BANQUET COMMITTEE

Wednesday, September 4th, 2013

Aida Dimejian (left) and Sareen Bezdikian will lead the planning
committee for this year’s Annual Banquet

LOS ANGELES-The Armenian National Committee of America – Western
Region announced Wednesday that Sareen Bezdikian and Aida Dimejian
will serve as the co-chairpersons of its 2013 Annual Banquet committee
slated for Thanksgiving weekend.

“We are thrilled to have Sareen and Aida co-chair the committee that
plans the most important event of the year as they bring a wealth of
knowledge, energy, and enthusiasm,” stated ANCA-WR Board Chair, Nora
Hovsepian. “With their leadership and a committee that is comprised
of dynamic individuals we are confident that this year’s banquet will
be absolutely exceptional,” added Hovsepian.

The Banquet will highlight the many successes and initiatives of the
ANCA-WR over the past year and honor individuals in the community who
have time and again contributed to the advancement of the Armenian
Cause.

“We have assembled an incredible team of dedicated individuals who are
committed to the success of this year’s banquet. The Annual Banquet is
the premiere event of the year where the many ANCA successes of 2013
are presented to our supporters and grassroots activists,” commented
Committee Co-Chair Dimejian.

Last year, the sold out Banquet attracted over one thousand attendees
as it gave opportunity for elected officials, community leaders,
entrepreneurs, and activists young and old to join ANCA-WR in honoring
distinct individuals who have served their community and their
country. Among the honorees last year were Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid, entrepreneur Varant Melkonian, Dr. Rubina Peroomian,
New York Times bestselling author Chris Bohjalian, and Armenian
Evangelical community leader Rev. Joe Matossian.

It’s very fitting to celebrate the success of the ANCA-WR on
Thanksgiving weekend as it gives us an opportunity to thank and
acknowledge the activists who play an instrumental role in the
advancement of the Armenian Cause,” said Sareen Bezdikian, Esq. “I
am humbled to represent such a powerful grassroots organization and
work with such a passionate committee,” she added.

This year’s Annual Banquet, the main event of the Armenian American
community across the United States, will be coupled with the much
anticipated second ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference. The banquet will
take place on Saturday, November 30, at the Loews Hollywood Hotel
in the heart of Los Angeles, CA. Further details about the event
are forthcoming.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the
largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy
organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the
Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country,
the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community
on a broad range of issues.

GEODESY AND CARTOGRAPHY ORGANIZATION TO TRAIN REAL ESTATE MEASURING SPECIALISTS FOR ARMENIA’S PROVINCES

YEREVAN, September 4. / ARKA /. Armenian Geodesy and Cartography
non-commercial government organization, overseen by the State Committee
of Real Estate Cadastre, will train property measuring specialists
from all provincial centers and large communities of Armenia, Ashot
Musayan, deputy head of the State Committee of Real Estate Cadastre,
said Tuesday. He said the decision was prompted by high prices set
outside the capital city by private companies “Our goal is to prevent
unjustified rise in prices for property measurements, imposed often
by private firms. We are receiving many complaints, especially from
the regions of Armenia that private companies demand unreasonably
high payment for their services,” Musayan reporters Tuesday.

He said the State Cadastre is ready to provide appropriate licenses
and recruit experts nominated by regional authorities and train them.

“When they are named, we will conduct special training courses for
them and after the exams they will be able to get to work,” he added.

Musayan said the prices of services provided by specialists from
Geodesy and Cartography are well below the prices demanded by private
companies.

He said for example private companies charge 15,000-20,000 drams for
measuring an apartment in a residential buildings, while experts from
Geodesy and Cartography charge only 100 drams per one square meter.

He said in January 2012the agency closed its territorial subdivisions
replacing them with service offices, reducing the red tape,

Musayan said persons with electronic signatures now have the
opportunity to submit documents on-line through the official
website of the State Committee of Real Estate Cadastre
without having to visit the agency. —0— – See more at:

DRUG PLANTATION DISCOVERED AT LAND OWNED BY VICE-SPEAKER OF AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENT

17:18 04/09/2013 ” LAW

Drugs were found on the land owned by the vice-speaker of Azerbaijani
parliament Valeh Aleskerov and his brother Rasim Aleskerov, however
no charges are brought against them. Azerbaijani portal “Haqqin.az”
reports that the land is located in Karaeri village of Samukh region
in Azerbaijan.

It is reported that drug plantation was discovered on this land, and
as evidence police confiscated nine bushes of narcotic plants. It is
also noted that the police has confiscated drugs, kept in matchboxes.

4 inhabitants of this district were detained in because of this
incident. The court detained them for 2 months. Nazim Hasimov, known
in Gyanjabasarskaia zone as a “drug kingpin” was among those arrested.

According to the publication, there were no formal charges against
the Vice-Speaker’s brother. In the same time drug plantation was
found also in the yard of Vugar Goshgarov, located next door to the
Aleskerov’s house.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan posted
information on its site about the operation carried out against drug
traffickers in Samukh region, and Nazim Hasimov’s name is among the
arrested. The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of
Azerbaijan notes that they cannot add anything else besides what’s
written in the statement posted on their official website.

The U.S. State Department report on the control of drug trafficking was
noted that Azerbaijan is a transit country for drugs from Afghanistan,
Iran and Central Asia to Russia and Europe. The report also said that
the number of addicts has increased in Azerbaijan.

Heroin is the most popular drug in Azerbaijan, besides narcotic plants
grow there.

In September 2010, the Deputy Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan
Rustam Usubov stated that about 35% of the drugs illegally produced
in Afghanistan are carried through Azerbaijan.

In September 2010, the Deputy Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan Rustam
Usubov said that through the territory of Azerbaijan carried about 35%
of the drugs illegally produced in Afghanistan.

According to a UN report, of “Northern Balkan Route” drug trafficking
from Afghanistan to Europe lies precisely through Azerbaijan.

Drugs freely cross Azerbaijan-Turkey-Iran route. The second, “Old
Balkan Route” lies straight through Iran to Turkey. People engaged
in the smuggling are mainly assisted by the Azerbaijani and Kurdish
population of northern Iran. The third way is through Azerbaijan and
the Caucasus which lies through the Turkmen seaport after Turkmenbashi,
in Baku. Here the drugs are easily smuggled into Russia.

Moreover, the telegram to former U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne
Derse, which was published by the WikiLeaks, read that the drug mafia
in Russia is largely controlled by ethnic Azerbaijanis. Armenia,
at the same time, is not specified as a drugs transit country.

Source: Panorama.am

GYNECOLOGIST SPEAKS ON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR CAUSES IN ARMENIA

SEPTEMBER 4, 13:32

“I always assess positively the open discussions on sex, health. And it
seems to me that if we want for people to have a healthy sex life, the
matter on sex education needs to be raised in schools [in Armenia].”

Renowned gynecologist Georgi Poghosyan stated the aforesaid Wednesday,
during a press conference devoted to World Sexual Health Day.

As per the specialist, working abroad is a factor that causes sexual
problems in Armenia.

“The men are away from their family for months. They will have to
satisfy their [sexual] needs. In numerous cases, infections are the
cause for the unhealthy sexual condition of men,” Poghosyan said.

In his words, a healthy approach is needed toward sex.

“Many diseases are caused by lack of sex. A variety of fears develop,
too,” the gynecologist added.

In the specialist’s conviction, there is solely one solution.

“It would be good to pass a law [in Armenia] that each material on
sex and sexual life receive a ‘visa’ from a specialist,” he noted.

In addition, as per the gynecologist, it would be good if the state
adopt a law, pursuant to which people are required to undergo a
medical before getting married.

“In this way, the number of cases of miscarriages and infertility
will reduce [in Armenia],” Georgi Poghosyan concluded.

NEWS.am STYLE

NEW DENTAL CLINIC OPENS IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH CAPITAL

17:11 ~U 04.09.13

The president of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic attended
Wednesday the opening of the Dentex Dental Group dental clinic in
capital Stepanakert.

In a speech at the ceremony, Bako Sahakyan stressed the importance
of the initiative, noting that the up-to-date clinic will boost the
development of dental medicine in the country.

According to a press release by the NKR Presidential Office, the
opening event was also attended by Primate of the Artsakh Diocese
of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan,
Speaker of the NKR National Assembly Ashot Ghoulyan, Prime Minister
Ara Haroutyunyan and other officials.

Armenian News – Tert.am