Author: Badalian Vardan

ECONOMIE ARMENIENNE
La croissance économique faible de 4,4% de l’Arménie au 1er semestre
inquiète les autorités

La croissance économique du 1er semestre, plus faible que les
prévisions, commence à inquiéter le gouvernement arménien selon le
journal « Hayots Achkhar » (Monde arménien). « Particulièrement, fut
constatée une baisse de la croissance économique au deuxième trimestre
et le rythme de cette croissance entre au premier semestre n’est que
de 4,4% alors qu’elle avait avoisiné durant un temps à 9% » écrit «
Hayots Achkhar ». Le Premier ministre Dikran Sarkissian aurait demandé
à ses ministres, lors d’une réunion gouvernementale, de trouver des
moyens pour agir dans la relance de l’activité économique de
l’Arménie. Lors de la prochaine réunion des ministres, le chef du
gouvernement reviendra sur ce volet de la relance économique qui
inquiète les autorités arméniennes. Le gouvernement arménien a tablé
son budget sur des prévisions de croissance de l’ordre de 6 à 7% pour
2013, toute baisse entrainant immanquablement une baisse des recettes
de l’Etat et un déficit budgétaire.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 4 août 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

ARMENIE-ECONOMIE
L’industrie de la taille de diamant en Arménie en très forte hausse

Après quelques années de crise, l’industrie de la taille de diamants
en Arménie aurait semble-t-il retrouvé la santé. Ainsi entre janvier
et juin, 47 531 carats furent exportés par l’Arménie contre 27 043
durant la même période de l’an dernier, soit une hausse très forte de
75,8%. Mais l’industrie de la joaillerie aurait subi une baisse
puisque sur les cinq premiers mois de l’année 590,4 kg de bijoux en or
furent exportés d’Arménie contre 636,8 kg sur la même période de l’an
dernier soit une baisse de 24,2%.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 4 août 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

HAUT KARABAGH
L’Azerbaïdjan a violé à 250 reprises le régime du cessez-le-feu au
Haut Karabagh la semaine écoulée

L’Azerbaïdjan a violé à 250 reprises le régime du cessez-le-feu le
long de la frontière arméno-azérie le long de la frontière du Haut
Karabagh, entre le 28 juillet et le 3 août. Selon le ministère de la
Défense de la République du Haut Karabagh, plus de 1200 projectiles de
diverses dimensions furent tirées par l’Azerbaïdjan en direction des
positions arménienne de l’armée du Haut Karabagh. Cette dernière a
bien évidemment réagi et répliqué par souci de sécurité, et « fait
taire l’ennemi » à chaque fois.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 4 août 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

LEVON ARONIAN NUMERO 2 MONDIAL, 5 ARMENIENS PARMI LES 100 PREMIERS MONDIAUX

ECHECS

L’Armenien Levon Aronian reste toujours numero 2 mondial dans la
liste etablie par la FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs) fin
juillet. Le representant de l’Armenie est credite de 2 813 points,
derrière le numero 1 mondial, le Norvegien Magnus Carlsen (2 862
points). 4 autres Armeniens sont parmi les 100 premiers mondiaux
des echecs avec Sergueï Movsissian (49e), Vladimir Hagopian (60e),
Gabriel Sarkissian (73e) et le champion d’Armenie en titre, Tigrane L.

Petrossian (89e). Ainsi l’Armenie dispose de 5 representants dans
les 100 premiers mondiaux de la FIDE.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 3 août 2013, Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

ONEARMENIA COMBATS WATERBORNE ILLNESS IN ARMENIA

Friday, August 2nd, 2013

“Today we drink to you!”

YEREVAN-ONEArmenia, a non-profit crowd-funding platform, which has
been functioning for less than a year, has successfully funded their
third crowd-funding project, closing a $6,305 round of funding to bring
clean water to the war torn region of Kashatagh in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The project, in partnership with the Tufenkian Foundation, was
originally launched in January of this year and was able to raise 65%
of its $22,193 funding goal. After receiving a $3,000 donation in
the interim, ONEArmenia was ready to round out the remaining $5,532
and surpassed that goal by $773 in 3 weeks.

The nonprofit organization states, “Every penny raised will go towards
the creation of a drinking and irrigation water supply of a well to
provide fresh water to Karotan and its surrounding villages. With
ONEArmenia’s commitment to transparency and accountability, we will
keep everyone in the loop with progress reports from start to finish.

>From the cost of building materials to labor, you can find all the
details of the budget on our Indiegogo page.”

The campaign also gained support from the Armenian Youth Federation
of Canada, who organized a fundraiser at their most recent event.

“Access to clean water is fundamental in so many ways,” said Ani
Elgudzhyan, member of the AYF Vancouver Chapter. “We are happy to bring
together the Armenian community of Vancouver for this important cause.”

ONEArmenia is currently in talks with the Tufenkian Foundation on how
to use the extra money in a sustainable way. In the meantime, they are
getting ready to launch their fourth campaign with Sahman Development
Project to build greenhouses in the village of Berkaber. To keep up
to date with ONEArmenia, you can visit their Facebook page.

Non-profit funding platform ONEArmenia was founded in September 2012
to stand with change-making individuals and the organizations they
represent, using social media and crowd-funding to involve anyone with
an Internet connection in boosting projects that are geared toward
making tangible changes in Armenia now. The ONEArmenia network makes
it possible to not only raise money for a project based in Armenia as
a worldwide community, but to also track the progress of said project
with complete access to financial information.

ARSHAG DICKRANIAN SCHOOL APPOINTS NEW PRINCIPAL

Friday, August 2nd, 2013 |

Dr. Manoug Seraydarian

LOS ANGELES-The Board of Trustees of the TCA Arshag Dickranian School
has announced the appointment of Dr. Manoug Seraydarian as the school’s
new principal. The announcement was made along with the Board’s other
undertakings in preparation for the school’s 33rd academic year.

Born in Aleppo, Syria, Dr. Seraydarian earned his doctorate degree
from the University of Aleppo in 1988, where he also taught as lecturer
in Oral Medicine and Pathology. After immigrating to the U.S.

with his family, Dr. Seraydarian attended the UCLA Graduate School
of Education and participated in the UCLA Mathematics Project’s
Continuing Teachers’ Leadership Institute.

Dr. Seraydarian has over three decades of experience as an educator and
department chair at various educational levels through his serving in
several Armenian schools, including Ferrahian, Rose and Alex Pilibos,
and Mesrobian. He is also known to the Armenian community through his
regular appearances on Horizon Armenian TV, as well as his occasional
public lectures.

“We are quite certain and most confident that Dr. Seraydarian
will devote his experiences and expertise to uphold the mission of
Arshag Dickranian School in keeping pace with the changing times and
introducing new programs to the school’s curriculum,” said chairman
Mr. George K. Mandossian, when making his announcement on behalf of
the Board of Trustees.

TCA Arshag Dickranian Armenian School is a federally tax exempt,
Pre-K to 12th grade private educational institution.

ARA PAPYAN: INCIDENT AT TURKISH BORDER WAS NOT ACCIDENTAL

The incident at the Armenian-Turkish border involving Russian
bodyguards was not an accident, said the head of Modus Vivendi Center
Ara Papyan.

Note that a Turkish shepherd got killed by fire opened by the Russian
border guards as he crossed the border and appeared on the Armenian
side. Papyan says this is not a singular case of crossing the border.

Shepherds occasionally cross the border to retrieve their animals.

There must have been similar cases on both sides. If the man crossed
the border, it means that he did not worry that they might fire. I
think this is not an accident, in other words, the solder had an
order, if they do not fire in dozens of cases and then they fire,
they had an order to fire, Ara Papyan says.

What is the cause of such severity? Is tension provoked at the border
to force the Armenian side to opt for the Eurasian Union? Even though
different politicians say that we are not undergoing any pressure,
these are all expressions of pressure. “How else does pressure look
like?” Ara Papyan asks.

Touching upon the response of the Turkish side, Ara Papyan said that
no country would be indifferent to killings of its citizen, even if the
citizen has violated a rule. Papyan says it is normal that the Turkish
side blames Armenia for the incident on the Armenian-Turkish border.

“It is true that the Russians guard our border but it cannot point
the arrow of protest at the Russians. To put it in simple terms, the
Russians are operators, the authorities are Armenia,” he says. The
Turkish side claimed that the shepherd was not armed.

“The Turkish side described it as a disproportionate use of force,
which is a correct description. If the man did not have a weapon and
even if we presume that he crossed the border maliciously and he does
not present any danger, he could be just detained,” Papyan says.

Note that the press secretary of the Russian body guard service Sergey
Grechin told Itar-Tass that the killed Turkish shepherd crossed the
border and fired at the Russian guards who ordered him to halt.

Ara Papyan says if they say the shepherd had a gun and fired from it,
it changes the whole picture but first it needs to be proved. “They
must show the weapon, if they prove, it will be a different issue,”
he said.

Ara Papyan was surprised at the silence of the Armenian MFA.

“The Armenian side must request an explanation from the Russian side,
we must learn all the details. After all, an incident was reported
in the territory of the Republic of Armenia, so everything must be
examined by the Armenian authorities. If the Russian side says that
he had a gun, it must prove, and afterwards the Armenian side could
blame the Turkish side as its armed citizen attacked our border guards
and received an equal response. But the silence of the Armenian side
is not understandable,” he underscores, wondering if the ministry is
limited to protocols and receiving of delegations.

Roza Hovhannisyan 23:08 02/08/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

ARMENIA HAS ITS POPULATION REDUCED BY 15,000 OVER JAN-JUNE 2013

YEREVAN, August 2. /ARKA/. Armenia’s population has reduced by 15,000
people for first six months of this year, the National Statistical
Service of Armenia reports.

According to the report, Armenia’s citizens have crossed the country’s
border as many as 702,525 times over the mentioned period (298,146
arrivals and 404,379 departures), and adverse migration balance was
106,233 in Jan-June 2013 against 73,451 in Jan-June 2012.

The National Statistical Service says negative migration balance
exceeded the country population’s natural growth in Jan-June 2013
even with the birth rate outdoing the death rate 1.3 times.

Some 3,011,900 people lived in Armenia in June 2013. Of them, 1,904,400
live in cities and 1,107,500 in rural areas. —0—

– See more at:

ARMENIA SENDS CONDOLENCES OVER TURKISH SHEPHERD KILLING

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Aug 2 2013

YEREVAN – Agence France-Presse

Armenia on Aug. 2 sent its condolences to Ankara after a Turkish
shepherd was shot dead on the sealed border between the two countries.

“The interior ministry of Armenia sent a note to the Turkish side
expressing its condolences over this incident and hope that such
events will not happen again,” the interior ministry said.

Authorities in Turkey on Aug. 2 blamed Armenian border guards for
the incident and chided Yerevan for using “excessive force”, Turkish
media reported.

The shepherd identified as Mustafa Ulker, 35, was grazing cattle in
the eastern town of Akyaka and went to the border after one of the
animals crossed, the Turkish reports said.

Russian state news agency Itar Tass reported however that initial
investigations suggested Russian borderguards – stationed in Armenia
since the collapse of the Soviet Union- shot Ulker after he opened
fire on them.

Ankara closed the border in 1993 in solidarity with its regional ally
Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.

August/02/2013

CODING OF NON-MUSLIMS IN TURKEY HAD THE AIM OF SEIZING THEIR PROPERTY: “RADIKAL”

17:16, 2 August, 2013

YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS: The process of coding nonMuslims in
Turkey since 1923 continues till nowadays according to circulars of
1983 and 2001. “Armenpress” reports making a reference on Turkish
T24 internet newspaper that reporter of “Radikal” Kemal Jengiz
declared that it is the “spirit of fascist state”. “In modern Turkey
non-Muslim citizens always felt the pressure from the state. Already is
half-known the spirit of fascist-country which for hundred years looks
at its citizens without nonconfidence, threatens, makes them to leave
the country, seizes their property and etc. Those numbers discover
the codes kept in black boxes after doing crimes since 1915. Those
numbers are codes of modern Turkey,” stated Jengiz mentioning that
the discovery is a good opportunity for Diaspora Armenians to use it
European Court on Human Rights in judicial cases of compensation.

Another reporter of the same newspaper Ali Topuz thinks if the country
did not have those codes it would be difficult to seize the property
of people. “The coding continues since 1924 according to circulars
adopted in 1983 and 2001. Those codes are not for attempting school
but for seizing one’s property. The country also used those codes in
order not to employ non-Muslims for satte, public jobs for differing
them from Turks,” thinks the reporter.

Professor of Istanbul University Baskn Oran announced that he hears
about such code for the first time. “IS a code used for eliminating
non-Muslims. Such coding is a violation of human rights as in Lausanne
treaty does not exist reverberation about any national minority. If
Armenians, Greeks and Jewish are coded why Yazidis, Syrians are not
coded?” he said.

Researcher Rfat Ali also said that he is surprised and hears about it
for the first time. “I do not think that coding is used since Lausanne.

Possibly it began later but concretely when is not known. We
should understand whether it is a policy or an exceptional case,”
he mentioned.

A note of educational directorate of Istanbul discovered the fact of
putting secret code “2” in ID documents of citizens of Armenian origin.

About this informs “Agos” newspaper mentioning that in one of official
documents is said that in the ID documents of citizens which were
recognized as national minority by Lausanne treaty must be put secret
codes which are determined for Greeks “1”, for Armenians “2” and for
Jewish “3”.

It was found out after a woman of Armenian origin who lately returned
to her roots accepting Christianity in Armenian church, decided to
send her son to Armenian school. The woman changed the note about her
religion in the document by defined way. But in the passport of the
father the religion is mentioned “Muslim”. Directorate of Armenian
school demanded to bring a note from Istanbul educational directorate
where will be mentioned that there is no any obstacle for accepting
that child into Armenian school.

Assistant to educational director of Istanbul directorate Ahmed
Molak applied to educational section of Sishli district in order to
find out whether the mother of the child has changed her religion,
name, or not and whether the secret code “2” for citizens of Armenian
origin exist in the passport and if it exists explain to the parent
what she has to do for giving the child to Armenian school.

The newspaper writes that the struggle of the lawyer and parents
of giving the child to Armenian school continues as there is no
official body giving response to their demand. “It is not known why
since 1923 is used “code of nationality” and why it is necessary,”
wrote the newspaper addressing the question to Turkish Parliament,
government and ministries of internal affairs and education.