Author: Badalian Vardan

FARMERS BLOCK ROADS LEADING TO KAKHTSRASHEN AND AYGEZARD VILLAGES, ARARAT PROVINCE

14:12 18/06/2013 ” SOCIETY

Residents of several villages of Artashat region, Ararat province
of Armenia, blocked today the roads leading to the villages of
Kakhtsrashen and Aygezard in protest of low prices offered for apricots
by truck owners.

The farmers told our correspondent that the truck owners say the
apricots are damaged by hail, that’s why they have decreased the
prices.

According to the villagers, every day is important for apricot harvest,
as it has matured and truck owners make use of it and decrease
the prices.

“Factories refuse to accept the apricot harvest,” they added.

Source: Panorama.am

HRANUSH HAKOBYAN REMINDED THE TURKISH DELEGATION ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

18:58, 19 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 19, ARMENPRESS: In Geneva goes on the conference of
ministers of Diasporas in framework of “International dialogue on
migration”, in which takes part Minister of Diaspora of Armenia
Hranush Hakobyan.

“Armenpress” was informed from Ministry of Diaspora of Armenia
that delegations from more than 60 countries take part in the
conference. With opening speech performed Director General of
International organization for migration William Lacy Swing.

Greeting the guests he stressed the importance of holding the
conference in such level, exchange of experience between countries
which have Diaspora, formation of dialogue.Minister of Diaspora
performed with a speech during the discussion “Diasporas and
states”. He presented the main seasons of supporting Diasporas. She
also reverberated to the most important reason of formation of Armenian
Diaspora – Armenian genocide.

In her speech Hranush Hakobyan especially stressed the importance
of the policy of developing State-Diaspora relations, presented
programs processed and implemented by the ministry of Diaspora of
Armenia. Reverberating to the potential of Armenian Diaspora the
minister welcomed the discussions of the Diaspora problems in such
levels and expressed hope that they will be continued. The misniter’s
suggestion to form working group createdgreat interest among the
interests who suggested developing a project in order to present it
to UN in future.

The Turkish delegation tried to response just after the minister’s
speech reminding about the protocols signed in 2009. Hranush Hakobyan
on behalf of Armenian delegations mentioned that she is glad that
the mention about Armenian Genocide found its owner. She stressed
once more that Armenian Diaspora is a result of Genocide implemented
by Turkey and thinks thatTurkish delegate has not any doubt in this
issue and one day Armenian Genocide will be recognized.

OSCE PA PRESIDENT ON TURKEY: MASS ARRESTS NOT EMBLEMATIC OF DEMOCRACY

June 19, 2013 – 14:40 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – OSCE PA President Wolfgang Grossruck released
the following statement regarding the situation in Turkey, which
is scheduled to host the Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly beginning June 29 in Istanbul:

“Like our colleagues around the world, we have been monitoring with
great concern the ongoing events throughout Turkey. The Parliamentary
Assembly has a unique interest in these affairs as our membership
will gather in Istanbul next week for our Annual Session.

I appreciate the assurances we received yesterday from the Grand
National Assembly of Turkey that the situation in Istanbul will not
hinder our meetings and debates on important global issues related
to our shared commitments to comprehensive security, including
human rights.

Regarding the demonstrations, we stand in support of peaceful
expression and assembly. Whether demonstrators stand or sit,
speak or sing, they have a basic right to assemble and freely
express themselves, and it must be respected. However, we respect a
government’s duty to preserve peaceful order, and those who commit
and incite vandalism and violence should receive a proportionate
response from law enforcement.

I welcome the dialogue the government entered into with several
protest leaders last week and I regret that violence continued after
these discussions. Mass arrests and the use of force to disrupt
demonstrations are not emblematic of a democracy nor are such actions
in line with Turkey’s commitments as an OSCE participating State.”

REPUBLICAN MP VOTES FOR HIS ABSENT COLLEAGUES

04:50 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

The bill on granting tax and customs privileges to a
government-proposed project to build an international school in the
resort town of Dilijan today passed its second by a vote of 67 to 5
and 12 abstentions.

It envisages granting of privileges to all the organizations that
will be recognized as program implementers. When the bill was put to
the vote, Republican MP Hovhannes Sofoyan began voting on behalf of
his absent colleagues.

The organizations will be exempted from income taxes during
transactions with non-resident companies.

By a vote of 87 to 0, the National Assembly also passed, in the second
reading, the bill on the Status of Yerkrapah Volunteer Union. The bill
envisages better social protection of people who fought as volunteers
in the Karabakh war but have not been officially recognized as veterans
until today.

Before the voting, secretary of the Prosperous Armenia Party Naira
Zohrabyan said none of their proposals had been accepted by the
National Assembly.

the NA hall emptied immediately after the voting.

FARMERS MUST NOT LOSE HOPE – BUSINESSMAN

15:50 ~U 19.06.13

Karen Baghdasaryan, Head of the Project Management Department,
Spayka Company, calls on Armenian farmers not to be disappointed
by the weather-caused losses and do their best to grow high-quality
agricultural produce.

“Twenty to twenty-five percent of yield was saved in hail-hit Armavir,
but the people lost hopes and did not process the produce. And they are
faced with a quality problem now. They would have saved the produce
if they had processed it. Spayka is ready to store up high-quality
produce,” he said.

According to the Parliament member Alik Petrosyan, the hail in
Armenia’s Armavir region on May 12 caused $60m to $70m damage to
43 villages.

Spayka Company plans to export beet and potatoes as well.

“We are not focusing on relatively high profits. We are trying to
diversify and involve more and more farmers,” Baghdasaryan said.

Armenian News – Tert.am

YERKRAPAH UNION LAW SIGNAL TO AZERBAIJAN – ARMENIAN MP

16:01 ~U 19.06.13

A Republican Party lawmaker who has co-authored the bill on defining
the status of the Union of Volunteers Yerkrapah said Thursday that
the parliament’s unanimous approval of the proposal is a clear signal
to Azerbaijan.

“[The vote of] 0 against and 0 abstention is a clear message to
Azerbaijan, that the [Armenian] political forces are unanimous on
protecting the country’s borders, despite political disagreements,”
Samvel Farmanyan told a news conference.

Farmanyan said the parliamentary majority considered other political
forces’ written proposals while debating the bill.

The draft was adopted in the parliament’s second reading, receiving
87 votes in favor.

It was elaborated jointly by Farmanyan, and Generals Manvel Grigoryan
and Sedrak Seyranyan.

Armenian News – Tert.am

THREE AIR COMPANIES TO OPERATE FLIGHTS

Three new companies will launch flights to and from Armenia next
month. They are Air Armenia, Armenian International Airlines and the
third is not known yet, said Levon Ghazaryan of the Civil Aviation
Department. According to him, it will help return ticket prices to
former levels.

Levon Ghazaryan said that of two million passengers flying to and
from Armenia one million will be transported by Armenian companies,
so each of the three companies will have around 300,000 passengers. He
said that a joint technical assistance system may be launched for
the three companies.

Ghazaryan said that people prefer frlying from the airport of Tbilisi
because it costs less but he noted that services there cannot compare
to those in Zvartnots. The prices also reflect fuel costs.

Asked whether the employees of Armavia will receive their salaries,
Levon Ghazaryan said that as soon as Armavia sells its airplanes,
the salaries will be paid.

13:40 18/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

SERJ TANKIAN JOINS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST USING FORCE IN TURKEY

June 18, 2013 | 12:44

Serj Tankian has called to join campaign launched by the Amnesty
International calling to end use of force against peaceful protesters
in Turkey.

Tankian posted the link of the Take Action Now campaign on his
Facebook.

“Today’s Turkey is a sad reality of a polarized society naively
supported by the West as a model Middle Eastern ‘democracy’- one with
powerful control over the media, and the most journalists in jail in
the world.

Turkey needs a strong awakening of this type-hopefully the
beneficiaries will be justice, equity, historical reflection and the
like instead of more repression,” he wrote.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

NATIONALIZATION OF GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS – NEED OF THE HOUR

Anyway, Gazprom wants to get all 100% of the gas distribution
networks in Armenia. Now it already owns 80%, but the remaining 20%
which is now owned by the government of Armenia, allows the country
make a difference.

One could ask why Gazprom wants the 100% of the shares, if it still
makes Armenia act as it wishes. Apparently, the whole thing is in
geopolitics. Fundamental changes are expected in the region, and it
may happen that very soon Armenia will decide not to buy gas from
Russia, but, say, from Iran. It is quite likely after the election
as president of Iran of Hassan Rouhani, who is a moderate conservative.

On the first day of election, Iranian president stated that he is
going to normalize relations with the West. International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) issued a statement today noting that sanctions on Iran
are senseless. Mitigation of U.S. sanctions is also possible. No
accident Russian press reported that Iran is going to lay a gas
pipeline through Armenia into Georgia with an access to the Black Sea.

This would mean that the West will prefer cooperation with Iran to
the gas monopoly of Russia. It is clear that if the pipeline is laid,
Armenia will become a transit country, but if Gazprom owns all gas
distribution networks of Armenia, the company will come out to be
the transporter.

The Russian gas monster is manipulating prices in Armenia: it sells gas
on the Armenian border, ostensibly, at prices cheaper than European,
but imposes such a margin through ARG that the consumer pays for more
expensive gas than in Europe. However, the contract with Gazprom
is kept secret from everyone and no one knows at what price it is
sold. Just as no one knows how much costs the Iranian gas to Gazprom
which it receives again at the border.

Now Russia decided to fully isolate Armenia from regional energy
projects. It does not leave any other way out to Yerevan but to
nationalize the distribution networks. The Armenian parliament could
discuss this issue and decide to nationalize or to refuse the Russian
gas at all. For this, of course, strong political will and support
are necessary. Iran has already hinted that it is ready to support
Armenia. The U.S. does not hide either that it would like the Armenian
energy sphere to be diversified.

Gasprom is gradually losing sale volumes in Europe, so it is
orientating towards the East. It will do whatever not to lose
the Armenian market to have the monopoly to transfer the Iranian
gas. But for the beginning, Moscow will block all regional projects
like it stops now the efforts of the West to open communications in
the region. While the U.S. and Europe are trying to force Azerbaijan
to open communications without the settlement of the Karabakh issue,
Russia is selling flame thrower tanks to Azerbaijan.

Naira Hayrumyan 11:57 18/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

PARIS : CONFERENCE-DEBAT EXCEPTIONNELLE “UN 24 AVRIL A ISTANBUL”

Publie le : 17-06-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – “Quelles perspectives pour
la reconnaissance du Genocide des Armeniens en Turquie ? Une
conference-debat exceptionnelle organisee par l’UGAB Paris/IDF le
mercredi 19 juin 2013 a 20h00 au Centre Culturel Alec Manoogian”. Le
Collectif VAN vous presente cette information publiee sur le site de
l’UGAB Europe. Le Collectif VAN – dont la Presidente Seta Papazian
faisait partie de la delegation EGAM/UGAB – sera present pour temoigner
de l’experience vecue.

UGAB

Un 24 avril a Istanbul

Quelles perspectives pour la reconnaissance du Genocide des Armeniens
en Turque ?

Une conference-debat exceptionnelle organisee par l’UGAB Paris/IDF

Le mercredi 19 juin 2013 a 20h00 Au Centre Culturel Alec Manoogian,
118 rue de Courcelles, 75017 Paris

Avec la participation de : Benjamin Abtan, President de l’EGAM,
Mouvement anti-raciste europeen Levent Sensever, DurDe (en lien video)
Alexis Govciyan, President de l’UGAB Europe et Nicolas Tavitian,
UGAB Europe

qui presenteront

– le deroulement de 4 jours intenses des rencontres avec des
organisations turques – les nouvelles perspectives ouvertes après
cette première commemoration historique

Pour la première fois depuis 98 ans, le 24 avril dernier, une
delegation europeenne commemorait le genocide armenien a Istanbul,
en Turquie. Depuis 4 ans deja, on commemore le Genocide des Armeniens
dans plusieurs villes de Turquie.

La delegation EGAM-UGAB, presente a Istanbul, s’inscrivait dans le
cadre du mouvement europeen contre le racisme ; elle etait presente
a l’invitation des organisateurs de la commemoration de Taksim,
le mouvement DurDe (” Dis stop au racisme “).

Que s’est-il passe le 24 avril a Istanbul et que se passe-t-il
actuellement en Turquie ? Comment interpreter cette evolution et
comment y contribuer au mieux ? Quelles sont les forces en presence ?

Les organisateurs de la delegation presente a Istanbul le 24 avril
partageront leur experience et des nombreux echanges qu’ils ont
eus a Istanbul. Ils ouvriront un debat sur les suites a donner a
leur initiative et plus generalement sur les differents manières de
contribuer aux transformations que l’on peut esperer en Turquie.

Inscription obligatoire et renseignements a : [email protected]

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : UGAB Europe