Author: Badalian Vardan

AZERBAIJAN FIGHTS AGAINST ARMENIAN BOOKS

June 10, 2013 | 14:47

YEREVAN. – Azerbaijani customs officers confiscated from an Azerbaijani
the book entitled Artsakh [i.e., Nagorno-Karabakh] Diary: Green and
Black, which is written by Armenian journalist Tatul Hakobyan.

According to official statement, the book was seized “for being
printed in Armenia,” the Azerbaijani media report.

The customs officers were convinced neither by the Azerbaijani’s
journalistic license nor his arguments that the adversary’s propaganda
should be studied, and they responded: “The whole world is already
aware [of this].”

Hakobyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that he learned about this incident
from Facebook. The journalist informed that the presentation of his
new English-language book, titled Armenians and Turks, was held on
June 7 in Georgia’s capital city Tbilisi. Azerbaijanis Sahin Rzayev
and Avaz Hasanov likewise attended the event and bought the Armenian
journalist’s book. In addition, Rzayev purchased Tatul Hakobyan’s
previous book, Artsakh Diary: Green and Black, and asked for an
autograph.

The Azerbaijani customs officers, however, took possession of this
book.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN SYRIAN MEAT HASHER

The government forces of Syria, according to the state media of this
country, are going to launch an operation to liberate Aleppo. The
military successes of the parties to the civil war underway for
already two years have been alternating. When it seemed that the
rebels were about to win, the situation changed and Asad carried out
a counterattack. When it seemed that Asad was about to defeat the
rebels, they resisted. Not it is time for Asad’s ebb, evidently.

Apparently, the ebbs and flows in the Syrian issue will still
alternate. It is possible that in a mid-term, Syria will become a
second Iraq, which, apparently, has become a will-less state in terms
of international sovereignty, where terror attacks happen and people
die every day. In other words, Syria may become a big meat hasher
of Muslims. This means that the Christian population of that country
and their states of origin should worry.

In this sense, Armenia will still have to face the Syrian issue.

According to different information, there are still several tens
of thousands of Armenians in Syria. Even if the Syrian active war
ends, the following partisan-terror phase will still be dangerous for
Armenia, even more than now. In other words, the issues of the Armenian
community of Syria won’t end after the war. Moreover, during the next
couple of years, this issue is to become one of the most urgent issues
of official Yerevan not only in terms of foreign policy, but also in
terms of the policy towards the Diaspora because the solution of this
issue is a pan-Armenian one through the coordination of the state.

If official Yerevan ready to face this issue? It is hard to answer.

Anyway, it is a fact that Yerevan failed the easiest part of the
issue. In other words, Yerevan failed in the very beginning of the
issue, when it was clear that military events were going to happen
in Syria. The response of official Yerevan to the issue was very late
and unprepared.

It is the shortcoming of the Armenian embassy to Syria, analytical
agencies of the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Diaspora, who were
perhaps busy with studying the cuisine of Eurovision.

The most difficult phase is to start now when the processes will be
shifted to the shadow sphere of geopolitical bargaining, when the open
war may be replaced by a partisan fight, when the Armenian community
of Syria will have to try to stay in the meat hasher with everyone
trying at the same time to escape from the knife.

Consequently, official Yerevan will have to start getting ready for
the new phase of the Syrian conflict since today in order to be able
to take up strategic steps to avoid operative propaganda later.

JAMES HAKOBYAN 16:12 10/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

GAS AND ELECTRICITY RATES WILL RISE FROM JULY 7

Saturday, 08 June 2013 15:03

On June 7 the RA State Committee on Regulation of Public Relations
confirmed the new gas rate; the price was defined 156 drams per 1
sqm taking into account the subsidy of 30 percent. The new tariff
rate will come into force from July 7.

It means in Karabakh also people will pay 156 drams for gas. It
is not clear yet what change is expected on part of electrical
energy statutory tariff. In the same session of June 7 the RA State
Committee on Regulation of Public Services defined the new rates for
the electrical energy sold to the inhabitants, they are 38 drams for 1
KW per daytime hour and 28 drams for 1 KW per night hour including the
value added taxes. The current prices in Karabakh are correspondingly
25 and 15 drams.

Are the electrical energy rates going to rise in Karabakh where in
the recent years hydro power stations have been built in rapid pace
and the electricity generation is growing in volumes?

REGULAR TREE-FELLING ACTIVITIES AIMED TO HAVE A MODERN ROAD

Monday, 10 June 2013 13:19

It is about 20 days in front of the building of the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources Conversation and behind the
building of the President’s office trees have been grubbed up and
now some construction activities are being carried out there.

Stepanakert citizens have been joking about the fact that “trees have
already been grubbed up before the eyes of the Nature Conservation
Department employees.”

According to the rumours circulating among the inhabitants a cafe is
going to be built in this area.

Whether the rumours correspond to the facts or not we tried to find out
from head of the division of municipal engineering at the Stepanakert
Mayor’s Office Ararat Stepanyan who told Karabakh-open.info that no
cafe will be built in the area, “a more modern road” is going to be
constructed there.

If the possibility of construction of a cafe is excluded, there
remains only to get reconciled with the “loss” of one more green zone
in the capital.

PROSPEROUS ARMENIA LEADER DISAGREES WITH CRITICS

June 10, 2013 | 13:21

YEREVAN. – Leader of the Prosperous Armenia party Gagik Tsarukyan
does not agree with the critics who claim party members are banned
from talking to journalists.

Speaking during the Monday briefing in parliament, Tsarukyan said a
leader has not the right to ban his team and supporters from making
comments.

“Secondly, with regard to Naira Zohrabyan, I want to reiterate that
if you follow her ativities in the European Parliament, you will
see outstanding work towards protecting the interests of Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh,” he told reporters.

Asked why his party is inactive, Tsarukyan said that no party leader
has the right to go on vacation, as the parties have committed
themselves to the people and the voters.

“I believe that the people are faced with too many unresolved problems,
so the decision-makers cannot take a vacation. The most important
thing is that we do work, and your question is irrelevant. I always
tell lawmakers that they must be able to communicate with people,
because they are responsible for the people or issues of concern that
need to be resolved,” he noted.

He informed about a working group formed within the party to deal
with the structural and policy changes.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

GAGIK TSARUKYAN HAS NOT PROHIBITED NAIRA ZOHRABYAN TO TALK TO MEDIA

12:43 10/06/2013 ” POLITICS

Prosperous Armenia leader Gagik Tsarukyan answered media questions
after today’s meeting of PAP parliamentary faction. He was asked in
particular whether it was true that he had prohibited his co-partisans,
in particular Naira Zohrabyan, to talk to the media.

“At the meeting I was told about these rumors. First, no leader has
the right to prohibit his teammates to do something. On the contrary,
he should respect his teammates and listen to them so as to make
right decisions,” Tsarukyan told reporters.

As for the rumors regarding Naira Zohrabyan, the PAP leader noted
that with her devotion to Armenia, Ms Zohrabyan does huge work in
the European Parliament and added that it would be good if there were
many MPs like Naira Zohrabyan who think and fight for the authority
of their country.

Source: Panorama.am

SHAHAN NATALIE’S “TURKISM FROM ANGORA TO BAKU” PUBLISHED IN MOSCOW

PanARMENIAN.Net – Writer Shahan Natalie’s (Hagop Der Hagopian) book
titled “Turkism from Angora to Baku and Turkish Orientation” was
published in Moscow. Though the book was written over 80 years ago,
the issues raised by the author are still topical.

According to the annotations to the publication “Armenian book”,
independent Armenia is bordered by a state that secretly and openly
nourished the dream of the global empire, a dream that changes its
denominator from religious to secular Pan-Turkism (and vice versa)
regardless of the political situation. Today we witness yet another
shift of the denominator in the form of deviation from Kemalist
secularism to attempts to become a leader of the Pan-Islamic movement.

However, the essence remains unchanged – an empire from Bosnia to
the Middle Asia.

As for Armenia, the policy of isolationism cannot prove effective
in a landlocked country. Armenia is in need of a dialogue with its
neighbors. But what’s the border between cooperation and surrender,
smart maneuver and betrayal?

Shahan Natalie (1884-1983) was a member of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation’s Bureau and the principal organizer of Operation
Nemesis wherein the Turkish masterminds of the Armenian Genocide were
assassinated. He later became a writer on Armenian national philosophy,
and notable for his essay, The Turks and Us.

Shahan Natalie’s avengers also executed several Armenian spies and
traitors, who, by denouncing their kinsmen to Turkish authorities,
were responsible for their deaths.

After the Sovietization of Armenia, many of the Armenian Republic’s
expatriate revolutionary activists were ready to collaborate with
Azeri and Turk Armenophobe activists in order to regain governmental
control. This policy was contrary to Shahan Natalie’s conviction that
“Over and above the Turk, the Armenian has no enemy. Armenian revenge
is just and godly.” There were deep dissensions on both sides, but
not yet to the point of schism.

CBA EXPECTS 8% INFLATION IN 2013, BANK’S OFFICIAL SAYS

June 11, 2013 – 21:01 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Central Bank of Armenia expects inflation
of up to 8% during 2013, deputy head of CBA monetary and credit
department said.

As Artur Stepanyan further noted, the increase in inflation forecast
of 4±1,5% is conditioned by a hike in gas and electricity prices as
well as devastating hail in May.

According to him, growing cost of products and services caused by the
gas and electricity tariffs upsurge will also affect the inflation
growth.

However, he said, inflation will drop in late 2014.

ARMENIA-IRAN RAILWAY: IRAN EXPECTING ARMENIA’S STEPS

17:32 ~U 11.06.13

With respect to the construction of an Armenia-Iran railway, Iran
is expecting Armenia’s steps, Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mohammad
Raiesi told journalists on Tuesday.

“We have for several years stressed the need for construction of a
railway between Armenia and Iran. I am sure that about 5,000 Iranian
tourists will come to Armenia every week if a railway is constructed.

We have repeatedly stated that the moment Armenia begins constructing
its section Iran will begin its section. I think a high-speed railway
section from Meghri to Georgia meets Armenia’s interests,” Ambassador
Mohammad Raiesi said.

Iran is ready to invest up to $500,000 in the construction of a
hydro-power plant.

In response to Tert.am’s question as to whether Iranian gas might be
an alternative for Armenia, he said that it is up to Armenia to decide.

Armenia’s Minister of Energy Armen Movsisyan had stated that Iranian
gas could not be an alternative for Armenia because Iran is selling
its gas to other countries, particularly to Turkey, at $340 per 1,000
cubic meters.

As regards Turkey, Ambassador Mohammad Raiesi said that Iran considers
international prices. He noted that an Armenian-Iranian gas agreement
based on the gas-for-energy principle remains in force.

Iranian hardly has any energy problems. Iran wants Armenia to solve
its problems somehow, so it remains committed to the agreement.

“Armenia is well aware Iran is its best friend,” Ambassador Mohammad
Raiesi said.

CHECKING INFLATION: CENTRAL BANK’S MONETARY POLICY QUESTIONED IN PARLIAMENT

ECONOMY | 11.06.13 | 15:31

Photolure

By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

The first day of the National Assembly’s four-day session this week
was marked by heated debate over the Central Bank’s 2013 monetary
policy program. It drew criticism not only from opposition lawmakers,
but also from some pro-government members of the legislature.

The point is that according to Central Bank estimates, the increase
in natural gas tariffs may entail an inflation of only 2.5 percent,
while many experts believe that the inflation rate may be much higher,
considering the fact that higher gas and electricity tariffs will mean
an inevitable rise in prices for some essentials and consumer goods,
which will in turn be aggravated by a higher cost of agricultural
production conditioned by an expected unsuccessful agricultural season
in the wake of a series of hailstorms.

“In the first half of 2013 the 12-month inflation will, to some
extent, accelerate and by late June will be in the upper part of the
permissible band. The inflationary environment will be extended also
because of the possible increase in prices of agricultural produce in
the wake of the damage caused by hailstorms and from the third quarter
also by the possible revision of energy tariffs,” said Central Bank
governor Artur Javadyan. “In this situation in order to mitigate the
high inflation and reduce its secondary effects as well as to anchor
inflationary expectations the Central Bank will review its monetary
policy directions, raising the refinancing rate, and then, after
the specification of inflationary expectations, will again lower the
refinancing rate. As a result, beginning from the third quarter of 2014
inflation will slow down and will fluctuate within the projected band.”

This announcement was met with harsh criticism from some lawmakers.

While the ruling Republican Party representatives think that the
Central Bank has not correctly estimated the financial risks,
opposition Armenian National Congress party faction member, former
Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan stressed in his speech that the
financial system in Armenia does not change, nor does it develop.

“They seized the Central Bank by the balls and won’t let it go so
that change could take place in the financial system,” Armenia’s
former prime minister asserted.

According to him, the Central Bank’s monetary policy does not
contain deep and thorough analysis. Bagratyan is also concerned by
the circumstance that a large percentage of deposits is collected
from regions and then is concentrated in capital Yerevan. “Banks
borrow money from villagers, ordinary people and concentrate it in
the hands of the rich,” he said, stressing that in Armenia there is
no development of stock exchanges and there is no investment system.

Another circumstance that angered the former prime minister is that
the government provides tax incentives to such projects as Dilijan
International School, but small businesses have no such privileges. As
a result, he charged, small businesses leave the country.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation MP Artsvik Minasyan thinks that
the monetary and fiscal policies of the government do not contribute
to the overcoming of economic obstacles, while the declared policy of
economic diversification bears a formal nature. According to Minasyan,
the government and the Central Bank have no idea what is going on in
the economy and keep talking only about a stable banking system.

“A tank is also a solid armored vehicle, but you cannot plough with
it in your garden,” he said, calling for a revision of the current
policy to make it targeted and consistent.

Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan relieved some of the tensions
in the chamber by calling on the finance minister and the Central
Bank governor to take responsible steps adequate to the situation
and through joint efforts find an effective way to solve the problem.

According to the speaker, if long-term loans at low interest rates are
issued to borrowers, it will directly contribute to the development
of the economy, which will in turn reduce unemployment and emigration.