Author: Badalian Vardan

AZERBAIJAN, TURKEY INK STATEMENT OF WILL TO BOOST DEFENSE COOPERATION

19 FEBRUARY 2013 [13:15] – TODAY.AZ

Azerbaijan and Turkey have signed a declaration of intent aimed at
expanding the military cooperation.

The declaration was signed by Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar
Abiyev and his Turkish counterpart Ismet Yilmaz in Ankara.

Prior to the signing ceremony, the Azerbaijani Minister visited
Anitkabir mausoleum to pay tribute to Mustafa Kamal Ataturk.

Abiyev also met Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed
Forces, Army General Necdet Ozel and Land Forces Commander, Army
General Hayri Kivrikoglu.

The visit will also see the Azeri Minister have meetings at some
defense industry companies.

Abiyev will put a wreath at a monument to national leader Heydar
Aliyev in a park after the great leader.

ARMENIAN CITIZEN VOTES FOR CHUCK NORRIS IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

00:23 ~U 19.02.13

Among the void ballot papers in the Armenian presidential election
one with the name of famous actor Chuck Norris was found.

According to the results from 62 of 1,988 polling stations, Armenia~Rs
incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan is leader in the presidential
election ~V 18,361 votes (68.75%).

RA CITIZEN AT EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

08:00 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

The applicant, Emiliya Melikyan, is an Armenian national who was born
in 1949 and lives in Yerevan. In 2004 she wished to acquire shares in
the State Company for which she was working at the time, which was
to be privatised. Together with other employees of the company, she
brought court proceedings contesting the legality of the Government
decree concerning the privatisation, which stipulated that the shares
were to be sold to a certain third party. Relying in particular on
Article 6 § 1 (access to court) of the European Convention on Human
Rights, Ms Melikyan complained that she had been deprived of the right
to challenge the legality of the decree before the Armenian courts,
as they had refused to examine the claim on the merits.

Violation of Article 6 § 1 Just satisfaction: EUR 3,600 (non-pecuniary
damage)

HELSINKI CITIZENS’ ASSEMBLY VANADZOR OFFICE: VOTING IN LORI AND TAVUSH REGIONS FAILED TO MEET CRITERIA OF FREE AND FAIR ELECTION

ARMINFO
Tuesday, February 19, 19:51

The Feb 18 voting in Lori and Tavush regions failed to meet the
criteria of free and fair election. This is the conclusion of the
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office (HCAV) on the basis of
election observation at 70 polling stations.

HCAV says that the voting passed with numerous violations, which
affected the results of the election. HCAV points out such violations
as lack of the ballot secrecy, ballot stuffing, propaganda, etc. The
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office also stressed that all
these violations were made by the supporters of presidential candidate
Serzh Sargsyan.

To remind, according to the preliminary results of the election,
the incumbent President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan obtained 58.64%
(861,160 votes), the leader of Heritage Party Raffi Hovannisian –
36.75% (539,672), Hrant Bagratyan – 2.15%, Paruyr Hayrikyan – 1.23%,
Andreas Ghukasyan – 0.57%, Vardan Sedrakyan – 0.42%, Arman Melikyan
– 0.24%.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS – YET ANOTHER DESPICABLE FRAUDULENT ELECTION

20:55, February 19, 2013

The HAK (Armenian National Congress) issues a statement today
labelling yesterday’s presidential election just the latest in a
series of reprehensible elections in Armenia.

HAK said it has verified more than enough cases of election violations
to classify the election results as a distortion of the truth.

The opposition political organization again claimed that the ruling
regime had again used the names of 700,000 citizens living outside
the country but still registered on the voter rolls to its advantage.

“The February 18 presidential election showed just how much the people
of Armenia have come to hate the ruling regime and Serzh Sargsyan,”
read the HAK statement.

HAK said the ruling regime has proven that it has no inclination at
all to back down from the use of the system it created to carry out
election fraud, despite the promises it has given to the contrary.

The organization said that it would take the united will of the people,
a factor now lacking, to force the regime to do so.

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM FOR CIS MEMBER STATES TO BE HELD IN MOSCOW

18:38, 19 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS: With the support of CIS Executive
Committee and Banking and Financial Council, CIS business center for
economic development is holding an international economic forum on
March 13 in Moscow, the topic of which is “Present-day challenges
and prospects for integration development in the Commonwealth”. CIS
member states are going to participate in the forum.

As reports Armenpress, the forum is aimed at the discussion of
prospects of further strengthening of economic cooperation and
mechanisms. It is also preplanned to touch on number of issue
concerning implementation of Free Trade Agreement and common economic
space.

There is an exclusive possibility for the participants of CIS
international economic forum to get acquainted with the integration
programs of different economic spheres.

Forum will gather government representatives and businessmen from
the CIS member states: that is more than 1500 participants.

MAJORITY OF ARMENIANS DO NOT ACCEPT CURRENT SYSTEM OF AUTHORITY – ARF

NEWS.AM
February 20, 2013 | 12:04

YEREVAN. – The Supreme Body of Armenia’s opposition ARF Dashnaktsutyun
Party issued a statement with respect to the country’s presidential
election that was conducted on Monday, February 18.

“The citizens of Armenia proved on February 18 that their patience
has limits. The outburst of the people was the response to the current
state of affairs in the country. It was a response to the authorities’
demeanor that they have the support of the absolute majority of the
body politic. It became apparent that the majority of the Armenians
do not accept the current system of authority.

This time, the coordinated violations during vote-counting
complemented the resources that the authorities used during the
parliamentary election [in May 2012]. The summing up of the results
came to prove our conviction that the elections are predetermined,
[and] the assessment of the international observers, predictable.

The will, which our people manifested on February 18, shall not
be encroached upon,” the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party statement reads
in particular.

U.S. STATE DEPT: BLURRED DISTINCTION BETWEEN ACTIVITIES OF STATE AND THOSE OF RULING PARTY

10:29 20/02/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

“According to the preliminary results from the Central Election
Commission, incumbent President Sargsian has won these elections by
58.64 percent. We support the conclusions of the OSCE ODIHR observer
mission in their preliminary conclusions that the elections were
generally well administered and characterized by a respect for
fundamental freedoms, including those of assembly and expression,”
she said.

Victoria Nuland also mentioned the ODIHR conclusion that the media
fulfilled their legal obligation to provide balanced coverage and
all contestants made use of their free air time.

“ODIHR was concerned about some lack of impartiality on the part
of public administration officials and the misuse of administrative
resources that resulted in a blurred distinction between the activities
of the state and those of the ruling party. But in general, election
day was calm and orderly and it was marked by undue – that in general,
it was marked by a calm process,” she added.

At the same time, spokesperson stressed that “there was some undue
interference in the process, including by proxies representing the
incumbent”and that some serious violations “obviously need to be
investigated.”

ARMENIAN SERVICEMAN KILLED BY AZERBAIJANI BULLET

13:00 20/02/2013 ” SOCIETY

An Armenian serviceman was shot to death on February 19, while on
duty at a military unit located in the north-eastern sector of the
line of contact. Gor Ghazaryan, 21, was reported to have been killed
by the Azerbaijani bullet, NKR Defense Army told Panorama.am.

An investigation is carried out.

NKR Defense Army shares the grief of the heavy loss and offers its
condolences to Gor Ghazaryan’s family, relatives and fellow servicemen.

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIAN EXPORT TO SWEDEN GREW FOR 8.8 TIMES

10:36, 20 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. In accordance with the 2012 results
the Armenian export to the European countries reduced for 7,8 percent.

As reports “Armenpress”, in accordance with the data publicized
by the National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia,
our country exported about 39 percent of gross turnover of exported
goods to the European countries. The main European partner-states
of the Republic of Armenia in the sphere of export are Germany (USD
153,111,000), Bulgaria (USD 129,302,000), Belgium (USD 127,176,000),
the Netherlands (USD 79,717,000), and Spain (USD 30,136,000). 10,7
percent of the Armenian export went to Germany in 2012, 9,1 percent
to Bulgaria, 8,9 percent to Belgium, 5,6 percent to the Netherlands,
and 2,1 percent to Spain. The percent of the other EU member-states’
share does not exceed one percent of the Armenian export.

The most palpable growth of the Armenian export to the EU countries
has been recorded in Sweden. The Armenian export to Sweden recorded
a growth for 8.8 times reaching USD 9, 196,000. The Armenian export
to Slovakia grew for 5,3 times.