Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIA STARTS WAGING MORE ACTIVE BATTLE AGAINST CYBER CRIMES

NEWS.AM
February 12, 2013 | 13:57

YEREVAN. – Eight criminal cases into cyber security were examined in
Armenia in 2012. In line with the data of the Prosecutor General’s
Office, four other cyber crime-related criminal cases were linked
to swindling by way of computer technology and money laundering;
these cases are forwarded to the National Security Service.

As of April 15, 2011, the Prosecutor General’s Office conducted
an oversight of 27 cases that were prepared by the Police General
Department on Combating Organized Crime; these cases referred to
high tech crimes. Criminal proceedings were launched in twelve and
not launched in five of these cases, and reports are being prepared
on the remainingten cases.

YEREVAN TO HOST TALKS ON JOINING EU FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

February 12, 2013 – 17:51 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Brussels hosted the fourth stage of Armenia-EU
talks on joining the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA)
agreement on Feb 5-7, with details on facilitation of technical
barriers in trade, procurement, transparency, dispute resolution and
harmonization of customs processes specified.

According to Armenian deputy minister of economy Garegin Melkonyan,
the next stage is slated for mid-April 2013.

On its path to European integration, Armenia has adopted a number of
instruments of EU technical assistance, including the TWINNING and
ôAIEX programs, aimed at bringing RA legislation in line with that
of the EU.

The results of a 4-year “Support to Armenian Programme Administration
Office for Twinning and TAIEX Operations” Project (SATTO) were
summarized today, Feb 12 in Armenia.

The overall objective of the SATTO project was to support the capacity
of Armenia to make the best use of EU assistance and in particular of
the Institutional Twinning and TAIEX instruments. This cooperation
is accompanying the process of Association with the EU and the
establishment of a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA)

Over 70 ôAIEX Programs were implemented in Armenia since 2009, with 18
Twinning programs currently in progress. Food security, intellectual
property, boosting of tax and customs administration are among the
fields the projects target.

The total cost of Twinning and ôAIEX operations implemented in the
past 4 years amounted to euro 2 mln.

RUSSIA’S ALROSA PRODUCES ‘UNIQUE’ DIAMOND

February 12, 2013 – 15:40 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Russia’s diamond-mining giant Alrosa has produced a
‘unique’ diamond weighing 145.44 carats, the company announced in a
statement Tuesday, Feb 12, RIA Novosti reported.

According to specialists at Alrosa’s Diamond-Sorting Center, the gem
could fetch up to $1 million.

The diamond, discovered late last month in Russia’s coldest region,
Yakutia, measures 35x20x26 mm and is octahedral in shape, the company
said. It is clear with a yellowish hue.

Last September, Alrosa found an even larger, gem-grade diamond at
another of its Yakutia mines, which it valued at more than $1.5
million and said could be split into several high-quality cut diamonds.

The latest find comes from deep within the Yubileynaya diamond pipe at
Factory No. 14 of Alrosa’s Aykhalsky mining facility. In October, the
same pipe yielded an enormous industrial-grade diamond weighing 888.15
carats. That crystal, unclear and grayish-green in hue, was said by
the company to be the fourth-heaviest diamond ever produced in Russia.

Russia has the largest known diamond deposits in the world and Alrosa
accounts for 97 percent of the country’s production. The principal
regions of production are Yakutia, also known as the Sakha Republic,
Perm and Arkhangelsk.

Alrosa accounts for 25 percent of the world’s diamond production.

In 2011, the company produced 34.6 million carats of diamonds and
sold $4.45 billion worth of its product. Figures for 2012, not yet
fully calculated, were expected to total about 34.4 million carats
and $4.5 billion.

GOVERNMENT MUST CREATE NEW JOBS TO RETURN PEOPLE TO ARMENIA – PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

NEWS.AM
February 12, 2013 | 12:33

ALAVERDI.- In order to return people to Armenia, the government
must create new jobs, presidential candidate Raffi Hovannisian said
addressing voters in Alaverdi, Lori Region.

He called on the residents to vote for new Armenia, pledging a
50-percent increase in pensions and creation of 180 thousand jobs in
five years.

Hovannisian warned former presidents against accusing Serzh Sargsyan
of emigration. “It started under their rule,” he emphasized. However,
people are leaving Lori Region during the rule of current regime, too.

“Rule of law must dominate in the country. For Raffi, Serzh, Robert
and Levon – for everyone,” he added.

Armenia will hold elections on February 18.

VAHAN HOVHANNISIAN “UNAWARE” OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Tuesday,
February 12

“Zhoghovurd” daily asked yesterday the parliamentary deputy of
ARFD faction Vahan Hovhannisian to express his opinion about the
presidential election in Armenia.

“Is there such a thing as a presidential election now? I have heard
for the first time that such a process is currently going on,” Vahan
Hovhannisian replied humorously.

TODAY, 11:41

Aysor.am

CHAIRMAN LEVIN QUESTIONS HAGEL ON U.S.-ARMENIA DEFENSE RELATIONSHIP

11:56 12.02.2013

In response to a direct inquiry by Senate Armed Services Committee
Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI), President Obama’s nominee to serve as
Secretary of Defense, former Senator Chuck Hagel, called for the
expansion of U.S.-Armenia defense relations, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

“We would like to thank Chairman Levin for drawing attention, during
this especially closely watched Senate confirmation process, to the
importance of growth in the U.S.-Armenia defense relationship,” said
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We share Senator Hagel’s
view that there is much room for the development of these ties, and
look forward, should he be confirmed, to engaging with the Department
of Defense on this matter.”

In response to a written inquiry by Chairman Levin, Senator Hagel
explained “The U.S.-Armenia defense relationship is sound. As with
all relationships, there is room to grow and areas where we can
strengthen our cooperation and partnership.” He went on to note
that, if confirmed, “I would continue to engage Armenian leaders to
strengthen existing areas of engagement and identify new areas of
cooperation that support Armenia’s defense reforms, especially its
peacekeeping brigade, and continue its ability to deploy in coalition
operations.”

In the days leading up to the Hagel confirmation hearing, ANCA
activists across America, including those in Chairman Levin’s state
of Michigan, urged their legislators to engage the nominee on a range
of issues of concern to the Armenian American community. Of special
concern were statements by Hagel opposing official U.S. affirmation
of the Armenian Genocide. “What happened in 1915 happened in 1915. As
one United States Senator, I think the better way to deal with this is
to leave it open to historians and others to decide what happened and
why,” then-Senator Hagel told a group of Armenian reporters during
a trip to Armenia in 2005. “The fact is that this region needs to
move forward,” Hagel added. “We need to find a lasting, just peace
between Turkey and Armenia and the other nations of this region. I
am not sure that by going back and dealing with that in some way that
causes one side or the other to be put in difficult spot, helps move
the peace process forward.”

Chairman Levin announced his intention to bring Hagel’s nomination
for a committee vote on Tuesday, February 12th, opening the door for
a full Senate vote later this week.

IRAN VOICES DISCONTENT OVER TURKEY’S DEPLOYMENT OF PATRIOT MISSILES ON TURKISH-SYRIAN BORDER

12:24 12/02/2013 ” COMMENTS

Iran has voiced discontent over Turkey’s deployment of Patriot
missiles on the Turkish-Syrian border, Iran’s semi-official news
agency Fars reported.

At a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Cemal Cicek on the sidelines
of Islamabad-hosted ECO Speakers Conference Iranian Majlis Speaker
Ali Larijani voiced discontent over the deployment of the Patriot
missiles on the Turkish-Syrian border, the Iranian website said.

Cemal Cicek assured his Iranian counterpart that the Patriot missiles
are defensive in nature, and that they will be dismantled once the
Syrian crisis is solved.

Earlier, referring to Turkey’s policy to its neighbors, particularly
Syria, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi said, in part, “The
Turkish authorities have turned off 180 degrees from the path of
Islam. They arm terrorists and send them to Syria to kill their Muslim
brothers.” Addressing the Turkish authorities, Naser Makarem Shirazi
said, “State relations have nothing to do with us, but we announce
that our entire nation feels disgust for you.”

Read also: Turkey supports Iran’s separatist forces on state level

WHY SEDRAKYAN SHOULD BE ARRESTED

11:56 12/02/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

Candidate for president, Armenian Epic poetry expert, Vardan Sedrakyan
said on Yerkir Media TV that after the presidential elections, on
February 22-23, he will be arrested. Sedrakyan says it will be in
the result of investigation of the attempt on Paruir Hayrikyan.

In particular, it has become known that the people suspected of the
attempt are somehow linked to Vardan Sedrakyan. Sedrakyan says that
one of them, Samvel Harutiunyan, was hired by him to renovate his
houses in Yerevan and Yeghvard. In addition, Khachatur Poghosyan was
once called by Harutiunyan as a taxi driver to drive him from Yerevan
to Yeghvard, Sedrakyan says. He continues that Khachatur Poghosyan’s
car which he used as a taxi broke down so he sold his old Volvo to
him and they agreed that he will pay the price of the car on monthly
basis because Poghosyan did not have enough cash.

Vardan Sedrakyan told this story on Yerkir Media saying that current
developments may end up in his arrest after the elections.

ALIK SARGSYAN AND “DIRTY TRAMPS”

Story from Lragir.am News:

12:04 12/02/2013

The ex-chief of police Alik Sargsyan, presently Serzh Sargsyan’s
advisor in charge of one of his campaign headquarters, held a
meeting at one of the electoral precincts of Ararat Region and made an
interesting statement. He urged the members of the staff to work so as
not to allow people to elect “a dirty one who will turn us to tramps.

If I learn that my children will become tramps, I will leave Armenia,”
Alik Sargsyan said.

Alik Sargsyan regularly appears in curious stories. For example, the
ex-governor of Ararat region who is accused of embezzlement alleged
that Alik Sargsyan embezzled money allocated for the refurbishment
of the governor’s office and built a restaurant in Artashat.

Besides, as chief of police he was accused of a plot against Serzh
Sargsyan. He then resigned and was appointed as advisor to president.

In this position he and his close friend Abraham Babayan, mayor of
Ararat, successfully thwarted the election, and the RPA lost the
election in Ararat region. They were suspected of stealing 800,000
dollars which had been allocated to them to buy votes.

Alik Sargsyan has appeared in many more other stories and perhaps he
needs to “rehabilitate” himself and do a favor to the boss.

KIM BAKHSI’S NEW BOOK ON ARTSAKH MOVEMENT TO BE INTRODUCED IN MOSCOW

11:00, 12 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. A round table dedicated to the 25th
anniversary of the Artsakh movement will be held in the press centre
of “Argumenti i Fakti” News Agency on February 13. The round table
has been jointly organized by the “Russian-Armenian Cooperation”,
“Scientific Society of Caucasus Experts”, and “International Institute
of the Newest States”.

“Russian-Armenian Cooperation” informed “Armenpress” that within the
framework of “Armenia in Friends’ Eyes” program the book entitled “The
Spiritual Treasures of Artsakh” by prominent writer and screenwriter
Kim Bakshi will be introduced to the public during the aforementioned
event. The publication was established to represent the rich pages
of Armenian-Russian military-political, cultural, and socio-economic
cooperation to the Russian readers.

A number of representatives from various Russian political parties
and analytical centres will participate in the round table.