Author: Badalian Vardan

MARCH 1 VICTIM’S MOTHER PINS HOPES ON ARMENIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

TERT.AM
20:19 ~U 12.02.13

The mothers of the victims of the tragic events in Armenia’s capital
on March 1, 2008, cannot imagine the role the opposition bloc Armenian
National Congress (ANC) may play if it is transformed to a political
party.

However, they are sure it is only the ANC that can help them in
establishing the truth about the March 1 events.

Alla Hovhannisian, mother of one of the victims Tigran Khachatryan
and ANC member, has no intention to join the new party.

“Time will show what’s going to happen to the ANC. I am sure I am
not going to join any party. But I have realized the ANC bloc will
not cease to exist and will be consistent in getting at the truth
about the March 1 crimes,” she said.

She believes that getting rid of the ruling regime and establishing
democracy in Armenia is everyone’s priority task.

CONSTITUTIONAL ARTSAKH: ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES CARRY OUT PERSONAL AND CLAN INTERESTS AND FORGET NATIONAL PRIORITIES

ARMINFO
Tuesday, February 12, 17:56

The Pre-Parliament of Armenia and the Constitutional Artsakh Movement
have released a statement saying that the ruling elite of Armenia
is carrying out its personal and clan interests and forgets the
national priorities.

The statement says that the Artsakh Movement originated in Hadrut 25
years ago and reached Stepanakert and then Yerevan, having developed
into a strong nationwide movement and fixed two immense achievements.

However, everything has changed now and the Armenians worldwide may
lose the achievements of the Artsakh Movement. The authors of the
statement stress that the achievements of the fight are indisputable.

They also state the need to settle the security zone around Karabakh.

“The Artsakh Movement should end in de jure unification of Armenia
and Artsakh”, the statement says.

AZERBAIJANI MP EXPLAINS TO AUTHOR OF NOVEL ABOUT MASSACRE OF ARMENIANS AND WHY HE SHOULD TALK BAD THINGS ABOUT ARMENIANS

Panorama.am
12/02/2013

In Azerbaijani TV channel Ictimai held a so-called public discussion
about the novel of Ekrem Eylisli “Stone Dreams” about the massacre
of Armenians in Azerbaijan. During the program a group of public and
political figures did not stop to attack the author, who came to the
studio to defend its position alone.

“I wrote about Eylis what I saw with my own eyes,” said the author,
and noted that everything described in the novel was the true. Writer
Elchin Mirzabeyli commenting this statement, said that Eylisli grists
to the mill of the enemy, describing the Armenian massacre in Baku,
hoping for recognition in Europe.

Answering the question of MP Zahid Oruj about whether the author
considers Karabakh, Nakhichevan and Eylis Azerbaijani lands Ekrem
Eylisli answered, that no nation in the world lives in the lands
where it has been formed, and the novel was written to show that
the Azerbaijani and Armenians have lived in the neighborhood for
centuries. “Every day you defame the Armenians, how are you going to
live with them side by side?” asks Eylisli.

Deputy Faraj Guliyev noted that there are no ordinary or non-ordinary
Armenians, all are the same. “We always have to talk badly about
all Armenians. All the Armenians should be expelled from our lands,
while you are talking about living together, in the same time harming
our state policy,” the Azerbaijani deputy noticed.

“I am 75-year old writer and have no wish to prove you how and what
I should write. We live in a country where the Constitution provides
freedom of speech to every citizen,” said Eylisli.

Turan agency touched upon the TV debate’s subject and noted that
judges” for Eylisli were notable. “MP Zahid Orudj whose victory in the
2005 elections to the European Court of Human Rights found grossly
falsified, and the Government paid the real winner Nemat Aliyev
compensation. That is, Orudj, without shame, carries in his pocket
a mandate received in the result of falsifications,” the site notes.

Another “judge” Elchin Mirzabeyli dramatically changed his political
orientation at least for five times. He was a staunch member of the
opposition, and then defended the government for several times.

Leading Public TV Anar Yusifoghlu publicly said few years ago that
they have a “black” list of people on their channel that they are
not allowed to invite.

“These “debates” strongly smack of our Soviet past. And, not as soft
and calm as it was during Brezhnev stagnation, but just as it was in
Stalin times. Unfortunately, without a victory of the Great Patriotic
War. But, in the same time, fortunately, without mass shootings,
limited to “public debate” and “national condemnation.” Eylisli,
however, approaches adequately. We see that this is really his
disposition,” the article reads.

In an interview with “Voice of Russia” Eylisli said he did not expect
the he will be deprived of all ranks, orders and it depresses him.

“The persecution of the writer for such a novel is an abnormal
phenomenon. Our ordinary citizens say that we can live together with
the Armenians. While the authorities propagate hatred,” states Eylisli.

“THE MAXIMUM PUNISHMENT IS GIVING BRIBES”

Story from Lragir.am News:

17:45 12/02/2013

The damage caused to the Debed River in the result of the recent
accident at Akhtala mining and concentration plant is still unknown.

Head of Lori Municipality’s Agriculture and Nature Protection
department Artak Demirchyan told Lragir.am that the damage is still
to be calculated.

Note that on February 8, the tailing dump of Akhtala mining and
concentration plant was damaged and wastes penetrated to the river.

Artak Demirchyan says they have been to the scene and will return
there to find out the situation.

The specialist noted that the pollution of the river impacts negatively
both on the fauna and the flora of the territory.

Demirchyan noted that the plant is fined every year for breaking
nature protection norms.

Environmentalist Hakob Sanasaryan thinks such activities should be
condemned by law. He warns that waste has always gone into the river.

According to him, the utmost punishment is that owners of the plant
offer bribes to the officials. He says that if the law is not reviewed,
Armenia will have no future, since always more and more mines are
given licenses.

“KULTURA.AZ”: HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY THEY THINK AZERBAIJANIS ARE LIKE PEOPLE FROM STONE AGE?

15:33 12/02/2013 ” SOCIETY

“Ekrem Eylisli needs to run away,” wrote Lala Ismailzade on
“Kultura.az” site in the article about baiting the author of the novel
“Stone Dreams”. She wonders whether it is possible for the crowd
living in authoritarian regime be tolerant with dissenting opinions.

“Today, the school principals hold meetings as if they are one,
propagating Ekrem Eylisli’s as “traitor of the fatherland.” They
say that such “meetings of the Bureau” used to took place under
Stalin regime as well,” the author writes, and notes that one of the
Azerbaijani TV channels called on taking away Eyylisli’s all property
and give to immigrants, apparently hoping to solve the problem of
the poor Azerbaijanis by the property of the writer.

According to the author, Azerbaijan has two ways. First is to destroy
all dissent writers who criticized the Azerbaijani society, and
obliterate any positive references about the Armenians. “What did Sabir
write about the Azerbaijani? I fear whenever I see a Muslim. You see,
he’s not afraid of Armenian but a Muslim. After his death Armenians
collected money for publication of his poems and helped,” notes the
author and adds that by this logic, it is necessary to erase from the
history of Azerbaijan Mirza Fatali Akhundov as well, because one of
the characters in his comedy “Haji Gara” who is a lazybones recognizes
that he is not Armenian to work all day with a hack in his hands.

Akhundzadeh in this play describes the Azerbaijanis as troublesome
people and thieves. He describes Ohan, Sargis and other Armenians as
law-abiding and virtuous people. “And what would they suggest? To put
the works of Akhundzadeh in a coffin and to bury it?,” the author says.

“The second way is to understand why, in spite of our economic
strength, we are not respect in the world? Have you ever thought
why the Azerbaijanis are considered people from the Stone Age? The
generation that is presents us in the world culture is dying out, it’s
not going to live forever. And in their place a generation of RABIS
music is coming, with a hatchet in their hands, and famed by the trade
of potatoes and onions. What should we do? Should we rally around the
ax and destroy our cultural monuments, or should we respect freedom
of speech and try to present a civilized society?” the author says.

Source: Panorama.am

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