Author: Badalian Vardan

TURQUIE : UN AVION CARGO REMPLI D’OR BLOQUE A L’AEROPORT D’ISTANBUL
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 17 janvier 2013

Un avion de la compagnie aerienne de fret turque ULS Cargo transportant
une cargaison d’une tonne et demi de lingots dor, est immobilise
depuis mardi a laeroport international dIstanbul, les autorites turques
estimant que ses documents ne sont pas en règle, rapportent dimanche
les medias turcs.

L’avion, un Airbus A300, qui effectuait un vol entre le Ghana et Dubaï
(Emirats Arabes Unis) s’est deroute vers l’aeroport Ataturk a cause
de problèmes de carburant, a precise la chaîne d’information CNN-Turk.

En raison de l’absence de certains documents administratifs,
l’appareil a ete immobilise et la cargaison placee sous scelles,
selon les memes sources.

Les autorites aeroportuaires turques contactees par l’AFP n’etaient
pas joignables pour commenter cette information.

Les services de police ont mis en place une surveillance importante
autour de l’appareil pour empecher toute tentative de vol, precise
la chaîne publique TRT.

Plusieurs hypothèses ont ete evoquees par les medias : la cargaison
d’or serait un paiement du Ghana a l’Iran, frappe par des sanctions
internationales en raison de son programme nucleaire controverse,
et transitant par Dubaï afin de ne pas attirer l’attention.

Ni les autorites turques ni les responsables de la compagnie de
transport nont jusque la commente cette affaire.

jeudi 17 janvier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

KATHERINE SARAFIAN ACCEPTS GOLDEN GLOBE FOR “BRAVE”

January 14, 2013 – 14:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Executive Producer Katherine Sarafian and Director
Mark Andrews accepted the award for Best Animated Feature Film for
Brave at the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January
13, 2013.

The story of headstrong Highland princess Merida, which features the
voices of Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane and Kelly
Macdonald, beat off competition from Frankenweenie, Rise of the
Guardians, Hotel Transylvania and Wreck-It Ralph to take the trophy at
the star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles last night. It was the sixth
win for Disney’s Pixar Animation unit in the seven years since the
Globes added the category.

The film, which had its European premier at last year’s Edinburgh
International Film Festival, was nominated for an Oscar last week,
foreign media reported.

MAJOR PART OF ARMENIA’S SOCIETY EXPECTS MUCH OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

16.01.13

Gagik Minasyan, a member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)
parliamentary group, is sure that major part of Armenia’s society
has great expectations of the upcoming presidential election.

According to him, serious and comprehensive work was carried out
during previous years.

“We succeeded in preventing a crisis, coping with domestic political
tension. Our consistent work put an end to the tension,” Mr Minasyan
told journalists on Wednesday.

“All the major political forces are represented in the National
Assembly, which inspires hope that the upcoming presidential election
will be held at a higher level,” he said.

Mr Minasyan stressed the importance of a calm situation in Armenia.

“It will shape a positive opinion of elections among Armenians. It
is of high importance because we will be able to speed up our reforms
after the election,” he said.

Mr Minasyan also noted that the candidates will certainly compete in
the election. “I think we are going to see a real competition between
the programs and four really prominent political figures,” he said,
implying Armenia’s incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, Chairman of
the Heritage party Raffi Hovannisian, Armenia’s ex-premier Hrant
Bagratyan and Chairman of the Self-Determination Paruir Hairikyan.

“Even if all the other candidates participate, the level of competition
will remain unchanged,” Mr Minasyan said.

With respect to some political forces’ decisions against participating
in the election campaign, he noted that they would nominate their
candidates if they had even a ghost of a chance.

The opposition bloc Armenian National Congress (ANC) and the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) united round the
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) and lost their electorate.

The current situation shows that political forces will have to
implement their programs using their own potential, Mr Minasyan said.

RPA DEPUTY LEADER: BUSINESS AND POLITICS ARE INTERRELATED

Country – Wednesday, 16 January 2013, 17:45

The deputy leader of the RPA Galust Sahakyan told reporters it is
difficult and time-consuming to fight monopolies. “There are such
oligarchic approaches in all the countries, while the struggle against
them is very difficult and takes time. As a principle, the monopole
statuses must be eliminated.” Galust Sahakyan also said it is normal
when business and politics are interrelated. According to him, in every
country of the world everyone who does business is also involved in
politics. “It is impossible to divide politics and economy, they are
agreed processes,” he says, adding that the danger comes from the
monopole economy which is what we should be fighting against.

TURKISH FM: SYRIAN ARMENIANS ENTER ARMENIAN TERRITORY THROUGH TURKEY

16 January 2013, 15:09 (GMT+04:00)

Some Syrian Armenians entered the territory of Armenia, crossing over
Turkey, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said today in response to the
signature collection campaign started at the White House’s website,
for Turkey’s unconditional opening of the border with Armenia for
the Syrian refugees.

According to the report, while rendering assistance to the victims
in Syria, Turkey does not make a distinction in terms of religion,
ethnicity and national origin.

Moreover, Turkey will resolve the issue with volume, form and
conditions of rendering the humanitarian assistance to some victims.

Earlier, the Turkish Disasters and Emergency Management Directorate
(AFAD) told Trend there is no need for Syrian refugees to move from
Turkey to Armenia. Today it is impossible to open the Turkish-Armenian
border for this purpose.

Yerevan’s claims for recognising the “Armenian genocide” in the world
and the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenian armed forces
are the reasons for the breakdown in relations and closing of the
Turkish-Armenian border in 1993.

Anti-government protests have continued in Syria for more than a year
and half. According to UN, the total number of victims of the conflict
in Syria exceeds 60,000.More than 230,000 have become refugees with
around three million in need of humanitarian assistance. The Syrian
authorities say they oppose the well-armed militants.

1ST ARMENIAN INTERACTIVE FAIRY TALE LAUNCHES IN APPLE STORE (VIDEO) (VIDEO)

January 16, 2013 – 21:06 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – First Armenian interactive fairy tale has launched
in in Apple Store. Father and Son Gevorgyans picked Ghazaros Aghayan’s
“Anahit” tale as the best option.

“The interactive version of “Alice in Wonderland” novel is quite
popular abroad. Anahit’s fictional character first impressed me as a
child. The tale carries an educational message,” computer programmer
Vahram Gevorgyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, adding that it took
them 5 months to bring the initiative into fruition.

“The interactive tale was submitted to Apple Store a month ago at
USD 3.99. Though it was initially designed for iPads and mini iPads,
it will soon be available also for Android operating system,” Mr.

Gevorgyan said, adding that the project will further be enriched with
new elements.

NON-MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN TURKEY WANT TO HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS

16:56, 17 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Non-Muslim communities in Turkey
have asked for municipal and state services at their funerals similar
to the services given to the country’s Muslim citizens. As reports
“Armenpress” Hurriyet Daily News stated this.

Municipalities do not provide non-Muslim citizens with free services
such as allocation of a funeral car. A graveyard plot costs little
money for Muslims in municipal facilities, whereas a plot in minority
graveyards that have limited spaces may cost a fortune.

Speaking to the Hurriyet Daily News, authorities from the Istanbul
Metropolitan Municipality Cemeteries Directorate said even though they
knew the cost of graves and funeral ceremonies for non-Muslim citizens
is very high, they did not intervene. “[Non-Muslims] can afford
organizing funerals in accordance with their religions and traditions.

We do not interfere with them since we are not used to their
traditions and ceremonies. Only if they prove their conversion to
Islam with witnesses can we hold their funerals,” an official from
the directorate said.

Burgazada Hagia Yanni and Samatya Hagia Nikola Greek Church Foundation
head Andon Parisyanos said the Directorate of Religious Affairs must
allocate funds to non-Muslim populations as a requirement of equal
citizenship.

“Forget about funerals, we even pay the utility bills for the
churches by our own means. However, the Directorate of Religious
Affairs meets the expenses of mosques,” Parisyanos said, adding that
funeral organization companies should also be supervised.

Likewise, Garo Paylan, who is a member of the YeÅ~_ilköy Armenian
School’s Executive Board, said the requirements of equal citizenship
must be implemented. “The Directorate of Religious Affairs could
allocate funds, which would be conveyed to the owners of the funeral
homes through the Patriarchate,” Paylan said.

GEORGIAN PM: KARABAKH ISSUE WILL BE DIFFICULT TO RESOLVE IN NEAR FUTURE

2013-01-17 17:05:38

Today Prime Minister of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili said in Yerevan
that the Karabakh issue will be difficult to resolve in the near
future.

As Mediamax reported, he made this statement addressing a joint press
conference with his Armenian counterpart Tigran Sargsyan.

“My wish and appeal is resolving the conflict peacefully and using
every effort by both countries for this purpose,” he said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

THE REBELS ATTACKED THE HOSPITAL BEARING THE NAME OF AN ARMENIAN

15:20, 17 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS: Sheikh Taha district of Aleppo,
habited by Armenians was attacked by the rebels. The building has
only suffered material damage fortunately there are no human losses,
the shootings have damaged the wards of the hospital, Berio National
Primacy press secretary Jirayr REisyan told Armenpress.

Dwelling on the incident occurred near the University of Aleppo,
Reisyan noted the injured Sargis Petros has received third degree
burn and currently is in hospital. The economic situation in the city
remains the same, there are no positive changes. The incomes of the
residents keep increasing day by day, in case the difficulties are
growing up.

According to UN data over 60 thousand people were killed as a result
of clashes ongoing in Syrian for over 22 months.

POLICY FORUM ARMENIA URGES INTERNATIONAL ELECTION MONITORS TO ENHANCE FRAUD DETECTION IN ARMENIA

12:46, January 17, 2013

Dear Fellow Stakeholders:

In light of the upcoming February 2013 presidential election in the
Republic of Armenia, we are writing to bring to your urgent attention
the latest report by Policy Forum Armenia (PFA). The findings therein
highlight our concerns about the integrity of the electoral process in
the country-as observed during the May 2012 Parliamentary Election-and
its implications going forward.

The Report, entitled “Armenia’s 2012 Parliamentary Election”,
demonstrates that election fraud in Armenia has taken subtle and
sophisticated forms that are difficult to detect because it occurs
mostly outside of polling stations. In fact, while acknowledging some
marginal improvements, we believe that the systematic fraud applied by
the authorities (and uncovered in the Report via the use of statistical
techniques) was sufficient to materially alter the election outcome.

In addressing the international observer community, the Report makes
the following recommendations:

~U Election fraud in Armenia has adapted to monitoring pressures
and is now nearly impossible to detect through typical monitoring
approaches. To substantially reduce it, new criteria for assessing
election conduct should be established and more candid assessment
of the political will, or lack thereof, to conduct freer elections
should be made.

~U International observers could benefit from a more comprehensive
briefing about Armenia’s political-economic landscape and history of
election fraud.

~U Resources permitting, more observers should be dispatched to areas
outside of Yerevan, where incidents of fraudulent voter counting and
voter list abuse were found to be the highest.

Given the growing sophistication of election fraud in Armenia, the
country’s electorate and the Armenian Diaspora will likely rely on
international observers more than before to properly assess election
results in the country.

However, if these new methods of election fraud are allowed to
persist the legitimacy of the election outcome in Armenia will
continue to be questioned despite declared “progress”. Moreover,
the credibility of international observers as a force for positive
change may be undermined when assessments fail to point that bribery,
voter intimidation, and voter list fraud are effectively used as
counterweights to free and fair elections.

This situation in Armenia is unlikely to remain sustainable.

Disenfranchised citizens may lose faith in the election process
altogether and seek alternative ways to express their constitutionally
granted right to govern the country, potentially leading to political
instability. Yet, unless remedies are put in place prior to Election
Day, we expect the well-concealed abuses of the electoral system to
continue during the February 2013 presidential election.

To that end, PFA is prepared to assist you and your colleagues in
these specific areas:

~U Identify the worst-offender polling stations based on the 2012
election outcome to help the observer missions zoom in on them;

~U Provide a list of suitable potential observers, who speak and
understand fluent Armenian and English;

~U Conduct voter list audits prior to the upcoming election.

All in all, we hope you will have an opportunity to study PFA’s report
and urge you to take concrete steps to enhance your fraud-detection
techniques in time for the February election. We and other concerned
stakeholders worldwide would appreciate being informed of those steps.

We thank you for your consideration of this urgent appeal
and look forward to hearing from you regarding our offer to
assist. Please contact us directly by email at [email protected]
(mailto:[email protected]) or at the mailing address above.

(PFA is an independent professional non-profit organization aimed at
strengthening discourse on Armenia’s economic development and national
security and through that helping to shape public policy in Armenia.)

PFA Executive Board Washington/Yerevan/Los Angeles