Author: Badalian Vardan

STATEMENT ON THE CREATION OF PRE-PARLIAMENT IN ARMENIA

Country – Thursday, 15 November 2012, 16:05

A group of civil activists, artists, lawyers, journalists announced
about the creation of a pre-parliament in Armenia.

The group believes that there is a moral, psychological,
socio-economic, demographic and administrative crisis in the country,
which threatens the Armenian state. The crisis is expressed in
the forcing the society to the criminal-oligarchic system of
values, social polarization, dependence of the judicial system,
over-exploitation of natural resources and the growing dependence on
external forces. Systemic crisis generates total apathy, which leads
to an increase of emigration.

It is possible to overcome the crisis only through radical
transformation of the current political system. Based on the people’s
rights to defend dignity, freedom and justice and the legality their
realization, as well as the demand that the power should belong to
the people, the group states about the start of a political process
to create a state able to promote and realize national tasks and goals.

The initiative group announces itself a Pre-parliament, the activities
of which will be aimed at forming the Constitutive parliament through
alternative elections, which will work out the strategy and will
become a staff center for the future state system.

The Pre-parliament calls on the citizens of Armenia and the world
Armenians to stand up for the protection of their dignity, freedom,
justice and to support this political process.

ARMENIA TO OPEN A CONSULATE IN LYON

ARMRADIO.AM
13:18 15.11.20120

Armenia will open a Consulate in Lyon, Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan said in an interview with France 3 TV.

“The opening of the Consulate is a matter of weeks. Although many
Armenians were born and live in France and actively participate in
the development of the country, they must not forget their roots,”
the President said.

Serzh Sargsyan reminded that Armenia has adopted a law on dual
citizenship, which will allow every Armenian to contribute to the
development of Armenia.

Within the framework of the visit to Lyon, President Serzh Sargsyan
met with Mayor Gerard Collomb and representatives of the business
community.

ARMENIAN SYRIANS’ SCHOOL HAS PROBLEMS (PHOTO SERIES)

NOVEMBER 14, 2012 17:32

The Cilician Benevolent Union established the Cilician School in No.
14 School in Yerevan, in order that children of Armenian Syrian
families, which have temporarily sheltered in Armenia, are able
to continue education. Vazgen Mesropyan, a member of the board of
the Union affiliate in Armenia, said during a conversation with
that the existence of the college was not very smooth:
“There are certain problems, but they can be overcome. We have put a
lot of effort to ensure the transportation of students by buses. They
bring them to school in the morning from different communities of
Yerevan. No individual or organization has offered its help so far
– they haven’t inquired whether we needed anything. Thanks to the
efforts of the Ministry of Diaspora, the UN has supported us, has
given computers and in general, small organizations have helped with
certain problems, but no one has supported financially.”

We also talked with Nushik Zarikyan, a biology teacher in grades 1-6.

“The only means of education are still the books we have in hand, there
are no other methods, modern technology, but those are necessary in
the case of biology, in particular. Despite that, children do well,”
the teacher said.

She added that the college had roughly 26 first graders.

Louise SUKIASYAN

KOCHARYAN ADMITTED HE HAD NO POWER IN ARMENIA
Naira Hayrumyan

Country – Thursday, 15 November 2012, 11:16

In his latest statement, Robert Kocharyan confessed for the first time
that he didn’t possess the whole political power in Armenia during
his tenure. Moreover, he accepted that someone else was the “power”.

Saying that he failed to ensure the passage to the proportional voting
system, Kocharyan noted that the “power” was interested in the keeping
of the majoritarian districts. Whom he means by saying power? Serzh
Sargsyan, who headed the Republican Party, the oligarchs, who laid
their hands on everything in the country, Russian agents, to whom he
was powerless to resist? This couldn’t be just a slip of the tongue,
Robert Kocharyan really admitted that there was a different “power”
during his tenure.

It was always assumed that as a politician, Kocharyan is stronger than
Serzh Sargsyan, who is perceived as a softer and more flexible person.

And Kocharyan, on the contrary, had a reputation of a tough,
calculating man, who would never be stopped by anything on the way
of achieving his goal. But, apparently, it is not so, and Sargsyan’s
“soft power” turned out stronger that Kocharyan’s stiffness.

At the end, Serzh Sargsyan came to Armenia earlier than Kocharyan.

Before Kocharyan’s arrival in Armenia in 1996, Sargsyan had already
headed force structures in Armenia and was aware of the conjuncture
in Armenia. He was Kocharyan’s rear then.

Later, when Kocharyan became president, Serzh Sargsyan became the
“second figure”. But he was considered the “gray eminence” for some
reason, and apparently, he headed the country and Kocharyan means
him referring to the “power”.

All these presumptions are on the psychological plain, but this is
the plain to define the political developments. “Soft” Serzh Sargsyan
is psychologically stronger than Robert Kocharyan, but Kocharyan is
stronger by the ability to make unexpected steps which can ensure
good positions for him.

Now, in Armenia, a political fight between two psychological types
is underway, between the soft and the tough. Who will be the power
this time?

ARMENIA TO HAVE MILITARY ATTACHES IN FRANCE AND BELARUS

news.am
November 15, 2012 | 11:36

YEREVAN. – Military attaches will be appointed to Armenia’s embassies
in France and Belarus. The Armenian Government on Thursday passed
this decision which was submitted by the Ministry of Defense.

According to the MOD report, having a military attache in a country
is an important political factor because this proves that Armenia
attaches a great importance to its cooperation with the given country.

Also, the Government adopted a decision on establishing the positions
of Military Adviser to Permanent Mission of Armenia to the United
Nations, and Armenian Armed Forces Representative to Permanent Mission
of Armenia to the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

EXTRADITION OF RAMIL SAFAROV CAUSES DEEP CONCERN – LATVIA’S FM

news.am
November 15, 2012 | 13:25

YEREVAN.- Extradition and pardoning of Ramil Safarov is causing
deep concern, Latvian FM Edgars Rinkevics said during a joint press
conference with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian.

He recalled that Latvia made a statement on the issue during the
September meeting of representatives of Baltic and Scandinavian states,
the Nordic Baltic Eight, in Vilnius.

“Latvia, just as EU representatives, is showing deep concern about the
issue. We are confident that such moves do not further the dialogue
existing in fragile situation,” Rinkevics told reporters in Yerevan.

Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier that Ramil Safarov, a lieutenant
in the Azerbaijani military, was extradited on August 31 from Hungary,
where he was serving a life sentence-and with no expression of
either regret or remorse-for the premeditated axe murder of Armenian
lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, in his sleep, during a NATO Partnership
for Peace program in Budapest back in 2004.

As expected, Ramil Safarov’s return to Baku was welcomed, as was
his act of murder, by the officials of president Ilham Aliyev’s
government and much of Azerbaijani society, and the Azerbaijani
president immediately granted him a pardon.

And Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan announced on August 31 that
Armenia is suspending its diplomatic ties with Hungary.

Ramil Safarov’s pardoning is condemned by virtually all international
organizations.

URUGUAY ACCEPTS OTHER NATIONS LEGITIMATE DESIRE OF SELF-DETERMINATION: JORGE ORRICO

14:01, 14 November, 2012

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS: Uruguay acknowledges and accepts
that other nations also enjoy self determination legitimate desire.

Speaker of the Uruguay Parliament Jorge Orrico and Artsakh Republic
National Assembly chairman Ashot Ghulyan came forth with a statement.

“We are peaceful country and have arrived with a peace mission.

Though we are a small nation yet we have always been free and realize
that other nations also deserve self-determination right and reportedly
international court may resolve all the contradictions. We always
consider the single path is freedom ” Mr. Orrico noted.

Uruguayan high ranking official stated cases vary and it is clear to
all in what situation is Nagorno Karabakh. “Uruguay has no official
position refer to NK independence recognition, however nobody opposes
the situation prevailing currently in Artsakh” speaker of the Uruguay
Parliament expressed willingness to help stressing all disputes and
controversies can be resolved peacefully.

Ashot Ghulyan thanked the delegation for the paid visit, Uruguay
was the country that gave shelter to those who fled 1915 Armenian
Genocide. Currently Armenian community has an active role in the
life of the country. Ghulyan expressed confidence that this meeting
is the beginning of a new process, which will continue.

Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received Uruguay Republic
House of Representatives delegation headed by the speaker of the
Uruguay Parliament Jorge Orrico on November 13. In a press conference
succeeded by the meeting Uruguay- Armenia inter parliamentary friendly
group head, Uruguay parliament foreign relations committee member
Ruben Martinez Huelmo did not exclude his country may recognize
Nagorno Kharabakh Republic. In response to a journalists question
about Uruguay being the first to recognize the independence of Artsakh,
Mr. Martinez said:”I can honestly say, theoretically, YES.

Then he added that “this is political process and it must develop
step by step”.

ARMENIA SEES “NO NEW HOPES” FOR SETTLEMENT AFTER PARIS TALKS ON KARABAKH

KARABAKH | 14.11.12 | 11:04

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said last month’s meeting of the
foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Paris, France, was
“far from new hopes” on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

In an interview with the French daily, Le Figaro, Sargsyan, who was
on an official visit to France at the beginning of this week, noted,
however, that it was agreed to continue talks in the current format
at the meeting.

“Baku refuses to accept the principles proposed by the international
mediators as a basis for holding talks supposing that they can
directly reach a peaceful agreement without agreeing on the basic
principles. But the peaceful agreement may be viable only if it is
based on clear principles acceptable for everybody,” said Sargsyan.

After his talks with Sargsyan at the Elysee Palace on Monday French
President Francois Hollande, too, said that as a co-chair of the OSCE
Minsk Group France would continue to mediate the negotiations that
it saw as progressing on the basis of the so-called Madrid principles
submitted to the conflicting parties a few years ago.

Armenian-Azerbaijan peace talks ground to a halt earlier this year
after a series of deadly border skirmishes in June and especially the
controversial pardoning in Azerbaijan of Ramil Safarov, a convicted
killer of an Armenian serviceman who was handed over to Baku by
Hungary on August 31.

Safarov, an officer of the Azerbaijani army, hacked to death a sleeping
Armenian fellow student, Gurgen Margaryan, at a NATO-sponsored English
language course in Budapest in 2004. He was serving a life sentence
in a Hungarian prison before his controversial extradition.

In the interview this week the Armenian leader said that despite the
actions taken by Baku in what was later dubbed as the Safarov Affair
Armenia will keep doing its best to reach a peaceful settlement.

BABY STEP?: FOREIGN PARTY LEADERS MEET WITH ARMENIAN PEERS CONCERNING EURASIAN UNION

POLITICS | 14.11.12 | 15:03

RA PM Tigran Sargsyan receives representatives of political forces
involved in Eurasian inter-party consultations

By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

Interparty discussions in Yerevan devoted to the idea of the Eurasian
Union have skipped the attention of mass media, despite the fact that
representatives of Russia’s, the Ukraine’s and Kazakhstan’s ruling
parties have had separate meetings with the Armenian prime minister
and a number of local lawmakers.

Representatives of Russia’s Yedinaya Russia (United Russia), the
Ukraine’s Party of Regions and Kazakhstan’s Nur Otan, parliament
of Belarus, as well as Armenia’s ruling Republican and second most
powerful Prosperous Armenia (PAP) parties took part in the November
12-13 discussions. And while Yerevan was hosting these meetings,
Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan was in Paris meeting his French
counterpart and other high-ranking officials – this fact has stirred
speculations that he is reluctant to take part in what’s aimed at
bringing to life Russian president Vladimir Putin’s brainchild.

Among the Armenian political forces PAP is the most supportive of the
Eurasian Union’s idea. As for the authorities, they swing from positive
to negative assessments when speaking about entering the Customs Union
(free trade zone) which is the basis of the Eurasian Union.

Although the interparty meetings have not been largely covered by the
press, some rather interesting and important statements made during
them can be singled out. In particular, on Monday Andrey Klimov,
Yedinaya Russia’s head of foreign relations, had a meeting with
vice-speaker of the Armenian parliament Hermine Naghdalyan, as well
as a number of Republican and PAP MPs. Klimov said that Russia highly
appreciates its cooperation and dialogue with Armenia, as well as
partner relations and position on a number of international structures
and platforms. Reflecting on the Eurasian Union he said respective
discussions would soon be held in Brussels. Klimov stressed that
Russia in this issue not only would be guided by its own interests,
but also “defend its strategic partners’ interests”.

On Tuesday Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received the interparty
meeting participants.

“Our countries function in the framework of CIS, have similar
challenges, and we have to overcome them together. From that
perspective political cooperation on a party level can also contribute
greatly to the development and implementation of different projects,”
said Sargsyan.

Russian Duma vice-speaker Sergey Zheleznyak, who is also the Deputy
Secretary General of Yedinaya Russia, said that the interparty
discussions hosted by Armenia had laid a strong foundation for
continuing interparty cooperation as well as development and
implementation of various projects.

GEOPROMINING CO-FINANCED GAS PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION IN ARMENIA’S SOTK

YEREVAN, November 14. /ARKA/. GeoProMining, a diversified international
mining group (GPM), said Wednesday it was co-financing the construction
of a gas pipeline in the village of Sotk in Gegharkunik region
of Armenia.

“In 2012, as a part of the corporate social responsibility program
Resources for Good, GPM invested 30 million drams (75,000 USD) in
this project,” the company said.

In early 2012, following the negotiations with the local authorities
of Sotk, the gas pipeline project was chosen as a priority. Supoorting
development of socio-economic infrastructure in the regions is one
of the main directions of the Resources for Good program.

The Zod mine is the only major industrial entity in the area, where the
village is located. Some 30 employees of the mine live in the village,
and the company regularly provides assistance to Sotk residents.

“Gas supply will not only improve the life of Sotk, but also will
help to solve the environmental problem – to reduce the use of wood
for heating homes and public facilities,” according to the source.

Resources for Good program aims to ensure the sustainable development
of the regions, where the company operates.

“Selecting projects, we take into account the needs of local
communities, so, along with educational projects, GeoProMining
is paying serious attention to the development of socio-economic
infrastructure”, said GPM President Roman Khudoliy.

GeoProMining was founded in 2001. In Armenia it owns two assets –
the Agarak Copper-Molybdenum Combine and GPMGold, developing the Sotk
gold mine and running Ararat gold recovery factory. In the past two
years it has invested more than $260 million in its Armenian assets.-0-