Author: Badalian Vardan

Iran, Armenia sign agreement on bilateral judicial cooperation

tert.am
14:05 – 11.11.12

Justice ministers of Iran and Armenia signed an agreement Sunday on
expansion of legal and judicial activities between the two nations,
IRNA news agency reports.

The document was signed by the Armenian Justice Minister Hrayr
Tovmasyan and Iranian Justice Minister Morteza Bakhtiari in Tehran.

During the meeting, the Iranian minister said there was no restriction
for expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tehran and Yerevan.

Bakhtiari also hailed Yerevan’s stands regarding sanctions imposed on
Iran by western countries.
Meanwhile, Tomasyan said Armenia was determined to boost ties with
Tehran stressing that nothing would change the decision.

He also praised the special attention paid to Armenian community in Iran.

Iran’s Armenian residents are mostly concentrated in Tehran and Jolfa
district in the ancient province of Isfahan, central Iran.
They have one representative at the Iranian Parliament.

Risky Roof? Former Prime Minister Gets Green Light to Build Additional
Floor on Cascade Building

00:05, November 11, 2012

By *Nareh Sahakyan*

Walking down the steps of Yerevan’s Cascade Complex, I suddenly felt a
sense of asymmetry; that something was amiss.

What is `out of place’ is the construction project of Armen Sargsyan, a
former Armenian Prime Minister.

One month ago, work began on a one story addition atop a building that
overlooks the Cascade’s manicured lawns and Cafesjian Museum.

It seems that Sargsyan, who owns apartments 74 and 75 at #3 Tamanyan
Street, wants more living space on this prime piece of Yerevan real estate.

The building was built in the 1950s and is part of a series of buildings
that encircle the Cascade’s green space; a popular meeting place for
tourists and locals alike.

But the edifice has structural problems brought on by a damaged sewer pipe
that serviced a kindergarten that used to operate on the ground floor.
The escaping water has damaged the building’s foundation.

The fact that the subway passes right beneath the building also increases
the concerns of building residents that it cannot safely hold the weight of
the additional floor now being built.

Anoush Arakelyan, a building resident, says that her floors shake when the
subway passes by. This summer, Arakelyan was told by workers renovating her
apartment that the walls were dangerously out of line.

`I was sick for a week. When I returned home, I was dumbstruck by what I
saw. The new floor was already standing,’ says Arakelyan.

According to the RA Civil Code, a home owner in a multi-family building
must obtain the permission of all home owners before making any changes to
the overall dimensions of the building. In a nutshell, this means that
Armen Sargsyan had to obtain the permission of Anoush Arakelyan and the
other property owners before starting construction of the additional floor.

When I asked whether Sargsyan had indeed obtained such permission and
whether a structural examination of the building had been conducted, the
former prime minister’s office in London assured me that all the legal
procedures had been followed and that the Yerevan Municipality had given
the green light for the construction to go ahead.

Residents claim they were never consulted prior to the construction.
Vladimir Dilanyan, who owns apartment #28, says he called the municipality
hot-line when the construction began. He says that two young men came
around and assured him that the issue would be resolved. They left and
Dilanyan never heard back from them.

Irate residents have also sent a letter to President Sargsyan, requesting
that he personally intervene and halt the construction. Their letter was
forwarded to the municipality.

The municipality issue a statement to the press, saying that it had
received a project proposal several months back from the Kentron
Administrative District to add mansard roofs atop #3 Tamanyan Street and a
building facing it. The statement said that such additions would not
violate the symmetry of the buildings or their architectural cohesiveness.

When residents of the building opposite #3 Tamanyan Street heard about the
plan they went into a panic and immediately called the mayor’s office. They
were told that nothing would be done to their building.

According to construction specialist Sarhat Petrosyan, such projects are
acceptable if done in a professional manner, after examining the building’s
structural integrity.

According to architect Gourgen Mousheghyan, the building has a unique
exterior and symmetry that will be violated by such an addition.

Despite the protestations of residents, the construction will soon be
completed.

As I was leaving, resident Lia Osipyan expressed her main concern.

`What worries us the most is the seismic condition of the building. Our
safety is at risk.’

*(Nareh Sahakyan is a fourth year student at Yerevan State University’s
Faculty of Journalism) *

Home page

Syrie – Deir es Zor
l’Église des Saint-Martyrs sous les bombes

Selon la radio-télévision de Deir es Zor (anti al-Assad), l’église et
le mausolée des Saint-martyrs auraient été bombardés par l’armée
régulière. Pendant la prise de vues on entend alentour les explosions
témoignant de l’intensité des combats.

Devant ce chaos, qui désormais n’épargne aucunement la population
chrétienne, c’est un scénario à l’irakienne qui se profile sous les
yeux d’un occident coupable de non assistance à humanité en danger.

dimanche 11 novembre 2012,
Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

ALLEMAGNE
Manifestation négationniste à Berlin

Jeudi 8 novembre 2012 à Berlin l’Union de la jeunesse turque(TGB) a
manifesté devant le Parlement fédéral allemand (Bundestag) contre
l’adoption en 2005 d’une résolution condamnant les massacres des
arméniens en 1915.

Le président de l’Union pour l’Allemagne Beyhan Yýldýrým a déclaré : ”
nous avons envoyé une demande officielle par internet”.

L’adoption par le Parlement fédéral allemand des “allégations
arméniennes concernant les événements de 1915 a rendu la vie des Turcs
vivant en Allemagne inconfortable” a-t-il ajouté.

“L’Union de la jeunesse demande l’annulation de la décision prise en
2005” a-t-il conclu.

dimanche 11 novembre 2012,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

Interfax, Russia
Nov 8 2012

Armenia to increase stake in ArmRosgazprom thanks to injection of $3.2
mln in property

YEREVAN. Nov 8

Armenia to increase stake in ArmRosgazprom thanks to injection of $3.2
mln in property

The Armenian government decided on Thursday to increase the state
stake in the charter capital of CJSC ArmRosgazprom, which is the sole
supplier of gas to the country, an Interfax correspondent at the
government meeting reported.

The Armenian Government Chief of Staff, David Sargsyan, who presented
the document, said that CJSC ArmRosgazprom will receive property such
as 1.3 billion dram worth (around $3.2 million) in gas distribution
networks, which is state property and on the government balance sheet.

The government has proposed to the company’s management to hold an
independent audit of the property’s value and increase charter capital
through an additional share placement by closed subscription.

CJSC Armrosgazprom’s charter capital comes to 312.07 billion dram.
Russian gas giant Gazprom (RTS: GAZP) owns 80% in the company while
the Armenian government holds 20% through the Ministry of Energy and
Natural Resources.

Therefore, with the placement of 1.3 billion dram in shares, the
company’s charter capital will go up by 0.4% while the Armenian
government’s stake would be slightly adjusted.

Global Insight
November 9, 2012

Iraq seeks to open embassy in Armenia

by Jamie Ingram

Following a series of meetings between senior politicians from both
countries, Iraq has announced its intentions to open an embassy in
Armenia in the near future. The Iraqi foreign ministry released a
statement yesterday (8 November) saying that Minister of Foreign
Affairs Hoshyar Zebari met with Armenian deputy prime minister Armen
Gevorgyan on Wednesday (7 November) and stated his intention to “open
an embassy in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, in the near future”.
Armenia first opened an embassy in Baghdad in 2000, with Iraq
reciprocating a year later; however, diplomatic relations were
suspended in 2003 following the US-led invasion of Iraq. October 2010
marked a thawing of relations once again, with the re-opening of the
Baghdad embassy, and a number of high-level meetings have been held in
recent weeks.

Iraq’s deputy prime minister, Roz Nuri Shaways, led a delegation to
Yerevan in September, where he mooted opening an embassy, while
Gevorgyan also held meetings with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and
President Jalal Talabani during his latest visit to Iraq. Maliki
apologised to Gevorgyan for terrorist attacks against Iraq’s Armenian
community since 2003 and spoke of his plans for the development of a
railway network transporting goods into Europe via Armenia.
Furthermore, the deputy prime minister held talks with the president
of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani,
yesterday. Barzani subsequently spoke of his wish to deepen
co-operation with Armenia, while Gevorgyan expressed his thanks for
Kurdistan’s friendly attitude towards its significant Armenian
population. Traditionally Armenia has maintained close relations with
Arab states, not least thanks to its Armenian communities spread
across the region, including Iraq.

Significance:Bilateral relations between Iraq and Armenia are likely
to continue to develop in the near term. Armenia is looking to
diversify its energy imports away from its dependence on Russia and,
while it has bolstered ties with neighbouring Iran, international
sanctions may limit the extent to which Iran can increase its gas
exports. Iran’s influence over the Iraqi government may smooth the way
for the warming of Armenian-Iraqi ties and during his time in Baghdad,
Gevorgyan expressed his desire to develop relations in the fields of
oil, gas and transport. Nevertheless, tense relations between
Kurdistan and Baghdad may interfere with this should Armenia seek to
cultivate ties with the semi-autonomous oil-rich region.

AZERBAIJAN WAITS FOR A REASON FOR WAR: ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Nov 9 2012

The Armenian president has accused Azerbaijan of being eager for
armed conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, vowing a
“disproportionate” response to Baku if a fight is started, speaking
to The Wall Street Journal.

“Unfortunately, I believe Azerbaijan is waiting for an occasion to
start a conflict,” Serzh Sargsyan said on Nov. 8. “I am confident
such a mistake would harm the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia
but that the most harm would come to the people of Azerbaijan. … We
won’t stand aside when the population of Nagorno-Karabakh is going
to be destroyed.”

Sargsyan said the Armenian government would continue to push for
a negotiated settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, The Wall
Street Journal reported on Nov. 9 on its website. But he also tapped
the rising tensions in one of the world’s key energy corridors.

Sargsyan said Armenia would strike Azerbaijan only if Nagorno-Karabakh
or Armenia were attacked but vowed that Yerevan’s response would be
“disproportionately” strong.

He also warned that the prospect of a military strike against Iran,
with which Armenia shares a border, was an issue of “extreme concern”
which could set off a sequence of events that could also trigger a
conflict between Yerevan and Baku.

He said deeper international engagement in the region was vital to
help reduce tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. “If we had been
living in an isolated region where there was no international impact,
war would have already begun,” he said. He also blamed Azerbaijan
for increasing the hatred against Armenians living in Azerbaijan.

“What is the reason for establishing such a xenophobic atmosphere and
hatred against Armenians in Azerbaijan?” Sargsyan said. “It is easier
to create such an atmosphere, to encourage hate speech, rather than
deal with the consequences of that atmosphere and turn the tide back.”

Armenia-backed separatists seized Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan
in a war in the 1990s that left some 30,000 dead, and no final peace
deal has been signed since the cease-fire.

Friday, 9 November 2012

Hurriyet Daily News

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO PAY AN OFFICIAL VISIT TO FRANCE AND TAKE A ONE-WEEK LEAVE

MediaMax
Nov 9 2012
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will pay a 3-day
official visit to France on November 11.

President Sargsyan is scheduled to meet in Paris with French President
Francois Holland, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, National Assembly
Chairman Claude Bartolone and President of the Senate Jean-Pierre Bel.

The President is also going to visit the city of Lyon.

Following his official visit to France, Serzh Sargsyan will take a
one-week vacation, which he will spend abroad.

“ARMENIA MODEL EUROPEAN UNION CONFERENCE 2012” TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN

21:33, 9 November, 2012

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS: “Forum of European Students in
Yerevan” and the delegation of EU will launch “Armenia Model European
Union Conference 2012” conference.

As Armenpress was informed from the “Forum of European Students
in Yerevan” this new interactive youth program is a simulation of
the activities of the European Union (EU) bodies. The project in
autumn of 2012 will bring together 120 Armenian students from all
regions of our country, as well as international participants and
will give a unique possibility to get acquainted in details, with
the activities and structure of the European Union. For three weeks,
starting from October 20, 2012 the selected participants will have a
unique opportunity to learn about the activities of the EU, about its
policies namely, the policy in the field of European integration and
enlargement as well as the development and history of the political
parties represented at the European Parliament. The topic of the
Conference is “”EU Policy towards the Eastern Partnership Countries:
Advantages and Challenges”.

The main purpose of the conference is the simulation of the EU’s
decision-making process and imitation of the activities of the EU
institutions, particularly European Parliament.

100 participants were selected from 250 applicants from Armenia,
Slovakia, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia
and Luxemburg.

NORTHERN CYPRUS ILLEGALLY LEASES HISTORIC ARMENIAN CHURCH

Thursday, November 8th, 2012

The Sourp Asdvadzadin Church in occupied Cyrus

UNDP and USAID Express Dismay, Threaten to Cut Restoration Funding

NICOSIA (Cyprus Mail)-An Organization for religious foundations in the
north has leased an historic and beautifully restored Armenian site
through an unfair and opaque tender procedure, the United Nations
Development Program-Action for Cooperation and Trust (UNDP-ACT)
program have said.

EVKAF, that oversees religious foundations in the north, leased in
August the 14th century Armenian Church of Sourp Asdvadzadzin and
Monastery complex in the Arabahmet area of northern Nicosia that was
renovated with UNDP-ACT funds as part of reconciliation efforts.

Press reports from occupied Cypriot named the Near East University
as the winner of a ten-year tender to turn the monastery into a
cultural center.

According to Vartkes Mahdessian, the Armenian representative in
parliament, such a move goes against the project’s original intention.

“The objective was to have a multi-communal area where communities
could come together and for the church to be used as a place of
worship by the Armenian community,” he said yesterday.

UNDP-ACT echoed Mahdessian’s concerns in a news release yesterday.

Stakeholders worked “to restore the site to international standards
so that it could encourage peace and reconciliation between all of
the communities in Cyprus,” said the statement from UNDP-ACT and the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Although UNDP-ACT and USAID did not name the tender winner, they
recently said that they learned that “the site had been leased by
EVKAF through a tender process that was neither fair nor transparent.”

“We have expressed our serious concerns to EVKAF about this
unacceptable result,” the news release said.

The Cyprus Mail was unable to speak to the UNDP-ACT to clarify the
news release.

USAID and UNDP-ACT put 3.5 million euros into what they have called
a “visionary endeavour” and a “unique confidence building measure”
referring to efforts to build trust among the island’s communities.

“UNDP and USAID look forward to a speedy resolution of this issue so
that we can continue to support all communities in Cyprus on cultural
heritage initiatives,” the news release said.

Mahdessian said that the news release “enforces our efforts” adding
that they have been meeting with diplomats and representations “and
we are waiting for an outcome whereby justice will be restored”.

As a first step, the tender procedure must be annulled, Mahdessian
said.

According to the UNDP and USAID, the Turkish Cypriot leadership agreed
to investigate the outcome and take action “as appropriate”.

The Sourp Asdvadzasin Church complex includes historic buildings
partially surrounded by a tall masonry wall and including a Gothic
masonry church and part of a monastery complex. It was in poor
condition when the decision to fix it was taken.

Mahdessian on Tuesday praised the restoration work, now completed.