Author: Badalian Vardan

EREVAN-TRANSPORTS
Inauguration de la première piste cyclable de la capitale arménienne

Le 10 octobre fut inaugurée à Erévan la première piste cyclable
d’Arménie. Une réalisation en coopération entre la municipalité
d’Erévan et l’association « Ganatchasdan ». La piste longue de 2,5 km
et de 1,5 mètres de large qui longe le parc Oragatsev de la capitale
arménienne jusqu’au jardin situé près de la statue du général
Andranik. Selon Dikran Zartchoghlian, le représentant de «
Ganatchasdan », cette piste située très de l’avenue Machdotz et de la
statue d’Andranik également très proche des axes des voies de
circulation, permettra un développement harmonieux des transports dans
la capitale arménienne.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 13 octobre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

International poetry festival will be held in Artsakh

11:19, 13 October, 2012

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Writers Union of Artsakh initiated
the first International Poetry Festival to be held in Stepanakert on
October 15-19. It will be entitled “Writer as a Herald of Peace” and
representatives from Artsakh and Armenia, as well as form Germany,
Lebanon, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria will be present at the festival.
As Chairman of Writers Union of Armenia Levon Ananyan mentioned in a
conversation with “Armenpress” there will be a saturated program for
the participants of the festival, they will have a meeting in
Stepanakert Chamber of Culture and Youth, Artsakh State University,
House of Books of Shushi, Gandzasar and other historical places.
Special hour of poetry will be dedicated to modern Georgian lyrics. In
frames of the festival will be held a conference entitled “Tendencies
of Development of Modern Lyrics”.

Poetry almanac in Armenian and English language “Philology in the
World Meridians” has been published, where more than 40 works by
participants of the conference were included. President of Nagorno
Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan will host participants of the
festival. The last meeting will be on October 18.

Slovaquie
Achot Grigorian : l’ambassadeur turc reconnaît le génocide

Le 12 octobre, Ã l’occasion d’une conférence de presse, Achot
Grigorian, président du Forum des Associations Arméniennes d’Europe
(FAAE) et chef de la communauté arménienne de Slovaquie, a tenu Ã
rappeler qu’une loi a été adoptée le 1er septembre 2009 en Slovaquie
criminalisant la négation du génocide des arméniens. Ainsi, toute
personne niant cette réalité sera condamné Ã 5 années
d’emprisonnement.

Une mesure qui visiblement ne plait que très peu à l’Azerbaïdjan, qui
dans sa propagande n’a de cesse de nier l’existence d’une telle loi,
comme d’ailleurs l’ambassadeur lui-même de Slovaquie, Oleg Migash,
semble-t-il trop tenté par les pétrodollars azerbaïdjanais, Ã nier
l’existence d’un tel droit dans le pays.

Dans ce contexte Achot Grigorian a rappelé la déclaration faite par
Gulhan Ulutekin, ambassadeur de Turquie en Slovénie et ses
conséquences. ” Quand Gagik Mkrtumyan, président de la Cour
constitutionnelle et Arman Mkrtumyan, président de la Cour de
cassation ont rendu visite au khatchkar dédié aux victimes du génocide
et rendu hommage à leur mémoire, l’ambassadeur de Turquie en Slovaquie
a ensuite publié une déclaration, par écrit, explicitant qu’il n’y
avait pas eu de génocide.` A la suite de cet incident, Achot Grigorian
a déposé une plainte demandant de soumettre l’Ambassadeur à la peine
prévue par la loi. Invité à se présenter à un poste de police, Gulhan
Ulutekin a finalement annoncé qu’il n’avait rien contre le génocide
arménien, admettant ainsi explicitement la reconnaissance de cette
réalité. Dans un livre publié après les commémorations du génocide, le
diplomate a appelé Ã la prudence sur ce sujet, affirmant que plus de
Turcs avaient été tués dans la période du génocide contre les
Arméniens.

Achot Grigorian ajoute : ” Pour l’occasion nous avons même envoyé une
lettre de remerciements exprimant notre gratitude à Monsieur Ahmet
DavutoÄ?lu, ministre des Affaires étrangères pour la reconnaissance du
génocide arménien à un haut niveau diplomatique.`

La Slovaquie a reconnu le génocide des arméniens en 2004. Stefan
Harabin, président de la Cour suprême de Slovaquie a visité le
mémorial de Tsitsernakaberd et a rendu hommage aux victimes du
génocide arménien le 11 Octobre.

samedi 13 octobre 2012,
Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

The Sun, UK
Oct 12 2012

Ballotelli feeling blue

MARIO BALOTELLI will miss Italy’s World Cup qualifier against Armenia tonight.

The Italian Football Federation announced that the Manchester City
star, who was expected to start the match, has not recovered from flu.

Balotelli missed both his side’s opening Group B encounters after
having laser eye surgery in the last international break.

Cesare Prandelli is hopeful Balotelli will shake off the illness to be
fit for next week’s clash with Denmark.

MIS-STEP: DANCE TROUPE LEFT WITHOUT REHEARSAL SPACE AHEAD OF IMPORTANT PERFORMANCES
By Gohar Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow reporter
12.10.12 | 16:25

The chief choreographer of Armenia’s National Academic Theater of
Ballet and Opera is concerned that the Theater might temporarily be
left without its ballet troupe.

A renowned choreographer and a leading solo dancer Roudolf Kharatyan,
who in 2009 was invited to Armenia from the United States to lead
Armenia’s national ballet troupe, told the press on Thursday that the
major repair of the opera building is leaving the troupe without
a place for rehearsals, and that, he said, might have serious
consequences.

“The repair and upgrade of the stage was needed and welcomed, but
nothing had been pre-planned. Starting tomorrow our troupe will leave
the building and will have this status until, as we have been told,
February. We have not been offered any alterative for a rehearsal
studio yet and we’re in limbo. But a dancer is like an athlete and
has to keep training constantly,” said Kharatyan, adding that the
troupe has a performance of “Giselle” ballet to perform in Italy in
April and then in the United States.

“They say we can start rehearsing in February. But how is it possible
to stage a performance in two months only, when it takes two decades
for dancers to start getting the feel of it ? This way we can never
present ourselves to the world as a ballet country, when through ballet
we are able to present the entire history of our nation,” he says,
adding that this might lead to losing what’s been achieved over the
past three years – dancers in good shape and full concert halls.

The troupe has 86 dancers aged between 18 and 41, with average salary
90,000 drams ($220) a month.

In 2012 the State Budget has allotted six million drams ($15,000)
for the repair.

Kamo Hovhannisyan, director of the Theatre, told ArmeniaNow that on
Monday the issue will be resolved.

“The repair works have been going for a few months now and will be
completed in January, however working at the Theater is not safe
anymore, because of the welding. On Monday it’ll be clear where the
Theater staff and troupes can temporarily move to,” he promised.

AUDITS AS PARTY ATTACK?: CORRUPTION ALLEGED AT MINISTRIES FORMERLY HEADED BY PAP MEMBERS
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan

ArmeniaNow
12.10.12 | 16:12

The Government continues to reveal new violations at the ministries
formerly under Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) leadership, which Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan has qualified as “disgraceful”.

Following President Serzh Sargsyan’s much-discussed September
meeting with the cabinet, during which he criticized the government
for shortcomings and kickbacks in the sphere of state-budget-funded
procurement, audits have been carried out at the ministries of urban
development, healthcare and defense.

The audits have led to the detention of one urban development ministry
employee, Republican Vazgen Khachikyan, who is also the former head
of social welfare service (it operates under the ministry of labor
and social affairs that, again, used to be under PAP leadership).

For violations in delivery of purchases to the Ministry of Defense,
director of Kapan’s meet processing factory has been detained,
and earlier Lieutenant-General Arshaluys Paytyan, in charge of
coordinating the ministry’s purchase and delivery, was dismissed,
as was the leader of Procurement Assistance Center non-governmental
commercial organization.

The Control Chamber’s most recent revelation has been on drug
procurement, as well as medical institutions’ failure to fulfill
their tax duties. The violations occurred during the leadership of
former minister, PAP member Harutyun Kushkyan. The same goes for the
violations at the urban development ministry.

During Thursday’s session at the health ministry, the head of
the Finance Ministry’s department of audit and financial control
stated that in 2009-2010 and this year in February and April, the
health ministry acquired ten drug titles on state money, “making 600
million drams’ (around $1.5 million) worth of unjustified purchases
and unnecessary spending”. The government audit revealed that the
drugs had been bought for prices higher than the market rate.

The State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition (SCPEC)
had earlier studied the drug market and identified violations in
drug procurement tenders at 80 percent of the monitored 137 medical
institutions, many didn’t even hold tenders. SCPEC stated that in
2011 the state budget suffered 1.5 billion drams ($3.7 million)
worth of damage only because of drug procurement violations.

And, according to the State Revenue Committee, the majority of medical
institutions have 50-60 percent higher profit than they show.

The premier has warned that delinquent officials “from now on will
bear personal responsibility”.

PAP has not offered any comment on these developments or speculations
that the investigations are singling out the political party.

RUSSIA PROMISES TO REACH A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL AGREEMENT ON GAS PRICE

ARMENPRESS
12 October, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 12, ARMENPRESS: Trade and economic relations between
Armenian and Russia are developing constantly. Armenian-Russian
intergovernmental commission co-chair Maxim Sokolov Minister of
Transport of the Russian Federation came forth with a statement,
Armenpress reports.

“In the course of the previous years goods turnover made one billion
dollars. Current year statistics show there is a positive growth in
the course of 8 months and we are going to exceed 1 billion index ”
Russian high ranking official stated. Yet in his words it is early to
talk about results. What refers to direct investment, Sokolov noted
during the last 20 years direct investments in Armenia were amounted
2.5 billion dollar. “It is particularly nice the investments are
direct reportedly they are directed for the business development”
Minister noted.

On the reporter’s question about the change of gas price circulated
lately, Sokolov was quoted as saying. “The negotiations are ongoing.

We are moving forward and are sure as always we shall reach beneficial
agreement” .

Currently 1,000 cubic meters of gas costs 180 dollars in Armenia.

ARMENIAN AND RUSSIAN OFFICIALS SILENT ABOUT GAS TALKS

news.am
October 12, 2012 | 13:52

YEREVAN. – Representatives of energy operators and officials present
at Armenia-Russia intergovernmental committee meeting in Yerevan
declined to comment on the Armenian News-NEWS.am reporter’s question
regarding gas price.

Yevgeny Bibin, Director General of Electric Networks of Armenia CJSC,
said rise in gas price and future impact on the tariffs was not
discussed during the meeting. Deputy Chairman of Gazprom management
committee Valery Golubev also refrained from commenting on gas price.

In his turn Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan noted that the
talks are not over. Asked whether the sides will reach agreement on
gas price by the end of this year, Minister said the possibility is
not ruled out.

Talking to reporters, co-chairs of the Armenia-Russia intergovernmental
committee – ­PM Tigran Sargsyan and Russian Transport Minister Maksim
Sokolov- said the talks are underway.

ARA ABRAHAMYAN: THE PROCESS AROUND OSKANIAN DOES NOT RAISE ARMENIA’S REPUTATION

arminfo
Friday, October 12, 13:34

The process around a deputy from Prosperous Armenia Party, Vartan
Oskanian, is a very negative phenomenon and does not raise Armenia’s
reputation, chairman of the Union of Russian Armenians, Ara Abrahamyan,
said at today’s press-conference in Yerevan. Nevertheless, we should
not give untimely assessment and should wait for the completion of
investigation.

To recall, earlier a statement was disseminated on behalf of the Union
of Russian Armenians, which slagged off the Armenian authorities for
an attempt to impose political pressure upon Oskanian. But next day
the Union disproved making such a statement. Then rumours appeared in
mass media, according to which Armenian authorities imposed pressure
upon Abrahamyan which resulted in publication of the disproof.

Today Arrahamyan said there was no pressure and that the Union did
not disseminate such a statement to support Oskanian. He declined to
answer the question, who is behind all this.

He also added that he has been always supporting President Serzh
Sargsyan, as he has got the state positions and understands very
well the necessity of strengthening the country. The activity of the
Union of Russian Armenians is directed to implementation of this task,
he concluded.

GREAT DUDUK MASTER JIVAN GASPARYAN IS 77 (VIDEO)

2012-10-12 12:07:25

Today is the 77th birthday anniversary of great duduk master Jivan
Gasparyan.

Perhaps few people know that the master spent his childhood in the
orphanage because his father was a soldier in YSU and his mother,
unfortunately, passed away early on.

He took up duduk as his life fellow when he was 6.

In 1988 Bryan Ino heard the master’s performance by chance in Moscow
and decided to invite him to London.

Gasparyan’s duduk was recognized around the world, after Peter Gabriel
used his music in Martin Skorseze’s “The last temptation of Christ” .