Author: Badalian Vardan

PERSONNEL CHANGE IS UNAVOIDABLE IN ARMENIA’S GOVERNMENT – NEWSPAPER

news.am
June 30, 2012 | 07:56

YEREVAN. – No matter how much Armenia’s newly-appointed
ministers-specifically of Healthcare and Urban Development-assure
that considerable staff changes will not be made, they are inevitable,
Yerkir daily writes.

“A serious and silent battle is underway in these ministries,
especially for the offices of department heads.

Particularly the [ruling Republican Party] RPA members are conducting
serious talks these days with the ministers and their close ones.

It is noteworthy that, in order to convince, they are bringing
forth the main argument that the given person, for whom they are
interceding, has done a lot for the RPA during the [parliamentary]
elections, and now the time has come to give back.

And others are persuading by saying that now is already the time to
think about forming the system with people who are very dependable
and will not ‘disappoint’ during the [2013] presidential elections,”
Yerkir writes.

BLAST OCCURS IN YEREVAN BUILDING

news.am
June 30, 2012 | 10:52

YEREVAN. – There was an explosion on the fourth floor of an Armenian
capital city Yerevan building, on Saturday at 8:52am, and the blast
was followed by a fire.

Due to the complexity of the fire, four firefighting brigades, one
automatic latter, and operative teams were dispatched to the scene,
the Rescue Service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

ARMEN NAZARIAN (66 KG) REMPORTE LA COUPE D’EUROPE FACE A HOVHANNES DAVDYAN
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
samedi 30 juin 2012

Lors des competitions de Coupe d’Europe de judo qui se sont deroules
a Prague (Republique tchèque, les deux representants de l’Armenie,
Hovhannes Davdyan et Armen Nazarian etaient engages dans les epreuves
du 66 kg. Hovhannes Davdyan qui concourrait jusqu’alors dans la
categorie des 60 kg avait decide de prendre part aux competitions
des 66 kg. Les deux judokas Armeniens parvinrent en finale. Et c’est
Armen Nazarian qui gagna le combat. Rappelons que les deux sportifs
Armeniens sont qualifies pour les J.O. de Londres.

THE AUTHORS OF BEST ESSAYS ON PENSION REFORMS WERE AWARDED

ARMENPRESS
29 June, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, ARMENPRESS: The USAID Pension and Labor Market
Reform (PALM) project and the Pension System Awareness Centre (PSAC)
Foundation of Armenia jointly hosted the launch of the “Reform and
Knowledge” initiative as well as an awards ceremony for a student
essay contest on June 29, 11 a.m. at Golden Tulip Yerevan Hotel.

The goal of the essay competition “My Model of Development of Economy
within the Context of Armenian Pension Reform,” held in spring 2012
through USAID/PALM support, was to raise the awareness of youth and
stimulate student discussion on the current pension reforms implemented
by the Government of Armenia. During the awards ceremony, participant
students were presented with diplomas and certificates.

Armenpress reports that Armenian Minister of Labor and Social Issues
Artem Asatryan handed out the award to the first place winner.

Within the framework of the event, partners also announced the launch
of two initiatives -the “Reform and Knowledge” pension reform awareness
project, and the financial knowledge dissemination initiative in
local high schools. The activities are supported by several state and
non-governmental organizations that pursue knowledge dissemination
goals and implement public awareness raising events related to the
pension system reforms. A bilateral memorandum was signed by the PSAC
foundation and the Financial System Mediator Office, as well as a
tripartite memorandum between the PSAC Foundation, the Central Bank
and the Ministry of Education of Armenia was concluded.

Invitees to the event include members of the Pension Reforms Governing
Board, the Minister of Education and the Minister of Labor and
Social Issues, deputies of the National Assembly, other officials
and journalists.

The organization of the event was made possible through the support
of USAID/PALM, the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, the Central
Bank, the Ministry of Finance, and NASDAQ OMX.

AZERI MP PROPOSES LAW ON PEOPLE VISITING KARABAKH

tert.am
29.06.12

Azerbaijani MP Ganira Pashaeva has proposed adoption of a law on
people visiting Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijani mass media reports.

According to her, MPs, political figures, businessmen from different
countries are visiting Nagorno Karabakh “illegally”, “violating the
norms of international right” and that is why they are being declared
“persona non grata” in Azerbaijan.

She said the Azerbaijanis had a hot debate at the PACE summer session
with a French MP over the latter’s visit to Nagorno Karabakh “without
Azerbaijan’s permission.”

On the threshold of presidential elections in Nagorno Karabakh on
July 19, the Azerbaijani MP threatened to declare each person visiting
Nagorno Karabakh as “persona non grata.”

CHARTER FOLLOWS ZOLYAN’S CASE

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 14:10:42 – 29/06/2012

Today, the former rector of Yerevan State Linguistic University
Suren Zolyan stated that international organizations focus on his
application against the ministry of education and science.

According to him, the experts of the Committee of European
Charter, being an independent organization, held a meeting and made
conclusions. Zolyan did not participate in the session because of
the rules.

Suren Zolyan’s application against the ministry is heard by the
administrative court of Yerevan Kentron and Nork Marash communities.

Zolyan demands to repeal Ashotyan’s decision on penalty made on April
6, 2012 and his dismissal.

AZERBAIJAN EXERTS INFLUENCE ON THE INTERNATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS, ARMENIAN DM SAYS

tert.am
29.06.12

The recent subversive acts by Azerbaijan was an attempt to exert
influence on the international establishments, Armenian Defense
Minister Seyran Ohanyan told the reporters today in Yerablur.

“They are trying to exert influence on the international establishments
by straining the situation to accelerate the developments over the
issue,” he said.

“Besides, an attempt is being made to create a compulsory atmosphere.

We are against it. We have once appeared in such atmosphere when we
were obliged a war but we managed to handle it,” the minister stressed.

The Defense Minister stressed that our armed forces are giving worthy
response to subversions, but the minister said the response is given
to targeted attacks only. “We do not respond to irregular shoots.

These are insignificant issues for our armed forces, instead they
are ready to rush forward for heroic acts,” he said.

Seyran Ohanyan said they have assessed the situation, concluding that
the possibility of resuming military actions is small.

BRUXELLES : LES JOURNALISTES BELGES DEVANT L’AMBASSADE TURQUE

Publie le : 29-06-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
propose ce Communique de presse de l’AGJPB (Association Generale des
Journalistes Professionnels de Belgique), FEJ (Federation europeenne
des Journalistes) et FIJ (Federation Internationale des Journalistes)
publie sur le site Info-Turk.

Info-Turk

Rassemblement des journalistes belges devant l’ambassade de Turquie

Communique de l’AGJPB, FEJ et FIJ:

L’exercice normal du metier d’informer est bafoue par les autorites
turques au nom des lois anti-terroristes. Les associations de
journalistes ont manifeste jeudi devant l’ambassade a Bruxelles en
solidarite avec Baris Terkoglu.

Le jeudi 28 juin a marque les 500 jours de detention preventive du
journaliste turc Baris Terkoglu (31 ans) dans une prison d’Istanbul.

Arrete le 14 fevrier 2011 a son domicile, ce redacteur du site web
Odatv est accuse, comme de très nombreux collègues, “d’appartenance a
une organisation terroriste”. En realite, il avait simplement exerce
son metier et informe ses lecteurs sur les mouvements de revolte
dans les pays arabes et sur l’affaire “Ergenekon”, du nom d’une
organisation militaire qui, d’après les autorites turques, aurait
planifie un coup d’Etat. Il est aussi reproche au journaliste d’avoir
diffuse une photo, prise dans un restaurant, montrant a une meme table
les policiers qui avaient mene l’enquete, le procureur et le president
du tribunal devant lequel allait s’ouvrir le procès Ergenekon…

Baris Terkoglu a ete adopte par l’Association Generale des Journalistes
Professionnels de Belgique (AGJPB) dans le cadre d’une campagne de
la Federation europeenne des Journalistes (FEJ). A travers cette
adoption, c’est la derive autoritaire du gouvernement turc et la
detention d’une centaine de journalistes que denonce l’AGJPB. Il
est inconcevable, estime-t-elle, qu’un pays si proche de l’Europe
emprisonne des journalistes qui exercent leur metier d’informer et
les maintienne aussi longtemps en detention preventive en attente
d’un procès equitable.

Le 18 juin dernier, a l’audience, Baris Terkoglu a enfin pu repondre
aux accusations lancees contre lui, mais il n’en restera pas moins
trois mois de plus derrière les barreaux : contrairement aux attentes,
le procès a ete reporte au 14 septembre prochain. On craint, a ce
rythme, que sa detention preventive et celle des autres journalistes
impliques se poursuivent encore longtemps. Une raison de plus pour la
FEJ, pour l’AGJPB et tous les syndicats et associations de journalistes
europeens d’exiger la liberation immediate de leurs confrères et
cons~urs turcs incarceres.

– Ce jeudi 28 juin, un rassemblement de journalistes et responsables
de l’AGJPB, FEJ et FIJ a eu lieu devant l’ambassade de Turquie a
Bruxelles (rue Montoyer, 4) de 11h a midi. Un courrier a ete depose
a l’ambassade.

– De plus amples informations se trouvent sur

– Un compte Twitter au nom de Baris Terkoglu permet de suivre
(principalement en langue turque) l’evolution de son dossier
(@baristerkoglu). Sur YouTube, une video de soutien a ete diffusee
dans une version turque sous-titree en anglais :

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Info-Turk

TURKEY ‘UNHAPPY’ WITH GENOCIDE FORUM IN PRAGUE

Asbarez
Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

PRAGUE (Combined Sources)-The Turkish Embassy in the Czech Republic
said it was “unhappy” that a prominent seminar was taking place its
capital city focusing on the Armenian Genocide.

In his opening remarks, Armenia’s Ambassador to Prague, Tigran
Seyranian, welcomed the seminar organized by the Research Center for
Archeology of Evil and cited Franz Werfel’s “Forty Days of Musa Dagh”
and commended the Czech Republic for commemorating April 24 every year,
reported News.am

The seminar, which was held from June 18 to 20, was designed to
highlight issues of racism, xenophobia and crimes against humanity and
focused on the self-defense efforts in Musa Dagh, as well as Turkey’s
continued policy of denial. Andrew Goldberg’s documentary entitled
“The Armenian Genocide” was also screened.

But the center’s director Simon Krbec told RFE/RL that the Turkish
Embassy in Prague was “unhappy” with the center for hosting the
seminar and invited him and his colleagues to a meeting the day after
the conference ended.

“We were asked why we chose, as they put it, a controversial issue
such as the Armenian genocide for the conference,” he told RFE/RL’s
Armenian service. “They tried to explain that they are not happy with
this content of the conference, especially considering the fact that
from their point of view we did not invite some Turkish researchers
to that conference.”

“We replied that we are not dividing historical research into
some national or opposite sides, that we follow the mainstream of
research on genocide studies in the world,” Krbec told RFE/RL. “We
said that, for example, the International Association of Genocide
Scholars recognized the Armenian genocide as genocide. So we don’t
see a reason to invite some Turkish researchers.”

“They provided us with books about their version of what happened
in the Ottoman Empire and they invited us to Istanbul to study their
archives,” he added.

NEXT ROUND OF ARMENIA-EU NEGOTIATIONS OVER DCFTA IS IN OCTOBER

ARMENPRESS
28 June, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS: The discussion of the talks over the
Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the European
Union will continue in the first week of October, Deputy Minister
of Economy and DCFTA Chief Negotiator Garegin Melkonyan told a news
conference held in the press hall of “Armenpress” June 28.

“The goal of the first stage of the negotiations held in Brussels June
19-20 was to make it clear for the Armenian side the expectations of
the European Union from different spheres, and to show to EU Armenia’s
readiness to continue the process, said the Chief Negotiator, assuring
that the negotiations will take no longer than 2 years.

According to him, the actual substantial agreements will be reached
in October. In foreseeable future EU will make up the 15 chapters of
the texts in accordance with the agreement, which will be presented to
Armenia in late July. They, too, will be discussed during the October
meeting. Before that, the texts presented by the European Union will
be discussed with Armenia’s government, businessmen, NGOs.

Among the preconditions for Armenia to start the DCFTA negotiations
is performance of the main priorities in the spheres of technical
obstacles of trade, sanitarian and phytosanitary measures, intellectual
property rights and general coordination.