Author: Badalian Vardan

FIRST-EVER STREET-ART PICTURE IN ARMENIA’S PICTURE

tert.am
19:40 ~U 26.06.12

Yerevan’s Charles Aznavour Square hosted the first-ever street-art
picture.

The Yerevan Municipality, in cooperation with Ameriabank, made the
present under the Wish Wall program.

Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan noted that the Yerevan Municipality
implemented the Wish Wall program June 1 to 20, which afforded both
Yerevan residents and guests to voice their opinions on the city’s
appearance.

“We invited guests from Germany. They painted and presented it to
our citizens,” Mayor Taron Margaryan said. He noted that the Yerevan
authorities do not object to cooperation.

Nikolaj Arndt, a well-known street-art artist is the author of the
3D pictures in Yerevan. This is his largest picture.

SERZH SARGSYAN TO PARTICIPATE IN EPP SUMMIT

ARMENPRESS
26 June, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 26, ARMENPRESS: The heads of member and non-member states
of the European Union, the oppositional leaders of the European Peoples
Party (EPP) will participate in the upcoming plenary summit due June
28-29 in Brussels.

As Armenpress reports, Presidents of the European Council and European
Commission Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso will attend the
summit. The summit will be chaired by EPP President Wilfried Martens.

16 out of 27 members of the European Council are EPP representatives.

Republican Party of Armenia, Rule of Law and Heritage parties have
become members of the European People’s Party February 9, 2012.

According to the decision adopted at the EPP congress the three parties
received status of observers, which is the only available status for
non-members of the EU.

In the framework of two-day working visit President Serzh Sargsyan
will participate in EPP summit in Brussels June 27.

SCR CEO MEETS STUDENTS LEAVING FOR SOCHI

/ARKA/
JUNE 26, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, June 26, /ARKA/. The chief executive officer of the
Russian-run South Caucasus Railway (SCR) company Victor Rebets met
today with a group of Armenian students who are leaving tomorrow
for Russian Sochi, the venue of 2014 Winter Olympic Games, to join
peers from Russia and some other countries to help build sporting
and other facilities.

The group includes students from the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic)
University and the State Engineering University of Armenia who will
work in Sochi until the end of summer. This is the third Armenian
student group that will leave for Sochi.

“In Sochi you will join peers from other CIS and Baltic countries
and we hope you will find your job there very interesting and
will always remember the time spent in Sochi. You will also find
new friends there. This is a responsible mission because in Sochi
you will represent Armenia, the SCR and your universities,” Viktor
Rebets was quoted as saying in a SCR press release.

He said the best students will have a chance to be recruited by the
SCR, which always needs active and qualified personnel.

The initiative to involve students from the CIS and Baltic countries
in the construction of Olympic facilities in Sochi is an initiative of
Russian Railways. SCR has assumed all travel expenses of the Armenian
team. The Russian Railways will pay for their accommodation.

Armenian Railways was handed over to the South Caucasus Railways on
February 13, 2008 for 30-year concession management with a right to
prolong the management term for other 10 year.

EXPERT: ROAD POLICE DOES BUSINESS AT VIDEO FIXATORS OF SPEED SET AT YEREVAN STREETS

arminfo
Tuesday, June 26, 14:34

Road police has been doing business at video fixators of speed set at
Yerevan streets. They fix 1500-2000 violations every day, the total
fine of which is about $35 thsd, chairman of the “Achiles” NGO for
drivers’ rights protection, Edward Hovannisyan, told journalists
today. He said that at many road sectors where these devices are
placed, there are no traffic signs saying about reduction of speed,
or they are set at the unnoticed place.

In particular, a videofixator was set at one of the sectors at
Rubinyants street, but the warning sign was set at the place which was
covered by bough. For this reason, it was not noticed by drivers even
from 10 meters. Such a cunning made it possible to take 10-30thsd
drams from drivers every day, he said and added that because of
numerous complaints in 40 days the videofixator was removed and the
bough were cut. However, over those 40 days the Road Police gained
about $685 thsd.

He also added that 3 new video cameras were set in Yerevan: two
at Tsereteli street and one at Halabyan street. So, totally 30
videofixator and 20 cameras were set at Yerevan streets, and another
5 videofixators will be set in the near future.

AUSTRIAN PRESIDENT: OSCE CO-CHAIRING STATES CAPABLE OF SETTLING KARABAKH CONFLICT

tert.am
26.06.12

The OSCE Minsk Group. which brokers the peace efforts in the
negotiations over Nagorno-Karabakh is powerful enough to settle the
conflict, Austrian President has said.

Speaking at a news conference held jointly with President Serzh
Sargsyan, Heinz Fischer expressed support to the current peace process,
ruling out the possibility using of force.

“We do expect, and hope that the Minsk Group will invest its efforts
towards resolving the problem,” he said, adding that the mission is
powerful enough to achieve a solution.

Fisher said that he was familiar with Azerbaijan and Turkey’s position
on the issue, adding that he learned about his Armenian counterpart’s
opinion only today.

President Sargsyan said in response that Azerbaijan’s recent years’
policies and belligerent rhetoric contribute to tension both on the
Line of Contact and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. He then addressed
recent border tensions provoked by the Azerbaijani armed troops.

“At the recent [summit] in Mexico, the presidents of the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing states called for following the
ceasefire requirements and stressed the importance of settling
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the principle set out in the
Helsinki Final Act,” he said, referring to the principles of non-use of
force, territorial integrity and people’s right to self-determination.

“We are ready to move forward based on these principles. A quick
settlement of the conflict is in the interests of the people in
Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,” the president added.

Sargsyan said at the end that Azerbaijan accepts only the principle
of territorial integrity.

RHODE ISLAND’S WARWICK PROCLAIMS MAY 20 AS SHUSHI LIBERATION DAY

armradio.am
26.06.2012 13:36

The City of Warwick, RI, proclaimed May 20, 2012 as the Shushi
Liberation Day. “Due to the bravery of Armenian soldiers and excellent
military strategy and organization, Shushi was liberated,” says
proclamation by the Warwick’s Mayor Scott Avedisian, NKR Office in
the US informs.

“Attempts to reunify Artsakh and Armenia were met with resistance by
Azerbaijan with murders, slaughters and torture”, the proclamation
says, and emphasizes that “liberating Shushi became a matter of life
and death”. The proclamation also characterizes the liberation of
Shushi as “a turning point in the war” between Azerbaijan and Artsakh.

Mayor of Shushi Garen Avakimyan thanked the Mayor and the City of
Warwick for the Proclamation. Avakimyan’s letter, in particular,
said “Twenty years ago the city (of Shushi) returned to the Armenian
people to become a symbol of courage and perseverance, a symbol of
a selfless struggle for freedom and justice”.

SOME 70 PEOPLE POISONED IN AZERBAIJAN

26 June 2012 [11:22] – TODAY.AZ

The Center for Hygiene & Epidemiology of Azerbaijan has halted
operation of 58 objects, whose activity failed to conform to hygiene
standards.

The Ministry of Health reports that in May hygiene and sanitation
services fined in the administrative order the owners of 107
enterprises engaged in production, sale, storage and transportation
of food products whose activities did not conform to hygiene standards.

In May, 25 people were suspended from work for violation of sanitary
norms.

“Last month it was carried out laboratory analysis of 1,029 samples
for conformity with the norms of organoleptic and physico-chemical
parameters, 788 samples of food products for microbiological
parameters, 258 ones on toxicological poisoning, and 28 on radiological
indicators.

As a result of laboratory analysis it was found violation of norms
on organoleptic and physico-chemical parameters in 18 samples and on
microbiological parameters in five samples.

In the wedding celebration houses there were taken samples from 27
dishes, in which were found microbiological contamination.

In May, there were 62 cases of food poisoning, which resulted in 70
people injured.

CHAIRMAN OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE’S COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS: “IT IS INEVITABLE THAT THE NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT WILL BE ALWAYS INCLUDED IN OUR AGENDA”

APA
June 26 2012
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani MP asked a question to the Chairman of the Committee
of Ministers on cultivating of narcotic plants by Armenians in the
occupied Azerbaijani territories

Strasbourg. Fuad Gulubayli – APA. “We have raises issues several times
that Armenia cultivates narcotic plants in the occupied Azerbaijani
territories and uses from these territories for drug trafficking.

There are many undeniable materials on it and the problem was also
reflected in the reliable reports of the US research networks,” said
member of the Azerbaijani delegation Rafael Huseynov following the
speech of Albanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Edmond
Haxhinasto, who chair the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers,
at the session’s plenary meeting. The Chairman of Council of Europe’s
Committee of Ministers responded Huseynov’s question on urgent
measures for prevention of these processes carried out by Armenians:
“The Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict is the focus of
attention of the Council of Europe. It is true that the OSCE Minsk
Group is engaging in this issue. But the Council of Europe, including
its Committee of Ministers tries to give its contribution for creation
of confidence environment. It is inevitable that the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict will be always included in our agenda”

Commenting the issue of Azerbaijani MP on cultivating of narcotic
plants by Armenia in the Azerbaijani occupied territories the Chairman
of the Committee of Ministers said that the problems on drugs belong
directly with the European security. The Committee has chosen the
way to combat crimes of this kind. In our opinion the problem with
drugs is the biggest barrier for safety. The results of the work of
the Committee of Ministers to combat such crimes are known and we
will continue our principle position.

PACE PRESIDENT: ARMENIA HAS NOT ACHIEVED SATISFACTORY PROGRESS

arminfo
Monday, June 25, 18:23

The situation in Armenia can’t be considered satisfactory, PACE
President Jean-Claude Mignon said at the press-conference in Strasbourg
when speaking about the progress of Armenia like a democratic state.

In fact the situation in Armenia causes anxiety, he said and added
that over the session, together with members of the Armenian delegation
he is going to discuss domestic political situation in Armenia.

For his part, the head of the Armenian delegation to PACE David
Harutyunyan said when commenting on today’s session of PACE Bureau,
that PACE member Andres Herkel, which had taken part in monitoring of
the parliamentary election in Armenia, said that his words that he
allegedly was a witness of ballot stuffing many times, were wrongly
understood, as he was not the witness of such a phenomenon. He asked
for integration of this statement in the relevant resolution.

ZHOGHOVURD: REGNUM SUSPENDS FUNDING TO ARMENIAN BRANCH

tert.am
26.06.12

The paper says it has learned from “well-informed sources” that
REGNUM News Agency’s central office has suspended the funding to its
Armenian branch.

They are thought to see no more point it having an office in Armenia
any more. Speaking to the paper, the chief of the Agency’s Armenian
headquarter, Vigen Hakobyan, said that REGNUM has an advertisement
service which allows it to earn profit.

“REGNUM works is financially independent, and if there are sums,
it makes no sense to get funding from Moscow,” he was quoted as saying.