Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

CNN INTERNATIONAL TO FEATURE ARMENIA AS PART OF ITS ON THE ROAD SERIES

12:44, 10 Dec 2014

CNN International is featuring Armenia as part of its On the Road
series in December. Producer Robert Howell (Atlanta) and crew captures
the essence and energy of Armenia’s drive forward by crediting
the innovative brainpower of its young people as Armenia’s greatest
resource. The documentary showcases the Birthright Armenia experience
as an underlying theme of their segment.

The show airs on CNN International only, which is also made available
on some cable systems in the US. Sections of the show should appear
on the CNN “On the Road” website as well. The full air schedule is
listed below.

From: Baghdasarian

NKR DEFENSE ARMY TAKES PREVENTIVE MEASURES ALONG WITH DEFENSE: ARMENIAN DM

14:16, 10 Dec 2014

Lusine Vasilyan
Public Radio of Armenia

Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said 2014 was a rather
tense year for the NKR Defense Army. “The NKR Defense Army is tasked
with implementing preventive measures along with defense,” Minister
Ohanyan told reporters on the sidelines of the Human Rights Conference
in Yerevan.

He blamed Baku for provocations and added that Azerbaijan carries
the burden for border incidents.

Speaking about the current situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border, Seyran Ohanyan said: “The border tensions periodically escalate
and fade. In the past the rival was violating the ceasefire 30-50 times
firing 1,000 shots, while today the number of ceasefire violations
has reached 170-200 with the number shots hitting 3-6 thousand a day.”

He said the Armenian side responds only to sniper shots, ignoring the
irregular firing. “But in case of provocations, we not only defend,
but also take preventive measures,” the Minister added.

With inciting border provocations the rival tries to influence the
negotiation process, but fails to do so. “Experience shows that we
manage to defend our position at the negotiating table.”

Speaking about the helicopter of the NKR Air Force downed by Azerbaiajn
during a training flight on November 12, Minister Ohanyan said
“investigation is under way, and there is nothing to add for now.”

From: Baghdasarian

WINTER SEASON TOURISM: TRAVEL AGENCIES IN ARMENIA SAY DEMAND EXCEEDS AVAILABLE OFFERS

Society | 10.12.14 | 13:27

By Sara Khojoyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

Although holiday packages are not affordable for many in Armenia,
specifically during winter months, demand exceeds supply, tour
agencies say.

“Customers book tickets much earlier now because starting from November
there was not one vacant room in any hotel in Tsakhkadzor,” Tourism
Association founder Marina Kpryan told reporters on Tuesday.

For a 4-5-day trip outside Yerevan a four-member family must spend
300-800,000 AMD (about $660-1700), all-inclusive, Hotels Association
President, Tufenkyan Company Executive Director Hakob Hakobyan said.

According to official statistics, last year in Armenia around 670,000
people preferred such a holiday, recording a 30.1 percent growth as
compared to 2012. During the first six months of this year around
100,000 internal tourists recorded 30.4 percent growth as compared
to the same period of 2013.

According to Hakobyan, the result of the meeting with directors of
five hotels show that compared to last year sales data is the same,
which makes it possible to assume that many Armenians prefer spending
winter holidays outside the country.

Joel tour agency director Sona Yeghiazaryan said that Armenians mostly
prefer leaving for seaside warm countries, such as Egypt, the United
Arab Emirates, Thailand, spending $700-800 on average per person.

“Europe is also a favorable destination, only in this case there
is the problem with embassies, and those who want must deal with
the visa since August, just like we start reservations in August,”
Yeghiazaryan said.

Meanwhile, tourism sphere representatives value the growth of tourism
inflow in Armenia, however with regret they emphasize that specifically
winter is not considered an active season, because it is not full of
cultural events, offers are limited to restaurant parties and music.

According to the statistics from the Ministry of Economy Tourism
Department, last year Armenia was visited by more than one million
tourists – 12.6 percent more than in 2012, during the first six months
of this year – around half a million, 17.3 percent more than during
the same period of last year.

To improve the service for incoming tourists this year three new
hotels were opened in Armenia, which, according to Hakob Hakobyan,
enriched the market supply by 550 new rooms. Next year another 300
rooms are expected to be added.

“In Yerevan one can find a room for any budget – starting from 15,000
AMD till 700,000 (around $30 – $1,500). The average price is 45,000
AMD (around $100) breakfast included, and for a capital city it is
a normal price,” Hakobyan said predicting price increase in the field.

“If food gets more expensive that reflects on food expenses made by
the hotel as well,” he said.

From: Baghdasarian

ARTSAKH BRANDY HEADED FOR HAVANA AFTER WINNING CUBAEXPO 2014 COMPETITION

Knar Babayan

12:55, December 10, 2014

Brandy produced in Artsakh and made from local grapes will soon be sold
on Cuban store shelves afterwinning a slew of international medals.

Ten and fifteen year-old Madatov brandies, produced by the Stepanakert
Cognac Factory CJSC, won gold medals at the 18th Wine and Alcohol
Beverage Competition recently held in Moscow.

The company’s Berdashen Khdoghni one year aged wine won a silver medal.

The Madatov brandy also won a “best brand” medal at the CUBAEXPO 2014
held last month in Havana.

To find out more, Hetq spoke with Stepanakert Cognac Factory Director
Rouslan Israyelyan.

What beverages do you produce and with whom do you collaborate?

We focus on making brandy but also produce six types of fruit vodkas
and the same amount of wines.

Given that the vodkas are marketed under the name “Karabakh”, the
Azerbaijanis raised a clamor, as usual, and tried to prevent them
being sold at a duty free shop at one of Russia’s airports.

We cooperate with the Yerevan cognac factory and supply them with
young alcohol that we distill with their special equipment. It speaks
to the fact that our product is high quality.

Many have complained about this year’s drought in Artsakh. Has it
affected your harvest?

This year we collected 2,560 tons of grapes, less than half of last
year’s 5,200 tons. Luckily, last year’s harvest was so good that we
were able to preserve some of the grapes for this year’s production.

Our plant has the capacity to collect 6,000 – 6,500 tons of grapes. We
plan to gradually increase brandy production to one million bottles
annually.

Are the grapes all locally grown?

Yes, except for the apricot and a bit of the cornel vodkas. We’ve
been importing the fruits from Armenia. All the bottling paraphernalia
also comes from Armenia.

So where are the brandy, vodkas and wines sold?

Naturally, most is sold overseas; especially in Russia, Australia,
and Belgium. Cuba will soon be added to the list.

Our brandies have garnered international recognition after the Cuba
Expo. Many want to work with us. But we aren’t in any rush and closely
review all proposals. One of the problems we face is in terms of
quantity. If we see that we can’t fulfill a client’s order we won’t
accept it.

Are your prices competitive?

Are prices are expensive when compared to similar products of other
local business, but at the same time they are inexpensive when compared
to, let’s say, the Yerevan cognac factory. Prices are based firstly
on quality. It’s no wonder, then, that a ten year aged brandy can’t
be sold for 1,500 AMD.

How many employees work at your plant and what’s their average salary?

We have 300 permanent workers at the main plant, at the Martouni and
Karmir Shouka branches, and out in the fields. At peak season this
number grows to around 700.

Regarding salaries, they aren’t huge but are paid on time. This is
what’s important and it’s an improvement over past years. There were
times when workers wouldn’t get paid for months.

(Since Mr. Israyelyan failed to give us specific salary numbers,
Hetq asked a few workers who told us that they receive 50,000 AMD
(US$110) per month maximum.

Armenia will soon be entering the Eurasian Economic Union. How will
this affect you as an exporter?

It will not affect us in any way since the export of alcoholic
beverages is exempt from taxation.

We only import some bottling items. But since these are also used
to export goods, they are also not taxed. They’re regarded as raw
materials to be exported.

From: Baghdasarian

TREATY ON ARMENIA’S ACCESSION TO EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION RATIFIED BY STATE DUMA

13:55, 10 Dec 2014

The lower house of Russia’s parliament (the State Duma) has ratified
the treaty on Armenia’s joining the Eurasian Economic Union.

Armenia will become a member of the union after all the ratification
procedures in member countries (Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan)
are completed, but no earlier than January 1, 2015.

“Armenia has shown the maximum will to go the Eurasian way of
development. It is a historic decision for the formation of the EEU,”
the head of the Russian Duma committee for CIS affairs, Leonid Slutsky,
told TASS earlier Wednesday.

The heads of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia signed the
agreement on the EEU in October this year. Armenia in September
2013 declared plans to join the Customs Union and participate in the
EEU formation.

The Eurasian Economic Union is being formed as an interstate Eurasian
integration organization based on the Customs Union, which is open
for other states to join.

From: Baghdasarian

WOMAN SUBJECTED TO FORCED PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT APPLIES TO ECTHR

12.09.2014 19:38 epress.am

Julieta Amarikyan, who was committed to one month of compulsory
psychiatric treatment and was subject to torture has applied, with
lawyer Tigran Hayrapetyan, to the European Court of Human Rights
(ECtHR). During a discussion today at Media Center Hayrapetyan said
that “Amarikyan’s dignity was degraded and she was kept in difficult
conditions for one month without her own personal bed, without an
opportunity to shower during the summer month, and didn’t have basic
hygiene supplies”.

Amarikyan was transferred to a psychiatric facility based on a court
decision, which, however, was subsequently appealed to the Court of
Appeals and was annulled in the Court of First Instance.

After the annulment, Amarikyan was recognized to be mentally healthy
and was released from the psychiatric facility. Her lawyers applied to
the Special Investigation Service (SIS) to initiate a criminal case
with the demand of holding the judge, psychiatric facility staff,
and police accountable for their actions.

“The psychiatric system can be used as a punitive tool, even in
personal issues. Although we all remember that it has been used
for political purposes, for example, against Shant Harutyunyan. It’s
important that Amarikyan displayed the will to defend her rights. It’s
not like it was a unique incident. People outright think that they
have no way out,” said Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor office
director Artur Sakunts during the discussion.

Recall, that Julieta Amarikyan claims that she was taken to the
psychiatric facility because of a dispute with her brother regarding
her apartment.

From: Baghdasarian

RELIABLE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY FOR ARMENIA

BorseGo.de, Germany
Dec 9 2014

Kategorie: Pressemitteilungen extern | Uhrzeit: 09:49

Frankfurt am Main (ots) –

– KfW allocates EUR 85.2 million towards expanding the electricity
transmission grids between Armenia and Georgia – Improving the
electricity supply: green light for the Caucasus Energy Alliance

On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and
Development (BMZ), KfW Development Bank today concluded two loan
agreements for EUR 85.2 million with the High Voltage Electricity
Network (HVEN), the company that operates Armenia’s transmission
grid. The project is laying the foundations for reliable and flexible
exchange of electricity – not just between Armenia and Georgia, but
the other countries in the region too (thereby creating a regional
network system). The project, which has a total volume of EUR 132.5
million, is co-financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and
funds provided by the EU’s Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF).

It complements the finished “Black Sea Energy Alliance” project
(with an overall investment of EUR 270 million, EUR 100 million of
which was earmarked for FC financing), which contributed to regional
integration of the energy supply by means of connecting the Georgian
and the Turkish electricity grid.

“As a result of electricity being reliably and flexibly exchanged
between Armenia and Georgia, and power plants therefore being put to
better use, the electricity supply in the two Caucasian states and
in the region is becoming more stable. This is hugely significant in
both countries with regard to economic growth and thus alleviating
poverty among the population. The project also represents a major
step towards connecting the Caucasian electricity grid to the EU’s
electricity alliance in the future,” explained Dr Norbert Kloppenburg,
Member of the Executive Board of KfW Group.

As part of the project, the Armenian electricity transmission grid
is being expanded and connected to the Georgian electricity grid
by building a high-voltage line between both countries as well as a
transformer substation at Armenia’s system gateway to Georgia.

Further information on KfW Development Bank can be found at

Contact: KfW, Palmengartenstr. 5 – 9, 60325 Frankfurt Kommunikation
(KOM), Dr Charis Pothig, Tel. +49 (0)69 7431 4683, Fax: +49 (0)69
7431 3266, E-Mail: [email protected], Internet:

,a3984949.html

From: Baghdasarian

THE LIGHT AND SHADE OF MARKET SHOCK

Lragir.am
Country – 09 December 2014, 22:48

The president of the Central Bank Arthur Javadyan has announced with
regards to the dropping rate of the dram that those fishing in troubled
water will be punished. Apparently, “fishing in troubled waters” is a
new type of crime, and the Central Bank will soon propose penalizing
“fishing in troubled waters”.

An act cannot be penalized unless it is clearly defined. Arthur
Javadyan intends to punish for fishing when, where and what? Is he
going to punish personally or is the Central Bank going to report a
crime to law enforcement bodies?

The Central Bank does not provide any detail as to what particularly
has been is happening in the financial market recently that is subject
to punishment? Eventually, who would try to “”fish in troubled waters”
but someone influential who has a lot of money and power? As to who
has a lot of money and power in Armenia is known to everyone.

In this respect, the picture is strange: the minister of economy
announces that the market shock is caused by speculations, then
the prime minister states that they will attend to those who pursue
“personal interests” and then the same prime minister states that
they are worried about importers who may sustain losses, and now the
president of the Central Bank announces that they are going to punish
those fishing in the troubled waters.

Is there someone in the government who can explain to the society
in simple wording what speculations or accusations they are talking
about and who or what circles are involved in this.

Furthermore, can someone say how the speculations and speculators
are going to be revealed? What are the mechanisms, what bodies are
responsible? Logically, the National Security Service is supposed to
investigate the case because the security of the state is concerned
since they played a game with the stability of the financial market.

However, it is not stated what financial crime is going to be
investigated thoroughly.

Because how are they going to identify the one who is to be punished
unless an investigation is carried out? And if they do know, then
the question is how they know. Besides, the circumstance of hiding
information comes up. Hovik Abrahamyan announced that they will
follow and address those who are trying to benefit. This is at least
strange because if they have followed and they know who was fishing
in troubled waters, then the question is why they were just following
instead of preventing them from troubling the market and benefitting.

And if they had no grounds to prevent or stop, how are they going to
prosecute later?

Here the questions are getting interesting. For example, are those
troubling the water and fishing in troubled water the same circle? Did
those who troubled the water then go on to fish there or did one
group trouble water, and another group fish there, and then there
was a conflict of interest, then they needed to share fish and the
need for punishment occurred accordingly.

– See more at:

From: Baghdasarian

Armenian National Committee of Canada
130 Albert St., Suite 1007
Ottawa, ON KIP 5G4
Tel: 613-235-2622
Fax: 613-238-2622
E-mail: [email protected]

December 9, 2014

Azerbaijan Must Be Held Responsible for Destruction of Religious and
Cultural Heritage of Armenians

Ottawa ? The Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) is marking
the 8th anniversary of Azerbaijan?s destruction of the historic
Armenian cemetery of Djulfa by calling on the Canadian government to
hold Azerbaijan accountable for the systematic destruction of Armenian
historical, cultural and religious sites and monuments.

On December 10, 2005, the government of Azerbaijan began the final
demolition of the historic Armenian cemetery in Djulfa, an ancient
Armenian city now located in Azerbaijan. This marked the final blow to
the 10,000 intricately hand carved khachkars (stone crosses) which
were erected between the 6th through the 17th centuries. Khackars are
a uniquely Armenian form of stone carving which UNESCO has recognized
as being both culturally and religiously significant to the Armenian
people and constituting part of humanity?s share intangible cultural
heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.

By December 15, 2005, the final destruction was complete.
Approximately 200 Azerbaijani soldiers amassed at the Nakhichevan-Iran
border to desecrate the remaining grave markers at the Djulfa Armenian
cemetery. The cemetery has since been replaced with an Azerbaijani
military training base.

In 2007, at the 16th International Council on Monuments and Sites
(ICOMOS) General Assembly in Quebec City a resolution regretfully
stated with regard to this Azerbaijani vandalism: ?this heritage that
once enjoyed its worthy place among the treasures of the world?s
heritage can no longer be transmitted today to future generations,?

On December 5, 2010, the American Association for the Advancement of
Science published a case study titled “High-Resolution Satellite
Imagery and the Destruction of Cultural Artifacts in Nakhchivan,
Azerbaijan”. This report further documents the destruction through
clear satellite imagery.

Despite clear evidence of this crime against humanity?s shared
heritage, Azerbaijan continues to deny this crime and in fact
continues to destroy Armenian religious and cultural monuments on its
territory.

Dr. Girair Basmajian, President of ANCC stated ?Azerbaijan is engaged
in a systematic effort to erase all traces of Armenian culture and
history from its territories. The destruction of the historic Djulfa
ceremony which took place 8 years ago this week is just one example of
Azerbaijan?s campaign against Armenian religious and cultural sites.?
Dr Basmajian called upon the Canadian government to use all means
available to pressure the Azerbaijani government to end this campaign.
Dr. Basmajian said ?This is an issue that affects all of humanity
because our shared cultural heritage is threatened. Canada must act
to ensure that Azerbaijan does not destroy any more Armenian monuments
and be brought to account for the destruction of the Djulfa cemetery
and countless Armenian churches and historic sites.?

-30-

Contact: Roupen Kouyoumdjian
(514) 265-4602

******

The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots human rights organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and
affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances
the concerns of the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of
issues and works to eliminate abuses of human rights throughout Canada
and the world.

——

Le CNAC est l’organisation politique canadienne-arménienne la plus
large et influentielle. Collaborant avec une série de bureaux,
chapitres et souteneurs à travers le Canada et des organisations
affiliées à travers le monde, le CNAC s’occupe activement des
inquiétudes de la communauté canadienne-arménienne.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN MARKET FEARS RUSSIAN BEER EXPANSION

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Dec 9 2014

9 December 2014 – 2:38pm

Armenian alcohol manufacturers are concerned about excises in the
Eurasian Economic Union. Some unnamed Armenian businessmen say that
Russia may take advantage of excises: an excise for ordinary beer is
only 18 rubles (150 drams) in Russia and slightly over 105 drams in
Armenia, which means that Russian beer manufacturers will pay less
in tax in Armenia than in Russia, Epress.am reports, thus gaining a
competitive advantage over their Armenian counterparts. The government
has not yet commented on the situation.

From: Baghdasarian