Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

NO PLACE FOR REFUGEES: “I HAVE SPENT A LIFETIME LIVING IN THE HOTEL WALLS . . . ”

SOCIETY | 21.03.14 | 15:40

Photo:

By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

Twenty six years after being displaced from Azerbaijan and finding
safety in Armenia some refugees still do not have their own places
of residence, staying in hostels with no hope their housing issue
would ever be resolved.

“There is no instance we haven’t turned to, we have sent letters to
wherever’s possible, the most recent letter was to the president last
year. The answer is always the same – wait until there are funds. We
have waited for so long our lives have passed by, not much is left,”
says Laura Ananyan, 57, who for a quarter of a century has lived
In Nairi hotel in Nork district of Yerevan. “When I came here from
Kirovabad, I was 31; today my children are 34, they have left for
Russia. I have spent a lifetime in these hotel walls.”

Her story echoes a similar one told by Nelli Makeyan, 53, who has been
staying here and there at her relatives’ places for all these years.

“Our issues will never be resolved, and living like this is terrible,
where shall we go?” she says.

Larisa Alaverdyan, leading Against Legal Arbitrariness NGO, says it’s
a big failure on a state level that the issue is yet unresolved.

The United Nations allotted 20 million drams (around $49,000), while
the state budget of Armenia – only 5 million drams ($12,000) during
the years between 2003 and 2009, for the refugees’ housing issue.

Alaverdyan says those funds were insufficient to solve the housing
issue for the displaced. She adds with regret that this issue has
been removed from the political agenda at all. There isn’t a single
designated body in Armenia to be dealing with the issues of either
the refugees or those displaced from Azerbaijan.

“In Azerbaijan, refugees’ issues are solved on a vice premier’s
level and are number one issue on their agenda. In Armenia, migration
has gained new tempo, and I can state for sure that the most mobile
group is that of refugees, because not having even the minimum living
conditions they are the first to leave the country,” Alaverdyan says.

Robert Khachatryan, heading the Union of Baku Compatriots, says the
most serious issue to the Baku refugees is their housing.

“We have arrived to a conclusion that there has been deliberation on
the RA government part in not solving this issue. We see corruption
risks here, starting from construction and ending with apartment
distribution,” he says.

Alaverdyan says there is no such case in the international practice
when for 15-20 years refugees’ issues would have remained unresolved.

“The state has to find a respective solution. The fact that there
isn’t enough money should not affect the refugees,” says the human
rights advocate.

MP Aragats Akhoyan, member of the NA Commission on Social Issues, says
the same story is now repeated also with the Syrian-Armenian refugees.

“We are thinking of building a new district, which means isolating
Syrian-Armenians, when they have to be integrated,” he says.

From: Baghdasarian

YEREVAN OPERA HOUSE WAITING FOR NEW DIRECTOR: WHO ARE BIDDING FOR VACANT POST?

12:40 * 21.03.14

Armenia’s Ministry of Culture, which has announced a bid for filling
the vacant post of the Opera House director, is silent on the
candidates’ names.

Though it has already nominated nine people, no names have been made
public so far.

A spokesperson for the Ministry, Alla Serobyan, says they are
thus respecting an individual’s right to privacy (which is also a
requirement of the law).

“The candidates can speak of their participation and make the
information public. But considering the right to private life, we do
not publish names,” she told our correspondent, adding only that the
contest is due on April 4.

Five of the candidates’ names had been, nonetheless, published
earlier by non-official sources. Opera singer Barsegh Tumanyan,
composer Yervand Yerkanyan, folk song expert Arthur Shahnazaryan,
Director of the Arno Babajanyan Concert Hall Gagik Manastan, a solo
performer of the Opera House, Tigran Davtyan, and the opera baritone,
Gevorg Hakobyan are known to be among the nominees.

Speaking to Tert.am, Yerkanyan refrained from revealing any plans
before the competition.

“I have submitted my concept when applying for the contest, so anyone
who is interested knows it. But I think it is too early to introduce
it to the public,” he said.

Unlike him, the theatre’s solo performer shared his plans in comments
to our correspondent. He stressed the importance of staging innovative
and experimental performances and resuming to the tradition of
children’s operas.

“We must be able – in at least in the two decades to come – engage
ourselves in the younger generation’s upbringing to make [the young
audience] our colleagues or spectators in future. And to do that it
is important to resume the operas for children and the philharmonic
orchestras for secondary schools. We would thus avoid the creative
stagnation we are facing today. The theater must have a department
of critics and theatrical experts,” he said, noting that the society
has today somewhat distanced itself from the opera art.

Davtyan further highlighted the importance of organizing mono
performances in the regions to restore the ties between the theater
and the audience.

“TV channels companies must present performances very often; they
do now at times, but there is no analytical thought or article about
that form of art. People’s knowledge about art reflects fantasy today,
but it isn’t as if it exists in Armenia,” he added.

As for the theater’s financial means, Davtyan said he has proposed
changes which he considers possible. The candidate added that a
simultaneous collaboration with the business circles would help
significantly improve the situation.

“We must try to involve business circles in this, but not of course,
through methods of dictating conditions. A theater cannot guide itself
by just a couple of people’s whims,” he added.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: Baghdasarian

PRESS RELEASE
Analysis Research and Planning for Armenia (ARPA) Foundation
P.O.Box 33603
Granada Hills, CA 91394
Tel: 818-586-9660
Fax: 818-881-0010
Email: [email protected]

We appeal to you all to help ARPA Institute reach as many expert volunteers
as possible. Please read the following statement and let us know, if you
are an expert in any area and would like to provide your expertise for the
benefit of our homeland, by sending us your information/e-mail/contact
information and a brief statement of what you think you may be able to help
in. In addition, please distribute this e-mail to all your
friends/relatives/contacts and ask them to help out. We would appreciate
any comments/critiques/suggestions to improve the concept and to enhance
its impact. Please feel free to call me at (818)881-3129 if you have any
questions or suggestion.

Thank you in advance

Hagop Panossian, Ph.D.
ARPA Institute President
Adj. Prof. CSUN
Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia
Boeing Tech Fellow (Retired)

ARPA Institute Armenia-Diaspora Volunteer Program

Hagop Panossian, 2-27-14

I. Introduction:

The main goal of the ARPA Institute Volunteer Program (AIVP) is to find
expert volunteers from all fields and develop an on-going inventory of
tasks/projects/activities in Armenia. These volunteer experts will then be
contacted to determine the extent of their commitment and participation,
their willingness to spend time in Armenia and to perform their assistance
remotely or provide technical/financial support for certain targeted
activities.

We believe that the more connected and trustworthy the Armenian people are,
the more likely it is that more people will be willing to take part in
nation building and a better chance for Armenia to survive and prosper.
Mobilizing our global national resources and expanding capacity through
volunteers will provide a great mechanism and potential for the sustainable
development and economic/cultural/political advancement of Hayasdan.

II. Planning: a) Organizational Assessment: ARPA institute, being a
small organization, will seek help from the public, as well as from all
Armenia-based and Diaspora-based organizations to create the data base of
expert volunteers, who are willing, reliable and capable of helping achieve
successful task implementations in Armenia or the Diaspora.

b) Development of Volunteer Program: The most successful volunteer programs
are those that have leaders/champions with a sense of ownership and
leadership capabilities. The AIVP will seek arrangements between the expert
volunteers and the Armenia community that have mutual vested interests and
clear visions for the success of their endeavors.

c) Description of Volunteer Positions: Every program will have a complete
description of scope, mission, goals, needs, ways and means of activity and
financial as well as management arrangements.

III. Roles of Volunteers

Many people think of volunteers as helpers spending their spare time
answering phones, or organizing files. However, many organizations such as
the AGBU, ANC, and ARPA Institute rely heavily on volunteers to do work.
Volunteers always fill a key role in running organizations, handling
day-to-day tasks, and raising funds. These volunteers could consist of
young professionals, retired experts, and management personnel. A wide
array of talents, such as doctors, engineering experts, technologists,
professors, entrepreneurs, economists and financial people are necessary to
achieve any significant change in Armenia. The most productive system will
be one that creates the right match between a task/project and an expert.
That is where ARPA Institute will try to provide the right arrangement for
the right task/project.

IV. Recruiting: a) Image Assessment: It is of paramount importance to
create an image of trust among those who are performing the work and those
who are being effected.

b) Development of Recruiting System: Recruiting will be done through
advertisement, e-mails, FaceBook and the Internet. However, all Diasporan
organizations may also be approached, and requested for assistance.

c) Finding, Screening & Selecting Volunteers: To find volunteers who have
the right expertise for given tasks and who are willing and capable of
working independently may be easier than making the right matches between
tasks/projects and people with the right skills. Thus, a special
methodology will be followed, whereby each individual volunteer is
screened, their backgrounds evaluated and only then proceed with
coordinating the volunteer with their potential tasks.

V. Training: a) Development of an On-Line Orientation: Considering the
ease of communication via the Internet and the social networks, ARPA
Institute will utilize these mediums extensively. Hence, special on-line
orientation programs will be developed for volunteers, that will present
details about the programs, working arrangements, people in charge,
mechanisms used for the implementation of the project objectives and rules
of conduct.

b) Leadership Assignment: Programs with specialized tasks will be assigned
managers with appropriate backgrounds and skills. The overall leadership of
the AIVP will be under constant monitoring and evaluation in order to have
an efficient and smooth coordination and working relations.

c) Materials Development: All tools and materials will be made available to
the volunteers, either through ARPA Institute or by special requests from
those in charge in Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

Bagratyan said several times- “stupidity” (video)

15:50 | March 22,2014 | Politics

HAK deputy Hrant Bagratyan noted in his speech, that since his
election he told the Government, that the implementation of mandatory
funded pension system is stupidity. He defines this system only by one
expression- stupidity. For reasoning, he is bringing two facts- how
money would be gathered by this system and how it would be spent.

It is an additional tax in our poor country, – he notes. And for
caring of pensioners, according to him, there are different ways.

And the biggest stupidity is 45 years’ debt for this system.

“He is stupid, who implements this reform, not he, whom it applies
to,”- said Bagratyan by adding that there is no defeat in this case.

Details in the video

From: Baghdasarian

If Constitutional Court refuses to abolish compulsory accumulative
pension system, I Am Against civic initiative will organize acts of
civil disobedience

by Ashot Safaryan

ARMINFO
Saturday, March 22, 16:06

If the Constitutional Court refuses to abolish the compulsory
component of the accumulative pension system, the I Am Against civic
initiative will organize acts of civil disobedience, member of the
initiative Gevork Gorgisyan said at the initiative’s rally against the
system today.

He specified that the initiative may start blocking streets and roads,
disseminating leaflets, refusing to negotiate with the authorities,
organizing strikes and urging people to cash their bank accounts. “We
have lots of original methods,” Gorgisyan said, noting that in case of
mass protests, they may even urge people to stop paying bills. “So,
the Constitutional Court is simply obliged to dismiss this system,” he
said.

To remind, the Court is to consider this issue on Mar 28.

From: Baghdasarian

Press TV, Iran
March 22 2014

Armenia mulls increasing gas imports from Iran: Movsisyan

A gas refinery in the South Pars gas field in southern Iran (file photo)
Sat Mar 22, 2014 12:40PM GMT

Armenian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan says
his country may increase gas imports from neighboring Iran.

Movsisyan said Armenia would soon start negotiations with Iran on
increasing gas imports from the Islamic Republic.

Armenia is willing to buy two billion cubic meters of gas from Iran
per annum, he added.

The Armenian minister added that the issue of buying two billion cubic
meters of gas would be discussed in a joint intergovernmental
commission between the two countries on economic cooperation which
would be held in Tehran in May.

Iran and Armenia have taken major strides towards promoting mutual
relations in recent years, particularly in the energy sector.

Iran has bartered more than 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas with
Armenia’s electricity over the past six years.

According to the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), around 1.5
billion cubic meters of natural gas has been traded with Armenian
electricity from 2007 to 2012.

In 2012, the Islamic Republic exchanged some 481 million cubic meters
of gas with the neighboring country’s electricity, the largest amount
of barter between Iran and Armenia in six years.

AR/HGH/SS

From: Baghdasarian

Business Insider Australia
March 21 2014

10 Shameful Facts About Censorship In Turkey

Jeremy Bender

Turkey has a long tradition of censorship that culminated this week in
a ban on Twitter that has infuriated the international community.

Below we have compiled some of the most egregious examples of
censorship in Turkey, starting with the most recent one.

1. Turkey has blocked Twitter.

“Twitter, mwitter! We will wipe out roots of all,” Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a campaign rally Thursday.
“They say, ‘Sir, the international community can say this, can say
that.’ I don’t care at all. Everyone will see how powerful the state
of the Republic of Turkey is.”

Twitter has helped Turkish protestors organise movements across the
country and spread uncensored anti-government opinions in the past
year.

2. Turkey jails more journalists than any other country.

The Committee To Protect Journalists reports that in 2012 Turkey had
more journalists in custody than any other country in the world.
Arrested journalists face charges ranging from aiding in terrorism to
producing propoganda.

3. Erdogan has threatened to ban both Facebook and YouTube should his
party win reelection in the March 30 general elections.

Turkey has previously banned YouTube after videos insulting Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk, Turkey’s founder, were shared on the site.

4. Turkey’s parliament approved new Internet restrictions in February
that allow for the almost immediate closing or removal of content from
any website.

This new step allows the government to close websites without
permission from the courts. The law requires Internet service
providers to close objectionable content within four hours or face
fines up to $US44,500.

5. Journalists who report on topics damaging to the government can be
forced from their jobs.

The main opposition leader in Turkey claimed last year that dozens of
journalists had been forced from their jobs for covering
antigovernment protests.

6. Media outlets are often owned by large conglomerates with major
conflicts of interest.

These conglomerates often maintain their media branches as simply a
way to curry favour with the government, The New York Times has
reported. By self-enforcing a policy of only pro-government reporting,
these moguls help to guarantee for themselves lucrative government
contracts in other business sectors such as banking or construction.

7. Turkish news outlets have ignored antigovernment protests altogether.

During the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul last summer, for instance,
CNN Turk broadcast a documentary about penguins while CNN filmed live
from the mass demonstrations.

8. It is a crime in Turkey to insult the Turkish nation.

Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk was charged with denigrating the Turkish
identity after talking about the Armenian genocide in a newspaper
intervie. He and could have faced jail time, and the case was only
dropped after international outrage.

Another Turkish author, Nedim Gursel, also faced charges for
“incitement to violence or hatred” after publishing his book
“Daughters of Allah,” which supposedly insulted Islam.

9. Kurdish intellectuals and advocates often face extreme prejudice.

Kurdish — the primary language of up to one third of Turkey’s
population — is still treated as a second-class language and all
education in government schools must be carried out in Turkish.

Kurdish journalists and intellectuals also face allegations of
supporting terrorism. Journalists reporting on Kurdish prejudice, or
the Kurdish terrorist organisation the PKK, can be charged and
imprisoned for making terrorist propaganda, Al Jazeera has reported.

10. For these reasons, and many more, Turkey is ranked 154 out of 180
by Reporters Without Borders in terms of press freedom.

From: Baghdasarian

Public bids last farewell to Ara Shiraz

15:56, 22 March, 2014

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Friends, relatives, and fans of Ara
Shiraz bid last farewell to the prominent Armenian sculptor. The
Armenian public came to bid last farewell to the famed artist in the
building of the Artists’ Union of Armenia on March 22. The attendants
noted with bitter sorrow that this is a pan-national loss, as Shiraz
left a very significant trace on the Armenian culture.

As reports “Armenpress”, the People’s Painter of the Republic of
Armenia, sculptor Levon Tokmajyan stated that Ara Shiraz was one of
the best artists of his generation. “Shiraz had a gift from God.

Vivid sensations, love, and motion were very characteristic of him,”
Levon Tokmajyan underscored.

The People’s Painter of the Republic of Armenia, sculptor Ara Shiraz
passed away aged 73. The prominent sculptor died on March 17 in the
intensive care unit of Nairi Medical Centre. The Deputy Director of
the Centre Lusine Aghababyan informed “Armenpress” about this. Ara
Shiraz was taken to the hospital on February 24 in extremely grave
condition and without consciousness.

Ara Shiraz was an Armenian sculptor, Hovhannes Shiraz’s and Silva
Kaputikyan’s son.

Ara Shiraz was born in Yerevan in 1941. He has graduated the Yerevan
Theatre and Fine Arts Institute in 1966. He had participated in
numerous young artists exhibitions in Armenia and the Soviet Union.
Since 1968 he was a member of the Artists’ Union of Armenia. His works
had been exhibited in major cities of the U.S.S.R. (Moscow, Leningrad,
Tbilisi) as part of solo and group shows. He had taken part in the
Festival of Armenian Art “From Urartu to the Present” (Paris, 1970).

Ara Shiraz was characterized with his monumental sculptural works of
art such as the monuments of Paruyr Sevag (Yerevan, 1974), Yeghishe
Charents (Charentsavan, 1977), Alexander Miasnikyan (Yerevan, 1980),
and William Saroyan (Yerevan’s Pantheon, 1991).

In 1979 Ara Shiraz was awarded the State Award of Armenia for his
ornamental sculptures decorating the facade of the Dvin Hotel in
Yerevan. In 1977 he was granted the title of Meritorious Artist of
Armenia. In 1987 he was elected the president of the Artists’ Union of
Armenia, and a member of the Secretariat of the Artists’ Union of the
U.S.S.R.

Ara Shiraz’ most renowned works include the busts of Pablo Picasso,
Yervand Kochar, Hovhannes Shiraz, and Vruir Galstian. Many of his
sculptural compositions are in permanent exhibit in the Modern Art
Museum of Armenia and the State Gallery of Armenia in Yerevan, the
Tretyakov Gallery and the Eastern Nations Museum of Art in Moscow.

Ara Shiraz’ paintings and sculptures are found in many private
collections throughout the world: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tbilisi,
Yerevan, Beirut, Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago,
Detroit, Montreal, etc.

Shiraz is also the author of Andranik’s statue (2002). Andranik is
sitting in two horses. They are symbolizing Western and Eastern
Armenias

From: Baghdasarian

Raffi Hovannisian advices Levon Ter-Petrosyan to readjust this vacuum
in his memory

March 22 2014

On March 1 rally, the first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan stated that
serious political discussions and debates are first held in the
Parliament since 1999, it’s the first time since the opposition is
criticizing sound and well-reasoned. On March 21, in the conversation
with Aravot.am, to our question of whether you agree with Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s estimation, “Heritage” Party leader Raffi Hovannisian
responded, “Of course, I do not agree. I think it is a very selective
and politicized approach. It was just the “Heritage”, which first
entered the Parliament as an active and opposition force, and both in
the streets of Yerevan and to defend citizens on this-or-that matters,
he was fighting and instating on in Strasburg and elsewhere with
regard to the issues of democracy and freedoms in Armenia, as well as
March 1. In the politicized environment, he may say that we are the
ones, however, I do not think that it is complete. Of course, they
also have politicians, who are smart and dedicated, anyway, he
probably had just forgotten that there was a whole period when another
faction was presenting the people of Armenia, the opposition section,
and was not saving any strength and efforts to ensure the interest of
RA citizens in our country and abroad. With regard to March 1 event,
we all remember that the “Heritage” Party MPs were present.” Raffi
Hovannisian assured that the first president when saying his statement
was guided by politicized approach and said, “Perhaps, next time he
would be able to readjust this vacuum in his memory.”

Hripsime JEBEJYAN
Read more at:

From: Baghdasarian

Armenians from Kesab spent night in Latakia church

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Following Friday attacks, residents of Armenian-populated town of
Kesab and nearby villages in Syria have moved to safer places,
according to Perio news.

The source reported that many Armenians are currently in the national
offices located on the grounds of Surb Astvatsatsin Church in Latakia.
The Red Crescent and other organizations are distributing food and
necessary items to them.

Since the start of the Syrian war, Armenians of Aleppo have moved
mostly to Kesab considered a relative safe settlement.

We would remind you that attacks were launched on Armenian-populated
Kesab from three border Turkish positions Friday morning.

TODAY, 15:35
Aysor.am

From: Baghdasarian