Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

CONFERENCE ON THE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP OF TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
February 18, 2014 Tuesday

Baku/17.02.14/Turan:

Strategic cooperation between Azerbaijan , Georgia and Turkey is
based on the historical ties between the peoples of these countries ,
which are associated also by a joint economic projects and regional
security issues. At the same time , another country in the region,
Armenia is in the interests of a geopolitical fairway vector.

The essence of statements made on Monday at the conference can be
described as follows: “Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey: trilateral alliance
and the future of regional cooperation”, organized by the Centre for
Strategic Studies under the president.

In his speech the head of Political Analysis and Information Support of
the presidential administration Elnur Aslanov noted that Azerbaijan
, Georgia and Turkey implement major joint projects TAP, TANAP,
Baku-Tbilisi- Ceyhan oil and gas pipeline Baku-Tbilisi- Erzurum gas
pipeline , the Baku- Tbilisi- Kars , connecting Asia with Europe.

Aslan called the policy of Armenia ‘s unconstructive , irrational
and creating problems to regional security.

Referring to the possibility of opening the Armenian-Turkish border
, he expressed regret that a number of European and Western Funds
continue to promote this idea, although the Turkish President and Prime
Minister clearly stated that this issue will not be considered until
the Karabakh conflict remains unsettled. Aslan called on Armenia to
abandon occupation policy and join the union Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey.

Director of the Center for Strategic Studies Farhad Mammadov said
that the friendship between Azerbaijan and Georgia began in 1918 with
a joint foreign policy , as well as a joint struggle against Denikin.

Ninety five years ago, a famous social activist Yusif Vazir
Chemenzemenli said that the loss of independence of Azerbaijan means a
loss of independence of Georgia and vice versa. Currently Azerbaijan
is one of the biggest investors of Georgia, and in 2018 , Azerbaijan
will become an investor Number one for Turkey too.

According to the BP company, only one TAP project will bring Georgia
revenue of $ 2 billion a year , the country will open 17,000 new jobs;
in Turkey – 5000 jobs , Mammadov said.

Director of the Center for Policy Georgia, Cornelius Kakachia, believes
that now the fate of the region is largely dependent on the outcome of
processes in Ukraine , as well as the implementation of the EU program
“Eastern Partnership.”

Great impetus to the development of the region would be the signing
by Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine an Association Agreement with the EU.

Otherwise , Georgia and Moldova will have big problems.

Tandem of Armenia with Russia was regarded as the main source of danger
in the region even for the conflict resolution in the South Caucasus.

Experts consider it important to establish a Fund uniting young
people of the three countries, the organization of joint missions
and promoting the cooperation in the field of education, trade and
tourism. In this sense, the relations between Turkey and Georgia can
be regarded as exemplary. Citizens of both countries enjoy simplified
visa regime.

Regarding the relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan , there are
very good relations in the field of education, said Yalcin Sarikaya,
Director of the Black Sea Research Center.

Then the participants of the conference began to discussed in the
sections issues on cooperation in the defense industry, the development
of the economic potential, the future trilateral strategic cooperation,
etc. -03C04-

From: Baghdasarian

PRESS RELEASE
Glendale Public Library
222 East Harvard Street
Glendale CA 91205
Tel: 818-548-2030
Web:

FB:

What: Challenges Faced by Armenian-American Youth Today!

When: Friday, March 7, 2014 at 7 pm.

Where: Glendale Central Library Auditorium, 222 E. Harvard Street
Glendale, CA 91205

Misc: The discussion is in Armenian. Admission is free; seating is
limited. Library visitors receive 3 hours FREE parking across the street
at The Market Place parking structure with validation at the Loan Desk.

CONTACT: Elizabeth Grigorian, Armenian Outreach Coordinator, at the
Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department
[email protected] or
(818) 548-3288.

From: Baghdasarian

OWING TO LAKE SEVAN, ARMENIA CAN PLAY DECISIVE ROLE IN REGION – ENVIRONMENTALIST

February 18, 2014 | 15:40

YEREVAN. – Lake Sevan must be viewed as an inexhaustible source of
Armenia’s drinking water, environmentalist Gagik Sukhudyan stated at
a press conference on Tuesday.

According to Sukhudyan, along the lines of a pilot program, a large
fish farm will be artificially created in the lake.

“This is unacceptable, since we recommended not conducting experiments
in [Lake] Sevan. There are several artificial reservoirs for that. The
artificial feed [for the fish] may pollute the drinking water of
the lake.

“Owing to the drinking water of Sevan, we can play a key role in the
region, since drinking water will be worth gold in ten, fifteen years,”
the environmentalist stated.

YEREVAN. – Lake Sevan must be viewed as an inexhaustible source of
Armenia’s drinking water, environmentalist Gagik Sukhudyan stated at
a press conference on Tuesday.

According to Sukhudyan, along the lines of a pilot program, a large
fish farm will be artificially created in the lake.

“This is unacceptable, since we recommended not conducting experiments
in [Lake] Sevan. There are several artificial reservoirs for that. The
artificial feed [for the fish] may pollute the drinking water of
the lake.

“Owing to the drinking water of Sevan, we can play a key role in the
region, since drinking water will be worth gold in ten, fifteen years,”
the environmentalist stated.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

ARGISHTI KIVIRYAN. “THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE AND THE SIS IN EVERY WAY ARE TRYING TO SUPPORT THE POLICE.”

February 19 2014

“Special Investigation Service and the Prosecutor’s Office are against
the persons committing violence against me be subjected to liability.

That’s why, our many complaints to SIS and the General Prosecutor’s
Office remained unanswered and were rejected,” so responded Argishti
Kiviryan, Armenia Today website coordinator, to the question of
Aravot.am of what tendency he sees in the fact that the Prosecutor
General’s Office will appeal against the court’s decision to meet
Argishti Kiviryan’s appeal. Recall that the Prosecutor’s Office,
particularly, attorney Artur Yeritsyan, implementing judicial control
of this case, will appeal the Court of Appeal against the act of
the First Instance Court about abolishing investigator’s decision
not to file a criminal case against the police exerting violence
against Argishti Kiviryan. Argishti Kiviryan, giving an assessment,
noted, “They are trying in every way to conceal the actions of those
committing violence against me, they support them.” Detailing, Mr.

Kiviryan said, “The matter is about the police. Prosecutor’s Office
and the SIS are in all way trying to support the police. At any cost,
they are fighting not to file a criminal case, and if filing, to
proceed the investigation in a way that these cases are not revealed.”

We inquired whether the motives are political. Mr. Kiviryan answered,
“The motives are political and continuation of the chain of repressions
against me. Mainly, this regime is to be guilty, the criminal
oligarchic system ruling in Armenia, its leader.” Argishti Kiviryan
assured that he will be fighting with all legal and possible means and
will justify the illegality of SIS’s and the Attorney General’s actions
the Court of Appeals, as well as at the Court of First Instance.

Read more at:

From: Baghdasarian

NEW DOCUMENTARY TELLS ABOUT THE ARMENIAN CHURCH OF GAGKASHEN IN ANI

18:10 19.02.2014

Alisa Gevorgyan
Public Radio of Armenia

A new film prepared by the Research on Armenian Architecture NGO tells
about the Armenian Church of Saint Gregory of Gagkashen in Ani, the
replica of Zvartnots Temple – the masterpiece of Armenian
architecture. The Church has been under the threat of destruction for
about 900 years now. The film will premiere tomorrow at the Union of
Architects.

It is thought that King Gagik (who reigned from the year 990 to 1020)
chose the architect Trdat (the man who designed the cathedral of Ani)
to build his “millennium” church, and it was probably erected between
the years 1001 and 1005.

The structure was never very stable, and in 1013 strengthening had to
be carried out – including the addition of a substantial amount of
extra masonry around the middle two columns of each apse, converting
them into piers. These consolidations were unsuccessful and the church
collapsed shortly afterwards.

In the 13th century houses were built around and over the ruins, using
some of the fallen church’s masonry. Later the ruin site became
covered with earth, and at the end of the 19th century all that was
visible were some walls on a tall mound.

The ruins were excavated in 1906 by Nikoli Marr. His excavations
revealed the plan of the church and recovered many objects of worship,
including a bronze candlestick and a chandelier.

Asked whether there is need to built the replica of the Temple of
Zvartnots today, expert of monuments Samvel Karapetyan said “We have
not reached that level yet.”

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA ATTRACTS ‘UNEXPECTED’ INTEREST FROM FOREIGN INVESTORS AMID TALKS FOR CUSTOMS UNION MEMBERSHIP

ECONOMY | 19.02.14 | 10:37

NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow

By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent

Before Armenia has completed negotiations with the Customs Union
and become its member interest towards it from foreign investors and
businessmen has unexpectedly risen.

The first major American investment – the purchase of the Vorotan
cascade of hydro-power plants generating 15 percent of electricity in
Armenia – was announced only a month ago. Recently it was reported
that a major international conference on the mining industry in
Armenia will be held in March. In this regard, Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan met with the ambassadors of the United States, Great Britain,
Germany and the head of the World Bank Yerevan Office. This year, a
British company plans to begin operation of the largest gold deposit
in Amulsar. Apparently, there is interest in other fields as well.

China has also shown interest in Armenia. Members of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of China came to Armenia to explore
opportunities for cooperation. They are considering the possibility of
exports to China of Armenian brandy and tobacco. And the Chinese side
plans to enter Armenia’s aviation market, the sphere of information
technologies and communications.

Lebanese entrepreneurs are also showing great interest in the farming
industry in Armenia. In particular, they have been keen on engaging
in the processing of nuts.

Iran has long been offering some projects: as the Iranian ambassador
said at a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan,
of interest are also projects of transit-energy nature.

By the way, it became known on Tuesday that an UAE-based company,
Rasia, intends to invest in the construction of the Southern Railroad
(Iran-Armenia). The total cost of the project is estimated at $3.2
billion.

Meanwhile, Armenia is actively negotiating with Russia on how to
become a member of the Customs Union in a way that it does not hit
its sovereign economic and customs policies. It is very difficult to
achieve, because Armenia has no shared borders with the Customs Union.

And experts say that membership in the Customs Union will limit the
rights of Armenia on cooperation with third countries.

Armenia will consider the option of establishing in the country of
a special economic zone similar to that in the Kaliningrad region of
Russia, said Armenia’s deputy economy minister Tigran Harutyunyan.

But it raises the question of customs relations with Turkey. Armenia
does not want to give Turkey any trade concessions after its entry
into the Customs Union, said another deputy economy minister Garegin
Melkonyan. He reminded that the Customs Union has an agreement
with Turkey on the GSP System of Trade Preferences. “In this mode,
the Customs Union imports a number of goods from Turkey on slightly
reduced customs duties. But in negotiations with the United Economic
Commission we defend the view that Armenia should not apply these
benefits to Turkey,” said Melkonyan.

Relevant to this are also relations with Georgia, which already in
August plans to sign the initialed agreement on a free trade area
with the European Union. Armenia is trying to retain the right to
duty-free import of cars from Georgia, said Minister Melkonyan. If
Armenia gets this permission, it will not be able to re-export cars
to Customs Union-member countries.

From: Baghdasarian

YEREVAN COURT REJECTS ACTIVIST’S APPEAL, REFUSES TO PERSECUTE GUILTY PARTY

02.19.2014 14:01 epress.am

The Court of First Instance of Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeytun
Administrative Districts of Yerevan on Tuesday rejected activist Karo
Yeghnukyan’s complaint, with which he was asking the court to overturn
the police decision to terminate persecution of the individual who
committed a crime against him.

The court’s actions, according to Yeghnukyan, was predictable and
determined in advance, though the judge asked for time to go to the
consultation room.

Recall, the case refers to the tires of Yeghnukyan’s vehicle being
slashed. The activist claims he is being persecuted because he
organized protest demonstrations against the Covered Market, which
now houses a Yerevan City supermarket, owned by ruling Republican
Party of Armenia MP, oligarch Samvel Aleksanyan.

The police stated that it has identified the person guilty of the crime
(though it did not name anyone); the person in question confessed
his guilt, saying that he was drunk when he slashed the tires of the
car. But the case was quashed due to the absence of corpus delicti.

The police assessed the damage valued at $1,000 USD at about 30,000
AMD (about $73).

Yeghnukyan informed Epress.am that he is preparing to appeal the
decision at the Court of Appeals.

From: Baghdasarian

DEFENSE MINISTER MEETS WITH MEMBERS OF BRITISH GROUP OF INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION

13:33 19/02/2014 >> POLITICS

Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan met with members of the
British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on February 18, the
press service of Defense Ministry reports.

Armenian-British military cooperation was discussed at the meeting.

The sides also touched upon regional security, Armenia’s security
policy, in particular in the context of entry into the Customs Union,
relations with CSTO and NATO, Russia’s military presence in Armenia
and relations with neighboring countries.

The border incidents and Azerbaijan’s subversive acts were discussed.

The meeting also addressed other issues of mutual interest.

Source: Panorama.am

From: Baghdasarian

CZECH REPUBLIC PRESIDENT’S ADMINISTRATION: TURKEY WAS GIVEN EXPLANATION THAT PRESIDENT MILOS ZEMAN’S WORDS ABOUT THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE WAS HIS PERSONAL OPINION

by David Stepanyan

Wednesday, February 19, 16:08

The Turkish authorities were given explanation that President of
Czech Republic Milos Zeman’s statement during the January visit by
President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan to Prague, calling the massacre
of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey in 1915-23 the genocide, reflected his
personal opinion, the head of international department of the Czech
President’s Administration, Ginek Kmonichek, officially declared,
as Czech Television reported.

To note, although unlike Slovakia, Czech Republic did not recognize
the Armenian genocide, President Zaman said that the 100th anniversary
of the Armenian genocide will be marked in 2015. Czech Senator Jaromir
Stetina has welcomed the statement of the President of Czech Republic
about the Armenian Genocide. He intends to introduce a declaration
on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide to foreign relations and
defense committees of the Parliament of Czech Republic on the occasion
of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. “The declaration
will be introduced in 2015 ahead of the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide. I would like Czech Senate to join the civilized
parliaments which have recognized the Armenian Genocide. Preparatory
work activities towards the declaration will launch in late 2014,”
Czech Senator stated.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA MUST NOT LOSE THIRD COUNTRIES’ MARKETS AFTER CU ACCESSION – ECONOMIST

February 19, 2014 | 11:19

YEREVAN. – It is very important for Armenia not to lose the markets of
the third countries following its accession to the Customs Union (CU).

Gagik Makaryan, Chairman of the Republican Union of Employers of
Armenia, told the aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

According to Makaryan, an attention should be paid to several staple
goods.

Accordingly, the customs duty percentage rate of cereals fluctuates
between 3 and 13.3 percent in the CU, whereas this is 0 percent in
Armenia. But if Armenia imports wheat from Russia, it will import
corn from Ukraine, and rice from Southeast Asia.

“It is natural that the geographical scope of imports will be
maintained. It turns out that it is important in this case that we
protect our interests,” Makaryan stressed.

>From the non-consumer goods, the economist reflected on the petroleum
products, since along with the increase in the customs duty, inflation
will be unavoidable.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian