Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra to perform in Europe in 2014

January 01, 2014 | 13:03

YEREVAN. – In 2014, the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra (APO) will
head for a huge concert tour devoted the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide.

Visits to Spain and the Scandinavian countries are expected during the
tour, APO Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Eduard Topchjan told
Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In his words, concerts will be held in Italy in August, subsequently,
in Austria and in Germany, then again in Italy, and in Slovakia.

Topchjan noted, however, that the last two years were not good for the
orchestra in terms of concert tours. According to APA artistic
director, a concert visit was planned to Japan, but this was not
brought to fruition because of the devastating earthquake that hit
this country.

`A very large tour was planned throughout Spain in November 2013,
which was put off due to the huge [economic] crisis in their country.

`But I am glad that all of these [concert] programs were not canceled,
but rather solely rescheduled,’ Eduard Topchjan stressed.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIENS-IRAN
Le président iranien Rahani offre 350 000 dollars à l’hôpital arménien
de Téhéran

Le journal arménien « Asbarez » (publié aux Etats Unis) annonce que le
président iranien Hassan Rohani a offert 10 milliards de rials
(environ 350 000 dollars) à l’hôpital arménien de Téhéran. L’un des
conseilleurs du président iranien, Hossein Fereydoun a visité
l’hôpital arménien et affirmé que la coexistence harmonieuse des
musulmans et non-musulmans en Iran était exemplaire pour l’ensemble
des pays de la région.

Le président iranien avait de son côté rendu visite à des familles
arméniennes comptant des soldats tués sur le front de la guerre
Iran-Irak. Dans l’une de ces familles arméniennes, Hassan Rohani avait
alors affirmé que les musulmans croient en Jésus Christ comme le
prophète de la gentillesse et de l’humanisme. Enfin, l’archevêque
arménien d’Ispahan, Papkén Zarian a de son côté affirmé que le droit
des minorités chrétiennes était représenté de manière merveilleuse et
que les religions en Iran étaient un exemple parfait de la
cohabitation religieuse.

Krikor Amirzayan

mercredi 1er janvier 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

Armenia to Become Full-Fledged Customs Union Member in 2014 – President

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan

© PanARMENIAN Photo
14:29 01/01/2014

Related News

EU Expects Armenia to Clarify Customs Deal With Russia
Armenia Ready to Join Russia-Led Customs Union – President
Tajikistan Signals Readiness to Join Post-Soviet Customs Bloc
Customs Union in Free Trade Zone Talks With Non-EU Europe – Lavrov

Multimedia

Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan

YEREVAN, January 1 (RIA Novosti) – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
said on Wednesday that his country would complete all procedures to
join the Russian-led Customs Union this year.

“I’m sure that this year we will become a full-fledged member of the
Customs Union. Armenia will create a new environment, in which it will
be better protected and more competitive, Sargsyan said in his
televised New Year speech.

Armenia decided in September to join the Moscow-led Customs Union of
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. A roadmap on Yerevan’s admission was
signed on December 24.

In early December, Russia and Armenia signed an intergovernmental
agreement to cancel export duties for supplies of natural gas, oil
products and rough diamonds to the South Caucasus nation.

From: Baghdasarian

Armenia had poor human rights records in 2013 – opinions

13:00 – 02.01.14

The Armenian Helsinki Committee’s president says the country saw a
considerable regress in the human rights protection efforts in 2013.

Speaking to Tert.am, Avetik Ishkhanyan described the human rights
situation in Armenia as something very gloomy.

`If I speak in more detail, it is not possible to improve the
situation in Armenia by every year without serious political reforms
in terms of the protection of human rights,’ he said.

If we are failing to implement serious political reforms aimed at
making the judiciary and the local self-government bodies independent,
it is more than naivety to expect the situation to change for the
better in the coming year, the activist continued.

He said the two political elections in 2013 (the presidential polls
and the Yerevan municipality elections) failed to contribute to any
positive changes in the electoral system. `The authorities managed to
replicate themselves through the use of different methods –
administrative, financial etc,’ he explained,

As for the fundamental rights, Ishkanyan said the police conduct at
different protest demonstrations and rallies (threatening and beating
activists and taking them to the police station) was not absolutely in
line with the amended legislation which was expected to be more
progressive.

According to him, the police violence against the civic activists who
protested against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Armenia
on December 2 demonstrated that the Republic of Armenia Law on
Assemblies was just a piece of paper for the ruling authorities.
`Because more than 100 young people were taken to the police during
the peaceful rally without any justification,’ Ishkanyan noted.

The activist said he didn’t observe any achievements at all, adding
that he doesn’t expect serious reforms in 2014 either.

Chairman of the Helsinki Assembly’s Vanadzor Office Artur Sakunts also
admitted that Armenia’s human rights situation saw no positive changes
last year, with the rights to freedom of speech and freedom of
assembly continuing to remain disrespected.

According to him, the systemic problems that had remain unresolved for
years found no solution last year either despite the efforts taken on
the state level. `Even the human rights strategy which had received
President Serzh Sargsyan’s approval, and the plan of actions aimed at
its implementation – for all the existing restrictions and
shortcomings – was to have been adopted in spring, but it hasn’t been
adopted so far,’ he added.

The activist said further that Armenia’s decision to join the
Russian-led Customs Union was a serious challenge to the human rights
efforts. `The September 3 decision was the most serious challenge. The
opportunities we could have had in case [of signing] the Association
Agreement, particularly in the human rights sector, came to a halt;
in just an hour’s time, they switched over to a system which fully
poses a challenge from the point of view of human rights,’ he added.

Sakunts also agreed that 2013 was a period of regress for Armenia’s
human rights protection efforts.

He said the only opportunity to change the situation is to suspend the
Customs Union membership process.

As for 2014, Sakunts said he expects it to be a year of resistance,

`The membership in the Council of Europe remains the only institute.
Our objective is to resist processes showing signs of regress, which
is of course impossible given the votes in the National Assembly,’ he
said, stressing once again the importance of demonstrating resistance
to all the problems that faced the country last year.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIE
Nouvel An : Hausse limitée des prix observée en Arménie pendant la
saison actuelle de vacances

Les décorations dans la rue et les panneaux publicitaires vantant
diverses ventes et réductions afin de séduire les acheteurs à Erevan
et ailleurs en Arménie, signalent l’arrivée de la nouvelle année. Mais
les prix des éléments essentiels, tels que les denrées alimentaires,
présentent généralement une tendance à la croissance. Les experts,
cependant, ont déjà constatés plus de hausses limitées des prix sur
les marchés au cours de la saison actuelle des fêtes.

Il y a quelques jours, le chef de la Commission d’État pour la
protection de la concurrence économique (SCPEC) a déclaré que le
contrôle des marchés serait intensifié au cours de la saison des fêtes
afin de contrôler toute hausse des prix injustifiées mais les
dirigeants des organisations s’occupant de la protection des droits
des consommateurs disent que cela n’empêchera pas l’augmentation des
prix des denrées alimentaires même si elles ne sont pas équivalentes
aux années précédentes.

Le président de la SCPEC Artak Shaboyan a déclaré aux médias la
semaine dernière que dans le commerce de détail, la commission
permettra d’éviter non seulement les hausses de prix injustifiées,
mais aussi diverses campagnes de publicité trompeuses et déloyales. «
Les entreprises seront punis si leur annonce de vente et les
réductions ne correspondent pas à la réalité » a-t-il averti.

Le président de l’Union des consommateurs Armen Poghosyan a déclaré
que les augmentations de prix sont plus limitées cette année, et alors
que l’inflation du Nouvel An en 2012 a atteint 12 pour cent et que
cette année, elle est susceptible de se tenir de 8 à 10 pour cent
maximum.

Selon Armen Poghosyan, le prix du poisson a déjà considérablement
augmenté, le prix des produits agricoles, en particulier les légumes
verts, les fruits et l’huile, ainsi que d’autres produits, dont
certains sont importés, devrait également augmenter.

« Le taux d’augmentation des prix varie d’un produit à l’autre mais la
tendance générale est que nous allons avoir moins d’inflation du
Nouvel An cette fois. Le poisson est désormais disponible à près de 1
300 à 1700 drams (environ 3-4 $). Il existe bien sûr, un retournement
des prix après le Nouvel An, mais normalement, ils ne reviennent pas à
leur point d’origine de toute façon » a dit Armen Poghosyan.

Babken Pipoyan président de l’ONG « des consommateurs informés et
protégés » a dit à ArmeniaNow que tout au long de l’année, il y a eu
tellement de moments où les prix ont augmenté, que les prix
alimentaires ont presque atteint leur niveau maximum, et qu’il y aura
peu d’importantes hausses de prix avant la nouvelle année.

« Comme il a été prévu, les prix des produits agricoles sont à la
hausse, mais les agriculteurs sont dans une situation très difficile
et il est compréhensible que durant ces quelques jours, ils essaient
de gagner quelque chose qui permettra de compenser les pertes qu’ils
subissent pendant le reste de l’année » a dit Pipoyan.

Il y aura une certaine augmentation des prix sur le marché de la
viande, mais les prix de la viande sont encore plus bas par rapport
aux années précédentes et aujourd’hui, on peut acheter un kilogramme
de viande de porc pour 2700 à 3000 drams (6-7 $), alors que l’année
dernière, le prix de la viande de porc avait atteint 3700 drams le
kilo (environ 9 $). Selon Pipoyan, même si la hausse des prix se
produit sur le marché de la viande au cours de ces jours, ce sera
seulement pour équilibrer la baisse des prix qui a été observée
pendant toute l’année.

« Les agriculteurs ont eu des problèmes avec l’alimentation animale et
ont vendu leur bétail à l’abattoir à perte de sorte que le solde de
l’offre et de la demande a été perturbé, et que le prix était plus bas
» a dit Pipoyan.

En ce qui concerne les réductions de vacances, selon Armen Poghosyan,
l’expérience occidentale montre qu’il y a possibilité d’appliquer des
rabais de 10 à 50 pour cent et qu’en Arménie cette possibilité vacille
entre 20 et 30 pour cent, mais qu’en réalité, elles sont d’environ 8 à
10 pour cent. Il a dit que de nombreuses réductions dans la réalité
sont fausses et qu’en d’autres termes les prix sont élevés
artificiellement avant d’être réduits.

Par Gohar Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow

jeudi 2 janvier 2014,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

Yerkrapah delegation visits Yerablur pantheon

16:56 – 31.12.13

The Yerkrapah union of volunteers headed by Chairman Manvel Grigoryan
is preparing to see the New Year in.

A delegation of the union visited the Yerablur pantheon and laid
flowers at the toms of the freedom-fighters killed during the
Nagorno-Karabakh war.

Among the delegation members were General Seyran Saroyan, Chairman of
the Control Chamber Ishkhan Zakaryan and Yerevan Mayor Taron
Margaryan.

From: Baghdasarian

Eurovision.tv
Dec 31 2013

Aram Mp3 to represent Armenia in Copenhagen

Written by Olena Omelyanchuk
Yerevan, Armenia –

The night of New Year’s Eve is filled with presents and surprises.
Having announced the representative in the 2014 Eurovision Song
Contest, the Armenian public broadcaster AMPTV made the present to the
whole Armenian nation and all Eurovision fans all over Europe. Aram
Mp3, the famous singer, comedian and showman in Armenia will represent
his country in Copenhagen.

Aram Mp3 has been announced in the Big New Year’s Gala TV Show,
broadcast on the Armenian First Channel. Aram Mp3 is one of the most
beloved personalities of the Armenian show business. He is not only
well-known as the singer but also as the comedian and showman in his
country. The singer is mostly famous for his live performances. He has
a very unique style of covering the international hits and comedies.

‘303&_t=aram_mp3_to_represent_armenia_in_copenhagen

From: Baghdasarian

Glendale News-Press (California)
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
December 30, 2013 Monday

Two decide already to run for Glendale City Council in June

by Brittany Levine, Glendale News-Press, Calif.

Dec. 30–At least two people have decided to run for a City Council
seat in the special June election, while others who made an
unsuccessful attempt in April plan to sit this round out with an eye
toward the general municipal election.

Chahe Keuroghelian and Vartan Gharpetian confirmed this week that they
plan to run after announcing their intent on Armenian television
channels.

Both said they’re prepared for the long haul that will come with the
upcoming election cycle, since whoever wins in June will have to run
again 10 months later to grab a four-year term.

The open position is a result of some musical chairs that took place
during the last election in April when former Councilman Rafi
Manoukian won the City Treasurer post, leaving his spot on the council
open. At the time, the sitting council decided to appoint outgoing
mayor Frank Quintero to take over for Manoukian until an election
could be held in June.

But due to city rules, the winner of the June election has to run
again in April to get a full four-year term.

“I like challenges and I think I take on challenges head on,” Gharpetian said.

While candidates can’t officially try to get on the ballot yet —
which requires 100 signatures from residents — they can take initial
steps to form a campaign. Keuroghelian is already bringing his team
from nine months ago back together and Gharpetian is spreading the
word about his intent.

Keuroghelian lost in April when there were three seats available by
just 356 votes and he contends that he should have been appointed to
take Manoukian’s place. It’s a move — appointing the fourth top
vote-getter — made by a former council in the past.

“Hopefully, this election will undo the mistake that was made,”
Keuroghelian said.

Meanwhile, some candidates from the last elections aren’t keen on
running twice in less than a year to get a full term. The city’s
former neighborhood services administrator, Sam Engel, who came in
fifth in April, said he doesn’t plan to run but he is looking at the
next general municipal election as a possibility.

“I don’t want to put a full effort into a candidacy and then have to
do it again six months later,” he said. “Anybody who’s running this
time has money to throw away.”

Edith Fuentes, also a former city employee, and Herbert Molano, a
long-time city hall critic, are on the same page.

“I think it is just too soon, too close” to the last election, Fuentes said.

Molano said he’s leaning toward not running, but he hasn’t fully decided yet.

“Running for office is a very expensive proposition that without
really having close to $75,000 to $100,000, it becomes very difficult
to win,” Molano said.

The three winners in April — Ara Najarian, Laura Friedman and Zareh
Sinanyan — all had campaign war chests of more than $55,000. Sinanyan
raked in the most, about $93,000.

Tentative candidates can’t formalize their intent to run until the
city officially declares the election will occur. Although the city
must hold the election according to city rules, the council has yet to
authorize it and that may not occur until the end of next month or
later, said City Clerk Ardy Kassakhian.

The council may wait to call the election until after the body makes a
decision about proposed tax measures that may also end up on the June
ballot. The council doesn’t plan to decide on the tax measures until
February or March.

Once an election is called, candidates must pull the paperwork
necessary to get on the ballot.

From: Baghdasarian

US Official News
December 30, 2013 Monday

The Victim, the Vulnerable, and the Pretender to the Throne

Chicago

Chicago Theological Seminary has issued the following news release:

Christians begin Holy Week on Sunday and will immerse themselves in
texts that evoke the deeply contested geography of Jerusalem. Sadly,
this is a geography often locked in time for many U.S. Christians. It
remains First Century Common Era time, making invisible those who
struggle for the peace of the city today. Even so-called Holy Land
tours treat the city as a museum filled with curious artifacts of
ancient and medieval piety. It is left to the daily press to remind us
Jerusalem is no longer simply a Jewish city under Roman occupation,
but a rich and volatile mosaic of Israeli Jews, native born and recent
immigrant, Arabs, both Muslim and Christian, and small but vibrant
communities of Armenian and Greek Christians struggling to bear
witness not just to memory, but also to hope. To the many holy places
recalling events in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures are added
equally holy sites for Muslims, chief among them the Dome of the Rock,
and the al-Aqsa Mosque.

But today, as it has always been, Jerusalem is more than holy sites.
It is home to people caught up in the seemly endless and conflicting
narratives of vulnerability and victimization. For Palestinians,
Jerusalem represents the increasingly elusive symbol of a Palestinian
state with the eastern portion of their city as a national capital.
But life in Jerusalem for Palestinians is increasingly the life of a
victim, successive losses to Israel in 1948 and 1967 rendering them
stateless, a people under occupation. Home demolitions and expanding
settlements, the building of the separation barrier and life under
harsh border controls that bar most Palestinians from entering the
city or even visiting their holy sites create what Palestinians
experience as the relentless `Judaizing’ of their future capital,
eroding what little hope remains for a viable state. Is it any wonder
in the face of all of this that Palestinians distrust the peace
process, especially one brokered by Israel’s chief foreign benefactor
and military supplier?

The narrative of Palestinian victimization is real but, of course, it
is not the only one, for along with it is the narrative of Israeli
vulnerability. Rooted in a history of anti-Semitism at times nurtured
by the very Holy Week texts Christians cherish, and culminating in the
Holocaust, a narrative symbolized today by Yad Vashem, this narrative
of vulnerability is fueled by continued terrorist attacks, hostile
neighbors and, of course, the specter of Iran as a nuclear state. West
Bank and East Jerusalem Palestinians, living under the boot of Israeli
military occupation can be forgiven for finding this narrative of
vulnerability bewildering, just as rockets from Lebanon or Gaza
encourage many Israelis to view Palestinians as deserving victims.

Along with these narratives there is a third, that of fundamentalist
Christian Zionism, which views the geography of Jerusalem as little
more than a stage for the end times when Christ will return as the
pretender to a heavenly throne situated in a new Jerusalem. Because a
restoration of Israel in its ancient land is a crucial step in this
narrative, Christian Zionism today panders to Israel’s narrative of
vulnerability and is indifferent, not only to Palestinians’ narrative
of victimization, but often to the very presence and witness of
Palestinian/Arab Christians. In the end, of course, both Arab and
Israeli are vulnerable and victim to a narrative that ends in a
Kingdom dominated by Christ, rendering Muslims and Jews ultimately
irrelevant. This narrative might be relegated to theological debate
were it not for the fact that its adherents wield powerful influence
in the United States Congress, warping U.S. foreign policy in ways
that make real peacemaking difficult if not impossible. How else can
one explain the harsh rebuke of Secretary Clinton and President Obama
from members of Congress for vigorously criticizing Israel’s
willingness to embarrass the vice-president of its staunchest ally
during his recent state visit?

Today these three narratives benefit only short term interests. For
the long term, they support continued occupation and gradual creation
of facts on the ground that make a Palestinian state impossible,
privileging injustice for the sake of security. They nurture dangerous
despair and bitter resentment in an Arab population that will
eventually far outnumber Israeli Jews trapped as perpetual and
increasingly insecure occupiers in their own land. They render the
United States impotent as a useful peacemaker.

Holy Week offers no political road map to peace. But it does call into
question the presuppositions that trap us in these narratives. In Holy
Week lordship is defined as servanthood. Vulnerability is embraced as
the way to reconciliation. Victims ultimately become those graced with
redemption. Perhaps in Holy Week we can view the competing narratives
both compassionately and critically, reading contemporary Jerusalem as
something more than an historical artifact or a contemporary mess.
Perhaps we can commit ourselves to becoming acquainted with Israelis
and Palestinians who refuse to be trapped by these deadly narratives,
offering solidarity even in the face of intimidation by those who are
served by the tragic status quo. Perhaps we can rekindle our own hope
as a first step toward commitment, a commitment to follow the Way of
Sorrows as the road to the Empty Tomb.

For more information please visit:

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA TREE PROJECT
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472 USA
Tel: (617) 926-TREE
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
December 31, 2013

ATP Plants Another 230,000 Trees Throughout Armenia in 2013

YEREVAN–Armenia Tree Project (ATP) has recently completed its ninth year of
reforestation with the planting of another 174,267 tree seedlings in
Northern Armenia. This brings the total number of trees planted to 230,451
in 2013. The additional 56,000 trees were planted by ATP’s flagship
Community Tree Planting program.

ATP was founded by Armenian-American philanthropist Carolyn Mugar, and the
organization has now planted a total of 4,455,869 trees since 1994.

`We’re extremely proud of this result,’ noted ATP Yerevan Director Areg
Maghakian. `Our work is planting trees and we’ve done that with more than
four million in the ground, but it’s also about people. ATP is creating
green jobs in Armenia and connecting our programs with supporters all over
the world. It’s a truly grassroots effort that will pay huge dividends in
the future.’

With help from a substantial grant from Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
in 2012, ATP began planting a new 20 hectare forest site in the town of
Koghes in Lori. This spring, several thousand pine seedlings were added to
the existing oak, ash, apple, and pear trees to finalize the forest
planting.

In the summer, seasonal workers were hired to maintain the sites reforested
by ATP. `Because it was such a fertile year, some sites had to be maintained
twice as the grass had been growing so quickly,’ Maghakian emphasized.

In the fall, dozens of local villagers helped replant tree seedlings in a
new forest being established in Tsaghkaber. The planting of this site in
Lori was supported by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature
Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) of the Federal Republic of Germany
through KfW as part of its International Climate Protection Initiative. The
project was implemented by WWF Germany, WWF Caucasus, and WWF Armenia in
cooperation with the Ministry of Nature Protection, the Ministry of
Agriculture, and ATP.

ATP has collaborated with a number of other organizations over the past
year. This summer, ATP organized a special tour for local media and
organizations in the environmental sector. The tour included ATP’s Mirak
Family Reforestation Nursery where more than half a million tree seedlings
are being nurtured, along with the nearby Hrant Dink Memorial Forest and a
new forest being established in the town of Katnajur. Yerevan-based Deem
Communications participated in several events with ATP this year, including
planting trees at a kindergarten in Margahovit.

ATP has also collaborated with the Homeland Development Initiative
Foundation (HDIF), an organization which aims to nurture sustainable
development initiatives in rural parts of Armenia. ATP employees in
Margahovit discovered Samvel, a talented woodworker who was unemployed
because he is wheelchair-bound, and introduced him to HDIF, which now sells
his unique, handmade crafts.

ATP’s newest initiative, announced this fall in collaboration with Sosé and
Allen’s Legacy Foundation, is the Sosé Thomassian and Allen Yekikian
Memorial Forest. The young couple, who had strong ties both in Armenia and
the diaspora, lost their lives in a tragic car accident in May 2013.

`Our goal is to create a living tribute to our dear friends. We’re also
incorporating social media into this campaign,’ explained Maghakian. `For
every new `like’ of ATP’s Facebook page, five trees will be planted in the
memorial forest. We hope the effort will attract at least 10,000 `likes’ in
order to plant 50,000 trees and raise awareness of ATP’s mission.’

The municipality of Stepanavan has agreed to lease 73 hectares of land to
ATP for 25 years and 25 percent of that land will be allocated to the Sosé
and Allen Memorial Forest, where planting will commence in the spring of
2014.

ATP’s mission is to assist the Armenian people in using trees to improve
their standard of living and protect the environment, guided by the desire
to promote self-sufficiency, aid those with the fewest resources first, and
conserve the indigenous ecosystem. ATP’s three major programs are tree
planting, environmental education, and sustainable development initiatives.
For more information, please visit the website

PHOTO CAPTIONS

One of ATP’s most successful reforestation sites is dedicated to Hrant Dink;
the memorial planting site was established in Margahovit in 2007 after he
was killed outside his newspaper office in Istanbul

ATP employs dozens of people at its three nurseries; these two men are hard
at work at the Mirak Family Reforestation Nursery in Margahovit where
hundreds of thousands of trees are under cultivation

From: Baghdasarian