Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

RENCONTRE NALBANDIAN-MAMMEDIAROV A PARIS

ARMENIE

Les agences de presse rendent compte de la rencontre des Ministres
des AE d’Armenie et d’Azerbaïdjan a Paris, le 24 janvier. Les
Ministres ont eu des reunions separees avec les mediateurs, avant de
s’entretenir sous leur egide. Un accord a ete obtenu pour une visite
des copresidents dans la region au debut du mois prochain. Selon le
communique du MAE armenien, le Ministre Nalbandian a attire l’attention
des copresidents sur l’escalade des tensions sur la ligne de contact,
les graves violations de la treve par l’Azerbaïdjan et les declarations
de Bakou faites au plus haut niveau sur des pretentions territoriales
vis-a-vis de l’Armenie. Selon lui, ces actions de Bakou sapaient les
perspectives de parvenir a une paix durable et constituaient un defi
aux appels des copresidents de s’abstenir de l’usage de la force.

Dans une declaration publiee au terme des negociations de Paris,
les copresidents ont exprime leur profonde preoccupation devant
la poursuite des violences dans la region, et ont souligne que les
recents incidents sapent les negociations et diminuent les perspectives
de paix. Ils ont appele les parties a respecter pleinement et sans
condition les termes de l’accord de cessez-le feu.

Par ailleurs, les quotidiens relèvent que le 23 janvier, une fille
de 16 ans a ete blessee dans le village d’Ayguepar dans la region
du Tavouch suite aux tirs azeris. / Hayots Achkhar, RFE/RL, Haykakan
Jamanak

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 27 janvier 2014

lundi 3 fevrier 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

ANCA KICKS OF TELETHON 2014

Monday, February 3rd, 2014

ANCA-WR interns unveil Telethon 2014 logo

Launches National Grassroots Fundraising Campaign

Telethon 2014

GLENDALE–Armenian-American leaders from across America gathered
in Southern California Friday to launch ANCA Telethon 2014 – a
community-wide fundraising campaign to empower Armenian Americans,
protect Armenia, and promote the Armenian Cause.

This grassroots campaign, featuring community events and broad-based
social media, will lead up to the June 1st 6-hour nationwide broadcast,
6 p.m. to midnight EDT (3 p.m. to 9 p.m. PDT), in support of the
ANCA Endowment Fund. The telethon will be available on a variety
of broadcast, cable and digital channels and showcased online at

ANCA Endowment President Ken Hachikian was joined by Telethon 2014
Chairman Steve Artinian, Eastern U.S. Board Member Joshua Tevekelian
and ANCA Western Region Chairwoman Nora Hovsepian, Esq. in presenting
the vision for ANCA Telethon 2014 at the kick-off reception, held at
the Krikor and Mariam Karamanoukian Glendale Youth Center. Speakers
discussed details about its broadcast reach and programming, and
insights into innovative new ideas to engage an unprecedented level
of community participation in this fundraising and community-building
drive.

“With Ankara ramping up its denials during the approach to 2015
and Baku escalating its attacks on Artsakh and Armenia, it’s more
vital than ever for Armenian Americans to stand in solidarity with
the people of our homeland. We are, as I’ve said before, the second
army of the Armenian nation, and, in many ways, our homeland’s first
line of defense against an antagonistic Turkey and an increasingly
aggressive Azerbaijan,” said ANCA Endowment President Ken Hachikian.

Telethon 2014 chairman Steve Artinian addresses the gathering

“We’re encouraged by the energetic turnout for today’s ANCA Telethon
2014 launch by so many Armenians, from across our community – united
in a common commitment to our homeland and heritage and devoted to the
strengthening of the ANCA as the voice of our community and cause,”
said Telethon Committee Chairman Steve Artinian. “In the coming days
and weeks, we look forward to engaging activists and supporters
throughout all fifty states as we expand the grassroots power of
our community in the nation’s capital and in hometowns across our
great country.”

The ANCA Endowment Fund supports a broad range of educational,
youth, and civic programs that give voice to the views and values
of the Armenian American community, strengthening our presence in
the American civic arena, and empowering pro-Armenian stakeholders
with the information and resources they need to take on the powerful
forces aligned against the Armenian nation.

The first three ANCA Endowment Fund telethons, held in 2006, 2009 and
2012, raised over $6.5 million for Armenian American educational,
youth, and civic programs. Each program touched a common emotional
chord, speaking directly to the devotion to the Armenian Cause that
rests in the hearts of Armenians from across the U.S., regardless of
organizational or political affiliations.

Countless organizations, volunteers, churches, community leaders,
local ANCAs, performing artists, Members of Congress, and state
legislators from across the nation participated in the telethons,
contributing to their enormous success. Both telethons featured
several documentaries that highlighted various ANCA programs and
numerous results the ANCA Endowment has achieved over the years,
largely through its volunteer and grassroots network.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA: KEY SUSPECT ARRESTED IN DIAMOND SCANDAL LINKED TO PM, ARCHBISHOP

EurasiaNet.org
Feb 3 2014

February 3, 2014 – 12:43pm, by Giorgi Lomsadze

So what do the Armenian government, the Armenian Apostolic Church
and Sierra Leone all have in common? The answer is businessman Ashot
Sukiasian, who was arrested in Tbilisi on February 1 in connection
with an alleged $10.7-million con-job.

Several years back, Sukiasian borrowed that sum from AmeriaBank,
an Armenian concern of uncertain ownership, to invest in importing
raw diamonds from Sierra Leone for refining in Armenia, the Hetq.am
investigative service reported last May. Diamond-refining is one of
the few booming businesses in Armenia, and a key source of exports.

Documents unearthed by Hetq.am revealed that Sukiasian borrowed the
money for his own diamond venture in the name of Wlispera Holdings,
a Cyprus-based company allegedly co-owned by Armenian Prime Minister
Tigran Sarkisian and former Archbishop Navasard Kjoian.

Prime Minister Sarkisian and Kjoian have denied being Sukiasian’s
business partners, but the ownership documents for Wlispera Holdings
have their signatures, Hetq reported.

Sukiasian allegedly deposited the money for this company in a separate
bank account he held, and, according to police, failed “to abide by
the loan agreement conditions and the business plan he presented,”
according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project,
which cooperated with Hetq.am on the investigation. In what is
described as a joint Armenian-Georgian operation, he was intercepted
in the Tbilisi airport on Saturday after reportedly flying there from
Istanbul, Armenian news outlets reported. (Sukiasian’s name could not
be found on Interpol’s online list of wanted Armenians, however.) His
extradition to Armenia is now in the works, Georgian media say.

Among those, no doubt, eager to hear what comes of any interrogation
is fellow businessman Paylak Hayrapetian, who reportedly provided
the collateral for Sukiasian’s loan, and who has seen AmeriaBank sell
off his assets to recoup the loan.

Hayrapetian, who claims he doesn’t know Sukiasian from Adam, asserted
in a February 3 interview with Aravot.am that he actually was in
business with Prime Minister Sarkisian.

The prime minister and Kjoian “and the owners of AmeriaBank are
involved in this business,” he told the site. Whether or not Sukiasian
agrees, “does not matter,” he continued, “because there is a document”
showing their stakes in Wlispera Holdings.

Prosecutors have yet to interview either Sarkisian or Kjoian,
reportedly.

For Armenians familiar with Prime Minister Sarkisian’s earlier calls
for a serious crackdown on corruption, the irony of these allegations
is hard to miss. For those who have watched the Church become, as IWPR
reported, “intertwined with the political and business groupings that
run Armenia,” the scandal provides additional cause for concern.

But how will it all turn out? Part of the potential answer to that
question may well be sitting in a cell in Tbilisi.

—– –EurasiaNet.org’s South Caucasus news editor, Elizabeth Owen,
added reporting to this post.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA PUBLISHES ACCESSION ROADMAP TO RUSSIA-LED UNION

(c) Fotolia/ Regisser.com
00:47 04/02/2014
Tags: Soviet Union, Customs Union, Serzh Sargsyan, Vladimir Putin,
Vagram Avanesyan, Armenia,Yerevan, Turkey, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan,
Russia

Related News

Armenia to Become Full-Fledged Customs Union Member in 2014 – President
Armenia Ready to Join Russia-Led Customs Union – President EU Expects
Armenia to Clarify Customs Deal With Russia Customs Union in Free
Trade Zone Talks With Non-EU Europe – Lavrov

Multimedia

Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan

YEREVAN, February 3 (RIA Novosti) – Armenia on Monday published a
roadmap for accession to the Russia-led Customs Union, which Yerevan
has pledged to join as Moscow seeks to deepen economic ties across
the former Soviet Union.

The document contains 150 different conditions that must be fulfilled
before Armenia can join the economic alliance of Russia, Belarus
and Kazakhstan, Armenian Economy Minister Vagram Avanesyan told a
government meeting.

Moscow is currently pushing to expand its economic influence in
former Soviet republics. Russian pressure has appeared to backfire
in Ukraine, however, where large street protests erupted in November
as Kiev backed off from economic integration with Europe and instead
signed off on closer ties with Russia.

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan announced in September that his
country would join the Customs Union after a meeting with Russian
President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

(c) oollage by RIA Novosti

Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan

While the two countries are not contiguous, Russia is the largest
trading partner and biggest foreign investor in landlocked Armenia,
which shares a border with Iran and Turkey.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENTEL CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER ARCHIL MAGRADZE FOUND DEAD IN TSAGHKADZOR

by Nana Martirosyan

Monday, February 3, 16:52

ArmenTel Chief Commercial Officer Archil Magradze was found dead in
the resort town of Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, on February 3.

The press service of the Armenian Police has told ArmInfo that
the body of Magradze, 35, was found not far from the sport base of
Tsaghkadzor. Magradze’s car was found on the highway.

To note, on Feb 2 the Police was told that Magradze had disappeared.

He did not answer the phone and nobody knew where he was.

Anush Beghloyan, Spokesperson for ArmenTel CJSC, has told ArmInfo
that the matter apparently concerns a casualty.

To note, Archil Magradze was appointed Chief Commercial Officer at
Beeline Armenia (ArmenTel CJSC) on 11 July 2013. Magradze’s career in
telecommunications started in 1999 at MegaCom Ltd, the first mobile
provider of Georgia. In 2006 he joined Mobitel (Georgia) and took an
active part in the launch of the Beeline brand in Georgia. In 2007-2008
he headed the company’s Batumi branch and in 2008 he became the Chief
Commercial Office at Beeline Georgia.

In 2010 Magradze was appointed Director of Tashkent regional branch
at Beeline Uzbekistan, where he managed to secure two-digit growth in
sales and proceeds. In 2012 he was appointed Chief Commercial Officer
at Beeline Cambodia. Magradze was married and had 4 children.

From: Baghdasarian

PARLIAMENT EMPLOYEES JOIN ‘I AM AGAINST’ CIVIL INITIATIVE

16:04 03/02/2014 >> SOCIETY

About 60 employees of Armenia’s National Assembly organized a
signature campaign against the introduction of the compulsory
accumulative pension system on Saturday, thus joining ‘I am against’
civil initiative.

One of them told Panorama.am that they were taken aback to find that
their salaries for January were cut, while they hoped that the latest
decision of the Constitutional Court had changed the situation.

On January 24, the Constitutional Court of Armenia made a decision
to suspend the implementation of the Law on Compulsory Accumulative
Pension System until the issue of its compliance with the Constitution
has been considered by the Court. The Constitutional Court decided
to suspend the implementation of Article 76 and Article 86 part 3
of the Law on Accumulative Pensions until the legal proceedings on
compliance with the Constitution of Articles 5, 7, 8, 37, 38, 45,
49 and 86 of the Law on Accumulative Pensions are completed.

Source: Panorama.am

From: Baghdasarian

MP: EMPLOYERS MUST NOT YIELD TO STATE REVENUE COMMITTEE’S PRESSURE

by David Stepanyan

ARMINFO
Monday, February 3, 14:58

Employers must not yield to the State Revenue Committee’s pressure,
the deputy chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Financial-Credit
and Budget Affairs Artsvik Minasyan told ArmInfo on Monday.

“The monthly electronic income tax report now has a line about
compulsory pension contributions, which is filled automatically even
if an employer does not want to fill it. I urge all employers not
to transfer the money even if the line is filled. They have such a
right now that the Constitutional Court has suspended some articles
in the law on accumulative pensions till Mar 28,” Minasyan said.

Meanwhile, the “I Am Against!” action group is going to march in the
center of Yerevan on Feb 6 to express its protest against the self-
willed illegal actions of the State Revenue Committee and the Central
Bank and to urge all employers not to deduct any money from the wages
of their employees for compulsory pension contributions.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN CIVIC GROUP WARNS EMPLOYERS AGAINST TRUSTING PENSION FUNDS

11:47 * 03.02.14

The civic group conducting an active campaign against funded pensions
has warned Armenian employers against paying salary taxes to pension
funds.

It has sent letters to the heads of 131 companies, urging them to
stand by the employees’ rights by refusing to transfer any money to
their bridge accounts.

It comes after the Constitutional Court suspended the amended
provisions of the pension law, requiring 5%-10% salary deductions for
pension funds. The amendments apply to all the Armenian citizens born
after 1973.

The group, I am Against, had earlier issued a statement, calling upon
all the employers in Armenia to respect the Constitutional Court’s
ruling and avoid making payments to the pension funds.

“The process of sending letters will be on-going. One hundred more
letter are now being prepared,” reads the appeal.

Armenia’s parliamentary opposition joined the group last month in a
protest against the controversial reforms.

From: Baghdasarian

LA CURE DE RAJEUNISSEMENT DU PRESIDENT SARKISSIAN EN COREE DU SUD DECLENCHE UNE POLEMIQUE

ARMENIE

L’ensemble de la presse reprend un article paru dans les medias
sud-coreens relevant, photos a l’appui, que le President d’Armenie
vient de passer ses vacances en Coree du sud, accompagne de l’ex-> du HK, Arcady Ghoukassian, et du President de l’Union
des Armeniens de Russie, Ara Abrahamian, où ils ont suivi, pendant
une semaine, une cure de rajeunissement pour un coût total de 189 000
dollars. Le porte-parole du President, Arman Saghatelian, a confirme
la visite en Coree du sud, ainsi que le traitement, indiquant,
qu’il s’agissait d’une > et que le Chef de
l’Etat n’avait pas de problèmes de sante. Il a aussi precise que le
President avait paye cette cure sur ses fonds personnels officiellement
declares. Joghovourd rappelle qu’en 2013, le President Sarkissian avait
declare posseder 290 000 $ sur ses comptes bancaires. Ce quotidien
estime immoral de la part d’un chef d’Etat de se permettre de tels
luxes alors qu’officiellement 35% de la population de son pays vit
dans la pauvrete. Ce quotidien relève aussi que les personnalites
haut placees de l’Armenie prefèrent subir des examens medicaux et
des traitements a l’etranger, ce qui traduit leur manque de confiance
dans le système medical de ce pays. A noter que de retour de Seoul,
le President a demis de ses fonctions l’Ambassadeur d’Armenie en
Coree du sud, qui n’est autre que le frère du PM, sans donner aucune
explication./ Rapporte par l’ensemble de la presse

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 27 janvier 2014

lundi 3 fevrier 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

ISRAEL PROPOSE 20 MILLIONS DE DOLLARS A ANKARA POUR LES FAMILLES DE NEUF TURCS TUES

Mavi Marmara

JERUSALEM, 03 fev 2014 (AFP) – Israël a offert 20 millions de dollars
d’indemnisations aux familles des neuf turcs tues en 2010 par l’armee
israelienne lors d’un assaut donne a une flottille au large de Gaza, a
indique lundi le quotidien Haaretz. Citant des “sources diplomatiques
occidentales”, le journal a ajoute que les discussions entre les
deux pays avaient progresse, mais qu’aucun accord n’avait encore ete
conclu. Selon le quotidien, les negociations ont repris en decembre
avec la visite a Ankara d’une delegation israelienne.

A cette occasion , les responsables turcs ont demande 30 millions
de dollars d’indemnites, alors qu’Israël ne proposait a l’epoque que
15 millions, ont precise ces memes sources. Mais d’après le Haaretz,
Israël a offert d’augmenter a 20 millions sa proposition initiale.

Selon le journal, l’argent ne sera pas verse directement aux familles
des morts et des blesses, mais depose a un fonds humanitaire et reparti
aux victimes et a leur famille en fonction de critères bien definis.

Des responsables israeliens cites par le journal estiment qu’aucun
accord ne devrait intervenir avant les elections en Turquie prevues le
30 mars dans la mesure où le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan
redouterait qu’un accord avec Israël puisse lui nuire politiquement.

Dans les negociations en cours, Israël souhaite que la Turquie
renonce a poursuivre en justice les soldats et officiers impliques
dans l’interception de la flottille ainsi qu’une normalisation des
relations entre les deux pays qui aille au-dela du simple retour de
l’ambassadeur turc a Tel Aviv, a poursuivi le Haaretz.

Deja tendues depuis l’operation israelienne meurtrière “Plomb durci”
dans la bande de Gaza (decembre 2008/janvier 2009), les relations
entre la Turquie et Israël, allies strategiques dans les annees
1990, se sont brutalement degradees le 31 mai 2010 lors de l’assaut
israelien contre une flottille de militants pro-palestiniens tentant
de briser le blocus israelien autour de la bande de Gaza, gouverne
par les islamistes du Hamas.

Neuf passagers du navire turc Mavi Marmara avaient ete tues, provoquant
une crise diplomatique entre les deux pays.

lundi 3 fevrier 2014, Ara (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian