Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

EXPLOSION NEAR THE ARMENIAN-GREEK COLLEGE IN YEREVAN; ONE INJURED

12:14 11.10.2013

One person was injured as a result of an explosion in the territory
of the Armenian-Greek State College of Tourism, Services and Food
Industry in Yerevan’s Shengavit district, the Ministry of Emergency
Situations reports.

The Ministry received an alarm at 09:22 a.m. Two firefighting brigades
were sent to the scene.

The guard of the college, who was injured in the accident, was
taken to Yerevan Medical Center. His health condition is assessed
as satisfactory.

From: Baghdasarian

EDUCATION MINISTRY SPENDS 6.6 MILLION AMD ON FIXED-LINE PHONE

Friday,
October
11

‘Zhoghovurd’ writes that Armenian Ministry of Education and Science
spent about 6.6 million AMD on phone services. The paper saw documents
showing that the ministry paid that sum to ArmenTel Company, mostly
for fixed-line phone services.

“In fact, the ministry staff likes to talk over the phone. Yet the
sum spent by education ministry is smaller compared with that spent
by finance ministry. Employees of the finance ministry ‘managed’
to use phone services of 8.5 million drams,” the paper notes.

TODAY, 12:31

Aysor.am

From: Baghdasarian

THE KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT IS CONDITIONED NEITHER BY THE GLOBAL
NOR BY THE REGIONAL POLICY

Friday, 11 October 2013 12:38

The NKR should get its international recognition

On October 5, the scientific conference called `The
Artsakh National-Liberation Movement: from Gyulistan up to Nowadays’
continued its work at the NKR NA. The focus was made on the Karabakh
conflict, in the context of the global and regional policy.

The first speaker was Chairman of the European Integration
NGO Karen Bekarian who presented the process of the Karabakh conflict
peaceful settlement against the background of temporal conversion of
domestic and foreign factors.

The participants listened attentively to the speech of
senior researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International
Relations of the RF Academy of Sciences, Professor Victor Sheynis. He
dwelt on the issues of the problematic region and the peaceful
settlement of the conflict, noting that he ascribed the kind words
addressed to him in Artsakh not so much to himself as to those
democrats in Russia who from the first days of the Karabakh Movement
have declared their support of the legitimate demands of the Armenians
of Artsakh. «They are Andrey Sakharov, Galina Starovoitova, and
others. I can continue the names. My colleagues, members of the
Russian Parliament were in Karabakh and the Shahumian region. The
people didn’t change their positions on the Karabakh issue, keeping on
their principles till the end», said the professor. Mr. Sheynis
presented the options of further developments of the
Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, in particular, drawing the
participants’ attention to the Madrid Principles. He believes that
they cannot be considered operating principles. Maybe their
realization is possible in the future, but only in case of
supplementing their content. The military solution of the Karabakh
conflict is excluded, and as for the views on the international
arbitrage expressed at the conference, he noted that hopes shouldn’t
be pinned on superpowers. The guarantee of the security of Karabakh is
its people and not the international arbitrage. And, surely, fraternal
Armenia.

Leuven Catholic University researcher Javier Folebuck
presented, on the Karabakh example, the EU policy on protracted
conflicts. What is the EU policy on the Karabakh issue? This was the
main question of the speaker. The answer was definite – there is no
such policy, because the EU ambitions in the foreign policy sphere,
and especially in the South Caucasus, are quite broad. This fact
should be taken into account while considering the EU Eastern
Partnership program. The EU cannot take any decision on the Karabakh
issue, because it should be admitted by all the member-states of the
organization. And as it is impossible to take such a decision, the EU
is focusing on the directions of its activity in the South Caucasus
region. The EU cannot either choose between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as
the interests incline it one time to Armenia and another time – to
Azerbaijan. And if the EU wishes to be more actively involved in the
Karabakh settlement process, so, according to Folebuck, the
organization should, first of all, entrust a wide diplomatic mandate
to its representative, which can ensure his active involvement in the
Karabakh-related processes.

The issue of corresponding transformation for conflicts
resolution and establishment of stable peace in Nagorno Karabakh was
touched upon by political sciences lecturer at the American University
of Beirut Johannes Gyukchyan. First of all, transformation of
injustice is needed. Also, the international recognition of the NKR
and its security should be in the focus of attention. For ensuring the
fair solution to the conflict, the historical grounds of the conflict
and the principle of people’s self-determination should be considered.
Mr. Gyukchyan believes that Azerbaijan is greatly mistaken, giving the
priority to the territorial integrity, because one of the necessary
conditions for resolving the conflict is establishment of bilateral
relations.

In his speech, true friend of the Armenian people,
Chairman of the France-Artsakh Friendship Circle François Rochebloine
dwelt on the prospects of the conflict settlement. The speaker asked
the audience – how to combine the two contradicting principles of
territorial integrity and people’s right to self-determination? The
conflict resolution should be started with the study of the historical
grounds of the conflict. The NKR is an established state with all the
institutes, and its Parliament is operating on the rules that are
followed by the National Assembly of France. In the peaceful
settlement process, the international mediators should take into
account the realities in the political, economic, and cultural fields
of this country. And the direct participation of the NKR
representative in the negotiation process is a must.

Discussing the stance of the Obama Administration on the
Karabakh issue in the context of the USA regional policy, Executive
Director of the Armenian Association of Political Science, PhD
Benjamin Poghossian stated that Azerbaijan’s significance for the USA
is obvious. It is explained by the energy carriers’ import from the
region, and the fact of strengthening the USA influence on the South
Caucasus processes in the post-Soviet period gets secondary importance
in this case.

The next speaker, Austrian historian, senior researcher at
the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Christophe Benedict touched upon the
European echoes of the Karabakh conflict. According to the historian,
Europe considers it urgent to transform the ways of thinking and the
approaches of the conflicting states’ societies, in case of which
mutual contacts and a dialogue will be possible. But, in case of
Azerbaijan the probability of such transformation is equal to zero.
Mr. Benedict’s contacts with the Azerbaijani NGOs led him to the
belief that the country is totalitarian where the efforts aimed at the
development of democratic institutes and protection of human rights
fail.

Touching upon the intensification of the EU involvement in
the conflict peaceful settlement process, the historian emphasized
that the EU Special Representative’s mandate in the region doesn’t
provide him with such a power, and the Eastern Partnership
opportunities are quite limited in this respect.

Speeches were also made by Chairman of the International
Academy of Spiritual Unity of the Peoples of Russia Georgy
Trapeznikov, senior researcher at the Clingendael University Shaun
Riordan, head of the Armenian branch of the Institute of CIS Countries
Alexander Markarov, Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute Sergey
Minasyan, and Larisa Alaverdian from the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic)
University.

Panel discussions on `The Prospects of the Economic Development of
Artsakh’ took place in the afternoon.

Later, an exchange of opinions took place. The
participants asked their questions, expressed their views, and made
their comments.

NKR NA Chairman Ashot Ghulian summarized the work of the
two-day international scientific conference, highlighting the
scientific and practical significance of similar events, and then
expressed his gratitude to all the participants and organizers of the
conference.

Ruzan ISHKHANIAN

From: Baghdasarian

Metro (UK)
October 11, 2013 Friday
Edition 1; Scotland

Now I’m (not) a believer: Richard Herring meets an Armenian
fortuneteller and learns of a matchmaking spirit guide

I HAD my fortune told by an old lady in Armenia last month (it’s a
long story). She dropped melted wax into a bowl of water above my head
and told my future from the shapes of the cooling globules. Well, she
didn’t tell my future, she told me about some stuff that had already
happened.

Actually, she didn’t do that either because she didn’t get anything right.

‘Did you have an accident two days ago?’ No. ‘It might be two months.’
No. ‘Or two years? There’s something with an accident and the number
two.’ I’ve had the occasional accident involving a number two but that
happens to us all, surely? Eventually, she changed tack and asked me
if I disbelieved in fortunetelling.

I conceded that I was sceptical but I really wanted to be proven wrong.

The wax said I was adrift, unable to connect with my spiritual side
and I never lit candles in church. Suddenly she was getting everything
right. The wax seemed angry with me for not lighting candles. You’d
think it would like me for not murdering its cousins.

I was told that I have a saint looking after me (she didn’t tell me
which one) but I wasn’t accepting his help. I felt a bit sorry for
this unappreciated saint but I was surprised to have a Christian
guardian angel, because that’s not what I’d been told before.

In 2001, I went out with an actress who I had fancied from afar for
years. Eventually she had been cast in a play that I’d written
(somehow) and we ended up getting together. We were very different.
She was into crystals and believed that fairies genuinely existed. She
practised homeopathy. I am rational and scientific.

I’m 95 per cent certain there are no fairies at all. I like medicine.
But who cared? We were in love.

One weekend, we went for a t’ai chi lesson (I must have loved her).
The woman taking the class told us that she could see spirits from the
other side. Our spirit guide was in the room. My girlfriend and I
shared the same spirit guide! I didn’t know that. I thought if you had
a spirit guide you’d get one to yourself, 24/7. But apparently they
take shifts.

Anyway, she told us that ours was a Red Indian (I would have said
Native American) called Running Bear. I felt that was a bit
embarrassing and clichéd. If I have a spirit guide, I’d like it to be
something quirky and unexpected, like a 19thcentury accountant called
Simon, who’s secretly bisexual.

SHE said Running Bear was smiling. He’d been trying to get us together
for ages, he knew we were soulmates. Finally he’d succeeded and now
we’d be together for ever.

Which was interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I’d fancied
this woman for ten years before we met and we worked in the same job.
Surely any spirit guide worth his salt could have got us together in,
what, a fortnight maximum? Secondly, we weren’t soulmates: we argued
constantly and split up about two months later.

A five-year-old child could have seen we weren’t meant to be. What was
Running Bear thinking, bringing together two such wildly incompatible
people? I hate Running Bear. He’s a dick. I am glad my ancestors wiped
out his entire civilisation.

Though I do grudgingly respect him for agreeing to spiritually assist
the descendants of the people who did that to his culture. Very
forgiving.

Maybe that’s why he’s bringing together such unsuitable couples. The
subtlest revenge.

Richard’s show, We’re All Going to Die!, is at London’s Leicester
Square Theatre until Sunday. For tickets and details, visit

From: Baghdasarian

Armenian ex-MP, businessman speaks of accession to Customs Union

18:20 – 11.10.13

In an interview with Tert.am, ex-member of Armenia’s Parliament and
President of the Vedi Alco Company Manvel Ghazaryan spoke of the
economic prospects of Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union.

– Mr Ghazaryan, as a businessman, what’s your opinion of Armenia’s
accession to the Customs Union?

– I voiced my opinion of the Customs Union as far back as May. I
welcomed the process and my opinion remains unchanged. Because the
Customs Union is like we have lived for the last 200 years. We have
been economically integrating into this system and no other system
will ever have room for us.

– Are you satisfied with the arguments for the economic benefits
Armenia can gain by joining the Customs Union?

– The fact that we will not lose this market is an enormous benefit.
And if Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan had not made the statement on
Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union, the grapes procurement would
have stopped as far back as September. No winery or brandy factory
would have purchased grapes.

– Did you receive any signals that Russians refused to import Armenian
wine or cognac?

– No, we did not. Everyone seemed to be hopeful that we would join the
Customs Union and we did not receive any opposite signals. The Customs
Union area’s share in Armenia’s exports of drinks of grapes is 95%.

– Do you think that not only the security factor, but also the
economic one are essential for Armenia’s accession to the Customs
Union?

– The greatest security is economic security because we cannot speak
of any security without economy or even hope for that.

– Why was the EU donor conference expected to result in investments of
millions of US dollars?

– Neighboring Georgia has this experience. Donors were regularly
sponsoring the country and it was isolated from the Russian market.
Viniculture and viticulture showed serious regress there. If we have
normal working conditions, why should we put an end to it and wait for
subsidies or assistance?

– If so, what was the purpose of the four-and-a-half-year-long negotiations?

– I think the negotiations are going on now as well. We should
continue seeking normal relations – be it Europe, the West, USA or
China. We should not forget that we have large communities both in the
USA and in Europe, and we must have good political relations with
them. And I do not think we should set any limits.

– We are speaking of the benefits of not losing the Russian market.
However, Russians have always loved Georgian wines, and our wines are
not in such a great demand in Russia as Armenian cognac.

– Yes, Armenia is famous for its cognac, and Georgia for its wine. For
the past ten or more years we have been trying to make our wine known
in Russia’s market. Some progress has been made. I think that we have
a rather long way to pass to make our wine as famous as Georgian
wines.

– Is it the quality problem?

– It is not the quality. True, Georgia produces high-quality wines.
But we too have both the potential and the opinions of most West
European experts. We have been in contact with them since 1999. And
Armenian wines are not inferior to Georgian wines. When I say `our
products,’ I mean that most of our grapes is used in cognac
production. And losing Russia’s market or the Customs Union area means
an end to Armenian cognac-making.

– The cognac price rose from September 1because of the excise tax and
energy price. May wines rise in price for the same reasons?

– To tell the truth, all the prices have been rising for the past ten
years – except for the prices for wine, cognac and vodka.

– What’s your opinion on the statements that by joining the Customs
Union Armenia is losing part of its sovereignty because a
supranational body will be working, with its decisions mandatory for
all the member-states. I am putting this question to you as a
participant in the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

– For example, France, Germany and other European nations were
independent throughout the period we were not. And if some of them
stopped using their national currencies thus yielding part of their
sovereignty why should we not? Why do not we speak of the Russian
troops defending our borders, but speak of losing our national values?

From: Baghdasarian

Young Armenians get first-hand experience of OSCE decision-making process

October 11, 2013 | 20:16

YEREVAN. – Some 60 Armenian students came together for a two-day Model
OSCE Conference, a simulation exercise of one of the OSCE’s main
decision-making bodies, the Permanent Council.

The event organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan with the support of
the Norwegian Government is designed to educate students about the
OSCE and give them an opportunity to practice their negotiation and
public speaking skills.

`I appreciate the enthusiasm shown by our participants towards the
OSCE commitments and its work around the world,’ said Oliver McCoy,
Democratization Programme Officer of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. `It
is encouraging to see that students are very interested in our event,
and it creates a good basis for the preparation of the next Model
OSCE.’

Participants aged between 18 and 25 years are to discuss the current
political situation between hypothetical countries of Norslavia and
Malia and suggest solutions to tackle the challenges connected with
economic crisis, growing migration, public unrests and instability.
Prior to the conference, participants increased their knowledge about
the OSCE, international relations, public speaking and negotiation
skills in a series of thematic workshops, organized for them by the
OSCE.

Alen Shadunts, a student from the Yerevan State University who chaired
the discussions said: `Model OSCE Conference has played an important
role for checking and improving my theoretical knowledge. For students
of international relations this conference is an excellent opportunity
to gain practical experience. That is why I decided to once again
apply for participation.’

The OSCE Office in Yerevan has been holding Model OSCE Conferences
since 2008. The Conference is a mock session of the OSCE Permanent
Council where participants act as `Ambassadors’ of the OSCE
participating States.

From: Baghdasarian

The 25th Town: Armenian Americans Embrace Koutoujian Campaign

By Katie Vanadzin // October 12, 2013

Waltham, Mass. (A.W.)-With less than a week to go until the special
Democratic primary on Tuesday, October 15, Peter Koutoujian’s campaign
remains in full swing. The recent endorsement of Koutoujian by
Massachusetts House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo has given the Koutoujian
campaign an added boost in these critical last days. DeLeo represents
Winthrop and Revere, but his influence extends throughout the state.
In a Boston.com story, DeLeo was quoted as having said, `I know how
important it is for a district to have a strong, dedicated and
intelligent representative always willing to do what is in the best
interest of his or her constituents… Peter will be that person for the
Fifth Congressional District.’

Koutoujian greets students of St Stephen’s Armenian School.

Long before high-profile endorsements, there was a humming engine
quietly powering the Koutoujian campaign. The Armenian-American
community within and even beyond the Fifth Congressional District has
been a vital force behind Peter Koutoujian’s election efforts. It was
clear from the outset of the campaign that the Armenian vote was going
to be crucial to the election efforts; so much so that the Armenian
community was considered as a `25th town’ in the 24-town Fifth
Congressional District. Dr. Noubar Afeyan, a local entrepreneur who
has been involved in the campaign from its inception, explained, `My
friends and I brought up this notion of considering the Armenians as a
[town], as opposed to a little here, a little there…. To their credit,
they took that to heart and called it a `25th town,’ which Peter talks
a lot about these days.’

Afeyan shares a characteristic of many Armenians who have been
galvanized by the Koutoujian campaign: he is not usually politically
active. `I am not at all politically involved, I’ve been involved in
no other campaign, [but] I know Peter quite well and I reached out
very early on when he first said he would be running, and felt that
the Armenian community, if activated, much more so than the usual
(which is very little) could be a significant factor.’ Once involved,
however, there are no half measures. Many volunteers have recruited
their entire families into the campaign efforts, and Afeyan is no
exception, as his 15-year-old son, Alex, has been a very active
volunteer in canvassing and phone-banking over the past two months as
part of the Campaign Fellows program.

The challenge for these volunteers then becomes to engage their
friends and neighbors, who are often similarly politically reticent.
Raffi Festekjian, a local businessman who has contributed to and
fundraised for the campaign, noted that innate Armenian skepticism has
posed a challenge. `We always complain as a group that we don’t have
enough representation, but when the right representation comes… we
tend to be skeptical, that’s kind of our Armenian thing.’

Afeyan explains, `I would say that there are pockets of the Armenian
community that are self-motivated and got involved early on, but it’s
a very small number. I think we simply don’t have the tradition,
practice, predisposition to volunteer in this way – time, money,
otherwise, let alone get our friends involved. I think that one of my
sincere hopes is that Peter not only wins, but that this campaign
would have been the beginning of a more organized and active Armenian
community, across political lines, across aspects of the community,
such that we can have a stronger voice and one that could shape
elections.’

This hope was echoed by Dr. Aram Kaligian, another active volunteer
member of the Koutoujian campaign. Describing his volunteer efforts,
Kaligian explained, `I’ve been trying to get people in the community
behind Peter – I mean, clearly people in the community will vote for
him, but trying to get people to actively come out and work for him
and to actively drum up support…It’s a historic opportunity, an
Armenian-American in Congress, we’ve only got two so far, so this is
the first time on the east coast, and it’s a big opportunity that we
can’t just let go by…if we don’t get some Armenians in Congress, we’re
never going to get Armenian issues off the ground.’ These efforts to
get out the vote have included email publicity, phone-banking
organized by the ANCA Eastern Region, and speaking at Camp Haiastan
and Café Anoush. Like the Afeyans, Kaligian’s family has also become
involved. Dr. Kaligian’s brother, Dikran, and their parents, Barkev
and Seta, have all volunteered.

Many volunteers echo the sense of opportunity expressed by Afeyan and
Kaligian. JJ Hajjar, another supporter, elaborated on the potential he
sees. `For me…the candidacy of one of [the] prominent and visible
member[s] of our community is a serious foray of the
Armenian-Americans from Massachusetts onto the US political landscape.
Whether he wins the nomination or not, I am sure this will entice
others to follow in his footstep[s]….This is especially true of our
new generation who constitute the bulk of his volunteer base. I am
optimistic and confident that we will make history and elect our first
Armenian-American from Massachusetts to be the Democratic nominee and
eventually the US congressman from the Fifth District. This will be a
voice from our community that will champion our needs and concerns
nationally especially as we prepare to commemorate the Genocide
centennial in a couple of years.’

Achieving recognition of the Genocide was a frequently expressed hope
among volunteers. Kaligian explained, `My point of view is that if we
don’t get Armenians into Congress, we’re always going to be asking the
average congressman to do whatever, and we have a lot of people who
support our issues, but when push comes to shove, we just can’t get it
passed because the Turks have just too much money to buy off the last
votes…And there are a lot of other things Armenians in Congress can do
other than put the Genocide Resolution forward.’

Kaligian stressed the implications that an Armenian in the US Congress
could have for Armenia itself, as well as for Armenian-Americans. `We
need to start building ties, Peter could start taking people with him
to Armenia on Congressional visits…once people start to see what’s
being done over there and what kinds of people we’ve got over there,
then we start to build trade alliances and start to really build
things up…There’s also the whole anti-corruption thing. Nobody’s
holding the government accountable, we can’t as Diasporans, they don’t
listen to the Diaspora, there’s no real reason that they have to. But
if they know that there are Armenian congressmen and that’s part the
equation when it comes to wanting to get support from America then
maybe they’ll have to start cleaning up their act, and cleaning up the
corruption and the whole oligarchy.’

For many of those involved in the Koutoujian campaign, there is a
personal element. Many have known Peter for many years, and see him as
a natural leader. Hajjar cited Koutoujian’s efforts in promoting
issues of importance to the Armenian community, as well as his
involvement in the creation of the Armenian Heritage Park in the Rose
Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. Afeyan is a friend of Peter’s, and
Kaligian formed his impressions of the candidate decades in advance.
`I’ve…known him since we were young, we had some Armenian neighbors in
Lexington, and he was their cousin, so I didn’t know him well but we
would see him once or twice a year at Easter or Christmas. And when
you know somebody young, you know what they’re like. He was an honest,
straight-up kid back then, and when you know somebody that long,
especially a politician… he’s a good politician.’

Aside from personal ties, respect for Koutoujian’s political prowess
and experience was a common refrain. Hajjar described Koutoujian’s
positions on many issues to as being very well-aligned with prevailing
sentiments in the Fifth District. Kaligian noted Koutoujian’s
negotiating experience, saying, `We need people who are going to be
strong negotiators, who are going to be able to negotiate, but aren’t
just going to cave in every time a Tea Party person starts to hold his
breath until he turns blue. You talk to Peter and you realize he’s had
the experience, he’s dealt with it, he was the chairman of three State
House committees.’

Above all, there is a sense of hope among those involved that the
Koutoujian campaign may be the beginning of a larger movement.
Festekjian views Koutoujian as an example that `…this can happen, and
the more Armenians run, the more Armenians maybe win, people will be
more encouraged about it [and say] `Actually, know what, we can do
this’, and I’m a firm believer that we can do this and we should do
this.’ Kaligian notes the special election’s unique opportunity for an
Armenian electoral impact; `Another positive for Peter is that this is
a special election, so it’s going to be a low voter turnout, so the
Armenian vote can actually mean something, where usually we don’t have
numbers enough to actually mean anything…The Armenian vote can
actually make or break the election. If every Armenian comes out and
votes for Peter, we’ll win the election.’

From: Baghdasarian

Armenian government delegation discusses cooperation plans with IMF
and World Bank leaders

15:17 12/10/2013 » ECONOMY

An Armenian government delegation attended the Annual Meetings of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) in
Washington, government’s press service reported.

Minister-Chief of RA Government Staff Vache Gabrielyan, Finance
Minister David Sargsyan and Economy Minister Vahram Avanesyan met with
the leaders of IMF and World Bank and discussed with them the programs
they plan to implement with our country in the coming years and their
directions.

Source: Panorama.am

From: Baghdasarian

Hovik Abrahamyan’s Only Chance

The head of the Armenian Association of Political Scientists Hmayak
Hovhannisyan revealed some episodes of domestic intrigues and named
the likely presidential candidate for 2018 in his Facebook post.

Hmayak Hovhannisyan thinks Speaker Abrahamyan intends to run for
president. Hovhannisyan also informed that Abrahamyan has been able to
separate his son’s father-in-law Gagik Tsarukyan from Robert
Kochairyan and is using him as a blunt tool for his purposes.

Hovik Abrahamyan has dismissed intentions to run in the presidential
elections, noting that his ill-wishers spread such rumors and he knows
who they are. However, Hmayak Hovhannisyan who was trying to link
Robert Kocharyan’s and Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s teams in 2012 has a
different opinion.

In fact, the society does not care about the fuss for the post of
president that is taking place among different clans. This may
interest the society only in case some candidate appears who will be
able to withdraw the country from the criminal oligarchic and clannish
schemes of the `three presidents’. Currently Armenia is in a political
stagnation. The traditional political centers that have formed around
the three president are embarrassed. They have common approaches to
most problems, they even have common sponsors, and the only conflict
is over the personality of the president. Currently the clans are
seeking for a new person.

The foreign stakeholders might also be looking for a new candidate.
They have acknowledged their shortcomings in the selection of partners
in Armenia. Although, on the other hand, the West did not have a
choice in Armenia because everything is in Russia’s hands. Therefore,
a decision was made to bid on those who had real power. However, the
bid failed, and the need for forces that were outside the pro-Russian
triangle occurred.

Internally, some forces may bid on Hovik Abrahamyan. Hovik Abrahamyan
is a peculiar personality in the Armenian politics. Although he said
that politics does not take brains, he has been able to link the
interests of the country’s main actors to himself.

The only thing that he has not been able to see and understand is that
these very players are losing their importance both domestically and
abroad. Besides, Armenia is not isolated, and though the foreign
factor was essential to all the elections, the next elections may
become the quintessence of the foreign political race for Armenia.

Hovik Abrahamyan will stand a chance only in case Armenia is
altogether isolated from the world and becomes a small tribal state
and continues to undergo institutional degradation. Hovik Abrahamyan
with his dazzling career and ambitions is the live symbol and
participant of degradation of the Armenian state.

Naira Hayrumyan
14:31 12/10/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

From: Baghdasarian

Armenia’s capital turns 2795 today – endless words of love by famous
and loved people

13:40 – 12.10.13

Armenia’s capital ,Yerevan, traditionally celebrates its anniversary
(Erebuni-Yerevan) on a Saturday at the beginning of October.

Today, the capital city turns 2795.

On this remarkable occasion, Tert.am has talked to well-known and
loved residents of Yerevan.

`Yerevan is my birthplace. The sweetest memories of my childhood and
youth are linked to Yerevan,’ said actor Vardan Petrosyan. `My bitter
memories too, are linked to Yerevan. But at my age today, I remember
them with pleasure because the troubles of youth also seem sweet to a
human being. And besides, my youth period was very active; I lived in
Yerevan at a time when everything was full of life. I remember so well
that everything in our life was so colorful; even the deprivations
were colorful, a kind of red, pink and light blue… Perhaps we were
young and in love with one another … I had a strong feeling of
attachment, and you know, I wasn’t the only one. If you ask people of
my generation who have lived in Yerevan, well we couldn’t be away from
Yerevan for a long period. We would go to the seaside, but couldn
hardly resist a 25-day absence. We would return with haste. There was
something magic about this city.’

`The founder of Yerevan – I don’t mean [King] Argishti whom I do not
even know – were [architect Alexander] Tamanyan, [prominent linguist
Hrachya] Acharyan. Later came [sculptor Yervand] Kochar, and also
[artist Martiros] Saryan. They managed to create an extremely powerful
center. Their spirit was probably wandering about Yerevan

`Yerevan later saw those very bitter days. I left Yerevan, to be
frank, with very bitter feelings, but I never lost my connections with
Yerevan. And my departure became an endless return, a confession of an
endless sin, and an endless love.

Jazz musician Levon Malkhasyan, whom Tert.am contacted for comments
months ago, expressed the following feelings and ideas about the
capital city:

`I have almost never been absent from the city throughout my life. I
treat Yerevan the way as I would treat a child. Both the shortcoming
and the achievements of Yerevan are mine. The biggest shortcoming I
see in Yerevan today is emigration. That emigration affects me very
badly.’

Gagik Ginosyan, the art director of the national ethnographic ensemble
Karin, shared the following impressions with Tert.am:

`I wasn’t born in Yerevan, but when I was two my parents brought me
here to participate the celebration of Yerevan’s 2750th anniversary.
My first entrance to Yerevan was very festive. It was the first and
biggest jubilee since the discovery of the traces of Erebuni.

`Now that I have lived in Yerevan twice as much as in my birthplace, I
would like us, the Yerevan residents, to live in such a way that would
make Yerevan the capital of all Armenians a place where every Armenian
would make himself or herself at home, no matter where they come from.
And they would feel as the citizens of the state whose main pulse is
Yerevan.’

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: Baghdasarian