Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

We need to get rid of literary waste, says Armenian writer

17:33 – 15.09.13

Ahead of new elections to the Writers’ Union of Armenia, Tert.am has
interviewed writer, translator and publicist Samvel Lazarian who
shared his concerns over the existing stagnation in the literary
circles and his expectation of the new president.

Mr Lazarian, the date of the Writers’ Union special congress – which
is to elect a president – is not known yet, but there is already the
traditional atmosphere observed from election to election, with names
being mentioned and passions running high (in contrast to the
post-election years, when the Writers’ Union is silent). What features
would you like the new president to have?

I would like the Writers’ Union president to try to change something.
To change what we see today, and not only today. The Writers’ Union –
at least for myself – is a kind of unnecessary institution, not a
union which has to serve writers and especially literature, and assist
first of all in the publishing of books. To have such a union, the
president has to make fundamental changes. But to be frank, I have no
idea how the questions accumulated over the course of years are going
to find a solution.

For many years, people who haven’t written a single story have joined
the Writers’ Union. I know a person, for instance, who is
half-literate. Imagine a member of the Composers’ Union not having a
good ear for music or not knowing the notes well.

The president has to clear the Writers’ Union, which has turned into
something like an Augean stable today. Only the talented, those who
serve the literature, have to stay.

I think the president has to be an orderly normal person to make the
Writers’ Union serve literature as an independent instutitution,
instead of expressing the opinion of the authorities and [President]
Serzh Sargsyan.

What does the Writers’ Union president have to do to clean the Augean
stables? Does he or she have to sack [those members]? You know better
than anyone that many of our writers today think of themselves as …

Yes, I know. All consider themselves a genius. To be frank, I don’t
know of such a special method, but call it a special commission or an
auditing, there has to be something like that to clean the system. The
Writers’ Union today has a group [of people] who produce literary
waste, as well as people whose literature falls short of many literary
criteria in half of the cases. Today, anyone can write a book and
later search and find a couple of writers for a recommendation to
become a Writers’ Union member.

I don’t mind if everybody’s literary heritage, including mine, is
revised. But it is necessary to get rid of this literary waste.

You spoke about the publication of books. Do you know how much and
what quality of literature the Writers’ Union publishes annually?

In the recent years, the Writers’ Union acquired a print house thanks
to the efforts of [late President] Levon Ananyan. But the books
published are very poor, in my opinion. What I have seen is very poor
in terms of the printing quality, not to speak of the literary
criteria.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: Baghdasarian

COMMUNAUTE-VALENCE
Le Collectif Mémoire et Avenir, cap sur la dénonciation du négationnisme

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Après une saison très riche, le Collectif Mémoire et Avenir animé par
le coordinateur Krikor Amirzayan tenait sa réunion de rentrée le 13
septembre à la salle Cheneviers de la MJC Jean Moulin à
Bourg-Lès-Valence (Drôme)). Etaient présents une douzaine de membres,
dont Georges Eretzian, Henri Siranyan, Chrisian Charrière, Gérard
Jassoud, Vartkés Simonian, Alain Euksuzian, Aurore Boyadjian, Sonia
Sarkissian et Zarmig Nourissian.

Les membres du Collectif ont rappelé la saison écoulée marquée par de
nombreuses manifestations. Parmi ces dernières, une soirée de
présentation-débat sur « La Syrie, histoire et actualité » en octobre,
présentée par Krikor Amirzayan, puis en décembre une rencontre-débat
sur « Les Coptes ». Le Collectif Mémoire et Avenir visitait également
de l’exposition « Plénitude » de Toros au Musée d’Art Contemporain
Saint Martin de Montélimar début mars. Puis il présentait une
soirée-découverte des Assyro-Chaldéens présentée par Henri Siranyan.

« Le public, présent en nombre sur l’ensemble de ces manifestations
confirmait l’intérêt qu’il portait à nos rendez-vous très
enrichissants au point de vue des connaissances » dit le coordinateur
Krikor Amirzayan et il ajoute « mais ces soirées à thème ne sont que
l’émanation d’un certain engagement du Collectif Mémoire et Avenir sur
la dénonciation des négationnismes des génocides ou un soutien des
peuples oubliés ou victimes de l’histoire. Parmi ces derniers, les
Arméniens, avec le génocide arménien sont en première ligne de
l’intérêt du Collectif. Mais nous avons également jeté un « coup de
projecteur » sur des peuples quasiment oubliés tels que les Coptes ou
les Assyro-Chaldéens ».

Le Collectif Mémoire et Avenir lutte contre le néagtionnisme

C’est cette forme de « découverte-militantisme » que se réclament les
membres du Collectif Mémoire et Avenir. La réunion de rentrée permit
au Collectif Mémoire et Avenir de tracer ses futures manifestations
liées à lutter contre le négationnisme et mieux comprendre ce
phénomène.

dimanche 15 septembre 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

Interfax, Russia
Sept 13 2013

Azerbaijan may forgive foreigners who illegally visited occupied Azeri
land – Foreign Ministry

BAKU. Sept 13 (Interfax) -The foreigners who were declared personae
non grata in Azerbaijan for unauthorized visits to the occupied
Nagorny Karabakh territory may be removed from the blacklist if they
apologize to Azerbaijan, Azeri Foreign Ministry press officer Elman
Abdullayev told a briefing on Friday.

“A list of people declared personae non grata in Azerbaijan has
recently been made. The people on this list have expressed concerns
that they will never be able to visit Azerbaijan again. In this
regard, some of them have contacted the Azeri Foreign Ministry,”
Abdullayev said.

“In their reports, those people said they were deceived when they
visited Nagorny Karabakh,” he said.

Students from John Hopkins University have asked to be removed from
the blacklist, saying they were misled by Armenia, he said.

“Among the people on the list are Russian State Duma deputy Alexei
Mitrofanov, James Brooke, the head of the Voice of America bureau for
Russia, and others, including politicians, students, and journalists.
The main thing is that they understand that the situation is serious
and are contacting the Azeri authorities,” Abdullayev said.

Abdullayev said some countries arrest people who violate their
borders, put them on international most wanted persons list, and try
them in a court of law.

“There were cases when citizens who accidentally violated the border
were arrested. After the list of personae non grata was made, the
Azeri Foreign Ministry started receiving requests for permission to
visit the occupied territories. These people are mainly journalists,”
Abdullayev said.

Responding to a question from Interfax on the number of people on the
blacklist, Abdullayev said there are 335 people on the list, but
people will be removed from it after their requests are considered.

Commenting on the issue of companies investing in the occupied Azeri
territories, Abdullayev reiterated that such companies were created by
the Armenian lobby.

“It have been proved by the general amount of alleged investment in
these territories by world-famous brands. Karabakh can only develop as
part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Our Armenian citizens who live in
those territories also understand that very well,” he said.

av cm

From: Baghdasarian

Interfax, Russia
Sept 13 2013

Armenia to sell Russia defective cassettes with fresh nuclear fuel

YEREVAN. Sept 13

Armenia will sell Russia seven cassettes with fresh nuclear fuel that
have technical defects, Armenian Energy and Natural Resources Minister
Armen Movsisyan said at a government meeting on Friday.

He said three of these cassettes were delivered to the Armenian
Nuclear Power Plant in 1979 and four were delivered in 1987. But they
could not be used due to the defects. Storing the cassettes at the NPP
is problematic because they cannot be transferred to the spent nuclear
fuel repository.

“We tried repeatedly to return the cassettes to the manufacturer, but
did not get agreement. And only now we received agreement from the
Russian side to accept the cassettes for a certain sum,” Movsisian
said.

Armenia has agreed to sell the nuclear materials to Russia for $5,000
per kilogram, he said.

The minister said that a plane would arrive in Armenia on Sunday with
fresh nuclear fuel for the Armenian NPP, and will then return the
seven cassettes to the manufacturer.

In order to sell the cassettes, the government decided on Friday to
grant state company CJSC Armenia NPP a license to export nuclear
materials.

Analysts estimate the Armenian NPP uses 90-100 nuclear fuel cassettes
per year that are bought from Russian nuclear fuel company TVEL.

The Armenian NPP has two Russian-designed VVER-440generating units
combined capacity of 815 MW. The first reactor came on line in 1876
and the second in 1980. The plant was mothballed in 1989 for political
reasons, but in early 1995 the country brought the second unit, with
capacity of 404 MW, back on line and it is the only one now operating.
The NPP generates about 45% of Armenia’s electricity.

Vp of

From: Baghdasarian

RUSSIA’S PRESSURE ON ARMENIA UNEXPECTED FOR AUTHORITIES – ASHOT MANUCHARYAN

September 14, 2013 | 12:34

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s decision to join the Customs Union was made as
a result of huge pressure from Russia, member of Karabakh committee
Ashot Manucharyan believes.

Manucharyan noted that Armenia had been holding serious negotiations
with Europe for over three years and had been talking about European
values, and then everything changed in a while.

“All these facts prove that Armenian authorities were pressed. In
fact, the Customs Union is not an economic union, but a political
and military and political alliance,” he told reporters.

The member of Karabakh committee said Russia’s pressure on Armenia
was unexpected for the authorities, but not a surprise for the U.S.,
since the Armenian government machine is under American influence.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

HRANT DINK SHOWED THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO BREAK TABOOS IN TURKEY: HAIKAZUN ALVRTSYAN

12:13, 14 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS: The experience of killing a man
under political purposes in Turkey exists since the very beginning
of foundation of that country. “Armenpress” reports that director of
scientific-research center “Study center of Western Armenians’ issues”
Hrant Dink’s friend Haikazun Alvrtsyan during press conference on
September 14 mentioned the meetings with reporters, employees of
“Agos”, Armenian and Turkish intellectuals during his visits to
Western Armenia and especially Istanbul show that Hrant Dink first of
all was their ideological leader. “Hrant changed many things not only
in Armenian cause but also in the way of accepting it in Turkey. He
showed that among Turkish society can be done what was considered as
a taboo for a long time,” said Dinks’ friend.

In his opinion taking into consideration that today 3-4 Armenian
generation living in Turkey or is unaware or came on value system of
a country which implemented Armenian genocide Dink’s contribution was
invaluable who was sure that Turkey can become democratic and his
intellectual friends living in Turkey had the same opinion. While
Turkey for centuries tried toile both to East and West with fake
promises and implement its totalitarian policy.

Alvrtsyan informed that on the eve of 60th anniversary of Hrant Dink
on September 15, 2014 the foundation will organize several events.

Hrant Dink was killed by Turkish nationalists on January 19,
2007. On his funeral day hundreds of thousands people came out to
Istanbul streets with slogans “We are all Armenians”, “We are all
Hrant”. On January 17, 2012 Istanbul court sentenced Yasin Hayal to
life imprisonment for organizing the crime. The killer Ogiun Samast
will spend oin prison 22.5 years. The court decided the murder was
not an organized crime.

On September 15 Hrant Dink would become 59.

From: Baghdasarian

3,000 YEAR OLD RING DISCOVERED IN ARSTAKH

10:13 14.09.2013

A 3,000 year old bronze ring, in the shape of a heart, has been
unearthed in Karabakh, Asbarez reports, quoting Russian blogger
Mazzoni Guide, who visited Artsakh this summer.

Describing the heart-shaped ornament – which appears to have been
worn as a necklace – the blogger says, “This is a three thousand year
old piece of jewelry. Today, the heart shape is ubiquitous, used as
a symbol of love: on clothing, in pictures, and text messaging. But
people have been using this symbol for ages. Looking at this ring,
one must imagine that this is the first heart-shaped ornament on the
planet; and it’s probable that even then, this ornament symbolized
love.”

From: Baghdasarian

L’ARMENIE PROLONGE LA DUREE D’EXPLOITATION DE SA CENTRALE NUCLEAIRE

nucleaire-Armenie-environnement

EREVAN, 13 sept 2013 (AFP) – Les autorites armeniennes ont annonce
vendredi avoir decide de prolonger la duree d’exploitation de la
centrale nucleaire de Metsamor jusqu’en 2026, malgre des craintes
sur la vetuste de ses installations remontant a l’epoque sovietique.

“La centrale nucleaire va fonctionner jusqu’en 2026”, a declare le
ministre de l’Energie, Armen Movsissian, aux journalistes.

Initialement, la centrale devait fermer ses portes en 2016. En 2012,
le gouvernement armenien avait cependant deja decide de prolonger sa
duree d’exploitation jusqu’en 2020.

Debut septembre, il a ete annonce que l’entreprise publique russe
Rosatom allait cooperer avec les experts armeniens pour prolonger
jusqu’a 2026 sa duree d’exploitation, lors d’une rencontre a Moscou
entre les presidents armenien Serge Sarkissian et russe Vladimir
Poutine.

La centrale nucleaire de Metsamor, situee a seulement 30 kilomètres
d’Erevan, la capitale, près de la frontière avec la Turquie, se trouve
dans une zone d’activite sismique, theâtre d’un violent seisme qui
avait fait 25.000 morts en 1988.

Les autorites armeniennes ont assure a plusieurs reprises que la
centrale, qui fournit environ 40% de l’energie consommee dans ce
pays, etait en mesure de faire face a un eventuel seisme, en depit
des craintes emises par des ecologistes locaux.

Les autorites avaient ferme la centrale après le tremblement de terre
de 1988, avant d’etre contraintes de la rouvrir quelques annees plus
tard, en depit des objections de l’UE et des Etats-Unis, pour faire
face a d’importantes penuries d’electricite.

samedi 14 septembre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

500 KM OF NORTH-SOUTH IS COVERED WITH CONCRETE

Country – Friday, 13 September 2013, 16:47

There are shortcomings in the construction of the North-South highway,
the minister of transport and communication Gagik Beglaryan told
reporters today. “We are not 100% satisfied, there are some slight
shortcomings which they promised to overcome. Shortcomings are related
to quality but they are small, unlike the former ones, there are slight
shortcomings now,” the minister said. He noted that the French Safege
Company has put more rigid control in place after the revelations of
the Control Chamber and replaced the whole staff. Gagik Beglaryan noted
that if the work proceeds along the schedule, it will be possible to
implement 40% of work by the end of the year.

Construction is underway in Artashat and Ashtarak, 500 meters of
road is covered with concrete every day. “They promised that as soon
as the work proceeds properly, up to 700-800 meters will be covered
with concrete every day,” the minister said. The third disbursement
of 100 million dollars will be signed off in 1.5-2 months.

From: Baghdasarian

CUSTOMS PROSPECTS OF THE ARMENIAN ECONOMY

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Sept 13 2013

13 September 2013 – 9:14am

David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

In the context of recent changes in the foreign political course of
Armenia, which are characterized by changing the economic vector of
development, the authorities are involved in their favorite occupation
– calculating the growth rate of the Armenian economy.

The head of the State Committee on Security of Economic Competition,
Artak Shaboyan, promised the government that Armenia’s competitiveness
has improved. To confirm his words, he presented a report by the
World Economic Forum on Global Competitive Capacity 2013-2014,
according to which Armenia took 79th place among 148 countries –
it improved its position by three places.

The effectiveness of Armenia’s anti-monopoly policy rose 19 places,
putting it ahead of Georgia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan. In the influence
of dominating subjects on the Armenian market, it surpasses not only
several CIS countries, but also Eastern European countries (Hungary,
Slovenia, Slovakia). However, Premier Tigran Sarkisyan reminded that
in customs reforms Armenia takes one of the lowest positions in the
ratings of the World Economic Forum. According to him, in quality
of management schools the country takes 120th place in the world;
the capacity of holding talents – 121st place; export share in GDP –
130th place in the world.

In fact, the Armenian economy is absent in the top-100 of the world
ratings, it’s place is between Mauritius and Equatorial Guinea. In the
2000s the Armenian economy, which is concentrated on production of
non-ferrous metals and food products, managed to gain double-digit
indices of economic growth. However, after the global crisis of
2008-2009 reduced GDP by 14%, economists had to analyze the reasons
for reduction of investment inflows into the republic. The reason was
simple – the corruption level in Armenia is one of the highest in the
world, which doesn’t encourage attracting foreign capital. As a result,
about 13% of the GDP of the republic is money transfers from abroad;
this led to the GDP crash during the crisis.

In January-July 2013 the overall volume of foreign investments in
the real sector of the economy fell by 34.7%, reaching $293 million.

Strangely enough, the investment leader in Armenia is Argentina –
$76.1million, then Russia – $38.4 million, Canada – $36.5 million,
Cyprus – $37.7 million, and France – $28.9 million. In general the
share of direct investments of the Customs Union states in Armenia
is $2.1 billion, which is 40% of all foreign investments. The main
share of these investments comes from Russia and is directed at
transportation of gas, railway transport, non-ferrous metallurgy,
the banking sector, insurance, TV-communication. The trade turnover of
Armenia with the Customs Union states in January-July 2013 was $742.3
million, while the full volume of trade turnover was $3.2 billion.

According to predictions of economic experts, the volume of foreign
investment in the real sector of economy will continue falling till
at least the end of 2013.

According to the head of the Center of Integration Studies of the
Eurasian Bank, Yevgeny Vinokurov, joining the Customs Union will help
Armenia to attract major target investments directed at the spheres
of transport and energy.

From: Baghdasarian