Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

87-year-old woman commits suicide in Armenia’s Kapan

July 13, 2013 | 13:17

YEREVAN. – A suicide case was recorded on Friday, at midnight, in
Armenia’s City of Kapan.

The dead body of an elderly pensioner was found in a Kapan apartment.
Her name was Astghik Makeyan and she was 87 years old.

According to preliminary information, Makeyan, who was living alone,
had committed suicide between Thursday and Friday, by hanging herself
from the window frame of her room.

No traces of violence were found on the body, the Police informed
Armenian News-NEWS.am.

A forensic medical examination is commissioned, the circumstances for
the incident are being ascertained, and an investigation is in
progress.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

Expert: Armenia’s signing EU Association Agreement is the next step of
Armenian market expansion by European companies
by Marianna Lazarian

ARMINFO
Saturday, July 13, 00:33

The topic of Armenia’s possible signing the EU Association Agreement
is rather exaggerated in Armenia, Andrey Areshev, research fellow at
the Institute for Political and Social Studies of Black Sea-Caspian
Region, told ArmInfo.

He thinks that the documents may be initialed in Vilnius in November
2013. He said that the real importance of the Association Agreement
for Armenia’s economy and Armenian public is absolutely
incommensurable with the promises given to Yerevan. “At least, it
seems so to Moscow”, he stressed.

Areshev believes that Armenia’s economy faces very serious tasks, in
particular, improvement of the economic situation, strengthening of
the industrial potential, but these tasks rather weakly comply with
the documents to be signed within the frames of the Association
Agreement, because the European Union pursues its own goals – it seeks
to penetrate the South Caucasus markets. Areshev thinks that Armenia’s
signing of the EU Association Agreement will lead to Armenian market
expansion by the European companies.

In the meantime, when speaking of Armenia’s possible accession to the
Customs Union initiated by Russia, Areshev pointed out the need to
move step by step and consider signing agreements that could harmonize
Armenia’s relations with the countries that used to be in a single
economic complex. This will bring more benefit and transparency to the
economic relations between Armenia and the Customs Union members. “I
think integration into the Customs Union has more perspectives than
the Association membership, but here one should not hope for fast
breakthroughs either and should move by easy stages”, he said.

When commenting on the opinion that the sale of Russian offensive arms
to Azerbaijan and the growth in the Russian gas prices are Moscow’s
penitentiary measures against Armenia for possible signing the EU
Association Agreement and aim to integrate Armenia into the Customs
Union, the expert stressed: “These are separate tracks and it would
not be reasonable to lump everything together. Russia’s arms deal with
Azerbaijan had first of all a commercial component”. He added that
Russia simultaneously follows the observance of the military balance
between the parties to the Karabakh conflict.

From: Baghdasarian

The Daily Review (Towanda, Pennsylvania)
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
July 14, 2013 Sunday

Armenia Township donates $10,000 to new Troy Hospital

by Eric Hrin, The Daily Review, Towanda, Pa.

July 14–Armenia Township supervisors have agreed to make a big
donation to the new Guthrie Troy Community Hospital.

According to the recent township meeting minutes, Troy Hospital
President Staci Covey “gave a presentation on the progress of the new
hospital and Donations Director Denise Ives spoke to the financial
needs of the hospital.”

“They requested that the township consider giving a donation towards
the building of the new hospital,” the minutes note. “After a
discussion and polling of the guests present, supervisor (Chad)
Harwick made the motion to donate $10,000 to the hospital (which will
result with the township’s name on a plaque for one of the observation
rooms).”

The motion was seconded by supervisor Richard Popolow and motion was
passed, according to the minutes.

Treasurer Gary Horning will proceed with the paperwork for the donation.

Township secretary Mallory Babcock said the donation was made because
the supervisors felt a need to support the hospital.

In other business, supervisors awarded a bid to remodel the current
township maintenance building and add additional space.

“The Board of Supervisors discussed the issue of whether they need to
rebid the project or award the bid,” the minutes note. “The township
solicitor, Harold Caldwell, provided his input as did several of the
guests present. After a lengthy discussion supervisor Popolow made the
motion to accept the Penn State Construction bid of $316,563…”

From: Baghdasarian

Los Angeles Times, CA
July 14, 2013 Sunday
Home Edition

BOOK REVIEW;
Narcissism rules in ‘This Town’

by David Lauter, Lauter is The Times’ Washington bureau chief.

This Town
Two Parties and a Funeral — Plus Plenty of Valet Parking! — in
America’s Gilded Capital
Mark Leibovich
Blue Rider Press: 386 pp
—

Political scientist Louis Brownlow once famously lauded Franklin D.
Roosevelt’s advisors’ “passion for anonymity.” Gone are the days.

Today’s Washington operatives more closely resemble Norma Desmond in
“Sunset Blvd.” — characters consumed by their own stardom, however
pretend, always “ready for my close-up.” These are the personalities
and the city Mark Leibovich describes in “This Town: Two Parties and a
Funeral — Plus Plenty of Valet Parking! — in America’s Gilded
Capital.”

“This Town,” he writes, is a place where “self-pimping has become the
prevailing social and business imperative,” where “self becomes fused
with brands” and where, quoting the late White House spokesman Tony
Snow, “no one takes friendship too personally.” The figures Leibovich
paints — some well known, others utterly obscure — are grotesque,
profoundly needy people whose egos demand constant reinforcement.
Several eagerly cooperated with Leibovich’s reporting, flaunting their
connections in hopes of winning prominent mention in a book about how
people in Washington flaunt their connections.

As Leibovich notes, their circles are his as well. A staff writer for
the New York Times Magazine, where some of the material already has
appeared, and formerly a reporter at the Washington Post, he has spent
years honing his skill at writing incisive profiles. That work has
given him access to the book’s subjects — a collection of lobbyists,
high-profile journalists and the sort of former senior government
officials who seem to thrive for years providing vague “consulting”
services.

He limns them with great skill. Often a single line will do.

Former Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, the onetime Democratic
presidential hopeful and friend of organized labor, now a lobbyist,
got $70,000 a month from the government of Turkey to block a
congressional resolution condemning the slaughter of Armenians in
1915.

“Genocide goes down a little easier at those rates,” Leibovich writes.

Or listen in as former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) describes how he
considered taking the top job at the Motion Picture Assn. of America
for an annual salary of more than $1 million. “I don’t give a …
about piracy,” Leibovich quotes Kerrey as saying, “but for that money,
I have to admit, I started getting a little interested in piracy.”

In the end, the job went to another former Democratic senator, Chris
Dodd, who had said repeatedly that he would not lobby when he left
Congress. Explaining his $1.2-million change of heart, Dodd shows no
contrition. He had made the no-lobbying pledge “before this
opportunity was on the radar screen,” he says.

In other cases, an anecdote illustrates the unrelenting
self-absorption of Leibovich’s characters.

The late ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke was desperately trying to get
a meeting with President Obama. Blocked by officials at the National
Security Council, he hoped to enlist the help of Obama’s strategist,
David Axelrod. First, however, he had to get to see Axelrod. That
meant lobbying his scheduler, Eric Lesser. So Holbrooke confronted
Lesser in a White House men’s room, pressing his case as the two stood
at urinals.

Then there is Terry McAuliffe, the former chairman of the Democratic
National Committee, prominent (and constantly self-proclaimed) “Friend
of Bill” and current candidate for governor of Virginia who serves as
one of the book’s recurrent characters. Early on, Leibovich tells
readers all they really need to know.

“McAuliffe made his mark as one of the most irrepressible money men in
American political history,” he writes. “So committed is the Macker to
his art that he even stopped off at a fundraiser on the way home from
the hospital with his wife, Dorothy, after she gave birth to their
newborn son, Peter. Dorothy stayed in the car, crying, while the baby
slept and the Macker did his thing. ‘I felt bad for Dorothy,’ he would
later write, ‘But it was a million bucks for the Democratic Party.’ ”

Such gems provide this book’s strength. Its weaknesses come when
Leibovich grabs for Deeper Meaning.

In American popular culture, politics used to figure mostly as a
setting for morality plays involving elected officials — “Mr. Smith
Goes to Washington” or “Advise & Consent” being the archetypes. But at
least since the Bill Clinton era, a succession of stories from “The
War Room” to “The West Wing” to “Game Change” has turned lower-level
operatives into celebrities.

That newfound fame, coupled with the endless hours of cable airtime
begging to be filled, has helped swell the ranks of those who populate
Washington’s greenrooms, Leibovich correctly notes. That change, in
turn, has helped give rise to a Washington media culture of “buzz”
that rewards rumormongering, however baseless; speculation, however
foolish; and celebrity, however vapid.

Not incidentally, it has created a market for a book that critiques
and lampoons that celebrity even as it feeds off it.

What Leibovich leaves unsaid, however, is how few of the people he
writes about actually matter outside their own self-obsessed social
circles. Washington has many tribal cultures. The tribe Leibovich
writes about consists mostly of nonideological back-scratchers and
deal makers. But Washington is an increasingly ideological capital
that makes very few deals anymore.

Over the last generation, the most consequential change in Washington
has been the huge energies and immense sums that have poured into
organizations designed to define rigid ideological rules for each
party and punish elected officials who stray beyond the bounds. The
“gridlock” that so many Americans profess to dislike about Washington
owes far more to those ideological warriors than to the preening
talking heads who flit from greenroom to greenroom.

The people Leibovich profiles live to pontificate about process, not
to fight over substance. The only parties they care about take place
in the evening and feature drinks. His skillful depiction of their
warts would have been stronger had he more openly dealt with the
limits of their influence.

From: Baghdasarian

Observer & Eccentric – HomeTownLife, MI
July 14 2013

6th annual Armenian Fest set for July 20

Jul. 14, 2013 9:48 AM

ROYAL OAK The metro Detroit Armenia Fest Committee, in collaboration
with the Detroit Knights of Vartan, announced that they will be
hosting the sixth annual Armenia Fest on Saturday, July 20, at the
Royal Oak Farmers Market from 5-10 p.m.

A year in the planning, the festival will begin with American and
Armenian Anthems performed a capella by Armenian world-renowned
vocalist Rubik Mailian, who serves as choir director at Southfield’s
St. John’s Armenian Church. A ribbon cutting ceremony and introduction
of special guests at 6 p.m. will follow.

There is free admission, and guests are encouraged to bring lawn
chairs and be prepared to travel to Armenia for an evening.

The first ethnic festival ever held in the City of Royal Oak, the
Armenian Fest will again feature a rich collage of Armenian culture.
The Royal Oak Farmers Market will be transformed into a Middle Eastern
bazaar with booths exhibiting Armenian crafts, artwork, souvenirs,
music, cookbooks and jewelry. Authentic Armenian food including tasty
kebabs, stuffed grape leaves, pastries and breads will be available
for purchase.

Live traditional and contemporary Armenian music will be performed
during the evening by The Armenia Fest All-Star Band, under the
direction of Vaughn Masropian.

A highlight of the evening will be two performances by the Arax
Hamazkayin Dance Troupe, comprised of local Armenian youth trained in
the art of Armenian folk dance. Their costuming, enthusiasm and
choreographed dance routines have been a crowd favorite

The Armenia Fest 2013 Committee is co-chaired by Ed Bedikian, Corinne
Khederian and David Terzibashian who were assisted by committee
members Hagop Alexanian, Ara Belian, Ray Boujoulian, Pamela Coultis,
Ken Khezarjian, Paul Kulhanjian, Shirley Sarkisian and Madeline
Thomasian.

From: Baghdasarian

Yerevan hosts Golden Apricot Film Festival closing ceremony

July 14, 2013 – 11:21 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Yerevan’s National Academic Theater of Opera and
Ballet hosted the closing ceremony of Golden Apricot 10th
International Film Festival.

In International Feature Competition, the Golden Apricot went to
Serbian filmmaker SrÄ`an Golubovic’s `Circles,’ with Iranian helmer
Majid Barzegar’s `Parviz’ as a runner up. `Araf ` Somewhere
in-Between’ (Turkey/France/Germany, 2012) was granted a Special Jury
Mention.

In Armenian Panorama category, the Golden Apricot was awarded to Maria
Sahakyan’s `I’m Going to Change My Name’. Lusin Dink’s `Saroyanland’
got a Silver Apricot.

In International Documentary Competition the Golden Apricot went to
Bulgarian helmer Svetoslav Stoyanov’s `The Last Black Sea Pirates,’
the Mahdi Fleife’s `A World Not Ours’ granted a Special Mention.

The main prize in Short Film Competition was awarded to Israeli
filmmaker Leon Prudovsky’s `Welcome and¦ Our Condolences,’ Å?ukasz
Ostalski’s `The Mother’ and Elmar Imanov’s `The Swing of the Coffin
Maker’ were granted a Special Jury Mention.

Fipresci Award went to Iranian helmer Salem Salavati’s `The Last
Winter.’ Ecumenic Jury Award was granted to Rusudan Chkonia’s `Keep
Smiling,’ Daria Onyshchenko’s `Eastalgia’ got the Special Jury
Mention.

Tamara Stepanyan’s `Embers got the British Council Award, while Hrant
Matevosyan Special Award was granted to Jivan Avetissyan’s `Broken
Childhood.’

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA: KARABAKH VETERANS FIGHT TO SURVIVE

EurasiaNet.org, NY
July 12 2013

July 12, 2013 – 12:00pm, by Gayane Abrahamyan and Anahit Hayrapetyan

Successful in war, Armenian veterans of the 1988-1994 conflict with
Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh have been far less successful
in securing the benefits they say they deserve from the Armenian
government.

Since May, hundreds of Armenia’s estimated 15,000 to 21,000
Karabakh war veterans have been locked in a tug-of-war with the
government and parliament for higher pensions and discounts on medical
assistance, tuition fees for their children, utility bills and public
transportation. But after two meetings with Prime Minister Tigran
Sarkisian, one with Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian, the submission
of a draft law to parliament and weeks of protests and sit-ins in
Yerevan’s Liberty Square, matters remain deadlocked.

The issue strikes directly at the heart of Armenia’s post-Soviet
identity. The campaign for ethnic Armenians to control Karabakh,
predominantly ethnic Armenian territory also claimed by Azerbaijan,
was a central plank in the movement of the late 1980s that eventually
resulted in Armenia’s independence from the Soviet Union.

But if the men who trekked off to fight had been hopeful and
enthusiastic then, now they are angry and desperate.

“Freedom-fighters’ rights are violated” and “War veterans are
neglected,” declared posters displayed at Liberty Square, also the
site of Soviet-era Karabakh demonstrations.

Reserve Army Colonel Volodya Avetisian, a 50-year-old father of six
and former unit commander during the Karabakh war, started protests
in mid-May with a three-day sit-in later joined by hundreds of other
veterans. Avetisian receives a 79,000-dram ($192) monthly pension, the
highest among his comrades, yet not enough to cover his basic expenses.

“I cannot survive living off my pension, let alone my friends,
who receive half the amount I get. . . [S]eeing that, I decided to
raise this issue,” he explained. “I have had enough of seeing people
neglected who shed their blood, sacrificed their health and youth
for the sake of victory.”

Benefits, set by the ministries of defense and social welfare,
are modest. Pensions range between 30,000 and 80,000 drams (around
$73-$193) per month, an amount insufficient to cover the medical needs
of disabled vets. Veterans now are demanding that pensions be raised
to 100,000 – 200,000 drams (around $240-$480) per month.

Housing makes up most of the defense ministry’s assistance. In 2013,
it will spend 3 billion drams (about $7 million) to solve veterans’
housing problems, said ministry spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisian
Over the past 20 years, some 1,400 veterans have received either
apartments or the money to buy one, he said.

Free medical assistance is also provided, but complaints abound.

Forty-eight-year-old Vardan Amirjanian, who supports three children
on a 23,000-dram ($56) monthly pension, recently had one-third of his
lower right leg amputated after gangrene set into an old war injury.

It took three months for the defense ministry to refuse his request
for help.

“Early treatment would have saved my leg from amputation,” said
Amirjanian, who has returned his four merit medals to the ministry
in protest.

Passing a law on veteran benefits would improve matters, believes
Hovhannisian, since it would require a “statistical enquiry” into
the number of legitimate veterans who exist. Bribery and rampant
falsification of IDs in the chaotic post-war years distorted data.

But, so far, no such law exists. About a month after the protests
began, two pro-government parliamentarians and veterans — General
Manvel Grigorian, the prominent head of the Yerkrapah (Homeland
Defender) Union, and Samvel Farmanian, a former spokesperson for
President Serzh Sargsyan – submitted a bill that would define the
status of Karabakh veterans discharged from the military.

The draft proposes to define as a “Yerkrapah volunteer” anyone who
fought for at least three months on Armenia’s borders between 1989
and 1994, as well as anyone killed or wounded during the hostilities.

Doctors, teachers and reporters who somehow helped the fighters would
also classify as “volunteers.”

The law passed unanimously in the first reading. Protesting veterans
and opposition members, though, argue that the measure is a mere
“formality” which does nothing to address social-welfare problems. But
bill co-author Farmanian insists that “this is just the first step.”

Such benefits will be handled “[l]ater, with the Lord’s mercy, if the
state budget has sufficient means, and may God help our country develop
economically so much that we can also carry out social reforms,”
he said.

That pledge did nothing to reassure sit-in participant Karen
Melikbekian. “If they are now referring to God’s mercy, nothing is
going to happen,” he commented. “We have to fight and achieve what
we demand. Otherwise, the cup of our patience is full.”

Draft legislation addressing veterans’ problems has been submitted
to Armenia’s legislature twice since 2002, but never passed – “for
reasons unknown,” complained Hakob Grigorian, head of the Karabakh
War Veterans’ Union.

With a state budget of 1.15 trillion drams (roughly $2.8 billion),
the lowest in the South Caucasus, and a long-standing lack of jobs,
Armenia claims that it cannot afford to grant veterans more. But
veterans don’t buy that argument.

“We understand that the country is facing a financial crisis, but it
is about smart management — the amount spent on expensive cars for
high-ranking officials would have provided the freedom-fighters with
a lifetime of decent living conditions,” charged Ishkhan Sargsian,
head of the Shushi-92 Union of Freedom Fighters and War Veterans.

The defense ministry maintains that it does what it can. Defense
Minister Seyran Ohanian, a Karabakh native and war veteran who lost
a leg to the conflict, meets with “more than 150 to 200 veterans
every month, hears them out, tries to help, ” Hovhannisian said,
“but the issue has to be solved on a state, legislative level.”

But most veterans do not have high hopes for real change. Fearing
a “dangerous tendency” to consign Armenia’s Karabakh veterans “to
oblivion,” Avetisian pledges that the campaign for adequate benefits
will continue.

“We are still in a state of war and if active hostilities happen
to resume, nobody would go to the battlefield having witnessed our
misery.”

Editor’s Note: Gayane Abrahamyan is a freelance reporter and editor
in Yerevan.

Anahit Hayrapetyan is a freelance photojournalist based in Yerevan.

From: Baghdasarian

BBC ABOUT SYRIAN ARMENIANS

17:24 12.07.2013
BBC, Syrian Armenians

BBC’s From Our Own Correspondent radio program presents a report about
Syrian Armenians.

Yerevan, in Armenia, is the homeland of an international Diaspora
famous for its commercial sense and its willingness to go a long way
to explore new opportunities,”

Armenian emigre communities have sprung up across the world – and
certainly across the Middle East – but the Armenians of Syria have
come under particular pressure recently as the conflict there
escalates.

BBC’s Kieran Cooke spends time in a shoe shop with a family who
recently left Aleppo, and hears what they make of the current
situation.

The report reminds that Armenians once fled the Ottoman Empire in 1915
and settled in Syria, but now many are fleeing the conflict in Syria
and going back to Armenia.

Click here to listen to the program (start listening from the 4.30th minute).

From: Baghdasarian

3 AND 5-STAR ARARAT COGNAC MOST EXPORTED FROM ARMENIA

09:51, 12 July, 2013

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS: 3 and 5-star cognacs of the Ararat brand
are the most exported from the Republic of Armenia to 30 countries
of the world. This was stated to Armenpress by the Manager for the
Department of Public Relations of the Yerevan Ararat Factory CJSC
Zaruhi Saribekyan. She noted that the range of the Ararat cognacs,
produced by the Yerevan Ararat Factory, in the wide consumption
markets has the following names: Ararat 3 stars (aged 3 years), Ararat
5 stars (aged 5 years), Ani (aged 6 years), Otborny (aged 7 years),
Akhtamar (aged 10 years), Dvin Collection (aged 10 years), Tonakan
(aged 15 years), Nairi (aged 20 years).

The Manager for the Department of Public Relations of the Yerevan
Ararat Factory CJSC noted that from July 2010 to June 2011 2 million
503 thousand liters of cognac was exported from the Republic of
Armenia, in the same period of 2011-2012 – 3 million 365 thousand
liters and from July 2012 to June 2013 – 3 million 633 thousand liters
of cognac.

Zaruhi Saribekyan reminded that on March 14 the official presentation
of the Ararat cognac was held in the Slovakia’s capital Bratislava.

About 2% of the world cognac market is covered by the Armenian
legendary brandy. The largest consumption market of the Ararat brandy
continues to be the Russian Federation, followed by Ukraine and the
European countries.

The Ararat brandies from the Yerevan Brandy Company are legendary,
embodying Armenia, its cultural and historical heritage. This product
has been an inalienable attribute of life for many generations. And
today it’s on the most famous and successful brand in Armenia as well
as worldwide. Ararat has been preserving the traditions of brandy
production since 1887. Only local varieties of grape with special
properties are used in the production an authentic Armenian brandy,
based on the unique microclimate of the Ararat Valley. The method of
double distillation preserves the flavor and aroma of grapes, and
transfers them into the brandy spirits. The ageing of the brandies
is done exclusively in oak barrels, and in 2002 the factory rebuilt
its own cooperage industry in accordance with classic technology
and using only Armenian varieties of oak. During the ageing process
the spirit is enriched with natural flavors of dried fruits, spices,
chocolate and vanilla.

Each of the 7 brandies included in the Ararat line: 3 stars, 5 stars,
Ani, Otborny, Akhtamar, Vaspurakan and Nairi, has its own unique taste.

In 2011, Yerevan Brandy Company launched the Ararat Exclusive
collection uniting the most exquisite and unique brandies in the
Ararat range: Armenia and Dvin.

From: Baghdasarian

HENRY RENAULT: ARMENIA HAS ITS BASTILLE AND CAN’T AVOID IT

Ambassador of France to Armenia congratulated Armenia for being in
the last phase of reconciliation with Europe. He said that it is a
very important achievement. Henry Renault noted that France has never
doubted Armenia’s ability to fulfill its mission. According to him,
the Association Agreement will be a further impetus to Armenia-EU
relations. The French ambassador says EU is Armenia’s number one
economic partner.

Henry Renault avoided answering whether he sees pressure by Russia
on Armenia saying that as an ambassador he can’t comment. As to the
Association Agreement, it opens prospects for Armenia, but it will
never create obstacles for Armenia’s relations with other countries,
including Russia. For France, Russia is a leading economic partner.

The French ambassador noted that the Armenian-French relations are
at a very high level. He attached importance to the French active
participation in OSCE Minsk Group activities. According to the
ambassador, France is the leading Western investor in Armenia. There
are things to do in the trade sphere in terms of export from France
to Armenia.

Henry Renault dwelt on revolutions noting that the storming of the
Bastilles is a continuous movement which never stops. As to freedom
and democracy, they need to get concretized and purified always.

The ambassador of France attached importance to the role of women in
the storming of the Bastilles. Renault said that every country has
its Bastille and Armenia is unable to get rid of it or avoid it. “Not
only Armenia needs reforms. All countries always need them”, he said.

12:38 12/07/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

From: Baghdasarian