Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ECONOMIE
Un orage de grêles produit de graves ravage à Armavir

Un puissant orage de grêle a causé dimanche de graves dommages à la
province d’Armavir situé au sud de l’Arménie, détruisant les récoltes
dans environ trois dizaines de villages locaux et laissant des
dizaines de paysans ruinés avec pratiquement aucune source de revenus
pour cette année.

Des dizaines de villageois en colère ont brièvement bloqué lundi une
autoroute principale menant à Erevan pour la deuxième journée
consécutive, afin d’exiger une indemnisation urgente du gouvernement
pour la perte de leurs moyens de subsistance.

La plupart d’entre eux sont des résidents de Mrgashat, l’un des
villages plus durement touchés de cette région viticole bordant la
Turquie. Ils auront très peu de chance de pouvoir exploiter leurs
vignobles dévastés par la grêle. De nombreux habitants auront non
seulement des difficultés à assurer leur propre subsistance, mais
seront également dans l’impossibilité de rembourser les prêts
agricoles à intérêt élevé offerts par les banques commerciales.

« Nous avons investi tout notre argent dans cette exploitation qui a
maintenant disparu,` explique Khachik, un agriculteur de Mrgashat, à
RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am), montrant son vignoble détruit par la
catastrophe.

`Les cultures ont disparu`, a déclaré un autre homme. `Ceux qui ont
obtenu des prêts pour gagner leur vie cette année ont perdu toute
possibilité de les rembourser.`

Les manifestants ont exigé que le gouverneur de la région, Ashot
Ghahramanian, et de hauts responsables gouvernementaux d’Erevan
visitent leurs communautés, évaluent les dégts et les dédommagent de
leurs pertes. Certains estiment que le président Serge Sarkissian
devrait personnellement venir.

`Monsieur le Président, nous vous avons soutenu. Où êtes-vous ?
Aidez-nous `, a crié un agriculteur local. `Il a obtenu 80 pour cent
des voix ici », dit un autre.

Les agriculteurs ont débloqué la route après avoir reçu des assurances
officielles que le ministre de l’Agriculture et vice-gouverneur
Ghahramanian allait visiter leur village tard dans la journée.

Les deux responsables devaient inspecter les villages d’Armavir après
une réunion d’urgence tenue au ministère de l’Agriculture à Erevan.
Elle a été présidée par le ministre de l’Agriculture Sergo Karapetian.
Un communiqué du ministère a déclaré qu’un groupe de travail spécial a
été mis en place pour faire le bilan des dégts causés par la tempête
de grêle et donner aux agriculteurs des conseils professionnels . Mais
pas un mot n’a été prononcé sur la compensation financière demandée
par la population touchée.

Les averses de grêle détruisent régulièrement une partie considérable
de la production agricole en Arménie. Le gouvernement a tenté de
résoudre le problème au cours de la dernière décennie par l’achat et
l’installation de canons antigrêle dans tout le pays. La plupart des
zones agricoles ne sont cependant toujours pas couvertes par eux,.

Selon le ministère arménien des Situations d’urgence, il existe
actuellement 69 stations de ces canons antigrêle à Armavir. Les
fonctionnaires du ministère estiment que la région en encore besoin de
200 afin d’être pleinement protégés contre la grêle.

Ce type canon antigrêle est inexistant dans le village Mrgashat et les
villages voisins.

mardi 14 mai 2013,
Ara ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

Vladimir Kazimirov: No breakthrough in Karabakh 19 years after the
ceasefire was signed

16:51 13.05.2013

On May 12 the bloodshed in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict was stopped
by the signing of the ceasefire agreement. `There is no real
breakthrough in the negotiation process 19 years after the signing of
the document. Furthermore, the threat of resumption of military
actions is still there,’ Vladimir Kazimirov, former Co-Chair of the
OSCE Minsk Group, wrote in an article titled `Threats of New War and
the Lessons of Past’ published in Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

`The ruling elite in the country, which considers itself the loser in
the war, is thirsty of revenge, instigates arms race and poisons new
generations with miasma of hatred and hostility. The international
community and Minsk Group Co-Chairs – Russia, United States and France
– openly refute the military solution of the conflict and insist on
the search for compromises. The stalemate in the negotiations
continues as the sides keep clinging to overrated, unrealistic
demands,’ Kazimirov writes.

According to him, war is no better and even not worse than the status
quo.’It’s high time for the parties, which have entrusted the peaceful
settlement of the conflict to the OSCE, to reach an agreement on
unacceptability of the use of force. `This is logical, and
Azerbaijan’s refusal to reach an agreement creates a tense atmosphere
not conductive to peaceful negotiations.’

Kazimirov considers that it’s necessary to bring the conflict to the
political field, excluding the military option. `Only the elimination
of the shadow of new war will save the talks on Karabakh from
congestions and slips,’ he concluded.

From: Baghdasarian

Court rejects Gaspari’s lawsuit

04:10 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

The Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork-Marash
districts today rejected the complaint of opposition activist Vardges
Gaspari, who demands that RA Police and Ministry of Finance pay him
AMD 850 000 in compensation.

Gaspari claims that on March 3, 2011, he was taken in from Republic
Square for impeding traffic and preventing the police from carrying
out their duties. The police brought a lawsuit against him alleging
that he had committed an administrative offense on April 22. V.
Gaspari said that he was the director of the VAL Automation LLC, and
as a result of the 15-month-long trial he had suffered losses in
business, since he had wasted his mental capacity on examining legal
acts. Gaspari demands 850 000 drams in damages. He submitted the
business progress reports of 2010 and 2011; in 2010, he gained more
than 3 million drams in revenue, whereas in 2011, he gained only 1 129
000 drams in revenue. The representative of the Finance Ministry
objected to the lawsuit, referring to the mechanism of compensation
and said that Gaspari hadn’t submitted any documents regarding
unlawfulness of the government bodies’ actions. After delaying the
trial for 15 months, the police withdrew the lawsuit, and the case was
closed. Eduard Petrosyan, the representative of the police, confirmed
that both the above-mentioned lawsuit of the police and the decision
to close the case had been submitted to the court. The examination of
the case was completed. The court judgment on that case was due on May
13, aravot.am reports.

From: Baghdasarian

Ouest-France
dimanche 5 mai 2013

Anne-Laure Ménard parraine deux jeunes Arméniennes

L’histoire

La chanteuse Anne-Laure Ménard vient de rentrer de son deuxième séjour
en Arménie, qui s’est déroulé du 13 au 25 avril. Là-bas, à Vardenis,
ville d’environ 15 000 habitants, jumelée avec Romans-sur-Isère, elle
est allée rencontrer Anush, 15 ans, et Lilit, 12 ans. Deux jeunes
collégiennes qu’elle parraine par le biais de l’organisation non
gouvernementale Vision du monde. « C’est la première ONG de parrainage
d’enfants dans le monde. »

Depuis 5 ans et demi, elle parraine Anush, qu’elle avait déjà
rencontrée en septembre 2008, et Lilit depuis février 2012. Chaque
mois elle envoie 25 ¤ par enfant à l’ONG pour ses missions d’actions
sociales.

« Salaire de 200¤ par mois »

« Je n’ai pas d’enfant, c’est un besoin de donner de l’espoir à des
enfants. Ils savent que quelqu’un pense à eux quelque part. Mes deux
filleules savent que je suis leur marraine, je leur envoie des colis
pour Noël, pour leur anniversaire et aussi des lettres en anglais qui
sont retraduites par Vision du monde en Arménien.»

Dans ses valises, Anne-Laure a emporté des cadeaux et des vêtements
pour les filles, mais aussi pour deux autres frère et soeur d’Anush «
C’est un plaisir d’acheter des petits vêtements sympas. Là-bas, ils
sont aussi chers qu’ici et le salaire est d’environ 200 ¤ par mois.
Les familles sont très pauvres. »Accompagnée de son guide Karen, elle
a été hébergée chez l’habitant et a pu découvrir une bonne partie du
pays durant son séjour. Elle a vu le contraste entre la capitale
Erevan,« la vitrine du pays », où il y a plein de magasins et des
supermarchés ouverts 24 heures sur 24-« ça m’a d’ailleurs choquée »-et
la pauvreté dans les villages.
Anne-Laure n’a pas choisi ce pays par hasard. « J’ai connu le système
de parrainage par internet et c’était une volonté de ma part. Je
cherchais le moyen de le faire. L’Arménie est un pays chrétien. Sa
situation est catastrophique ; sa situation géopolitique n’estpas
évidente, à l’Est de la Turquie et au Nord de l’Iran. C’est une forme
de solidarité. »Anne-Laure a assisté, le 24 avril, à la commémoration
du génocide de 1915 avec des milliers de personnes qui défilent pour
se souvenir que leur pays aurait pu ne plus exister.

Pour les personnes qui souhaiteraient parrainer un enfant:

From: Baghdasarian

Turkish Press
May 13 2013

Azerbaijani president calls for support on Nagorno-Karabakh issue

Aliyev said Azerbaijan needed support of international community to
end Armenian invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh.

VIENNA – Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev asked the international
community to lend its support for ending the Armenian invasion of
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia insists on not leaving Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally
recognized as part of Azerbaijan, even after United Nations Security
Council made a decision stipulating the end of the invasion, Aliyev
said in a joint press conference with Austrian President Heinz Fischer
in Vienna during his official visit to the country.

Fischer said the cooperation between the two countries would continue
not only on economic basis, but also on all international platforms,
UN in particular.

Commenting on Syria issue, Fischer said that Austria favored a
“political resolution” for the Syrian conflict, adding that a
resolution could become feasible if Russia and the United States
reached an agreement.

A military intervention, like in Iraq, would not be acceptable, Fischer said.

Meanwhile, Aliyev called the twin car bombings in Hatay province near
Turkish-Syrian border as “barbaric”, and said international
cooperation was necessary to fight against such acts of terrorism.

From: Baghdasarian

Mirror, UK
May 13 2013

Eurovision 2013 preview: Will Armenia entry Lonely Planet see Dorians
join song contest winners?

13 May 2013 11:08
We run the rule over Armenia’s Eurovision Song Contest entry

Armenia came down to earth with a bump last year when they failed to
make the final of Eurovision.

Up until then, they had enjoyed a run of top 10 finishes since their
debut in 2006, with fourth in 2008 their biggest success to date.

This year Armenia has opted for rock band Dorians. They have a big
name on the ticket too, in the form of Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, who
co-wrote the song. Although how many Black Sabbath fans watch
Eurovision and will be voting for them is debatable.

So will Dorians get Europe rocking?

Unfortunately this sounds like your neighbours jamming in their garage.

If Dorian from Birds of a Feather had come along it might have improved matters.

Let’s hope they’ve spent a bit of time reading some (possibly Lonely
Planet) guidebooks as they may have some time in Malmo with not a lot
to do after their semi-final appearance.

From: Baghdasarian

Belarusian Telegraphic Agency, Belarus
May 13 2013

Belarus, Armenia to set up joint venture assembling farm machines

13.05.2013 11:30

YEREVAN, 13 May (BelTA) – Belarus and Armenia have plans to establish
a joint venture to assemble agricultural machines. The matter has been
discussed at a meeting of Agriculture and Food Minister of Belarus
Leonid Zayats with Minister of Agriculture of Armenia Sergo Karapetyan
in Yerevan on 13 May, BelTA has learnt.

Armenia would like to cooperate in areas like seed breeding, cattle
breeding, supplies of mineral fertilizers and pesticides. `We are also
very interested in purchasing Belarusian farm machines. We have agreed
that this year we will start setting up a joint venture to assemble
agricultural machines in Armenia,’ Sergo Karapetyan said.

Leonid Zayats confirmed Belarus’ readiness to expand cooperation in
these areas. The parties discussed a possibility to set up joint
ventures in other industries, too, including joint ventures to bottle
vegetable oil and companies to process and bottle Belarusian milk in
Armenia.

The parties are mutually interested in supplying Armenian canned goods
and cognac to Belarus.

From: Baghdasarian

Allen and Sosé. In Memoriam

CivilNetTV
Published on May 11, 2013

Allen Yekikian and Sose Thomassian are gone. They went to Georgia to
enjoy a four-day weekend and died in a car accident. For Civilitas and
CivilNet, their loss is immeasurable. They ‘got it’ — they got what
we’re trying to do and were a part of it in the most intense, sincere,
professional, supportive way. They moved to Armenia shortly after they
got married, because they ‘got’ that too — that this is a real place
for real people to do real work. And they did. Their families and
friends are devastated, as we are.

Today, on May 11th, 2013, the American University of Armenia organized
a candle light vigil in memory of Allen Yekikian and his wife Sosé
Thomassian. Allen Yekikian was the CivilNet website developer and
technical advisor. During the evening, Allen and Sosé’s relatives and
colleagues shared reflections about the late couple.

From: Baghdasarian

TCA Arshag Dickranian Armenian School
1200 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Tel: 323-461-4377
Fax: 323-323-461-4247
Contact: [email protected]

TCA Arshag Dickranian School Commemorates Genocide

April Enriched With Genocide Related Programs

Los Angeles, May 13, 2013 – TCA Arshag Dickranian School enriched the
month of April with programs dedicated to the memory of the Armenian
Genocide. Students found the programs which not only addressed the Armenian
Genocide but also the aftermath of this tragedy very informative and
educational.

On April 23, 2013, TCA Arshag Dickranian School commemorated the victims
of the Armenian Genocide and paid tribute to the school’s founding
benefactor Mr. Arshag Dickranian, who passed away on April 24, 1996. The
event was attended by members of the Dickranian family, guests, board
members, PTO members, students, teachers and parents. The solemn
observation started at 7:00 pm with a candle light vigil which was held at
the school’s courtyard, at which time Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian and the
Rev. Father Manoug Markarian conducted the requiem service with the
participation of the school choir.

After the requiem service, congregates gathered at the Walter and Laurel
Karabian Hall, aptly decorated with pictures of the genocide and Armenia,
to continue the special program dedicated to the martyrs of the Genocide
and the life of the late Arshag Dickranian. A video about Armenian orphans
called “The Children of Antoura” was presented by Mr. Missak Keletchian
which was followed by a documentary about the life of Mr. Dickranian. The
presentations were intermediated by poetry recitations about the genocide
both in Armenian and English and songs by the school choir. The event was
concluded with the closing remarks and prayers of Archbishop Vatche
Hovsepian who asked students to always remember their identity and work
hard to achieve success. After the program, attendants and guests enjoyed
coffee and sweets and mingled with one another, reflecting upon the importance
of remembering those who have sacrificed and contributed to the Armenian
identity and culture.

The school was closed on April 24. On that day, upper grade students
visited the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument in Montebello at 1:00 pm,
accompanied by principal Dr. Maral Yeranossian, AP art history teacher Mr.
Adam Ocampo and Armenian teacher Ms. Anahit Nasoyan, where they attended
the annual program and placed a wreath at the monument.

On April 23rd, 8th and 9th grade students went on a 5 day educational trip
to visit historical sites in New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. The
students were escorted by their English teacher Mr. Pascal Nittis and 8
parents. On the second day of their trip, April 24, the students visited
St. Vartan Armenian Church where they attended a full service dedicated to
the commemoration of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

On April 9, Mr. Stepan B. Partamian visited TCA Arshag Dickranian School
where he met with students ranging from 6th through 12th grade levels at
the Walter and Laurel Karabian to educate students about the role and life
of Armenians in the United States of America. Mr. Partamian presented his
book “Armenians in America” and a slide show about the accomplishments of
American Armenians in the areas of science, literature and art.

Students felt very proud to learn that Armenians have made important
contributions to the US which led to a dynamic Q&A exchange between them
and Mr. Partamian. Mr. Partamian was surrounded with students, even when he
was leaving the school. Students were inspired by Mr. Partamian’s lecture.

Rapper and songwriter R-Mean visited TCA Arshag Dickranian School on April
12, where he performed a few songs from his album `The Rising Son’.
Students enthusiastically gathered at the Walter and Laurel Karabian Hall
at 2:30pm impatiently waiting for R-Mean to take the stage. A highlight of
R-Mean’s performance was “Open Wounds”; a song he wrote about the Armenian
Genocide, which corresponded with the purpose of the event being a part of
programs this month dedicated to commemorate this tragedy in our history.
After the show, students excitedly took pictures with R-Mean and bought
genocide t-shirts, created by R-Mean and his team to spread awareness about
the Genocide. It was a thrilling event for the students to have an Armenian
rapper visit the school and perform meaningful songs they could relate to.
R-Mean’s albums can be found on i-tunes and he is currently anticipating
the release of his upcoming album `7 Deadly Sins”.

During the morning assembly on April 15, head of English department Mr.
Ricardo Rocha, English teacher Mr. Pascal Nittis and AP art history teacher
Mr. Adam Ocampo spoke about their experience at the school and the role the
Armenian culture has played in their lives. The teachers talked about the
similarities and differences between the Armenian culture and the
Columbian, Mexican and Greek cultures. They stressed upon how family,
education and career are always a priority in these cultures and reminded
students of how important it is to never lose sight of these three areas in
life.

On April 19, Dr. Minas Kojayan visited TCA Arshag Dickranian School to talk
to students about our historical lands which were lost to Turkey during
the Armenian genocide in 1915. Dr. Kojayan visited the area in the summer
of 2011 and 2012 and created a portfolio of his pilgrimage there, which he
presented to the students through a slideshow. The purpose of his visit to
the school was to give students the opportunity to see what our lost
Armenian lands look like and to pass on the message of never forgetting
that these lands belong to us.

Located at 1200 North Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, the TCA Arshag
Dickranian Armenian School is a federally tax exempt, Pre-K to 12th grade
private educational institution. For more information visit
or call the school office at (323) 461 – 4377.

###

From: Baghdasarian

Belarus expects skilled Armenian nuclear specialists to help run its
first nuclear power plant

YEREVAN, May 13. /ARKA/. The visiting president of Belarus, Alexander
Lukashenko, said today he expects Armenian authorities to send at
least a dozen of skilled experts to Minsk to help it run the first
Belarusian nuclear power plant, which is under construction.

“You have gained considerable experience in operating nuclear
facilities, and we expect that at least a dozen of skilled Armenian
experts will be dispatched to Belarus to help our experts to run the
facility in the first stages, `Lukashenko said during a joint
statement for the press after a meeting with Armenian president Serzh
Sargsyan.

Lukashenko added that Belarus is building its first ever nuclear power
plant, and it is interested in Armenia’s experience in the field of
nuclear energy. He also noted that the two countries have a common
interest in sharing information on safe operation of nuclear power
plants and construction of new reactors.

After negotiations between presidents Sargsyan and Lukashenko the two
sides signed an Armenian-Belarusian intergovernmental agreement, which
among other things calls for exchange of information and cooperation
in nuclear safety and radiation protection.

Belarus is building a two-unit nuclear power plant in Grodno region
with a total capacity of 2.4 megawatts. The general contractor is the
Russian NIAEP – ASE company. The first unit is to be commissioned in
November 2018 and the second in July 2020.

Armenia’s nuclear power plant in Metsamor located some 30 kilometers
west of Yerevan, was built in the 1970s but was closed following a
devastating earthquake in 1988 that killed some 25,000 people and
devastated much of northern Armenia. One of the plant’s two VVER
440-V230 light-water reactors was reactivated in 1995. Armenian
authorities said they will build a new nuclear power plant to replace
the aging Metsamor plant.

The new plant is supposed to operate at twice the capacity of the
Soviet-constructed facility. Metsamor currently generates some 40
percent of Armenia’s electricity. But the government has yet to
attract funding for the project that was estimated by a U.S.-funded
feasibility study to cost at as much as $5 billion. Last year the
Armenian government decided to extend the service life of the Armenian
nuclear power plant in Metsamor by another ten years.-0-

From: Baghdasarian