Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

TAXI TAX: CABBIES REACT TO NEW LAW ON LICENSING

SOCIETY | 04.03.15 | 15:20

Alina Nikoghosyan
ArmeniaNow intern

Taxi drivers are complaining about a new method of licensing, yet
despite complaints the Ministry of Transportation says applications
continue for new license.

As of January 6, taxis drivers have been obliged to pay from about
$10 to $25 per month, depending on the area of their service.

For several days taxi drivers have been holding protests in front of
different state institutions saying that in the current situation that
amount is impossible to be paid and that decision must be suspended.

One protester says that there are nearly 4,000 vacancies but drivers
do not want to work for taxi services.

“Drivers do not want to work at taxi services, they want to earn their
own money with their own car. Protestors claim that they earn 1,000
AMD a day (about $2) and they cannot give 400 AMD (about a dollar)
of it to the government. We are ready to accept those drivers in taxi
services,” Vahagn Sahakyan, head of the branch union of Armenia’s
Taxi Service Employers, said.

From: Baghdasarian

FROM YEAR TO YEAR ARTSAKH BECOMES MORE ATTRACTIVE TO FOREIGN TOURISTS

March 4, 2015 13:17

In recent years, tourism sphere of Artsakh has recorded a significant
progress. And the fact that Artsakh is a part of the international
tourism, already indicates of the great achievements in the field.

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 4, ARTSAKHPRESS: The Adviser of the Head of the
Department of Tourism and Historic Environment Preservation of the NKR
Government Artak Grigoryan told the aforementioned in the interview
with “Artsakhpress”.

“According to statistics, during the period from 2007 to 2013 the
number of foreign visitors to Artsakh has grown by an average of 40
percent. These statistical data refer only to the foreign citizens,
that visited Artsakh. Data exclude the number of visitors to Armenia,”
Grigoryan said.

If before independence there were 4 hotels in the country, after
the declaration of independence high-class hotels with high level of
customer service have been built continuously over the years.

Currently, 42 hotel facilities with 1187 sleeping places, more than
25 equipped resorts are functioning in the country, the infrastructure
has been improving.

Tourism is a major source of imported foreign exchange. Thus,
according to the observations of the Department of Tourism and Historic
Environment Preservation, during 2014 tourists spent an amount nearly
equal to 6.4 million US dollars.

Additionally, Grigoryan assured that NKR is a very attractive country
for investments – the legislative framework is completely formed,
there are low interest rates for investments, flexible tax policy is
implemented. Close collaboration exists between the government and the
private sector in order to promote investment in the tourism sphere.

“It should be noted that Artsakh has a great tourism potential.

Marketing and infrastructure development complex projects are being
organized to make this potential more recognizable and competitive and
Artsakh – more attractive to foreign tourists,” said the authorized
representative of the sphere.

During the last 10 years NKR has attended major international
tourism exhibitions (Berlin, London, Moscow, Paris, Milan, Rimini,
Madrid). In these exhibitions all the visitors and organizations, who
are interested, are provided with the necessary information about the
NKR tourism potential, informative literature, CDs of films are handed
out as well. Moreover, the tourism potential of the NKR is presented
in the Internet, particularly through the website
and the official pages in the main social networks.

Referring to the recent comments of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s
Press Service’s Head Khikmet Gadzhiev in the interview to “Trend”
news agency, that there is allegedly a security problem for tourists
in Artsakh, A. Grigoryan noted that since Karabakh has been a part of
the international tourism, the safety of all the tourists visiting the
country is guaranteed, and no tourist faces a threat or any kind of
danger in Artsakh, so Azerbaijani official’s statements are complete
disinformation.

“The so-called” black list” created by Azerbaijan is nothing like a
violation of human rights of free movement, obtaining and dissemination
of information, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Along with the aforesaid, the “black list” contradicts a number of
fundamental principles set out in the Global Code of Tourism Ethics,
the International Tourism Charter, the Charter of the UN World Tourism
Organization and others,” Grigoryan concluded.

From: Baghdasarian

THREE MEN KILLED IN A SHOOTING NEAR YEREVAN PRISON

YEREVAN, March 4. / ARKA /. An Armenian police spokesman, Ashot
Aharonyan, has confirmed reports about a shooting near a prison in
Yerevan outskirts claiming the lives of three people. Aharonyan,
told Novosti Armenia that police have opened a criminal case.

According to media reports, three people were shot and killed on
Wednesday afternoon by masked men near Nubarashen prison in Yerevan.

One of them is said to be a criminal boss.

According to some reports, two of the killed men are Drastamat
Tadevosyan and Levon Ghazaryan. The identity of the third is being
established, police said.-0- – See more at:

From: Baghdasarian

>

Communique de presse

COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE

Lundi 2 mars 2015 a 15H00 des militants du Nor Seround ont fait
connaître leur mecontentement. En utilisant le sang, symbole de l’acte
genocidaire de 1915, ils ont cible l’ambassadeur de Turquie Hakki
Akil lors d’une conference organisee a la faculte Paris Descartes,
par le centre culturel Anatolie et par le centre Maurice Hauriou.

Il s’agit pour les militants de la cause armenienne de denoncer la
responsabilite de l’Etat Turc et de ses representants actuels dans
le genocide des Armeniens de 1915.

Cette action est le reflet de la determination sans failles des
militants du Nor Seround de lutter contre l’Etat turc qui mène
plus que jamais une politique agressive en continuant sa politique
genocidaire envers le peuple armenien. Le Nor Seround denonce la
presence du representant d’un Etat criminel, fascisant et liberticide
dans l’enceinte d’une faculte de droit de la Republique francaise.

En cette annee du centenaire du genocide des Armeniens le Nor Seround
est venu rappeler a l’opinion publique que l’Etat turc est coupable de
ce crime et que la question armenienne ne sera reglee que lorsque les
biens nationaux des armeniens leurs seront restitues, le prejudice
cause par le genocide repare et la dignite du peuple armenien
rehabilitee. Ce sont la, les revendications justes et legitimes du
peuple armenien.

Il ne peut y avoir de paix sans justice !

Le Bureau National de la FRA Nor Seround – France

Le jeune homme auteur des faits, place en garde a vue, n’etait pas
ressorti du commissariat hier soir a 00h00.

mardi 3 mars 2015, Jean Eckian (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

EUROVISION PASSIONS: ARMENIA RESPONDS TO ACCUSATIONS OF “POLITICIZING” ITS 2015 ENTRY

GENOCIDE | 03.03.15 | 14:45

Satenik Tovmasyan
ArmeniaNow intern

Armenia has denied the political context of the nation’s entry in one
of Europe’s biggest pop music contest in response to accusations made
by Turkish and Azerbaijani media.

The 2015 Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Vienna, Austria,
on May 19-23. Armenia will present an original project called
Geneaology. It is a group of Diaspora Armenian singers representing
five continents. They will be joined by a six member representing
Armenia. The title of Armenia’s Eurovision song is also chosen “Don’t
Deny”, but the lyrics have not been officially announced yet.

Turkish fans recently started a petition on Change.org, demanding that
Armenia be disqualified for the song title ostensibly constituting a
message on the 1915 mass killings of Ottoman Armenians that Turkey
denies amounted to genocide. At the same time Azerbaijan’s Public
TV and Radio Broadcasting Company issued a statement saying: “This
contest cannot be an arena for any country’s political ambitions. The
Public Television and Radio Broadcasting Company states that if the
news is confirmed, we will also take appropriate steps in the contest.”

Gohar Gasparyan, the head of the Armenian delegation at Eurovision
2015, stated that Armenia as always will keep Eurovision rules and
will be represented with a decent performance. She said that Turkish
and Azerbaijani media’s accusations are groundless until Armenia
introduced its product.

On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, such
a reaction of neighbor countries was quite expectable, especially
when Turkey and Azerbaijan had already accused Armenia of presenting
a politicized song. In 2010 Turkish media saw elements of propaganda
in Armenia’s representative Eva Rivas’ “Apricot stone” song.

Such precedents are not rare in Eurovision history. In 2009, a year
after a Russo-Georgian war, the Georgian delegation preferred to
withdraw from the Eurovision after the incident when the contest
authority required that it change the song title reminding the name
of then Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The same year more than four dozen Azerbaijanis who voted for Armenia
in the Eurovision final were later summoned to the Azerbaijani National
Security Service for questioning.

Turkish and Azerbaijani media have also been troubled by another
Eurovision participant’s entry this year. The song of France’s
contestant Lisa Angell, 46, entitled N’oubliez pas or “Don’t Forget”
also reminded about the slogan of this year’s Armenian Genocide
Centennial.

According to the official website of the Eurovision Song Contest,
the song was first performed at a concert in November during the
commemoration period of the First World War, “while the singer
emphasizes that the song refers not only to this very special event
in history but to any kind of conflict”.

From: Baghdasarian

GERARD LIBARIDIAN’S SECRET VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN IN 1994

March 3, 2015 11:59

exclusive

Mediamax continues its Special File project, which aims to present
the unknown or less known details of Armenian foreign policy events.

In 1990s, Historian, Professor Gerard Libaridian was the Senior
Advisor to first President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan. He is
presently working on his memorial book and agreed to present one of
the episodes of the book to us. (The interview with Gerard Libariadian
was orginially held in Armenian and was then translated into English
by Mediamax).

In 1994, the Bishkek Protocol was signed and it was followed by the
ceasefire agreement. There were two main points in that document –
complete halt of fire and military operations, and “completion of
negotiations in the next 10 days and conclusion of an agreement on the
cessation of the armed conflict not later than May 22 of this year”.

Both the Armenian and Azerbaijani parties used to think that this
ceasefire agreement is conventional as the question – “how to act
if no negotiations are held within the mentioned 10 days or if
the negotiations fail?” – remained open. The three parties of the
conflict used to take this document as a “pause” and were getting
ready for resumption of war. We certainly did not need it as we
were the winning party – whatever we could do through war was already
done. The ceasefire was expected to be followed by prompt and intensive
negotiations and Russian President’s Special Envoy for Nagorno Karabakh
Vladimir Kazimirov was expected to be actively involved in it. However,
it all did not take place – great efforts were not committed.

The Azerbaijani Army was in a terrible state. Thus, they had signed
an agreement with Afghanistan to engage Mujahideens in war. It is
no secret that the Mujahideens were actively engaged in military
operations against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh in 1993-1994. We knew
that this time Azerbaijan had reached an agreement over engaging
a great number of Mujahideens, and Baku had high hopes for them to
resume the war. We started pondering over the measures that could be
employed to prevent it.

Through an intermediary we got to know a person called Abdulhak who
was one of the leaders of Afghan Mujahideens carrying war on the USSR.

Abdulhak was in Jalalabad and his brother was the governor of that
territory. We turned to Abdulhak asking to organize a meeting with
Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

Quite secretly, we arranged my visit to Jalalabad to meet with
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Very few people were aware of my visit – President
Levon Ter-Petrosyan who had conceived that idea, Armenian President’s
Special Envoy David Shahnazaryan and my Principal Assistant Hasmik
Harutyunyan.

Back then Afghanistan was at civil war and the UN had banned flights
there. However, by a special and light aircraft and several times
bribing locals for fuel, I eventually reached Jalalabad along with the
abovementioned intermediary. I was accompanied to the queen’s country
house from the airport and two hours later I was taken to the house of
governor Qadir – the brother of Abdulhak. I started placing stronger
focus on my meeting with PM Hekmatyar. I also conferred with Abdulhak
and Qadir. Hekmatyar had dispatched his two advisors to talk to me and
see what should be done – the PM was familiar with the subject of the
meeting but he did not know anything more. After our conversation the
advisors left, presumably to inform the PM about the details of our
talk. Shortly afterwards, one of them returned and took me to the PM.

His residence was in an army camp outside the city.

Jalalabad

Photo:

When we arrived there, we had to go several floors down. I was told
he was praying at that moment and was asked to wait.

A short time later, I met with Hekmatyar. Besides Hekmatyar, there
were 7-8 more people there – they were all seated on pillows on the
floor, in a cross-legged position. We talked for over an hour. I was
sparing no effort to convince him of that the Mujahideens should
not go to Azerbaijan. He was trying to refute that they had such
agreement with Azerbaijan but at the same time, he was continuing to
lend an ear to my arguments. From afar, it might resemble a talk of
the deaf but it was a different type of talk – it was highly important
to watch the niceties of each of Hekmatyar’s refutations and also the
changes in his continuous smile when he was finding one of my words or
expressions important. Hekmatyar’s smile and manner of talking were
relaxed and I managed to persuade him. I was then taken back to the
governor’s place where I spent the night. I was to leave next morning,
however, it turned out we didn’t have fuel. We had to wait for the
only airplane in Afghanistan operating flights to the Persian Gulf
to return in order to purchase fuel from it.

At 3 am, June 13, my small airplane landed at Yerevan airport and
left immediately after I got off.

Early in the morning, I reported about my visit to President Levon
Ter-Petrosyan. We decided to disseminate a short press release about my
visit and assert my positive impression from it. I contacted Abdulhak
and asked him to contact PM Hekmatyar and let him know about our wish
to have a short press release in one of our newspapers on that the
Advisor to the Armenian President paid a visit to Afghanistan and
discussed issues of mutual interest with the PM. His consent would
imply they have decided to give up the large-scale program of sending
Mujahideens to Azerbaijan. Around two days later Abdulhak called saying
that Hekmatyar said “do as you wish, simply let me know about it”.

Thus, we managed to prevent the support of around 1500 Mujahideens for
the Azerbaijani Army and mitigate the risk of resuming the war. This
step was followed by others by us, and owing to them, in July-August
1994, we succeeded in signing a permanent ceasefire agreement with
Azerbaijan.

Aram Araratyan – See more at:

From: Baghdasarian

ETIHAD AIRWAYS RECOGNISES PARTNERS AT TRAVEL TRADE AWARDS CEREMONY

03-03-2015 14:25:44 | Armenia |

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates,
has recognised its leading travel trade partners in Armenia at a
special awards ceremony organised recently in Yerevan.

At a ceremony attended by over 40 members of the Armenian travel trade,
the airline presented ‘Gold Awards’ to Levon Travel, United Travel,
Geographic Travel Club, Globe Travel and Aeroex. ‘Silver” Awards’
were presented to Elitar Travel, Avant Tour, Saberatour Sevan,
Aviatrans and Aerotour.

A special “Partner Award’ was also presented to Visa Concord, Etihad
Airways’ partner agency in Armenia.

The airline launched its four-times-a-week service between Abu Dhabi
and Yerevan, the capital of the Republic of Armenia, and its first
destination in the Caucasus, in July 2014.

Dougie Douglas, Etihad Airways’ General Manager, Armenia, said: “This
event provides us with the opportunity to recognise and thank our
partners in the local travel and tourism industry for the tremendous
support we have received following the launch of our flights to
Yerevan last summer.

“The new service has proved popular with the growing numbers of
business and leisure travellers, and the large communities of Armenian
diaspora based around the world, which now have better access to
Armenia, with convenient connections beyond our hub in Abu Dhabi to
key destinations in the Gulf region, North America and across its
global network.

“We have also been highly successful in developing tourism into
Armenia by bringing groups of tour operators from Indonesia and
the Philippines, to experience first-hand, the many delights that
Armenia has to offer tourists wishing to explore and learn about this
fascinating country.”

The route is operated by a two-class Airbus A319 aircraft, configured
to carry 106 passengers, with 16 seats in Business Class and 90 seats
in Economy Class, offering a total of 848 seats per week.

Photo caption: Dougie Douglas, Etihad Airways’ General Manager –
Armenia, presents the “Gold Awards’ to winners at Etihad Airways’
Travel Trade Awards Ceremony.

– See more at:

From: Baghdasarian

PRESS RELEASE March 2, 2015
Armenian National Committee of America | Western Region
Noushig Karpanian | Communications Coordinator
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, CA 91206
Office: 818.500.1918
Direct: 818.860.2790
[email protected]
ANCAWR.org
facebook.com/ANCAWesternRegion
@ANCA_WR

What: Opening Reception & Premiere by the `America We Thank You: An
Armenian Tribute to Near East Relief’ committee of the Armenian National
Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) of the Traveling
Exhibit entitled
“They Shall Not Perish: The Story of Near East Relief,” curated by the Near
East Foundation (successor to Near East Relief) and co-sponsored by the
ANCA-WR, LA City Mayor Eric Garcetti, LA City Councilmember Paul Krekorian
and LA Public Library.

When: Friday, March 6, 2015 at 6:30pm (PST)

Where: Los Angeles Public Library | Central Branch Rotunda
630 W. 5th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071

Admission is Free to All; Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served

Parking: Ample street parking is projected
$8 Parking at 524 South Flower Street Garage is available

Who: Armenian National Committee of America Western Region; “America We
Thank You: An Armenian Tribute to Near East Relief”

Exhibit will be on display in the Library’s Atrium from March 7 – April
30.

Background:

“America We Thank You: An Armenian Tribute to Near East Relief,’ is a
movement to recognize the unprecedented outpouring of generosity and
philanthropy by the American people, under the auspices of Near East
Relief–the United States’ first Congressionally-sanctioned
non-governmental organization–which, from the onset of the Armenian
Genocide, perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey in 1915, and for 15 consecutive
years, provided humanitarian relief efforts to rescue and rehabilitate over
1,000,000 refugees and 132,000 orphans of the Armenian Nation and other
Christian minorities.

The Exhibit, “They Shall Not Perish: The Story of Near East Relief,” with
its 28 color panels each measuring an impressive six feet by three feet, is
comprised of high-quality scans of official correspondence, biographies of
missionaries and relief workers who lived, volunteered and served on the
ground, as well as treasured archival photographs, some of which have only
recently been accessed and offer new insight to NER’s impactful legacy in
saving a people under the threat of total annihilation.

Over a period of 15 years from 1915-1930, the NER mobilized all segments of
American citizenry (elected officials, celebrities and laypersons alike),
and indeed the world, into a well-organized and well-funded relief effort
that raised $117,000,000 (despite its initial goal of $30,000,000), the
equivalent of $2.7 billion in today’s dollars, built over 400 orphanages,
food & clothing distribution centers, medical clinics and hospitals, and
vocational training schools throughout the Near East.

The NER served as a model upon which future philanthropic organizations,
including the U.S. Peace Corps and USAID, and future calls for overseas
relief efforts known as `citizen philanthropy’ were modeled.

The U.S. patronage of the NER reflects the deep bonds that have long
existed between the American and Armenian people. The Armenian National
Committee of America WR is proud to honor and recognize their work and
their memory.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest
and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in
the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and
affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

###

From: Baghdasarian

XPERT KTANYAN SKEPTICAL ABOUT ANTI-CORRUPTION COUNCIL’S CAPABILITY IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, March 3. /ARKA/. Varuzhan Oktanyan, head of Transparency
International Regional Development Center’s Armenian Office, is
convinced that the council set up recently for combating corruption
in Armenia will be incapable.

Speaking Tuesday at a news conference, he said that this council,
just like the council set up before, will be no more than an advisory
agency though a little more crowded.

“A group of specialists and a group of monitoring will be added to
it,” he said. “But to be effective this council must be independent,
but is extremely difficult to do this in Armenia.”

The expert said only two seats will be allocated in this council for
nongovernmental organizations, and this will make any real discussion
impossible.

Oktanyan said that Transparency International Regional Development
Center is refraining from taking part in the council’s activity so far.

Tevan Poghosyan, an MP from Heritage party, on his side, said that
any council without a real administrative resource, which will ensure
fulfillment of its decisions, will exist only on paper.

“A similar situation emerges only here – two elements, as group
of specialists and monitoring, were added, but it is not clear
unfortunately what this council will do. Will hear lectures? And what
comes next? If it acts just like the previous council, then what’s
the reason of its activity?”

Marat Atovmyan, head of the Yerevan Advocacy and Assistance
(Anticorruption) Center, sharing the opinion of senselessness of this
council, said he saw no reason for establishing another anticorruption
council.

“We would support an independent anticorruption agency based on law,
if it was established in Armenia, and we have even proposed a model
for Armenia and submitted it to the government, but the government
has rejected it,” he said.

On February 19, the Armenian government decided to set up another
anticorruption council headed by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan.

The council is made up of the justice minister, the finance minister,
the prosecutor general and other high-ranking officials though this
council will include also independent, as the justice minister said,
segment.

The council will be considered as main agency for the government’s
crackdown on corruption.

It will discuss and adopt an anticorruption strategy and a program,
coordinate and control their implementation and submission of
appropriate proposals to appropriate agencies. —0—-

From: Baghdasarian

NATO GROUP VISITS ARMENIA

15:51 03/03/2015 >> POLITICS

The NATO group that assesses the progress in the Armenia-NATO
Individual Partnership Action Plan and the Planning and Review Process
is paying an annual visit to Armenia, the Armenian Defense Ministry’s
press service reports.

The visit, from March 2-4, has been jointly organized by the Armenian
Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry.

The discussions of Defense Ministry-NATO cooperation took place
within working groups as well as during the meeting with Armenia’s
First Deputy Defense Minister David Tonoyan.

The discussions focused on the military education reforms,
strengthening of cooperation and expansion of participation in
international missions.

Source: Panorama.am

From: Baghdasarian