Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

NEOCOLONIAL DEPENDENCE, INDEPENDENT STATEHOOD DIFFERENT – ARMENIAN PREPARLIAMENT REP

20:53 ~U 23.04.13

Before discrediting the concept of independence, certain political
scientific circles should first of all differentiate between
neocolonial dependence and independent statehood, Zhirair Sefilyan,
a member of Secretariat, Preparliament of Armenia, told Tert.am.

His words are a response to certain pro-Russian circles’ statements
that the Armenian people is strongly supportive of a common state
with Russia.

“This is their professional duty. As to the concept of independence,
opinions of it being discredited are extremely exaggerated. Part of
our people under colonial rule is rejecting the colonialist system
under the guise of independent state,” he said.

With respect to Armenian-Russian relations, Sefilyan believes that
they will have good development prospects after Armenia becomes a
really independent state of new quality.

“True, Armenia’s dependence primarily seems to be the result of Russian
influence. However, Russia does not benefit from that,” he said.

“Healthy and influential forces in Russia are well aware of this fact.

And they can ensure the establishment and development of mutually
beneficial partnership provided Armenia acquires real independence,”
Sefilyan said.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: Baghdasarian

GEORGIA TO SUSPEND TRANSIT OF RUSSIAN GAS TO ARMENIA DUE TO REPAIR WORKS

April 23, 2013 | 15:24

The transit of Russian gas to Armenia via Georgia will be temporarily
suspended on April 25 due to maintenance work. This was reported by
the Georgian company responsible for transportation of Russian gas.

The gas supplies will be suspended from 8am to 6pm due to repair
works near Gardabani, eastern Georgia. After the work is completed,
the gas supplies will be restored.

The Armenian side has already been informed about the decision of
the Georgian company, KAVKAZ-PRESS reported.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

OPPOSITION ARMENIAN MP SPEAKS OF YEREVAN AUTHORITIES’ ‘INACTIVITY’ IN EDUCATION

15:00 ~U 23.04.13

Anahit Bakhshyan, a Heritage party member, who is on the Barev Yerevan
bloc’s list in the upcoming elections to Yerevan’s Council of Elders,
had a meeting with journalists on Tuesday.

She addressed the Yerevan Municipality’s “inactivity” in education.

The State Education Inspectorate revealed numerous violations at the
Education Department of the Yerevan Municipality, she said.

“Inspections revealed that the department had no rules of procedure,
which were only enforced ten days after the inspections,” Bakhshyan
said.

The MP hopes that, if elected to Yerevan’s Council of Elders,
Heritage party members will raise the problems and take measures to
resolve them.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: Baghdasarian

POLITICAL ANALYST: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION SHOULD BECOME CORNERSTONE OF ARMENIA’S FOREIGN POLICY

15:52 23/04/2013 ” TOPIC OF THE DAY

The recognition of the Armenian Genocide should become the cornerstone
of Armenia’s foreign policy, political analyst Haykazun Alvrtsyan
told reporters in Yerevan.

“The world does not clearly understand what we want. On the one hand,
we talk about the necessity of Genocide recognition and carry out
lobbying, on the other hand, we agree with Turkey to discuss the
Genocide issue with specialists. It means this issue is not yet
understood in Armenia,” the expert said.

However desirable is the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by world
powers, nevertheless, this issue should be resolved in Turkey, and
the Turkish people are well aware of the Genocide, Mr Alvertsyan said.

Haykazun Alvrtsyan mentioned the necessity of cooperation with Turkish
intellectuals, establishment of contacts with Armenians living in
Turkey and discussion of the issues they are interested in.

Source: Panorama.am

From: Baghdasarian

OPPOSITION PARTY REPORTS VIOLENCE AGAINST ACTIVISTS CANVASSING IN YEREVAN SUBURB

POLITICS | 23.04.13 | 11:49

The opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) party has alleged
that two of its members were attacked by government loyalists on
Monday while they were distributing election-related materials in
one of Yerevan’s suburbs.

In a statement released today the ANC said one of the activists
suffered injuries and had to be hospitalized. It said the attack was
carried out by “bandits” of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia
(RPA).

The ANC, along with the RPA and five other political are taking part
in the May 5 elections to Yerevan’s City Council.

“This is already a fourth case when an attempt is being made to
obstruct the ANC campaign with violence,” the party claimed. “The
regime is panicking… and this panic shows that a victory of the
opposition in the city elections, indeed, can solve the issue of the
overall power change in Armenia.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday the RPA campaign headquarters
condemned the violence, considering “unacceptable” any violation
hindering the electioneering process. At the same time, it called on
all forces to continue a “civilized campaign.”

Meanwhile, the chief of the Armenian police last week urged his
subordinates to impeccably ensure the normal course of the forthcoming
elections in the capital.

From: Baghdasarian

ON THE MOVE: OPPOSITION LEADER HOLDING INDOOR MEETINGS IN PROVINCES FOR ‘NEW ARMENIA’

POLITICS | 23.04.13 | 10:40

Photolure

By GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN ArmeniaNow reporter

Opposition Heritage party leader Raffi Hovannisian on Monday embarked
on what is his fourth tour of the regions this year in a bid to
promote his views and engage in debate on an emerging nonpartisan
civic movement that he announced in Yerevan late last week.

Hovannisian, who staged protests in Yerevan and provinces for several
weeks in the wake of the February 18 presidential election in which he
claimed victory despite the official result giving victory to President
Serzh Sargsyan, told supporters on Friday that the new movement, New
Armenia, would be a civic alliance, but representatives of different
political parties could also join it on condition that they would
stand above party politics.

Hovannisian also announced that on April 22-27 (except April 24,
which is the Genocide Remembrance Day) he would travel across Armenia
for indoor meetings with people in provincial towns.

During a meeting with people in Vanadzor on Monday Hovannisian said:
“Together, we are entering a new phase, which implies participation
of every citizen, every political party or movement, every journalist
and intellectual.”

And addressing an audience in the second largest Armenian city of
Gyumri, the opposition leader gave assurances that even though it
would not be soon, but still they would not wait for too long before
“the people’s victory” could be achieved. He stressed that for that
purpose they would continue their struggle “in the first line”.

Edgar Vardanyan, an expert with the Armenian Center for National and
International Studies, believes Hovannisian’s post-election movement
is going through modification as institutionalization of the most
active segment of the opposition is taking place.

“The post-election protests are over, but people want to go on
fighting for their rights, which implies a new situation, new forms
of organization, and Raffi Hovannisian has initiated a new format of
struggle,” Vardanyan told ArmeniaNow.

According to the analyst, success of the opposition Heritage party-led
bloc, Hello Yerevan, in the upcoming municipal elections in Yerevan
would only contribute to the overall strengthening of the movement,
on the other hand, the process around the emerging New Armenia movement
could contribute to the success of Hello Yerevan.

“By not joining the list of candidates of the Hello Yerevan bloc
Hovannisian showed that his Barevolution [a word play on the Armenian
greeting ‘Barev’ and the English word ‘revolution’] would continue
with a national agenda and would not focus on Yerevan alone.

Logically, if Hovannisian led the Hello Yerevan bloc it would perhaps
have more chances of winning, but Hovannisian, in fact, showed that
he did not want his movement to cease,” said Vardanyan.

Meanwhile, Alexander Iskandaryan, director of the Yerevan-based
Caucasus Institute, thinks that the post-election situation in
Armenia is long over and Hovannisian is acting merely by force of an
“Armenian political tradition”. As for the May 5 municipal elections in
Yerevan, according to Iskandaryan, although Hello Yerevan as well as
the opposition Armenian National Congress and the Prosperous Armenia
Party do have chances of receiving a certain amount of votes, none
of them is likely to win the elections.

From: Baghdasarian

POLITICAL SCIENTIST: “PAP IS A TYPICAL OLIGARCHIC PARTY AND CAN NOT BE AN OPPOSITION.”

2013-04-23 13:12:56

“Prosperous Armenia” party in a purely classical sense is not a
political entity. There is a political team, led by Vardan Oskanian,
actually having his policies and clear, specific estimates of different
events. There is also a wing of entrepreneurs, which with its world
view, behavior and rules is very similar to the power”, today at a
meeting with journalists, political scientist Suren Surenyants said.

PAP is a typical oligarchic party, which can not be an opposition.

“Does Oskanian imagine PAP an opposition?” wondered Surenyants and
added that it would be better for Oskanian to tell Gagik Tsarukyan
what happened to Khachatur Sukiasyan, when he joined the opposition.

From: Baghdasarian

WHY HAVE ARMENIA’S EXPORTS REDUCED SHARPLY? – NEWSPAPER

April 23, 2013 | 08:04

YEREVAN. – In line with the official indicators issued by the National
Statistical Service, exports from Armenia grew by a mere 3 percent in
the first three months of this year, as compared to the same period
last year, Haykakan Zhamanak daily reports.

“This is noteworthy in the sense that, in line with the data of the
first two months of this year, exports had grown by 30 percent.

In actual fact, the volume of exports fell sharply in March, and this
could be due to the drop in the international price of copper.

As compared to between January and February, the export growth rate
[in Armenia] reduced ten times between January and March,” Haykakan
Zhamanak writes.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

U.S. REPRESENTATIVES SUPPORT AID FOR ARMENIA, ARTSAKH, JAVAKHK AND AT-RISK MIDDLE EAST ARMENIANS

12:25 23.04.2013

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and
Michael Grimm (R-NY) were joined by over twenty of their colleagues in
calling on leading House foreign aid appropriators to increase aid to
Armenia, expand assistance for Nagorno Karabakh, target allocations
for Javakhk, and support refugee resettlement funding for displaced
Christian Armenian populations in the Middle East, as they advance
the Fiscal Year 2014 foreign aid bill, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).

“All friends of Armenia join in expressing our appreciation to each and
every legislator supporting this initiative to advance our interests
and values in a vitally important region of the world,” said Aram
Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “We look forward to working
in partnership with these friends, and others, as we continue to
support Armenia’s growth, Artsakh’s security, Javakhk’s development,
and the welfare of at-risk Armenians and other Christians in the
Middle East.”

In a letter sent today to the leadership of the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations, Chairwoman Kay Granger
(R-TX) and Ranking Democrat Nita Lowey (D-NY), a bipartisan group of
legislators made the case for supporting the U.S.-Armenia strategic
relationship through economic development and security assistance.

Their key requests were as follows:

– At least $5 million in U.S. humanitarian and developmental aid to
Nagorno Karabakh.

– At least 10% of U.S. assistance to Georgia to be earmarked for job
creation programs in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of that country.

– At least $50 million in U.S. economic aid to Armenia.

– Funds for humanitarian and resettlement assistance specifically
targeted to Armenian and other Christian populations as well as other
minority communities affected by the recent unrest in the Middle East.

– Language strengthening Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to
Azerbaijan.

– Removal of barriers to contact and communication with representatives
of the NagornoKarabakhRepublic.

– Language calling for the participation of Nagorno Karabakh leaders
in the OSCE Minsk Group negotiations

Joining Congressmen Pallone and Grimm as signatories were
Representatives: Bruce Braley (D-IA), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline
(D-RI), Jim Costa (D-CA), Joe Crowley (D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA),
Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Jim Langevin (D-RI), Barbara
Lee (D-CA), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Ed Markey
(D-MA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Gary Peters
(D-MI), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky
(D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), John Tierney (D-MA)
and Henry Waxman (D-CA).

The letter comes just weeks after President Obama released his FY
2014 budget which included a 38% cut in Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14)
economic aid to Armenia, a proposal that, if approved by Congress,
would reduce U.S. assistance to Armenia to its lowest level since
the 1988 earthquake.

The President’s proposal of $24,719,000 in Economic Support Funds for
Armenia was dramatically less than last year’s actual economic aid
allocation of $40 million, and less than half the $50 million in FY14
aid requested earlier this year in an Armenian Caucus letter and ANCA
Congressional testimony. The White House’s proposal did, however,
maintain parity in terms of appropriated military aid to Armenia
and Azerbaijan, with International Military Education and Training
(IMET) assistance set at $600,000 and Foreign Military Financing
(FMF) set at $2,700,000.

From: Baghdasarian

PROTEST ACTION TO BE HELD ON APRIL 24 IN BRUSSELS IN FRONT OF TURKISH EMBASSY

10:38, 23 April, 2013

YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS: Events devoted to the 98th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 will be held in various countries
of the world. As Armenpress was reported by the Representative for
the Department of the Public Relations of the European Office of the
Armenian Cause Peto Demirchyan, a candle lighting ceremony would be
held around the Armenian cross stone on April 23 in Brussels. The event
will be attended by the representatives of the Armenian structures
of Brussels.

During the day it is intended to show the German film devoted to the
Armenian Genocide “Aghet” (Genocide). The event will be attended by
the Armenian Ambassador, members of the European Parliament, deputies
and the representatives of the Armenian organizations functioning
in Brussels.

On April 24 after the noon a protest action will be held as well in
front of the Turkish Embassy in Brussels, after which the participants
of the rally will organize a procession from the Turkish Embassy
towards the European Union building.

At the years of the World War I Turkey massacred 1,5 million Armenians
in the Western Armenia, making hundreds of thousands people refugees.

The fact of the Armenian Genocide has been recognized by 26 states
of the world, 41 American States out of 50 and international
organizations, including the European Parliament and the European
Council.

By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan, a state Commission was established and the Commission Staff
was defined to foster the international recognition and condemnation
of the Armenian Genocide and to coordinate the events devoted to
the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The Chairman of the
Commission is the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.

From: Baghdasarian