Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ARRESTATION D’UN PROXENETE EN ARMENIE
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 17 janvier 2013

Deja condamne A.Kh., 45 ans, forcait GS une jeune fille perdue a
la prostitution et conservait l’argent qu’elle gagnait. En outre,
elle aurait ete soumise a une exploitation sexuelle, non seulement
en Armenie, mais aussi en Turquie.

Le procès d’A. Kh aura lieu devant le tribunal de droit commun des
distrits d’Ajapnyak et de Davtashen.

Selon l’enquete, A.Kh. a rencontre GS et après avoir decouvert qu’elle
n’avait pas de residence permanente et a etabli un contrôle sur elle
et plus tard, l’a soumis de force a une exploitation sexuelle en
gardant l’argent qu’elle gagnait.

Puis, continuant son activite criminelle, A.Kh a conclu un accord
avec une souteneuse, nomme Tanya qui a transporte GS en Turquie,
où elle a ete exploitee sexuellement pendant quatre mois.

From: Baghdasarian

LA POLICE S’ENGAGE A ASSURER UNE ELECTION DEMOCRATIQUE
Laetitia

armenews.com
jeudi 17 janvier 2013

La police armenienne a promis mercredi 16 janvier qu’elle empecherait
les irregularites lors de l’election presidentielle en fevrier 2013.

Dans une declaration ecrite, la police s’est engage a contribuer
a assurer un environnement electoral et une ambiance digne d’une
societe democratique.

La declaration a exhorte les Armeniens a signaler tout cas de
fraude aux autorites policières. La police a egalement declare
qu’elle garantira la securite de l’ensemble des huit candidats a
la presidentielle.

Hovannes Sahakian, du Parti republicain d’Armenie (HHK), a depeint
la declaration comme une preuve supplementaire que les autorites sont
serieuses au sujet de leurs promesses pour assurer le bon deroulement
de l’election du 18 fevrier.

Sans plus attendre, les representants de l’opposition ont rejete les
promesses de police. ” Ils n’ont pas tout a fait enqueter sur toutes
les violations des elections “, a declare Stepan Safarian du parti
Zharangutyun (patrimoine), dont le chef Raffi Hovannisian est l’un
des principaux candidats de l’opposition presidentielle.

” Peut-etre qu’ils font quelque chose pour assurer la securite physique
des personnes “, a declare Safarian a RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am). ”
Mais la police ne peut rien faire pour trier les listes electorales,
car elle sera pas autorisee a enqueter sur les irregularites des
elections. ” ” Tous les organes de l’Etat et de la police ont pour
instruction de travailler pour le regime “, selon lui.

La police a ouvert huit affaires penales dans le cadre des fraudes
alleguees par l’opposition lors des elections legislatives de l’an
dernier. Personne ne fut finalement accusee de fraude electorale.

En revanche, la police a poursuivi un militant de l’Association
armenienne Helsinki qui pretendait etre attaque par un loyaliste
du gouvernement dans un bureau de vote a Erevan. Le militant, Arman
Vezirian, lui-meme a ete accuse d’agression.

jeudi 17 janvier 2013, Laetitia ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

KATHERINE SARAFIAN WINS GOLDEN GLOBE FOR ‘BRAVE’

Katherine Sarafian accepting the Golden Globe

LOS ANGELES-Katherine Sarafian, producer of the animated feature film,
Brave, took home a Golden Globe award Sunday night when her film won
for Best Animated Feature Film.

This is a good omen for Sarafian and her film, since Brave is nominated
for both an Annie Award and an Academy Award, both will be announced
next month at their respective award ceremonies. The Annie Awards
will be handed out on February 2 while the Academy Awards will take
place on February 24.

Sarafian and Brave director Mark Andrews, who accepted the award,
took the stage during Sunday’s ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Brave, which was a critical and box office success last summer,
was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt
Disney Pictures.

Brave competed for the Golden Globe alongside Frankenweenie, Hotel
Transylvania, Rise of the Guardians and Wreck-It Ralph.

From: Baghdasarian

REPUBLICAN MP: ELECTIONS WILL BE FREE AND TRANSPARENT AND SERZH SARGSYAN WILL WIN

19:05 16/01/2013 ” Politics

The Armenian society pins much hopes on the upcoming presidential
elections and the most important thing is that the society form
a positive opinion about the election results, Republican Party of
Armenia (RPA) parliamentary faction member Gagik Minasyan told a news
conference in Yerevan.

“We have accumulated problems, but we also have serious achievements
and work implemented during these years,” the MP said.

According to him, at least four of the candidates – Serzh Sargsyan,
Raffi Hovannisian, Hrant Bagratyan and Paruyr Hayrikyan – have a rich
experience in state building as well as past way.

Mr Minasyan said that he is confident that the elections will be free
and transparent, and that Serzh Sargsyan will win.

Commenting on the opinion that these elections are not competitive,
which is due to the refusal of Armenian National Congress (ANC),
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) and ARF Dashnaktsutyun to nominate
their candidates, Gagik Minasyan noted that it resulted from wrong
political calculations.

“ANC and ARF, partly, led the things in a single direction. ANC did
everything to get into an extremely difficult situation today. Both
ANC and ARF, uniting around PAP, in essence lost the considerable
part of their electorate,” the MP noted.

From: Baghdasarian

PAN-ARMENIAN ENVIRONMENTAL FRONT IS SET UP

Society – Thursday, 17 January 2013, 00:03

A group of young people of Armenia and Artsakh have announced about
their idea to set up the Pan-Armenian Environmental Front. The purpose
of the Pan-Armenian Environmental Front will be protection of nature,
reasonable development of the economy and social justice. To achieve
this goal the Front will pursue environmental protection, renewal
and development, rational use of natural resources and their renewal,
prevention of exposure of the environment to the negative consequences
of economic and other activities by means of monitoring and control.

The results of the monitoring will be submitted to the public and the
state agencies. In case the state is reluctant or unable to eliminate
violations and resolve problems, the PEF will require or proceed with
prevention and restitution of damage caused or to be caused to the
environment in accordance with the Constitution and legislation.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA READY TO SET UP JOINT CAR ASSEMBLY LINE WITH IRAN

14:38 16.01.2013
Armenia, Iran

Governor-General of Armenia’s Syunik province Suren Khachatryan said in
Tabriz on Tuesday that his country is ready for cooperation with Iran’s
Northwestern province of East Atrpatakan in the car-making industry.

“Syunik province can pave the way for the presence of East Atrpatakan’s
auto industry in global markets by setting up assembly lines of
Iranian cars,” Khachatryan said.

He noted that the two countries have considerable capacities for
boosting and reinvigorating their joint investments, Fars news
Agency reports.

From: Baghdasarian

GEORGIAN EXPERT: ARMENIA AND GEORGIA ARE SIMPLY DOOMED TO DEVELOP AND DEEPEN THEIR RELATIONS
by Tatevik Shahunyan

Thursday, January 17, 16:25

An interview of the head of the Republican Institute of Georgia,
Ivlian Khaindrava, with Arminfo news agency

Mr Khaindrava, how do you assess the current situation in the
Armenian-Georgian relations taking into consideration the media
hype regarding the last statements by Georgia’s foreign minister and
Patriarch Ilia the Second, about the necessity of settlement of the
Karabakh conflict within the frames of the principle of territorial
integrity?

I calmly treat this hype, as the church does not settle political
issues in secular states and Patriarch’s viewpoint (if it was
expressed) cannot affect the process around Nagornyy Karabakh. As for
the statement by Georgia’s foreign minister made in the European Club
under the parliament of Latvia, it was not beyond the frames of the
standard diplomatic vocabulary, as I know.

Do these statements reflect the impartial situation in the
Armenian-Georgian relations, or are the fruit of the mass media
fantasy?

Coming of the new political force to the power in Georgia caused
certain nervousness within the country as well as among its neighbors
and partners. This is clear, as premier Ivanishvili and the ruling
coalition are taken by many people like a “dark horse”. However,
there are all the grounds to suppose that foreign political course
of Georgia will not radically change and the Euroatlantic integration
will gain new impulse. Anyway Georgia and Armenia are simply doomed to
develop and deepen their relations, though it is no secret that their
positions differ in certain issues. This is reflected, for instance,
when voting in UN and other international organizations. However, the
political elites did not dramatize such a circumstance long ago. By
the way, the Armenian businessmen and ordinary citizens of Armenia
are directly contacting with Georgia more and more. This is evidence of
the fact that they feel themselves rather comfortably in our country.

May the created situation affect the visit by Georgia’s Prime Minister
Bidzina Ivanishvili to Armenia?

The forthcoming visit by Prime Minister of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili
to Armenia is one of his first foreign visits like a premier. This
is evidence of the dynamically developing Armenian-Georgian relations.

Unfortunately, we have got opponents of further development of
the Armenian-Georgian relations not only outside our countries but
also within them. However, they cannot disrupt the grounds of the
big policy.

What key issues will be discussed during Ivanishvili’s visit to
Armenia?

The visit by Georgia’s Prime Minister Bedzina Ivanishvili to Armenia
on 17 January is first of all targeted at establishment of personal
knowledge with his Armenian counterparts. This is always necessary
and important from the point of view of formation of the mutual
trust regime for the future years. I think that pragmatic leaders
will easily find common ground. They will touch on all the issues of
common interest and fix the lines of the coinciding interests. I hope
the needed attention will be drawn to the driving of both countries
to the free trade agreement with European Union, as Tbilisi as well
as Yerevan have been working in this direction. In this context,
we noticed the decision of Armenia about unilateral cancel of the
visa regime with the countries of the EU, after which Georgia and
Armenia formed a single non-visa area for the Europeans.

In his last interview the second president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan
said that opening of the Abkhazian railway by the new authorities of
Georgia will positively affect the economic situation in Armenia. How
do you assess such an opportunity?

The new authorities of Georgia have initiated opening of the Abkhazian
railway thanks to the relevant political will and readiness to discuss
practical aspects of the issue. However, the authorities of Sukhumi
quickly passed up Tbilisi’s proposal, Moscow’s reaction was obscure
and Baku’s – extremely nervous. It is clear, that in such a situation
only Georgia cannot open the railway traffic through Abkhazia, which
is beneficial to Armenia. But this issue will return to the regional
agenda sooner or later.

Why Vahagn Chakhalyan’s name was not among the political prisoners
which were amnestied?

I think that there were certain grounds for Vahagn Chakhakyan not
to be amnestied. You may address to relevant instances regarding the
possibility of his setting free on parole.

From: Baghdasarian

‘THE MAIN LINES OF AMERICAN POLICY IN CAUCASUS WILL CONTINUE’

News.Az
Tue 15 January 2013 10:04 GMT | 10:04 Local Time

News.Az interviews Ross Wilson, director of the Eurasia Centre at the
Atlantic Council and a former US ambassador to Azerbaijan and Turkey.

What should we expect from the renewed Obama’s team policy in the
South Caucasus? Will this policy remain the same or there will be
some changes?

Nothing in the appointments the president has made suggest any
significant changes in US foreign policy, either generally or with
regard to the South Caucasus. My assumption is that the main lines of
American policy in Caucasus will continue – support for each of the
three countries, energy, resolution and management of the conflicts,
progress on democracy and human rights, and collaboration on external
issues (including, for example, Afghanistan) as circumstances permit.

There is an opinion that for the next couple of years Washington
will focus on getting its forces out of Afghanistan, but after that
the U.S. really won’t have any strong interests in the Caucasus. How
would you comment on that?

The United States will continue to have strong interests in the
Caucasus that reflect the policy lines I have already mentioned. How
the United States acts on those interests is another matter. I am
concerned that Washington’s attention to the Caucasus and Central
Asia will decrease, however, as the US and Coalition presence in
Afghanistan decreases. Some of my current work is aimed at countering
that, and it will be important also for regional leaders to work with
Washington and give it positive reasons for more engagement.

What kind of role may Turkey play in the Karabakh settlement while
Armenia rejects any Turkish mediatory?

Turkey’s non-relationship with Armenia is an impediment to a more
effective Turkish role on Nagorno-Karabakh. Outsiders have to have
the support of all sides in order to be able to function as mediators.

That said, I hope that Turkey uses the influence that it has with
Armenia and perhaps more so with Azerbaijan to encourage a settlement
and maintain peace, as renewed conflict would run strongly counter
to the interests of Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Do you believe in the military scenario of solving “Iranian problem”
this year? And what do you think about rumors in the American media
on Azerbaijan’s support of Israeli strikes on Iran?

The president has to show results on the Iran issue. What that will
mean practically in 2013 is difficult to say. I believe he remains
committed to making diplomacy succeed, but success depends in part
on the Iranians, of course. As for rumors, I don’t pay attention to
them and do not know what the reports you refer to are based upon.

From: Baghdasarian

FIRST ARMENIAN WOMEN CLIMBING EVEREST

January 17, 2013 – 16:59 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – In 2012 two Armenian women ~V Lyuba Balyan and
Mariam Martirosyan, headed for their trip toEverest.

Mount Everest is the Earth’s highest mountain, with a peak at 8,848
metres above sea level. The Mount is located in the Mahalangur section
of the Himalayas. The international border between China and Nepal
runs across the precise summit point.

Lyuba Balyan and Mariam Martirosyan have reached the mark of 5364
meters. After this mark Everest can only be conquered by professional
alpinists with special climbing gears. But a few can get to even
this camp.

~SEverything started with a photo, which an Englishman took in small
village in the Himalayas. I learnt its name ~V Namche Bazaar, which
is located on the way to Everest. And I decided to head there. If
Mariam weren~Rt with me, the trip wouldn~Rt be so easy~E,~T Lyuba
Balyan recalled.

~SThe trip was amazing, even attitude sickness didn~Rt touch us. We
climbed at the height of 5364meters, this is the whereabouts of
the camp, after which only alpinists are eligible to continue with
climbing gears. It turned out to be a landslide,~T the climbers said.

~SWe saw Everest melting. The alpinists, who attempted to climb Everest
from the side of Nepal, couldn~Rt do it, as the wind blew off the snow.

They had to climb through Tibet. I think it is the result of the
global warming,~T they said.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN MILITARY PROSECUTOR KEEPS ON FULFILLING PRESIDENT’S INSTRUCTIONS

NEWS.AM
January 17, 2013 | 15:46

YEREVAN.- Armenian President’s instructions concerning investigation
into cases remained unsolved are being fulfilled, military prosecutor
Gevorg Kostanyan said on Thursday.

“The investigations are underway,” he said speaking about unsolved
cases.

Reporters’ attempts to make Kostanyan comment on rumors were doomed
to failure. Asked to comment on his future career, military prosecutor
said he had no intention to comment on any rumors.

From: Baghdasarian