Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Justice Minister Awards Hetq Certificate of Merit

HETQ
15:43, December 26, 2012

RA Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan today awarded Hetq with a
certificate of merit for its impartial and objective coverage of legal
issues.

From: Baghdasarian

Armenian Lighthouse Charitable Foundation Completes Chapel for
Religious Services

COMMUNITY | DECEMBER 29, 2012 3:35 PM

A formerly estranged young couple is reunited and officially married
in the new chapel. They are later joined by their young son and return
home with gifts to start a new life.
LONG BEACH, Calif. and PTGHUNK, Armenia – Zuhrab and Seta Ghazarian,
the founders of the Armenian Lighthouse Charitable Foundation (ALCF),
the organization formerly known as Paros `Lighthouse’ Charitable
Foundation, funded and recently completed the construction of a chapel
adjacent to the ALCF center. The chapel was consecrated and named
Soorp Mariam Asdvadzadzin (St. Mary Church). More than 150 supporters,
members of the clergy and friends attended the October consecration,
joining and honoring the chapel’s benefactors, Zuhrab and Seta
Ghazarian of California. Constructed of tuff and basalt stone, the
chapel was built by workers from the surrounding villages of Ptghunk
and Musaler.

ALCF Founder Seta Ghazarian states, `It was a wish in the heart of
both myself and my husband, Zuhrab, to give back to Our Lord Jesus
Christ in gratitude for all He has given us in our lives. The chapel
has always been part of our plan for the local community.’

Following the consecration, the first official service held in the
chapel was a wedding ceremony. The bride was a resident of Myradoon,
the ALCF’s women and children’s shelter, who became a resident with
her 2-year-old son when she and her husband became estranged. After
living in Myradoon for five months, receiving job training in
cosmetology and undergoing marriage counseling, the wife and husband
were reunited in marriage in the chapel. This ceremony carried special
meaning for the couple because their initial union took place without
official documentation from the government or the Armenian Church.
Since opening Myradoon in 2011, ALCF has reunited approximately 80
percent of its married residents with their husbands, fulfilling one
of the most impairtant tenets of the ALCF’s mission: preserving the
sanctity of the Armenian family.

Today ALCF operates Husi Jerag (Light of Hope), which offers
desperately needed seervices to the local, underserved community
including vocational training, psychological counseling and therapy,
sewing and cooking classes, women’s health services, feeding the poor
and elderly, supporting a local kindergarten, weekly Bible study,
family sponsorships, and donations of essential goods to the needy in
Armenia and Artsakh. In addition, ALCF operates a shelter for abused
women and girls, called Myradoon (Mothers’ Home) with open doors to
the children of these victims. Armenian Lighthouse Charitable
Foundation is a non-profit, public benefit corporation registered in
the State of California and Republic of Armenia.

Donations are needed to advance its work. Contributions to ALCF can be
mailed to: P.O. Box 3595, Seal Beach, CA 90740.

From: Baghdasarian

Armenia’s international reserves reduce in November

news.am
December 29, 2012 | 01:20

YEREVAN. – The international reserve funds of Armenia were $1.687
billion in November 2012, the Central Bank of Armenia publication
reports. And this amount is a drop, by approximately $22 million, as
compared to October.

For the most part, this reduction occurred in the cash money reserves,
which totaled $572 million in November, against the $592 million in
October.

But the amount of securities, which is approximately $1.1 billion, did
not considerably change.

To note, Armenia’s international reserve funds exceeded $1.8 billion
in the beginning of 2012. But some interventions were made, over the
course of the year, to regulate the exchange rate.

From: Baghdasarian

Hrant Bagratyan is the tenth presidential candidate in Armenia

news.am
December 29, 2012 | 18:27

YEREVAN.- Member of the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC)
bloc, head of Freedom party Hrant Bagratyan submitted Saturday, to the
Central Electoral Commission (CEC), his formal nomination for the
presidential elections to be held in the country on February 18, 2013,
the CEC informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

To note, pursuant to the Electoral Code, the formal nominations can be
submitted to the CEC until January 4, 2013. Subsequently, the
presidential candidates will be registered between January 4 and 14.

Non-party affiliate Mher Hayrapetyan, epos specialist Vardan
Sedrakyan, National Self-Determination Union Chairman Paruyr
Hayrikyan, incumbent President – and ruling Republican Party
leader – Serzh Sargsyan, National Accord party Chairman Aram Harutyunyan
and independent candidate Andreas Ghukasyan, Pavlik Sargsyan, head of
national press club Narine Lazarian and Arman Melikyan have already
submitted their formal nominations to the Central Electoral
Commission.

From: Baghdasarian

Monument to killed fighters opened in Chinari village

news.am
December 29, 2012 | 17:12

YEREVAN.- Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Territorial
Administration Armen Gevorgyan paid a working visit to Tavush Region.

Accompanied by Tavush governor A. Ghularyan, Deputy Premier visited
Chinari community to participate in the opening ceremony of a monument
dedicated to fighters and civilians who had been killed in Azerbaijani
shelling on December 29, 1992.

Twenty years ago the Azerbaijani side attacked the entire line of
border of Tavush Region. Many people in Chinari and neighboring
communities were killed.

From: Baghdasarian

NKR Defense Army: Azerbaijan fired more than 68,700 shots in
Karabakh’s direction in 2012

14:12 29/12/2012 » REGION

The Azerbaijani army violated ceasefire regime at the line of contact
between Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed forces about 14,000 times
during the year 2012, firing more than 68,700 shots towards Armenian
defensive posts, NKR Defense Army reported.

Azerbaijan most intensively violated the ceasefire during state and
national holidays as well as in days preceding them.

Despite the rival’s activity, NKR Defense Army remained committed to
the ceasefire regime, completely controlled the situation at the line
of contact and if necessary, took action to silence the rival.

Source: Panorama.am

From: Baghdasarian

EREVAN-TOURISME
Le « National » un nouvel hôtel de 57 chambres équipé de boutiques
ouvre ses portes à Erévan

Le maire d’Erévan Daron Margarian a assisté le 24 décembre à
l’inauguration d’un nouvel hôtel dans la capitale arménienne. L’hôtel
« National » qui vient d’ouvrir ses portes dispose de 57 chambres et
de boutiques. Il dispose également de deux grandes salles de réception
équipées des dernières technologies en matière d’équipements audio.
L’hôtel est présenté comme étant de luxe. Il dispose de nombreux
services, d’une piscine couverte et d’une salle de sports avec les
équipements adaptés. Le directeur de cet hôtel et boutiques « National
», Robert Simonian a assuré à Daron Margarian que son établissement
contribuera à développer le tourisme en Arménie.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 29 décembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAÏDJAN
L’« Eurovision-2012 » aurait coûté un milliard d’euros à l’Azerbaïdjan

Le Centre d’études et statistiques économiques d’Azerbaïdjan vient de
communiquer le résultat de ses recherches sur les dépenses du pays.
Selon Goubad Ibatoglu le directeur du Centre, les autorités azéries
ont été très dépensières dans nombre de programmes en oubliant que les
investissements étrangers en 2012 avaient connu une chute de 23 %.
Ainsi l’organisation du concours de la chanson l’« Eurovision-2012 » à
Bakou aura coûté un milliard de manats (près d’un milliard d’euros) à
l’Etat azéri. De plus les ministères et autorités publiques
d’Azerbaïdjan auraient dépensé 2 milliards de manats. Des dépassements
impressionnants du budget initial dans un pays dont 77,2 % du budget
de l’Etat proviennent des recettes pétrolières. Des recettes qui
profitent essentiellement à la famille dictatoriale des Aliev et de
leurs amis.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 29 décembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

The Number of Gyumri Families Living in Makeshift Trailers (Dnaks) is Rising

12:35, December 28, 2012

The following Shirak Center video shows how one family is surviving
the winter in a dilapidated house on the outskirts of Gyumri.

The Center’s research shows that the number of families living in
temporary shelters is on the rise as more leave buildings damages by
the 1988 earthquake. Many such families aren’t included in the waiting
list for new homes.

18 year-old Hasmik Minasyan, a single mom, moved there about one month
ago with her 1.5 year-old child and her disabled mother,

The Shirak Center is continuing to make visits to such needy families
who are forced to live in such terrible conditions.

Shirak Center staffes have also distributed assistance provided by
American-Armenian benefactor Elvis Madatyan and Yerevan businessmen
Arman, Armen and friends.

From: Baghdasarian

Child beaten in Armenian boarding school – PHOTO

December 25, 2012 | 19:27

YEREVAN. – A 9-year-old Tigran Papikyan has been for two days at the
Armenian Relief Fund support center. He has escaped from a boarding
school in Yerevan and was found in one of the shops on Abovyan-Koryun
crossroad. Tigran claims that he was beaten with a karate stick in the
boarding school, so he escaped.

The child has been taken to the Fund support center, Armenian
Ombudsman’s staff stated but his relatives took him home. Anyway, the
child again was found in the street on Dec. 21, as the Ombudsman’s
staff alarms and although he has relatives, they refuse to care for
him properly.

From: Baghdasarian