Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

“ARMENIAN SOFTWARE” WILLING TO RETRAIN/HIRE SYRIAN-ARMENIAN PROFESSIONALS

hetq
12:14, July 17, 2012

Armenian Software, a market leader of financial automation systems
in Armenia, says it is ready to train and hire Syrian-Armenian
professionals who want to relocate to Armenia.

The company has written to the Ministry of Diaspora, asking that it
supply them with the names of such individuals who have visited the
ministry seeking assistance.

Armenian Software develops and implements accounting, banking and
customer relationship management software.

From: Baghdasarian

YEREVAN’S NON-FUNCTIONING WATER CASCADES, FOUNTAINS TO RESUME OPERATIONS

news.am
July 17, 2012 | 15:04

YEREVAN. – In connection with installing WiFi Internet at Armenian
capital city Yerevan’s parks, gardens, and around the subway system,
Yerevan Center for Management Technology Company Director reported to
Mayor Taron Margaryan that an installation map is drawn and, following
discussions with the communications operator, the installations will
commence. This was noted during Tuesday’s regular consultation at
Yerevan Municipality.

Reflecting on the activities toward eliminating the flaws in the
city’s artistic lighting grid, it was reported that the existing flaws
are eliminated and talks are in progress, with possible investors,
toward setting up new lighting projects.

Activities are also underway toward operating Yerevan’s non-functioning
but operational water cascades and fountains once again.

From: Baghdasarian

ARSEN AYVAZYAN: EXPERT CONCLUSION SHEDS LIGHT ON BALLOON BLAST CASE

Panorama.am
16/07/2012

Complex expert examination has been carried out within the framework
of the criminal proceedings on the blast of gas-filled balloons in
Republic Square on May 4. The expert conclusion has been submitted
to the police. Panorama.am talked to head of the Department of
Investigation of Especially Important Cases of General Investigation
Department of RA Police Arsen Ayvazyan. The expert conclusion shed
light on the balloon blast case, the official told Panorama.am.

– Mister Ayvazyan, what developments are there with regard to the case?

– We have received the expert conclusion and we can say unequivocally
that the balloons were filled with compressed methane gas.

– Do you know the names of people who filled the balloons?

– Yes, we know exactly who did that, when and where. We will provide
more details later, when we have completed urgent investigative
operations following the expert conclusion.

– Some reports say that the balloons were filled with gas at an
apartment. Is it true?

– Yes, a certain person filled the balloons with gas at his apartment
in Yerevan.

– How many balloons were filled with gas, how much did it cost,
how long has that person been in that business?

– In total, nearly 7000 balloons were filled with gas. The gas filling
process started in the morning and ended at about 5:00 pm. Then the
balloons were transported to Republic Square. I cannot provide more
information. We will certainly release further information later.

– In an interview, you stated that there is no explicit legal
prohibition of using methane to fill balloons. Does it mean that
those who filled the balloons will not be held liable?

– We will talk about criminal liability later. I will just mention
that there are no normative legal acts regulating this field.

– Has anyone been arrested in connection with the case?

– No, no one has been arrested.

– How many people have been interrogated according to latest data?

– According to rough figures, more than 250 people have been
interrogated. Interrogations continue. We also carry out additional
interrogations.

From: Baghdasarian

TURQUIE/PROCES ZARAKOLU-KCK : LIBéRATIONS AU COMPTE GOUTTES

Publié le : 18-07-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
invite a lire ce Communiqué de Presse sur le procès du KCK a Silivri
publié sur le site des Reporters Sans Frontières le lundi 16 juillet
2012 et mis a jour le mardi 17 juillet 2012.

Reporters Sans Frontières

Turquie

Procès Zarakolu-KCK : libérations au compte gouttes et prochaine
audience le 1er octobre

Publié le lundi 16 juillet 2012. Mis a jour le mardi 17 juillet 2012.

Le 13 juillet 2012, prenait fin la première série d’audiences du
procès du célèbre journaliste, éditeur et défenseur des droits
de l’homme Ragip Zarakolu et de 204 autres prévenus, accusés
d’entretenir des liens avec la rébellion kurde du PKK (Parti des
travailleurs du Kurdistan).

Présente a la première et a la dernière audience, Reporters
sans frontières regrette le faible nombre de remises en liberté
conditionnelle, contrastant avec les promesses du gouvernement de
faire de la détention préventive une exception. L’organisation est
également très préoccupée par l’étrange cambriolage d’un véhicule
loué par une délégation d’observateurs internationaux. Elle appelle
a une enquête approfondie pour en identifier les responsables.

Au terme de deux semaines d’instruction, la 15ème chambre de la cour
d’Assises d’Istanbul a décidé de remettre en liberté conditionnelle
le journaliste Kazim Seker, rédacteur du quotidien pro-kurde Ozgur
Gundem (Agenda libre). Il était incarcéré depuis octobre 2011 dans
le cadre de l’enquête ouverte contre le KCK (Union des Communautés
du Kurdistan), soupconné d’être la branche urbaine du PKK. Quinze
autres prévenus, dont la célèbre académicienne Busra Ersanli,
ont été libérés sur le fondement de la Loi n°6235, fruit du ”
troisième paquet de réformes judiciaires ” entré en vigueur le
5 juillet dernier pour limiter le recours a la détention préventive.

En revanche, le chroniqueur du quotidien en langue kurde Azadiya
Welat (Pays libre) Hasan Ozgunes est maintenu en détention, tout
comme la traductrice Ayse Berktay, cadre du parti pro-kurde BDP, et
Deniz Zarakolu, le fils de Ragip Zarakolu. Malgré les dispositions
de la Loi n°6235, la cour n’a guère fourni d’éléments concrets
pour justifier cette décision. Elle s’est contentée d’affirmer
qu’il existait selon elle de forts soupcons quant a ses connections
avec la rébellion kurde, que l’enquête était encore en cours pour
rassembler des pièces a conviction, et qu’une mesure de contrôle
judiciaire risquerait de ne pas être efficace.

Sur les 205 accusés de ce procès fleuve, 124 attendront donc
derrière les barreaux la prochaine audience, qui se tiendra du 1er
au 9 octobre 2012.

Etrange cambriolage

Le véhicule loué par une délégation de PEN International et de
l’Association internationale des éditeurs (IPA) a été cambriolé, le
2 juillet, devant la prison de Silivri où se tenait le procès. Une
vitre a été incisée de facon professionnelle pour ouvrir la
portière de la voiture, garée a quinze mètres des gendarmes. Si la
majeure partie de l’argent laissé dans le véhicule n’a pas été
touchée, les ordinateurs portables et les téléphones des membres
de la délégation ont été volés, ainsi que le dossier qu’ils
avaient préparé pour une conférence de presse.

La directrice du Comité des écrivains en prison de PEN
International, Sarah Wyatt, avec qui s’est entretenu le correspondant
de Reporters sans frontières, a affirmé mieux comprendre le sentiment
d’insécurité ressenti par les défenseurs des droits de l’homme en
Turquie. “On peut voir une simple coïncidence dans le fait que seule
notre voiture ait été cambriolée et qu’on nous ait volé le dossier
[préparé pour la conférence de presse]. Mais nous avons quand même
commencé a nous demander si nous étions suivis. Nous comprenons
a quel point cela peut être difficile pour les journalistes et
écrivains sur place de vivre ce genre de paranoïa tous les jours”,
a-t-elle confié.

Dans un autre volet de l’affaire KCK, le procès de 37 avocats
incarcérés depuis l’automne s’ouvrira le 16 juillet.

Lire aussi:

Turquie : un futur Prix Nobel en prison ?

Liberté pour Ragip Zarakolu : Dossier complet

Turquie : ouverture du procès du KCK

Turquie : Premier jour du procès du KCK

Turquie : Deuxième audience du procès du KCK

Turquie : le théâtre judiciaire de Silivri fait salle comble (1)

Le procès du KCK fait dérailler la machine judiciaire turque (2)

Procès du KCK: la liberté de recherche menacée (3)

Le grand enfermement des libertés en Turquie

Turquie : libération conditionnelle pour Busra Ersanlı

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Reporters Sans Frontières

From: Baghdasarian

3,507 ACCEPTED TO YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY THIS FALL
Sona Avagyan

hetq
13:26, July 16, 2012

Out of the 5,400 students who applied to Yerevan State University for
the fall semester, 3,507 have been accepted according to the school’s
rector Aram Simonyan.

Simonyan told reporters that 381 applicants will be attending classes
for free based on their test scores and other criteria.

18,500 individuals applied to Armenia’s colleges and universities
this year.

From: Baghdasarian

PROTESTERS THROW TOMATOES, SHOES AT CLINTON MOTORCADE IN EGYPT

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 16, 2012 – 11:43 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Protesters threw tomatoes and shoes at U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s motorcade on Sunday, July 15,
during her first visit to Egypt since the election of Islamist
President Mohamed Mursi.

According to Reuters, a tomato struck an Egyptian official in the face,
and shoes and a water bottle landed near the armored cars carrying
Clinton’s delegation in the port city of Alexandria after she gave
a speech on democratic rights.

A senior U.S. official said neither Clinton nor her vehicle, which
was around the corner from the incident, were hit by the projectiles,
which were thrown as U.S. officials and reporters walked to the
motorcade after her speech.

Protesters chanted “Monica, Monica,” a reference to the extra-marital
affair conducted by Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton,
while in the White House. Others earlier chanted “leave, Clinton”
an Egyptian security official said.

It was not clear who the protesters were or what were their political
affiliations. Demonstrations have become common in Egypt since former
President Hosni Mubarak, long-time U.S. ally, was brought down by
mass street protests last year.

Earlier on Sunday, Clinton met Egypt’s top general, Field Marshal
Hussein Tantawi, to discuss Egypt’s turbulent democratic transition
as the military wrestles for influence with the new president.

The meeting came a day after she met Mursi, whose powers were clipped
by the military days before he took office.

Mursi fired back by reinstating the Islamist-dominated parliament that
the army leadership had disbanded after a court declared it void,
deepening the stand-off before the new leader even had time to form
a government.

In their hour-long meeting, Clinton and Tantawi discussed Egypt’s
political transition, the military’s “ongoing dialogue with President
Mursi,” and the country’s economic troubles, a U.S. official travelling
with Clinton said in an email brief.

“Tantawi stressed that this is what Egyptians need most now – help
getting the economy back on track,” the official said.

The talks also touched on the increasingly lawless Sinai region and
the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Speaking after the meeting, Tantawi said the army respected the
presidency but would not be deterred from its role of “protecting”
Egypt.

From: Baghdasarian

ERDOGAN TO SEEK 4TH TERM AS AKP LEADER

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 16, 2012 – 12:10 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan signaled
his intention to seek a fourth term as leader of the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP), while also paving the way to more terms
for MPs from the party who have already served three terms, Hurriyet
Daily News reported.

“Everyone has the chance to become a deputy again after taking a
one-term break. This arrangement will find its place at the grand
congress in Ankara on September 30,” Erdoðan said at an AKP provincial
meeting in the central Anatolian city of Eskiþehir, signaling a
change to the party statute that currently keeps deputies who have
been elected to office three times from running for Parliament a
fourth time.

“Likewise, we will run for the general chairmanship of the party for
the fourth and last time in accordance with the promise we have given,”
Erdoðan said.

“The general chair of the party is elected via secret vote by the
grand congress. However, the same person can be elected as general
chair for four terms at most, except for the founding chairmanship,”
Article 75 of the AKP Statute says.

The statute also reads: “Mayors and deputies who run and are elected
from AK Party [AKP] lists can be nominated as candidates for three
terms at most.”

From: Baghdasarian

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
June 25, 2012
Contact: Press Department
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY INTERNS MEET WITH ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
SPONSOR REP. ADAM SCHIFF

Washington, DC – Last week, the 2012 Armenian Assembly
Terjenian-Thomas Internship class met with Congressman Adam Schiff
(D-CA), reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).

During the meeting, Congressman Schiff provided an overview of the
appropriations process and funding issues as it pertains to Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh as well as efforts within the House of
Representatives to reaffirm the fact of the Armenian Genocide in the
face of Turkey’s ongoing denial campaign.

“I commend the Armenian Assembly for its important role, through its
internship program, in helping to train the next generation of leaders
within the Armenian community,” stated Congressman Schiff . “The
invaluable interaction with policy-makers and the insights gained as a
result their Washington, DC internships will serve them well as they
continue their studies,” added Schiff.

Meeting participants asked a series of questions ranging from the
Armenian Genocide to Armenia’s economy and good governance to overall
U.S. policy in the South Caucasus region as well as the Azerbaijani
cease-fire violations earlier this month.

“As a result of this meeting, I have a greater appreciation for the
intricacies of the legislative process and how it impacts foreign
policy,” stated Lori Yeni-Komshian, who is an International Studies
major at the University of California San Diego. “It was also
heartening to hear that the Congressman will continue to fight for
U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide, especially as the
centennial approaches,” Yeni-Komshian added.

The Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program was made possible by
the Memorial Fund established through the generosity of Aram
Terjenian, Annie Thomas and Florence Terjenian of Belmont,
Massachusetts. Additional support comes from the Richard Tufenkian
Memorial Fund, the John Hanessian Scholarship Fund, the Armen
Astarjian Scholarship Fund, the Ohanian Memorial Fund, James and
Connie Melikian and the Knights of Vartan.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public
understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a
501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

###

NR: # 2012-028

From: Baghdasarian

REPRESENTATIVE OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF SYRIA SPEAKS ABOUT QUIET SITUATION DESPITE THE NEWS ABOUT TENSION IN DAMASCUS

ARMENPRESS
17 July, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 17, ARMENPRESS: In the center of the city the situation
is still quiet and people live as they are used to. Armenpress was
informed about this from the representative of Armenian community of
Syria Nazareth Elmadzyan. The situation in Damascus is still quiet that
the tension increased in the suburbs of Damascus where the amount of
armed rebels has increased. In the central part of the city there are
not problems yet. In general the situation is under control in Damascus
according to Elmadzyan. Syrian official SANA agency informs that the
Special service forces of the country continue the anti-terrorist
actions. According to the agency the rebel groups have significant
losses. Meanwhile international Medias inform that the explosions
and shootings do not stop in Damascus. CNN informed calling the press
secretary of the rebels that the opposition had the aim to begin the
decisive attack on Damascus. The rebels declared that they control two
districts in the city – Midan in the southern part and At Tadamun in
the eastern part. They want to attack the administrative buildings,
close the highways in order to stop the movement of the army calling
the soldiers to pass to their side.

From: Baghdasarian

WOMEN GRAND PRIX INTERNATIONAL CHESS TOURNAMENT KICKS OFF IN ARMENIA

armradio.am
17.07.2012 12:07

The President of the Republic of Armenia, President of the Armenian
Chess Federation Serzh Sargsyan conducted a working visit to
Vayots Dzor marz. In the city of Jermuk Serzh Sargsyan visited the
construction site of the new hotel- water resort and the site of
the new unit of the Armenia recreational center and observed the
working process.

In the evening, President Sargsyan attended the solemn opening ceremony
of the Women Grand Prix International Chess Tournament. He welcomed the
President of FIDE Kirsan Illyumzhinov, who was present at the ceremony,
the twelve strongest women chess players from seven countries of the
world and the guests.

The President of Armenia noted that love towards chess has become one
of Armenia’s visiting cards and brought wide recognition to Armenia
all over the world. According to Serzh Sargsyan, it is a matter of
great pride indeed because it is a result of our people’s creative
talent and has been achieved through the persistent and hard work.

“Today, we give a start to a tournament which can be a source of pride
for any country of the world. I am confident that it will become a
festive event not only for the chess community of Armenia but for
the chess players everywhere in the world. Taking this opportunity,
I would like to thank the FIDE, personally Mr. Illyumzhinov for the
efficient and good cooperation. That very cooperation makes possible
organization of great chess tournaments. We are satisfied with the
level of cooperation and do everything to make chess playing even more
popular in Armenia,” President Serzh Sargsyan said and underscored
that the participants of this festive event undoubtedly have been
brought to Jermuk by their love for chess playing.

“We are ready to do everything for the sake of this beautiful game
to make it develop and spread further, and we, as the citizens of
Armenia, are proud not only with our own but all the leading chess
players of the world,” Serzh Sargsyan said in his welcoming remarks.

In Jermuk, President Serzh Sargsyan along with the President of FIDE
Kirsan Illyumzhinov and guests of the Tournaments observed the Chess
in Armenia exhibition presented by the Hay Art Cultural Center on
the occasion of the Tournament and familiarized with the works of the
contemporary Armenian artists dedicated to chess playing, President’s
Press Office reported.

From: Baghdasarian