Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

UN AUTRE MAGNAT ACCUSE DE VIOLENCE
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 12 juillet 2012

Un defenseur des droits de l’homme armenien a pretendu avoir ete
assailli par Ruben Hayrapetian alors que des centaines d’activistes
se sont heurtees avec la police anti-emeutes lors d’une manifestation
contre la mort d’un medecin militaire dans un restaurant appartenant
a l’homme d’affaires proche du gouvernement.

Armen Vezirian, un membre de l’Association Helsinki Armenie, etait
parmi les protestataires qui se sont reunis a l’exterieur du restaurant
Harsnakar a Erevan pour une autre veillee a la lueur des bougies pour
Vahe Avetian.

Vezirian a dit qu’il a ete aggresse par Hayrapetian après s’etre
approche du restaurant de deux etages. ” Je prenais des images quand il
a dit que c’est une propriete privee, m’a insulte et m’a dit de sortir
” a-t-il dit aux journalistes. ” Alors il m’a donne un coup de poing “.

Ruben Hayrapetian, qui a fait face a des allegations de complicite
dans la mort d’Avetian, n’a pas publiquement fait des remarques quant
a ces allegations.

Selon Mikael Danielian, le president de l’Association Helsinki,
le magnat a telephone a Vezirian et lui a fait des excuses pour son
comportement. ” Ruben Hayrapetian a dit que ses actions ont resulte
de sa nervosite ” a dit Mikael Danielian au service armenien de RFE/RL
(Azatutyun.am).

Vezirian a ete questionne par la police d’Erevan au sujet de
l’incident. Une declaration de police a dit que l’activiste ne posera
pas de plainte formelle et ” n’a aucune demande de Ruben Hayrapetian “.

La police ne lancera pas donc d’enquete criminelle contre Hayrapetian,
a-t-il dit.

From: Baghdasarian

UN PRINTEMPS ARMENIEN EN DOUCEUR
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
jeudi 12 juillet 2012

L’Armenie a change et continue de changer, ” a declare lors d’une
conference de presse le 11 juillet, l’Ambassadeur de France en Armenie,
Henry Reno, rapporte IA REGNUM.

Selon lui, l’Armenie va de l’avant, meme si personne ne le remarque. ”
En 2010, j’ai vu une autre Armenie, aujourd’hui elle est differente,
il y a des progrès dans tous les domaines “, dit-il. Le diplomate a
souligne qu’il etait conscient des difficultes rencontrees par une
partie de la population, surtout au plan social.

” D’un point de vue politique, cependant, la situation a radicalement
change. Quand je suis arrive en Armenie, la principale question en
litige etait l’existence des ” prisonniers politiques. Ce sont des
gens qui ont ete arretes après les evenements des 1er et 2 mars 2008.

Depuis, beaucoup de choses ont change, y compris le processus
electoral. La dernière election a progresse, mais il reste encore
beaucoup a faire “, constate-t-il

L’ambassadeur a declare qu’au cours de sa mission, il a vu le reveil de
la societe civile en Armenie, indiquant l’activite des ecologistes,
des defenseurs des droits de l’homme et des organisations non
gouvernementales. ” Sur cette base, nous pouvons affirmer que cette
societe va de l’avant. La societe veut contrôler les questions se
rapportant directement a elle.

Selon Henry Reno, la societe armenienne doit faire tout son possible
pour veiller a ce que ces processus vitaux se manifestent plus
clairement.

Il note que les reactions aux derniers evenements mettant en cause
Ruben Hayrapetyan dans le decès d’un medecin militaire, montrent qu’en
Armenie il y a une stabilite de la societe civile. C’est ce qui appelle
” le Printemps Armenien “.

From: Baghdasarian

LE GROUPE DE MINSK SE REND AU HAUT-KARABAGH
Laetitia

armenews.com
jeudi 12 juillet 2012

Les mediateurs internationaux se sont a nouveau rendus au Haut-Karabakh
dans un nouveau cycle de diplomatie visant a relancer le processus de
paix entre l’Azerbaïdjan et l’Armenie. Les Etats-Unis, la Russie et la
France se sont rendus sur la ligne de contact du Haut-Karabakh après
avoir rencontre le president azerbaïdjanais Ilham Aliyev a Bakou. Igor
Popov, le co-president russe, a declare que la troïka a discute des
recentes violations du cessez-le-feu dans la zone de conflit. Le
bureau de presse du president du Haut-Karabakh, Bako Sahakian, a dit
qu’il a demande au groupe de Minsk de continuer a essayer de mettre
l’Azerbaïdjan sur une voie constructive. Sahakian souhaite que le
groupe de Minsk renforcent les pourparlers pour resoudre le conflit.

Nous ne savons pas si Popov et ses collègues americains et francais
ont presente de nouvelles propositions pour aider les parties a
surmonter leurs divergences sur les principes fondamentaux de la
resolution du conflit du Karabakh. Dans une declaration conjointe
publiee le 19 juin, les Etats-Unis, les presidents russe et francais
ont declare que les parties devraient aplanir ces divergences très
prochainement. Ils ont egalement exhorte les deux parties a respecter
le cessez-le-feu. Pendant ce temps, l’Azerbaïdjan a declare mercredi
11 juillet 2012 que ses forces armees ont commence a grande echelle
des exercices a proximite de la ligne de front.

From: Baghdasarian

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE WILL NOT DISCUSS HARSNAKAR INCIDENT

hetq
14:50, July 11, 2012

Goryun Nahapetyan, who heads the RA National Assembly’s Standing
Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs, stated
today that his committee wasn’t planning to discuss the Harsnakar
Restaurant incident any time soon.

Ruben Hayrapetyan, the owner of the restaurant and an MP himself,
sits on this committee.

Despite declaring that he would resign his parliamentary seat on
moral grounds, Hayrapetyan officially remains an MP.

National Assembly President Hovik Abrahamyan has rejected a proposal
by opposition legislators to organize a special hearing on the matter.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIANS IN JAVAKHQ BACK GEORGIA’S OPPOSITION

tert.am
11.07.12

Armenian community in Georgian Samtskhe-Javakhk faces agricultural,
human rights protection, Armenian language issues, specialist on
Georgia Alik Eroyants told the reporters today.

“The number of Armenian language classes have been cut and replaced
with Georgian language classes. Georgians are being appointed
headmasters of Armenian schools,” he said, adding that the problem
of Armenians there is lack of knowledge of Georgian language, in case
they learn it they will too be appointed in high posts.

As to political views among Javakhki Armenians, the expert said there
are many pro-opposition public figures able to consolidate the Armenian
community over them.

According to the expert, the Georgian authorities have adopted tough
policy in concrete Armenian-populated territories, exerting pressure
on Armenians. He said the tension will increase in a few months on
the threshold of coming parliamentary elections. At the same time
the expert said even if opposition comes to power the issues of
Javakhq Armenians will not be solved. “Javakh needs state policy,”
Eroyants said.

From: Baghdasarian

DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BY TURKEY ABSURD – LAWRENCE SCHNEIDERMAN

news.am
July 12, 2012 | 00:22

YEREVAN. – Armenian News-NEWS.am presents pieces of Vanderbilt
University public policy Professor Lawrence Schneiderman’s article
published in Eurasia Review:

According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington,
DC, Genocide is a very specific term, referring to violent crimes
committed against groups with the intent to destroy the existence of
the group.

Genocide is a specific and horrendous act that should not be
trivialized. Equally, it is wrong to apply its use incorrectly for
political gain or correctness.

For anyone who has forgotten – here is a short recap of actual
genocides in the 20th century. The Armenian Genocide was implemented in
1915 and lasted until the end of World War I. In the end, the Ottoman
Turks had murdered 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children. The
means of extermination were methodically planned, with the intention
of destroying the existence of the Armenian people in Turkey. They
used some of the same methods we associate with Nazi Germany, such as
death marches, starvation, extermination camps, use of poison gases,
drowning children, and mass burnings.

Their intent from the start was to wipe out the Armenian people, with
the ultimate end game resulting in the systematic eradication of the
Armenian population from Turkey. The fact that modern day Turkey,
under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, denies that it was
genocide is ridiculous.

The Jewish Holocaust of World War II is understood and accepted today
as the definition of Genocide, in most of the world. The exception
is the world’s Islamic nations. Nazi Germany and their Quisling
collaborators exterminated 6 million Jews, two-thirds of the Jewish
population of Europe, in a systematic state planned program, The Final
Solution. The methods and means of history’s most horrific genocide
are well documented.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA NEGOTIATING WITH RUSSIA ON GAS TARIFFS

Interfax
July 10 2012
Russia

Armenia is negotiating with Russia on gas tariffs, the Armenian Energy
and Natural Resources Minister’s Press Officer Lusine Arutyunyan
told Interfax.

“We are holding negotiations relative to the entire complex of
cooperation in the energy sphere, including issues related to natural
gas tariffs,” she said. So far as the negotiations are underway, the
ministry will not make any statements regarding possible changes in
the gas price, she said.

During a working meeting in Moscow on June 29, Gazprom (RTS: GAZP) CEO
Alexei Miller and Armenian Energy and Natural Resources Minister Armen
Movsisyan discussed gas price formation and boosting gas deliveries
to Armenia in 2012-2013.

In February, Movsisyan told journalists that Gazprom had not yet
informed Armenia of price hikes for natural gas this year. “I think
that such a request [to raise the gas price] will not come from the
Russian company this year,” he said, noting that notification has to be
submitted four months before the planned price hike. Armenia currently
buys Russian gas at the old price – $180 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Armenia saw the cost of Russian natural gas grow from $154 per 1,000
cu m to $180 on April 1, 2010. Although price hikes normally occur
on April 1, last year the price was left unchanged for Armenia for
the first time in several years.

Russian gas deliveries to Armenia climbed 11.7% to 1.609 billion
cubic meters in 2011.

Gazprom owns 80% of CJSC ArmRosGazprom shares.

From: Baghdasarian

THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE WAS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY AND CIVILIZATION: VALENTINA MATVIYENKO

ARMENPRESS
11 July, 2012
YEREVAN

Yerevan, July 11, Armenpress: The delegation led by the Chairman of
the Federation Council Assembly of the Russian Federation, Valentina
Matviyenko, visited Tsitsernakaberd to commemorate the victims of
the Armenian genocide. The high-ranking guest laid a wreath at the
memorial and with a minute silence respected the memory of the victims
of the genocide, Armenpress reports.

The Armenian genocide was the greatest crime against humanity and
the greatest tragedy for the Armenians, noted Valentina Matviyenko
at the course of the briefing with the journalists. “It was a crime
against humanity and civilization. No matter how many centuries
pass, such crimes can never be forgotten not to be repeated again”,
Valentina Matviyenko noted adding that it was a right decission by
the Armenians to build such a memorial dedicated to the innocent
victims. “As far as the memory lives, such things will never happen
again”, noted Valentina Matviyenko.

The Chairman of the Federation Council visited the Genocide
Museum-Institute, got acquainted with the exhibits of the previous
century’s greatest humanity crime. She wrote in the Book of records
and condemned Turkey’s crime. In the end she watered the tree she
had planted in the “Memory garden” during her previous visit.

More than two dozen countries, more than 40 USA states, different
cities, international organizations, including the European Parliament
and the world Council of Churches have recognized and sentenced
the Armenian genocide. On June 18, 1987, the European Parliament
truly assessed the 20th century’s greatest crime: according to the
convention of “Prevention and Punishment of Genocide” admitted by
the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1948, the tragic events taken
place in 1915-1917 against the Armenians in the territory of Ottaman
Empire are called Genocide.

From: Baghdasarian

HOLY ECHMIADZIN PROMOTES RELIGIOUS TOURISM IN ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
11 July, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS: Gevorgyan Seminary Celebrations Hall
of Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin hosted discussions entitled ‘~R
Holy Echmiadzin in the religious and cultural crosswords’~R on July 10.

As information department briefed Armenpress, administrative department
head of the Holy See of Echmiadzin Bishop Edward Babayan came up with
an opening speech.

Referring to the need for the development of religious tourism,
the Bishop emphasized the launch of such seminaries stating they
will be of continuous nature. The spiritual representative also
presented the efforts of Holy See made in that direction aimed at
acquainting its pilgrims and tourists with Armenian people national
and spiritual values.

Then Ara Petrosyan , Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of
Armenia expressed his gratitude to the Holy See for the development
of such importance tourism industry branch, stating such meetings are
also strengthening the cooperation between the companies involved in
this sector and the Holy See.

The meeting was concluded by the reception in newly opened ‘~RAgape’~R
pilgrimage hall.

From: Baghdasarian

SAKUNTS V HAYRAPETYAN: HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST TAKES FOOTBALL CHIEF TO COURT OVER INSULTING REMARKS

News | 11.07.12 | 10:14

Photolure

Artur Sakunts, Ruben Hayrapetyan

A court in Yerevan on Tuesday formally accepted the claim by human
rights activist Artur Sakunts against Ruben Hayrapetyan, the head of
the Football Federation of Armenia, over comments the latter made on
a live television show recently.

Hayrapetyan was hosted on a football-related program on the Armenian
Public Television on May 26 and in answering a question about
developing football infrastructure in Vanadzor complained about
protests from local civil activists. In his acrimonious remarks,
the football boss lashed out at a “Helsinki son of a bitch” in a
clear reference to Sakunts, who heads the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly
Vanadzor Office.

Sakunts now demands a public apology and 10 drams (about 2 cents)
in what is rather a symbolic sum of compensation for the denigration
of his honor and dignity.

The court is due to hear the case on July 25.

From: Baghdasarian