Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

OBAMA, POUTINE ET HOLLANDE DECUS PAR EREVAN ET BAKOU
Ara

armenews.com
mardi 19 juin 2012

LOS CABOS, 18 juin 2012 (AFP) – Les presidents americain Barack Obama,
russe Vladimir Poutine et francais Francois Hollande ont exprime leur
deception lundi face au manque de progrès dans le très ancien conflit
du Nagorny Karabakh entre l’Armenie et l’Azerbaïdjan.

“Nous, co-presidents du Groupe de Minsk (…), sommes unis dans notre
determination a trouver un règlement pacifique au conflit du Nagorny
Karabakh”, ont indique les trois chefs d’Etat dans un communique
commun publie en marge du sommet du G20 de Los Cabos (Mexique).

“Les parties au conflit devraient cesser de reporter a plus tard les
decisions importantes indispensables a un accord durable et pacifique”,
indiquent-ils, alors qu’un regain de violence a encore fait des morts
recemment des deux côtes de la frontière de cette region d’Azerbaïdjan
a majorite armenienne.

“Nous regrettons que les presidents d’Azerbaïdjan et d’Armenie n’aient
pas pris les mesures decisives demandees par nos pays”, ajoutent les
trois dirigeants.

“La force militaire ne reglera pas le conflit”, ajoutent-ils,
appelant Bakou et Erevan a profiter de leur offre de mediation. Au
debut du mois, l’Azerbaïdjan a accuse l’Armenie d’avoir tue cinq de
ses soldats dans un incident a la frontière entre les deux pays, au
lendemain de l’annonce par Erevan que trois de ses soldats avaient
ete tues par les Azerbaïdjanais.

Rattache a l’Azerbaïdjan pendant la periode sovietique, le Nagorny
Karabakh a proclame son independance, non reconnue par la communaute
internationale, après une guerre qui a fait 30.000 morts et des
centaines de milliers de refugies entre 1988 et 1994.

Un cessez-le-feu a ete signe en 1994, mais Bakou et Erevan n’arrivent
pas a se mettre d’accord sur le statut de la region qui reste une
source de tension dans le Caucase du Sud, une zone strategique situee
entre l’Iran, la Russie et la Turquie.

Emanation de l’Organisation pour la securite et la cooperation en
Europe (OSCE), le groupe de Minsk, qui joue le rôle d’un mediateur
dans ce conflit, reunit la France, les Etats-Unis et la Russie.

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJANI-ARMENIAN REFUGEES BLAME AZERBAIJAN FOR THEIR SUFFERINGS

ARMENPRESS
20 June, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijani-Armenians have no claim
from Armenia and consider that the only guilty for their sufferings is
Azerbaijan, Chairman of the Assembly of Azerbaijani-Armenians Gregory
Ayvazyan told a news conference dedicated to the World Refugee Day.

“Though the number of refugees has decreased in Armenia, nothing
has changed in the percentage: they make 10% of the population. The
issue of refugees can be divided into 3 groups – political, legal,
social-economic,” said Gregory Ayvazyan, according to Armenpress.

“As a political issue the president of the assembly pointed out the
insufficient representation of the Azerbaijani-Armenians’ profits in
the issue of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The status of refugees is a
legal issue, and the issue of apartments is social-economic.

“There are 1000 families of Azerbaijani-Armenian refugees in Armenia,
who do not have dwelling conditions, and $ 50 mln is needed by
approximate calculations. We have heard the government’s viewpoints
and agree that it is difficult to provide all that alone,” said
Gregory Ayvazyan. He noted the region is likely to register a new
flow of refugees related to the events taken place in Iran and Syria.

360 thousand Azerbaijani-Armenians live in Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS?: EXPERTS EXPECT ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN TO VOICE NEW OSCE PROPOSALS SOON
By Naira Hayrumyan

ArmeniaNow
20.06.12 | 12:58

Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the Foreign Ministers of Armenia
and Azerbaijan

Lack of agreement or a public statement following the latest meeting
of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Paris does not
mean that no new proposals on Karabakh were advanced or that the sides
rejected them. Experts think that the proposals that were announced
during the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier
this month, were, nevertheless, presented to the parties and they
have been given time to think over them. Next week, the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs are due to visit the region again, and the parties
are most likely to present their positions then.

The statement of the cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group does not
reflect the topics being discussed, said head of the Armenian
delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE), MP from the ruling Republican Party David Harutyunyan. “I
am sure that there were far more extensive and in-depth discussions,
and this is probably the reason for the lack of clearer commentaries,”
said Harutyunyan.

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Edward Nalbandyan and
Elmar Mammadyarov, held a meeting in the French capital of Paris on
June 18, followed by what has already become a standard statement by
the co-chairs, expressing their deep concern over the recent incidents
along the front lines and the need to respect the 1994 ceasefire.

The same day the presidents of the United States, France and Russia
issued a statement from the G20 summit in Mexico, urging the presidents
of Armenia and Azerbaijan to accelerate the achievement of agreement
on the basic principles of Karabakh conflict settlement and not to
use military force.

“Military force will not resolve the conflict and would only prolong
the suffering and hardships endured by the peoples of the region for
too long. Only a peaceful, negotiated settlement can allow the entire
region to move beyond the status quo toward a secure and prosperous
future,” the leaders of the three Minsk Group co-chair countries said
in their joint statement.

As regards what particular proposals have been set forth to the
sides, there is an opinion that it could be a proposal to conclude
a new truce and partly open up the communications without a final
settlement. Armenia has already advocated such an approach, but
Azerbaijan has put forward a condition – the withdrawal of Armenian
troops from a number of areas.

The details of the negotiations, of course, are not known, but the lack
of frustration and negative reactions of the international community
after the Paris meeting shows that the parties have not rejected the
proposals out of hand, but asked for time out to think over them and
set their own conditions.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan has already made a
statement, noting that Armenia is ready to work with the co-chairmen
towards an exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict. “As the
Co-Chair countries, we have many times called for respecting the
ceasefire agreement of May 1994 and abstaining from hostile rhetoric
that increases tension. Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan has rejected and
continues to reject the Co-Chair countries’ proposals to consolidate
the ceasefire… Azerbaijan not only is rejecting those proposals,
but is also flagrantly violating the ceasefire and continuously
masterminding provocations,” Nalbandyan said in his comments on the
Los Cabos statement on Nagorno-Karabakh by Presidents Barack Obama,
Francois Hollande and Vladimir Putin.

The position of Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, meanwhile,
remains unchanged: “In the first place, the Armenian armed forces
must be withdrawn from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,”
stated Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev.

In its turn, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic reported that a conscript was killed in the conflict zone
on June 18, blaming the Azerbaijani armed forces for the killing.

“This is another provocation on the part of Azerbaijan that is an
open challenge to the OSCE, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries,
a boycott of the previous commitments and agreements. We deem that the
OSCE should pass from non-address statements to rigid assessments and
sanctions against Azerbaijan for the latter’s militaristic policies,
for its obstructing a peaceful settlement, inciting hatred and
unleashing a new war in the region,” the statement said.

From: Baghdasarian

PRIME MINISTER OF KARABAKH TO HEAD CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS OF BAKO SAHAKYAN

arminfo
Wednesday, June 20, 13:02

During a meeting with the heads of district administrations of the
Nagorno- Karabakh Republic, the NKR Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan
announced his decision to go on vacation to head the campaign
headquarters of the presidential candidate, the incumbent President of
the NKR Bako Sahakyan, ArmInfo’s correspondent in Stepanakert reports.

Haroutyunyan demanded that the heads of the district administrations
should strictly follow the letter of the law throughout the election
campaign and control the situation to hold the elections at the proper
level and to ensure equal rights for the campaign of the candidates.

The election campaign started on June 20 and will last till July 17.

To recall, the Central Electoral Commission of the NKR has registered
all the four candidates: Bako Sahakyan, the incumbent president of
the NKR, Vitaly Balasanyan, member of the NKR Parliament, Arkady
Soghomonyan, Assistant Principal of the Stepanakert branch of the
Armenian State Agrarian University, and Valery Khachatryan, the
ex-head of the Administration Department of the NKR Parliament.

The presidential elections in the NKR are scheduled for July 19. At
the moment the Central Electoral Commission is registering the local
and international observers, as well as journalists.

From: Baghdasarian

LE MAIRE D’EREVAN A MARSEILLE SAMEDI POUR LE 20E ANNIVERSAIRE DE LA COOPERATION ENTRE MARSEILLE ET EREVAN
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
mercredi 20 juin 2012

A l’occasion du 20e anniversaire de la cooperation entre Marseille
et Erevan, le samedi 23 juin a 10h30 une ceremonie -ouverte
au public- sera organisee au Parc Borely (Marseille 8e) près du
Château Borely, devant le Khatchkar (croix de pierre armenienne) en
presence de Jean-Claude Gaudin, Maire de Marseille et Senateur des
Bouches-du-Rhône ainsi que Taron Margaryan, le Maire d’Erevan. De
nombreuses personnalites seront presentes. Parmi ces dernières, Son
Excellence Viguen Tchitetchian Ambassadeur de la Republique d’Armenie
en France, Didier Parakian Adjoint au Maire et President delegue de
Marseille Armenie, Monseigneur Daron Djeregian Eveque de l’Eglise
Apostolique Armenienne, Ohan Hekimian ancien representant de la Ville
d’Erevan (1988-1995). Participeront egalement a la manifestation,
les Anciens combattants et resistants Francais d’origine armenienne
ainsi que la Chorale Sahak Mesrop, dirigee par Khatchig Yilmazian.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT PLANS TO STIMULATE BIRTH RATE

news.am
June 20, 2012 | 00:54

YEREVAN.- The newlyweds in Armenia will be provided with preferential
mortgages, says government’s action plan.

To improve the demographic situation during the next five years,
the government promises to assist young families, stimulate the birth
rate and protect the health of children.

In particular, the birth allowance for every third or fourth child
will make about $2,400, for every fifth and later – about $3,600.

Presently birth allowance makes about $120 for the first and the
second child, and for the third or fourth child – about $1,000.

The program also envisages providing health services certificates
free of charge for the families having children under the age of 10.

From: Baghdasarian

DEATH TOLL IN KURDISH CLASHES WITH TURKISH SOLDIERS REACHES 26

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 19, 2012 – 21:22 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Turkish soldiers and Kurdish militants clashed
on Tuesday, June 19 in the most intense battles of the separatist
conflict this year, with 26 combatants killed in fighting at three
army outposts in the southeast, officials and security sources said,
according to Reuters.

Up to 100 fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) launched
simultaneous dawn attacks on three military observation points in
Hakkari province near Turkey’s mountainous border with Iraq, killing
eight soldiers and wounding 19, the sources said.

In subsequent clashes, Turkish troops killed 18 PKK fighters, the
prime minister’s office said.

The attacks come at a time when Turkey is making new efforts to
address the grievances of the Kurdish minority to end a conflict that
has scarred the region for three decades.

The head of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP),
whose members are frequently accused of ties to the rebels, made a
striking call for the PKK to halt hostilities.

The PKK fighters used rocket launchers and rifles at the start of
the attacks and operations were continuing against the militants,
the sources said. The militants were believed to have crossed the
border from nearby northern Iraq.

Several thousand PKK militants are based in mountain hideouts in
northern Iraq, from where they regularly launch attacks on state
targets in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey.

Armed forces chief General Necdet Ozel rushed to the region, along
with the commanders of the ground forces and paramilitary gendarmerie,
Turkish media reported. The interior minister and a deputy prime
minister also headed there.

From: Baghdasarian

ABN AND ARMTECH BOSTON HOST NETWORKING EVENT

Armenian Weekly
June 19, 2012

WATERTOWN, Mass.-On Mon., June 11, the Armenian Business Network (ABN)
and ArmTech Boston hosted a networking event for IT and software
company CEOs, representatives from Armenia, and local high-tech
company executives at the Armenian American Social Club in Watertown.

The event was well attended and provided an opportunity for the
visiting delegates to network, collaborate, and develop relationships
with their U.S. counterparts, in an effort to foster future business
opportunities and projects.

A scene from the networking event.

The unique opportunity was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce
as part of the Special American Business Internship Training (SABIT)
Program. The IT industry is one of the most promising sectors of the
Armenian economy, and the attending executives were hand-selected by
the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan.

The June 11 event focused on fostering new business partnerships
between the Armenian IT industry and their U.S. colleagues. The
delegation, which is interested in exploring business opportunities
in a number of areas, including business software development,
cloud computing, web design and development, business intelligence,
mobile applications and gaming, and e-commerce, had the opportunity
to discuss business collaboration with leading U.S. companies,
establishing valuable contacts and planting the seed for exploring
future commercial opportunities and collaborations.

For more information about the Armenian IT and software attendees
and their companies, and/or the SABIT Program, e-mail Jack Antounian
([email protected]) at the Armenian Business Network.

From: Baghdasarian

18-YEAR-OLD STEALS CELL PHONES FROM DOWNTOWN YEREVAN UNDERPASS STORE

news.am
June 19, 2012 | 16:57

YEREVAN. – Officers from Armenia’s police detained Grigor H., 18,
on Monday at 6:30pm, and on suspicion of committing theft from a
capital city Yerevan underpass.

It was found out that he stole fifteen mobile phones from a store
in the aforesaid underpass at around 3:30am, thereby causing a
material damage worth AMD 900,000 (approx. US$ 2,170), the Police
press service informs.

An investigation is launched.

From: Baghdasarian

ELECTIONS IN KARABAKH: TWO GENERALS AMONG CANDIDATES CONTESTING PRESIDENTIAL POST IN STEPANAKERT
By Naira Hayrumyan

ArmeniaNow
18.06.12 | 13:23

A presidential election campaign in Nagorno-Karabakh kicks off on June
19, while a month later the fifth presidential vote in the history
of the [internationally] unrecognized Armenian republic will be held.

Among the four candidates are incumbent president Bako Sahakyan, MP,
former Deputy Defense Minister Vitaly Balasanyan, pro-rector of the
Stepanakert Branch of the State Agrarian University Arkady Soghomonyan
and Valery Khachatryan, presently unemployed.

Political observers expect the main competition will be between
two generals – General of the National Security Sahakyan and combat
general Balasanyan.

After retiring from his post of deputy defense minister, Balasanyan
actively engaged in politics. He became an adviser to Sahakyan,
but three years later had to resign. Officially, no reasons for his
departure were reported, but in private conversations Balasanyan spoke
about his advice being unwanted and much in Sahakyan’s policies being
unacceptable to him.

Balasanyan has already accused Sahakyan of using administrative
resources and in an open letter to Sahakyan he urged him not to
forget that apart from being a candidate he is “still the incumbent
president”.

“Since 2005, our authorities have accumulated a vast experience of
fraud, illegal involvement of law enforcement and national security
agencies in the electoral processes, an inflation of the number of
voters on electoral rolls, different kinds of pressure on voters, etc.

This has led to apathy in society, distrust of people in the electoral
process in the country and a decline of the image of the states,”
the letter said.

All the three parties that have representations in Karabakh’s
parliament – the Democratic Party of Artsakh, the Free Homeland Party
and ARF Dashnaktsutyun – pronounced in favor of the candidacy of the
incumbent president. And, strangely enough, Dashnaktsutyun stopped
short of supporting Balasanyan, a non-party MP twice elected to the
National Assembly on its lists.

First, the ARF Artsakh Central Committee declared that they would
maintain neutrality and allow its members to vote freely, but then,
after a visit to Stepanakert by member of the ARF Bureau Hrant
Markarian, a statement was issued that the party would support
Sahakyan. Balasanyan has already described it as pressure on Artsakh
members of the party.

However, among those who intend to back Balasanyan are 2007
presidential candidate, and currently head of the Public Council for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Masis Mayilyan and ex-mayor of
Stepanakert Eduard Aghabekyan, which is an indication of the possible
formation of a sort of opposition bloc in Karabakh.

During the latest elections Mayilyan received the second largest number
of votes, but after the elections, he had to resign from his post as
deputy minister of foreign affairs. Pressure was also reportedly put
on his family and supporters. In its turn, the election of opposition
candidate Aghabekyan as mayor of Stepanakert in 2004 is called the
only democratic election in Karabakh. But after his election he
didn’t have easy times, although in the 2007 presidential elections
Aghabekyan supported Sahakyan.

None of the four candidates have published their pre-election programs,
and it is not yet known what will be the difference between them. One
thing is clear – Balasanyan will talk about the transformation of
the economic system now concentrated in the hands of a few people,
as well as a more active foreign policy. Sahakyan will insist on the
continuation of the current economic policy, which officially ensures
up to 8-9 percent economic growth annually. He will also have to answer
the question why for a year now there is no [fully appointed] foreign
minister – Georgiy Petrosyan still serves as acting foreign minister.

There will be 274 polling stations in Karabakh, another one will be
in the NKR representation in Yerevan. Karabakh officially has 97,664
eligible voters.

From: Baghdasarian