Author: Chavushian

AIR TICKETS TO COST MORE EXPENSIVE

Panorama.am
15:26 30/01/2009

The price of air tickets will cost more expensive since March 2009,
reports the press service of "Armavia" company. According to the
source, the price of the tickets become higher because of the change
in the law on "state fees" which says that tax for air should not be
paid. Hence, the price of air tax will be included into the ticket
price.

According to the current changes, since 29 March air tax will be
paid in the ticket price for departing Armenia, with the following
exceptions – 12 years old children, transit passengers, participants
of Patriotic War, disabled people and veterans, spouses of Patriotic
War participants, heroes of Soviet Union and Republic of Armenia.

ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE TELLS A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Hurriye
Jan 28 2009
Turkey

ISTANBUL – Istanbul is home to many minorities and Hasan Kuruyazıcı
has been unearthing the architectural heritages of old non-Muslim
neighborhoods.

In a quest to discover the unknown designers behind several of
Istanbul’s mosques, churches and wooden houses, local expert Hasan
Kuruyazıcı’s investigation bore some interesting results.

A scholar of architectural history, Kuruyazıcı uncovered the
names of some 850 architects, most of whom were Armenians, Greeks
and Levantines.

"I could only find one Turkish architect from the beginning of the
1900s. His name was Vedat Tekin." Kuruyazıcı started his research
firstly by looking over and analyzing the trade yearbook "Annuaire
Oriental" between the years 1868 to 1930.

Apart from the yearbooks, which were like his guide, Kuruyazıcı
also took advantage of the meticulous records kept by the Freemasons
at the Masonic Lodge Foundation.

Talking to Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review about his research,
Kuruyazıcı said he prepared his project for the Istanbul 2010
European Capital of Culture with the cooperation of the International
Hrant Dink Foundation, established by the friends and family of
assassinated Armenian writer and journalist Hrant Dink.

Different perspectives on Istanbul’s neighborhoods "The project has
not yet been accepted by the European Capital of Culture Agency. I
cannot say if the project will be accepted or not but no matter what
the answer of the agency, the International Hrant Dink Foundation plans
to realize the project in 2010. There will be a huge exhibition. We
are planning to display models of the historic architectures of those
850 architects," Kuruyazıcı said.

Not able to find sufficient data on buildings and structures built
in the 19th and 20th centuries, Kuruyazıcı decided to focus on
the period’s architects. "There are two Istanbuls: One of them is
a non-Muslim city, the other one is a Muslim one. Muslims mostly
settled inside the city walls and Uskudar, a district in the Asian
side. Non-Muslims settled in KurtuluÅ~_, called Tatavla back then,
Pangaltı, Å~^iÅ~_li, Pera, TarlabaÅ~_ı, Cihangir and Tunnel
neighborhoods," Kuruyazıcı said, adding that the differences in
lifestyle were also reflected in the architecture of the settlements.

According to his research, non-Muslims interacted more with the West,
reflected in their style of living. It was in the 19th century that
the city first witnessed multi-storied buildings.

The damage is great in the Å~^iÅ~_li and Pangaltı districts "The
awareness of the need to protect historic sites and assets appeared
pretty late in Turkey. The most damaged districts are Å~^iÅ~_li
and Pangaltı and neighborhoods in between them. These areas are
where annuity is high that is why the destruction is notable,"
Kuruyazıcı said.

TarlabaÅ~_ı is another desolated and wrecked district, according
to Kuruyazıcı’s research, and many buildings were demolished in
Suleymaniye, a historic area.

Another topic Kuruyazıcı paid attention to during his investigation
into the buildings was the epigraphs on the structures that helped him
identify the architects. Yet he said most of the epigraphs had been
ruined. Giving the example of the Itır pharmacy, located near Taksim
Square, he said: "The building, the ground floor of which is home to
the pharmacy, was built by Dimitri Ciledis. His name had been covered
up by an orange plaque. As if this was not disrespectful enough, the
people living in the building put up the foundation’s epigraph. This
is just a small example."

Kuruyazıcı contacted both Armenian and Greek societies living
in Istanbul to dig deeper into the topic. Articles he published in
community newspapers helped him receive feedback from people and while
he was continuing his research, an Armenian woman who was in her 90s
called Kuruyazıcı and said her granddad was a palace architect.

Kuruyazıcı categorized the names according to their ethnicities
within particular years, but the hardest part for him was separating
those who were Catholic Armenians and those who were Levantines,
because of the similarity of the names.

–Boundary_(ID_xNNNu1N7sIJT3NYc56bohA)–

U.S. EMBASSY IN ARMENIA HAS NO INFORMATION TO CONFIRM RUSSIA-ARMENIA ARMS DEAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.01.2009 15:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. Embassy in Armenia is unaware of the source
of the quote which is attributed to an anonymous American diplomat.

1news.az quoted Monday a U.S. diplomat as saying that "the U.S. is
studying the reports on delivery of Russian arms to Armenia to the
amount of $800 million. If the information proves true, we will urge
for a monitoring of Armenian military facilities."

"We have no information to corroborate the allegation that Russia has
made an arms deal with Armenia. Both the Russian and the Armenian
governments have denied the charges. We are confident that Armenia
is aware of its treaty obligations under the Conventional Forces in
Europe treaty," the press office of the U.S. Embassy Yerevan told
PanARMENIAN.Net.

Although the Russian Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs have
numerously denied delivery of arms to Armenia, the Azeri media doesn’t
stop harping on the issue

TWO VICTIMS IN THE POSITIONS: BODY IS ON AZERI SIDE

A1+
[08:51 pm] 27 January, 2009

The Defense Ministry of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic informs that
on January 26 at around 5:30 p.m., Bad V. Tadevosyan (born in 1983),
who according to preliminary data was suffering from a psychiatric
illness, was found in an unconscious state and made an attempt to
move towards the side of the Azeri reinforcement points.

This is when the opponent opened fire towards the Armenian
positions. As a result of the shooting, Bad Tadevosyan and army
soldier Arkadi Hakobyan (born in 1983) were killed.

According to preliminary data, there are victims and injured on the
opponent’s side as well. According to the same sources, Tadevosyan’s
body is on the Azeri side.

The OSCE mission conducted another observation in the line of contact
between the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh near the
Talish residential area of the Martakert region of Karabakh.

According to the information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the observation was held according to plan
and there were no cases of violations of the cease-fire regime.

"ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES TO PREPARE RESPONSE TO GEORGIAN ANTI-ARMENIAN POLICY"

Panorama.am
16:15 27/01/2009

"Arresting young Armenians a week ago Georgian authorities were aimed
to put up an end to the educations, cultural processes in Djavakhq and
to strengthen the atmosphere of fear and horror," said Shirak Torosyan,
the President of Djavakhq union and member of Republican fraction.

"They wish to criminalize the political issue. If their "justice"
wins and they prove that a military group was forming then the other
members would be searched for," said Haykazun Alvrtsyan of the Yerevan
State University Center of Armenian Studies. He said that the Georgian
authorities have organized trap.

To the question what Armenian authorities could do in this regard,
they answered that the local authorities should prepare appropriate
respond for any item connected with Djavakhq.

RA NA DELEGATION IN PACE LEAVES FOR STRASBOURG

Noyan Tapan

Jan 26, 2009

YEREVAN, JANUARY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. RA National Assembly’s delegation
left for Strasbourg to take part in the PACE January 26-30 session. The
delegation includes delegation head David Haroutiunian, delegation
members Avet Adonts, Armen Rustamian, Grigor Margarian, Artsruni
Aghajanian, Naira Zohrabian, and Hermine Naghdalian. Noyan Tapan was
informed about it by the RA NA Public Relations Department.

Armenian president signs a decree on granting pardon to 16 citizens
privy to March events in Yerevan

2009-01-24 15:48:00

ArmInfo. On Jan 24 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on
granting pardon to 16 persons sentenced to 2-3 year imprisonment for
complicity in the mass disorders in Yerevan on March 1, illegal
acquisition, sale, transportation, bearing of weapons, ammunition and
explosives, as well as for violence against power representatives.

The Armenian presidential press-service told ArmInfo that the pardoned
persons are Mkrtich Armenakyan, Grigor Barseghyan, Rafayel Galstyan,
Vardan Gasparyan, Ashot Gyurjanyan, Aghvan Grigoryan, Armen Grigoryan,
Edik Grigoryan, Mesrop Zakaryan, Tigran Hakobyan, Vahag Areyan, Yurik
Ghukasyan, Artur Margaryan, Garegin Petrosyan, Mher Sargsyan and
Khachatur Stepanyan. According to the source, the president took the
decision on pardoning taking into account these persons’ petitions for
pardon, the fact that they were not imprisoned earlier, as well as the
details of the criminal case, family circumstances and the state of the
convicts’ health.

AMBASSADOR OF PHILIPPINES HANDS COPY OF HIS CREDENTIALS TO RA FOREIGN MINISTER

Noyan Tapan

Jan 23, 2009

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. On January 22, RA Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian received newly appointed Ambassador of Philippines
to Armenia Victor Garcia III (residence Moscow) on the occasion of
the latter’s handing the copy of his credentials.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry Press and
Information Department, possible ways of developing the relations
between Armenia and Philippines were discussed during the talk
following the ceremony. Issues regarding expansion of cooperation
between the two countries within the framework of UN and its
specialized structures were touched upon.

Victor Garcia III graduated from Manila De La Salle University,
is a lawyer by speciality. He has been working at the Foreign
Ministry system of Philippines since 1975 up to the present. He was
appointed Ambassador of Philippines to RF in 2008. He is married,
has two children.

REAL ESTATE PRICES IN ARMENIA IN EXPECTATION OF A NOSEDIVE

ArmInfo
2009-01-21 17:27:00

ArmInfo. The fall in real estate prices has been observed in Armenia
since July 2008. However, if earlier officials spoke of "eventuality"
of price drop and its soon resumption, today nobody doubts the
tendency to a price collapse. The real estate market in Armenia is
developing in full compliance with the crisis situation in the world
real estate markets.

Over the last decade there was a building boom in Yerevan,
furthermore, not economy class but business class houses were built,
which were called by a stretch of imagination "elite housing". As a
result of the increased demand for new buildings, particularly, by
Diaspora Armenians, large officials and part of population receiving
transfers, the prices for primary housing in Yerevan were incredibly
puffed-up. ArmInfo experts think that the prices for 1 sq.m. in new
buildings of Yerevan exceeded the prime cost 5-8 times. The growth
in prices for secondary housing also kept the pace and, as a result,
in 2008 the average price for 1 sq.m. of housing in exploited blocks
of flats totalled 300 thsd AMD, and in the new buildings the price
grew up to 700 thsd AMD.

As the crisis in the US financial sector and afterwards in the world
economy developed, Armenia also faced the prospect of threat of
economic downturn.

The construction sector was most of all subjected to the global crisis,
the construction sector by 90% depends on foreign investments from
the position of both investment in housing construction and formation
of solvent demand for it. In the current situation, Yerevan has
become an "acid test" to check the local real estate market for the
"crisis virus".

The chain of interrelated reasons (such as: decline in world prices
for metal products an articles of chemical sphere, suspension of
work and staff reduction in a number of large local enterprises,
reduction of revenues of Diaspora Armenians, decrease in transfers,
worsening of the financial state of Armenian population) caused abrupt
decline in demand for real estate.

According to official data, 30% drop in housing buy/sell deals in
Yerevan was fixed in November 2008. As experts forecast, this is
not the limit. In expectation of further price drop, the demand will
continue weakening, and this will cause further drop in tariffs.

The survey conducted by ArmInfo has shown that most of the housing
market players have suspended the sale of housing because they have
failed to decide what price to ask for the houses. However, if they
continue this wait-and-see policy in hope for growth they may face
unprecedented losses.

That’s why in early 2009 construction and reality companies began to
revise their prices. Today, one square meter of newly built housing
in Yerevan has dropped by 25% to 450,000 AMD.

On the secondary housing market the drop is even more significant. In
Jan 2009 it was 35%. The point is that the sellers of this market
are ready to make bigger concessions in price due to bigger risk of
loss in case of drop in prices. Construction companies cannot keep
the prices within favorable limits even despite strong credit support
and are forced to reduce the prices following decline in buying power.

Considering that since 2000 housing prices in Yerevan have been
groundlessly raised by as much as 300%, the decline is expected to
be equivalent. Experts say that this situation may last for 1-2 years.

The prices of the housing rent market are also being revised. Since
Sept 2008 the rent has dropped by 40%. Experts say that the drop may
continue and may reach 70%.

INFORMATION OF THE NKR STATE COMMISSION ON PRISONERS OF WAR (POWS), THE MISSING AND HOSTAGES

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
2009-01-20 16:59

The Azerbaijani State Commission on POWs, the missing and hostages
has recently presented its final report of 2008, in which it has
particularly mentioned that 39 Azerbaijanis are allegedly in captivity
in Nagorno Karabakh.

The NKR State Commission on POWs, the missing and hostages qualifies
this message as a regular disinformation, aimed at discrediting the
NKR authorities, and as an attempt to mislead the international
community. The NKR State Commission declares with responsibility
that there are no POWs and hostages in the territory, being under
the jurisdiction of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

The NKR authorities, strictly following the principles of the Geneva
conventions, after the military phase of the conflict with Azerbaijan,
have repatriated all the hostages to the Azerbaijani party, via the
intermediary of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC). At
present, the NKR corresponding bodies timely inform the offices
of the ICRC and OSCE accredited in Stepanakert of any fact of the
Azerbaijani servicemen’s and civilians’ desertion to Karabakh,
who are later repatriated to the Azerbaijani authorities without
any precondition. Representatives of the mentioned international
organizations have free access to all the institutions of detention,
which rules o ut the possibility of hiding the fact of the Azerbaijani
hostages’ being in the NKR territory.

The NKR State Commission draws attention to the fact that repeated
suggestions of the republic’s leadership to establish direct contacts
with the analogous structure of Azerbaijan for solving the issue of
POWs, the missing and hostages effectively, have not been given an
adequate answer by official Baku. Moreover, the Azerbaijani authorities
keep on politicizing such a humanitarian and sensitive issue as the
searching of the missing and the release of hostages, for getting
doubtful propaganda dividends. The recent fact of spreading the
wittingly false information evidently testifies to this.