Author: Felekian Ara

PARLIAMENT OF ARMENIA AMENDS LAW ‘ON AIDS PREVENTION’ IN FIRST READING

ArmInfo
2009-02-03 12:47:00

ArmInfo. Parliament of Armenia made alterations and amendments to
the Law ‘On AIDS Prevention’ in the first reading Tuesday.

One of the authors of the Bill, parliamentarian Ara Babloyan said the
Law was adopted 11 years ago. Many decisions have been made in the
country and by international organizations since then, which requires
amendments to the Law. Since 1988 when the first case of AIDS infection
was registered in Armenia, the number of AIDS-infected has reached 674
people, including 136 were registered in 2008. Statistics shows that
159 died from AIDS in Armenia including 3 children and 25 women. Under
the bill, educational and public-awareness raising programs should
be promoted in the country and citizens must be provided with an
opportunity of anonymous AIDS-examination.

The bill highlights the importance of accessible and full
consultations. In addition, the provision of the effective Law
stipulating that people arriving in Armenia for over 3 months are to
undergo HIV-test will be removed.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES OF ARMENIA’S JOINING EURASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

ARKA
Feb 3, 2009

YEREVAN, February 3. /ARKA/. At its sitting today the RA Parliament
ratified the Agreement Establishing the Eurasian Development Bank.

RA Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan reported
that the bank was co-established by Russia and Kazakhstan.

The Eurasian Development Bank is an international financial institution
established to promote the development of trade and economic relations
and implement long-term projects, he said.

Movsisyan said that the bank can become one of the Eurasian pivots in
the near future. He pointed out that the bank’s authorized capital
is currently $1.5bln, with Russia’s share being $1bln, and that of
Kazakhstan $500mln.

Armenia’s planned share is $100, which will allow the country to be
fully involved in the management process and receive its share of
the profit.

Movsisyan pointed out that Armenia’s sharing in the Eurasian
Bank will allow the country to attract the bank’s funds to the
infrastructural reforms in the country, agricultural development,
industry, particularly to the mining industry. However, Armenia’s
sharing in the bank will be most beneficial to the country’s energy
sector, where large-scale projects are expected – the construction
of a new nuclear-power plant, use of the water power potential.

"We have a number of large-scale projects here in Armenia,
particularly, the construction of an Iran-Armenia railway and of
a new nuclear-power plant, which require huge investments. In this
aspect the country’s sharing in such a large bank with Russia and
Kazakhstan will be beneficial," he said.

On July 31, 2008, a task group was formed in Armenia to coordinate
Armenia’s joining the Eurasian Development Bank. The group worked
at Armenia’s acceding to the Russian-Kazakh agreement establishing
the bank, as well as at the issues of cooperation and elaboration of
medium-term programs.

Russia and Kazakhstan signed the Agreement establishing the Eurasian
Development Bank on January 2, 2006. The bank launched its activities
in June 2006. The bank is headquartered in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The bank funds large- and medium-scale long-term investment projects,
including industrial and innovation projects in the member-countries,
as well as special-purpose interstate programs. The bank also renders
financial assistance to the member-countries in their macroeconomic
and structural policies. The bank is also involved in regional
investment projects, crediting industrial enterprises in the
member-countries.

ARMENIANS AND THE FORGOTTEN GENOCIDE TO BE PUBLISHED IN RUSSIAN

Lragir.am
17:15:21 – 30/01/2009

The Armenians and the Forgotten Genocide is the second book about
the Armenian issue by the Spanish writer and journalist Jose Antonio
Gurriaran, which will be published in Russian by Symposium Publishing
House, Sanct Petersburg. The book was first presented in April 2008
in Madrid on the 93rd anniversary of the Genocide. There were about 14
presentations at the universities and cultural centers of a number of
other Spanish cities. In December 2008 the book got the best foreign
book award of the Armenian National Assembly of Marseilles.

Jose Antonio Gurriaran wrote his first book about the Armenians, the
Bomb, after the blast in Madrid perpetrated by the ASALA (Armenian
Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia) on December 29, 1980. He
was badly injured then.

After this incident he became interested in the Armenians, the genocide
of Armenians in 1915, visited the Armenian communities in Lebanon,
France, Greece, the United States, Argentina.

For two years he was looking for the terrorists of the blast in
Madrid. At last in Beirut he met with Alex Yenikomshyan and Monte
Melkonyan, the leaders of the ASALA. He also met with the Catholicos
of Cilicia Garegin I.

The information he gathered during these meetings were summed up in
The Bomb which had 11 editions.

AZERBAIJAN’S DEFENSE MINISTER DISCUSSES THE ARM SHIPMENT TO ARMENIA WITH HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART

Azeri Press Agency
Jan 30 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Victoria Dementyeva-APA. Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister
General-Colonel Safar Abiyev is on a working visit to Moscow.

He met with his Russian counterpart Anatoliy Serdyukov and discussed
the prospects of cooperation between the defense organizations of
both countries, APA reports.

The ministers also held discussions on reports about the Russian $800
million arm shipment to Armenia. Serdyukov said his country did not
sell or transfer weapons of such scale and classification to Armenia
in 2008.

This issue will be discussed during the Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov’s visit to Azerbaijan soon.

TURKISH, ARMENIAN FMS TO MEET IN DAVOS

Trend News Agency
Jan 29 2009
Azerbaijan

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandyan will meet a second time in Davos, Switzerland,
on Jan. 29.

Davos is hosting the International Economic Forum, Turkey’s Sabah
newspaper reported.

After talks with his Armenian counterpart yesterday, Babacan told
journalists that the bilateral meetings will continue. If results
are achieved, they will be made public, he added.

Although Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov is also in
Davos, Babacan said they do not plan to hold trilateral meetings.

FREE LEBANESE ARMENIAN MOVEMENT FOUNDER SHOT IN BOURJ HAMMOUD

NowLebanon.com
NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=77275
Jan 27 2009
Lebanon

A founder of the Free Lebanese Armenian Movement, an offshoot of
the Tashnaq party, came under fire late Monday night in the Armenian
stronghold in Bourj Hammoud.

Jirag Okian was severely injured when unidentified gunmen assaulted
him, and he was transported to the hospital for treatment. A source
from the gathering told NOW Lebanon that early Internal Sources Forces
investigations revealed that an official in the Tashnaq party, whose
initials are D. T., had shot Okian.

The source added that the Lebanese security services were continuing
their investigations and were chasing the gunmen. The source also
said this incident had political motives and endangered internal
solidarity. He warned against not taking measures to deter such
actions. "It could have a very alarming impact on the current calm
and reconciliation atmosphere, threatening peace in Lebanon," he said.

WORLD BANK REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR SOUTH CAUCASUS AWARDED MEMORIAL MEDAL OF ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER

Noyan Tapan

Jan 27, 2009

YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The World Bank Regional Director
for the South Caucasus Donna Dowsett Coirolo was awarded a memorial
medal of the Armenian prime minister. As NT was informed by the RA
government, by the decision of the Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, the
memorial medal was awarded to D. Dowsett Ciorolo for her significant
contribution to implementation of the World Bank-financed programs
in Armenia.

GEERT WILDERS FACES CHARGES OVER FITNA

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.01.2009 13:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Dutch legislator Geert Wilders, the creator of a
controversial web-based film stigmatizing Islam, is to be prosecuted
in Amsterdam on charges of discrimination and incitement to hatred.

A court in the Dutch capital said on January 21 that Wilders, who heads
the far-right Dutch Freedom Party, made biased and radical statements
"as a result of which hate is created."

The 17-minute film "Fitna" received worldwide attention last year when
its release on the Internet sparked protests by Muslims in Afghanistan,
Iran, Indonesia, Pakistan, and elsewhere.

The film, whose title means "strife" in Arabic, juxtaposes verses from
the Koran with images of beheadings, attacks by Islamic terrorists,
and clerics calling for jihad.

The court particularly faulted Wilders for equating the Koran and
Islam with the ideology of Nazism and Adolf Hitler’s book "Mein Kampf."

"The instigation of hatred in a democratic society constitutes such
a serious matter [that it is necessary] to draw a clear boundary in
the public debate," the judges said.

The decision caps a several-year effort by civil-rights groups in the
Netherlands to bring Wilders to trial for repeated public statements
attacking Muslims, RFE/RL reports.

Panorama.am

19:30 24/01/2009

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CHAIRMAN SIGNED DECREE ON FORMING WORKING GROUP

On January 23, the Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia Hovik
Abrahamyan signed a decree to form a working group on drafting the
project to make changes and supplements in the articles 225 and 300 of
the criminal code, reports the National Assembly representative. The
Head of the working group is the Chairman of NA Standing Committee on
state-legal affairs David Harutyunyan, the Chairman of NA Standing
Committee on international affairs Armen Rustamyan, the Chairman of NA
Standing Committee on European integration Avet Adonts and the
Chairman of NA Standing Committee on financial-credit and budget
affairs Artsruni Aghjanyan are the members of the working group.

The working group is recommended to involve the members of NA ad hoc
committee on investigating March 1-2 events, to take into account the
principles and the experience of the European Court of Human Rights
cases. The working group should prepare recommendations till February
19, 2009.

Source: Panorama.am

GAZA EVENTS NOT TO AFFECT TURKEY, ISRAEL RELATIONS: TREND NEWS COMMENTATOR

Trend News Agency
Jan 23 2009
Azerbaijan

Head of Trend News Middle East Desk Rufiz Hafizoglu.

Israeli strikes across Gaza on Dec.27, 2008 entered the history as
unforgettable events. Firstly, the Gaza events demonstrated the
indecision of Arabian countries with regards to Israel. It also
became known that these countries followed only their own interests
in Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Intensification of military operations in Gaza and the death of
civilians instead of HAMAS leaders in these operations and untimely
prevention of these operations showed that many international
organizations are helpless before Israel. The Arabian countries were
limited with that street demonstrations against Israel were held in
some of them, Israeli goods were boycotted and finally they held the
summit of the League of Arab States which had no serious importance for
Israel. Commenting on the protests against Israel in Arabian countries,
Israel’s foreign minister said: We are awaiting such steps from Muslim
and Arab states". Only Turkey expressed the sharpest protest against
the conflict at official level.

Expressing his attitude towards the Gaza events, Turkey’s Primer
Minister Rajap Tayyip Erdogan said that Israel is committing genocide
against Palestinians. Unlike the reaction of Israeli officials to
the Arab states, Erdogan’s speech provoked a sharp reaction. Israel’s
deputy foreign minister, member of Knesset, Majalli Whbee, said in his
interview with the Turkish press: "Erdogan named Israeli operations in
Gaza genocide. Then, we also name the Turkish action against Armenians
in 1915-1918 genocide".

Touching upon the future of Turkey-Israel relations, Whbee said: Israel
believes that Erdogan’s statement regarding the military operations
in Gaza will not affect the relations between the two countries. If
Turkey continues to unfairly regard Israel as a guilty, we will
re-consider our relations which have been exiting for long years".

All these show that Israel is concerned by Turkey’s position on
official Tel-Aviv.

Then Israel was dissatisfied with the statement by Erdogan’s chief
foreign policy advisor Ahmet Davudoglu concerning the operations in
Gaza. Israel claims that gained the victory in Gaza, stroke a heavy
blow on the infrastructure of HAMAS and at the same time compelled
HAMAS to reach ceasefire. However, statement by Davudoglu denies
Israel’s triumph over HAMAS. Davudoglu said that HAMAS agreed to
cease fire not because it lost but because of the request of Turkey.

Turkey’s sharply accusing Israel of the operations in Gaza will not
affect the historical relations of the two countries. Meanwhile, all
over the world, the Armenian lobby is fully attempting to approach
Israel. Despite the anti-Israeli demonstrations in the world, Jewish
and Armenian lobbies held a joint campaign in the United States to
support Israel. "The Armenians are always with Israel" became the
unforgettable slogan of the campaign.

In reality, the ground for the change in Turkey’s position is not the
Gaza events, but the attitude of the West towards Turkey. Making sharp
statements against Israel, Turkey sends signals to the United States
and the European Union. At the same time, Turkey tries to prove that
it possesses authority in the region although it is not a member to
the EU.

Despite the sharp statements by Erdogan against Israel, worsening in
relations between the two countries can’t be expected. Even earlier
i.e. in 2006, Erdogan sharply criticized Tel-Aviv during 31-day war
when Israel pulled into the territory of Lebanon but after some
time, with the initiative of Tel-Aviv, he acted as a mediator in
Israeli-Syrian negotiations.