Author: Kajoyan Gevork

NEW ROUTE: KARABAKH BUILDING SECOND ROAD TO ARMENIA
By Naira Hayrumyan

ArmeniaNow
07.11.11 | 13:08

Map:

Karabakh is rebuilding the second road linking it with Armenia, which
passes through Karvachar. It is shorter than the main way via Goris
by 150 kilometers.

The reconstruction of the road, which is now almost impassable, is
strategic militarily and economically. While for the residents of
Stepanakert who wish to go to Yerevan almost nothing will change in
terms of the length of their journey, for residents of Karvachar the
trip will be halved. But most importantly, the cost of transporting
mining products will be reduced.

A large plant is being operated now in the area adjacent to the
Karvachar district, in the village of Drmbon. This area is rich in
gold and copper. The Base Metal Company, which is engaged in mining,
has announced the exploration of new large deposits.

The extracted ore is transported to the processing plant in Vardenis
(in Armenia, in an area bordering on the NKR’s Karvachar). Now heavy
trucks are forced to make a circle through Karabakh and Armenia,
although it is only about 100 kilometers from Drmbon to Vardenis in
a straight line (now they have to take a journey of more than 500 km).

Base Metals is paying for the construction and state funding will
also be available later.

The company is the largest taxpayer and employer in Karabakh. During
the opening of the Drmbon plant 10 years ago, the government spoke
about plans of laying a railway line to Vardenis. But economic and
political problems hindered those plans.

According to Nagorno-Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan, the construction
of the road – expected to take about two yeas — is one of the biggest
victories after the proclamation of Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence
in 1991. That the NKR government has announced the laying of the road
indirectly suggests that political obstacles are overcome.

Official Baku has condemned the decision on the construction of the
roads and intended to make appeals to international organizations.

Azerbaijan also condemns the ongoing Armenian settlement policy,
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said in
a statement.

Meanwhile, international organizations reacted calmly to plans to
build the road in Karabakh, understanding that if people live in
some area, then their development and construction of infrastructure
are inevitable. Besides, a sort of time-out period is setting in at
Karabakh settlement talks.

Director of the European Programmes of the International Crisis Group
Sabine Freizer said late last week that no progress in the negotiating
process to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is expected during
the next two years. The good news, she added, is that, accordingly,
there is no likelihood of war during the next two years.

“HEAVY” INDEX OF EMIGRATION

Story from Lragir.am News:

07/11/2011

The National Statistics Service continues releasing optimistic figures
on the emigration. So, according to the NSS data, the population of the
Republic of Armenia in the nine months of this year increased by 7.4
thousand. Compared to October 1, 2010, it increased by 10.9 thousand.

Bagrat Asatryan, economist, calls the official statistics “sad”. “The
rules of the census make the degree of accuracy be low. Population
census would have showed the real situation, but, unfortunately,
the quality of the population census is also bad”, Bagrat Asatryan
told Lragir.am.

According to him, we have a “heavy” index of emigration. “This year
we have the highest emigration rates in the third millennium. 2011
will be exclusive in this sense”, he noted.

Bagrat Asatryan predicts that this year, compared to the last year,
the rate of births will decline by 10%, while deaths, naturally, grow.

More, the economic thinks the death rate will increase in the next
five years.

Note, the official statistics affirms the number of births decreased
in the nine months of this tear by 2.9%.

KARVACHAR, AGHDAM AND THE REST
JAMES HAKOBYAN

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 12:41:09 – 07/11/2011

The NKR government announced to launch the construction of the
strategic road connecting Karvachar region of NKR to Armenia. In fact,
it will be the second strategic road connecting NKR and Armenia after
Goris-Lachin-Stepanakert.

No doubt, it is a highly important strategic initiative, which could
even be described as belated. That road connecting with Karabakh
should have received the attention of the Armenian side a long time
ago. Though, better late than never.

In this meaning, however, interesting questions arise. Why is the
construction announced now? Because only now were funds raised
thanks to mining industries or because the issue of Karvachar, or
more exactly the issue of leaving it to the Armenian side has been
resolved on the international agenda?

The point is that if the problem was money, then it turns out that the
Armenian government (both the governments of Armenia and NKR because
this decision could not be made without the Armenian government) set
to build this road out of its business needs, as soon as it needed
infrastructure for mining industries. Meanwhile, mining industries
cannot be without the participation of the government because the
Armenian government coalesced with business would hardly have missed
this profitable branch.

Certainly, even if this is the motivation, it is nonetheless welcome
that the road will be constructed. In this situation, however, again
the absence of strategic thinking in the ruling elite is witnessed. No
strategic projects are implemented unless business interest is in
place. In other words, the Armenian government implements a business
strategy rather than a national strategy.

It is also possible that the problem is financial, and only the
profit from mines enabled to build this road. But I wonder if there
was no money for this important project. It is also evidence to the
lack of strategic thinking in the government because the elite which
find unlimited money for their personal luxury must be able to find
money for the construction of a strategic road.

It is also possible that the problem was politics. The destiny of
Karvachar was uncertain, the Armenian side had no confidence that it
would be able to keep it and preferred to spend no money. This is
already a problem of vision. In order to keep something, one needs
to spend a lot of money, to put it roughly. For instance, the same
government is ready to spend as much as it needs to hold on to power.

In order to keep Karvachar, it is necessary to spend money because
thereby it would be possible to keep Karvachar and the other
territories, populating them and using them for people as a forceful
argument on the international arena. In other words, it is necessary
to review the approach that without international guarantees there
is no need to waste money on projects for these territories.

It is the contrary. The issue will remain uncertain and eventually not
dependent on us unless a lot of money is spent on projects in these
territories. For instance, if the issue of Karvachar has been solved,
and now the government is investing money there, it is the result of
interests of the co-chairs rather than the Armenian side. Meanwhile,
it is never known what changes these interests will undergo, or what
changes the mechanisms of their support will undergo.

Consequently, strategic projects must be implemented “to keep or to
solve” rather than “after keeping or solving”.

WHY ARE ARMENIAN CLERGY IN ISRAEL SPAT ON BY ULTRA-ORTHODOX JEWS IN OLD CITY?

epress.am
11.07.2011

When Canadian-Armenian Narek Garabedian came to Israel to study in
the Armenian Seminary in Jerusalem half a year ago, he did not expect
the insults, curses and spitting he would be subjected to daily by
ultra-Orthodox Jews in the streets of the Old City.

“When I see an ultra-Orthodox man coming toward me in the street, I
always ask myself if he will spit at me,” said Narek this week. About
a month ago, on his way to buy groceries in the Old City, two
ultra-Orthodox men spat at him. The spittle did not fall at his feet
but on his person. Narek, a former football player, decided this time
not to turn the other cheek.

“I was very angry. I pushed them both to the wall and asked, ‘Why are
you doing this?’ They were frightened and said ‘We’re sorry, we’re
sorry,’ so I let them go. But it isn’t always like that. Sometimes
the spitter attacks you back,” he says, reports Haaretz.com, the
online edition of Haaretz newspaper in Israel.

According to the website, ultra-Orthodox young men curse and spit
at Christian clergymen in the streets of Jerusalem’s Old City as a
matter of routine.

Other clergymen in the Armenian Church in Jerusalem say they are all
victims of harassment, from the senior cardinals to the priesthood
students. Mostly they ignore these incidents. When they do complain,
the police don’t usually find the perpetrators.

Father Goosan Aljanian, Chief Dragoman of the Armenian Patriarchate
in Jerusalem, says it is often difficult for temperamental young
priesthood students to swallow the offense.

About a month ago two students marching to the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre beat up an ultra-Orthodox man who spat at them. They were
sent away from the Old City for two weeks.

“I tell my students that if they are spat at, to go to the police
rather than strike back,” says Goosan. “But these are young kids who
sometimes lose their cool.”

A few weeks ago four ultra-Orthodox men spat at clergymen in the
funeral procession of Father Alberto of the Armenian Church. “They
came in a pack, out of nowhere,” said Father Goosan. “I know there
are fanatical Haredi groups that don’t represent the general public
but it’s still enraging. It all begins with education. It’s the
responsibility of these men’s yeshiva heads to teach them not to
behave this way,” he says.

Father Goosan and other Patriarchy members are trying to walk as
little as possible in the Old City streets. “Once we walked from the
[Armenian] church to the Jaffa Gate and on that short section four
different people spat at us,” he says.

UNE CHAIRE SUR LES GENOCIDES.
Stephane

armenews.com
lundi 7 novembre 2011

La SNCF poursuit son travail de memoire

La SNCF signe vendredi 4 novembre une convention avec Sciences-Po
Bordeaux pour creer une chaire sur les genocides.

Depuis quelques mois, l’entreprise publique multiplie les actions
pour s’excuser de son rôle dans la Shoah.

” Je veux dire la profonde douleur et les regrets de la SNCF pour les
consequences des actes de la SNCF de l’epoque “, declarait pour la
première fois en janvier dernier, Guillaume Pepy, le president de la
SNCF, lors d’une ceremonie a la gare de Bobigny (Seine-Saint- Denis),
d’où une partie des 22 407 internes de Drancy fut envoyee vers les
camps de la mort. L’entreprise franchit aujourd’hui un nouveau pas dans
sa demarche de repentance en signant une convention qui fera d’elle
le parrain et mecène d’une chaire sur les genocides cree a Sciences-Po
Bordeaux. ” C’est un cours optionnel, qui a suscite une forte demande
puisque 130 elèves se sont deja inscrits “, fait remarquer Jean Petaux,
directeur des relations exterieures de l’etablissement.

L’idee avait ete lancee en 2009 par des etudiants de cette
grande ecole après un voyage de la ” memoire ” de quelques-uns a
Auschwitz-Birkenau. Dans ce cours de douze heures, le professeur Alban
Perrin, ingenieur d’etudes au memorial de la Shoah a Paris, compare
les trois grands genocides du XXe siècle : armenien, juif et tutsi.

Selon cet historien, on ne peut parler de genocide que lorsque il y
a une ” destruction intentionnelle programmee et systematique de tous
les individus d’un groupe humain “. ” Ce cours nous permet d’analyser
de facon brute ces evenements, sans nous laisser deborder par l’emotion
“, souligne Betty, etudiante en 3e annee.

C’est dans cet etat d’esprit que s’inscrit la SNCF en financant cette
chaire. ” Le devoir de memoire est important, mais le vrai enjeu,
aujourd’hui, c’est d’aider a eduquer les generations nouvelles sur
ce sujet “, explique Bernard Emsellem, directeur general delegue
aux responsabilites societales. Depuis près d’un an, la compagnie a
multiplie les actions en ce sens avec, entre autres, la creation un
site Internet en anglais sur la Shoah. Celui-ci evoque le rôle de la
SNCF dans la deportation mais rappelle egalement celui des cheminots
dans la resistance.

À l’epoque, certains y avaient vu une demarche interessee de
l’entreprise publique pour decrocher, avec Alstom, le marche des lignes
a grande vitesse en Floride et en Californie, estimes a une dizaine
de milliards d’euros. Des familles de rescapes vivant aux Etats-Unis
et des elus avaient demande a la SNCF de s’expliquer sur son rôle
dans la deportation des juifs et, eventuellement, d’indemniser les
descendants. ” C’est faux, retorque Bernard Emsellem.

Cela fait vingt ans que nous travaillons sur notre devoir de memoire.

Nos archives sont ouvertes au grand public depuis 1995 et viennent
d’ailleurs d’etre numerisees. ”

Environ 75 000 juifs de France ont ete deportes pendant l’occupation
nazie et seuls 2 500 sont revenus vivants des camps de concentration.

” La SNCF a agi sous la contrainte “, a maintes fois repete Guillaume
Pepy. La compagnie n’a jamai s ete condamnee par la justice pour sa
responsabilite dans le transport de deportes.

NICOLAS CESAR (a Bordeaux)

LES ACTIONS D’EILIAN WILLIAMS
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
lundi 7 novembre 2011

1- Manifestations :

” Solidarite avec les Prisonniers de Conscience en Turquie vous
invite a : Une veillee silencieuse le 11 novembre, Jour de la Fete
de l’Armistice, a Westminster, a Londres, demandant :

1) “Turquie : liberez Zarakolu et tous les detenus politiques !”

2) “Royaume-Uni : mettons fin a notre collusion avec la Turquie
genocidaire !”

de 11 heures a midi a Whitehall, près du Cenotaphe, en face Downing
Street dans les Jardins du Vieux Palais, en face du Parlement Prière
de Confirmer votre participation en telephonant au 07588256783 ou
par mail a [email protected] ”

2- Question qu’a la demande d’Eilian Williams, le membre de la chambre
des Lords Lord Alton, de Liverpool, a adressee au gouvernement qui
devrait y repondre le 16 novembre par son ministre des Affaires
Etrangères :

Pour demander au Gouvernement de Sa Majeste quelles dispositions il
a prevues vis-a-vis du gouvernement de Turquie sur l’arrestation et
la detention de Ragip Zarakolu avec d’autres, emprisonnes en Turquie
après avoir fait usage de leur liberte d’expression [FCO] HL13055

3- Declaration signalee par Eilian Williams, le membre du Parlement
du Pays de Galles Bethan Jenkins a faite :

OPIN-201160037 Detention turque de Prisonniers de Conscience

L’Assemblee Nationale du Pays de Galles :

Soutient au Pays de Galles le peuple turc en appelant le gouvernement
turc a liberer immediatement de la detention Ragip Zarakolu et de
nombreux autres chercheurs, universitaires, chercheurs, ecrivains
et journalistes qui sont emprisonnes en Turquie pour avoir exprime
leurs pensees.

Note la demande d’accession de la Turquie a l’Union Europeenne et au
nom du peuple du Pays de Galles appelle son gouvernement a promouvoir
les principes de liberte d’expression de l’Union Europeenne.

L’ONU MESURE LA QUALITE DE VIE EN ARMENIE
Laetitia

armenews.com
lundi 7 novembre 2011

L’Armenie a gagne trois places par rapport a ses quatre voisins
au sujet de son niveau de vie qui a ete recemment etudie par les
Nations Unies.

Le rapport de l’ONU 2011 sur l’indice de developpement humain (RDH)
a ete publie cette semaine et concerne 187 pays. Il est mesure par
rapport au produit interieur brut par habitant, a l’esperance de vie,
a l’accès aux normes de sante et d’education.

L’Armenie est classee 86ème sur la liste. On trouve en tete la Norvège,
l’Australie et les Pays-Bas. Elle etait 76e dans le classement de
l’ONU l’an dernier, qui comportait 169 pays, et se placait derrière
la Georgie voisine, l’Azerbaïdjan et l’Iran .

L’Iran et l’Azerbaïdjan viennent se placer derrière l’Armenie dans
le RDH 2011, etant classe respectivement 88e et 91e. La Turquie
est classee 92e. Seule la Georgie (75e) reste devant l’Armenie dans
l’index de developpement humain.

Selon le rapport de l’ONU, l’esperance de vie en Armenie est
actuellement de 74,2 annees tandis que le revenu moyen par habitant,
ajuste pour la parite du pouvoir d’achat, avoisine 5200 dollars.

Gevorg Poghosian, un sociologue de l’Academie nationale des sciences,
a decrit la performance du pays dans l’enquete mondiale comme
satisfaisante. Il a cependant annonce que la plupart des derniers
resultats demographique et social datent de l’ère sovietique.

” Nous avons longtemps eu un niveau d’education eleve et une population
dont l’esperance de vie est relativement longue “, a declare Poghosian
a RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am).

” Comme pour le present, nous avons [l’indicateur du developpement
humain] le plus bas, ” a-t-il dit.

” En tout cas, nous ne sommes pas dans une mauvaise situation par
rapport a d’autres pays. Mais nous ne devrions pas nous rejouir des
resultats car la tendance n’est pas positive “, a averti Poghosian.

Will the New Tax Plan in Armenia Work?

hetq
17:45, November 6, 2011

Yesterday just over a month after the government revealed its $2.5
million budget plan for 2012 Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian explained
just where the $268 million in tax revenues was to be generated. There
are three primary sources it seems: from a tax on luxury automobiles,
a tax hike on the upper class, and high excise taxes on expensive
alcoholic beverages.

First let’s look at the car tax. He proposed that the owner of a car
estimated to be worth $90,000 or more be taxed, estimating the
collected amount to reach around $2.6 million (1 billion dram). This
expectation is a bit naïve thinking, however, since the number of cars
priced that high is so infinitesimal that it will be hard to believe
so much will be collected in taxes. There are ways around paying that
`luxury tax’ of course. Since the customs department determines the
value of automobiles entering the country and the customs fees
required to be paid using whatever mind-numbing algorithms they
employ, it certainly wouldn’t be difficult to pay an official a bribe
to set the worth of the car at $89,000, thereby avoiding the luxury
tax. For more comments see Footprints.

Armenian MP concerned over child abuse

10:55 – 07.11.11

Minors are victims of sex crimes in 60% of cases.

Ninety-nine cases have been reported over the past five years.
However, this is only “the tip of the iceberg,” says Victor Dallakyan,
an Armenian MP.

A bill drafted by Mr. Dallakyan envisages severer punishment for child
abuse: voluntary chemical sterilization instead of an AMD 100,000
fine. Also, in case of repeated commission, obligatory chemical
sterilization, 7 to 15 years’ imprisonment, forfeit of the right to
work as a teacher or a children’s doctor. “I am concerned over the
increasing number of child abuse cases,” Dallakyan said.

Tert.am

HEALTH MINISTER SAYS REFORMS IN THE SPHERE TO CONTINUE

ARMENPRESS
November 7, 201
YEREVAN

The reforms in the sphere of health will continue, Minister of Health
Harutyun Kushkyan told at budget discussions at the NA November 7.
According to him, near the registered success we also have a number
of flaws. The increase of the level of medical service in Yerevan is
a priority.

Referring to the issues of medical establishments in the provinces,
the minister said that a corresponding program directed toward their
upgrading is being implemented.