Author: Kajoyan Gevork

RA NA PRESIDENT HOVIK ABRAHAMYAN RECEIVES THE EGYPTIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE RA

National Assembly of RA, Armenia

Oct 26 2011

On October 25 the RA NA National Assembly President Hovik
Abrahamyan received the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of Egypt to Armenia Mohammed Ala Eldin Saad El Leis.

Welcoming the guest the NA President congratulated him on the occasion
of his appointment and expressed confidence that his activity would
promote the reinforcement of the relations between the two countries
and peoples. The President of the National Assembly also emphasized the
development of the inter-parliamentary cooperation. He expressed hope
that after the parliamentary elections in Egypt the Armenian-Egyptian
inter-parliamentary cooperation would be restored and strengthened.

The newly appointed Egyptian Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary to Armenia thanked for the reception and noted that
he would do his utmost to develop the bilateral relations in different
fields during his tenure.

The interlocutors touched upon the current situation of Egypt ,
as well as discussed other issues of bilateral interest.

KHOSROV HARUTYUNYAN: BY PROVIDING TAX PRIVILEGES TO THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH THE STATE MUST COMPENSATE THE GAP OF THE COMMUNITY BUDGET

ARMENPRESS
15:21, 26 October, 2011

By providing tax privileges to the Armenian Apostolic Church the state
must compensate the gap of the community budget, member of the Public
Council Khosrov Harutyunyan said speaking to Armenpress.

“The issue is not in giving or not giving such privileges to the
church. The thing is that the National Assembly does not have right
to reduce the budget incomes of local self-governmental bodies. The
NA cannot establish by law privileges of property tax and land tax
without compensating equal sums of these privileges – from state
budget to community budget,” Harutyunyan said.

Chairman of the National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan has expressed
concern over the issue, pointing out that certain part of the
establishments are under subordination of the communities and may
reduce the entries of the community budget.

The Armenian Apostolic Church has submitted a list of 286 institutions
that must get use of the privileges but the list is not complete and
may be filled.

ARMENIAN TEAMS TRAIN FOR EUROPEAN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 26, 2011 – 11:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian men and women~Rs teams are participating
in Dilijan-hosted team practice session in preparation for European
Team Chess Championships due Nov 3-11 in Porto Carras, Greece.

Men~Rs line-up for the championships is as follows: world champions
Levon Aronian, Sergei Movsisian, Vladimir Akopian, Gabriel Sargissian
and Robert Hovhannesyan, coached by Arshak Petrosyan.

Women~Rs team, coached by Artur Chibukhchyan, includes Elina Danielian,
Lilit Lazarian, Lilit Galoyan, Maria Kursova and Nelly Aginian.

KURDS PELT JOURNALISTS, POLICE WITH STONES IN QUAKE-HIT VAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 26, 2011 – 16:21 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Crowds of Kurds pelted journalists and police with
stones in the quake-hit city of Van as their anger at the Turkish
media’s coverage of the disaster boiled over.

The quake came only days after one of the deadliest attacks on the
army in the three-decade-long Kurdish conflict and some journalists
and bloggers have tried to portray the tragedy as payback time.

Survivors have been particularly upset by comments by Muge Anli, a
presenter on the ATV commercial network, who said Kurds now wanted
the help of police and soldiers whom they had been hunting down
“in the mountains like birds”.

And Duygu Canbas, an anchorwoman on the Haberturk 24-hour news channel,
was forced to apologize after saying on air that she felt sorry for
the victims of the quake “even though” it happened in the mainly
Kurdish Van province.

While both broadcasters have faced calls to resign, they have also
received plenty of support on Twitter and Facebook. One tweet for
example hailed the quake as “God’s wrath on Van… God does what the
Turkish Republic could not do”.

The stoning of the reporters in the eponymous provincial capital,
which left several people injured, was brought to a halt only after
police used pepper-spray.

“Nobody takes care of us because we are Kurds,” one resident of Erces,
the worst-hit town, told AFP in a makeshift tent camp.

Some Kurdish leaders however have been impressed by the response not
only of the authorities but also from the public.

Donations have been flooding in from all around the country,
including blankets and clothing, giving a huge boost to the efforts
of groups such as the Turkish Red Crescent who have set up 4,000
tents as shelter for quake victims in the worst hit city of Ercis,
The Associated Press reported.

BOOK ON KUSTURICA, TARKOVSKY, PARAJANOV PRESENTED IN BUCHAREST

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 25, 2011 – 18:50 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On October 24, Bucharest, Romania hosted a
presentation of a book titled The Ladder of Heaven in Cinema:
Kusturica, Tarkovsky, Parajanov by Elena Dulgheru.

Art critics, filmmakers, artists, journalists as well as
representatives of Bucharest’s Armenian and Russian Diaspora were
invited to participate.

Armenia’s Ambassador to Romania Hamlet Gasparyan opened the event,
with a famous film critic, professor Manuela Cernat and poetess
Liliana Ursu delivering speeches.

In her book, poetess and film critic Elena Dulgheru explores the
aesthetics of sacredness in cinema and in arts.

ARMY PROBLEMS SHOULD CONCERN ALL CITIZENS, SAYS ARMENIAN MP

Tert.am
25.10.11

The problems existing in the army should concern all Armenians,
Karen Avagyan, an MP from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia,
said at the parliament on Tuesday.

“The army issue is that of ours. If we try to look at it a little
broadly, then [we will see] that the army is as our society,”
said Avagyan.

“The maladies of the army, the level of interpersonal relations,
the values all transfer to the army,” he explained.

Speaking about the peaceful demonstrations by the parents and relatives
of those conscripts killed in non-combat circumstances, Avagyan said
their grief is acceptable and understandable.

In October alone at least three soldiers were killed in the army in
non-combat circumstances.

Karen Avagyan, however, said he did not understand the actions of
those who attempt to use these people’s grief and pain for some
political gains.

“I hope that those doing orders will understand that the army defends
not only my and your, but also their families,” said Avagyan.

“If we want the army to become perfect, we should conduct serious
work at all levels of public life,” he explained.

“No propaganda, political goal can be justified, when it comes to
the army,” said Karen Avagyan.

MINISTER: ARMENIA’S ENERGY SYSTEM ALREADY PREPARED FOR WINTER

/ARKA/
October 25, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, October 25. /ARKA/. Armenia’s energy system is already
prepared for winter, since appropriate agencies have already completed
their preparatory work, Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said Tuesday
at a session of the National Assembly.

Each season has its peculiarities, he said, and each season put up
own tasks to the energy system.

“Most hard of them is the season of spring foods,” he said. “What
about winter, we have already completed all the preparations for it.”

The minister, however, didn’t rule out that breakdowns can occur in
the event of unexpected changes in climatic conditions.

He said that Armenia’s energy system is best in South Caucasus.

Movsisyan said that the region’s other countries have no such
accomplished energy systems.

Although Armenia’s infrastructures are in a precarious technical
state now, since 85% of them are badly dilapidated by about 40-year
usage, he said, “we have managed to create an accomplished system,
which has already passed transition from formation to development”.

ZURABYAN ON BHK AND OLIGARCHS

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:28:54 – 25/10/2011

ANC Coordinator Levon Zurabyan dwelt on the possibility of ANC-BHK
cooperation saying that any force, which refuses to serve this regime
and starts fighting it, becomes an ally of the people.

Recall Saturday Levon Zurabyan told Radio Liberty that the Congress
could collaborate with Bargavach Hayastan Party if this force decided
to quit with the past and launched a fight against this regime.

Today Zurabyan commented on his statement saying that they do not
single out any force. “Dwelling on cooperation, we do not say come
and join us, but we will negotiate to decide how we can fight against
this regime”.

According to him, the cooperation does not regard a concrete team
but everyone who would stand by people. In this context, he noted
that all those segments of the Republican Party, which would come
out of it and would fight it, will be welcome by the people. As for
the possibility that oligarchs join the Congress, Zurabyan said that
when a legitimate power is ensured in Armenia, the oligarchs will be
deprived of monopoly and will be in the field of law.

BRITISH EXPERT: THE SEAT IN UN SECURITY COUNCIL IS EVIDENCE OF AZERBAIJAN’S BECOMING AN IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL PLAYER

arminfo
Tuesday, October 25, 12:47

The election of Azerbaijan like a non permanent member of UN
Security Council will not have any immediate effect on the Karabakh
negotiations, nor on the work of the Minsk Process, but it is an
indication that Azerbaijan has become an important international
player, executive director of the British non-governmental organization
LINKS, Dennis Sammut, told Arminfo correspondent.

He also added that the election of Azerbaijan to the Security Council
is a reflection of a very active, and in many ways successful
foreign policy pursued by that country. In the election of the
last days Azerbaijan was strongly supported by member states of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Arab League and the Non
Aligned Movement, as well as most CIS countries.

“Elmar Mammadyarov has been a very effective Foreign Minister
in many respects, and he has been working to secure the Security
Council seat for some time”, – Mr. Sammut said and added that as a
member of the Security Council Azerbaijan acquires some prestige,
but also responsibility.

“The world body is the ultimate guarantor for world peace and
members of the Security Council are expected to lead by example”, –
he emphasized.

When commenting on the fact that the election of Azerbaijan as a non
permanent member of the United Nations Security Council became possible
despite the Karabakh conflict, the British expert said: “The election
of non permanent members of the United Nations Security Council takes
place each year in the General Assembly. Each country has a vote,
and each country votes on the basis of its national interests, and
what it perceives is the best choice for leading this world body. The
fact that a country has a dispute with another country has never
excluded the election of that country to the Security Council. India
and Pakistan have both been members of the Security Council despite
their history of wars and conflicts”, – he concluded.

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs present new proposals

ARMENPRESS
October 25, 2011
YEREVAN

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Bernard Fassier
of France, Robert Bradtke of the United States, and Igor Popov of
the Russian Federation) and Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk (Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office) traveled October
21-24 to Yerevan, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Baku. The Co-Chairs met with
Presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev, and with the de facto authorities
in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Press service of the OSCE informed Armenpress that the Co-Chairs
stressed to the sides the need to improve significantly the atmosphere
of negotiations, increase trust, and strengthen implementation of
the ceasefire to allow further progress toward reaching a peaceful
settlement. The Co-Chairs offered several proposals for measures to
enhance confidence in different fields. The sides agreed in principle
on the draft mechanism to investigate incidents along the front lines
that the Co-Chairs proposed in April, and which Presidents Aliyev,
Sargsyan, and Medvedev agreed to pursue in their March joint statement
in Sochi.

The Co-Chairs also met separately with His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme
Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and with Sheykhulislam
Allahshukur Pashazade, Grand Mufti and Chairman of the Caucasus Muslim
Board, to discuss the necessity of preparing the populations for a
just, lasting, and peaceful settlement.

On October 22, the Co-Chairs crossed the Line of Contact by foot for
the fourth time in the past fourteen months. This crossing highlighted
again that the Line is not a permanent barrier between neighboring
peoples, and demonstrated that military coordination is possible when
all the sides are willing.

The Co-Chairs will return to the region in late November to continue
their work with the sides to develop the measures described above and
to determine next steps to pave the way for future meetings between
the sides.