Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Nairit plant employees demand their salaries

04:25 pm | June 10, 2011 |

Social Employees of Yerevan-based Nairit plant today gathered outside
the president’s residence to demand their salaries of the past three
months and to know the fate of the plant.

“We have appeared in an indefinite situation and are deeply worried
about the plant’s future. We have come here to make our concerns
audible to the authorities. We do not know whether the plant will
resume operation and we want a concrete answer,” said Armen.

“I have worked in Nairit for 27 years. My grandfather, mother and
brother also worked in this plant. We want the plant to resume
operation and to receive our salaries in time,” said Gaspar
Hovhannisyan.

“Things are worsening day by day. I can hardly keep myself going with
my small pension. We are obliged to gather here every 3-4 months to
raise our problem,” said 70-year-old ALexan Margaryan.

The protesters were promised to be remunerated within 15 days.

A.Gulyan: “NKR not optimistic about Kazan meeting”

08:46 pm | June 10, 2011 | Politics

“NKR authorities are not optimistic about the upcoming meeting
between the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian Presidents,” Speaker of
the NKR National Assembly Ashot Ghulyan told journalists in Yerevan.

“As usual Azerbaijan attempts to distort the essence of negotiations
and continues to make bellicose statements. Morover, they introduce
news elements in the conflict resolution,” said the NKR parliament
speaker.

“The Presidents may reach an agreement in Kazan. On the other hand, I
do not exclude that the talks may reach a deadlock,” he added.

Karabakh predicts activeness in the negotiation process in the fall.
Before that it is necessary to use all diplomatic levers to present
Karabakh’s position to the international community.

Asked whether Azerbaijan is likely to incite provocations on the eve
of the Kazan meeting, the NKR official said: “The NKR Defense Army is
always ready to withstand Azerbaijan’s provocative acts. In my
opinion, Baku has learned a lesson from our adequate measures.”
To the question whether NKR will be involved in the negotiation as a
full-fledged party, Gulyan said, “I think that it is realistic. The
Co-Chairs also began speaking about NKR’s engagement in the talks. The
only side that opposes to it is Azerbaijan. Nagorno Karabakh will
sooner or later be involved in the negotiations as a full-fledged
party to the talks.”

“For this very purpose, at the last meeting with the OSCE Minks Group,
NKR President emphasized that we see the participation of Karabakh in
all stages of the peace process,” he concluded

Institute of Armenian Studies launching new website

14:15 – 12.06.11

The Institute of Armenian Studies at Yerevan State University is
launching on June 14 its website () that currently
incorporates around 250 works on Armenian studies.

Speaking to Tert.am, Alik Gharibyan, the scientific secretary of the
institute, said that the Armenian studies play a great role as a
counter-factor to the advocacy against the Armenian nation and the
character of an Armenian.

Digitalization of those works on Armenian studies will also help to
re-valuate the Armenian history and get rid of the Soviet-era veil, he
added.

Gharibyan went on to mention say that Armenian history is now properly
presented in the textbooks.

`We should present the pages of our history in a new way by
re-valuation and understanding what kind of generation we are bringing
up; whether it will be able to consider the state as the highest
value,’ said Gharibyan.

Tert.am

ABOUT 5,400 CONTRACTS SIGNED BY ARMENIAN FARMERS WITH PROCESSING COMPANIES

/ARKA/
JUNE 10, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, June 10. / ARKA /. Thirteen Armenian processing companies
have signed already more than 5,400 contracts with farmers for the
purchase of grapes, berries and vegetables, a deputy agriculture
minister Robert Markarian, said today.

“The process of contracts signing continues To date, contracts have
been signed with 13 companies, but there are also companies that have
not yet begun the procurement process “, said Makarian Friday at a
press conference.

According to the ministry of agriculture, 4,750 contracts have been
signed for the purchase of 30 thousand tons of grapes and 671 contracts
for the purchase of about 3,500 tons of vegetables.

Farmers that have already signed contracts, have been paid 286
million drams in advance payments and also given 280 thousand tons of
fertilizers, 40 tons of seeds and 66 million drams worth pesticides
for the treatment of crops and trees. ($ 1 – 3.767.6 drams).

MEXICAN HERITAGE DAYS IN ARMENIA WILL STRENGTHEN CULTURAL TIES BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 10, 2011 – 17:17 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On June 9, Armenian Minister of Culture Hasmik
Poghosyan met with Alfredo Rogerio Perez Bravo, the Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mexico to Armenia and cultural
attache Henok de Santiago, currently on a visit to Armenia to mark
Mexican Heritage Days.

At the meeting, the Minister stressed the importance of the event in
the development of cultural ties between the countries. According to
Ms. Poghosyan, 2011-2014 Armenia-Mexico agreement on cooperation in
culture, education, sports and science will strengthen bilateral ties,
serving as a basis for joint work of the libraries in both countries.

Upon completion of the meeting, the Ambassador thanked local
authorities for organization of the event, expressing hope for further
Armenia-Mexico cooperation.

ARZAKANTSYAN WILL APPEAL RULING, USE MORAL COMPENSATION FOR CHARITY

Tert.am
10.06.11

MP Tigran Arzakantsyan has said he will appeal the court ruling over
his lawsuit against local daily Yerkir and use the moral compensation –
he is still to be paid – for charity.

Asked what he will do with the 288,000 drams (approx. $770) that the
court has ruled that Yerkir pay him in moral compensation, he said:
“There are several people in need. I will give it to them, I don’t
need it.”

It comes after a court of first instance ruled that Yerkir daily pay
Tigran Arzakantsyan, 200,000 drams in moral compensation, 80,000 drams
for lawyer-related expenses and 8,000 drams for court expenses for an
article, published last year, which he claims insulted his good name.

Initially Arzakantsyan had claimed 3,568,000 drams (approx. $9500),
but the court satisfied his claim partially. However, Arzakantsyan,
who is also the owner of Great Valley Company, says he will appeal
the case, as he will not tolerate insult.

“You know what? I am not the person to be insulted and to forgive,”
explained he, adding that the sum he will receive in moral compensation
will be sent to his namesake charity fund which he claimed has been
for seven years helping socially vulnerable people in Armenia.

TAKE 2: ARMENIAN PAVILION UNVEILS FOR SECOND TIME AT VENICE BIENNALE

epress.am
06.10.2011 15:30

Armenia’s Pavilion at the 54th International Art Exhibition of la
Biennale di Venezia (the Venice Biennial) officially opened for a
second time this year.

As previously reported, the first opening, on Jun. 4, was incomplete.

According to one of the curators of Armenia’s Pavilion, Ruben
Arevshatyan, an essential construction piece needed to display the
work of one of the works – that belonging to artist Astghik Melkonyan –
was lost during shipping.

Fortunately, the missing piece arrived early this week and the artist,
along with Arevshatyan and other assistants, set to work putting the
work together. The commissioner and the curators of the Armenian
National Pavilion apologized for the work not being ready on time
and invited the public to the second opening today.

Astghik Melkonyan’s work elaborates specific formats, manuals, which
address the economic dynamics of artistic work intertwined with
larger techniques of social survival. The installation featured at
the biennial, titled “How-to Manual: A Monthly Salary,” features 35
transparent panels that span 31 days in a month, depicting techniques
one might use to survive on an average monthly salary in Armenia.

The title of this year’s Armenian National Pavilion was “MANUALS:
Subjects of New Universality.” The concept, as described on the
website of Armenia’s representation in this year’s Venice Biennial,
can be summed up as follows:

“Any Manual is a result of a singular effort to overcome a deadlock
that implicitly suggests the way of achieving its goal as a general
model. Thus, a singular effort motivated by an urgent need proposes
itself as a subject of new universality. The specificity of this
subject is that it includes in itself its own lack, i.e. the need
that brought it into existence.

“The artists involved in this project take the social, economic,
and political turmoil of the post-Soviet Armenia as the platform for
their artistic work. But by virtue of their belief in universality they
model the singular efforts of dealing with these specific issues in
a way that turns them into the possibility of universal emancipation.”

The 54th International Art Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia
runs through till Nov. 27. The awards ceremony, which took place at
the opening of the BIennale on Jun. 4, saw the German Pavilion win
the Golden Lion for best National Participation, while the Golden
Lion for the best artist at the ILLUMInations Exhibition went to
Christian Marclay, Silver Lion for a promising young artist at the
ILLUMInations Exhibition went to Haroon Mirza and Special Mentions
went to the Lithuanian Pavilion and Klara Liden, reports Cafa Art Info.

Photos (of a segment of “How-to Manual: A Monthly Salary”) courtesy
of the artist.

RA AMBADSSADOR MEETS WITH JAVAKHK PRESS REPS

hetq
15:05, June 10, 2011

Yesterday, newly appointed RA Ambassador to Georgia, Hovhannes
Manukyan, met with representatives of the Javakhk Armenian press
in Tbilisi.

Present at the meeting held at the Armenian Embassy were Karapet
Melkonyan, Director of the “ATV 12” TV station in Akhalkalak;
Artur Oganesyan, Chief Editor of Batum’s “Armenian Magazine”; Edward
Ayvazyan, Chief Editor of the magazine “Akhaltskha Rebirth” and the
editor of Ninotzminda’s “Arshalyus” magazine.

After a discussion of the challenges facing the Armenian press in
Georgia, Ambassador Manukyan directed staff members to present the
representatives with funds provided by the government in Armenia.

ARTSAKH NOT OPTIMISTIC ABOUT KAZAN MEETING

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 10, 2011 – 15:38 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Speaker of the Nagorno Karabakh National Assembly
Ashot Ghulyan said Artsakh is not optimistic about the upcoming
meeting between the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian Presidents.

“Even after the Deauville statement adopted by the leaders of the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries we witness Azerbaijan’s attempts
to distort the essence of negotiations,” Ghulyan told journalists in
Yerevan, adding that Azerbaijan doesn’t stop threatening war.

The Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian Presidents are slated to meet
on June 25 in the Russian city of Kazan.

KARABAKH LAWMAKER: KASPRZYK TRYING TO LOOK ‘ORIGINAL’ WHEN SPEAKING ABOUT ‘INTERIM STATUS’ OF KARABAKH

Tert.am
10.06.11

No details are being discussed at the talks, Vahram Atanesyan,
the chairman of Nagorno Karabakh Republic parliament’s Committee
on Foreign Relations, told journalists at the Armenian National
Assembly today. “Kasprzyk is an outgoing diplomat who is trying to
look original; he does not convey a united opinion,” Atanesyan added.

His comment was in regard with a statement made by Andrzej Kasprzyk,
the personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office, that an
interim status for Karabakh is discussed at the Karabakh conflict
settlement talks.

“I think no agreement would be reached on the [Madrid] principles
because Azerbaijan would not sign any document containing commitment
to not use force,” he said.”If it, however, does it would mean that
Azerbaijan is opening a door for the international recognition of
Karabakh.”