Author: Kajoyan Gevork

PRESS RELEASE
January 14, 2015

AESA
Contact: Vasken Yardemian
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: (818) 547-3372

AESA Meets with Dr. Gagig Galstyan, Rector of the National University
of Architecture and Construction of Armenia

(Glendale, CA) – On January 12, 2015, AESA representatives met with
the Rector of the National University of Architecture and
Construction of Armenia (NUACA) formally Yerevan State University of
Architecture and Construction, Dr. Gagig Galstyan who is now visiting
Los Angeles. AESA was represented by Vasken Yardemian, President and
Razmik Gharakhanian, Vice President-Elect.

Last week, Dr. Galstyan met with AESA New York-New Jersey Chapter
President Aram Setian, Vice President-Elect, Hovhannes Mardirossian
and Treasurer David Michelian and Vicken Bedian at the Armenian
Mission to the United Nations (UN) in New York City, hosted by
Dr. Tigran Samvelian, Deputy Permanent Mission Representative. Also
in attendance were the Assistant Rector Dr. Aida Khachaturyan and
Ms. Arpine Korekyan, UN Governance and Public Administration officer.
At this meeting, AESA was presented with the `Glory to Builder’ medal
as gratitude and appreciation for AESA contribution, because early
last year, AESA NY-NJ Chapter initiated a certification program with
the Rutgers University of New Jersey to conduct short courses at NUACA
in Armenia. Already two of the AESA NY-NJ chapter members were in
Armenia last October to teach two certificate courses in Construction
Management.

At this meeting with Dr. Galstyan, the current status of the program
was reviewed and the next steps were outlined. `We will definitely
use all of our available resources to expand this project in Armenia’,
stated Vasken Yardemian. `Our collaboration with NUACA is important
milestone in AESA’s history’ concluded Yardemian. Dr. Galstyan
expressed his gratitude and appreciation for AESA’s contribution,
conducting the short courses.

===========================================================
Standing from Left: Razmik Gharakhanian, Dr. Gagig Galstyan and Vasken
Yardemian

Representatives of AESA NY-NJ Chapter with Dr. Gagig Galstyan at the
Armenian Mission to the UN

Established in 1983 in Glendale, California, AESA is a non-partisan
and non-sectarian philanthropic organization focused primarily on
addressing the professional, technical and scientific needs of fellow
Armenian engineers, scientists, industrialists, and architects
throughout the world. For more information, check AESA’s website at
, or contact them by phone (818) 547-3372, or e-mail: **
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) . Copyright © 2015
Armenian Engineers & Scientists of America (AESA), All rights
reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Armenian Engineers & Scientists of America (AESA)
117 S. Louise St #306
Glendale, CA 91205
USA

SOLDIER WHO KILLED SIX ARMENIANS TO REMAIN UNDER RUSSIAN JURISDICTION

EurasiaNet.org
Jan 14 2015

January 14, 2015 – 11:00am, by Joshua Kucera

The Russian soldier accused of killing six members of an Armenian
family was captured and will be prosecuted under Russian jurisdiction,
in spite of the fact that the base agreement between the two countries
appears to give Armenia that right.

Valery Permyakov, a Russian conscript, deserted his guard post at the
102nd military base in Gyumri, Armenia, and shot six members of the
Avetsiyan family while they slept. About 24 hours, he was captured
near the Armenia-Turkey border and reportedly confessed to the crime.

Russian border guards patrol the border between Armenia and Turkey,
and it was officers from that force who arrested Permyakov. Armenian
authorities announced shortly thereafter that he would be prosecuted
by Russia, not by them:

“Valery Permyakov suspected of the crime is a Russian citizen and has
been placed under the control of Russian law enforcement agencies, that
is under the Russian jurisdiction. Thus, handing over Valery Permyakov
to Armenian law enforcement bodies is not discussed considering the ban
enshrined in paragraph 1 of Article 61 of the Russian Constitution,
which speculates that the Russian citizen cannot be handed over to
another country,” according to a press release from the office of
the General Prosecutor of Armenia.

But it’s not clear why the Russian constitution would be the relevant
document given that all this happened in Armenia. From the bilateral
agreement regulating the presence of the Russian base in Armenia:
“On issues of crimes or other violations of the law committed on
the territory of the Republic of Armenia by personnel of the Russian
military base, and family members of the personnel, the legislation
of the Republic of Armenia applies, and its competent organs operate.”

Exceptions are made for crimes committed on the base property, crimes
committed against other Russian base personnel, and war crimes,
but none of those would seem to apply here.

But Armenia doesn’t seem likely to push the issue. Defense Minister
Seyran Ohanian appealed for the issue not to be politicized: “”Yet I
believe that there is no need to politicize that incident and look for
notes of worsening of Armenian-Russian relations in it. We have quite
a high level of political relations with Russia, and our cooperation
in the military sphere is also on a high level.”

Nevertheless, there have been some attempts at politicization like
a demonstration at the Russian embassy in Yerevan demanding that the
base commander be held responsible for the crime, and online campaigns
to kick the base out of Armenia.

Political analyst Sergey Minasyan says that while many in Armenia
believe the case should be tried by the Armenian authorities, the
controversy will have little effect overall on bilateral relations
because security considerations outweigh everything else.

“Of course, there is a lot of controversy among the Armenian
society and in the perceptions of ordinary people, but I am not
sure that this terrible incident will have any serious effect on
the intergovernmental relations,” Minasyan told The Bug Pit. “Even
in these conditions the Russian base acts as a security guarantor
in the region and relations with Russia are so vital for Armenian
security and economic development.”

One wonders what would have happened had it been Armenian police,
rather than Russian border guards, who captured Permyakov. The way it
turned out allows Yerevan to save face, as actually handing the man
who committed Armenia’s worst crime in recent memory over to foreign
authorities would have been an extra dollop of humiliation.

UPDATE: Later on January 14, “thousands” of Gyumri residents protested
outside the base, even getting into scuffles with police, demanding
that Russian hand Permyakov over to the Armenian authorities. Stay
tuned…

TENSION IN GYUMRI IS ESCALATING WITH EVERY PASSING MINUTE

by Ashot Safaryan

Wednesday, January 14, 17:07

The tension in Gyumri is escalating with every passing minute. At
the moment, thousands of residents of Gyumri, the second largest city
in Armenia, are holding an action of protest and demand transferring
the Russian soldier Valery Permyakov to Armenian justice.

To recall, Permyakov is suspected of murdering a family of six in
Gyumri on Jan 12. On Jan 13, Permyakov admitted to the murder. The
demonstrators made their way to the building of the Russian
Consulate and then to the building of the Prosecutor’s Office. Now the
demonstrators are moving towards the Russian military base despite some
obstacles posed by the law-enforcers. The number of the demonstrators
is growing.

Valery Permyakov was detained on the day of the murder near Bayandur
village on the Armenian-Turkish border. On Jan 14, the Armenian
Prosecutor General’s Office reported that the issue of transfer of
Permyakov to Armenia was not discussed. At the same time, the criminal
case is being investigated by the two countries’ law-enforcement
agencies. Armenia promises to be consistent to bring the culprit to
responsibility with the utmost rigour of the law.

ENERGY MINISTER ON POSSIBLE INCREASE OF ELECTRICITY AND GAS PRICES

16:53 14/01/2015 >> ECONOMY

Electricity producing companies, electric networks and companies
supplying energy carriers suffer losses due to the depreciation of
the national currency, Yervand Zakharyan, Armenia’s Minister of Energy
and Natural Resources, said on Wednesday.

Therefore, according to him, these companies may apply to the Public
Services Regulatory Commission requesting to reconsider the electricity
and gas prices. Meanwhile, he noted that Armenian government will
try to resolve the problem.

“I announce with responsibility that the position of the Armenian
President and government is the following: to do everything possible
so that there will be no problem of price hike this year,” he said.

Source: Panorama.a

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: LEVON SARGSYAN’S CASINO ON BRINK OF BANKRUPTCY

‘Haykakan Zhamanak’ daily says that Golden Palace casino owned by
Levon Sargsyan stopped operating about a month ago. “The reason is
quite interesting. Last December a billionaire from an Arab country
together with his wives visited the casino. After losing a large sum,
the Arab proposed playing at high stakes and the casino agreed.

Fortune smiled on him and he allegedly won several million dollars. As
a result, the casino is on the brink of bankruptcy and to all
appearances, it has stopped operating. In response to a call of our
correspondent, the casino confirmed that only slot machines work,”
the daily writes.

14.01.15, 11:42

ARMENIAN BANKS’ WEBSITES NOT SUFFICIENTLY PROTECTED- EXPERT

YEREVAN, January 13. / ARKA /. The bulk of Armenian commercial banks
can not boast of official websites that are protected safely from
hacker attacks and other online threats, according to cyber security
expert Samvel Martirosyan. Speaking at a news conference, he said it
is a big concern because banks are among the institutions that must be
equipped with the highest possible level of protection against hacker
and other attacks. He said in 2014 several attacks against banks
were reported. According to him, the banks must have maximum level
protection because attacks against banks are likely to create national
security-related risks. According to Martirosyan, the most protected
government websites in Armenia are those of the foreign ministry and
the president. “All the other websites are often cracked. In many
cases, it seems that their owners are not even aware of it,” he added.

-0-

Armenians to light candles to commemorate the Gyumri family

YEREVAN, January 14. / ARKA /. Candles will be lit across Armenia in
late hours of January 15 in memory of a six-member family killed by
a runaway Russian soldier in the Armenian town of Gyumri on Monday
morning. The commemoration candle lighting is initiated by a group
of Facebook users who called on fellow citizens to light candles and
put on their windowsills.

According to police, Valery Permyakov from the Russian military
base in Gyumri admitted to murdering the six members of the family-
a couple, their son and daughter-in-law, a 2-year-old granddaughter,
and an unmarried daughter. They all were found shot dead in their
house on January 12.

The couple’s six-month-old grandson was hospitalized in a grave
condition. The victims were all shot with an AK-47.

Valery Permyakov was detained on January 13, shortly after midnight,
while trying to cross the border into Turkey dressed in civilian
clothing.

Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General announced yesterday
that Permyakov will not be handed over to Armenian law-enforcement
authorities pending investigation. In a statement, it said that
Russia’s constitution prohibits the extradition of Russian citizens
to foreign states.

The statement also said that Russian and Armenian law-enforcement
bodies are making a joint probe of the killings.

A spokeswoman for Armenia’s State Investigative Committee (SIC) Sona
Truzyan said today that SIC has decided to prosecute Permyakov for
the killing of more than two people..-0-

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ARMENIANS AND RUSSIANS – ASSYRIAN RESIDENT EXPLAINS (VIDEO)

12:07 | January 14,2015 | Social

Kostya Davidov, a resident of Armenia’s Dimitrov village in Ararat
region, is an Assyrian but he does not differentiate himself from
Armenians.

Mr Davidov was born in Armenia and has lived in the country all his
life, but his six children went to a Russian school as there is not
an Armenian school in the village. Today they live in the Russian
federation with their families. Kostya Davidov often visits them in
Russia but is not going to settle there for permanent residence.

“You can eat and drink with Russians: they think you are obliged to
treat them. But if I treat an Armenian, the next day he will invite
me to his house and treat me in due order. This is the real friendship
and brotherhood,” says Mr Davidov.

In the same way, he does not confide in the Eurasian Economic Union.

Kostya Davidov, who is married to an Armenian, says there little
difference in the traditions of the two nations. “The only difference
is that Armenians observe Easter celebrations in the evening while
Assyrians do it in the morning.”

His wife, Mrs. Greta, tries her best to maintain the order and warmth
in the house. This year the family refused to heat their house with
natural gas as it proved too expensive for them. They are using
firewood instead.

VOROTAN HYDRO CASCADE DEAL TO BE FINALIZED WITHIN MONTH – MINISTER

YEREVAN, January 14. /ARKA/. Vorotan hydro cascade deal will be
finalized within a month, Armenia’s minister of energy and natural
resources Yervand Zakharyan told reporters on Wednesday.

The deal was signed on January 29 with ContourGlobal, a US-based
company under which ContourGlobal is to purchase and modernize the
Vorotan Hydro Cascade, a series of three hydroelectric power plants
totaling 405 MW on the Vorotan River in southern Armenia, for a
purchase price of $180 million.

The ministry of energy kept saying the deal is close to completion,
but the final document has not been signed yet.

The minister said there are still some legal issues to be settled,
and the deal is expected to be finalized within a month.

This will be the largest single U.S. private investment in Armenia’s
history and the first U.S. investment in Armenia’s energy sector. The
Vorotan Hydro Cascade accounts for roughly 15 percent of the installed
capacity of Armenia’s electricity system and provides sufficient
energy to power 250,000 homes.

The government may attract international loans to ease the burden of
tariff increases on consumers. -0–

SWEEPING CONCERNS: STREET CLEANERS UNHAPPY WITH NEW COMPANY’S OFFERS

SOCIETY | 14.01.15 | 15:41

Photo:

By SARA KHOJOYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

RELATED NEWS

Capital Clean-Up: Foreign garbage-removal operator starts work
in Yerevan

The new year started with protests for the employees of Kentron
Cleaning, which is in the process of liquidation. Employees of the
company are demanding their unpaid salaries and new jobs.

On January 5 dozens of employees gathered in front of the Presidential
Residence in Yerevan and were promised that within one week their
problem would be solved. No solution was found, however, and this
week has seen daily protests.

At issue in the matter is replacement of Kentron Cleaning as the
city’s main contractor for public cleaning. Many of its staff were
elderly women who could be seen in the capital streets before dawn
with brooms and pans. Workers were paid according to the number of
square meters assigned to their territory.

Yerevan City Hall said that the protesters were striking during
the holidays, thus the center of Yerevan was left without cleaning,
and the company of Sanitek had to employ more staff for that task.

The Lebanese-based company won a 2012 tender to take over the capital
cleaning job. When it began the contract in December a company
representative said Sanitek had invested about $12.5 million in the
work in Yerevan. It said it started with about 150 employees but
expected that number to eventually double and that jobs would be
offered at $500 a month.

The problem arose after employees of Kentron Cleaning did not receive
their final salaries. Then the media said that more than 100 people
are left unemployed, and a number of them met Sanitek and Yerevan
City Hall representatives on Tuesday.

According to the chief of Sanitek, Madlen el Bolboli, the protesters
have refused jobs that would add responsibilities to their previous
duties (at higher pay), and do not agree to being relocated to streets
other than the ones they previously cleaned.

“We constantly make new suggestions to the employees and give them
opportunities, but they organize protests instead of working,” el
Bolboli told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun).

Among Kentron Cleaning employees only 20 work with the new operator
now; others have decided to fight for their wages in court.

Sanitek employed new staff during the holidays and currently it has 30
vacancies, offering yard-cleaning for a salary of about $170 per month.

“[Yerevan mayor[ Taron Margaryan came and made a speech in the square,
saying, ‘people, everything will be all right, we need this many
employees, we have a mechanism, with a monthly salary of $500’. And in
the end they brought us to a dead-end, fired and threw us aside. Don’t
they have pity? 150 people are jobless. One is homeless, another one
is paying loans,” Kentron Cleaning former employee Ofelya Chobanyan
told Azatutyun.