Author: Kajoyan Gevork

YEREVAN TBILISI TRAIN TO OPERATE IN WINTER ACCORDING TO SCHEDULE

YEREVAN, December 22. / ARKA /. Viktor Rebets, the chief executive
officer of the South Caucasus Railway (SCR), a Russian company
operating Armenia’s railroads, said today the train traveling between
Armenian capital Yerevan and Tbilisi, the capital of neighboring
Georgia, will be operating in accordance with its schedule throughout
winter months.

Speaking at a news conference he said the last train this year to
Georgia will depart from Yerevan on December 30 and will head back
home on December 31.

In winter months the Yerevan-Tbilisi train runs every other day. Many
Armenian tourists prefer to spend not only their summer vacations in
Georgia but also their New Year holidays.

Viktor Rebets said also that preliminary work for the construction
of a railway from Armenia’s third largest town Vanadzor to Fioletovo
village in Lori province had already been finished, but he added that
this project is matter of future decisions and no final decision has
been made yet.

According to SCR estimates, this project may cost from $220 million
to $500 million, depending on the stretch’s length and the route. The
Russian company has already spent 8 million rubles on a feasibility
study of the project.

In April 2011, then Armenian minister of transport and communication
Manuk Vardanyan said that the construction of the railway stretch
would begin in 2012. It was also said that the Anti Crisis Fund of
the Eurasian Economic Community pledged to allocate $49.9 million
for this project.

The South Caucasus Railways is run by Russian Railways. The
concessional agreement was concluded in 2008 for 30 years, with a
right of extension for another 20 years after the first 20 years of
operation. -0-

STUDY CLAIMS 20% DROP IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS IN ARMENIA

10:53, December 22, 2014

The number of women in Armenia diagnosed with breast cancer has
decreased by 20% according to data processed by the Armenia-American
Wellness Center.

In 2014, one out of every sixteen women in Armenia suffered from
some type of breast cancer according to Hranoush Hakobyan, managing
director of the center.

“This year, that number is one out of every twenty women,” Hakobyan
said, noting that this shows that Armenian women are paying more
attention to their health.

The study involved the results of 40,000 women who visited the center
in Yerevan.

ARMENIAN CHAMBER MUSIC PERFORMED IN NEW YORK

11:16 22/12/2014 >> CULTURE

A concert featuring works by contemporary Armenian composers took
place in New York City on Sunday, the official website of the Union
of Composers and Musicologists of Armenia reported.

Earlier this year, the Union of Composers organized two concerts
in the United States – in Boston and Providence. The concerts were
coordinated by composer Konstantin Petrossian.

The third concert was held at the Armenian Center in New York City.

The event, entitled Armenian Chamber Music, featured pieces by
Alexanyan, Babayan, Garsoyan, Ghazaryan, Kostanyan, Makaryan,
Mavisakalyan, Mikayelyan, Petrossian, Sadoyan, Satian, Sukiasyan,
and Zarifyan.

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL TO BE COMMEMORATED IN DIYARBAKIR

13:42, 22 Dec 2014

The Gomidas Institute, with the support of the Turkish Human Rights
Association, is organizing a series of commemorative events in
Diyarbakir between April 22 and 24, 2015 to mark the centennial of
the Armenian Genocide. The focus on Diyarbakir is for good historical
and political reasons.

The Ottoman province of Diyarbakir was a key theatre of the Armenian
Genocide. Its governor Reshid Bey in 1915 played a prominent role in
the mass murder of Armenians. Some of the victims – such as the local
prelate Mgrdich Chlghadian – were killed in the city, thousands more
were killed outside, and even more further afield.

Today, the people living in Diyarbakir recognize the Armenian
Genocide and wish to make amends. The city’s co-mayors and regional
representative’s at the Turkish Parliament speak out on the Armenian
issue with a clear voice. Diyarbakir city has already supported the
reconstruction of Sourp Giragos church, one of the largest Armenian
churches in the world. Armenians can live freely in this city. At last
year’s commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, the men and women who
stood up for Armenians represented millions of people. They included
prominent politicians, lawyers, human rights activists, and others.

The Gomidas Institute has been active in Turkey since the 1990s. While
opposing the official denials of Turkish state intellectuals, the
Institute has also built bridges with Turkish civil society and sought
just resolution of outstanding issues. The Institute has organized
successful projects in Diyarbakir before, including the commemoration
of the Armenian Genocide – and this coming year’s commemoration builds
on earlier successes.

OVERCROWDING REMAINS PROBLEM IN ARMENIA’S PRISONS

13:43 * 22.12.14

Overcrowding continues to remain a major problem in Armenia’s
penitentiary institutions, an oversight group has revealed.

A public initiative conducting monitoring of correctional facilities
has found that inmates are often subjected to physical violence
in prisons.

In a report, it says that the overcrowding problem has been mitigated
to an extent but not yet been completely overcome.

At a news conference on Monday, Larisa Minasyan, Executive Director of
Open Society Institute-Armenia, stressed the importance of transparency
and awareness as the first step toward reaching a solution to the
existing problems.

An expert of the group, Robert Revazyan, said the available information
reveals that hierarchic relations dominate penitentiaries, with
convicts often remaining silent on the situation.

“Homosexuals, who remain on the lowest level of the hierarchy, can
be considered the most vulnerable group in penitentiary institutions.

They inhabit in isolation from other convicts, having their dish,
belongings and other things held in separation. Nobody communicates
with them. But kingpins’ cells, unlike them, differ with their
conditions,” the expert said, expressing concerns also of the gambling
games which he said are very widespread in prisons.

>.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 15 decembre 2014

lundi 22 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

CNN PARLE DE L’ARMENIE DANS UN DOCUMENTAIRE

ARMENIE

CNN a presente l’Armenie dans le cadre de sa dernière serie intitulee
“sur la route” diffusee le week-end.

Un documentaire presente sur CNN International a tente d’explorer
l’Armenie a partir de differents aspects, y compris les cerveaux
innovant de ses jeunes, l’amour des echecs de la nation, l’histoire
difficile des Armeniens et de leurs traditions.

Les auteurs du documentaire ont fait des voyages vers le monastère
de Gherart et le seul temple païen du pays a Garni dans le cadre de
leur quete de l’esprit de l’Armenie, soulignant que l’Armenie a ete
le premier pays a adopter le christianisme comme religion officielle
en 301.

Soulignant le fait que l’Armenie est le foyer de seulement 3 des
quelques 10 millions d’Armeniens qui vivent aujourd’hui dans le
monde, le documentaire met en valeur l’experience Birthright Armenia
de plusieurs jeunes Armeniens de la diaspora visitant leur patrie
historique dans le cadre du programme.

A la presentation de Tsitsernakaberd a Erevan les auteurs du
documentaire soulignent que c’est un memorial dedie au genocide
armenien dans lequel 1,5 million d’Armeniens chretiens ont ete
massacres en Turquie ottomane.

lundi 22 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

LE DIRECTEUR EXECUTIF DE LA CENTRALE NUCLEAIRE ARMENIENNE DEMIS DE SES FONCTIONS

ARMENIE

Gagik Markosyan, le directeur executif de la centrale nucleaire
armenienne (NPP) de Metsamor, a ete releve de ses fonctions et un
ancien directeur commercial arrete ont rapporte plusieurs medias ce
week-end, citant leurs propres sources.

Le Service armenien de RFE / RL a cite le porte-parole du ministère de
l’energie et des Ressources naturelles Lusine Harutyunyan confirmant
les informations sur la demission de l’administrateur de la centrale.

Elle a dit que Markosyan a ete releve de ses fonctions a sa propre
demande, tandis que Movses Vardanyan a l’heure actuelle agit comme
directeur de l’etablissement.

Selon le service de presse du Service national de securite l’ancien
directeur commercial de la centrale nucleaire de Metsamor Rubik
Movsisyan a ete recemment arretes dans le cadre d’une affaire penale
faisant l’objet d’une enquete su SNS.

Aucun detail de l’affaire n’a ete divulgue.

lundi 22 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

KOMITAS CHOIR PERFORMS FOR BARONESS COX’S HART CONCERT

11:40, 22 Dec 2014

A Christmas Carol Concert was organized by the Humanitarian Aid Relief
Trust (HART) in St. Cyprian’s Church in London on December 4. Every
year Baroness Caroline Cox, founder of HART, initiates such concerts
for the representatives of ethnic minorities of countries that receive
humanitarian aid from the trust, the Armenian Weekly reports.

This year the Christmas concert featured four choirs, the Armenian
Komitas Choir of the Tekeyan Trust London, the Ugandan Acholi London
Choir, the St. Martin Singers and the University of London Chamber
Choir.

At the concert the choral art, music and languages of different
nationalities were introduced to the British audience.

While inviting the Komitas Choir to perform, Father David of St.

Cyprian’s Church recalled vividly the choir’s perfect performance
dedicated to the 145th birth anniversary of Komitas (the concert was
held in St. Yeghishe Church, London, on October 18). The priest also
introduced the life and activity of the great Armenian composer and
the founder of Armenian classical music. He particularly mentioned
the horrifying scenes of the 1915 Armenian Genocide because of
which Komitas experienced a nightmare and witnessed the brutal
extermination of the nation’s bright minds. Unfortunately, it left
a deep ineradicable impression on his soul and after 20 years of
sufferings his life came to an end in psychiatric hospital in Paris.

At the concert, the Komitas Choir performed songs by Komitas (Today
Is Christmas), Marty Nystrom (As the Deer Pants for Water) and Stepan
Lusikyan (New Armenia). The latter was interpreted and presented to
the audience by Sipan Hakobyan, artistic director and conductor of
the choir.

The Komitas Choir performance was followed by honourable Baroness
Caroline Cox’s welcoming speech. Once again she praised the choir,
Conductor Sipan Hakobyan and Chairman Vartan Ouzounian who initiated
such an important project and on the threshold of the Centennial of the
Armenian Genocide founded a longed-for choir, the first Armenian one
in the UK. Baroness Cox also spoke about the Genocide denial policy
of the Turkish government and condemned it. She presented the past
and present situations of Karabagh and mentioned historical injustice
and deprivations of the Armenian nation. Baroness touched upon current
challenges to Armenians, such as atrocities and ceasefire violations
by Azerbaijan, as well as the future of Karabagh and the achievements
of Armenians. Caroline Cox’s long speech was a good opportunity to
raise the awareness of the British audience.

At the concert among the audience present were representatives of
a number of British-Armenian organizations, and there was a guest
from Karabagh Vardan Tadevosyan who presented his plan to build a
new hospital in Karabagh.

Armenia’s accession to EEU to increase fish demand – Bardukh Gabrielyan

14:02 * 21.12.14

Bardukh Gabrielyan of the Scientific Center of Zoology and
Hydroecology, Academy of Sciences of Armenia, believes that Armenia’s
accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) will increase demand
for fish.

“But I hope it will not be at the expense of protected fish in Lake
Sevan. European countries have reduced fish exports to Russia, and the
amount needs to be compensated due to other partners,” he told
Tert.am.