Author: Kajoyan Gevork

ARMENIA’S BIG BUSINESS BREAKS LAW WHEN IMPORTING EGGS FROM UKRAINE – NGO

February 12, 2014 | 13:55

YEREVAN. – It is not clear who is responsible for the expired eggs
that are imported to Armenia from Ukraine, since there was no violation
of the law.

Babken Pipoyan, Chairman of “Informed and Protected Consumer” NGO,
told the above-said at a press conference on Wednesday.

He commented on the media information that expired eggs were imported
to Armenia from Ukraine.

“Our regulation specifies table eggs and dietary eggs, and the storage
period is 25 days, whereas Ukraine allows these eggs to be stored
for up to 60 days.

“This is a wrong product labeling for us. There was a precondition
upon entry to Armenia that there be a second label on the date of
expiry. But Sovrano [i.e., the company that imports eggs from Ukraine
to Armenia] violates the terms and introduces [the eggs] to the sales
network without a second label.

“And the small business, which has acquired these eggs, suffers here.

It turns out that the big [business] breaks the law yet the small
business suffers,” Pipoyan stated, in particular.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

CUSTOMS UNION DOOMED TO FAILURE – ARMENIAN MP

21:35 * 12.02.14

MP Alexander Arzumanyan, Board member of the Armenian National Movement
(ANM) party, has commented on the “European package” discussed in
Brussels.

According to him, nothing can be said now as neither Armenia nor the
European Union has a clear idea. Arzumanyan points out the need for
a new format of Armenia-EU relations. The Customs Union is a dream,
which has no future.

Mr Arzumanyan, NGOs have no idea of the European package, which
was discussed in Brussels and outlines the prospects for the Eastern
Partnership (EaP) member-states -Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,
Moldova, and Ukraine. Are you generally informed of the package?

Nothing is clear yet, the process is not transparent. The sides are
obviously seeking to continue the process, and the lack of transparency
gives rise to doubts. And, as you have mentioned, a number of the
Forum of Civil Society Organizations are outside of the process.

And what about the package being intended for 13 states? Does it mean
the cooperation is not going to be at the expected level? That is,
a ‘collective’ document for all the member-states. Or a new document
may be needed to replace the Armenia-EU document signed back in 1999.

It is obviously an out-of-date document. Something new is needed,
and this new thing is Europe or the idea of the European Union, an
Association Agreement and a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area
Agreement. This process has failed, as we have to find a new format
of relations. But nothing can yet be said now as neither Armenia
nor the European Union has a clear idea. No one has any idea of what
course we are going to take. All that you have mentioned is nothing
but declarations, wishes. However, a parallel process involving the
Customs Union is ongoing, with hundreds of documents being prepared.

Time will show the fate of the documents and the possibility of their
being in conflict with our commitments to the European Union.

Have you scrutinized the roadmap for Armenia’s accession to the
Customs Union? And what you have mentioned at from the roadmap – losing
sovereignty, possible transition to the Russian currency and so on –
in the context of your previous statements. When may it happen if it
does at all?

Our international partners are now raising the problems we may face.

Specifically, in our relations with the World Trade Organization
(WTO) because, after intense negotiations, we proved to be among
the first former Soviet states to join the WTO, whereas Russia had
been seeking WTO membership for years. And now we are going to yield
this all to a superstate, with Kazakh and Belarusian officials to
negotiate on behalf of Armenia. It is unacceptable and in conflict
with Armenia’s Constitution, to say nothing of other agreements
under which we are to lose many of our sovereign powers. Economists
can make a clear assessment. As to the talks about the ruble zone,
they are one more piece of evidence of the threats that existed even
during the negotiations. Even discussions of Armenia’s joining the
ruble zone are unacceptable.

The roadmap envisages hundreds of amendments to laws and so on. Do
you think Armenia’s laws, which are considered progressive, will
experience regress?

The laws will be submitted to the parliament and we will discuss them.

But there are conflicts. Our trade regime is much more liberal and
needs to be conformed to Russia’s trade regime. If we do not act with
reason, it may have serious political consequences.

The world is dynamically changing, and the Customs Union is doomed
to failure. It is more important for us to build up a normal state in
Armenia, a strong and democratic state, which would be able to decide
in favor or against ceding part of its sovereignty, cooperating with
some nations or others. The Customs Union is an illusion produced by
a great empire’s ambitions. It will never become a reality.

Armenian News – Tert.am

ANALYST: SHOULD ISRAEL DEMAND ANKARA TO RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE?

February 12, 2014 – 18:06 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Israeli-Turkish ties became practically frozen after
the 2010 incident with Mavi Marmara, aboard which Israel’s raid on
a Gaza-bound flotilla resulted in the deaths of 9 Turkish activists
and injuries of Israeli soldiers.

As Israeli political analyst Alexander Tsinker toldPanARMENIAN.Net
immediately after the incident, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan demanded for apologies and compensation from Jerusalem.

Despite the international investigation committee’s announcing Israeli
actions to have been legally acceptable, the country’s Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu offered official apologies, accepted by Erdogan.

“Though the issue of compensations hasn’t been quite finalized,
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a local television
station that Israel and Turkey are closer than ever to normalizing
relations. He noted that there has recently been momentum and a new
approach in compensation talks and that most of the differences have
been recently removed in these discussions,” the analyst said.

“It would only be logical to infer that a rapprochement is in progress;
yet, several days ago, Erdogan demanded a “written protocol” from
Israel pledging it will lift the siege over the Gaza Strip as a
condition for signing a reconciliation agreement and normalizing
relations between the two countries.

The question here is why Turkey would meddle with the internal
Palestinian-Israeli problems. According to the Turkish principle
for settlement of bilateral ties, Israel should demand the Erdogan
government for an agreement to form an independent Kurdish republic
in the eastern Turkey, and, above all, written recognition of the
1915 Armenian Genocide,” the analyst stressed.

CHYPRE : NEGOCIATIONS SUR LA REUNIFICATION

Publie le : 12-02-2014

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
invite a lire cette information publiee sur le site de l’ONU le 11
fevrier 2014.

Legende photo : Des Casques bleus de l’UNFICYP patrouillent dans le
secteur 1 a Chypre. Photo: UNFICYP

ONU

Ban salue la reprise des negociations sur la reunification de Chypre

11 fevrier 2014 – Le Secretaire general des Nations Unies, Ban Ki-moon
s’est felicite mardi de la publication d’un communique conjoint du
dirigeant chypriote grec, Nicos Anastasiades et de son homologue
chypriote turc Dervis Eroglu annoncant la reprise de negociations
formelles sur la reunification de l’île de Chypre avec pour objectif
de conclure un accord sur une solution definitive a cette question.

>,
a affirme M. Ban.

>, a-t-il ajoute.

Le Secretaire general a souligne que l’ONU continuerait de soutenir
les Chypriotes turcs et grecs dans leurs efforts pour reunifier l’île
et pour mettre fin au chapitre de plusieurs decennies de separation.

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : ONU

TURQUIE : LES CODES RACIAUX TOUJOURS UTILISES A L’ECOLE

Publie le : 12-02-2014

Info Collectif VAN – : rapport

Le ministère turc de l’Education a refuse a deux etudiants etrangers
le droit de s’inscrire dans une ecole grecque (Rum) a Istanbul, car ils
n’avaient pas la bonne origine ethnique, a rapporte le journal Taraf.

Une ecole grecque d’Istanbul, qui n’a pas ete nommee dans le rapport,
a accepte un etudiant roumain et un etudiant bulgare l’an dernier,
mais le ministère de l’Education a dit qu’ils n’appartenaient pas au
bon groupe des minorites ethniques et ne pouvaient donc pas etudier la.

Un document officiel redige par la Direction regionale de
l’Education d’Istanbul, decouvert l’an dernier, a revele que le
système d’administration de la population en Turquie enregistrait
les citoyens qui avaient une origine armenienne, juive ou grecque
anatolienne avec un >.

Les citoyens d’origine grecque auraient le code >, mais les
deux etudiants a qui l’on a refuse de s’inscrire dans l’ecole grecque
tombaient dans la categorie > correspondant a >, selon Taraf.

Le rapport suggerait qu’en depit des critiques exprimees suite a la
revelation l’an dernier de l’existence du document de la Direction
de l’Education, l’Etat turc continue de classifier les minorites avec
des codes raciaux.

L’ecole a demande au ministère de trouver une solution afin de ne
pas interrompre le cursus des deux etudiants et il lui aurait ete
conseille de mettre en place un programme de e-learning pour eux.

29 janvier 2014

(c)Traduction de l’anglais C.Gardon pour le Collectif VAN – 11 fevrier
2014 –

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Hurriyet Daily News

L’ARMENIE ALLOUE UN ESPACE SUPPLEMENTAIRE POUR L’ESCADRON AERIENNE RUSSE A L’AERODROME EREBUNI A EREVAN

ARMENIE

Un porte-parole du ministère de la defense d’Armenie a confirme que
l’Armenie va allouer un l’espace supplementaire a un escadron aerien
russe deployee a l’aerodrome d’Erebuni a Erevan. Le porte-parole,
Artsrun Hovhanesyan a dit que l’escadron russe a besoin d’espace
supplementaire pour ameliorer son installation.

Il a ajoute que le nouvel espace sera utilise par l’escadron comme
heliport et pour un depôt de carburant et de lubrifiants. Il a
declare que le gouvernement armenien a approuve un accord relatif
avec la Russie.

Artsrun Hovhanesyan a dit que dans l’accord la piste de l’aerodrome
Erebuni sera utilise a la fois par les parties armenienne et russe.

mercredi 12 fevrier 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

L’OPPOSITION VEUT DES REPONSES SUR LA DETTE GAZIERE

ARMENIE

Le “mysterieux” accord sur le gaz continue d’etre le principal
sujet de discussions pendant la legislature de quatre jours lancee
cette semaine. La hausse des prix du gaz naturel ont rendu presque
impossible pour les habitants d’Armenie de payer leurs factures suite
au rigoureux hiver de cette annee.

Les quatre factions du parlement dans l’opposition Armenie prospère
(PAP), Heritage, le Congrès National Armenien (ANC), et la Federation
revolutionnaire armenienne (FRA) ont propose a la majorite qu’une
commission temporaire soit formee pour etudier le terrain et obtenir
des reponses , mais aujourd’hui 58 legislateurs ont vote contre l’idee
par rapport aux 44 voix qui la soutiennent.

La question principale est de la dette de l’Etat de 300 millions de $
accumulee depuis 2001pour la fourniture de gaz russe qui a pousse
le gouvernement armenien a remettre les 20 pour cent restants des
actions d’Armrusgazprom a la partie russe. Pourquoi le carburant
bleu, coûtant 159$ a la frontière, est-il vendu a la population 380$
? Et enfin, pourquoi le gouvernement a garantit les droits exclusifs
d’acheter du gaz a Gazprom pendant 30 ans, jusqu’en 2044 ?

Le Chef de la faction de la FRA Armen Rustamyan a dit que les
motifs sont purement politiques : le pays etait sur le seuil de
deux evenements politiques importants – les elections legislatives
et presidentielles.

> a dit Rustamyan.

Le chef de la faction Heritage Ruben Hakobyan partage l’avis de sa
faction qu’il est impossible d’avoir une dette de 300 millions de $
sans une reflexion sur le budget de l’Etat.

MEDIA CENTER
30 Saryan str., Yerevan
Tel: +37460 505 898
+37499 755 898
Email: [email protected]
Web:

On February 12 at 12:00, the Media Center will host a discussion
entitled `Reforms to the Conscription Law: Restriction of Deferment or
Educational Right?’

The discussion is initiated by Institute for War and Peace Reporting
(IWPR).

The guest speakers are:

Tigran Sahakyan, head of Department of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora at
Ministry of Education and Science,

Ashot Bleyan, director of Mkhitar Sebastatsi Educational Complex,

Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, doctor of Historical Sciences.

On January 23, the Armenian government approved the draft law on the
amendments to the Conscription law proposed by the Ministry of
Education and Science.

The law will require the PhD and Master’s degree students who travel
abroad to study on state order, interstate and interdepartmental
agreements to pay 8.5 million drams (20,000 US dollars) as security
that they will return.

HALLELUJAH! ABE FOXMAN FINALLY ‘RETIRES’ FROM THE ADL

Pamela Geller.com
Feb 11 2014

JEWISH LAY LEADERSHIP: NEO KAPOS

Oh, happy day. Abe Foxman is resigning after more than 50 years at
the increasingly damaging ADL. I thought that Foxman was going to go
out feet first. And in a way, he is. Lord knows the man is brain dead.

He took a once-vital organization and turned it hard left, going
relentlessly after fierce proud Jews like me. And more than any other,
Jew-haters loved to flaunt the ADL’s condemnation of my work. Foxman’s
ADL freely criticized Israel. He attacked my lawyer, David Yerushalmi,
an orthodox Jew. Foxman even went after Joan Rivers ( I kid you not).

But he walked on eggshells with anti-semitic Muslim groups.

Of course, his successor could be worse, but let’s not think about
that now. Foxman is gone; perhaps the ADL will finally recognize the
Armenian Genocide.

One Jewicidal leader down, legions to go. I nominate Charles Jacobs
to replace Foxman.

“Abraham Foxman retiring from ADL,” JTA, February 10, 2014

NEW YORK (JTA) — Abraham Foxman, the national director of
the Anti-Defamation League, and one of the longest-serving and
highest-profile American Jewish organizational leaders, is retiring
from his post.

Foxman will step down on July 20, 2015, according to an announcement
Monday by the ADL.

“For almost five decades, ADL offered me the perfect vehicle to live
a life of purpose both in standing up on behalf of the Jewish people
to ensure that what happened during World War II would never happen
again and in fighting bigotry and all forms of oppression,” Foxman,
73, said in an ADL news release. “My years at ADL, particularly the
27 spent as National Director, could not have been more rewarding.”

Foxman announced his retirement at the ADL’s annual National Executive
Committee meeting in Palm Beach, Fla. The organization said its search
for Foxman’s successor will be conducted by the executive search firm
BoardWalk Consulting and will be guided by ADL leadership.

A lawyer by training, Foxman, a child survivor of the Holocaust,
started at the ADL in 1965 and became its national director in 1987.

Under his leadership, ADL has expanded to 30 regional offices across
the United States and an office in Israel.

In 2011, the last year for which data is available, the ADL reported
nearly $54 million in revenue. The organization monitors anti-Semitic
activity, offers discrimination-sensitivity training and runs
anti-bigotry programs.

But it is Foxman’s personage for which the ADL may best be known. Seen
as a spokesman for the Jewish people, Foxman has used his position
as a bully pulpit to advocate for Israel, warn against discrimination
and, perhaps most often, issue declamations of what does or does not
constitute anti-Semitism.

Whether they be condemnations of foreign leaders or pardons of
celebrities who have made ill-considered utterances, Foxman’s has
been the authoritative voice on what is or is not acceptable to Jews.

After he steps down, Foxman will serve as a part-time consultant to
ADL and sit on the organization’s national commission and national
executive committee, the organization said.

ARMENIA-BASED RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE LAUNCHES TACTICAL MANEUVERS

February 11, 2014 | 13:32

YEREVAN. – Russian military unit of the Southern Military District has
launched tactical maneuvers at Kamhud and Alagyaz training complexes
in Armenia.

Over 600 troops and around 200 pieces of equipment participate in
the exercise. The main objective is to teach servicemen to fulfill
their task effectively in any weather conditions, improve skills of
modern weapons and equipment.

During winter time Russian troops plan to hold more than 20 tactical
maneuvers, including those held at nighttime.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am