Author: Kajoyan Gevork

AZERBAIJANI NEW DM WANTS TO SHOW HIS WORK TO ALIEV -EXPERT

12:40 / 23.01.2014

The situation on the border and not only in Karabakh but Armenia as
well has become tensed, political analyst Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan
told the reporters on Thursday, adding that the Azerbaijanis become
more aggressive in January as they consider that the soviet army
should have allowed to massacre the last Armenian.

The political analyst said that there are days in the year on which
Armenians must be more careful. He said that February 26, May 9,
September 21 are the days of their hysteria.

“Besides we must know that Azerbaijan’s defense minister has been
replaced and the current one is a policeman giving police-style
instructions. This time the attack was more extensive. Probably the
new minister wants to show his job to Aliyev. But they do not have
chances and in case of response they surrender,” he said.

The expert said that according to the information of their company
though Azerbaijan has not recognized any victim, but four soldiers
were killed in Martakert direction and three in Hadrut. He said that
the number of wounded is 20-30.

“Unfortunately we have lost Armen Hovhannisian. There are no other
victims. Ours were soldiers from 18-20 and what happened showed the
degree of their preparedness,” he said.

As to the response of the OSCE Minsk group, Melik-Shahnazaryan said
that they told blood should not be shed. “These are not words directed
toward the settlement of the issue, but for not resuming war. They do
not care whether one or seven soldiers will die, they do not want war
resume in the region and oil and gas pipes not be damaged,” he said.

Nyut.am

BEAR CUB SAVED BY WWF-ARMENIA SETTLES IN SHIKAHOGH RESERVE

by Karina Manukyan

Wednesday, January 22, 09:17

The bear cub saved by WWF – Armenia settles in the Shikahogh reserve.

The bear cub was found in 2012. The WWF Armenian Office with the
support of its German colleagues built a temporary shelter for
the animal and hired a vet. Nursing the bear cub for 8 months, the
specialists let it free in July 2013 attaching a radio neck collar
to its neck.

Talking to ArmInfo, Head of WWF- Armenia Karen Manvelyan said the
bear cub called Masha spent the autumn in the Shikahogh reserve and
hibernated in December. In March-April, environmentalists will be
tracking the bear throughout the reserve.

Earlier Manvelyan said that the data received from the radio neck
collar could be used in a research.

IN 2013 ARMENIA SELECTED AS FOCUS STATE FOR USAID SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION AND PARTNERSHIP

January 22, 2014 | 16:32

YEREVAN. – Armenia was selected as one of 20 focus countries for
the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Science,
Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, says the report issued by
Armenian Foreign Ministry as a result of 2013.

The report inidcated deepening of Armenia-US partnership in 2013. In
particular, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian paid a visit
to Washington during which he met with Secretary of State John Kerry.

During the meeting, the sides reached agreement to deepen bilateral
cooperation and to launch a visa liberalization process.

U.S.- Armenia joint economic task force met in Washington and welcomed
the new $180 million investment in Armenia’s hydropower sector by
the U.S. company Contour Global.

On September 18 a delegation of California Assembly visited Armenia
and Nagorno-Karabakh.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

HAYK GEVORGYAN. “ARMEN MOVSISYAN LOOKS LIKE A “GAZPROM” REPRESENTATIVE IN ARMENIA”

January 21 2014

“Armen Movsisyan looks like a “Gazprom” representative in Armenia, the
employee”, such opinion was expressed by Hayk Gevorgyan, commentator
on economic issues of “Haykakan Zhamanak” (The Armenian Times)
daily, in conversation with Aravot.am, referring to the statements
on gas agreement made by Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan. Recall that
Armen Movsisyan, in an interview with Tert.am, made such a statement,
“As for the validity period of the agreement until the year 2043, it
corresponds to the length of time during which the “Gazprom” must be
able to bring its investments back, which are related to acquisition
and rehabilitation of the 5th power unit, pipeline construction,
expansion of gas distribution internal network. At the same time,
it should be noted that “Gazprom” is now using such an approach
in negotiations with all partners, which is due to the changes of
international energy market, and Russia’s gas supply conditions. The
policy and times change must also be taken into account in this
sector.” Hayk Gevorgyan thinks it’s a classic that if you are doing
investments in somewhere, you make preliminary estimations on how
many years later you will get the money back. But at the same time,
he stresses, “Gazprom” is a dark structure. It is impossible to
precisely calculate its numbers, costs, and revenues regarding the
investments to bring it back in 2043. “Armrusgasprom” is “Gazprom’s”
subsidiary company in Armenia, which is a terribly inefficient
structure, as it buys gas for $ 189 and sells by 380, and even under
these terms, it works with a loss. And the citizens of Armenia pay
for this inefficiency. It’s an absurd.” Hayk Gevorgyan notes that
even anecdotes are born regarding unproductive work of “Gazprom”.

Nevertheless, economic commentator concluded, “To think that it
will make so much investment until 2043 to bring these costs back,
is absurd.” Ara Martirosyan, economic commentator of “AZG” daily
newspaper, does not agree with this opinion. He notes, “ArmRusGasprom”
is not a structure working ineffectively. It made investments, and now
Armenia has 97 percent of gasification. So, even if it loses, we win,
we receive a country with gasification and investments. I do not think
that “Gazprom” management is inefficient; it is nonsense. “Gazprom” is
a whole state in Russia. As for the investments, any businessman that
is making contribution, the consumers should pay for its product to
bring investments back and the organization will receive revenues. It
looks like a planned economy; it is different in the market economy.”

Tatev Harutyunyan

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A HELICOPTER SQUADRON WAS FORMED AT THE RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE IN ARMENIA

DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
January 20, 2014 Monday

A squadron of army aviation that included helicopters Mi-24P,
Mi-8MT and Mi-8SMV was formed in the Southern Military District for
fulfillment of tasks in Armenia. A squadron of army aviation of the
command of Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the Southern Military
District was formed at the Russian aviation base located at military
airfield Erebuni in Armenia. Previously, the aviation group of the
Southern Military District in Armenia was armed with a squadron of
MiG-29 fighters that fulfilled air defense tasks in the interests of
the united air defense system of the CIS. At present, pilots fulfill
tasks of coordination of the crews and perform flights at the base
of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces Command in Rostov-on-Don. It
is planned to supply helicopters of Erebuni airfield in 2014.

Source: Oruzhie Rossii (in Russian), January 17, 2014

CANDLELIGHT VIGIL TO HONOR KILLED SOLIDER ARMEN HOVHANNISYAN

January 21, 2014 | 19:55

YEREVAN. – A candlelight vigil was organized to honor the memory
of Junior Sergeant Armen Hovhannisyan who was killed at the line of
contact. The candles were lit outside Armen’s house in Yerevan.

The candlelight vigil was organized by Facebook initiative to honor
the hero.

On the night of January 20 the diversionary teams of Azerbaijan had
attempted to carry out a simultaneousacts of sabotage at the line of
contact between the Karabakh-Azerbaijani opposing forces.

As a result of the ensuing skirmish, Junior Sergeant Armen Hovhannisyan
was killed at the military position located in the northeastern
direction, and from the gunshot wound he sustained from the adversary.

Amen Hovhannisyan was awarded posthumously.

SERGEI LAVROV: “WE CAN NOT DO WORK FOR AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA”

APA, Azerbaijan
Jan 21 2014

[ 21 January 2014 13:09 ]

“Everything depends on the conflicting parties”

Moscow. Farid Akberov – APA. “The meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents in Vienna is encouraging, but everything depends on the
conflicting parties,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
at the press conference in Moscow, APA reports. He said that like
other mediators Russia is trying to assist in the dialogue on
the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict: “The co-chairs
have certain preparations, the parties don’t reject it, but demand
additional efforts in order to come to an agreement. We are ready to
assist, but we can not do this work for them. ”

The minister noted that first of all, progress in the negotiations
depends on the parties.

HEAD OF EU COUNCIL: NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SHOULD BE RESOLVED WITHIN INTERNATIONAL LAW

Trend, Azerbaijan
Jan 21 2014

Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.21
By Sabina Ahmedova – Trend:

As an OSCE participating state and as the country currently holding
the EU Presidency, Greece fully supports the Minsk Group’s efforts
to mediate the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute
through a solution that is acceptable to both of the parties concerned
in the dispute, Evangelos Venizelos, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister of Greece, which presides over the EU Council in the first
half of this year, said in an interview with Trend on Jan.21.

The peaceful resolution of disputes is a fundamental principle of
Greek foreign policy, and it is also a European principle, Evangelos
Venizelos said, adding that this means resolutions that respect
international law and national sovereignty.

The European Union has a special interest in the resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, and this interest was reflected in the
appointment of a European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for
the Southern Caucasus, the minister said.

“In this context, the EUSR can act in a supporting and complementary
role to the OSCE Minsk Group to defuse tension and create an
environment conducive to progress towards resolution of the dispute,”
Venizelos said.

The minister went on to say that within both the OSCE and the EU,
Greece pursues its role as an honest and impartial facilitator backing
all initiatives aimed at resolution of the dispute.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since
1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding
districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the THE OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are
currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

NO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS IN ARMENIA ANYMORE

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Jan 21 2014

21 January 2014 – 11:09am

David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

>From January 1, 2014, according to the Law On Employment adopted by
the Parliament in last December, no unemployment benefits will be paid
in Armenia. Thanks to this brilliant idea, the government intended to
stimulate the country’s unemployed to work for peanuts. As a matter of
fact, the wages paid by the oligarchs from the government to service
employees were so miserable that Armenians preferred receiving a
compensation of, for instance, 25,000 drams to working 12 hours a
day 7 days a week for 50,000 drams ($110). In this case they got
deprived of the compensation and, despite the miserable wage, made
to pay taxes, pension contribution and of course, the notorious 5%
to receive pension themselves one day.

That’s why the oligarchs from the government welcomed this initiative
of the authorities. As paradoxical as it may seem, but in Armenia
there is a real deficit of workers. There are vacancies for such jobs
as workers, cashiers, sellers, waiters, security guards, maintenance
staff, drivers, public service employees etc. And the owners of
numerous banks, supermarkets and other “objects” often complained
that their possible employees are so “full of themselves” that they
don’t want to work, preferring to receive the unemployment. According
to Artem Asatryan, Minister of Labor and Social Issues, one of the
priorities for 2014 will be the introduction of a new employment model,
which will include implementation of about 10 programs. In particular,
there will be employment provision for those who are competitive on
the labor market. To put it more simple, all unemployed people, having
been deprived of the unemployment benefits, will be forced to bow down
to employers, most of whom are government officials and oligarchs, and
work for 100-150 dollars a month. Meanwhile, just the cost of gas and
electricity consumed in Yerevan in the unprecedentedly cold December,
is almost twice higher. It is quite obvious why the government never
wonders how people have to survive with such wages. The government
turned out to care only about the interests of the few people who make
millions and billions, depriving the vast majority of Armenia of crust.

Another question is where actually go the super-profits of the
oligarchs from the government. What are they used for? According
to the recently published research of Global Financial Integrity,
just over the last 6 years the outflow of capital from Armenia
reached 6.2 billion dollars. It is clear that it couldn’t have been
the employees who pumped the money abroad: they barely survive. The
billions flowed out of Armenia with a helping hand from officials on
the take and owners of oligopolies, which have been thriving to the
disadvantage of the society, thanks to the government. This makes one
wonder rightfully: what on earth are the reasons for the oligarchs
to pump the capitals overseas, if they are so at ease in Armenia? The
answer is obvious: none of the newly rich Armenian snobs doesn’t know
today what awaits them tomorrow. Won’t the power that has created
such conditions for them shift in one day?

Meanwhile, all those billions might have been invested in the
stagnating Armenian economy, in production, in the development of
small and medium enterprises. It would give a possibility to find
a decent job not only for the unemployed who have been deprived
of their miserable benefits, but also to hundreds of thousands of
Armenian citizens who are forced to search for jobs abroad. However
the authorities continue with their ostrich policy, hiding their
heads in a bush and preferring not to see the obvious things. As
a result, while Armenia has a 4-billion external debt and keeps
reaching out for new credits to postpone the default, the billions
robbed by the government oligarchs are being smuggled out of country,
and the unemployed get deprived of their miserable benefits. That’s
the paradox of the Armenian reality.

PRESS RELEASE
Haigazian University
Mira Yardemian, Public Relation Director
Kantari – Beirut
Email: [email protected]

Symposium on `Social and Economic Justice’ Organized by the Faculty of
Business Administration & Economics at Haigazian University, a half
day symposium titled `Social & Economic Justice’ took place on the
morning of January 17th, 2014.

In his welcoming address, Dean of the Faculty Business Administration
& Economics, Dr. Fadi Asrawi, introduced the topic of social and
economic justice, a topic that is more relevant today in Lebanon and
the region than any other time. Dr. Asrawi, pointed out that social
justice includes in itself economic justice. It imposes on each of us
a responsibility to work with others to plan and continually perfect
our institutions as tools for both personal and social development. He
also added, a society that seeks peace must first work for justice.

University President Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian placed particular
significance on justice being a core to life and relationships rather
than a minor or side issue. He pointed out that most of the uprisings
or wars that are taking place today in the Middle East are a result of
social and economic injustice that probably took place at some
previous time; however our generation continued this injustice in
modern ways. Dr. Haidostian also mentioned that as an educational
institution, Haigazian focuses on distributive justice; owing and
sharing with the others in a fair way, especially the weaker ones.

The representative of his Excellency the minister of Social Affairs,
Mr. Wael ABou Faour, Dr. Bashir Osmat, drew attention to topic of
social justice being of great concern to philosophers, rulers, and the
underdeveloped nations, since in the beginning of time. Social justice
is an economic matter;

he went on, with a major objective of clearing out the fundamental
inequalities that exists between different social classes. Dr. Osmat
suggested different means for the sake of achieving justice, such as,
drawing out plans for different intervals in time, with a program of
social and economic development and the cooperating between
governmental organizations, NGO’s and the private sector.

Afterwards, Dr. Jonathan Andreas, from Bluffton University, USA,
further discussed social and economic justice. He began by
spotlighting a saying by one of the major economists, Keynes, `no idea
more powerful than the idea of justice.’ He mentioned that every
textbook in Economics defies Economics as a positive science; not
ethical. In contrast, he believes that it is impossible to avoid
ethics since there is an opportunity cost to every decision made and
that’s an ethical decision. Dr. Andreas pointed out that previously
people were measured based on what they value (utilitarianism),
however now, they are being measured by the money/income they make
(mutilitarianism), and this is a form of injustice.

After a coffee break, Dr. Khattar Abi Habib from Kafalat, a capital
institution, financially controlled by the Central Bank, shed light on
the different efforts Kafalat adopts to contribute to social and
economic justice. By concentrating on short term lending to support
activities such as trade, commerce, and immediate services, they aim
to motivate small and medium enterprises to grasp the opportunity of
expanding, improving, or branching out. Also, they provide equal
opportunities to rural and underdeveloped regions as to the center of
the country for financing, favoring small economies to filter into the
middle class.

>From World Vision International, Mrs. Anita Delhaas, pointed out that
civil rights and economic justice is the basis of a just society. She
believes that it takes wisdom for people to get out of their comfort
zones to build the right relationships in order to achieve a just
society. Mrs. Delhaas highlighted that poor people are not in need of
money and charity; they are in need of justice. Based on that, World
Vision works closely with Ministries of health, education, public
affairs, religious leaders and media to increase awareness and to
achieve the wellbeing of 150 million of the world’s most vulnerable
children, by working together to empower people in their economic
life.

Followed by Mrs. Delhaas, Mr. Khalil Obeid, an acting CEO in the first
Micro Finance Institution of Syria, conferred the attempts the
institution is performing to upgrade the capacity of poor people to do
more; by offering them micro credit and a safe place to put their
savings. To contribute to a just society the Micro Finance Institution
offers loans at minimal interest rates and charges a negligible amount
to open a bank account, providing equal opportunities to poor people
to have access to accounts. In addition to that, the Institution is
offering group loans, to motivate Syrian women to act more responsible
and accountable for their own lives and children, during the current
dreadful circumstances.

The final guest speaker Mrs. Carmen Geha, from Beyond Reform and
Development, tackled the topic of social and economic development by
analyzing an alternative strategy, Social Entrepreneurship; a global
phenomenon combining business with social impact and community
development. To advance this strategy, Mrs. Geha thinks people should
first adopt the mindset. It is a movement to counter the client list
system, overcome corruption and a movement above all to free citizens
from the chains of sectarian networks. There is enough evidence this
would work Geha believes, and the rest is up to us. An interactive
session of Q&A followed every guest speaker, allowing the audience to
share their thoughts and questions regarding the topic.

The symposium then concluded with a luncheon in Conte Hall.