Author: Kajoyan Gevork

JAPANESE GOVERNMENT TO FUND RENOVATION OF ARMENIAN VILLAGE SCHOOL

October 23, 2013 | 15:56

YEREVAN. – Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS) President Mkhitar
Mnatsakanyan and Keishuke Yamagishi, First Secretary of the Embassy
of Japan in Russia, will sign an agreement on Thursday.

Pursuant to the agreement, the Japanese government will provide a
grant of $92,061 to the ARCS for the renovation of the second floor
of the school of Lusarat village in Ararat Region.

Owing to this initiative, and starting from next year, 300
schoolchildren of the border village will receive education in
renovated and modern classrooms.

To note, as a result of an earlier area study, it was found out
that the school of Lusarat village, which is primarily inhabited by
refugees, was in poor condition.

Subsequently, the ACRC had submitted to the Japanese government a
project toward renovating the first floor of the school, and this
project received a respective grant from Japan. As a result, the
school officially reopened on September 1, 2011.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIAN COPPER PROGRAMME RAISES PRODUCTION OF UNREFINED COPPER 9.9% FOR NINE MONTHS OF 2013

by Arthur Yernjakyan

ARMINFO
Tuesday, October 22, 16:07

Armenian Copper Programme (ACP) raised production of unrefined copper
9.9% for the nine months of 2013 to 8,102 tons versus 7,369 tons for
the same period of 2012, the ACP press-service told ArmInfo.

ACP processed 36,282 tons of dry metric tons of copper concentrate for
the period under review versus 33,930 tons for the nine months of 2012.

The company is supplied with concentrate from the affiliated company,
Base metals CJSC in Nagorno- Karabakh Republic and Zangezour copper and
molybdenum combine CJSC (south of Armenia). The copper content in the
latter’s concentrate is higher. The production is exported to Europe.

To recall, in 2012 ACP raised production of unrefined cooper 13.5%
to 10,075 tons versus 8,877 tons in 2011. 100% of ACP cjsc’s shares
belong to Valery Mejlumyan, a citizen of Russia.

ARMENIAN PLAYERS ASK COACH TO RECONSIDER RESIGNATION

EuroSport
Oct 22 2013

on 23/10/2013 at 00:28, updated on 23/10/2013 at 02:27 Armenia’s
national players asked coach Vardan Minasyan on Tuesday to reconsider
his decision to resign at the end of the team’s World Cup qualifying
campaign.

Last week, Armenia, who won four of their World Cup qualifiers and
managed a 2-2 draw with Italy, climbed to a best-ever 38th place in
the FIFA rankings.

“We, of course, respect Vardan Minasyan’s decision but we would like
him to reconsider it,” the players said in an open letter published
on the Armenian football federation (FFA) website.

On Monday Minasyan, 39, said he had rejected a contract extension.

“At this moment, I prefer another way to continue my career as a
coach,” he said. “I have received a number of offers, mainly from
abroad, and I plan to consider them.”

Reuters

RECORD-BREAKING JESUS STATUE BUILT IN SYRIA

The Moscow Times, RF
Oct 22 2013

22 October 2013 | Issue 5240

A bronze statue of Jesus Christ, taller than the famous Christ the
Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, has appeared in war-torn Syria. The
statue, entitled “I Have Come to Save the World” was apparently the
brainchild of Yury Gavrilov, a 49-year-old Muscovite who runs an
organization in London called the St. Paul and St. George Foundation.

The project was backed by both the Russian Orthodox Church and the
Russian government, which takes an active interest in Syria as seen
in recent events. Russia also has a navy base on Syria’s Mediterranean
sea coast.

Despite the statue’s Russian connection, it was cast in Armenia and
made by an Armenian sculptor, Artush Papoian. Syria’s ethnic Armenians
have been fleeing the country in droves since the conflict began,
to the extent that Armenia has built a new settlement called New
Aleppo to house them, the news website Eurasianet.org reported. The
settlement is named after the war-torn northern Syrian city where most
of Syria’s ethnic Armenian population live. Some 7,000 of Syria’s
ethnic Armenians are now seeking refuge in neighboring Armenia,
Armenian news agencies reported.

The Armenian statue was installed Oct. 14, which coincided with two
religious holidays – both Orthodox Christian and Muslim. Orthodox
Christians celebrate the feast day of the Protection of the Most Holy
Virgin Mary and Muslims celebrate Kurban Bayram.

Though all military activity was suspended in the region while the
statue was being installed, the project has been in the works since
2005 and is not related to the current military crisis in the country,
Komsomolskaya Pravda reported.

The statue is located on a mountaintop near the city of Saidnaya. The
statue is near the Monastery of the Cherubim, perched above the
historic pilgrimage route from Constantinople to Jerusalem and is
2,100 meters above sea level.

The statue stands at 39 meters tall together with the plinth, which
is taller than Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue, which
stands at 38 meters. The enormous statue can be seen from neighboring
countries Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Israel.

The director of Gavrilov’s St. Paul and St. George Foundation, Samir
el-Gadban, commented on the importance of the statue in the war-torn
country and expressed his hopes for the future.

“We hope that this sculptural composition brings peace and love to
the hearts of people and that our work will help restore peace and
calm in this long-suffering region,” he told Komsomolskaya Pravda.

BOLSTERING MOBILITY

WPS Agency, Russia
October 21, 2013 Monday

by Vladimir Mukhin
Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, No 227, October 21, 2013, p. 1

RUSSIA REINFORCES ITS 102ND MILITARY BASE IN ARMENIA; An update on
Russian military presence in the southern part of the Caucasus.

Russia is reinforcing the 102nd Military Base in Armenia, its bulwark
in the southern part of the Caucasus. Erebuni Air Force Base Commander
Colonel Alexander Petrov said that a MIG-29 wing and a helicopter
squadron would be formed there before very long. It will boost the
ability of the base to deal with military threats in the South Caucasus
Theater of Operations.

Availability of helicopters will make the Russian military in Armenia
more mobile, capable of deployment in the mountains… and with the
ability to airlift paratroops to targets behind enemy lines.

Neither Russia nor Armenia have ever said officially who the
enemy might be. Once in the Soviet Union, the Red Banner 127th
Motorized Infantry Division posted in Armenia (predecessor of the
Russian military base) covered the Armenian-Turkish border. It was
responsible for preventing the Turks from reaching Yerevan… The CIS
Collective Security Treaty Organization ran a military exercise of
its Fast Response Collective Forces in Armenia a year ago. Exercise
Cooperation’2012 taught the involved units the tactics of dealing
with illegal armed formations invading one of the CIS CSTO members.

Observers and experts then attributed the legend of the exercise to
the possible renewal of a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan
over Nagorno-Karabakh. The possibility of an Israeli strike at Iran
was referred to as well. It follows that the 102nd Base could do with
some additional mobility indeed.

Military expert Lieutenant General Yuri Netkachev said, “With
helicopters available, the Russian military in this part of the region
will be able to wage a campaign of defense and go offensive whenever
the opportunity presented itself and the situation warranted it.

Mobile units will certainly come in handy in the area where there
are so many mountains and where the terrain is such that it is
probably pointless to expect standard uninterrupted front lines. Also
importantly, mobile units will be able to carry out both tactical
and strategic missions.”

Netkachev reckoned that the helicopter squadron would include nine
or ten latest-version MI-8s and three to five MI-24 or MI-28 attack
helicopters. “It will enable the base command to deploy formations up
to a battalion strength at the distance of up to 500 kilometers,” said
the expert. “This tactic proved itself in Afghanistan and Chechnya.”

Airborne Troops Commander Colonel General Vladimir Shamanov said this
spring that some of his paratroops might be dispatched to Armenia but
Netkachev refused to believe that paratroops would be quartered there
on a permanent basis. “The way I see it, they will probably form
special assignment units from servicemen of the 102nd Base… and
airlift them whenever and wherever necessary. As for the Airborne
Troops and their rapid response forces, they will be sent to Armenia
only when an aggression is deemed a clear and present danger.”

The 102nd Military Base will be performing its functions in close
cooperation with fighter aviation soon. These days, eighteen Russian
MIG-29s are assigned to border protection within the framework of
the CIS United Antiaircraft Defense System. Erebuni commander said
meanwhile that the fighters would be required soon to tackle both
aerial and ground targets. “The MIG-29s stationed in Armenia are being
upgraded to the 4+ level,” said Petrov. “As for this future dealing
with ground targets, MIG-29 crews will practice it on the shooting
ranges of the Armenian regular army.”

Petrov said, “I’m fairly confident that once the Erebuni base is
reinforced, our political and military leadership will order the
delivery of helicopters to the Armenian army as well. After all, it
will be but realization of the Russian-Armenian military-technical
cooperation treaty signed in Yerevan this summer… It is common
knowledge that Russia is realizing a contract for 40 helicopters with
Azerbaijan these days. Considering the necessity to maintain military
balance in the region, I’d say that the Armenian regular army needs
helicopters too.”

***

Erebuni Air Force Base

This Air Force base was established in 1995. The 520th Air Force
Commandant’s Office became its element in November 1998. MIG-29
fighters were stationed there at the same time. In July 2001, some
elements of the Erebuni Air Force Base formed the 3642nd Air Force
Base that became a part of the 102nd Russian Military Base in the
Caucasus. Erebuni base commander gets his orders from the command of
the 4th Air Force Army of the Southern Military District.

[Translated from Russian]

TUITION FEES OF 100 MORE STUDENTS FROM ARMENIAN UNIVERSITIES COVERED BY VIVACELL-MTS

17:39 22/10/2013 ” EDUCATION

VivaCell-MTS continues the Education Fund project for the 1st and 2nd
year students who are in special needs, orphans and who live in dire
economic conditions. Since 2010, the company has been covering the
tuition fees of 200 students from the higher institutions of Yerevan
and the regions. This year VivaCell-MTS has added 100 more students,
the company’s press service reported.

This unique scholarship aims at providing these students with a
supported access to university education by covering their educational
fees during the whole period of their study. It will help boost their
educational attainment and improve their social and psychological
conditions.

“This project is being implemented as a part of our efforts to help
our country eradicate poverty by giving our upcoming generations
the opportunity to gain professional knowledge and skills. Covering
tuition fees is a culture we instill in Armenia. We are sure we will
be proud of most of these students because of their achievements,
and this is one of the most significant investments in the development
of the country,” said VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.

Source: Panorama.am

LES PROCES POUR ” TERRORISME ” EN TURQUIE

Publie le : 22-10-2013

Info Collectif VAN – Le Collectif VAN vous invite
a lire cette information publiee sur le site des Amities kurdes de
Bretagne le 21 octobre 2013.

lundi 21 octobre 2013 par Amities kurdes de Bretagne

Plusieurs procès pour delits d’opinion se deroulent en meme temps
dans differentes villes de Turquie, notamment a Istanbul, Diyarbakir,
mais aussi a Izmir, Van, Mardin, Sirnak, Batman, pour ne citer que
ces quelques tribunaux.

Ils ont tous un point commun, celui de vouloir eradiquer l’Union
des Communautes du Kurdistan (KCK), accusee de vouloir remplacer les
institutions officielles et de favoriser une insurrection. En prônant
le “confederalisme democratique” le KCK propose en quelque sorte
une demarche politique qu’on peut qualifier de revolutionnaire, car
elle s’appuie, a la base, sur des assemblees de quartier et de ville
dans les quelles se trouvent des representants de la societe civile
(militants associatifs et syndicaux, journalistes, avocats…) et des
elus politiques. Elles ont ete impulsees par le parti kurde, le DTP
(remplace a sa dissolution par le BDP) durant les municipales de 2009,
et lui ont permis de remporter une large victoire. C’est pourquoi,
au lendemain des elections, le 14 avril 2009, tous les dirigeants
des dites assemblees ont ete interpelles : ce fut la première
vague d’arrestation. Aujourd’hui, ce sont des milliers, elus et
cadres politiques, militants associatifs, avocats, journalistes,
syndicalistes, pour la plupart toujours maintenus en detention,
qui sont juges, au cours de procès interminables.

Pour autant la repression de s’arrete pas la : le Conseil d’Etat vient
de destituer de ses fonctions le maire BDP de Igdir, après qu’il ait
ete condamne dans le cadre des procès KCK. Il s’agit du 22e maire
kurde destitue depuis les elections municipales de 2009. Ils sont
17 sous les verrous. Plus de cent Kurdes ont en outre ete arretes au
cours du mois de septembre 2013.

15e Cour d’Assise d’Istanbul : procès KCK des journalistes – prochaine
audience : 28/10/2013

Ce procès ne concerne pas la totalite des journalistes et editeurs
poursuivis. Seuls 46 journalistes et editeurs sont concernes, dont 22
sont toujours en detention. Au terme de cette 6e audience qui a eu lieu
devant la 15e Cour d’Assise d’Istanbul deux journalistes seulement,
Irfan Bilgic et Fatma Kocak, ont ete remis en liberte. La prochaine
audience est reportee au 28/10/2013.

Le rapport de juillet-août-septembre 2013 de BIA Media Monitoring
revèle que 48 journalistes ont ete agresses et 11 places en detention
lors de la resistance de Gezi en Turquie. À la date d’octobre 2013, 66
journalistes et 27 editeurs sont toujours en prison. 28 journalistes,
auteurs et representants des medias ont ete condamnes a des peines
d’emprisonnement allant jusqu’a la perpetuite. Entre juillet et
septembre 2013, le Conseil superieur de la radio et de la television
a remis 79 448 avertissements, 448 amendes aux chaînes de television,
75 avertissements et 48 amendes aux radios. Au moins 10 journalistes
et 1 universitaire ont ete forces a la demission en raison de leurs
opinions sur la resistance de Gezi. 11 journalistes et 6 universitaires
ont ete licencies.

Le Collectif VAN (Vigilance armenienne contre le Negationnisme)
est consterne d’apprendre, a l’issue de l’audience du procès, que le
jeune editeur Deniz Zarakolu, fils de Ragip Zarakolu, fondateur des
Editions Belge, et les collaborateurs de la maison d’edition, Ayse
Berktay, traductrice et A. Dursun Yildiz, restent sous les verrous :

la justice turque persiste et signe dans la repression envers les
intellectuels de Turquie. Elle s’enferre chaque jour davantage dans
un procès ubuesque. Sur les dizaines de prevenus qui ont defile dans
le box des accuses depuis le debut du mois, seuls quatre etudiants
ont ete remis en liberte hier. Ils ont perdu deux ans de leur vie
derrière les barreaux.

6e Cour d’Assise de Diyarbakir : procès KCK – prochaine audience :
28/10/2013

L’audience concernant 175 prevenus, elus et cadres politiques, dont
97 sont toujours en detention, a eu lieu le 11/10/2013 devant la 6e
Cour d’Assise : c’etait la 16e session et la 59e audience. Le tribunal
a refuse toute demande de remise en liberte. L’affaire est reportee
au 13/01/2013.

Il faut savoir que plusieurs procureurs ont lance des enquetes visant
27 responsables politiques kurdes). En 2012, 24 des 29 deputes kurdes
ont ete soumis a 75 enquetes.

Procès des avocats d’Ocalan – prochaine audience : 19 decembre 2013

Ce procès s’est ouvert a Istanbul le 16 juillet dernier, il concerne
46 avocats, dont 36 detenus, un journaliste et trois employes du
bureau. La prochaine audience est fixee au 19 decembre 2013.

Procès des avocats des avocats – prochaines audiences : 24, 25 et 26
decembre 2013

Ces avocats ont ete interpelles dans la nuit du 18 janvier 2013 : Ils
sont tous membres de Cagdas Hukukcular Dernegi – CHD, ” Association
des avocats progressistes ” qui fournit une assistance juridique aux
victimes de violations des droits humains. Les prochaines audiences
se tiendront les 24, 25 et 26 decembre 2013.

Andre Metayer

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Amities kurdes de Bretagne

OSCE MG Co-Chairs’ response will worsen situation around Karabakh conflict

18:05 18/10/2013 » POLITICS

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group once again put equals sign
between the sides, trying not to violate the `balance,’ but this will
not only fail to solve the problem, but will aggravate it, military
expert Samvel Petrosyan told Panorama.am when commenting on the latest
statement issued by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office regarding the halt of
the OSCE Mission’s monitoring of the contact line.

`If Azerbaijan had given consent to introduction of mechanisms for
investigation of border incidents, we could perhaps avoid such an
incident, or at least we could conduct an international investigation.
However, for clear reasons, Azerbaijan does not accept that proposal
and resorts to provocations in such cases,’ Petrosyan said.

Source: Panorama.am

Russia to Deploy Combat Helicopters at Armenian Base

MiG-29

© RIA Novosti. Vladimir Astapkovitch
21:04 18/10/2013

Related News

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NATO not against Russian military base in Armenia – envoy

Multimedia

Mikoyan MiG-29K

YEREVAN, October 18 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will strengthen its air
contingent at the Erebuni air base in Armenia with a helicopter
squadron in the next few months, the base commander said Friday.

Russia’s 3624th Air Base at the Erebuni airport in Yerevan currently
hosts at least 16 MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets operating under the
framework of air defense agreements concluded between the members of
the Commonwealth of Independent States.

`A decision has been made to form a helicopter squadron in addition to
the fighter squadron at the Erebuni base by the end of this year or in
the beginning of the next year,’ Col. Alexander Petrov said.

Petrov did not specify the type of helicopters to be deployed at the base.

Petrov said Moscow and Yerevan have agreed that Russian pilots will be
able to practice bombing runs and missile launches with live
ammunition at the nearby Marshal Bagramyan training grounds belonging
to the Armenian Defense Ministry.

The Erebuni air base is part of Russia’s 102nd military base located
in Gyumri, near Armenia’s border with Turkey.

The 102nd base has been deployed in Gyumri since 1995 under a
bilateral treaty that was extended in 2010 from 25 to 49 years,
ensuring a Russian military presence in Armenia through 2044.

Artur Bagdasaryan, head of Armenia’s National Security Council said in
June that Russian military bases in Armenia will be modernized and
upgraded over the next few years.

Yerevan listed among cheapest cities for internet startup launch: research

October 18, 2013 – 19:16 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Yerevan was listed among the cheapest cities for an
internet startup company launch, with Moscow named as the most
expensive, hopesandfears.com said.

Pyortr Tatishev, curator at Digital October technology
entrepreneurship center held a research to assess the annual cost of a
team of two programmers and a designer in a rented office. A number of
entrepreneurs in Russian and CIS cities were polled, with the
following results: the Moscow office and team expenditures total $165
000, St. Petersburg – $120 000, Nizhny Novgorod – $112 500,
Novosibirsk – $73 500, Tomsk – $51 938, Taganrog – $56 250, Krasnodar-
$61 875, Perm – $86 250, Vladivostok – $75 000, Minsk (Belarus) –
$60,000, Tbilisi (Georgia) – $38 400 and Yerevan (Armenia) – $52 800.

A similar study covering a number of cities from London to Mumbai was
held by Staff.com HR source. The study showed that Philippines will
provide the most cost-saving in launching a startup, with a year of
work in Manila paying 6,5 times less than in Zurich, Sydney or New
York.