Author: Kajoyan Gevork

IN GEORGIA AND ARMENIA: TIME TO DEEPEN OUR COOPERATION AND COMMIT TO SHARED VALUES

EU News
July 9 2013

In Georgia and Armenia: time to deepen our cooperation and commit to
shared values

Stefan Fule, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European
Neighbourhood Policy visits Georgia and Armenia on 9-12 July to
discuss EU’s relations and cooperation with the two countries and take
stock of the progress made in the final phase of the negotiations for
Association Agreements including DCFTAs in view of their initializing
at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November.

In Georgia Commissioner Fule will meet President Mikheil Saakashvili
on 9 July in Tblissi and Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, Foreign
Minister Maya Panjikidze and several ministers and members of the
Parliament as well as civil society representatives on 11 and 12 July
in Batumi where he will participate in the 10th Batumi Conference
‘Georgia’s European way’.

On 10 July in Armenia Commissioner Fule will meet President Serzh
Sargsyan, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian, the ministers for Economy, Finance, Education and Science
as well as representatives of the opposition parties and civil society.

On the eve of his visit Commissioner Å tefan Fule said: “The run up to
the Vilnius Summit is a crucial phase when our partners are expected
to demonstrate their engagement to further deepening our cooperation
based on our shared values and ensure the benefits of our closer
cooperation are shared with the citizens. This is also an opportunity
to emphasise the continued commitment and support of the European
Union and its Member States to Armenia and Georgia and their citizens.”

RUSSIA’S SELLING OF WEAPONRY TO AZERBAIJAN WILL NOT IMPACT ARMENIA’S POSITION ON EURASIAN UNION – ARF

July 09, 2013 | 16:07

YEREVAN. – Russia’s selling of weaponry to Azerbaijan will not reflect
on Armenia’s position concerning the Eurasian Union.

Giro Manoyan, Director of the International Secretariat of Armenia’s
opposition ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party Yerevan Bureau and Head of the
Armenian Cause Yerevan Office, stated the abovementioned during a
press conference on Tuesday.

In Manoyan’s words, according to the statements by the country’s
authorities, Armenia is not required to join the Eurasian Union.

“It is apparent that free trade can be conducted with the EU and the
Eurasian Union, alike. But you cannot go beyond that, since the customs
union rules out the possibility of free trade not solely with one of
the organizations, but with a similar union,” the ARF official stated.

“The national security issues, specifically the Karabakh issue,
have special importance here. The country which has a key role in the
Eurasian Union should answer to these questions, so Armenia may make
a decision. I do not think the arms deal would force Armenia to make
a decision as to which union it should become a member in; but this
will reflect on the general thinking,” Giro Manoyan maintained.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

TIGRAN SARGSYAN AND VARUZHAN VOSKANYAN DISCUSSED ARMENIAN-ROMANIAN ECONOMIC RELATIONS

16:20, 9 July, 2013

YEREVAN, JULY 9, ARMENPRESS: The Prime Minister of the Republic
of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan received today the delegation headed
by the Minister of Economy of Romania of Armenian origin Varuzhan
Voskanyan, who arrived in Armenia to participate in 4th session of the
Intergovernmental Commission on the ArmenianRomanian trade-economic
and scientific-technical cooperation held in Yerevan on July 9. As
Armenpress was reported by the Department for Mass Media and Public
Relations of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, welcoming the
guest on behalf of the Government of Armenia, Tigran Sargsyan stated:
“We consider the strengthening of the Armenian-Romanian economic
relations quite important. There is a great potential for the expansion
of the bilateral relations and the Intergovernmental Commission on the
Armenian-Romanian trade-economic and scientific-technical cooperation
should develop a corresponding agenda and plan such events, which
will enable to deepen our relations. I am certain that your visit will
give a new impetus to the strengthening of the relations between the
two countries”.

The Minister of Economy of Romania Varuzhan Voskanyan emphasized
that the high level of the political relations formed traditionally
between Armenia and Romania makes the ground for the development of
the economic cooperation. Varuzhan Voskanyan stated that a Memorandum
of Understanding has been already signed between the Armenian-Romanian
Association of Commerce and Industry and Romania-Armenia Chamber of
Commerce and Industry.

The interlocutors exchanged ideas concerning the issues related to
the organization of the direct air flights, tourism development and
activation of the economic relations.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan
reaffirmed his invitation to the Prime Minister of Romania Victor
Ponta to visit Armenia.

ARMENIANS ALL OVER THE WORLD MUST SPEAK ARMENIAN. MINISTER OF DIASPORA

19:09, 9 July, 2013

YEREVAN, JULY 9, ARMENPRESS: On July 9 took place the solemn opening
ceremony of “Diaspora summer school 2013” program in which took part
minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan.

“Armenpress” was informed from ministry of Diaspora that welcoming the
participants of the program minister Hakobyan introduced “Diaspora
summer school 2013” program stressing the importance participation
in quickened classes of Armenian.

“Armenians all over the world should speak Armenian. We must keep
our language and give it to generations,” she said.

“Diaspora summer school” is held in five directions, quickened classes
of Armenian language, trainings of teachers from Diaspora, classes
of young leaders, classes for Diaspora journalists and classes of
national song and dances. The classes will be held in Armenian.

In the program take part more than 210 young people from more than
25 countries. For them will also be organized cultural events.

MANOYAN: GRIGORIU SHOWED GULF BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

Tuesday,July 09

“Aurelia Grigoriu only demonstrated the gulf between Armenia and
Azerbaijan,” the representative of ARF-Dashnaktsutyun Party Kiro
Manoyan stated, when commenting on the scandalous remarks of Moldovan
Ombudswoman Aurelia Grigoriu.

“If we are naïve, we can say Aurelia Grigoriu was confident of her
words. To be realistic, we can say that she was bribed. At the same
time all this bears evidence to some extent of the fact that while
she made such a statement in Armenia, she would not dare to state
the opposite in Azerbaijan,” Manoyan noted.

In his words, it is important that at least the persons present at
that meeting or events held in Armenia see the main difference between
Armenia and Azerbaijan in such issues.

“We don’t claim that Armenia is a paradise, but the difference between
Armenia and Azerbaijan in such issues is great,” Manoyan stressed.

Let us remind you that on July 4 Aurelia Grigoriu made a
pro-Azerbaijani report “The Observance of Human Rights in Frozen
Conflict Zones” in the Armenian parliament. In her report, she
called Armenia an “aggressor country”, accusing it of occupying 20%
of Azerbaijan’s territory.

TODAY, 18:21

Aysor.am

‘IT IS A VERY POWERFUL PROGRAM NOT ONLY FOR EDUCATION BUT ALSO FOR PEACE’

Interview with the president of Maharishi University of Management in
Fairfield, Iowa, Bevan G. Morris

Why did you decide to come to Armenia?

In 1989, 5 faculty members from our university came here after
the Earthquake. We were invited by an Armenian working in the Us,
hissname is Joseph Golden, and they taught to 30 000 people in Armenia
in many different towns and people of all ages and specialities were
interested in it. I have been very fascinated by Armenia since that
tim and have always wanted to see this ancient country.

What kinds of programs are you going to do in Armenia?

I am going to speak about consciousness-based education Our university
in the US was the first University to introduce consciousness-based
education. It was founded in 1971. There is a great interest in
Consciousness-based education. A lot of research studies have been
carried out and the results have been published in scientific journals
and now it has been introduced in 53 different countries and I would
like to speak about this to the educators in Armenia.. And also there
are government actions to adopt this program in schools such as Great
Britain, Ecuador, Mexico. This kind of education maximally optimizes
students’ brain functioning.

Do you have any statistics which show that it helps help students to
develop their skills using transcendental meditation?

During 20 minutes practice of this meditation in the morning and in
the evening, the mind starts to settle down and becomes more and more
restful, there is a very deep silence in the mind, . Meanwhile the
body also changes. Breathing becomes very soft, muscles relax. There
is a deep level of rest, your skin resistance becomes very high which
indicates more relaxation, stress goes down, and also brain waves
change. There is a great coherence of brain waves. One of the famous
studies was actually done in Moscow at the brain research Institute
of the Medical Sciences of Russia. It shows when people practice
transcendental meditation their brain reacts in a different way, more
quickly. In our university you can see how your brain is improving
over the years of your study. People using this technique have a much
higher brain integration. There are m ore than 600 studies documenting
this. There is a research study conducted at Stanford University on
reducing the anxiety with the help of this meditation.

It reduces heart attacks and high blood pressure.

Have you had any meetings with the Minister of education in Armenia.

I haven’t had any meetings, but many educators in Armenia practice this
meditation. This program can be included in any kind of educational
program. It is a very powerful program not only for the education
but also for creating peace.

Karine Ionesyan 18:36 10/07/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

VETERANS: MONTH PASSED SINCE MEETING WITH PREMIER, THERE IS NO ANSWER

Wednesday,July 10

The social problems voiced by Karabakh war veterans (azatmartiks)
have not been solved so far, veterans said at a meeting with reporters
today.

“If these issues were solved, the army would not encounter such
problems today,” retired Lieutenant-Colonel Gevorg Ter-Gevorgian said.

In his words, people’s mood regarding military service changes when
they see the poor social conditions of veterans.

“Demoralization will continue unless social problems are dealt with,”
he noted, stressing the plight of families of war veterans, especially
those killed in the war.

“We created a state so that it will address our problems,”
Ter-Gevorgian said.

According to veterans, a month has passed since their meeting with
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, but they have not received his answer.

Let us remind you that a group of Karabakh war veterans held a sit-in
protest in Yerevan’s Liberty Square on May 11-14. The protesters
demanded that the authorities pay attention to social and other
problems of veterans and protect their rights. On May 13 they sent
a letter with their demands to the government.   

CRIMINAL CASE OPENED AGAINST MAYOR OF ARMENIA’S SPITAK

July 10, 2013 | 17:38

YEREVAN. – Based on an account by a resident, a criminal case is
launched against Mayor Gagik Sahakyan of Armenia’s City of Spitak.

The Prosecutor General’s adviser, Sona Truzyan, confirmed this
information to Armenian News-NEWS.am. She noted that the criminal
case is opened pursuant to the Criminal Code.

The respective article in the Criminal Code specifies beating or
conducting other violent acts; this offense is punishable by a fine,
or imprisonment for up to two months.

To note, Spitak resident Levik Maryan, 71, had applied to the police
and informed that Spitak Mayor Gagik Sahakyan, 48, had hit him on a
street on Tuesday, and during an argument concerning domestic issues.

As a result of the blow, Maryan had fallen and sustained a bodily
injury. He was issued a forensic medical voucher, and the circumstances
of the incident are being ascertained.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

SYRIAN REBELS FIRE TO DISPERSE CIVILIAN PROTEST IN ALEPPO

July 10, 2013 – 17:03 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Syrian rebels fired into the air to disperse a
protest by civilians in a rebel-held district of Aleppo against a
blockade preventing food and medicine reaching government-held areas
of the northern city of Aleppo, residents said on Wednesday, July 10,
according to Reuters.

Rebel fighters have stopped supplies entering western Aleppo for
weeks. The tactic is aimed at weakening the supply routes of President
Bashar Assad’s forces but thousands of civilians are now left hungry,
residents say.

Video footage posted on the Internet on Tuesday showed dozens of
civilians in the rebel-held neighborhood of Bustan al-Qasr protesting
at a rebel checkpoint which prevents supplies from entering the western
part of the city, home to 2 million people and held by the army.

Although insurgents and the army control different parts of the
country, civilians are normally allowed to cross freely to shop or
meet family members and friends.

The footage, posted by the opposition Bustan al-Qasr Information
Office, showed men at the protest chanting, “the people want an end
to the blockade.” A rebel fighter brandishes a pistol and then a
gunshot is heard as the video ends.

An opposition activist group called the Aleppo Martyrs said rebels
fired at the protesters, killing one person and wounding several
others. But a resident at the protest said the man was killed prior
to the protest by army sniper fire as he tried the cross between
rebel and government-held territory.

ABRAHAM CONVINCED SOON HE WILL BE A WORLD CHAMPION ONCE AGAIN

17:06 10.07.2013
Arthur Abraham

Arthur Abraham (36-4, 28 KOs) is convinced that soon he will be a
world champion once again. But before he can even start to think about
another crack at a world title, the 33-year-old has to get past his
next opponent. The prodigy of coach Ulli Wegner takes on Willbeforce
Shihepo (20-6, 15 KOs) at the Sport- und Kongresshalle Schwerin,
Germany on August 24, boxingnews24.com reports.

Abraham, a former Middle- and Super-Middleweight Titlist, is currently
undergoing a tense preparation under the guidance of Wegner´s
assistant Georg Bramowski. “I know that I have to look ahead and train
as hard as I can. Shihepo is very uncomfortable to box and varies his
style during a fight. He is a brawler, so I have to be on my toes”,
said the super-middleweight. To make sure that he does not take his
30-year-old foe lightly, Ulli Wegner had some warning words. “Before
Mr. Wegner went on holiday, he made it clear what I have to do during
his absence. Therefore, I am giving it my all.”

But even from the sunny island of Gran Canaria, Spain Wegner has some
words of advice. “There is a lot on the line. Shihepo will be highly
motivated ahead of this fight. Although he doesn’t possess one
particular strengths, he is physical strong and difficult to predict.

He tries to overpower his opponents by constantly looking for the
infight. If Arthur wants to crown himself as the world champion again
in the future, he has to be focused on August 24. That is the only way
back to the top.”