Author: Kajoyan Gevork

ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES GENERAL STAFF CHIEF TRAVELS TO SWEDEN

June 27, 2013 | 10:28

YEREVAN. – A delegation, led by Colonel General Yuri Khachaturov,
Chief of the Armenian Armed Forces General Staff, is in Stockholm
between Wednesday and Friday.

In the Swedish capital city, the Armenian delegation is attending
the annual strategic conference of the NATO military partners, the
Armenian MOD press service informs.

The objective of this conference, which is titled “Partnership
Prospects,” is to exchange views on the new international security
challenges and the avenues for addressing these challenges.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

FREEDOM FIGHTERS V YERKRAPAH?: NEW LAW ON KARABAKH WAR VET STATUS RAISES QUESTIONS

NEWS | 27.06.13 | 10:50

Photo:

By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

The law on granting Karabakh war veterans with no status the status
of Yerkrapah volunteers that was unanimously adopted in the first
reading by the National Assembly last week is considered by some
veterans to be flawed as it fails to address any of the issues that
they currently face. Besides, they say, it might pursue a hidden goal
of establishing control over them by stipulating their affiliation
with an organization.

Representatives of the majority Republican Party of Armenia, MP
Samvel Farmanyan and two generals, Yerkrapah Union of Volunteers (YUV)
head Manvel Grigoryan and Sedrak Saroyan, had authored a legislative
package, defining by law the notion of Yerkrapah (roughly translated
into English as Land Defender) as a person who participated voluntarily
in the defense of the country.

According to Farmanyan, with the adoption of the law for the first
time the Armenian state recognizes volunteerism as a phenomenon,
defines the concept and grants a special status to volunteers who
took part in the war.

While some members of parliament expressed the opinion that the bill
needed elaboration and reform, all 99 lawmakers present in the chamber
during the voting voted in favor of it, something that Parliament
Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan said showed respect for homeland-defenders’
services.

Glorious Fighters NGO head Grisha Sargsyan, however, thinks that the
law concerns the YUV NGO that was established still in 1993.

Meanwhile, he said, this structure embraces only 30 percent of all
freedom fighters who actually took part in the hostilities.

“The very first sentence in this law reads: ‘Those who voluntarily
participated in homeland defense and became members’… Members of
what? You usually become a member of a public organization, and it
is from here that the law deviates and means membership in the YUV.

Yerkrapah is specifically attributed to the YUV, besides a
freedom-fighter needs to have documentation certified somewhere,
and they did it so that everything be under their control and be
guided by them,” Sargsyan told ArmeniaNow. He added that they would be
consistent in insisting on the word ‘Yerkrapah’ to be replaced with
‘Freedom Fighter’ and if it is not done, they will insist on the
passage of a new law that will specifically concern freedom fighters.

Meanwhile, the YUV gives assurances that the law does not at all
concern membership in the organization as it is clearly defined that
participants in military operations in the period from 1989 to 1994
receive the status. According to preliminary estimates, there are
about 2,145 people who factually participated in the Karabakh war,
but do not have any status today as after the establishment of the
regular army on January 28, 1992 they were not officially recruited.

“This concerns people who still in 1990, before the creation of the
national army, took up their grandfathers’ arms and went to protect
the border villages, did not wait for the command, for a military
call-up. We had many such guys who fought till the signing of the
truce, but were not registered anywhere. They must be given a status,
too, and their great moral step must be appreciated,” YUV Board member
and Information Department Officer Hakob Hakobyan told ArmeniaNow. He
added that even the law would not solve all problems, but at least,
he said, it would set the process going.

Meanwhile, Karabakh war veterans who have recently staged protests
demanding an essential rise in their state pensions and other social
guarantees from the government continue to believe that the law does
not address their current problems.

According to reserve colonel Volodya Avetisyan, who has led the
protests since May, some of the law provisions even make things worse.

“So, we have urged the president to refuse to sign the law,” Avetisyan
told ArmeniaNow. “The law contains lots of restrictions that are not
in our favor, it does not say anything on social matters. We will
continue our protest.”

ARMENIA TO FOCUS ON FIGHT AGAINST INTOLERANCE DURING ITS CHAIRMANSHIP AT COUNCIL OF EUROPE

YEREVAN, June 27. /ARKA/. Armenia’s priority in chairing at the Council
of Europe is fighting against intolerance and hatred propaganda,
Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan said at Majdanek former Nazi
concentration camp Wednesday.

Having again gained its independence Armenia must draw today
international community’s attention to the importance of joint efforts
in prevention and punishment of genocides, Sargsyan said as quoted
by the presidential press office.

“In the same context, we are going to hold an international conference
on fighting against intolerance and discrimination in Yerevan”,
the president said.

During its chairmanship period Armenia will also support the global
web initiative against hatred rhetoric, Sargsyan said.

Armenia’s president reminded the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
genocide, as well as 70th anniversary of the Second World War and
Holocaust will be observed in 2015.

These anniversaries should make the mankind double their efforts to
prevent genocides, the head of Armenia said.

“There might be no Majdanek if the first genocide of the 20th century,
the Armenian one, had been condemned at the time and the guilty had
been punished”, Sargsyan said.

“There is no condemnation without prevention, and there is no
prevention without condemnation”, he said.

Majdanek, OÅ~[wiÄ~Ycim and others, as well as Armenian Tsitsernakaberd
monument bear strong messages to the humanity for encouraging tolerance
among peoples and condemning xenophobia, the president said.

The president expressed Armenia’s commitment to fight against
any display of racism, xenophobia and intolerance and against
the cruelest crime, the genocide, anywhere.-0– – See more at:

OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE THIRD-GENERATION NETWORK

Thursday, 27 June 2013 11:36

Regular progress is recorded in the telecommunication sector in
Artsakh. On June 22, the official launch of the third-generation (3G)
network took place.

On that occasion, founder and Board Chairman of Karabakh Telecom
leading company on IT introduction and development in our Republic
Pierre Fatush, the company’s co-owner, his brother Musa Fatush,
his son, the company’s General Director Ralf Yirikyan, and Deputy
General Director Garegin Odabashyan arrived in the NKR.

The delegation was received by NKR Prime Minister Ara Harutyunian. The
meeting was also attended by NKR Minister of Industrial Infrastructure
Hakob Ghahramanian, Chairman of the State Coordinating Commission on
Public Services and Economic Competition Levon Mnatsakanian and other
officials. Greeting the guests, the head of the Government highly
appreciated the role of Karabakh Telecom closed joint-stock company,
which allowed to connect Artsakh with the outer world. Mr. Harutyunian
expressed his satisfaction with the fact that Mr. Fatush, while having
a separate meeting with him, expressed his readiness to continue
working in Artsakh, and not only in the communication sphere at that.

The Prime Minister noted the Karabakh Telecom is not only one of
the largest tax payers in our Republic, but it also implements big
humanitarian programs. He expressed regret that due to time limitation
Mr. Fatush could not personally visit the operating facilities, but
he expressed hope that during his next visits, which, according to the
businessman, would take place at least once a year, he would see them

Mr. Fatush and his brother expressed their gratitude to the authorities
of Artsakh for their support. According to him, when they came here
to start activities, their main goal wasn’t the financial benefit,
but connection of Artsakh with the world. The businessman expressed
readiness to create new jobs. “It will allow the people of Artsakh
to stay on their land, to develop and gradually take a place among
the developed countries”, he noted.

After the official meeting, the presentation of the 3G cell system,
providing the introduction of mobile Internet, took place at Valex
Garden hotel. The event was attended by NKR NA Chairman Ashot Ghulian,
Chief of Staff of the NKR President’s Office, Secretary of the Security
Council Marat Musayelian, as well as representatives of the business
sphere and, surely, the founders and officials of theKarabakh Telecom.

Deputy General Director of the Karabakh Telecom Garegin Odabashyan
introduced the event’s occasion – provision of new and up-to-date
services, which is the result of Karabakh Telecom company’s activity
for over ten years. According to him, the company’s founder Mr. Fatush
has various businesses in different countries, but he chose the
telecommunication sphere in Artsakh, which allows both establishing
communication and making investments here. Mr. Fatush, in particular,
said: “We work under the banner of Karabakh and for its people. We’ll
try to make other investments here and to contribute to the economic
development of Artsakh”.

Mr. Fatush’s activity in Artsakh isn’t limited with the communication
sphere, where the investments have amounted to $50 million. NKR
Prime Minister Ara Harutyunian presented his services also in the
humanitarian field, especially in the health sphere. In particular,
he funds the medical complex in Kovsakan, a new regional medical
station is being built in Berdzor, the building of the Martakert
regional hospital has been completed, the works in the Martakert
policlinic are underway, funds were allocated for the Martuni and
Hadrut regional hospitals, numerous health programs are implemented
in Stepanakert, etc. According to the Premier, Mr. Fatush expressed
readiness to implement new humanitarian programs in the nearest
years, which means to render annual assistance in $1 million for
the social-economic development of Artsakh. The businessman talked
about this also with the NKR President in Yerevan. That Artsakh is
a dear place for the Fatush family is testified by the fact that the
businessman is again here with his family members. According to Ara
Harutyunian, during their meetings in Yerevan and Lebanon he always
said that he loved Artsakh like his homeland. Surely, it is very
pleasant to have similar friends.

Highly appreciating the contribution of Pierre Fatush to the
development of the communication sphere, NKR President Bako Sahakian
signed a decree on awarding him with Gratitude medal. The medal was
handed by the NKR Prime Minister.

The company’s General Director, Ralf Yirikyan, announced the symbolic
launch of the 3G network, which was accompanied by demonstration of
a small video. According to him, the 3D network will introduce much
new in the market. Now, thanks to the mobile Internet, the Artsakh
residents can communicate without any territorial limitation.

Svetlana KHACHATRIAN

MORMON CHURCH ORGANIZES FIRST “STAKE” IN ARMENIA

The following article by Joseph Walker appeared in the June 24,
2013 edition ofDeseret News

YEREVAN, ARMENIA – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
has organized its first stake in the Republic of Armenia.

A stake is a geographical unit of the church created for organizational
and ecclesiastical purposes. A stake is comprised of a number of
individual church congregations, called wards or branches.

It is similar in function to a diocese in other Christian
denominations.

According to an article posted on the LDS Newsroom website, Elder
Russell M. Nelson presided at a special meeting held June 16 in
Yerevan, during which the country’s first stake was created. “We
have good (church) leadership here, strong people in the gospel,”
Elder Nelson said during the service.

Elder Nelson has been involved in the relationship between the people
of Armenia and the LDS Church since 1988, when he presented a check
from the LDS Church to Soviet Ambassador Yuri Dubinin to provide aid
to victims of a devastating earthquake in Armenia, which was then
still under Soviet control. Elder Nelson and LDS philanthropist Jon M.

Huntsman were involved in ongoing efforts to help rebuild
earthquake-torn areas of Armenia.

Two years later Armenia declared its independence from the Soviet
Union, and in early 1992 the first two LDS baptisms to be performed
in the newly independent nation took place. Today there are just more
than 3,000 Latter-day Saints in Armenia.

“This is a Christian nation,” Elder Nelson said. “The spirit of
Christianity has been in Armenia a long time. Our relationship with
the government is outstanding.”

The Yerevan Armenia Stake brings the total number of stakes in the
LDS Church to 3,025.

Photo cap: Varuzhan Poghosyan (left) translates as Elder Russell M.

Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles organizes the first stake
of the LDS Church in Yerevan, Armenia. Courtesy LDS Church.

LE MRAP SALUE LA CONDAMNATION DE BORIS LE LAY

Publie le : 27-06-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
invite a lire le Communique de presse du MRAP publie le 25 juin 2013.

MRAP

Communique de presse

Le MRAP salue la condamnation de Boris Le Lay, administrateur de
plusieurs sites Internet d’obedience antisemite et raciste, prononcee
lundi 24 juin 2013.

Le Tribunal correctionnel de Quimper a condamne cet auteur prolixe
sur Internet, âge de 31 ans et originaire du Finistère dans deux
dossiers distincts a une peine globale de deux ans et demi de prison
avec sursis et environ 25.000 euros de dommages et interets au profit
des differentes victimes. D’un côte, Le Lay avait gravement insulte le
musicien breton noir Yannick Martin, qui avait gagne un prestigieux
prix de musique regional, en remettant en cause sa possibilite meme
d’appartenir a la Bretagne. En janvier 2011, il avait ecrit : ” Jouer
d’un instrument ne pèse rien face au sang et l’appel du sang qui est
la base d’une communaute “, ou encore : ” Que cela vous plaise ou
non, mais on n’a jamais vu de sonneur noir. (…) il ne serait pas
bretonnisable. ”

De l’autre côte, Boris Le Lay avait publiquement sali la memoire de
Serge Goldberg, ancien president du MRAP a Saintes ainsi qu’animateur
de la commission antisemitisme du MRAP, egalement membre actif de
la LDH et initiateur du salon du livre des droits de l’Homme Lors de
la mort accidentelle de Serge Goldberg, happe par un train le 5 mars
2011 Le Lay avait ose ecrire un article titre : : ” Un juif du MRAP
ecrase par un train : c’est la fete ! Et a l’adresse du chauffeur de
la locomotive : marcher dedans, ca porte bonheur !” ; se rejouissant de
cet accident (” Bon les gars aujourd’hui c’est champagne ” il decernait
” la croix de fer pour le chauffeur “.

Boris Le Lay, qui a fait preuve sur divers sites Internet dont ” le
projet juif.org ” d’un antisemitisme maladif, se croyait apparemment
jusqu’a present protege par une impunite totale. En effet ses
sites etant heberges a Houston aux Etats-Unis, il semblait se croire
au-dessus des lois francaises. Aujourd’hui, et alors meme qu’il etait
place sous contrôle judiciaire il serait ” courageusement ” refugie
au Japon, où il travaillerait comme crepier pour le restaurateur
francais Joël Robuchon.

Cette fuite ne devrait pas toutefois lui permettre d’echapper
durablement a la Justice et aux lois francaises. Rappelons, d’ailleurs,
que d’autres plaintes sont pendantes contre Boris Le Lay, notamment
pour des propos antisemites et negationnistes publies sur ses blogs
depuis 2008, constitutifs des delits d’incitation a la haine raciale
et de contestation de Crimes contre l’humanite qui seront evoques le
12 Juillet prochain a Paris

Fait a Paris le 25 juin 2013

Retour a la rubrique

LIVERPOOL TARGET HENRIKH MKHITARYAN SPOTTED IN LONDON HOTEL

14:53 26.06.2013
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Liverpool

An unknown fan on global internet forum Reddit has claimed Liverpool
target Henrikh Mkhitaryan is currently in a London hotel – and posted
this picture online to prove it, fanatix.com reports.

The Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder was reportedly missing by the Ukrainian
club on Tuesday but if this pic proves legit, the mystery of his
whereabouts has been solved.

Fans of the Anfield club will be hopeful that Liverpool managing
director Ian Ayre has either travelled down to London or that the
24-year-old goal-scoring midfielder is set to continue his journey
north to Merseyside.

BORDYUZHA: RUSSIAN ARMS SALES TO AZERBAIJAN IS JUST A BUSINESS

13:08 26/06/2013 ” POLITICS

The Russian arms sales to Azerbaijan is just a business, CSTO Secretary
General Nikolai Bordyuzha told reporters in Yerevan.

“Russia is one of the major arms manufacturers and exporters of the
world. It sells arms to dozens of countries, including non-members
of CSTO,” Bordyuzha said, adding that Russia is committed to its
priorities.

“Arms sales to non-members of CSTO, in this case, to Azerbaijan, is
based on the most important thing – commitment to priorities in the
Caucasus. This circumstance was taken into account by Russia when it
was making a decision to sell arms to Azerbaijan,” the CSTO Secretary
General announced.

PACE DELEGATES REMINDED ABOUT RAMIL SAFAROV

01:13 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

During its June 26 session, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe decided not to open a monitoring procedure in respect of
Hungary. After the resolution “Serious setbacks in the fields of the
rule of law and human rights in Hungary” was put into circulation at
the Assembly in January 2011, PACE’s Monitoring Committee recommended
to the Assembly to open a monitoring procedure in respect of Hungary.

Swedish delegate Kerstin Lundgren yesterday presented a report
on Hungary which caused a heated discussion among the European
parliamentarians. In this context, she reminded about the extradition
of Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov who had killed Armenian officer
Gurgen Margaryan during a 2004 NATO training event in Budapest.

In his turn, French delegate Francois Rochbloine said he did not
imagine that there would be need to monitor the state of human rights
and democracy in Hungary.

The full text is available at

WEAPONS CANNOT BE COMPARED WITH SHEEP OR OIL

01:50 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

Vice-chairman of the Free Democrats Party, Anush Sedrakyan, condemns
Russia for selling weapons to Azerbaijan and says it was a political
rather than a commercial deal.

“It would have been a trade deal if they had sold oil, gas or sheep.

But when they sell arms, it already conflicts with all our prior
agreements, protocols and our good intentions. And now I want to
challenge the good intentions of our big brother [Russia],” Anush
Sedrakyan told reporters on June 26.

Republican MP Artak Davtyan, another participant of the discussion,
said weaponry is also product which can be put for sale but the
difference is that its sale is regulated by international treaties
and international norms.

The discussants also referred to Armenia’s membership to the European
Union and Eurasian Union. Artak Davtayn believes that Armenia should
be guided by common interests while Anush Sedrakyan says the policy
might harm us.

“Russia slaps Armenia, at the same time sweetening other countries,”
she said.