Author: Kajoyan Gevork

ARMENIA’S NATIONAL CARRIER ACCUSES BEIRUT AIRPORT OF DELAYING ITS FLIGHT

NEWS.AM
March 13, 2013 | 14:42

YEREVAN. – The aircraft of Armavia Airline Company–which is Armenia’s
national carrier–has no technical problems. The Beirut airport in
Lebanon does not accept the plane unlawfully, Armavia press service
told Armenian News-NEWS.am, commenting on the current situation at
the airport.

“The plane has passed through the o-chek maintenance procedure and had
just returned from abroad. Beirut is not accepting the Armavia plane
unlawfully, and the information on a technical malfunction is false.

At present, the Armenian General Department of Civil Aviation is
working on resolving the matter, and Armavia hopes that the plane will
soon take off. The company will demand explanations from the Lebanese
party, in connection with the unlawful decision,” the respective
statement reads.

To note, the aforesaid aircraft was scheduled to fly back to Armenian
capital city Yerevan on Tuesday evening, but its departure was
postponed until Wednesday 1:30pm at first and, subsequently, until
3pm, and, still, there is no clear information as to when the plane
will actually take off from Lebanon.

Most of the passengers of this flight were forced to spend the night
at Beirut airport.

IT’S NOT IMPORTANT WHAT AUTHORITIES WILL DO, IT’S IMPORTANT WHAT FREEDOM SQUARE WILL DO

15:17 13/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

Nikol Pashinyan, member of ANC parliamentary group, was asked
in Freedom Square whether he is ready to lay down his mandate and
whether the recent discussions on the laying down of mandates by the
opposition make sense. Pashinyan responded that the most important
sense of the processes happening in the Freedom Square is to give floor
to proposals and discussion, so he sees the issue in this framework.

Asked about the shadow government, he said that his proposal in this
relation has not been yet rejected for him.

Nikol Pashinyan noted that Raffi Hovannisian is already on hunger
strike, so it is not correct to comment on it, but it is just
necessary to respect his decision especially if he is the elected
president. He noted that each political action should be viewed in
terms of significance and not form.

Nikol Pashinyan thinks that the swearing in ceremony will be held
on April 9 anyway, but the question is who will swear in. Dwelling
on the proposal of the authorities to give governmental positions to
oppositional members, Pashinyan said that only the elected president
can propose positions to the opposition.

Nikol Pashinyan didn’t comment on the rumors that the hunger strike is
a weak step. He will speak about this issue during the rally on Friday.

Pashinyan does not care what the authorities will do by April 9, but
it is more important what the Freedom Square will do. Asked whether
clashes are possible after April 9, Pashinyan ruled out any violence in
the context of the current civil actions. “Whoever resorts to violence,
will lose”. Nikol Pashinyan added that the rally on Friday is going
to be very impressive.

Dwelling on the question on Raffi Hovannisian’s and Gagik Tsarukyan’s
meeting, Pashinyan said that it can’t be right or wrong. Assessments
that such meetings arouse more questions than give answers are to be
thought about instead.

Asked whether separate participation of the opposition in Yerevan
Mayoral Elections won’t reduce the opposition’s chances, Pashinyan said
that discussions are underway in this connection, so he won’t comment.

REFEREE FOR RAFFI AND SERZH
Haik Aramyan

15:43 14/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

Serzh Sargsyan has left Moscow for Brussels to meet with the president
of the EPP Wilfred Martens.

Last year the Republican Party and the Heritage Party joined the EPP.

Now leaders of these two members of the EPP, Serzh Sargsyan and
Raffi Hovannisian, are disputing the results of the presidential
election 2013.

The EPP has already congratulated Serzh Sargsyan. Raffi Hovannisian
says he has won the election.

Most probably, Sargsyan and Martens will discuss the post-electoral
situation. It is hard to tell whether Serzh Sargsyan will ask Martens
to facilitate his relations with Raffi Hovannisian. It is interesting
whether Martens will visit his fellow party members on hunger strike.

An active civic movement has started in Armenia which is not only
against the rigged election but also for the sake of the sovereignty
of Armenia. The citizens went on protest at the embassies of the
countries which have recognized the official results of the election.

NGOs have made statements.

The ongoing civic struggle assumes that we do not need foreign
referees. The citizens of Armenia fight for their rights to form
government and other indefeasible rights. This is an undeniable
process and it cannot be ignored.

Armenia needs abrupt, fundamental structural changes so that no leader
of Armenia has to seek support outside Armenia at the expense of
dignity of one~Rs own country and people and talk to one~Rs people with
an open look. This is what the citizens of Armenia are fighting for.

SERGEY MINASYAN SAYS ARMENIA SHOULD NOT MAKE ABRUPT DECISION ON ACCESSION TO CUSTOMS UNION OR EU

16:35 14/03/2013 ” POLITICS

Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union is of secondary importance
to Russia, dominated by the issue of Ukraine’s accession to the
organization, political scientist, Deputy Director of the Caucasus
Institute Sergey Minasyan told a news conference today.

According to him, Russia realizes the geopolitical peculiarities of
Armenia, and therefore it does not try to influence this process.

According to Sergey Minasyan, Yerevan should not make any abrupt
decision on accession to the Customs Union or the European Union.

“Russia remains Armenia’s main economic partner. It is important to
find a serious solution so that the choice of the way does not cause
a problem for our country,” he said.

Source: Panorama.am

EXPERT SLAMS RUSSIA’S PRESENCE WITHOUT NKR RECOGNITION

March 14, 2013 – 15:49 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia has a lot to achieve to become an equal
ally for Russia, political expert said.

Dwelling on March 12 meeting between Armenian and Russian presidents,
Levon Shirinyan stressed the need for Russian recognition of Artsakh
independence to be put on the agenda.

“Vladimir Putin hurried to congratulate Serzh Sargsyan to avoid
recognizing Nagorno Karabakh,” Mr Shirinyan said, slamming Russia’s
presence in Armenia without recognition of NKR.

The expert further commented on the possible increase of Russian
gas prices.

“Moscow will boost the gas tariffs due to the increase of gas
extraction prices, giving Russia yet another chance to practice
blackmail,” he said.

DESTROYED OLD JUGHA CROSS-STONES COPIED IN ARMENIA

14:58, 14 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. On the initiative of individual
cross-stone masters the cross-stones destroyed in Old Jugha are being
copied in Armenia. As reports “Armenpress” Honored Culture Worker of
the Republic of Armenia, armenologist, and expert on Nakhijevan Argam
Ayvazyan stated this during the press conference held on March 14.

Among other things Argam Ayvazyan noted that art of cross-stones is
developing in Armenia, notwithstanding the new cross-stones have quite
different ornaments, and the styles of the past were not preserved.

Ayvazyan highlighted: “The art of cross-stones has not been studied
properly, and there few scientific works dedicated to that topic.

Presently cross-stone masters copy the Old Jugha cross-stones using
the ornaments that have already been explored.” 30-40 cross-stones
have already been copied.

The last case of the Armenian cross-stones destruction has been
recorded in 200-2006, when tens of Azeri soldiers armed with huge
hammers and machines were destroying Armenian cross-stones in Old
Jugha cemetery. They were destroyed and removed to make room for
construction of a shooting ground. More than 27,000 cross-stones and
Armenian monuments have been destroyed in Nakhijevan since 1998.

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST RAFFI HOVHANNISYAN; THE LAW PERMITS ONE TO PUT UP A TENT

March 13 2013

“Forbidding Raffi Hovhannisyan to put up a tent is illegal,” Artak
Zeynalyan, a human rights advocate and a member of the Republic Party
political council, stated during a conversation with

Let us remind that Karen Andreasyan, the Human Rights Defender, also
stated with regard to forbidding Raffi Hovhannisyan to put up a tent
that the law didn’t forbid that. The main reason of the government
for not allowing putting up a tent was that one cannot put up a tent
in Freedom Square, since it was the backyard of a cultural center.

Responding to this reasoning, Mr. Zeynalyan stated: “A cultural
center is also for people to protest around it and have a cover over
their heads as protection against rain. What is the purpose of those
cultural centers? On the other hand, the cultural center should
be in the shadow of Freedom Square, since Armenia’s independence
was formed there.” In response to our question whether there was
discrimination against R. Hovhannisyan, Mr. Zeynalyan said: “There
is also discrimination here, and it cannot be justified from both
human and legal perspectives.” Vardan Harutyunyan, the head of the
Rights and Freedom Center NGO, also considered the issue from legal
and human perspectives. He noted: “From the legal perspective, one can
put up a tent. However, the human perspective is more important. When
one is sitting in Freedom Square, one is on a hunger strike, and it
is raining, what prevents people from helping that person? And the
authorities try to create impossible, difficult conditions for people.

I don’t know whether it is their nature or their habit to impede
people, make it as bad as possible. The issue of putting up a tent
should have been solved in a minute. If one is on a hunger strike,
one should have a tent, period.” In response to our question why when
Andreas Ghukasyan, a candidate for president, was on a hunger strike
in front of the National Academy of Sciences building a month ago,
he was allowed to put up a cover, whether the National Academy of
Sciences building was not a cultural center, V. Harutyunyan said the
following: “I don’t want to compare. Those are different things. He
was a candidate for president, and the government was so sure of its
victory that they didn’t pay attention not only to hunger strikers,
but also to rivals. There conviction was unshakeable. And Raffi’s
victory was like snow in summer. They have lost their heads because
of that, and they consider Raffi not as a candidate for president,
but rather as an enemy in the same way as Levon Ter-Petrossian in 2008.

The government sees Raffi and itself in opposite trenches today;
that is why they don’t treat him as they treated Ghukasyan and would
treat anyone else.” Tatev HARUTYUNYAN

Read more at:

© 1998 – 2013 Aravot – News from Armenia

ARMENIAN DRIVERS UNION HEAR SKEPTICAL ON BANNING TAXIS’ YELLOW PLATES

YEREVAN, March 14. /ARKA/. Head of Armenian Drivers Union Tigran
Hovhannisyan told reporters on Thursday he is very skeptical about
the intention of Traffic Police to replace yellow number plates on
taxis with white ones.

This initiative is included in the package of the government’s
legislative proposals related to licensing in public transport area.

The Traffic Police intend to tighten grip upon taxis. All the necessary
papers with special protection must be fastened on the rear window.

“Taxi drivers are concerned that this new shift to white plates
will deprive them of their competitive advantages. Passengers got
used to yellow plates which prove the legal operation of taxis,”
Hovhannisyan said.

He noted the shift should be processed on a voluntarily basis and
added that taxis should be regulated the same way as other public
transport is.

According to him, regional administrations and Ministry of Transport
and Communications should be in charge of such regulations. -0-

STATISTICAL DATA ON EMIGRATION. MORAL DECAY – VIDEO

02:31 PM | TODAY | SOCIAL

The number of the Armenian emigrants during the past few years has
increased by about 2.5 times. In 2012, the number of emigrants from
Armenia was 42 thousand people and in recent three years 130 thousand
people.

“If we try to look back, we will that 57 thousand people emigrated
from Armenia in 2001-2010 “, – Ethno-sociologist Mihran Galstyan
presented such statistical data.

According to the sociologist, emigration is conditioned with serious
economic, social and demographic problems. In rural areas, migration
due to lack of work has a high rate.

Psychologist Samvel Khudoyan sees several reasons of migration- lack
of patriotism and the atmosphere of lawlessness, injustice and fraud
of the country.

“There is an absurd system in the country from kindergartens to higher
institutions and authorities”,-explains psychologist.

According to the sociologist, if the social mentality is unfair and the
society is ready to break the law at any moment, you should not expect
that in these conditions can have new and legitimate authorities.

“At first, the society changes, then the authorities. We think like
us. Plunder, bribery is a normal phenomenon”,-says Mr. Khudoyan.

Due to the psychologist these all lead the society to moral decline.

“And the moral decline destroys patriotism”.

US CONGRESSMAN: PROCESS OF INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC GATHERING PACE

ARMINFO
Thursday, March 14, 12:31

The 25th Anniversary of the Karabakh Movement marked in the USA,
Hay Dat Committee Office in Washington reported

Ed Royce, U.S. Representative, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs, Narine Aghabalyan, NKR Minister for Youth and Culture, Aram
Hamparian, Head of the Washington office of Hay Dat, Michael Grimm,
Republican Co-Chairman of the Armenian Caucus, and congressmen Frank
Pallone and Adam Schiff attended the event. Michael Grimm delivered
a speech at the event saying that the process of international
recognition of Nagorno Karabakh is gathering pace and it is the only
right decision to resolve the conflict of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

For his part, Frank Pallone said that the other party to the conflict
insists that the right to self-determination cannot be prior in the
settlement process, while Nagorno Karabakh became independent long ago,
and it is just necessary to recognize that fact.

Ed Royce said, in turn, that it is time for peace but it requires
the will of both the parties.