Author: Kajoyan Gevork

FARMERS MOVEMENT NGO OFFERS CLOSING MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE OF ARMENIA

arminfo
Wednesday, January 23, 13:12

Head of the Farmers Movement NGO Sargis Sedrakyan offers closing the
Ministry of Agriculture as a useless and unnecessary structure.

Sedrakyan told media, Wednesday, that everyone at the ministry,
starting from the minister up to the head of the department,
are non-competent. The tasks to ensure food self-sustainability
and employment are failed. Since the moment of privatization of
agricultural lands, the ministry has been waging incorrect agrarian
policy that has made peasants to leave the country for earning. As
a result, nearly 50%-60% of the lands, which is about 560,000 ha,
have not been cultivated for years and are degrading. The government
assistance to farmers – equipment, fertilizers, and seeds – does not
reach the target.

“Ask any villager what assistance they have received from the Ministry,
he will answer – nothing. Farmers are given a bunch of seeds, a cup
of diesel ahead of elections, which is assessed as voter bribery. Most
of villagers live in misery. Some receive private transfers, otherwise
they would be starving,” Sedrakyan said.

To settle the problems of villagers, Sedrakyan’s organization offers
providing target-oriented assistance to poor villagers. He offers the
government to procure agricultural products from poor farmers for the
prices higher than the market ones, especially, in the near-border
villages. In addition, he suggests providing loans to villagers for 15
years at an annual interest of 3%-5% instead of the current 10% for a
period of 1 year, which is a real fraud. He said such high-interest
loans are not in demand among farmers. Those who have already taken
such loans fail to redeem the interests. Sedrakyan said that he voiced
the given issue at the Collegial Meeting of the Ministry and received
no response.

For his part, a member of the Farmers Movement said that agricultural
loans for 10% annual interest are highly in demand, but not all the
farmers can get them for they are limited.

To recall, the government subsidies the annual interests of the
above agricultural loans by 4% for farmers and by 6% for especially
unsecured 225 communities in the country. So, the farmers receive
the loans for 8%-10% annual interest.

48 CHARITABLE PROGRAMMES DURING 2012

Friday, 18 January 2013 13:01

The commission on systematization of NKR government charitable
programmes convened 27 sessions during 2012. 48 charitable programmes
at a total amount of AMD 4742.2 mln were carried out, the website
of the NKR Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs informs. Among
the serious programmes are the construction of a kindergarten for
360 children in Stepanakert, a vocational school in Shoushi, the
reconstruction activities of the memorial complex in Stepanakert and
the drinking water supply system in Martouni and Hadrout.

The commission cooperated with the NKR permanent representatives
in different countries on importing humanitarian aid. 22 batches of
goods to the amount of 351,9 mln drams were received into the Republic
/compared to 2011 with 20 batches to the sum of 375,5 mln drams/.

ANONYMOUS TARGET AZERI SPECIAL STATE PROTECTION SERVICE

January 21, 2013 – 14:40 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Anonymous hackers have published more than 1.7 GB
of data allegedly stolen from Azerbaijan’s Special State Protection
Service (dmx.gov.az).

The information leaked not only belonged to the Special State
Protection Service, but also to other related organizations, including
ING Geneva, Sumato Energy, BNP Paribas, Taurus Petroleum and even
security solutions provider Prolexic.

The data were published on par-anoia.net, a site belonging to the
Anonymous Intelligence Agency.

The hackers say the files contain passport scans, reports, confidential
shareholder documents, account statements, letters of credit, and
details of oil drilling technologies, news.softpedia.com reported.

BLAST IN VANADZOR CHEMICAL PLANT; 1 REPORTED DEAD

TERT.AM
21.01.13

An explosion at the Vanadzor chemical plant, Prometey Chimprom,
has claimed one person’s life.

According to the Emergency Ministry’s official website, a rapid
reaction group of the local rescue service immediately went to the
scene after receiving the report on Monday morning.

The deceased was identified as a 32-year-old D. A. A tare explosion
is said to be the death cause.

UN TURC DE VAN A TRAVERSE LA FRONTIERE ARMENO-TURQUE POUR SE REFUGIER EN ARMENIE
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
mardi 22 janvier 2013

Le Ministère armenien de la Surete nationale a informe qu’un citoyen
Turc qui avait franchi la frontière turco-armenienne etait arrete. Le
Turc âge de 35 ans est un habitant de Van. Depuis le village frontalier
turc de Melmdjan, il avait franchi la frontière et s’etait retrouve a
Pakaran un village armenien de la region d’Armavir. Il etait aussitôt
arrete par les forces de la police armenienne et poursuivi par la
justice armenienne pour passage illegal de la frontière. L’homme
risque jusqu’a trois ans de prison pour son acte.

C’est le 8 janvier vers midi que l’individu etait arrete alors qu’il
se trouvait a Pakaran en Armenie. Auparavant il fut accueilli par
Arthur Sahakian, un villageois armenien de 53 ans qui lui a offert du
the. ” Je lui ai meme propose de la vodka et de la nourriture. Mais
il refusa. Je lui ai propose qu’il change ses habits car en traversant
la rivière il etait trempe. Mais il refusa egalement. Il a bu son the
est s’est assis près d’un appareil a chauffage car il avait froid ” dit
Arthur Sahakian. Selon le turc, son acte fait suite a sa colère contre
les autorites turques et avait decide de partir quitter son pays.

mardi 22 janvier 2013, Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

UN CANDIDAT A LA PRESIDENTIELLE EN GRAVE DE LA FAIM
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
mardi 22 janvier 2013

Tert.am rapporte qu’Andreas Ghukasyan, candidat a l’election
presidentielle,i a commence sa campagne avec une grève de la faim. Il
a passe la nuit de lundi a mardi dans une rue d’Erevan, assis sur
une chaise a l’exterieur de l’Academie nationale des Sciences.

Le candidat a appele a la suspension de la mission de l’OSCE / BIDDH
d’observation des elections en Armenie. Il avait auparavant demande a
la Commission electorale centrale de ne pas enregistrer la candidature
du president sortant Serge Sarkissian.

” Nous sommes conscients que le rapport de la mission a l’election de
2008 a servi de fondement aux autorites de recourir a la force contre
les manifestants qui protestaient contre l’election “, a-t-il dit.

Il a recu la visite de ses proches et de Raffi Hovhannissian, qui
lui-meme avait eu recours a ce genre de demonstration pour faire
entendre sa voix.

mardi 22 janvier 2013, Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

BAKOU CONFIRME SES MENACES VISANT L’AEROPORT DE STEPANAKERT
Gari

armenews.com
mardi 22 janvier 2013

Le gouvernement de l’Azerbaïdjan a officialise vendredi 18 janvier
un document relatif a son espace aerien, qui autoriserait l’armee
azerie a abattre tout avion civil dont elle considèrerait qu’il viole
l’espace aerien national.

Ce texte, qui repond ouvertement a l’annonce, par les autorites du
Haut Karabagh, de l’ouverture de l’aeroport de Stepanakert, autorise
le gouvernement de l’Azerbaïdjan a declarer l’interdiction ou la
limitation de certaines parties de son espace aerien, et ainsi, a
frapper tout avion cense violer les règles relatives aux limitations
de l’espace aerien azeri.

“Si l’appareil n’obeit pas aux ordres d’atterrissage qui lui sont
transmis ou si l’on ne dispose pas d’informations precises selon
lesquelles il transporte a son bord d’innocents passagers, la
legislation autorisera le gouvernement a abattre l’avion “, precise
l’agence de presse azerie APA, qui se faisait l’echo de ces nouvelles
menaces de Bakou visant l’aeroport de Stepanakert.

L’Armenie a repondu a de telles menaces en assurant que ses forces
aeriennes garantiraient la securite de l’aeroport de la capitale du
Haut Karabagh, que le president armenien Serge Sarkissian entend
bien inaugurer personnellement, puisqu’il s’est engage a figurer
au nombre des passagers a bord du premier avion devant assurer la
liaison Erevan-Stepabakert. Le ministre de la defense d’Armenie Seyran
Ohanian a indique de son côte aux journalistes le 18 janvier que
“l’armee de l’air d’Armenie superviserait les operations de vol de
l’aviation civile”, et etait prete a assurer la securite de ces vols.

Stepanakert est dote depuis 1974 d’un aeroport qui, a l’epoque
sovietique, assurait essentiellement les liaisons avec Erevan et
Bakou. L’aeroport a cesse ses activites en 1992 alors que les combats
faisaient rage entre Armeniens et azeris pour le contrôle du Karabagh.

En 2008, ont commence les travaux de construction d’un nouveau
terminal de passagers. Le petit aeroport flambant neuf a la forme
d’un aigle deployant ses ailes. Les pistes ont ete aussi reamenagees,
en rasant les collines alentour, et l’aeroport repond aux normes les
plus modernes. Depuis que les autorites du Haut Karabagh ont annonce
la mise en operation de l’aeroport, Bakou a multiplie les declarations
belliqueuses, allant jusqu’a menacer d’abattre tout avion civil qui
aurait l’audace d’utiliser l’aeroport de Stepanakert. Les autorites
azeries avaient dû baisser d’un ton face aux reactions des mediateurs
internationaux du Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE, qui ont appele les deux
parties a regler la question par la voie diplomatique. Mais la decision
annoncee par le gouvernement azeri montre que les autorites de Bakou
n’entendent pas se conformer aux normes et règlements internationaux,
et n’hesitent pas a menacer des civils.

Indifferente a ces menaces, la Television nationale de l’Artsakh a
diffuse un clip entièrement tourne a l’aeroport de Stepanakert dont
il fait la promotion.

Après la diffusion de ce clip, la chaîne de television a ete submerge
d’appels de telespectateurs desireux de savoir quand precisement
l’aeroport serait en activite.

Selon les autorites de l’Artsakh, il reste d’infimes questions
logistiques a regler pour que l’aeroport soit complètement
operationnel.

mardi 22 janvier 2013, Gari ©armenews.com

HAYRIKYAN’S SUPPORTER DISTRIBUTING LEAFLETS

05:00 pm | January 21, 2013 | Politics

Presidential candidate Paruyr Hayrikyan started his presidential
campaign distributing leaflets and cassettes to Armenian citizens.

Karapet Musheghyan, a supporter of the presidential candidate, has
distributed over 800 leaflets at Yerevan’s Republic Square since the
morning.

“As a staunch supporter of Mr Hayrikyan, I wanted to make a small
contribution for him,” Mr Musheghyan said adding that he was doing it
for free.

People reacted to the move in different ways: some accepted the
leaflets with pleasure, others refused to take them saying they had
already chosen their candidate.

RAFFI HOVHANNISYAN DISAGREES WITH THE OPINION THAT THE OUTCOME OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IS PREDETERMINED
Alisa Gevorgyan

“Radiolur”
19:07 21.01.2013

presidential elections, Raffi Hovhannisyan

Raffi Hovhannisyan kicked off the election campaign from Aram
Khachatryan’s statue today. Under the slogan “It’s possible” the
presidential candidate will travel to the regions of Armenia to try
to convince the voters that changes in Armenia are really possible;
it’s only necessary to believe in it and demonstrate political will
at the presidential elections of February 18.

“We’ll try to convince people that only through struggle will it
be possible to reach changes, especially considering that we have
a candidate, who’s ready to struggle for a new, changing Armenia,”
said Armen Martirosyan, representative of the Heritage Party.

In case of free and legitimate elections, Armenia will have a new
President on February 19.

Raffi Hovhannisyan

Hovhannisyan disagrees with the opinion that the outcome of the
presidential elections is predetermined. “Only God can predict. In
the human domain everything is subject to change and everything
is possible,” the candidate said, adding that he’s resolute to
struggle against the violations he witnessed before the start of the
presidential race.

Accompanied by a small group of supporters, Raffi Hovhannisyan walked
along the Mashtots Avenue, exchanging handshakes, smiles and a few
words with the residents of Yerevan.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER HOSTED DELEGATION OF JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

20:01, 21 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Armenia hosted students and lecturers of School of International
Studies of Johns Hopkins University on January 21. As Armenpress was
informed from press, informational and public relations department
of Armenian MFA, at the meeting Minister Nalbandian presented foreign
policy priorities of Armenia.

Answering number of questions, Foreign Minister of Armenia presented
negotiation process of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the efforts of
Armenia and international community aimed at it, as well as referred
to some region issue guests were interested in.