Author: Kajoyan Gevork

OUVERTURE : MEURTRE DE MILITANTES KURDES, DEMANDE D’UN DEBAT AFFAIRES ETRANGERES
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 18 janvier 2013

L’assassinat brutal des militantes kurdes Sakine Cansiz, Fidan
Dogan et Leyla Soylemez a Paris, la semaine dernière, ne doit pas
rester impuni, a insiste le President Schulz, dans son allocution
d’ouverture. Plusieurs deputes ont appele a modifier l’ordre du jour
de manière a debattre du Mali, de la Syrie et du Kosovo en presence
de la responsable de la politique des affaires etrangères, Catherine
Ashton, mardi.

M. Schulz a fait part de la profonde sympathie du Parlement aux
proches des victimes – certains etaient presents dans l’hemicycle –
et a soutenu la determination des autorites francaises de traduire
les responsables en justice.

L’agenda de Mme Ashton ne lui permettant pas d’intervenir mercredi,
plusieurs deputes ont preconise de modifier l’ordre du jour, de
manière a debattre avec la Haute representante mardi, notamment du
Mali où des citoyens europeens ont perdu la vie et pour lequel des
Etats membres commencent a deployer leurs forces, mais aussi de la
Syrie et du Kosovo.

vendredi 18 janvier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

DES MEMBRES D’ARMENIE PROSPERE FERONT CAMPAGNE POUR LE PRESIDENT SARKISSIAN
Gari

armenews.com
vendredi 18 janvier 2013

Non seulement Gaguik Tsaroukian, le leader du Parti Armenie prospère
(BHK), ne se presentera comme candidat face au president sortant
Serge Sarkissian, lors des elections presidentielles du 18 fevrier,
mais plusieurs membres de la deuxième formation du Parlement, qui se
revendique pourtant encore de l’opposition, pourraient faire campagne
en vue de la reelection de Serge Sarkissian, a annonce le 16 janvier
un proche collaborateur de l’actuel chef de l’Etat armenien. M.

Tsaroukian, qui avait refuse de reconduire l’accord en vue d’une
coalition gouvernementale avec le Parti republicain (HHK) du president
Sarkissian au lendemain des legislatives de mai 2012, avait pris ses
marques dans l’opposition depuis, et sa candidature semblaitr ne faire
aucun doute, alors que les sondages le presentaient comme l’adversaire
le plus serieux de M. Sarkissian, qui brigue un deuxième mandat.

Mais en decembre, contre toute attente, le BHK jetait l’eponge et
annoncait que s’il ne presentait aucun candidat aux presidentielles,
il n’apporterait non plus son soutien a aucun des candidats en lice.

Une position qui a ete tenue par certains analystes politiques pour un
boycott pur et simple du scrutin a venir. Mais pour Galust Sahakian,
vice-president du HHK, l’analyse serait erronee. “Des branches
regionales d’Armenie prospère et d’ailleurs aussi d’autres partis
armeniens envisagent une cooperation [avec le HHK,]”, a declare le
responsable du parti presidentiel lors d’une conference de presse,
en ajoutant qu’il trouvait cela ” normal car nous aussi nous faisons
notre possible pour faire passer notre message electoral”.

M. Sahakian a souligne dans le meme temps que le HHK au pouvoir
ne cherchait pas a jeter des passerelles vers le BHK en vue de
reconstruire l’alliance avec son ancien partenaire politique ni a
obtenir le soutien electoral de M. Tsarukian au president Sarkissian,
grand favori du scrutin de fevrier. Les partisans les plus fidèles
de M. Tsarukian experiment eux-memes leur volonte de contribuer a la
reelection de M. Sarkissian, a-t-il ajoute. M.Sahakian et d’autres
hauts responsables du HHK n’ont cesse de repeter que la victoire du
president sortant etait courue d’avance, et que la participation de M.

Tsarukian au scrutin du 18 fevrier n’y changerait rien.

Deux autres formations de l’opposition ont cree la surprise en
refusant d’entrer dans la course : le Congrès national armenien (HAK)
de l’ancien president Levon Ter Petrossian a refuse de se presenter
contre M. Sarkissian, alors que tout laissait a penser qu’il voulait
sa revanche après avoir conteste dans la rue la victoire de l’actue
president en fevrier 2008 ; de meme, la FRA Dachnaktsoutioun, qui
s’etait retiree de la coalition gouvernementale quelques mois après
l’election de M. Sarkissian, en raison du processus de normalisation
avec la Turquie, a annonce dernièrement qu’elle ne presentait pas de
candidat, après negociations avec d’autres partis sur l’eventualite
d’une candidature commune.

Mais contrairement au BHK, les deux formations avaient clairement
fait savoir en decembre dernier qu’elles ne presenteraient pas de
candidats parce qu’elles avaient la conviction que les elections a
venir ne seraient pas democratiques, alors meme que le pouvoir en
place les voudrait exemplaires.

vendredi 18 janvier 2013, Gari ©armenews.com

GEORGIA’S IVANISHVILI SAYS ‘BALL IN MY COURT’ ON JAVAKHK

Thursday, January 17th, 2013

President Sarkisian greets Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili

YEREVAN-Georgia’s Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is on an
official visit to Armenia, said the “ball is now in my court,” to
fulfill campaign promises regarding the improvement of conditions for
the Armenian population of Javakhk, reported Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty’s Armenian Service on Thursday.

Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service, Ivanishvili pledged to do his
best to improve the situation in Georgia’s Javakhki region mainly
populated by Armenians. Most of them voted for his Georgian Dream
alliance in the October elections.

“The Georgian opposition has never received so many ethnic Armenian
votes before,” said Ivanishvili. “I want to again thank [Javakhk
Armenians.] I gave them many promises. I won’t list those promises
now. But I guarantee that the ball is now in my court.”

During his first visit to Armenia since becoming Georgia’s prime
minister Ivanishvili also pledged to seek the restoration of Georgia’s
railway communication with Russia, vital for Armenia, and help make
Georgian-Armenian relations “ideal” during his first official visit
to Yerevan on Thursday.

He also announced an ambitious initiative to end a long-running
dispute between the government-backed Armenian and Georgian churches
after holding talks with President Serzh Sarkisian and Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan.

“I think Armenian-Georgian relations can today be considered normal
and even good,” Ivanishvili told RFE/RL’s Armenian service in an
exclusive interview. “We spoke about their future with your president
and prime minister. I think we agreed that our centuries-old relations
must become ideal and exemplary.

“This is what I personally and our new government are aiming for,
and I felt the same desire by the Armenian government.”

Ivanishvili, who swept to power after defeating Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili’s party in last October’s parliamentary elections,
was particularly satisfied with his “very warm” meeting with Tigran
Sargsyan. “We spoke in such an atmosphere as if we have known each
other since childhood,” he told a joint news conference with his
Armenian counterpart.

Ivanishvili spoke of “interesting decisions” adopted by them. “There
are a few remaining issues that need further discussion, but I am
confident that we will agree on them as well,” he said.

One of the key issues on the agenda was Ivanishvili’s post-election
calls for the reopening of the railway linking Georgia to Russia via
its breakaway region of Abkhazia. The railway, which used to serve
as a lifeline road for landlocked Armenia, has been closed since the
outbreak of a bloody war in Abkhazia in 1992. Successive Armenian
governments have for years held out hope for its re-launch.

“I think that [the railway] will definitely be opened,” Ivanishvili
told RFE/RL’s Armenian service later in the day. “We have discussed
this issue today for two or three times. On our side, there is full
readiness [to have it reopened.]”

“I feel that Russia is showing understanding for this issue. There
are positive signals from our Abkhaz brothers,” he said.

Ivanishvili explained that renewed rail communication between
Georgia and Russia would be in line with his government’s strategy of
facilitating the eventual resolution of the conflicts over Abkhazia
and South Ossetia through confidence-building measures.

The billionaire businessman-turned-politician, who made his huge
fortune in Russia in the 1990s, has advocated a softer Georgian line
on Moscow ever since entering the political arena in late 2011.

Georgia and Russia severed diplomatic relations after fighting a
brief but bitter war in 2008.

Prime Minister Sargsyan said he reaffirmed Yerevan’s strong interest in
the reopening of the Abkhaz railway during the talks with his Georgian
counterpart. “We stressed that we will make every effort to have the
railway operate efficiently,” he told reporters. “We are interested
in a quick solution to that issue and will adopt a proactive stance
in its settlement.”

Most of the freight shipments to and from Armenia are currently
carried out through the Georgian Black Sea ports of Batumi and Poti.

The Russian-Georgian rail link would make some of those deliveries
cheaper and thus shore up the struggling Armenian economy.

According to Ivanishvili, Sarkisian also called for the creation of
a Georgian-Armenian “common market.” He said he likes idea.

In what was described as a further step towards bilateral economic
integration, the two premiers presided over the signing of a
Georgian-Armenian agreement on joint customs administration at the
border between the two neighboring states. Yerevan had tentatively
agreed on the joint use of the border checkpoints with Georgia’s
previous cabinet controlled by Saakashvili.

Ivanishvili also discussed in Yerevan the issue of worship sites
claimed by the Armenian Apostolic and Georgian Orthodox Churches. The
unresolved dispute centers on ownership of several formerly Armenian
churches in Tbilisi as well as abandoned medieval monasteries in
Armenia’s Lori province bordering Georgia. The supreme heads of the
two churches failed to reach any agreements during almost one week
of negotiations held in June 2011.

Ivanishvili said he proposed that his private charity finance the
renovation of all disputed churches “in both countries” pending a
joint Georgian-Armenian study of their origin. “We could also do
archaeological work there, which I’m also ready to finance through
my fund,” he said.

“I think this initiative was received well by the [Armenian] president
and the prime minister,” added Ivanishvili. “I think that we will set
up a bilateral commission in a matter of days, start the process of
restoration of these monuments and clarify their origin.”

Ivanishvili discussed the matter at a separate meeting with Catholicos
Karekin II at the Etchmiadzin headquarters of the Armenian Church. The
Catholicos’ office said the Armenian pontiff expressed hope for its
“proper resolution.”

GEORGIAN PM VOWS SUPPORT TO ARMENIAN COMMUNITY

January 17, 2013 – 16:37 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said
Armenian community offered him a warm welcome during his election
campaign.

“I have a lot of Armenian friends,” he told a joint press conference
with Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, pledging to implement the
provisions of his election program with respect to Georgian Armenians.

“Our government will take every effort to help Armenians feel at home
and integrate into Georgian society,” he said.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA

By Messenger Staff
Thursday, January 17

Armenia will vote for a president on February 18. There are 8
candidates nominated for the presidency. The most notorious is Vardan
Sedrakyan whose program has a very distinct anti-Georgian form. Of
course Sedrakyan has no chance to win the elections, but the fact
that a candidate with such a program participates in the election is
already very alarming.

Initially there were 15 people applying to run for the presidency
but only 8 of them submitted to the Central Election Commission and
provided the required financial deposit of $20, 000 USD and were
thus registered. Sedrakyan’s anti-Georgian statements were already
known however.

According to Sedrakyan, similar crises including Karabakh’s
independence, which Armenia supports, is the independence of Abkhazia
and South Ossetia. He said the non-recognition of these entities as
independent is a “serious error” committed by Armenia. He promises
that in the case of victory he will do his best in this direction.

Moreover, Sedrakyan thinks that there are 250, 000 Armenian ethnic
representatives in Georgia who insist on the separation from Georgia
of the Javakheti region where most Armenians are concentrated. As
for Karabakh, Sedrakyan plans to declare it as an integral part of
Armenia together with the adjacent to Karabakh Azeri territories
which are now occupied by Armenia.

The next step according to his plan is to take over the Nakhchevan
autonomous region of Azerbaijan and integrate it with Armenia.

The lunatic dreams of Sedrakyan go further. He wants to recognize
Abkhazia as an independent entity with the capital in Kutaisi. This
delirium of the presidential candidate really embarrasses the
Armenian ethnic Diaspora in Georgia. Some of them commenting about
these issues say Sedrakyan is not a politician and his participation
in the elections is just a kind of humor. No serious politician would
repeat what he is saying,

Of course nobody in Georgia should seriously discuss this nonsense
and definitely no Armenian political figure is repeating similar
statements. They accept and recognize Georgia’s territorial integrity
and understand the real situation and friendly sentiments between
the two neighboring nations.

Arnold Stepanian, Chairman of the public movement Multinational
Georgia, stated that Sedrakyan has a zero rating in Armenia. It is
obvious that Sedrakyan will further disseminate his position when the
election campaign starts in Armenia from January 25. Without a doubt,
such statements are not in Armenia’s interests. However, the question
remains: who stands behind Sedrakyan and who is financing his election
campaign and his notorious ideas?

OEK MEMBER: IF HAK, BHK, AND ARFD PUT UP CANDIDATES, THERE WOULD BE RIVALRY

Each political force makes it own decision about what to do, and
each political decision is made taking into account the internal
problems of the given force. Member of the Orinats Yerkir Party (OEK)
faction Khachik Harutyunian expressed this opinion at a meeting with
journalists today, when discussing the decisions of Armenian National
Congress (HAK), Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), and ARF-Dashnaktsutyun
not to put up their own candidates.

“If these political forces had put up their candidates, there would
have been a rivalry in the election,” he noted.

By the way, the member of OEK declined to comment on the recent
interview of the second Armenian President Robert Kocharian, saying
that time and history will assess all this.

CATHOLICOS MEDIATED FOR CHAKHALYAN

Story from Lragir.am News:

23:12 17/01/2013

On January 17 the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II met with
the Georgian delegation headed by Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina
Ivanishvili.

During the meeting the catholicos touched upon issues relating to the
Armenian monuments in Georgia and their appropriate conservation,
as well as the return of some churches to the Georgian diocese of
the Armenian Church. He requested the Georgian prime minister on
behalf of the Armenians of Georgia to introduce Armenian history
classes at Armenian schools. Garegin II also mediated the release of
Vahagn Chakhalyan, a Javakhk-based Armenian civil society activist,
from prison.

The Georgian prime minister expressed his deep respect for the
Armenian people. He promised to attend personally to the conservation
of churches and teaching of Armenian history at schools, as well as
noted that the issue of Chakhalyan is under consideration.

BAKO SAHAKYAN RECEIVED DELEGATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE

21:05, 17 January, 2013

On 17 January President of Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan received
delegation of the Republic of Armenia ministry of finance headed by
deputy minister Vardan Aramyan. As Central information department
of the office of the Artsakh Republic President, a number of issues
related to the cooperation between the two Armenian states in the field
of finance were discussed at the meeting. Special attention was paid
to pensions reforms. The President noted that the pensions system
is among the most significant components of social security, which
touches upon a number of economic, moral and ethical factors. Bako
Sahakyan emphasized that the implementation of reforms in the system
itself requires a balanced and systematic approach. The Head of State
underlined the importance of studying international experience and
the cooperation with the Republic of Armenia in this process. NKR
minister of finance and economics Spartak Tevosyan and other officials
were present at the meeting.

IVANISHVILI SAYS ABKHAZIAN RAILWAY SEGMENT MAY RE-OPEN

YEREVAN, January 17. /ARKA/. Georgia’s Prime Minister Bidzina
Ivanishvili implies the Abkhazian railway segment may start operating
again as officials resolve a number of issues.

“I think it is possible… You know there are no disputes between
Armenia and Georgia. But we have huge disputes with Russia. The issues
were significant, and unfortunately remain so up to these days. We
hope and attempt to restore and normalize our relations with Russia
as soon as possible.

The deepest and toughest controversy issue is a territorial integrity
of Georgia… I think it will not happen too soon,” Ivanishvili said
Thursday in Yerevan at a joint press conference with his Armenian
counterpart Tigran Sargsyan.

The railway re-launch is closely linked to these issues and will be
considered in such context, Ivanishvili added.

“But I think these issues can be resolved earlier if all parties
agree. Georgia is already expressing its willingness,” Ivanishvili
said.

Nevertheless, there is another side as well-Russia. Georgian PM also
mentioned the complicated relations with the Abkhazians.

“All parties should express their willingness. From our side we are
completely ready to resolve these issues as soon as possible.”

On his side, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan noted this issue
was discussed by both sides, Armenia and Georgia.

“We reported on our efforts to support restoring the efficient
operation of the railway. We are interested to see this issue resolved
as soon as possible, and we will take a proactive position in settling
this dispute,” Sargsyan added.

In late October 2012 Minister for Reintegration of Georgia Paata
Zakareishvili said the Georgian authorities are ready to restore the
railway connection with Russia within the “strategy for de-isolation
of Abkhazia.” The opening of the Abkhazian-Georgian railway segment
is strategically important for Armenia, as it is the shortest and
cheapest way to Russia. -0-

UN BUREAU D’HAYPOST MODERNISE S’OUVRE A MARALIK
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 17 janvier 2013

Une succursale modernisee de ” Haypost ” dans la ville de Maralik,
region de Shirak s’est ouverte.

Selon le grand programme de modernisation, 50 bureaux de poste renoves
doivent etre ouverts en Armenie dont 15 d’entre eux a Erevan.

Parmi les participants a la ceremonie d’ouverture etaient presents le
maire de Maralik Artak Gevorgyan, le directeur executif par interim
de Haypost Avagyan Hayk, le personnel de l’entreprise et les residents.

Haypost est l’operateur postal national d’Armenie. Il dispose de 900
succursales postales dans toute l’Armenie.

jeudi 17 janvier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com