Author: Kajoyan Gevork

DES HOMMES POLITIQUES DE L~ROPPOSITION ONT ÉTÉ MIS SUR ÉCOUTE
Laetitia

armenews.com
mercredi 19 decembre 2012

Deux politiciens de l’opposition ont demande officiellement aux
autorites de la police mardi d’engager des poursuites penales envers
ceux qui ont enregistre et divulgue leur conversation dans un cafe
d’Erevan.

Levon Zurabian, le chef du groupe parlementaire du Congrès National
Armenien (HAK), et l’ancien ministre des Affaires etrangères Vartan
Oskanian ont exige qu’une enquete soit ouverte. Ils ont egalement
accuse les autorites armeniennes d’avoir illegalement mis sur ecoute
leurs discussions sur des questions politiques sensibles.

” Il est evident pour nous qu’il s’agit d’un crime commis par les
services speciaux “, a dit Zurabian.” Ils disent qu’ils n’ont rien
a voir avec ca. Si c’est le cas, laissez-les identifier les vrais
criminels. ”

mercredi 19 decembre 2012, Laetitia ©armenews.com

Armenian Environmental Network
PO Box 56336
Washington, DC 20040
Tel: (443) 850-0146
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Armenia Tree Project
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel: (617) 926-TREE
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
December 19, 2012

Armenian Government Ignores Concerns Raised by 14 Organizations about Teghut
Mine

The Armenia Copper Programme (ACP), a division of the Vallex Group
registered offshore in Liechtenstein, has begun operating a controversial
mining project initiated in 2007 in the northern village of Teghut, Armenia.
Preliminary work on the project began with the clearing of a portion of the
pristine Teghut Forest to create a massive tailing dump for the toxic waste
left after mineral processing. Currently, the company is aggressively
removing a mountain in order to reach the underground deposits of copper and
molybdenum.

The Republic of Armenia has openly made mining a key part of its economic
development strategy for the country, despite widespread public protest on
environmental, economic, and social grounds. There are more than 400 active
mines and 19 tailing dumps in Armenia, a small country the size of the US
state of Maryland. Scientists have reported major health risks in
communities around the mines scattered throughout Armenia. Human rights and
environmental activists have also protested violations of property rights
and the loss of rare and endangered ecosystems and biodiversity.

According to an expert at a recent conference on the socio-economics of
mining held at American University of Armenia, the value of the minerals in
the Teghut mine are $20 billion, yet only $300 million is anticipated in
taxes and salaries from this project, or a mere 1.5 percent. This is widely
understood to be grossly inadequate to cover the environmental and social
costs that a project of this type and magnitude will generate.

A coalition of 14 prominent organizations including Armenia Tree Project
(ATP) and Armenian Environmental Network (AEN) sent a letter to President
Serzh Sargsyan and Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan on October 30, requesting
an independent Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Teghut mining
project.

“Cases brought in opposition to the operations in Armenian courts have been
cursorily and improperly dismissed on strictly procedural bases without
proper examination as to the substance of the claims. The Environmental
Impact Assessment and public notice requirements are fatally flawed. The
irreparable damage already done to Teghut, and the yet greater damage that
will be done to the region if mining continues, demand immediate attention,”
reads the letter, in part.

The joint letter requests the EIA in order to: 1) comply with domestic and
international laws, 2) determine and present an accurate analysis of the
environmental impact of the Teghut mining operations, 3) address the
potential public health impacts of the Teghut mining operations, 4) take
alternative development options to mining into consideration, and 5) restore
public faith and trust in government. For the full text of the letter, go
to:

The coalition recently received a response to the letter from Edgar
Pirumyan, Ministry of Nature Protection Chief of Staff, who said that an EIA
was completed within the scope of the law and that the project was therefore
approved. For the full text of the reply, go to:

“We are disappointed with the perfunctory response through the Ministry of
Nature Protection whose primary mission is the protection of Armenia’s
environment. While an environmental assessment was conducted for the Teghut
mining project, the organization conducting it, LMI, is a subsidiary of
Vallex, which is the project sponsor. By international standards, the LMI
assessment certainly cannot be considered an ‘independent’ environmental
assessment,” notes ATP Managing Director Tom Garabedian.

“We restate our request that a valid independent environmental impact
assessment be conducted before any further work at the Teghut site is
undertaken. We are heartened by the public scrutiny which the Teghut project
has received and support the efforts of the activists who are petitioning
the Armenian government. In a recent visit to California, the Prime Minister
expressed his commitment to Armenia’s environment. We hope that there is a
willingness of the government to reexamine Teghut and mining in Armenia as a
whole,” concludes Garabedian.

“The Teghut issue resonates with Armenians near and far because it weaves
together a number of contemporary issues: rule of law; transparency in
decision-making; public health considerations; and public access to
information,” says Ursula Kazarian, President of AEN. She continues, “The
unrelenting pillaging of precious and limited natural resources for the
short-term financial benefit of a handful of foreign and Armenian investors
is both tragic and appalling. Despite the government’s lackluster response
to our request for an independent EIA, we are encouraged by the increasing
civic engagement we are seeing on the ground and in the Diaspora around this
issue, and we hope to see that momentum continue.”

The letter was co-signed by Acopian Center for the Environment, Armenian
American Health Professionals Organization, Armenian American Medical
Association, Armenian American Nurses Association, Armenian American
Pharmacists Association, Armenian Bar Association, Armenian International
Dental Association, Armenian Medical International Committee, Axis of
Justice (Serj Tankian), Civic Forum, haikProject, and World Wide Fund for
Nature, Armenia.

The Armenian Environmental Network’s (AEN) mission is to increase
information and engagement among Armenians, in Armenia and in the Diaspora,
and the wider conservation community about environmental issues in Armenia,
while facilitating environmentally sustainable development in Armenia
through responsible partnerships of Diasporan and international resources.
Please visit the website

ATP’s mission is to assist the Armenian people in using trees to improve
their standard of living and protect the environment, guided by the desire
to promote self-sufficiency, aid those with the fewest resources first, and
conserve the indigenous ecosystem. ATP’s three major programs are tree
planting, environmental education, and sustainable development initiatives.
For more information, please visit the website

“PARTY SUICIDE BOMBERS” VS. SOCIETY
HAKOB BADALYAN

15:12 19/12/2012
Story from Lragir.am News:

The decision of the Court of General Jurisdiction of Shirak on the
case of Mataghis caused different reactions within the society.

Besides happiness and excitement, there is also the opinion that the
decision of the court has nothing in common with real justice. Though
the accused young men have been acquitted, those guilty have not been
revealed and punished.

All this is clear. The unclear thing is the tendency to break or
eliminate what the society can consider its victory, even if it is
the result of some government scenario.

After all, if the situation makes the authorities fulfill one order
or another which matches the public interest, this means that the
government has to take that step, otherwise it would never care for
the public interest. Consequently, the success of the public interest
must not be eliminated but generated to inspire in the society that
its efforts can lead to success, and this will become a precondition
for bigger success.

After all, if the government freed the political prisoners, it
was part of a scenario but this does not mean that the political
prisoners should not be released and the society should have called
on them to return behind the bars. The political prisoners were not
even acquitted, they were granted pardon.

The case of Mataghis is not the renaissance of the system of justice.

There are many other unknown innocent people in jails in Armenia.

Certainly, the Mataghis case is not the symbol of the government’s
reform. It is a pure calculation, necessity for the authorities.

However, as a result, three innocent conscripts who were sent to jail
on the basis of evidence obtained through violence are now free. How
else can this be called if not justice? Is this not the success of
people, political figures, journalists, human rights defenders who
fought for them? What is this then?

What is the meaning of efforts to confront this success with lack of
success on other fronts or to present it as a reason for the lack
of success in other spheres? Whose plan, whose jealousy or whose
imprudence is this that makes some people squash this success?

There was a similar situation in Mashtots Park, after the victory
achieved there.

Jealousy has become a political weapon against civility in Armenia.

This weapon is quite effective because it is not only at the propaganda
but also psychological level. It is very difficult to fight this
level not only for the civil society but also for all those living
weapons, zombie people who become the first victims of their weapon,
“suicide bombers of the party”.

Here, no one wins but the party and governmental systems, which
maintain the civil-political status quo where they hold inter-party,
inter-political bargaining with commercial secrets, and all the other
trading rules. The only thing left to do is to allow the establishment
of political rules in the civil sphere, and as soon as outlines are
noticed in the far, the “party suicide bombers” are immediately landed.

“HELP YOUR BROTHER” INITIATIVE HELPS SYRIAN ARMENIANS WITH CASH MONEY INSTEAD OF SENDING HUMANITARIAN AID
Nvard Davtyan

“Radiolur”
17:53 19.12.2012

The “Help your Brother” initiative launched on September 18 now helps
Syrian Armenians with cash money instead of sending humanitarian aid
to Syria. The initiative is now concentrated on assistance programs
to Syrian Armenians who have found refuge in Armenia and Artsakh.

“We faced a number of problems with the delivery of humanitarian aid
on plane. For example, because of the military actions it is simply
impossible to transport the humanitarian aid to Armenian-populated
regions other than Aleppo. We had not taken account of it. Therefore,
now we simply transfer money to Syrian Armenians,” MP Vahan
Hovhannisyan told reporters today.

They have already transferred 5 mln AMD to 22 Syrian Armenian families
based in Kashatagh (Artsakh). They are preparing New Year gifts to
about 300 Syrian Armenian children.

“The activity of the “Help your Brother” initiative showed that the
idea of lending a helping hand to Syrian Armenians has no political,
geopolitical and ideological limits,” president of the pan-national
initiative Lilit Galstyan said.

“Different benefactors, individuals and organizations have donated
41 mln AMD, 750 thousand Russian rubles and foodstuffs with a total
cost of about $31 AMD,” she informed.

Lilit Galstyan and Vahan Hovhannisyan expressed gratitude to all
organizations and individuals, who have responded to their call. Vahan
Hovhannisyan urged to be as generous on the eve of the New Year. The
initiative will continue to help Syrian Armenians until the end of
the conflict. As Hovhannisyan said, the end of the crisis is not
yet visible.

The MP does not believe the conflict will come to an end with the out
throwing of Assad’s regime. On the contrary, this will bring about
new problems, the solution of which will demand new steps.

TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN WILL DO EVERYTHING TO DISCREDIT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

NEWS.AM
December 19, 2012 | 13:30

YEREVAN.- On the eve of 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,
Azerbaijan and Turkey will spare no effort to discredit the fact
in the countries which had not recognized the Genocide so far, ARFD
member said.

Giro Manoyan, head of the Armenian Cause Office, said Armenia must set
a goal not only to recognize the Genocide but eliminate consequences of
the crime. It is the issue which must become a task uniting Armenians
all over the globe.

Manoyan forecast the number of states opposing Genocide recognition
will reduce by 2015.

“For example, the U.S. legislators, who have acknowledged the genocide
for several times, will attempt to influence the executive body of the
country. The number of countries, not recognizing Armenian Genocide due
to good relations with Turkey, will also decrease,” Manoyan believes.

RUSSIAN AIR FORCE TO GET 30 ADDITIONAL SU-30SM FIGHTER JETS

December 19, 2012 – 14:40 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Russian Defense Ministry and the Irkut aircraft
maker have signed a contract on the delivery of an additional 30
Su-30SM multirole fighter jets to the Russian Air Force by 2016,
RIA Novosti reported.

The first contract between the Defense Ministry and Irkut for the
delivery of 30 Su-30SMs was signed in March. The Russian Air Force
received the first two Su-30SM aircraft on November 22.

“In line with the new contract, Irkut will build 30 additional aircraft
of this type for the Defense Ministry by 2016,” the ministry said in
a statement on Wednesday.

The Su-30SM is the latest development of the twin-seat Su-30 jet
fighter family, itself a derivative of the long-serving single-seat
Sukhoi Su-27, one of the air force’s most important warplanes.

The new aircraft has an improved radar, communications and
identification-friend-or-foe system, new ejection seat and new
weapons. It also has thrust-vectoring engine nozzles and canard
foreplanes, providing supermaneuverability at low airspeeds.

PARENTS BEWARE: TOYS SOLD IN YEREVAN FOUND TO CONTAIN 250 TIMES ACCEPTABLE MERCURY LEVELS
Kristine Aghalaryan

19:43, December 18, 2012

Joe Digangi, a U.S. based advisor with IPEN (International POPs
Elimination Network), announced that children’s toys randomly tested
in the markets and shops in Yerevan were found to contain 250 times
the acceptabe safe levels of mercury.

The study is part of an overall IPEN project that the organization
tested in six countries in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia
in December 2012.

The study measured the toxic metals in 569 children’s products bought
at random on the markets and shops of Yerevan (Armenia), Minsk
(Belarus), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan); Aprelevka,
Kolomna, Moscow, Sochi and Volgograd (Russia ), Kiev (Ukraine). The
relevant test measurements were performed using a portable X-ray
fluorescence analyzer (XRF), focused on the definition of lead,
mercury, arsenic, and antimony, although the content and other
toxic metals – cadmium and chromium. The data allowed identifying a
significant group of products that contain lead, mercury, arsenic,
and antimony concentrations in excess “levels of concern” for them.

Overall, the IPEN study revealed that approximately 27% of the products
contained at least one of these toxic metals and 13% contained more
than two, increasing the potential for harm.

DASHNAK LEADER CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION

POLITICS | 19.12.12 | 13:56

The local leader of ARF Dashnaktsutyun party has added his voice
to calls for an investigation into how a recording of a private
conversation between two prominent political figures was obtained
and distributed.

In a meeting with reporters Wednesday Vahan Hovhannisyan said that
“wiretapping” is not just restricted to the latest event in which
Prosperous Party MP Vartan Oskanian and Armenian National Congress
MP Levon Zarubyan were captured on tape.

“You can guess not only conversation of the representatives of two
political forces are wiretapped. The wiretapping conducted without
a court’s ruling is an offence,” Vahan Hovhannisyan told reporters
on Wednesday.

Hovhannisyan, joined Oskanian and Zarubyan in calling for an
investigation.

“We must know whether we live in North Korea or (whether we are)
striving for democracy in Armenia,” the Dashnak leader said.

SAMAD SEYIDOV: “SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS ARE EXPECTED AT PACE ON THE REPORT ON AZERBAIJAN’S COMMITMENTS”

APA
Dec 18 2012
Azerbaijan

“I will not wonder, if Armenians attempt to create obstacles for
the report”

Baku. Konul Kamilqizi-APA. “The January session of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe will be interesting. The member
states, including Azerbaijan are aware of the report on Azerbaijan’s
commitments,” head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov
told journalists, APA reports.

According to him, serious discussions are expected on the report.

“For the first time the report will contain a part on Nagorno
Karabakh. What is shown in the report on Nagorno Karabakh is very
important for us. The third point of the draft resolution on the
report says that military occupation was committed against Azerbaijan.

Inclusion of the issue on Nagorno Karabakh into the agenda of
the Council of Europe is very important. It should be taken into
account that the document has been prepared by PACE Monitoring
Committee rapporteurs, not by Azerbaijan. This makes the report
twice as valuable. I will not wonder, if Armenians attempt to create
obstacles for the report. They will make attempts so that the report
is considered biased, because their aggressive policy, crimes are
mentioned in the report. This makes the report more valuable,” he said.

ALAIN DELON VISITS ARMENIA

APA
Dec 18 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Shamil Alibeyli – APA. The world-famous French actor Alain Delon
has arrived in Armenia, on the occasion of the premiere of the lyric
comedy “Happy New Year, Moms!”. The presentation of the film will be
held tonight at the “Moscow” Cinema, APA reports quoting aysor.am.

Today Alain Delon will meet with the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
and the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II.