Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Ruben Hakobyan: Raffi Hovannisian’s programs will not change following
Tsarukyan’s decision not to run in elections

19:27 12/12/2012 » POLITICS

Head of Heritage parliamentary faction Ruben Hakobyan does not think
that the content of Prosperous Armenia Party’s statement was a
surprise.

When asked by Panorama.am who will be Heritage leader Raffi
Hovannisian’s key rival in the elections in the current situation,
Ruben Hakobyan said, `Nothing has changed. Irrespective of the fact
whether or not Gagik Tsarukyan will run in the elections, nothing will
change in Raffi Hovannisian’s programs. The final number of candidates
is not yet known – unfortunately, all processes remained in the shade
and I think this statement did not shed light on this issue. We can
make some assessments only when the candidate list is ready.’

Source: Panorama.am

A Holy Pitch for Syrian Relief
by Tom Vartabedian

December 12, 2012

Rev. Karekin Bedourian is on a new mission these days, one that leaves
him staggering in his tracks.

In addition to spreading the word of God, the young pastor of St.
Gregory Church in North Andover, Mass., is making an active pitch for
Syrian relief efforts in his beloved city of Kessab and other Armenian
districts throughout the land.

His inspiration and drive come from the stoic pictures he shows on the
screen of devastated villages and churches turned to rubble. These
same places of worship were once places of spiritual worship that
warranted his services as a man of the cloth.

Among the casualties are St. George’s Armenian Church in Aleppo and
Holy Martyrs Madoor in Der Zor, where the remains of genocide victims
yearn for justice.

A man of unbridled strength, a tear is apt to cross his eyes when he
sees the carnage of bodies being lifted and children wailing.

`It’s very sad when I see and hear that in all the places we used to
spend our time, there is death and destruction now,’ he says. `We
don’t know what the future is holding for our people in Syria but the
damage has already been done. Among them are members of my own family
and many friends.’

A headline in a local newspaper stretches across the page: `Priest
from Syria finds things in which to be thankful.’

The photo shows Father Bedourian seated in a pew inside his church,
wearing a stern look. In this spirit of Thanksgiving, all is not
despair for the beloved cleric of just two-and-a-half years.

`We’re thankful to have life and a church community where we can
worship in peace and security,’ he says. `Being thankful is the core
of this holiday and it’s a good occasion to evaluate what we have.’

After rallying his own community at a Family Night dinner and raising
$1,500 for relief efforts, Father Bedourian took part in an interfaith
ecumenical service in North Andover. With clergy and congregation from
area churches filling the pews, once again he spoke of the situation
in Syria.

Earlier, a special plate collection in his church turned up $1,300 for
the cause. More important than money, the word was being disseminated.
A missionary had spoken. Many of those who donated had opened their
generous hearts in other collections tendered by the ARS and other
charitable groups.

`People are killing one another and we condemn that,’ he speaks out.
`We don’t know when it’s going to end.’

Growing up, he recalls Syria as a peaceful country with freedom for
Christians to worship. His parents, two brothers, and two sisters
still live in Syria, along with his in-laws. One brother was here
visiting while Father Karekin was making the rounds.

Although there is no confirmed number of Armenian fatalities, Father
Karekin feels it’s more than 50, with several more missing. The vast
number represents the Armenian community in Aleppo.

Father Bedourian was born and raised in Kessab. He attended seminary
at the Armenian Orthodox Church in Bikfaya, Lebanon. Upon graduating,
he served as a deacon in Greece before being ordained in 2009.

Traditionally, the newest pastor in town is chosen to give the sermon
at this Thanksgiving Interfaith service. He felt humbled by the
request.

Meanwhile, millions of dollars are required to meet the urgent appeal
of Armenians in Syria and those who have sought refuge in Armenia and
other places throughout the Middle East.

`Armenia has opened its doors to those victims in Syria but their
plight remains severe,’ Father Bedourian confirmed. `Thousands of
families fled to Armenia and neighboring countries to save themselves.
They need our support.’

It was just a year ago that Father Bedourian and Yeretsgin Sevan
returned to their native Kessab to have their daughter Meghti
baptized. The atmosphere there at the time could best be described as
tranquil. Since then, the Bedourians have welcomed a second daughter
to their midst. Her name is Nareh.

While there, he took part in the funeral service of 104-year-old
Kalila Yeralian-Manjikian, the town’s oldest resident, who they called
Nene.

>From Criminal to Political System?

Naira Hayrumyan
16:25 12/12/2012
Story from Lragir.am News:

Armenia had a chance for its first political election but apparently
Serzh Sargsyan will not have political opponents. Meanwhile, for the
first time he tried to put forth a political agenda which included the
issues of the foreign political focus and establishment of checks and
balances.

The Armenian political forces proved unready for a political election.
It is possible that over the past 20 years the elections have been
held by totally different rules, and over the past 10-15 years the
criminal factor have been dominant. There was a criminal system in
Armenia with the father at the head and a distinct hierarchy which did
not allow for alternative opinions and dealt cruelly with dissidents.

In this system elections have been reduced to a struggle of physical
forces, resources and authority. Besides, since the Armenian criminal
system is part of the post-soviet or Russian system, the `father’ in
Armenia was the deputy of the Russian `father’.

There was a chance to change this situation during the presidential
election of 2013. Being part of this system, Serzh Sargsyan proposed a
political agenda. He declared to step on the track for EU integration
and subsequent withdrawal from the Russian criminal hierarchy.
Besides, he proposed a two-party system with the help of which it
would be possible to resolve internal affairs.

No doubt, Serzh Sargsyan’s proposals were not complete, perhaps they
were necessitated by some factors, and he reserved for himself a great
advantage by offering `equal’ competitive conditions. However, it is
frightening that no political force in Armenia could respond to this
political challenge. In fact, all the parties remained in the old
`criminal’ system which chooses the father, obeys him, and all it is
capable of is internal intrigues.

Gagik Tsarukyan has been unable to fight his inhibition and enter into
a confrontation because to him it is not a political race but
disobedience to the father. He knows that he will not be forgiven for
this in his own world but in the new political world the rejection of
political race is not forgiven.

Judging by the behavior of the Armenian National Congress and the ARF
they also did not accept the political challenge. Perhaps they think
that accepting Serzh Sargsyan’s challenge is the same as recognizing
his advantage. However, by rejecting the political race they admitted
their political failure. They do not express opinions on the agenda
proposed by Serzh Sargsyan which means they look at the political race
from another point of view.

Who will accept Serzh Sargsyan’s political challenge? Are the experts
right who claim that Serzh Sargsyan’s political strategists have
conceived a non-losing agenda? Now either Serzh Sargsyan’s opponents
will have to confess that his agenda is more progressive and support
it or act against EU integration and withdrawal from the post-Soviet
criminal space.

This is a difficult process, and political actors who would like to
accept this challenge will have to answer these questions.

However, in order to compete with Serzh Sargsyan they will have to
indicate more effective ways, highlight Serzh Sargsyan’s mistakes,
reveal his policy of imitation. Who in Armenia is able to do this?
Only a person who thinks horizontally, not hierarchically.

Not a single step out of authorities’ control in Armenia – Heritage
party vice-chairman

TERT.AM
16:48 – 12.12.12

Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Chairman Gagik Tsarukyan’s decision
against running for presidency or supporting any political force in
the 2013 presidential election in Armenia is evidence that no capital
can make a single step out of the authorities’ control.

`I think it is clear that Armenia does not need radical revolutionary
changes out of the authorities’ control or outside the economic
field,’ Armen Martirosyan, Vice-Chairman of the Heritage party, told
Tert.am.

It is up to the PAP to decide. However, the fact of its being the
second largest parliamentary force suggests the question of its
political orientation. `In any case, they need an orientation, don’t
they? And I am going to wait for them to show their orientation,’ Mr
Martirosyan said.

As regards the idea of uniting round a joint presidential candidate,
he noted that the PAP sometimes makes contradictory steps.

`They are actively involved in political processes as if they were
going to nominate their presidential candidate. But it has turned out
now that they are not going to nominate their own candidate,’ Mr
Martirosyan said.

As regards the Heritage party, it has a more serious task. The party
has its candidate, Raffi Hovannisian, and, irrespective of
developments, the party will struggle for its candidate.

Armenian representation opened in Silicon Valley

12:35, 12 December, 2012

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. The Governmental delegation headed
by Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan attended
the official ceremony of opening of the Armenian Representative Office
of information and high technologies in the Plug and Play
Technological Center in Silicon Valley.

The Department of Information and Public Relations of the Government
of the Republic of Armenia informed “Armenpress” that the opening
ceremony was followed by the singing of the memorandum regarding the
creation of the first Armenian venture foundation. The venture
foundation will serve as a unique opportunity for the new IT
organizations to provide the availability of financial investments.

After the Head of the Government answered the questions of the
reporters and touched upon a number of issues regarding “ArmTech
2012”, the Armenian representation in Silicon Valley and future
expectations. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Tigran
Sargsyan stated: “All previous meetings seem to be a preparation for
the fifth “ArmTech”. Today we managed to refer to all those serious
achievements of Armenia in IT sphere. Here we have recorded four
significant measures, which will have positive result.”

Among other things Tigran Sargsyan emphasized the importance of
cooperation between the government and private sector and creation of
a venture foundation on 50-50 basis, which will also support the
development of IT sphere in Armenia.

New resolution calling on U. S. Congress to recognize Armenian Genocide

14:29, 12 December, 2012

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Legislative power of California will
discuss the second joint resolution on the Armenian Genocide. Thus the
representatives of the legislative branch of power claim on the
parliament to pin down the Genocide as a crime against humanity
without judicial investigation or procedures.

As reports “Armenpress” citing local media of Santa Barbara, the
aforesaid resolution has been introduced by Kacho Achajian. The term
“Genocide” is used in the resolution to describe all those crimes and
mass massacres initiated by the Ottoman Empire during the World War I.
Among other things the authors called on the Government of the United
States of America and the Congress to adopt the same attitude.

The Turkish lobby is doing its best to impede the ratification of the
abovementioned resolution.

Battle of loans: Russia-West fight for Armenia enters economic sphere

ECONOMY | 12.12.12 | 13:31

Photo:

PM Tigran Sargsyan at the ArmTech 2012 high-tech development forum, December 11
By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on
Tuesday approved the next tranche of the loan for Armenia amounting to
$51.4 million, thus bringing the total amount of credit released to
Armenia to $324.4 million. The three-year $408.7 million project for
Armenia was approved in 2010.

Through its representative in Yerevan the IMF, in fact, endorsed the
policy of the Government of Armenia, noting only that there are still
problems, especially related to venture business and attraction of
investments in the country. He also hinted at the fact that officials
in Armenia still take bribes from businessmen.

Foreign investments in Armenia this year have fallen by 35 percent,
only the Canadian and Swiss capitals have increased their share.
However, these capitals have been invested exclusively in the mining
sector, and it provided grounds for concerns among Armenian experts,
who argue that the West has intentions to turn Armenia into a country
for raw material supply.

The United States apparently wants to offset this trend by stimulating
high-tech sectors. At Stanford University in California within the
framework of the ArmTech 2012 congress attended by Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan, the Armenian government and the Intel Company signed
a memorandum on establishing a research center in Armenia. A
memorandum on the establishment of a plant in Armenia producing
integrated circuits was signed with the Corparacion America company.
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern welcomed the participants of
the Congress and said that the U.S. Department of Commerce, using a
range of data of UNESCO, has published a study according to which
Armenia is a leader among post-Soviet countries by the number of
applications for patents for different inventions. The ambassador
expressed hope that these inventions will find good use in
humanitarian and commercial organizations.

Russia apparently has decided to `retaliate’ to the West’s offensive
with a `credit counter-attack’. The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is
due to consider a loan of $100 million for the North-South transport
corridor in Armenia. This was announced in Yerevan on December 11 by
EDP Board Chairman Igor Finogenov. `We are considering the possibility
of funding one of the components of the corridor together with the
Asian Development Bank,’ he explained.

The EDB has also received a preliminary application for funding
exceeding $100 million for the modernization of Armenia’s chemical
giant, Nairit. It is not excluded that Russia will provide these sums.

Armenia is likely to accept both `rival’ credits, as its government
needs money to cover the growing external debt and prevent a social
rebellion in the country. Judging by the reduction of investments
during this year, the government prefers borrowing and preventing
foreign capital from entering Armenia. In this sense the flow of
investments from the United States may change the situation in the
country.

Election As Favor By Authorities To Society

Naira Hayrumyan
12:06 12/12/2012
Story from Lragir.am News:

Talking to the demonstrators in defense of Teghut in California, Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan noted indulgently that the authorities
created the conditions for `you to voice your worries’. Actually,
Tigran Sargsyan stated the essence of the government’s policies which
does not try to address to `concerns’ but to create conditions for
their expression.

Tigran Sargsyan is right. In the past five years, the opportunity to
express one’s opinion `painlessly’ was ensured in Armenia, TV channels
have become more open, there are even cases when the authorities yield
the power to the society by not appointing Nono to the position of the
director of Khosrov reserve.

More freedom allowed the authorities to avoid almost unavoidable
social revolt. This allowed the civil society to let steam off, be
happy with the freedom of speech instead of the freedom of creation
and rights to participate in the decision-making process.

Dmitri Peskov, Press secretary of the Russian president, explaining
the reasons of protests in Russia, said that the middle class in
Russia wanted to take part in the decision-making process, and the
authorities were not ready for it.

Apparently, the same process is happening in Armenia with the only
difference that Armenians do not have money but are mature in the
civil sense, and they also want to take part in the decision-making
process. They cannot be happy with some freedom of speech, and the
government which made the progressive decision on `democratization’
five years ago should review its policy.

Now the civil society is the majority, and the authorities are
isolated, and showed in the May elections that they are not going to
allow the society to get close to the decision making process. The
opposition helped the government regarding this issue. It ran in the
elections but did not get the chance to take part in the process of
decision making.

But the situation has changed. The parliamentary majority can pass any
law but outside the parliament the authorities and the discredited
opposition are minority.

In order to have the opportunity to take part in the decision making
process, the society needs to reject the possibility to `express
concerns’. One of such possibilities will be provided as a favor by
the government on February 18. If the society does not express its
attitude to the elections, we will still find ourselves in prison for
another five years, generously provided to us by the authorities.
There we can scream about our rights, scold Taron, giggle and discuss
other people’s decisions.

Military Base After Gabbala

Naira Hayrumyan
14:27 12/12/2012
Story from Lragir.am News:

Azerbaijan’s refusal to extend the lease of Gabbala radio location
station to Russia comes as evidence to reduced presence of Russia in
the South Caucasus. As soon as the Russian military base was withdrawn
from Akhalkalaki, it was obvious that Russia’s presence in Azerbaijan
and Armenia would decrease.

Azerbaijan did not boost the rent for Gabbala from 7 to 300 million
dollars for money. It was a blunt refusal to Russia. It was clear from
the very beginning that Moscow will not pay so much money for Gabbala
and the purpose was to withdraw Russian forces from Azerbaijan.

Armenia stands in line. And though experts say that Russia may locate
its radio stations in Armenia, the next option has more probability –
Armenia will state more loudly about the necessity to cut the military
presence of Russia.

First of all, it may be a review of the agreement on the dislocation
of Russian border guards at the Armenian border with Turkey and Iran.
Armenia may refuse border guard services by Russia, as well as demand
a rent for the Russian base in Gyumri.

After the closure of Gabbala the Russians have military presence only
in the South Caucasus. On the one hand, this will boost Armenia’s
role, and Armenia can demand a rent for the base. On the other hand,
the West’s requirements to Armenia will increase. After Azerbaijan the
West will sway Armenia to cut the Russian military presence.

ARMENIE
Une cour rénovée grce à la Banque mondiale rouvre dans la région de Sevan

Un btiment d’une cour de justice dans la région de Sevan a été rénové
et rouverte grce à un financement de la Banque Mondiale dont le
programme est conçu pour aider le gouvernement arménien à reformer le
système judiciaire.

La rénovation du btiment d’un espace total de 1660 mètres carrés a
coûté 1,5 millions de $. C’est le 15ème btiment en Arménie rénovée
grce à ce programme.

Le btiment a quatre salles de tribunal.

La cérémonie inaugurale a été suivie par le Ministre de la Justice
Hrayr Tovmasyan, le président de la Cour de Cassation Armen Mkrtumyan
et David Melikian représentant de la Banque Mondiale.

Un autre btiment en vertu de ce programme sera rénové dans la région
du Kapan en 2013.

mercredi 12 décembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com