Author: Kajoyan Gevork

REP. SCHIFF: ARMENIA CAPABLE OF BECOMING CAUCASUS’ “SILICONE VALLEY”

December 10, 2012 – 14:27 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On the sidelines of his U.S. visit, Armenian Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan met with the President of California Institute
of Technology (Caltech) Jean-Lou Chameau.

At the meeting, the official briefed Mr. Chameau on the reforms
in Armenia’s education sector, as well as the progress in the
international accreditation of the coutry’s universities.

The parties further focused on the prospects of bilateral cooperation
and IT sector in Armenia.

As U.S. Representative Adam Schiff Adam Schiff who also attended the
meeting, said in this context, “Armenia has enough potential to become
the Caucasus’ “Silicone Valley”.”

A meeting with Caltech’s Armenian students and U.S.-based Armenian
scientists was also on Prime Minister’s visit agenda, governmental
press service reported.

DISGRACEFUL SITUATION IN THE MARKET OF SAUSAGES IS STILL ON

Factinfo
Mon, 12/10/2012 – 13:09

Today the State Commission for the Protection of the Economic
Competition of the RA (SCPEC) will impose sanctions on unlawful
sausage producers of the market. It is not yet published how many
they are and which companies it concerns. It was informed that on
December 12, at 12 the above-mentioned Commission will hold a session,
during which the results obtained after the sausages market examination
will be published. The Commission will publish the names of unlawful
producers and the decisions regarding the sanctions against them.

Let us remind that the Commission revealed earlier meet products
of different companies on the spots of retail trade, which were not
compatible with the requirements of the RA Constitution. Particularly,
the ‘Moskovskaya’ type of smoked sausage production of the ‘Bari
samaratsi’ company did not contain the production date on the package.

The same problem was detected at the products of the companies
“A. Bilyan”, “Atenq”, “Geghard meet factory”, “Marila”, “Yeremka”,
“Gamjalyan brothers”, “Erebouni astgh”, “Jrvezh meet factory”, “Mush”
and “Ararat” production cooperative.

Improper labeling by the indicated companies was a violation of the
law, which could deceive the consumer, and is a demonstration of unfair
competition by producers. In the light of indicated violations they
were fined by AMD 500 thousand each by the decisions of the SCPEC
made on the session of April 18, 2011. Moreover, they were forced to
remove the indicated products from the circulation in the market and
exclude further violations of the law.

However, it appears that no order has been established neither in
the Armenian nor in the foreign sausages markets yet. We think that
it is clear to everyone that the current disgraceful situation in the
sausages market in the RA is the result of the inaction of the State
Food Safety Inspectorate of the RA Ministry of Agriculture, as well as
official ignorance of the present violations, what, of course, results
in suspicion, that the inaction is conditioned with corruption. Let us
highlight that the mentioned violations connected with labeling are
only the tiny part of violations that are existent in the sausages
market. There are more serious violations that threaten the health
of the consumers, such as the sausages composition. We do not talk
about the possibility of the presence of buffalo meet imported from
abroad in them, which also exists, but about nitrates, various food
additives, as well as the use of genetically modified soya.

Artur Hovhannisyan

YEREVAN ESTABLISHING COOPERATION WITH CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

YEREVAN, December 10. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
and the president of California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Jean-Lou Chameau discussed Saturday the prospects for cooperation
between the Armenian academic institutions and Caltech. The meeting
was held within the frames of Mr. Sargsyan’s official visit to the USA.

PM highlighted the education reforms implemented in the republic, as
well as the measures targeted to advancing the quality of education and
receiving international accreditation for the universities of Armenia.

The parties also discussed the prospects for IT development in Armenia.

Adam Schiff, the U.S. Representative for California’s 29th
congressional district, said at the meeting Armenia has quite a
serious potential for becoming “the Silicon Valley of the Caucasus.”

Later that day, Armenia’s PM also met with the students, alumni and
scientists of the Armenian origin and answered all their questions
related to teaching Armenian Studies, Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics,
and some other issues.

Mr. Sargsyan thanked the meeting attendees for interesting discussions
and appealed to them to sustain their ties with the motherland
fostering the scientific development in Armenia.-0-

MIDI LIBRE, France
4 décembre 2012 mardi

Me Luc Kirkyacharian btonnier confirmé

Y. P.

Btonnier désigné depuis les élections de décembre 2011, Me Luc
Kirkyacharian a été définitivement élu représentant de ses pairs, en
fin de semaine dernière. À partir du 1er janvier et pour deux ans, il
succédera ainsi à Me Michèle Tisseyre à la tête du barreau de
Montpellier, qui compte, cette année, 921 avocats. gé de 60 ans,
natif de Paris et qui a longtemps vécu à Grenoble, ce grand
spécialiste du droit social et du droit du travail, a prêté serment en
1979 à la cour d’appel de Montpellier. Il a notamment été membre du
conseil de discipline des barreaux du ressort, de 2005 à 2008, et a
fait partie des membres fondateurs de la section montpelliéraine du
Syndicat des avocats de France (Saf). Arménien par son père, passionné
de haute montagne, il a pour but de « faire la promotion du
savoir-faire montpelliérain, d’accompagner ses confrères ou de les
défendre quand ils seront injustement attaqués ». Y. P.

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Dec 7 2012

EU concerned about lack of progress in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement

7 December 2012 – 5:06pm
The European Union is concerned about the lack of progress in the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the EU said in its
statement voiced at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Dublin, Ireland.

The statement says that protracted conflicts in the Republic of
Moldova, Georgia and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continue to pose a
serious threat to the common security.

“The European Union stresses the importance of renewed impetus to
substantial progress in resolving protracted conflicts on the way to
2015,” the statement says.

Press TV, Iran
Dec 8 2012

Israeli-Azeri drones conduct spy missions along Iran border: Report

Azerbaijan is operating drones assembled with the help of Israeli
experts to carry out spying missions over its common borders with Iran
and Karabakh, a new report says.

According to the report, following a rise in the US radar activities
in the Astara Rayon region of Azerbaijan as well as the presence of
Israeli military advisors in the country, Azerbaijan has been using
Orbiter ultra-light drones assembled with the help of Israeli experts
to carry out operations along the border with Iran and Karabakh.

According to Iranian military experts, Azerbaijan also uses Hermes-450
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for control and surveillance missions.

Israel has sold 10 Hermes-450 drones, manufactured by Elbit Systems,
to Azerbaijan between 2009 and 2012.

The Hermes-450 UAVs are equipped with GPS, which means they can also
provide an outside observer with satellite images sent by the drone.

In 2009, reports released by certain media regarding an agreement
between Israeli President Shimon Peres and his Azeri counterpart,
Ilham Aliyev, on the deployment of electronic stations confirmed that
Azerbaijan and Israel were cooperating on satellite systems.

According to experts, Israeli satellites are closely cooperating with
Azeri drones, though they have a long way to go before reaching the
ideal level.

The Hermes-450 UAVs can be equipped with offensive systems such as
air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles as well as electronic warfare
equipment. However, their limited range of mission, which is up to
200-300 kilometers, has restricted their use for operational and
strategic purposes.

Israel and Azerbaijan have signed a USD 1.6 billion deal for selling
Heron and Searcher offensive drones to Baku to make up for that
limitation.

AR/SS/IS

AGBU Recognizes Service at 87th General Assembly

December 7, 2012

For well over a century, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU)
has enjoyed the support of tens of thousands of members and volunteers
in carrying out its mission. Eight of its members, along with three
individuals who have demonstrated exceptional service to Armenia, were
honored during the AGBU’s 87th General Assembly, which took place in
Armenia on Sat., Oct. 20. In attendance were Armenian Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan, Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan, and His Holiness
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, as well as the AGBU’s
leadership and delegates from around the world.

Honored for their service to the AGBU during the 87th General Assembly
in Yerevan were (Top row, L-R): Sonia Avakian-Bedrossian, Roupen
Chavoushian, Jacques and Florine Deyirmendjian, Gabriel Djambardji,
and Denis Ketchedjian; (Bottom row, L-R): Smpad Lpudyan, Panos
Titizian, Sona Yacoubian, Ralph Yirikian, and Gustavo Zulamian.

AGBU Medal

For their outstanding services rendered to the homeland, Gabriel
Djambardji, Smpad Lpudyan, and Ralph Yirikian were recognized with the
AGBU Medal.

As a noted philanthropist and the president of the Pyunik Foundation,
which focuses on education in Armenia, Gabriel Djambardji has
contributed generously to various projects in the homeland, including
financial assistance to schools to modernize their facilities and to
the recent refurbishment of the Matenadaran. He and his wife Kohar,
who are Syrian diasporans, have also been generous patrons of their
local community, as well as of various religious endeavors within the
Armenian Apostolic Church.

Smpad Lpudyan, who holds the world’s highest chess title of
Grandmaster, has used his expertise for years to cultivate the talents
of Armenian youth and ensure that Armenia maintains its strong
foothold in the world of chess. As the vice-president of the Armenian
Chess Federation, which is headed by President Serge Sarkisian, he
cooperates closely with AGBU to organize the annual Interschool
Republican Chess Tournament, which brings together over 5,000 students
from Armenia, Karabakh, and the Armenian schools in the Javakhk region
of Georgia, many of whom have followed in his footsteps, rising to the
professional level.

Ralph Yirikian, a Lebanese diasporan and General Manager of one of
Armenia’s largest companies, Viva-Cell-MTS, is dedicated to advancing
Armenia’s wellbeing through corporate social responsibility
initiatives. Viva-Cell is often recognized as a leader in sponsoring
social and educational programs and events. Yirikian has received
numerous awards, including the Presidential Shield from the president
of Lebanon, the Movses Khorenatsi Medal from the president of the
Republic of Armenia, and the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Medal from
His Holiness Karekin II.

AGBU Honor Membership

The Central Board also bestowed upon five of its longstanding members
the status of the AGBU Honor Member for their staunch dedication in
perpetuating the organization’s mission: Jacques and Florine
Deyirmendjian, Denis Ketchedjian, Panos Titizian, and Sona Yacoubian.

For four decades, Mr. and Mrs. Jacques and Florine Deyirmendjian of
Paris, France, have worked tirelessly in the French-Armenian community
and have committed themselves to serving the AGBU. Deyirmendjian holds
degrees from France’s most important grandes écoles, the Ecole
Polytechnique, the Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de
l’Administration Economique, and the Ecole Normale Supérieure de
Musique de Paris. He has held important leadership posts at Gaz de
France SA, one of the country’s top energy companies, and currently
serves as president of Deynergies, a joint stock company, which he
founded. He has served the AGBU in various positions. When he first
joined, he was the chair of UGAB Jeunes, the organization’s French
youth group. He later went on to become the Paris Chapter chair and
also served on the France District Committee. In addition,
Deyirmendjian has been bestowed with the order of knighthood in both
France and Germany. Mrs. Deyirmendjian, a CPA and a graduate of the
School of Management of Lyon, serves on the Paris Chapter Committee
and has been active within the local AGBU Alex Manoogian Center, which
offers courses in language and culture to scores of youth and adults.

Another French-Armenian to receive the honorary membership was Denis
Ketchedjian, who served as the France District chairman from 2002-08.
Most notably, he oversaw in 2006 the four-day AGBU Centennial
Celebrations, which culminated with a gala at Versailles. A prominent
lawyer who, for decades, also contributed his services as the
organization’s counsel in France, he is currently the secretary
general of the AGBU France District.

Panos Titizian, a noted community leader and activist, who is a
pharmacist by profession and a graduate of the American University of
Beirut, was bestowed with the AGBU Honor Membership, as well as the
Outstanding AGBU Volunteer Medal. Titizian has been an AGBU member for
more than eight decades, over the course of which he has used his
talents as a strategist to benefit the organization, particularly
throughout Lebanon’s civil war. He served for many years on both the
Education and District Committees of Lebanon, and continues today to
serve the organization from Southern California, attending to special
assignments.

Sona Yacoubian is the founder of AGBU Hye Geen, an initiative
established in 1994 and dedicated to the promotion of the rights and
wellbeing of Armenian women. In 2002, under her leadership, Hye Geen
established the first of its five Pregnant Women’s Centers in response
to Armenia’s rising infant mortality rates and the country’s general
decline in maternal health.

To date, the AGBU Hye Geen Pregnant Women’s Centers have helped
deliver over 800 healthy babies. In addition to its Armenia-based
initiatives, Hye Geen’s activities in California raise awareness of a
host on issues that affect the broader Armenian community, including
its annual Interdisciplinary Conference, which is organized in
collaboration with local universities.

AGBU President’s Award

AGBU President Berge Setrakian also granted the AGBU President’s Award
to three current and former AGBU chairs who have demonstrated distinct
leadership and have dedicated many years to the organization: Sofia
Chapter Chair Sonia Avakian-Bedrossian, Plovdiv Chapter Chair Roupen
Chavoushian, and former Montevideo Chapter Chair Gustavo Zulamian.

Instrumental in reviving the AGBU’s activities in Sofia in the
post-Communism years, Sonia Avakian-Bedrossian has been the chapter
chair for over a decade. A true leader with a creative mind and a
vision to attract the new generation, she energized the chapter’s base
through various activities and programs, in particular the Mothers’
Committee and the Nur Dance Ensemble. She was also responsible for
initiating Camp Unger, a chapter program designed to bond AGBU Sofia’s
youngest members, and most recently, in collaboration with the AGBU
Plovdiv Chapter, for initiating Camp Hayler, which unites youth from
across Bulgaria. In 2007, she established the AGBU Sofia Chamber
Orchestra, which consistently draws scores of Armenian and
non-Armenian music lovers alike to several concerts each year, and in
2004 organized the XVII AGBU World Games, which brought together over
250 young Armenian athletes from five continents to the Bulgarian
seaside town of Albena for a week of sports competitions and social
events.

Roupen Chavoushian was one of the key individuals who re-established
the Plovdiv Chapter after the fall of communism. He has played a great
role in perpetuating the Armenian heritage in the city, which is home
to the country’s largest Armenian population. As the current and
longtime chair of the AGBU Plovdiv Chapter, he administers a number of
associated chapters in Burgas, Dobrich, Haskovo, Russe, Silistra,
Sliven, and Yambol, and initiated AGBU Saturday Schools in each of
these towns, ensuring the organization’s strong presence across the
country. He also established the Plovdiv Chapter’s Saturday School
Theater Group, which won first place in Yerevan’s 2011 Pomegranate
Seed Theater Festival. On a bimonthly basis, over 800 readers receive
the publication `AGBU Voice,’ which Chavoushian founded. His numerous
contributions to the town’s community were recently acknowledged with
a medal awarded by the mayor of Plovdiv.

Dr. Gustavo Zulamian is considered one of the AGBU’s most talented
young leaders in South America. He has served as the general secretary
of the AGBU Montevideo board and as both the chair of the Montevideo
Chapter and the AGBU Nubarian-Manoogian School, of which he is an
alumnus, all while maintaining a dentistry practice. He has been
involved with the organization since childhood; as a young athlete, he
brought his active involvement to the chapter’s Liga de Jóvenes (Youth
League) and South American Regional Games. More recently, he has
dedicated himself to the arts and media, serving as editor of the
monthly magazine `Hai Endanik’ (Armenian Family), which covers
Armenian issues. He continues to assume special assignments on behalf
of the organization.

For more information about the AGBU and its worldwide programs, visit

ARMENIE-ECONOMIE
Les 2 700 salariés de « Naïrit » ont reçu un mois de salaire sur les
onze de retard

Le 29 novembre les 2 700 salariés de l’usine « Naïrit » d’Erévan ont
reçu un mois de salaire a affirmé Anouch Haroutiounian le responsable
de presse de « Naïrit ». Mais il restait à payer aux salariés 10 mois
de salaires dus par la société. A ce sujet, A. Haroutiounian a dit
qu’un mois de salaire représente un million de dollars et que la
société recherchait un investisseur pour le financement. Le 26
novembre, les salariés de « Naïrit » avaient protesté devant le siège
de la présidence arménienne pour demander le paiement des onze mois de
salaires. Les manifestants avaient défilé dans les rues d’Erévan
partis de l’avenue Baghramian ils marchèrent vers les boulevards
Archagouniats et Krikor Loussavoritch pour arriver après la rue
Brochian près du btiment officiel de la présidence afin de demander à
Serge Sarkissian le règlement des onze mois de salaires.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 9 décembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

Interfax, Russia
Dec 7 2012

Armenian, Azeri foreign ministers plan to meet next year – Yerevan official

YEREVAN. Dec 7

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan and his Azeri counterpart
Elmar Mammadyarov are expected to meet once again at the beginning of
next year to discuss ways to settle the conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nalbandyan met with Andrzej Kasprzyk, personal representative of the
OSCE chairperson-in-office on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict dealt with
by the OSCE Minsk Group, on the sidelines of the 19th OSCE Ministerial
Council in Dublin, an Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman told
Interfax on Friday.

“During the meeting, the sides discussed issues surrounding the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Following a proposal from
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen, an agreement was reached on a
meeting of the Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers at the beginning
of next year,” the spokesman said.

The meeting’s date and venue were not disclosed.

tm rb

ITAR-TASS, Russia
December 7, 2012 Friday 03:35 AM GMT+4

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs call for peaceful resolution of Karabakh conflict

DUBLIN December 7

The Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries
called upon the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to
demonstrate the political will needed to reach a peaceful settlement.

“As our Presidents stated at Los Cabos on June 18, 2012, the parties
should be guided by the Helsinki principles, particularly those
relating to the non-use of force or the threat of force, territorial
integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and the
elements outlined in our countries’ statements at L’Aquila in 2009 and
Muskoka in 2010,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Minister Delegate for European
Affairs of France Bernard Cazeneuve said in a joint statement on
Thursday, December 6.

They recalled the statement of their presidents at Deauville in 2011
and urged the parties to take decisive steps to reach a peaceful
settlement.

“We regret that the expectations of more rapid progress in the peace
process, which were raised by the Joint Statement of the Presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the President of the Russian Federation
at Sochi on January 23, 2012, were not met. Instead, the parties have
too often sought one-sided advantage in the negotiation process,
rather than seeking to find agreement, based upon mutual
understanding,” they said.

While recognising the decrease in serious incidents along the Line of
Contact and the border in recent months, “we remind the parties of the
need to continue to respect the ceasefire of 1994, and that the use of
military force will not resolve the conflict.”

The heads of delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries
urged the parties “to refrain from actions and statements that foster
feelings of enmity among their populations and have raised tensions in
recent months. The leaders of the sides must prepare their populations
for the day when they will live again as neighbours, not enemies, with
full respect for each other’s culture, history, and traditions”.

“We call upon the parties to demonstrate a greater sense of urgency in
the peace process and to work with the Co-Chairs to give full and
careful consideration to ideas presented by the Co-Chairs during their
trip to the region in November. We welcome the readiness of the
Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia to meet jointly with the
Co-Chairs early in 2013 to continue these discussions. Our countries
continue to stand ready to do whatever we can to assist the parties,
but the responsibility for putting an end to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict remains with them,” the statement said.