Author: Kajoyan Gevork

ARMENIAN EXPORT VOLUME IN 2013 TO GROW THRICE, GAGIK MINASYAN SAYS

Mediamax
Nov 8 2012
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Chairman of the Standing Committee on
Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs of the Armenian National
Assembly, Gagik Minasyan, forecasts that the volume of the Armenian
export in 2013 will grow three times.

Speaking with the reporters in Yerevan today, Gagik Minasyan said
that this year export growth rates exceeded the import growth rates
two times, Mediamax reports.

Gagik Minasyan said that the draft state budget for 2013 envisages
high GDP growth. According to him, in 2013 there will be 6.3% GDP
growth, and the inflation will make about 4%.

“As before, next year we will try to keep the microeconomic stability,”
said Gagik Minasyan.

According to him, next year the economic growth will be mainly provided
by agricultural and industrial spheres.

Speaking about Armenia’s foreign debt, he said that “at the end of
the year the debt will make $3,8bln”. In 2013, the foreign debt of
the country will make $4bln or 37% of GDP.

“Armenia has always been very punctual in maintaining its foreign
debt. It is a priority task, that’s why relevant expenditures will
grow by almost AMD 40bln,” Gagik Minasyan said.

DASHNAKTSUTYUN TO ANNOUNCE THE FORMAT OF ITS PARTICIPATION IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AFTER POLITICAL CONSULTATIONS

Mediamax
Nov 8 2012
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Dashnaktsutyun party will announce the format of
its participation in Armenian presidential elections after holding
political consultations.

Member of the Supreme Body of the party Armen Rustamyan and the
secretary of the parliamentary faction Aghvan Vardanyan today,
Mediamax reports.

They noted that the Supreme Body initiates political consultations
with parties, wide society layers and expert circles.

“I am convinced that we have formulated the goals our society may
gather around and which may make the upcoming elections really
competitive”, noted Armen Rustamyan.

Aghvan Vardanyan expressed his content with the statement of
“Prosperous Armenia” party which noted that shifting from presidential
system to parliamentary is one of the ways of settling urgent issues
and implementing reforms.

Mediamax notes that the provision on shifting to parliamentary
system was one of the core ones in the Dashnaktsutyun’s program at
2012 parliamentary elections. In July, Armen Rustamyan stated that
“Dashnaktsutyun” is going to unite Armenia’s opposition forces around
the idea of changing the form of government.

Speaking on the upcoming presidential elections of 2013 at that time,
he stressed that “Dashnaktsutyun” had always preferred to nominate
its own contender but he didn’t rule out the option of nominating a
single oppositional candidate.

IRAN MP EMPHASIZES ON FURTHER DEEPENING OF RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA

Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA
Nov 6 2012
Iran

Tehran, 5 November, IRNA – Iranian Head of Iran-Armenia Parliamentary
Friendship Group Ali Kaidi referring to good and still expanding
Tehran-Yerevan relations, attributed the exceptionally favourable
bilateral ties to good neighborly ties and two nations’ increasingly
friendly relations.

According to the report, the News and Media Office of the Islamic
Parliament, Majils, further quoted Kaidi as referring to the shared
historical and cultural commonalties of the two nations in his
Monday meeting with the Ambassador of Armenia Republic to Iran,
Gregor Arakelyan, stressing the need for further improvement and
deepening of bilateral ties.

Kaidi said that the comprehensive expansion of ties, including the
parliamentary relations would naturally lead of evermore stronger
friendly relations between the two nations.

He expressed hope that the Iran-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship
groups would relying on each other’s assistance mange to open a new
chapter in the two countries’ relations.

Kaidi reiterated, “The Islamic Parliament, Majils, fully supports
efforts made for expansion of bilateral expansion of bilateral ties,
beginning with expansion of parliamentary relations.”

The Armenian ambassador to Tehran, too, while congratulating the
establishment of the Iran-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group at
the Islamic Parliament, announced Erevan’s strong will and enthusiasm
for further expansion of relations with Iran.

Ambassador Arakelyan further reiterated, “Two decades after achieving
independence, the Armenia Republic’s relations with the Islamic
Republic of Iran is today at the best possible level.”

He conveyed the warm greeting of the Armenian head of the Armenia-Iran
Parliamentary Friendship group to his Iranian counterpart, expressing
hope for ever more strengthening of relations and ever deeper
cooperation between the two friendly nations.

Iran and Armenia have been in contact for thousands of years. Armenia
was conquered by the Persian Empire several times throughout history,
particularly in the Median, Achaemenid, Parthian, Sassanid, and Safavid
periods. Due to cultural and historical ties, Armenia was sometimes
considered part of the Greater Iran. Armenia and Iran enjoy cultural
and historical ties that go back thousands of years ago.

There are no border disputes between the two countries and the
Christian Armenian minority in Iran has official recognition with
representatives at the Islamic Parliament.

Safarian, of the Armenian Center for National and International
Studies, has said ‘Given this geopolitical environment, Armenia
has the legitimate right to cooperate with Iran for ensuring its
security… Besides, Armenia has an energy surplus and its only major
export market at present is Iran… So there is also a lot of economic
interest involved.’

Of special importance is the cooperation in the field of energy
security. In addition to a pipeline that will bring Iranian
natural gas into Armenia. Additionally, the two states have also
implemented other multi-million dollar energy projects. These include
the construction of two hydro-electric plants on the Arax River that
marks the Armenian-Iranian border, a third high-voltage transmission
line linking their power grids and dams, among other projects.

In July, 2007, a memorandum was signed on the start of feasibility
studies on the ideas of building an Armenian-Iranian railway and
a Russian-owned oil refinery that would process Iranian crude. In
addition, the Armenian and Iranian governments have been working on a
bilateral free trade agreement that could be signed by the end of 2007.

The Armenian government is building a second, bigger highway leading to
the Iranian border in the hope of boosting trade with Iran. In 2005,
Armenia’s trade with Iran totaled 105m dollars. Trade volume between
the two countries increased to 200m dollars in 2009. Trade relations
continue to be strong.

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad has been quoted as saying ‘The
Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes and supports the development of
ties with Armenia in various areas, particularly in energy as well
as transportation, sports, and tourism.’

Iran’s cultural attache to Armenia, Reza Atufi, has announced that the
two countries have reached a preliminary agreement to make a joint
television series. He said that the joint venture would portray the
social and cultural life of Iran and Armenia and expand cinematic
ties between the two countries. There are also Iranian Armenians that
maintain the language.

NAZARIAN WINS STATE ASSEMBLY RACE

Wednesday, November 7th, 2012

>From l to r: ANCA-WR Board member Zareh Sinanyan, Diana Nazarian,
Assemblymen-elect Adrin Nazarian, LA City Councilman Paul Krekoian,
ANCA-WR Board Co-chair Nora Hovsepian, Hye Votes Director Elen Asatryan
and Montebello City Councilman Jack Hadjinian at Nazarian’s Tuesday
Victory party

Achajian overwhelmingly re-elected; Greg Krikorian Unsuccesful in
his bid for 43rd State Assembly district.

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

LITTLE ARMENIA-Armenian National Committee of America-Western
Region-endorsed Adrin Nazarian handily won his race to represent
the 46 California State Assembly district, becoming the newest
Armenian-American to hold a seat in the state legislature.

Assemblymember-Elect Adrin Nazarian at his victory celebration with
Avo Ovayan and Levon Baronian of ANCA-SFV East ANCA-WR-endorsed
candidate Greg Krikorian, on the other hand, was unable to clench to
victory in his bid for a seat in the State Assembly representing the
43rd district.

According to results posted on the California Secretary of State’s
Web site, Nazarian received 70.6 percent (67,464) of the votes to
his challenger Republican Jay L. Stern’s 29.4 percent (28,054). In
the 43rd district race, incumbent Democrat Mike Gatto received 60.5
percent (72,797) of the votes to Krikorian’s 39.5 percent (47,615).

The highlight of the 2012 campaign in California was the vast number of
Armenian-Americans who registered to vote as a result of the Armenian
National Committee of America’s Hye Votes campaign, which mobilized
hundreds of volunteers and registered thousands of voters across the
state, with a specific concentration in Los Angeles County.

The race for the 43rd district was not without its hurdles and
obstacles, as proponents of Assemblyman Gatto resorted to eleventh-hour
underhanded tactics of deceptive phone calls to voters, as well as
voter and poll worker intimidation on Election Day.

(Asbarez will expand on these revelations in later editions).

Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian (R-35) Holding on to his seat in the
California State Assembly’s 35th district, ANCA-WR-endorsed incumbent
Republican Katcho Achadjian handily won the election with 61.4 percent
(80,596) of the votes to his opponent Democrat Gerald “Gerry” Manata’s
38.6 percent (50,660).

Another heated race in this election year was the contest between
representatives Howard Berman and Brad Sherman, longtime supporters
of Armenian-American issues in Congress, who were forced to run
against each other due to redistricting and changes to California’s
Election Code.

The campaign that at points became ugly and physical at the end saw
a victory for Rep. Sherman who garnered 60.5 percent of the votes
(109,311) to Berman’s 39.5 percent (71,420).

The ANCA had not endorsed either candidate and in a pre-election
statement said: “The ANCA values and profoundly appreciates the
contributions of both of these legislators, and regrets that
California’s re-districting process has put our community in a
situation in which only one of these two longstanding friends will
be returning to the U.S. House next January.” Both Reps. Sherman and
Berman have A+ ratings from the ANCA.

Long-time ally of the Armenian-American community Democrat
Rep. Adam Schiff was re-elected to another term in Congress, this
time representing the newly-draw 28th Congressional district, which
includes Glendale, Burbank, La Crescenta and Little Armenia among its
areas. Congressional Armenian-American Caucus Co-chairman Republican Ed
Royce also was re-elected for another term representing California’s
39th Congressional district. Senator Dianne Feinstein won her bid
for another term.

In Nevada’s 4th District Congressional race, ANCA-endorsed Republican
Danny Tarkanian was defeated by his opponent, State Senate Majority
Leader Democrat Steven Horsford.

In the California State Senate race, ANCA-WR-endorsed Democratic
incumbent Carol Liu handily won (60.3 percent of the votes) the race
against her Republican opponent Gilbert V. Gonzales in the 25th Senate
District. In the race for the 27th Senate District, ANCA-WR-endorsed
candidate Democrat Fran Pavley also won her race with 52.6 percent
of the votes against her Republican challenger Todd Zink.

ANCA-WR-endorsed candidate for the Los Angeles County District Attorney
Alan Jackson was defeated by opponent Jackie Lacey, who became the
first female and African-American LA District Attorney.

The ANCA-WR-endorsed California state Proposition 30, which ensures
much-needed funding for public schools, state universities and
colleges, as well as public safety through limited tax increases,
also won. ANCA-WR leaders expressed the organization’s support for
the measure during a press conference on October 30 with Governor
Jerry Brown.

Asbarez will have more results and analysis on the 2012 elections in
coming days.

Below are all the candidates endorsed by ANCA-WR for statewide races
and the results of the vote:

California State Senate 25 Carol Liu (won) 27 Fran Pavley (won)

California State Assembly 35 Katcho Achadjian (won) 38 Scott Wilk
(won) 41 Chris Holden (won) 43 Greg Krikorian (lost) 46 Adrin Nazarian
(won) 49 Ed Chau (won) 50 Richard Bloom (won) 57 Ian Calderon (won)
58 Cristina Garcia (won) 59 Reggie Jones-Sawyer (won)

Los Angeles County District Attorney Alan Jackson (lost)

ARTSKAH PRIME MINISTER: KASHATAGH AN INSEPARABLE PART OF THE COUNTRY

hetq
17:31, November 7, 2012

At a meeting today with school children in the Kashatagh region
of Artsakh, Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan stated that no one is
preparing to return any of the liberated territories.

PM Haroutyunyan said that Kashatagh is not for bargain and that the
region is an inseparable part of the Republic of Artsakh.

Regarding the economic development of the region, Haroutyunyan singled
out the mining sector and the relatively beneficial conditions that
exist for growth in agricultural sector.

He also said that the government was planning to build three more
hydro-electric plants in addition for the two already in operation.

THE DREAMS OF EMPHATIC AZERBAIJAN WILL QUICKLY CRUMBLE. RESPONSE OF ARMENIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY TO AZERBAIJANI MINISTER OF DEFENCE

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijan continues to present with
militaristic statements on the settlement of NKR conflict. As reports
Armenpress referring to 1news.az Azerbaijani Minister of Defence
Safar Abiyev had declared during the meeting with Italian counterpart
Giampaolo Di Paola held in Italy that he was doing everything possible
for seizing NKR territories.

According to Abiyev the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group aimed to the
peaceful settlement does not give the needed result. Azerbaijani
Minister highlighted that Azerbaijani authorities are seriously
concerned over that. Abiyev once again threatened to apply new methods
to seize the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

The spokesman of Armenian Ministry of Defence Artsrun Hovhannisyan
has commented on the thunderous announcement of Abiyev made in Italy
and has noted that may be one day Azerbaijani Defence Ministry will
be able to find the name of the “method” which they have been looking
for during last 20 years.

“The entire world has seen the result of Azerbaijani boast. Their
dreams and wishes are going to quickly crumble” noted Hovhannisyan.

BARONESS COX REVEALS BAKU’S TRUE FACE DURING DEBATE ON UK-AZERI TIES

PanARMENIAN.Net – Member of the UK House of Lords, chair of the
British-Armenian All-Party Parliamentary Group Baroness Caroline Cox
delivered remarks during a debate on UK’s relations with Azerbaijan
and the South Caucasus.

“I have visited the region 78 times, many during the war against
Nagorno Karabakh. I regret that my contribution to this debate will
be unpopular, because it is critical of Azerbaijan, but it is based
on first-hand evidence,” Baroness Cox said.

“I begin with a brief reference to aspects of recent history relevant
to current issues. I visited Azerbaijan in 1991, when I met the
then president and political leaders. I was dismayed by the explicit
commitment to ethnic cleansing of the Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh.

I also visited Karabakh then and met Azeris living in homes which had
recently been owned by Armenians who had been evicted by Azerbaijan’s
well documented policy, Operation Ring, in which Armenian villagers
were surrounded by Azeri troops who killed, tortured and drove
villagers off their land,” she continued.

“The Armenians were the primary victims as they had already been
victims in the massacres in Baku and Sumgait. Then Azerbaijan unleashed
full-scale war. I witnessed 400 Grad missiles daily raining onto
Karabakh’s capital city, an aerial bombardment of civilian homes
with 500 kilogram bombs. I also witnessed war crimes perpetrated by
Azerbaijan on Armenian civilians at Karabakh, such as the cold-blooded
massacre of villagers in Maragha. I was there hours afterwards and saw
corpses whose heads had been sawn off and burnt, mutilated bodies. I
visited Khojaly and can testify that the tragic events were not as
portrayed by Azerbaijan-a massacre of Azeris by Armenians. Independent
journalists and Azerbaijan’s former President Mutalibov have publicly
come to the same conclusion,” Baroness Cox emphasized.

She also noted that the Armenian forces’ taking control over the
territories surrounding Nagorno Karabakh was not aggressive land
grabbing, but essential for survival, as they were used as bases for
constant shelling of towns and villages inside Karabakh. “I was there
when one ceasefire was broken by Azerbaijan, with renewed bombing
from Azeri bases in these lands,” she said.

“This recent history is relevant to current concerns as the 1994
ceasefire is precarious. There is an urgent need for peace for the
peoples of Azerbaijan and Armenia and because the peoples of the south
Caucasus do not want another destabilizing regional war. However,
Azerbaijan’s continuing hostile policies are detrimental to attempts
to reach a solution to this semi-frozen conflict. For example, the
noble Lord, Lord Laird, mentioned the case of Ramil Safarov, the Azeri
military officer who used an axe to murder an Armenian officer in his
sleep while both men were attending a NATO course in Budapest in 2004.

Safarov was arrested, convicted and sentenced to a lengthy term of
imprisonment. But, when Hungary repatriated Safarov to Azerbaijan, on
the understanding that he would continue to serve his prison sentence,
he was released from prison and welcomed as a hero. According to the
Economist in September 2012, this led to a new war of words in one
of the world’s most volatile regions,” she said.

“Patrick Ventrell, spokesman for the US State Department, said that
the United States was extremely troubled by the pardon of Safarov and
would be seeking an explanation from both Budapest and Baku. Russia,
involved in trying to ease relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,
said that the actions of the Hungarian and Azeri Governments
contradicted internationally brokered efforts to bring peace to the
region. May I ask the Minister what representations have been made
by Her Majesty’s Government to Azerbaijan concerning the release and
the honouring of the convicted murderer Safarov?

The Economist also raised questions about the EU’s credibility when
it pledged [email protected] million to reform oil-rich Azerbaijan’s justice
and migration systems. Since 2006, Azerbaijan’s economy, with its
vast oil and gas reserves, has nearly tripled to $62 billion. May I
ask the Minister what the EU’s justification was in giving [email protected]
million to such a wealthy country? Moreover, there is widely-held
concern over Azerbaijan’s massive investment in its military arsenal-a
20-fold increase in seven years. Apart from expenditure on arms,
in a nation where many still live in poverty, there is deep anxiety
over the propensity to renew war with Nagorno-Karabakh. This danger
is exacerbated by Azerbaijan’s constant use of belligerent and hostile
propaganda, which is not conducive to confidence-building or effective
peace negotiations,” the Baroness noted.

Finally Baroness Caroline Cox referred to Azerbaijan’s disturbing
record on human rights, particularly on freedom of the press and
religious freedom.

“No country has an interest in other countries, only interests-and
we have oil interests in Azerbaijan,” she concluded.

“Azerbaijan pours massive funds into propaganda, disseminating
positive images of its progress while trying to prevent access to
Karabakh by intimidating potential visitors who wish to see the
situation there for themselves. After one of my visits in recent
years, an article appeared in an Azeri newspaper, entitled “Shoot
the Cox!”. Parliamentarians visiting Armenia receive letters from
Azeri authorities threatening to place them on a blacklist if they
visit Karabakh. The British Ambassador is still not allowed to visit
Karabakh, although the political and diplomatic representatives
of other nations do so. Therefore, it is hard for the Armenians of
Karabakh to have their story of Azerbaijan’s policies told.

I deeply regret having had to make such a critical speech. Of course,
I can be accused of partiality, but if my contribution is partial,
it is accurate, based on first-hand evidence and corroborated by
many independent sources. I hope it is helpful to put on record some
often untold aspects of the situation, because the search for a just
and lasting peace can only be based on an understanding of historic
and contemporary reality in all its multi-faceted complexity,”
she stressed.

ARMENIA-BASED ‘WE ARE MASTERS OF THIS CITY’ CIVIL INITIATIVE ISSUES STATEMENT

tert.am
07.11.12

The ‘We are Masters of this City’ civil initiative issued a statement
to inform the public that, on October 11, it sent Yerevan Mayor
Taron Margaryan a 20-page package of proposals to put an end to the
violations in Yerevan gardens.

The package was sent out to Armenia’s mass media outlets.

On November 6, the civil initiative received a lukewarm response from
the Yerevan Municipality.

The statement indicates that the document also listed the collapsed
building at 20 Khanjyan Str.

The civil initiative views the response as evidence of dereliction
on the Yerevan Municipality’s part.

The civil initiative indicates that local authorities go on issuing
illegal permits for construction in different public areas of Yerevan.

“The Yerevan Municipality is a local government body financed by
taxpayers, which must be accountable to Yerevan residents and to the
public,” says the statement.

ARAM MANUKYAN DEPARTS FOR DUBLIN

Panorama.am
07/11/2012

Aram Manukyan, Board Chairman of Armenian National Movement (ANM)
party, parliamentary faction secretary of opposition bloc Armenian
National Congress (HAK), has departed for the Irish capital Dublin
to attend the European Liberal Democrat and Reform party (ELDR)
Congress on November 7-13, HAK’s press service said.

ANM Board members Levik Khachatryan and Kochar Davtyan, head of ANM
Board of Shengavit district Volodya Hovhannisyan are included in
the delegation.

Armenian National Movement has been a full member of ELDR since 2010.

CHIEF PROSECUTOR ORDERS CHANGES IN WAKE OF PRESIDENT’S CRITICISM

News | 07.11.12 | 13:20

Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepyan (second from left)

Armenia’s chief prosecutor has ordered a number of changes within
the system, including dismissals and appointments, as part of broader
efforts to address corruption-related issues.

Notable changes include the appointment of Norayr Hakobyan as
prosecutor of Armenia’s southern Syunik province, a position that
remained vacant since August.

According to the Prosecutor General’s official website,
Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepyan issued another order appointing
Deputy Attorney of the Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative
districts of Yerevan Armen Afyan deputy head of the Prosecutor’s
Office’s Property and Economic Crimes Department.

Also, unspecified disciplinary proceedings have been launched
against the prosecutor of Yerevan, the prosecutor of the Arabkir and
Kanaker-Zeytun districts of Yerevan and the deputy prosecutor of the
Syunik province for abuse of power.

These latest personnel changes follow the October 29 meeting with
chiefs of law-enforcement bodies chaired by President Serzh Sargsyan
during which the head of state severely criticized the officials and
urged them to take action against “immoral” prosecutors.

On November 1, Kotayk province prosecutor Mesrop Manrikyan was
dismissed from his position. The reason was the incident last May
involving Manrikyan and his son in which Regnum news agency Yerevan
bureau chief Ruben Grdzelyan was brutally beaten.