Author: Kajoyan Gevork

THE RUSSIAN WOMEN’S TEAM WINS THE TURKISH CHESS OLYMPIAD
Alexandr Vilf

RIA Novosti
10/09/2012

The Russian women’s team renewed the title of champion of the World
Chess Olympiad which concluded on Sunday in the Turkish city of
Istanbul.

In the 11th round of the tournament, Tatiana and Nadezhda Kosintsevi,
Valentina Gunina and Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated by 4-0 to the
selection of Kazakhstan.

In the other match in the same round, beat Ukraine to China, a
result that gave advantage to Russian to Chinese rivals. As a result,
the Chinese set finished in second place, followed by the Ukrainian
chess players.

Thus, the Russian women’s team repeated the success achieved in the
previous Olympics held in 2010 in the Siberian city of Khanty-Mansiysk.

In turn, Russian men took silver, finishing behind the selection
of Armenia, while the bronze went to Ukraine, as in the women’s
tournament.

CONVENIENT AND SECURE TRANSPORTATION TO BE ENSURED FOR CITIZENS, YEREVAN MAYOR

tert.am
10.09.12

Contests for bus and mini bus routes in Armenia’s capital Yerevan
are being held, Yerevan municipality’s Transport department head said
today at the session.

According to the provided press release, last week contest of five
routes has been conducted. The mayor was reported that by the first
quarter of 2013 the number of mini vans will noticeably reduce in
the capital, instead the number of buses will grow in number.

“We should ensure convenient and secure transportation for our
citizens,” the mayor said.

LORI VOTERS KICK OUT SOME MAYORAL INCUMBENTS
Larisa Paremuzyan

hetq
14:16, September 10, 2012

Yesterday’s round of local elections brought some unexpected changes
to communities in Armenia’s northern Lori Marz.

According to what I witnessed, election bribes seemed to have little
effect on the final vote tallies and voters cast ballots based on
principle rather than making a quick profit.

Mayors in a number of communities were voted out of office. This
was the case in Shnogh, Akori, Dsegh, Teghout, Tchotchkan, Aygehat
and Arevatzak

The elections in Akori and Shnogh, in the Toumanyan district were of
particular interest to local vote watchers.

In Akori, incumbent Kamo Simonyan lost to challenger Hrahat Simonyan
by a vote of 683 to 478.

In Shnogh, Hovik Sahakyan was elected the new village mayor, trouncing
incumbent Haykaz Kochinyan 991 to 655.

ANALYST: SAFAROV INCIDENT “PRECONDITION” FOR SUSPENDING TALKS

News | 10.09.12 | 14:50

Sergey Markedonov

A prominent Russian analyst has written that Hungary’s extradition and
Azerbaijan’s pardoning of convicted killer Ramil Safarov is grounds
for suspending Nagorno Karabakh peace talks.

“The Safarov case certainly is not the death of the peace process,
but, at the very least, it is a precondition for suspending the talks,
and this [suspension] could be accompanied with new incidents at
the line of contact,” writes political analyst Sergey Markedonov,
on Echo Kavkaz (Radio Free Europe) website. Markedonov is a visiting
fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program of the Center for Strategic
and International Studies, based in Washington, D.C.

Markedonov further suggested that the West does not comprehend
the complexity of the standoff between Azerbaijan and Armenia and
consequently does not treat the conflict seriously enough. He wrote:

“Safarov’s case showed how far [official] Baku and Yerevan are from
the acknowledgement of making mutual concessions. The ‘patriotic
advertisement,’ in the lead-up to next year’s presidential elections
[in Armenia], evaporated all peacekeeping progress.

“The Hungarian government’s decision has put not only Budapest’s
standing but also the western society under serious jeopardy. It turns
out that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is taken seriously by words only.

But, in reality, the non-Caucasus political scientists do not imagine
how serious this conflict is considered by the societies of both
countries.

At the same time, questions must be addressed not solely to Baku and
Yerevan, but also to the mediating countries, which must focus on
finding ways to get out of this situation.”

HAYRAPETYAN TO CRITICS: “THEY WILL BE SCARED TO DEATH OF ME.”
By Gayane Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow
10.09.12 | 15:58

Ruben Hayrapetyan’s extensive interview to France-based Les Nouvelles
d’Armenie periodical has raised another wave of anger among Armenian
society. Hayrapetyan, in effect, threatened to retaliate against
civil society activists who blamed him for circumstances that lead
to a young doctor’s death.

Actions of protest against the Parliament deputy started on June 17,
when at his family-run restaurant, Harsnakar, three military doctors
were brutally beaten; one of them, 33-year-old Vahe Avetyan, died in
hospital of head injuries.

Expressing his anger over the fact that protests were held in front
of his house, he said it was “encroachment upon my family”.

“They’ll see now what terrorizing and threatening can be. I’ll make
sure that their families suffer,” Hayrapetyan told the magazine,
apparently in reference to those who called for him t be held
responsible. “They will be scared to death of me. I am saying that
openly. If they are encroaching on mine, I am capable of keeping
and protecting my family and the families of my people. This has
become an issue of instincts [of protecting what’s mine]… So am
I supposed to let them come against my children or let my sick wife
cry her eyes out? Am I supposed to sit by and do nothing? I will do,
they’ll see, openly.”

In reference to Hayrapetyan’s threats, which activists have mostly not
taken seriously, ethnographer Hranush Kharatyan – who was among those
calling for Hayrapetyan’s resignation from the National Assembly —
says they are “usually accompanied with actions”.

“I am, of course, concerned with my family’s safety, as now knowing
what that person is capable of, I understand that if he has said it,
he will resort to certain measures, but it will not stop us. It only
proves once again that it has to be fought against,” Kharatyan told
ArmeniaNow.

Another outspoken critic, Garegin Chugaszyan, president of Information
Technologies Foundation, who has called Hayrapetyan “Kocharyan’s
puppy”, says he is not going to turn to the police.

“Of course, we are not afraid. And his words should be registered
by the Prosecutor General’s office, those are explicit threats,”
he told ArmeniaNow.

The interview also reveals a conflict between Republican Hayrapetyan
and Prosperous Armenia leader Gagik Tsarukyan.

Claiming that the protests against him were not a true civil society
movement, but a guided one with a purpose of driving him to bankruptcy,
Hayrapetyan said:

“What is this? Bankruptcy drive?…. What is it called?… They have
created something, collecting signatures to do everything to drive me
to bankruptcy. They think that I, like them, have stolen [become rich
by stealing], like Grzos [reference to another oligarch businessman
Khachatur Sukiasyan] bought property for a penny. Who is financing
them? Dodi Gago [Tsarukyan’s insulting nickname].”

Tsarukyan’s press secretary Iveta Tonoyan told RFE/RL, that Hayrapetyan
later denied mentioning Tsarukyan’s name in his interview.

DEMONSTRATIONS STILL CONTINUE BEFORE HUNGARIAN EMBASSIES IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

13:25 . 10/09

Armenians living in Belgium have organized a protest in front of the
Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU. They passed a letter
of protest to the Hungarian representative demanding that the letter
should be passed to the foreign minister.

“We expect Hungary to condemn Azerbaijan severely putting an end to
the sale of justice for bloody oil and gas money,” the letter said.

The Hungarian representative assured the letter would be passed to
the FM and expressed hope that relations between Armenia and Hungary
will be normalized in the near future.

Another protest was held in the centre of Berlin, in front of the
Hungarian Embassy. German NGO Working Group Recognition also joined
the demonstration organized by the Armenian community in Germany.

HEFFERN: US WANTS ANSWERS IN SAFAROV CASE

News | 10.09.12 | 14:43

US Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern (L) and Armenia’s Prosecutor
General Avghan Hovsepyan

Washington expects explanations from Budapest and Baku with respect
to Ramil Safarov’s extradition and pardon, US Ambassador to Armenia
John Heffern stated Monday, at Armenia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office,
during official signing of the agreement on continuing the juridical
cooperation between Armenia and US.

The Ambassador recalled that the US made an announcement immediately
after the extradition, and expressed a concern and apprehension by
this development.

“I want to reconfirm that the US, as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, is
against any manifestations that threaten the fragile peace process. We
expect explanations from Budapest and Baku, and we will be persistent
in receiving them,” the US Ambassador stressed.

“ALL THIS SHOWED THAT WE MUST BE READY FOR EVERYTHING”

September 8, 2012 13:46

Suren Abrahamyan, a former Minister of Internal Affairs and a member
of the Republic Party political council, says

“Frankly speaking, my approach toward this issue is absolutely
different. The policy of sating “the hell with Aliyev” or “shame on the
Hungarian government” or throwing tomatoes is a thing that will give
absolutely nothing. And I didn’t like that rhetoric, that aggressive
attitude. People who whistle before going to the bathroom in their
own homes not to be afraid nearly declared a war on Azerbaijan,”
yesterday Suren Abrahamyan, a former Minister of Internal Affairs
and a member of the Republic Party political council, said this in
response to our question how adequate and right the response of our
government and president to the deal between Hungary and Azerbaijan
on extraditing Ramil Safarov was. According to him,

“It was an alert to our government, our society, first of all, Serzh
Sargsyan, the president of the country; he will not be able to meet
any external challenge with his rotten system of government, with his
incompetent implementers. One should draw conclusions, because we live
under conditions of unfinished, unconcluded war and all this showed
that we must be ready for everything. We must be ready with normal,
rational people ready for fundamental systemic changes with whom our
system of government should be reinforced. Otherwise, we will be at
a loose end.”

Suren Abrahamyan assessed the proposals to cease the negotiation
process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as ridiculous, “On the
contrary, there will be no solution to the issue by that. We must
never give such a solution to our most important issue. One should
move toward peace with decisive steps, not by cursing this or that
person or beating the chest, but by correcting one’s own mistakes.

They must understand the reality. I don’t want to say impolite or
strong words about our attitude, this country must understand that it
must oppose all that by being active, having a strong state system,
not a strong government, but a strong state. Not throwing tomatoes
or swinging swords, but considering our mistakes, correcting, fixing
them should be the main task.”

We inquired whether the decision of the president to suspend diplomatic
relations with Hungary was made in a rush, whether it was a puerile
step as many people assessed it, Mr. Abrahamyan said that he didn’t
have the whole information, that was why he didn’t want to make an
assessment of that step, “Perhaps, it was appropriate, I don’t know,
but regarding the other issues, I didn’t see the realization of one’s
own mistake, which is the most important thing in our game, i.e.

to draw conclusions. I call for the government’s soberness, in order
that they understand that one cannot govern a country this way,
according to this philosophy, this psychology. It is not like they
can only rig elections, is it? At the end of the day, they are people
who are responsible for a certain area; they could have prevented
being a bit more farsighted, couldn’t they? We had abilities in that
regard; we could have just once used the capabilities of the Diaspora,
couldn’t we? Instead of come home, I don’t know, come and water your
grandpa’s grave pointless projects, we could have once mobilized the
Diaspora and Hungary would have had no chance to cut such an unfair
deal. Unfortunately, the whole philosophy of the government with
its implementers is wrong to begin with. Look at today’s officials,
those who have real power and not what we have. The whole country
is divided into prison gang leaders who don’t have intellect at all,
haven’t even read one-blotter-thick book in their lives. Do you want
them to build a normal country and meet the external challenges?”

In response to our observation that our government had known in
advance about the deal, Mr. Abrahamyan said, “If I knew that they work
hard, I would say it’s OK; the same applies to the National Security
Council. They could have appointed just two officials to deal with
that case day and night. I read the piteous cry of the counselor to
help him; he couldn’t resist that on his own. One should have had a
bit of prudence.”

HRIPSIME JEBEJYAN

THE RIVAL VIOLATED THE CEASEFIRE ABOUT 300 TIMES LAST WEEK

armradio.am
10.09.2012 12:53

About 300 cases of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were
registered at the line of contact between the armed forces of Karabakh
and Azerbaijan last week.

The rival fired more than 1,600 shots from weapons of different
caliber in the direction of the Armenian positions.

Committed to the maintenance of the ceasefire regime, divisions of
the NKR Defense Army did not yield to the provocative actions of the
rival and confidently carried out their military duty all along the
line of contact, Press and Propaganda Department of the NKR Defense
Army reported.

HERITAGE PARTY LEADER WAIVES HIS MANDATE

tert.am
10.09.12

Founder of opposition Heritage party, MP Raffi Hovhannissyan submitted
resignation application to Armenia’s National Assembly chairman
Hovik Abrahamyan. The latter has confirmed the information at the
parliamentary sitting on September 10.

According to NA Regulation law, if Hovhannissian does not take his
application back in 15 days, his resignation will be approved.

Heritage party’s leader has been elected MP at May 6 parliamentary
elections topping the joint list with Free Democrats party.

His intention not to take mandate was revealed in July when he did
not put his signature at the signature gathering initiative to convene
NA extraordinary sitting over Harsnaqar case.

The next in the list is Free Democrats member Masis Ayvazyan, followed
by Heritage member Tevan Poghosyan.

The Heritage party has issued a press release, informing that the party
has approved Hovhannisyan’s report on September 9 and respects the
leader’s decision not to take parliamentary mandate on the threshold
of presidential elections.