Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT REWARDS SCIENTIST

news.am
March 30, 2012 | 20:17

YEREVAN. – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited on Friday the
Armenian National Academy of Sciences and met with Academy member
Sergey Hambarstumyan.

Sargsyan congratulated Hambartsumyan on the 90th anniversary and
wished him health and success, presidential press service informs
Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In addition, the honorary Academician by the decree of the President
was rewarded with Tigran the Great medal for his significant
contribution in the development of science and public activity.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CALLS ON TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE RIGHTS OF ETHNIC MINORITIES

ARMENPRESS
MARCH 30, 2012
BRUSSELS

BRUSSELS, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS: With majority of the votes the
European Parliament ratified the report of EP”s Dutch Christian
Democrats Group Member Ria Oomen-Ruijten.

Armenpress reports citing “Sabah” newspaper that in the report the
European Parliament calls on Turkey to recognize all the ethnic
groups settled in this territory and requires ensuring their right
of studying the mother language.

Ria Oomen-Ruijten told a news conference at the EP that Turkey must
actively continue the reforms of the army, judicial system. The report
also touched upon the current situation of Turkey in the sphere of
freedom of speech and press.

Chairman of the European Parliament Martin Shultz condemned
prosecutions of journalists in Turkey and said there is a regress in
the sphere of democracy in that country.

“There are more than 100 journalists arrested in Turkey. They are
all Kurds or are connected with the Kurdish conflict,” said Shultz,
stressing Turkey must reform its anti-terrorist laws as well: making
use of them Turkey arrests numerous people for extending productive
public activity.

ANC LEADER URGES REPORTERS TO CALL FOREIGN ENVOYS’ ATTENTION TO ELECTORAL LISTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
March 30, 2012 – 20:26 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The leader of the Armenian National Congress Levon
Ter-Petrossian drew the rally participants’ attention to the issue
of electoral lists.

“All elections and even the fate of Armenia depend on the disastrous
candidates lists comprising not even 500 but 700 thous. people,”
he said.

He noted with irony that lengthening the lists by 175 thous. names
compared with the 2008 elections, Armenian police chief Vladimir
Gasparyan probably wanted to prove RA President Serzh Sargsyan that
he is more competent that his predecessor Alik Sargsyan.

According to ANC leader, even voter bribery doesn’t help the
authorities, with candidates lists remaining their sole hope during
the elections.

In this context, he urged the journalists, politicians and political
parties concerned over the justice of oncoming elections to vie
for rectification of lists and publication of the lists of voters
following the elections. Ter-Petrossian said that voter lists were
published during his term of office, the practice being canceled
after Robert Kocharian came to power.

Head of the Congress called on particularly the reporters to draw
the foreign embassies’ attention to the issue, noting that he himself
will raise the issue during a meeting with the head of the OSCE/ODIHR.

“The international observers will become accomplices in election
forgery, if the issue isn’t resolved,” he said.

U.S.-ARMENIAN FIGURE SKEPTICAL ABOUT FAIR ELECTION PLEDGE
Tigran Avetisian

30.03.2012

Armenia — Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken
Hachikian, undated.xArmenia — Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA) Chairman Ken Hachikian, undated.

A prominent American-Armenian public activist who heads the largest
Armenian lobbying group in the United States has cast doubts over
the assurances by the leadership in Yerevan about holding the fairest
elections in the history of the former Soviet state.

Ken Hachikian, who has led the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA) since 2000, was in Yerevan to attend a conference of the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Hay Dat committees and offices
that opened on Friday.

In an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) the
same day Hachikian expressed a general concern about the fairness of
the Armenian elections. “The past elections have not been fair, they
have not been clean, and it is very important that these elections be
clean,” he said. At the same time, he said that he took the assurances
of the Armenian administration about ensuring the fairness of the
May 6 general elections with “a great deal of skepticism”.

Still, the noted Armenian-American figure would not cast doubts over
the prospect of the ARF entering the next Armenian parliament.

“We follow the domestic politics in Armenia with a great interest. I
have every reason to believe that the Dashnak Party will pass the
five-percent threshold,” Hachikian emphasized.

In the interview the ANCA chairman also addressed the latest efforts
on the international affirmation of the Armenian Genocide.

“I believe the current process on the international recognition of
the Armenian Genocide has picked up considerable momentum in recent
years,” said Hachikian, referring to the law in France to criminalize
the denial of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, as well as the passage
in the U.S. House of Representatives of a bill on returning church
properties to Christian minorities in Turkey.

“Even though the law in France has been stalled because of the
constitutional court ruling, its passage in the French parliament
gave considerable momentum and publicity to the issue of genocide
recognition,” he emphasized.

Speaking about the prospect of the passage of a resolution to recognize
the Armenian Genocide at the United States Congress, Hachikian said
it was unlikely to happen during this term.

“I don’t believe there is going to be an opportune time to be able to
pass the resolution today, in this session. However, I do think that
we may have an opportunity to pass the reparations resolution on church
properties in the United States Senate,” the ANCA chairman concluded.

TWO ISSUES OF CONGRESS

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 19:52:01 – 30/03/2012

Addressing the rally of the Armenian National Congress, Levon
Ter-Petrosyan said it is entitled the provisions of the election
program of the Armenian National Congress, which is the uniform
approach of the Congress bloc.

Ter-Petrosyan announced that the Congress is the only force which does
not need an election program because in the past years the Congress
has dwelled on its approaches and addressed two important issues,
revelation of the bandit state and proposal of a substantive scenario
of systemic change.

You are not the people who can use the word belief, uou are profane,
Levon Ter-Petrosyan stated, commenting on the government’s slogan
believe to change. He said Serzh Sargsyan has failed to fulfill
his pledges.

Ter-Petrosyan says as a historian that this is the worst government
in the history of Armenia. He also said that if the citizen sells his
vote to the government for 5000 drams, he will destroy the state and
will have no right to accuse anyone.

Ter-Petrosyan said the Congress will simply convey to the society in
simple human language what it is going to do in parliament.

Ter-Petrosyan said as the first step they will bring up the issue
of impeachment of Serzh Sargsyan and his prosecution. The next will
be the creation of special commissions to study scandals and crimes,
including October 27 and March 1 and draw conclusions.

Then, according to Ter-Petrosyan, they will address compensation to
the families of March 1 victims. Ter-Petrosyan enumerated the steps
the Congress will take in different areas and presented relevant
concept notes on each of them.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION TRADITIONALLY MARCHES IN YEREVAN DOWNTOWN

news.am
March 30, 2012 | 19:58

YEREVAN. – The rally of the opposition Armenian National Congress
(ANC) is followed by marching in Yerevan downtown.

Prominent members as well as leader of the bloc Levon Ter-Petrosyan
delivered speeches during the rally held on Friday evening.

Ter-Petrosyan voiced the motto of the bloc during upcoming
parliamentary elections: “Not a single vote to criminal regime!”

The date of the next rally is not reported.

ISRAEL PROMISES TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ARMENPRESS
MARCH 30, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Genocide recognition issue
is being discussed in Israel, representative of the Armenian Cause
Jerusalem Office Hakob Sevan said speaking to reporters on Friday.

“The first attempt was made in 2007 when the issue was raised in
Knesset and appeared on the agenda. At that time we did not manage
to reach results because of certain political issues, but afterward
at the April session the issue again was put on the agenda and every
year after discussion the document was being sent to the Foreign
Relations Committee,” Sevan said.

He said their victory was that the Armenian Genocide recognition issue
was sent to the state committee. “Decisions have been made and we
were expecting them to be implemented,” Sevan said, adding that they
always have victorious mood. Influential figures of the government,
Knesset”s spokesman promised they will fight till the end.

“There are some Jewish for who all this is strange but there are also
those which claim the crimes against humanity cannot be ignored,”
Sevan said.

ROBERTO GIANOLA TO CONDUCT ARMENIAN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

PanARMENIAN.Net
March 30, 2012 – 13:00 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Renowned Italian conductor Roberto Gianola will
perform with the State Philharmonic Orchestra of Armenia (artistic
director and conductor Eduard Topchjan) on March 30.

Pianist Heejung Sim (South Korea) will join the concert as a soloist.

The concert features Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Chopin’s Piano
Concerto No.2 and Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2.

Roberto Gianola is considered as one of the most promising orchestral
conductors of the new generation.

Despite being only 34, he has recently got to conduct at the Carnegie
Hall of New York where he has been greatly successful and got the
ovation of over 3.000 people attending.

He was on tour in France, Germany, Tunisia, Morocco, the Netherlands,
Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Jordan.

Gianola even got to become partner of important artists such as
C.Maria Giulini, Salvatore Accardo, Mstislav RostropoviÄ~M and others.

THE DEFENDER’S ASSESSMENT OF THE YEREVAN MUNICIPALITY AND OTHER LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT BODIES ACTIVITIES IN 2011

hetq
16:08, March 30, 2012

Shortcomings and problems identified

As a result of the Municipality’s insufficient supervision, arbitrary
constructions were often carried out in the yards of multi-residential
buildings and also playgrounds, and these works were not prevented.

While implementing the project of dismantling of kiosks, the
Municipality mainly did not ensure the necessary legal procedures,
as a result of which the corresponding people’s rights were violated
causing social tension.

The authorized body, acting on behalf of the Republic of Armenia, was
not defined, which should have to carry out a proper supervision of
implementation of obligations of builders prescribed by law or contract
in the territory considered as territory of supreme public interest.

YerevanMunicipalitydid not sufficiently carry out control over
activities of governing bodies of condominiums and residential
buildings in the respect with implementation of renovation and
preventive measures towards property (general equity-owned buildings)
maintenance requirements and their assurance.

In certain cases (address: Komitas 26) a citizen was provided with
planning documents giving permission to carry out construction works,
which were subsequently eliminated by the same body due to reasoning
that it had been given with some legislative violations.

YerevanMunicipalitynot in all cases subjected to administrative
responsibility the persons who had made urban development and
administrative legislative violations. That is, a discriminatory and
arbitrary approach was demonstrated.

The public transport situation inYerevanis very concerning. Sufficient
measures have not been taken to improve the exploitation of public
transport, to make the management more effective and enhance the
quality of passenger transportation.

YerevanMunicipalitydid not carry out programs to adapt urban
development facilities of urban significance and also public transport
for free movement of people with disabilities people, and as a result
the latter’s rights continued being violated.

Positive developments

Landscaping and reconstruction actitivies have been carried out
in communities.

New public transport stops have been restored, furnished and
constructed.

The Municipality, in cooperation with a charitable foundation, managed
to solve accommodation, food, hygiene, care and other essential issues
of homeless people.

The charitable program “Wish Implementation” was elaborated and
put into action through the Municipality website aiming to support
children in extreme need.

Karen Andreasyan,

Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia

The list of the identified positive developments, gaps and shortcomings
is not exhaustive.

The HRD Annual Report 2011 was developed based on the complaints
received by the Staff of the Human Rights Defender, legislation
analysis, trustworthy and non-disclaimed publications in press,
reports of the international and local organizations as well as
information received during the interviews with field specialists
and human rights defenders.

FM to visit Kazakhstan, Armenia and Uzbekistan

FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE- Sat, Mar 31, 2012

Minister of Foreign Affairs Erato Kozakou Marcoullis departs for
Moscow Sunday and will then travel to Kazakhstan, Armenia and
Uzbekistan for working visits, between 2 and 6 April.

According to an official press release issued, Kazakhstan will be the
first stop of the Minister’s tour next Monday, noting the visit is
taking place at the invitation of her counterpart, Yerzhan Kazykhanov.

A Protocol of Cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of
Cyprus and Kazakhstan and a Memorandum of Cooperation between the
Ministries of Education and Culture of the two countries will be
signed during this visit.

They will also sign a Protocol of Cooperation between the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
the Republic of Kazakhstan and a Memorandum of Cooperation between the
Ministries of Education and Culture, on issues of Scientific and
Technical Cooperation.

Marcoullis will have extended talks with the Foreign Minister during
which they are expected to discuss ways of developing bilateral
relations, EU-Kazakhstan relations and issues of international
interest.

The Cypriot Minister will brief her counterpart on developments in the
Cyprus problem, energy issues and issues related to the upcoming
assumption of the presidency of the EU Council by Cyprus on 1 of July
2012. A joint press conference will be followed. Kazykhanov will host
a working lunch in honor of Marcoullis.

The Minister will also meet with Deputy Minister to the President,
Mukhtar Abraruly, the Upper House President of Kazakhstan Kairat Mami,
the Minister of Education Bakytzhan T. Zhumagulov, the Minister of
Finance Bolat B. Zhamishev and the Ministry of Economic Development
and Trade Zhanar Aitzhanova.

The Minister will depart from Astana for Armenia, on Tuesday, 3 April.
– (KYPE)