Author: Kalantarian Kevo

RUSSIAN FIRST DEPUTY PM VICTOR ZUBKOV DUE IN YEREVAN

armradio.am
06.02.2012 13:54

First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Victor Zubkov will pay a working
visit to Yerevan February 6-7 at the invitation of Armenian Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan. Issues of economic cooperation will be
discussed within the framework of the visit, RIA Novosti reports.

Zubkov is expected to meet Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

The Deputy Prime Minister will be accompanied by Transport Minister
Igor Levitin, Co-Chair of the Armenian-Russian Commission on Economic
Cooperation. The latter will meet Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan,
the Armenian Co-Chairs of the Intergovernmental Commission.

Upon the outcome of the visit the parties are expected to sign the
concept of long-term cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and
the Russian Federation by 2020.

Victor Zubkov’s visit opens the series of Armenian-Russian
consultations. Secretary of the National Security Council of Russia
Nikolay Patrushev and Director General of “Rosatom” Sergey Kirienko
are also due in Yerevan this week.

LA GEORGIE EST SALUEE POUR SA LUTTE CONTRE LA CORRUPTION DANS LES SERVICES PUBLICS
Stephane

armenews.com
lundi 6 fevrier 2012

La strategie deployee par la Georgie pour combattre la corruption dans
les services publics s’est revelee particulièrement efficace ; elle
pourrait etre adaptee et appliquee dans des pays qui, devant aussi
faire face a une corruption generalisee, rencontrent des problèmes
comparables. C’est ce qu’indique un nouveau rapport de la Banque
mondiale rendu public aujourd’hui et intitule Fighting Corruption in
Public Services : Chronicling Georgia’s Reforms.

” La corruption est parfois consideree comme endemique, comme un
element de la culture locale traditionnelle, et elle apparaît par
la-meme inevitable, explique Philippe Le Houerou, vice-president pour
la Region Europe et Asie centrale a la Banque mondiale. La Georgie a
montre que l’on pouvait briser le cercle vicieux de la corruption et,
par des reformes appropriees et decisives, lui substituer un cercle
vertueux. ”

Depuis la Revolution des roses, fin 2003, les efforts entrepris par
la Georgie pour s’attaquer a la corruption dans l’administration ont
ete couronnes de succès. Cependant, les ressorts de cette reussite
ont ete jusqu’ici peu documentes. Quels ont ete les traits marquants
de la lutte contre la corruption en Georgie ? Les resultats obtenus
a ce jour seront-ils durables ? Et cette methode georgienne peut-elle
etre reproduite ailleurs ?

Le rapport de la Banque mondiale s’est attache a repondre a ces
questions en procedant a des etudes de cas constituees a partir
des donnees d’un certain nombre de services publics specifiques
(police de patrouille, administration fiscale, douanes, secteur de
l’electricite, reglementation des entreprises, registres civils et
publics, examens d’entree a l’universite et services municipaux) ;
une serie d’entretiens a egalement ete menee auprès de fonctionnaires
encore en exercice ou non. Ce rapport analyse aussi le cadre de
responsabilite qui regit les relations entre l’Etat, les prestataires
de services publics et les usagers.

Jusqu’en 2003, la corruption etait presente dans quasiment tous
les aspects de la vie quotidienne en Georgie. Il fallait verser un
pot-de-vin pour acceder a la plupart des services publics, qu’il
s’agisse d’obtenir un permis de conduire ou un passeport, de faire
enregistrer un bien, de creer une entreprise, de construire une maison
ou encore d’etre admis dans une universite d’Etat. À partir de cette
annee charnière, les mesures engagees au titre de la politique de
” tolerance zero ” du gouvernement ont spectaculairement reduit
le nombre des paiements non officiels dans de multiples services
administratifs. C’est ainsi qu’aujourd’hui, la plupart des indicateurs
se rapprochent de ceux des pays de l’Union europeenne plus avances.

” Cette publication recourt a une approche objective qui s’appuie
sur des etudes de cas factuelles pour retracer la manière dont a ete
combattue la corruption dans certains services publics, explique Asad
Alam, directeur regional des operations de la Banque mondiale pour
le Sud-Caucase et auteur principal du rapport. Elle s’attache tout
particulièrement a rendre compte de la conception et de l’application
de ces reformes, en cherchant a faire la lumière sur le processus de
decision, sur les arbitrages operes par les autorites, ainsi que sur
le sequencage et les complementarites des diverses reformes. ”

Les etudes de cas font apparaître dix facteurs qui ont preside
aux reussites de la Georgie a ce jour : exprimer une forte volonte
politique ; asseoir tôt la credibilite ; lancer un assaut frontal ;
attirer de nouveaux agents ; limiter le rôle de l’Etat ; adopter des
methodes non conventionnelles ; veiller a une coordination etroite
; adapter l’experience internationale aux conditions locales ;
tirer parti de la technologie et faire un usage strategique des
communications. Si nombre de ces facteurs peuvent sembler evidents,
ce sont l’ampleur, l’audace, le rythme et le sequencage des reformes
qui font la specificite de la strategie georgienne.

En outre, le rapport dresse l’agenda des reformes institutionnelles
qu’il reste a operer afin de perenniser les resultats de la lutte
contre la corruption en Georgie, avec notamment la mise en place d’un
système solide de poids et de contrepoids. Il souligne egalement que,
meme si les conditions initiales, la nature du problème de corruption
et l’economie politique sont propres a chaque pays, bien des aspects
de la strategie georgienne peuvent etre reproduits dans d’autres pays.

L’exemple de la Georgie met a bas l’idee d’une ” corruption culturelle
” et donne de l’espoir a tous les decisionnaires, fonctionnaires et
citoyens qui, dans de nombreux pays, aspirent a l’assainissement des
services publics.

ARMENIAN DAVOS AS ALTERNATIVE TO WORLD DAVOS

/ARKA/
FEBRUARY 6, 2012
TSAKHKADZOR

TSAKHKADZOR, February 6. /ARKA/. The ninth international economic
forum, Bridge, was launched Saturday in the Armenian resort of
Tsakhkadzor.

The key topic of this forum that is also called Armenian Davos is
The New Mentality of the New Reality.

Sessions, round-table discussions, conferences, presentations and
BRIDGE AWARD ceremony will be held as part of the forum.

What Armenia Has Lost in Distant Davos?

Armenia didn’t attend the World Economic Forum held recently in Davos.

Explaining this, Armenian Economy Minister Tigran Davtyan said that
presence of Armenia’s representatives, first of all, depends on
the agenda of the forum. It is important how much the issues under
discussion have in common with Armenia.

Finding Armenia’s presence there senseless, the minister said that
if country’s delegation attended this forum, it would be just a
pro-forma presence.

“Nevertheless, we keep watch on developments and discussions at various
economic forums,” he said. “Fortunately, up-to-date telecommunication
means provide comprehensive information about every event.”

Armenia Keeps in Touch with Latest Developments in World Economy

The agenda of “Armenian Davos” is focused on developments inside
Armenia and outside of it.

The minister thinks that 2012 will be an interesting year in terms
of global economic developments and processes in the global economic
system and the world’s largest economies, such as US, EU and CIS
economies.

The global economic crisis that reached its peak in 2008 to 2010 has
substantially changed Armenia’s approaches and perception of economic
values and economic policy’s agenda.

“It doesn’t mean that global economic approaches have changed –
it means that certain specification has been made”, he said.

Davtyan hopes that the global economy just reached an important stage
and that economic and political efforts will produce positive results
and current temporary risks will subside.

“Certain positive signs, which emerged recently, give grounds for hope
that adverse outlooks are exaggerated and that everything will be OK.”

It isn’t a secret that Armenia’s economy is closely connected with
European system – about 50% of its exports are sent exactly to European
countries. That is why, he said, developments in Europe have direct
impacts on Armenian economy.

“This crisis is mainly due to sovereign debt problems,” he said.

“However, as we see, political and economic authorities of the
European Union are making every effort, and I think the situation is
under control.”

The minister is very optimistic about the situation, since he is
convinced that developments will be predictable and that it will be
possible to put things right soon.

Let Those Unable to Help Us Not to Disturb Us at Least

The minister said that the bulk of the challenges Armenia faces now
are coming from abroad. He is convinced that if no adverse factors come
from the outside, Armenia will be able to ensure positive developments
in its economy with own efforts alone.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 5 2012

Intolerance record of the week in Turkey

ORHAN KEMAL CENGÄ°Z

Last week was so terrible in terms of witnessing intolerant attitudes
from the government and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an. So many
alarming and concerning developments happened one after another.

ErdoÄ?an has taken up his old habit of suing journalists for their
alleged defamatory remarks once again. We learned ErdoÄ?an has brought
some court cases against two writers from the Taraf daily. One was
Ahmet Altan, editor-in-chief of Taraf, for an article he wrote about
the Uludere massacre in which he criticized ErdoÄ?an very harshly.
ErdoÄ?an brought one civil and one criminal case against writer Perihan
MaÄ?den as well. Ironically, ErdoÄ?an’s cases target Perihan MaÄ?den’s
criticism of ErdoÄ?an’s intolerant behavior and the compensation cases
he had brought against her before. These are alarming developments if
you consider that ErdoÄ?an after the elections had left behind his
habit of suing journalists. He had dropped all cases he brought
against journalists as a goodwill gesture on his part, but once again,
we are returning to the old days.

Not only has he brought cases against journalists, but he also engaged
in quite nonsensical and unsophisticated discussion with novelist Paul
Auster, who said that he will not come to Turkey because of
journalists jailed here. If you ask me, Auster was ill-informed about
the situation in Turkey; however, ErdoÄ?an’s remarks have just
justified Auster’s erroneous assessment about Turkish democracy.
ErdoÄ?an called Auster `ignorant’ for choosing to visit Israel while
criticizing the limits on free press in Turkey. This nonsensical
debate between ErdoÄ?an and Auster was continuing while I was writing
this article. Auster’s final remarks were as follows: `All countries
are flawed and beset by myriad problems, Mr. Prime Minister, including
my United States, including your Turkey.’ We are all curious now if
ErdoÄ?an will continue his quarrel with Auster, one of my most favorite
novelists by the way.

The Malatya Municipality has just demolished structures that were
constructed in the Armenian cemetery with funds collected by the
Armenian community. Local Armenians stated they built these structures
by getting prior permission from authorities, and they could not
understand why the municipality destroyed them. The municipality
neither gave any explanation nor warned Armenians about their
intention to demolish these structures.

I am seriously concerned about the attitude of the Malatya
Municipality. Most probably this is `local’ retaliation against the
French bill. Intolerance always operates like this. When your prime
minister reacts strongly to something, then local authorities take a
cue from it and act accordingly. And when local authorities do
something, locals also get a message from their actions and act
accordingly. This is quite dangerous. I call on the government to
investigate the demolition of the structures in the Malatya Armenian
cemetery, which seems to me quite arbitrary and illegal.

My final bad news is about missionary paranoia, which has popped up
once again. I heard that the Directorate of Religious Affairs
(Diyanet) decided to combat missionary activities `in Turkey and
abroad.’ To be honest, I did not understand this `abroad’ part at all.
What are they planning to do? Last time this missionary paranoia was
raised, it created terrible consequences, leading up to the Malatya
massacre in which three missionaries were killed. I also want to call
on the government to investigate the policies of the Diyanet with
regard to missionaries and members of other religions. They do not
have any right to spread intolerance about people from other religions
while they get their salaries from the taxes collected from citizens
of this country, who are Muslim, Christian, Jewish and so on.

Well, as I said, last week was exceptionally bad in terms of
witnessing different expressions of intolerance. I hope this is not an
indication of a trend but rather a few separate incidents coming
simultaneously.

Finally, a terrible, manipulative article was published in the UK’s
Guardian newspaper. Penned by a Turkish journalist and bearing the
title `Turkish journalists are very frightened — but we must fight
this intimidation,’ the article presented the last photo of Hrant
Dink, lying on the street. The article was so terrible, portraying
Turkey as a first-class dictatorship in which journalists are
imprisoned for what they write day in and day out. And unfortunately,
Hrant Dink was also abused and exploited for this incredibly poor
analysis of Turkey, which even gives the impression he was killed by
this government.

I strongly recommend to ErdoÄ?an that he read this `analytical’ piece
in the Guardian to see how some shortcomings of Turkish democracy are
presented in the Western media, allowing him to ponder how he has
contributed to this surrealist picture of Turkey by suing journalists
for defamation.

APPEL URGENT DU CCAF
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
vendredi 3 fevrier 2012

LOI BOYER

Conseil de Coordination des Organisations Armeniennes de France -CCAF – FRANCE

APPEL A TOUTES LES ORGANISATIONS ARMENIENNES DE FRANCE APPEL A TOUS
NOS CONCITOYENS EPRIS DE JUSTICE ET D’HUMANISME

Le Conseil de Coordination des organisations Armeniennes de
France (CCAF) appelle solennellement l’ensemble des organisations
armeniennes de France, membres ou pas des CCAF de Paris Île-de-France,
Rhône-Alpes ou Marseille- Provence, actives ou souhaitant l’etre,
a se mobiliser dans un elan sans precedent jusqu’a la decision du
Conseil Constitutionnel, qui aura a arreter son avis sur la loi votee
le 23 janvier.

Cette adoption est en soi une victoire politique d’un retentissement
mondial sur un Etat turc negationniste et arrogant, qui a jete toutes
ses forces et ses ressources dans cette bataille.

Leur charge contre le president de la Republique francaise et les
institutions de notre pays, la France, continuent.

L’executif et le Parlement turcs font maintenant pression de manière
affichee sur les juges francais membres du Conseil Constitutionnel.

Cette loi est-elle inconstitutionnelle ? Notre reponse est assurement
NON et cela sera prouve par la voix du droit, etouffee jusqu’ici
par des discours politiciens hors sujet, qui privilegient plus
leurs interets economiques ou les interets personnels. Les senateurs
francais qui ont soumis un recours d’invalidation devant le Conseil
Constitutionnel ont affirme avec force dans leur texte le caractère
etabli, indeniable du genocide armenien et denonce le negationnisme
odieux qui persiste a son encontre.

Les deputes francais qui ont depose leur propre recours adoptent
pour leur part une posture de rejet de toutes les lois memorielles
et vont meme jusqu’a remettre en cause la loi de 2001 reconnaissant
le genocide armenien.

Ce faisant, ils mettent aussi en danger la loi Gayssot qui reprime
la negation des crimes nazis tels que juges a Nuremberg.

La bataille qui va se jouer maintenant est d’ordre juridique,
politique et humaniste. C’est pourquoi le CCAF appelle l’ensemble de
ses concitoyens epris de justice, epousant les valeurs universelles de
defense des droits de l’homme et de l’humanite, et tous les amis de la
question armenienne a s’exprimer partout et en toute circonstance sur :

2.

L’injustice qui se produit, suite a l’ingerence inacceptable d’un
Etat etranger dans les affaires interieures de la France, La blessure
profonde que cela inflige aux Francais descendants des rescapes des
genocides et des deportations, L’ingerence inacceptable de l’Etat turc
et ses pressions et menaces sur notre Executif, nos parlementaires
et nos juges, Le caractère inacceptable de remise en cause des
protections de la memoire des genocides reconnus par la France,
evenements tragiques qui concernent l’humanite toute entière, qu’on
se doit de proteger pour prevenir d’autres crimes de cette nature.

Ne vous trompez pas de discours : Nous ne cherchons pas la compassion,
Nous voulons la Justice !

Ne vous trompez pas de cible : Ce ne sont pas les citoyens d’origine
turque que nous visons, Nous combattons le negationnisme officiel
de l’Etat turc, qui vient nous harceler et nous persecuter dans le
pays d’accueil de nos grands parents ! Le CCAF a pleinement confiance
dans la volonte du President de la Republique d’aller jusqu’au bout
de son engagement.

S’il ne le respectait pas, nous en tirerions toutes les consequences
avant l’echeance presidentielle.

Le CCAF a pleinement confiance dans les institutions de la Republique,
et notamment dans les juges du Conseil Constitutionnel. Si les thèses
de constitutionnalite qui leur seront opposees etaient rejetees sans
motivation serieuse, nous remettrions en cause leur objectivite et
leur impartialite et en dans tous les cas, nous porterions l’affaire
devant la Cour Europeenne des Droits de l’Homme.

C’est pourquoi, le CCAF denonce les campagnes de certains dans la
communaute armenienne visant a attaquer personnellement l’objectivite
de membres du Conseil Constitutionnel.

Toute initiative intempestive est inacceptable et irresponsable.

Nous demandons solennellement de mettre un terme definitif a ces
agissements inconsideres.

Cela n’aboutira pas et ne pourra produire que des effets inverses.

Le president de la Republique est le gardien des institutions et ne
peut intervenir sur la base de presomptions.

Quelles que soient les sensibilites personnelles, opinions politiques
ou postures philosophiques des uns ou des autres de ces juges, c’est
a l’aune du Droit et de la decision qu’ils rendront que nous pourrons
juger de leur objectivite.

Notre mobilisation est totale. Elle va se concretiser par des actions
qui vous seront communiquees dans les jours qui viennent.

Le Conseil National du CCAF

NELLY DURYAN: NUMBER OF JUVENILE SUICIDE ATTEMPTS BY JUVENILES HAS GROWN
Lusine Vasilyan

“Radiolur”
03.02.2012 17:43

The number of crimes committed by juveniles in 2011 increased as
compared to 2010. While 509 juvenile crimes were registered in 2010,
the number increased with 18 in 2011.

However, no heavy crimes committed by juveniles were registered in
2011, while there were 3 murder cases in 2010, Deputy Head of the
3rd Department of Criminal Investigation of RA Police, Colonel Nelly
Duryan told reporters today.

The number of suicide attempts also tends to grow. Forty-five juveniles
made suicide attempts in 2011, nine of which with a fatal outcome,
she said.

STATE COMMITTEE OF THE REAL ESTATE CADASTRE CONTINUES DIGITALIZATION PROCESS OF DOCUMENTS

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 3, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS: The State Committee of the Real
Estate Cadastre has accomplished the main round of the digitalization
and archivization works of documents: 2, mln documents have already
been digitalized.

Chairman of the Committee Yervand Zakharyan told a news conference
that at the moment the works are being carried out in the direction
of digitalization and archivization of absent or additional data on
property unites.

According to him, employees of the State Committee of the Real Estate
Cadastre will make use of the electronic archives.

YEREVAN, TBILISI HAVE POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPING RELATIONS – YEREVAN MAYOR

news.am
February 03, 2012 | 15:26

YEREVAN. – Yerevan and Tbilisi have a huge potential for developing
partnership relations, Armenian capital Yerevan’s Mayor Taron Margaryan
said during his meeting, on Friday, with the Georgian Ambassador,
Tengiz Sharmanashvili.

Giving a high assessment to Armenian-Georgian relations, the Mayor
stressed that the two people’s friendship and their traditions are
a basis for further developing and expanding the partnership ties
among the cities of the two friendly countries. Taron Margaryan also
underscored the need for experience exchange in the local government
domain, Yerevan City Hall Press Service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In his turn, Ambassador Sharmanashvili assured the Mayor that he
would do his utmost to assist in the joint programs between Yerevan
and Georgian cities, and in the business interest projects.

G. MAKARYAN: AZERBAIJAN MAKES MERE STATEMENTS

Aysor.am
Friday,February 03

Azerbaijani economy is not strong enough. The agriculture and
industry makes the very little percentage of economy, Gagik Makaryan
the president of the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia told
today at the meeting with the journalists and added that Azerbaijan
will not make war having such economy.

According to him Armenia has got much more diversified economy,
the spheres are more compatible than that of Azerbaijan’s.

Gagik Makaryan mentioned also that the oil industry has reduced in
Azerbaijan recently. In 2014 it will also be reduced.

COLLABORATING WITH VARTAN OSKANIAN IS POSSIBLE, SAYS HERITAGE PARTY LEADER

epress.am
02.03.2012

The Heritage Party considers collaboration with Armenia’s former
foreign affairs minister Vartan Oskanian (pictured) possible for
“achieving victory over the rule of law in Armenia” – as friends and
fellow citizens fighting electoral fraud, said Heritage Party leader
and former foreign minister himself Raffi Hovannisian at a press
conference earlier today. He added that he hasn’t met with Oskanian
and cannot say what’s on his mind in terms of his political engagement.

“Our doors are open and any political force or interested individual
that wants to discuss the margins of cooperation together, let me say,
that we’re open and I am gladly prepared to meet with them,” he said.

On possible areas of cooperation in the upcoming elections between his
party and Armenia’s second president, Robert Kocharian, Hovannisian
said:

“Anyone following the Heritage Party will understand that we’re not
vindictive and spiteful, and we consider that the Republic of Armenia’s
future of sovereignty is found through searching for and developing
a new resolution. Criticizing all three presidents, we, at the same
time, appreciate them. We’ve entered a stage where false information
is being circulated, different kinds of offers of blackmail are being
made – let me just say that there was no meeting of the three [former]
foreign ministers.”

Hovannisian reminded the press that the Heritage Party is preparing
to back Armenian National Congress member Sasun Mikaelyan in the
upcoming Hrazdan mayoral elections.