Author: Kalantarian Kevo

OPPOSITION MP SAYS AUTHORITIES USE TAXES TO ORGANIZE ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Tert.am
06.12.11

An MP of the opposition party Heritage has accused the ruling
authorities of using taxes to organize their campaign ahead of the
parliamentary elections.

Speaking at the parliament on Tuesday, Armen Martirosyan said that the
main goal of the ruling authorities is to ensure their re-production.

“The authorities have spent all the taxes the society pays to the
budget to organize their election campaigns,” said Martirosyan.

According to him, the ruling coalition can no longer say that it is
in favor of equal partnership, shaping a new culture and holding free
and just elections.

“You are defending the majoritarian representation that much. But
why don’t you adopt the proposals by the MPs who were elected by the
majoritarian representation?” asked Martirosyan.

“You have one point: reproduction of power, but such a country where
poverty is on he increase, power cannot be reproduced,” said Armen
Martirosyan.

NUCLEAR POWER EXPERT DOWNPLAYS CONCERNS ABOUT SAFE OPERATION OF MESTAMOR NPP

/ARKA/
DECEMBER 6, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, December 6. /ARKA/. Adolf Birkhofer, the chairman of the
Nuclear Safety Advisory Group under the Armenian president, downplayed
today concerns of Armenia’s neighbor countries that the nuclear power
plant in Mestamor poses an ecological threat to the region.

Speaking at a news conference after the 12th meeting of the
Advisory Group, Mr. Birkhofer (Germany) said such statements are made
regularly, but they are inconsistent with the true state of things at
the facility. He said such statements commonly target other nuclear
plants, including those in Germany. The expert noted that Armenia is
the first country where the president personally takes part in such
discussions devoted to nuclear power safety.

“He (President Sargsyan) is well aware of the outcome of our
discussions concerning the safety situation at the NPP,” he added.

Speaking about the level of NPP staff preparedness, Birkhofer
highlighted that they have regular trainings both at the plant and
outside the country, organized by the World Association of Nuclear
Plants.

The executive secretary of the Advisory Group, Vahram Petrosyan,
said more than 1,200 measures have been taken to enhance the safety
of the facility at the demand of the UN’s International Atomic Energy
Agency since the plant was relaunched in 1995.

President Sargsyan spoke at the 12th session of the Advisory Group
about the prospects of nuclear energy power in the country. The NPP’s
director Gagik Markosyan spoke about what is being done to improve
its safe operation.

The Advisory Group was set up in 1996. Its main objective is to help
improve the safe operation of the facility.

The Armenian Metsamor nuclear power plant is located some 30 kilometers
west of Yerevan. It was built in the 1970s but was closed following
a devastating earthquake in 1988. One of its two VVER 440-V230
light-water reactors was reactivated in 1995.

Armenian authorities said they will build a new nuclear power plant
to replace the aging facility. The new plant is supposed to operate
at twice the capacity of the Soviet-constructed facility. Metsamor
currently generates some 40 percent of Armenia’s electricity. But
the government has yet to attract funding for the project that was
estimated by a U.S.-funded feasibility study to cost at as much as
$5 billion. Under a 2003 agreement Armenian nuclear power plant’s
financial flows are managed by Russian Inter RAO UES, owned by Russian
state-run Rosatom corporation.

The agreement expires in 2013. In 2010 Russia and Armenia signed an
agreement on cooperation in nuclear energy sphere whereby Russia
committed to assume 20% of all expenses. The Armenian government
will cover another 20% and the remaining part is supposed to come
from investors.

“CASTRATED” LUXURY TAX
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 14:32:17 – 07/12/2011

The tax on luxury that was approved by the parliament yesterday
is limited to a couple of expensive cars. Once they are defined as
“luxurious”, their owners will be charged 20% of their cost. But the
government will use every opportunity to declare about fight against
social injustice and tax on wealthy people.

In the meantime, the parliament is likely to approve the draft budget
on these days, hence approving the activities of the government for
the next year. The same government, which adopted the amendments to
the law on subsoil, which infuriated environmentalists because the
amendments give even more freedom to the owners of mines.

The same government, thanks to which the foreign debt of Armenia has
reached 3.5 billion in October from 200 million at the beginning of
the year.

The government which stimulates the growth of remittances by boosting
emigration. In January-October 2011 remittances amounted to USD
1.24 billion compared with last year’s USD 1 billion. 1 billion was
transferred from Russia.

The greater part of this money then flows to Turkey or China from where
consumer products are imported to Armenia. Actually, the refusal of
the government to interfere in the price formation of imported goods
leads to the fact that importer monopolists receive excess profits
making the population poorer.

No matter how hard the government tries to work out “ambitious”
economic strategies etc., the result is evident – emigration increases,
a handful of people make huge profits, while local production regresses
and the only thing to rely on is remittances.

SERZH SARGSYAN TO MP: ‘ARAKEL, NOW WHAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR IS THAT?’

epress.am
12.07.2011

After the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) executive and board
meetings, HHK leader and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan reprehended
HHK executive member Arakel Movsisyan for cursing and calling fellow
MP Armen Martirosyan an “animal” (or an “ass”), reports local daily
Joghovurd, citing its sources.

According to the paper, the reproof was quite brief: “Arakel, now what
kind of behavior is that?” Movsisyan then reportedly hung his head and
became silent, then added something akin to “I don’t behave myself,
Mr. President.” According to media reports, Sargsyan heard no more
as he moved on.

Earlier, Movsisyan, in discussion with Joghovurd, had said that he
couldn’t recall the incident in parliament.

To the journalist’s comment that the video of him saying this has been
uploaded online, the MP said, “Well, I got angry, what should I do?

It’s not kindergarten after all.”

Explaining what it was in the opposition MP’s speech that made him
angry, Movsisyan said, “He thinks he’s above the rest. He’s waiting
for everyone to be quiet so he can speak. He’s treats us all like
children. And that’s why I got angry.”

Recall, people were speaking while Martirosyan was presenting a bill
in Armenia’s National Assembly on Wednesday. As a result, Martirosyan
stopped speaking and waited for the room to quiet down. Apparently, the
HHK MP wasn’t too pleased about that as from his seat in the back row,
he shouted, “I haven’t come to listen to a speech by an ass like you!”

“You’re the ass! What kind of talk is that?” retorted Martirosyan
from the podium.

PARLIAMENT COMMEMORATES VICTIMS OF 1988 EARTHQUAKE IN ARMENIA

arminfo
Wednesday, December 7, 13:44

Armenian parliamentarians observed a minute of silence in memory of
the victims of the disastrous earthquake in Armenia on Dec 7 1988,
Wednesday. Many parliament and government members are currently in the
earthquake zone and the bills discussed on Tuesday in the parliament
will be passed on December 8.

Spitak earthquake that killed over 25,000 people, leaving around
140,000 people disabled and half a million people homeless. The
earthquake happened on December 7, 1988 at 11: 41 AM. It broke
to smash the towns of Spitak and Leninakan (currently Gyumri),
over hundred villages and several towns were destroyed partially,
earthquake shocks were felt in Yerevan and Tbilisi. Investigation,
held by the USSR Prosecutor General’s Office, cleared up that huge
scales of Spitak tragedy were mainly conditioned by the absence of
efficient estimates of seismic hazard in the region, insufficient
preparedness of rescue services and poor construction quality.

Specialists say the wave was equivalent to the blast of ten nuclear
bombs thrown on Hiroshima and was registered by seismologists in
Europe, Asia, America and Australia. Several thousand families in the
disaster zone still live in temporary houses. The government promises
to finally settle the housing problem in the earthquake zone by 2013.

ARMENIA-BASED SARDARAPAT MOVEMENT NOT TO RUN FOR PARLIAMENT

Tert.am
07.12.11

At his Dec. 7 meeting with journalists, Zhirair Sefilyan, an action
group member, Sardarapat movement, re-affirmed the movement’s decision
against participating in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

He also explained the reasons.

“Why are we against participating in the elections? First, all the
results have been decided beforehand. We are just going to see a show.

Second, we believe our country is occupied by a group of individuals.

Elections are impossible under occupation. Third, the election
organizers are outlawed. Moreover, Armenia has no just judicial
system. The elections reproduced the ruling regime and we consider
those voting to be contributors to the regime’s reproduction,”
Sefilyan said. He warned the active sections of Armenia’s population
that are keeping track of political developments in Armenia against
being deceived by “a pseudo struggle.”

“We must realize this way is wrong, and the authorities did not come
to power by means of elections. We propose the following way: forming
a just political arena and full-ledged authorities in this arena,”
Sefilyan said.

The re-alignments in the Armenian Diaspora may facilitate reforms as
well, he said.

“We are going to see this regime stripped of any popular basis in
Armenia. We will eventually see the same in the Armenian Diaspora,
which will incite attempts to reform,” Sefilyan said.

With respect to the joint statement by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs,
Sefilyan said: “The Minsk Group has never dealt with the problem. They
have always gained benefits from this [Nagorno-Karabakh] conflict. I
do not expect any progress. Our concern is the victims on the border.

We cannot charge either the enemy or the Minsk Group with that. Human
life is of no value for the ruling regime. The ruling system is the
cause, its overthrow is the solution,” Sefilyan said.

IF KOCHARYAN AND BHP AGREE
HAKOB BADALYAN

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 10:48:45 – 06/12/2011

Presenting his offer of cooperation to the Bargavach Hayastan Party as
“political analyses”, the Congress Leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan naturally
tried to avoid public refusal by the BHP.

But Gagik Tsarukyan does not seem to be in a hurry to refuse the
proposal. The BHP leader has returned from Dubai where he celebrated
his birthday but has not said anything regarding the prospect of
cooperation with the Congress yet.

Is Tsarukyan considering the possibility of cooperation? As long as he
is silent, we have reason to suggest that he is. It is possible that
Tsarukyan is trying to understand the message of the arrest of the
head of BHP Jermuk regional branch who was charged with keeping drugs
and the shooting around Member of Parliament Rustam Gasparyan’s house.

Member of Parliament Naira Zohrabyan, BHP, mentioned “witch hunt” in
commenting on these events. Tsarukyan will try to clarify. If these
incidents were not “poaching”, only the beginning of the “hunting
season”, he may contact the Congress.

Such a prospect would be undesirable for Serzh Sargsyan indeed. This
may be even risky for Tsarukyan because now Sargsyan seems to be
stronger than ever. But if the BHP leader finds out that a clear
campaign is launched against him, and he will be annihilated, he will
go on to cooperate with the Congress despite all the risks.

In this sense, the BHP leader is likely to consider the Congress as
a tool to settle his accounts with Serzh Sargsyan. For this purpose
he needs to rid of Kocharyan and March 1 publicly, as Ter-Petrosyan
demanded. But Kocharyan can also rid of the BHP for the sake of the
BHP-Congress bloc against Serzh Sargsyan.

So, in reality, by denying each other Kocharyan and BHP can keep
together, waiting for the Congress, along with BHP, to solve Serzh
Sargsyan’s issue, and expecting that later Kocharyan and BHP will
solve the Congress issue and take all the power alone.

Certainly, Ter-Petrosyan has the opposite expectation. By separating
the BHP from Kocharyan he can resolve Serzh Sargsyan’s issue, then the
BHP issue, and take power. But for Ter-Petrosyan, power is perhaps
not the first and foremost issue at the moment because the Congress
leader must be aware of the possibility that the BHP-Kocharyan public
separation could be just a shaded deal. This is as dangerous for
Sargsyan as for Ter-Petrosyan.

Ter-Petrosyan tries to stir up the political environment with more
possible scenarios and variety of interests, attempting to resolve
the most important issue – no marginalization, at least until the
parliamentary elections.

LA COMMUNAUTE ARMENIENNE DE TURQUIE RECOIT UN APPUI OFFICIEL
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 6 decembre 2011

Le ministre turc de l’Interieur Idris Naim Sahin a affirme qu’il
suivait avec interet les problèmes des armeniens de Turquie lors
d’une recente reunion avec les membres de communaute a Istanbul.

” [Sahin] a toujours montre de l’attention a chaque sorte de problème
[que nous avons eu.] Il ne nous a pas rejetes ” a declare Arev
Cebeci, un representant de la communaute armenienne qui avait pose
sa candidature pour un poste de depute au parti du Peuple Republicain
CHP), mais qui n’a pas ete en fin de compte choisi comme candidat.

Repondant aux questions du journal Hurriyet le 9 octobre Arev
Cebeci a dit ” ce que nous voulons expliquer est très important. Nous
[exprimons] nos problèmes plus clairement de cette facon ” se referant
au recent contact entre les minorites et Ankara au niveau ministeriel.

Sahin etait present a la ceremonie de lancement de l’annee scolaire
de l’Ecole armenienne d’Yesilkoy. Les deputes du CHP Mevlut Aslanoglu
et Suleyman Celebi, aussi bien que le maire de Bakirkoy Ates Unal
Erzen etaient presents.

Le maire a annonce pendant la reunion que toutes les depenses encourues
par l’association des diplômes de l’ecole seraient couvertes par la
municipalite. La municipalite prendra en charge plus de 40000 Lires
Turques de depenses a dit M.Erzen au journal Hurriyet. Le ministre,
en attendant, a pointe le dialogue entre des Turcs et des armeniens,
qui ont vecu ensemble pendant siècles et ont publie des messages de
fraternite et d’amitie. Pendant la reunion, M.Cebeci a aussi pointe
la recente decision du gouvernement turc de rendre aux fondations
des minorites leurs biens. ” Quand nos droits seront-ils retablis
? Quand assumerons-nous des postes officiels et realiserons le
statut de citoyens egaux ? Quand serons-nous capables de devenir
des fonctionnaires ? Je ne veux pas dire des histoires a mes enfants
desormais, [ce que je veux dire] est la verite ” a dit M.Cebeci.

Le choix d’un nouveau patriarche et le nouveau projet de la
constitution ont aussi evoque pendant la reunion.

BIENTOT UNE RENCONTRE DES CHEFS RELIGIEUX ARMENIEN ET AZERI A LA FRONTIERE DU KARABAGH ?

Gari

armenews.com
mardi 6 decembre 2011

Le Saint Sièges d’Etchmiadzine a salue la proposition du chef spiritual
des musulmans chiites d’Azerbaïdjan, Allahshukur Pashazade, concernant
l’organisation d’une rencontre avec le catholicos Karekine II le long
de la frontier entre le Haut-Karabagh et l’Azerbaïdjan, a fait savoir
le service de presse de l’Eglise armenienne. Lors d’une rencontre
trilaterale le 28 novembre, reunissant le catholicos, le mufti azeri
et le patriarche russe Kirill a Erevan en marge d’un sommet des chefs
religieux des republiques de l’ex-URSS, le conflit du Haut Karabagh
avait ete evoque dans une declaration commune appelant au règlement
negocie du conflit et a un retrait urgent des snipers sevissant de
part et d’autre de cette ” ligne de contact ” où Pashazade avait
propose par ailleurs de rencontrer le catholicos Karekine II. La
partie armenienne aurait accueilli avec interet cette proposition,
a indique le Père Vahram Melikyan, responsable de la communication
du Saint Siège d’Etchmiadzine. Ce dernier a aussi confirme que lors
de sa visite en Armenie, Allahshukur Pashazade s’etait rendu dans
la Mosquee Bleue de Erevan où il avait prie. “C’est d’autant plus
normal, que lors de sa visite a Bakou, [en 2010], le catholicos avait
prie dans une eglise armenienne” de a capitale azerie, a rappele
le religieux armenien. Mais si la mosquee bleue de Erevan, joyau de
l’art persan du 18e siècle, a ete restauree avec l’aide d’architectes
venus d’Iran et sert actuellement au culte, l’eglise armenienne de
Bakou etait desaffectee. Lors de leur rencontre de Erevan, les deux
chefs religieux avaient appele aussi au respect du patrimoine et des
cultures des deux peuples voisins. Un appel qui vient bien trop tard
en tout cas pour le cimetière armenien de Djoulfa, au Nakhitchevan,
rase il y a bientôt dix ans par l’armee azerie qui en a profane les
khatchkars, vieux parfois de plusieurs siècles, et y a installe un
centre d’entraînement.

NEW HIGHWAY MAY PROVOKE DOMINANCE OF ARMENIANS IN AJARA

news.az
Dec 5 2011
Azerbaijan

Ex-president of Georgia Eduard Shevarnadze sees a threat in
construction of a direct highway to connect Armenia with Ajara.

“This project may create demographic problems for Georgia”, Shevarnadze
told Asaval-dasavali weekly.

During the visit last week to Georgia, Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan discussed construction of a road with his Georgian counterpart
Mikheil Saakashvili. They agreed to intensify construction of the
road to connect Armenia and Batumi via Goderdzi.

Saakashvili noted that this will help raise the flow of Armenian
tourists to Georgia.

Meanwhile, Shevarnadze fears changes in the demographic scene in
Ajara as a result of Armenian dominance. “Look at Ajara, the number
of Armenians there is higher than Abkhazs!”, he said.

The former president also does not rule out that Georgian authorities
will make concessions to Armenians and will give them several churches
which Georgian Patriarchy considers debatable.