Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ENERGY MINISTER KEEPING WATCH ON THINGS AT ARMENIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

/ARKA/
September 22, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, September 22. /ARKA/. Armenian Energy and Natural Resources
Minister Armen Movsisyan is keeping a close watch on things at
Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, Lusine Harutyunyan, press secretary of
the ministry, told ARKA News Agency on Thursday.

According to media reports, resumption of the nuclear power plant’s
operation after regular repair is under threat now, since its 158
engineers submitted their resignations on Tuesday demanding higher
salaries. They say they no longer can live and keep their families with
AMD 120,000 to 150,000 salaries, especially after recent price hikes.

“Nothing is clear so far, but the minister’s attention is focused on
the problem,” she said. “When something becomes known, we’ll report
about that.”

Earlier, Gagik Markosyan, director general of the plant, told ARKA News
Agency that the regular repair was run in accordance with schedule
and, despite submission of resignations, and the plant will resume
operating on October 27.

He refrained from commenting on the imbroglio over these engineers and
just said that their resignations were being considered and discussed.

Armenian Nuclear Power Plant sits near Metsamor (20 or 30 kilometers
south of Yerevan).

The plant started functioning in 1976, and now only the second,
407.5-megawatt unit operates.

INTER RAO UES belonging to Russian state-owned Rosatom runs the
plant’s funds from 2003.

RUSSIA RETURNS IRAN’S PREPAYMENT FOR S-300

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 23, 2011 – 11:43 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Russia has returned the $167 million prepayment
for S-300 air defense missile systems to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The contract to supply Iran with the missile system was signed at the
end of 2007, with Russia obliging to supply five divisions’ worth of
S-300PMU-1 for $800 million. Russia canceled the contract over the
UN sanctions imposed against Iran.

“We guarantee return of prepayment in case of circumstances not
envisaged by the contact, like it happened now,” Russian defense
official Anatoly Isaykin told Kommersant daily.

ARMENIA, RUSSIA PURSUE NATIONAL INTERESTS – RUSSIAN EXPERT

Tert.am
23.09.11

Stanislav Tarasov, an expert for the Regnum agency, said that Russian
troops’ participation in the military parade on the 20th anniversary
of Armenia’s independence was only natural.

“A Russian military base is stationed in Gyumri, and Russian troops’
participation in the parade showed respect for Armenia’s independence.

If Russian troops were stationed in Azerbaijan, the same would
take place. Besides, Armenia is a member of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization and Russia’s strategic partner. Another matter
is that some forces would like to present this event as a symbol of
‘occupation’. But it is their problem. Armenia and Russia are pursuing
their national interests,” the expert said as quoted by analitika.ua.

PIANIST TIGRAN HAMASYAN RETURNS TO LOS ANGELES FOR JAZZ FESTIVAL

Tert.am
23.09.11

Armenian born young piano virtuoso Tigran Hamasyan and his Tigran
Quintet will return to Los Angeles to perform at the Angel City Jazz
Festival, Asbarez.com reported.

The event returns to the Ford Amphitheatre on Saturday October 1.

Called “Amazing” by no less a jazz piano authority than Herbie Hancock
and regarded as an absolute prodigy of his instrument, Hamasyan is a
recent winner of the world-renowned Thelonious Monk Piano Competition
and the Montreux Jazz Solo Competition.

Hamasyan, who lives in Paris now, combines the Armenian folk melodies
of with the complexities of jazz.

Festival producers Rocco Somazzi and Jeff Gauthier continue to explore
new and provocative avenues of creative jazz at the 4th annual Angel
City Jazz Festival. The theme for the 2011 festival is Global Jam,
with artists representing nine countries at seven events in six venues
throughout Los Angeles. The festival centerpiece production will take
place Saturday October 1 at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre.

Sited in the historic Cahuenga Pass in the world famous Hollywood
Hills, the Amphitheatre was originally known as the Pilgrimage Theatre
and is one of the oldest performing arts venues in Los Angeles still
in use. The Amphitheater has a rich jazz tradition which included a
regular jazz series in the 1960s and 70s, and an annual Mother’s Day
Jazz & Blues Extravaganza.

UNIBANK VA OUVRIR 8 NOUVELLES SUCCURSALES EN ARMENIE EN 2011
[email protected]

armenews.com
samedi 24 septembre 2011

ARMENIE

Le developpement des PME a ete declare par Unibank CJSC comme priorite
superieure ce qui suppose l’existence d’un reseau de succursales.

” Prenant en consideration de la croissance du volume des ventes et
l’augmentation considerable du nombre des clients, la banque ouvrira
8 nouvelles succursales en 2011 apportant leur nombre total a 42 ”
a annonce le service de presse de la banque.

Specifiquement, de nouvelles succursales seront etablies dans les
districts administratifs de Davidashen, Erebuni et Arabkir d’Erevan et
dans la ville de Tashir. Une autres trois succursales seront ouvertes
dans le coeur d’Eerevan.

Avec l’expansion de son reseau, la banque continuera des travaux sur
le re-equipement des succursales.

LE PRESIDENT DE L’ARMENIE A L’ONU
[email protected]

armenews.com
samedi 24 septembre 2011

ARMENIE

M. SERZH SARGSYAN, President de l’Armenie, s’est felicite des efforts
de mediation menes par des structures et organisations regionales a
travers le monde, dans le but de preserver la paix et la securite,
ainsi que pour resoudre les conflits par l’usage de moyens pacifiques.

Il a note les avantages de ce type de mediation regionale, notamment
la connaissance des acteurs en conflit, celle du terrain, et de
la proximite culturelle. La reussite de toute mediation, a-t-il
souligne, exige entre autres, la definition d’un mandat clair. L’une
des priorites que doivent poursuivre les mediateurs est celle de
prevenir toute reprise des hostilites entre des parties en conflit,
a-t-il ajoute.

Le President Sargsyan a par ailleurs salue l’admission du Soudan du
Sud au sein des Nations Unies, après avoir exerce son droit legitime
a l’autodetermination. Le peuple du Nagorno-Karabakh a, lui aussi,
fait ce choix de l’autodetermination, il y a 20 ans, en resistant
a la guerre menee contre lui par l’Azerbaïdjan. Malheureusement,
a ce jour, l’Azerbaïdjan se montre peu cooperatif pour conclure
les negociations entamees sous les auspices de l’Organisation pour
la securite et la cooperation en Europe (OSCE), en vue d’apaiser
les tensions entre les deux entites. L’Azerbaïdjan a-t-il affirme,
a decide de repandre au sein de sa population le sentiment xenophobe
contre la population armenienne du Nagorno-Karabakh. La politique
d’Azerbaïdjan est de faire disparaître tous les signes de la presence
armenienne au Nagorno-Karabakh. En outre, l’Azerbaïdjan continue de
refuser les propositions de la communaute internationale visant a
sceller le non-recours a la force et l’instauration de mesures de
confiance, avec l’Armenie, a-t-il dit.

Hier, a rappele M. Sargsyan, l’Assemblee generale a insiste sur la
necessite de renforcer la Declaration et le Programme d’action de
Durban contre le racisme et la discrimination. Malheureusement, les
Armeniens sont encore victimes de cette intolerance dont on a fait
mention hier, a-t-il soutenu, en regrettant, a ce propos le fait
que la Turquie continue, quant a elle, de nier le genocide commis
contre le peuple armenien. À la veille de ” Rio+20 “, la communaute
internationale doit faire preuve de sa determination a honorer ses
engagements en faveur de la region du Sud-Caucase, un espace de
cooperation et de prosperite, a ajoute M. Sargsyan. Les dirigeants
de la region doivent, eux aussi, avancer ensemble vers la creation
d’un futur prospère et pacifique pour les generations a venir,
a-t-il conclu.

FORMER OAKLAND CHURCH TREASURER ORDERED TO REPAY ALMOST $400,000
By Paul T. Rosynsky

San Jose Mercury News
Sept 2011
CA

OAKLAND — A former treasurer of an Oakland church who stole more than
$400,000 from parish coffers was sentenced to a year of electronic
monitoring Friday and ordered to repay most of the money taken from
the St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church.

In a plea deal with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office,
which appeared to frustrate several church members, Gary Alexanian,
47, was found guilty of grand theft instead of the more serious
embezzlement crime he was originally charged with.

In addition, Alexanian agreed to repay the money he stole, submit to
a year of electronic monitoring and serve five years probation.

Parish members declined to comment after the sentencing Friday but
in a letter to the probation department, the parish council said
Alexanian deserved prison time for stealing.

“A crime of this size cannot be rewarded with simply a probationary
scolding,” the letter stated. “The criminal activity perpetrated by
Mr. Alexanian has shaken the Church to its core, profoundly impacting
the parish community.”

Alexanian, who was baptized at the church, had stolen the money during
his more than decade long tenure as the parish’s treasurer. The money
was gathered, church members have said, through bake sales and other
yearly fundraising events.

In the letter to the probation department, the parish council said
they erred in putting full trust in Alexanian who they said began
stealing within the first 45 days he was appointed treasurer.

Michael Cardoza, Alexanian’s defense attorney, said his client is sorry
for his actions and began to steal because of financial pressures in
his life.

In a letter to the court, Alexanian said he was ashamed and said
his actions have led to a crumbling of his life, which includes a
pending divorce demanded by his wife and ostracization from the Bay
Area Armenian community.

“Because of my actions, my wife has moved for a legal separation,
we are losing the house and I have personally lost some of my family
members, and all of my friends,” Alexanian wrote. “I acknowledge
that it was selfish, stupid, and before long, things just got out
of control.”

Cardoza said his client hopes the church members will eventually be
able to forgive him.

“What was most shocking to me is the first issue was repayment
of money. Not one member of the church ever asked him how he was
doing,” Cardoza said. “We hope that the church, in their hearts,
can forgive him.”

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER ALI HASANOV: “NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT IS NOT RESOLVED BECAUSE OF WIDESPREAD INJUSTICE IN THE WORLD”

APA
Sept 23 2011
Azerbaijan

Baku. Parvin Abbasov – APA. “Azerbaijan has spent 4.5 billion dollars
for the solution of refugee and IDP problems in the past 20 years”,
chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, Deputy Prime
Minister Ali Hasanov said, APA reports.

He spoke about the reasons of non-solution of Nagorno Karabakh
problem. “I express my personal opinion. The conflict is not resolved
because of widespread injustice in the world. In this case, how we
can take the lessons of democracy and human rights from the world’s
countries? Azerbaijan knew democracy and human rights hundred years
ago. But there is a different attitude towards us. If the international
organizations want the Karabakh issue to be solved, let them stand
aside and put Azerbaijan and Armenia face to face to solve the problem
themselves. Otherwise let the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to solve
the problem with Russia, to negotiate it with Russia”.

GEORGIA NOT TO RECOGNIZE ILLEGAL ELECTIONS IN ‘NAGORNO KARABAKH’

news.az
Sept 23 2011
Azerbaijan

Georgia reiterates its support to sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan.

Georgian Foreign Ministry reiterates its support to sovereignty
and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally
recognized borders and won’t recognize the ‘illegal so-called local
self-government bodies’ held in Nagorno Karabakh on 18 September 2011″,
the special statement in Georgian Foreign Ministry says.

Georgian Foreign Ministry welcomes the world community’s efforts
aimed at ensuring peaceful settlement of the conflict and believes
that there is no alternative to a dialogue.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH IS ONE OF UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S MAJOR TOPICS

APA
Sept 23 2011
Azerbaijan

New York. Isabel Levine – APA. Nagorno-Karabakh is the major topic
for Azerbaijani and Turkish diplomats in the UN General Assembly,
APA’s Washington DC correspondent reports from the GA general debates.

During their bilateral meetings with the number of foreign leaders
in the UN sessions, the top diplomats of Azerbaijan and Turkey are
raising the current situation of Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations,
including the last elections in the occupied territories and their
negative influences to the regional cooperation.

Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu shared his views and concerns regarding
Nagorno-Karabakh during his meetings with both Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
according to the Turkish diplomats. The issue has also been raised
by the Turkish PM Erdogan at the GA on September 22.

French President Sarkozy, who is planning to visit to Baku and Yerevan
in the coming weeks, has scheduled a meeting with the Armenian top
officials next week.

Co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, who mediate the conflict, have
already gathered in NYC for the separate discussions with Azeri and
Armenian diplomats.

Elmar Mammadyarov, Azerbaijan FM is getting ready to raise the topic
at the Assembly, in the coming days.

Mr. Mammadyarov, who already met with several western diplomats in
New York, hopes for the Western support over the Azerbaijan’s concerns
regarding the current situation in NK territory.

The issue has also been discussed at the meeting between Mammadyarov
and British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Lord David Howell on September 22. UK has deep interest in the
exportation of Azerbaijani natural gas to EU. In its part, Baku
seeks a major support from UK and other EU countries regarding the
Karabakh negotiation.

Mr. Mammadyarov also discussed the topic during the meeting with
Fiji Minister Joketani Cokanasiga, who thanked Azerbaijan for the
financial support given towards Fiji’s UN Guard Unit in Iraq in May.

The Fiji had decided to support the candidature of Azerbaijan for the
Eastern European seat on the UN Security Council to be contested on
October 13 in the GA, APA was told by the Fiji diplomats.

Mr. Mammadyarov is expected to participate at the annual coordination
meeting of the OIC ministers for foreign affairs on Friday,
September 23.