Author: Kalantarian Kevo

168 ZHAM: ARMENIA’S MOST CORRUPT OFFICIALS TO BE CALLED TO ACCOUNT?

Tert.am
11:24 01.09.11

Rumors within the ruling circles have it that the detention of Chief
of Armenia’s traffic police Margar Ohanyan will be followed by a
series of dismissals and detentions this autumn.

The high-ranking officials that have gained notoriety as “the most
corrupt” will be detained or dismissed, the newspaper reports.

Thus, on the threshold of elections, Armenia’s the authorities will
show their struggle against corruption both to Armenian society and
to the international community. The authorities are rumored to have
compiled a list of officials “to get rid of” before the end of this
year. Among them are Minister of Nature Protection Aram Harutyunyan,
Syunik Governor Surik Khachatryan, Gyumr Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan,
with the reins of power in the Shirak region to be handed over to
Governor Ashot Grigoryan.

ARMENIAN SOLDIERS AND OFFICERS TO STUDY IN GERMANY

Tert.am
00:02 01.09.11

Armenian soldiers and officers of the Defense Ministry will have
a chance to study in Germany’s military institutions, following an
agreement signed between Armenia and Germany.

The agreement was signed at a meeting on Wednesday by Armenia’s
Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan and Parliamentary Secretary of State
of Germany’s Defense Ministry Christian Schmidt.

Prior to the signing of the document Ohanyan and Schmidt discussed
issues related to cooperation between the two countries in the sphere
of defense.

The parties stated that the Armenia-Germany relations have registered
great progress in the recent years in the sphere of military education
and peacekeeping mission.

Christian Schmidt thanked Ohanyan for the excellent service of the
Armenian peacekeepers in Afghanistan under German command.

MINISTER NALBANDIAN DELIVERS A LECTURE FOR YSU STUDENTS

armradio.am
01.09.2011 14:58

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian traditionally visited
the Yerevan State University today and delivered a lecture for the
first-year students.

In his speech the Minister presented the main directions and priorities
of Armenia’s foreign policy, the results of yesterday’s meeting of
representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the heads of
Armenia’s diplomatic missions, the latest developments on the process
of settlement of the Karabakh issue.

“We had reached a point, when the mediators and the international
community believed that meeting the basic principles proposed by the
Minsk Group Co-Chairs at the Kazan meeting could serve as a basis for
the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. We did not manage to register
progress because of the non-constructive position of Azerbaijan,”
Minister Nalbandian said.

According to Edward Nalbandian, the same happened in Sochi in March
2011, in Astrakhan in October 2010 and in Saint Petersburg in June
2010, where Azerbaijan prevented the conclusion of an agreement.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN DOESN’T AGREE WITH THE OPINION THAT “KARABAKH DOESN’T TAKE PART IN THE NEGOTIATIONS”

Mediamax
Aug 31 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. The second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan
stated that he doesn’t agree with the opinion that “Karabakh doesn’t
take part in the negotiations”.

Robert Kocharyan said this in his interview to Artsakh Public TV in
connection with the 20th anniversary of Karabakh’s independence.

“I don’t agree with the opinion that Karabakh doesn’t participate in
the negotiations. That’s not true. Karabakh does participate in the
negotiations. Karabakh doesn’t participate only in one part of the
negotiation process: meetings of Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents.

The negotiation process is much broader and Nagorno Karabakh carries
out fully-fledged negotiations with the OSCE Minsk group and is the
participant of the process. Of course, we should speak of Karabakh’s
fully-fledged participation. The Armenian President presents Nagorno
Karabakh’s interests during the negotiations between the Presidents.

When I was a President all the issues were thoroughly discussed and
agreed on with former NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan. We may say it
was a forced delegated task to some extent but that was the situation.

I have no doubts that Karabakh will take a fully-fledged participation
in the negotiations. It’s difficult to predict how long the process
will last.

One thing is obvious: in the modern history all similar issues were
resolved in favor of self-determined peoples, all without exception –
in Abkhazia, Southern Ossetia, Kosovo, Eastern Timor, Eritrea and now
in Southern Sudan and Darfur. As for the Palestinian issue, there is no
doubt that they will have an independent state, everything leads to it,
and the international community admits the neccesity of establishing
this state. But one shouldn’t think that the life will be radically
changed after recognition of the NKR. We should live thinking that it
happened long ago. We don’t need anybody’s “stamp” to recognize our
independence. The fact has taken place and we should live, work hard
and stregthen the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. And we’ll get everything,
our turn will come too”, stated Robert Kocharyan.

FIRST VOLUNTARY LIVESTOCK COOPERATIVES START EMERGING IN ARMENIA

Mediamax
Aug 31 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. 18 voluntary cooperatives are established in 5
rural communities of Armenia within the program implemented by the
World Bank (WB) in cooperation with the Armenian government.

Gagik Khachatryan, the Director of Bureau of Agricultural Programs
Realization at the Ministry of Agriculture of Armenia, said today that
the program will last till 2015 and will cover 55 rural communities of
6 marzes (Aragatsotn, Shirak, Lori, Tavush, Gegharkunik and Syunik),
Mediamax reports.

The program is expected to result in raising the effectiveness of
use of 14% pastures in Armenia which will increase milk and meat
production by 15-20%.

According to Gagik Khachatryan, the pastures which make 1/3 of
Armenia’s territory are used in an extremely inefficient way which is
a serious ecological threat as well. He noted that the program aimed
at rational use of pastures and enhancement of waste management will
stop soil degradation and ensure preservation of biological diversity.

The WB approved allocation of USD 16mln credit for this program in
March 2011. The total cost of the program makes USD 21.3mln and
USD5.3mln out of the total sum will be allotted by the Armenian
government.

Head of WB Yerevan Office Jean-Michel Happi noted that if the program
proves to be effective the WB will consider the possibility of its
expansion in other marzes of Armenia.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITIONAL NATIONAL CONGRESS TO HAVE 10 SEATS IN NEXT PARLIAMENT – RULING PARTY

news.am
Aug 31 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Armenian National Congress will have 8-10 seats in the
next parliament as a result of the parliamentary elections, deputy
head of the ruling Armenian Republican Party Galust Sahakyan told
the journalists on Wednesday.

“The situation will be more certain when all the players of the
politics are clarified,” Sahakyan stated.

Armenia will hold parliamentary elections in May of 2012.

AZERI NURSE TRIED TO MURDER ARMENIAN CHILD

yerkir.am
15:23 – 29.08.2011

There was information in blog, according
to which azeri nurse tried to murder Armenian child.

Aquaintants of the blogger were taking their vacation in Sochi
and their child had an intestinal infection and was transferred
to hospital.

The nurse constantly persuaded the child~Rs mother to take some rest
and sleep. After two days when the child~Rs condition got slightly
better, the mother decided to take a nap. When she woke up she
found her son totally soaked in blood and unconscious. The nurse
had disappeared.

Father of the child was able to find the nurse~Rs passport, after which
they found out that the nurse was a citizen of Azerbaijan. Founding
out that the child was from Karabakh, she cut his veins.

According to the blogger, the nurse is now arrested.

DUTCH MPS QUESTION FM ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

news.am
Aug 31 2011
Armenia

Political parties represented in the Dutch Parliament – the Christian
Union (ChristenUnie), Socialist Party (SP), Reformed Political Party
(SGP) and the Party for Freedom (PVV) – sent written questions
regarding the Armenian Genocide to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Uri Rosenthal.

In a response letter to parliamentarians Rosenthal told about “horrific
events that took place in 1915,” as well as the need “for Turkey and
Armenia to start a dialogue on this issue.” However, he avoided using
the term “genocide” in his letter, Nouvelles d’Arménie reports.

For many years, both Dutch politicians and the media use the term
“genocide.” The term was also used by previous foreign ministers,
including the current deputy prime minister Maxime Verhagen during
a parliamentary debate. It seems that the new Dutch government has
changed its position under Turkey’s pressure.

The Dutch MPs asked Rosenthal whether, in his opinion the “events”
can be characterized as “genocide”, as defined in the Convention on
the prevention of genocide. They also asked him why the term is not
used in his letter.

The parties recalled that the Parliament of the Netherlands unanimously
adopted a recommendation for the Government to include the Genocide
recognition issue in the agenda of talks on possible Turkey’s joining
the EU. The parties asked Minister Rosenthal whether policy has
undergone certain changes.

MPs finally asked whether the Minister wants to study the possibility
of building a memorial to victims of the Armenian Genocide outside
The Hague.

Minister Rosenthal answered the government does not support the
idea of building a monument near the building of the International
Criminal Court.

The Federation of Armenian Organizations in the Netherlands (FAON)
welcomed the critical reaction of the Dutch Parliament, but was very
disappointed with the position of Minister Rosenthal.

GENERAL AMNESTY IN KARABAKH AHEAD OF INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY
By Lusine Musayelian

asbarez
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic government building

STEPANAKERT (RFE/RL)-Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh declared on
Tuesday a general amnesty which they said will lead to the early
release of about 20 percent of the prison population.

The Karabakh parliament approved a corresponding bill put forward by
President Bako Sahakian.

Officials in Stepanakert refused to specify how many convicts will be
set free as a result of the amnesty dedicated to the 20th anniversary
of Karabakh’s declaration of independence from Azerbaijan. The
total number of persons serving prison sentences in Karabakh is also
not known.

The bill stipulates that the amnesty will not apply to individuals
convicted of murder, rape, robberies and other grave crimes. It will
mainly affect those sentenced to up to three years’ imprisonment or
underage convicts.

Other prisoners serving longer sentences can have their jail terms
cut by at least one-third if they participated in the 1991-1994 war
or are related to individuals killed in the fighting.

Speaking in the parliament, Sahakian’s chief legal aide, Ara Lazarian,
said the amnesty will also require local law-enforcement bodies to
close at least 60 percent of pending criminal cases that have not
yet been sent to courts and to free relevant criminal suspects. The
cases relate to non-grave crimes committed before August 1.

TWO ARRESTED IN SOLDIER DEATH PROBE

RFE/RL
Wednesday, 31 August 2011

One officer and one soldier were arrested on Wednesday in connection
with the latest non-combat death in the Armenian army’s ranks which
has sparked a fresh public outcry against chronic abuse of military
personnel.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry refused to identify the detainees, citing
“the interests of the investigation” and the need to protect their
families. It also said that more arrests are possible “in the coming
days.”

Ministry spokesman Davit Karapetian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am) that the tow men are suspected of causing the death
of Aghasi Abrahamian, an 18-year-old army conscript.Abrahamian,
who served in an army unit near Nagorno-Karabakh, died shortly after
being hospitalized with serious injuries late on Friday. The soldier
was reportedly unconscious when he was brought to a Karabakh military
hospital.Military authorities in Yerevan launched an investigation
under a Criminal Code clause dealing with involuntary manslaughter.

Abrahamian’s relatives believe that the conscript was beaten to death
and want the investigators to treat the case accordingly.According
to Karapetian, the two arrested suspects may face more serious
accusations.

The official also said that Armenia’s chief military prosecutor,
Gevorg Kostanian, and the head of the Defense Ministry’s Investigative
Department, Armen Harutiunian, arrived at the army unit in question
on Saturday to personally lead the inquiry. Deputy Defense Minister
Vladimir Gasparian will also travel to Karabakh for that purpose
on Thursday, he added.Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian said late
on Tuesday that the military will do “everything” to solve the
embarrassing case. “We have identified the circle of persons who could
have affected or beaten the soldier, and serious work is now underway
within the framework of the criminal case,” he told journalists.

The assurances came amid a wave of public indignation triggered by
Abrahamian’s death. Local media and civic activists renewed their angry
claims that the military command is doing little to tackle hazing of
soldiers and other violent crimes committed in the armed forces.

According to unconfirmed data from Armenian human rights groups, 20
soldiers have been killed by fellow servicemen, committed suicide
or died in various accidents and as a result of illnesses so far
this year.

Ohanian did not confirm or deny this figure. He said only that
the first half of 2011 saw the lowest number of non-combat deaths
since 2007.

Ohanian has repeatedly pledged over the past year to get tougher on
army crime.