Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ASSOCIATION OF CONSUMERS: PRICE INCREASE IN YEREVAN UNDERGROUND FARE WILL BRING TO THE REDUCTION OF PASSENGERS

/ARKA/
JUNE 22, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, June 22. /ARKA/. Number of users of Yerevan underground will
reduce in average by 10-20% in the result of price increase of one
fare”, said the Chairman of Consumers’ Association of Armenia Armen
Poghosyan in the conference on Wednesday.

Yerevan City Mayor Karen Karapetyan announced that the fare of Yerevan
underground will go up two times from July 1 – from current price of
50 drams (about 0.13 dollars) to 100 drams (about 0.26 dollars).

Yerevan municipality informs that the existing fare does not cover the
real expenses of transportation of one passenger (in the 1st quarter
of 2011, transportation expenses of one passenger was 160 drams).

“I agree that the underground does not cover its expenses but I
should say that it is the same worldwide. Nowhere in the world, the
city transport, especially electrical transport not covers its real
expenses and the state has always subsidized it”, said Poghosyan.

Expenses of urban transport should be covered not on the account of
the fare, but by different infrastructures.

Price increase of underground fare will be a serious blow not only
for the consumers but also the development of electrical transport
in Yerevan.

“According to the general plan of Yerevan, the number of microbuses
should not exceed 19.2% of total number of transport, but today
microbuses make about 75%. Instead of reducing the number of microbuses
which is envisaged by the plan of the city, we create conditions for
the increase of their number”, he said.

Losses of the underground in the last 20 years are conditioned by the
fact that construction of new stations or one kilometer of underground
line was not built in Yerevan.

“The underground reaps as what has sown. If the underground lines
were increased for about 10%, the number of users would be increased
by 30%”, he said.

SARKISIAN COMPLAINS ABOUT ‘TURKISH BLOCKADE’

Hurriyet
June 22 2011
Turkey

Speakeng at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,
Armenia’s Sarkisian complains about a ‘Turkish blockade’ and warns
of a possible war with Azerbaijan

Armenia’s President Serge Sarkisian addresses the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The Armenian president
says his country has no other choice than nuclear energy because of
‘Turkish blockade.’ AFP photo

Armenian President Serge Sarkisian claimed Armenia is under
the blockade of Turkey and Azerbaijan, during his address to the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, while Azerbaijani
parliamentarians said they were not able to ask their questions during
the session Wednesday.

Regarding a parliamentarian’s question on the threats of the Metzamar
Nuclear Plant in Armenia, Sarkisian also said Armenia has no other
choice than nuclear energy because of the “blockade” imposed by Turkey.

“This unlawful blockade of Armenia must come to an end. Europe cannot
and should not tolerate new dividing lines,” said Sarkisian.

Sarkisian addressed the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
where he also received questions from the European parliamentarians on
Wednesday. However Turkish parliamentarians did not pose any questions
to Sarkisian during the session, mainly because the Turkish delegation
made a unanimous decision to not ask any questions to the Armenian
President, Hurriyet Daily News has learned.

War possibility

Five Azerbaijani parliamentarians submitted their names for the list
of the parliamentarians to ask questions.

“We made our request to ask questions two weeks ago, however our names
were put at the bottom of the list, so we were not able to ask any
questions due to time limitations,” an Azerbaijani parliamentarian,
Rafael Huseyinov told Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review on
Wednesday.

Armenian President said the Armenian-Turkish normalization process
ended up in a “deadlock.” Sarkisian also blamed Turkey for not
recognizing the 1915 events as “genocide.”

“Turkey still not only fails to recognize, but also denies the genocide
conducted by the Ottomans in 1915. We are determined not to leave
this issue unsolved for the next generations,” Sarkisian said.

Speaking about Azerbaijan, Sarkisian claimed there were xenophobia,
racism and extreme nationalism in Azerbaijan against Armenia.

Sarkisian also claimed Azerbaijan is becoming more armed and ready
for a possible war with Armenia, adding that the casualties would be
much greater for both Armenia and Azerbaijan if a war occurred now.

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet next Saturday in Kazan
in Russia at a meeting brokered by Russian President Dimitri Medvedev,
one of the mediators of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia
over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azeri territory occupied by Yerevan.

Sarkisian also said Nagorno-Karabagh remained as a part Europe. “It
would be more logical for the Council of Europe to engage with Karabagh
before discussing the statue of Karabagh”, Sarkisian claimed.

“Indigenous Armenian people live in Karabagh for centuries, no one
may question the right of the people of Karabagh to live in their
land freely and decide their destiny,” Sarkisian said.

Besides five political groups who imposed questions to Sarkisian, an
Armenian parliamentarian from the Armenian opposition Heritage Party,
Zaruhi Postanjyan asked a critical question to the Armenian President.

“There is a an authoritarian regime in Armenia,” said Postanjyan and
asked Sarkisian when they will make the real reforms.

AZERBAIDJAN : A NRADARAN, LES ISLAMISTES DEFIENT LE REGIME
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 23 juin 2011

REPORTAGE – La ville de Nradaran est l’un des très rares endroits du
pays où l’on peut qualifier le president Aliev ” d’usurpateur “.

En cette fin d’après-midi, les doyens de Nradaran prennent le frais sur
la place de l’Imam-Hussein, bercee par la brise de la mer Caspienne,
toute proche. C’est l’heure des boissons locales, des biscuits et des
palabres. Mais aussi de la prière. Dans la rue poussiereuse qui mène a
la grande mosquee, on croise, furtivement, des silhouettes feminines
tout de noir vetues. Dans ce bourg de 9000 habitants, situe a vingt
kilomètres de Bakou, la figure tutelaire du petit-fils de Mahomet
-personnage sacre dans la confession chiite- semble veiller sur les
âmes, comme en temoignent les citations de l’imam, calligraphiees sur
les murs. ” Je ne luttais pas pour des biens, juste pour l’islam “,
prechait le fils d’Ali, qui mourut en martyr a la bataille de Karbala
(680).

Combattants de la foi À leur manière, les fidèles de Nradaran se
veulent des combattants de la foi. À notre arrivee, un habitant nous
interpelle : ” Ici, les Francais ne sont pas les bienvenus, car ils
portent tort a l’islam. ” Impoli, l’homme se fait aussitôt rabrouer
par le sage du village, Natig Karimov, qui souhaiterait donner de
Nradaran une image de paix et de tolerance. ” Ici c’est le seul
endroit du pays où règne la democratie “, affirme le vieil homme.

Comprendre : le seul village azeri où des jeunes filles voilees
peuvent se rendre a l’ecole sans crainte d’etre renvoyees. ” Certes,
l’Azerbaïdjan est une republique laïque et la charia ne s’y applique
pas, mais lorsque le gouvernement se mele des affaires religieuses,
proscrit le hidjab, interdit aux fidèles de prier dans la rue faute
de place dans les lieux de culte, alors nous protestons. ”

Organisees a l’initiative du conseil du village, les manifestations
ne sont pas rares. La plus violente, en 2002, pour protester
contre le chômage et le manque d’infrastructures, avait dure neuf
mois. Elle s’etait soldee par un mort et dix-sept blesses. Depuis,
la police de Bakou hesite a s’aventurer dans le village, l’un des
très rares endroits du pays où l’on peut qualifier le president Aliev
” d’usurpateur “.

Aux yeux du pouvoir azeri, a la fois dictatorial et profondement
laïque, Nradaran est un repaire d’extremistes finances par l’Iran,
une pointe avancee du proselytisme chiite destinee a contrarier
la trajectoire occidentale du pays et a ebranler son modèle
multiconfessionnel. ” L’Iran est notre principale menace “, estime
Azim Mollazade, president du Parti des reformes democratiques, une
formation proche du pouvoir. Les relations entre Teheran et Bakou
sont aussi etroites que tendues. Avec ses seize millions d’individus,
la communaute azerie constitue la première minorite d’Iran. Teheran
finance une television en langue azerie, Seher, qui denonce en boucle
le caractère ” impie ” du regime d’Ilham Aliev. Ce dernier accuse le
regime des mollahs d’attiser le conflit frontalier du Haut-Karabakh
en prenant fait et cause pour l’Armenie, contre l’Azerbaïdjan. Pour
sa part, Bakou collabore etroitement avec Israël, notamment sur le
plan militaire, ce qui en fait une cible de choix pour Teheran.

DAYS OF ARMENIAN CULTURE ORGANIZED IN CHINA AND UKRAINE

Vestnik Kavkaza
June 21 2011

The Days of Armenian culture programs have been organized in China
and Unkraine. In China the activities are scheduled for June 22-29,
in Ukraine for June 30 – July 5, Novosti Armenia cites the republic’s
ministry of culture’s press service.

According to a recent statement by the ministry, the Armenian
delegation will visit China in the framework of the project. The
delegation will be headed by Armenian minister of culture Asmik
Pogosyan.

It is expected that the two parties will sign a cooperation agreement.

ARFD TO SUPPORT PALESTINE’S FATAH INTERNATIONALLY

news.am
June 21 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- The ARF-Dashnaktsutyun is ready to assist Palestinian people
in their fair struggle in the international agencies, said member of
ARFD bureau Levon Lazarian.

During the meeting with members of Fatah party, Lazarian spoke about
warm Armenian-Arab relations and ARFD’s close ties with Fatah party
within the framework of Socialist International.

Lazarian recalled that back in 2000 he visited Ramallah as a member
of Armenian President’s delegation.

Palestinian chief negotiator Nabil Shaath noted that Fatah intends
to open embassies in friendly states. He briefly spoke about the
current state of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, noting that Palestine
will appeal to UN this September with a request to recognize its
independence.

The sides touched upon the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
discussed the possibility of improving cooperation between the two
parties.

Nabil Shaath officially invited the representatives of the ARFD to
visit Palestine.

Prior to the meeting, the delegation visited Memorial to the Armenian
Genocide victims.

AZERBAIJAN’S KARABAKH COMMUNITY LAUNCHES APPEAL TO ARMENIANS

news.az
June 21 2011
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani community of Nagorno Karabakh expects for positive
result from Kazan meeting of the presidents.

The statement came from chief of the ‘Azerbaijani Community of
Nagorno-Karabakh’ Public Union Bayram Safarov.

The community considers that the Armenians, who are Azerbaijani
citizens and living in Nagorno Karabakh, see Azerbaijan’s development
and want to benefit from it.

Safarov said that the Armenians which were living in Nagorno Karabakh
till 1992 and their children are Azerbaijani citizens. The government
has not excluded them from civil registration and if they want they
can get the ID card of Azerbaijani citizen:

“The other ID cards given to them are false. Those who live in this
region can only bear Azerbaijani passport like Azerbaijani citizen. I
launch an appeal them: “Get rid of this oppression. Feel sorry for
your children”.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE’S KARABAKH COMMITTEE MEETS WITHOUT ARMENIA

news.az
June 21 2011
Azerbaijan

The Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe has not attended a meeting of the subcommittee on Karabakh.

The ad hoc committee met on Monday during the PACE summer session
in Strasbourg.

The head of the Armenian delegation to PACE, David Harutyunyan, said
that the delegation maintained its previous position and would not
attend the subcommittee, News.am reported.

The Parliamentary Assembly decided to revive the subcommittee on the
implementation of Resolution 1416 (2005) at its session in January
this year. The resolution calls for a peaceful resolution of the
conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and the withdrawal of Armenian troops
from occupied Azerbaijani territory, something that Armenia is refusing
to do.

The Armenian delegation voted against restoration of the subcommittee,
as they say it will be biased towards Azerbaijan and will not help
the OSCE Minsk Group, which is mediating a settlement to the Karabakh
conflict.

Presumably in an attempt to appear constructive after boycotting the
subcommittee, the Armenian delegation has announced that it will stop
criticizing Azerbaijan.

“We have also announced a unilateral moratorium on attacks and
accusations against each other as a demonstration of a constructive
approach,” News.am reported Harutyunyan as saying.

The head of the Armenian delegation said that he would like to see
his Azerbaijani colleagues doing the same, but they had declined.

“Now, in fact, a unilateral moratorium is in place,” Harutyunyan said.

He could not say how long the moratorium would last, but said if the
approach did not work, the decision might be reconsidered.

“But it will not happen during the current session,” Harutyunyan said.

The PACE summer session runs from 20 to 24 June.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS OF WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES MEET IN ARMENIA

news.am
June 21 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II received members
of the committee preparing the 13th Assembly of World Council of
Churches on June 19. The committee is holding a meeting at Mother
See of Holy Etchmiadzin on June 18-21.

His Holiness Karekin II stressed that the visit gives an opportunity
to get acquainted with the Armenian Apostolic Church and Armenian
people. The sides also discussed current activities of the Armenian
Apostolic Church and relations with other churches.

The committee members also attended Saint Liturgy at Mother Cathedral,
the press service of Etchmiadzin informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

FARES ON SUBWAY IN ARMENIA’S CAPITAL TO RISE TWICE

news.am
June 21 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Fares on Yerevan’s underground will increase twice reaching
AMD 100 ($ 0.27) against AMD 50 from July 1, Mayor of Yerevan Karen
Karapetyan told reporters in Yerevan on Tuesday.

According to the statistics, the passenger traffic makes 20,000,000
in Armenia’s capital a year. According to him, the cost price for
fares makes AMD 160.

Yerevan mayor stressed no rise in prices for other means of
transportation are expected in the near future.

ARMENIAN CHURCH RELUCTANT TO ENTER SPAT WITH GEORGIA

news.az
June 21 2011
Azerbaijan

The Armenian Apostolic Church has expressed respect for the
Georgian patriarch, following the latter’s criticism of his Armenian
counterpart. “The Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin is reluctant to
comment on the statement by Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia
II on Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II,” a spokesperson for
Echmiadzin, Ter Vahram Melikyan, told News.am.

“His Holiness Garegin II respects Ilia II and his experience,” Meiklyan
said, adding that this completely reflected the position of of Holy
Echmiadzin on Ilia II’s comments about Garegin II.

After the recent visit by the Armenian church leader to Georgia, Ilia
II said that “Garegin II is young and should gain more experience. He
is smart and in a hurry, but I told him that calmness is the best
choice.”

Ilia II also said that the Georgian Church was open to all, but would
not allow oppression of the Georgian people and Georgia.

The ownership of churches and status of the Armenian Apostolic Church
in Georgia remain at the centre of a long-running dispute between
the Armenian and Georgian churches.