Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Yerevan Entrepreneurs Will Protest Everyday Against Turnover Tax Law:
Gyumri Also Joins In

01.27.2015 18:21 epress.am

Small and medium-sized business owners and entrepreneurs protested for
the second day this year in front of the Armenian government building,
which again concluded with no result. Like yesterday, the protesters
demanded, to no avail, that the PM Hovik Abrahamyan meet them outside
the building. Yesterday, the PM agreed to meet with a delegation of 10
people to discuss the issues around the Law on Turnover Tax inside the
the government building but was rejected by the protesters. However,
the Government’s Reception of Citizens and Appeals department head
Aleksander Ghazaryan told the protesters that Abrahamyan was not at
work today.

The demonstrators have decided to protest until the nullification of the law.

“We are going to come here everyday, except for tomorrow because it’s
a holiday (the anniversary of the formation of Armenian Army). We will
be in front of the Government building from morning to 3PM, until the
issue is resolved,” said entrepreneur Samson Grigoryan.

He underlined that the new law will increase the risk of corruption
and force entrepreneurs to give bribes in order to solve issues with
the tax services.

During yesterday’s demonstration, protesters spread information that
their colleagues from the provinces, specifically from Shirak, would
join them in their protest in front of the government building today.

Today, however, a few of the protesters told an Epress.am journalist
that the roads from various provinces had been closed. The Gyumri
based Journalists Club Asparez representative and journalist Sona
Arakelyan told Epress.am that a few Gyumri residents came with their
personal cars to Yerevan, while the protest against the Law on
Turnover Tax took place near Gyumri’s clothing bazaar. Other merchants
in other marketplaces closed their booths and joined the protest.

The entrepreneurs restarted their fast growing protests from last
September-October, which were halted after the government promised to
delay the compulsory inventorization of products until February 1st of
2015. The protest restarted yesterday, because the government refused
to include other amendments to the law.

Last year, the protesters against the Law on Turnover Tax stated that
they do not have possibility of inventorizing their products, because
large distributors often do not give them invoices. In addition, in
the case of inventorizing, their turnover would be over the legal
minimum threshold of 58.3 million AMD ($126,000), so they would be
forced to pay VAT, which would be impossible for small and medium
sized businesses. Among the business owners, some demand that they
sharply increase the threshold, while others demand the law be
nullified.

Those who work in the gold trade have stressed that once the new law
comes into effect they would be forced to immediately halt their work.
Certain experts have noted that the inclusion of the Law on Turnover
Tax would entirely wipe out small and medium sized businesses, while
the members of government claim that the purpose is to fight against
the illegal practices in large businesses and that they are not
prepared to consider the law void.

During last year’s protest, the merchants received backlash from the
owners of large marketplaces they rent space from. A few large
marketplaces threatened to fire (or cancel rent contracts) those
merchants who did not show up to work and protested. The most covered
case was that of Vosku Shuka owner Vagharsh Abrahamyan who broke
tables and showcases of those merchants who participated in the
protests. the destructive behavior of Abrahamyan was not dealt with
by the police.

Victims of the Holocaust remembered in Armenia

17:21, 27 Jan 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

On the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of
the Victims of the Holocaust UN Armenia Office, together with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Jewish Community participated in a
solemn ceremonyto pay tribute to the memory of the victims. The UN
Resident Coordinator Bradley Busetto and the Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs Sergey Manassarianplaced a wreath at the Holocaust
Memorial in Aragast Park followed by prayers and a candlelight vigil.

The event continued in the National Library of Armenia with an
exhibition of posters featuring documentary fragments of the history
of the Holocaust and the WWII, award winning posters on the topic, as
well as publications from the UN Reference Library and the National
Library stocks. In the events hall of the National Library where media
and a youth audience from schools and universities of Yerevan was
gathered, UN, MFA and Jewish community representatives spoke about the
mass killings of primarily Jews, political prisoners, Soviet prisoners
of war, Sintiand Roma, homosexuals, disabled persons and Jehovah’s
witnesses.

In his speech, UN Resident Coordinator Bradley Busetto stated: “While
honoring the memory of the victims, this international day of
commemoration is our opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the
international community to taking action against anti-semitism,
racism, and intolerance, and to preventing similar violence in the
future.”

Seventy years have passed since the liberation of the Auschwitz
Birkenau, the German NaziConcentration and Extermination Camp, a place
where the Nazis introduced the monstrous concept of “industrialized
murder”.While speaking about these tragic events and crimes against
humanitythe Rabbi Gershon Meir Burshtein, and the Chairwoman of the
Jewish Community RimmaVarzhapetyan-Feller highlighted the lessons of
tolerance that especially the youth should learn. Speaking and telling
about these inhuman acts of genocide and annihilation can prevent the
modern day crimes and attempts of genocide, hatred, discrimination and
xenophobia.

As the theme of this year’s observance was “Liberty, Life and the
Legacy of the Holocaust Survivors”UN HQ films onliberation of
Auschwitz Birkenauthrough testimonies of survivors and veterans, as
well as on the 10th anniversary of the Holocaust and UN Outreach
Programme were also screened. Information materials on Holocaust were
available for media and youth.The whole event was concluded by Willy
Weiner’s somber music (a prominent Jewish composer in Armenia,
chairman of the Jewish Cultural Center Menora).

UN Department of Public Information Yerevan Office jointly with the UN
Depository Library located in the National Library of Armenia were the
main organizers of the day. To mark this observance through education
outreach activity had a goal to instill the memory of the tragedy in
future generationspreventing genocides from occurring again.

Trade and economic cooperation between Armenia and Iran needs further
development

YEREVAN, January 27. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan
and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif rated
Armenian-Iranian relations highly as met Tuesday in Yerevan, the press
office of Armenia’s government reports.

Abrahamyan and Zarif discussed a wide range of issues related to
cooperation between the two countries.

In particular, they discussed the programs being implemented now and
outlined new projects that would spur trade and economic relations
between the countries.

They stressed the importance of the activity of the Armenian-Iranian
intergovernmental commission saying that the arrangements made in
December 2014 at its session will be put into practice.

Speaking about Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union, the
Iranian foreign minister said that Armenia’s membership in the union
will be favorable for Armenian-Iranian economic ties. Regional and
global issues were discussed at the meeting as well. —0—–

Iranian nuclear program to be continued – foreign minister

YEREVAN, January 27. /ARKA/. The Iranian nuclear program will be
continued, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday
in Yerevan at a joint news conference with his Armenian counterpart
Edward Nalbandyan.

he said.

In his words, Tehran has repeatedly said that the nuclear program is
being implemented only for peaceful purposes.

he said.

Zarif stressed that Tehran has already obtained the international
community’s trust. he
said.

Speaking about sanctions against Iran, the minister stressed that . —0—-

Armenia Searching for Donors of Renewable Energy

16:13 January 26, 2015
EcoLur

The World Future Energy Summit by International Renewable Energy
Agency was held in Abu Dhabi from 17 to 18 January. The summit was
participated by the representatives of 150 countries and 115
international organizations. The aim of this summit is to accelerate
the expansion of the renewable energy directing it to the solution to
such problems such as climate change, energy accessibility and energy
safety.

Armenia, which is a member of IRENA, participated in the summit with
the delegation headed by Deputy Energy and Natural Resources Minister
Hayk Harutyunyan. Under the official website of the Energy and Natural
Resources Ministry, the members of the Armenian delegation had
meetings with the director of IRENA Adnan Z. Amin, the representatives
of the different delegations and international financial institutions.
The fifth summit is very suitable for negotiating with the
representatives of donor countries and investing companies and to
attract funds for developing renewable energy projects in Armenia.

“The material was developed in the frames of “Supporting reforms in
the sector of small hydro power plants through enabling a dialogue
between civil society and the Ministry of Nature Protection for
sustainable use of river ecosystems” supported by UNDP/GEF Small
Grants Programme”.

Karabakh FM thanks Uruguayan counterpart for resolute stance

16:30, 27.01.2015

STEPANAKERT. – Foreign Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen
Mirzoyan sent a letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Oriental
Republic of Uruguay Luis Leonardo Almagro Lemes.

In his letter Karen Mirzoyan thanked Luis Leonardo Almagro Lemes for
his resolute stance on the future of the people of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic.

“Your efforts towards bringing peace and stability in our region based
on the recognition of Artsakh people’s right to self-determination are
highly appreciated, encouraging us to move forward on our chosen path
to live in peace and security, in free and democratic state”, – the
letter reads.

The NKR Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed confidence that the
visit of NKR President Bako Sahakyan to Uruguay in 2011 and that of
the parliamentary delegation led by President of the House of
Representatives Jorge Omar Orrico Miraldi to the NKR in 2012 have
significantly contributed to the enhancement of the friendship between
two countries. Karen Mirzoyan also invited his colleague to visit
Artsakh.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

Shirak Region lawyers ready to help relatives of slain Gyumri family

10:47, 27.01.2015

The attorneys of Armenia’s Shirak Region stand ready to provide free
legal assistance to the relatives of the Avetisyan family members, who
were brutally killed recently in Gyumri city, and to act as their
representative, lawyer Hayk Harutyunyan wrote on his Facebook account.

“If need be, we are ready to get involved with all 30 attorneys, and
provide assistance,” Harutyunyan specifically wrote.

The Avetisyan family relatives had told Armenian News-NEWS.am that
they need legal and psychological assistance, and they also want for
their safety to be ensured.

Within the framework of the criminal case that has been filed into
this brutal murder, the slain Avetisyan family members have been
recognized as victims, but the case still does not have the legal
successors of these victims; for that reason, the aforesaid relatives
need to petition to the investigator.

As reported earlier, six members of the Avetisyan family–including a
two-year-old girl–were shot dead, and a six-month-old baby was wounded
in their house in Gyumri on January 12; but the baby boy died in
hospital on January 19.

Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the 102nd Russian Military Base in
the city, stands accused in this crime. Permyakov was apprehended by
the Russian border guards near the Armenian-Turkish border on the same
night, he was arrested on January 14, and he is held in custody at the
Russian military base.

The soldier is charged under Russian law, with “the murder of more
than two people” and “desertion with a service weapon.” And on January
21, the Investigative Committee of Armenia also filed a criminal
charge against Permyakov, and with “premeditated murder of two or more
persons.” The Russian soldier has accepted the charge.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

Shirkhanyan connects tension with the 100th anniversary of Genocide

14:10 | January 27,2015 | Politics

“The biggest achievement of independent Armenia is our army,”- ahead
of the 23rdanniversary of Armed Forced notes Vahan Shirkhanyan, RA
state defense committee president during 1991-1992.

He thinks that today Armenian army fully ensures the security of the
country and we can be peaceful for the future.

Mr. Shirkhanyan connects tension on the border with the 100th
anniversary of Armenian Genocide, “External powers have a big role.
The 100th anniversary of the Genocide and Armenia’s membership in the
EEU are beneficial neither for Azerbaijan nor for Turkey.”

Mr. Shirkhanyan doesn’t exclude a new war scenario but he thinks that
we haven’t used the most important weapon, “Our power is in our unity
and the rival knows it. We must prove that if they try to start a war,
they will lose.”

Prisoner Starts a Hunger Strike: No Doctors in Vanadzor Prison, Says
Prisoner’s Mother

01.27.2015 15:06 epress.am

Prisoner Armen Hakobyan has announced an indefinite hunger strike at
the Vanadzor prison, said the prisoner’s mother Lusabek Hakobyan to
Epress.am. The reason behind the hunger strike, is because Hakobyan is
suffering from meningoencephalitis which he obtained in prison.
According to Hakobyan’s mother, they conducted surgery on him,
however, hey transferred him back to the Vanadzor prison before the
treatment was complete. “The thing is that the Vanadzor Penitentiary
Facility does not have doctors, it only has paramedics,” said
Hakobyan.

The prisoner has a doctor in Yerevan, however, the latter refuses to
go to Vanadzor so frequently to inspect the patient. After having a
surgery on his head, Hakobyan has to submit various blood samples and
has to undergo Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which technically is
impossible in the Vanadzor prison.

The RA Ministry of Justice Penitentiary Department`s Public relations
division head Gor Ghlechyan told Epress.am that Armen Hakobyan
underwent surgery and was under the doctors’ supervision for a long
time. However, based on the information about his condition, the
commission decided that he could continue his treatment with
medication in prison.

Armenia’s EEU membership to open up new opportunities for
Yerevan-Tehran relations – Iran’s FM

YEREVAN, January 27. /ARKA/. Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU) will create good chances for further development
of relations between Yerevan and Tehran, Iran’s foreign minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif said today in Yerevan.

Iran is willing to develop its relations with Armenia in every
possible field, and one of the opportunities is the EEU, Zarif said at
a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Edward
Nalbandyan on Tuesday, according to Novosti-Armenia.

The minister also said trilateral cooperation has been already
established, involving Armenia, Iran and Russia, in communications
sector.

Armenia’s FM Edward Nalbandyan, in his turn, said his country has
recently become an EEU member and is currently looking into new
opportunities for cooperation with both EEU-member and neighboring
countries, including Iran.

Armenia became a full-fledged EEU member on January 2, 2015. -0–