Author: Kalantarian Kevo

VOYAGE MUSICAL AVEC ARAM SEDEFIAN

La Montagne, France
Mercredi 23 Octobre 2013
Montlucon Edition

MONTLUCON; CERILLY – Ainay-le-Château

ENCART: – cr – chanson. Les spectateurs qui avaient rempli la Maison
des chaumes pour ecouter et applaudir Aram Sedefian, l’invite de
l’association fetes et loisirs, auraient sans doute voulu que ce
moment magique dure plus longtemps.

Pendant un peu plus d’une heure, la voix calme et chaude d’Aram les
a fait voyager dans sa vie, dans ses origines armeniennes et dans le
fond de son coeur.

Contrairement aux apparences, il n’etait pas seul sur scène, il y
avait aussi sa guitare. Cette partenaire, dont il use avec dexterite,
prolongeait les textes avec des rythmes bresiliens, orientaux, ou
simplement des valses lentes.

Elle etait indispensable pour completer les histoires parfois
nostalgiques de ” Sheherazade de banlieue ” ou de ” Rue des Glycines
“, parfois très fortes de ” Blessures de guerre ” ou ” Du côte d’Ezrom
“, ou amusantes avec ” Babiboboubebe “.

Les spectateurs ont entendu au fil des chansons une veritable histoire
de vie, avec des mots simples mais vrais, et ont ete saisis par
l’emotion qui se degageait de ce poète chanteur qu’est Aram Sedefian.

– cr – chanson.

AIR ARMENIA LAUNCHES OPERATIONS AS YEREVAN MOVES TO DEREGULATE

ch-aviation.ch, Switzerland
Oct 30 2013

30OCT2013

Air Armenia (QN, Yerevan) launched scheduled passenger services on
Sunday, October 27 to Moscow Vnukovo using a B737-500, EK-73797 (msn
26297). Additional services to six other Russian destinations are
expected to come online next month using a leased A320-200 as well
that will shortly be added on lease from AerCap. Meanwhile, Yerevan
has announced it will proceed with the deregulation of the local air
transport industry. According to Radio Armenia, Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan said that the country’s National Competitiveness Council
had signed a contract with global consultancy, McKinsey & Company,
to devise the best strategy ideal for the country: “The strategy has
been discussed with the President of the Republic twice, experts of the
McKinsey & Company have visited Armenia for several times. According
to the best specialists of the sphere, Armenia should take the path of
liberalization, which will promote the rise of the GDP, create jobs,
make the services more convenient and cheaper. There are the main
provisions reflected in the strategy,” the Prime Minister said.

MINVAL.AZ: AFTER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN AZERBAIJAN AZERIS FROM ARMENIA BY BIRTH STRENGTHEN THEIR POSITIONS

16:52 30/10/2013 ” REGION

After the presidential elections held in Azerbaijan, the most
discussed topic was the reshuffling of the ruling team. Even before
the elections, there were rumors that if on October 9 Ilham Aliyev
will be able to stay at office, then in the new team the main gravity
center will be moved to the second-largest clan of the country – to
Pashayevs, writes the Azerbaijani news portal “Minval.az” referring to
“Yeni Musavat” newspaper.

“The main reason of dissemination of these rumors was that at the
end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 the Nakhichevan clan that was
in power was pressed down, and some major officials that were close
to the major oligarchs, joined the Pashayevs’ camp throwing away the
“white flag,” the author writes in the article. He notes that the
resignation of Misir Mardanov, Education Minister, in May and the
appointment of one of Pashayevs’ persons in his place increased
suspicion among the Azeris from Armenia by birth that after the
election they will face serious losses.

According to the article, Hafiz Hajiyev’s registration as a
presidential candidate, who is considered a black-spot for the
Azerbaijanis from Armenia, was considered as the preparation
of the authorities to the post-election developments. There is
evidence that though the government used Hafiz Gadzhev against
the opposition, at the same time it was designed to discredit the
“Armenian”-Azerbaijanis. According to the author, Hajiyev’s statement
claiming that Azerbaijanis from Armenia by birth support him increased
these suspicions, in the same time causing resentment within these
very Azerbaijanis.

As it is noted, during his presidential campaign, President Aliyev
visited almost all regions. And the fact that he did not visit
Nakhichevan, gave rise to suspicions that the position of the
Nakhichevan clan will weaken in the new team. On October 22 the
staff which was to work with Aliyev was published. It turned out that
Nakhichevan clan had maintained its positions and the Azerbaijanis
from Armenia received the largest piece of the government pie.

As an example the author brings Ali Akhmedov, who previously was
at the office of the executive secretary of the ruling party “Yeni
Azerbaijan”; he received the portfolio of Deputy Prime Minister and
supervision of social services and education area. Akhmedov is also
from Armenia by birth. Ismet Abbasov who was born in Yerevan, and who
lost the post of Minister of Agriculture, was also appointed Deputy
Prime Minister. According to the portal, there is evidence that the
new Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov has Sissian roots
too (Sissian is a region in Armenia-Ed. ).

After the arrest of the former minister Ali Insanov in 2005 the group
of Azerbaijanis from Armenia by birth weakened considerably. Recent
elections showed that this community still has a serious effect on the
opposition. Ali Insanov, who refused to write a petition for clemency,
upheld the joint candidate of the National Council Jamil Hasanli.

Thus, Ali Insanov, who is considered an authority among the
Azerbaijanis from Armenia by birth, joined the opposition. According
to the author, the Azerbaijani authorities will sooner or later be
forced to release Insanov according to the ECHR verdict.

“Apparently, the ruling power concerned about it, because the
parliamentary elections are ahead, and the authorities predict that
those elections will be as difficult, as the ones held on October 9.

Thrust criticism of the results of recent elections from the West,
and the United States in particular, requires greater responsiveness
towards the domestic situation from the side of authorities. One of
the reasons why the authorities did not dare to carry out serious
personnel changes promised to the West is the elections to be held
in 2015,” the article states.

“Minval.az” emphasizes, that major personnel changes in Azerbaijan may
increase resentment against the authorities that are notably weakened
after the elections on October 9; this may result in undesirable
consequences during parliamentary elections.

“And the fact that the Nakhichevan clan, which was supposed to be
subjected to “pressure”, escaped losing only one of its members –
Fizuli Alekperov (ex-Minister of Social Welfare Fizuli Alekperov –
Ed.), speaks of the intention of the power to keep the regional
balance,” the portal writes.

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT MUST RESIGN IF GENUINELY CONCERNED OVER COUNTRY’S FUTURE – LEVON TER-PETROSYAN

19:00 * 30.10.13

Armenia’s first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan shares Nagorno-Karabakh
Parliament member Vahagn Badasyan’s opinion that Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan should resign if he is really concerned over the future
of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Although I am not personally acquainted with Vahagn Badasyan, I
cannot but agree with his statement that Serzh Sargsyan should show
reason and resign if he is genuinely conserved over the future of
Armenia and Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh].

“a reasonable person has no doubts that, except for his personal
and clan prosperity, he failed in all the other areas,” stated
Ter-Petrosyan.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSSES KARABAKH WITH EU PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION DELEGATION HEAD

16:22, October 30, 2013

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan today met with Milan
Cabrnoch a member of the European Parliament (European Conservatives
and Reformists Group), who chairs the delegation to the EU-Armenia,
EU-Azerbaijan and EU-Georgia Parliamentary Cooperation Committees.

Mr. Cabrnoch is visiting Armenia to participate in an EU-Armenia
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee Bureau meeting.

The sides discussed the resolution on the European Neighborhood policy
approved by the European Parliament last week. Minister Nalbandyan
noted that the resolution’s wordings on Nagorno-Karabakh mostly run
counter to the EU’s official position and that of the OSCE Minsk Group.

The authors of such passages must be cognizant of their responsibility
for possible consequences for the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and
for the co-chairs’ efforts, Minister Nalbandyan noted.

RUSSIAN WEAPONS DEAL WITH AZERBAIJAN NOT BANNED BY CSTO LAWS – MP

16:35 ~U 30.10.13

Russia’s weapons trade deal with the Azerbaijani government is not
banned by any law of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO), according to a Russian parliamentarian.

Speaking to reporters after a closed-door parliament session in
Yerevan, Head of the CSTO Standing Committee on Defense and Security
Anatoly Viborny said that the country acts in accordance with the
letter of the law while performing its obligations in relation to
third states.

“We’ll take your concerns into account,” Viborny promised. “The
fact that we are conducting this session on the territory of the
Armenia today demonstrates already that we are really concerned by
the developments in this region. Russia is doing everything possible
to prevent threats by any country. All the member-states of the CSTO
have to act only within the law.”

Speaking of the meeting, the Russian official said that it addressed
several key issues, focusing particularly on the approximation of
laws of the member-states.

Khosrov Harutyunuyan (Republican parliamentary faction), an advisor of
the CSTO delegation, said for his part that the questions discussed
during the hearing aimed to make clear to the Russian side that the
threat facing Armenia is also a problem for the CSTO member states.

The Armenian MP noted that the CSTO agreement contains no provision
on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“The final agreement will cover all the issues of concerns. At the end
of November, probably, we will have a statement saying that any attempt
to achieve a military settlement will be considered a challenge to the
international law and the CSTO,” he said, adding that the Armenian side
had also voiced concerns of the Turkish border blockade at the meeting.

Armenian News – Tert.am

MEMBERS OF LET’S SAVE THE MONUMENT FROM THE OLIGARCH CIVIC MOVEMENT HOLD A PROCESSION TO KENTRON DEPARTMENT OF POLICE

by Nana Martirosyan

ARMINFO
Wednesday, October 30, 17:39

The members of Let’s Save the Monument from the Oligarch civic movement
are holding a procession to the Kentron Department of the Police.

The press service of the Preparliament reports that Gevorg Safaryan,
a representative of the Let’s Save the Monument from the Oligarch civic
movement, was detained near the Government building on October 30. The
police say that Safaryan was disturbing the work of the Government
members with his shouts through the microphone.

EDWARD NALBANDIAN: FORMULATIONS ABOUT NAGORNO-KARABAKH IN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S RESOLUTION ON EUROPEAN NEIGHBORHOOD RUN COUNTER TO EU’S OFFICIAL STANCE

by Marianna Lazarian

ARMINFO
Wednesday, October 30, 17:42

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Co-Chairman of the
Commission for Armenia-EU Parliamentary Cooperation Milan Cabrnoch
have discussed the European Parliament’s Resolution on European
Neighborhood. Samvel Farmanyan, Armenian Co-Chairman of the Commission,
was also present at the meeting.

The press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry has told ArmInfo
that Nalbandian stressed the importance of further development and
promotion of relations with the EU and gave high priority to the
inter-parliamentary cooperation.

Nalbandian stressed that the formulations about Nagorno-Karabakh in
the European Parliament’s Resolution on European Neighborhood run
counter to the official stance of the European Union and to the OSCE
Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ approach.

He added that the authors of such formulations should realize that
they are responsible for the possible negative impact on the peace
process and for hindering the Co-Chairs’ efforts aimed at peaceful
settlement of the conflict.

SYRIAN-ARMENIAN INFLUX RESUMES – DIASPORA MINISTER

October 30, 2013 | 12:41

YEREVAN. – After a short pause, the Syrian Armenians’ intense influx
to Armenia has resumed, Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan told
Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Hakobyan explained that this is due to the resumption of the
Beirut-Yerevan flights and the restoration of the bus link between
Aleppo and Lebanon.

The minister informed that about 200 Syrian Armenians come to Armenia
on a weekly basis and, at present, there are over 10,000 Syrian
Armenians in the country.

As per Hakobyan, very few of the Syrian Armenians arriving in Armenia
subsequently move to another country, and many of them prefer Armenia
to Lebanon because they have access to free education and state
support in Armenia.

Hranush Hakobyan added that the Diaspora-Armenian charitable
organizations, the Austrian Embassy, the Russian government, and the
Caritas Foundation conduct respective aid programs in Armenia.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIAN COLLEGE IN DAMASCUS STILL FUNCTIONING

October 30, 2013 – 11:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Armenian college in Damascus is still
functioning. It’s attended by 182 students, including 25 Arabs,
who live nearby, Beirut-based Aztag daily reports.

According to member of Arab Writers Union Nora Harissian, the Armenian
language and theology in the college are taught 5 and 2 times per week
respectively. Besides, there are lessons in Arabic, English and French.

“Despite the ongoing conflict, the college is open and the community
does its utmost to secure uninterrupted education process,” Harissian
said.

The college was founded in 1929 by the Armenians who fled the genocide
in the Ottoman Empire.

Before the war, there were 80,000 Armenians living in Syria, most
of them in Aleppo. When hostilities broke out 10,000 people fled to
Armenia while 5,000 settled in neighboring Lebanon.

The war took lives of 115,000 people, according to the UN.