Author: Kalantarian Kevo

PUTIN: ROADMAP WILL BE CREATED FOR ARMENIA’S AND KYRGYZSTAN’S ACCESSION TO CU

13:11 25/10/2013 ” POLITICS

The member states of the Customs Union have supported the intention
of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan to join the Eurasian integration project,
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference following
the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Minsk.

Putin said that a working group will be set up soon which will create
a roadmap for Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

The final documents will be signed in May 2014 and parliaments of CU
member states will ratify them within 6 months.

Source: Panorama.am

KARINE DANIELYAN: YEREVAN’S CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL MONUMENTS MEANINGFULLY DESTROYED

by Karina Manukyan

Friday, October 25, 12:29

Town planning in Yerevan has been destroying cultural and historical
monuments and damaging environment throughout the country’s
independence, Karine Danielyan, Head of the Association for Sustainable
Development, told ArmInfo.

“In Soviet time, when we were fighting for national identity, the
city was in a better situation than now,” she said, “We failed to do
anything to save the Indoor Market. Although to change something in
the building of the market, the decisions of the Ministries of Urban
Development and Culture, and Yerevan Municipality, were required, the
construction activities were launched and completed without relevant
permissions,” Danielyan said.

At present, experts are concerned over the old building of Zvartnots
Airport. Recently Armenia- International Airports CJSC has declared
that it will no longer spend money and time to keep the building,
as it “does not meet the modern standards of flight navigation.”

“The old building of Zvartnots Airport has been abandoned for several
years, that is why it has occurred in such poor state. I am against
dismantling of the building. It must be preserved as a historical
and cultural value. The Subcommittee of the Public Council for Town
Planning and Architecture shares our views,” she said.

US CRITICIZE COUNCIL OF EUROPE FOR ASSESSMENT OF AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

October 25, 2013 | 13:04

The U.S. criticized Council of Europe mission for giving positive
assessment of Azerbaijani presidential elections. The criticism was
voiced by Christopher Midura, Acting Deputy Chief of US Mission to
the OSCE, in response to the address by the CE Secretary General
Thorbjorn Jagland, Contact.az reported.

“Wile ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly found ‘significant
problems throughout all stages of election day processes’ and found
that the election was ‘undermined by limitations on the freedoms of
expression, assembly and association,’ we were surprised that the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) assessed that
a ‘free, fair and transparent’ process prevailed on election day,”
the letter mentions.

He recalled that US had recently joined the Council of Europe’s Venice
Commission as a full member of and “looks forward to promoting human
rights and democratic governance through that important institution.”

“The US believes that the OSCE and the Council of Europe have
significant, complementary roles to play in strengthening respect
for human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy, and rule of law,”
reads the statement.

Azerbaijani opposition accused authorities of paying bribes to the PACE
mission. The opposition claimed the talks were held in Hilton hotel in
Strasbourg. The Council of Europe did not respond to the accusations.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

IF ARMENIA IS A VASSAL

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

[eng138268862538.JPG] After four weeks of doubts it is understood
that the development of relations with the European Union is out
of question. The EU pretends as if it is worried about the state
of affairs and is ready for new initiatives and continuation of
development of relations with Armenia. In reality, the Europeans
need not continue to attract attention to the September 3 scandal,
enter into a meaningless discussion with Russia, display lack of
political experience and inadequate understanding of the situation
in the South Caucasus.

The Europeans always want stability and predictability of developments
and processes, and it is better to have stability than too much
democracy. Currently the Euro-Atlantic community is trying to
demonstrate that it is not responsible for the security of Armenia
to convey a message to those who still may have illusions.

Something has been promised to Armenia in a highly limited format.

Now not impression but understanding is concerned. The European Union
does not know for sure what it should do next, and there is no wish
to understand this fully. The most important thing is to conserve
the problem in a sufficiently safe condition and prevent occurrence
of conflicts when the reason could be the policy of the European Union.

Washing hands is the proper name for the current position of the EU.

Serzh Sargsyan’s upcoming visit to Vilnius could be provided with
all the delicate details but in fact the EU will not desire this
visit. There may be a new topic, a more modest and less ambitious
one, but the most important thing for now is not to have this topic
at all. It must be closed at the earliest convenience.

Against the decaying relations with the EU it would be better to
understand what NATO intends for Armenia, letting understand that the
alliance has a different attitude to CSTO from the attitude of the
European Union to the Customs Union. And in this case the mechanics is
different but the message was for Russia, not Armenia, which explains
why Armenia cannot be the cause of a scandal or a political conflict.

Neither on Robert Schumanplein, nor on King Leopold Boulevard in
Brussels do they understand with who they should deal with in Yerevan,
why to do it and what to do. The collapse of the West’s policy was too
painful to pass to new topics so rapidly. They simply do not exist. The
Western subjects had contacts with even Chechnya because the goals
and objectives were clear. The Chechens sought for independence but
hardly anyone will go for serious relations with a vassal or a country
which does not mind being a vassal.

The Karabakh topic will be considered by the West as a means of
pressure on Russia which will sooner or later have to refuse this
resource.

The real Armenian society, unlike the government of Armenia, knows
for sure that in this outrageous situation all it wants to do is to
adapt. However, this time they will have to adapt to new situations
and sponging will not be so comfortable.

Turkey, Azerbaijan and their lobbies in Europe and the United States
are overjoyed, and they are not hiding their feelings. They need to
wait until Russia announced that it is no longer interested in the
South Caucasus. Or otherwise Russia will let understand that it is
interested in Azerbaijan more. Belorussia has announced about it,
while Russia had done so earlier.

Igor Muradyan 12:10 25/10/2013 [footer_logo.png]  Story from Lragir.am
News:

DES MANIFESTANTS PERTURBENT UNE CONFERENCE INTERNATIONALE DE HAUT NIVEAU A EREVAN

ARMENIE

Un certain nombre de manifestants ont dejoue le service de securite
et est entre dans la salle de conference de l’hôtel Armenia Marriott
a Erevan pour faire entendre leur message par les participants d’un
evenement international qui avait lieu la-bas.

La conference de haut niveau organisee par le ministre armenien des
Affaires Etrangères Edouard Nalbandian et le Secretaire General du
Conseil de l’Europe Thorbjorn Jagland est intitule ” lutte contre le
racisme, la xenophobie et l’intolerance en Europe “.

Les militants ont brandi des banderoles accusant le Parti republicain
d’Armenie au pouvoir (RPA) de ” xenophobie et racisme ” et soulevant
les questions des droits des femmes et les droits des personnes LGBT
en Armenie.

En particulier, ils ont accuse Edouard Sharmazanov membre du RPA ainsi
que les principaux representants de l’opposition Artsvik Minasyan
membre de la FRA de soutenir ceux qui ont pose des bombes dans un
bar LGBT a Erevan en mai 2012.

Les bannières ont egalement mentionne un autre membre de l’APR,
le vice-ministre des Sports et de la jeunesse Khachik Asryan, qui a
appele a brûler un opposant sur le bûcher en raison de ses commentaires
critiques plus tôt ce mois-ci.

Après avoir manifeste pendant quelques minutes les militants ont
quitte la salle.

vendredi 25 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

FILMMAKER AND ACTIVIST ARA SOUDJIAN TO BE HONORED AT ANCA-WR BANQUET

Thursday, October 24th, 2013

Ara Soudjian

GLENDALE-The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
announced on Friday that it will honor filmmaker and activist Ara
Soudjian with the “Vahan Cardashian” Award at its annual banquet,
taking place on Saturday, November 30 in Hollywood, California.

“You Reap What You Sow.” It’s an idiom most widely used to describe
the basic nature of God’s justice, but equally applicable when used
to assess the abundant contributions of innovative individuals
who have been educated, cultivated, and empowered by the vibrant
Armenian community within which they were brought up. Ara Soudjian
is a shining example of a product of the community in which he was
raised; a diasporan-born who attended Armenian schools throughout
his life and was actively involved as a young boy and teenager in
the Armenian Youth Federation’s Roupen Chapter in Glendale. What’s
most commendable about his journey is that despite his success and
personal ambitions, Ara never hesitated to assist his community and
serve its needs whenever they called upon him – all in the name of
further advancing the Armenian Cause. As fate would have it, it was
through his involvement in AYF as a teenager that Ara met his wife
Garinee Soudjian.

Ara was born in Los Angeles on December 17, 1976 to Maurice and Ruth
Soudjian. His parents, understanding well the importance of instilling
in their children the experience of a “second Armenian family” that
only an Armenian school could provide, enrolled Ara in Mekhitarian
Armenian School, Vahan & Anoush Chamlian, and Rose and Alex Pilibos
Armenian School, from which he graduated high school in 1994.

Thereafter, Ara went on to major in Radio, Television and Film
Production at California State University Northridge, earning his
degree in 1999. Although he earned his formal education in film and
media in university, Ara credits his vast knowledge and hands-on
training in film to his involvement with then-ANC TV’s weekly news
show, which he helped establish and run from its inception. Through
his work at ANC TV, the community was kept up to date on a diverse
range of topics, including current events and news from the homeland
and Diaspora, as well as the various outreach and advocacy work of
the ANC on both national and international levels.

After garnering firsthand experience at ANC TV, Ara went on to build a
vibrant career for himself in Hollywood specializing in digital media.

He participated in the making of such films as “13 Going on 30,”
“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” “Intolerable Cruelty,” and “The Ring
2.” His talent as a director is evident in his creative vision, which
has earned him several awards and a reputable role in the commercial
and music video industry. His clientele includes Sony Music, Warner
Bros. Records, Gatorade, Ralph’s, Expo Line, Metro and Rock the Vote,
to name a few. He has also directed reality TV pilots for Fox and Sony
Television. His music videos for hip hop artist Wiz Khalifa and Grammy
award winning singer Serj Tankian of System of a Down earned him two
MVPA awards. In 2010, he directed and produced a short film, “A Nice
Old-Fashioned Romance” based on William Saroyan’s short story with
the same title, which premiered at the prestigious LA Shorts Festival.

In addition to being a rising star in cinema, television, and film
in his professional career, Ara has never passed up an opportunity to
lend his talents to further enhance the Armenian community’s objectives
through such organizations as the ANCA. It is through Ara’s work in
film and media over the past decade that the ANCA-WR’s projects,
branding, messaging, internship programs, as well as the national
office’s Capital Gateway Program and Leo Sarkissian Internship
program have been widely exposed to ANCA supporters and to outside
constituents. Much of his work on film has lent itself to be packaged
and produced in the form of DVD’s, videos, and You Tube segments,
which are marketed and disseminated throughout the world.

Ara has also been crucial in directing and filming ANCA’s “Get
Out The Vote” videos. He has consistently worked hard to produce
campaign videos for political candidates which the ANCA has endorsed
or supported, including Mayors Antonio Villaraigosa and Eric
Garcetti, Councilman Paul Krekorian, Rafi Manoukian, and Ardashes
Ardy Kassakhian, to name a few. Through his work on such campaigns,
he has assisted the ANCA in disseminating its political voice. Year
after year, Ara produces and films the ANCA-WR’s Annual Banquet video,
which summarizes the year of accomplishments for the region’s active
involvement in the global struggle for Armenian Genocide recognition.

Several years ago, Ara assisted in digitally documenting and archiving
the testimony of Armenian Genocide survivors with his work on the
“Genocide Project.” Through such projects, Ara helped educate the
generations past, present, and future about the history of the Armenian
Genocide. Ara’s activism has not gone unnoticed. In 2012, Los Angeles
City Councilmember Paul Krekorian recognized the contributions of Ara’s
community activism, as well as others, during the Commemoration of
the 97th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at Los Angeles City Hall.

“The Vahan Cardashian award is given to an activist who unrelentingly
strives for the advancement of Hye Tahd,” stated Aida Dimejian,
co-chair of the ANCA-WR’s 2013 Annual Banquet. “Ara is a true example
of what Vahan Cardashian stood for. Through his creative work, he has
been and continues to be one of the champions of our cause. His video
productions have educated, activated, and motivated our activists
both young and old in the spirit of his first film company’s name
‘Treaty of Sevres’,” concluded Dimejian.

“Ara has made great strides and contributions to Hye Tahd through his
work in the entertainment and media industry,” added Sareen Bezdikian,
Esq., co-chair of the banquet. She continued, “As one of our very own
activists, he has used his creativity and talent to capture the ANCA’s
accomplishments on the local, state, and national levels and projected
those accolades into the mass media for global consumption, playing
a pivotal role in placing the ANCA brand on the public’s agenda.”

The ANCA-WR banquet will take place on November 30 at The Ray Dolby
Ballroom, the site of the Oscar’s Governors’ Ball. Legendary chef
Wolfgang Puck will be catering a special menu for the ANCA-WR Banquet.

Individuals interested in attending the banquet and Grassroots
Conference are encouraged to contact the ANCA-WR office at (818)
500-1918 or purchase tickets online at ItsMySeat.com/ANCAWR.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the
largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy
organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the
Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country,
the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community
on a broad range of issues.

KAZAKH PRESIDENT SUGGESTS ADMITTING TURKEY TO CUSTOMS UNION AND DISSOLVING EURASEC

by David Stepanyan

ARMINFO
Friday, October 25, 01:53

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has suggested admitting Turkey
to the Customs Union and dissolving the EurAsEC.

“The Turkish President has asked me if his country can join the Customs
Union. Let’s admit them. When I go abroad, people often ask me if we
are creating something like a new USSR or something to be controlled
by Russia. Perhaps if we admit Turkey, they will stop saying such
things,” Nazarbayev said during a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian
Economic Council in Minsk on Thursday.

Concerning Armenia, he said that in order to be able to join the
Customs Union, that country will have to go through all the procedures
Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia have already gone through.

Nazarbayev also suggested dissolving the Eurasian Economic Community
and enlarging the Customs Union, since the goals of the two
organizations are similar. He thinks that Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
may join the Customs Union as observers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in turn, pointed out that one
should not liquidate EurAsEC at once, because it will undermine
the legal framework of the Customs Union. He thinks that relevant
mechanisms should be worked out for that. In the meantime, he shared
Nazarbayev’s opinion about the need to liquidate EurAsEC and said that
“one should not forget the partners in the Common Economic Space”,
i.e. the other members of EurAsEC.

N. ZOHRABIAN CONSIDERS BILL ON OFFICIALS’ SALARY RISE AS UNFAIR

The bill was presented by a government that views the parliament as its
appendage. Secretary of Prosperous Armenia party (BHK) faction Naira
Zohrabian made that statement during the parliamentary discussion of
the draft law on remuneration of labor of persons holding state posts.

In her words, the draft was submitted by a government whose head,
at the time when he was chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia
(CBA), invited – from the parliament rostrum – MPs to work in CBA as
cleaners because some MPs had expressed an opinion that CBA cleaners’
wages are higher than those of parliamentary deputies.

Naira Zohrabian considered it unfair that salaries of teachers and
doctors are raised insignificantly, while high coefficients are used
to raise salaries of ministers and other high-ranking officials.

“I cannot look the unemployed in the eye because we yesterday,
thanks to your vote, deprived them of the opportunity to receive
benefits of 20,000 drams. I cannot explain why my salary should be
increased 12-fold, but salaries of others will grow only 3-4-fold,”
N. Zohrabian said in conclusion.

BILL TO ELIMINATE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS PROVOKES OPPOSITION’S CRITICISM IN ARMENIA

22:06 ~U 24.10.13

The proposal for eliminating the unemployment benefits has spurred
criticisms by the opposition despite the promises that it will help
make considerable savings in the public sector.

Under the bill that passed the National Assembly’s first reading on
Wednesday, the monthly payments of 18,000 Drams ($44) will no longer
be paid to the unemployed, increasing the government’s annual savings
to 1,990,656,000 Drams ($4,909,01).

The estimates were made based upon findings by the State Employment
Agency. The available data suggest that of the 66,990 unemployed
people in Armenia, 9,216 qualified for the benefit as of October 1.

The mechanisms of eliminating benefits and involving beneficiaries
in active social programs are known widely to be from the series of
measures aimed at “teaching to fish”.

But Vahagn Khachatryan of the opposition Armenian National Congress
approaches the thesis very critically, giving it another definition.

“The fish stinks from the head,” he said, commenting on the bill.

The opposition MP thinks the proposed amendments to the Law “On
Employment” will deteriorate poverty statistics Armenia. “Instead
of boosting competitiveness, fighting corruption and eradicating
unemployment, they choose the easiest way. People who are in extreme
social conditions, hardly managing to cover minimal costs with [the
unemployment benefits], are simply deprived of that,” he told Tert.am.

Khachatryan, who is an economist by profession, said the bill will
boost the migration from Armenia, increasing the poverty rate from
30 to 45-50 percent.

Armen Martirosyan, the deputy leader of the opposition Heritage party,
thinks adherence to the former policies would be the best and the
only way of “teaching to fish”.

“It is inhumane to cut people facing social hardships from such
benefits. Even our Constitution says Armenia is a social state, which
means the state has to fulfill certain objectives to offer social
guarantees. And the unemployment benefit is one of them,” he explained.

Martirosyan noted that their party’s earlier proposal for reducing the
shadow and liberalizing the economy and the governance system did not
meet any approval by the authorities. “Instead of doing all that, they
are wasting the country’s resources, and the situation we are facing
now shows a decline in even the trade turnover volumes,” he said.

After the Wednesday parliament debate that saw the bill pass the first
reading Nikol Pashinyan of the opposition Armenian National Congress
criticized the measure, saying that it was being adopted against the
backdrop of proposals for raising the salaries of the president and
the National Assembly speaker by 203% and 218%, respectively.

Naira Zohrabyan, the secretary of the Prosperous Armenia faction in
parliament, described the move as a change in the nation’s psychology.

Armenian News – Tert.am

SERZH SARGSYAN ARRIVES IN BELARUS FOR SUMMITS

Belarusian Telegraph Agency
Oct 24 2013

24.10.2013 12:57

MINSK, 24 October (BelTA) – Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan has
arrived in Belarus to take part in the summits, BelTA has learnt.

Serzh Sargsyan was invited to attend the session of the Supreme
Eurasian Economic Council on the level of the heads of state that
will take place on 24 October. He will also take part in the session
of the CIS Council of Heads of State on 25 October.

Belarus is an important trading partner of Armenia and its third
biggest trading partner among the CIS member states.

In 2012 the bilateral trade made up $46 million (up by 40.3%).

Belarus’ export to Armenia expanded by 44.2% up to $38.7 million. The
import stood at $7.4 million, up by 22.9%. Belarus had a positive
trade surplus of $31.3 million. Belarus’ major exports to Armenia
are tires, trucks, tractors, oil products, paper and butter.

Armenian-Belarusian Trading House Ar-Be was set up in Armenia. It
offers over 11,000 names of Belarusian products. A joint venture to
bottle Armenian cognac opened in Belarus in July 2012.