Author: Kalantarian Kevo

“REACTION 2013” RAISED LEVEL OF COOPERATION BETWEEN STATE INSTITUTIONS: MINISTER OF DEFENSE: UPDATE

20:01, 8 October, 2013

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The tactical component and the
activities of the participating subdivisions of “Reaction – 2013”
strategic commander and staff exercises demonstrate good results. This
was said by the minister of the Defense of the Republic of Armenia,
Seyran Ohanyan, during the talk with the journalists. As reports
Armenpress, Ohanyan said: “I am content with the tactical part
of this exercise, the activities of the subdivisions. The results
of the fire pierce are visible to everybody. Observing from here,
I consider them to be high. We will make a final decision after the
number of the pierced targets to be accounted, then we will give an
appropriate assessment”.

© 2009 ARMENPRESS.am

ARAVOT: ARMENIA’S CUSTOMS UNION DEAL TO LEAVE GAS TARIFFS UNCHANGED

10:47 09.10.13

Armenia’s minister of energy and natural resources said Tuesday
in parliament that the decision to join the Eurasian Customs Union
will help simplify the terms of the natural gas delivery agreement
with Russia.

“There is an agreement which says the gas price for Armenia is $270 on
the border,” the paper has quoted Armen Movsisyan as telling reporters
after a National Assembly debate.

“The negotiations are now underway so an agreement will be signed
soon. I am hopeful it will be concluded in April,” the minister added.

Movsisyan said further that a simplification also means removal of
the taxes, which accounted for about 30% of the total gas tariff.

The paper reports the minister as saying that the prices of the
imported gas will the same as in Russia, save for the transport costs
which will raise the amount to $189 on the border.

The minister thus explained that the tariffs will remain unchanged
for the population, the paper comments .

Armenian News – Tert.am

ARMENIA TESTS SCUD BALLISTIC MISSILES, 8K14-1, S300, OSA MISSILES, KRUNK AND BAZE DRONES DURING REACTION-2013 EXERCISES

by David Stepanyan

ARMINFO
Wednesday, October 9, 11:20

Reaction-2013 command and staff exercises were held at Baghramyan
Polygon, in Armavir, Armenia, on 7-9 October. SCUD ballistic missiles,
8K14-1, S300 missile systems, OSA air-to-land missile system, as well
as Krunk and Baze drones and other radiolocation systems, weapons made
in Armenia and other arms were tested in the course of the exercises.

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and all the members of the Government
got an opportunity to test their shooting skills, familiarize
themselves with the military hardware and ammunition demonstrated
during the exercises. The Government members followed the exercises
from the observation post. The scenario of the exercises: adoption
of military-political decisions in tense situations, responding to
security challenges, rebuffing foreign aggression, counterattacking
etc.

The goal of the exercises was to transfer experience of assessing
military-political situations, developing recommendations and making
decision to the government agencies, as well as harmonization of the
activity of the government and military agencies in case of tense
military-political situations, introduction of new effective measures
of state government etc.

Reaction-2013 command and staff exercises have proved Armenia’s
readiness and preparedness to meet any security challenges.

NEWSPAPER: ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO UK MAY BECOME FOURTH PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA

by Nana Martirosyan

ARMINFO
Wednesday, October 9, 12:44

Armenia’s Ambassador to UK Armen Sargsyan may become the fourth
president of the country, a Yerevan-based Haykakan Zhamanak Daily
writes.

Head of the President’s Staff Vigen Sargsyan has submitted a proposal
to the Commission for Constitutional Reform to reduce the current
10-year of permanent residence in the country required from the
candidates for president. The paper writes that the amendment will
enable nominating Ambassador Armen Sargsyan as candidate for president
at the next presidential election in Armenia.

“Although Sargsyan has been living abroad for long years, his latest
appointment as Ambassador of Armenia to UK can be considered as
residence in the country, because the Embassy is considered the
territory of the country it represents in line with international
conventions. It has been rumored in the government circles recently
that Sargsyan will be appointed the prime minister and then will
be nominated for the position of the president of Armenia from the
Republican Party,” the paper writes.

ARMENIA AND PUTIN’S “VICTORY”

The Russian president will hold his next big press conference in the
second half of December. His press secretary Peskov has informed about
this. Peskov said Putin will hold a news conference after his annual
speech at the Russian Federal Duma.

Putin’s press conference in December will arouse interest in the
context of another event. On November 29 the EU and Ukraine are
expected to sign the Association Agreement in Vilnius. The EU is
also expected to initial the Association Agreement with Georgia
and Moldova. These events are highly important to Russia. Moscow
is trying to hold back the post-Soviet states, especially Ukraine
because its signing will be a great geopolitical loss for Armenia,
and it is not an exaggeration.

Currently, Moscow is doing everything it can to keep Kiev back. It does
not even refrain from bloodshed, given the recent mysterious incident
at the Russian-Ukrainian border when a suicide bomber illegally went
through the Russian border crossing point, and as he was stopped at
the Ukrainian BCP, he let the bomb go off and killed himself and the
border guards.

Ukraine is something like the last battle for Russia. Losing it will
be a psychological brunt to Moscow.

So far the Baltic States have escaped from Moscow’s orbit in the
post-soviet space, which was not psychologically difficult for Russia
because they have never been part of the Soviet Russian psychological
orbit.

Georgia has also partly escaped but Moscow tried to present it as
the consequence of Saakashvili’s mental state.

Ukraine is altogether different. Ukraine will thus aspire to leadership
in the post-soviet space. In other words, Ukraine is on the way to
becoming a state which chooses another path and claims to the role
of the locomotive for the other countries of the post-soviet space.

In fact, it will mark the end of the empire that Putin is still trying
to reconstruct.

Hence, it is interesting to wait to find out in what capacity Putin
will hold his press conference, as the restorer and emperor of the
USSR or as the commander who has lost the battle and whose biography
includes only one victory – the victory over Armenia.

In addition, this victory is also highly relative, like the one in
the Russian-Georgian war when Russia conquered by weapon what it had,
in fact, conquered earlier in the course of time, Abkhazia and Ossetia.

11:44 09/10/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

VAZGEN SAFARIAN DEFEND L’ADHESION DE L’ARMENIE DANS L’UNION DOUANIERE

ARMENIE

Le President de l’Union des producteurs domestiques armeniens Vazgen
Safarian a defendu la decision du President Sarkissian de faire de
l’Armenie un membre de l’union douanière dirigee par la Russie en
disant que cela va avoir un impact positif sur l’economie.

” L’adhesion a l’Union douanière va devenir un stimulant direct pour
le developpement de l’economie armenienne. Dans le passe recent,
nous avons partage avec la Russie un espace economique, culturel,
industriel et economique commun, nos usines ont travaille en utilisant
une technologie similaire ” a declare Vazgen Safarian.

Vazgen Safarian a ecarte les craintes infondees qu’en rejoignant
l’Union douanière l’Armenie perdra son independance politique.

” Aucun pays dans le monde, des Etats-Unis au Mozambique,
est absolument independant. Tous les pays sont dans une certaine
dependance economique, politique et militaro-strategique avec les
autres ” a-t-il dit.

Vazgen Safarian a dit que l’Armenie peut proposer a ses futurs
partenaires des produits agricoles, des produits industriels et des
produits textiles.

Il a ajoute que l’adhesion a l’Union douanière ne signifie pas que
l’Armenie devrait reduire ses liens avec l’Europe. ” Ceux qui sont
engages dans le commerce avec les pays de l’UE devraient continuer,
parce que l’Europe a besoin des biens que nous exportons, en
particulier du minerai et des matières premières ” a-t-il dit.

mercredi 9 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

JEUNE, ARMENIEN ET VACHEMENT DOUE

Jazz

Si l’on en croit la legende, vous chantiez deja du Led Zep en vous
accompagnant au piano… dès l’âge de 3 ans !

” Oui, c’est vrai. Mon père etait un grand fan de rock, et j’adorais
les disques de Led Zeppelin et Black Sabbath qu’il ecoutait a longueur
de journee ! ” Mais a l’epoque, vous viviez encore dans une petite
ville armenienne, en URSS… Comment s’etait-il procure les vinyles ?

” Ca, c’est une autre histoire ! J’imagine que sa collection lui
a coûte une fortune. ” Pourquoi le piano, et pas la guitare, si
votre première passion etait le rock ? ” Je grattouillais aussi un
peu de guitare… mais le piano me paraissait plus facile. Ensuite,
mes parents m’ont fait prendre des cours, et c’est parti. ”

Et a l’âge de 10 ans, vous aviez deja abandonne Deep Purple pour
Thelonious Monk… ” Ca, je le dois a mon premier prof de jazz ! Au
bout de huit mois, il a commence a me faire ecouter tous ces trucs
be-bop, et grâce a lui, j’ai compris très tôt ce qu’etait vraiment
le jazz. Ce prof etait un vrai genie ! ”

Vous avez perce sur le Vieux Continent, mais vivez desormais aux
Etats-Unis. Où vous sentez-vous le mieux, si tant est que cette
question se pose vraiment ?

lire la suite, voir lien plus bas

mercredi 9 octobre 2013, Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY NOW OPEN TO THE DIASPORA

Tuesday, October 8th, 2013

Distance Learning at Yerevan State University

Comprehensive distance learning program launched in Armenian Studies

YEREVAN-The Distance Learning Laboratory at Yerevan State University
(YSU) announced today the launch of DistanceLearning.am-a pioneering
program of English-language courses, which can be taken by anyone
with access to a computer.

“For too long our language, culture, and history have been kept in
select universities of the world,” said Dr. Artashes Khurshudyan,
director of the virtual program. “But now we must deliver to the demand
of the 21st century. Contemporary education itself must be democratized
and become as accessible as possible. This distance learning program
will also contribute to the dissemination of Armenian issues across
the world.”

For years the Distance Learning Laboratory, which is housed in the
Department of Sociology, has been developing this program-which is
the University’s first diaspora-oriented initiative. Now Armenians
everywhere are invited to take YSU-certified courses in the various
eras of Armenian History, Genocide, Comparative Genocide, and the
Armenian Diaspora. These have been developed by leading experts,
scholars, and professors from all over the world.

“DistanceLearning.am is a virtual university in itself,” Khurshudyan
added, “a virtual university where courses in Armenian Studies are
being taught 24 hours a day. At any moment anybody in the world can
walk into our university and begin or continue his education.”

WHY THE ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES NEED AN AMNESTY

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 8 2013

8 October 2013 – 8:17am

Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

The Armenian parliament approved the presidential proposal on amnesty
devoted to the 22nd anniversary of Armenia’s Independence Day. The
speaker Ovik Abramyan stressed that amnesty is “an act of humanity,
which will contribute to the improvement of an atmosphere of tolerance
and consolidation in the society.” The amnesty will affect 1200
prisoners, 500 of whom will be released almost immediately.

Development of the draft took little time. On September 30th President
Serge Sargsyan presented the proposal for a discussion, and on October
1st the parliamentary commission on state legal affairs adopted it.

The next day a discussion took place at a plenary session, and on
October 3rd MPs voted for the draft. The haste can be explained by
an attempt to create a positive background for Sargsyan’s visit to
France – he met Francois Hollande and the chairman of the Senate and
spoke at the PACE session.

However, this is only the surface. In five years it is the third
amnesty in Armenia. Just like amnesties of 2009 and 2011, the amnesty
is aimed at reduction of internal political tension which appeared
due to presence of political prisoners.

As the result of previous amnesties under pressure of local social
activists and international organizations many representatives of
the opposition were released. They were accused of prevention of the
presidential elections of 2008, organization of riots on March 1st,
2008. During trials all accusations were disapproved, because in most
cases they were based on testimonial evidence of policemen.

The acutest question in the current amnesty is whether it will touch
on four activists of the opposition party the Armenian National
Congress, who are accused of street crime; four of them are released
on their own recognizance, and the fourth, Tigran Arakelyan (he is
also accused of obstructing an officer) is serving 6-year sentence
in prison. Arakelyan and his lawyers have many times stated that his
case is a frame-up and is based on testimonial evidence of policemen.

The ANC presented a statement which is based on the Resolution 1900
of the PACE on criteria of defining political prisoners that the whole
situation with Arakelyan enables calling him a political prisoner.

The trial over the ANC activists became well-known due to intensive
activity of ANC representatives in the Council of Europe and Armenia.

Every week protests demanding the release of Arakelyan take place near
the building of the Genral Prosecution. Last month MPs from Prosperous
Armenia, Heritage, Dashnaktsutyun, and the ANC stated on their demand
to release the political prisoner. The opposition organized collecting
signatures in Arakelyan’s support. 110 representatives of intelligent
society, including writers, film directors, musicians, journalists,
and social activists signed the statement.

Despite numerous reforms in the justice system, the main problem
hasn’t been solved. Armenian courts are still a tool in hands of the
executive power. According to human rights activists, the justice
system continues implementing political orders of the power.

Likely the current amnesty, like two previous ones, will be not only
an effective measure to shut down questions on political prisoners,
but also an attempt to save the face of the justice system, as few
people believe in it.

VIKTOR SADOVNICHY: “SPECIAL ATTENTION SHOULD BE PAID TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTH CAUCASUS UNIVERSITIES”

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 8 2013

8 October 2013 – 10:27am
Interview by Vestnik Kavkaza

On October 11-13 Moscow will host the 8th Festival of Science. The
president of Moscow State University (MSU), Viktor Sanovnichiy,
invited pupils, students, scientists, and everybody who finds science
interesting to it. The main platform, the intellectual center is
the Fundamental library of MSU. Viktor Sadonvnichiy told journalists
about the festival and science in general.

– What do you think will be the most interesting thing at the Festival
of Science?

– I wish I could listen to the lectures of leading scientists. They
will speak about the latest innovations, discoveries in the
modern science. I think I will have an opportunity to watch all
expositions. It is always a pleasure. I watch them before the opening
ceremony. It is too little time to see everything. I am interested in
projects by young scientists and in projects which can be touched –
a vehicle or a virtual experiment, a virtual room; I am also interested
in serious abstract lectures.

You should come to the Festival of Science because you will learn
a lot there. Science is your future. Think about your future, come
to the Festival of Science, enjoy the science, be a scientist or a
person who appreciates and supports science.

– Why should science be promoted?

– It should be promoted to make it live and develop. When we speak
about promotion, we try to attract young people to understanding of
certain scientific events, discoveries. If the youth come to science,
science will have the future. Moreover, promotion of science is needed
for the society to understand that science should be supported, that
state resources which are spent on science are used effectively. It
is very important as well. The society should understand that it
supports its future by paying taxes.

– Please tell us about the most interesting experiment in your
childhood.

– I had postwar childhood, and we dreamt about photo cameras.

I heard about the camera FED and decided to made my own camera, to
copy FED. I made a frame, found a lens from a binocular, there were
a lot of them after the war, made a mechanism of rolling a film stock
from sewing spools and bought a photo film. Our group went hiking. And
our supervisor told me to shoot the most interesting moments of the
hike. It was 1953 or 1954, you can imagine how we lived then. I made
some pictures, but when I processed the film, all pictures were out of
focus. When our supervisor I asked me to give him the photos as a gift,
I was shy and didn’t want to do this because the photos were out of
focus. Finally I agreed and gave away the photos. But our supervisor
was a very good teacher and he said: “The photos are lovely!” It was
my first serious invention – a handmade camera.

– How does science develop in the Caucasus?

– There are several wonderful universities in the Caucasus. I
would like to mention the one I know the best – Kabardino-Balkaria
University; it has a nice president Barasbi Karamurzov. I have visited
the university and its innovative expositions. There are many good
discoveries, good exhibitions and results. We are connected with the
university in the sphere of studying mountains. There is a station on
Elbrus where we are working together, geographers and physicians. It
is about studying particles. There are other strong universities
in Dagestan, North Ossetia. At the same time, due to some reasons
development of universities in regions should be supported. It concerns
not only a university. It is more than a university. It is a cultural
center, a bond in the region, a bond which unites Russian regions. We
need a special program and pay special attention to development of
the North Caucasus universities. A lot is being done, but we need more.

– Are there any joint scientific projects with countries of the
South Caucasus?

– We have very nice relations with Abkhazia, we have signed a treaty
with Sukhumi University, we have a powerful base there. In Azerbaijan
we have a branch of Moscow State University in Baku, one of the
strongest branches of MSU. I will fly to Baku soon. We will open a
branch in Yerevan, it will be another point. We are ready to build
relations with other countries, including Georgia.

– What are the most striking scientific discoveries of recent years
for you?

– For sure, they are in the science of life. A great breakthrough
in genetics, understanding of life materials and life organisms has
been achieved. The fact that we are close to understanding how life
appeared and why human being appeared in its form is an achievement
of our scientists. I think the biggest breakthroughs will be connected
with biology, genetics, cognitive sciences. And of course microphysics
achieved great results. The most striking is discovery of black holes;
science explains appearance of the universe.