Author: Kalantarian Kevo

NO NEWS SINCE ICRC SEPT 2 MEETING WITH ARMENIAN CAPTIVE

September 18, 2013 – 17:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Absence of governmental ties with Azerbaijan is
the main hindrance on the way to returning Armenian captive Hakob
Injighulyan, with the process mediated by international organizations
Defense Minister said.

“We’re taking our best efforts for Injighulyan to return to Armenia,”
Seyran Ohanyan said, noting that the solder won’t be legally
persecuted. “We can only imagine the pressure he might have been
subjected to on Azeri side,” Tert.am quoted Ohanyan as saying.

As the representative of the ICRC in Yerevan Ashot Astambatsyan told
PanARMENIAN.Net no fresh reports on the Armenian captive have been
provided, with the news to be released as soon as something transpires.

September 2 was the last time when the Representatives of the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) met with the Armenian
captive.

As the head of the ICRC Baku office Denise Duran stated earlier, the
Committee continued the captive-related negotiations with Azerbaijani
authorities.

On the night of Aug 8, Injighulyan, born in 1991, failed to find his
bearings on the ground and crossed into the Azeri-controlled territory.

Azeri media have been spreading information suggesting the captive
is unwilling to return to Armenia.

However, Injighulyan never mentioned his unwillingness to return
to Armenia in a meeting with ICRC representatives, with Azerbaijani
Prisoners of War Commission Secretary noting he sees no problem with
the captive’s return.

Armenia has repeatedly slammed the “interviews” with Injighulyan as
forced by Baku and urged the ICRC to take every effort to help the
captive’s return, with no persecution to be initiated against him in
the absence of crime in the act.

ARMENIA-EU RELATIONS ARE ON GOOD GROUNDS – BRITISH MP

September 18, 2013 | 17:14

YEREVAN. – Armenia underscores the development of relations with the
United Kingdom.

National Assembly (NA) Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan stated the
abovementioned Wednesday during his talk with John Whittingdale,
Vice-Chairman of the British-Armenian Parliamentary Friendship Group
of the British House of Commons, and MP Stephen Pound.

Abrahamyan highlighted the need to invigorate interparliamentary
cooperation, informs the NA press service. He expressed a conviction
that parliamentary diplomacy is an important lever toward boosting
political discourse among countries. The Armenian parliament chairman
considered it indispensable to carry out specific programs.

Hovik Abrahamyan also reflected on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process
and the Armenian-Turkish relations, and stressed the necessity to
form an objective view concerning these matters. In this context,
he highly appreciated the British parliamentarians’ visit to Karabakh.

Speaking on Armenia’s decision to join the Customs Union, the NA head
noted that this decision is in the best interests of the country. He
added, however, that this decision does not at all mean a suspension,
or a relaxation, of Armenia’s political dialogue with the European
Union (EU).

In turn John Whittingdale reaffirmed their readiness to contribute to
the development of bilateral interparliamentary ties and the deepening
of interstate relations. In his words, Europe, and especially theUnited
Kingdom, is interested in developing relations with Armenia.

In the British MPs’ conviction, Armenia-EU relations are placed on
good grounds.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

CSTO JOINT AIR FORCE VITAL TO SECURITY OF ARMENIA, ARTHUR BAGHDASARYAN SAYS

17:30 18/09/2013 ” POLITICS

An interdepartmental commission coordinating CSTO events met today,
chaired by Armenian National Security Council (NSC) Secretary Arthur
Baghdasaryan, NSC press service reported.

A regular meeting of the Council and statutory bodies of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will take place in Sochi on
September 23, Baghdasaryan said.

“I think the upcoming meeting is important in terms of strengthening
the military component of CSTO because it is planned to sign a number
of documents, including a decision on establishment of CSTO air force.

Joint air force within CSTO is vital to security of Armenia,” he said.

The meeting also focused on the preparatory work for the 11th meeting
of the CSTO Intergovernmental Commission on Military and Technical
Cooperation that will take place in Yerevan on October 1-4.

“I think it is a good opportunity to analyze the existing problems
and to outline new directions for deepening cooperation within the
CSTO framework,” Baghdasaryan said.

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIA DOUBLES SOAP PRODUCTION VOLUME

17:07, 18 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The soap production volume was twice
increased in the Republic of Armenia at the course of the first seven
months of the current year in comparison with the same period of 2012,
thus reaching 91.6 tons. In accordance with the information of the
National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia, our country
produced 44,7 tons of soap at the course of the first seven months
of the previous year. As reports “Armenpress” the total volume of the
soap production in the Republic of Armenia was 86.2 tons in 2012. In
accordance with the data of the State Revenue Committee under the
Government of the Republic of Armenia, our country imported 1427,8
tons and exported 48,2 tons of soap at the course of the first six
months of the current year.

ARMENIA INCREASED PASTRY AND PASTA PRODUCTION

16:37, 18 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS: The volumes of the production
of pastry and pasta in the Republic of Armenia have increased in
comparison with the same period of the previous year by 15,5 and 21,2%
correspondingly. According to the data provided by the National
Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia, during the first
seven months of 2013 9 thousand 4,3 tons of pastry and 2 thousand
211,9 tons of pasta were produced in Armenia in comparison with the
last year’s 7 thousand 793,2 tons of pastry and 1825,6 tons of pasta.

As reported by Armenpress, the volumes of the production of pastry
have increased in 2012 by 9,5% in comparison with the same period
of the year of 2011 and made 14 thousand 253,2 tons and the volumes
of the production of pasta have increased by 2,6%, thus making it 3
thousand 393,4 tons.

TURKEY SET TO STEP UP ITS ANTI-ARMENIAN PROPAGANDA AS THE CENTENARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE NEARING, EXPERT SAYS

YEREVAN, September 18. / ARKA /. Turkey is set to step up its
anti-Armenian propaganda as the centenary of the Armenian genocide
to be marked in 2015 is nearing, Artak Shakaryan, an Armenian expert
in Turkic studies, said today.

He said because of Turkey’s indirect involvement in the Syrian crisis
and the Kurdish question the government in Ankara is not paying
enough attention currently to the anti-Armenian propaganda. “However,
there are special academic institutions and persons who are closely
involved in this. I think, on the eve of the centenary Ankara will
intensify its anti-Armenian propaganda,” he said.

According to him, as the date is nearing Turkey will also increase
pressure on Armenia regarding the Nagorno -Karabakh conflict.

The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the twentieth century.

Turkey has been denying it for decades. The Armenian genocide
was recognized by tens of countries. The first was Uruguay
that did so in 1965. Other nations are Russia, France, Italy,
Germany, Holland, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden,
Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela,
Argentina, 42 U.S. states. The Armenian Genocide was recognized
by the Vatican, the European Parliament, the World Council of
Churches and other international organizations. -0- – See more at:

CRACKED WHEAT IMPORT TO ARMENIA DECREASED BY 32 PERCENTS

16:03, 18 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The cracked wheat import volume
to the Republic of Armenia has been decreased by over 32 percents at
the course of the first six months of the current year in comparison
with the same period of 2012, thus reaching 863 thousand 300 kg. In
accordance with the data of the State Revenue Committee under the
Government of the Republic of Armenia, our country imported 1 million
275 thousand kg of cracked wheat at the course of the first six months
of the previous year.

As reports “Armenpress” the average customs value of 1 kg of cracked
wheat imported to the Republic of Armenia has been decreased by 9
percent and reached USD 0,73 (approximately AMD 300).

In the previous year the average customs value of 1 kg of cracked
wheat imported to the Republic of Armenia was USD 0,80 (about AMD
330). The Republic of Armenia imported the majority of cracked wheat
from China, Ukraine, Syria, and the Russian Federation.

NKR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN: DEFENSE MINISTER

15:54, 18 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS: The peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic conflict is an important direction for the
Republic of Armenia. This was stated by the Minister of Defense of
the Republic of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan on September 18. As reported
by Armenpress, the Defense Minister noted that the availability of the
Artsakh Republic in the region has nothing to do with the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan.

According to Seyran Ohanyan, touching upon the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic, all should understand that it is a part of our historical
motherland. “If we refer to all our historical and legal sources,
we will see that it is true”, – said the Defense Minister.

Seyran Ohanyan emphasized that the NKR conflict can be settled only
via a dialogue and noted that the first step to be made is to form an
atmosphere of trust, due to which actions could be made so that the
situation in the contact line does not harm the negotiations process.

As stated by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Seyran
Ohanyan, in the formation of the atmosphere of trust quite important
is to withdraw the snipers from the line of contact, to avoid the
subversive investigative activities, to establish connection via
hotline and establish communication on the level of the Ministers
of Defense.

THERE ARE 251.1 PHYSICIANS PER 100,000 RESIDENTS IN ARMENIA

September 18, 2013 | 11:17

YEREVAN. – Training of staff in the health sector is an extremely
important contribution and factor in all countries, and human resources
in this sector play a major role.

Galina Perfilieva, Project Manager on Health sector human resources in
the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, noted
the aforesaid during her talk with Armenia’s Health Minister Derenik
Dumanyan, informs the Armenian Ministry of Health press service.

The absence of proper statistics on human resources and inadequate
number of necessary personnel in the health sector is a shared problem
for the countries in the European region, including Armenia.

In line with such indicators, Armenia is somewhere in the middle,
with 251.1 physicians, 48.5 primary care physicians, and 463 nurses
per 100,000 residents.

Dumanyan and Perfilieva also discussed several strategically important
documents which WHO adopted in recent years, and which aim to solve
a wide range of human resource issues in the health sector.

NAKHIJEVAN: BAKU TAKING UP ENTERTAINING ARITHMETIC

September 18, 2013 – 15:32 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Baku, dissatisfied with the calculation of “damages
inflicted to Azerbaijan by Armenia,” looks to continue the entertaining
arithmetic by calculating damages inflicted to Nakhijevan.

The works group, led by a doctor of economics, professor Khanhuseyn
Kazimli, consists of volunteers which will calculate as they’re
ordered to.

As APA Azeri news agency reported, “the surface contacts between
Nakhijevan Autonomous Republic and Azerbaijan have been cut as a
result of expansion of Armenian separatism and aggression started
from the beginning of the 90s of the last century. Particularly,
different provocations committed by the Armenians on the railway line
and terrorist acts against civilians caused the complete suspension
of this transport. This has resulted in the blockade of Nakhijevan.”

The damage was calculated at once to amount to “hundreds of millions of
manats (AZN) in economic damage.” As the website claims, “all economic
and cultural damages of the Autonomous Republic caused by the closing
of railway and highway over last 20 years, as well as funds allocated
from Azerbaijan’s budget for the protection of Nakhijevan should be
compensated by Armenia.”

Sure, no one can forbid Baku to take up entertaining arithmetic. Seems
like Azerbaijan has forgotten all of its problems and is now busy
calculating damages which resulted from its faulty policies. Yet
there’s one thing Baku’s pseudo-mathematicians are forgetting about: if
it comes to calculating damages, it’s Armenia who’s got to issue bills
to Baku for ruined shrines, expulsion of Armenians from Azerbaijan,
and Nakhijevan, a historic Armenian land, in particular.

Armenian towns of Agulis and Jugha were fully demolished, destroyed
were 27000 Armenian churches and a mediaeval Armenian cemetery in Old
Jugha, with bulldozers having smashed khachkars. The “work group” must
surely be aware of the facts. As for Azeri historians, they continue
writing their own history of South Caucasus, generously supported by
the government to be turned into a tool of state policy. Azerbaijan’s
aggressive policy continues to devise new means for an information
war against Armenia, resorting to pseudo-historians’ assistance.

So who should pay one’s dues is another big question. To say nothing
of a half a million-strong Armenian community of Azerbaijan, robbed
and thrown out of their homes in the best case. Baku would be better
off to finally see a beam in its eye, instead of trying to see a speck
in another’s. And as for Nakhijevan blockade – there’s an interrupted
flow of petrol- and product-filled trucks bound for the autonomous
republic on the road from Iran.

Karine Ter-Sahakian/ PanARMENIAN.Net