Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ARMENIA IS 5TH AT GLOBE SPOT’S TOP 10 COUNTRIES TO TRAVEL TO IN 2013

YEREVAN, June 24./ARKA/. Armenia comes in at # 5 among Top 10 countries
to travel to in 2013, according to Globe Sports portal.

“Despite its rather well developed tourism infrastructure, Armenia
still flies under the radar of most travellers. Boasting having been
the first to embrace Christianity, the country provides ample proof
of that assertion, and following the guidebooks’ suggestions will
most likely leave anyone churched (or monasteried) out,” according
to the portal.

According to Globe Spot, fortunately, those willing to dig a
little deeper will discover a truly amazing country with a beautiful
landscape, but will also encounter genuinely nice people always ready
to offer them a shot of aragh (voda in Armenian language), introduced
by never-ending toasts, or welcome them at their khorovats picnic
(Armenian barbeque), or both.

“And with visa requirements being lifted for EU citizens, starting
in January, there’s even less reason to pass on this one.”

For compiling this rating, a group of professional travelers have
captured what’s happening on the travel scene focusing on destinations
they think will be “hot – or at least should be.”

Armenia was rated within a category of “adventurous places for those
who are going above and beyond, seeking out the best travel.”

Globe Spot rated Portugal as top country to visit in 2013. It is
followed by Mozambique, Kyrgyzstan, Panama, Armenia, Rwanda, Cuba,
Ukraine, Malawi and Canada. -0-

– See more at:

THE FORERUNNER OF THE ARMENIAN STATEHOOD’S REVIVAL

Tuesday, 25 June 2013 11:15

On May 28, our people marked the establishment of the First Armenian
Republic. This day, exactly 95 years ago, the Armenian National
Council proclaimed the independence of Armenia, which marked the
revival of the Armenian statehood. After many centuries, which were
full of tragic events, a new Armenian state appeared on the political
map of the world, which saved our people from imminent death.

The restoration of the independent Armenian statehood in the early
twentieth century was made possible through the truly historic victory
of our people in the Sardarapat battle, which took place on May 21-28,
1918 near the railway station of Sardarapat. It should be noted that
the Karakilis and Bash-Aparan battles took place the same period.

The Armenian Regular Army, together with the people’s militia, won
a convincing and brilliant victory over the Turkish aggressors who
invaded Eastern Armenia, thus writing a glorious page in the history of
the liberation struggle of the Armenian people. We can state without
any exaggeration that the success in the fields of the three crucial
battles saved Eastern Armenia from the Turkish massacres.

For better understanding and awareness of the significance of these
victories let’s recall the history. The World War I was underway that
period, and the events in the Transcaucasia were developing tragically
for our people. In January 1918, the actions of the Bolsheviks finally
collapsed the Caucasian front, and the Turkish troops decided to take
advantage of this favorable situation for them.

Meeting no resistance, they moved into the Transcaucasia. There
are documentary evidences confirming the Turkish government’s
plans to repeat the genocide of the Armenian people, but in Eastern
Armenia. In the secret instructions of February 27, 1918, Turkey’s
Minister of War Enver Pasha ordered the commanders of the Turkish
military units, which had started the intervention: “Today, thanks to
a happy coincidence, His Majesty commanded to exterminate the entire
Armenian nation”. It is worth noting that the Caucasian Tatars, or
as they are now called – Azerbaijanis, who planned to unite with the
kindred Turks,also decided to take advantage of the situation,. To
achieve this goal, they needed to remove the main obstacle for them –
Armenia, which separated Azerbaijan and Turkey. To resolve the Armenian
issue in accordance with the genocidal doctrine of pan-Turkism, the
Turkish troops crossed the Arax River in early May and invaded the
Transcaucasia for supporting Azerbaijan. On May 15, the Turkish Army
invaded Alexandropol (Gyumri), killing the civilians. The Turks were
moving in three directions, including to Yerevan. Armenia, which had
not yet recovered from the monstrous genocide of 1915, was under the
threat of further breakdown and loss of the remnants of its territory,
as well as the final loss of its statehood. That is why it is difficult
to overestimate the historical significance of the Sardarapat battle.

Surely, the victory in Sardarapat and the restoration of the
Armenian statehood had the greatest military and political
significance. Besides, their moral-psychological significance was
similarly great. For its long and in many ways tragic history, the
Armenian people has experienced incredible hardships and suffered
heavy losses – both human and territorial, and lost its statehood. As
a result, our people acquired a complex of victim that pursued it for
a long time and, to some extent, deprived it of the opportunity to
defend its own interests and the very right to a free and worthy life.

Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan and Karakilis broke the series of heavy
defeats and revived our people’s confidence in its own strength.They
demonstrated to the world the unparalleled feat of the people and
became a testament to its unwavering will and spiritual greatness.

They became a symbol of the revival of the Armenian people and its
national sovereignty. It is noteworthy that even the commander of
the Turkish Army, General Vahib Pasha admitted: “It was the greatest
battle in the war. Armenians have demonstrated that they can be the
best soldiers in the world! “.

The First Republic of Armenia existed only two years. In the process
of Sovietization of Transcaucasia it ceased to exist, giving birth
to the Second Armenian Republic – the Soviet one.

However, the short history of the First Republic does not belittle its
significance for the future of our people, as it became the forerunner
of the Armenian statehood’s revival. The significance of the lessons
of the First Republic is also enduring. There is probably a lot of
them, but the main one is the awareness of the indisputable truth
that only the unity and consolidation of our entire people can pose
and solve the most important problems of national significance. The
First Republic was the child of this unity born in the heaviest
geopolitical situation in the early 20th century, when Armenia and
our people faced the sharpest challenge of to be or not to be. Today,
the Third and independent Republic of Armenia is the embodiment of
the age-old dream of the Armenian people for independent statehood
and is a full member of the international community. It is the core
of the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity, and that’s why it is the
duty of the present and future generations of the Armenian people to
protect and strengthen the Armenian statehood, which has revived at
the cost of the lives of thousands of our compatriots.

Leonid MARTIROSSIAN

Editor-in-Chief of Azat Artsakh newspaper

HOW WELL DOES THE GOVERNMENT PROTECT THE CITIZENS’ INTERESTS?

Wednesday, 12 June 2013 12:17

As we have already reported during its June 10 session the NKR state
committee on regulation of public services and economic competition
decided to increase the tariff rates on gas, electricity and water. If
the rise of the gas rate could be explained, on part of electricity
and water rates that is, to put it mildly, impossible to understand, as
during the recent years it has been announced at the higher instances
that the electricity rate will not change in the nearest future,
that soon we shall become a country exporting electricity and that
the electric energy rate will never exceed 30 drams. On part of water
there were various announcements as if we are able to export water
but it turns out this sphere as well can’t do without problems.

During the session the head of the committee kept emphasizing that
for the inhabitants the tariff rates would remain the same, they
would change only for legal entities. In answer to the question
“Will the committee manage to suppress the rising of the prices on
other services as a result of the growth of the mentioned tariff
rates?” the head of the committee only noted that they should do
their best to prevent any unwarranted rising. But these rises will
be justified by the growth of gas, electricity and water rates and
in the end people will have to put up with these prices as well.

The subsidy of part of the tariff rate of the electric energy consumed
by the inhabitants was also long discussed. They seem to lighten the
burden of the inhabitants but a question arises: where do they get the
necessary amount of money, again from the state budget which is the
inhabitants’ “common pocket” or they will search for other resources?

These are questions which have no answer yet.

Wasn’t it possible to maintain even only the prices of our resources
to avoid the additional tension among the population which is expressed
in any conversation about the rising of the rates? The chairman of the
committee on regulation of public services and economic competition
noted in his speech that it was impossible to avoid this growth of
tariff rates and “these rates should have been much higher, we just
tried to find the “golden mean” for the present-day situation”.

Some inhabitants, though, suggested other variants in their talk
with us. “They have nothing else to do but to blow up the country and
kill the people. Are our incomes so high to increase the tariff rates
so much? My husband is an invalid who gets a pension of 30 thousand
drams. He is a bed-ridden patient and we have to take him to Yerevan
once in two months. Just tell me how should I pay for these services,
buy the necessary medicine and live through the whole month?” This
question was directed to us by one of Stepanakert citizens.

YEREVAN TO HOST ARMENIAN-ARGENTINEAN SEMINAR ON ECONOMIC TIES

June 25, 2013 | 13:04

YEREVAN. – A seminar-presentation, titled “Bilateral Trade and
Investment Opportunities,” will be held on Friday in Armenia’s capital,
Yerevan.

The event is organized by the Embassy of Argentina and the Armenian
Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The seminar-presentation will bring together representatives from the
Armenian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economy, the Union of Banks
of Armenia, the international airport of Armenia, the Armenian Union
of Information Technology, Armenian and American tourism agencies,
Armenia’s ArmRusGazprom Company and from several other Armenian and
international organizations, and businessmen.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

SOAR Seeks Urgent Sponsorship For Mushegh Mashinyan

SOCIETY FOR ORPHANED ARMENIAN RELIEF (SOAR)
1060 First Avenue, Suite 400, King of Prussia, PA 19406
Office: 610.213.3452 Fax: 610.229.5168
Email: [email protected] Web:

The Sponsorship Program is the primary mechanism through which SOAR
provides support to specific orphaned Armenians. We are seeking
sponsorship funds ($600/year) that will be used entirely and
exclusively for Mushegh Mashinyan (picture and profile below).

Mushegh Mashinyan

Name: Mushegh Mashinyan

Facility: Gyumri Social Childcare Center

Gender: Male

DOB: November 16, 2001

Father’s name/Occupation: Melik Mashinyan/Unknown

Mother’s name/Occupation: Lilit/Unemployed

Sibling(s): None

Family history: The family used to live in the Shnogh Village
of the Lori Region. After Musheg’s birth, the mother’s health
deteriorated. The father left for Russia and has had no contact with
the family. In 2012, Lilit and Mushegh moved to Gyumri, where they
currently live in very harsh conditions.

Health history and current medical conditions: Mushegh was born with
a maxillofacial defect, but because of the family’s dire financial
situation, he rarely gets medical attention. The sponsorship funds
would be used for Mushegh’s medical issues.

Special interests, talents, and hobbies: Mushegh loves outdoor activities.

We offer two types of sponsorships: a Full Sponsorship ar $600/yr.

($50/mo. payment plan available) or a Special Occasion Package ($150
annually). If you would like to sponsor Arsen, please contact George
S. Yacoubian, Jr., at [email protected] or select Arsen through
the Sponsorship Program.

Thank you in advance for your support!

The Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR) is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization dedicated to providing humanitarian relief to
orphaned Armenian children and adults. Working with a loyal donor base
and a trusted network of partners, SOAR distributes clothing,
educational supplies, medicine, and other essential resources to
orphaned Armenians throughout the world.

LA RUSSIE PREVOIT LA MODERNISATION DE SA BASE EN ARMENIE

La Russie considère sa base militaire en Armenie vitale pour la
securite nationale du pays et va continuer a la renforcer avec des
armes modernes, un haut responsable du Kremlin lundi.

“Je pense que la presence de militaires russes constitue une garantie
pour qu’il n’y ait pas d’evolution negative concernant l’Armenie,”
a declare Nikolay Patrouchev, secretaire du Conseil de securite de
la Russie, au siège de la base de Gyumri situee dans le nord-ouest
de l’Armenie.

” C’est une bonne base militaire très moderne qui continuera d’etre
modernisee “, a-t-il declare a des journalistes sur place.

Interroge sur les formes concrètes que prendra la modernisation,
Patrouchev a declare : ” Les ministres de la Defense [russe et
armenien] sont confrontes a cette question. Ils ont un plan. La base
militaire va evoluer et se moderniser. Je dois souligner, cependant,
qu’elle est deja prete au combat et capable d’accomplir n’importe
quelle tâche. ”

Moscou a deja renforce l’installation datant de l’ère sovietique avec
du nouveau materiel militaire depuis la signature en 2010 d’un accord
avec Erevan qui a etendu la presence militaire russe en Armenie jusqu’a
2044. L’accord a egalement mis a jour la mission de securite de la
base, les principaux responsables armeniens laissant entendre que les
quelque 5000 soldats russes qui s’y trouvent pourraient intervenir
en cas de nouvelle guerre avec l’Azerbaïdjan.

Cependant parallèlement a son aide a l’armee armenienne et au
renforcement de sa base militaire, la Russie a vendu des armes
a l’Azerbaïdjan. Patrouchev a effectivement confirme la vente a
l’Azerbaïdjan de chars russes, de systèmes d’artillerie et d’autres
armes pour un montant d’un milliard de dollars, une information revelee
par les medias russes la semaine dernière. “La Russie fait du commerce
avec tous les pays et tous les pays peuvent acheter legalement des
armes de la Russie”, a-t-il dit, interroge sur cette question.

Les fournitures d’armes russes a l’Azerbaïdjan ont suscite des
inquietudes parmi les analystes armeniens et des personnalites de
l’opposition. Certains d’entre eux ont accuse Moscou d’avoir trahi
l’Armenie, son principal allie dans la region. Le gouvernement armenien
a rejete ces preoccupations, affirmant que ces ventes ne changeront
pas l’equilibre des forces dans le conflit du Haut-Karabakh.

Patrouchev est alle a Gyumri, au deuxième jour de sa visite en Armenie
qui a commence par une rencontre avec le president Serge Sarkissian.

Selon une declaration faite par le bureau de presse de Sarkissian,
les deux hommes ont discute des ” defis de developpements regionaux
” et du processus de paix au Karabakh.

L’homologue armenien de Patrouchev, Artur Baghdassarian, a indique au
service armenien de RFE / RL vendredi que la visite de ce responsable
russe se traduira par un nouvel accord russo-armenien en matière de
defense et de securite. Sans donner d’autres explications.

mardi 25 juin 2013, Ara ©armenews.com

PACE PRESIDENT: “WE WISH TO INVITE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS OR ONE OF THEM TO PACE AND HEAR THEM”

APA, Azerbaijan
June 24 2013

Jean-Claude Mignon says he will meet with the members of Azerbaijani
and Armenian delegations

Strasbourg. Fuad Gulubeyli – APA. “We considered the settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict at the meetings of PACE Bureau and Standing
Committee in Armenia,” said President of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE) Jean-Claude Mignon at the press
conference on the first day of the summer session while responding to
APA’s question about the possible inclusion of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict in the session agenda as a current issue.

Jean-Claude Mignon said that these discussions took place as a
continuation of his visit to the South Caucasus: “I held a lot of
interesting meetings in all three countries, especially, we held
interesting discussions with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
and Foreign Minister. As far as I understand Azerbaijan is ready to
fully accept the six terms of the Madrid principles developed and
put forward by OSCE Minsk Group. This is very important. Moreover,
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister called me to inform Armenian Foreign
Minister about it and encourage him in this issue. The resolution of
Nagorno Karabakh conflict should not be necessarily discussed in our
assembly as a current issue. We should specify another format for it.

We wish to invite Minsk Group co-chairs or one of them to PACE and
hear them,” he said.

PACE President said he will meet with the members of Azerbaijani and
Armenian delegations on the third day of the session.

“We will discuss the resolution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. I see a
real desire to move forward the issue. Armenia’s chairmanship of the
Council of Europe Committee of Ministers should be benefited from,”
he said.

Larisa Alaverdyan. `There would not be trafficking in Armenia if it
was not concealed by law enforcement agencies.’

June 21 2013

In the U.S. State Department report, Armenia appeared in the 30th
group among 180 countries in terms of fight against human trafficking,
which means that the country signifies the importance of fight against
human trafficking, the government is executing serious projects in
this direction, and in this regard everything is perfect in the
country. In a talk with Aravot.am the former defender of Human Rights,
the chairwoman of `Against the Law’ NGO Larisa Alaveryan said this
should not encourage us. `Now I do not have the figures, but I have a
concern about this issue. I’ve dealt with it a few years ago and it
was my belief that the trafficking would not happen in Armenia if it
was not concealed by law enforcement agencies then. It’s hard to
imagine Armenia a country of many ways out. I can not imagine that it
can be done without criminal cooperation, but what tools and forms of
combat are available now, I do not know. At the time I had an opinion
formed that our judicial authorities do not work properly with both
trafficking victims and the accused and culprits. We should not get
encouraged with this report s, because we are talking about a
struggle, and not a phenomenon. If we have shown that we have changed
the law, or the principle of punishment acted a little more, these are
evidences that talk not about the fact that there is no trafficking
but about the fact that we are fighting against it.’ Eva HAKOBYAN

Read more at:

ARMENIE
Le Premier ministre dans l’oeil du cyclone

Plusieurs scandales politiques intérieures lourds de démissions de
grande envergure se posent en Arménie. Malgré le fait que le pays n’a
pas de tradition de démissions fondées sur des violations ou des
violations présumées des règles et normes éthiques et juridiques, les
récentes révélations des médias sur des comptes offshore pourraient
coûter au Premier ministre Tigran Sarkissian son poste compte tenu
d’autres processus.

Le journal en ligne Hetq a mené une enquête et le mois dernier a
publié un article suggérant que Tigran Sarkissian est partie prenante
d’une société chypriote impliquée dans certaines « relations troubles
». Alors que le premier ministre tente de prouver qu’il n’était pas au
courant que la société était immatriculée à son nom, l’homme
d’affaires Ashot Sukiasyan, dont le nom figurait également dans
l’article en lien avec ce dossier, a admis qu’il a enregistré la
société au nom de Tigran Sarkissian à l’insu du premier ministre.
Auparavant, Tigran Sarkissian a demandé au Bureau du procureur général
d’enquêter sur qui avait inscrit Wlispera Holdings Limited et comment
son nom est apparu dans la liste de ses actionnaires. Récemment, une
enquête a été ouverte contre Ashot Sukiasyan, dont le sort n’est
apparemment pas connu, et il a été mis sur la liste « des personnes
recherchées ».

Cependant, les partis politiques de l’opposition, en particulier le
Congrès national arménien et la Fédération Révolutionnaire Arménienne,
se posent des questions et doutent de l’innocence du Premier ministre.
Les autorités répressives sont silencieux. Le président Serge
Sarkissian ne s’est pas exprimé non plus.

Alors que le scandale offshore se déroulait, un autre est apparu quand
la Chambre de contrôle a publié son rapport sur les violations et les
abus des fonds publics révélés en 2012. En particulier, elle a déclaré
que les organisations publiques en charge des constructions ont
souvent dépenser des fonds budgétaires de façon inappropriée, parfois
en payant les matériaux dix fois plus chère que le prix du marché. Le
président du Parlement Hovik Abrahamian, un membre éminent du Parti
républicain du président Serge Sarkissian, a été prompt à blmer le
gouvernement et, s’en prendre aux « pillards » de l’argent public.

Les médias arméniens ont déjà marqué ce processus comme une campagne
contre le Premier ministre. Malgré la validité des charges et
l’absence de contre-arguments de la part de Tigran Sarkissian, le
cours des scandales suggère qu’il pourrait y avoir des forces qui
travaillent constamment à la démission de Tigran Sarkissian. Il
pourrait y avoir beaucoup de forces intéressées qui sont en jeu, tout
d’abord les partisans de la voie pro-russe en Arménie, ainsi que les
forces qui constestent « le leadership » de Tigran Sarkissian au sein
du Parti républicain.

Le premier ministre actuel est considéré comme peut-être le seul
apologiste de la formation d’un développement pro-européen de
l’Arménie et de la signature d’un accord d’association avec l’Union
européenne. Il agit également comme porte-parole quand il s’agit de
rejeter les offres persistantes de Russie sur l’adhésion à l’Union
douanière et l’Union eurasienne – projets d’intégration préconisés par
le Kremlin pour les Etats ex-soviétiques. Depuis novembre, lorsque
l’Arménie s’est lancée dans son premier accord d’association avec
l’UE, la pression est devenue plus forte sur le premier ministre.

Ajoutez à cela le fait que le technocrate Sarkissian est réputé pour
être le candidat le plus probable à la présidence en Arménie en 2018.
La Constitution actuelle empêche le président Serge Sarkissian de
briguer un troisième mandat consécutif et les successeurs se
bousculent déjà au sein du parti au pouvoir. À cet égard, l’aile «
conservatrice » ou plutôt « oligarchique » du Parti républicain dirigé
par Hovik Abrahamian semble avoir lancé une croisade contre Tigran
Sarkissian.

Il est peu probable que cela soit une coïncidence que les articles
récemment apparus dans les médias affirment que le Parti Arménie
prospère pourrait à nouveau faire partie de la coalition
gouvernementale et que son leader, le magnat Gagik Tsarukyan, qui est
de la belle-famille avec Abrahamian, pourrait être nommé Premier
ministre.

Considérant cela, la perspective de la démission du Premier ministre
Tigran Sarkissian devient réel, et maintenant tout le monde attend la
parole du Président Serge Sarkissian. Mais tout le monde a bien
compris que la question n’est pas seulement celle Tigran Sarkissian
mais plutôt celle de la future orientation géopolitique et du
président de l’Arménie.

Par Naira Hayrumyan

ArmeniaNow

dimanche 23 juin 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

ORGANIZATIONAL PHASE OF ESTABLISHMENT OF AZERBAIJANI DIASPORA COMPLETED IN EUROPE

Trend, Azerbaijan
June 21 2013

The organizational phase of the establishment of the Azerbaijani
Diaspora in Europe has been completed, and steps are taken towards
lobbying, Benelux Azerbaijanis Congress president, vice-president of
the Congress of European Azerbaijanis Sahil Gasimov told reporters
in Baku.

According to him, one of the main problems now is the lobbying.

“Lobbying is diplomacy, which is different from traditional and
people’s diplomacy. Benelux Azerbaijanis Congress is accredited by
the EU, and European diplomats have been informed on the subject. The
studies on Azerbaijan are currently underway. Lobbying begins to
acquire a wider scope. We have a lobby, like the Greek, Armenian,
Jewish lobbies. More serious steps will be taken in this direction,”
he said.

In December last year, the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was raised at the
Dutch Parliament, the president of the congress said.

“We need to increase the number of such events, as we have to move
beyond the traditional Diaspora issues. There are a lot of painful
issues for us, and we need to gather strength together to be able to
solve it,” Gasimov said.

He also appreciated the importance of the I Forum of Diaspora
Organizations of Member Countries of the Cooperation Council of
Turkic-Speaking Countries held in Baku.