Author: Kalantarian Kevo

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL COLLECTS SIGNATURES FOR PETITION TO MAKE PUBLIC LISTS OF THOSE WHO VOTED DURING FEB 18 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

ARMINFO
Monday, April 15, 18:28

Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center has started
collecting signatures for a petition to make public the lists of
those who voted during the Feb 18 presidential election.

For this purpose the National Assembly should adopt Electoral Code
amendments allowing transparency of voters’ lists.

“This will be a chance for the authorities to prove their legitimacy
and to restore people’s confidence in elections. The lists should be
placed on the Internet so voters could monitor the electoral process,”
they in the Center say.

Illusion of reconstruction

05:15 PM | TODAY | SOCIAL

To reach the Republic Square do not select Amirian street. It is closed.
Asphalt making works are being held.

Today till 8 pm the drivers have to drive on the other roads.
Not only drivers, but also many peasants were indignant with the asphalt
works. But why?

They pointed out that there was no need to change the road asphalt of the
streets of the Center. It had only one objective: make illusion that works
are being done. “To get more votes in the upcoming municipal elections”.

One of them added that it would be much better if they made asphalt in the
streets of the suburbs of Yerevan which are very half-destroyed. Money and
resources should be distributed equally during the reconstruction of the
city.

Subject: LETTER to EDITOR of The Gazette, Iowa

The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines
April 13 2013

LETTER
Peaceful relations should be our goal

It is ironic that an organization with the name of Pax Turcica seeks
to inflame an entire culture by denying the Armenian genocide
(“Armenian genocide not established,” Agshin Taghiyev, April 7
letter).

I would think that peaceful relations would be the goal. Taghiyev
serves no purpose in calling the mass murder and expulsion of
Armenians from their homeland by the Ottoman Empire as not fitting the
legal or scholarly definition of genocide.

I am sorry for those who cannot let history be the guide for forming
peaceful relationships in the future.

DeEtta Hartunian Andersen
Center Point

Turan: Azerbaijan wants to get out of custody of OSCE commitments in
order to again fabricate elections

19:42 13/04/2013 >> SOCIETY

As the Azerbaijani news agency “Turan” reports, the statement of Elmar
Mammadyarov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, on the
inadmissibility of blackmailing the Azerbaijani government by a number
of OSCE member countries, was like a voice crying in the wilderness.

The agency notes that by saying blackmailing, Mammadyarov meant the
willingness of “a number of countries” to veto the plans of Baku in
reducing the status of the OSCE office in Azerbaijan. It also says
that when Mammadyarov speaks of “a number of members No., then behind
this vague index names of at least 27 countries of the European Union
are concealed.

According to “Turan”, there are two versions of such an open lose-lose
confrontation of Aliyev’s administration with the Western community:
First, the Government of Azerbaijan wants to build and use military
potential against Armenia, and that’s why wishes to get out of custody
of the OSCE commitments. Second, the government of Azerbaijan plans to
fabricate the presidential elections again and therefore seeks to
weaken the control of the OSCE over the electoral process, the agency
notes.

“The recent critical statements of Mubariz Gurbanli and Aydin
Mirzazade, MPs from the ruling party “Yeni Azerbaijan”, were addressed
to the OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement
process. These statements are in favor of the first version. But they
sound much weaker than the blackmail addressed to the OSCE, NDI and
the other Western structures at the president’s level, the head of his
administration, and other officials, for non-interference in the
internal affairs of the country in response to the notes about
violations of international human rights and freedoms,” Turan reports.

The authors note that in past years the Azerbaijani regime rushed into
the arms of Russia at the slightest overpressure, but today these arms
are closed for the Azerbaijani officials who “armed with cash bags,
unsuccessfully try to establish the interrupted dialogue.”

“Staff of the guests of the International Economic Forum in Baku,
where there were no officials from Brussels and Moscow, showed that
the regime is increasingly pressed in the arms of isolation, which
today is formed by the European-Russian arc,” Turan writes.
On March 14 the U.S. permanent representative to the OSCE Gary Robbins
told the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna about the plans of the
official Baku to limit the authorities and missions of the
Organization in Baku.

Source: Panorama.am

Pre-parliament to conduct rally in Liberty Square May 9

19:44 – 13.04.13

Pre-parliament has issued a statement informing about conduction of a
rally in the Liberty Square on May 9 – on Shoushi Liberation Day and
Victory Day in Great Patriotic War.

The statement says that the February 18 and post-election developments
showed that people are sending signals to healthy political potential
to free them from disastrous system.

`But till now the wave of people’s revolt is not finding its proper
way of organization as a result of which the fight enters stagnation.
After a month and half from the election day no program has been
worked out and presented on movement’s reinforcement and no
coordinating collegial body has been set up. Instead, people are being
offered to chose between inspiring rhetoric and adventurousness,’ the
statement runs saying that it all is being done by ignoring the
proposals and calls of Pre-parliament to consolidate and bring the
movement to the victorious end.

The statement says the only way to establish people’s power is to
elaborate national-liberation movement and by conduction of
alternative elections by the rules of the people, create legitimate
administrative bodies and replace the incumbent ones with them.

`Only in this way it is possible to bring into life the pan-national
goal of creation of new quality state that will ensure citizen’s free
and dignified life,’ the statement concludes.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Yerevan Mayoral Candidates and Their Finances
Grisha Balasanyan

13:10, April 13, 2013

What follows is a breakdown of assets owned by those heading their
respective party proportional tickets in the upcoming May 5 Yerevan
municipal elections.

The data is culled from the financial disclosures filed by the
candidates covering the period March 1, 2012 – March 1, 2013.

Taron Margaryan (Republican Party) – The current Mayor of Yerevan’
sole income is his salary of 4.730 million AMD.

He had bank accounts of 115 million AMD, $50,000 and 50,000 Euros.

Vardan Oskanyan (Prosperous Armenia) – His sole income is derived from
his monthly 300,000 AMD as a member of parliament. He declared
$150,000 in band deposits.

Vahagn Khachatryan (Armenian National Congress) – This former Yerevan
mayor declared no revenue for the period mentioned. He declared
600,000 AMD and $1,500 in bank depsoits.

Armen Rostoumyan (ARF) – This MP declared annual wages of 3.350
million AMd and interest income of 150,000 AMD.

He declared banks deposits of 15 million AMD, $10,000 and 2,000 Euros.

Armen Yeritsyan (Country of Law) – He is currently the Minister of
Emergency Situations and declared 3.817 million AMD in wages and a
police pension of 3.401 million.

He declared 34 million AMD in bank holdings.

Mesrop Arakelyan (Mission Party) – He is 28 years-old and teaches at
Yerevan State University. He declared 17.863 million AMD in wages from
VTB Bank and 772,000 from the university, plus 375,000 in interest
income.

He declared bank deposits of 2 million AMD and $48,000.

Armen Martirosyan (Barev Yerevan) – He serves as the Vice-President of
the Heritage Party.

He declared 1.208 million AMD in wages from the State Institute of
Physical Culture and 741,000 AMD from the National Assembly when he
served as an MP. He declared no bank holdings.

Non-competitive business environment prevents development of
innovative business in Armenia, UITE says

YEREVAN, April 13. / ARKA /. Non-competitive business environment is
the main obstacle preventing the development of innovative businesses
in Armenia, according to Karen Vardanian, the executive director of
the Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE).

“The oligarchic business system in Armenia is affecting competition.
When there is no competition, entrepreneurs are not interested in the
modernization of their businesses,” he said at the 13th congress of
UITE.

According to him, some of the best IT solutions in the world are
being designed in Armenia, `but the problem is that by producing the
best IT solutions, Armenians do not use them because of the weak
competition.’

Presenting the work done in 2012 by UITE Vardanian singled out the
concept and suggestions for improvement in the areas of e-commerce and
IT procurement, designed by UITE.

In 2000 the government announced IT sector as a priority. Today there
are around 350 IT companies in the country, which employ some 10,000
people. According to UITE, in 2012 this sector grew by 25 percent to
an annual turnover of $250 million. UITE was founded in 2000 to
protect the interests of IT companies, stimulate progress and
encourage research. It has now 60 member companies. -0-

Centuries old walls of Diyarbakir could enter UNESCO World Heritage List

16:26 13.04.2013

The historic walls of Diyarbakir (Tigranakert) could soon enter the
UNESCO World Heritage List. A meeting was recently held with the
attendance of officials from 15 countries to exchange information
about what should be done, according to the Hurriyet Daily News.

`We have to keep and restore the historic walls, and present them to
the world history of humanity as a cultural heritage,’ Food,
Agriculture and Livestock Minister of Turkey Mehdi Eker said during a
meeting titled `Diyarbakir Castle and Historic City ICOMOS/ICOFORT
2013.’

Ouest-France
lundi 8 avril 2013
nantes Edition

L’artiste sanmaritain Artak Sakanyan coté à Drouot

En octobre 2012, Artak Sakanyan, artiste-peintre à l’atelier situé
dans le bourg de Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer à Pornic, recevait la médaille
d’or en peinture au concours international « Le chemin des arts » de
Tourty (Bourgogne), organisé par Denise Warin, directrice de l’Échange
culturel pour la France, artiste peintre internationale, conseillère
agréée Drouot cotation et présidente de l’association Ice blue. Une
reconnaissance professionnelle qui propulse Artak Sakanyan dans le
cercle convoité des artistes côté à Drouot. « J’ose espérer que cela
m’ouvrira les portes des galeries du monde entier »,lance Artak
Sakanyan, qui signe ses oeuvres du petit nom Arttuche que lui donnait
sa grand-mère.

Né le 16 juillet 1982 à Erevan, en Arménie, il vit et travaille à
Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer, au bord de l’océan. Cet océan qui l’inspire.
Peintre-céramiste et poète, l’artiste trouve son inspiration en
ouvrant sa fenêtre« qui donne sur la mer ou en me baladant le long du
chemin côtier ».

Ses dessins, pastels, acryliques ou encre de chine, font sonner les
musiques de ses origines lointaines, Arménie par son père et Russie
par sa mère. Les femmes, omniprésentes dans ses tableaux, sont ses
muses, ses déesses. Véritable hymne à la création et à ses
conséquences, Artak est un artiste sensible qui s’attaque« au rêve
d’un monde meilleur ». Sa devise, il l’a tiré d’une phrase de
Dostoievski : « La beauté sauvera le monde ».

Depuis février 2013, il est coté par le Guide’Arts et inscrit sur les
sites officiels de cotation. Il est aussi entré dans le Dictionnaire
des Artistes Cotés 2013. Cette belle reconnaissance, confirme qu’Artak
Sakanyan est un artiste à part entière au style personnel, puissant et
singulier.

Pour découvrir une partie de son travail : ou au
1, rue Pasteur, bourg de Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer, Pornic. Renseignements
: 06 37 50 60 50.

The Idaho Statesman
April 14 2013

BOOK REVIEW: Introducing the world to Armenian genocide

By RICK BENTLEY – THE FRESNO BEE

Chris Bohjalian wrote a novel 20 years ago based on the Armenian
genocide. It was never published.

“It was a train wreck. Then I started thinking why should I write a
book about the Armenian genocide when there were so many good ones
already, including ‘Rise the Euphrates’ by Carol Edgarian,” says
Bohjalian. “The manuscript now resides in the archives of my alma
mater.”

The Amherst College graduate went on to write 11 other books –
including his best-known work, “Midwives” – before finally getting
back to the subject with “The Sandcastle Girls.”

The book was inspired by his grandparents – Leo and Haigoohi – who
survived the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians, starting in 1915.

It’s that larger meaning that helped Bohjalian write his novel, when
his first effort failed. He was determined to use the genocide as a
backdrop, despite being told by people in the publishing industry –
fortunately not his editor – that a book like “The Sandcastle Girls”
would be a career killer. They said a lack of knowledge of the
killings outside the Armenian community would make the book a tough
sell.

He proved them wrong by telling two stories – one about lovers who
meet in Syria during the genocide and the other about their
granddaughter’s efforts a century later to understand why they were so
silent about their youth.

The author’s own grandparents never talked about that brutal period.
Bohjalian was able to get a lot of information from his father, Aram,
who also didn’t talk about the genocide while the author was young.

When Aram’s health began to deteriorate in 2009, father and son spent
a lot of time looking at old family photographs that sparked
conversations about the family. “The Sandcastle Girls” is dedicated to
Aram, and Bohjalian’s mother-in-law, Sondra Blewer, who both died in
2011.

This information helped the author write the opposite of a “train
wreck.” The book – which could become a feature film – has earned high
praise, including being selected as an Oprah Winfrey Book of the Week.

“I have written so many books that were successful, where people
thought they were crazy ideas. When I started writing a book about
midwives, I was told no one outside of New England would know what I
was talking about,” says Bohjalian.

He was glad that he didn’t let the critics stop him. “The Sandcastle
Girls” has been an educational tool for many readers. There are
thousands of comments on Bohjalian’s Facebook page from people who
were clueless until reading about it in his book.

“Because so many people outside the Armenian community hadn’t heard
about the genocide, I was determined to get it right when I started
this book,” says Bohjalian.

He is also determined to talk about the book as often as possible. The
trips give him a chance to thank the members of the Armenian community
who have embraced the book.