NO ARMENIANS AMONG VICTIMS IN BOSTON MARATHON EXPLOSION – ARMENIA’S MFA
13:30 ~U 16.04.13
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry reports that there are no Armenians among
the victims and injured at Boston Marathon explosions.
The MFA wrote in its Facebook page that the Armenian embassy in
Washington is in permanent touch with Massachusetts state and Boston
local authorities.
Armenian News – Tert.am
“IRON LADY” SAID THAT RECEPTION IN LENINAKAN WAS ONE OF THE BESTS IN HER LIFE
11:08, 16 April, 2013
YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. The former Prime Minister of the Great
Britain Margaret Thatcher has always been hold in high esteems in
Armenia. The visit of “Iron Lady” to Leninakan (Gyumri) on June in
1990 caused a lot of enthusiasm among the people, who had faced the
whole bitterness of the devastative earthquake. “Armenpress” had a
conversation with the former First Secretary of the Central Commission
of Armenia’s Communist Party Vladimir Movsisyan about the details,
impressions, and character traits of the “Iron Lady”.
– Mr. Movsisyan, why did the Prime Minister of Great Britain Margaret
Thatcher pay visit to Armenia almost two years after the earthquake
hit Spitak?
– Margaret Thatcher was a world known figure. During her stay in
office Great Britain recorded a big progress. Moreover, I still remain
a communist and cannot put up with the idea that Reagan, Thatcher,
Gorbachev, and Yakovlev managed to destruct that powerful state,
instead of restoring it. But let’s leave it aside. Let’s talk about
her visit to Armenia. During the discussions regarding her visit,
it was decided that the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the
Republic of Armenia Vladimir Margaryants will host her. And when
one day was left before the launch of her visit, Yakovlev called me
and asked to participate in all of that, because not paying a visit
to the earthquake area would be interpreted in quiet other way. I
and Margaryants welcomed her in the Leninakan airport. Her visit’s
objective was to participate in the opening ceremony of an English
centre of school.
– How did she communicate with the people?
– She was approaching and talking with everyone. Thatcher herself
was engaged in the organization of the visit. She had meetings with
everyone she wanted to meet with. She had conversations with a number
of citizens. She spent a lot of time with children. She even invited
the constructor to the stage and presented him her picture.
It was a free and easy visit. Because of the excitement she had
forgotten that she “was made of iron” and turned into a common man,
who can be compassionate and excited, who can cry, laugh, and become
proud. We are grateful to everyone, even for a small support and
stretching a helpful hand in that difficult situation.
– Listening to Your narrative, one may think that Thatcher was not
“that much iron”.
– In this case I saw that there was nothing made of iron and steel.
She was a common man, who can be excited, who can laugh, talk,
embrace children, and speak to common people. Notwithstanding in
politics she was really an “iron lady”. (THE FULL VERSION OF THE
INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN ARMENIAN)
Interview by Hakob Vardanyan
LE TURKMENISTAN ATTAQUE L’AZERBAÏDJAN EN MER CASPIENNE, ALIYEV DEMANDE L’AIDE DE LA RUSSIE
L’Azerbaïdjan aurait demande a la Russie de delocaliser une partie de
sa flotte de la mer Caspienne a Bakou après que les forces navales
du Turkmenistan aint tire sur certaines installations de forage
petrolier de l’Azerbaïdjan en mer. C’est le site russe ostkraft qui
est a l’origine de cette information.
Selon le site le president azeri Ilham Aliyev aurait lance un appel
aux dirigeants de la Russie afin de transferer une partie de leur
flotte de la mer Caspienne a partir d’Astrakhan et Makhachkala a Bakou.
L’objectif de l’assistance militaire serait la defense en mer caspienne
des installations de forage petrolier dans les eaux territoriales
de l’Azerbaïdjan. La cause immediate de l’appel du gouvernement
d’Azerbaïdjan a Moscou, selon ostkraft, serait les dommages subis
par l’Azerbaïdjan sur ces infrastructures de raffinage du petrole au
large des côtes par des tirs des forces navales du Turkmenistan en
mer Caspienne. La reponse russe n’est pas connue.
Compte tenu de l’imprecision des informations il est preferable
de traiter ces donnees avec un haut degre de scepticisme. Et il
semble peu probable qu’Aliyev ferait une telle demande dramatique
a la Russie – a long terme, il est plus preoccupe par la Russie
que par le Turkmenistan. Et inviter les Russes a se baser a Bakou,
il serait très difficile par la suite de les faire sortir. Pourtant,
les forces navales naissantes du Turkmenistan et de l’Azerbaïdjan se
sont affrontes dans le passe et nous avons entendu parler des faits
longtemps après leur venue.
Bakou a montre qu’il ne prefère ne pas publier de nouvelles sur sa
propre faiblesse dans la mer Caspienne. Nous allons devoir attendre
pour plus d’informations.
mardi 16 avril 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com
RUSSIA WILL NOT GRANT ARMENIAN OPPOSITION LEADER BENEFITS
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
April 15 2013
Leader of the Heritage Party of Armenia Raffi Ovannisyan, the candidate
coming second at the presidential election, visited Moscow on April
12. He said after returning back to Armenia that he had been invited
to Moscow.
The Kremlin denied rumours about Ovannisyan’s meeting with Vladimir
Chernov, head of the Presidential Office for Interregional and
Cultural Ties.
Alexey Vlasov, Editor-in-Chief of Vestnik Kavkaza, said that Russia
was not planning to grant any political benefits to figures like
Ovannisyan. The government and opposition in Armenia are trying to
understand Kremlin’s attitude towards the political developments
in Armenia.
Vlasov noted that Ovannisyan was of pro-Western vector. The expert
believes that Russia is more interested in supporting Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan. Ovannisyan did not speak for Eurasian
integration during his campaign and was critical about the strategic
ally of Armenia.
Alexander Skakov, coordinator of a working group of the Institute for
Central Asia and Caucasus of the Institute for oriental Studies of the
RAS, supposes that Raffi Ovannisyan is trying to convince Moscow that
he is not an anti-Russian project. Russia needs to know the details
of interior political life in Armenia.
Skakov believes that Ovannisyan wants to change Moscow’s image of
opposition. He confirmed that many people in Moscow considered the
Armenian opposition leader a pro-Western figure..
HEAD OF POLICE OF YEREVAN IS FIRED
The chief of police Vladimir Gasparyan has dismissed the head of
police of Yerevan Nersik Nazaryan. Nersik Nazaryan told Lragir.am he
was not informed about his dismissal yet.
The relations of Nersik Nazaryan and the chief of police were not
friendly. It was linked to his aspirations to the post of chief of
police. His relations with the ex-chief of police Alik Sargsyan were
also tense.
It is hard to tell whether his dismissal is due to the police actions
on April 9 when the policemen behaved inadequately on Baghramyan
Street. According to the press, Vladimir Gasparyan was angry with
Nersik Nazaryan because he did not keep the situation under control.
21:02 15/04/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:
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