Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ARMENIA TAKES STEP TOWARD EURASIAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY

April 11, 2013 | 14:20

YEREVAN. – The interim Government of the Armenia and the Eurasian
Economic Commission signed a memorandum of mutual cooperation, the
Government official website informs.

The document was signed on Wednesday evening, and along the lines of
Commission Chairman Viktor Khristenko’s visit to capital city Yerevan.

The memorandum envisions deepening integration with the Eurasian
Economic Community (EurAsEC) Customs Union.

This is Armenia’s first formal document signed with the EurAsEC.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIA IS GRATEFUL TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC – ACTING FM NALBANDIAN

April 11, 2013 | 12:46

YEREVAN. – Armenia looks positively toward the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs’ proposal to soon hold a meeting between the FMs of Armenia
and Azerbaijan. Armenia’s Acting Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
stated this during his joint news conference Thursday with his Czech
colleague, Karel Schwarzenberg.

In Nalbandian’s words, the fact that no progress is yet achieved in the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks has nothing to do with Nagorno-Karabakh,
Armenia, or the Co-Chairs. He noted that Armenia has always responded
positively to the mediators’ proposals for holding talks.

“Our response was positive this time, as well. There are a variety of
ideas with respect to the location and time of the meeting. I believe
there will be such chance next week,” Nalbandian noted.

He also extended his thanks to the Czech Republic for its position on
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In his words, the Czech Republic and
other EU member states assist in the Minsk Group efforts to settle
this conflict.

“This has been announced on numerous occasions,” Edward Nalbandian
stated.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

L’IRAN PRET A SERVIR DE MEDIATEUR ENTRE L’ARMENIE ET L’AZERBAÏDJAN

C’est ce qu’a declare le porte-parole du MAE iranien effectuant une
visite a Erevan. Selon lui, Teheran ne voit de solution au conflit que
par la voie politique et se declare dispose a servir de mediateur entre
Erevan et Bakou si les deux capitales le souhaitent. Il a par ailleurs
fait part de la position de son pays au sujet de la crise syrienne :
arret des affrontements ; suspension de la livraison et de la vente de
munitions a la Syrie ; formation d’un gouvernement provisoire ; tenue
de nouvelles elections. Une fois toutes ces conditions remplies, la
communaute internationale devrait reconnaître les nouvelles autorites
syriennes elues legitimement, quelles qu’elles soient. Evoquant le
dossier nucleaire de son pays, le porte-parole du MAE a reitere le
caractère pacifique de cette activite. Il a rappele que l’Iran etait
l’un des premiers pays ayant signe l’accord sur la non-proliferation
de l’arme nucleaire. / Azg, Jamanak

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 05 avril 2013

vendredi 12 avril 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN : LES PRESSIONS TURQUES NE TOUCHENT PAS LE MUSEE CANADIEN DES DROITS DE L’HOMME

Qualifier l’assassinat des Armeniens par les Turcs ottomans d’un
genocide peut blesser le commerce lucratif entre le Canada et la
Turquie, mais le Musee canadien pour les droits de l’homme n’est pas
sur le point de qualifier la destruction de 1,5 million de personnes
autrement que d’un genocide.

Lorsque le musee ouvrira a Winnipeg l’an prochain, des informations
sur le genocide armenien seront incluses dans ses galeries, et il
sera qualifie de ” genocide ” a precise l’un des chercheurs du musee.

Clint Curle a fait cette declaration en reponse aux affirmations
par l’ambassadeur turc Tuncay Babali que la decision du gouvernement
Harper de qualifier les meurtres d’Armeniens par les Turcs ottomans
de ” genocide ” a un impact defavorable sur la lucrative relation
commerciale – presente et future – entre les deux pays.

Tuncay Babali a clairement signale que la position du Canada sur ce
carnage ayant eu lieu lors de la Première Guerre mondiale, qui a fait
environ 1,5 million de victimes armeniennes, est toujours mal recue
en Turquie.

Mais cela ne signifie pas pour autant que la Turquie n’est
pas interessee a approfondir sa relation commerciale avec le
Canada, idealement par l’entremise d’une entente de libre-echange
complementaire a celle qu’Ottawa doit signer avec l’Union europeenne,
indique l’ambassadeur.

On ne peut toutefois brasser des affaires comme si de rien n’etait
lorsque l’une des nations impliquees accuse l’autre de genocide,
a toutefois precise Tuncay Babali au cours d’une entrevue a La
Presse Canadienne. Ces allegations, poursuit-il, sont serieuses,
et se doivent d’etre validees legalement et historiquement.

L’ambassadeur turc soupconne que le Canada tarde a s’engager avec le
meme empressement que la Turquie puisque les accusations de genocide
planent toujours. Et du côte d’Ankara, on veut ” des resultats “, on
veut ” de l’action ” et des demarches ” concrètes “, assure M. Babali.

Les echanges bilateraux entre les deux nations atteignent 2,5 milliards
$. Ce n’est pas suffisant, se desole le diplomate, estimant que d’ici
cinq ans, la valeur des echanges commerciaux pourrait osciller entre
10 et 15 milliards $.

La Turquie aimerait declencher des negociations de libre-echange avec
le Canada, dit Tuncay Babali, mais le gouvernement Harper doit lancer
un signal d’ouverture et montrer qu’il est pret a laisser la question
du genocide ” derrière lui “.

Ankara aimerait accueillir en visite officielle le ministre des
Affaires etrangères, John Baird. En novembre, ce dernier avait annule
un voyage en Turquie en raison d’une importante reunion du conseil
des ministres a Ottawa.

Le Parlement canadien a decide en 2004 de reconnaître les evenements
s’etant deroules entre 1915 et 1923 comme un genocide perpetre par
les Turcs ottomans pour reprimer le soulèvement des Armeniens. Le
gouvernement Harper a officiellement adopte cette position après
avoir pris le pouvoir, une decision qui avait fait rager Ankara et
mene au retrait temporaire de son ambassadeur a Ottawa.

vendredi 12 avril 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

NO PROBLEMS BETWEEN YEREVAN AND BRATISLAVA – SLOVAKIA’S FM

April 10, 2013 | 12:56

YEREVAN.- There are no problems between Yerevan and Bratislava,
Slovakia’s FM Miroslav Lajcak said in Yerevan after his meeting with
acting Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian.

Lajcak highly appreciated results of his fourth visit to Armenia,
especially drawing attention to Armenia-Slovakia business forum
launched in Yerevan.

Armenian and Slovak officials discussed bilateral relations, regional
and international matters. Miroslav Lajcak congratulated Armenia on
successful progress on Association Agreement talks and creation of
free trade area with the EU.

He stressed that Slovakia is assisting implementation of the Eastern
Partnership project, adding his country is interested in success of
the Vilnius Summit planned for the end of this year.

“We are happy that Armenia is a part of this success,” he said,
offering Armenia his country’s experience on fulfilling EU commitments.

In his turn, Edward Nalbanidian pointed at high level bilateral
relations and considerable potential for cooperation development.

“We exchanged views on wide range of issues, discussed bilateral
relations and international problems,” he said.

Speaking about relations with EU, acting Armenian FM added that
readmission agreement will be signed in Brussels soon.

News from Armenia – NEWS.a

SOME $50-$100 MILLION ENOUGH TO SET UP A STATE-OWNED NATIONAL AIRLINE FOR ARMENIA

YEREVAN, April 10, /ARKA/. Shahen Petrosian, a former chief of
Armenia’s Chief Aviation Department, says the government can create
a new state-owned airline.

Speaking at a news conference today he said this may cost from $50
million to $100 million. This amount, he said, is enough to set up
a national airline replicated from European’s EasyJet or Ryanair,
which spend little time at airports.

Petrosian said the best option is to have two airlines, one of which
should be private to enhance competition.

Armenia’s national airline Armavia terminated its flights to more
than 40 cities in Europe, the former Soviet Union and the Middle East
as it filed for bankruptcy on April 1, citing its inability to end
massive losses and repay debts to Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport and
other partners. -0-

ARMENIAN CLERGYMEN CLASHED DURING THE MASS

April 10 2013

On Sunday, an unpleasant incident transpired in the Armenian church
of the Belgian city of Antwerp; during the Mass, two Armenian
clergymen – Deacon Kristapor Froonjian (in the picture) and Deacon
Karo – clashed. During a conversation with on the phone,
Deacon Kristapor stated that Deacon Karo had even tried to hit him,
which had been prevented by one of the priests. Our interlocutor
stated that the morals in the local church were inappropriate for a
spiritual center, about which he had informed Very Reverend Zatik
Avetikian, the Deputy Pontifical Legate of the Armenian Church in
Belgium, many times, however, the latter, according to the deacon, has
taken no notice of the problem. Gohar HAKOBYAN

Read more at:

© 1998 – 2013 Aravot – News from Armenia

NATIONAL OPERA AND BALLET THEATER IS READY TO OPEN ITS DOORS AFTER TECHNICAL RE-EQUIPMENT

ARMINFO
Thursday, April 11, 12:02

Armenia’s Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Culture Minister Hasmik
Poghosyan visited the National Opera and Ballet Theater on Wednesday
to see the results of the technical re- equipment project, carried
out by Waagner-Biro Austria Stage Systems AG with the support of the
Armenian Government.

The press service of the Armenian Government reports that now the
theater will have a new stage with up-to-date digital light and sound
systems of German and Austrian manufacture.

The theater is expected to be opened in late Apr 2013.

OBAMA PROPOSES RECORD REDUCTION IN AID TO ARMENIA

11:35, 11 April, 2013

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, ARMENPRESS: The Obama-Biden Administration
budget released today includes a 38% cut in Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14)
economic aid to Armenia, a proposal that, if approved by Congress,
would reduce U.S. assistance to Armenia to its lowest level since
the 1988 earthquake, reports Armenpress referring to the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

The President’s proposal of $24,719,000 in Economic Support Funds for
Armenia was dramatically less than last year’s actual economic aid
allocation of $40 million, and less than half the $50 million in FY14
aid requested earlier this year in an Armenian Caucus letter and ANCA
Congressional testimony. The White House’s proposal did, however,
maintain parity in terms of appropriated military aid to Armenia
and Azerbaijan, with International Military Education and Training
(IMET) assistance set at $600,000 and Foreign Military Financing
(FMF) set at $2,700,000.

Combining all the FY14 appropriated assistance to Armenia that the
President is proposing, including economic, military, law enforcement,
and health, his current request represents a 14% reduction of his
last request of Congress, as part of his FY13 budget.

“President Obama, who came into office pledging to maintain aid to
Armenia and increase bilateral trade and investment, has consistently
cut Armenian assistance programs, while failing to take any meaningful
steps to promote the growth of economic relations through investment
treaties, tax accords, trade missions, or other commonly utilized
policies and practices,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

The Administration’s budget does not include any figures for aid to
Nagorno Karabakh, although, over the past several years USAID has
allocated $2,000,000 annually for this purpose. This level of Nagorno
Karabakh funding is considerably less than the intent expressed by
Congress over the course of many years – including the minimum level
of $5 million approved in the House Appropriations Committee’s version
of the FY13 foreign aid bill.

275 000 PERSONNES ONT VISITE LE ZOO D’EREVAN EN 2012

Environ 275000 personnes ont visite le Zoo d’Erevan en 2012, contre
255000 en 2011 et 90000 en 2010 a annonce le, directeur du zoo, Ruben
Khachatryan, lors d’une conference de presse.

Il a dit, qu’en plus de divers parcs d’ amusements, de jardins
paysagers et de stands, le zoo a cree l’an dernier un centre de
formation qui offre aux visiteurs une variete de programmes educatifs
et de visites guidees.

Il a dit qu’en ete, le zoo a fait un festival de films sur
l’environnement, des spectacles sur l’alimentation des animaux et
diverses expositions. En 2012, il a egalement commence a publier le
magazine Zoo concu pour les ecoliers.

Ruben Khachatryan a dit que l’administration Zoo envisage de
construire de nouveaux enclos pour les animaux et de reparer ceux qui
existent deja. Il a dit qu’elle mettra en place un centre de therapie
au zoo de cette annee pour les enfants handicapes qui seront en
contact avec des animaux specialement formes.

L’objectif ultime, selon Ruben Khachatryan est de developper le zoo
dans un parc zoologique et botanique moderne. Le projet est initie par
la Fondation pour la protection de la faune et de la Culture.

jeudi 11 avril 2013,
Stephane ©armenews.com