Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ALMA TO HOST A PRESENTATION ON SHENGAVIT ARCHAEOLOGICAL CULTURE PRESERVE

11:59 03.04.2013

On April 12, the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) will
host a presentation titled Stone and Bronze Settlement in Armenia
on the 4th millennium B.C.E. Shengavit Historical and Archaeological
Culture Preserve.

The Shengavit archaeological site dating to the 4th millennium B.C.E.

was home to the “Shengavit/Kura-Arax” culture. Inhabited for 1500 -2000
years, it was part of a cultural and trade network with influences
as far away as eastern Anatolia, Mesopotamia and southern Russia.

The presenters are: Mr. Vladimir Tshagharyan – Director of the
Shengavit Historical and Archaeological Culture Preserve in Yerevan,
will discuss the importance of the excavation (in Armenian with
English translation); Dr. Mitchell Rothman – Archaeologist and Head
of the Anthropology Department, Widener University, PA – excavated
the Shengavit site for 3 seasons; Dr. Susan Pattie – Anthropologist
and Director, Armenian Museum of America, Watertown.

This event is sponsored by the Cambridge – Yerevan Sister City
Association (CYSCA) as part of the Cambridge Science Festival, in
cooperation with the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA)
and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR).

IS THERE ANY LINK BETWEEN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND THE VILLAGE HEADMAN’S ASSASSINATION (VIDEO)

April 2 2013

“He was a very good man, he was a man of the people, he had no enemies,
and his assassination was in no one’s interests. He respected the
people, and the people respected him. He was a hard-working man, he
has done a lot of things for the village: he has improved the streets,
he has landscaped the village etc.,” this is what the residents of
the village of Proshyan, region of Kotayk, said about Hrach Muradyan,
the village headman. The assassination of the village headman is a
mystery for the fellow villagers, but some of them stated one thing;
Hrach Muradyan didn’t have enemies, but the assassination may be linked
with the presidential election that took place in February. Since
Muradyan was an honest man, as the villagers said, he didn’t tolerate
fraud, and Serzh Sargsyan won in the village of Proshyan during the
presidential election. By the way, it was hard for Arsen Sargsyan, the
head of the investigation department of Nairi, to answer the question
whether the assassination had anything to do with the election or not,
he just stated that they were not engaged in politics, and the rest
will be clear during the preliminary investigation. Eva HAKOBYAN

Read more at:

© 1998 – 2013 Aravot – News from Armenia

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY SET FOR NEW TURKEY TOUR

12:40 ~U 03.04.13

US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to visit Turkey this
week as part of a trip to Western Europe and Asia to consult allies
on issues including Syria’s civil war, Reuters reported, citing a
Turkish official.

Washington regards Turkey, which shares a 900 km (560-mile) border
with Syria, as a pivotal player in backing the Syrian opposition and
planning for an era after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“Mr Kerry will visit Turkey. The date is not clear yet but possibly it
will take place either on Friday or on Saturday,” said the official,
who declined to be named. The US State Department was not immediately
available to comment.

A month ago, on his first visit to Turkey since taking office, Kerry
criticized Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan for a comment likening
Zionism to crimes against humanity, a spat that cast a shadow over
talks between the NATO allies.

US President Barack Obama brokered a tentative reconciliation between
Turkey and Israel during a trip to Israel a few weeks later. Israel
bowed to a long-standing demand by Ankara, once a close strategic
partner, to formally apologize for the killing of nine Turkish citizens
in a 2010 naval raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.

Armenian News – Tert.am

ASSASSINAT DU MAIRE DE PROSHIAN

Le maire d’un village près d’Erevan affilie a la Federation
revolutionnaire armenienne (FRA) a ete abattu par un un inconnu mardi
2 avril 2013. Hrach Muradian, qui etait maire du village de Proshian
depuis 2005, a ete retrouve mort devant son bureau dans la matinee.

Muradian, âge de 50 ans, a recu une balle dans la tete. Personne n’a
ete immediatement arretee après la fusillade.

La FRA a condamne cet acte. Selon le parti de l’opposition, Hrach
Muradian etait un ” leader exemplaire ” qui etait aime et respecte
par les villageois.

Tout au long de son mandat, il a recu de nombreuses menaces, a annonce
un communique qui ne precise pas la source de ces informations. La
police armenienne a lance une enquete criminelle immediatement après le
meurtre. Aucune arrestation n’a ete signalee dans les heures suivantes.

Certains residents, interviewes par RFE/RL ont insiste sur le fait
que le maire n’avait pas d’ennemis connus dans le village. “C’etait
un grand homme. Il n’avait pas d’ennemis, a declare l’un d’eux. Les
gens l’aimaient et le respectaient, et il a fait du bon travail”,
a declare un habitant de la region.

mercredi 3 avril 2013, Laetitia ©armenews.com

TURQUIE-ARMENIE : UNE LIGNE AERIENNE ANNULEE

Le Monde, France
2 avril 2013

Le Monde.fr | 02.04.2013 a 15h49

Le premier vol devait avoir lieu mercredi 3 avril. Une compagnie
aerienne privee turque, BoraJet, a renonce a la dernière minute
a ouvrir une ligne regulière vers l’Armenie, pays avec lequel la
Turquie a des relations tumultueuses, ont indique mardi des sources
concordantes.

BoraJet, qui devait etre la première compagnie aerienne turque a
assurer une liaison directe entre la Turquie et l’Armenie, a raison
de deux vols de 45 minutes par semaine entre Van et Erevan, a confirme
que les vols ont ete annules, sans en preciser les raisons.

“Nous avions effectivement planifie de tels vols, mais nous les
avons annules car il y avait d’autres dessertes plus importantes”,
a seulement souligne le PDG de la compagnie, Kadir Peker, cite par le
journal turc Haber Turk. Une source au ministère turc des transports a
egalement confirme que ces vols avaient ete suspendus tout en refusant
de donner une quelconque raison.

“INGERENCE POLITIQUE”

Selon les medias turcs, ce revirement serait dû a des pressions
politiques. L’Azerbaïdjan turcophone, proche allie de la Turquie,
aurait fait connaître son opposition au projet.

Cette decision intervient alors que la première compagnie privee
armenienne, Armavia, jusque-la seule entreprise a assurer une liaison
directe entre la Turquie (Istanbul) et l’Armenie (Erevan), a annonce
lundi sa decision de se mettre en faillite.

Pour Harekavank Tour, un tour-operateur d’Erevan qui a passe ces
dernières annees a essayer de monter ce projet avec une agence de
tourisme de Van, la raison est politique. “Nous esperons que les
autorites turques auront assez de bon sens pour revoir leur decision”,
a indique cette compagnie dans un communique publie a Erevan, accusant
Ankara “d’ingerence politique”.

L’Armenie et l’Azerbaïdjan, deux nations forcees a vivre ensemble
dans l’URSS, sont des ennemis jures depuis le conflit sanglant du
debut des annees 1990 autour du Nagorny Karabakh, enclave peuplee
d’Armeniens en territoire azerbaïdjanais.

Outre le soutien d’Ankara a Bakou, la Turquie et l’Armenie sont aussi
divisees sur la question du genocide armenien sous l’empire ottoman
(1915-1917) et entretiennent des relations hostiles.

ON THE ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE: HUNGER STRIKE FOR DEMOCRACY

Ara K. Manoogian, a human rights activist from Burbank, California,
is embarking on a week-long, cross-country road trip to Washington,
D.C., beginning April 2, 2013, the 17th day of his hunger strike, and
culminating his protest in front of the White House on April 9, 2013.

“I would like to congratulate you on your reelection as President
of the Republic of Armenia. I look forward to continuing our work
together as we both begin our second terms.” – President Barack Obama,
2 March 2013 Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) April 02, 2013

Ara K. Manoogian, a human rights activist from Burbank, California, is
embarking on a week-long, cross-country road trip to Washington, D.C.,
beginning on April 2, 2013, the 17th day of his protest hunger strike.

Manoogian articulated his opinion forcefully in an open letter to the
President, and intends to culminate his hunger strike in front of the
White House on April 9, 2013, in anticipation of promised responses
from President Obama and the State Department.

During his trip across the nation, Manoogian aims to share his
viewpoints with the American public. Heading eastward from Los Angeles
to Washington, D.C., community stops will include public meetings in
cities and towns of ten states and the District of Columbia. The trip
ending in the nation’s capital, as well as the gatherings held with
local residents in various locations along the way, will be featured
in a documentary entitled “One-Dollar Democracy”, which is intended
to further enlighten, inform and empower the American public.

It is Manoogian’s opinion that Obama’s congratulatory letter to Serzh
Sargsyan regarding his re-election for a second term as President
of the Republic of Armenia provides convincing evidence that his
communication was premature, having been sent12 days after the polls
were closed on February 18, 2013, and despite the fraud documented
by official international observers, including the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). According to Manoogian’s
perspective, the widespread and well-documented election fraud
was committed to ensure Sargsyan’s second term in office, allowing
Sargsyan to willfully claim electoral legitimacy. The full text of
President Obama’s congratulatory message was posted in an official
press release dated March 2, 2013, and is available on the website
‘President of the Republic of Armenia.’ Another instance supporting
Manoogian’s point of view is U.S.

Ambassador to Armenia, Marie L. Yovanovitch’s unredacted and classified
report, titled ‘The Business of Politics: Leading Enterprises of
Political Elites’, reported on Wikileaks on September 1, 2011, and
available online. In this report, Yovanovitch states,” … Broadly
speaking, almost all the most lucrative sectors and enterprises
are divided into one of two major political/economic pyramids: one
headed by President Serzh Sargsian [sic] and the other by ex-President
Robert Kocharian.”

AZERBAIJANI COMMUNITY OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONDEMNS ILLEGAL ACTIVITY OF “THE VOICE OF TALYSHISTAN” RADIO IN SHUSHA

APA, Azerbaijan
April 2 2013

Baku. Ramil Mammadli – APA. “We condemn the activity of “The Voice
of Talyshistan” radio, illegally established at the instigation of
Armenian separatists in Shusha. We want it to be protested at the
international level as well,” said chairman of the “Azerbaijani
Community of Nagorno Karabakh” Public Union, Head of Shusha region
Executive Authority Bayram Safarov, APA reports.

Safarov said that ideologists of the radio would be determined after
a certain time, it is inexpedient to talk about this issue now:
“However, the creators and those who support the radio should know
that Shusha is the territory of Azerbaijan and the owners of this
land will return there.”

Safarov also touched on the possibilities for meeting between the
Azerbaijani and Armenian Communities of Nagorno-Karabakh. He said that
the Azerbaijani side has always taken initiative on this issue, but
the opposite side has not taken adequate steps: “Azerbaijani Community
is ready to meet with them. We are waiting for an invitation from the
Armenian Community. We are ready to meet after the Armenian Community
appeals to the government of Azerbaijan, the date is fixed.

Azerbaijani Community does not intend to beg.”

IRAN URGES ARMENIA TO CONDEMN TERRORISTS’ USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN SYRIA

Fars News Agency, Iran
April 2 2013

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi called on
Armenia to condemn the recent use of chemical weapons by the terrorists
against the Syrian nation.

Earlier this month, terrorists fired a rocket containing chemical
substances in the Khan al-Assal area of rural Aleppo and reports
indicated that around 25 people were killed, most of them civilians.

The Iranian foreign minister made the remarks in a message to his
Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandian on Monday.

“As one of the main victims of such weapons, the Islamic Republic
calls on Armenia to spare no effort to prevent the repetition of
similar incidents in future,” Salehi said in his message.

Salehi’s message was conveyed to Nalbandian by Iranian Ambassador to
Yerevan Mohammad Rayeesi.

Syria has asked for an independent investigation into the use of
chemical weapons by militants in Aleppo.

The chemical attack came after a video footage posted on the internet
late in January showed that the armed militants in Syria possessed
canisters containing chemical substances.

The foreign-sponsored militants had earlier released footage in which
rabbits were killed by inhaling poisonous gas.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized
attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border
guards being reported across the country.

Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have
been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.

The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups
for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated
from abroad.

IRAN’S FM SPOKESMAN CALLS FOR EXPANSION OF TIES WITH ARMENIA

Fars News Agency, Iran
April 2 2013

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast
in a meeting with Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan
said that Tehran is ready to enhance economic and tourism relations
with Yerevan.

Mehman-Parast pointed to Iran-Armenia Joint Economic Commission as
a suitable framework for broadening of bilateral economic ties, and
said, “Mass media also play a pivotal role in introducing business
and tourism attractions.”

Mehman-Parast, heading a high-ranking delegation, arrived in the
Armenian capital city on Monday night for a four-day visit to the
country.

Mehman-Parast’s visit to Armenia comes after he paid a visit to
Belarus. He is slated to discuss the latest regional and international
developments with the Armenian officials, including his counterpart
Tigran Balayan.

The Iranian diplomat is also slated to meet with Armenian Foreign
Minister Eduard Nalbandian and give visits to some academic and
press centers.

Mehman-Parast started his regional tour last Wednesday by paying a
visit to Belarus in the first leg of his trips.

Earlier this year, Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsian appreciated
Tehran for its effective mutual cooperation with Yerevan, and
underlined his country’s enthusiasm for the further expansion of ties
with Iran.

Sargsian appreciated Tehran for its effective bilateral cooperation
with Yerevan during the past years.

He said that his country “attaches great importance to expansion
of relations with Iran” despite efforts made by the US-led western
states to reduce Tehran-Yerevan ties.

Addressing people in the Armenian city of Meghri, President Sargsian
said “Armenia will continue efforts” to promote bilateral cooperation
with Iran.

In recent years, Iran and its Northern neighbor Armenia have signed
agreements on energy cooperation and agreed to cooperate in technology
and research and to enhance ties in commerce and economy.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Sargsian pledged in December
2011 to further expand “high-level relations” between their nations
and, in particular, give new impetus to the implementation of joint
energy projects that have fallen behind schedule.

$1.6 BILLION WERE INVESTED IN ARMENIA IN 2012

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
April 2 2013

$1.59 billion were invested in Armenia in 2012, a drop by 8.6%,
compared with 2011. 49.82% were direct investments (and 37.6% foreign
investments) were spent on TV communications, the National Statistical
Service reports.

France increased investments 2.3-fold to $230 million, with 90%
of them in Orange Armenia.

Russia reduced investments 3.2-fold to $123 million, a third of which
was spent on communications. Russia invested $25 million in Armenian
energy, $7.2 million in non-ferrous metals, $25 million in retail
sales and $14.5 million in transportation.

Germany invested $48 million in mining, Switzerland $43 million in
mining, Seychelles $23 million in TV communications.

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