Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Eminent Iranian musician Bardia Kiaras is to judge at the 4th
Veratsnund International Contest-Festival

17:16, 4 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 4, ARMENPESS: Eminent Iranian composer and violinist
Bardia Kiaras has been selected to judge at the 4th Veratsnund
(Renaissance) International Contest-Festival. As reports Armenpress,
referring to Iranian Press TV first international broadcaster, Kiaras
is to serve in the jury panel of the contest which is particularly
held for musicians and performers in the Armenian city of Gyumri from
April 10 to 19, 2013.
The 32-year-old Kiaras has been leading Iran’s National Music
Orchestra since 2010. Kiaras along with the Iranian orchestra has
performed several memorable pieces in the country as well as several
international festivals.
The Armenian Veratsnund International Contest-Festival, first held in
2007, has become the event symbolizing revival of the musical life of
Gyumri. The festival is held to establish new friendly ties between
musicians and performers of different nationalities.

– See more at:

Food Safety Service denies reports that twin sisters were killed by
infant formula

YEREVAN, March 4. / ARKA /. Armenian experts from the State Food
Safety Service denied media allegations that two newborn twin sisters,
Mary and Mariam Vardanian, were killed last week in Armavir province
by infant formula. The experts were asked by police to examine the
formula which was believed to be the cause of the death of the babies.

The two sisters were taken to a hospital in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin)
on February 27 early morning. They were said to have died at their
home minutes earlier. The investigation revealed that the mother of
the twins, fed the babies at about 5 am by formula, bought at a local
pharmacy.

“The State Food Safety Service has examined the infant formula
Nestozhen finding out that it is safe and could not have any negative
impact on the health of the sisters,” it said in a statement.

The agency said the investigation into what might have killed the
sisters goes on. It said the findings will be provided to police.

The criminal case opened under Article 109 of the criminal code
(causing death by negligence) is being handled by Armavir
investigation department of the Main Investigation Department of the
Police. A forensic medical examination will also be made. -0-
– See more at:

Republican MP: Hovannisian rallying people out of inactivity

04:40 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

The post-election rallies led by Heritage party leader Raffi
Hovannisian are the result of inactivity, says Republican MP Hovhannes
Sahakyan.

“I think that Raffi Hovannisian is rallying people as he has nothing
else to do and nowhere else to demonstrate his political
manifestations,” he said.

The Republican MP finds it pointless rallying some 4000-5000 people at
Liberty Square and claiming that the Feb. 18 presidential election was
rigged. The votes of several thousand people cannot make significant
change since the difference of votes cast for Serzh Sargsyan and Raffi
Hovannisian was incomparable.

Human rights activist Vardan Harutyunyan disagreed with the Republican
MP saying these 4000-5000 people who attend the post-election rallies
speak of a serious problem in the country.

“The number of ralliers can be insignificant in Moscow or Madrid, but
in the case of Armenia this is a huge number,” he said.

Hovhannes Sahakyan is confident that the presidential election was
fair and transparent and Raffi Hovannisian simply has `to shake hands’
with the winner [Serzh Sargsyan]. Nor he approves of Hovannisian’s
decision to dispute the election results in the Constitutional Court.
“The decision should be grounded. If they apply to incite political
agiotage, I think it is wrong,” said the Republican lawmaker.

“If the election were fair and transparent, people would not take to
the streets to protest against the vote outcome. The authorities were
to conduct a free and fair election but they failed to ensure its
transparency,” said Vardan Harutyunyan.

Armenia’s `TaTever’ cable cars will not operate from Monday to March 14

March 04, 2013 | 16:27

The `TaTever’ (`Wings of Tatev’) cableway, which is located in
Armenia’s Syunik Region, will not provide passenger transportation
services between Monday and March 14.

During that time, specialists from the Austrian-Swiss Doppelmayr
Garaventa Group company will conduct an annual technical inspection
and service of the electronic and mechanical systems of the ropeway.

In this way, the cableway is preparing to resume daily operations.

– See more at:

Ermenihaber.am again attacked by Azerbaijani hackers

Monday,
March 04

Ermenihaber.am bilingual (Turkish and Armenian) information website
was again attacked by Azerbaijani hackers last night.
The attack launched from Azerbaijani IP addresses has failed this time, too.

In the past five days Ermenihaber.am has become twice a target of
Azerbaijani hacker attacks.

The editorial staff of Ermenihaber.am has once again urged hackers to
refrain from attacks and not hinder the site’s activities.

TODAY, 15:53

Aysor.am

Our country will cooperate with Armenia – Iraqi deputy health minister

March 04, 2013 | 15:34

YEREVAN. – Armenian Health Minister Derenik Dumanyan on Monday
received a delegation led by Iraqi Deputy Minister of Health, Sattar
Jabbar Aremsh.

Dumanyan noted that collaboration between the Armenian and the Iraqi
health ministries had started in Fall 2012, when the two ministers
signed a memorandum of understanding. He expressed a hope that they
will be able to work effectively also within the framework if this
visit to Armenia by their Iraqi colleagues.

In his turn, Sattar Jabbar Aremsh noted that the new state of Iraq
expresses a readiness to collaborate with Armenia, both in terms of
medicine and import of medical drugs.

Armenia’s health minister assured that during its visits to the
country’s medical facilities, the Iraqi delegation will observe the
high quality medical care in Armenia.

`These medical facilities, which are greatly distinguished in the
region, carry out very serious projects. During my visit to Baghdad, I
saw that the Government of Iraq stands ready to cooperate with Armenia
in the health sector, too, and I am confident that, during the visit
of your delegation, interaction will be enhanced in this direction,’
Dumanyan said.

Iraq’s deputy health minister noted that his delegation also comprises
the heads of the country’s several medical services and laboratories,
and that they are authorized to sign cooperation agreements.

The parties agreed to sum up the results, once the Iraqi delegation’s
visit to Armenia comes to a close, and to clarify the domains where
cooperation agreements can be signed.

– See more at:

Edward Nalbandian: The `football diplomacy’ was a wise initiative

15:26 04.03.2013

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s initiative to normalize relations
with Turkey was a `very wise and correct’ decision, Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalabndian said in an interview with Public TV.

`As a result, the whole world is saying that the ball is now in the
Turkish court. Now we must try not to allow that ball appear on or
part of the court with incautious steps. Today the whole world
supports Armenia’s approach, i.e. normalization of relations with
Turkey without preconditions,’ Nalbandian said.

`If a country threatens to use force, the diplomacy of that country
has failed,’ Edward Nalbandian said.

`We know who is threatening to apply force, Today our position goes in
line with that of the international community. I would say more – the
position of the international community goes in line with that of
ours. These are not simple words. Evidences of this are the statements
of the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries issued
in l’Aquilla, Deauville and Los Cabos, the statements on Nagorno
Karabakh adopted on the sidelines of the OSCE Summit in Astana, the
Ministerial meetings in Helsinki, Athens, Almati, Vilnius and Dublin.
This is the reality,’ the Foreign Minister said.

Speaking about Armenia’s diplomatic priorities, Minister Nalbandian
said the efforts are first of all targeted at the reinforcement of the
security component, the increase of the number of our friends in the
world, active involvement of our country in different international
processes, the development, deepening and reinforcement of our
relations with our partner Russia, development of friendly relations
with the United states, European integration, deepening of ties with
EU member states.

Minister Nalbandioan said that the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict is the most pivotal issue of the Armenian diplomacy.
He added that the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide
is also of special importance.

Decision 2013: Western investment v Russian commandos as likely
post-election dilemma for Armenia

VOTE 2013 | 04.03.13 | 14:56

Photolure

By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent

The third interim report of the OSCE/ODIHR on the presidential
election in Armenia cast some doubts about the fairness of the vote
that is being disputed by the officially defeated opposition
candidate. The report published on Saturday noted `implausibly high’
voter turnout at many precincts where incumbent President Serzh
Sargsyan, the now certified winner of the election, carried the poll.
In fact, the leading Western vote-monitoring group hints that Sargsyan
won in the mentioned areas due to ballot-stuffing, vote list
manipulations and other administrative violations.

Hovannisian, who has held public protests since February 20, applied
to the Constitutional Court on Monday, demanding that the highest
judicial instance in Armenia annul the election result. Members of the
Republican Party of Armenia, however, insist that Hovannisian and his
team have no conclusive evidence to support their claims that the
election has been rigged. Hovannisian and his Heritage Party, however,
are likely to submit not only evidence of fraud proper, but also
reference to the latest OSCE/ODIHR report to insist that Sargsyan’s
victory was achieved at the cost of mass violations.

At the same time, Hovannisian and his supporters have not concealed
that they have little hope in justice to be administered at the
Constitutional Court, but rather were giving its members `the last
chance’ to exercise constitutional law and `to clean themselves before
the people.’

In the meantime, the opposition leader seems to be getting prepared
for local elections, which, for example, are due to be held in Yerevan
as early as May 5. Hovannisian has long insisted that the ruling party
is reproducing itself not least due to the majority that it has in
municipal and other local bodies and that this majority should be
broken.

Apparently, this was also one of the subjects discussed at a meeting
between Hovannisian and leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP)
Gagik Tsarukyan over the weekend. PAP did not participate in the
presidential election, but PAP may become a `critical mass’ to sway
the outcome of local elections as well as possible early parliamentary
elections (which are also being sought by Hovannisian).

It is remarkable that soon after the latest report of OSCE/ODIHR
Sargsyan was congratulated by United States President Barack Obama,
who, in fact, announced that American investments could be on their
way to Armenia. `We remain strongly committed to Armenia’s development
and look to your leadership to promote continued improvements in
democracy and the economic reforms that will present opportunities to
both the people of Armenia and the Americans looking to invest in a
valued partner with significant potential,’ Obama said in his message,
congratulating Sargsyan on his winning a second term in office.

Before that, however, on March 1, Commander of the Russian Airborne
Troops Vladimir Shamanov made a statement saying that on February 27
Russian Minister of Defense, Army General Sergey Shoigu instructed
them to make considerations for the use of Airborne Troops as a rapid
reaction force outside of Russia `in the event of an increased need
for efficient implementation of tasks to prevent crises.’ The matter
also concerns the possibility of using such elite Russian troops in
Armenia. In Yerevan, some opposition circles were quick to interpret
it as a threat. Experts say that Russian commandoes could be deployed
in Armenia even without Sargsyan’s `invitation’, which would drive him
into the corner, too.

The Russian Regnum news agency rushed to ridicule such statements,
including the remarks made by former opposition leader Arkady
Vardanyan, who was once imprisoned and then effectively exiled from
Armenia for allegedly inciting a revolt.

On March 12, Sargsyan is scheduled to visit Moscow, where he is likely
to make a tough choice – either to reject or accept the offer to join
the Customs Union (a Russia-led economic integration project for
former Soviet countries) in exchange for settling problems connected
with the price of natural gas. The opening of an airport near the
Karabakh capital of Stepanakert (plans for which are being opposed by
Azerbaijan) is also likely to be among the topics for discussion
during Sargsyan’s Moscow trip. It is not ruled out that the airborne
troops of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization will
be deployed around the area of this airport.

Either way, the struggle of the West and Russia for influence in
Armenia is already acquiring visible features and shape. It is yet
difficult to say how far the current post-election protests are
connected with this geopolitical struggle, but one thing is clear – a
lot of people in Armenia are trying to benefit from the support of the
international community in dismantling the monolithic oligarchic
system in their country – a system that Russian troops appear to be
ready to defend and Western investments intend to break up.

Russian expert: Armenia is keeping silent about its position on the
Eurasian Union, and this does not inspire optimism

ARMINFO
Monday, March 4, 13:34

Armenia is keeping silent about its position on the Eurasian Union
project, and such a circumstance does not inspire optimism, Russian
political expert on the South Caucasus, Andrey Epifantsev, said over
today’s televised bridge Moscow-Yerevan.

He said that the relations between Armenia and Russia underwent
serious transformation for the last years. For this reason, one should
not be guided by the old principles and instruments when building
bilateral relations. “The presidential election in Armenia on 18
February and the mass protest actions of Raffi Hovannisian’s
supporters after the election, are evidence of availability of a great
number of the people which are displeased with the role of Russia in
the life of the country. Hovannisian is for revising of the quality
of the Armenian-russian relations, and is taken by many people like a
pro-Western politician “, – Epifantsev said.

He also emphasized that there is no sense to speak about any
revolution or upheavals in Armenia in the near future, but one thing
is obvious – the reelected president does not have an opportunity to
make big mistakes in his actions. As for Moscow, its policy regarding
Yerevan should be extremely careful and balanced. The expert said that
Moscow should refuse the policy of “leveling” between Armenia and
Azerbaijan, and make a strict choice in favor of one of them.

France is turning into country violating human rights – MP

Mon 04 March 2013 10:22 GMT | 10:22 Local Time

We don’t lose our hope for a fair decision of France regarding the
beating of our students.
MP Jeyhun Osmanli has told this to Gun.Az while commenting on the
edited video about the beating of the two Azerbaijanis at the French
National Assembly.

“But another fact is that we have for many years had requests from
France as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk group on showing a fair
position on different issues. And not only France, but also the
European Parliament and the Council of Europe have big decisions.

Despite the fact that the EU Headquarters is located in France,
unfortunately, they have turned this issue into a double standard.”

Linking this stance of France to the presence of the majority of the
Armenian lobby in this country, the MP said that today France is
turning into a country violating human rights.

“Today Armenians, which have penetrated into the French state, meddle
in the statehood affairs of this country. They thus try to persuade
France to make decisions contrary to its laws.”

News.Az