Author: Kalantarian Kevo

VOTE 2013: GHUKASYAN DECLINES ASSISTANCE FROM MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Vote 2013 | 13.02.13 | 10:25

Armenian presidential candidate Andreas Ghukasyan has turned down
an offer by the Ministry of Health to undergo a hospital medical
examination.

Ghukasyan, a marginal participant in the February race, has been on
hunger strike since January 21 to bring attention to his campaign to
“stop fake elections”. Blood and urine samples tested in a laboratory
showed that he has suffered some damage to his health as a result
of his strike, however, the candidate has refused assistance after
Armenia’s Minister of Education mocked his hunger strike as “a reality
TV show”.

Ghukasyan says he will end his strike on February 20, after election
observers issue their findings on how the February 18 election was
conducted.

SAAKASHVILI TELLS EAP MEETING PARTICIPANTS WHY HE’S AGAINST OF REOPENING ABKHAZ RAILWAY

Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 13 Feb.’13 / 19:40

President Saakashvili told the ministers and dignitaries from Eastern
Partnership (EaP) countries, including Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian, that he was against of reopening railway via
breakaway Abkhazia as it would pose threat to Georgia and lead to
Russian “expansion in the Caucasus”.

Saakashvili also said that at the time when Russia took over the
Armenian railway, Moscow probably already had its “insidious plan”
and “calculations about Georgia’s elections”; he also added that
Moscow probably had its “favorite” candidate with the latter having
“concrete commitments” before Russia.

When PM Bidzina Ivanishvili visited Armenia in January, he said that
his government was ready to launch work on reopening of the railway
between Georgia and Russia via breakaway Abkhazia, which would also
link Armenia with Russia; Ivanishvili, however, also noted that the
issue was complicated because of troubled relations between Georgia
and Russian and because of “uneasy relations with our Abkhaz brothers”.

President Saakashvili, who voiced his opposition to the idea of
reopening of the Abkhaz railway for number of times since PM’s
remarks, again raised the issue while hosting in the presidential
palace participants of an informal Eastern Partnership ministerial
meeting in Tbilisi, involving high ranking officials from Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine; European Commissioner for
Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Å tefan Fule and Vice
President of the European Commission Siim Kallas were also present.

Earlier on February 13 participants of the meeting from six countries
of the Eastern Partnership held discussions on the issue of transport.

“On the one hand we have very close and warm relations with Armenia
and I am grateful to Armenia, especially for its solidarity expressed
towards Georgia in difficult circumstances in 2008 [during the August
war],” President Saakashvili said, adding that Georgia did its best
to help Armenia with solving transportation issues, including through
reopening of Larsi border crossing point with Russia.

“But today the issue of reopening of railway through Abkhazia has
been put on the agenda again. I do not want Armenia to face any kind
of problem in respect of transportation of cargo in the future. I
simply want them to know what my position about this railway is,”
Saakashvili said.

“First of all we know that the Russian railway controls the Armenian
railway,” Saakashvili said.

State-run Russian Railways (RZhD) took over the management of Armenian
railway network under 30-year operating concession deal, which was
signed in January, 2008.

“At the time when they [Russia] took over the Armenian railway and
illegally seized the railway in occupied Abkhazia, there was no talk
of reopening of railway [via Abkhazia], so I was asking a question:
what was Russia’s plan? Why it needed Armenian railway if the railway
via Abkhazia was not opened?” Saakashvili said.

“It seems that Russia had more far-sighted and insidious plan than
I could have imagined,” he continued.

“They [Russia] had their calculations about Georgia’s elections; they
probably had their favorite [candidate in Georgia’s elections], who had
concrete commitments [before Russia]; otherwise I cannot explain why
did they need to control Armenian railway and seized Abkhaz railway
in the condition when [these two rail networks] were disconnected,”
Saakashvili said.

With Russia’s continued occupation of Abkhazia, he said, reopening of
the railway via the breakaway region would further increase Moscow’s
grip over Abkhazia.

“It will be an instrument for [Russian] expansion in the Caucasus,”
Saakashvili said. “Georgia will gain nothing from it; on the contrary
it will complicate reintegration of Abkhazia and will create other
types of military and political problems for Georgia.”

“I do not think that it is in the interests of any country in the
Caucasus,” Saakashvili said. “It is only in the short-term, aggressive
interests of one country.”

He also said that for the purpose of handling more cargo turnover
via Georgia, including those destined for Armenia, the previous
government of Georgia was intending to build a new port, Lazika,
on the Black Sea coast close to Abkhazia.

President Saakashvili also spoke about the importance of EU’s Eastern
Partnership initiative and especially welcomed participation of Foreign
Minister of Belarus Vladimir Makey in the Eastern Partnership informal
meeting in Tbilisi.

“We are very grateful to Belarus, like to other countries present
here, for respecting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity
in difficult circumstances. We think that dialogue with Belarus and
engagement of Belarus in various European formats has a long-term
importance not only for Belarus but for the entire Europe as well,”
Saakashvili said.

Saakashvili also said that idea of granting Georgia a declaration
on EU membership perspective was floating last year. “There is less
talk about it now,” Saakashvili said. “I hope that that the chance
for that is not completely lost.”

He also said that Georgia should “definitely” sign Association
Agreement with EU.

“I am ready to help the Georgian government in this regard with
everything possible. You know that there are many circumstances,
which may turn problematic for Georgia in this regard; I am not at
all happy about it,” Saakashvili said.

The President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Wilfried Martens and
the Vice President of the EPP and Chairman of the EPP Group in Euronest
Jacek Saryusz-Wolski released a statement on February 13 condemning
February 8 incident outside the National Library in Tbilisi in which
several UNM MPs were assaulted. The statement says that the conditions
to continue a dialogue on Association Agreement with Georgia “are not
met anymore” because, as the statement reads, “the situation continues
to deteriorate dramatically” in Georgia. President Saakashvili’s UNM
party is an observer member of EPP.

AFTER MUSLIM REBELS SEIZE TWO PRIESTS IN ALEPPO, THERE ARE FEARS FOR THEIR LIFE

,-there-are-fears-for-their-life-27116.html
02/12/2013 13:05
SYRIA

An Armenian Catholic priest, Fr Michael, and an Orthodox clergyman
were abducted last Sunday in Aleppo’s Christian neighbourhood. Sources
speak to AsiaNews about barbarous murders carried out my Islamic
extremists. A car bomb explodes at the Turkish-Syrian border crossing
of Cilvegozu.

Aleppo (AsiaNews) – A group of rebels close to Muslim extremists on
Sunday abducted an Armenian Catholic priest, Fr Michael, as well as a
yet unknown Orthodox clergyman. Both were working in Aleppo. Sources,
anonymous for security reasons, told AsiaNews that the city’s Christian
community is very concerned about the attack. “Extremist violence is
getting worse day by day. Muslim militias are killing anyone suspected
of ties with the regime, including women and children. People in the
neighbourhoods are comparing these days to the Ottoman conquest five
centuries ago.”

For several weeks, residents had complained about the presence of
al-Nusra Front forces, Islamic extremists who want to turn Syria into
an Islamic state, feared even by the rebel Free Syrian Army.

On 6 February, Front troops stormed the Christian neighbourhood
of Jdeideh where extremists had already destroyed the city’s main
Evangelical church in November.

Al-Nusra forces include many foreigners, including Muslims from
Indonesia and the Philippines, as evinced by a statement posted online
by the leader of Abu Sayyaf, an extremist Muslim group with ties to
al-Qaeda operating in the Philippines. In it, Muslims are urged to
go to Syria and sacrifice their lives for Islam.

“These fighters live for killing and violence. They act without pity
and make distinctions among people,” sources said. “When they kill,
they turn to God as if they were making a sacrifice.”

Meanwhile, clashes between the military and rebel groups continue
across Syria with more than 60,000 people killed so far.

Yesterday, a car bomb killed 13 people near the Turkish border,
at a road block in Cilvegozu, a border crossing some 100 kilometres
northwest of Aleppo, the main route of escape for Syrian refugees
fleeing the war. It has been in rebel hands for several months. (S.C.)

INTENSIVE CARE SPECIALISTS TO BE ON DUTY NEXT TO ANDRIAS GHUKASYAN

Wed, 02/13/2013 – 19:39

The Minister of Healthcare Derenik Dumanyan being concerned about the
health condition of Andrias Ghukasyan visited him again today. The
minister said that on this stage of hunger strike at any moment
inevitable changes can happen in his organism causing undesirable
and severe consequences.

After the visit the minister held a meeting with the leading
specialists. Evaluating the objective and subjective details as well
as the details available in the medical literature about the 24 day
hunger strike the specialists expressed their concern about possible
deterioration of the health condition of the presidential candidate
Andrias Ghukasyan.

After the meeting the minister made a decision about the all-day
medical supervision with the specialists of intensive case and
specially equipped ambulance car for the in-sight assistance of
the candidate.

The minister once more urged the presidential candidate Andrias
Ghukasyan to stop the hunger strike, as well as said that for the
prevention of predictable complications the laboratory-instrumental
examination is needed.

Author: Factinfo

RUBEN SAFRASTYAN: A GEOPOLITICAL UNION OF RUSSIA, GEORGIA, ARMENIA AND IRAN IS UNLIKELY EVEN IN FUTURE

Interview with Ruben Safrastyan, Professor, Director of the Oriental
Studies Institute, National Academy of Science of Armenia

*

by Ashot Safaryan

* Wednesday, February 13, 18:38
[rub_safr.jpg]

On Feb 6 Valerie Boyer submitted to the French National Assembly one
more bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide in
France. Are there more chances that the “leftist” parliament of
Hollande will adopt it unlike the “rightist” parliament of Sarkozy?

I think Hollande’s government will oppose it. The bill is backed by
the rightwing forces, specifically by the Conservatives.  IN fact,
both the right and the left actually supported it. The bill was
failed just by Sarkozy who did not use his right to give force to the
bill and submitted it to the Constitutional Court of France. Thus, I
think, in 2012 the situation was much more favorable than now. I
suppose the present parliament of France is less likely to pass the
bill. I say this basing on the recent trends towards Turkey in the
foreign policy of France during Hollande’s presidency. It is obvious
that Paris changes its policy towards that country. The leftwing
forces unlike the rightwing ones both in France and in Europe are due
to see Turkey as a EU member-state.

Does this mean an end to France’s policy of containment with respect
to Turkey?

I think the situation will finally clear up within a 1.5 year and we
will be able to speak on the given topic more substantially.

A few days ago an article in the National Interest said that the
United States should rely on Turkey in its policy on the South
Caucasus and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Is this possible? 

Actually, we have noticed a tendency of warming of the Turkish-
American relations. And significance of Turkey in general strategy of
the USA will grow for the democratic administration of Obama’s second
term. Certainly, this fact is first of all linked with Middle East,
Syria and Obama Administration’s attitude towards the Islam world and
Turkey like its representative, which has got the allied relations
with the West within the frames of NATO. For this reason, one can
suppose that Obama’s second tenure will be characterized by
aspiration of the USA not to be involved in the conflict situations,
first of all in the Middle East. The departure of the Americans from
Afghanistan next year will be the start of this policy. Unlike
Hillary Clinton, John Kerry does not have a relish for adventures,
and his appointment at the position of US secretary of state is also
an indirect evidence of that. And stemming from the points of general
strategy of the USA in the unstable Middle East, the role of Turkey
has sharply grown in this strategy. He also added that in this
context, one must not rule out the possibility that Washington will
start relying on Turkey more than earlier in its strategy in the
South Caucasus as well.  Several articles on the topic in serious
American dailies are evidence of the fact that American analytical
circles have been seriously watching such a possibility. Earlier,
during a neo- conservative and republican government of George Bush
Jr. Turkey used to be watched like a rather reliable ally of
Washington in the Big Middle East, but at present the situation has
changed much. By the way, in this context I see certain succession in
the policy of Bill Clinton’s and Obama’s democratic administration.

In general, democrats  more than republicans are inclined to watch
the Turks like reliable allies.

Turkey has failed to solve the Syrian problem the way the Americans
and the Europeans wanted it to be solved. Why then are they praising
the Turks?

Ankara is unable to settle that problem in the light of the growing
Islamic factor in the Middle East and Near East. 

Do you mean Egypt?

Yes. That country was the corner stone of USA’s policy in the Middle
East. Now, Cairo no longer fulfills such functions. Turkey has a
boundary with Syria, supports the Syrian opposition and opposes
Assad. All this makes it more important. 

And are there guarantees that Assad will not be replaced by Islamic
fundamentalists?

At present the West has no single guarantee that after Assad’s
overthrow radical Islamists will not come to power.  This is what
explains the USA’s unwillingness to provide serious military support
to the Syrian armed opposition. At the given stage both the US and
Israel are seriously concerned over developments in Syria after
Assad’s overthrow. The situation in Egypt is quite serious as well.

The US can so far influence the situation there by means of the
Egyptian army, which is a serious actor in the military-political and
even economic life of Egypt. Egyptian army receives huge assistance
from the USA to come out against ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ and other
Islamic forces.  It is due to such injections that Washington still
has an opportunity to influence the situation in Egypt. And the so-
called movement of liberal forces against Egyptian Islamists is
actually based on the positions of the army that does not want to
lose its traditional leading role in politics and economy of Egypt it
has had since 1952. The USA is behind the recent powerful protest
actions in Egypt against Mursi.

How far can the United State go in pushing Turkey into resolving the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?

The USA will not try to drive Turkey to become a co-chair of the OSCE
Minsk Group. I don’t think that today one can seriously speak about
cooperation between Ankara and Moscow in the Karabakh issue. Despite
deep trade and economic relations, Russia and Turkey still remain
geo-political opponents especially in the South Caucasus. As for the
Karabakh conflict, which is of the geo-political significance, this
is not the issue in which Moscow may come to terms not only with
Ankara but with anybody else.

You have mentioned the geo-political rivalry between Turkey and
Russia. Today, thanks to Ndzheh, brotherly Azerbaijan and Turkey are
successfully separated from each other by the Armenian Zangezur.

After the change of regime in Georgia, Russia, together with Iran,
may well break the East-West axis to build a North-South one…

The geo-political situation in the South Caucasus changed according
to the results of the war in 2008. And the new regional status-quo is
first of all characterized by enhancing of Russia’s positions. As for
the political changes in Georgia, they strengthen more the positions
of Moscow like a regional center of force in the South Caucasus. And
this process is developing. He thinks that as a result, Turkey has
been losing its positions since the war 08.08.08. and an opportunity
to affect the situation in the region, and first of all in Georgia. 
For its part, Azerbaijan is becoming a factor that affects Turkey’s
position. Today Azerbaijani capital investments in Turkey occupy the
first place and Ankara is forced to take this into consideration. So,
Turkey goes on losing an opportunity to seriously affect the
situation in our region. And the USA which relies on Turkey regarding
several geo-political issues, also takes this factor into account. I
don’t think that the USA is really interested in enhancing of
Turkey’s role in the South Caucasus. Washington will simply use
Turkey during Obama’s second term like a factor of keeping down
Russia’s influence in the South Caucasus. The role, which the USA
delivered to Turkey in the South Caucasus, has exhausted thanks to
this factor. 

As regards the possibility of a geopolitical union of Russia,
Georgia, Armenia and Iran, it think this is unlikely to happen even
in future. I would not study seriously the possibility of forming
North-South axis with participation of Russia, Georgia, Armenia and
Iran. Today there is no such union. Neither there are real
possibilities for its creation so far. Georgia’s policy is far from
being pro-Russian and it, obviously, does not strive to become part
of Russia’s already established military- political system or the
economic system that is being established.  Georgia’s policy vector
has not changed, just methods of Ivanishvili’s policy have changed
becoming more realistic. Georgia’s interests as realized by the
Georgian elite have not changed, with integration into Europe being
considered as a remote goal. With Bidzina Ivanishvili’s coming to
power, Tbilisi’s policy has become more realistic in order to avoid
the losses Georgia suffered due to political adventurism of
Saakashvili, but it goals have remained unchanged.

Do you mean that it is early to speak about the restart of the
Abkhazian railway?

This issue is part of the above logic. It is favorable for Georgia to
have normal economic relations with Russia and the railway via
Abkhazia maybe necessary to it for that purpose. In this light,
Tbilisi may strive to lift the blockade of communications, but there
are many obstacles to that. The process has started, but it is early
to speak of further developments. I am not sure that Iran is Russia’s
ally in our region.  Moscow and Tehran, of course, have some common
interests, but they have also contradictory interests.  Therefore, a
geopolitical union Russian-Georgia-Armenia-Iran is unlikely even in
future. Actually, the only military-political ally of Russia in the
region is Armenia.

ARMENIA’S JEWELRY OUTPUT GROWS 7.4% TO AMD 15.1 BILLION IN 2012

YEREVAN, February 13. /ARKA/. Jewelry worth AMD 15.1 billion were
produced in Armenia in 2012 – 7.4% more than a year before, National
Statistical Service of Armenia reports.

Some 851.5 kilograms of jewelry were produced in the country in 2012
against 434.5 kilograms in 2011 – 96% year-on-year growth.

Armenia exported precious and semiprecious stoned as well as precious
metals and jewelry worth $173 million in 2012 – 11.9% less than
in 2011.

According to Armenia’s Customs Service, 135,900 carats of polished
diamonds were exported in 2012 against 351,300 carats in 2011.

Customs cost of the exported diamonds amounted to $79.1 million in
2012, after sheding 30.4%, compared with the previous year. ($1 –
AMD 406.49). -0-

ARTAK SEVADA URGES TO STOP SPREADING “THE GENEX” UNOFFICIAL TRAILER

17:19, 13 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. The author of “The GENEX” movie
dedicated to the Armenian Genocide urges to stop spreading the
unofficial trailer of the movie immediately. In a conversation with
“Armenpress” the director, co-author, and producer of the movie stated
that the so-called “official trailer” of “The GENEX” was not made by
EdgeArt Entertainment Inc.

Among other things Mr. Sevada noted: “All the unofficial video
materials on the movie do not introduce “The GENEX” and should be
immediately removed from the internet. Certain individuals and
organization has copied the trailer from Youtube, which was made to
encourage the investors, and it was represented as a comprehensive and
serious work. It is in no way official trailer introducing the movie.”

The author of the movie asked to take no notice of such video content
until Youtube video hosting removes them in accordance with the
complaint of the authors.

VERAGE DAILY NUMBER OF VISITORS TO ODNOKLASSNIKI SOCIAL NETWORK IN ARMENIA SURGED BY 15.3% TO 777,186 PEOPLE

YEREVAN, February 13. / ARKA /. The average number of daily visitors
to Russia-based Odnoklassniki social network in Armenia in 2013
February surged by 15.3% or 103, 239 people, when compared to 2012
February, to 777,186 people, who make 2% of the social network’s
traffic, according to Live Internet.

Compared with January 2013, the average daily number of visitors in
February increased by 0.14% or 11,465 people. Armenia is among top ten
countries in which Odnoklasniki is the most popular social network.

Russian users of the network, owned by Mail.Ru Group, account for
63.5% of the daily audience. The other leading countries in terms of
visitors are Ukraine and Belarus, which have 3.4 million and 1.1
million visitors respectively.

The top ten includes former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan, Moldova,
Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan, which have about 1 million
visitors a day each, less than the number of visitors to the social
network Facebook.

Odnoklassniki is the leading social networks in most of the CIS
countries (except Russia, Ukraine and Belarus), being ahead of
VKontakte and Facebook. For example, only 80,000 visitors in Armenia
use VKontakte and 150,000 people use Facebook. According to expert
estimates, Armenia has about 1.4 million Internet users.

Last June Odnoklassniki launched the English version of the site
supposed to help it to expand its presence outside former Soviet
Union, however, its popularity in Europe and the U.S. is not big. -0-

ZAWYA: ARMENIA A DEMOCRATIC HAVEN SURROUNDED BY DICTATORIAL REGIMES

15:00 14.02.2013

News of a Dubai-based entity winning a USD3-billion deal to build
Armenia’s rail and road project, has piqued investor interest in the
country, Zawya writes.

Dubai-based Rasia FZE along with partner Caucasus Railway signed a
deal with Armenia’s Ministry of Transport and Communication to build
a rail-and-road corridor that will link the ports of the Black Sea
to the ports of the Gulf.

It certainly seems to be an ambitious undertaking: The Southern Armenia
Railway is expected to be a 316 kilometre long electrified single
track railway, connecting Gavar, near Lake Sevan, to the southern
border of Armenia by Meghri and will be integrated with the existing
central railway system of Armenia, operated by South Caucasus Railway
CJSC and the operating railway system of Iran.

Meanwhile, the Southern Armenia High Speed Road, being built in
the southern province of Syunik, is set to be a 110-kilometre long
expressway connecting the town of Sisian to the southern border of
Armenia by Meghri.

Rasia has already recruited China Construction Company Ltd. to build
the project.

“Rasia and its consortium members will aim to boost potential local and
international transit freight volumes by investing in the development
of mineral and agricultural projects along the Corridor,” said Chairman
and CEO of Rasia, Mr. Joseph Borkowski.

“There will be additional effort to seek the involvement of nations,
and companies, benefiting from the Corridor including Russia, Iran,
India and the countries of Europe, Central Asia, and the GCC in order
to enhance regional trade relations.”

The USD3-billion transportation project for a USD10-billion,
landlocked economy is major initiative, highlighting the prospects
of opportunities in an economy which is often overshadowed by the
larger and richer economies of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

“But despite its small size, Armenia is no slouch. Considered the
most market-oriented economy in Central Asia, the country has emerged
as democratic haven surrounded by dictatorial and isolated regimes,”
Zawya writes.

FRANCE: CCAF CONDEMNS LAURENT FABIUS’S POSITIVE SIGNAL TO THE AUTHORITARIAN REGIME OF TURKEY

Jean Eckian / Paris
17:07 13/02/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

In a statement released on Wednesday, Feb. 12, CCAF condemns Laurent
Fabius’s positive signal to the authoritarian regime of Turkey

The CCAF (Council of coordination of the Armenian organizations of
France) regrets the decision of France to give its agreement to the
opening of a new chapter in the negotiations between Turkey and the
European Union. This initiative, made public by Laurent Fabius on
February 12, is all the more intolerable it occurs in a context of
serious violations of freedoms in this country, “specifies the text.

Which cites the case of Pinar Selek, of the French student Sevil
Sevimli, those imprisoned journalists and lawyers…

“This shocking decision of the French government also joins in a
context of racism and violence against minorities in Turkey (Armenian
women killed in Istanbul, anti-Kurdish repression), which spilled
blood to Paris on January 9 with assassination of 3 Kurdish activists.

A crime which weigh heavy suspicions about the involvement of the
Turkish secret services.

Considering these events, Laurent Fabius’s announcement constitutes
a provocation and an encouragement in the turpitude of the AKP. It
expresses a cynical conception of the diplomacy, in total contradiction
with the commitments affirmed by the PS and by the President of the
Republic on the conditions of entry of Turkey into Europe.”