The Voice of Russia
Dec 15 2012
Armenia committed to Russia partnership
The government and the governing Republican Party of Armenia stay
committed to building ties with all world powers and strengthening
Armenia’s special partnership with Russia.
President Serge Sargsyan spoke about this at a national convention of
the Republican Party in Yerevan on Saturday.
The convention approved his bid to win another term in elections
scheduled for February.
EurasiaNet.org
Dec 14 2012
Armenia Learns the Price of a Clean Government
December 14, 2012 – 1:20pm, by Marianna Grigoryan
Like anyone else, Armenian government officials like to look and feel
their best. But how much should taxpayers spend to keep them in
toothpaste, shampoo and toilet paper?
According to Ministry of Finance data cited on December 9 by online TV
outlet CivilNet, state bodies spent nearly one-third of a million
dollars ($325,775 or 132.3 million drams) on personal-hygiene and
cleaning supplies over the past year, with toilet paper alone costing
taxpayers roughly 7.8 million drams (about $19,165).
The Ministry of Justice’s Penitentiary Department, apparently quite
desirous of a clean shave, spent a whopping $41,000, or over 16.6
million drams, to buy 175,000 razors – more than 36 times the size of
Armenia’s 2011 prison population of 4,812 people.
But personal hygiene is not the only area in which the government
seems eager to spend. The apparently house-proud National Security
Service, the country’s intelligence agency, spent over 2 million
drams, about $5,000, on supplies of scrubbing powder between September
2011 and August 2012, nearly $2,000 (750,000 drams) on kitchen cutting
boards and a puzzling $850 (340,000 drams) on matches and gloves.
The presidential administration, which paid the dram-equivalent of
roughly $1,700 for 800 rolls of $2-plus toilet paper — about double
the price of the most expensive retail variety — declined to respond
to a query from EurasiaNet.org about its purchases of shampoo,
toothbrushes, toothpaste and other personal hygiene items.
The report also provided some telling consumer comparisons; while the
National Security Service spent 150 drams (37 cents) per toothbrush,
the presidential administration favored the 850-dram (about $2.09)
variety.
All told, the total amount for fighting personal pollution exceeds
budget funds allocated for the government’s fight against
environmental pollution (over 125.1 million drams or about $308,297.)
While that tab may not seem so hefty to Americans who remember reports
of the Pentagon’s own bathroom purchases back in the 1990s ($1,868.15
per toilet cover; $641 per urinal, according to The Chicago Tribune),
the revelations have sparked outrage among many Armenians.
Poverty rates have increased by about eight percent since 2008 to
stand at about 35 percent of the country’s population of 2.97 million
people.
`Eight million drams for toilet paper . . . unbelievable,’ commented
65-year-old Yerevan pensioner Rudolf Hakobian. ` While President Serzh
Sargsyan has called for the government to get tough on corruption, he
added, `it seems that the situation within the presidential
administration has much more a need to get under control.”
Yet as often happens in the run-up to a national election, the report
comes with a background story. CivilNet belongs to the Civilitas
Foundation, a Yerevan think-tank set up by Prosperous Armenian
parliamentarian Vartan Oskanian, a former foreign minister who is
currently on trial for alleged financial wrongdoing.
Supporters of Oskanian charge that politics motivate the charges
against him; earlier this year, mention was made of Oskanian as a
possible candidate for president against President Serzh Sargsyan in
Armenia’s February 2013 elections.
.
Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
Dec 14 2012
Edward Nalbandian. Armenia hails the Co-Chairs’ Dublin statement
Yerevan/Mediamax/. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said
today that “what the Armenian Foreign Minister does is in line with
the statement of heads the Minsk Group Co-Chairing country’s
delegations.
Edward Nalbandian said that during the OSCE Ministerial in Dublin, “I
don’t know why, Azerbaijanis didn’t want the three famous principles –
non-use of force and treatments, self-determination and territorial
integrity -even be mentioned”.
“What did they reach? There wasn’t a statement made by the five sides
but a trilateral statement was made where the Co-Chairs outlined the
three principles. I can say more – Armenia hails the Co-Chairs
statement made in Dublin and we can make the same statement”, said
Edward Nalbandian.
Armenian opposition MP critical over intercepted record
tert.am
20:50 – 16.12.12
Nikol Pashinyan of the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) has
voiced criticism over the intercepted video record featuring a private
meeting between two parliament members.
In a statement on his personal website, Pashinyan urges for strict
accountability measures against those who intercepted and uploaded to
YouTube the conversation between the head of the ANC faction in
parliament, Levon Zurabyan, and ex-Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
(who is now a lawmaker of the Prosperous Armenia party).
Strictly condemning what he calls a KGB-style unlawful act, Pashinyan
calls for opening a proceeding under article 146 of Armenia’s Criminal
Code (Violation of the secrecy of correspondence, telephone
conversations, postal, telegraph or other communications.)
In the meantime, he asks the ANC members and the representatives of
other opposition forces to demonstrate restraint to fulfill their
obligations to the public.
Pashinyan thinks that the existing political situation makes the
presidential nomination of their leader, Armenia’s first President
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, necessary.
Girl, 6, saves her two small sisters from fire in Armenia’s Gyumri (video)
20:00 – 15.12.12
Cases of fires are often being registered in Gyumri’s shacks
especially in winter months. Yesterday an unexpected and strong fire
burst in the shack of homeless Poghosyans family, Shirak Center NGO’s
website informs.
During the incident mother of 6 was in a shop with the eldest son,
daughters 10, 9, were at school. The children tell that their 6-year
old sister noticing the fire took her 1.5 year old sister and 4-year
old sister out without even putting the coats on.
Mother who returned from the shop called the neighbors for help who,
in their turn, called the firefighters. The fire brigade arrived in 30
minutes due to hardly passable roads as the shack is situated in one
of the suburbs of the city.
The shack has burnt down completely, with the documents of the family.
This family is not registered for apartment compensation and has no
hope of getting apartment ever. Currently they are staying at the
small house of their relative.
Today the employees of the center visited the family to help and
prepare a material.
German envoy: Karabakh war renewal will cause new suffering
December 15, 2012 – 19:59 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Nagorno Karabakh conflict must be resolved based on
the principles of territorial integrity and peoples’ right to
self-determination, German ambassador to Azerbaijan said.
`As OSCE Minsk Group member, Germany has active involvement in the
negotiations, with no progress yielded, however,’ Herbert Quelle said,
stressing the need for the two principles to be applied as whole.
`The renewal of war will apparently bring about new human sufferings.
I am optimistic about the continuation of the talks. For 40 years,
German people were looking forward to the reunification, which started
in the 70s and ended peacefully as a result of social revolution,’ the
envoy said, stressing the need to show patience and search for new
solutions, according to Azerbaijani media outlets.
We were able to achieve what much more powerful countries could not do
– Armenian President
NEWS.AM
December 15, 2012 | 14:09
YEREVAN. – In the lead-up to Armenia’s presidential elections – to be
held on February 18, 2013 – , we have an opportunity to assess as to
where we are now and where we are heading, President – and ruling
Republican Party (RPA) Chairman – Serzh Sargsyan stated Saturday
addressing the 14th RPA special congress.
In his words, around five years ago a new opportunity was created
before Armenia toward using in favor of the people the system that was
formed over the course of the past fifteen years.
Sargsyan stressed that the Armenian society was shaken by the social
and political intolerance that had accumulated, and Armenia’s economy
momentarily dropped as a result of the global economic downturn. But,
in the President’s words, the country was able to get out of the
economic crisis and it kept its financial system unharmed.
`We were able to achieve what the much more powerful countries could
not do,’ Serzh Sargsyan stated.
Reflecting on the reforms that were carried out in Armenia, the
President said the vicious practice of using force against journalists
was uprooted, the entire field of media was opened, the banned media
returned to airwaves, and the people’s right to be a political
opponent – and without being labeled a traitor – was reinstated in the
country.
Second Hayak National Film Awards ceremony scheduled for April 13
16:43 15.12.2012
The second `Hayak’ National Film Awards that has already become a
reality in the history of the Armenian cinematography will take place
on 13 April, 2013 at Alexander Spendiaryan State Academic Opera and
Ballet Theatre. This joint initiative of the National Film Development
Foundation, `Orange Armenia’ CJSC, the National Cinema Center of
Armenia, and the Armenian National Film Academy is an annual open
contest of the films of the Armenian cinematographers, aimed at
promoting and developing national film industry, revealing new names,
returning the Armenian audience to cinemas, bringing together Armenian
cinematographers, supporting new film projects and preserving the best
traditions of the national film industry.
`Hayak’ National Film Awards 2013 is open to the films produced in
2011 that have not participated in `Hayak’ National Film Awards 2012
and all the new films shot in 2012, with no category limitations. he
first `Hayak’ National Film Awards featured films produced in
post-independence period, i.e., in the period of 1991-2011.
The organizers of `Hayak’ National Film Awards have made certain
changes both in the schedule (of holding of the event and reception of
applications) and nomination categories. `Hayak’ National Film Awards
2013 will have 15 nomination categories, instead of the former 12,
which include: `Best Feature Film’, `Best Film Director’, `Best
cameraman’, `Best Screenwriter’, `Best Artist’, `Best Composer’, `Best
Actress’, `Best Actor’, `Best Short Feature’, `Best Documentary’,
`Best Animated Feature’, `Best Debut’ plus `Best Secondary Actor’,
`Best Secondary Actress’, `Best Foreign Film’ (a film shot by a
Diaspora Armenian film director or a film with an Armenian theme shot
by a foreign film director). `Best Foreign Film’ nomination category
is open only to the films produced abroad in 2012. Besides key
nominations, special prizes as well will be awarded for the
contribution to the development of the Armenian national film
industry.
Reception of the applications for participation in the contest will
start from 20 December, 2012 and will last until 15 February, 2013
including. After the reception of the applications is over, the Jury
will organize preliminary watching of the presented films from 16
February until 18 March, 2013 and will select the candidates for the
awards, after which, from 19 March until 11 April the Contest
Committee will organize double watching of selected films at Nairi
Cinema. On 12 April the Contest Committee will convene a meeting
during which the winners of `Hayak-2013′ will be announced and on the
following day, i.e., on 13 April, the solemn ceremony of `Hayak’
National Film Awards 2013 will take place.
ARMENIE
Haypost et la Poste Russe signent un mémorandum de coopération
Le 25 septembre l’opérateur national de la Poste en Arménie HayPost et
la Poste russe, ont signé un mémorandum de coopération à Moscou
concernant l’intention des deux opérateurs postaux de réaliser des
transferts d’argent au moyen du système « Forsage ».
Selon le mémorandum, HayPost obtient un droit exclusif de transferts
via le système « Forsage » dans la République d’Arménie. Cela signifie
que des transferts d’argent formels peuvent être faits à partir de
chacun des 40000 bureaux de poste de la Russie à chacun des 900 postes
d’HayPost et vice versa.
samedi 15 décembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com
BOXE
L’Arménien Arthur Abraham affronte le Français Mehdi Bouadla ce soir
pour le titre mondial WBO
Ce soir à l’Arena de Nuremberg (Bavière, Allemagne), l’Arménien Arthur
Abraham (32 ans, 35 victoires dont 27 par K.O., 3 défaites) sous les
couleurs de l’Allemagne affronte le Français Mehdi Bouadla (30 ans, 26
victoires dont 11 par K.O., 4 défaites) pour le compte du titre
mondial WBO des poids super-moyens. Un titre détenu par Arthur
Abraham. L’Arménien est largement favori selon les spécialistes.
Krikor Amirzayan
samedi 15 décembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com