Author: Kalantarian Kevo

BAGHRAMYAN 26 SHOULD BE A MUSEUM

12:10 – 07.12.2012

Secretary of “Heritage” party, Zaruhi Postanjyan is called “Order
executor” of Baghramyan 26.

She was asked during the briefing about her approach to this public
opinion.

“Baghramyan 26 is the enemy of RA citizens. I wish Baghramyan 26 and
the NSS isolator in Nalbandyan Street would become museums. I believe
that presidential institution must be vanished. I compared it with
the head of a beast recently”, said Postanjyan.

TSARUKIAN MEETS TOP EU OFFICIAL IN BRUSSELS

Belgium — European Commissioner for Enlargement and European
Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule (L) meets Prosperous Armenia Party
leader Gagik Tsarukian in Brussels, 06Dec2012.

Elina Chilingarian and Ruzanna Stepanian Õ~@O~@Õ¡ÕºÕ¡O~@Õ¡Õ¯Õ¾Õ¡Õ®
Õ§Õ~] 07.12.2012

Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) Gagik Tsarukian discussed the upcoming
Armenian presidential election with the European Union’s Enlargement
and Neighborhood Policy Commissioner Stefan Fuele at the end of a
three-day visit to Brussels late on Thursday.

“Reforms related to the European agenda and the implementation
of OSCE/ODIHR recommendations in the context of the forthcoming
presidential elections were discussed at the meeting,” Fuele’s office
said in a statement that referred to the BHK as “the biggest opposition
party” in the Armenian parliament.

“The Commissioner appealed for a critical, but constructive engagement
of the opposition with the authorities in the process,” said the
statement.

It added that Fuele also called on Tsarukian and senior BHK members
accompanying him to “build multi-partisan consensus around reforms
which are needed for effective future implementation” of an Association
Agreement currently negotiated by the EU and Armenia.

The statement did not say if they discussed Tsarukian’s participation
in the ballot slated for February. The BHK leader is expected to
announce next week whether he will stand as a candidate.

Naira Zohrabian, a senior BHK lawmaker who also travelled to Brussels,
said on Friday that Tsarukian’s visit was “highly successful” and
left EU officials left with “absolutely positive impressions” about
the BHK and its leader. Tsarukian’s presidential candidacy is now
“definitely comprehensible” to the EU, she told RFE/RL’s Armenian
service (Azatutyun.am).

Tsarukian caused a stir in Yerevan when he told a deputy speaker of
the European Parliament on Wednesday that Armenia is run by corrupt
individuals. President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia
(HHK) swiftly rejected that allegation as “shameful.” An HHK spokesman
also charged on Thursday that the BHK is regarded as an “artificial
force” in Europe.

Zohrabian hit back at the HHK criticism, saying that the ruling party
is now “in panic.” She insisted that Tsarukian referred to a corrupt
government “system” rather than concrete individuals.

“What he meant is that corruption is an extremely serious systemic
disaster in Armenia and that individuals whose work is not producing
results have no right to engage in anti-corruption struggles,”
said Zohrabian.

ARMENIAN DELEGATION MET WITH CSTO PA RESPONSIBLE SECRETARY

18:39, 7 December, 2012

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS: Armenian n the CSTO Parliamentary
Assembly (PA) members of the NA delegation Koryun Nahapetyan, Khosrov
Harutyunyan, Mher Shahgeldyan and Rubik Hakobyan on December 7 met with
the Responsible Secretary Pavel Ryabukhin, who had arrived in Armenia
to take part in the discussions on the theme “The Best Experience
in Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation and the Parliamentary Diplomacy”
initiated by the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and the
OSCE Yerevan Office, which will be held in Tsakhkadzor on December
8-10.

As reports Armenpress referring to the press, informational and
public relations department of NA, in the course of the meeting
issues connected with the rise of the efficiency of the works of
the CSTO PA, making more active and transparent the cooperation of
the delegations of the member countries, holding free dialogue,
undertaking constructive initiatives, making more flexible and
productive the activity of the Assembly committees and in general,
this inter-parliamentary organization were discussed. In this context
the preparatory works of the visiting sittings of the CSTO committees
to be held next year, particularly, the sitting of the Committee on
Defense and Security to be held in Yerevan.

In the meeting issues pertaining to the parliamentary diplomacy and
of organizational character will also be discussed.

33 SERVICEMEN OF ARMENIAN ARMY GOT HOUSES

On December 7 Armenian Minister of Defence Seyran Ohanyan visited
Shirak region. Press and information department of Armenian Ministry
of Defence informs about this.

S. Ohanyan put a garland at the monument of the innocent victims of
1988 Spitak earthquake.

Armenian Minister of Defence also attended the official opening
ceremony of the living houses for 33 lieutenants of Armenian Army
and for their families.

S. Ohanyan noted in his congratulatory speech that Armenian Ministry
of Defence cared about the flats of the servicemen of Armenian Army.

S. Ohanyan also walked around the newly-built house and saw the
conditions of the houses.

07.12.12, 18:35

THE FINDS OF KEREN AS AN EXCEPTIONAL SYMBIOSIS OF THE CULTURES OF DIFFERENT WORLDS

Friday, 07 December 2012 11:10

The NKR region of Qashatagh is rich in various types of archeological
monuments which cover most different periods beginning with the
ancient times up to the medieval period.

Unfortunately, the examination of the region before its liberation
was performed in quite an episodic way and the published materials
did not provide any opportunity either to observe the laws governing
the development of the cultures in the region or to get a full idea
about the monuments located there. Today we have the real opportunity
of that. Together with my interlocutor archeologist Artak Gnuni we
shall try to get informed about the activities and the examinations
performed in the region.

– How long is it since you have been carrying out archeological
examinations in Qashatagh region and what is the general picture of
it today?

– Still in 1996 the RA Ministry of Culture together with the “Cultural
and Historical Heritage” scientific and research centre and the
“Cultural Heritage” non-governmental organization carried out
exploration activities in Qashatagh region. During the past years
nearly the whole region was examined in expeditions during which
dozens of newly discovered monuments covering the period from the
Bronze Age to the Medieval were registered. Explorations were carried
out in Arvakan tomb field /1996/, in the residence of Yeznagomer
/1996-1997/, in Vardut tomb field /1999/ and in Gandza tomb field
/2001/. The archeological finds discovered in the territory of Keren
became known to the public in 2003 when these finds found by Mkrtich
and Artur Tumasyans were delivered to the research museum of Qashatagh
by architect Stepan Nalbandyan. Explorations have been carried out in
the area of Keren village, Qashatagh region, since the same year. As
a result of the archeological explorations it turned out that the
monuments of Keren include a number of tomb fields which are situated
on the both banks of the River Voghji. Besides, both in Keren and in
the territory of the neighbouring village of Grham some settlements
were traced out.

– To be more precise, what activities have been carried out this year?

– In 2012 according to the agreement concluded between the “Cultural
Heritage” non-governmental organization and the Tourism Department
adjunct to the NKR government the expeditions in the archeological
site of Keren were continued. During the explorations 4 tombs were
examined, two of them were ruined and robbed, the other two stood
undamaged. These explorations have greatly expanded our knowledge
about the funeral ceremonies of the ancient Keren dwellers, especially
at the early stage of the tomb field existence as the both explored
undamaged tombs refer to 1st millennium BC. The two tombs have certain
peculiarities which are new to the funeral ceremony of Keren. In
these tombs people made sacrifices to gods. It must be noted that
taking into account the unfavorable condition of the tomb field the
undamaged building of the tomb was a great success.

– What is the degree of damage caused to the monuments and does it
distort the entire cultural image? Was more damage caused to the
monuments during the examinations or have people become conscious of
preserving the tombs?

– The tomb field of Keren was in quite an unfavorable condition when
discovered by the archeologists. Dozens of tombs were ruined and
robbed. But the tombs were destroyed also for natural reasons. During
the years of exploration activities the cases of robbery were
considerably reduced due to the continual attention of archeologists
and the control of the tourism department but it must be noted that
the vast territory of tombs makes it difficult to watch the area.

Recently a new problem has arisen. The tomb field is also destroyed
because of the economic activity such as the construction of a new
road. After all, the natural factor has its destructive effect on the
monuments. In a word, this issue should be comprehensively examined.

– What is the earliest dated monument that has so far been discovered
and on the whole, was the tomb field of Keren new to the Armenian
archeology?

– The finds of Keren tomb field refer to the last quarter of the 2nd
millenium BC. The greater part of them refer to the beginning of the
1st millenium BC. The finds of Keren are an exclusive symbiosis of the
cultures of the Stone Age and the ancient worlds of Urartu and Iran.

Keren has some cultural peculiarities which make it a standard model
in Syunik-Artsakh region.

A. Hairapetyan

ARMENIAN-GERMAN BUSINESS FORUM IN FRANKFURT

18:07 07.12.2012

Within the framework of the visit to Germany, Armenian Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan participated in an Armenian-German business forum
organized at the Commerzbank in Frankfurt. The forum featured the
head of financial establishments of Commerzbank, as well as German
and Armenian companies. The fifteen Armenian companies participating
in the vent represented the field of banking, high technologies,
information technologies, energy, mining industry and agriculture.

The discussions focused on the development of bilateral business ties,
implementation of new joint programs, the macroeconomic situation in
Armenia and the European region.

“Armenia is a country with a stable political system. Our government
aspires to reinforce democracy and rule of law and build a system
of governance on the basis of the principles of controllability and
transparency,” the Prime Minister said.

“Today we have a good macroeconomic situation, the state managed
to meet its social commitments during the crisis and protect the
country from social shocks. We have a strong and well-developed
banking sector,” Tigran Sargsyan added.

The Prime Minister reminded that Armenia is negotiating the agreement
on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the European Union.

He further presented the promising fields of Armenian economy,
particularly the programs implemented in the fields of information
technologies, agriculture, renewable energy, tourism, pharmaceutics
and chemical production.

‘LEADERSHIP REQUIRES WISDOM’: DETROIT ARF CELEBRATES PAST AND PRESENT GLORY
by Betty Apigian-Kessel

December 7, 2012

When Kristapor Mikaelian, Simon Zavarian, and Stepan Zorian (Rosdom)
formed the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in 1890, they surely
believed that there would be others to follow in their footsteps to
maintain a vibrant democratic society for Armenians, and to lead the
organization into the future. They were absolutely correct, and the
beat goes on. These men of vision would not be disappointed in the
ARF of the 21st century.

On Sat., Dec. 1, the Detroit ARF “Azadamard” Gomideh invited the
community to a complimentary dinner and program featuring speaker Asbed
Kotchikian, a professor at Boston’s Bentley University and editor of
“The Armenian Review.”

Gomideh chairman Raffi Ourlian greeted the 125 guests with thanks
for their unfailing support of the organization. Detroit remains a
stronghold for the Tashnagtsutiun, he said, noticing the hamagirs
and sympathizers who filled the room.

“What can be said of 122 years of existence,” he asked, proceeding
to recount the ARF’s long dedication for a free and independent
Armenia, which finally became a reality in 1991; its support for
Nagorno-Karabagh’s freedom; and its opposition to the Turkish-Armenian
protocols “from the beginning.”

Ourlian explained the ARF’s nation-building thusly with its umbrella
organizations: “The Homenetmen teach our youth to elevate themselves;
Hamazkayin are our cultural soldiers with its accomplished Arax dance
troupe; the Armenian Relief Society supports worldwide charities;
the Armenian Youth Federation is creating the future ARF leadership;
and finally the church is for spiritual guidance.”

“I challenge those who oppose the ARF, asking what have you done for
the Armenian nation?” he said.

Kotchikian asked the audience to think forward regarding the ARF’s
role serving Armenia and the diaspora. He said that with Armenia’s
independence, the nation must adapt to a fast-changing technological
world; that we are challenged to think globally, to have a larger
agenda. He repeated the fact that the ARF is an organization meant
to serve both Armenia and its diaspora.

“Without a state [Armenia], the fact that in 2015 we will commemorate
100 years of the genocide and 125 years of the ARF’s existence will be
less important. It’s the real tangible Armenia we have had in history
and we are still struggling with the idea of independence. The ARF
has a clear-cut ideology of equitable social justice important for
a viable society.”

Kotchikian hit a high point when he stated, “A gap was created between
Armenia and the diaspora when after the election several years ago
the diaspora remained silent when there was violence, deaths, and
imprisonments in the homeland.”

His intellectual background is represented by extensive travel to Iran,
Lebanon, Syria, and the former Soviet States of Georgia, Latvia, and
Russia. He lectures in political science, international relations,
and politics in the Middle East, and has published numerous articles
and books.

The ARF proudly counts many Ph.D.’s among its ranks. Therefore we
can only hope for a continuation of this strength and leadership,
tempered with wisdom and coupled with support from hamagirs.

Also participating in the event were Emily Movsesian singing the
American and Armenian National Anthems, Shoghere Ourlian reciting
“We Are Brothers,” and Sebouh Hatsakordzian.

The spirit of the ARF’s original founders was alive and well that day,
represented by stalwart ARF members sprinkled throughout the Armenian
Community Center, including but not limited to Greg Vartanian, Nishan
Apigian, Narses Gedigian, Sebouh Sarkisian, Khatchig Kafavian, Jack
Garbooshian, Armen Topouzian, Avetis Mishigian, Hayg and Georgi-Ann
Oshagan, Shant Jamkotchian, Krista Tossounian, Ross Bagdasarian,
Serop Ghazourian, and Hovagim Manoogian.

The ARF represents the land, the air, the essence of what Armenia
is and will continue to be through the strength of its leadership
and accountability to the diaspora and Armenia, seeking reparations,
genocide recognition, and justice for our martyrs.

We will keep our place in the sun.

BOXING FEDERATION OF ARMENIA WILL SUBMIT APPLICATION FOR HOLDING INTERNATIONAL RATING COMPETITION

14:36, 7 December, 2012

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. After the end of World Junior Boxing
Championship, National Boxing Federation of Armenia will submit an
application for organizing international competition for Olympic
rating. As reports “Armenpress” the Chairman of Boxing Federation of
Armenia Arman Manukyan stated this during the press conference.

Manukyan said: “I would like to make an official announcement that we
shall submit application for holding international rating competition.”

As to the success of the Armenian athletes in the current championship,
the Chairman of Boxing Federation of Armenia Arman Manukyan stated that
they were expecting better results from our contestants. He stated:
“Our athletes were supposed to show better results. Notwithstanding
we can say that we are satisfied with the present results of Armenian
boxers.”

Final fights of World Junior Boxing Championship will be held today
on December 7.

ARTSAKH PRESIDENT VISITED STEPANAKERT MEMORIAL ON SPITAK EARTHQUAKE 24TH ANNIVERSARY

15:40, 7 December, 2012

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS: Artsakh Republic President Bako
Sahakyan accompanied by top officials of the Republic visited
Stepanakert memorial complex and laid flowers to the monument of
innocent victims of the natural disaster on 7 December in connection
with the twenty-forth anniversary of the Spitak Earthquake. Central
information department of the office of the NKR President informed
Armenpress.

As reports “Armenpress” in few seconds the earthquake ruined partially
or entirely cities of Spitak, Leninakan, Kirovakan, and Stepanavan.

More than 100 villages and regions were ruined in Spitak, Akhuryan,
Gugark, Aragats, Kalinino, and Stepanavan. More than 25 thousand
people died. About 500 thousand men were left homeless.

More than 230 industry objects providing job for 82 thousand people
were ruined. The next day of earthquake special committee of the
Council of Ministers of the USSR headed by Nikolay Ryzhkov arrived in
Armenia from Moscow. The committee zealously and carefully carried out
the organization of aid to the people abolishing the circumstances
of the earthquake. More than 113 countries and 7 international
organizations supported Armenia in those terrible days.

“BEGGARS” FOR TRUST FROM ABROAD
Armen Arakelyan

19:21, December 4, 2012

On November 30, when the President of the European Commission Jose
Manuel Barroso, the President of the European People’s Party Wilfried
Martens, the President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili and the Prime
Minister of Moldova Vlad Filat were visiting Armenia to participate
in the second summit of the European People’s Party (EPP) Eastern
Partnership held in Yerevan, the Prosperous Armenia Party was making
preparations for a Brussels visit.

In an indirect response Gagik Tsarukyan showed that he fully perceived
the EPP summit as a large-scale PR event for Serzh Sargsyan’s
presidential campaign in order to show the West’s full support of the
President to the electorate. Tsarukyan also indirectly confirmed that
he lost out not only on that but also the Russian “front.”

That was the reason why Tsarukyan’s Brussels visit was organized
quickly without making it more or less clear what the leader of
Prosperous Armenia Party had to lose there, what he was expecting from
this visit, and finally, whether those were personal expectations,
or else connected to business, the party or the country.

Last year three Armenian parties (Rule of Law, Heritage and the
Republican Party of Armenia) joined the European People’s Party
as observer-members. The Prosperous Armenia Party application was
rejected. That party not only applied earlier than the others, but
also three to four months prior made changes in its program provisions
and regulations in accordance with the EPP’s criteria and requirements.

The Prosperous Armenia Party was rejected not only for being
pro-Russian, but also for its personal and economical connection
with the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, who is persona
non grata in Europe.

During the year and a half after the rejection the Prosperous Armenia
Party didn’t do anything to adopt European values and make changes. It
did the opposite, emphasizing its almost genetic incongruity with
that mentality and culture.

The Prosperous Armenia Party was the only one among the Armenian
parties that supported Putin’s idea for creating the Eurasian Economic
Community and Armenia’s joining it. The idea was perceived in Brussels
as a means to counterbalance the European Union and prevent the further
integration of the post-Soviet states and especially the six countries
in the Eastern Partnership.

Basically, Tsarukyan went to Brussels without anything to offer the
Europeans or receive from them. While the Prosperous Armenia Party
was submitting its application to join the EPP in order to cover its
ugly neo-Bolshevik nature with a European lining, the same is still
happening. Thus, it is not determined by the understanding for a need
to change, but by strategic considerations. Otherwise, Tsarukyan had
to go to Brussels not as the owner of the Prosperous Armenia Party,
but as its ordinary leader.

It is possible that Tsarukyan comes back from Brussels having rich or
scant information on meetings with European emissaries and officials.

Thus, nothing can change because while Tsarukyan is running to
Brussels, Brussels itself, embodied by Barroso and Martens, came to
Armenia in order to demonstrate its absolute support for the ruling
regime.

The European Union came to Armenia to claim that regardless of the
Armenian election, it already recognizes Sargsyan’s victory. The
reservation has been made. If the President doesn’t keep his promise
to be reelected without clamor in the next most democratic elections,
Armenia will not receive the financial aid that is being displayed in
front of our government desperate for a new influx of subsidies. And
Sargsyan should conduct such elections at any cost.

His chances are very high. The National Assembly’s second elections in
the single-mandate electoral districts of Avan and Gyumri dispelled all
doubts: the government can get any result it wants. More importantly,
no power could dispute the results of such elections, as it wouldn’t
have any objective evidence to prove voting violations.

Europe needs stable, not democratic, elections, meaning that Brussels
needs a stable, predictive and adaptive Armenia, not an Armenia that
respects democracy or human rights. They need a government guided
not by its state interests, but the priority to go along with the
international community. In other words, the European Union is creating
an illusion of democracy and a false European values system in Armenia,
and that requires Sargsyan as president because no one can solve this
issue better than he.

This holds true especially when there is no alternative power
in Armenia with enough resources for public mobilization and is
trustworthy at the same time. That’s something the European Union,
the European Council and the Armenian government fully understands. The
Republican Party is as incompatible with democratic values and culture
as the Prosperous Armenia Party. It is as neo-Bolshevik as Prosperous
Armenia. But for both of them a false democracy is the swamp where
they can swim as much as they want.

Today President Sargsyan is visiting Turkmenistan to participate in the
summit of CIS leaders. The Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Putin will be there too, and Sargsyan will meet with him
separately. It has special importance for him as on one hand, it will
alleviate the influence of the EPP conference, and on the other hand,
he will finally get Putin’s consent for him to visit Armenia, which
is as important for Sargsyan as was Barroso’s visit.

If he succeeds, he will eventually become a president “preferred by
all centers.” The question is whether that’s enough to be a president
elected by Armenian citizens and whether or not that’s a task the
president will put before himself.

Regardless, the strategies of the Prosperous Armenia and the Republican
parties show that both of them are trying to find confidence and
support abroad. It doesn’t matter whether in Brussels, Moscow or
Washington. It is essential for both the most powerful parties in
Armenia, and generally for the “political elite”, that support from
abroad is more important than confiding in their own nation. No matter
the contempt they have towards their own citizens, it’s naturally
impossible to respect an electorate that they have turned into a
“client.”