Author: Kalantarian Kevo

SAFAROV CASE: HOW CAN THE RULE OF LAW BE ENFORCED ?

10:26 pm | Today | Politics

“Somehow, we in this Assembly must try to persuade the international
community to get serious about the problem between Azerbaijan and
Armenia,” said Christopher Chope (United Kingdom, EDG) today in
Strasbourg, opening a current affairs debate on the Safarov case.

“Tensions are rising all the time and, although there are political
statements, no one seems to be concentrating on the key issue, which
is how we enforce the international rule of law, as interpreted by the
United Nations Security Council – or the rule of law as we understand
it, which expects prisoners who have been condemned and duly sentenced
to serve their sentences and not to be glorified by their countries,”
he added.

“We must find a way to prevent such occurrences. We can condemn such
things, which I think we do, but we need to find a way of resolving
the issues so that two member countries of our Council of Europe can
live peacefully together,” he concluded.

THE GIFT OF MOBILITY

Community | September 27, 2012 11:17 am

Garine, 12, receives a walker, left, and an elliptical, right, for
her physical therapy.

PTGHUNK, Armenia and SEAL BEACH, Calif. – The Armenian Lighthouse
Charitable Foundation (ALCF), the organization formerly known as
Paros “Lighthouse” Charitable Foundation, cares for the sick and
injured who are marginalized and often forgotten. As part of its
community outreach initiative, called Husi Jerag (Light of Hope),
ALCF has given the gift of mobility to dozens of disabled children
and adults throughout Armenia. This vital assistance is made possible
with donations of wheelchairs, walkers and other equipment from
ALCF supporters in the US. ALCF collects all forms of gently-used
medical equipment on a year-round basis, and has a long waiting list
of disabled children and adults in need of immediate assistance.

One recent beneficiary of ALCF’s outreach is Susanna, age 50,
from Yerevan. Susanna was paralyzed from the neck down following an
automobile accident that claimed the life of her husband. The accident
occurred when Susanna and her husband had just spent a weekend with
their son in Tavush where he was serving in the army. Following
the accident, she spent two years in the hospital recuperating from
her injuries. When her son returned from the army, the pressure and
stress of caring for an invalid parent become too overwhelming for
him, and he refused to see her. With the exception of a cousin who
came once a day to feed her, Susanna was stranded and utterly alone.

A few months ago, ALCF learned about Susanna’s plight from the doctor
who is treating her. ALCF staff quickly took action and brought her an
electric wheelchair designed specifically for paraplegics. They also
spent time with Susanna training her to operate the new chair. Because
of this wheelchair, Susanna has a renewed feeling of independence
with the ability to ride around her home and venture outdoors.

Garine, age 12, has also received the gift of mobility from Armenian
Lighthouse Charitable Foundation. Garine was a healthy, active, young
girl with a bright future. Without warning, one day she began to lose
strength and movement in her legs. While her doctors have not been
able to diagnose the cause, Garine’s mobility has been compromised.

She can only walk holding someone’s hand and sways unsteadily from
side to side.

Recently, Garine and her mother visited ALCF’s center in Ptghunk,
and Garine was given a walker. The next day, her mother returned
asking if the foundation could also provide some type of equipment
to help strengthen Garine’s legs. ALCF gave her an elliptical,
and Garine uses it for her own physical therapy. In the meantime,
ALCF is working with Garine and her family to determine the cause
of her disability. Gagik, age 55, lives in the Gegharkunik region
and is a war veteran. During the war, he lost both of his legs in
battle. Since sustaining his injuries, Gagik has fashioned a car for
himself to control the accelerator and brake pedals with his hands. On
a recent visit to ALCF’s center, Gagik received an electric wheelchair.

Delighted with this new piece of equipment, he treated the staff of
ALCF to cognac and chocolate. ALCF provides the maintenance on all
the equipment that it donates to needy individuals.

Husi Jerag offers desperately-needed services to the local community
including vocational training, psychological counseling and therapy,
sewing and cooking classes, women’s health services, feeding the poor
and elderly, supporting a local kindergarten, weekly Bible study,
family sponsorships and donations of essential goods to the needy
in Armenia and Artsakh. In addition to Husi Jerag, ALCF operates a
shelter for abused women and girls, with open doors to the children
of these victims.

Zuhrab and Seta Ghazarian are the founders of Armenian Lighthouse
Charitable Foundation. They have been engaged in charity work and
community outreach for underprivileged and underserved Armenians since
1996. The idea grew out of their concern for at-risk Armenian women
and children as well as preserving the integrity of the Armenian
family. Armenian Lighthouse Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit, public benefit corporation registered in the State of
California and Republic of Armenia.

Donations are needed to advance this work. The organization invites
travelers to Armenia to visit its 13,000 sq.-ft. complex in Ptghunk
and witness first-hand its work.

Contributions to ALCF can be mailed to: PO Box 3595, Seal Beach,
CA 90740.

NORMALIZATION OF GEORGIA-RUSSIA RELATIONS TO STRENGTHEN ARMENIA’S POSITION – EXPERT

news.am
October 04, 2012 | 13:47

YEREVAN.- If Georgian Dream’s victory leads to normalization of
relations between Tbilisi and Moscow, it will strengthen Armenia’s
positions in the region, Armenian analyst believes.

Normalization of Georgia-Russia relations will positively affect
infrastructure and communication, Deputy Director of Caucasus Institute
Sergey Minasyan told reporters on Thursday.

As to Azerbaijan’s response to the Georgian election results, Minasyan
said Baku “was surprised”. They perceived negatively improvement
of Armenia’s position, he added. As to the West, for them the most
important issue is democracy. Change of power in Georgia was made
through elections, thus the country can expect increase in economic
and political assistance.

Georgian Dream led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili won the October
1 parliamentary elections. Saakashvili conceded defeat and announced
his party will become the opposition.

ARGENTINEAN-ARMENIAN BUSINESSMAN BUYS MFA BUILDING

news.am
October 04, 2012 | 13:49

YEREVAN. – Tango Company, which belongs to Argentinean-Armenian
businessman Eduardo Eurnekian, purchased the Government of Armenia
Building No.2, where the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
currently functions.

During Thursday’s Cabinet session the Government approved the
building’s sales deal, which is worth AMD 20,6 billion (approx.

$50,391,095) and the building’s total area is 14,200 square meters.

After renovation, the building will be turned into a five-star hotel.

To note, Tango Company had already purchased the area of the former
Justice Ministry building, and on the condition of constructing a
public building there. But since the state is reserved the priority
right to buy that building, the MFA probably will be relocated to
that building, where the Justice Ministry will return and, also,
space could be allocated for the Diaspora Ministry.

PRIME MINISTER INSTRUCTED TO PAY ATTENTION TO MONEY EXPENDITURE WHEN IMPLEMENTING COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

ARMENPRESS
4 October, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS: The Government of the Republic of
Armenia allocated AMD 10 billion for the settlement of the primary
issues of the regions of Armenia. As reported by Armenpress, at
the session of the Government of Armenia on October 4 the Deputy
Minister of Territorial Administration Vache Terteryan stated that the
funds will be directed to the restoration of the regions’ schools,
cultural and health units, buildings, as well as road construction,
water supply and other programs implementation.

“The programs were selected taking into account the urgent problems of
the regions. In general, 325 programs are intended to be implemented:
114 of them in urban and the rest in rural communities”, – stated
Vache Terteryan.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia instructed the Deputy
Minister of Territorial Administration of Armenia to cooperate with
the agencies during the implementation process of the programs and
pay greater attention to the money expenditure process.

ARMENIA’S FOREIGN MINISTRY BUILDING ALIENATED

tert.am
14:10 ~U 04.10.12

Armenia’s government has approved a proposal for alienating the Foreign
Ministry’s building to a private company, which is to purchase the
premises in accordance with an earlier reached agreement.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting on Thursday, the head of the State
Property Management Department, Arman Sahakyan, said the total sales
price will comprise an equivalent of $51,271 million. The property will
be handed over to the purchaser after the payment of the full amount.

The closed joint-stock company Tango, which is buying the building
with its surrounding landlot, is obliged, until September 1, 2015,
to submit to the government the 100% shares of its daughter company,
Salsa Development.

After completing the transaction and doing the necessary repairs, the
company is obliged to use the premises as a five-storey hotel-complex
holding the brand of an internationally acclaimed hotel network. The
agreement also obliges the purchaser to maintain the building’s
historical cultural design and exterior.

FOREIGN MINISTRY SOLD FOR 20,692,300,000 AMD

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 13:09:15 – 04/10/2012

Today, the government approved the sale of the building of the ministry
of foreign affairs of Armenia. The building was sold to Tango CJSC for
20,692,300,000 AMD.

CBA PRESIDENT ARTHUR JAVADYAN: ARMENIAN BAD CREDITS INDICATORS ARE ONE OF THE BESTS IN THE WORLD

ARMENPRESS
3 October, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS: The indicators of bad (expired and
non-refunded) credits of the Republic of Armenia are one of the bests
not only in the CIS region, but also in Europe. It was announced by
the President of the Central Bank of Armenia Arthur Javadyan during
the state budget performance report 2011 of the Republic of Armenia
on October 3.

“We have one of the best indicators for bad credit in the world. At
this moment their level is within 4% of the general amount. In
separate programs the indicators vary. The least is in the field of
agriculture”, – stated Arthur Javadyan.

“Here as well the return level is the same – 99%. By the estimate, we
have 350 non-performing loans”, – said the President of the Central
Bank of Armenia, adding that the information is available in the
CBA annual report and was published in the official website of the
Central Bank.

As reported by Armenpress, in response to the Arthur Javadyan’s
announcement the Deputy of the Armenian National Congress Faction of
the National Assembly Nikol Pashinyan expressed his concern about the
“99% of return level”, particularly mentioning about the applicants
to get other loans to cover the available ones.

Responding to this concern, the President of the Central Bank of
Armenia Arthur Javadyan stated that he did not consider the option
of “covering the loan by a loan” to be possible, as the loans,
provided by subsidies of the Government of Armenia, were with quite
low percentage. “I do not think that they take bad credits from other
banks to cover this one”, – stated Arthur Javadyan.

SYRIAN CONFLICT TAKING TOLL ON THE LAST ARMENIAN VILLAGE VAKIFLI IN TURKEY: AL-MONITOR

ARMENPRESS
3 October, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS: Al-Monitor dwelled on Vakifli village,
the last Armenian village in Turkey’s Hatay province, reports
Armenpress. “I am in Vakifli village, the last Armenian village in
Turkey’s Hatay province, Samandag township, near the Syrian border.

Vakifli is on the slopes of the Musa Mountain. Over time this village
became a neighborhood of Samandag. We climb up to reach Vakifli
village, which is a couple of kilometers away from [Samandag] town
center. We are surrounded by reed beds, olive, mulberry and pomegranate
trees, while walking up the Musa. The Gabris coffeehouse, under the
shadow of gigantic pines, serves orange, lemon, mandarin and mulberry
syrups. The cool breeze coming from the Mediterranean adds pleasure to
our chat. Bogos Silahli, a retired philosophy teacher from Istanbul,
is occupied with his preparations for the Philosophy Days festival,
which will celebrate its fourth anniversary in 2013. He already decided
the topic: “The Ethics of Food and Human Rights.” I asked whether
Silahli considers organizing Philosophy Days on the Middle East or
the Syrian issue. He calmly said he doesn’t want to get involved in
politics. Despite its decreasing population, Vakifli is becoming more
and more important since it is the only Armenian village in Turkey. It
is undergoing restoration, while preserving its old architecture. Its
population has dropped down to 135 Armenians. There are 35 households
in Vakifli. During the 1940s, it used to be the biggest village in the
area, yet its population decreased to 320 by 1964. Its youth immigrated
to big cities or abroad to either work or study. The average age in
the village is now about 60-70. With the decrease in the number of
children, the village school was shut down.

You come across old people in the streets and gardens of Vakifli,
while the roads are filled with luxury cars with foreign plates
owned by youngsters. During the holidays, those who live abroad or
in big cities visit their native village; in summer the population
of Vakifli goes up to 2,000. The family of Levon Ter-Petrosyan,
the first president of Armenia, is originally from Vakifli. The
family first migrated to Syria from Vakifli, and then to Armenia
from Syria. With the opening of the nearby Hatay airport, Antakya’s
increasing prospects of becoming a touristic city, development of
relations between Turkey and the Middle East, and the lifting of visas
between Turkey and Syria, as well as Lebanon, Vakifli started to enjoy
many visitors. Accordingly, some small hotels and social facilities
were constructed in the village. However, the civil war in Siria
and the worsening relations between Turkey and Syria had an adverse
impact on the village. The tourist flow from abroad and Turkey to the
village has decreased. Villagers are worried about the hardships faced
by Armenians in Syria and the beginning of their emigration to Armenia.

They are hesitant to talk about the Syrian issue. In general, they
hold the opinion that it is the imperialist powers that stirred
up the crises in Syria. They also think that the fall of [Syrian
President Bashar] al-Assad is inevitable, yet that peace won’t come
to Syria after his fall. The church in Vakifli serves as a unifying
factor. The building was constructed for silk farming in 1890. It
was converted to a church in 1924 and reconstructed in 1996. It is
a beautiful architectural monument with stone masonry. The two bell
towers of the church distinguish it from other examples. Every year,
Surp Asdvadzadzin (Annunciation Day) is celebrated on the second Sunday
of August, which is also the harvest time, in this church. Herise (a
special food eaten during this occasion) is cooked in seven boilers in
the garden of the church. There is a symbolic meaning of this number.

Each boiler represents the seven other Armenian villages that used to
be located in the region (the contemporary names of these villages can
be listed as: (Yogunoluk, Bityas, Kebusiye, Hidirbey, Hacihabipli, Azir
and Vakifli). Vakifli hosts its guests coming from other regions of
Turkey, Armenia, Syria, Lebanon, the United States and other countries
during the Christian festivals. Despite the clashes in Syria, this
year this festival was celebrated in peace in Vakifli.”

FOOD PRICES UP BY 1.1 PERCENT IN SEPTEMBER: DAILY SAYS

/ARKA/
3 October, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, October 3. / ARKA /. Food prices in 2012 September rose by
1.1% when compared to the previous month, driven by higher prices of
animal and vegetable oil, bread, vegetables and potatoes which rose
form 1.5% to 10.7%, Orakarg (Agenda) daily says.

It says prices of potatoes and vegetables in September 2012 increased
by 10.7% compared to August, although when compared to 2011 September,
they were down 9.7%. In September 2012 tomato prices, compared with
August 2012, hiked significantly by 17.9%, that of potatoes jumped
by 19.1%, the price of green pepper surged by 29.6%, the price of
green beans skyrocketed by 48.2%, eggplant price nearly doubled.

Unlike in 2011, when the dramatic rise in all agricultural products was
due to seasonal factors, in 2012 September a 7 percent rise in bread
prices from a year before and a 1.6 percent rise from 2012 August
were driven by increasing prices of grain at world market and the
national currency, the dram’s exchange rate fluctuations. Although
in September the dram strengthened by 0.5 percent it had no impact
on the food prices. ($ 1 – 407.98 drams).