Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Foreign Policy: Armenia’s input to Afghanistan’s security maintenance important

August 21, 2012 – 18:08 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – In his report published in Foreign Policy magazine,
Commanding General of the U.S. Army Europe, Lieutenant General Mark P.
Hertling stressed Armenia’s role in maintenance of security in
Afghanistan.

`The fact that Armenia created brigade-sized peacekeeping and
NATO-compatible units is an extremely positive development. These
units, which are specifically non-aligned with operations in Nagorno
Karabakh conflict, are largely manned by professional soldiers, not
conscripts, and are led by English-speaking, western-trained officers.
At a glance during my visit, they also appear better trained than line
forces occupying positions along the Karabakh line-of-contact.

With America’s continued support, the Caucuses will remain a source of
stable, reliable, interoperable partners who are the foundation of
future regional and global security,’ the report reads.

Armenia’s central bank obligates all banks and financial institutions
to scrutinize their transactions – CBA statement

news.am
August 21, 2012 | 17:39

YEREVAN.- The Central Bank of Armenia issued a statement on Tuesday in
response to an article titled `Iran looks to Armenia to skirt bank
sanctions’ published by Reuters agency. The statement reads as
follows:

`The banks in the Republic of Armenia, operating under the supervision
of the Central Bank of Armenia, are subject to the laws of the
Republic of Armenia, the regulations of the Central Bank of Armenia,
and the banks’ internal rules. One of the supervisory tiers of the
Central Bank of Armenia is the provision of the adequate
implementation of financial sanctions imposed on certain countries
under relevant decisions of international organizations, such as the
UN Security Council Resolutions.

The decisions and relevant financial sanctions, imposed by the
European Union and the United States of America in relation to nuclear
proliferation programs of certain countries, are also under the
attention of the Central Bank of Armenia, in order to avoid any
possible involvement in or assistance to such programs by any bank in
the Republic of Armenia. The Central Bank of Armenia obligates all
banks and financial institutions in the Republic of Armenia to
scrutinize their transactions, in order to avoid any possible
involvement in transactions considered unacceptable by the
international community. Moreover, pursuant to the policy adopted by
the Board of the Central Bank of Armenia, individuals and companies
from higher-risk countries are neither allowed to establish a
financial institution in the Republic of Armenia nor to acquire any
participation in the equity of acting financial institutions.

`Mellat Bank’ CJSC has been operating in the Republic of Armenia since
1996; its clientele is primarily composed of small and medium
enterprises involved in the foreign trade between the Islamic Republic
of Iran and the Republic of Armenia, as well as of tourists and
students. The bank’s activities and assets have dramatically decreased
during the past 3-4 years; in the period from December 31, 2010 to
July 1, 2012, the banks’ assets have decreased by more than 50%,
dropping from 88 million US dollars to only 40 million US dollars.
`Mellat Bank’ CJSC holds no correspondent accounts either in the
European Union and the United States of America or in the Republic of
Armenia.

The banks in the Republic of Armenia, including `ACBA-Credit Agricole
Bank’ CJSC, hold no correspondent accounts with banks and financial
institutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The banks in the
Republic of Armenia are strictly bound to customer due diligence
rules, in order to avoid any direct or indirect financing of
individuals and companies related to nuclear proliferation programs.

The Central Bank of Armenia will follow its supervision over the
behavior and transactions of all financial institutions and their
customers in the Republic of Armenia, in order to safeguard its
financial system from any destabilizing effects.’

Syrian Armenians driving license to be exchanged with no qualifying exams

12:57, 21 August, 2012

YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, ARMENPRESS: Syrian Armenians driving licenses
which do not correspond to 1968 `’ road traffic” Convention
requirements will be interchanged without taking the exams. As
Armenpress reports citing Armenian Government official web site, the
draft is included in Executive Body’s August 23 agenda. The draft is
aimed at regulating the exchange of Syrian Armenians driver’s licenses
otherwise they will encounter employment issue. It is written in the
statement the driving licenses of our Armenian citizens arrived
Homeland from Syria recently , do not correspond to `’ Exams on
driving licenses and procedure of acquiring them. Syrian Armenians
must submit passport or other identification document and in case of
the absence of information about the registration in the Republic of
Armenia they should present reference on their registration as well
as state fee payment receipt stipulated by the law.

The draft was elaborated by the Ministry of Diaspora and road police
service of the Republic of Armenia.

U.S. Army Command develops Caucasus-linked military scenarios

August 21, 2012 – 16:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – `The Caucasus, that historical causeway of conflict
between Europe and the Middle East, remains a complicated tangle of
security concerns. Ethnic tensions still affect long standing
territorial disputes, internally displaced indigenous people align
with or oppose powerful diasporas, and an increasing nouveau riche, an
oil-fueled minority upper class, is growing in an area once known only
for desperate poverty.

While the Minsk Group spearheads the OSCE’s efforts to find a
political solution to the conflict in and around Nagorno Karabakh,
Armenia and Azerbaijan both remain frustrated with the lack of
political resolve… The recent Georgian experience with Russia has
left significant cross-border scars that will likely not heal anytime
soon, especially as Georgia desperately seeks NATO membership and
European acceptance,’ the report reads.

According to the author, the spider-web relations between Iran and
Israel with many of those in this region confuses even the experts;
and the border between Turkey and many of her neighbors, especially
Armenia, are subject to political resolution of multi-generational
disputes between those two countries.

`All of these factors exist in a crucible surrounded on three sides by
Turkey, Iran, and Russia. The potential for conflict is considered so
plausible and the issues related to the interaction so confusing that
a few years ago the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command
developed scenarios linked to the Caucasus to help prepare Majors for
military contingencies. The U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff
College at Fort Leavenworth uses the “GAAT”
(Georgia-Armenia-Azerbaijan-Turkey) exercise as a thread of continuity
throughout the course. Understandably there is no right or wrong
answers to any of the questions posed to young field grade officers in
the course, but the underlying conflict scenarios meet the requirement
to analyze and exercise an extremely complex Joint, Interagency,
Intergovernmental and Multinational resolution.

European Command’s strategy of Theater Security Cooperation – and
USAREUR’s contribution as part of that strategy in training and
exercising with the militaries and engaging with military and
political leaders – is bearing significant results. The four nations
that make up “the GAAT” are integrating forces in NATO out of theater
and peacekeeping operations in places like Afghanistan and Kosovo, and
the potential for peaceful management of the region’s substantial
security challenges is improving,’ the report reads.

Armenia’s North-South Road Corridor board convenes session

news.am
August 21, 2012 | 12:32

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s PM Tigran Sargsyan chaired regular session of the
North-South Road Corridor Investment Program Governing Board.

The Board approved the contract with respect to the consultant for the
architectural planning, construction management, and supervision of
the two road junctions at capital city Yerevan’s western ring road,
The Government press service informs.

Subsequently, the Board members reflected on the draft decision, which
will be introduced to the Government of Armenia, and concerns the
approval of the results of the open international tender introduced
for the aforesaid consultant.

The Premier commissioned to make additions to this draft decision and
to subsequently introduce it to the Cabinet’s next session.

Vanadzor Mayoral Race – Financials of the 5 Candidates
Adrine Torosyan

hetq
11:44, August 21, 2012

The five candidates running for mayor of the northern Armenian town of
Vanadzor have all filed their financial disclosure statements. Let’s
take a look.

Karen Toumanyan – An independent and a lawyer who owns the Populex
Legal Services Company. His annual salary at the firm was 667,560 AMD.

Edik Karakhanyan – Prosperous Armenia Party. The former Deputy
Regional Governor had a salary of 2.5 million AMD. He also owns a 70%
share in a company called Edik Karakhanyan and Friends.

Samvel Darbinyan – Republican Party of Armenia. The current mayor of
Vanadzor who receives a salary of 2.4 million AMD. He also received
23.4 million AMD in dividends from his brother’s company Argishti 1.
(The company was granted the contract to repair the town’s roads)
Darbinyan cash assets amount to 105 million AMD.

Taron Apresyan – United Liberal National Party. Former branch manager
of Orange Armenia. Was paid 5 million AMD in wages at Orange. Received
1.7 million AMD in revenue from operated the Sanni City supermarket.
Declared cash holdings of 5 million AMD and $3,500.

Tigran Grigoryan – Independent. Received $787 in salary from
Rossotrudnichestvo (the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of
Independent States). He declared 1.254 million AMD in cash.

Whom Kocharyan’s Property Attracts?

Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 13:19:49 – 21/08/2012

Regnum published Ruben Grdzelyan’s article in which he states that
Robert Kocharyan left taking along his `shadow’ which, according to
some data, is almost the half of the Armenian economy.

This serious accusation has not yet been rejected either by the
government or by Robert Kocharyan’s office. Though, earlier, Kocharyan
used to file numerous claims against journalists accusing them of
slander.

How serious is this accusation? What is the real economic situation in
Armenia? Is there clear information on the amount of the `shadow’ and
of how it is managed? When seeking answers to these questions, we may
come to the conclusion that only the government is possible to have
such information, which, evidently is trying to deprive Robert
Kocharyan of the economic resource.

Without arguing and disagreeing with the governmental numbers, we
should note that in Armenia, apparently, they are trying to
redistribute property. The change of power in countries like Armenia,
where the business is out of law, is followed by the redistribution of
the property. After Robert Kocharyan’s departure in 2008, it didn’t
happen. The reasons should be found out: either Serzh Sargsyan didn’t
have enough power to seize from Kocharyan and his supporters the
colossal resource, or Sargsyan hoped to come to terms with Kocharyan
on the `second term’, so he didn’t want to ruin relations with him, or
perhaps, they have common resources.

Anyway, the sensational information that Kocharyan manages the shadow
half of the Armenian economy means the redistribution may start now.
So, soon, we should wait for proves for the sensational statement.

Despite Tigran Sargsyan’s attempts, Armenia is still one of the closed
countries of the world. No one knows about the people’s condition
here, whether there are billionaires in the country, and the most
important is how the wealth has been accumulated. So, Robert Kocharyan
can calmly appeal against newspapers affirming he collected 4 billion
during the four years of tenure. How do you know that, justly asks
Kocharyan, naturally, getting no answer.

Under such conditions, the `disclosure’ of the scales of Kocharyan’s
wealth, if the latter decides to run for president, can hardly be
called a political event or anti-corruption fight. This is a banal
redistribution of property which leads to the shift of the property
from one to another owner. For the state and society, this will change
nothing so there is no need to be happy about the talks on the `shadow
of the ex-president’.

We may be happy only in one case: if the state decides to nationalize
the illegally accumulated wealth, national richness which is used
exceptionally for the interests of certain individuals.
Nationalization is a very painful process, but it will hardly be
possible to legitimize the economy without it.

Once in Karabakh the huge confiscated house of the former minister of
defense Samvel Babayan was rendered a kindergarten. This was an
unprecedented step, no one disagreed, even Samvel Babayan himself
because the disputed property served for the children and the nation.

Armenia, if they started talking about the shadow of ex-presidents and
intentions to return the `stolen’, should learn from Karabakh and
develop a realistic and ambitious plan to nationalize the illegally
stolen goods. The first step, perhaps, should be the nationalization
of the mineral resources, and it can not only fill the state budget,
but also deprive some people of major economic resource in politics.
However, we have to speak about politics in Armenia with great
reserve. If originally politics is the art of influence on the
development of state and society, in Armenia, politics has degenerated
into looting the state and protecting their property.

ANCA expands focus on foreign aid to Armenia, Artsakh

August 21, 2012 – 12:41 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Armenian National Committee of America’s (ANCA),
in its Capitol Hill advocacy and grassroots activism, has expanded the
Armenian American community’s traditional foreign aid focus of
increasing aid to Armenia and Artsakh and cutting it for Turkey and
Azerbaijan, by supporting appropriations language targeting American
financial support for the at-risk Armenian community of Syria and the
vulnerable Armenian-populated Javkahkh region of Georgia.

An ANCA Action Alert, posted on , calls on U.S.
legislators to support provisions in the U.S. House version of the
Fiscal Year 2013 (FY13) foreign aid bill, when the two houses of
Congress reconcile their two versions of this appropriations measure.
The House version:

– Increases developmental and humanitarian aid to Nagorno Karabakh
from $2 million to $5 million.

– Calls upon the State Department to continue support of humanitarian
and resettlement assistance for minority communities, including
Armenians and other Christian populations in Syria and elsewhere in
the Middle East.

– Maintains economic aid to Armenia at the FY12 level of $40 million
(despite President’s Obama’s efforts to reduce this figure to $32.5
million).

– Directs the Obama Administration to report on the impact of FY05 –
FY12 aid to Samstskhe-Javakheti and its strategy for future
development of this region.

– Maintains military aid parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan at $2.7
million for Foreign Military Financing and $600,000 in International
Military Education and Training.

The ANCA’s outreach to Congressional offices has included the
distribution of charts illustrating the sharp rise in Baku’s military
spending and a parallel increase in Azerbaijani cross-border
incursions into both Armenia and Artsakh.

Haykakan Zhamanak: Growing number of people leave Armenia forever

tert.am
11:36 – 21.08.12

The first seven months of 2012 saw an increased number of people
leaving Armenia permanently, the paper has learned.

Citing the latest records of the Territorial Administration Ministry’s
State Migration Service, it says some 83,760 individuals, who departed
from the country by different means of transport from January to July,
never returned. The figure is said to be 6.5% higher compared to the
same period 2011. The paper adds that in July alone, 10,000 people
left Armenia forever.

It says further that the Migration Service has asked for the
Government’s funding to launch studies aimed at finding out the real
migration rates.

TURQUIE
Un groupe rock turc écrit une chanson consacrée à Hrant Dink

Les membres du renommé groupe rock turc MaNga, qui avait représenté
leur pays au Concours de l’Eurovision, ont annoncé que leur nouvel
album, intitulé « E-Akustik », inclut une chanson consacré à Hrant
Dink le fondateur et ancien rédacteur en chef de L’hebdomadaire
arménien Agos d’Istanbul qui a été abattu en 2007 devant son bureau.

Les membres ont noté qu’au cas où l’on écoute soigneusement les
paroles de leur chanson appelée « je suis un Clown » il deviendra
apparent qu’elle est consacré à Dink.

mardi 21 août 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com