Author: Kalantarian Kevo

REPRESENTATIVE OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN SYRIA: ARMENIANS OF SYRIA ARE FRIGHTENED BY LAWS AND INIQUITY IN ARMENIA

arminfo
Wednesday, July 25, 16:03

The Armenian officials’ statements that the Armenians of Syria do not
want to leave the borders of Syria for patriotic reasons though they
are offered every possible support on their historical homeland do
not quite comply with the reality, one of the leaders of the Armenian
community of Syria, who preferred to be anonymous, told ArmInfo.

In fact, the Armenians living in Syria do not leave the country
because they simply cannot buy air tickets, he said. As regards the
businessmen and entrepreneurs, they cannot wind up their business
within a day and migrate. “Actually, there is no specific state
program aiming to support the migration of the Armenians of Syria
to their historical homeland, creation of affordable conditions for
living and employment”, said ArmInfo’s interlocutor. In the meantime,
he said that Armenia is the most affordable country for migration of
the Syrian Armenians, as the third countries can receive them only as
refugees, while on the historical homeland they can gain citizenship.

“Therefore, the Armenians of Syria want to return to their historical
homeland, to make a lodgment here, to open their business. Very
many Armenian businessmen from Syria wanted to move their business
to Armenia, however, having come to the historical homeland and
familiarized themselves with the “rules of the game”, they gave up
this idea at once. They were frightened by the laws and iniquity in
Armenia”, said the representative of the Armenian community.

According to ArmInfo’s interlocutor, the laws regulating the economic
sphere of Armenia do not create conditions for profitable business.

“In Armenia the taxes are very high, and one can simply go bankrupt,
but the worst thing is that even these laws do not act very often.

Everybody knows Armenia’s attitude towards the Diaspora Armenians,
especially towards entrepreneurs: here one has to go halves with some
official, to pay a bribe to someone, to pay some money to the tough
guys, and at the same time to pay high taxes. In general, the business
atmosphere in Armenia does not encourage the Armenians of Syria to
invest in the historical homeland though they have a huge desire
to do that”, he said and stressed that if the situation improved,
he himself could “bring” 10 large entrepreneurs from Syria to Armenia.

“And now it turns out that Armenians of Syria would rather remain
in Syria even under the life threat than move to their historical
homeland in conditions of uncertainty”, he said. He added that nearly
3000 Armenians from Syria want to visit Armenia in summer as tourists.

However, over this time they will try to study the situation in the
country and to understand how reasonable it is to return to their
homeland.

He also pointed out that the big inflow of the Syrian Armenians
to Armenia has led to considerable rise in the prices of not only
Aleppo-Yerevan-Aleppo air tickets, but also the apartments in Yerevan
and in the regions.

As regards the situation in Syria, ArmInfo’s interlocutor said that the
crisis is gathering pace with every passing day. “Until quite recently
it was comparatively calm in the Armenian-populated Aleppo, but over
the past four days the city has been under constant fire, the people
are afraid to leave home, and there is no hope for stability”, he said.

PASSPORT AND VISA DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE FALSIFIES DOCUMENTS IN ARMENIA

news.am
July 25, 2012 | 19:12

YEREVAN. – Armenian Police criminal investigation department and
internal security department employees found out that employee of
Aragats section of the Passport and Visa Department of the Police
of Armenia Gayane Hovhannisyan abusing her official position has
falsified documents and illegally granted a citizen with an Armenian
passport on May 4 last year.

On April 18 and May 30, 2012, she has granted another two citizens
with the Armenian passports, with the same details.

Materials are sent to the Special Investigative Service of Armenia.

THE CURRENT LEVEL OF THE ARMENIAN-IRANIAN CULTURAL RELATIONS IS HIGHLY APPRECIATED

ARMENPRESS
25 July, 2012
YEREVAN

Yerevan, July 25, ARMENPRESS: The Armenian Minister of Culture Hasmik
Poghosyan hosted the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic Mohammad Reisi. As “Armenpress”
was informed by the Ministry of Culture, the minister congratulated
the guest on the occasion of the inauguration and noted that the
Armenian-Iranian cultural relations are at a high level.

During the conversation the minister touched upon the joint cultural
projects carried out in the two countries, particularly the literary
translation ones which contributed to the creation of the “Armenia-Iran
literary bridges” and provided a solid platform for the mutual visits
and the implementation of the literary programs.

The minister touched upon the 20th anniversary of the Armenian-Iranian
friendship held in Meghri 2011 and suggested the Ambassador Mohammad
Reisi to make the program continuous. The sides discussed the issue
of the Iranian singer Pari Zangane’s charity concerts in Armenia in
the autumn.

In the framework of the upcoming joint programs Poghosyan attached
importance to the Armenian-Iranian cooperation, particularly in
the UNESCO pattern, suggesting the Iranian side to develop joint
applications in the non-material cultural heritage sector.

The minister offered to make dramaturgical works translations. The
Ambassador suggested to translate Saadi’s works from Persian for the
Armenian reader.

In conclusion, Ambassador Mohammad Reisi congratulated Minister
Poghosyan for the warm reception, for the active support in the
Armenian-Iranian cultural initiatives and for maintaining the high
level of the historical relations between the two countries.

OSCE MINSK GROUP: ‘ELECTIONS’ IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH CANNOT PREJUDGE ITS FUTURE STATUS

Interfax
July 23 2012
Russia

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group for the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have issued a commentary on what the
self-proclaimed republic presented as presidential elections it held
on Thursday.

“The Co-Chairs acknowledge the need for the de facto authorities in NK
to try to organize democratically the public life of their population
with such a procedure. However, the Co-Chairs note that none of their
three countries, nor any other country, recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as
an independent and sovereign state,” the mediators said in a statement
posted on the OSCE website.

The so-called presidential elections in Nagorno-Karabakh “in no way
prejudge the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of
the ongoing negotiations to bring a lasting and peaceful settlement
to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” they said.

The incumbent de-facto president of Nagorno-Karabakh, Bako Saakian,
was earlier proclaimed the winner of the Thursday procedure.

ARTSAKH HAS ELECTED A PRESIDENT: THE UNRECOGNIZED REPUBLIC EXPECTS THE SOLUTION OF SOCIOECONOMIC PROBLEMS
Viktoriya Panfilova

Nezavisimaya Gazeta
July 20 2012
Russia

Bako Sahakyan, leader of Nagornyy Karabakh, voted for a continuation
of the course he has begun

Presidential elections were held yesterday in the unrecognized
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Three candidates, including sitting
president Bako Sahakyan, were vying for the post of leader of the
republic. NATO and the European Union and also neighbouring Turkey and
Azerbaijan said that they do not recognize the elections in the NKR.

Turnout in Nagornyy Karabakh is high, as a rule. The present elections
were no exception. Approximately 70 per cent of eligible citizens
had gone to the polls by the time the issue was signed to press.

Approximately 99,000 persons are eligible altogether.

Aharon Adibekyan, head of the Sociometer Sociological Research Centre,
believes that there will be no second round. According to a poll
that was held, Bako Sahakyan will win a convincing victory – around
75 per cent of the vote. His rivals – Vitaliy Balasanyan, hero of
Artsakh, major general of the NKR Defence Army, and member of the NKR
parliament, and also Arkadiy Sogomonyan, vice president for scientific
studies of the Stepanakert branch of the State Agrarian University
of Armenia – will drop out, according to the poll, having shared 25
per cent per cent. We recall that 85 per cent of the citizenry voted
for Sahakyan five years ago. But Gegam Bagdasaryan, president of
the Stepanakert Press Club, is not inclined to trust this forecast
since the poll was commissioned by a political party of the NKR,
Free Homeland, on which Bako Sahakyan relies for support.

Experts noted that the pollster Adibekyan maintained a month ago,
relying on the latest study, that Bako Sahakyan would muster no more
than 30 per cent of the vote. How in a month the forecast changed
and become optimistic, no one would venture to say. Nonetheless,
the majority of observers believe that the sitting Karabakh leader
will win the elections, all the same.

“It is not inconceivable that the elections will require more than one
round. There is also another scenario of the outcome. It is possible
that a majority of the army, and this is a very serious factor in
Karabakh, could vote for Vitaliy Balasanyan, who is one of 20 heroes
of Artsakh (the Republic of Artsakh is the second official name of the
NKR – NG) and enjoys great authority among military personnel. In that
case a second round is not ruled out,” Ashot Melikyan, chairman of the
Committee for Protection of Freedom of Speech, told NG. He remarked
also that 75 per cent of polled citizens of Karabakh expect of the
future president primarily a resolution of socioeconomic problems, and
only 9 per cent of the citizenry, a settlement of the Karabakh problem.

Stepanakert expects that the visiting monitors from Russia, the United
States, Germany, France, Poland, Israel, and other countries and also
from the partially recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia will, as on
the last occasion, make a positive assessment of the elections. And
this is natural, Ashot Melikyan says, because, on the whole, there
are fewer violations in the NKR than in Armenia, say. This applies to
ballot-rigging also. In Karabakh people themselves decide for whom to
vote. This explains also the high turnout on polling day. That the
system itself within the NKR is such that there are opportunities
to make use of administrative resources is another matter. But it
should be noted here that the present leader Bako Sahakyan, despite
the criticism of him, both enjoys popularity among the citizenry and
the full support of official Yerevan and of President Serzh Sargsyan
personally.

The statement of Catherine Ashton, vice president of the European
Commission and high representative of the European Union for
foreign affairs and security policy: “The EU does not recognize the
constitutional or legal framework in which they will be held. These
elections should not be detrimental to determination of the future
status of Nagornyy Karabakh within the overall framework of the
negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict,” was against
this background unexpected. The European diplomat called on the parties
to focus “on the search for a resolution of the conflict within the
negot iations based on the Madrid principles.” The EU, in turn, Ashton
says, will continue to support the parties’ efforts in this area.

NATO is not happy with the elections either. James Appathurai,
the NATO secretary general’s special representative for the South
Caucasus and Central Asia, said that “NATO, like a number of other
international organizations also, does not recognize the elections in
Nagornyy Karabakh.” He said that the holding of such elections does
not contribute to a peaceful and lasting settlement of the conflict.

Neighbouring countries – Turkey and Azerbaijan – are of a similar
opinion. They viewed the presidential elections in Nagornyy Karabakh
as a provocative step by Armenia. These countries’ foreign ministries
believe that a plebiscite in the unrecognized republic is contrary
to the commitments to the OSCE and the decisions of the UN Security
Council. And strikes a “blow” at the process of a peaceful settlement
of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, and they declared the international
monitors personae non gratae. “Those monitoring the voting in Nagornyy
Karabakh will be listed as persons undesirable for Azerbaijan,”
Elman Abdullayev, director of the Foreign Ministry press service, said.

In response to such statements, the political scientist Sergey
Minasyan, deputy director of the Caucasus Institute, said that,
as distinct from the neighbouring country (Azerbaijan – NG), power
in the NKR is being formed not on the hereditary principle but as a
result of elections.

[Translated from Russian]

11 YEAR-OLD S. SEVIAN TOOK FIRST PRIZE AT THE 20TH METROPOLITAN TOURNAMENT

24.07.12, 17:24

11-year-old Armenian chess player Samuel Sevian having no defeat and
scoring 7 points out of 9 took the first prize at the 20th Metropolitan
Tournament that was held in Los Angeles, USA.

Armchess.am informs about this.

Samuel fulfilled an International Master norm for the second time
within the last two months.

HERITAGE MEMBER: ARMENIA MUST ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH SYRIAN OPPOSITION

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 24, 2012 – 16:20 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – RA authorities must launch negotiations with the
Syrian opposition to support the Armenian community in the country,
secretary general of Heritage opposition party said.

In this context, Stepan Safaryan cited Syrian opposition’s statement
pledging to ensure protection of the rights of Armenians and other
minorities.

He further slammed Armenian political elite’s disregard for Syrian
and regional developments.

“Taking into account the latest events in Syria, RA government stands
unready for the Armenian community’s evacuation and other global
problems,” Mr. Safaryan said.

ARMENIAN CHILDREN’S HOME KIDS WILL GO TO TURKEY – NEWSPAPER

news.am
July 24, 2012 | 06:05

YEREVAN. – The girls at the children’s home in Armenia’s Gavar city
will be taken to Turkey. Aravot daily received such information from
a reader.

“[And] In an interview with us, Gavar Children’s Home Director Nikolay
Nalbandyan did not deny the news. [But] He added that not only girls,
but also boys [and] representatives from the Labor and Social Affairs
Ministry and the Children’s Home’s headship [likewise] are included
in the group that will go.

In his words, ‘this is a cultural and a recreational event. Children
over the ages of twelve will head [to Turkey] for around ten days.’

The Director confessed that the news received a wide resonance, that
there were people who had called 1-02 [Police hotline], and even
people from the Police had come to check the data and the lists of
the children who will go.

Nalbandian assured that the invitation was from the [Armenian]
Patriarchate of Constantinople, with funding by an Armenian-Swedish
organization.

‘Is it bad that thirty children will travel around Western
Armenia-Kars, Ani, HolyCrossChurch, home of [great Armenian poet,
writer, and public activist] Yeghishe Charents, our ancestral lands?’

Also, he said that in the previous years they took Gavar’s children
to Germany, the Netherlands, US, [and] France.

‘It is the Armenian [Deputy] Patriarch [of Constantinople] who
invited. Shall we reject the Armenian Patriarch?'”, Aravot writes.

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SUDDENLY “DISCLOSES” AZERBAIJAN’S TRUE FACE

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 24, 2012 – 22:07 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On Monday, July 23, a small miracle happened. All
of a sudden the world “disclosed” the enormous quantity of arms
Azerbaijan purchases and produces. Earlier, UN Secretary General’s
report comprising Armenia’s position on Azeri violation of Treaty on
Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was spread. According to
it, since January 1, 2012, Baku has breached CFE provisions by three
categories. Thus, Azeri battle tank reserves total 381 (permissible
limit – 220), with artillery reserves making up 516 (permissible
limit – 285).

The UN report noted that Baku’s boosting military budget and aggressive
anti-Armenian rhetoric intensifies tensions in the South Caucasus
region, hindering Nagorno Karabakh negotiation process.

What suddenly happened to the international community?

It’s not the first time Azerbaijan has pursed policy of dynamic
armament, purchasing the arms mainly from abroad, with considerable
number of weapons being produced in the country itself.

It is noteworthy that the international community acknowledged the
truth gradually. In late June U.S. Department of State dismissed
Azerbaijan from the list of countries authorized to purchase U.S.

military equipment.

This was followed by the OSCE Minsk Group’s statement on Artsakh
airport, particularly on having received guarantees of non-use of
force against civil aircraft.

OSCE MG further released a statement on NKR presidential elections,
in which they acknowledged the “need for the de facto authorities
in NK to try to organize democratically the public life of their
population with such a procedure.”

These two statements sparked indignation of Baku, which accused the
mediators of “hypocrisy and implementation of dirty policy.”

What is happening now?

Has Azerbaijan lost its role of an oil magnet for the international
community? Perhaps, the superpowers have discovered more profitable
sources of income as a result of the continued “Arab spring?” Or
maybe they are tired of standing the boorish attitude of Azerbaijan,
which keeps showing disrespect for calls to settle Karabakh issue
peacefully, stop the war rhetoric and provocations against Armenia?

Or maybe the international community has finally resolved to heed
the voice of conscience and offer fair solution to the problem?

RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER AWARDED GOLD MEDAL IN ARMENIA

news.am
July 24, 2012 | 16:56

YEREVAN. – Speaker of the Russian Parliament [State Duma] Sergey
Naryshkin and the delegation headed by him met with the members of the
Armenian National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the representatives
of the scientific society on Tuesday.

Narishkin touched upon the development of bilateral relations in the
field of science and the further cooperation opportunities within
various fields related to science.

Armenian NAS head, academician Radik Martirosyan awarded Naryshkin
the NAS golden medal for his contribution to the reinforcement and
development of Armenian-Russian multilateral cooperation.