Author: Kanayan Tamar

LEADER OF HERITAGE PARTY ANTICIPATES THAT ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES WILL ONCE AGAIN PUT PERSONAL AND PARTY’S INTERESTS ABOVE PUBLIC

ARMINFO
Friday, February 3, 15:48

President Sargsyan’s reply to the letter of Heritage opposition
party casts doubt on the readiness of the authorities to conduct
transparent elections, Raffi Hovannisian, Leader of Heritage Party,
told media on Friday.

Earlier Hovannisian sent a letter to the Armenian president suggesting
a number of measures necessary for the free and fair parliamentary
elections. In particular, he urged the president and other statesmen
to refuse their positions of the heads of university trusteeship
councils and stop their politicization. Sargsyan’s reply was quite
harsh. The president called the letter “discrediting electoral process
and poisoning the political atmosphere in the country”.

In this light, Hovannisian shared his concerns with the journalists
saying that the Armenian authorities may once again put personal and
party’s interests above public.

In response to ArmInfo’s question regarding the possibility of
cooperation of the ruling Republican Party and Heritage Party as part
of the European People’s Party (EPP), Hovannsian said the cooperation
of the two parties much depends on the result of the upcoming
parliamentary elections. “As you know 4 Armenian parties applied for
EPP membership. It is a big number for such a small country.

Nevertheless, if all these 4 parties are admitted to the EPP (the
given issue will be discussed this month-ed.), we will study our
combined work. I think that the fair parliamentary elections will
pave the way for effective cooperation,” he said.

To recall, the coalition parties of Armenia, particularly, the
Republican, Prosperous Armenia and Orinats Yerkir, as well as the
oppositional Heritage Party applied for EPP membership.

FORMER MP: MY SON TRIED TO FIND UNDERSTANDING WITH ORINATS YERKIR

Panorama.am
01/02/2012

“It is not that I spoke a different language with the Orinats Yerkir
Party, it was my son who tried to find understanding with the party.

His friends were also members of that party. I told him that he would
be disappointed soon because there is no honesty in politics. I said
he was young, he could not bear it. He tried to establish ties with
them but was disappointed shortly, saying that I was right,” former
MP from Etchmiadzin Hakob Hakobyan told Aravot Daily, when asked to
comment on why he failed to find understanding with OYP because he
wanted to cooperate with the party a couple of months ago.

“We hardly accept any kind of servility and dishonesty. And how can
these honest children bear it?” said Hakobyan.

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR MEETS CANADA’S MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ARMRADIO.AM
01.02.2012 14:00

Armenian Ambassador to Canada Armen Yeganyan had a meeting with
Canadian Minister of Science and Technology, Gary Goodyear.

During the meeting the parties attached importance to the friendly
nature of the Armenian-Canadian relations and discussed the
perspectives of development of cooperation in the fields of science
and high technologies.

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH IN FRESNO MARKS 111TH ANNIVERSARY

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 3, 2012 – 10:51 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
celebrated Divine Liturgy and delivered his message at Holy Trinity
Church in Fresno on January 29 on the occasion of the 111th anniversary
of the church. Parish Pastor Rev. Fr. Vahan Gosdanian and deacons
assisted at the altar.

Prior to the sermon, the Prelate gave thanks to Almighty God for
granting the blessed day together to celebrate Divine Liturgy the
111th anniversary of the parish. Reflecting on the Pontifical Visit
of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I to the Church and Sunday School
in October of last year, the Prelate noted that His Holiness places
a great deal of importance and priority to educating our youth and
providing them with the necessary knowledge and tools to develop their
unique Armenian Christian identity, and that we are all called to do
the same, for our youth are the future leaders who will continue in
our path and that of our forefathers, which is why we must instill
and root in them our faith, values, and heritage from a young age so
that they are fully prepared to take the lead.

Approximately 200 guests were in attendance, Asbarez reported.

BRITISH COMPANIES INTERESTED IN MAKING INVESTMENTS IN ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 3, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS: Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran
Sargsyan received today Ambassadors of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland to Armenia Mr. Jonathan James Aves and Mrs Catherine Jane
Leach. Government’s press office reported that congratulating the
ambassadors on starting their diplomatic mission in Armenia, the Prime
Minister noted that Armenia is interested in boosting relations with
Great Britain. “Much depends on your work. The first important thing
is balanced approach of diplomacy of Great Britain in the region. We
do not have oil, but we have other resources – more expensive and
more important. First of all it is human capital, we put our accent on.

That is why Information Technology is one of our prior directions,”
Tigran Sargsyan said. The prime minister noted that Armenia’s economy
must be attractive for British investors and it will give new impetus
to the development of bilateral relations.

In her turn, Mrs Catherine Jane Leach expressed conviction that the
work of the two ambassadors will bring the Armenian-British relations
to a new intensive phase. The ambassadors noted that British companies
are interested in making investments in Armenia, specifically in the
spheres of mine industry and IT.

The interlocutors also referred to Armenia’s economic policy in
different branches, bilateral cultural cooperation and issues relating
to Armenia-EU cooperation.

JERUSALEM’S ARMENIANS OUTRAGED AS CITY APPROVES JEWS-ONLY PARKING LOT
By Nir Hasson

HETQ
14:13, February 3, 2012

Armenian residents of Jerusalem’s Old City are protesting a municipal
decision to designate a parking lot in the area solely for Jews,
although part of it stands on land belonging to the Armenian
Patriarchate.

Parking is a major problem in the Old City, and some residents of
the Jewish Quarter claim it is one reason secular families have been
moving out. One of the parking lots serving this quarter is adjacent
to the Armenian Quarter and is partially built on land owned by the
Patriarchate, though the land has been leased by the Jewish Quarter
Development Company since the 1970s.

For decades, the parking lot was open to all, though Jewish Quarter
residents paid far less for a parking sticker than their Armenian
neighbors. But around two years ago, Armenians were forbidden to
park there.

One day I came home from work and the lot was closed,” said Mussa
Marizian, an Armenian Quarter resident whose windows overlook the
parking lot. “The quarter’s management decided we shouldn’t park
there; they just got rid of us. Jews who live in the Muslim Quarter
are allowed to park there, but I, who live right on top of the parking
lot, am not allowed.”

The development company subsequently asked the municipality for a
waiver to enable the lot to be permanently used for parking, even
though it is zoned as open public land under Jerusalem’s master plan
of 1978.

On Thursday, the city’s planning and building committee approved
the waiver, over the protests of both Armenian residents and the
Patriarchate’s representative, attorney Mazen Qupty, who argued that
most of the land was owned by the church.

“It was hard to hear the very inconsiderate arguments made by the
people of the Jewish Quarter about the needs of their Armenian
neighbors,” said Yosef “Pepe” Alalu, the Meretz deputy mayor, who
voted against the waiver. “How can it be that the parking lot used
to be open to all but now Armenians cannot enter?”

The Jerusalem Development Company said that less that 10 percent of
the parking lot’s land was leased from the Patriarchate, and that
the lease was for 99 years.

“The Armenians have a roomy parking lot 150 meters from that spot,”
the company said. “The request for exceptional use was a procedural
issue to renew the parking lot’s operating license and the objections
were legally rejected.”

SARKOZY SLAMS HIS FM FOR OPPOSING GENOCIDE BILL

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 3, 2012 – 12:08 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – French President Nilocas Sarkozy and his Foreign
Minister Alain Juppe differ on the genocide denial bill that recently
passed the French Senate.

As CNN Turk reported, citing French media, Sarkozy criticized Juppe
for his position, making the latter keep silent on the matter.

On January 23, the French Senate passed the bill criminalizing the
Armenian Genocide denial with 127 votes for and 86 against. Expected
to be signed into law by President within 14 days, the bill will
impose a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France
who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.

Two separate groups of French politicians who oppose the legislation
– from both the Senate and the lower house – said they had formally
requested the constitutional council examine the law. The groups said
they each had gathered more than the minimum 60 signatures required
to ask the council to test the law’s constitutionality. The council
is obliged to deliver its judgment within a month, but this can be
reduced to eight days if the government deems the matter urgent.

TURKISH PRIME MINISTRY RULES OUT RENAULT AS SERVICE CARS

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 3 2012
Turkey

Turkish Prime Ministry shifts is service cars from French Renault to
US Ford amid the tensions with the eurozone’s second biggest economy
over a debated bill on punishing the denial of ‘Armenian Genocide,’
a daily claims

An employee of the French car manufacturer Renault working on
an assembly line at a plant in Douai, northern France. The French
carmaker’s local partner Oyak-Renault is considers boosting investments
to broaden its portfolio. AFP photo The Turkish Prime Ministry has
ruled out the French automobile maker Renault’s Latitude for its
civil servants following the passage of the “Armenian Genocide Bill”
in the French senate, according to the daily HaberTurk.

Akmercan, a firm which had won the tender of the renewal of the
rental cars in service for the public servants who work for the
Prime Ministry, was planning to purchase 130 Latitude’s. But the firm
opted for the Mondeo after the Prime Ministry asked Akmercan not to
buy Renault.

The fleet will be renewed gradually and 20 Mondeo cars were purchased
in the first phase, the HaberTurk said.

Also a Renault Fluence Z.E. electric car, a gift to be presented
to the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is on hold as the Prime
Ministry has not issued an approval. The Ministry of Science, Industry
and Technology has also suspended an order of 10 Renault electric cars.

All these decisions were taken before a sufficient number of senators
challenged the bill in the Constitutional Council, the paper reported.

Turkish government declared to announce sanctions against France once
the judgment is delivered.

The so called “Armenian Genocide Bill” criminalizes denials of the
1915 events as genocide. French parliament had previously passed a
resolution, which purports that the killing of Armenians in 1915 at
the end of the Ottoman Empire qualifies as genocide.

Renault may invest in Turkey

Meanwhile Renault’s Turkish unit, which makes seven models of passenger
cars, may consider van production, said Tarık Tunalıoglu, chief
executive of the joint venture Oyak-Renault Otomobil Fabrikalari,
at a press conference, according to Bloomberg.

“There are good examples in Turkey for the production of light
commercial vehicles, such as Ford and Tofas,” Tunalioglu said in an
interview in Istanbul today. “So we may consider that.”

Renault Group, consisted of Renault and Dacia automobile brands,
became a market leader with a 13.8 percent share last year selling
140,827 vehicles, according to a company press release. Renault
maintained its market leadership in private cars for the thirteenth
time, the press release said.

SUR LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN, JUPPE “FERME SA GUEULE…”

L’Express

2 fev 2012
France

Par LEXPRESS.fr, publie le 02/02/2012 a 12:58, mis a jour a 17:49

Le ministre des Affaires etrangères a fait sienne la maxime de
Jean-Pierre Chevènement et repète ces temps-ci qu’il prefère se taire
plutôt que de critiquer la loi reprimant la negation du genocide
armenien.

Interroge sur des divergences au sein du gouvernement sur la question
du genocide armenien, Alain Juppe a une nouvelle fois cite Jean-Pierre
Chevènement: “Un ministre, ca ferme sa gueule ou ca s’en va”, maxime
que le ministre des Affaires etrangères a “fait sienne”.

“Je suis donc dans une situation où je ferme ma gueule”, a-t-il
precise, lors d’un petit dejeuner de la Fondation France-Israël,
ce jeudi, au Quai d’Orsay.

Alain Juppe cite a l’envi cette phrase de l’ancien ministre
socialiste. C’etait deja le cas mercredi soir, devant les etudiants
de Sciences-Po, ou quelques semaines plus tôt devant les deputes.

Jean-Pierre Chevènement, qui a demissionne a trois reprises (1983,
1991, 2000) des gouvernements socialistes auxquels il participait,
est l’inventeur de cette phrase rentree dans l’histoire: “Un ministre,
ca ferme sa gueule. Si ca veut l’ouvrir, ca demissionne”.

Selon des participants, lors du Conseil des ministres, mercredi,
Nicolas Sarkozy, promettant un nouveau texte punissant la negation du
genocide armenien en cas de censure constitutionnelle de la loi votee
le 23 janvier, a reproche aux ministres en desaccord avec la loi –
Alain Juppe et Bruno Le Maire (Agriculture) – de “ne pas voir plus
loin que le bout de leur nez”.

“Il n’y a pas de divergences au sein du gouvernement puisque, de
toute facon, quand il y a des divergences, c’est le president qui
preside et le Premier ministre qui decide”, a rappele Alain Juppe
devant l’ambassadeur d’Israël a Paris et Nicole Guedj, la presidente
de l’association France-Israël.

Partisan d’un renforcement des liens avec la Turquie, acteur
international “incontournable”, Alain Juppe a redit les “liens très
etroits” de la France avec ce pays: “J’espère que ces liens, au-dela
des turbulences actuelles, se maintiendront et se renforceront”.

La Turquie, qui ne reconnaît pas l’existence du genocide armenien, a
vivement reagi a l’adoption en France de la loi punissant la negation
du genocide armenien.

FORMER CONGRESSMAN: RECALL OF US AMBASSADOR TO AZERBAIJAN “ANOTHER MISSTEP”

Trend
Feb 2 2012
Azerbaijan

The recent recall of the American Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mathew
Bryza, is just another mis-step in the US relations with “a very
important ally”, a former Democrat Representative Michael McMahon
wrote in the Congress blog.

President Barack Obama in late 2010 appointed a career diplomat,
former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew Bryza as ambassador to
Azerbaijan bypassing the Senate, which for several months was blocking
his nomination under pressure of pro-Armenian senators Barbara Boxer
and Robert Menendez. In late December, 2011 Bryza ended his mission
in Azerbaijan and left for the U.S, after the Senate failed to confirm
his nomination.

“Azerbaijan is a proven ally, and forging a good relationship with
this emerging power in the South Caucasus is clearly in America’s
best interest. There is no room for partisanship when we conduct
our country’s foreign policy”, McMahon, a former member of the House
Committee of Foreign Affairs stressed.

He pointed out that Azerbaijan has sought to align itself with the
United States since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The former congressman noted that a resolution of the strife
surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh must be found and the United States must
continue to champion this process within the Minsk Group of the OSCE.