Author: Kanayan Tamar

ROMAN AMOYAN NAMED BEST SPORTSMAN AMONG JOURNALISTS

Panorama
Dec 20 2011
Armenia

According to poll results conducted by state federation of sports
journalists, the best sportsmen have been figured out. 42 journalists
specialized on sports have participated in the poll.

According to the poll results, champ of Greco-Roman wrestling Roman
Amoyan has been named the best sportsman 2011.

See the list of top ten sportsmen below:

1. Roman Amoyan G/R wrestling 346 points 2. Arsen Julfalakyan G/R
wrestling 300 3. Levon Aronian chess 296 4. Henrik Khitaryan football
237 5. Aghasi Aghasyan weightlifting 151 6. Artur Aleksanyan G/R
wrestling 145 7. Yura Movsisyan football 140 8. Harutyun Merdinyan
gymnastic 129 9. Vladimir Sarukhanyan boxing 124 10. Musa Murtazaliev
free style wrestling 111

The best team 2011 has been named Armenian men chess team that has
become the world champ. Armenian football team and national Greco-Roman
wrestling team follow the champions.

ARMENIAN ACTOR TO PLAY IN TURKISH TV SERIES

news.am
Dec 20 2011
Armenia

One of renowned English actors of Armenian origin Kevork Malikyan came
to Turkey to participate in a shooting of “One life is not enough”
TV series.

He is famous for his role in “Indiana Jones and the last Crusade”
(1989) featuring Harrison Ford. He left Turkey 50 years ago to study
in London.

TREE-MENDOUS IDEA: YEREVAN ZOO OFFERS TO RENT CHRISTMAS TREES

21.12.11 | 14:17

For those in Armenia who wish to welcome the New Year with a living
New Year Tree without promoting deforestation, the Foundation for the
Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets suggests an alternative
option ~V to rent a tree in a pot.

Over the years, mass logging in the Armenian forests resulted in
the disappearance of thousands of conifers. After the celebrations
the green symbols of the New Year are thrown away and appear in
garbage dumps.

As part of the SunChild project, this is the second year that FPWC
is promoting the initiative. The aim of this project is to convince
people to buy or rent small potted trees which later can be planted
instead of cutting mature trees.

Those who wish to take part in the initiative can come to the Yerevan
Zoo any day to choose their tree, which the organizers will deliver
free of charge. The tree will include an information brochure about
proper keeping and care of the tree. If rented, the tree can stay at
the customer~Rs home until January 15th.

The renting price is 25.000 AMD, ($65) the purchase is 40.000
AMD. ($105)

TURKS SEEK TO AVERT FRENCH ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL BY ALL MEANS
By Aryeh ben Hayim

Arutz Sheva

Dec 20 2011
Israel

The Turkish government is pulling out all the stops to get France to
shelve a bill criminalizing denial of Turkish crimes against Armenians

Turkey is doing its utmost to head off a bill in the French National
Assembly that would criminalize the denial of the Armenian genocide
of 1915. The Armenians claim that one and a half million Armenians
died as result of mass deportations by the Turkish Ottomans.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul warned the French that they were
jeopardizing centuries of friendship in return for “small political
calculations”. The Turks view French president Nicolas Sarkozy as
hostile to them and a major roadblock in their quest to join the
European Union. The political calculations Gul referred to were
apparently Sarkozy’s wish to woo voters for the National Front who
regard France’s Muslim population with hostility.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan essentially warned the French
that they were opening a Pandora’s Box given French Imperial history.

He recommended that the French National Assembly investigate how
many people France killed during the war in Algeria or France’s
responsibility for the genocide in Rwanda.

The Turks are also raising the issue of free speech by claiming the
right to dispute the Armenian version. A Turkish academic interviewed
by the pro-government Zaman said “Neither those who say that it was
genocide nor those who say that it was not should be punished”. This
is a bit rich for a for a country that punishes people for insulting
“Turkishness.”.

The major Turkish retaliatory threat is in the economic realm. Turkey
can boycott French cars in a country where French carmakers have a 20%
market share. Turkey can refuse to buy Airbus planes thus impacting
the French job market.

As the Turkish economy grew by 8.2% compared with France’s anemic
growth the Turks believe that they hold the economic upper hand and
can force France to cave.

GOVERNOR OF SYUNIK PROTECTS PRIORITY PUBLIC INTERESTS WITH HIS FISTS

arminfo
Tuesday, December 20, 16:42

Several years ago a group of young activists, who were defending
Trchkan Waterfall, and members of EcoLur NGO paid a visit to Kajaran
village of Syunik region of Armenia.

Yeghia Nersisyan, a youth activist, says that the cortege of Governor
of Syunik region Surik Khachatryan could not find the road to Kajaran
village. As a result, a car was sent from the village, which showed
the road to Kajaran to the head of the Syunik regional administration.
“On arriving at the village, the governor immediately tried to solve
all the problems by his own methods. He aggressively asked why I had
come to Kajaran and, having received the answer, he clenched his hands
into hard fists and attacked me. Afterwards he advised our activist
Mariam Sukhudyan “to talk less otherwise something bad will happen
to her”, he says.

Nersisyan says that the Board of Zangezour Copper Molybdenum Plant
does its best to create problems for the residents of Kajaran and
to expel them from the place of their residence. For instance, the
Plant refuses pointblank to repair the drainage system and this has
caused impassable black ice on the road leading to the village.

“However, the villagers are going to defend their rights and refuse to
leave the village even for the compensation promised by the governor.
We saw with our own eyes the whole tragic situation of the residents
of Kajaran, which are forced to leave their own houses, and I think
that they need our society’s support. We have shot a film about that,
and the film will be made public in the near future”, Nersisyan said.

Under the decision adopted on April 28, 2011, the cabinet changed
the designated purpose of those lands and gave them to the Zangezour
Copper and Molybdenum Plant on lease.

Kajaran residents are against the decision as they are convinced that
it would pose serious environmental hazards, forcing them to leave
the village. The governor of Kajaran, Rafik Kajayan, had earlier
resigned and left the Republican Party, refusing to sign the lease
agreement. But the move hasn’t pushed the government to step away
from its decision.

BAKO SAHAKYAN VISITED IN MOSCOW THE ESTET JEWELRY HOUSE

noyan tapan
2011-12-20

On 20 December Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan visited in
Moscow the Estet Jewelry House, got acquainted with the work of the
jewelry factory and met head of the organization, president of the
Armenian Jewelers Association Gagik Gevorkyan. As informs Central
Information Department of the Office of the ARTSAKH REPUBLIC President,
issues related to the development of jewelry industry in Artsakh were
discussed during the meeting.

The Head of the State noted that Artsakh was interested in developing
that sphere and anticipated active participation of the Estet
Jewelry House in that process. President Sahakyan underlined that
the assistance of such an organization which possesses huge potential
and experience as well as wide international connections would give
a new impetus to the development of jewelry industry in our republic.

Special attention was paid to founding a jewelry school in Artsakh,
which is one of the prerequisites for the development of the industry.

NKR President’s adviser Armen Isagulov, head of the central information
department of the office of the Artsakh Republic President David
Babayan and NKR permanent representative to the Russian Federation
Albert Andryan accompanied the President.

AMBASSADOR: ARMENIAN COMPANIES ARE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN REHABILITATION OF IRAQ

/ARKA/
DECEMBER 19, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN. December 19. /ARKA/. Armenian companies are willing to
participate in rehabilitation of Iraq, said Ambassador of Armenia
in Iraq Murad Muradyan in the meeting with administration of Iraq’s
al-Anbar province.

Press-service of Armenian Foreign Ministry informs that during his
visit to al-Anbar, Muradyan met with the governor of the province Hasim
Mohammed Abid and Chairman of Investment Commission Ahmed Abdul Nasir.

The meeting discussed ways and possible areas of development of
relations with Iraq’s largest province by its territory.

Iraqui side introduced the tasks related to rehabilitation of the
region, investment programs, particularly in the spheres of housing,
industry, agriculture, energy where participation of Armenian companies
is possible. Muradyan assured that the submitted programs will be
studied in detail.

Sunni province al-Anbar (population of about 1.3 million) borders
with Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and is of great strategic importance.

The province is rich with natural resources, particularly 11% of
world supplies of phosphate.

BAKU FOLLOWS ANKARA’S SUIT, THREATENS FRANCE OVER GENOCIDE BILL

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 20, 2011 – 17:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The bill penalizing Armenian Genocide denial
currently debated at French Parliament is an insult to French
democracy, first deputy chairman of Milli Mejlis (Parliament) of
Azerbaijan stated.

As Ziyafet Askerov told reporters on Tuesday, Dec 20, everyone has
a right to their own opinion and freedom of expression. “Discussion
of this issue at French parliament is absurd,” Askerov said.

“The step doesn’t bode well for Turkey-France relations and can be
construed as pressure on Ankara, running counter to international
norms,” Askerov said. As he noted, the step may negatively affect
Azeri-French relations, according to APA. The draft law envisaging a
one-year prison sentence and 45,000 euro fine for denying the Armenian
Genocide is due to go before the French parliament on December 22.

SER-MANUKYAN FAMILY HOLDINGS ASSIGNED PATENT

Targeted News Service
December 19, 2011 Monday 8:38 AM EST

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 19 — Ser-Manukyan Family Holdings, Glendale,
Calif., has been assigned a patent (8,075,652) developed by Zohrab
Melikyan, Yerevan, Armenia, for an “apparatus and method for a split
type water extractor and water dispenser.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office states: “A split type potable water extractor from ambient
air and water dispenser is invented, comprising separate water
generating block located outside a water use area and water dispensing
block located inside a water use area. The water generator block
cycles refrigerant through a condenser and an evaporator to create
condensation by heat exchange with ambient air circulated by an intake
airflow system. The condensate water is collected and purified in a
cascade of bactericidal loop to remove impurities. The purified water
is pumped to a dispensing apparatus which can be installed in the home
or other area of water use separate from the water generating block.

If any one of the functional parts or units of water generator is
disabled the water generator immediately stops operating to deliver
water to the tank of the dispensing apparatus.”

The patent application was filed on April 30, 2009
(12/433,811). The full-text of the patent can be found at
,75,652.PN.&OS=PN/80,75,652&RS=PN/80,75,652

TURKEY WARNS FRANCE ON RESOLUTION OVER 1915 INCIDENT OF ARMENIA

Xinhua General News Service
December 19, 2011 Monday 11:40 AM EST
China

Turkey will not attend the Joint Economic Committee meeting to be held
in France earlier next year if French legislature makes it crime to
deny Armenians died in 1915 were victims of genocide, Turkish Economy
Minister Zafer Caglayan said on Monday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is not acting reasonably, Caglayan
was quoted by the semi-official Anatolian news agency as saying.

The minister said Sarkozy should stop wasting his time over this matter
and warned that French businessmen’s interests would be affected if
the two countries’ economic relations were harmed.

Meanwhile, a Turkish parliamentary delegation is holding talks with
French officials in the French capital of Paris to convince them
not to adopt the resolution criminalizing any denial to Armenia’s
allegation over the matter.

The general assembly of the French parliament is expected to vote on
the resolution the coming Thursday.

In January 2001, the French parliament adopted a bill recognizing
the so-called Armenian genocide in 1915.

Turkey and Armenia have had no diplomatic or economic ties since
Armenia declared independence in 1991. The two countries have been
bogged down in a dispute over the World War I-era deaths of Armenians
under the Ottoman rule. Armenia says the deaths occurred in “genocide,”
while Turkey denies the charge and insists that the Armenians were
victims of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown as the Ottoman
Empire collapsed before modern Turkey was created.

Turkey and Armenia signed protocols to normalize their relations and
open borders last year, but the pacts need to be approved by both
countries’ parliaments before taking effect.