Author: Kanayan Tamar

UNE SOCIETE RUSSE CHERCHE A NE PLUS GERER METSAMOR
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 2 decembre 2011

Une filiale de la societe nationale d’electricite de Russie a confirme
sa volonte de mettre fin a la gestion depuis huit ans de la centrale
atomique de Metsamor en Armenie.

RAO Unified Energy Systems (UES) avait obtenu le contrôle de Metsamor
aussi bien que la propriete de cinq centrales hydroelectriques
armeniennes en 2003 en echange du remboursement d’une dette de 40
millions $ aux fournisseurs russes de combustible nucleaire.

UES a depuis contrôle le reacteur nucleaire via sa filiale RAO. Le
contrat de gestion quinquennal avec le gouvernement armenien a ete
prolonge en 2008 et devait expirer en 2013.

Le quotidien de Moscou “Kommersant” a annonce que Inter RAO n’est
pas satisfaite par les termes de l’accord et voudrait y mettre fin
maintenant. Il a cite une source anonyme de la societe attribuant cela
a ” des risques resolument augmentes ” dans le secteur de l’energie
nucleaire.

Nikolay Gorelov, porte-parole d’Inter RAO, a confirme l’information.

Il a dit que la societe a deja offert a plusieurs autres societes,
notablement la societe russe Rosatom, de reprendre la gestion de
Metsamor.

” Je dirais que ces negociations [avec Rosatom] n’ont meme pas commence
” a dit M.Gorelov au service armenien de RFE/RL (Azatutyun.am),
” Donc, il est difficile d’en parler pour le moment “.

” Il y a un desir [de mettre fin a la gestion de Metsamor], mais si
nous ne savons pas si vraiment nous reussirons a le faire ” a-t-il dit.

Le porte-parole de Rosatom Sergei Novikov a dit au service armenien de
RFE/RL (Azatutyun.am) que la societe publique considerera seulement une
demande du gouvernement armenien. ” Autant que je sache, jusqu’ici il
n’y a eu aucune telle demande du gouvernement armenien ” a-t-il dit. ”
Donc, il n’y a rien dont nous pouvons parler ” .

Le Ministère armenien de l’Energie et des Ressources naturelles a
refuse de faire des remarques sur la question.

Selon “Kommersant”, Rosatom est beaucoup plus interesse a la
participation dans le projet ambitieux du gouvernement armenien de
remplacer le reacteur existant de Metsamor pour une centrale plus
moderne repondant aux standards internationaux de securite.

Rosatom et le Ministère armenien de l’Energie et des Ressources
naturelles ont fonde fin 2009 une joint-venture pour la construction du
nouveau reacteur. Il devrait etre de fois plus puissant que le reacteur
actuel qui produit environ 40 pour cent de l’electricite d’Armenie.

La centtrale de Metsamor a connu le mois dernier a une grève
surprise touchant plus d’un tiers du personnel fort de 450 membres
exigeant une meilleure remuneration. La plupart de ces employes ont
consenti a retourner au travail après avoir accepte a contre-coeur
une augmentation de 10 de leurs salaires par le gouvernement. Inter
RAO n’a eu aucune participation dans le règlement de la discussion.

LE BFCA PROTESTE CONTRE UNE INVITATION DE LA FRANCE A LA TURQUIE
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
vendredi 2 decembre 2011

La proposition du Quai d’Orsay d’inviter la Turquie, non membre de
l’Union Europeenne, a la reunion des Ministres des Affaires Etrangères
pour discuter de la situation en Syrie, engendre a juste titre de
nombreuses controverses.

La France a propose que la Turquie participe au Conseil des ministres
des Affaires europeennes, a declare le porte-parole du Quai d’Orsay en
soulignant : ” Cette invitation est extremement importante a nos yeux
“.

Cette importance accordee a la Turquie par le gouvernement en
fonction, suscite de nombreux questionnements d’autant plus que la
chef de la diplomatie de l’UE, Catherine Ashton, hesitait a inviter
Ahmet Davutoglu.

Il est inconcevable de solliciter l’alliance d’Ankara pour instaurer
un regime democratique a Damas alors que la Turquie est très mal
placee pour assurer une telle mission. Avec quels acquis la Turquie
va se presenter auprès du peuple syrien afin d’ameliorer son image ?

Alors que l’armee turque continue a exercer tout son poids pour gerer
ses conflits politiques au sein des regions a forte population kurde,
a occuper le nord de Chypre, a maintenir son blocus contre l’Armenie,
alors qu’en Turquie les droits de l’Homme restent pietines, les droits
des minorites y restent bafoues, que des opposants au regime en place,
des dissidents, des journalistes et des intellectuels sont poursuivis,
condamnes et meme assassines pour leurs opinions divergentes ou en
raison de leur origine ou leur religion, comment cet Etat policier
aurait la legitimite d’intervenir en Syrie au nom de l’etablissement
de la democratie ?

En outre, le territoire de Sandjak d’Alexandrette reste toujours un
sujet de discorde entre la Turquie et la Syrie et par consequent,
on se demande comment Ankara pourrait etre juge et partie.

Au vu de tous ces elements, nous condamnons la politique adoptee par
le gouvernement francais dans cette affaire.

A Paris, le 01/12/2011

Le Bureau Francais de la Cause Armenienne

UN CONSULAT GENERAL D’ARMENIE OUVRIRA SES PORTES A MARSEILLE
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
vendredi 2 decembre 2011

L’Armenie s’apprete a ouvrir un Consulat general a Marseille. Le
1er decembre, le gouvernement armenien a valide la proposition
du ministère des Affaires etrangères pour donner le feu vert a
l’ouverture du consulat d’Armenie dans la cite phoceenne. Un consulat
qui gèrera les regions de Provence-Côte d’Azur, Langedoc-Roussillon,
Midi-Pyrenees et la Corse. L’annonce de l’ouverture de ce consulat
d’Armenie devrait etre faite a l’occasion de la visite officielle
du president armenien Serge Sarkissian qui sera a mercredi 7 et 8
decembre a Marseille. Didier Parakian, l’Adjoint au Maire de Marseille
au developpement a l’international est aussi charge des relations avec
le corps consulaire. ” Marseille est la première place diplomatique
francaise après Paris avec 76 consulats, dont 40 consulats generaux.

Pour les quelque 80 a 100 000 marseillais d’origine armenienne,
l’ouverture de ce consulat general est une très bonne nouvelle.

Marseille sera ainsi encore plus proche de l’Armenie. Nous sommes
bien evidemment fiers en tant que Francais d’origine armenienne de
voir la presence de la Republique d’Armenie dans notre cite et ferons
tout pour soutenir l’activite de ce consulat ” dit Didier Parakian
qui s’est egalement beaucoup investi dans cette mission.

LTP: A SELF-PROCLAIMED “TOOL” IN SEARCH OF OTHER “TOOLS”
Armen Arakelyan

hetq
12:16, December 1, 2011

The evident boldness of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) to bring
some degree of autonomy to the political field turned it into a large
and tasty morsel hungrily eyed by the other important players.

They want to get their hands on the PAP and the reason is clear.

Any position taken by the PAP, whether to leave or stay in the ruling
coalition will lead to a major reshuffling of the political landscape.

Understanding the cards it brings to the table, the PAP is trying
to draw the game out and raise the stakes and derive the maximum
concessions from the president.

It might all be a farce; a project to create a pseudo-opposition in
an attempt to win votes from the opposition electorate. In any event,
it all makes sense politically.

The same logic holds true for the recent overtures made by the ANC
regarding the PAP.

At the end of last year, when RA President Sargsyan demanded that his
coalition partners clarify their positions regarding their support
of him in the upcoming presidential election, the ANC noted that if
the PAP were to clearly distance itself from former President Robert
Sargsyan, it wouldn’t be averse to forming a tandem with it. This
idea was voiced every time there was an intensification of interparty
intrigue.

At the last ANC rally, Levon Ter-Petrosyan made a specific proposal
to the PAP – declare yourself free of Robert Kocharyan and the March
1 tragedy and in favour of free and fair elections and the ANC will
be willing to collaborate.

Moreover, singly out the PAP as a force with the potential to form a
third political axis, the ANC essentially accepted its second role
status and the supremacy of the PAP. I state this because up till
now Levon Ter-Petrosyan had always claimed that since the ANC existed
there was no possibility of forming a third political front.

There is no common ground between the ANC and PAP – whether political,
ideological nor motivational. This precludes any long-term cooperation
between them.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan no longer conceals the fact that he views the
PAP merely as a tool to destroy the regime from the inside.

Ter-Petrosyan, in his speech, stated that it was not only common
for political opponents, even irreconcilable ones, to cooperate on
matters of great import but that it was also a political imperative.

He pointed to all the revolutions and national liberation struggles
that wouldn’t have succeeded without the united struggle of various
political forces.

In the context of political objectives, all this is understandable.

HAK merely is suggesting a new methodology and arsenal to achieve
the aims it has always adhered to.

The pivotal question we must ask if all and any means are acceptable
to reach ones goal. This is more so the case here when we are just not
talking about a single political unit like the ANC, but the possible
long-term vision of forming a pan-national movement.

Neither this question nor the pan-national movement, in general,
are simply plucked from the political sector.

In the first place, they are moral categories. Consequently,
suggesting cooperating with the PAP, a member of the ruling coalition,
with the aim of removing the same regime from the scene is not only
simple-minded, from a purely political context, but is an approach
with an underlying manipulative sub-context.

Here, we are not talking about operating with various political forces
but with a party that is a member of the ruling coalition that has
targeted the ANC with its criticism and charges.

This is not the case of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Can the ANC seriously talk about cooperating with a political force
whose removal from power has been the rasion d’etre of the ANC?

What, in the end, is the true aim of the ANC and Levon Ter-Petrosyan?

Do they merely want to come to power by destroying the criminal regime,
using the PAP and the oligarchs as tools?

Or do they want to rid the country of the social and political diseases
that they spoke about when the “movement” came to the fore, issues that
they constantly inspired hope in people about for the past 3-4 years.

In this light, the ANC isn’t merely faced with the problem of
correcting it relations with the political forces.

Firstly, it must come face to face with the public at large, the
people in whose name the ANC reserved the right to speak on behalf of.

Otherwise, those who declare themselves as mere “tools” to be used
for the greater good will be regarded as those who have made “tools”
out of the people for their own partisan and personal ambitions.

GEORGIAN COMPANIES TO CONSTRUCT ROADS IN ARMENIA

Tert.am
01.12.11

At an Armenian-Georgian business forum, Georgia’s Minister of Regional
Development and Infrastructure Ramaz Nikolaishvili reported Nov. 30
that Georgian companies will participate in a contest for road
construction in Armenia.

Georgian companies intend to get involved in the development of road
construction in Armenia.

“We are launching negotiations with international donors. The Asian
Development Bank is holding a billion worth contest in Armenia,”
the Georgian minister said.

Relevant negotiations have been held with the Armenian side, and
Georgian companies are ready to participate in the contest.

MEDITERRANéE : LE CONTRE MODèLE ERDOGAN, PAR ARA TORANIAN
Ara

armenews.com
jeudi 1er decembre 2011

Lu dans La règle du jeu : L’incarcération a Istanbul le 28 octobre
de Ragip Zarakolu, lauréat du Prix IPA (International Publishers’
Association) 2008 pour la liberté de publier, indique-t-elle
l’arrivée d’un hiver précoce en Turquieâ~@~I ? Il faut hélas le
craindreâ~@~I : tandis que les exactions commises chaque jour chez
son voisin syrien incitent a surévaluer les “vertus” du régime
turc (cf. les déclarations de Juppé a Ankara le 18 novembre), les
arrestations se multiplient dans le pays. On en parle a peine. En cette
période de crise, le peu d’attention que parvient encore a grappiller
la situation régionale se concentre sur la tragédie syrienne. Les
milliers de morts ici cachent les milliers de prisonniers politiques
la, a la porte de l’Europe.

La suite sur La règle du jeu , de Bernard-Henri Lévy.

GEORGIAN LEADER HAILS IDEA OF UNITED CAUCASUS, PRAISES FRIENDSHIP WITH ARMENIA

Imedi TV
Nov 29 2011
Georgia

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has praised close ties among all
countries in the Caucasus, saying that the idea of “united Caucasus”
has no alternative for the region.

“I am certain that all conflicts that exist in the Caucasus were
imposed by the imperial force whose main principle is to divide
and rule. The unification of the Caucasus, the creation of a united
economic space and, a united political commonwealth of the Caucasus,
in the future, are in the interests of all Caucasian countries. This
will definitely happen. This has no alternative for our peoples and
our small countries. This applies to all Caucasus countries without
an exception,” Saakashvili said at a joint news conference with his
Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan in Tbilisi on 29 November. His
speech was broadcast live by the private Imedi TV.

“Therefore, I am certain that the conflicts that were artificially
imposed on our countries will sooner or later be resolved – much
sooner than anyone can imagine. The less interference there is from
outside the more we will be able to find common language with each
other and the faster we will be able to integrate into the common
European space and the region, because we are also members of the
Eastern Partnership,” he said.

He went on to praise “the time-tested friendship” between Georgia and
Armenia, saying that never in recent history have the two countries
enjoyed “such a high level of relations”. He also thanked President
Sargsyan for his personal contribution to the process.

Sargsyan for his part also welcomed the high level of cooperation
between the two counties, saying “Georgia is creating favourable
grounds for our relations”.

[translated from Georgian]

STATE DEPARTMENT CONSIDERS CRUCIAL IMPROVEMENT OF BUSINESS CLIMATE IN ARMENIA

news.am
Nov 30 2011
Armenia

Eric Rubin, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian
Affairs, attaches major importance to improvement of business climate
in the South Caucasus.

Speaking during the “South Caucasus 20 Years After Independence”
conference, he said that the most important in that regard is
efforts to combat corruption are critical to attracting direct
foreign investment.

“I think in all three countries the question of obstructed trade flows,
which depends I think in part on resolution of some of the political
differences, is also an important part of the picture. And this is
a particular challenge for Armenia.

It’s one of the reasons we’ve pushed so hard to help get relations
normalized with Turkey. But I think for all three countries you still
have obstructed trade flows, obstructed trade corridors, and this
has a real – really negative effect on economic growth,” he said.

He considers now it’s very clear that the three states are part of
Europe. “The future of these countries is intertwined with that of
Europe as a whole, that our entire trans-Atlantic effort very much
includes them, and our perspective on European-American relations,”
he added.

ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH WELCOMES CAUCASUS MUSLIMS’ SPIRITUAL LEADER’S PROPOSAL TO HOLD BORDER MEETINGS

news.am
Nov 30 2011
Armenia

ETCHMIADZIN. – The Armenian side welcomed Caucasus Muslim Board
Chairman Allahshukur Pashazade’s proposal to also organize meetings
at the border, Father Vahram Melikyan, head of the information system
of the Holy See of St. Etchmiadzin, told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“During the November 28 trilateral meeting among the spiritual
leaders of the region, they primarily reflected on the settlement
of the Karabakh conflict. And when the joint statement was adopted,
the Azerbaijani side proposed, during the conversation, that the
spiritual leaders also meet at the border. The Armenian side welcomed
this proposal,” Fr. Melikyan noted.

He also confirmed the information that, during his visit to Armenia,
Allahshukur Pashazade had also visited capital Yerevan’s Blue Mosque
and prayed there. “This is normal, just as when during the [Armenian]
Catholicos’ visit to [Azerbaijani capital] Baku, we visited the
Armenian church and prayed [there],” Father Vahram Melikyan stated.

INSPECTION GROUP OF ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES LEAVES FOR TURKEY

news.am
Nov 30 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- Inspection group of Armenia’s Armed Forces left for Turkey
on Wednesday to conduct on-site inspections within the framework of
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE).

The delegation will return to Armenia on December 2, Defense Ministry
reported.