Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARMENIE
Serge Sarkissian attend beaucoup du nouveau maire d’Erevan

Le président Serge Sarkissian a demandé à Taron Markarian ne pas le«
décevoir ». Taron Markarian, gé de 33 ans, est désormais le nouveau
maire d’Erevan.

« Taron, vous n’avez pas le droit de nous décevoir, ni de décevoir vos
concitoyens »,a annoncé Sarkisian lors de la cérémonie d’inauguration
à la municipalité d’Erevan.« Nous sommes tous de votre côté et nous
sommes prêts à vous aider et à vous soutenir. »

« Mais comme nous le savons, l’assistance et le soutien sont de très
bonnes choses, mais chaque personne, chaque fonctionnaire de l’Etat
doit faire sa place et doit travailler seul », a-t-il dit. « Il est
nécessaire de former une grande équipe de personnes ouvertes et de
continuer à résoudre le défi le plus important de tous les temps :
soulager la détresse des habitants d’Erevan et faire d’Erevan, une
capitale plus confortable pour les résidents et les touristes. »

Markarian, qui était précédemment adjoint au maire, a été élu à
l’unanimité par l’assemblée municipale. Il a été nominé pour le poste
vacant par M. Sarkissian.

Le jeune maire est un ancien membre du parti républicain du président
de l’Arménie (HHK). Son père, Andranik Markarian, avait été Premier
ministre de 2000 à 2007.

Le prédécesseur de Markarian, Karen Karapetian, a démissionné de
manière inattendue le mois dernier. Il a évoqué des « raisons
personnelles » concernant sa démission.

Trois autres hauts fonctionnaires arméniens, notamment le président du
parlement, Hovik Abrahamian, ont démissionné ou ont été licenciés peu
après la démission de Karapetian.

Lors de son discours à la cérémonie d’inauguration de Markarian,
Sarkissian a félicité Karapetian, affirmant que l’ancien maire avait
réussi à faire sa place et a laissé une trace dans la capitale. Mais
il n’a fait aucun commentaire sur la démission de Karapetian.

lundi 21 novembre 2011,
Laetitia ©armenews.com

Armenian Youth Judo Championship winners awarded

November 26, 2011 – 11:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian Youth Judo Championship hosting over 200
participants from Armenian provinces completed in Yerevan.

Among participants were winners of bronze at 2011 World Championships
brothers David and Arsen Ghazaryan, champion of 2011 European Junior
Judo Championship Garik Harutyunyan and 2011 European Cup winner
Yerjanik Karapetyan.

5 and 7 medals were awarded to female and male judokas resp., with
Arsen Ghazaryan (60kg) awarded for best technique.

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA DISCUSS CLIMATE CHANGE
By Mariam Sikharulidze

Georgia Today
Nov 24 2011
Georgia

With the rising global concern about global climate change, officials
from three South Caucasian countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
– joined forces to discuss the major environmental problem on October
14-15 in Tbilisi. The occasion aimed to take stock of challenges
posed by climate change in the Caucasus focusing on the problems,
strategies and response actions for reaching an effective agenda on
climate change.

The event, called VII Annual International Conference on “Climate
Change Adaptation – Challenge and Opportunity for the Caucasus” was
opened by Goga Khachidze, the Minister of the Environment Protection
of Georgia. He pointed out that such conferences are “vital” for
adopting specific practices towards climate change adaptation.

“Climate Change is the reality and a very serious threat for future
generations, which will become hazardous if not resolved in timely
fashion,” Khachidze said. Adopting joint solutions, he said, will be
necessary to combat the worldwide challenges.

During the conference the assessments were made about countries’
efforts towards climate change, as well as national and regional
priority issues. Climate change was addressed from various angles
including importance of agricultural biodiversity and sustainable
management, adopting alternative energy sources,socio-economic impacts,
as well as government and business sector as responsible parties for
degraded natural resources.

The event was organized with the financial contribution of the Ministry
of Environmental Affairs, Land Use Planning, Agriculture and Forestry
of Lichtenstein and European Union. The participants along with members
of NGOs and scientific institutions included the Deputy Ambassador
of EU Boris Yaroshevich and the Netherlands’ Ambassador to Georgia
Peter Langeberg.

“INTER RAO” NOT WILLING TO MANAGE THE ARMENIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ANY LONGER, A NEWSPAPER WRITES

Mediamax
Nov 24 2011
Armenia

Yerevan /Mediamax/. “Kommersant” newspaper writes today that the
Russian “Inter RAO” is displeased with the conditions of management
of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and is going to terminate
the contract earlier.”

According to the newspaper, Armenia doesn’t have a national nuclear
operator, and the only alternative of “Inter RAO” is “Rosatom”.

However, the Russian state corporation is interested first of all
in the construction of a new power unit in Armenia and not in the
management of NPP.

“Inter RAO” manages the Armenian NPP since 2003, the contract expires
in 2013. “Inter RAO” is also the owner of “Electricity Networks of
Armenia” and Hrazdan thermal power plant.

SYLVIE VARTAN SPEAKS OF HER ARMENIAN ORIGIN

AZG DAILY
25-11-2011

French pop star Sylvie Vartan has for the first time spoken about
her Armenian origins, Jean Eckian, a French Armenian independent
journalist, reported from Paris, according to tert.am.

Speaking recently on television, the singer said her father, Georges
Vartan, who is a former press officer at the French Embassy in Sofia,
is of Armenian descent.

“Yes I’m an Armenian on my father’s side,” she told Michel Drucker,
the host of the popular TV show Vivement dimanche.

Sylvie Vartan was born in 1944 to a Bulgarian mother and an Armenian
father. In December 1952, her family moved to Paris.

Silvie got into show business when she was 16. Her song ” La plus
belle pour aller danser” (The most beautiful to go dancing, by Charles
Aznavour) brought her a great success.

Her first husband was the French singer Johnny Hallyday. Silvie later
married the American film producer Tony Scotti. She has one son,
David Hallyday, whio is also a pop star in France.

LEBANON SAYS WON’T BACK ARAB SANCTIONS ON SYRIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 24, 2011 – 17:07 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Lebanon will not endorse any potential Arab League
sanctions against Syria, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansur said, as the
organization prepared to meet on Thursday, November 24, to discuss
measures against Damascus.

“Lebanon will not endorse any sanctions by the Arab League against
Syria,” Mansur, who is backed by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah,
told local radio before heading to Cairo for the meeting.

“We will decide whether to vote against or abstain depending on the
talks in Cairo,” he said in response to a question, AFP reported

Lebanon voted against suspending Damascus from the 22-memberArab League
earlier this month, siding with Yemen and Syria, as pressure mounts on
the regime of Bashar al-Assad to end its bloody crackdown on dissent.

Tensions between rival Lebanese political camps are rising over the
Syria crisis. The country’s pro-Western opposition, led by former
premier Saad Hariri, has thrown its weight behind anti-Assad protesters
in Syria.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Damascus and Tehran and which dominates
the Lebanese government, has meanwhile said it will continue to stand
by Assad against an “international conspiracy” aimed at ousting him
from power.

Washington for its part has urged Lebanese authorities to protect
their financial sector against potential Syrian efforts to sidestep
sanctions, sparking fears Beirut could be affected by possible future
measures against the Assad regime.

“WALL OF SHAME” PROTEST PLANNED FOR NORTHERN AVENUE, YEREVAN

hetq
13:33, November 24, 2011

The Women’s’ Rights Center will be organizing a protest event on
November 25 in Yerevan to coincide with the International Day for
the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The activists will install a photo at the intersection of Northern
Avenue and Abovyan Strret depicting a quarrel between a husband and
wife taking place before the eyes of their child. Passersby will be
invited to cover the photo with written comments.

The open air street protest has been dubbed “The Wall of Shame”.

The Center will be holding a variety of events around Yerevan for 16
days including a film festival on the subject of family violence.

The festival will kick-off on December 9 at the Yerevan Chamber Music
Hall at 7pm.

PROMISES OF STATE ASSISTANCE FOR MENTALLY ILL SOLDIER UNFULFILLED. INVESTIGATOR NOT RESPONDING TO CALLS

epress.am
11.25.2011

Significant changes can be seen in Hovhannes Vardanyan, the soldier
who became mentally ill after serving over a year of his two-year
military service in Askeran, Nagorno-Karabakh, after he was discharged
from the psychiatric hospital, Hovhannes’ father, Vardan Vardanyan,
told Epress.am, adding that the important thing is his son is at home,
under his direct supervision.

“Hovhannes is asleep for most of the day because he takes a large
dose of psychotropic drugs four times a day. I buy the drugs at the
pharmacy, at my own expense, with the doctor’s prescription. By the
way, they are very expensive drugs. As for procuring drugs free of
charge, I have to say that until the state gives him disability status
we cannot get free medication,” he said.

In addition to getting treated by the local doctor, Hovhannes is also
receiving treatment from a private psychiatrist. “The doctor says
that everything takes time and he cannot give a 100% guarantee. He
promised to bring Hovhannes to the point where he can go out on his
own, hang out with his friends – in short, to not be a laughing stock.

Vardan Vardanyan noted regretfully that after the incident, there
were many promises of assistance to his son, which, however, did
not materialize.

“So far I have not received any assistance whatsoever from the defense
ministry or the state. Instead, I have received help from individuals
and various charities, even from the US. They sent very expensive
drugs, which I definitely wouldn’t have been able to purchase on my
own. I have written down the names of each and everyone of those
who helped, so that when Hovhannes is a little bit better, he can
personally call and thank them,” he stressed.

Hovhannes’ father also noted how it’s been over a month since he spoke
with the investigator on the case by phone, but he sees no progress.

“I called the investigator twice, but he’s not answering my calls. I
will try to call him again; if he doesn’t respond, I’ll appeal to
all the proper bodies. If they are trying to buy time and cover up
the preliminary investigation, then let me say, they are mistaken…

Many have called for abandoning the idea of punishing the guilty,
saying that it’s all the same, my son’s situation won’t get better
from this.

But I will fight so that all those who are connected to this case are
punished. Otherwise, in these terms of connivance, any child may be
subject to similar violence,” he said.

As for continuing Hovhannes’ treatment abroad, Vardan Vardanyan hopes
that he will find a charitable person who will help them as their is
only enough money for tending to the medication and everyday concerns.

Epress.am also spoke with Anaida Gevorgyan, director of the Nork
psychiatric clinic at the Psychiatric Medical Center, who assessed
Hovhannes’ situation as satisfactory.

“Hovhannes is going to continue his treatment at home, under the
direct supervision of the local doctor. Considering the fact that he
underwent treatment for 24 days in the mental hospital, we listened
to his father’s insistences and allowed him to take his son home,”
she said.

Asked how dangerous Hovhannes is to society, Gevorgyan said that
“every healthy person poses a potential threat, and the ill likewise.”

“Sometimes healthy people are more inclined to crime than those
suffering from various mental illnesses, since great attention is paid
to the ill by both family members and the surrounding environment,
while the healthy are not supervised and can make a variety of
mistakes,” she concluded.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH PRESIDENT MEETS WITH US ARMENIAN VETERANS ASSOCIATION MEMBERS

Tert.am
25.11.11

Nov. 23, President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Bako Sahakyan
held a meeting in Los Angeles, USA, with members of the US Armenian
Veterans Association.

The sides discussed the development of the NKR-Diaspora ties, with
an emphasis on patriotic education of the young generation.

The NKR leader stressed the US Armenian Veterans Association’s role
in this process.

Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, Head of the Central Information
Department, NKR presidential staff, David Babayan, NKR Permanent
Representative in the USA and Canada Robert Avetisyan participated
in the meeting.

ZHOGHOVURD: REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA TO RUN FOR PARLIAMENT WITH ‘OLD FRIENDS’

Tert.am
25.11.11

Reliable sources informed the newspaper that the Republican Party of
Armenia (RPA) has decided not to dismiss any of Armenia’s governors,
even Syunik Governor Surik Khachatryan, before the parliamentary
elections.

The RPA intends to run for Parliament with its “old friends.”