Author: Kanayan Tamar

DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
September 30, 2011 Friday

RUSSIA AND ARMENIA WILL ESTABLISH SOME JOINT VENTURES IN THE MILITARY
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

Senior Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia David Tonoyan reports that
Russia and Armenia will establish joint ventures for repair and
technical maintenance of armament and military hardware. According to
him, first of all, this is applicable to armored vehicles, air defense
systems and helicopters made in Russia, as well as the fleet of UAZ
cars. The already established joint venture KAMAZ-Armenia will repair
and maintain the truck fleet of the Defense Ministry. The minister
adds that entrance of several companies of Armenia into
Russian-Belarusian financial industrial group Defense Systems is
discussed too.

Source: RIA Novosti, September 28, 2011

news.am, Armenia
Oct 1 2011

He will stand trial – Armenia’s first president about Armenia’s second president

October 01, 2011 | 20:12

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan is an ended
match for any reasonable person. He is not and has never been a
political figure, Armenia’s First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan on
Saturday said at round-day rally in the Liberty Square commenting on
the return issue of Armenia’s second President Robart Kocharyan into
politics.

`One of the most circulating themes recently is the possible return of
Kocharyan. This is an artificial theme, as Kocharyan is an ended match
for any reasonable person. He is not and has never been a political
figure. He has never struggled for an idea in politics and was always
adaptive to a system. And he came into power because of my fault.

Political statement is a figure to contact people and be liked by
them. He is an unhappy man. No one is as worried as he. No one has
ever committed such a crime and he will sure stand trial and carry
responsibility for his actions, after the system collapses.

He is not a problem for people. If he is a problem, he is only for the
current President Serzh Sargsyan.

According to rumors, ARF Dashnaktsutyun or Prosperous Armenia Party
can support him. I believe none of the parties will agree to share
that burden of blood responsibility with Kocharyan.

Only one person can support him, the former Armenian FM Vardan
Oskanyan. He shares the guilt with Kocharyan. And I close the theme of
Kocharyan.

Another frequent circulated theme is Prosperous Armenia Party.
Recently one of their core members’ stated that they will stand for
the elections alone. Besides, they recognize only Armenian Republican
Party as their rival. This is positive, as there will be political
competitiveness.

As a party, ANC should recognize Prosperous Armenia party. Regarding
the Republicans, it is a group of opportunists, who believe that they
should be in power forever,’ Ter-Petrosyan’s speech says.

People Will Summon Kocharyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 17:42:07 – 01/10/2011

`The Armenian people will summon Robert Kocharyan to court by all
meant’, Nikol Pashinyan said in regard to the second president’s
announcement that he will return to politics of there is `demand by
various layers of the society’ at the Freedom Square.

Nikol Pashinyan dwelt on the problem that people are not free to
attend the rally. People are taken to police stations, intimidated. He
says it is something to be condemned, of course, but on the other
hand, this is a problem because we deal with a dictatorship, and such
behavior characterizes a dictatorship.

`They will continue to behave that way, we need to prevent them from
behaving that way,’ Nikol Pashinyan announced, noting that it should
be the goal of the citizens.

ARMENIA HAS UNDISCOVERED TAX ASSEMBLABILITY POTENTIAL – WB EXPERT

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 30, 2011 – 12:56 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – World Bank Senior Public Sector Specialist named
low tax/GDP ratio among the key problems of Armenia’s tax sector.

As Munawer Sultan Khwaja told a news conference, “IMF studies for
tax assemblability prove Armenia has a vast undiscovered potential
in relevant sector. By concentrating efforts to discover negligent
taxpayers and implementing a system to promote fulfillment of tax
obligations, Armenia can realize its potential.”

In this context, the expert stressed the importance of development
of human resources and information technologies.

On September 30, Yerevan hosted a presentation of a book Risk-Based
Country Audits: Approaches and Country Experiences, authored and
edited by Munawer Sultan Khwaja, Rajul Awasthi and Jan Loeprick.

DR. JACK KEVORKIAN’S ART, BELONGINGS TO BE SOLD
By Jeff Karoub

Associated Press
30 Sept 2011

DETROIT (AP) – Paintings, writings and the iconic blue sweater of
the audacious assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian are going up
for auction, his attorney and close friend said Friday.

Lawyer Mayer Morganroth said the late pathologist’s artwork and items
will be sold in late October at the New York Institute of Technology.

Scheduled for auction are more than 20 paintings, Kevorkian’s art kit
and the sweaters he became known for donning during his high-profile
assistance in the suicides of dozens of people in the 1990s.

Many of the paintings depict death or dying, and are often intended to
provoke or disturb. One of those up for auction is entitled “Genocide,”
and features a bloody head being dangled by the hair and held by the
hands of two soldiers: One wears a German military uniform from World
War II and the other a Turkish uniform from World War I.

Morganroth said Kevorkian wanted to depict the mass killings of
Armenians and Jews during World I and World War II, respectively. The
doctor was of Armenian descent.

“Just looking at it, you can say (it’s) grotesque,” Morganroth said.

“They were to make a point, like any art.”

CBS Detroit first reported the auction plan.

Morganroth said he doesn’t know the value of the collection but most
of the proceeds will go to Kevorkian’s sole heir – a niece – and the
charity Kicking Cancer for Kids.

Suburban Detroit art gallery owner Anne Kuffler, who has twice
displayed Kevorkian’s work and sells signed and numbered lithographs
of six of his works for $500 apiece, said she was offered $100,000
for one of his original paintings during the first exhibit of his
work in 1994. Kuffler, owner of the Ariana Gallery in Royal Oak,
suspects that the value has only increased since then.

“I had several orders for his prints this morning,” she said.

Many of the paintings have been hanging at the Armenian Library
and Museum of America in Watertown, Mass. Kevorkian was also a keen
musician and composer.

The Associated Press left a message seeking comment with the New York
Institute of Technology.

FACTS TALK ON THEIR OWN

yerkir.am
21:13 – 29.09.2011

RA Police Chief Alik Sargsyan denied the news that we published in
our web-site, according to which he was the governor of Ararat region
where violations of land leasing took place.

“There should be at least one document confirming that news. You
can’t just write…..write whatever you like”, said he.

We present to you only one of the documents that we have. According
to that “Land Resources Development Company” LTD was provided with 10
acres of land to realize investigative operation. We wish to remind our
police Chief that at that time he was the governor of Ararat region.

TIGRAN SARGSYAN: ARMENIA HAS A HUGE POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM

ARMENPRESS
19:28, 30 September, 2011

On the occasion of International Tourism Day, within the framework of
the 20th anniversary of Armenia, a number of representatives of the
sphere were awarded by RA Prime Minister and Economy Minister with
medals, certificates of appreciation and prizes for their notable
contribution to the area of tourism.

At the event Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan congratulated the guests on
International Tourism Day and noted that holiday is one more occasion
to consider the past 20 years of our country in the sphere of tourism,
as well as to discuss programs for future.

“In my opinion, all people gathered here are sure of one thing:
Armenia has a huge potential of development in the sphere of tourism,
and we are still not making a full use of it. New directions must be
involved in the sphere. The Armenian government still has a lot of
tasks to fulfill in this direction,” Tigran Sargsyan said.

The event was organized by the Armenian Ministry of Economy,
Armenian Hotels Union, “Preservation and Development of Armenian
Culinary Traditions” NGO, and other organizations. Representatives of
tourism industry, state and private establishments and international
organizations participated in the event.

AVERAGE MONTHLY SALARY IN AUGUST REDUCED BY 6.5% TO 110 700 DRAMS IN ARMENIA

ARKA
Sep 30, 2011

YEREVAN, September 30. /ARKA/. Average monthly nominal salary in
August 2011, according to preliminary assessments, reached 110 700
drams ($302. 210 euro or 8689 rubles) which is by 6.5% less than July
indicator, Armenian National Statistic Service informs.

Salary in August 2011 compared to the same period in 2010 increased
by 4.5%.

In July 2011, average monthly nominal salary in Armenia was 118 395
drams which is by 2% more than the indicator in June 2011 and by 4.5%
more than in July 2010.

The highest average monthly nominal salary in July 2011 was registered
in Syunik region – about 146.3 thousand drams, and the lowest was
in Aragatsotn region – about 80.3 thousand drams. In Yerevan average
monthly nominal salary in July 2011 was over 130.5 thousand drams.

In total, the highest salaries in July were registered in financial
and insurance spheres (about 344.4 thousand drams), mining industry
(about 238.3 thousand drams), information and communication (about
231.1 thousand drams), electrical, gas and steam supply (about
156.3 thousand drams), construction (146 thousand drams) and state
administration (over 140.9 thousand drams).

The most low-paid spheres as of July 2011 in Armenia are cultural and
recreational spheres where the salaries were about 65.6 thousand drams,
agriculture and forestry, fishery – about 79.2 thousand drams.

In accommodation and catering sphere salaries of some employees
exceeded 79.5 thousand drams and education sphere – about 82 thousand
drams. ($1 – 371.35 drams).

OTTOMAN PARADE CANCELLATION RESULT OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY EFFORTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 30, 2011 – 10:13 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Armenian National Committee of America –
Western Region, through its proactive consultations with Los
Angeles City Council members, the Mayor’s Office, the Los Angeles
Police Department, and state legislators’ offices, confirms that the
organizers of the Ottoman Military Marching Band, who were planning
on holding a procession on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles on
October 3, have decided to pull their permit and cancel the event.

The ANCA-WR also commends the strength and unity of the Los Angeles
Armenian American community, which collectively voiced its shock
that such an event was taking place and exemplified its readiness to
quickly mobilize to address this grievous transgression.

Although no reason was given for the cancellation, the widespread
outrage in the community, and concurrent well-publicized announcement
by the Armenian Youth Federation calling for a massive protest,
undoubtedly impacted the organizers’ decision to ultimately retreat
from their ill-conceived plan to hold this event just one mile from
the border of Little Armenia in Hollywood.

In addition to bringing these serious concerns to the attention of
elected officials, the ANCA-WR two days ago also led the community
in strongly condemning the planned arrival of the offensively-named
band and likewise questioned the irresponsible decision by officials
of the City of Los Angeles to issue a permit to a group who claims
descent from the notoriously murderous corps of the Ottoman Army
known as the janissaries. Within 24 hours of the ANCA-WR statement,
the event was canceled.

The violent and bloody history of the Ottoman Turkish Military,
during which it perpetrated the Armenian Genocide of 1915, where 1.5
million Armenians were mercilessly slaughtered, made the appearance
of the Ottoman Military Marching Band in a city with over 500,000
Armenian Americans, many who are descendants of the Genocide, a clear
cut example of hate speech and incitement.

In solidarity with the Armenian American community, Los Angeles City
Council President Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles City Councilmember
Paul Krekorian, in a strongly worded statement, underscored the
ludicrousness of the event: “This planned performance, supposedly to
celebrate an event taking place in Orange County, is a provocation
of the Armenian community at a time when the community celebrates
20 years of Armenian independence.” The statement continued, aptly
highlighting the significance of the issue in saying that “the 1915
Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire is a wound that
continues to fester.”

The ANCA-WR also thanks California State Senator Kevin De Leon’s
concern about this issue and his staff’s assistance in diligently
attending to this matter while regularly communicating with our staff.

Given the extreme sensitivity of this issue, the ANCA-WR continues to
work with City officials to ensure that the issue is definitively
resolved and that similar instances in the future will receive
the careful scrutiny that they deserve on the part of elected
representatives and City employees, Asbarez reported.

COE: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ENCOUNTER SERIOUS SETBACKS IN AZERBAIJAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 30, 2011 – 16:08 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Freedom of expression, association and peaceful
assembly have encountered serious setbacks in Azerbaijan. Urgent
measures must be taken to uphold these fundamental human rights, the
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg,
said publishing observations on the respect of human rights in
Azerbaijan, as a follow up to his June 2010 report.

According to the CoE website, one year after the publication of
the report, the Commissioner regrets to note that most of the
recommendations he made as regards these areas have not been
implemented. In some cases, steps taken by the authorities have
even run counter to Azerbaijan’s human rights obligations. “One of
my recommendations was to end practices of unjustified or selective
criminal prosecution of journalists or critical opinion makers.

However, resort to such methods has apparently not abated. Fabricated
charges have been used to arrest and silence parliamentary candidates,
journalists and members of youth groups. Such intimidation is
inconsistent with the principles of a democratic society founded
on human rights principles and the rule of law. Measures should be
taken to release immediately all persons imprisoned because of views
or opinions expressed.”

The Commissioner is concerned by information indicating that in
the past months several national and international NGOs have faced
difficulties in carrying out their activities freely in Azerbaijan. He
is particularly worried about the recent demolition of a building
where several human rights organizations were located. “Responsibility
for this illegal action – which contravened a court order – should
be established, and the persons affected should at the very least
obtain adequate compensation for the loss of their property.”

Another source of concern relates to the wave of arrests of activists
and political opponents in connection with protests held in Baku in
March and April 2011. “These protests were sometimes dispersed with
excessive force, and the work of journalists was hindered. Several
persons were detained on grounds of violating public order. Six
opposition activists were sentenced on 25 August 2011 for participating
in ‘actions causing disturbance of public order’, following trials
whose conformity with human rights standards has been called into
question.”

The Commissioner therefore urges the Azerbaijani authorities to fully
respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, in accordance
with the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. “Freedom
of expression, association and peaceful assembly are indispensable
principles of a democratic society. Effective measures must be taken
by the Azerbaijani authorities to uphold them.”