Author: Kanayan Tamar

SHOUSHI GRAND HOTEL OPENED IN NKR

Panorama
Sept 1 2011
Armenia

On 1 September President of Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan partook
at a solemn ceremony of opening “Shoushi Grand Hotel”.

The Head of State considered important putting into operation a
new hotel in Shoushi, corresponding to international standards in
developing the town and turning it into a tourism centre.

Bako Sahakyan expressed his gratitude to the philanthropists from
Lebanon and the USA who financed the construction of the hotel,
underlining the nation-wide significance of consolidating the world
spread Armenians efforts for the development of Shoushi.

Head of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop
Pargev Martirosyan, speaker of the National Assembly Ashot Ghoulyan,
prime-minister Ara Haroutyunyan, other officials, guests from Armenia
and abroad were present at the ceremony.

THIS YEAR REAL ESTATE PRICES IN ARMENIA WILL STAY UNCHANGEABLE

Stock Markets Review

Sept 1 2011

“Till the end of this 2011 year there would not be any changes in
the Armenian real estate prices”, announced the executive director
of the Association of Mortgage Market Participants Edward Oremyan.

As to him, nowadays the demand for the real estate in Armenia is high
enough, but the further development of the real estate market depends
mainly on the improved demand of customers. Mr. Oremyan also mentioned
that the level of solvency of Armenian population has not increased,
which has a direct impact on the Armenian real estate market.

According to the State Real Estate Cadastre, the number of real estate
transactions recorded in the first quarter of 2011 year increased on
an annual basis by almost 28% to 36.499$. The rising of the prices
for the quarter ranged from 1.5-3% depending on location. Hence,
according to the inventory, the average prices of the metropolitan
housing in a tower block set at the level 271.000 AMD per sq.m and
in private housing -281.000 AMD per sq.m. In regions the highest
prices of houses have been established in cities such as Abovyan and
Vagharshapat (starting from 160.000 AMD per sq.m), Ashtarak, Goris
and Ijevan (nearly 140.00 AMD per sq.m). This year the most active
region came to be Kotayk with 14% of the total number of transactions.

“Yerkir” real estate agency is engaged in a realtor activity in
Armenia. We provide realty services, legal support, draw documents
for purchase, sale, rent of housing and commercial estate.

Our company is founded in 2004 and worthy stands as one of leading
players among the professional realtor companies in Yerevan. Our
company’s specialists have more than 10 years experience in real
estate market. High qualification of our experts guarantees the
operative solution of our clients’ problems of any complexity.

Our company is one of the founders of Association of realtors of
Armenia. Membership in Association trust of our clients, strengthens
its authority in the real estate market. We have excellent reputation
among partners and clients, and we are proud of our professionalism.

We have certificates on all kinds of realty services in the territory
of Armenia. Certificate (Ð~PДâ~D-0487) is granted by Certification
Agency of broker services.

MAGIC AUTUMN” WITH KARABAKH TELECOM CONTINUES

Panorama
Sept 1 2011
Armenia

Karabakh Telecom on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Nagorno
Karabakh Republic grants its subscribers another autumn gift – 15%
tariff decrease for on-net calls. Now you can call from Karabakh
Telecom postpaid numbers to KT numbers at 28.99 AMD per minute
instead of 33 AMD, and from prepaid numbers – 34.99 AMD/min instead
of 39.99 AMD/min. Calls from PSTN and WLL numbers cost only 28.99
AMD per minute.

Another surprise Karabakh Telecom has prepared for WLL new
subscribers. In September for all new customers the subscription
to WLL service will be free of charge, instead of 12500 AMD, and no
monthly fee during the whole autumn.

TURKEY’S MINORITY DECREE DIVIDES US ARMENIANS

Hurriyet Daily News

Sept 1 2011
Turkey

Two major Armenian groups in the US are divided over Turkey’s recent
decision to return properties seized by the state from minorities
over several decades

Turkish PM Erdoðan said returning properties to non-Muslims was about
righting past wrongs during a dinner with representatives of Turkey’s
161 minority foundations.

The two largest American-Armenian groups have expressed opposing
views over Turkey’s recent announcement that hundreds of properties
seized by the state from minorities over the past seven decades will
be returned to their rightful owners.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan’s announcement is just a
“smokescreen,” said the Armenian National Committee of America, or
ANCA, the largest and most influential U.S. Armenian group. The more
moderate Armenian Assembly of America, or AAA, the second-largest U.S.

organization, said however that the decision was “a step in the
right direction.”

The Turkish move was made due to “fear of mounting losses at the
European Court of Human Rights and the recent [committee] adoption
of U.S. Congressional legislation calling attention to its repression
of Christian communities,” ANCA said in its statement.

“Erdoðan’s decree, clearly prompted by increased Congressional scrutiny
of Turkey’s repression of its Christian minority and successive
losses at the European Court of Human Rights, will return less than
1 percent of the churches and church properties confiscated during
the Armenian genocide and the decades that followed it,” said ANCA
Chairman Ken Hachikian.

“Ninety-six years after the genocide perpetrated against the
Armenians, Greeks and Syriacs, this decree is a smokescreen to evade
the much broader consequences of those brutal acts. ANCA will expand
its outreach to Congress and the administration to ensure that the
Turkish government comes to terms with its brutal past, respects the
religious freedom of surviving Christian communities and returns the
fruits of its crime,” Hachikian said.

Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed in the
Ottoman Empire during World War I in what they call “genocide.” Turkey
counters that the number was much smaller and that many Turks and
Muslims were also killed in turmoil during the war.

‘A welcome development’

“The Turkish government’s announcement of its decision to abide by the
rulings of the European Court of Human Rights to return the long-ago
confiscated properties of minorities comes as a step in the right
direction,” the AAA said in a written statement late Wednesday. “While
it remains to be seen how the government will implement this new
measure, the policy holds the promise of restoring the rule of law
for minorities long discriminated against in Turkey,” it added.

“The announcement comes in the wake of a series of developments in
Turkey resulting in increasing civilian oversight of several branches
of the Turkish government previously controlled by the military. Some
of these reforms stem from Turkey’s aspirations for membership in
the European Union,” the AAA said. “As far as the Armenian minority
in Turkey is concerned – after a century of violent persecution,
official discrimination, and public racism – the decree to return
some of the confiscated properties is a welcomed development, but
cannot begin to redress the magnitude of the damage inflicted.”

Speaking during a landmark fast-breaking, or iftar, dinner Sunday
with representatives of all of Turkey’s 161 registered minority
foundations, Erdoðan said the decision to return hundreds of properties
to non-Muslim communities was about righting past wrongs.

‘NO COMMON MECHANISM’ CAN BE USED TO TACKLE SEPARATISM

news.az
Sept 1 2011
Azerbaijan

News.Az interviews David Harris, chief executive of Canadian analytical
centre Foresight Canada.

Do you think that the post-Soviet space is an arena of confrontation
or collaboration at the moment?

There are several “post-Soviet” “spaces”. There are political,
economic, security, cultural and historic spaces. These mesh, for
better or worse, and change over time, with where one is. There are
the “stans” – a terrible Western term, the South Caucasus, the North
Caucasus, the Baltic three, and – possibly most influentially – the
“East Europe” countries, some of which are now in the EU, and/or NATO.

All these spaces are potential arenas for either collaboration or
confrontation. This is the challenge.

In my view, the key is to understand the wider context – the
circumstances of the global space – and then (probably based on the
output of strategic foresight exercises) to select some – and only
some – of the “spaces” for effort that is most likely to pay dividends
of increasing collaboration and less confrontation.

Did the Russo-Georgian war in August 2008 make the South Caucasus
and its problems more known in the world?

Yes, “more known”, but more incompletely known. My experience since
2008 is that more people know more about Georgia and South Ossetia,
but that the major part of that increase focuses only on Georgian
leadership and Russian military superiority.

Almost all my VERY educated friends “know” about the 2008 war, but
do not know where it happened, geographically (until I describe it)
and have no conception of the South Caucasus as including Georgia,
Armenia and Azerbaijan.

What are Canadian interests in the South Caucasus?

Nearly zero; based on my experience and the current political and
economic situation and perceptions in Canada. If anything, the Armenian
diaspora (especially in the United States) plays by far the largest
role in “interests”. These of course focus on the conflict in, over
and around Nagorno-Karabakh.

What should be done to enhance the Canadian presence (economic,
political etc.) in this region?

Nothing “should” be done.

The Minsk Group is, on many planes, a constraint on Canadian (and
other potentially positive) presence.

Attention – and therefrom presence – needs to be attracted. At the
risk of self-promotion, I think the workshops I facilitated in May,
and the conditions under which they were arranged and carried out, was
an example of a way to demonstrate that “progress” – not solutions –
can be promoted by “others”.

The problem of separatism is very well known in Canada and Azerbaijan.

Is it possible to create a common mechanism to solve this problem in
different parts of the world?

Absolutely not. Not is there NOT a “common mechanism” for “different
parts of the world”, any attempt to impose such commonality on such
incredible variety would almost certainly bring down what- or who-ever
attempted it.

ELMAR MAMMADYAROV: AZERBAIJAN NOT TO ABANDON NEGOTIATIONS ON KARABAKH

armradio.am
01.09.2011 16:37

Azerbaijan will not abandon the negotiations to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov said.

“I have no information about the next meeting of the Armenian and
Azerbaijani Presidents,” the Minister said. “I got this information
from the press. I can only confirm that Azerbaijan is ready to continue
the talks over Nagorno-Karabakh.”

He said that much has been done in the peace process up to now.

“The conflict must be resolved in a phased manner, on the basis of
the Madrid Principles,” Mammadyarov said.

AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTRY: WITHDRAWAL OF ARMENIAN TROOPS FROM OCCUPIED AZERBAIJANI TERRITORIES TO GIVE PREDICTABILITY TO SITUATION IN REGION

Trend
Aug 31 2011
Azerbaijan

It is well-known story of the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
when he tries to shift all the blame on others, Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told Trend commenting on the
Armenian leader’s statement.

On Tuesday Sargsyan made several statements regarding the resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and in particular the Kazan meeting’s
results at a meeting of the central apparatus of the Foreign Ministry
and heads of the Armenian diplomatic missions abroad.

Abdullayev said Sargsyan tries to “throw a switch” to the Azerbaijani
side with his unfounded statements, including on the Kazan meeting. He
said such statements by Sargsyan are designed for domestic consumption,
while at the external level all is discussed in another way.

“Our position remains unchanged. First Armenia should withdraw its
troops from the occupied territories to resolve the conflict. This
step will help giving predictability to situation in the region,”
Abdullayev said.

He said presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group countries (France, USA
and Russia) also expressed their dissatisfaction with the status
quo in their statements, which again shows that the international
community’s position coincides with Azerbaijan’s position.

“Speaking about Armeniaphobia, it should be noted that previously the
Armenian highest leadership stressed the ethnic incompatibility of
the Azerbaijanis and Armenians. Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan has always
demonstrated tolerance to presence of the Armenian population in the
country and restoration of the Armenian Church,” Abdullayev underlined.

He said with his unconstructive statements Sargsyan demonstrates
unwillingness to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which also
prevents peace and stability in the region.

“Sargsyan has already led Armenia to economic decline with his
destructive approach,” Abdullayev said.

Presidents Ilham Aliyev, Dmitry Medvedev and Serzh Sargsyan discussed
the basic principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement in
Kazan on June 24. The meeting – ninth in the last three years – ended
without reaching agreement on the basic principles of settlement. A
joint statement issued after the meeting noted the progress towards
this goal.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

ARMENIAN EGG PRODUCERS FACING BANKRUPTCY

WorldPoultry.net

Aug 31 2011

Illegal imports of cheap eggs is killing the Armenian egg producing
industry, according to a report by local newspaper with reference to
the conflicting data of the Ministry of Agriculture and services of
the Customs Union.

The newspaper, 168 hours, quoted Deputy Minister of Agriculture of
the Republic Grisha Bagyana, who noted that up to 1 million eggs
are imported from the Ukraine into the country every month. At the
same time, Customs Services statistics show that illegal egg imports
amounted to much more – almost 2.5 million per month.

“Of course, illegal import products are not dissolving into thin air.

Cheap imported eggs are sold under the pretense of local products,
which results in the fact that a lot of Armenian egg producers fail
to match the competition, have a big loss and are forced to phase
down production” said representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture
of the country.

Official statistics are not available, but according to the Regnum
news agency already about 20% of small egg producers in Armenia went
bankrupt, and still about 30% are in a serious condition. If the
situation does not change any time soon, the major producers of eggs
in Armenia will also face imminent problems. Experts are worrying
that without government intervention, the entire industry soon could
be on the verge of a profound crisis.

VOSKEPAR RIVER TO IRRIGATE ARMENIAN VILLAGES INSTEAD OF FLOWING TO AZERBAIJAN

news.am
Aug 31 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Voskepar River will irrigate the lands of Armenian villages
in Tavush region instead of flowing to Azerbaijan.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan was present at the opening ceremony
of the water channel on Wednesday. Besides the water channel, concrete
dam was also built with all the necessary equipment of carrying water.

Previously water of the river flew to the reservoir of Joghazh on
the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Armenians could not use it because
of Azerbaijani snipers. The project has been implemented within the
frameworks of the international loan of developing agriculture.

Investments amounted to $ 5.4 million.

BROTHER OF ARRESTED ARMENIAN POLICE OFFICIAL RESIGNS

news.am
Aug 30 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Mushegh Ohanyan, brother of arrested chief of Armenia’s
road police Margar Ohanyan, will hand in resignation in two days,
writes Armenian Hraparak newspaper referring to its sources.

“Mushegh Ohanyan, chief of one of Yerevan’s police departments, was
packing his things late in the evening. Rumors say Ohanyan’s brother
had problems with chief of police Alik Sargsyan after he removed
chief’s photo from the wall of his office,” the newspaper writes.

Chief of Armenia’s road police Margar Ohanyan was arrested on Tuesday
suspected of abuse of power and misappropriation.