Author: Kanayan Tamar

LES VILLAGEOIS ARMENIENS MECONTENTS DE LA PRESENCE DE TOMATES TURQUES
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 27 mai 2011

La recente reaction de producteurs armeniens de tomates face aux
exportations turques etait valable a dit le vice-ministre armenien
de l’agriculture et des Affaires Rurales Samvel Kalstyan.

Comme leurs produits sont restes invendus, les producteurs de tomates
en Armenie ont fait une manifestation Place de la Republique a Erevan
appelant a une interdiction des importations de tomates en provenance
de Turquie.

Bien que la frontière entre l’Armenie et la Turquie soit fermee,
les hommes d’affaires des deux pays continuent a faire du commerce
via la Georgie.

Grâce au climat continental dans le pays, les producteurs en Armenie
ne sont pas capables de produire suffisamment de tomates. Les tomates
poussent uniquement dans des serres.

S’exprimant dans Hurriyet, le vice-ministre de l’Agriculture et des
Affaires Rurales Samvel Kalstyan a dit qu’il comprenait la reaction
des paysans armeniens. ” Cependant, la situation n’exige pas de mettre
fin aux importations et aux exportations entre les deux pays “.

Samvel Kalstyan a dit que le gouvernement Georgien a impose des
quotas pour les pommes de terre et les raisins importes d’Armenie
l’annee dernière. ” Mais cette situation n’exige pas de mettre
fin aux importations et aux exportations. Les importations et les
exportations peuvent continuer avec quelques mesures et reglements,
sans porter prejudice aux producteurs ” a dit Samvel Kalstyan.

Gagik Makaryan, le president de l’Union Republicaine des Employeurs
d’Armenie, qui a des relations avec les hommes d’affaires turcs
depuis 2008, a declare que les reactions des producteurs armeniens
sont justifiees. ” Tout d’abord, la priorite doit aller chez les
producteurs armeniens. Sinon la capacite de produire dans le pays
peut etre endommagee “.

” Comme d’autres pays, la Turquie impose aussi des taxes et des
quotats a ses importations afin de ne pas endommager son marche
interieur. C’est normal. Autrement, les producteurs pourraient avoir
des dommages et cela pourrait causer des inegalites ” a dit Gagik
Makaryan.

Les fermiers peuvent obtenir 70 a 80 kilogrammes de tomates sur un
terrain d’un mètre carre en Europe et la Turquie, a dit le Professeur
Antreas Melikyan de l’Universite Agraire d’Erevan. ” Mais en Armenie,
la production par mètre carre est de 20 kilogrammes ” a dit Antreas
Melikyan. ” En raison de ces difficultes et des problèmes causes par
le climat, les villageois doivent etre soutenus par le gouvernement “.

BRYZA IN WIKILEAKS: ‘ADMINISTRATION WORKING HARD TO CONVINCE CONGRESS NOT TO PASS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION’

Asbarez
Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza

On Mar. 15, 2007, a classified cable was sent from the US Embassy in
Turkey to the US Department of State, which was published May 24 on
the whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks.

This particular cable refers to a meeting on Mar. 9, 2007, between
then US Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew Bryza and Istanbul Deputy
Governor for minority affairs Fikret Kasapoglu, in which the parties
discuss the Armenian Genocide Resolution (referred to as AGR in the
cable) being debated in the US House of Representatives and the Senate.

“Bryza stressed that the Administration is working hard to convince
Congress not to pass AGRs currently being contemplated in both the
US House of Representatives and Senate. The Administration’s position
remains that a candid discussion about Turkish-Armenian history should
take place within civil society, he said. Kasapoglu believes the case
against AGRs should stress four points:

Istanbul’s tradition of tolerance for different cultures dating back
to the beginning of the Ottoman Empire.

Despite historical and present political tensions between Turkey and
Armenia, more than 40,000 economic migrants from Armenia still choose
to live in Turkey illegally (we regularly hear the number 70,000 from
GOT officials) The positive, spontaneous, mass public condemnation
of Hrant Dink’s assassination was a sign of the respect people have
for each other and for different cultures.

Turkey’s mostly young population find it hard to comprehend what
happened during World War I and politicizing ‘genocide’ allegations
will only inspire hatred.”

Istanbul’s deputy governor also raised the issue of Turkish-Armenians,
saying they were “increasingly seen as part of society but that
certain events (e.g., AGRs) ‘just make things worse’.”

“The Deputy Governor agreed that arguing against congressional
Armenian ‘genocide’ resolutions by focusing on a potential increase
in ultra-nationalism and risks to the Turkish-Armenian community’s
security is not constructive. Rather, Kasapoglu suggested focusing on
Turkey’s tradition of tolerance for religious minorities and the fact
that Armenians still choose to immigrate illegally by the thousands
to Turkey,” reads the cable, in part.

“SARDARAPAT” EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR ZARUHI POSTANJYAN

A1Plus.am
25 May 2011

The Sardarapat movement initiative group has issued a statement
voicing support for Heritage Party MP Zaruhi Postanjyan.

“Tigran Postanjyan, the brother of opposition MP Zaruhi Postanjyan,
has started a hunger strike in Nubarashen penitentiary to protest
against the inhuman and humiliating attitude of the prison
administration. Tigran’s arrest was ungrounded and politically
motivated and was targeted at his sister Zaruhi Postanjyan. We voice
our support for the deputy, who struggles for the rights of our
citizens and stretch out a helping hand to numerous people, and call
on Tigran to stop the hunger strike.

We hope that the civil society will show solidarity in the matter,
as political repression will not cease unless people overthrow the
regime,” the movement said in a statement.

In February 2011, a case was filed against Tigran Postanjyan, a leading
specialist in Yerevan’s Arabkir district and the brother of Heritage
MP Zaruhi Postanjyan, for receiving AMD 100,000 (about $274 US)
remuneration for turning a blind eye to illegal construction done in
his district. A few days later, Postanjyan was called to the National
Security Service for questioning where he was taken under arrest.

Zaruhi Postanjian denounced the case as baseless and politically
motivated and said it was coordinated attack against her, Heritage
and the whole defiant public.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT KILLS ARF MOTION TO EXPRESS VOTE OF NO-CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT

/ARKA/
MAY 25, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, May 25. / ARKA /. The Armenian parliament killed
today a motion made by the opposition Armenian Revolutionary
Federation/Dshnaktsutyun (ARF) party to ask the president to express
vote of no-confidence in the government.

An ARF lawmaker Armen Rustamian said his party wants the government
to be held accountable for the failure to fulfill the declared social
and economic policy and ineffective anti-crisis measures. He said the
impression from the government’s activity over the last three years
is that it declares specific programs but implements different ones.

Finance minister Vache Gabrielian denied allegations describing the
government’s activity as ‘evolutionary.’

‘In early 2000 Armenia saw an unprecedented double-digit economic
growth along with low inflation rate, but the economic advance was
disproportional,’ the minister said explaining that the government
had to revise economic priorities after the global economic crisis
hit the country severely.

He commended then the government for taking steps which allowed to
ensure economic growth in 2010 and inspired hopes of continued growth
in 2011, saying also this indicates that Armenia managed to overcome
the crisis, albeit some negative consequences are still present.

Under parliament regulations, the ARF may make a fresh motion in four
months.

CTS-2011 EXHIBITION INDICATOR OF GROWTH IN ARMENIAN TOURISM SECTOR: DEPUTY MINISTER

/ARKA/
MAY 25, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, May 25. / ARKA /. More than 90 companies, including 14
companies from Georgia, three from Nagorno-Karabakh, one from Latvia,
India and Tunisia respectively, as well as more than 70 companies
from Armenia are showcasing their products and services at the 11-th
annual International Tourist Exhibition ” Country of Talking Stones
(CTS) 2011″ that opened today in Yerevan.

Speaking at the opening ceremony a deputy Armenian economy minister
Ara Petrosian said is was an indicator of growing Armenian tourism
industry.

“The number and geography of participants has increased this year
revealing positive trends in the development of tourism in Armenia”,
said Petrosian.

The deputy minister said an 18.9% growth was reported by Armenian
tourism industry last year, quite a high figure for post-crisis period
when the global tourism sector was in recession.

“In the first quarter this year we saw a 22% growth compared to
the first quarter last year. Some 113,000 foreign tourists visited
Armenia,” he said, adding that the government expects another 20%
growth this year.

The exhibition runs on May 25-26 in Yerevan. It is a major
international event, focused on the development of regional tourism.

Last year 87 travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, hotels and
rest houses, insurance companies, governmental and nongovernmental
organizations, travel publications, news agencies, educational
institutions, restaurants, leading producers of wines and brandy
took part in the event. For the first time the exhibition saw an
unprecedented large number of Turkish companies showcasing their
services in Armenia.

The exhibition runs under the auspices of the ministry of economy,
the Armenian Association of Travel Agents (AATA), American Society
of Travel Agents with the support of the Armenian-German cooperation
program (GTZ) and the Union of Armenia Hotels.

TURKS PROTEST AGAINST INVOLVEMENT OF ARMENIA IN BLACK SEA RING HIGHWAY

news.am
May 25, 2011 | 15:33

YEREVAN. – Turkey and Azerbaijan protest against the highway passage
through the territory of Armenia, said the head of Armenian delegation
to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
Gagik Minasyan on Wednesday.

The approach of Azerbaijan and Turkey is considered contrary to the
principles of the organization by the rest of the members, he added.

Construction of the highway around Black Sea is in design stage. The
memorandum of mutual understanding in regard to the construction of
Black Sea ring highway was signed in Belgrade on April 19, 2007.

According to preliminary estimates, highway’s length will exceed
7.1 thousand kilometers. It will pass through Istanbul, Batumi,
Novorossiysk, Taganrog, Mariupol, Odessa, Chisinau, Bucharest, Kiev
and Alexandropoulos.

LOST & FOUND IN ARMENIA FILMING TO BE CONTINUED IN ARMENIA JUNE 6

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 25, 2011 – 14:51 AMT

The first shooting day in Armenia of Lost & Found in Armenia bilingual
film is due June 6.

Lost & Found in Armenia is the story of Bill (Jamie Kennedy), an
American tourist who vacations to Turkey to get his mind off a bad
break up. In a comedic and dangerous turn of events, Bill unknowingly
ends up in a small village in Armenia, where he is accused of being
a Turkish spy. It is in that small village, he meets a beautiful
Armenian girl (Angela Sarafyan), who helps him escape from misfortune.

“Lost & Found in Armenia” is a Red Tie Films production with
Award-winning director Gor Kirakosian (Big Story in a Small City)
and award-winning producer Valerie McCaffrey (American History X,
Neo Ned) along with Maral Djerejian (Sideways).

The filming was launched in March in Los Angeles and will also shoot
in San Diego before continuing in Armenia.

ANM: AMNESTY NOT TO REFER TO ANM EX-LEADER VANO SIRADEGHYAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 25, 2011 – 15:10 AMT

Chairman of the Armenian National Movement (ANM) Board Aram Manukyan
said the amnesty planned by the authorities will not refer to ANM
ex-leader, Armenia’s former interior minister Vano Siradeghyan.

Amnesty will be granted only to those people, who are convicted under
certain articles of the Criminal Code, while there is no a court
decision on Siradeghyan’s case, Manukyan told a press conference in
Yerevan. He added that ANM will continue its struggle for acquittal
and return of Siradeghyan to Armenia.

Manukyan also refuted some politicians’ statements that the release
under amnesty means confession of guilt by the convicted in the March
2008 events. He urged not to confuse amnesty with pardon. According to
Manukyan, amnesty is the authorities’ decision and refers to certain
articles of Armenia’s Criminal Code, while none of those imprisoned
with respect to the March 2008 has appealed for pardon.

Armenia’s ex-minister of interior affairs, former parliament member
and ANM leader Vano Siradeghyan was deprived of parliamentary
immunity in 2010 and a criminal case was initiated against him for
a range of crimes, including creation of a gang and organization of
contract killings. Since that moment, Siradeghyan has disappeared
from Armenia and an international arrest warrant has been issued for
him via Interpol.

8 INJURED IN ISTANBUL BLAST

Tert.am
26.05.11

Eight people were injured in a blast that struck Istanbul earlier
this morning.

According to CNN Turk, the blast occurred in Etlier, one of the
busiest districts of the city.

Ten ambulances have reportedly arrived at the scene.

No further details are available.

MP: THOSE CONVICTED IN MARCH 2008 CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED IN 2009

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 26, 2011 – 11:44 AMT

Those convicted in March 2008 case should have been released in 2009,
member of Heritage parliamentary group stated.

“Political prisoners will be a persisting phenomenon unless the
political system secures independence of judicature,” Zaruhi Postanjyan
told a press conference in Yerevan.

She slammed some politicians who presume that Heritage is jealous about
the dialogue between the authorities and the Armenian National Congress
(ANC). “Jealousy and envy can be a political assessment,” she said.

For her part, member of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)
Karine Achemyan said that Nikol Pashinyan and Sasun Mikaelyan will
be present at the May 31 ANC rally.