Author: Kanayan Tamar

ROSE GARDEN TO BE UNVEILED AT YEREVAN BOTANICAL GARDEN

Panorama
May 17 2011
Armenia

The unveiling ceremony of a restored rose garden will take place at
the Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia
today, NAS press office reported.

The rose garden was restored thanks to the efforts of Swiss Ambassador
to Armenia Konstantin Obolensky and Embassy’s funding of 6000 euros
(3 million drams).

Botanical Garden’s dendrocollections and green plants sustained
serious damage due to the economic crisis in Armenia in the 1990s,
and the rose collection was almost completely destroyed.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS DISCUSS EVENTS OF SOUTH CAUCASUS IN YEREVAN

Vestnik Kavkaza
May 17 2011

International experts are discussing events of the South Caucasus at
the Caucasus-2010 conference in Yerevan.

The conference rounds up 2010 and highlights political, social and
economic processes, ethno-political conflicts, roles of foreign
agencies and regional security.

The Editor-in-Chief of the magazine “Russia in Global Affairs”,
Fyodor Lukyanov, believes that global processes keep increasing their
influence on certain regional situations.

Ambassador Raul de Lucenberger, head of the delegation of the European
Commission in Armenia, noted that 2010 was an important year for the
development of the South Caucasus and relations with the EU. Talks
started on the Association Agreement. A simplified visa regime was
introduced by Georgia. There was progress in negotiations with Armenia.

Talks on the Armenian-EU Association Agreement started in Yerevan on
July 19, 2010. It will replace the deal on partnership and cooperation
and improve ties in all spheres, including foreign policy, democracy,
economic integration, migration and energy.

Experts from Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkey will
present their reports at the conference.

AUTHORITIES DISCREDIT POLICE, SAYS RIGHTS ACTIVIST

Tert.am
17.05.11

The Armenian authorities are discrediting the police, the head of
the Helsinki Civil Association of Vanadzor Office has said.

Arthur Sakunts made the statement at a press conference on Tuesday
as he spoke of alleged violations that Stepan Hovakimyan – arrested
over a theft case from Moscow Cinema last year – has been subjected
to while in detention.

“Today’s political authorities in Armenia are spoiling the police,”
said Sakunts.

Sakunts, together with Hovakimyan’s lawyer, Vahram Kerobyan, further
said that the police resorted to torture to exert a self-incriminating
testimony from Hovakimyan.

They also said that despite several statements by the accused,
his lawyer, rights organizations and media publications, the
law-enforcement bodies refuse to launch a probe into their claims
over torture.

Arthur Sakunts further said that Hovakimyan’s cell-mates submitted
a statement to the Court of First Instance of Kentron (Centre) and
Nork-Marash administrative districts, in which they confirmed that
Hovakimyan had complained of having pain in various parts of the body
after interrogation.

Sakunts and Kerobyan also claimed the police are obeying an order
and hiding the actual perpetrator.

Stepan Hovakimyan, the father of the accused, in turn, said that
he also thinks the police are trying to hide the real person behind
the crime.

“For that reason they want to shift all the blame on one person so
that to close this case,” he said.

Further, Hovakimyan said that the area of the Moscow Cinema is under
24-hour video surveillance by four cameras.

“The police said that the suspect was caught on camera for half an
hour which means two hours’ recording,” said he, adding that only a
1.5-minute long edited excerpt has been attached to the case.

“When we demand to be given the entire video, it turns out that it has
been lost. How can we believe in that? Will any one believe that the
video recordings of a day of theft have been lost?” asked Hovakimyan.

The next court hearing on the case is scheduled on May 25.

MORE THAN 113 MILLION AMD WERE SIGNED OUT FROM THE STATE BUDGET TO PAY PENSIONS TO DECEASED PENSIONERS

ARMENPRESS
MAY 17, 2011
YEREVAN

More than 113 million AMD were signed out from the state budget in
the name of the deceased pensioners during 2009-2010. Head of the
public relations department of the Prosecutor General’s office Shahen
Tonoyan told Armenpress that the Interests’ Protection Department of
the Prosecutor General’s office studied the materials sent by the
Finance Ministry and found out that the top officials implementing
the organizational authorities in the appointment, payment and control
of pensions abused their power. Forming false documents in the names
of deceased pensioners, appointing double pensions during 2009-2010
they signed out 113181900 AMD from the state budget and took the
money causing serious harm to the state budget.

A criminal case has opened.

ARMENIAN MINISTER BUYS FIRST RAILWAY TICKET THOUGH ORION AUTOMATED SYSTEM

/ ARKA /
May 17, 2011
YEREVAN

Armenian transport and communications minister Manuk Vardanian bought
today the first railway ticket sold through an automated ticket sales
and reservation system launched by the South Caucasus Railways (SCR)
company operating Armenia’s railroads.

The system, developed on the basis of Orion information platform,
will operate in Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor and Armavir towns.

Speaking to journalists after the ceremony the minister said the new
system will facilitate the process of handling of passengers.

‘From now all passengers can buy tickets without facing problems
and loss of time. The introduction of this system is part of the
government-designed reform to improve the quality of services offered
to railway passengers,’ he said.

He added that this will rule out many inaccuracies like selling one
and the same ticket to two different passengers.

Vardanian said also the ministry plans to launch a similar system
for sale of bus tickets.

SCR deputy CEO Marat Khakov said the new system will help eliminate
all negative factors that were reported in the past and will accelerate
the process of ticket buying and reservation.

Due to the launch of the system the price of tickets will include
assurance collection – 200 drams for Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan trains
and 250 Drams for Yerevan-Batumi-Yerevan trains. Assurance collection
will be refunded in case passenger decides to return the ticket. The
cost of the ticket to Tbilisi ranges from 4,280 to 14,160 drams and
the cost of a ticket to Batumi from 7,500 to 24,000 drams.

On June 15 the South Caucasus Railways will start operating
Yerevan-Batumi-Yerevan trains that will run until September 30. An
additional train will run on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The South Caucasus Railways is run by Russian Railways. The
concessional agreement was concluded in 2008 for 30 years, with a
right of extension for another 20 years after the first 20 years
of operation.

Batumi, a resort town on the Georgian Black Sea coast is a very
popular tourist destination for thousands of Armenian holiday-makers.

ARMENIA READY TO ACTIVELY COOPERATE WITH UNHCR OFFICE

ARMENPRESS
MAY 17, 2011
YEREVAN

President Serzh Sargsyan received Antonio Guterres, UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, who has arrived in Armenia to participate
in the international conference of donor organizations.

President’s press office reported that President Sargsyan rated high
the role of the UNHCR Office and personally Antonio Guterres in the
solution of the problems of refugees in Armenia. President Sargsyan
expressed gratitude to him for the contribution to the programs
implemented in our country, underlining that Armenia is willing to
continue the active cooperation with the UNHCR Office to solve the
issues of refugees and protect their rights.

Serzh Sargsyan noted that from the first day of hosting the refugees,
Armenia has assumed the policy of helping them integrate with the
Armenian public and has never politicized the issue of refugees.

According to President Sargsyan, Armenia will speak once again about
its commitment to solve the problems of most vulnerable families and
improve the legislation during the Ministerial meeting to be held in
Geneva in December.

Antonio Guterres hailed the process of granting citizenship to
refugees, their integration and protection of their rights. According
to him, his visit and the conduction of the conference in Armenia was
another opportunity to join efforts to solve the remaining problems.

CULTURAL DAYS OF BELARUS TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
MAY 17, 2011
YEREVAN

Days of Culture of the Republic of Belarus will be conducted in Armenia
May 19-22. Head of Public Relations Department of the Ministry of
Culture Gayane Durgaryan told Armenpress that during the cultural
days the ministers of the two countries will sign a memorandum on
cultural cooperation.

During the days of culture Belarusian state dancing ensemble, “Clean
Voice” vocal band and accordionist Igor KovaÄ~MeviÄ~G will perform.

Exhibition-fair will be organized to present the works of Belarus
art figures.

Within the framework of the event Belarus films will be shown.

KARABAKH PRESIDENT VISITS AVETARANOTS VILLAGE

Tert.am
17.05.11

Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan visited the village of
Avetaranots in the Askeran region where he met the villagers and
discussed the course of projects being carried out there.

According to a press release by the Karabakhi presidential
administration, Sahakyan said that the state pays special attention
to the issues of youth.

He also noted that the revival of the regions and rural areas is
impossible without effective solutions to the problems the youth faces.

Otherwise migration from the countryside to the cities will be
irreversible, which will have a negative impact on the development
of the Artsakh villages, he added.

Bako Sahakyan gave concrete instructions to carry out the planned
projects at a proper level.

WINNERS OF THE COMPETITION ON TRAFFIC SAFETY IN ARMENIA ANNOUNCED

armradio.am
17.05.2011 18:35

In an event today concluding the Road Safety Week in Armenia a winning
team of six schoolchildren from 33 school was awarded prizes for
their knowledge of traffic rules.

The Road Safety Week in Armenia was launched on 11 May by the OSCE
Office in Yerevan, United Nations Department for Public Information
(UNDPI) and the Armenian National Road Safety Council (NRSC). Its
goal was to raise awareness of road safety rules among drivers and
pedestrians, with a special focus on schoolchildren in the framework
of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020.

“Every year around 1,300,000 people in the world are killed in
road accidents, every 3 minutes a child dies,” said Carel Hofstra,
Deputy Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. “Activities to promote
safety and teach children about traffic safety do save lives and make
a difference.”

“We support efforts of Armenian authorities and law enforcement
aimed at making the roads safer, however these efforts will be fully
successful if each of us – pedestrians, drivers and passengers, –
respect the traffic rules and each other on the road. We can help
save millions of lives. This is the goal of the UN Decade of Action
for Road Safety,” said Maria Dotsenko, UNDPI Representative in Armenia.

Forty eight schoolchildren from 7 schools of Yerevan participated in an
interactive game “What?Where?When?” organized today for the first time
in Armenia on the topic of traffic rules. All participants received
certificates and the winning team of six was awarded the cups with
a yellow emblem symbolizing the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety
2011-2020. The Armenian Ministry of Health/World Health Organization
also contributed to the prizes.

Poghos Shahinyan, the Head of the Secretariat of the Armenian
NRSC, said: “Enforcing the use of seat belts in 2009, introduction
of compulsory motor insurance in 2011 are some of the activities
undertaken by the Armenian Government under the 2009 national strategy
on improving road safety situation. In the course of last two years
pilot classes were introduced in 50 Armenian schools and together with
the Ministry of Education and Science we are developing a methodology
on inclusion of road safety in the school curriculum.”

During the Road Safety Week in Armenia, schoolchildren together
with traffic police officers advised pedestrians on crossing streets
according to the traffic rules, distributed flyers and promotional
gifts, and helped re-paint a pedestrian crossing area in Yerevan.

EU COULD APPLY SANCTIONS AGAINST AZERBAIJAN, POLITICAL SCIENTIST SAYS
Siranush Muradyan

“Radiolur”
17.05.2011 18:26

President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek is expected to arrive
in Armenia for an official visit. Before the President would arrive
in the region, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on May
12 on the situation of human rights in Azerbaijan.

The document calls on Azerbaijani authorities for the release of the
two young bloggers and the newspaper editor Eynulla Fatullayev. They
urge the government to drop the illegal charges against them and
guarantee the protection of journalists in the country.

Upset with the resolution, Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis has decided to
address a letter to the European Parliament.

At the same time the EU takes note of recent positive political
developments in Armenia. Analysts believe that the European Union thus
emphasizes its interest in the countries of the Eastern Partnership
Program.

According to political scientist Stepan Grigoryan, the Council of
Europe and the European Union will maintain this interest in the
near future, and it’s natural. The close we approach Europe, the m
ore we’ll have to meet its standards.

During the discussions on the resolution, the MEPs underlined that the
situatioon in Azerbaijan was rather troublesome and that Azerbaijan
was using a great number of oil dollars to prove to its own public
to be democratic. European MPs proved, however, that they will not
swallow the bait.

“If things continue this way, it’s not ruled out that the EU could
apply sanctions against Azerbaijan,” Stepan Grigoryan said.