Author: Kanayan Tamar

Armenian Economic Association 2015 Conference Call for Papers
Armenian Economic Association
Contact: Shushanik Hakobyan
Email: [email protected]
Web:

The Armenian Economic Association 2015 annual meetings will be jointly
hosted by Yerevan State University (YSU), the Central Bank of Armenia
(CBA), and the American University of Armenia (AUA) on June 19-21,
2015. Keynote speakers: Armen Hovakimian, Baruch College, City
University of New York David Dole, Asian Development Bank Scholars,
researchers, and graduate students, are invited to present their
research in all areas of economicsand finance. Papers may address
growth and development issues in Armenia andthe South-Caucasus, the
emerging financial crisis in the region, regional trade patterns,
trends in labor markets and migration, or any other topic representing
current advances in economics and finance. Both theoretical
and empirical works are welcome.

The language of the conference is Armenian and English, and sessions
will be organized by language and JEL fields: * Microeconomics;
Industry Studies * Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics * International
Economics * Financial Economics * Public Economics * Labor and
DemographicEconomics, Health, Education, and Welfare * Growth,
Economic Development,and Transition Economics * Agricultural,
Natural Resources, and Environmental Economics * Urban, Rural, and
Regional Economics If interested, please submit an abstract at
or alternatively email it to
[email protected] by April 15th; decision by April 30th. Submitted
abstracts should be less than 500 words and include: title of paper,
name(s) of author(s), affiliation, current position, an emailaddress,
at least one keyword. In the abstract, please identify the research
question, methods, and outcomes (obtained or expected). The submission
of complete sessions with 3-4 papers is also welcome, and highly
encouraged. There is no submission fee nor any cost to present and
participate. Contributions and sponsors are welcome. The Armenian
Economic Association (AEA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, organization
dedicated to promoting Armenian scholarship in economics. The annual
conference is one instrument employed to achieve this goal.

WAR MUST BE DECLARED!

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Feb 24 2015

24 February 2015, 10:31 (GMT+04:00)
By Mahammad Agamirzayev

Today Azerbaijan’s society, economy, democracy and many other aspects
have developed dynamically much more than they have ever been.

The fact, our independency is getting stronger with every achieved
success acknowledged by international community.

Delighted with our development, a number of countries support us but
there are others which are envy trying to create barriers in our way.

However, these barriers don’t endure against our development, triumphed
by the union of Azerbaijan nation.

All these are seen not only by Azerbaijani citizens, but also civil
societies of many different countries.

I have come up with this conclusion after having discussions with
people of different age groups, backgrounds and nationalities,
lecturers, and some politicians, since the start of my overseas
studies.

I am currently studying at the University of Birmingham. My meetings
and a series of discussions with Galina Yemelianova, citizen of the
United Kingdom and Professor at University of Birmingham made me
interested in political world.

Dr. Yemelianova works in the “Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian
Studies”, at the University of Birmingham. In the year 1985 Yemelianova
got a PhD in Middle Eastern History, from the Institute of Asian and
African Studies, at the Moscow State University.

Recently, public union “Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh
Region”, Council of the “State Support to Non-Governmental
Organizations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, and
the Humboldt University of Germany have begun to cooperate with the
“Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies” of the University
of Birmingham, regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict.

The only reason why Azerbaijan is not feeling exhilaration is that
our land, Karabakh, is presently occupied by the Armenian invaders.

This was our theme of discussion at my first meeting with
Professor Yemelianova. Her thorough knowledge of both, Azerbaijan
and Azerbaijanis, as well as Armenia and Armenians, has led her to
sustain a fair judgment.

During the course of the conversation, I also discovered that,
because of her caring attitude towards Azerbaijan, in our current
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Dr. Yemelianova was facing regular pressures
from the Armenian Diaspora.

Dr. Yemelianova has played a key role in organization of numerous
trainings and conferences together with agencies which have interest
in the peace in the Caucasian region.

On February 17, 2015, at an invitation of Dr. Yemelianova, I attended
a conference titled “The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Current Discourses
and Future Perspectives” organized by the University of Birmingham
Research Group on the Caucasus and Central Asia, the Centre for
Russian, European and Eurasian Studies, POLSIS, College of Social
Sciences, in collaboration with the Department of War Studies of
King’s College London.

The theme of the first session of the conference was “Regional
Perspectives”, which was followed by discussion on the “Local and
International Discourses”. Following the speeches given by Ambassador
Jacques Faure, the ex- co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group and by Amanda
Paul, from the European Policy Centre (Brussels), the participants
and speakers had debate on relative issues.

During my individual discussions with the speakers, I talked about the
political and the economic development of Azerbaijan, the “Qaradagli”
massacre and the “Khojaly” genocide. My speech positively affected them
and it was visible from their facial mimic and attitude towards me.

In my point of view, it is now the right time to declare an
ideological-nationwide war for freedom of Karabakh. Consequently,
each of us must give a daily, weekly, monthly report and analyze it:
How many “shots were fired”…, what was stated by him/her to the
world concerning this issue?

At this point, I think it is worth noting a suggestion of mine,
which is including the question of “What ideological action have you
done for the sake of Azerbaijan, Karabakh?” to a seminar held by “The
State Students Admission Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan”.

It would be enough to have a dramatic increase of world awareness on
the truth of Karabakh conflict and boost-up the resolution progression
of this dispute if each of us spends at least an hour each day on
this campaign via the means of Information Technology, for the sake
of integrity and freedom of the motherland-Azerbaijan. This would
be a sign of solidarity of Azerbaijanis against the aggressor nation
and its mendacious supporters.

SPECIAL PROJECT. SURVIVORS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE. MISAK AGHBALYAN ON DEPORTATION OF KARIN POPULATION

Aysor.am is launching the third series of project “Armenian Genocide:
Breaking the Silence.” Under the headline “Survivors” we will regularly
present the testimonies of survivors of the 1915 Armenian massacres
in the Ottoman Turkey. We present the first eyewitness testimony from
the series.

On May 23 the government told 165 Armenian households to move to
Mosul. The 165 Armenian households informed the Primacy about the
government’s plan and were included in a list. On June 3, 25-30
households of them leased 200 horses and moved to Kharberd along
Kghi road.

The rest of those 165 households on June 6 traveled in carts to
Yerznka through Bayburd route. On June 8 the Government again told
500 households to leave the city within 8 days.

On June 15, 500 households went to Yerznka via Bayburd route. On June
20, artisans (1259 households) were offered to migrate. On June 25
they also left Karin via Bayburd route. Only 100 houses – widowed
women and orphaned children remained in the city, but they too were
told to leave on July 8. They were deported in 8 days.

Bishop Smbat was ordered to move to Yerznka on July 15. Armenian
doctors and surgeons had to migrate on July 16. Only 10 households
of artisans were left in the city. The belfry was pulled down on
December 2.

The project was prepared with the assistance of the Information and
Analytical Center of the Armenian Government Staff.

11.02.15, 21:17

SPECIAL PROJECT. SURVIVORS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE. EVIDENCE OF HAYKANUSH HLOYANTS ABOUT MASSACRES IN KHNUS

Aysor.am is launching the third series of project “Armenian Genocide:
Breaking the Silence.” Under the headline “Survivors” we will regularly
present the testimonies of survivors of the 1915 Armenian massacres
in the Ottoman Turkey. We present the first eyewitness testimony from
the series.

Haykanush Hloyants who found refuge in the village of Ughuzli recalled:

“On Ascension Day the Government ordered that all the Armenians be
expelled from the town and massacred. A flight began, during which
I lost my children.

Osman chavush caught me. At first he was going to throw me into a
river, but then he thought that he needed me so he spared my life and
took me and my 6-year-old son Hamazasp to Chapaghjur. He kept me in
his family in a village and started to cohabit forcibly with me.

Osman had a legal Turkish wife, and an Armenian wife – like me – whom
they converted into a Turk and called ‘Minavar’ which means ‘heavenly
light’. I was named Nikar. I stayed at that house for three months.

When the Russians were approaching, Osman together with his two wives
and the entire family moved inland, but he left me and my son behind,
thinking that if the Russians won and captured our village, I would
find my compatriots – and when Turks won, I would protect the house
until their return.

With God’s help, the Russian won. They assembled us and handed us
over to the fortress staff that sent us to Igdir. The name of the son
I lost was Azat. My husband’s name is Arevshat. He was an askyar. I
have no news of him.

(The evidence was recorded by Varos Sargsyan).

The project was prepared with the assistance of the Information and
Analytical Center of the Armenian Government Staff.

20.02.15, 21:39

Related news

Special Project. Survivors of Armenian Genocide. Misak
Aghbalyan on deportation of Karin population

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: GULOYAN UNAWARE OF KENTRON TV SALE

12:19 24/02/2015 >> DAILY PRESS

“I learnt about it from you,” Murad Guloyan, member of Prosperous
Armenia parliamentary faction, owner of Kentron TV, told Haykakan
Zhamanak when asked to comment on the information about the sale of
the TV company. In response to the remark that this information is
circulating in the media, Guloyan only shrugged his shoulders.

Source: Panorama.am

HOW DID THEY CATCH PERMYAKOV AND WHERE IS HE? RELATIVES OF THE AVETISYAN’S GIVE PROSECUTOR TIME

Lragir.am
Law – 24 February 2015, 14:23

Yesterday the relatives of the murdered Avetisyan family went to
Shirak Prosecutor’s Office. They demanded that Raffi Aslanyan to pass
to Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan that they want a meeting with
him. The relatives of the Avetisyan family informed that they have
met with the representatives of the Investigative Committee which
is investigating the case but the Committee has not answered most of
their questions.

The prosecutor of Shirak confessed that they have no information
either.

“The information we have is what we heard. These cannot be official
information. If you want official information, there is an agency that
is investigating the case. Submit a request to them and they will
provide you [with as much information] as is defined by law. Shirak
Prosecutor’s Office does not have any procedural authority regarding
this criminal case.”

The daughter of the Avetisyan family said they have not been able to
obtain any information in Yerevan. She said they will stay at the
prosecutor’s office until the Prosecutor General arrives in Gyumri
and meets with them.

Raffi Aslanyan explained that the sides can become familiar with the
files of the case only after the end of the investigation. As to their
intention to go on a sit-in, he said it was a provocative behavior and
he cannot just telephone Kostanyan and ask him to come to Gyumri. He
advised to write a letter to Kostanyan instead and leave him alone
and let him work because the prosecutor of the region has no control
over the case and is not competent to provide any information about
the case.

“You cannot have anything else more important than this case, can you?

If you want, you can get the information, it means you don’t want to,”
the relatives of the Avetisyan family said.

“The letters of the prosecutor general are a sham. He did not write
anything,” Hasmik Avetisyan’s sisters said.

They are dissatisfied with advocate Yerem Sargsyan as well. They
called other advocates to deal with this case as they want a group
of advocates to deal with this case.

“If our advocate were good, he would be beside us. We need advocates
who will do real work. Our advocate must be beside us but he is not
here now. We ask other advocates to deal with this case. 43 days
passed, and still no information. They say it is being investigated…

what is being investigated without the criminal? We demand that
they find the murderer of our sister’s family. We don’t even know if
Permyakov is here or not, whether or not it was him.”

Rima Poghosyan wonders whether anyone knows if the one held in the
military base is Permyakov, whether anyone has seen his face. “They
didn’t even show how they had found Permyakov. We don’t know anything.

There is no criminal, there is no case. I don’t know what they are
investigating now. Why was Serozh wrapped in the blanket? Maybe they
resisted? Why was Armen lying on the floor…? I don’t know. There
are too many questions and no answers so far.”

And the sister of Hasmik Avetisyan urged Raffi Aslanyan to support
them, even resign if need be but help them. Raffi Aslanyan, however,
put on his coat and left his office.

Policemen entered Aslanyan’s office then. Behind closed doors the
policemen persuaded the relatives of the Aveitsyan family to leave the
building of the prosecutor’s office. The relatives left the building
and said they give Kostanyan two days to come to Gyumri and meet with
them. They rule out coming to Yerevan.

CENTRAL BANK FORECASTS 30% DECLINE OF PERSONAL TRANSFERS IN 2015

by Karina Melikyan

Tuesday, February 24, 12:53

Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) has forecasted a 30% decline of personal
transfers (in terms of US dollar) in 2015, and a growth of transfers
in Russia rubles with certain slackening.

According to the monetary policy program of the CBA for Q1 2015, net
flow of non-commercial personal transfers via the banking system of
Armenia fell 30.5% in Q4 2014. Russia accounts for over 80% of total
money transfers to Armenia. The decline is forecasted given such
factors as the sudden devaluation of the Russia rubles against the
US solar in Q4 2014 and the anticipated economic decline in Russia
in 2015. In particular, a 2%-3.8% economic decline is anticipated in
Russia in 2015 and the downward trend will continue in 2016. In 2017,
it is forecasted that the economic activity will be recovered and
will experience up to 1% growth by the end of 2017.

According to the CBA, in 2015 the economic growth in Armenia will
slacken and make up 0.4%-2% versus 3.5%-3.5% in late 2014. According
to the World Bank forecasts, the economic growth in Armenia will total
3.3% versus 2.6% in 2014. In 2016, GDP of Armenia may reach 3.7% and in
2017 – 4.1%. The draft budget of Armenia for 2015 is based on a 4.1%
growth of the real GDP and 2.34% deficit. In nominal terms, GDP will
total 4.867.5 billion drams. According to the National Statistical
Service of Armenia, economic activity of Armenia for Jan-Dec 2014 as
compared to the same period of 2013 grew 3.9%.

NAIRIT EMPLOYEES STAGE PROTEST OUTSIDE ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL RESIDENCE

Workers of Yerevan’s Nairit chemical plant are staging yet another
protest outside the Armenian president’s residence. They demand
payment of wage arrears for two years.

On Friday the plant workers receive one month wage arrears. Ye they
demand answers to their questions such as when the full amount of
wage arrears will be paid and why many workers are being laid off.

23.02.15, 16:24

A GENOCIDE NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT: YEZIDIS PROTEST IN FRONT OF PARLIAMENT

02.23.2015 16:13 epress.am

Representatives of Armenia’s Yezidi Community will fight so
that RA National Assembly Deputy-Speaker, Republican Party member
Eduard Sharmazanov’s authored draft statement about the Genocide of
ethnic-religious minorities in the Ottoman Empire be excluded from the
Assembly’s agenda or include the fact of the Yezidi Genocide as well.

Today, about 2 dozen Yezidi community representatives demonstrated in
front of the National Assembly entrance demanding an amendment to the
draft in order for the Genocide against Yezidis to also be mentioned.

Police did not allow the protesters to stand near the NA entrance,
therefore the protest took place across the street. The protesters
noted that even if the current draft was to be included in the
agenda, they would continue to fight for another draft specifically
for Yezidis.

Yezidi Youth Association of Armenia President Sayid Avdalyan recalled
that last year Zaruhi Postanjyan’s proposed draft statement mentioned
the genocide of Yezidis, while the Republican Party representative’s
(Sharmazanov) document did not include the line about Yezidis.

Avdalyan said that the NA’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs had
told that there was not sufficient archival documents that testified
to a Yezidi Genocide, however the Association claim there are and
that they would present them to the MPs. The President of the Yezidi
Association cited Genocide historian Israel Charny, who wrote about
the Ottoman Empire’s genocide against Yezidis, calling it “a genocide
no one knows about.”

Avdalyan expressed his surprise about the MP’s behavior, stressing
that Armenian-Yezidi friendship is spoken about frequently in Armenia,
however it has been forgotten in this case. Avdalyan assumed that
such an attitude might have an underlying political motive.

“On February 7, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduard Nalbandyan
met with Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani in Munich (Germany)
and spoke about developing cooperation between Armenia and Iraq. We
think that in [Postanjyan’s] draft statement, not only was included the
Yezidi genocide on Ottoman territory, but also the current one by the
terrorist group Islamic State. Subsequently, if Zaruhi Postanjyan’s
draft were to be accepted, it would condemn not only the Yezidi
genocide in the Ottoman Empire but also on Iraqi territory.

It is not in the interests of the Armenian authorities to condemn
the genocide in Iraq, because it would shatter plans on cooperation
between Armenia and Kurdistan,” said the President of the Yezidi
Youth Association of Armenia.

During today’s hearing at the National Assembly Zaruhi Postanjyan
raised the issue of the Yezidi Genocide not being included in the
draft. Postanjyan noted that she would present evidence about the
fact that a Genocide against Yezidis had taken place. NA Speaker
Galust Sahakyan stated that they had not found any document which
justified that a genocide against Yezidis had actually happened. The
NA Speaker said that the committee would look over the issue and
study Postanjyan’s presented documents.

THREE OR NONE?: OPPOSITIONAL “TROIKA” HAS UNCERTAIN FUTURE FOLLOWING TSARUKYAN SHUTDOWN

POLITICS | 23.02.15 | 15:20

GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

Leaders of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) and of the Armenian
National Congress (ANC), neither confirm nor deny the assessment
of Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian that “the troika does
not exist”.

Hovannisian made the statement at a rally last Friday, referring to the
three-party coalition that had hope to form a collective opposition
but appears non-existent now following PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan’s
humiliating loss in a power play against President Serzh Sargsyan.

Tsarukyan had called an “urgent” rally to presumably gain support
for a public movement to force a snap presidential election.

After Sargsyan’s government threatened to prosecute Tsarukyan for
unpaid taxes, the powerful businessman relented and pulled his party
out of the very rally he had called. ANC withdrew its participation
as well, leaving only Heritage. No more than several hundred people
showed up to hear Hovanissian say:

“If today, at this moment, under these snowflakes, we get together
with hundreds of thousands, there would be a new Armenia. But somebody
did not want that. It is not Heritage that left the troika. It’s a
pity that our colleagues decided to leave the troika on their own
initiative.”

PAP spokesman Tigran Urikhanyan would not comment on whether the
troika is officially dissolved. “Follow our colleagues, and you will
know later,” Urikhanyan told ArmeniaNow.

ANC spokesman Levon Zurabyan said that the parties must hold
consultations and only afterwards make announcements about whether
the three parties will attempt to continue their cooperation.

According to Armen Badalyan, expert of political and elective
technologies, the question of troika’s existence will be decided by
the three political forces and not only by one of them.

“It is no secret that two of those forces are important – the PAP
and the ANC. Strictly conditionally we can call Heritage an existing
party with a small number of followers, a small number of members and
almost no resources. That’s why here the important factor is whether
the PAP and the ANC will collaborate, or whether each of them will
claim their own path,” Badalyan told ArmeniaNow.

The analyst also says that forces outside Armenia’s political field
control what happens internally.

“It is no secret that the problem of the government in Armenia is no
more solved by the public, but rather by Russia,” Badalyan said.