Author: Kanayan Tamar

DOLLAR HIKE UNLIKELY TO BOOST ARMENIA’S EXPORTS – ECONOMIST

13:14 * 18.12.14

The president of the Association of Armenian Exporters says he is
skeptical about the authorities’ optimistic forecasts on the increasing
Dollar rate’s positive impact on exports volumes.

“The Dollar hike is not likely to bring about anything good. The
process should have been smooth to make the exports advantageous,”
Raffi Mkhejyan told Tert.am, calling for maximum efforts by the
government and the Central Bank towards halting the process.

He said he doesn’t think that the currency’s increasing prices is
the only factor stipulating the export growth. “What we export is
domestic raw material and domestic labor force. So the fact that such
fluctuations of the currency rate will contribute to exports are a
myth,” he added.

Asked what losses the domestic exporters’ suffer against the backdrop
of the declining Russian Rouble, Mkhejyan said doesn’t see any serious
transaction in the present circumstances.

“There too, exports would be advvantageous in case the Rouble were
stable. But we do not have any Rouble or Dram in place today. So this
isn’t likely to lead to anything good,” the economist noted.

He said he doesn’t predict any outcome in the current state of
affairs. “There is now way out today. We are tied to Russia’s economy
through direct bonds, so we cannot do anything unless the general
situation improves. Here first of all we see such a factor as Russia
where the price per one Dollar has reached 70-75 Roubles. So if the
neither the Russian Central Bank nor we are able to do anything to
suppress it, the problem then we are facing a large-scale problem. The
situation has already gone beyond control,” he explained.

Mekhjyan said he thinks that the fluctuations will continue until
spring, adding that positive changes will be ruled out in the absence
of a political decision by Russia.

“Mr Putin has to make a political decision to smooth out the
situation,” he said.

David Ghazaryan, the president of the exporting company Spayka, says he
expects the increasing exchange rate to promote agricultural exports.

“For the export of agricultural produce, it will be quite all right.

But this isn’t notably a season for exports. So there is no positive
impact as of today,” he added.

The company currently exports grape and cabbage.

“Should the currency exchange rate remain what it is now, it will
boost exports,” he said.

Commenting on the currency fluctuations, Khosrov Harutyunyan, a
former prime minister now representing the ruling Republican faction
in parliament, said an increase in the export volumes requires raising
the exports capacities to a corresponding level.

“The Russian market is in need of basic necessities. So are we ready
to meet that demand with our supply?” he said, considering Armenia’s
institutional capacities too weak.

> DE DENIS DONIKIAN

A paraître

Depuis 2008, l’ecrivain Denis Donikian a travaille a reconstituer
des elements et decrypter les tenants et aboutissants du genocide
des Armeniens en y investiguant toutes les periodes.

Aujourd’hui, les editions Sigest sont heureuses de vous annoncer la
parution prochaine de la PETITE ENCYCLOPEDIE du GENOCIDE ARMENIEN.

Publication au mois de Mars 2015.

Un livre essentiel car s’y trouve l’essentiel du genocide des
Armeniens.

Pensee et concue pour qui veut trouver un evènement, une date, un
lieu, un nom, une reference… lies au genocide des Armeniens, la
Petite encyclopedie du genocide armenien s’adresse aux journalistes,
etudiants, chercheurs, politiques, mais aussi a qui veut savoir,
lecteur curieux ou averti. A lire, offrir, transmettre a ses enfants
et aux deputes.

Chapitre I : Periode hamidienne

Chapitre II : Periode ittihadienne

Chapitre III : Periode kemalienne

Chapitre IV : Periode negationniste

Chapitre V : Mecanismes du meurtre de masse

Un Ouvrage de 500 pages agrementees de multiples photographies,
accompagne d’un CD comprenant environ 800 cartes postales et photos
d’epoque relatives a la presse, aux villes et villages où vivaient
des Armeniens, et au genocide lui-meme, grâce a la collection
exceptionnelle de Robert Tafankejian.

Souscription

Pour souscrire a des conditions avantageuses avant le 28 fevrier 2015
rendez-vous ICI

jeudi 18 decembre 2014, Jean Eckian (c)armenews.com

TURKEY’S ULTRAS AT THE FOREFRONT OF RESISTANCE

Al Jazeera , Qatar
December 16, 2014 Tuesday 2:27 PM GMT

by Mark Bergfeld

Football fans were at the forefront of the Gezi protests, now they
are at the sharp end of the Turkish justice system.

Being a Besiktas suporter, a member of the renowned Carsi ultras,
is not just about being a football fan. Founded by a group of school
friends in 1982, the Carsi ultras have been struggling against
despotism and tyranny for more than thirty years now. The famous
Turkish writer Esber Yagmurdereli once said: “I am not in opposition
because I’m a Besiktas fan, I’m a Besiktas fan so I am in opposition.”

For 35 Carsi ultras this idea is all too real. Today they are facing
trial in Turkey for their participation in the Gezi protests last
year. The have been charged with plotting to overthrow the government
and are facing lengthy prison sentences. They are also accused of
being part of an “armed group” and “possessing unlicensed weapons”.

Leading Gezi protests

The Carsi ultras were at the forefront of the demonstrations against
the government. When police decided to remove environment protesters
from Gezi Park – one of the last green spaces in Istanbul’s city centre
– the Carsi ultras were the first to respond and show solidarity. It
was their energy and mobilisation power that drew in hundreds of
thousands of people from diverse backgrounds, including religious and
ethnic minorities, leftists and groups such as the Anti-Capitalist
Muslims.

Astonishingly, it even brought out supporters of rival football clubs
who have been at odds with each other since the 1980s. While other
football fan groups dispersed in the face of repression, the Carsi
ultras stood their ground.

Some Besiktas fans were arrested during the protests and others –
in house raids in September 2013. According to Ali Usluer, a Carsi
ultra, this is a clear case of “revenge” for not backing down.

More than a year after the protests, nearly 6,000 people have been
charged in 97 different trials.

Coup suspicions and conspiracy theories are not without substance
in Turkish history. The Turkish military has interfered in civilian
matters throughout the 20th century.

But the Carsi ultras – famous for their slogan “Carsi is against
everything!” – claim to have never been aligned with the military or
subversive political groups in any way.

“It is ludicrous to accuse the Carsi of an attempted coup,” Ali
tells me over the phone. “Carsi members suffered under the military
dictatorship in 1983. Just because we were organised, doesn’t mean
we are for a coup.”

A history of opposition

The Carsi ultras have a mass appeal and popularity in Turkey and
abroad. Carsi’s Twitter account has more than 700,000 followers. They
are also said to be the loudest football fans on the planet. The noise
level in their 32,000 capacity stadium once reached 132 decibels
at a home game against Fenerbahce in 2007. Ali remembers that day:
“My jaw almost broke, I was screaming so loud.” Despite rising ticket
prices and commercialisation, the Inonu Stadium remains a place of
political protest, Ali says.

Their opposition goes beyond mere symbolism. In the past, they
demonstrated against the war in Iraq and the construction of a
nuclear power station; they collected money for earthquake victims,
and continue to donate blood regularly.

In a country where the Armenian genocide of 1915 is not recognised as
such, it is significant that one of their former leaders Alen Markaryan
is Armenian. After the murder of the Armenian-Turkish writer Hrant
Dink, they held up banners saying “We are all Armenians”. After a
Black Besiktas player was insulted by other fans, they held up a
banner which read: “We are all black!” Most recently fans showed
their solidarity with the protests in Ferguson.

Minorities such as Kurds and Alevis strongly identify with the club
as well. Kemal Kunes, a Besiktas supporter in London said: “Coming
from a lefty Alevi/Kurd family I have always seen Besiktas as the
club to support in Turkey.”

During the days and nights of street fights against the Erdogan
government, their opposition took new heights. Thousands of Carsi
ultras adorned their Facebook cover photo with the slogan “Give us 100
gas masks and we’ll take back the park”. Carsi ultras even hijacked
an excavator to erect barricades and move against police lines.

Accusations of terrorism

Ipek Demirsu, a human rights researcher based in Istanbul told me:
“The Carsi trial signifies two interconnected processes that have been
working to paralyse fundamental rights and liberties in Turkey. On
the one hand, it exemplifies how public dissent has become coterminous
with ‘terrorism’ and thereby silenced. It also signals the blurring of
boundaries for the separation of powers, jeopardising the rule of law.”

The trial, which started today, has gathered a lot of publicity. At
a US State Department press briefing, State Department Deputy
Spokesperson Marie Harf acknowledged they were looking into the case.

In Germany, Borussia Dortmund supporters showed solidarity with the
football fans facing trial. Their banners read in Turkish “Carsi
ultras: Your way is the struggle! Never give up! Freedom for the
ultras, also in Turkey!”

And at home, the progressive political party HDP (Peoples’ Democratic
Party) declared that they will provide legal assistance to Carsi
members. Rival supporter groups “Sol Acik” (Outer Left) of the
football club Fernerbahce and Galatsaray’s “Tek Yumruk” (One Fist)
also showed their support on the first day of the trial.

Ali is very optimistic that his fellow ultras will be acquitted.

Yavuz, another Besiktas supporter, confirms this view over Facebook:
“We recently have seen many cases based on trumped up evidence
overturned as the police and prosecution ‘belonged’ to another group
once in cahoots with the government, but not anymore.”

Yet the future of the defendants remains uncertain, and so does the
future of political protest in Turkey. Solidarity can make all the
difference.

Mark Bergfeld grew up in the suburbs of Koeln, Germany. He holds a
Bachelor’s in PPE and a Master’s in Sociology, and is an activist
and writer.

OFFICE OF HIGH COMMISSIONER ON NATIONAL MINORITIES ORGANIZES MEETING IN AKHALKALAKI, GEORGIA

States News Service
December 15, 2014 Monday

OFFICE OF HIGH COMMISSIONER ON NATIONAL MINORITIES ORGANIZES MEETING OF
POLITICAL PARTIES AND MINORITY REPRESENTATIVES IN AKHALKALAKI, GEORGIA

VIENNA, Austria

The following information was released by the Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE):

The office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities organized
a meeting for representatives of national minorities and political
parties with the aim of supporting dialogue in Akhalkalaki, Georgia on
8 December 2014. Akhalkalaki, in Georgia’s Samtskhe Javakheti region,
is densely populated by ethnic Armenians.

The meeting was organized as part of a project on “Multiparty Dialogue
-strengthening the participation of national minorities in political
life”, which promotes minorities’ participation in public life by
establishing dialogue between minority communities and political
parties. Nine of the main political parties are participating in
the project.

Several minority participants pointed out that even though the Samtskhe
Javakheti region could serve as a model of good integration practice
for the rest of Georgia, many political parties were not fully engaged
in the area.

The project started in September 2014 and will run for two years,
culminating ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for 2016.

It was initiated by the High Commissioner on National Minorities,
and is supported by Finland, the Netherlands and the United States,
and is implemented by the South Caucasus office of the Netherlands
Institute for Multiparty Democracy.

VIVACELL-MTS: ARS LUNGA DUO AND JUBILEES OF THE YEAR

17:57 17/12/2014 >> CULTURE

As part of the Concert in the Foyer of the National Opera and Ballet
Theater and the Anthology of Armenian Chamber Music project a concert
took place: Ars Lunga Duo and violinists Mary Margaryan and Lusine
Harutyunyan performed duos written for cello and piano and trios
written for violin, cello and piano by Armenian composers, whose
anniversary have been celebrated in 2014, including Komitas (145),
Vladilen Balyan (90), Avet Terteryan (85), Geghuni Chtchyan (85),
Tigran Mansuryan (75), Eduard Hayrapetyan (65) and Armen Smbatyan
(60), the press service of VivaCell-MTS reports.

The idea of creating and implementing the Anthology of Armenian Chamber
Music project belongs to Ars Lunga Duo, namely to cellist Aram Tatalyan
and pianist Julietta Vardanyan. The program encompasses a wide range
of traditions of Armenian academic music from the beginning of the
20th century till now. Works of young Armenian musicians have also
been included in the project; some of them presented a number of
their works to Ars Lunga Duo. The general partner of the Anthology
of Armenian Chamber Music project is VivaCell-MTS.

“In the world of art this year is significant because it marks the
anniversaries of a number of prominent figures in Armenian classical
music. This is a great opportunity to once again remember and honor
our classics, but it is also important to assess and support the
contemporary composers of classical music who say a new word in art.
Today’s concert has combined these two ideas and certifies that our
creative mind is alive and is not limited to past achievements,”
noted VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.

The Anthology of Armenian Chamber Music project has several parts.

In the first part of the Anthology of Armenian Chamber Music project
the Ars Lunga Duo has compiled works of 60 Armenian composers of
the 20th-21st centuries, written for cello and piano, has performed
them and recorded them in compliance with modern requirements of
technology. The result of the project was the release of collections,
which make sets of 12 CDs and are completed with brochures presenting
the biographies of the composers.

Presently the Ars Lunga Duo is working on the second part of the
Anthology of Armenian Chamber Music project, which will present
complete works for piano trio (piano, violin, cello) by Armenian
composers.

Source: Panorama.am

WEBSITE DEVOTED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OPENS IN ISRAEL

10:08, 17.12.2014

The Armenian Genocide 100th Anniversary Jerusalem Committee has
launched a website, whose objective is to inform the Israeli readers
about this terrible tragedy that occurred at the turn of the 20th
century.

The Noyan Tapan Center informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that the
creators of this website hope that the activities being carried out
within Israel’s population, and in collaboration with the academia
and intelligentsia of this country, will have an impact on the Israeli
government’s position with respect to this matter.

The website is in Russian and Hebrew so that all layers of the Israeli
population may get familiarized with the Armenian Genocide issue.

TREATY OF ARMENIA’S ACCESSION TO THE EEU RATIFIED BY RUSSIA’S FEDERATION COUNCIL

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Dec 17 2014

17 December 2014 – 4:11pm

Armenia joins the Treaty on the EEU, as well as other international
documents concluded in the framework of the Customs Union and stated
in the contract. It is envisaged that the tariff commitments of
the country, as a member of the WTO, will be revised and the Common
Customs Tariff (CCT) of the EEU will be adjusted, RIA Novosti reports.

The Treaty provides for transitional periods from one year to eight
years to align various tariffs from UCT Armenian import duties. From
12 to 60 months – for the application of technical regulations of
the Customs Union, 3 years – for the protection and enforcement of
intellectual property.

EU CAN’T TEACH DEMOCRACY LESSON TO TURKEY: ERDOGAN

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:52PM GMT

Related Interviews:

US ‘won’t censure’ Turkey repression
‘Turkey’s move for Kobani skeptical’

Related Viewpoints:

Defending Kobani: Turkey’s hesitation

Turkey’s president has hit back at the European Union’s condemnation
of the Turkish police raids on opposition media, stating that the
bloc has no right to give Ankara a “democracy lesson.”

“They say they will give a democracy lesson to Turkey. Take the trouble
to come here, so that Turkey can give you a lesson in democracy,”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech in the city of Konya on Tuesday.

He further criticized Brussels for its dealings with Egypt and Syria,
adding that Turkey would never be the EU’s “doorman.”

“They’ve been dragging feet over the last decade…. Sorry, but we
are not the EU’s doorman,” the Turkish president said in reference
to accession negotiations between Ankara and the EU, adding, “Let me
repeat it, those who try to advise Turkey by shaking their finger,
just like a governess, must understand that they are no longer facing
the old Turkey.”

Erdogan also slammed Europe for “rising racism, Islamophobia and
discrimination.”

EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has called on Turkey to
be consistent with its commitments to the new executive administration
in Brussels, saying that she was totally “surprised” at the recent
arrests of high-profile Turkish media activists.

Turkish security forces stormed the offices of Samanyolu TV network
and Zaman daily newspaper in the city of Istanbul on Sunday. Both
the television network and the newspaper are said to be close to the
self-exiled US-based cleric, Fethullah Gulen.

Erdogan has accused Gulen and his supporters of being behind last
year’s online leaks and wiretaps that disclosed major corruption in
Erdogan’s inner circle. Gulen has repeatedly denied any involvement.

MP/HMV/SS

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO ATTEND EPP CONGRESS IN BRUSSELS

YEREVAN, December 17. / ARKA /. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
will fly to Belgium on December 18 to take part in a congress of the
European People’s Party (EPP), Sargsyan’s press office reported today.

It said in Brussels Serzh Sargsyan will have a meeting with EPP’s
chairman Joseph Daul. -0-

CHRISTMAS TREE LIT IN STEPANAKERT

December 16, 2014 20:46

Today Stepanakert Municipality initiated the lighting ceremony of
republic 16.5 m high main Christmas tree in Renaissance Square.

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 16, ARTSAKHPRESS: ôhe capital’s cultural centers
took part in the concert performed for kids. Cartoon heroes as well as
Santa Claus and Snow Maiden entertained and congratulated children. As
the First Deputy Mayor S. Tamrazyan said during the interview with
“Artsakhpress”, holiday events to be held by the Municipality are
started, but he preferred not to talk about upcoming celebrations,
noting that lots of New Year surprises are being prepared for people.