Author: Kanayan Tamar

Agence France Presse
October 10, 2014 Friday 5:01 PM GMT

Over 10,000 Armenians rally against poverty, graft

YEREVAN, Oct 10 2014

Over 10,000 opposition supporters rallied on Friday in the Armenian
capital demanding a change in government and accusing the present
rulers of failing to stem poverty and corruption in the landlocked
country.

“The time has come to get rid of our criminal and corrupt government,”
Armenia’s former president and leader of the opposition Armenian
National Congress party, Levon Ter-Petrosian, told the rally.

“We need snap parliamentary and presidential polls.”

Large crowds filled Yerevan’s central Freedom Square at the call of
three main opposition parties, Prosperous Armenia, Heritage, and the
Armenian National Congress, to protest against rising prices and
widespread corruption.

Demanding President Serzh Sarkisian’s resignation, protesters chanted
“Serzh go!”

“Our authorities had enough time to improve living standards in
Armenia, but have so far failed,” 34-year-old protester, Anna Saroyan,
told AFP. “Now they must go.”

Friday’s rally coincided with the signature of a landmark agreement
that saw Armenia joining a Russian-led economic bloc — the Eurasian
Economic Union of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan — and turning its
back on closer ties with the European Union.

Sarkisian inked the agreement at a meeting of heads of state in the
Belarusian capital Minsk.

An impoverished country of 3.2 million, Armenia was badly affected by
the global downturn.

The former Soviet state is economically isolated with its borders to
Turkey and Azerbaijan both blocked due to ongoing international
disputes.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), Switzerland
Oct 11 2014

IOC PRESIDENT MEETS ARMENIAN PRESIDENT, TOURS SPORTS FACILITIES WITH
NOC PRESIDENT

LAUSANNE, Switzerland

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach met with
President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan at the
Presidential Palace in the Armenian capital of Yerevan after receiving
an invitation to the country from the local National Olympic
Committee.

President Bach emphasised the power of dialogue and the ability of
sport to unite people and build bridges between countries and people.
The IOC President was meeting the Armenian President for the second
time after the pair met during the Sochi Olympic Winter Games. The
Armenian President said that sport had always played an important part
in the Armenian way of life. “We must use sport to build stability and
cooperation,” he said.

President Bach invited the President to make an official visit to the
IOC headquarters in Lausanne.

The IOC President later attended a reception hosted by the Armenian
National Olympic Committee (NOC) President Gagik Tsarukyan that
included a number of Armenian Olympians and world champions. President
Bach was accompanied by IOC member and President of the European
Olympic Committees (EOC) Patrick Hickey.

President Bach was later awarded the title of honorary professor from
the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture.

The IOC delegation later visited the new headquarters of the Armenian
National Olympic Committee with NOC President Tsarukyan. The
delegation also visited a new Olympic sports complex.

IOC MEDIATING ARMENIA’S PARTICIPATION IN EUROPEAN GAMES

Sportskeeda
Oct 10 2014

Yerevan (Armenia), Oct 9 (IANS) International Olympic Committee (IOC)
president Thomas Bach has reportedly met Armenian president Serzh
Sarkisian to discuss the possibility of Armenia’s participation in the
first-ever European Games that will be hosted by Azerbaijan next year.

Bach arrived here Wednesday with a delegation that included Patrick
Hickey, president of European Olympic Committee (EOC), which has
decided to hold Europe’s biggest-ever multi-sport event in Baku in
June 2015, reports Xinhua. The main purpose of their two-day trip
is to discuss ways of boosting IOC’s ties with the Armenian National
Olympic Committee, according to azatutyun.am.

Armenia is yet to decide whether or not to send its athletes to
the Baku Games given its unresolved bitter conflict with Azerbaijan
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The Azerbaijan government publicly
pledged to guarantee their safety late last month.

“Thomas Bach assured that both IOC and EOC will make every effort
to ensure that Armenian people are satisfied with the results of
the negotiations and that necessary conditions for their athletes
and coaches are put in place in the host country,” the Azerbaijan
government office said in a statement.

The statement added Bach and Sarkisian agreed that “politicising
sports is inadmissible”.

Samvel Vardanyan’s stunning performance in “The Voice of Russia”

OCTOBER 11, 14:13

Third season of “The Voice of Russia” project kicked off on the
Russian “First channel”. In the framework of Russian version of the
world famous the Voice show Samvel Vardanyan from Moscow performed
Leon Russell’s famous “Song for you” song and shocked all the members
of panel of judges. Four judges have turned to Samvel but he chose
Alexander Gradsky, who was also excited by his performance.

As Nazeni Hovhannisyan stated, “This year “The Voice of Russia” is
completely “The Voice of Armenia”.

Foreign delegations visit Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan

Saturday, October 11, 2014

The heads and members of about 40 official delegations that arrived in
Armenia to participate in “Erebuni-Yerevan 2796” festivities have
visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex dedicated to the memory
of the Armenian Genocide victims. The delegations were accompanied by
First Deputy Mayor of Yerevan Kamo Areyan, the press service of
Yerevan Municipality reported.

TODAY, 14:24
Aysor.am

LA Sheriff Candidate Jim McDonnell Visits SDHP Headquarters

By MassisPost
Updated: October 10, 2014

PASADENA, CA – Candidate for Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell
on Wednesday visited the Armenian Educational Benevolent Union Center,
where he met with members of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party –
Western US Region Executive Committee, as well as members of the
Armenian Council of American Executive Board, and various community
leaders.

During the three hour meeting a wide range of issues were discussed
with Mr. McDonnell, pertaining to concerns of the Armenian American
community as well as law enforcement within the LA County Sheriff’s
department jurisdiction.

Mr. McDonnell welcomed the opportunity to meet with the Executive
Committee, and community leaders. Mr. McDonnell also stressed his
admiration towards the hard work of the vibrant Armenian-American
community, who have been very vocal, very positive and very effective
in business and philanthropy, particularly in the LA County. Mr.
McDonnell reiterated his pledge, if elected, to work closely with the
community and its leadership ensuring strong effective relations
between the community, himself and his future department.

McDonnell will be on the ballot for the November 4 General Elections.

Political expert: The Oct 10 opposition rally has shown that
Prosperous Armenia is the leader of the “magnificent four”

by Nana Martirosyan

ARMINFO
Saturday, October 11, 18:55

The Oct 10 opposition rally has shown that Prosperous Armenia is the
leader of the “magnificent four,” Director of Director of the Armenian
Institute of International and Security Affairs Stepan Safaryan told
journalists on Saturday.

He said that the decision-makers in the four are the leaders of
Prosperous Armenia and Armenian National Congress Gagik Tsarukyan and
Levon Ter-Petrosyan. “That’s why they did not wait for the leader of
Heritage Party Raffi Hovannisian and started the rally without him. I
think Hovannisian is aware of this but for some unknown reasons he is
not withdrawing from the four,” Safaryan said.

He said that during the Oct 10 rally Tsarukyan made it clear that he
is going to run for presidency, while Ter-Petrosyan is trying to
convince Prosperous Armenia to join Armenian National Congress in its
call for the President’s resignation. “The opposition are taking time
but are pretending that they are going to act quickly just not to let
the people cool,” Safaryan said

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SPEAKS AT CIS SUMMIT, REFERS TO GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL, DESTRUCTION OF ST. MARTYRS CHURCH IN SYRIA

13:12, 10 Oct 2014

The Summit of the Heads of State of CIS participating countries has
kicked off in Minsk.

Speaking at the summit, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan denounced the
expressions of xenophobia and intolerance. He reminded that Armenia
will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in
2015 and added that the condemnation of the crimes against humanity
are the beast means to prevent their reoccurrence in the future.

The President also reminded about the recent attack on the Armenian
St. Martyrs Church in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, and thanked all those who
joined Armenia in condemning this vicious crime.

He also spoke about the opening of the International School in
Dilijan. He said Armenia is turning into an international educational
center and informed that over 90 students have already applied to
the School.

VIOLENCES ENTRE KURDES, YAZIDIS ET ISLAMISTES DANS LE NORD DE L’ALLEMAGNE, 23 BLESSES

ALLEMAGNE

Des violences ont oppose dans la nuit de mardi a mercredi des membres
des communautes kurde et yazidi a des militants islamistes, faisant
au moins 23 blesses, a Hambourg et Celle (nord de l’Allemagne),
a-t-on appris de source policière.

A Hambourg, les affrontements ont commence dans la soiree, alors qu’une
manifestation organisee dans l’après-midi par la minorite kurde de
Hambourg contre le “massacre” opere par le groupe Etat islamique dans
la ville syrienne de Kobane, s’etait deroulee sans incident.

Quelque 75 manifestants “potentiellement” kurdes, selon la police,
se sont ensuite rassembles aux alentours d’une mosquee de la ville,
face a une cinquantaine de militants islamistes. La police a empeche
dans un premier temps les affrontements mais les deux groupes se
sont ensuite renforces pour atteindre de part et d’autre quelque 400
participants, a affirme la police hambourgeoise, dans un communique.

Pour partie armes de bâtons et d’armes blanches, les deux camps se
sont alors affrontes pendant la nuit par petits groupes. “Quatorze
participants ont ete blesses, dont quatre grièvement”, selon meme
source.

“Finalement, la police est parvenue a disperser les differents
groupes”, notamment grâce a l’usage de canons a eau, affirme encore le
communique, precisant que les affrontements ont conduit a l’arrestation
de 22 personnes.

A Celle (Basse-Saxe), les affrontements ont oppose des membres de
la communaute yazidi, minorite kurdophone très presente dans cette
region, a des islamistes d’origine tchetchène, selon la police locale
qui a egalement ete visee par des jets de pierres, de bouteilles ou
de bâtons. Neuf personnes dont quatre membres des forces de l’ordre,
ont ete blessees, selon la meme source.

En Turquie, mardi, une serie de violentes manifestations kurdes contre
le refus du gouvernement d’intervenir en Syrie ont vire a l’emeute
et fait au moins quatorze morts.

Interroge sur les affrontements en Allemagne et en Turquie, lors d’une
conference de presse gouvernementale regulière, le porte-parole du
ministère allemand des Affaires etrangères, Martin Schafer, a declare
que ce n’etait pas a son pays “de prodiguer ici a Berlin je ne sais
quel conseil a la Turquie”.

“Concernant les images qui nous parviennent des combats dans et pour
Kobane, je considère personnellement comme comprehensible, qu’il
puisse y avoir des gens, pas seulement en Allemagne mais egalement
en Allemagne, qui puissent se sentir touches”, a-t-il affirme. “Ce
sont evidemment des choses qui bouleversent”, a-t-il juge, precisant
qu’il ne s’agissait pas “de justifier” les incidents en Allemagne.

Le nombre d’immigres d’origine kurde en Allemagne est difficile a
evaluer, les statistiques se referant aux pays d’origine alors que
la communaute kurde est a cheval sur plusieurs territoires (Syrie,
Iran, Irak, Turquie, Liban, etc.). Mais selon l’association des Kurdes
d’Allemagne (KGD), “plus d’un million d’immigrants en provenance du
Kurdistan” se sont installes en Allemagne.

vendredi 10 octobre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

L’ARMENIE A PARTICIPE A LA 27EME SESSION REGIONALE EUROPE DE L’ASSEMBLEE PARLEMENTAIRE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE (APF)

ARMENIE

L’Armenie etait representee a cette Assemblee, qui s’est tenue en
septembre a Varsovie, par la deputee Margarite Yessayan, chef de la
delegation armenienne a l’APF. Des parlementaires d’une quarantaine de
pays europeens y ont pris part. Mme Yessayan a propose d’accueillir
a Erevan, en avril 2015, la Conference des Presidents Region Europe
de l’APF, la proposition ayant ete acceptee. Selon la deputee,
la tenue de cette Conference a Erevan au moment où l’Armenie
commemorera le centenaire du Genocide sera un evenement important
pour la reconnaissance du Genocide par de nouveaux pays. / Hayastani
Hanrapetoutioun

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 3 octobre 2014

vendredi 10 octobre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com