Author: Kanayan Tamar

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: PRICES OF AIR TICKETS TO MOSCOW INCREASE

11:07 02/07/2014 ” DAILY PRESS

Prices of air tickets have increased in Armenia, Haykakan Zhamanak
writes, adding that prices of Yerevan-Moscow flights are especially
high.

A representative of the Golden Tour company told the newspaper that a
two-way ticket to Moscow now costs AMD 150,000 instead of the former
AMD 98,000.

Another company said they can offer a two-way ticket to Moscow for
AMD 133,000 instead of the former AMD 125,000.

Meanwhile, prices of air tickets to European countries have dropped.

Source: Panorama.am

“RED-BERETS” ARE FORCIBLY TAKING PEOPLE OUT OF THE STREET

12:28 | July 1,2014 | Social

Protestors sat on the ground in front of the Public services regulatory
commission by closing Saryan Street. At this moment there is a clash
between protestors and policemen.

We remind that action participants gave five minutes to the police
and the commission so that they either stop the session or ensure
their participation, or else they will take other measures.

Shortly before “red-berets” entered Saryan Street and began forcibly
take people out of the street. Some of the participants, though,
don’t move from the ground.

VISITE DU CHEF DE LA DIPLOMATIE RUSSE EN ARMENIE

ARMENIE

La visite officielle de Sergueï Lavrov constitue le principal sujet
d’actualite. Il s’est entretenu avec le President Sarkissian et son
homologue Edward Nalbandian. Le President Sarkissian a souligne,
selon le communique de son service de presse, que les engagements
armeno-russes souscrits depuis le 3 septembre dernier ont enrichi
l’agenda armeno-russe et que leur mise en oeuvre contribuera a
rehausser encore le niveau des relations bilaterales dans tous les
domaines. M. Lavrov a affirme que le President Poutine demeurait
attache a la mise en oeuvre des engagements armeno-russes. Il a dit
avoir discute avec son homologue armenien de tout le spectre de la
cooperation bilaterale, dont la cooperation economique, commerciale,
militaro-technique et humanitaire, de l’assouplissement des règles
migratoires russes pour les migrants armeniens, ainsi que du
partenariat dans le cadre de l’OTSC et de la CEI, de
son pays >. Le moment est
venu, selon M. Lavrov, de trouver un accord quant a la mise en oeuvre
des principes de règlement et aux mesures a prendre en ce sens : . Le quotidien Aravot
relève que la visite de M. Lavrov n’a pu apporter, contrairement aux
attentes, aucune precision quant aux eventuelles dates de signature
par l’Armenie d’un accord d’adhesion.

Ukraine- Sergueï Lavrov a declare que la Russie soutenait les efforts
visant a lancer le dialogue national en Ukraine et y apportait sa
contribution.

LA VISITE EN GEORGIE DE SERGE SARKISSIAN SUSCEPTIBLE D’AVOIR MIS L’ACCENT SUR LE CHEMIN DE FER D’ABKHAZIE

ARMENIE

Lors d’une visite de deux jours en Georgie les 18 et 19 juin le
president armenien Serge Sarkissian a egalement aborde la question de
la reouverture de la section abkhaze du chemin de fer reliant l’Armenie
a la Russie. Mais il ne semble pas faire encore l’objet d’un examen
serieux. C’est a peu près la facon dont le leader armenien a commente
la question, qui, selon les analystes, aurait dû devenir la cle de
sa visite dans le pays voisin.

Cela signifie que l’Armenie restera encore pour longtemps dans le
blocus du chemin de fer, qui a ete imposee non seulement par la
Turquie et l’Azerbaïdjan hostiles, mais aussi par la Russie alliee.

Quelques heures avant la visite de Serge Sarkissian a Tbilissi le
leader armenien a recu le president de la compagnie des Chemins de
fer de Russie Vladimir Yakounine, qui a dit que la Russie n’a pas
l’intention de construire et financer le projet de chemin de fer
Iran-Armenie, parce que maintenant elle met en oeuvre un projet de
chemin de fer majeur avec l’Iran par Azerbaïdjan. Il a indique que
l’Armenie se concentrera sur le chemin de fer abkhaze.

La Russie bloque egalement les offres de l’Iran et des pays occidentaux
sur la pose de communications Iran-Armenie. Cependant, a en juger
par la reaction de Tbilissi le chemin de fer abkhaze semble aussi
avoir encore peu de perspectives. Sa construction est contrecarree
par le statut de l’Abkhazie – Moscou et Soukhoumi tentent de forcer
Tbilissi a reconnaître l’independance de l’Abkhazie et la Georgie
refuse obstinement de le faire. Cependant selon les medias de Georgie
la question du chemin de fer abkhaze sera bientôt a l’ordre du jour
de discussions au Conseil national de securite de Georgie, mais
maintenant Tbilissi se preoccupe de resoudre d’autres problèmes.

Le 27 Juin, la Georgie, ainsi que la Moldavie et l’Ukraine, ont
l’intention de signer un accord d’association avec l’Union europeenne,
tandis que l’Armenie, egalement a la fin du mois, pourrait signer le
traite d’adhesion a l’Union douanière eurasienne. Cela signifie que
la frontière armeno-georgienne deviendra la frontière douanière entre
l’UE et la Russie. Cette circonstance peut affecter a la fois le prix
du gaz naturel russe livre a l’Armenie et les droits de douane sur
les autres produits.

Apparemment, les droits de douane ont ete le principal sujet de
discussions lors des reunions de Sarkissian avec les hauts dirigeants
de la Georgie. La passerelle de l’Armenie a l’Union douanière et la
Russie se trouve a seulement a travers la Georgie, et si Tbilissi
n’accepte pas les regimes ou autre franchise, le sens de l’adhesion
de l’Armenie a l’Union douanière est perdu.

Dans les rapports officiels sur les reunions du president armenien en
Georgie, il n’y a pas de mot sur les modalites probables concernant le
chemin de fer ou le commerce en franchise de droits. La Georgie n’a
aucune raison de se mettre d’accord, d’ailleurs car faisant partie
de l’Espace economique europeen, la Georgie vise la realisation des
politiques europeennes. Et maintenant, ces politiques visent a isoler
la Russie et le blocage de ses communications.

La question de l’ouverture du chemin de fer a travers l’Abkhazie est
devenue d’actualite après un changement inattendu du pouvoir dans cette
republique au debut du mois. Le nouveau gouvernement de Soukhoumi a
officiellement declare son intention de devenir associe avec l’Union
economique eurasienne emergente. Toutefois, la Georgie n’a pas montre

LE PRESIDENT DE L’ARTSAKH INSPECTE LA LIGNE DE FRONT

KARABAGH

Alors que la tension etait toujours palpable de part et d’autre de
la frontière armeno-azerie et de la > separant
les forces armees du Haut Karabagh de celles de l’Azerbaïdjan, le
presidentde l’Artsakh, Bako Sahakian, a effectue jeudi 26 juin une
tournee d’inspection sur certains segments de la ligne de front au sud
et a l’est du Haut Karabagh, où il s’est employe a maintenir eleve le
moral des troupes face aux violations repetees du cessez-le-feu par les
forces de Bakou. Lors de cette visite, qui intervenait peu après celle
du premier ministre d’Armenie Hovik Abrahamian, qui etait venu quant a
lui exprimer la solidarite et l’attachement a l’Artsakh de l’Armenie,
dont sont originaires d’ailleurs nombre de conscrits defendant la >, le president de la Republique du Haut Karabagh
a souligne que “la preservation de l’inviolabilite des frontières a
toujours ete et restera la priorite pour l’Etat et tout sera fait en
ce sens”.

Le president etait accompagne du vice-premier ministre Arthur
Aghabekian, du ministre de la defense Movses Hakobian et d’autres
responsables de l’Artsakh. La vigilance des troupes armeniennes
deployees aux frontières de l’Artsakh est d’autant plus necessaire
qu’a Bakou, le president azeri Ilham Aliev menacait ouvertement de
relancer les hostilites contre les Armeniens. En echo aux propos de
son ministre de la defense, qui declarait lors de la fete de l’armee
azerie, que celle-ci etait prete a passer a l’offensive, le president
azeri a donne libre cours a sa rhetorique guerrière, en declarant que
la guerre contre l’Artsakh serait inevitable, faute d’avancee dans le
processus de negociations dans le cadre du Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE.

Ces propos belliqueux tenaient en effet lieu de reponse a l’appel
lance par le copresident americain du Groupe de Minsk aux presidents
de l’Azerbaïdjan et de l’Armenie pour qu’ils renouent le dialogue a
Paris, comme leur en avait fait la proposition le president francais
Francois Hollande lors de sa tournee au Sud-Caucase debut mai. Le
president Aliev, qui s’exprimait a l’issue d’exercices de l’armee
azerbaïdjanaise le 26 juin, avait declare que son pays perdait patience
et que si les mediateurs internationaux n’etaient pas en mesure de
parvenir a un règlement du conflit, il n’y aurait pas d’autre solution
que de restaurer par la force “l’integrite territoriale”. “Nous nous
en tenons pour l’heure aux negociations.

Mais je veux affirmer une fois encore que notre patience a des limites
et que l’armee de l’Azerbaïdjan est prete a repondre aux ordres de
son commandant-en-chef”, avait menace M. Aliyev, en faisant part de
sa frustration face a l’attitude des mediateurs du Groupe de Minsk
qui seraient plus soucieux de mettre en place des mesures visant a
etablir la confiance entre les parties en conflit que de parvenir a
un règlement durable de ce conflit.

Pour le president azeri, il va de soi que le conflit ne sera regle
que par un retour du Karabagh sous la tutelle de l’Azerbaïdjan, etant
entendu qu’il ne peut y avoir une deuxième Republique armenienne > sur le territoire historique de l’Azerbaïdjan, qui
engloberait aussi selon lui le territoire de l’actuelle Republique
d’Armenie, comme il l’a reaffirme sans vergogne quelques jours avant
dans son allocution prononcee a la tribune du Conseil de l’Europe.

Dans un entretien accorde a Voice of America, J.Warlick, le copresident
americain du Groupe de Minsk, avait appele les dirigeants de l’Armenie
et de l’Azerbaïdjan a accepter l’invitation de Francois Hollande a
se rencontrer a Paris en vue de poursuivre les negociations qu’ils
avaient timidement relancees a Vienne en novembre 2013 en vue d’un
règlement du conflit du Karabagh.

“Les presidents devraient accepter cette invitation, car il est
indispensable de passer a une nouvelle etape et un sommet entre les
deux chefs d’Etat est d’une importance cruciale a cet egard”, avait
declare J.Warlick, qui avait par ailleurs exprime sa preoccupation
concernant la recrudescence d’incidents armes aux frontières. “Les
Etats-Unis sont très preoccupes par cette situation, car une seule
vie perdue constitue un motif d’inquietude et le regain de violences
ne cree pas les conditions propices a une cooperation des parties en
vue de restaurer la paix”, avait ajoute J. Warlick en mettant en garde
contre

SOME 2,600 CHILDREN RECEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT IN ARMENIA LAST YEAR

YEREVAN, July 1. /ARKA/. Over the last year some 2,600 kids living
in Yerevan and in the provinces received social and legal services,
including psychological, pedagogical, educational and healthcare
services, chairman of the Child Protection Network Gayane Asatryan
said.

In general, number of children sent to orphanages and care homes is
reducing, Asatryan told a press conference on Monday. This has been
possible through day care homes helping kids fully integrate into
the society.

Asatryan said 160 social workers from the provinces completed training
courses

There are 23 day care homes for children in Armenia, and it is not
sufficient for the entire country, Asatryan said. The social care
sector needs support from the government, she said.

The institute of inclusive schools for disabled kids is being built
today, the country needs also inclusive kindergartens to help families
that cannot deal with these problems on their own, she said.

Representative of the Child Protection Network Roman Harutiunyan,
in his turn, said a policy aimed at child protection is required for
the country’s future and the national security.

Harutiunyan said, according to the recent official information,
300,000 children are beyond the poverty line in Armenia, 27,000 of
them are in extreme poverty.

The state child protection strategy for 2013-2016 is not effective as
funding is not sufficient, Harutiunyan said. Other problems are lack
of care centers for disabled kids and their improper distribution,
as well as low number of social workers, according to Harutiunyan.

ArmStat reports the poverty line exceeds 32% in the country today. -0–

– See more at:

ARGENTINE JOURNALIST WAS AWARDED HRANT DINK CERTIFICATE OF HONOR

09:59, 1 July, 2014

YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian National Committee of South
America awarded the famous Argentine journalist Reynaldo Sietekas with
Hrant Dink certificate of honor. When receiving the award, Sietekas
admitted that it was a great honor for him to receive the certificate
of honor bearing the name of Hrant Dink. He noted that he had studied
Hrant Dink’s story and journalistic activities and believed that the
award was a signal that he should continue to work honorably.

Prensa armena.com reports that Sietekas said that he had his own view
of Armenia and the Armenian issue and as a person, who defends human
rights and spreads humanitarian ideas, could not, both as a person
and as a journalist, be indifferent toward the Armenian Genocide.

“When I was collecting documents and materials on the Armenian
Genocide, I could see the pain in the eyes of the people who were in
any way related to these terrible events. But the feeling of pain has
a meaning and significance. Such a pain is the symbol of the existence
of consciousness”- as reports “Armenpress”, said Sietekase receiving
the award, adding that Hrant Dink was a great humanist and he was
killed because he was critical to the intolerance against national
minorities which was a part of the state policy of Turkey. The awarding
ceremony was attended by the representatives of the political, social
and media elite of Argentina.

The Argentine Armenians have been granting such awards since 2001.

After the tragic murder of Istanbul-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink
in 2007, the certificate of honor bore his name. During all this
time, such certificates have been granted to as many as 22 Argentine
journalists.

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: ELECTRIC NETWORKS OF ARMENIA ON BRINK OF BANKRUPTCY

Tuesday,
July
01

Electric Networks of Armenia Company (ENA) released its 2013 financial
statement with the conclusions of Ernst & Young accounting firm.

‘Haykakan Zhamanak’ daily writes that ENA’s losses amount to 4 billion
470 million drams. This circumstance along with several others bears
evidence of uncertainty that may call in question the company’s
ability to continue to work uninterruptedly, according to Ernst &
Young’s audit results.

In other words, ENA is on the brink of bankruptcy. For this reason
Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission decided to raise the
electricity tariff and will hold a sitting today.

TODAY, 10:55

Aysor.am

CHORRORD ISHKHANUTYUN: LANGUAGE INSPECTION’S TIGHTER RULES NEW SOURCE OF INCOME?

09:13 * 01.07.14

Commenting on the Language Inspection’sdecision to establish fines
for any government agency that would fail to provide a simultaneous
translation of a public event into Armenian, the paper says that the
measure could be a good source of income for the inspection.

According to the paper, Armenia’s membership in the Russia-led Eurasian
Economic Union could offer the considerable benefits.

“Russian and ‘Eurasian’ officials get irritated upon hearing their
speech translated into Armenian, so the chiefs of Armenia’s government
offices may pay the [fine of] 200 Drams from their pockets not to
make them angry. Or else, they may include the sum in the in the event
arrangement costs or pay the entire money to the Language Inspection
in advance to conduct all the events in the ‘working language’,”
writes the paper.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Cihan News Agency (CNA), Turkey
June 28, 2014 Saturday

Azerbaijan urges withdrawal of one-sided document until it includes Karabakh

BAKÜ (CIHAN)- When adopting a resolution for the settlement of
conflicts in the region, it should cover all regional conflicts, Bahar
Muradova, Head of the Azerbaijani Delegation to OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly said.

Muradova made the remarks during the discussions on a draft law on
Ukraine, held as part of the 23rd Annual Session of the OSCE PA in
Baku.

“Why do you forget about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict? It has
already been 22 years that the OSCE, as well as the U.S., can’t find a
solution. Then why now you don’t mention that, and hold the discussion
of the one-sided resolution?,” Muradova asked.

It should be noted that during the standing committee meeting held as
part of the OSCE PA Annual Session in Baku on June 28, the PA
President Ranko Krivokapic put up a draft resolution on Ukraine for
discussions.

The draft resolution was presented by the Deputy Head of the U.S.
Delegation to the OSCE PA, Senator Benjamin Cardin, and condemns
Russia’s aggression policy against Ukraine, demanding an immediate
liberation of the Crimea, and envisages imposition of serious
sanctions against Russia, in case if the demands are not met.

Bahar Muradova said the adoption of such a resolution is unfair.

“The U.S. as an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair must take serious steps to
fulfil commitments on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
For 22 years Azerbaijan has been waiting the return of its occupied
territories, and that’s exactly what the country expects of you,”
Muradova stressed.

“As we expect such a resolution, you in our country hold back on that,
and yet adopt a one-sided resolution on a completely new conflict,”
Muradova said. “We believe that the OSCE has a chance to implement the
steps that can resolve the existing conflicts in the region, and
prevent the future ones.”

“Therefore, we propose and urge Senator Cardin to apply the resolution
to all conflicts,” Muradova added. “We would like the interests of
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova to be equally reflected in
the draft resolution or by revoking the document, we urge to work on
it and submit it for discussion at the Helsinki 40 anniversary event,”
Muradova said.

She went on to note that currently the draft resolution is limited,
one-sided and does not fully cover the regional conflicts, and
therefore, Azerbaijan is fully against passing the document in this
form.

The draft resolution on Russia’s violating Helsinki Principles has
been included in the agenda of the 23rd summer session of the OSCE PA,
held in Baku.

Some 30 member-states voted for its including in the agenda, five
countries voted against, while other countries refused to participate
in the voting.

The resolution is planned to be discussed on July 1.

The 23rd Annual Session of the OSCE PA has started in Baku today and
will last until July 2. A meeting of the committees on political and
security issues, economic issues, science, technology and environment,
as well as democracy, human rights and humanitarian issues will be
held during the session.

Moreover, special debates on the growth of extremism, radicalism and
xenophobia, as well as the situation in Ukraine are planned to be
held. The management of the assembly will be elected at the annual
session.

The results of the election monitoring missions’ activity and
organizational issues of the assembly will be discussed.

The OSCE PA’s 2014 Baku Declaration will be adopted following the discussions.