Author: Kanayan Tamar

THE DEVELOPMENTS IN MIDDLE EAST, IN UKRAINE MAY BE DESCRIBED AS WWIII – ZHIRAYR SEFILYAN

12:20 / 25.06.2014

Despite the recent tension on the line of contact coordinator of
Pre-parliament, freedom fighter Zhirayr Sefilyan considers the
resumption of war less possible.

Commenting on the recent accidents, and referring to the Nakhijevan
case he told Nyut.am that it took place in the background of
geo-political reformations. “Nakhijevan front is well known for
being calm. Even during the years of war the peace there was
randomly breached. The developments there are connected with the
geo-political events in the region,” he said, adding that he thinks
it has been provoked by relevant centers aimed at using the Armenian
side to force Azerbaijan enter Eurasian Economic Union. “It is also
an attempt to destabilize that sector in response to the statements
from Tehran about opening highway to north – Iran-Armenia-Georgia-Black
Sea-Europe. Tehran, the EU, Armenia are for the opening of the highway
and if we had good authorities we could have taken the initiative in
our hands and make Azerbaijan open the Nakhijevan border,” he said.

According to Sefilyan the possibility of resumption of wide-scale
military activities is less possible as it is known that when
war starts it is difficult to stop it. “Today the geo-political
contradictions have deepened so much that I do not think that the
instability in the region will be beneficial for anyone,” adding that
destabilizing actions have always been and will be carried out. “See
what happens in the Middle East, in Ukraine. We may say that it is
the WWIII,” he said it is not a nuclear war but a new weapon is being
used with milder mechanisms being used by the rival countries aiming
at establishing power by punishing, weakening one another.

POLITICIAN: BANKING SYSTEM THE MAIN TOOL OF DESTRUCTION IN ARMENIA

June 25, 2014 | 18:03

YEREVAN. – The banking system is the main tool of destruction in
Armenia, member of former Karabakh committee Ashot Manucharyan said.

The politician said banks are busy with giving loans at high interest
rates. As a result, being unable to repay the loans, people sell
their homes and leave the republic.

“I do not know any other post-Soviet state, except Armenia, where
population fell by half after the collapse of the Soviet Union,”
Manucharyan said.

In addition, he drew attention to the fact that a scientist receives
a salary of about $100 – 200, while the banker’s wages are much higher.

As regards the activities of the newgovernment, Manucharyan said he
does not consider this “a government”.

“Armenian oligarchy has created a system of robbery and placed their
own people in the system,” he emphasized.

Nevertheless, former member of Karabakh committee believes the new
Cabinet can to some extent improve the situation. In particular,
oligarchs, as major economic players, must return all their wealth
overseas to Armenia and develop the economy.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

THE ANAHID SOFIAN DANCE COMPANY Celebrates 35th Anniversary with Gala, 6/28

Broadway World
June 24 2014

Over 25 fabulous dancers and musicians will join Anahid Sofian Dance
Company in a rousing retrospective of signature works from the Near
and Middle East in celebration of the Company’s 35th Anniversary. The
program will present both traditional dances and those inspired
by cultures of Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Persia, Armenia, Greece and
Uzbekistan, as well as numerous renditions of Danse Orientale. The
program is a dazzling blend of different styles, both old and new,
traditional and theatrical. Two performances, June 28 & 29 at MMAC,
246 West 60th Street, NYC.

Special guests include:

Nourhan Sharif, internationally recognized as a premier performer
of the Egyptian Raqs Sharki, known in the West as belly-dancing. The
artist and her company will present both historical and contemporary
renditions of the form.

The Sera Solstice Ensemble, an innovative Tribal Fusion bellydance
troupe based on the East Coast, combining influences from modern dance,
hip-hop, and martial arts.

Carlos Fittante and Robin Gilbert of the BALAM Dance Theatre will
recreate a Sofian dance called “Ma’Na,” created to “A Prayer for the
Soul of Layla” by Jamshied Sharifi, with vocals by Mamak Khadem.

Live music will be provided by the Souren Baronian Musical Ensemble,
on clarinet, kaval, oud, kanoon, violin, and percussion instruments.

The Company will showcase 14 numbers, including a powerful tribal
dance from Morocco, a women’s dance from Armenia that reflects grace
and lyrical bautiful, a contemporary dance inspired by an old Greek
song sung by irini Pappas, and a dreamlike interpretation of “Gazli,”
written and sung by the young Uzbeki star Sevara Nazarkhan.

Anahid Sofian will perform “Garden of the Beloved,” music from the
album Mehraab by Loga Ramin Torkian;, vocals by Khosro Ansari, and
slide show by Stacey Lespinasse. The solo is inspired by the writing
that states: “Love is like the smell of a flower, something that you
cannot touch…and like the bird in love with the flower, flying and
always seeking its fragrance in the garden; we search for this eternal
love in this terrestrial world or in the work of heaven.” The work was
premiered at the New York Theatrical Belly Dance Conference in 2013.

The Anahid Sofian Dance Company, founded 35 years ago and headquartered
in New York City, has appeared in many venues in town and around
the country, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Town Hall,
Cleveland Museum of Art, the Lincoln Center Library, and many more.

ARMENIA: TONS OF CROPS WASTED DUE TO UNSCRUPULOUS MIDDLEMEN

FreshPlaza, Netherlands
June 24 2014

Tons of crops grown in Armenia’s villages are thrown out every year
because the middlemen sell them at double to triple the price in
Yerevan’s markets, says head of the central Armenian town of Aramus,
Hrayr Nikoghosyan.

The middlemen in Armenia’s produce market purchase carrots from
villagers at 100 drams (about $0.24 USD) per kilo but sell them to
consumers for 250-300 drams ($0.60-0.73), claims Nikoghosyan. Angrily
he explains that middlemen in Yerevan don’t even know whether carrots
are grown on trees or in the ground; however, they’re the ones who
make the profits.

“No such revenue exists in the world. There is [such a thing as]
market value: you buy [it] for 100 drams, sell it for 120 drams
[$0.28]. Brother, have a profit of 20%. In that case, the buyer will
buy not half a kilo, but 1-2 kilos. The value of the villager’s output
will increase automatically,” he argues.

Nikoghosyan lists villagers’ expenses in growing carrots (land tax,
water bills), but the annual income for a single family does not
exceed 600,000 AMD ($1,465) for 6 tons of carrots produced. Middlemen,
on the other hand, only have to pay for their market stall, selling
the produce they purchased at 100 AMD per kilo for at least 300 AMD/kg.

At one time, four buses would take people from the village to Yerevan
to sell their harvest, but now there are no buses. In Nikoghosyan’s
opinion, the farmers’ markets that, according to Armenia’s minister
of agriculture, shouldn’t leave anyone “poor” in the village, are just
for show. “[Only] one or two Aramus inhabitants can make use of them,”
he said. “There was a person in the village who had 6 tons of harvest,
[but] he couldn’t sell half of it. It was ruined; he threw it out.”

According to Nikoghosyan, the younger generations don’t want to
continue harvesting the arable land provided to their families when
they gained land ownership in newly independent Armenia. A three-member
family was given one plot of 630 square meters of land; a four-member
family, 2 plots; six-member family, 3 plots; and so on.

However, if the land is not providing income, it’s not in demand,
he explains.

Prensa Armenia
Armenia 1366, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tel: (5411) 4775-7595
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Agencia Prensa Armenia ( Link -> ) ).-

Armenian community of Argentina sent a letter to Pope Francis asking
for his intervention in the Syrian conflict, “convinced that his word
could bring peace to the conflictive area of Middle East and ensure
the return of refugees to their homes.”

The letter warns about “the sad and painful situation of Christian
minorities in Syria” and notes that “the civilian population is living
in a disturbing critical state.”

“For example, the city of Kessab, a majority Armenian populated town,
was attacked by armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda, who crossed the
border from Turkey. On March 24, after a weekend of constant attacks,
Kessab had to be evacuated to other locations like Basit and Latakia”.

“Since June 2, after the Syrian elections, the target of the attacks
has been the city of Aleppo. The same groups attacked with rockets the
neighborhood of Nor Kyugh, with also a majority of Armenian
population. Whole buildings were demolished or partially destroyed,
and the institutions of the Armenian community were completely or
partially destroyed. Authorities have declared the area a disaster
zone.”

Given this context, the Armenian community requested the intervention
of Pope Francis “to prove once again that men of different creeds,
nationalities, languages and ideas can live in harmony and
solidarity.”

YEREVAN: AZERI-ARMENIAN SUMMIT PROPOSITION DOESN’T NEED TO BE SPECIFIED

Interfax, Russia
June 23 2014

The French president’s proposal to arrange a meeting of Armenian
President Serzh Sargsian and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev was
absolutely specific, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian
stated.

“The French president made more than a specific offer during his
regional trip concerning the arrangement of a summit of the Armenian
and Azeri presidents in Paris, including its content. Baku does not
seem to like these specifics and is expecting some others,” Nalbandian
said told a press conference in Yerevan on Monday. Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov was the other speaker at the press conference.

Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at a joint press briefing
with Lavrov earlier Baku expected Paris to be more specific about the
initiative to organize a new meeting between the Azeri and Armenian
presidents.

“For some reason Azerbaijan does not like the proposals put forward on
behalf of the international community by co-chair countries, including
those with regard to strengthening the ceasefire regime, pulling back
snipers and creating an incident investigation mechanism. It does not
like two proposals presented as a single package in five statements
of the presidents of chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group. There is
simply no alternative to the specifics proposed by the chair countries,
which target the exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict,”
the Armenian foreign minister indicated.

LEVON ZURABYAN. “WE MUST FIGHT AGAINST THE REGIME IN THE PARLIAMENT.”

June 23 2014

When the Republican Party passed the law on “Funded Pensions”, it was
followed by a press conference by the Quartet, where the NA ANC faction
leader Levon Zurabyan said that the Republican Party sets a goal to
pass specific laws at any cost. After the press conference, Aravot.am
asked Levon Zurabyan that it appears that the Republican Party at
all costs, no matter by apprehending its MPs, through violations,
or else, passes the laws that it wants, in this case what the sense
is to work with them and seek ties for cooperation. The ANC faction
leader responded, “We have no task of seeking cooperation. We are
facing the following problem: to get rid of this government.

Therefore, we must use all the levers in our hands. The most key
lever, which is in the hands of the people, is his presence in the
Freedom square. It is the key lever, but we have a parliamentary lever,
which is very important, we need to fight in the parliament to reveal
their illegalities to create an appropriate public approach, a public
opinion, which will enable to create an extensive public process. I
have always said that we can achieve the goal if we combine the active
parliamentary actions: war against the regime in the parliament, with
the people’s activeness in the Square. As soon as we reach it, and we
are working in that direction, the power will be inevitable.” To our
question of whether these delays, from April to autumn, do not diminish
the probability of achieving the results, Levon Zurabyan responded,
“The Congress supported in acting very quickly, and we have talked a
lot about it. But we are facing the dilemma, either we were to act
separate and quickly, or at a later date, together. We chose the
strategy of a later date, but together, because, in our opinion,
it can provide more efficiency than if done alone. Otherwise, we
were able to be quickly isolated, as they did it in 2011, during the
all-day rallies.”

Melania BARSEGHYAN

Read more at:

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: ELECTRIC NETWORKS OF ARMENIA SILENT ON DIRECTORS’ WAGES

08:43 * 24.06.14

The paper says it recently sent a written request to the Electric
Networks of Armenia, asking for information about the salaries of
the CEO and the board of directors’ staff.

The company’s spokesperson, Natalya Sarjanyan, reportedly said in
her written response that their salaries average 200 Armenians Drams,
which is equivalent to about USD 500.

“Sarjanyan refrained from identifying the salaries of specific
employees, citing the Constitution and the laws that prohibit using
and spreading information regarding an individual whenever such an
act conflicts with the purposes of data collection,” writes the paper.

It says further, citing informed sources, that the company’s managerial
board at times awards itself with bonuses worth up to 20 million.

Armenian News – Tert.am

#RETURNCHURCHES: ANCA RALLIES SUPPORT FOR CHURCHES ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

Monday, June 23rd, 2014

Call to Action in support of H.R. 4347

Congressional Call-In Day and Social Media Campaign set for Tuesday, June 24

WASHINGTON–With just days to Thursday’s vote by the U.S. House Foreign
Affairs Committee on the Turkey Christian Churches Accountability Act
(H.R. 4347), the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has
set Tuesday, June 24th as a day for Congressional calls and social
media activism in support of this bipartisan religious freedom measure.

“This Tuesday, please call, post, tweet, and share your support for
Turkey’s return of stolen Armenian, Greek, Syriac and other Christian
churches,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Let your
legislators know you expect them to work for the passage of H.R.4347,
and then take two minutes to tell your friends and family that
you’re taking a stand for the bipartisan Turkey Christian Churches
Accountability Act.”

The ANCA is asking all supporters of religious freedom to contact
their legislators to support H.R.4347, and then to find creative ways
to use the hashtag #ReturnChurches in their Facebook, Twitter and
other social media posts. A sample phone script and relevant contact
information for legislators is available here.

The U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, under the leadership of
Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), is set to consider H.R. 4347, the Turkey
Christian Churches Accountability Act, on Thursday, June 26th at 9:00
am EST. The freedom of faith initiative is stridently opposed by the
Turkish Government.

Introduced this March of this year by Chairman Royce along with the
panel’s Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), H.R. 4347 would require
that the U.S. Department of State formally report to Congress on an
annual basis about the status of Turkey’s return of stolen Christian
churches and properties in Turkey and occupied Cyprus. H.R. 4347
builds on a measure (H.Res.306), spearheaded by Chairman Royce and then
House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA),
which was overwhelmingly adopted by the House of Representatives on
December 13, 2011. That resolution set the groundwork for H.R.4347
by calling upon the government of Turkey to honor its international
obligations to return confiscated Christian church properties and to
fully respect the rights of Christians to practice their faiths.

RUSSIA READY TO CONTRIBUTE TO NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

Trend, Azerbaijan
June 23 2014

Russia is ready to contribute to the normalization of relations
between Armenia and Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
said on June 23, Armenia’s news.am website reported.

He made the remarks at a joint press conference with Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian.

Regarding the possible assistance of Russia in improving the
Armenian-Turkish relations, Nalbandian said that Lavrov was present
in signing the Armenian-Turkish protocols in Zurich, adding that
Russia’s position has been reflected in numerous statements.

Sergei Lavrov, for his part, emphasized Russia’s readiness that was
expressed before and after the signing of the protocols, to assist in
the normalization of relations. He also expressed readiness to assist
in building infrastructure. At the same time, Lavrov said that the
parties have the last word.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations and the border between
the countries has been closed since 1993. This was caused by Armenian
claims for international recognition of the so-called genocide and
occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia.

The Turkish government has repeatedly stated that relations between
Ankara and Yerevan will be restored after Armenia withdraws from the
occupied Azerbaijani territories.