Author: Kanayan Tamar

Seasonality As a Political Factor

A country in a vulnerable geopolitical and economic situation must
envisage in its policies possibilities for the mitigation of seasonal
and other force majeures of nature and climate and political factors.

Armenia needs to improve the reliability and autonomy of key sectors
and services of livelihood. One may list a number of specific measures
relating to fuel and energy facilities, utilities, food production,
food storage and processing. However, there are problems with funding,
it is time to have reserve funds to cover unplanned costs in the
periods of peak and seasonal overload.

This winter demonstrated that the facilities and resources of the fuel
and energy facilities are not sufficient for stable and successful
heat supply. The income of a considerable part of the population, even
the so-called middle class, is not enough to cover heating bills.

The majority of the Armenian population preferred individual heating,
and it is not known whether this approach that is mobile in technical
terms is effective. Even `not so expensive natural gas’ which
underlies the social policy did not resolve the problems. The majority
of average families paid 30-60,000 drams a month, which a lot of
people cannot afford.

Warm winters are followed by severe winters which cause serious
dissatisfaction with prices. In this regard, it is time to create a
national fund for compensation of heating bills of households. It is
clear that the gold and currency reserves are established according to
specific rules and are not intended for such purposes. A Cold Winter
Fund could be formed from different sources and used in accordance
with the rules.

This was practiced during the decades of hardship that followed World
War II in relatively developed countries of Europe. Identification of
risks and methods of their management must be part of the economic
policy.

Igor Muradyan, Political Analyst
19:08 18/01/2014
Story from Lragir.am News:

Turkish opposition candidate’s assets seized

10:30 – 18.01.14

Turkey’s state-run agency has said that the country’s banking
authority has seized assets belonging to an opposition party candidate
who is running for mayor of Istanbul in local elections in March.

Citing the Anadolu Agency, News Daily reported that the Savings
Deposit Insurance Fund of Turkey seized Mustafa Sarigul’s bank
accounts and properties over unpaid debts surrounding a $ 3.5 million
bank loan that he and eight business partners took out in 1998.
Sarigul, who is the main opposition Republican People’s Party
candidate, called the measure an “unfair and political attack.”

The fund’s move comes as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
government is fighting a vast corruption probe that has targeted his
allies. Erdogan has said the probe is a conspiracy to harm his party
in the run-up to the elections.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Exotic birds exported from Armenia appear in Azerbaijan

12:44, 18 January, 2014

YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Exotic bird exported from Armenia
appears in Azerbaijan and Turkey as well being transited
through Georgia. Chairman of `Armenian Association of Birds Breeders
and Owners’ public organization Bagrat Harutyunyan
informed it in a conversation with `Armenpress’. According to him, the
exportation of exotic birds is mainly carried out without
documents, after fee charges of customs duties symbolic amount.

`Georgia is a transit country. Part of birds is carried from that
country to Turkey; another part is even carried to Azerbaijan. It is
a wonder that the Azeri people did not realize it till now, as they do
not pay attention to the ringing of bird: the country code should be
on the ring. The birds are not ringed, and the Georgian mediators do
not hide who the group number is assigned for,’ Bagrat
Harutyunyan said adding that high corruption in Azerbaijan allows
speaking loudly about such a phenomenon.

It’s Painful When Your Mind And Hands Are In Molds

Interview with Anush Sedrakyan, commentator

What has disgraced the church?

When we consider disgrace of the church, we must not put forth a moral
issue. It is a matter of renaissance, we must ask ourselves the
question whether the church fulfils its function. When the church and
the state coalesce in a contemporary secular Christian society, it
implies that both the church and the state fail their real function,
and they need each other to achieve something and whatever they
achieve becomes a process of disgrace. I would like to be softer, as
there is the presumption of innocence, and say that they might not
want this disgrace but once one follows the wrong path, the path of
coalescence of wrong functions, the process of disgrace is inevitable.

What is the task of the church? The supreme function of the church and
religion is to keep moral standards pure and intact:

a) through one’s own example when one shows that they are at the top
of the scale of standardization of morality;

b) you bring the society closer to that example.

What does the state do in normal countries? The state is busy with
efficient governance, social security, salaries, physical security,
public health and other functions.

How did the state-church coalescence take place and how did the
criminal component penetrate into it?

The church with its behavior and lifestyle promotes moral standard
decline of the society. We have some priests who have a bad attitude,
and they should not be identified with the state.

I say I agree, of course, that there may be priests in every society
who may display a bad attitude. However, if high-ranking officials are
involved in offshore, corruption and other scandals, how does the
church condemn its priests who dishonor the church? Armenia is a small
country, we are in the 21st century, everything is videoed is posted
on Youtube, leaked to the press. For instance, the mufti of Kyrgyzstan
featured in a video with some sexual actions, and he immediately
resigned. Here corruption scandals burst, asocial scandals appear, and
no problem. No problem for the state because the state behaves in the
same way. The same corruption, the same neglect for their own people
by the state, we don’t have a coalescence of the church and the state
(if we had a coalescence of the church and the state, our church would
be as poor as our state), we have a coalescence of the church and the
government, or rather the church leadership and the government.

If we consider an oligarchic state, we must also add to this the
concept of a criminal-oligarchic fundamentalist state because religion
and the church are used as an instrument of oppression. The church is
a monopoly, note the announcement of a priest that those who do not
belong the Armenian Apostolic Church are not Armenians. In other
words, when the church identifies the ethnic status of citizens,
infringing the principle of freedom of conscience and choice. A lot of
high-ranking clergymen think that only they read the Bible but there
are people who have read it more thoroughly and think that religion
can have a real influence on culture. Had we had a clergyman like the
Pope, Armenia would have a renaissance because the church has a very
big role for every Armenian, they obey this standard by nature. If the
standard is set correctly, and the clergymen meet the New Year not in
Dubai or anywhere else abroad but at home, round the table, like the
poor people, and thus set the standard of conscience and morality, a
lot of things may change in Armenia. However, as far as I can see, not
a single priest has such a wish.

Why aren’t there priests who would speak and act like the Pope?

I would also add `like the high-ranking Ukrainian clergyman Filaret
and others who stood up during the developments of Maidan’ who said
people have the right to freedom of choice. The Pope, Filaret, and
others are people who have understood the church role of
crystallization and reforms. If they take to the street and call for
justice, fight, they observe the Christian commandments.

When they say the ways of god are inscrutable, the Armenian priests
think they are the heirs of God. Of course, the ways of God are
inscrutable, but the ways of its servants are to be scrutinized well
by the society.

The Pope is almost beatified by people because he has restored the
lost faith of people in the existing standards. The Pope is doing a
great job, after his election the Catholic flock has doubled, people
return to the church because they see the absolutely unique behavior,
virtue and mission of the church leader. I expect that a revolution,
change, movement takes place in the public mind though the church is a
fossilized institution, there the revolution, return to the basic
Christian values will take place a little later.

Why does the church support mining projects, bless them? Can’t they
see the destruction of nature, contamination of the environment and
impact on human health by mines?

I can’t call the church to assume the environmental function. The
state must take care about people’s health, compliant use of mines,
safety of jobs. If the state does not ensure these standards, the
church may not bless but curse but what will it change? It is pleasant
and easy to stand by the government but the main function of the
Christian church is to stand by the miserable, the deprived, the
homeless. If you bless a space, you deviate from the function assigned
by God. Of course, not an ordinary citizen like me should try to
return the church to its Christian beginnings, it would not be modest
but at the same time I would like to remind that Christianity strives
for individual conscience, dominant individual conscience, constant
examination of personality by the person and the highest ideal.

I consider Christianity a big achievement of civilization and culture,
the Western culture is the constant experience of Christian mind, in
other words, man is in a constant dispute with Christian mind, he
argues with the generic Christian ideal.

Christianity is the ideal model of human conscience and soul and, of
course, a human will never achieve it but the road is open, people
strive for inner improvement. Without such aspirations you don’t ask
questions to yourself, you avoid yourself, you will certainly avoid
other people’s questions.

In Armenia I know clergymen who have spiritual potential and knowledge
but they don’t have readiness for sacrifice because they understand
that whoever acts against that institution, that crushing machine will
become a victim. I can’t blame our clergymen for not assuming the role
of martyrs. Someone may appear who will assume it. It could be done
gradually, raising the issues one by one, ensuring the ownership that
will impart the church with a human face. Now the church has a
bureaucratic face, like the government. It is painful when your
conscience and hands are in a mold because the state and the church
are both in a mold.

Tehmine Yenokyan, Reporter
14:01 18/01/2014
Story from Lragir.am News:

THE STORY OF TWO ARMENIANS ARRESTED BY ISIS

Al-Akhbar, Lebanon
Jan 17 2014

By: Suhaib Anjarini

Published Thursday, January 16, 2014

The story of Wanis and Minas Livonian, two Syrian-Armenians from the
north Syrian city of Aleppo, seems almost out of this world. They
were killed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and its
local Sharia committee forbade their family from burying them.

Aleppo resident Anis Livonian, known as Abu Minas, owned a small ice
factory in the eastern Aleppo countryside’s Bab district. The factory
was the entire fortune of this 69 year old. When ISIS reached the
region four months ago, it took control of the factory.

No one can imagine what Wanis and his son Minas, 38, were thinking
when they decided to risk their lives and head to the industrial
city in Sheikh Najjar. Certainly, they didn’t imagine it would lead
to their deaths.

The father visited the booty department at ISIS headquarters, seeking
a deal with the emir, but ISIS arrested them at once when it discovered
they were Armenians.

Three months later, an ISIS religious judge came to the two men with
a solution. A former prisoner of ISIS told Al-Akhbar, “Abu Issa told
them: Convert to Islam and you will be safe.” Wanis was married with
two daughters and a son. Minas was married with three children, the
oldest 11 years old. Their family tried to obtain information about
their whereabouts but to no avail.

Three months later, an ISIS religious judge came to the two men with
a solution. A former prisoner of ISIS told Al-Akhbar, “Abu Issa told
them: Convert to Islam and you will be safe.” Naturally, they quickly
agreed, declaring the shahada. Then, the two “Muslim Armenians”
were sent back to their cell “temporarily.”

Though Abu Issa had promised to release them, three days later Minas
asked an “investigator” frequenting the prison about the reasons
behind the delay. He answered, “The emir was not convinced by your
Islam.” Minas asked, “How was he not? We swore!” The investigator
replied, “You, people of the book, your bible is distorted and your
beliefs are void. You must have pretended that you converted to Islam
to fool us.”

According to the source, before the battles between ISIS and the armed
opposition groups reached the prison, the two men were told, along
with other prisoners, that they would appear before a judge. However,
the judge was a gun, and the verdict was two bullets in the head.

The tragedy didn’t end with their death. A family member told
Al-Akhbar, “We found out about their death over the Internet. It was
very sad.”

The relatives sought to retrieve the bodies. “We wanted to hold a
decent burial for them, is not that the minimum we can do?”

Finally, some volunteers at a civil society organization managed
to locate the bodies being held by the Aleppo Sharia Committee,
which refused to hand over the body. Reportedly, the committee said,
“This is impossible. They declared their Islam. They are now martyrs
and should be buried in a proper way, according to Sharia.”

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.

EX-PRESIDENT ROBERT KOCHARYAN AND ‘HIS EVIL POLICY’ REAL CAUSE OF ARMENIA’S PROBLEMS – OPPOSITIONIST

19:31 ~U 17.01.14

None of the thoughts by Armenian ex-president Robert Kocharyan is
acceptable, Heritage party member Anahit Bakhshyan told Tert.am.

“He has no right to speak of the present-day government or economy
because he and his evil policy is the cause of it all. He is the
president that came by blood and left by blood. He is an evil
individual, who does not love the people or respect the country,”
Bakhshyan said.

As to Robert Kocharyan’s recent interviews – whether they are mere
assessments or bids for returning to big politics – she said, “Yes,
he is making bids. He is trying to pave the way for himself before
the 2018 elections.”

According to her, Kocharyan is now using “litmus paper” to decide on
his further steps.

FRANCE’S HOLLANDE TO VISIT AZERBAIJAN

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

17:47 ~U 17.01.14

[g_image.php?id=382412&tmb=3]

French President Francois Hollande is planning to visit to Azerbaijan
later this year, Trend News Agency reported.

He has declared of his intention after a meeting with the Azerbaijani
ambassador in Paris, Elcin Amirbekov.

The French leader was earlier reported to be planning a visit to
Armenia in May.

Recent reports about his scheduled trip to Turkey met a strong reaction
by the Armenians of France. 

ARMENIA IS FIRST IN CHESS LITERACY: ESQUIRE

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

17:50, 17 January, 2014

YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is leader among other
countries of the world by chess literacy. The Russian Esquire website
found out which countries could achieve universal leadership in
different areas. “Armenpress” reports that 150 countries are included
in the list.

Australia holds first place in the deadly animal species , Austria in
mobile web use , Great Britain in the number of the fascist movements
and personal taxes, Germany in holding the 2nd place in the Football
World Cup Championship and in the reprocessing of waste, Greece in
the number of illegal immigrants in the labor market , Japan in the
production of robots, Turkey in apricot corpse, United States in the
number of Nobel prize winners and mortality rate because of grass
reaper machines.

ire.html

NEWLY PUBLISHED BOOK IS PROOF OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE (PHOTO)

January 17, 2014 | 16:37

YEREVAN. – The book, entitled The Records of Aleppo, is published
in Armenia.

The book presents the photographs which its author, researcher Raffi
Kortoshian, had taken during his visits to Aleppo, Syria, from 2006
to 2011, and which show the Armenian presence in this city.

In Kortoshian’s words, this book is especially valuable in the sense
that these photographs were taken before the Syrian civil war.

The author of the book also noted, at a press conference on Friday,
that the photo collection presents 2,500 records 2,000 of which are
published for the first time.

“When I visited the cemeteries of Aleppo, I was interested in
the surnames and the places of birth on the tombstones. And I saw
places of birth which represented Western Armenia. It was then that
I conceived the idea that the inscriptions on the tombstones should
be photographed,” Kortoshian said.

In turn, monument specialist Samvel Karapetyan, who is also chairman
of the foundation that studies Armenian architecture, stated that
this book will help the development of historiography, since the work
is grouped into two parts: references until, and references starting
from, 1915.

“It is enough to make a list of the inscriptions of all those
tombstones of the cemeteries of Aleppo to understand how people
found refuge in Aleppo after 1915; this only proves the fact of the
[Armenian] Genocide,” Karapetyan noted, in particular.

OPINION: FOOD PRICES IN ARMENIA MAY JUMP TEN PERCENT THIS YEAR

YEREVAN, January 17. /ARKA/. Food prices in Armenia are likely to
leap 10% this year, Armen Poghosyan, head of the Armenian Consumers
Association, said Friday at a news conference.

“I think all foods will become more expensive this year, since prices
for natural gas and electric power, which are needed to produce them,
went up in 2013,” he said answering ARKA News Agency’s question. “I
think prices will rise 8-10 percent.”

Poghosyan said first price hikes will be seen at bread and dairy and
other agricultural products markets.

“Already in 2013, prices for all foods but beef leapt, and I think
prices will continue their upward movement also this year,” Poghosyan
said.

According to the National Statistical Service, food prices rose 5.8%
in the country in 2013, and prices for nonfoods went 4.6% up.

Inflation was recorded at 5.8% in 2013. -0—

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