Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARMENIA TO HOST YEREVAN SHOW 2013 JEWELRY EXHIBITION

October 17, 2013 | 18:46

YEREVAN. – The third international jewelry exhibition Yerevan Show
2013 will be held in Yerevan on October 28-30.

The exhibition is organized by the Armenian Jewellers Association
(AJA) under the auspices of President Serzh Sargsyan.

This year, the show has increased the number of participants from
different countries such as Russia, USA, Switzerland, France,
Thailand, Turkey, Croatia, UAE, Hong Kong, Greece, India, Canada,
Lebanon, etc. Also, about one hundred and fifty buyers from Russia,
Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and several other countries will be attending,
AJA said in a statement.

Corrado Facco, Fiera Di Vicenza President, and Nigel Paxman, CEO
of Malca-AMit Global Limited, have confirmed his attendance to the
Yerevan International Jewelry Expo 2013.

A conference dedicated to modern problems and prospects of the industry
will be held within the framework of Yerevan Show-2013 during which
AJA President Gagik Grigoryan will present the project of Jewelry
Free Economic Zone.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIA’S DEFENCE MINISTRY DOES NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING A CONTRACT WITH RUSSIAN MILITARY PLANTS ON DIRECT WEAPON ACQUISITION

by Nana Martirosyan

ARMINFO
Thursday, October 17, 18:20

Within the frames os deepening of the Armenian-Russian partnership,
the signing of the contract with Russian military plants on direct
weapon acquisition is not ruled out, press-secretary of Armenia’s
Defence Ministry, Artsrun Hovhanisyan, told Arminfo correspondent.

However, he declined to mention specific dates and terms.

As ArmInfo reported earlier, Yerevan and Moscow are planning to ratify
an important agreement, envisaging direct purchases from Russian
military plants, in the near future. The deal will provide Armenia
with exclusive rights. There’s a similar agreement with Belarus, yet
it contains some reservations, which the deal with Armenia does not.

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD DRAW CONCLUSIONS – MP

17:50 17/10/2013 ” SOCIETY

The international community should draw respective conclusions, member
of Yerkrapah Volunteer Union, MP Karen Saribekyan told Panorama.am
when asked to comment on the stopping of the OSCE Mission’s monitoring
of the contact line.

Today the OSCE Mission’s scheduled monitoring of the contact line
between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri military forces in the Hadrut
direction was stopped after Azeri forces began to fire at the NKR
Defense Army’s posts.

The international community’s consistency can help reduce the frequency
of ceasefire violations, according to Saribekyan.

“The OSCE representatives saw the violations committed by Azerbaijan
and now much depends on their actions,” the MP said.

Source: Panorama.am

ONE OF TEN ARMENIAN FAMILIES GO TO BED HUNGRY – EXPERT

12:49 ~U 17.10.13

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is marked on
October 17.

At his Friday press conference, Director of the Sociometer Center Ltd
Aharon Adibekyan reported that one of ten families go to bed hungry
in Armenia.

“The number of poor people has increased in Armenia in the recent
five years, while that of rich people has remained unchanged,” he said.

“Whenever you ask Armenians how they are they say they ‘manage
somehow’,” Adibekyan said. He noted it is Armenians’ way of thinking,
which needs changing.

Unemployment and low wages is the gravest problem in Armenia. However,
poverty reduction is not a problem to be dealt with by the government
alone.

“Half of the respondents say the government must help them, others
cite other reasons. But if everyone works honestly in his place,
we will be able to eradicate poverty,” Adibekyan said.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Government allocated 15 EURO million guarantee to CB

12:34, 17 October, 2013

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS: The Government of the Republic of
Armenia has allocated ~@15 million to the Central Bank as a budget
guarantee. Armenpress reports that the Minister of Finance of the
Republic of Armenia David Sargsyan stated at the Government’s session
that the guarantee is provided in the framework of the agreement
with KFW Bank. “On June 11 2012 KfW Bank and the Central Bank of
the Republic of Armenia signed an agreement, in accordance of which
~@15 million will be allocated to the Central Bank in the framework
of the program “On Support to the Agriculture of Armenia”, – said
the Minister.

According to David Sargsyan, the precondition for the agreement to
come into force is the allocation of the guarantee by the Government.

PUTIN DISGUSTED BY ZORI BALAYAN’S LETTER

Yesterday the head of press and information department of the Russian
president A. Tsibulin replied to the query of the Armenian Time on
the follow-up on Zori Balayan’s letter to Vladimir Putin.

“No kind of response to the letter will be provided,” Tsibulin said.

The day before this the newspaper had been told that the letter has
been forwarded to the relevant department and promised to respond in
a day. And yesterday it became known that the Kremlin has decided
to ignore Zori Balayan’s long letter full of excursuses that makes
one think.

13:07 17/10/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

FEU VERT A LA FACILITATION DU REGIME DES VISAS ET READMISSION

ARMENIE

L’ensemble de la presse se felicite en ” une ” de l’adoption, par le
Parlement europeen, des accords relatifs a la facilitation du regime
des visas et a la readmission. En vertu desquels, les citoyens de
l’Armenie beneficieront de procedures accelerees et simplifiees en
vue d’obtenir un visa court terme dans les Etats de l’espace Schengen.

Parmi eux prioritairement figurent les membres de delegations
officielles, les universitaires, etudiants, journalistes, artistes,
personnalites du sport, proches parents de personnes ayant leur
residence legale dans les pays membres de l’UE, participants aux
manifestations mises en place par les organisations de la diaspora
armenienne. Les frais de visa Schengen seront reduits a 35 euros. En
echange, l’Armenie s’engage a rapatrier ses ressortissants sejournant
illegalement en Europe. Rappelons qu’a partir du 10 janvier 2013,
l’Armenie a supprime unilateralement le regime des visas pour les
ressortissants de l’Union europeenne. Novoye Vremia rappelle que les
negociations entre l’Armenie et l’UE en vue de la facilitation du
regime des visas avaient demarre en 2011.

Jamanak considère cette adoption par le Parlement europeen comme un ”
geste bienveillant ” de l’UE envers l’Armenie après la fameuse decision
du 3 septembre : ” L’UE prouve ainsi concrètement sa disposition
a poursuivre les relations avec l’Armenie “. Selon ce quotidien,
la facilitation du regime des visas sera avant tout benefiques aux
simples citoyens armeniens, qui sejourneront plus facilement dans
les pays de l’UE et se familiariseront a leurs normes.

Cette mesure ne fera qu’approfondir les contacts de part et d’autre
et susciter des relations plus denses avec les societes d’Europe
occidentale. ” Le vote du Parlement europeen peut etre considere
comme un tournant des relations entre l’Armenie et l’UE, en depit
de la decision presidentielle du 3 septembre “, ecrit Jamanak, qui
intitule son article ” Europe : du mythe vers la realite “. De meme,
Hraparak estime que bien loin de fermer sa porte a l’Armenie, après
le choix de l’Union douanière eurasiatique, l’UE la maintient ouverte.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 10 octobre 2013

jeudi 17 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

INAUGURATION DU CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA MEMOIRE ARMENIENNE

FRANCE

Inauguration du Centre National de la Memoire Armenienne

dimanche 20 octobre 2013

32, rue du 24 avril 1915, 69150 DECINES

Madame Aurelie FILIPPETTI, Ministre de la Culture et de la
Communication, representant Monsieur Francois HOLLANDE, President de
la Republique Francaise, inaugurera le Centre National de la Memoire
Armenienne.

La construction, a l’architecture ambitieuse, de cette nouvelle
structure innovante et unique en diaspora s’est achevee en decembre
dernier. Elle a ete possible grâce aux partenaires publics locaux
comme la Region Rhône-Alpes, le Conseil General du Rhône, le Grand
Lyon, les mairies de Decines et Meyzieu, la Fondation BULLUKIAN et
les amis donateurs prives.

Depuis bientôt un siècle, les Armeniens en diaspora luttent pour que
leur culture, leur histoire, marquees par le drame du Genocide de 1915,
ne disparaissent pas et soient transmises enrichies aux generations
futures ainsi qu’aux citoyens des pays dans lesquels ils vivent.

C’est de cette necessite qu’est nee l’idee d’une telle institution,
s’articulant autour d’une triple vocation :

1. Abriter un centre de documentation normalise, classe SUDOC et en
reseau avec d’autres centres en FRANCE, en Europe et dans le monde
entier et une mediathèque aptes a assurer la conservation et la
transmission des archives officielles ou privees.

2. Developper un centre de recherche pluridisciplinaire sur la culture,
l’identite, les consequences tant collectives qu’individuelles du
Genocide des Armeniens, les dynamiques des echanges interculturels.

3. Faire vivre et evoluer l’heritage dont nous sommes depositaires
a travers des activites en direction du public par une politique de
mediation culturelle reellement ouverte en accord avec notre ligne
directrice de conduite : “rester soi en devenant autre”.

La dimension et les objectifs de ce centre depassent ainsi le niveau
local et regional. Il sera un pôle porteur d’une intelligence
collective ouverte, car si la memoire armenienne en est le socle
fondateur, le CNMA travaille sur des thematiques universelles telles
que l’immigration et l’exil, les crimes contre l’humanite et la perte
de sens, l’histoire et la memoire, la diversite culturelle…

Le 20 octobre 2013 marquera le debut des activites du Centre et de
son ouverture au public.

jeudi 17 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

MINORITIES SKEPTICAL OVER CALL TO JOIN TURKISH POLICE FORCES

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Oct 16 2013

ISTANBUL – Hurriyet Daily News
by Vercihan Ziflioglu

Minority communities have expressed skepticism at the Police
Department’s recent Twitter call for minority youth to apply to join
the force, saying authorities must take more measures to prove their
sincerity.

The directorate wrote on its Twitter account that all Turkish citizens
could become police officers regardless of their religion, race, or
sect in response to Syriac Orthodox Church Metropolitan Patriarchal
Vicar Mor Filuksinos Yusuf Cetin’s interview with a Turkish daily.

Istanbul-based Armenian-Turkish weekly Agos columnist Zakarya
Mildanoglu voiced skepticism over the call, saying more would be
needed to prove their sincerity over the issue.

“This call is a positive development. But this issue cannot be solved
with just a call. They must show their sincerity,” Mildanoglu told
Hurriyet Daily News yesterday.

He also said he wondered how the background and identity checks would
be done for minorities if they applied for a police posting. While
noting that there were obstacles for minorities in Turkey to become
pilots, prosecutors, judges, deputies or commissioned officer,
Mildanoglu said the call was still significant.

“Even if this call is not realized immediately, it will certainly
smooth the hate speech and increase the perception of [equal]
citizenship. This is not an easy process. Despite living together,
there is rupture of 100 years,” said Mildanoglu referring to the 1915
incidents during which many Armenians were killed.

Sabo Boyacı, the founder of the suryaniler.com [syriacs.com] said
the call was important, but also voiced concern over the realization
of the project.

“The call is important, but what about its content? I’d like to ask
whether they are really ready to realize this call,” said Boyacı.

“Although there are no legal obstacles before us becoming police,
unwritten laws stand before us like the sword of Damocles. When
will these unwritten laws be abolished,” Boyacı told the Daily
News yesterday.

Boyacı also said it would not be easy for the Syriac community’s
young members to reply positively to the call after having not been
accepted for over 100 years.

But Yeni Yuzyıl University’s Health Sciences dean, Professor Ersi
Abacı-Kalfaoglu, said on behalf of the Greek minority community living
in Turkey that the minority communities must do some soul-searching
over the issue.

“I had encountered no obstacle during my profession. We must do
self-criticism over why we have not applied to be police officers,”
she said.

Cetin told daily Milliyet on Oct. 14 that minorities were not given
posts in the judiciary, military or police departments in Turkey,
prompting the Police Department to write four tweets on its official
account in response.

“Every Turkish citizen can become a police officer in Turkey regardless
of religion, race or sect. We invite our Syriac citizens to apply
for the exams selecting police officers and become a police officer,”
it said Oct. 14.

October/16/2013

ORANGE BOOK PRIZE 2013 LAUNCHED

Country – Wednesday, 16 October 2013, 12:49

Today Orange announced the launch of “Orange Book Prize 2013” Book
Contest. The objective of this annual contest, organized the third
year already, is to boost interest in reading, reveal the literary
works by contemporary Armenian writers and through the daily evolving
electronic media made them available for larger groups of readers.

TheOrange Book Prize is organized and implemented in cooperation
with the “Armenian Book Center” NGO.”Already the third time with
joy we announce the launch of the Orange Book Prize. This is not a
professional literary prize, neither it tends to become such. Orange
Book prize is readers’ and book lovers’ prize. Reading public
will be able to participate in the selection of the prize-winning
literary works through online voting. Last year the number of contest
participants was many a time more vs. previous year, which means
that the Orange Book Prize already has its specific place in the
cultural life of Armenia,” said Orange Armenia Marketing Director
Aram Lazarian.”This contest allows ro reveal and encourage many
gifted and original writers. However, our main goal is to involve
large groups of readers and let them participate in the process of
book creation. Like previous years, this year also we expect that
many works that have been written recently or long time ago will be
revealed, which, however, are not known to the pablic,” said Mkrtich
Matevosyan, President of the “Armenian Book Center” NGO.The contest is
open to all those, who write in Armenian (Eastern or Western) and who
will present a literary work never published in the past (literary
works posted in electronic journals, blogs and social networks are
considered non-published).Literary works of the following 4 categories
can be presented for participation in the contest: short story, novel,
tale and poetry. Those who wish to participate in the contest will
need to send their work and its brief summary in Word or PDF format
[email protected] by December 26, 2013.Jury members
will select maximum 3 works of each category, which will be posted on
Orange official web page. All readers will have a possibility to vote
for their favorite works via Facebook. On March 21, 2014, at noon, the
quantity of votes per each work will be registered as the final result
of online voting.The winning work of each category will be selected
by Jury voting. Online voting results will be considered as a vote
of 1 Jury member. A special “Prize for Popularity” will be awarded
for the literary work with the maximume quantity of readers’ votes,
regardless of the category.Names of the winners will be announced
on March 28, 2014, during the awarding ceremony. The winners will be
granted certificates and the prize-winning works will be printed by
quantity of 500 copies. The authors of prize-winning works of each
category will be awarded money prizes (300 000 AMD each), save the
winner of the “Prize for Pupularity”.As a reminder, 130 and 470 works
participated in the Orange Book Prize 2011 and Orange Book Prize 2012
correspondingly.All conditons of participation and other details can
be found at