Author: Kanayan Tamar

THE MILITARY WILL ARRANGE INTERNATIONAL TANK CONTEST

DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
July 24, 2013 Wednesday

Source: Moskovsky Komsomolets, July 20, 2013, p. 2
BYLINE: Ignat Kalinin

[Translated from Russian]

HIGHLIGHT: PUBLIC COUNCIL OF THE DEFENSE MINISTRY CHANGED THE STYLE
OF WORK; In the new composition the public council of the Defense
Ministry changed the style of its work noticeably. In accordance
with wishes of the Defense Ministry expressed at the first meeting
the public council works not along formal lines but tries to focus
on certain methods of increasing of prestige of military service and
increasing of professional motivation. Simultaneously, members of the
council do not lose an opportunity to see how exercises and sudden
checks go on through their own eyes.

In the new composition the public council of the Defense Ministry
changed the style of its work noticeably. In accordance with wishes
of the Defense Ministry expressed at the first meeting the public
council works not along formal lines but tries to focus on certain
methods of increasing of prestige of military service and increasing
of professional motivation. Simultaneously, members of the council
do not lose an opportunity to see how exercises and sudden checks go
on through their own eyes.

At the beginning of a new meeting of the council its chair Pavel
Gusev reported to the audience that Sergei Shoigu did approve the
plan of work of the public council after three revisions. This means
that the minister is definitely not indifferent to this body and
he really checks its proposals and plans. In turn, Deputy Defense
Minister Nikolai Pankov reminded the members of the council that in
the near future they would have to arrange a “vertical.” Four public
councils will be created in four military districts and a reception
office of the public council will be created in the cultural center.

Report of the military about the “tank biathlon” competition being
prepared became a kind of the main issue of the agenda. The competition
will take place at training range in Alabino in Moscow Region between
August 12 and 17. One best crew of T-72B tank from each of the military
district and armed forces of Kazakhstan, Belarus and Armenia each will
compete in driving, firing, surmounting of obstacles, in other words,
in tank mastership. Besides the cup the best crew will also receive
Niva cars from Uralvagonzavod.

Musician Sergei Mazaev proposed creation of closed clubs with working
name of Blindazh in the military units. The rocket proposes that
soldiers who have perfect results of military training will have
exclusive access there, will be able to spend a couple of hours per day
in the Internet and will have video communication with their families.

Participants of the meeting also discussed the contest “Warrior of
the Commonwealth” to be conducted in autumn and big-scale exercises
West-2013. The first details of West-2013 exercises were announced. Up
to 13,000 servicemen including 2,500 Russian ones will participate
in them. The exercises will take place mostly on the territory of
Belarus but also in Kaliningrad Region, in the Barents and Baltic seas,
as well as at two training ranges not far from the Russian-Estonian
border. Along with this, it is emphasized that the troops will work out
defensive actions. The scenario will represent a situation of growing
counteraction on the part of political opposition and illegal armed
forces. Member of the council Ruslan Pukhov pointed at apprehensions
about the exercises on the part of the “Western colleagues,” for
example, Poland and a need to do the relevant explanatory work both
through the expert community and through the foreign policy division
of the Defense Ministry.

The report that Shoigu was going to give field uniforms to all members
of the council caused their biggest agitation. They have to work in
field conditions often. It is obvious that these uniforms will be
similar to those worn by civil deputy ministers Ruslan Tsalikov and
Yury Borisov.

ONE TOPIC CLOSED. LET’S GO ON TO THE NEXT

The topic of weapon supply to Azerbaijan by Russia and all the
accompanying issues have been elaborated sufficiently, everyone who
found it necessary bothered to express their opinion. Real formats of
Russian-Armenian relations, framework interests and controversies,
geopolitical and economic goals and objectives of Russia became
absolutely clear. A quite elaborate dossier has been collected on most
Armenian political scientists, experts and commentators which will
be useful soon. What conclusions can be drawn from this “discussion”?

The Russian military and political bloc with certain formats was not
accomplished, and the achievements that are in place are coming apart.

The main factors and reasons of fiasco of Russian strategies like
European strategy are on the whole clear, as well as the policy of
bloc allegiance which is first of all linked to deep and irretrievable
public, state-political, ethno-demographic and confessional crisis
of the Russian people.

Betrayal of interests of partners remains one of the important levers
and approaches to Russia’s foreign policy due to the lack of balance
between goals and possibilities, priority of short-term goals over
long-term ones as consequences of “imperial” losses of the Russian
state and society, extremely economized politics.

Russia has been unable to set up closer relations with the United
States, Europe and China, which condemns it to global international
isolation, i.e. a global marginal role which limits it to the energy
and raw material model of economy and comprador nature of the economic
and political class.

Moscow made sure that despite failure and formation of closer and more
binding relations with Ankara Turkey has appeared in the shoes of an
unwanted and problematic partner of the Western community and there are
hopes for setting up more credible Russian-Turkish relations. One of
the approaches in this direction is establishment of closer relations
with Azerbaijan as a factor of rapprochement with Turkey.

Apart from other goals, mostly economic ones, supply of weapons to
Azerbaijan intends to put severe pressure on Armenia, force it to make
incredible concessions, including return of Karabakh to Azerbaijan,
as well as change of government.

Such a policy will collapse earlier than Russia will manage to
“betray” the interests of Armenia but the essence of the Russian
policy on this direction lies on the principle of “sacrifice and
sacrifice Armenians”. It is understood that bidding on Russia in this
perspective means accelerating the sad end.

The current exaggerated “discussion” may have been foreseen by Moscow
to accelerate the processes and organize scandals which is apparently
supposed to alert the Western community ahead of the famous decisions
on the integration of Armenia with the EU. This goal will hardly be
achieved but at the same time significant changes took place in the
Armenian society, and its understanding of the need for continuity of
the chosen foreign political path. The EU and the foreign ministries
of leading European states have worked out possible scenarios
of Moscow’s reaction to Armenian policy. One is surprised at how
thoroughly these scenarios have been worked out given the inertness,
slowness, limited interest of European administrators. Most probably,
there is a commonly agreed policy. It once again confirms that the
“discussion” of Russian supply of weapon to Azerbaijan and several
other questions should be suspended, it is meaningless to continue.

Armenia will have to step on other political arenas and take care about
their combat capability. In regard to Russia there is no need to take
abrupt steps. This is what Moscow is expecting, it did everything one
could expect. It is necessary not to be a favorable factor for Russia’s
policy aimed at strengthening its relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Despite the lack of a so-called strategic partnership Russia and
Armenia have common interests both in regional policy and in a larger
scope, and it is necessary to handle these tasks. In the current
situation and in the visible future Russia will not be able to impose
itself as a rival or radical enemy of Armenia, its possibilities are
limited. Development of relations of Armenia with NATO and the EU
will determine the new perspective when the second war in Karabakh
will lead to complete loss of Russia’s position in the region.

If the current Russian-Armenian contractual relations are ever
suspended, it will happen only in the result of failure of general
conditions of the pro-Russian defense bloc. Acceleration of ousting
Armenia from these relations will only accelerate the collapse of CSTO
and other relations of Russia with its “partners”. These “partners”
are already wondering about their role in Russia’s plans given how
the Russians treated Armenians.

There are a number of other interesting topics of geopolitical and
political nature, including relations with Russia, such as the topic
of Russia’s ties with certain circles in Armenia, which is directly
linked to national security issues.

Igor Muradyan 15:19 25/07/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

ARMENIAN CELEBRITIES SHOOT SOCIAL AD IN PROTEST AT FARE RISE – VIDEO

10:59 25.07.13

Armenian celebrities have shot a social ad in protest at the fare rise.

They joined the protests a few days ago and give people lifts. They
call on people to pay 100 drams.

Among them are Haik Marutyan, Vitamin club staff, anchorperson Lusine
Badalyan, the model Ani Kochar and others.

“It is a shame to pay 150 drams, when your neighbor has not even 50
drams,” they say.

“Their only aim is to support the citizens that cannot afford to pay
150 drams,” the reel says.

ISRAEL ALREADY INVOLVED IN UNPROVOKED ATTACKS ON SYRIA – SCOTT RICKARD

09:19 25/07/2013 INTERVIEWS

Press TV has conducted an interview with Scott Rickard, former American
intelligence linguist, about Israel once again threatening the Syrian
government and President Bashar al-Assad with possible attacks.

– Mr. Rickard, just how likely will Israel get physically involved
in Syria — I mean troops on the ground, an invasion perhaps?

– Well, Israel has been incredibly involved already in the attacks
unprovoked, in the illegal attacks on Syria. These attacks are
basically enabled, encouraged and celebrated by the West, NATO and
their Persian Gulf allies.

Once again no condemnation for the three major attacks by air and
by sea by Israel on Syria which were incredibly unprovoked and to
say these are for weapons of mass destruction, or these are for the
chemical weapons….

So these are incredibly unprovoked attacks, they are criminal. Israel
should be held in criminal court for these attacks and unfortunately
they are doing them for proxy, for basically they are … wars for
the West and their allies.

– And of course how do you see the situation unfolding in the near
future considering the fact that division is growing among the
opposition and insurgents in Syria?

– Well, certainly the insurgents are being wiped out by Assad for a
couple of reasons. Assad has been very successful at attacking the
foreign intervention and obviously we are in the midst of Ramadan.

But at the same time these unprovoked attacks are going after strategic
weapons, strategic weapons that could aid in the defense against NATO
and Israeli attack on Syria.

So I believe that these are just precursor to an all out war and
attack against Syria and they are just basically taking out strategic
weapons unfortunately.

Source: Panorama.am

THE NEW YORK TIMES PRESENTED BAKU AS CAPITAL OF ARMENIA: HYSTERIA IN AZERBAIJAN

12:35, 25 July, 2013

YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS: The famous American The New York Times
Periodical presented Baku as the capital of Armenia, thus emerging a
new wave of real hysteria in Azerbaijan. As reported by Armenpress,
quoting the Azerbaijani 1news.az, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Azerbaijan mediated in the case.

The representative of the Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Azerbaijan Elman Abdullayev instructed the Azerbaijani
Embassy to the United States to make the necessary actions to correct
the mistakes made in the Periodical.

The Weather Section of The New York Times presented Baku as the
capital of both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

INCEST: THREAT FROM WEST AND EAST

Russian political scientists of different political ideologies
engaged in propaganda and intimidation of the Armenian society
with integration with the Western community have resorted to such
a delicate argument as imposition by the West rules and procedures
relating to non-traditional sexual orientation. Besides legislation
already adopted by some countries of Europe the probability of laying
down incest in legislation is rumored.

Apparently, the Russian political scientists have consulted pro-Russian
Armenian political scientists and arrived at the conclusion that
increasingly more Armenians may be repelled by incest now.

In the meantime, Russia is exposed to threat of such sacral orientation
as incest not only from the West but also from the East.

It is known that incest is the ethnic and cultural custom of
Azerbaijanis. Men live with their mothers and sisters. Unfortunately,
the notion of this specifically spread tradition has not received
the right to literary word stock.

Currently, about 3 million Azerbaijanis live in the Russian Federation,
who gradually integrate with the Russian society and introduce their
traditions into the new culture, including incest.

Every tradition must be respected and supported, and the Russian
civil society must take care about it.

It is not ruled out that in the course of time the Azerbaijani
population in Russia will lobby in the Federal Duma the passage of
relevant legislation on legalization and legitimization of incest.

Hence, the mental threats come not only from the liberal West but
also the East. Time will come when the Russian political scientists
of all political ideologies will have to observe the accepted social
ethics and talk about adepts of incest only with respect (or not
talk about it at all). But one problem is left why the pro-Russian
Armenian political scientists fear the topic of LGBT? There might be
some latent reasons and problems.

Igor Muradyan 11:31 25/07/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

HOUSE PANEL APPROVES KARABAKH AID

Wednesday, July 24th, 2013

Congress has made across-the-board cuts on the FY14 foreign aid bill

WASHINGTON-The House Appropriation Committee on Wednesday approved
assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh within the Fiscal Year 2014 Foreign Aid
Bill, reported the Armenian National Committee of America. The bill,
however, does not cite a specific level of aid to Armenia.

“Within the funds provided under this heading, the Secretary of State
should provide assistance for victims of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
at levels consistent with prior years, and for ongoing needs related
to the conflict,” reads the committee report attached to the bill
that will move through the house.

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian welcomed the decision, stating:
“We are gratified that Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member Lowey
have, at the urging of Congressman Schiff, agreed to a manager’s
amendment to the full House Appropriations Committee’s version of
the FY14 foreign aid bill restoring language that, amid sharp cuts to
overall spending, prioritizes keeping aid levels for Nagorno Karabakh
consistent with prior years.”

“The priority the Committee attaches to America’s vital aid program for
Nagorno Karabakh, the only Caucasus aid program specifically mentioned
in the House report, is particularly meaningful given that this year’s
foreign aid bill is marked by deep, across-the-board cuts, the removal
of many country-specific aid level citations, and even the complete
elimination of a number of assistance programs,” said Hamparian.

“At the same time, we remain troubled that the version of the foreign
aid bill moving through the House, for the first time since Armenia’s
independence, does not cite a specific aid level for Armenia.”

Content-Type: MESSAGE/RFC822; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-Description:

MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
From: Mihran Keheyian
Subject: House Panel Approves Karabakh Aid

House Panel Approves Karabakh Aid

Wednesday, July 24th, 2013

Congress has made across-the-board cuts on the FY14 foreign aid bill

WASHINGTON?The House Appropriation Committee on Wednesday approved
assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh within the Fiscal Year 2014 Foreign Aid
Bill, reported the Armenian National Committee of America. The bill,
however, does not cite a specific level of aid to Armenia.

?Within the funds provided under this heading, the Secretary of State
should provide assistance for victims of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
at levels consistent with prior years, and for ongoing needs related
to the conflict,? reads the committee report attached to the bill that
will move through the house.

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian welcomed the decision, stating:
?We are gratified that Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member Lowey
have, at the urging of Congressman Schiff, agreed to a manager?s
amendment to the full House Appropriations Committee?s version of the
FY14 foreign aid bill restoring language that, amid sharp cuts to
overall spending, prioritizes keeping aid levels for Nagorno Karabakh
consistent with prior years.?

?The priority the Committee attaches to America?s vital aid program
for Nagorno Karabakh, the only Caucasus aid program specifically
mentioned in the House report, is particularly meaningful given that
this year?s foreign aid bill is marked by deep, across-the-board cuts,
the removal of many country-specific aid level citations, and even the
complete elimination of a number of assistance programs,? said
Hamparian.

?At the same time, we remain troubled that the version of the foreign
aid bill moving through the House, for the first time since Armenia?s
independence, does not cite a specific aid level for Armenia.?

L’UE ET L’ARMENIE CONCLUENT UN ACCORD SUR LEURS RELATIONS COMMERCIALES

COMMUNIQUE

L’Union europeenne (UE) et la Republique d’Armenie se sont
mises d’accord, aujourd’hui ( mercredi 24 juillet 2013 ndlr), sur
l’instauration, dans le cadre d’un accord d’association, d’une zone
de libre-echange approfondi et complet.

Lors de la septième (et dernière) session de negociations qui a eu
lieu a Erevan, les deux parties ont approuve les termes essentiels
d’un accord qui redefinira les relations commerciales entre l’UE et
l’Armenie. La zone de libre-echange favorisera l’integration economique
de l’Armenie dans l’UE en permettant aux entreprises armeniennes et
europeennes d’acceder plus facilement au marche des biens et des
services de l’autre partie. L’accord offre a l’Armenie le cadre
necessaire a la modernisation de ses relations commerciales et au
developpement de son economie grâce a l’harmonisation poussee de sa
legislation et de sa reglementation dans divers domaines touchant au
commerce. Ces reformes donneront a l’Armenie les moyens d’adapter des
secteurs essentiels de son economie aux normes de l’UE. L’amelioration
des possibilites commerciales qu’entraînera la creation de la zone
de libre-echange devrait avoir des effets economiques positifs tant
pour l’UE que pour l’Armenie.

Selon une etude independante, l’accord pourrait rapporter a long
terme 146 millions d’euros par an a l’economie armenienne, ce qui
representerait une augmentation de 2,3 % du PIB. Cette progression
dependrait en particulier de la suppression des barrières non
tarifaires. Pour l’UE, les retombees economiques de l’accord devraient
s’elever a quelque 74 millions d’euros.

La zone de libre-echange approfondi et complet aura une incidence
considerable sur le commerce armenien. Selon les previsions, la
croissance des exportations (15,2 %) et des importations (8,2 %)
armeniennes entraînera a terme un reequilibrage de la balance
commercial du pays (en termes relatifs).

Contexte

L’UE a entame des negociations avec l’Armenie en juillet 2010 en
vue de conclure un accord d’association. Il s’agissait de remplacer
l’accord de partenariat et de cooperation en vigueur par un accord
plus ambitieux. Les negociations sur le volet commercial de l’accord
– la zone de libre-echange approfondi et complet – ont commence en
mai 2012 et elles ont abouti le 24 juillet 2013, au terme de sept
sessions. La Commission va maintenant rendre compte aux Etats membres
du texte de l’accord negocie. Ensuite, l’UE et l’Armenie poursuivront
les procedures devant aboutir a la creation officielle de la zone de
libre-echange dans le cadre de l’accord d’association.

L’UE est le premier partenaire commercial de l’Armenie : elle
represente 32 % des echanges du pays. Les echanges bilateraux de
biens ont represente 951 millions d’euros en 2012.

L’UE accorde deja a l’Armenie un accès preferentiel a son marche
en lui appliquant le système de preferences generalisees ” SPG +
“, qui promeut en particulier le developpement durable et la bonne
gouvernance. En consequence, les droits percus a l’importation sont
deja très bas, de sorte que l’accord sur la zone de libre-echange –
meme s’il prevoit egalement des reductions tarifaires – fera surtout
sentir ses effets positifs a l’interieur des frontières du pays. La
reforme de la reglementation portera principalement sur les domaines
sanitaire et phytosanitaire et visera a assurer l’equivalence les
normes de securite alimentaire armeniennes et europeennes. L’Armenie
adaptera egalement plusieurs legislations relatives aux produits
industriels afin de renforcer la securite et la protection des
consommateurs.

Informations complementaires

Evaluation independante de l’impact du commerce sur le developpement
durable – zone de libre-echange approfondi et complet UE-Armenie
:

Site de la Commission Europeenne concernant les relations commerciales
avec l’Armenie (en anglais)

Site de la Commission Europeenne concernant les relations avec
l’Armenie en cadre de la politique europeenne de voisinage

Site du Service europeen pour l’action exterieure concernant les
relations avec l’Armenie

Voir lien plus bas

jeudi 25 juillet 2013, Ara ©armenews.com

D´autres informations disponibles : UNION EUROPEENNE

THIS ARMENIAN LIFE

New York Times
July 24 2013

By MARK BITTMAN
Published: July 24, 2013

Greater Los Angeles is a collection of not just smaller cities but
also exotic populations. Among those cities is Glendale (not so small:
it would be the second-most-populous city in New England), a center of
the Armenian diaspora and home to one of the world’s largest Armenian
populations outside Armenia. Fleeing religious violence in the late
19th century, genocide in the early 20th or the Soviet Union after
that, Armenian Californians became integral in the development of
the fig, raisin and bulgur businesses.

Edward Khechemyan came to Burbank, which borders on Glendale, in 1991 –
the same year Armenia left the U.S.S.R. He was 17 then, and of the
move, he says simply, “We didn’t like the Communist system.” His
father, who left Iran for Armenia – the home of his ancestors – in
1974, was a chef who dreamed of opening a restaurant, and in 1997,
he did just that.

The name of the restaurant, which is on the terminally unhip San
Fernando Road right near the Burbank border, has changed twice;
it is now called Adana. The food-and-travel writer David Latt,
a friend who has never steered me wrong, listed it as among his
favorite restaurants when I was picking his brain last year, and we
ate there together last fall. It was so good that I’ve visited Adana
on each of my four subsequent trips to Los Angeles.

Khechemyan is now the chef, and the food is not easily categorized. He
learned to cook from his father, but given that that man was from
Iran, that his upbringing was Armenian-American and that the Russian
influence was strong everywhere, the menu is a hodgepodge in the best
sense of the word, boasting of innumerable kebabs and more than a few
intriguing salads and dishes of beans, and of rice and other grains.

There are unfamiliar ingredients and preparations, and it’s all done
well, in a tiny and unpretentious kitchen.

One of my trips to L.A. was actually a trip to Glendale, arranged so
that I could cook with Khechemyan. I was immediately impressed with
his facility and his ease and especially his grilling technique. In his
kitchen, Khechemyan moves quickly, and within 30 minutes, we had done
four kebabs. The marinades are simple (he uses a lot of mild dried red
chili powder, the kind you can most easily buy in Korean markets),
and the grilling technique is not difficult. But it’s unusual: he
grills slowly (over briquettes fired with gas, by the way), not too
close to the fire, he insists, until gorgeously browned.

The fire is not superhot, but it’s even – gas is good for that –
and he keeps the grill grate a good six inches above the fire.

It wasn’t all grilling. Two of the best dishes we cooked were Iranian
(“Persian,” Khechemyan clarifies). The first was baghali polo,
extra-long basmati rice boiled halfway then steamed with garlic powder
(an ingredient I haven’t used in 20 years or so, but hey . . . ),
fava or lima beans and an infield’s worth of fresh dill. The other,
a salad, is something I’ve been making all summer; if I were you,
I’d just start chopping.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY DID NOT TAKE APPROPRIATE STEPS ON HRACHYA HARUTYUNYAN’S CASE

July 24, 2013 | 16:34

YEREVAN. – From the very beginning, the Armenian Foreign Ministry
did not take appropriate steps on the case of a truck driver Hrachya
Harutyunyan, head of Greek Armenians organization said.

To note, a truck crashed into a passenger bus on July 13 outside
Moscow, and it was found out that the truck driver was an Armenian
citizen by the name of Hrachya Harutyunyan.

The accident claimed 18 lives and about 50 others were hospitalized.

Hrachya was brought to the courtroom with slippers and a women’s robe.

This fact caused widespread discontent among the Armenian public,
and protests were staged across the Russian Embassy in Armenia.

Eduard Polatov, Karabakh war veteran and chairman of organization of
Greeks of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, said Russian law enforcers
that were conducting preliminary investigation and Armenian diplomatic
representation in Russia are responsible for everything that happened
in Moscow court.

Another participant of the press conference, the chairman of the
Assyrians’ Union of Armenia Razmik Khosroyev said that it is the
matter of human rights.

“The positive fact is that the society was able to raise a voice for
the Armenian. For the first Armenian felt that the state is behind
him,” he said.

Representative of the Yezidi community Amo Sharoyan expressed his
condolences to the families of 18 victims.

“Different types of expertise should prove whether the driver was
guilty. In this case, the presumption of innocence was violated by
both law enforcers and media representatives,” he said.