Author: Kanayan Tamar

CONTROL CHAMBER FINDINGS ADDRESS DEVELOPMENT SECTOR IN GENERAL, SAYS MINISTER

12:51 ~U 02.07.13

The violations which the Control Chamber has revealed as a result
of recent inspections address construction activities in general,
Armenia’s minister of urban development has said, dismissing the
opinion that the findings target only his agency.

At a news conference held at the Government’s Press Center on Tuesday
morning, Samvel Tadevosyan explained the fact does not absolutely
relieve the Ministry of any responsibility for the existing situation.

“The Ministry has implemented several projects, and the preliminary
results are now obvious. Of the 6.5 billion Drams allocated from
state resources, only 1 billion has been saved, which is only 15%
of the total volume,” he said.

The minister stressed the need of finalizing the number and percentage
of the existing gaps before making any facts public.

“I have no doubt as to the professionalism of the Control Chamber
experts, but the reports do not contain in-depth analyses and
conclusions. The Ministry has conducted studies throughout the year,
revealing the source of the violations,” Tadevosyan said, attributing
most shortcomings to licensed companies.

The minister noted further that organizations responsible for
technical inspection also often failed to work properlys to reveal
gaps and shortcomings.

“Licensed companies carry out a technical inspection of 5-150
organizations through just a couple of employees. We studied and
suspended 550 construction companies last year, returning 53 million
Drams to the State Budget,” he said.

Speaking of kickbacks, the minister noted that the 15% savings policy
is aimed at abolishing such malpractices.

Asked whether the Ministry has ever turned to the Prosecutor General’s
Office after finding violations, Tadevosyan said that they have
chosen instead impose extra-requirement on companies. “Based on the
Ministry’s studies, however, we last year sent a couple of cases to
the Prosecutor’s Office,” he answered.

Armenian News – Tert.am

IRAN ENVOY TO AZERBAIJAN: IRAN WILL NOT BREAK OFF TIES WITH ARMENIA

Iran has never been harmed by Armenia, Iran’s ambassador to Azerbaijan
Mohsen Pak Ayeen was quoted as saying by the official website of
Iran’s embassy in Azerbaijan.

In an interview with Azadinform.az, Mohsen Pak Ayeen was asked why Iran
has such close relations with Armenia, to which he replied: “Armenia
is Iran’s neighbor. We have economic ties with that country. Armenia
also has close relations with the United States, and a number of
U.S. states have recognized the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Iran has
never been harmed by Armenia, and we are not going to break off our
ties with Armenia.”

Recently, in an interview with an Azerbaijani website, Iran’s envoy
responded to an observation that Armenia is getting stronger due to
friendly relations between Iran and Armenia and economic ties with
Iran, which raises the indignation of the Azerbaijani people.

“If you think that Armenia’s economic situation will deteriorate
if Iran-Armenia relations break off and it will contribute to the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, then you are mistaken,”
Mohsen Pak Ayeen said.

Related: Iran envoy to Azerbaijan: Good relations between Iran and
Armenia prevented Karabakh conflict from becoming religious

Perspectives of Iran-Azerbaijan relations: Commentary by Iranian
Majlis Research Center

Iranian studies expert: Iranian-Armenian relations develop in
atmosphere of mutual trust

Iranian studies expert: Azerbaijan carries out double foreign policy
towards both West and Islamic counties

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIAN SCHOOLS ARE INTRODUCED TO MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY COMPUTER PROGRAM

July 02, 2013 | 01:44

YEREVAN. – The schools in Armenia are being introduced to computer
and technology courses which become a basis for robotics, Instigate
Company Director Arman Poghosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The aforementioned courses use the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT)-created Scratch program which has been
“armenianized.” As a result, it will be possible to not only construct
scenarios and games, but to control robots.

“This enables [the children] to learn the principles of [computer]
programming. The system is very similar to a robot; you can give [it]
commands,” Poghosyan said.

The program has begun to be introduced in about twenty schools in
Armenia. As of September, robot construction teams will be formed in
fifty schools, and an attempt will be made to apply the “armenianized”
Scratch program in these schools, too.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

AGHVAN HOVSEPYAN CLOSES THE DOORS

Celebrations to mark the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Prosecutor’s
office reminded a little Aghvan Hovsepyan’s sending off to deserved
rest. In September, Hovsepyan’s term of office expires, and although
he did not reach the retirement age, he is 60, Serzh Sargsyan has
not yet decided whether or not to reappoint Hovsepyan.

Aghvan Hovsepyan, of course, is an irreplaceable figure for Serzh
Sargsyan. His ability to absorb everything like a sponge and store a
thousand bytes of information can be valuable. Besides, judging by
the last conference, Serzh Sargsyan appreciates in officials their
ability to refrain from political assessments. While, Aghvan Hovsepyan
refrains from giving not only political, but also legal assessments.

No one knows Aghvan Hovsepyan’s position on high-profile cases that
are considered by his agency. I mean both army and corruption cases.

No one knows what he plans in case RPA demands in the parliament to
restore Vartan Oskanian parliamentary immunity.

Aghvan Hovsepyan spared any opinion on the offshore scandal featuring
prime minster. He didn’t even say that he will consider the issue. He
just warned his Cypriot counterpart, who attended the celebrations,
to be ready for various questions.

True, the prosecutor general of Cyprus betrayed somehow the prime
minister, but corrected immediately his mistake sating that he does
not know the details of the case. The examination of the case may
find out that prime minister was registered in offshore by a person
authorized for another task. Such a document may appear: Aghvan
Hovsepyan will help.

At the famous meeting, Serzh Sargsyan defended Aghvan Hovsepyan
saying that no one cares for Ishkhan Zakaryan’s opinion about the
prosecution. But, probably, many would like to know Serzh Sargsyan’s
opinion about prosecution. Does he think that the prosecutor general
should be like Aghvan Hovsepyan?

General Prosecutor is a key figure in the current system. This figure
is the key to open or close the doors of shadow economy and politics.

In Armenia, these doors are kept closed. Aghvan Hovsepyan is brilliant
in this mission.

Naira Hayrumyan 13:01 02/07/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

TRE PENNE IN ARMENIA: LA CAPITALE YEREVAN

SMTV, San Marino
LunedÌ 1 luglio 2013

Nonostante la storia dell’Armenia, con questo nome e queste istituzioni
sia poco più che maggiorenne, comune a tante realta statali sorte
dalle ceneri della disgregazione dell’Unione Sovietica datata 1991,
la conversione alla cultura e all’economia al di qua del muro,
specialmente nel centro pulsante della capitale, Yerevan, è per certi
versi straordinario.

Non poi quell’inferno che si pensava, nonostante di quello conservi
quantomeno la temperatura: il termometro impietoso recita 34, chi
qui ci vive giura non sia poi così tanto caldo. L’estate di Yerevan
si ostenta in afa e boccheggiamenti feroci; l’assalto all’ombra e al
refrigerio, declinato in bibite e fontane pare lo sport amatoriale
per eccellenza nella capitale.

In molti l’Armenia l’hanno conosciuta sui libri di storia, su una
delle pagine più sanguinolte del secolo scorso: poco dopo l’inizio
del primo conflitto bellico mondiale i Turchi avviarono quello che è
poi passato alla storia come il genocidio degli armeni. Un importante
museo, il Metz Teghern – letteralmente il Grande Male – ricorda oggi
coloro che coraggiosamente vi si opposero.

La storia vive nell’architettura della Cascade, grande scalinata che
permette di tenere Yerevan in un pugno, dall’alto della sua cima.

L’Opera, segnalato su molte guide come luogo da vedere assolutamente,
la dice lunga sull’invasione occidentale, in termini di pensiero e
inflessioni, che ha pervaso le strade capitoline, le quali trasudano
mondanita, firme, brand internazionali e offerte di ogni genere.

L’Armenia è anche questo: un po’ d’Europa e Occidente trapiantato a
latitudini in cui ti aspetti tutt’altro. La stessa liberta con cui
le ragazze, le donne di Yerevan camminano in strada, è tutt’altro
che scontata in un paese che può vantare burberi vicini quali la
Siria, l’Iran o l’Iraq. Le due facce della stessa medaglia convivono
in Yerevan, desolante agglomerato periferico, simile a confuse
baraccopoli, e lo sfarzo di un centro nevralgico che vuole ostentare
opulenza e capacita di stare al passo coi tempi.

Luca Pelliccioni lunedì 1 luglio 2013

IF YOU’RE A PRISONER, YOU’RE NOT A MAN

Yesterday, Gnuni Vardanyan, a life-term prisoner in Nubarashen
penitentiary, sewed his mouth in the sign of protest because the prison
administration didn’t allow him to call the human rights defender’s
hotline. The prisoner, of course, wanted to tell the ombudsman
something, but meeting obstacles, he resorted to this extreme step.

It seems that the prisoner’s step is absurd, but phone calls are a
serious issue for life-term prisoners and not only. There are many
notices about bad attitude towards life-term prisoners. Considering
regular deaths, including in suspicious conditions, the tension and
the psychological side of it becomes evident.

Life-term prisoners are allowed to call only once or twice a month. If
the prisoners calls and is unable to talk to his relative, he should
wait for a long time to be able to call again. They can call also
from mobiles but it is too expensive for life-term prisoners.

The limit of phone calls was introduced by the minister of justice
Hrayr Tovmasyan. In general, there is much dissatisfaction from the
minister, especially due to the increasing deaths in prisons. Yet
the minister has not given any clarification and does not react to
the press reports.

As to mouth-sewing by prisoners, we know what Hrayr Tovmasyan thinks
about it. Once he said it is like when girls wear earrings.

Minister’s opinion recalls soviet times: if you are a prisoner,
you are not a man.

Zhanna Alexanyan, 14:09 02/07/2013 Story from Lragir.am
News:

Premier Football News
June 30 2013

Liverpool agree £25.7 million deal for top transfer target
· June 30, 2013 Last updated at 0:49

Liverpool have finally reached an agreement to sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan
from Shakhtar Donetsk, according to Russian newspaper Sport Express.

Armenian television programme `Extra Time’ announced on Friday evening
that Mkhitaryan had agreed terms with a foreign club over a transfer,
and it would now appear that Liverpool have won the race to sign
Ukraine’s top goalscorer this summer.

Mkhitaryan scored 25 goals for Shakhtar Donetsk last season from an
attacking midfield position, and providing he can adapt well to the
Barclays Premier League, he could be an immense signing for Brendan
Rodgers’ team.

Sport Express state that the 24 year-old will fly to Merseyside in the
coming days for a medical and to complete the necessary paperwork in
order to finalise the deal.

With a reported fee of 30 million (approximately £25.7m), Mkhitaryan
would be the second most expensive signing in Liverpool history, after
the £35 million Andy Carroll cost when he signed from Newcastle United
in January 2011.

With Carroll having moved to West Ham United this summer for a
significant loss having failing to impress for the Reds, Liverpool
will hope that their next big move in the transfer market is a more
successful gambit.

Head Of Russian Railways Held Property Via Offshore

22:59, June 26, 2013

The president of Russian Railways may run a state-owned company but he
enjoys a posh dacha in suburban Moscow owned by companies set up in
Cyprus and Panama by people with connections to him.

By Roman Anin

A few lines posted earlier this month on a popular Russian online
forum saying the president of the Russian Railways owns a chunk of
land with a luxurious dacha on it, in a posh suburban area of Moscow
ignited a heated discussion in the Russian blogosphere.

The post prompted Russian blogger Alexei Navalny to follow up, and he
published a document identifying rail president Vladimir Yakunin as
the former owner of the same plot where the dacha is situated. The
document, retrieved from the Federal Service for State Registration,
Cadastral Records and Cartography, showed that Yakunin owned the land
from 2007 to 2011. Beginning in February 2011, a nested structure of
offshore Cyprus and Panamanian replaced him as the landowner.

OCCRP partner Novaya Gazeta took up the story from there to find out
who the new owners are. The paper found a series of connections
between Yakunin’s family and the offshore companies that took over the
property.

The 70,000-square-meter plot the country house stands on is located in
one of the most popular areas of the Moscow suburbs, in the village of
Akulinino. According to similar listings from real estate agencies
that work in the area, the price of 100 square meters of land near
Akulinino starts at $3,000, putting the current value of the plot at
more than $2 million. Based on information from persons familiar with
construction expenses, it could cost tens of millions of dollars to
build such a structure given the size of the dacha, the infrastructure
and the expensive decorative work.

According to land records, the current land owner is the Cyprus-based
company Mirolo Investments Ltd. The company obtained the rights to the
plot Feb. 25, 2011, the same day Yakunin officially ceased to be its
owner.

According to documents from the Cyprus registry of companies, Mirolo
Investments is owned by the Panama-based Skiron Holdings S.A.. The
trail goes cold in Panama as Skiron Holdings is owned by proxies —
designated shareholders who serve to obscure the real ownership of a
company. However, multiple searches through the Russian registrar of
commercial enterprises revealed that the Mirolo Investments is
connected to the Yakunin family.

Read More

Le Temps, Suisse
Samedi 29 Juin 2013

Génocide, le déni se fissure

Deux journalistes ont enquêté en Turquie autour des survivants et de
la mémoire des massacres des Arméniens

S. A.
CULTURE/LIVRES

Le génocide des Arméniens a permis l’émergence d’une conscience
nationale nouvelle, dont les chrétiens, qui constituaient 30% des
habitants de l’Empire ottoman finissant, sont pratiquement absents –
une identité qui ne peut être maintenue que par le déni, comme le
souligne l’historien Taner Akçam*. Pourtant, ici ou là, le mur du
silence s’érode. Correspondants, la première pour Le Figaro et le
second pour Le Monde, Laure Marchand et Guillaume Perrier ont enquêté
dans ses fissures.

Sur le paysage contrasté et émouvant qu’ils y ont trouvé, on rencontre
un voyagiste spécialisé dans les tournées mémorielles d’Arméniens
venus des Etats-Unis et de France visiter les ruines de leurs maisons
familiales dans des villages pas toujours mécontents de cette nouvelle
forme de tourisme. Des petits-enfants de femmes arméniennes mariées de
force dans des familles turques ou kurdes et des descendants de
convertis, aux prises avec une identité longtemps niée qu’il leur est
désormais possible, grce à une timide libération de la parole,
d’explorer. Des militants qui luttent pour redonner vie à des édifices
religieux abandonnés, transformés en granges ou à moitié détruits. De
rares municipalités qui, comme celle de Diyarbakir, en pays kurde,
restaurent des églises, voire ressuscitent des noms de rues effacés
avec la mémoire des chrétiens qui les habitaient. Des opposants de la
gauche dure qui ont presque tous, – bizarrement, des ascendances
arméniennes et des activistes alévis qui sont peut-être, pour certains
au moins, dans le même cas.

Car, et c’est une réalité gênante aussi bien pour une diaspora qui se
voit comme unique héritière d’un peuple disparu que pour un Etat qui
nie toujours le génocide, les survivants et leurs descendants vivent
toujours en Turquie, le plus souvent enfermés dans le silence, la
crainte, voire le déni. Leur permettre de retrouver une visibilité
démocratique est un moyen de recréer les bases d’un avenir commun.
Telle était la conviction du poète et journaliste Hrant Dink dont
l’aura exceptionnelle a beaucoup fait pour libérer leur parole. Après
son assassinat en 2007, des milliers de Stambouliotes sont descendus
dans la rue au cri de «Nous sommes tous des Arméniens».

Impensable quelques années plus tôt, cette émotion populaire ne met
pas fin au déni. Mais elle témoigne du refus d’une partie, encore
minoritaire, de la société turque de se laisser prendre en otage par
le récit nationaliste. Ce qui peut conduire à se trouver de nouveaux
héros: car, comme le relèvent en conclusion les deux journalistes, il
y eut aussi des justes turcs.

* Historien, auteur de la préface et de The Young Turks’ Crime Against
Humanity, Princeton University Press, 2012.

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
June 30 2013

Taksim stages exuberant gay pride march joined by Gezi protesters

ISTANBUL

A participant holds a rainbow flag during a gay pride parade in
central Istanbul June 30. REUTERS photo
After a month of protests, Istanbul’s Taksim Square braced today for
the 11th gay pride march as thousands of gay rights activists as well
as demonstrators who participated in Gezi Park gatherings marched on
the iconic Ä°stiklal Avenue.

Rainbow flags and banners supporting peace in Turkish, Kurdish,
Armenian and Arabic were displayed.

Some of the banners criticized the comparison of homosexuality with a
disease, as described by former Family Minister Aliye Kavaf. Another
banner read, “I asked Zeki Müren, who told me to resist,” in memory of
the legendary and flamboyant Turkish singer who became famous during
the `50s and, although he never admitted to being homosexual, changed
perceptions across Turkey by openly wearing women’s clothing and
make-up.

The protesters who have held forums in small neighborhood parks across
Istanbul also joined en mass in the pride march.

Deputies from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP),
including Binnaz Toprak, who was the architect of an inquiry proposal
on the discrimination faced by the LGBT community at the Turkish
Parliament, Å?afak Pavey, Melda Onur and Hüseyin Aygün participated in
the event.

The demonstrators also chanted the name of Medeni Yıldırım, who was
killed in Diyarbakır’s Lice district after being shot by soldiers
during a protest denouncing the construction of a gendarmerie outpost.

German Greens co-chair Claudia Roth was also among the participants,
according to daily Hürriyet.

LGBT rights groups have been very active during the protests against
the demolition of Istanbul’s Gezi Park that have spread across the
country.