Author: Kanayan Tamar

Prince Charles’ upcoming visit as perceived in Armenia

23:58 – 27.05.13

Armenia’s political circles’ response to the upcoming visit Charles,
Prince of Wales, is to pay to Armenia is not greatly different from an
official announcement by the British Embassy in Armenia.

Talking to Tert.am, Tevan Poghosyan, Executive Director of the
International Center for Human Development (ICHD) and Heritage
parliamentary group member, said that Price Charles’ upcoming visit to
Armenia is an unprecedented event in the Armenian-British relations.

`We should realize that Great Britain has been – and will be – pursing
its interests, which are largely in oil. I would say that this is a
humanitarian rather than a get-to-know-you visit, and there is not a
problem that would involve Great Britain’s interests.’

Prince Charles is the first member of the British royal family to pay
a private visit to Armenia.

One of the major goals of Prince Charles’ visit to Armenia is the
Yerevan My Love charity program similar to the Dumfries House program
in Scotland, which is sponsored by Prince Charles.

Mr Poghosyan pointed out the fact that warm human relations play their
role in interstate relations. In this context, he noted friendly ties
between Prince Charles and Armenia’s ex-premier, ex-ambassador to
Great Britain Armen Sargsyan.

This may have played a role in Prince Charles’ decision.
Interestingly, Armen Sargsyan is the founder of the Yerevan My Love
foundation.

Although Armenia, as well as Georgia, will never be of such a great
historic importance for Great Britain as Azerbaijan is, Armenia may
derive benefits.

`We must work hard for this visit not to remain a unique one. Rather,
we must be able to stir up their interest for Armenian-British
relations to be developed later, for this visit to be followed by many
others, as well as by different agreements and investments. Armenia
must be interesting to British society,’ Poghosyan said.

He is doubly sure that the British media will widely cover Prince
Charles’ visit to Armenia, which is the best opportunity for Armenia
to disseminate information on itself in Great Britain.

Hmayak Hovhannisyan, Chairman of the Political Scientists Union of
Armenia, considers Prince Charles’ visit to Armenia an exceptional
event. The visit scheduled for May 28 to 30 is actually an attempt to
draw parallels between `emotional’ and `worldly and pragmatic’
interests.

`Prince Charles is going to participate in an opening ceremony. Great
Britain is not going to restrict its regional interests with British
Petrolium’s presence in Azerbaijan. Rather, it seeks to add natural
resource development in Armenia,’ he said.
He means possible development of the Amulsari gold field, which issue
Armenia’s press has for years addressed.

Prince Charles is scheduled to visit the institute of Ancient
Manuscripts (Matenadaran), Holy See of Echmiadzin and attend a gala
performance at the Yerevan Opera in the honor of the donators to the
Yerevan My Love program.

Prince Charles is to hold a meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Eye care physician gets U.S. training

Published: Monday May 27, 2013

Dr. Asatur Hovsepyan.

YEREVAN – The San Clemente Sunrise Rotary Club, the American Academy
of Ophthalmologists and the Armenian EyeCare Project combined their
resources and complementary missions to sponsor the continuing medical
education of Dr. Asatur Hovsepyan, an Armenian physician and medical
director of the Armenian EyeCare Project’s Mobile Eye Hospital.

Dr. Hovsepyan attended the Academy’s annual meeting in Chicago.
Following Chicago, Hovsepyan traveled to Southern California to train
with Dr. Roger Ohanesian, founder and president of the Armenian
EyeCare Project.

While in Chicago, Dr. Hovsepyan participated in roundtable discussions
and instructional classes moderated and taught by leading experts in
ophthalmology, and skills-transfer sessions-hands-on courses offering
intensive training in surgical and diagnostic techniques with direct
supervision and a low participant-to-instructor ratio. These are
exceptional opportunities for physicians from developing countries and
have significant and far-reaching outcomes for the physician, his
colleagues at home and his country.

Following his continuing education programs in Chicago Hovsepyan
traveled to Southern California to train with Dr. Roger Ohanesian,
founder and president of the Armenian EyeCare Project. While visiting
Ohanesian’s ambulatory surgical clinics in Laguna Hills and San
Clemente, Hovsepyan was able to observe surgical procedures and
patients in stages of pre- and post-surgery learning new techniques
and patient management.

Upon his return to Armenia and the Mobile Eye Hospital Hovsepyan began
teaching his colleagues new diagnosis and treatment procedures and
surgical techniques, leveraging his experience to benefit many more
physicians and ultimately, patients.

The mission of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) is to
advance the lifelong learning and professional interests of
ophthalmologists and to ensure that the public can obtain the best
possible eye care. The Academy is a professional medical association
of ophthalmologists, headquartered in San Francisco, California. Its
membership includes more than 90 percent of practicing
ophthalmologists in the United States as well as over 7,000 members
abroad.

Founded in 1905, the mission of Rotary International, of which San
Clemente Sunrise is one of its 33,000 worldwide clubs, is to provide
service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding,
goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional,
and community leaders. Rotary clubs, with its 1.2 million members,
exist to improve communities through a range of humanitarian,
intercultural and educational activities. Clubs advance international
understanding by partnering with clubs in other countries.

The San Clemente Sunrise Rotary Club has been involved in
international service since its inception more than 20 years ago.
Under their motto, “Service above Self,” San Clemente Sunrise
Rotarians have always worked to help those in their local community
and throughout the world. The Rotary Club expands its reach by
supporting international organizations and programs throughout the
world.

Blindness is a terrible fate with enormous personal, social, and
economic consequences that can condemn otherwise healthy individuals
to lives of poverty and dependence. Yet, 80 percent of all blindness
can be prevented or treated. The Armenian EyeCare Project’s mission is
to eliminate preventable blindness and to make eye care accessible to
all Armenians.

Over the past 21 years, with charitable programs that combat the
debilitating causes of blindness, the Armenian EyeCare Project has
been able to train Armenian ophthalmologists to provide comprehensive
eye examinations, perform surgery and laser procedures and dispense
new eyeglasses. The Project has examined and treated 550,000 Armenians
and restored the sight of 60,000 through Cataract and other surgeries.

Founded in 1992, and incorporated in 2002, the Armenian EyeCare
Project is a California Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation. To
accomplish their mission and to treat eye disease, restore sight and
change lives, a comprehensive, integrated five-point program was
developed, which includes (1) medical education and training; (2)
direct patient care; (3) publication; (4) research; and (5) capacity
building.

In 2003, the Project’s Mobile Eye Hospital (MEH) traveled by boat from
Vermont where it was built, to the country of Georgia and then by
truck to Yerevan. The MEH is the Project’s hub of regional service
delivery and travels country-wide screening and delivering eye care to
thousands of children and adults. With this method of eye care
delivery the Project is able to save or restore the sight of
significantly more people living throughout the Marzes in Armenia. The
MEH has traveled to all marzes in Armenia at least twice where all
surgeries and other ophthalmological examinations and treatments are
performed as charitable services at no cost to the Armenian people.

Upon his return to Armenia and the Mobile Eye Hospital where he is
director, Dr. Hovsepyan talked about his learning experience in the
U.S. and said, “I will be forever grateful to the San Clemente Sunrise
Rotary Club, the Academy and the EyeCare Project for joining together
to sponsor my continuing education and for giving me this exciting
opportunity that I can share with my colleagues in Armenia.”

Pre-Parliament to rally its supporters in Vanadzor

07:19 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

The Pre-Parliament Initiative is to hold a rally at Artsakh park in
Armenia’s Vanadzor city at 1.00 p.m. May 28. The meeting agenda
includes

brief description of the anti-national governance system and necessity
of ridding of the authorities by a national liberation movement;
program of overthrowing the acting regime by the formation of
legitimate governing bodies that will express the genuine will of
people;
practical steps to involve people in the national liberation struggle.

Members of the initiative, Zhirayr Sefilyan, Garegin Chookaszian,
Tigran Khzmalyan, Alek Yenigomshyan, Yeghia Nersisyan and others will
address the meeting participants.

European Archery Tournament kicks off in Armenia

May 27, 2013 – 18:31 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

The second stage of European Archery Tournament kicked off in
Arshaluys village of Armavir province, with representatives from 11
counties to participate in.

22 athletes will represent Armenia at the championships, with
President of RA Archery Federation Nazik Amiryan, deputy minister of
sport and youth affairs Samvel Khachatryan and chief coach Petru
Petrov delivering speeches during the opening ceremony.

Italian ambassador in Armenia Bruno Scapini also attended the event.
The tournament will run through June 1.

Armenian villager number one patriot – MP

16:19 – 27.05.13

Alik Petrosyan, an MP from the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), who
initiated the establishment of a fund to support the victims of
natural disasters, calls on Armenia’s 1,000 major taxpayers, eighty
parties and international donor organizations, foreign diplomatic
missions in Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora to support the
hail-stricken villagers in the Armavir region, Armenia.

At his meeting with journalists on Monday, the MP said that the
Armenian farmer is `a real patriot.’

`I am now appealing to the eighty political parties that take every
chance to express their commitment to the people. It is a good chance
for each of them to prove their being beside the villagers,’ Petrosyan
said.

He is satisfied with the government-planned aid.

Also, Armenia’s Police decided to transfer AMD 11m, all the 131
members of Armenia’s Parliament and the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
have promised help.

Petrosyan could not report anything about the money transferred to the
fund’s account, because no bank operations were effected on days off.

`Those people are not begging. They are workers – intelligent and
patriotic workers. It is cultivating land and producing wealth is what
patriotism means,’ the MP said.

The fund will continue its activities until August 1, 2013, to help
the 12,000 families that sustained hailstorm-caused damages in the
Armavir region.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Armenian parliament committee head visits border military bases

May 27, 2013 | 13:48

YEREVAN. – Chairman Koryun Nahapetyan of the Armenian National
Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and
Internal Affairs on Sunday visited the border protection military
bases that are located in Areni and Khachik communities of Vayots Dzor
Region.

The objective of the visit was to get familiar on location with the
daily lives of Armenia’s soldiers that serve at the military positions
and with their combat readiness, the NA press service informs.

Nahapetyan congratulated the border guards in connection with
Tuesday’s Republic Day, and wished them peaceful skies and a safe
military service. Each soldier also received a gift.

`The Armenian border guards are alert and always on the lookout, and
they are well aware that they are the first protectors of the security
and inviolability of our homeland,’ the NA committee head noted. He
added that the boundaries of Armenia are in good hands.

In their turn, the soldiers and the officers assured that they stand
ready to confront and retaliate to the adversary at any time.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

Azeri MP offers to involve NATO in Karabakh settlement

May 27, 2013 – 15:26 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – NATO possesses powers to monitor all of the ingoing
regional and international processes, member of Azerbaijan’s Milli
Majlis said.

In this context, Zahid Orudzh attached importance to the institution’s
involvement in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, stressing
the need to intensify ties with NATO.

`Despite our membership in Non-Aligned Movement, North Atlantic Treaty
Organization is the current security format. We will have to intensify
efforts to deepen ties with NATO, in case of Baku’s decision against
joining Russia-formed military blocs,’ he said.

`NATO is against open intervention in regional problems, well aware of
those issues. Documents protecting Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity
were adopted during the institutions’ summits in Washington and
Istanbul. Any agreement on Karabakh issue must enter into force with
the help of a certain institution,’ Orudzh said, adding that OSCE
lacks a military institution, according to Trend.

ARMENIE
Le rythme de la croissance économique arménienne pourrait ralentir en 2013

Le rythme de la croissance économique est très susceptible de ralentir
cette année en raison de la conjoncture en europe (environ 45 pour
cent des exportations arméniennes en 2011 sont allées vers l’Europe)
et la croissance ne montre pas de signes de reprise a déclaré Sergey
Ignatov, chef du Bureau à Erevan de la Banque Eurasienne de
développement.

Selon les estimations du FMI, de la Banque mondiale et de la BERD
l’économie arménienne devrait connaître une croissance cette année de
4,6%.

« Le ralentissement économique pourrait être causée par un
affaiblissement de la demande extérieure et la baisse des prix des
métaux non ferreux, qui touchent directement les secteurs extraction
et traitement de l’Arménie ce qui aura un effet sur les recettes
budgétaires et la stabilité macro-économique » a-t-il déclaré.

D’autre part, selon lui, la faiblesse de l’économie mondiale pourrait
avoir un effet sur les économies des pays qui sont la principale
source d’envois de fonds et d’investissements directs étrangers.

lundi 27 mai 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

ARMENIE
8000 familles nombreuses en Arménie bénéficient de prestations sociales

Le ministre du travail et des affaires sociales Artem Asatryan a
déclaré il y a 15000 familles nombreuses en Arménie aujourd’hui.

Parmi elles 8000 familles reçoivent des prestations sociales. Il y a
4,42 enfants en moyenne, dans chacun de ces familles. Cela signifie
que le nombre d’enfants dans les 15000 familles est d’environ 67000.

Lors de la session du gouvernement le Conseil des ministres a confirmé
le projet de loi proposé par Heghine Bisharyan et Hovhannes Margaryan
pour soutenir les familles nombreuses mais a demandé de revoir les
chiffres de ce projet de loi.

Le ministre a dit que 2,7 milliards de drams (environ 6,5 millions $)
dans le budget de 2013 du gouvernement est destinée à soutenir
plusieurs familles à enfant unique. Si la loi est adoptée par
l’Assemblée nationale, 16 milliards de drams (environ 38,7 millions de
$) seront nécessaires pour le financer.

lundi 27 mai 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

FOOTBALL
Henrikh Mekhitarian est bien entré dans la légende avec 25 buts
marqués en une saison de championnat d’Ukraine

L’international arménien Henrikh Mekhitarian est véritablement entré
dans la légende du football. Lors de la 30e et dernière journée du
championnat d’Ukraine, opposant « Chakhtior Donetsk au « Metalurg »
Donetsk, Henrikh Mekhitarian a marqué à la 52e le deuxième but du «
Chakhtior » et son 25e but dans le championnat d’Ukraine. L’Arménien a
ainsi amélioré son record du nombre de buts établis en une saison de
championnat ukrainien. Avec 25 buts, Henrikh Mekhitarian laisse
derrière lui à 3 buts les records de 22 buts marqués par Sergueï
Rebrov et Maxime Chatchkikhine.

Krikor Amirzayan

lundi 27 mai 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com