Author: Kanayan Tamar

Belarusian Telegraph Agency, Belarus
May 15 2013

Ar-Be branches out into Yerevan

15.05.2013 13:32

YEREVAN, 15 May (BelTA) – A subsidiary of the Armenian-Belarusian
Trading House Ar-Be has opened in Yerevan downtown, BelTA has learnt.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Armenia Stepan Sukhorenko, Director
General of Multi Group Concern Sedrak Arustamyan, Chairman of the
Belgospishcheprom Concern Alexander Zabello.

The new store displays Belarusian goods which are in great demand
among local residents. According to the Belarusian diplomat, the
opening of the joint trading house Ar-Be in 2010 was a timely and
right decision. Today it features nearly 11,000 descriptions of
Belarusian products. The annual trade has already exceeded $10
million. `We have decided to expand into Yerevan. This year we plan to
open several subsidies more in Yerevan. Next year we will focus on
regional centers that show keen interest in our products,’ Stepan
Sukhorenko said.

According to the Ambassador, Belarus and Armenia have been steady
developing their relations. An additional impetus to this process was
added by the recent official visit of the Belarusian head of state. In
particular, the sides have outlined a number of highly promising
projects in industrial cooperation and agriculture.

Stepan Sukhorenko noted that Armenia successfully uses BelAZ trucks.
Tractors and attachments are in demand in agriculture. Belarusian
tires account for nearly 25% of the Armenian market.

Arsen Ghazarian: There is skilled labor shortage in Armenia

Wednesday,
May 15

The IT sector and innovations are of importance to Armenian economy,
Chairman of the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen Arsen Ghazarian
said at the meeting with reporters today.

`Armenia’s future is related to the IT sector,’ he stressed. In his
words, the development of the IT sector is a necessity, without which
business may suffer.

According to Arsen Ghazarian, although high technology has become an
integral part of life, there is also a reverse side of the process:
the introduction of new technology results in job cuts.

He underlined the necessity of optimizing the labor market in the
direction of other spheres. According to him, the situation is notable
for mass unemployment on the one hand and a skilled labor shortage on
the other.

`It may seem that there is a surplus of labor, but at the same time,
for example, technical experts and pilots for international flights
are in great demand,’ the union chairman said.

The 5th DigiTec 2013 Business Forum under the slogan `Smart Solutions
for Smart Counties’ will be held on June 21-22 in Yerevan. The event
aims to promote the use of IT both in private companies and government
organizations.

TODAY, 22:17
Aysor.am

«It is a true universal language…»: interview of Italian-French
choreographer Clotilde Tiradritti with NEWS.am STYLE – PHOTOS

MAY 15, 20:20

Étude pour une chorégraphie urbaine #1 from Compagnie Héliotropion on Vimeo.

Name of the Italian-French choreographer Clotilde Tiradritti is widely
known in the artistic world in Europe and beyond. Tiradritti got
choreographic education in Paris, but the passion for classical and
modern dance aroused in Italy. In 2001, Clotilde founded her dance
studio called Heliotropion. Tiradritti is constantly in search of new
places to develop various forms of art, whether it is singing, circus,
dance or theater. Clotilde has recently paid a visit to Armenia. In an
interview with NEWS.am STYLE the renowned choreographer told about her
work and impressions of Armenia.

What was the purpose of your visit?

This visit had two main objectives. On one side, discover the country,
meet people, being confronted to its culture. And on the other side,
there was a proposal from the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and
Cinematography, with the section of Mister Armen Meliksetyan, to give
a master classes and to help them in choreographing some part of a
show.

Your husband has Armenian roots. Do you have any other relations to Armenia?

I am a choreographer and artistic director of the Héliotropion
Company, and Patrick Matoian, my husband is also my artistic
collaborator as musician and composer. Besides this, he is also
martial arts teacher, 6 dan of aikido.

He has Armenian roots from his father and to come in Armenia was for
me very important: it was just like going to discover a great part of
his origins … I had also a fascination for this country, its
culture, its beautiful songs that from time to time arrive in Western
Europe.

With my husband we are found of working together and as a result of
contacts made during his previous trips (he is coming in Armenia at
least twice a year) we strongly considered the possibility of
developing a project with the State Institute of Dramatic Arts.

I am a dancer and choreographer, but I also practice Aikido since
several years. The work with the body we develop, either through dance
or aikido is a fabulous way to communicate with people. It going
beyond words, it goes beyond the boundaries of language, it is a true
universal language …

Are you satisfied with your workshops? Will there be any presentation
of results?

I am very happy with this period of work. It was very intense ! The
students of Mister Armen Meliksetyan, despite early difficulties with
a completely new work, and very limited time of work, have made a
great job. We worked on the creation of a 20-minute choreography of
‘contemporary dance’ on the music of ‘West Side Story’. It was also a
challenge for me, with so short time to create a choreography with
dancers who did not know my work and with a music that was not really
of my choice … but at the end, it was very interesting! The
choreography will be presented in next May for their show of end of
study in the Theatre of the Institute.

Have you already discovered anything typically Armenian in your
participants attitude towards dance?

Of course! At first, I was very surprised by their ability to sing
and dance at the same time. I had also the chance to see their work in
other school rehearsals. They sing very well. They also like to work
together. I think that perhaps this could be explained by the Armenian
tradition of song and dance group.

Do you plan to continue teaching here?

Yes, we have already planned to return in October to start an other
project with the School. There will be a new session of student (for
next 3 years) and so we should have the opportunity to develop our
work on a much longer time. And may be it would be possible to create
a choreography on specific musical composition. We like working
between tradition and modernity. In fact, my work in dance
(contemporary) is fed by martial arts (tradition).

Further more, in our company, we recently beguin to work with the use
of new technologies in image and music. For example, we use video
projections, computer devices and digital musical instruments. And all
that stuff in interaction with dance ….!

In which other countries are you currently having projects?

Since many years, artists of the company have developed outreach work
in different European countries (Italy, Poland, Germany, Hungary) and
outside of Europe (Syria, Morocco, Brazil) with some cultural
structures and training schools.

The company also runs its shows in different countries of Europe.
Currently we are working on the realization of ‘Body of the city’, an
european project that will develop through three city: Paris, Krakow
and Turin. It’is a project of creation and reflection on the evolution
of the city and our relationship to the body through an
intergenerational and cultural dialogue. This is a theme of actuality,
that makes us reflect on our future, and we would like to develop this
project through other cities in the world …

Kristina Kotenkova

NEWS.am STYLE

Gas price rise surpasses worst expectations

22:11 – 15.05.13

Vahagn Khachatryan, an Armenian National Congress (ANC) parliamentary
group member, who has since last year stated that the Armrusgasprom
Company has compensated for the rise in the price of gas supplied to
Armenia from its super-profits, did not expect a rise of about 67%.

`It is higher than previously announced. But it is not clear what
price will be set,’ he said. There are hardly any precedents of a 67%
rise in the gas price.

Last year, referring to reliable sources at Gazprom , Armenian mass
media reported that the price for Russian gas supplied to Armenia
would reach $280 for 1,000 cubic meters and $320 from January 1, 2014.
However, Armrusgasprom neither confirmed nor refuted the reports while
the Russian side announced a schedule.
On Tuesday, Armrusgasprom website reported that the company had
applied to the Public Services Regulatory Commission for an upward
revision of the gas price – from AMD 132,000 to AMD 221,000 for 1,000
cubic meters.

A rise in the gas price has its impact on the prices for other
products, Khachatryan says. `First of all, it is electric energy and
transport,’ he said.

Economist Tatul Manaseryan confirms the inevitable rise in the prices
for products and services and notes that the rise in the gas price
should be viewed from the aspect of its being in proportion to the
other regional and European countries.

`Official data are not reported in Armenia’s case. However, from
reliable sources available to us we can see more favorable conditions
for Armenia than for the rest of the region and for Europe,’ he said.

Manaseryan proposes viewing the price rise from the aspect of social
vulnerability. The population must be sure that the government will
continue its policy of supporting socially vulnerable families.

According to official data, socially vulnerable sections constitute
35% of Armenia’s population.

Armen Martirosyan, Vice-Chairman of the Heritage party, forecasts a
double rise in the figure.

`Actual poverty is 70% in Armenia,’ he says. People will not have
money to pay for gas.

Khachatryan says that the only way out for socially vulnerable
sections of the population is to use alternative means, whereas 90% of
Armenia’s population is reportedly using gas.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Holy Trinity Armenian Church Hosts CNN’s Peter Bergen

INTERNATIONAL NEWS, NEWS | MAY 14, 2013 4:53 PM

CAMBRIDGE – As part of its Dr. Michael and Joyce Kolligian
Distinguished Speaker Series, Holy Trinity Armenian Church of Greater
Boston hosted a May 7 lecture by CNN national security analyst and
journalist, Peter Bergen, who shared his first-hand experience of
meeting al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden.

Bergen, best-selling author of Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Osama
Bin Laden – From 9/11 to Abbottabad, gave a talk titled `The
Awakening: The Remaking of the Middle East’ to an audience of more
than 120 people in the church’s Charles and Nevart Talanian Cultural
Hall.

Bergen’s previous books include, Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret
World of Osama Bin Laden (2001), The Osama bin Laden I Know (2006) and
The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and al-Qaeda
(2011).

Fr. Vasken A. Kouzouian, pastor, provided opening remarks and thanked
Bergen for his presence. `Through his work he [Bergen] brings about
truth and awareness from places far removed from our everyday life.’
Kouzouian then welcomed the daughter of Dr. Michael and Joyce
Kolligian, Valerie Kolligian Thayer, to the podium to welcome Bergen.
Thayer noted the unexpectedly timely nature of Bergen’s visit to
Cambridge, given the recent Boston Marathon bombings and subsequent
police chase and manhunt in Cambridge and Watertown. She then
introduced Bergen as `one of the few westerners to ever interview
Osama Bin Laden.’

Bergen began by recounting his 1997 meeting with Bin Laden in
Afghanistan after a long process of negotiations, during which he
described Bin Laden as `intelligent’ and revered as a cleric by those
around him.

Bergen then discussed the inherent weaknesses of al-Qaeda groups,
stating that, `Coded in their DNA are the seeds of their own
destruction.’ These inherent flaws include their willingness to kill
Muslim civilians during their terrorist attacks, a tendency to make
enemies over allies, a desire to restore a Taliban empire severely
restrictive on individual liberties and their unwillingness to engage
in politics or elections. Bergen cautioned that although these flaws
should reassure the public to a degree, he believed the real legacy of
Bin Laden is one of ideas – ideas that occasionally inspire others.

Specifically referencing the recent Boston Marathon bombings, Bergen
said, `His [Bin Laden’s ] ideas can live on. His ideas can be very
deadly […] Bin Laden’s most toxic legacy is that he supplied an
ideology.’ Bergen said Bin Laden’s fundamental philosophy was, `Islam
is under attack by the West, an attack led by the US.’ By this logic,
Bergen said, Bin Laden could argue that all wars were `wars against
Islam.’ Bergen also stated that according to the media, one of the
Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, said that one of
his principal motivations for the attacks was `the wars in Iraq and in
Afghanistan.’ He further noted that many of the violent ideologies
found in these regions were `created in authoritarian prison systems
in the Middle East.’

Given the magnitude of the 9/11 attacks, Bergen argued that the Boston
Bombings should be contextualized and that US citizens should be
encouraged by the decrease in frequency and magnitude of terrorist
attacks on its people. He also called the `absence of Bin Laden’s
ideology’ from most of the Arab Spring `good news.’

Bergen explained the decrease in attacks as partially a result of
several factors, including the US’s highly-integrated and educated
Muslim population, the effectiveness of US Task Forces, the increase
since 9/11 in CIA/FBI collaboration and information-sharing, other
precautions such as the 20,000 names on the `no-fly list’ at US
airports and finally, improvements in public understanding and
awareness which have prevented several attacks on US soil.

As for ongoing military actions in Afghanistan, Bergen said, `I am
optimistic about the future of Afghanistan.’

The discussion was followed by a brief question-and-answer period.
During the questions, there were a few observable moments of tension
in the audience, particularly when Bergen was asked about possible
ties between Ruslan Tsarni, the uncle of the Boston Marathon Bombing
suspects, and former top CIA official and acquaintance of Bergen,
Graham Fuller, whose daughter was previously married to Tsarni. Bergen
quickly dismissed the question, saying he did not understand the
reason for the question, which sparked a verbal outcry of disapproval
by an audience member.

Bergen also fielded questions on subjects such as Sunni-Shiite
relations, inaction by the US in Syria, the 2012 Benghazi attack and
the effectiveness of modern media journalists as `watchdogs’ of the
world.

The discussion concluded with closing remarks by Kouzouian during
which he once again thanked Bergen and the Kolligian family for making
the event possible. Copies of Bergen’s book were available for
purchase and signing, and refreshments were served to those who
attended the event.

This was the fourth lecture in the Dr. Michael and Joyce Kolligian
Distinguished Speaker Series, which was established in 2000 by Joyce
Kolligian and her family in memory of her husband, Dr. Michael
Kolligian, with the purpose of `providing high-quality, educational
and cultural programs to enhance knowledge and provide enjoyment to
the members of Holy Trinity Armenian Church, as well as the community
at large.’ Previous speakers have included Dr. Bob Arnot in 2004;
Immaculée Ilibagiza, survivor and author of Left to Tell, Discovering
God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, in 2007; and Mia Farrow speaking on
the Darfur

Zhoghovurd: Prominent figures quit BHK

Wednesday,
May 15

`Zhoghovurd’ wrote that many prominent figures of Prosperous Armenia
Party (BHK) are quitting this political force. According to the
paper’s sources, the founder of the party’s territorial structure in
the city of Hrazdan, former parliamentary deputy Mkhitar Harutyunian
has quitted BHK. He declined to comment on the reasons for his
withdrawal. `We are trying to get additional information. Let us
remind you that Harutyunian is a member of Yerkrapah Volunteer Union,’
the paper notes.

TODAY, 11:10
Aysor.am

Australian politician visits Western Armenia

12:50 15.05.2013

Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, Walt Secord, who is
also the Deputy Co-Chair of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Armenian
Group, delivered a powerful speech in Parliament recounting his recent
visit to Western Armenia, the Armenian National committee of Australia
reports.

Secord made history in 2011 by becoming the first Australian
politician to visit the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. And in December
2012, Secord returned to Armenia to take part in an expedition to
Western Armenia and visit towns and cities, which were completely
emptied during the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923.

The tour, which commenced in Yerevan, took Secord north through
Gyumri, into the heavily Armenian populated region of Javakhk in
Georgia, and then onto the cities of Kars, Van, Ani, Idgir and
Akhtamar.

Upon his return to Australia, Secord remarked: `My visit to western
Armenia was the most interesting study tour I have undertaken in my
life.’

The seven-day visit, which was organised and partially funded by the
Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia), allowed
Secord to continue his `exploration of the Armenian genocide’, and
allowed him to `see modern Turkey within the context of the
interaction between Islam and the West’.

The trip put into perspective the extensive destruction of the
Armenian populated regions during the Armenian genocide.

In his speech in Parliament, Secord said: `Of course, official denial
is a vital component of oppression and genocide. This is why I will
never apologise for my inquiry into the Armenian story or my support
for the Armenian community. As I have said in Yerevan, in the
Parliament of New South Wales and on many other occasions, it is
repugnant for Turkey to deny the deaths of the 1.5 million Armenians.’

Executive Director of ANC Australia, Vache Kahramanian thanked Secord
for his continued support to ensure the recognition of the Armenian
genocide and for his continued support of the Armenian-Australian
community.

`We are grateful for Mr. Secord’s continued efforts in ensuring the
just recognition of the Armenian Genocide,’ Kahramanian said.

`This trip allowed for the Honourable Member to experience first hand
the destruction that fell upon the Armenian people nearly a century
ago. Mr. Secord is a dear friend of the Armenian-Australian community
and a true champion of human rights.’

Walt Secord will again visit Armenia as part of the New South Wales
Parliamentary Friends of Armenian Group delegation in July this year.

The full text of his speech can be read below:

`As the deputy co-chair of the New South Wales Parliamentary Friends
of Armenia I will speak on my recent study mission to western Armenia.
On 23 April I had the honour and privilege to attend the ninety-eighth
anniversary of the Armenian genocide commemorative service in
Chatswood.

Last year I attended the commemoration in three capacities: first, as
the deputy co-chair of the New South Wales Parliamentary Friends of
Armenia; secondly, as a proud Australian who was born of
Mohawk-Ojibway Native American ancestry, a race that has known
genocide in North America; and, thirdly, as the first Australian
parliamentarian to publicly visit Nagorno-Karabakh. But this year I
added a fourth dimension to my exploration of the Armenian story. ¨¨In
late December 2012 I had the privilege and honour of visiting Armenia
for a second time. On this trip I visited the northern Armenian city
of Gyumri, the Armenian region of Javakhk and its administrative
centre of Akhaltsikhe in Georgia, which is struggling for autonomy,
and Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi.

I also spent a week in Istanbul and Gallipoli. Significantly for the
Armenian community, I spent a week exploring the ancient ruins and
sites of Kars, Van and Ani in western Armenia. As I have said on many
occasions, I have come to appreciate that detached observation can
only get you so far. Some things need to be seen to be understood.
Sometimes you just have to be there. That is why visiting Armenia,
Nagorno-Karabakh and western Armenia is the best education for any
political leader interested in trying to understand Australia’s
Armenian community.¨¨Primarily my trip to western Armenia was to
continue my exploration of the Armenian genocide, but I also wanted to
see modern Turkey within the context of the interaction between Islam
and the West.

I have to admit that I have complex and contradictory views on Turkey.
While Turkey has to face and acknowledge the Armenian genocide, we in
the West have an interest and responsibility in supporting democratic
Islamic countries such as Turkey and Indonesia. Incidentally, I was in
Istanbul on the week of the sixth anniversary of the assassination of
Hrant Dink, the Armenian editor murdered by a Turkish nationalist
because of his outspoken views on the Armenian genocide and Turkey’s
failure to recognise its past. I have to say that my visit to western
Armenia was the most interesting study tour I have undertaken in my
life. ¨¨I saw and travelled up to Masis and Poker Masis’Mount Ararat
and Little Mount Ararat. I got to walk amongst the ancient ruins,
streets and churches of Ani, which has been described as the Armenian
Pompeii. I explored Kars and Van. I travelled by boat on Lake Van to
Akhtamar and saw the Church of the Holy Cross, a masterpiece of
Armenian sculpture and architecture from the ninth and tenth
centuries. In Kars, Armenian architecture and Armenian history were
everywhere, but there are no Armenians. I

discovered a city of Armenian ghosts. I also visited the spot where
the Soviets handed western Armenia to Turkey, signing away Armenian
rights. I climbed Van Fortress where the ancient Armenian city of
Aygestan once stood below’that is, until the genocide. Today it is an
empty field of holes and tiny rolling hills where Armenian homes and
their foundations once stood. ¨¨In Igdir I also visited the Turkish
national denial museum, a truly offensive institution run by Turkish
authorities. Even its name is offensive. They have called it the
`Monument and Museum Dedicated to Fallen Turks’. It denies the
Armenian genocide, erroneously claims Armenian terrorism, and attacks
Dashnaktsutyun for so-called atrocities. I know that all sensible
people and historians would be disgusted by it, but I felt it was
important to see it firsthand. My tiny Armenian translator was
physically shaking as we walked through the so-called museum.
Incidentally, during my visit, on five separate occasions local Kurds
asked our travelling party if we were Armenians from the diaspora
looking for our grandparents’ family jewels hastily hidden during the
genocide. This shows the massive gap between official denials of
history versus the real history that is whispered behind closed doors
in rural Turkey. ¨¨Of course, official denial is a vital component of
oppression and genocide. This is why I will never apologise for my
inquiry into the Armenian story or my support for the Armenian
community. As I have said in Yerevan, in the Parliament of New South
Wales and on many other occasions, it is repugnant for Turkey to deny
the deaths of the 1.5 million Armenians.

One day in the future I sincerely hope that Turkey accepts
responsibility for the Armenian Genocide.

In the almost 23 months since I became a member of Parliament, my
relationship with the Armenian community has grown and continues to
grow. I look forward to returning to Armenia in July on a formal
parliamentary delegation with my parliamentary colleagues for my third
visit to Armenia.¨¨In conclusion, I take this opportunity to thank the
Armenian National Committee of Australia for assisting with my visit
to western Armenia, particularly the executive director of the
Armenian National Committee, Vache Kahramanian, and the chairperson,
Greg Soghomonian. I thank Mr Varant Meguerditchian and Mr Sassoon
Grigorian for their advice and suggestions. Further, I thank Mr Zorro
Keverian for allowing me to give a private briefing in his home
recently to senior members of the Armenian community.

For the record, I paid for all of the flights, but the Armenian
National Committee provided local transport and accommodation in
Georgia and western Armenia. I thank the House for its consideration.’

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
May 14 2013

Baku slams Armenian leader’s statement on Nagorno-Karabakh

14 MAY 2013, 16:58 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman has severely criticized the
Armenian leader’s recent remarks, saying that “to occupy the territory
of another country and try to look like the head of a peace-loving
country is at least not serious and cynical” in terms of respect for
international law.

Elman Abdullayev was commenting on the provocative statements made by
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan after a meeting with Belarusian
President Alexander Lukashenko.

“Banishing indigenous people from the occupied territories which
historically belonged to the Azerbaijanis first and then talking about
any international recognition of these territories is an attempt to
disguise the aggressive policy by cheap populism,” Abdullayev told
Trend news agency.

During a joint briefing after meeting President Lukashenko on May 13,
Sargsyan said that “the people of Nagorno-Karabakh want international
recognition of its sovereignty.” He was referring to the Armenians who
are running the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh republic in the
occupied Azerbaijani territories.

Abdullayev said that the territories occupied by Armenia are
Azerbaijan’s native lands and have centuries-old culture and history.
“Strong Azerbaijan will return its occupied lands to the Azerbaijani
people as these lands historically belong to them,” Abdullayev said.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus
neighbor that caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s. Long-standing
efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely
fruitless so far.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia’s
withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been
enforced to this day.

Peace negotiations are underway on the basis of a peace outline
proposed by the mediating OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the
Madrid Principles, also known as Basic Principles. The document
envisions a return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to
Azerbaijani control; determining the final legal status of
Nagorno-Karabakh; a corridor linking Armenia to the region; and the
right of all internally displaced persons to return home.

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR Caucasus Reporting #687
May 13 2013

Local Polls Deal Further Blow to Armenian Opposition

President’s party to control capital, as opposition groups claim
electoral fraud.

By Vahe Harutyunyan – Caucasus
CRS Issue 687

Following victories in presidential and parliamentary elections,
Armenia’s ruling party swept to victory in a key local election this
month, posing serious questions about how opposition groups can
recover.

Since the capital Yerevan is home to about 40 per cent of a national
population of 2.9 million people, control of the city council is a
crucial factor in politics.

In the May 5 local elections, the Republican Party increased its
representation in the Yerevan assembly from 35 to 42 of the 65 seats,
meaning that once again it gets to choose the mayor.

Victory in Yerevan further consolidated the Republicans, who won the
May 2012 parliamentary polls and whose leader Serzh Sargsyan was
re-elected as president this February.

Yerevan’s current mayor, Taron Margaryan, became mayor in November
2011, and was top of the Republican list of candidates in this
election, despite the scandal over his refusal to identify the origin
of six million US dollars in earnings which he declared ahead of the
polls.

The election left the opposition party Prosperous Armenia party with
the 17 seats it already held on the city council, while a newer
opposition bloc called Hello Yerevan won six seats. Two large
opposition groups, the Armenian National Congress and Dashnaktsutyun,
failed to overcome the six per cent threshold required to gain seats
on the assembly.

Opposition parties cried foul, accusing the Republican Party of using
its access to state resources, legal loopholes and straight bribery to
boost its vote.

A statement from Dashnaktsutyun said, `Once again, the identification
of the ruling party with the state, the never-ending exploitation of
administrative resources, and electoral bribery proved effective. The
monopoly on power has been further strengthened.’

Levon Zurabyan, deputy head of the Armenian National Congress,
suggested that his party had been deliberately robbed of votes in a
fraudulent process because the Republicans `are very well aware who
they need to be afraid of’.

`The Republican Party had offices in almost every courtyard, and these
were used for intimidation in the broadest sense,’ he said. `They know
the local electorate very well. They know who will vote in exchange
for a bribe, or who they need to threaten with the machinery of
state.’

The Heritage party, which was part of the Hello Yerevan coalition,
might have expected to do better after its leader Raffi Hovhannisyan
did unexpectedly well in the presidential election February. (See
Armenia: Presidential Challenger Rejects Poll Result.)

Heritage’s deputy leader Armen Martirosyan joined in the opposition
criticism of the Republicans.

`It’s clear these elections were fraudulent. On election day, it would
have been hard to find a single polling station where wasn’t a bunch
of criminals outside. The Republican Party used these criminals to
pressure and direct voters and to hand out bribes, while the police
and National Security Service pretended not to notice,’ Martirosyan
said said.

The Republican Party dismissed any suggestion of wrongdoing.

`These elections went well, and the nation placed its trust in us once
again. How could we have fixed the elections when the opposition
parties have more people on the electoral commissions than we do?’ the
party’s deputy chairman and parliamentary leader Galust Sahakyan
asked.

Observers from the Council of Europe were generally positive about the
Yerevan election, saying that except for a few incidents at polling
stations and a slow and at times apparently chaotic count, the process
was `calm and orderly’ and `technically well prepared’.

Local non-government groups mostly disagreed, and ten of them issued a
joint statement condemning the use of bribes, bureaucratic pressure
and hired criminals to obstruct fairness.

Armen Badalyan, an analyst at the Centre for Political Studies,
believes that the political process has reached an impasse. The
Republican Party is unlikely to embark on reforms since it is no
longer under pressure to court voters; and the opposition parties have
failed to make headway in any of three key elections held over the
past year.

`That means we are in a dead-end situation,’ Badalyan concluded.

Vahe Harutyunyan is a freelance journalist in Armenia.

Eurovision 2013: An interview with Dorians of Armenia (video)

22:08 14.05.2013

Rock band Dorians represents Armenia in the 2013 Eurovision Song
Contest, with the song Lonely Planet, written by Tony Iommi, the
guitarist and songwriter of Black Sabbath, and Armenian lyricist
Vardan Zadoyan.

`Dorians’ consists of five musicians: Gor Sujyan (lead vocal), Gagik
Khodavirdi (lead guitar), Edgar Sahakyan (bass guitar), Arman
Pahlevanyan (keyboards) and Arman Jalalyan (drums).

Gor Sujyan, the front man of the rock band, took the decision to
become a musician when he first listened to the song Stairway To
Heaven by Led Zeppelin, which has been symbolic and, perhaps, fatal.
In a very short period of time the young man who never ever took music
education has recorded outstanding achievements in the music industry
together with his friends Gagik, Arman, Edgar and Arman.

Led Zeppelin had a big influence on the process of formation of
Dorians. In 2008 when the boys gathered together they created a band
called Gor and Friends and they began to perform the songs of Led
Zeppelin. In six months they decided to perform not only cover songs,
but also their own songs and decided to rename the band from Gor and
Friends to Dorians.

At the beginning the band was performing songs only in English, but
soon Dorians made a great revolution in their repertoire presenting
their fans the song Yes Kulam which means I’m Crying in Armenian. The
song became very popular because `it’s about a greater love’, as Gor
explains.

Dorians first studio album called Fly was released in 2011. In August,
2011, the band performed during the opening ceremony of Serj Tangian’s
concert in Yerevan. But the most important concert for the band took
place in September 2010, when Glenn Hughes and Derek Sherinian
performed on the same stage with Dorians in Yerevan.