Author: Kanayan Tamar

OMBUDSMAN “ISSUE OF UNAUTHORIZED BUILDINGS REMAINS UNSOLVED”

Tue, 03/26/2013 – 16:31
News

The Ombudsman’s Office published the serial part of 2012 Karen
Andreasyan’s report about the state of human rights in the Yerevan
Municipality.

The following shortcomings have been registered in the actions of
the Yerevan Municipality:

~UIn several cases Yerevan Municipality makes the citizens pay illegal
fees instead of giving their right for the property used for spare.

~UNumerous cases were registered, when as a result of non-transparent
administration of the Municipality, non-uniform and discriminatory
treatment was used against the people who applied for the installation
of the booths.

~UThe issue of unauthorized buildings remains unsolved, which among
other effects, hinders the development of the regions and are followed
by corruption.

~UEvent thought the Municipality has taken steps for the increase
of the level of transportation, but they didn’t solve the current
concerns.

~UThe issue of the decrease of the number of children in the
kindergartens was not granted sufficient attention.

~UConsistent policy was not implemented for the quick response to
the logging, environmental pollution, and the creation of efficient
mechanisms for its elimination.

~UAppropriate actions were not taken for revealing of the
communal-domestic issues and their solutions.

~UThe issue of movement of the disabled with the public transport
remains unsolved.

Registered positive development

~UNegotiations took place with the Chinese automobile factories for
the accommodation for the disabled people, which offered elevators
for the vehicles.

~UThe municipality has adopted a policy, according to which the
operation of old “Raf” and “Eraz” vehicles should be terminated.

~UAccording to records the unauthorized buildings were destroyed,
illegally occupied community-owned lands where removed from the
holders, and the areas were brought to their old condition.

Author: Factinfo

EVENTS OF ARMENIAN-AMERICAN MILITARY COOPERATION DISCUSSED

19:00, 26 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS: Armenian-American annual conference on
the planning of events on military cooperation took place on March 26.

Representatives of U.S. European Command, Kansas National Guard and
U.S. Naval Forces in Europe participated in the event.

As Armenpress was informed from the Armenian Defence Ministry, the
conference was aimed at the discussion of Armenian-American military
cooperation programs for 2013-2014, as well as at the preparing of
cooperation plan between Armenian Defence Ministry and U.S. European
Command, which is going to be signed through correspondence in the
coming week.

Davit Tonoyan, First Deputy Minister of Defence, also hosted American
delegation. At the meeting sides have highly evaluated current level
of the cooperation and underlined the importance of cooperation’s
strengthening in spheres of peacekeeping capacity building and
defence reforms.

American side has greeted the willingness of Armenian side to
develop cooperation with the USA and underlined that cooperation has
common goals and is aimed at international stability and security
strengthening.

Other issues of bilateral interest have been discussed.

PETROS MAKEYAN: IF DIALOGUE FAILS, WE SHOULD DECLARE APRIL 9 DAY OF NATIONAL REBELLION

18:42 26/03/2013 ” POLITICS

The right work cannot fail to give results, leader of Democratic Path
party Manvel Gasparyan announced on the sidelines of the public civil
forum at Liberty Square of Yerevan.

He said he is confident that their struggle will come to its logical
end – victory.

Leader of Democratic Homeland party Petros Makeyan, for his part,
said that the people should dictate them what to do, but the actions
should be taken before April 9.

“I think the processes launched by Raffi Hovannisian are going the
right way. But if the dialogue dictated by the people fails, we should
declare April 9 Day of National Rebellion in Yerevan and throughout
the country,” Makeyan said.

Source: Panorama.am

YEREVAN CITY HALL NEGOTIATING METRO LINE PROJECT WITH BANKS

TERT.AM
17:55 ~U 26.03.13

The Yerevan City Hall is conducting negotiations with several banks
for the construction of more metro lines in the capital city.

Speaking to Tert.am, the head of the city council’s commission for
financial and credit affairs, Naira Nahapetyan (Republican Party of
Armenia), said they are now negotiating with the Eurasian Bank for
launching a metro line to the administrative districts of Ajapnyak
and Davtashen. “You know that requires huge financial investments,
so we are waiting to see who will offer good terms,” she explained.

Nahapetyan noted that the plan will essentially relieve the overload
of overground transportation means, reducing the traffic jams in the
streets of Yerevan.

CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN U.S. AND AZERBAIJAN HAS COOLED IN 2009-2010

20:22 27/03/2013 ” REGION

U.S. Congressional Research Service published a report on January 24,
in 2013 called “Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Political
Developments and Implications for the U.S. Interests”, where the
relations between the U.S. and the EU with Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia were being analyzed, Kavpolit.com reported.

The document states that the U.S. policy towards the South Caucasus
states includes support for the resolution of the problems between
Armenia and Azerbaijan as a result of the Karabakh conflict.

“According to some experts, the relationship between the United States
and Azerbaijan has cooled after the administration (of the USA. –
Ed.) supported the efforts of Armenia and Turkey in 2009-2010 for
improving relations, which Azerbaijan was against, and after the fact
when President Aliyev was not invited to attend the Nuclear Security
Summit in April 2010, in the U.S.,” the report said.

Besides, Azerbaijan, probably, was looking for establishing closer
working relationship with Russia after the Russian-Georgian conflict
in August 2008; this shows that Russia remains the major force in this
region. “President Obama in a meeting with President Aliyev September
on 24 September, in 2010, stressed the importance of the US-Azerbaijani
relations. President Obama expressed his appreciation for Azerbaijan’s
contribution in the support of the NATO mission in Afghanistan, and
the two presidents pledged to maintain closer bilateral relations”,
the report says.

In 2011, according to the report, the US-Azerbaijani relations,
albeit unevenly, improved, perhaps, reflecting the constraints of U.S.

criticism of human rights violations in Azerbaijan. In April 2011,
Azerbaijan canceled his participation in the US-Azerbaijani military
exercises “Regional response” scheduled for May 2011. Thus, the
military exercises in 2010 were canceled, for some reasons which
gave way to various assumptions related to the condition of bilateral
relations, the document says.

“In early 2012, the Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan and
other sources reported that the alleged terrorists supported by Iran
planned to attack the U.S. and Israeli embassies, as well as other
structures and their staff in Baku, but the Azerbaijani security
forces took up steps to eliminate the threat,” the report says.

According to the document, in April 2012, the Obama administration
“resets” the U.S. – Azerbaijani meeting of the intergovernmental
commission on economic cooperation, the last of which was held in 2008.

Source: Panorama.am

NUMEROUS EVENTS DEDICATED TO 110TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARAM KHACHATRYAN PLANNED FOR 2013

NEWS.AM
March 27, 2013 | 18:11

YEREVAN. – Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan chaired on Wednesday
a meeting of a committee dealing with the events dedicated to the
110th anniversary of great Armenian composer Aram Khachatryan.

Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan said the events will be held in
Armenia and abroad. Yerevan will host international festival after
Aram Khachatryan, KhachatryanFEST festival of Armenian composers as
well as screenings of films with music of Aram Khachatryan within
the framework of Golden Apricot international festival.

Gayane and Spartacus ballets will be staged. Aram Khachatryan trio
will give concerts in China and Russia, while festival of Armenian
chamber music will take place in the U.S.

GALUST SAHAKIAN: HHK IS NOT GOING TO CALL SPECIAL SESSION OF NA

Wednesday,
March 27

Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) is not going to call a special
session of the parliament, the head of HHK parliamentary faction
Galust Sahakian told Aysor.am.

In response to the remark that Prosperous Armenia Party confirmed
the information that they have received HHK’s draft statement of the
special session, Sahakian said that proposals have been received from
all parties, including from HHK.

“Our proposals have nothing to do with the special session,”
he stressed.

TODAY, 17:58

Aysor.am

DEFENSE PARTY OF “HARSNAQAR” CASE MOTIONED TO HOLD CLOSED HEARING

Tue, 03/26/2013 – 22:17
Trending topic

Yerevan Avan and Nor Norq court of first instance, presided by
Judge Davit Harutyunyan, in the case of violence on June 17, 2012,
in “Harsnaqar” restaurant complex rejected the motion of the party
to hear the testimonies in the closed hearing. The Judge found that
there is no exceptional ground for closed hearing.

The defense complained that the testimonies of the waiter of the
restaurant complex, defendant Davit Adamyan during the previous
hearing, were manipulated in the media, and so the party expressed a
concern that the publication of the testimonies can affect the fair
trial, in particular, the questioning of the additional witnesses if
the court satisfies the motion of the defense to present them.

According to the assessment of prosecution Artur Davtyan, the defense
party didn’t present the justification on the groups of which the
court hearing could have been done in close trial. The prosecution
also noted that the legal assessment of the journalists cannot affect
the fair trial.

The victim Vahe Avetyan’s legal representative Vahe Grigoryan also
noted that that the defense party didn’t mention any fact of the
violation of right. He highlighted that there is a general treat of
the violation of presumption of innocence, which is an issue resolved
on civil law grounds.

The defense also expressed complaint about the videotaping of the
testimonies. According to the party, media mostly presented mounted
and accusatory materials.

Today the defendants stated that they are not prepared to testify
during this hearing, and the defendant Gagik Margaryan announced
that he will be prepared to testify during the next trial. The Judge
postponed the hearing until March 29, taking into account the following
announcement of G. Margaryan as well as the motion of his attorney
Marine Tovmasyan.

Author: Factinfo

I HOPE STIEGLITZ WILL GIVE ME CHANCE FOR REMATCH – ARTHUR ABRAHAM

March 27

I hope Robert Stieglitz will give me a chance for a rematch, stated
now former WBO Super Middleweight Champion, Armenian boxer Arthur
Abraham, who has neither health nor vision problems.

“I have no problem with my eye, I can see, [and] everything is all
right with me,” Abraham said.

As NEWS.am Sport informed earlier, Arthur Abraham was unable to defend
his WBO Super Middleweight Champion’s title. In the bout, which was
held on March 23 in Magdeburg, Germany, Abraham, 33, was defeated,
by technical knockout, to former champion Robert Stieglitz of Germany,
and thus Stieglitz, 31, regained the champion’s belt. Abraham suffered
an eye injury from the punches he received. At the end of Round 3,
the fight physician checked Abraham’s swollen eye and, as a result,
he stopped the fight.

Following this bout, the Armenian boxer demanded a rematch from
Stieglitz.

“The third fight between me and Robert Stieglitz will be decisive. I
sustained an eye injury and, as a result, my eye closed completely. I
hope Stieglitz will give me a chance for a rematch, since our score
is 1-1 so far,” Arthur Abraham said, the Armenian boxer’s press
service informs.

NEWS.am Sport

RUSSIA TO EQUIP SUBS WITH LONG-RANGE HIGH-PRECISION WEAPONS

March 27, 2013 – 14:26 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Russia plans to equip its submarine forces with
long-range high-precision weapons, which will enhance their strategic
deterrent capabilities, Russia’s defense minister said Wednesday,
March 27, according to RIA Novosti.

“There are plans to equip the submarine forces with long-range
high-precision weapons. This will significantly enhance the possibility
of using submarines as a strategic deterrent,” Sergei Shoigu told a
meeting at the Pacific Fleet’s submarine command headquarters.

The defense minister said the Pacific Fleet’s submarine forces “have
particular importance for ensuring strategic stability and Russia’s
military security in the Far East.”

The meeting focused on developing the infrastructure of the
nuclear-powered submarine base in view of plans to launch fourth and
fifth-generation submarines.