Author: Kanayan Tamar

LA PRODUCTION DE BRANDY EN HAUSSE DE 26 POUR CENT

La production de brandy en Armenie au cours des dix premiers mois de
2012 est en hausse de 26,5 pour cent compare a 2011 a 14.15 millions
de litres, selon les derniers chiffres du Service National de la
Statistique.

La production de vin s’est contractee de 20,4 % a 3,6 millions
de litres. La production de vodka et des spiritueux entre janvier
et septembre est en hausse de 28,7 pour cent compare a 2011 a 7,9
millions de litres.

La production de bière a connu une baisse de 8,2 pour cent a 12,23
millions de litres et la production de boissons sans alcool est en
hausse a 33,7 millions de litres soit une hausse de 9,8 % compare
a 2011.

mercredi 27 fevrier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

CALIFORNIA TV CHANNELS TO SHOW PROGRAM ON KHOJALY TRUTHS

APA, Azerbaijan
Feb 26 2013

Baku – APA. A TV program dedicated to the 21st anniversary of Khojaly
genocide was shot in the studio of public television in Palo Alto,
California by North Azerbaijan Cultural Society of America with the
support of Consulate General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Los
Angeles on February 22. APA reports that the program will be displayed
on public television channels of Palo Alto, Stanford, Menlo Park,
Atherton and other cities from February 26 and watched by more than
500.000 spectators.

One of the activists of the North Azerbaijan Cultural Society
of America Zarifa Musayeva opened the program, spoke about the
importance of Memorial Day for Khojaly genocide and said the memory
of the innocent people killed in this tragedy would never be forgotten.

Following this, professor at Montana State University Thomas Goltz,
who published articles in the U.S. mass media, as well as Washington
Post newspaper when Khojaly genocide happened, delivered a speech.

Goltz gave detailed information on Armenia’s aggression against
Azerbaijan, illegal occupation of Azerbaijani lands, displacement of
hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis from their native lands and said
such injustice is completely inadmissible in the 21st century. Then he
talked about Khojaly genocide, informed the audience how it happened,
by whom it was committed. Goltz said he was in Karabakh when genocide
was committed and would not forget the brutally murdered innocent
people whom he saw with his own eyes. He said it is inadmissible
that those who committed such a brutal crime are still free, even
hold high positions in the government of Armenia.

Following this, parts of new documentary film on Khojaly genocide shot
by Goltz, basing on the interviews of American and European journalists
and experts, who made reports on the genocide for various international
media outlets in February and March, 1992, were demonstrated. Following
this, Goltz answered numerous questions of the audience.

TURKEY PLEDGES TO HELP SYRIA’S ASSYRIANS

BIAnet.org, Turkey
Feb 25 2013

AKP Interim Chairperson Numan Kurtulmuþ received representatives
from Turkey’s major Assyrian Christian associations on the matter of
improving the living conditions of roughly 400 Assyrian Christians
who fled from the civil war in Syria.

Mehmet Halis ÝÞ 25 Þubat 2013, Pazartes

AKP Interim Chairperson Numan Kurtulmuþ received representatives
from Turkey’s major Assyrian Christian associations on the matter of
improving the living conditions of roughly 400 Assyrian Christians
who fled from the civil war in Syria.

The meeting took place in Mardin province on Friday with the
participation of Mardin governor Veysel Dalmaz and various
representative from Assyrian associations including Evgil Turker,
Tuma Celik, Bessam Ýshak and Sait Melki.

“Our demands to improve the conditions of Assyrian refugees located in
Turkey and Syria have been accepted by the government,” Evgil Turker,
chairperson of Assyrian Associations Federation, said.

“There are 1,5 million Assyrians living in various cities in Syria. We
demanded help for the people in Aleppo. The government pledged to
create a safe corridor to supply food to Syria’s Assyrians.”

Turker added that even though Mardin and Þýrnak provinces were
unavailable for immigration under normal circumstances, exceptions
have been made for Syria’s Assyrians.

“Assyrian refugees thrive in poor conditions in Turkey. Most of them
had to leave their homes, others fled from their poor conditions in
Syria. We told officials about the human crisis, they promised to do
their best,”

Gebro Tokgoz, an Assyrian politician, said. (MHÝ/NV/BM)

AFTER CEC DECISION SERZH SARGSYAN CAN ONLY RESIGN

21:15 25/02/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

During the press conference on February 25 the leader of Heritage
party Raffi Hovannisian commented on the statements by deputy speaker
of parliament Eduard Sharmazanov who said that if Raffi continues in
the same spirit, they will divulge the details of his meeting with
Serzh Sargsyan.

If they want to make public a single statement, then I can say what
I said, that he had not won the election, but he has great merits in
the Artsakh movement, the same thing I said at Freedom Square. “All of
my political proposals were rejected. Neither he nor I were talking
about any post, the coalition government. I clearly said – rigged
elections,” said Raffi Hovannisian.

Neither the Russians nor Americans nor the Europeans or Chinese can
put into question my patriotism, said Raffi Hovannisian, in response
to the articles that he holds pro-Western course. He always considered
the interests of Armenia an imperative.

“As for recognitions, Vladimir Putin, Hollande, or one of America’s
representatives could send some papers to the former president. It
is their interest. I respect their interest, but the Armenian people
have their interests,” said Raffi Hovannisian. Those who rushed to
congratulate Serzh Sargsyan, do not respect the interests of Armenia,
he said.

He also said that the co-chairs of OSCE Minsk Group which have
recognized Kosovo, but did not recognize Artsakh, now recognize the
fraudulent election. “Anyone, who does not recognize the right of the
people of Armenia, automatically declares self-rejection of the Minsk
Group,” said Raffi Hovannisian. He noted that after the decision of
the CEC Serzh Sargsyan can only resign.

“The main thing is that we all believe. This is a republic-wide
struggle. Armenian people spoke. This is not Raffi’s fight with RPA,
just the citizens of Armenia said that this is their home,” he said.

TURKEY REJECTS KURD OIL AND GAS EXPORT PIPELINES, IRAQ SAYS

February 25, 2013 – 20:21 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Turkey has told Iraq it will reject any extension
of oil and gas pipelines from Kurdistan without the approval of
the Baghdad government, Iraq’s oil minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi was
quoted as saying by the state media network on Monday, February 25,
Reuters reported.

Iraq’s Arab-led central government and the Kurdistan regional
government (KRG), run by ethnic Kurds, are in a long-running dispute
over how to exploit the country’s crude reserves and divide the
revenues.

Baghdad says it alone has the authority to control export of the
world’s fourth largest oil reserves, while the Kurds say their right to
do so is enshrined in Iraq’s federal constitution, drawn up following
the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.

“Turkey has officially informed Iraq it rejects extending oil and gas
export pipelines from the Kurdistan region to pass through Turkey
without approval from federal government,” the network quoted the
minister as saying.

Kurdistan’s Minister for Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami said earlier
this month the autonomous region was pressing ahead with plans to
build its own oil export pipeline to Turkey, despite objections from
the United States, which fears the project could lead to the break-up
of Iraq.

Resource-hungry Turkey has heavily courted Iraqi Kurds, straining
ties with the Iraqi central government.

Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki’s media advisor Ali al-Moussawi said
Turkey’s rejection of the pipeline would help enhance bilateral
relations between Ankara and Baghdad, which have deteriorated over
the past year.

Ankara has been locked in a war of words with Maliki, a Shi’ite,
since December 2011, when he ordered the arrest of his Sunni Vice
President Tareq al-Hashemi, who took refuge in Kurdistan before
fleeing to Turkey.

ANC. PUBLISHED RESULTS DON’T CORRESPOND WITH REALITY

2013-02-25 20:09:53

The parliamentary faction of the Armenian National Congress (ANC)
said today that “the published results of the presidential elections
don’t correspond with reality”.

According to the statement made by the ANC faction during the election
‘the government used their full potential to falsify the results.”

Today, people have only one main goal and that is to restore
constitutional order in the country and prevent the appropriation of
votes and power of the people by the regime’, the statement said.

In support of the people, the ANC faction will not take part in the
meeting of the National Assembly which began today to ‘discuss issues
not related to the topic of the day.”

Presidential elections were held in Armenia on Feb.18. Incumbent
President Serzh Sargsyan won the presidential elections with 58.64
per cent of the vote. The First Foreign Minister of Armenia Raffi
Hovannisian ranked second winning 36.75 per cent, while former Prime
Minister Hrant Bagratyan ranked third after receiving 2.15 per cent
of the vote.

IVANISHVILI’S FUND WILL FINANCE RESTORATION OF ARMENIAN THEATER IN TBILISI

NEWS.AM
February 25, 2013 | 18:17

Armenian theater in Tbilisi will be restored with the support of
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili’s fund, Georgian Ambassador Tengiz
Sharmanashvili told reporters on Monday.

“Do not doubt, repairs will be made at a high level,” the ambassador
assured, adding that the Prime Minister himself has expressed a wish
to restore the theater.

In addition to the theater, the fund will finance reconstruction
of six churches the belonging of which is being determined, the
ambassador said.

“I would rather restore them, and then let scientists determine
who owns the church. If we are going to argue for years, they will
collapse, and we will have nothing to define,” the Ambassador quoted
Prime Minister. According to him, some time ago, it was the Ministry
of Culture that decided to start the restoration works, but there
was a hitch because of the funds, and Ivanishvili set to work himself.

ARMENIAN KIDNAPPED IN ALEPPO SUBURB RELEASED

18:16, 25 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, ARMENPRESS: Nerses Aghaian, who was kidnapped
in one of Aleppo suburbs last week, has been released. According to
Armenians from Aleppo, he was released after paying the ransom.

It was earlier reported that Armenian was kidnapped in one of the
Aleppo suburbs in the evening on February 20. Nerses Aghaian, 60,
was kidnapped from the public transport by the militants.

Situation in central, mainly Armenian districts of Aleppo is relatively
calm. This was noted by Jirair Reisian, Spokesman of Berio Diocese,
in the interview with Armenpress.

In accordance with the UN data clashes lasting about 23 months in
Syria caused death of over 70 thousand people, including more than
four dozens Armenians.

25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SUMGAIT MASSACRES COMMEMORATED IN FRANCE

17:32 25.02.2013

Memorial service for the victims of the Sumgait massacre was offered
at St. Hovhannes Mkrtich Church of Paris on February 24. The ceremony
was attended by representatives of the Armenian Embassy of France,
the Representation of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, French Armenian
organizations and members of the Armenian community.

After the service the participants marched to the Yerevan Park of
Paris, where they laid a wreath at Komitas Statue in memory of the
victims of the Sumgait massacres. Armenian Ambassador to France Vigen
Chitechyan, NKR Representative Hovhannes Gevorgyan and Co-chairs of
the Coordinating Council of the Armenian Organizations of France Ara
Toranian and Murad Papazian joined the rally.

Memorial services were offered in the Armenian Churches of about 20
French cities.

ARMENIA NEEDS SYSTEM REFORMS, MP SAYS

TERT.AM
17:02 ~U 25.02.13

Naira Zohrabyan, Secretary of the Prosperous Armenia parliamentary
group, informed Tert.am that no PAP representative was informed of a
meeting of the parliamentary groups of the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA), Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun
(ARF-D) and Heritage.

“We are ready to participate in any discussions,” she said.

According to her, Armenia needs most serious system reforms. When
the PAP proposed forming political coalitions, the party’s political
agenda envisages the reforms. The party warned that Armenian was facing
serious socio-economic problems, but different political forces and
figures accused it of “aiming at individuals.”

In cooperation with like-minded political forces has tried to draw
up a political agenda to resolve the grave problems in Armenia.

The PAP has not discussed its joining the people in Freedom Square.

“Some of PAP members may be present in Freedom Square as citizens. But
the priority is that all the political forces realize the need for
system reforms in Armenia,” Mrs Zohrabyan said.