Author: Kanayan Tamar

Levon Aronian training for Candidates Tournament

February 14, 2013 – 18:57 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian grandmaster Levon Aronian is currently
training for London-hosted Candidates Tournament in Armenia’s Jermuk
town.

As Armenia men’s chess team member Vladimir Akopian noted, Gabriel
Sargissian and Sergei Movsesian assist Aronian in the session.

`A number of other chess players help Aronian in his training program,
with Hungary’s Péter Lékó among them,’ Akopian said.

Vice president of Armenian Chess Federation Hovik Khalikyan, in turn,
said that both the federation and the rest of the players do the
utmost for Aronian to perform successfully at the tournament.

Candidates Tournament will be held in London, on March 14 – April 1.

Armenia’s Foreign Affairs Minister attended reception of Georgia’s PM
and President

11:03, 14 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS: Georgia’s Prime Minister Bidzina
Ivanishvili and President Mikheil Saakashvili hosted Eastern
Partnership Ministerial non official third meeting delegation heads on
February 13. As information and public relations department of Foreign
Affair Ministry told Armenpress, the results of Ministerial non
official third meetings, as well as ongoing cooperation within the
frame of Eastern Partnership and works scheduled ahead of Vilnius
summit have been touched upon in the course of the launched meeting.

Armenia’s and Moldova’s Foreign Affair Ministers Edward Nalbandyan
and Vladimir Lyamke had a meeting in Tbilisi , in the course of which
the sides dwelled on issues refer to bilateral relations various
branches.

Artsakh leader, international GM discuss development of chess

February 14, 2013 – 20:31 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On February 14, President of the Artsakh Republic
Bako Sahakyan met with the first vice-president of the Armenia Chess
Federation, international grandmaster Smbat Lputyan.

Issues related to the development of chess in Artsakh were in the
focus of the discussion, with special attention attached to chess
classes at schools, vital to the intellectual and analytical abilities
of the younger generation.

NKR minister of education and science Slava Asryan and chairman of the
state sports committee Razmik Hovsepyan partook in the meeting,
Central Information Department at the Artsakh President’s Office
reported.

School Kids Used as Walking Billboards for Sargsyan at Armavir St.
Valentine’s Day Celebration
Grisha Balasanyan

17:20, February 14, 2013

Yesterday, the youth wing of the Republican Party in Armavir Province
celebrated St. Valentine’s Day by handing out flowers to women walking
along the streets of Armavir city.

The entire event also had the hallmarks of a political campaign since
the young people wore scarves and vests displaying the slogans of
President Sargsyan.

There were also school aged children in the group that was hosted at a
reception by Armavir Provinical Governor Ashot Ghahramanyan.

The event seems to fly in the face of recent pronouncements by Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan that school pupils should not be taken out of
classes by local principals to engage in political campaigning.

Nevertheless, there have been rep[orts that when President Sargsyan
makes a campaign stop in a given community, the pupils are pulled out
of class and are instructed to serve as flag bearers.

Furthermore, the Republican Party, known for its alleged support of
the Armenian Apostolic Church, must realize that Etchmiadzin frowns
upon imported holidays like St. Valentines.

Armenian government schedules Yerevan city council election for May 5

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. Armenian government approved the date of
the regular elections to Council of Elders (city council) of Yerevan
to be held on May 5, 2013.

Yerevan city council consists of 65 members elected for four years.

The mayor of the city is elected by elders. Under the law, candidates
for mayor are nominated by factions in the Council of Elders.

The current mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan was unanimously elected
to the post on November 15, 2011.

Edward Sharmazanov: Azerbaijan continues traditions of Nazi Germany

ARMINFO
Thursday, February 14, 14:59

The authorities of Azerbaijan cannot get rid of the propaganda methods
peculiar to the Nazi Germany: if you want somebody to believe lie, you
must concoct a tale,
vice-speaker of the Armenian parliament, Edward Sharmazanov, commented
on the statement by Azerbaijani Foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov in
UN that “the war of Armenia against Azerbaijan and occupation of its
territories negatively affected civil society of the country”.

Having reminded that the Armenian party did not initiate the battle
actions in the Karabakh conflict zone, Sharmazanov said that such
statements by Azerbaijani foreign minister are just a cunning attempt
to represent the Karabakh conflict justlike a territorial problem.
“Meanwhile, here is the truth – as a response to the legal demand of
the people of Karabakh for self-determination, Azerbaijan unleashed
war against civilians. Moreover, just Azerbaijan continues keeping
several regions of the NKR in occupation”, – the vice-speaker said.

Touching on Baku’s speculations about the so-called “Khojalu
massacre”, Sharmazanov recalled the known interview of ex-president of
Azerbaijan, Ayaz Mutalibov, with “Nezavisimaya gazeta” (02.04.92), in
which he blamed Azerbaijani opposition for murder of their own people
in order to seize power.

PACE to observe the presidential election in Armenia

15:07 14.02.2013

A 22-member PACE delegation, led by Karin Woldseth (Norway, EDG), will
travel to Armenia from 16 to 19 February to observe the conduct of the
presidential election, alongside observers from, in particular, the
European Parliament and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions
and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The delegation will meet the main candidates in the election, leaders
of factions in parliament, the Chair of the Central Election
Commission and representatives of the police, civil society and the
media, before being deployed around the country to observe the ballot
on 18 February.

A member of the Venice Commission – the Council of Europe’s group of
independent legal experts – will provide legal support during the
visit.

A PACE pre-electoral delegation visited Yerevan on 16-17 January.

Government willing to provide equipments to exporting enterprises: T. Sargsyan

12:03, 14 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. The Government of the Republic of
Armenia approved the program and list of measures for strategy of
exporting industrial policy provisioned by the national assistance.
The Government of the Republic of Armenia is willing to support all
those enterprises having capacity for increasing the production and
export. As reports “Armenpress” the Prime Minister of the Republic of
Armenia Tigran Sargsyan stated this during the session of the
Government. Among other things the Prime Minister underlined: “The
Government will provide vast range of equipment to the given
enterprises as assistance. All those enterprises, which have recorded
growth of production and export, can submit applications to the
Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia.”

The Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Davtyan
stated that within the framework of this initiative the amount of
national assistance to the enterprises will be AMD 545 million for the
current year. The approved measures are aimed at the enlargement of
the exporting section of economy, discovery of export potential,
development of the capacity of the organizations with export
potential, improvement of business and investment environment, and
many others.

Secret witness in Hrant Dink’s case reveals new details

TERT.AM
12:10 – 14.02.13

The secret witness in the murder case of Hrant Dink, chief editor of
Armenian-Turkish Agos paper based in Istanbul, has been taken under
state protection, Turkish Radikal reports.

The witness demanded protection for him and his family in case of
which he would reveal the details relating to the murder.
The witness wrote a letter to the prosecutor’s office which says that
before and after the murder he had phone conversations with different
militants and high-ranking officials.

The band he was a member of promised to release him from jail after
committing the murder and sent abroad but did not keep the promise.
He said he knew Erhan Tuncel [one of defendants in Dink’s case
acquitted by the court] and before the murder he was the one to study
the territory in front of Agos editor’s office.

`We have planned the murder with Tuncel. The latter informed the
police and gendarmes about it,’ the witness claimed, noting that he
was not present when the order to kill Dink was received. The witness
demanded protection for him and his family. He said if the demand is
satisfied he will be ready to give names and provide evidences to the
prosecutor’s office.

WE HOPE 2013 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WILL BE BENCHMARK FOR FUTURE ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA – JOHN HEFFERN

February 14, 2013 | 00:01

YEREVAN.- U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John A. Heffern shared his
thoughts about Armenia’s ongoing election campaign in an interview
with Armenian News-NEWS.am.

How do you evaluate the overall process of pre-election campaign?

Could you point out the advantages and disadvantages of the campaign?

We welcome the President’s pledge to ensure a free, fair, and credible
election consistent with Armenia’s international commitments. We have
a long history of working with civil society, political parties,
the National Assembly and the Government of Armenia to strengthen
Armenia’s democratic structures and institutions. In the last election,
international observers noted significant improvements, particularly
in media access. However, observers also noted several concerns
such as vote buying and the misuse of administrative resources for
partisan purposes. We hope the authorities will follow through on
the President’s commitment and meet its international commitments
on holding free and fair elections. We hope as well that Armenian
voters will do their part to report to the authorities any possible
violations of Armenia’s election law.

In your opinion, how well the statements about the apathy of public
towards this election are grounded?

Government officials, including in the law enforcement field, have
made public commitments to make this election free and fair and to
prosecute any electoral violations. I urge Armenian voters to do their
part to hold the government accountable and fight for free and fair
elections. The government must also do its part by following through
on its statements regarding the election and by being transparent and
open in its actions. It is also essential that law enforcement holds
individuals and organizations responsible for electoral violations.

Accountability and equality before the law are critical to build
trust in the process and in the electoral system.

How do you assess the assurances of some presidential candidates that
election results will be inaccurate considering the presence of names
of the people in the voters’ list absent from the country as well as
those having dual citizenship?

We’ve heard the concerns about the voter list and we encourage the
government to continue to address those concerns. Accurate voter
lists help build confidence that the election will be free, fair, and
credible. We urge citizens to visits the CEC’s website
to check their own registrations and make any necessary corrections.

The PACE delegation and also your colleagues (ambassadors of
Great Britain, Poland) have already voiced criticism regarding the
pre-election campaign. Do you share their viewpoints?

We look forward to the assessments of local and international observers
after the election. We look for, as President Sargsyan has said,
“the best election ever” in line with international standards.

We hope and expect that the 2013 Presidential election will be the
benchmark for future elections in Armenia.