Author: Kanayan Tamar

Armenians Voice Fears Over Threat to Rights in Holy Land

21:33, December 30, 2012

Arthur Hagopian

Jerusalem, Dec 30, 2012 – The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, a
member of the triumvirate of Guardians of the Christian Holy Places,
has voiced grave fears over the threat of the erosion of its historic
and traditional rights in the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem.

The rights and privileges that are the legacy of the Armenians are
indelibly inscribed within the tenets of a Status Quo that has been in
place since the Ottoman administration of the land.

But recent developments in Bethlehem, involving its sister Guardian,
the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate (with the Latin Custodia forming the
third member of the triumvirate), are threatening to seriously impact
on Armenian rights, church officials claim.

The Patriarchate has lodged an urgent call for a return to the Status
Quo that has governed relations between the churches, and with
governments, ever since its promulgation in the 19th Century.

The Guardians, as well as the dozen other Christian denominations of
the Holy Land, are bound by the tenets of the set of agreements
thrashed out by the Ottoman Sultans with the aim of safeguarding
Christian rights and avoiding internecine clashes.

While not perfect, the Status Quo, outlined in a 1929 document
entitled `The Status Quo in the Holy Places’ by L.A.G. Cust, an
official of the British Mandate of Palestine, seems to have served the
Christians well over the centuries.

Departures from the spirit of the agreement are rare, and any that do
occur are mostly of a temporary nature, meant to accommodate a one-off
event, agreed to by the parties concerned.

But according to the Armenians, there have been some serious
infractions recently, with unpalatable results.

To impartial Western observers, the sweeping of a neighbor’s tile, or
the movement of a ladder from one part of a wall to another, may seem
trivial in the cosmic order of things, but to the owner of the tile or
wall, in the troubled Holy Land, the action is viewed as an
unwarranted encroachment on its territorial rights.

The Armenian Patriarchate says the latest breach concerns the annual
cleaning arrangements within the Nativity Church in Bethlehem, jointly
`owned’ with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

Conflicts over the threat of territorial encroachment have been a
festering wound for the Armenians for years, culminating in an
incident in December 2007 when the Greeks unilaterally `imposed’ some
amendments on the cleaning process.

The Armenians charge that the Greeks had decided to move a ladder
`three places’ during the annual cleaning of the church.

As things have stood for years, the ladder is placed in the (northern)
Armenian section of the church, and would be used during the cleaning
process, to reach the upper walls belonging to the Greeks.

The Armenians promptly objected to this variation of the Status Quo,
pointing out that the ladder stays only in one designated place during
the cleaning chore. They also wanted to be around when the Greeks
start their cleaning.

The Greeks were adamant and a scuffle broke out, captured graphically
on YouTube.

The next year, to avoid a recurrence of the clashes, Palestinian
Authority Minister for Christian Affairs Ziad Bandak, brought the two
sides to a negotiating table and succeeded in hammering out an
agreement allowing the ladder to be moved twice only.

The Armenians considered the change a `one-off’ to cover the 2008
annual cleaning arrangements only, and said it should in no way be
construed as a permanent amendment to the standing protocols of the
Status Quo.

The Greeks, supported by the Palestinian Authority, whose Presidential
Committee for the Christians is composed overwhelmingly of Orthodox
Greeks, with not a single Armenian aboard [the Armenians point out],
thought otherwise, and attempted to clean the Armenian section of the
church as well, and another scuffle broke out, necessitating police
intervention.

The Armenians considered the Greek move null and void and demanded a
reinstitution of the Status Quo but despite official protestations to
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the next three years saw a
repetition of the same scenario.

Reinstitution would mean that both churches begin the cleaning
operation simultaneously.

`We are against being forbidden to enter the church while the Greeks
start cleaning, because that gives the Greeks a `superiority’ over the
holy site when we are equal partners in its ownership,’ a church
official said.

`We have complained repeatedly against this breach of the Status Quo,
but to no avail,’ he added.

The Palestinian Authority response has been that the matter is one for
the two Patriarchates to settle, with Committee president Hanna Amireh
declaring: `The same arrangements which were reached last year are
the most suitable arrangement for this year too.’

The Armenians have urged the Palestinian Authority to reconsider,
pointing out that the annual cleaning the year before had ended with a
clash between the Armenians and Greeks, a doubted this was a “most
suitable arrangement.”

Two weeks ago, the most senior Armenian church official in Jerusalem,
Archbishop Nourhan Manoogian, met with Amireh and reminded him that
the Greek cleaning `re-arrangement’ was intended for that year only,
and that thence it would be `a breach of the centuries old Status Quo
and must be cancelled, that the Armenians stand firm on their
historical rights and shall never sacrifice their centuries old rights
in favor of the Greeks.’

In a last-ditch attempt to paper over their differences,
representatives of the Armenian and Greek Patriarchates met in
Bethlehem earlier this month with Amireh, but despite Armenian
insistence on a return to the Status Quo and cancellation of the
one-off arrangement of 2008, the Greeks refused to give ground, the
Armenians say.

Meanwhile, Amireh declared that the decision of the Palestinian
Authority `shall remain unchanged and the Armenians must submit to the
Authority’s decision,’ warning it will `take all measures against
those who dare to cause any kind of clash,’ this correspondent was
told.

The Armenian reaction was swift. It vociferously objected to Amireh’s
declaration, calling it `an unprecedented injustice against the
Armenian Patriarchate’ and wondering about the impartiality of the
Committee.

`The Armenian Patriarchate is seriously concerned about its historical
rights in the Nativity Church,’ church sources said, adding that it
feared this year’s annual cleaning of the church (scheduled for
January 2), `which is as sacred service to us as one of the solemn
ceremonies in the Holy Places,’ may be denied to the Armenians, `who
for centuries have had the right of equally sharing in the Holy Places
of Christendom together with the Greek Orthodox.’

Obituary: Armen Babamian, 97

December 29, 2012

Armen P. Babamian, a longtime resident of New Milford, N.J., formerly
of Cliffside Park, passed away on Dec. 24, 2012, at the age of 97.

Armen, a retired insurance salesman, an avid tennis player, and a
world-renowned soloist, began his career in 1949 with the Armenian
National Chorus of New York as a principal soloist. He was a choir
master at St. Illuminator Armenian Church in New York City for 25
years and the conductor of the Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Church in
Ridgefield, N.J., for 25 years.

In 1999, he was the recipient of the Mesrob Mashdots Metal and Holy
Encyclical Metal by Catholicos Aram I of Antelias. Armen is survived
by his beloved wife Rita of 71 years of marriage. He was the devoted
father of Carole Abbatiello and her husband Joseph, and Armen J.
Babamian and his wife Amelia; and loving grandfather of Christine
Manning (Michael), Lynn Madden Toufayan (Arthur), Joseph Abbatiello
(Carissa), Gernelle Bokuniewicz (Dan) and Armen P. Babamian II. He has
10 terrific great-grandchildren and is survived by a large extended
family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sts. Vartanantz Armenian
Church or the American Heart Association.

Turkey engaged further with Caucasus, Central Asia in 2012

28 December 2012 / AYDIN ALBAYRAK, ANKARA,

In the Caucasus and Central Asia, 2012 has been a year of increased cooperation.
The construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad, also known as the
Iron Silk Road, is expected to be completed in 2013. The railway,
which is planned to have an initial yearly carrying capacity of 1.5
million passengers and 3 million tons of cargo, will pave the way for
Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia to achieve better economic integration.

But the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad is not the only project which
brings the three countries together. Turkish and Azerbaijani top
officials got together in September at the Turkey-Azerbaijan High
Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Azerbaijan, and the
Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP), which is to be built between
Turkey and Azerbaijan, was high on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
ErdoÄ?an’s agenda during his two-day visit.

As the pipeline will reach Turkey via Georgia, this country is also a
partner in the project, which aims to transport Azerbaijani gas to
Europe via Turkey. TANAP, planned to have an initial capacity of 16
billion cubic meters a year, is expected to cost $7 billion. The
construction is set to start in 2014, and is estimated to be completed
by 2018.

2012 has been a year of comparative calm for countries in the Caucasus
and Central Asia, considering the huge transformation that some Arab
countries have gone through in the last two years. This is the case
more so for Central Asian countries than for Azerbaijan and Armenia,
which had minor clashes on the border during the year. In a border
skirmish in June between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have been
engaged in conflict because of the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh by
Armenia in the early ’90s, left eight soldiers — five Azerbaijani and
three Armenian — dead.

The tension between the two countries seems to be frozen at the
moment, but is not settled. Eldar SabiroÄ?lu, spokesman for the Defense
Ministry of Azerbaijan, stated at the end of October that the
Azerbaijani army has the capability and is strong enough to hit
strategic targets in Armenia within minutes. The cease-fire may be
said to be somewhat fragile, though no major skirmish has taken place
since June on the border. The cease-fire between the two countries was
violated 1,178 times over the first 10 months of 2012, causing
casualties on both sides.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Armenia when the border
clashes started, and she underlined the US would exert further efforts
for progress to be achieved on the territorial disputes in the region.
But the fact that she also noted the tension could escalate into a
broader conflict with terrible consequences clearly demonstrates the
threat the region is facing.

The European Union aims to keep relations with the countries in the
Caucasus in good shape and is trying to be an influential partner. As
Clinton did in June, the ministers of foreign affairs from three EU
countries — Sweden, Bulgaria and Poland — visited Azerbaijan,
Armenia and Georgia in mid-December, and called on Armenia and
Azerbaijan not to engage in moves that may further disrupt peace.

A change of power came following the parliamentary elections held in
Georgia at the beginning of October, and the Georgian Dream opposition
coalition, led by billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, who promised
to ease tensions with Moscow, came to power. However, Russia’s stance
on Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Georgia lost in its war against
Russia in 2008, remains unchanged. Putin recently announced that
Russia would keep supporting Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two republics
which unilaterally declared independence from Georgia following the
war. Instability in Georgia would worry the West because it is a
conduit for Caspian Sea energy supplies to Europe and has a strategic
location on the Black Sea between Russia and Iran, Turkey and Central
Asia.

Though highly engaged in the Syrian crisis all through the year,
Turkey has also managed to keep up ties with the Turkic Republics of
Central Asia. The leaders and foreign ministers of four
Turkic-speaking countries — Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and
Kyrgyzstan — met at the end of August in the Kyrgyz capital of
Bishkek to discuss multilateral cooperation mechanisms and expand
economic cooperation through transportation and energy projects, which
are considered important to boost relations within the Turkic world to
a strategic level. The Bishkek summit of the Cooperation Council of
Turkic Speaking States (CCTS), established in 2009, was the second
meeting to bring together senior officials of member countries.

Another major event for the Caucasus and Central Asia was the Economic
Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit which brought together, in
October in Baku, top level officials from Turkey, Iran, Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and
Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC). With
a population of 400 million, and covering an area of 8 million square
kilometers, ECO countries have a strategic position between East and
West. At the council of ministers meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu appealed to member states to grant observer status to
the KKTC in the ECO.

ARMENIE-ELECTIONS PRESIDENTIELLES
Le Parti Communiste d’Arménie ne présentera pas de candidat aux
présidentielles du 18 février prochain

Réuni le 29 décembre à Erévan, le Comité central du Parti Communiste
d’Arménie a décidé qu’il ne présenterait pas son candidat aux
prochaines élections présidentielles du 18 février. L’annonce a été
effectuée par Yertchanig Ghazarian, le responsable politique de la
section des Jeunes du Parti Communiste d’Arménie. Selon ce dernier, il
est difficile actuellement de se lancer dans la campagne
présidentielle arménienne et présenter un candidat serait inutile. Des
médias en Arménie ont toutefois révélé que le Parti Communiste
d’Arménie n’a pas su trouver dans ses rangs un candidat capable de se
présenter aux présidentielles. Les communistes d’Arménie ont de plus
affirmé par voie de presse que « les autorités arméniennes falsifient
totalement les résultats des élections et malheureusement les
conditions du changement de cet état ne son pas réunies aujourd’hui ».

Avouons que les élections étaient plus régulières et plus simples à
l’ère des communistes-soviétiques où le seul candidat en lice lors des
élections présidentielles (ou du Président du Présidium du Soviet
Suprême ou du poste de Premier secrétaire du Pari Communiste) gagnait
à chaque fois avec un score frisant les 100 %…lorsqu’il n’était pas
purement et simplement désigné sans même un vote populaire…

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 30 décembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

South Caucasus in 2012: almost no changes
Russia will attempt to strengthen its position in Caucasus next year;
this will be a challenging task, though.

The year 2012 was not a special one; the civil war is ongoing in
Syria, the Arab world still faces unrest, the spheres of influence are
again being redistributed in the region of Greater Middle East, and it
is still unclear when it ends.
December 29, 2012
PanARMENIAN.Net – The format of South Caucasus may also undergo
changes due to victory of the Georgian Dream led by billionaire
Bidzina (Boris) Ivanishvili, ranked 153rd among the world’s richest
people by Forbes. Ivanishvili is a businessman, unlike Saakashvili
who, seeking illusory approval of the West, actually made Georgia
hostage of the Turkic world, in particular, Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Let’s hope the new government of Georgia will not repeat Saakashvili’s
mistakes.

In Azerbaijan, the situation has not changed; despite the
glorification flooding the media, which looks indecent already, Ilham
Aliyev’s position is not that solid now. After deterioration of
relations with BP and Russia, Baku risks sharing the fate of Arab
countries, with all ensuing consequences. Aliyev would desperately
need a small triumphant war at the moment, and the rival would not
even matter. Unfortunately, the condition of Azerbaijan’s army,
despite the abundance of purchased armament, cannot ensure victory.
Aliyev’s hopes for potential hostilities by the U.S. against Iran are
also vain. It might succeed in case of Syria, but Baku simply won’t be
allowed into Syria, and Turkey will be the first to keep it away.

The current year did not bring any changes into the negotiation
process over Karabakh either, despite loud statements of the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs who mentioned some new proposals for discussion.
There had been hopes for talks until August 2012, but Ramil Safarov’s
extradition from Budapest to Baku put an end to the regular course of
negotiations. Well, one could expect something of the kind, be it
Safarov’s release or something else, to suspend the high-level
meetings. It is worth noting that the Armenian President has never
strived to meet Ilham Aliyev since he rightly believed they have
nothing to talk about. Aliyev has to hold talks with the president of
Karabakh, and this will happen sometime in the future.

Meanwhile, the attitude of the international community to Azerbaijani
leader is somewhat unclear, and even criminal, if we call a spade a
spade. Aliyev declares the whole nation the enemy of his own people
and blames the Armenian lobby for all his troubles, and the world just
reproaches him. Same was the case with Safarov’s extradition; the West
just voiced usual phrases of condemnation.

Meanwhile, Armenia is preparing for the presidential elections. By the
way, all three countries of South Caucasus will hold vote in 2013. In
Armenia and Azerbaijan the outcome of elections is quite predictable,
while Georgia will have a tougher situation. However, Ivanishvili will
perhaps find a proper candidate, and the next president will obviously
follow the Prime Minister’s instructions, if, of course, the PM
maintains his position until fall 2013.

Russia will attempt to strengthen its position in Caucasus next year;
this will be a challenging task, though. The top priority for Moscow
is `returning’ Georgia, indeed. After this, it may settle the
situation with Azerbaijan, in particular, with regard to the radar
station, Karabakh conflict, and pipeline routes. We limited the
article to South Caucasus only; coverage on Turkey and Iran, as well
as the outcome of the `Arab spring’ will follow shortly.

Karine Ter-Sahakian

Poland’s Ambassador to Armenia: Diplomat must never lie even to the
benefit of his country

December 29, 2012 | 10:00

By Anna Ghazaryan

YEREVAN.- Armenian News – NEWS.am continues a series of interviews
with diplomats working in Armenia. This time our interlocutor is
Polish Ambassador to Armenia Zdzislaw Raczynski. He spoke about his
vision of diplomacy, the things he is missing Armenia and Christmas
traditions in his country.

Which are character traits the diplomat must have? Can a person become
a diplomat or must he have certain characteristics?

In the past, diplomacy was a profession that was inherited, profession
for people of a certain social circle. First of all, the profession
demands respect for the other people and the ability to empathize. The
poor lived in difficult conditions thus it was difficult to develop
these qualities. Now we live in a democratic world, with equal
opportunities. So diplomacy has become more accessible, but the very
nature of the profession has not changed. There is a widespread belief
that the diplomat is a person who lies for the benefit of his country.
It is not so. Nowadays, diplomat’s main task is to convey his
country’s view to the government and society of the country he is
working in. Then, he must understand what is happening in this country
and transfer information to his government. There is a lot of
information, so the ambassador’s task is to analyze and collect the
most useful information.

Mass media and the politicians themselves are using such terms as
`soft’ or `tough’ diplomacy. Do you think that in diplomacy, the end
justifies the means?

No, because the goals may change. A person is behind adoption of
certain measures. What will happen with him when the target is
changed? A person can not be an instrument of something, a person
himself is the goal. As for foreign policy, it is not realized only by
diplomatic means, there are economic and military measures. It can be
done in different ways. The essence of European politics is finding a
compromise. It is impossible to agree on something if there are
different opinions. You need to exchange views and find the point at
which you can meet. History has taught Europe that military means lead
to regress. Another thing is that a compromise is within certain
limits, it is necessary to comply with the rules. It is impossible to
reach a compromise with a dictator who is killing, for example, 10
people a day. You can not come to a point that he can kill only 5. In
this case, a tough policy is justified.

There are questions that you do not like to answer?

Those related to my personal life. `My home is my castle’ as the
English saying goes. It is one of the features of European culture. A
person has the right of having his personal space, neither the husband
nor the lover, daughter have the right to break it. Protecting your
space, you also take over a commitment not to interfere with someone
else’s life.

What are you missing being out of Poland?

I miss bookstores. On Saturday I love to walk in the streets, seat in
calm cafes, chat with friends or buy something. Warsaw is very
friendly. There is a lot of green space in the city. I miss the green.
Poland is a flat country. In Armenia you live surrounded by mountains,
you look into the distance and you can not move eyes on. Our plains
stretch for miles. Everyone loves the place where he was born and
where he grew up.

What do you do at Christmas? Do you have any family traditions?

The biggest holiday of the year we have is a Christmas Eve, December
24. On this day, all the family members try to get to the parents. All
sit down at the table, as soon as the first star appears in the sky.
Table must be covered with a white cloth. Straw is put under the
tablecloth.

There must be 12 lenten dishes. You must put an extra set for those
who are alone this evening. Any person, if he is alone, can enter and
enjoy the meal. The supper begins with breaking of oplatek, a
Christmas wafer.A traditional meal includes fish, a beetroot soup with
small ravioli with mushroom filling. Then, family members sing
Christmas songs, give presents and then go to a church for service.

National statistical service: average nominal monthly salary in
Armenia reaches 119, 791 in November 2012

YEREVAN, December 28. /ARKA/. Average nominal monthly salary in
Armenia reached 119, 791 drams (294 U.S. dollar or 9,229 Russian
rubles) in November 2012, according to the National Statistical
Service’s report based on preliminary analysis.

In October 2012, it amounted to 119,672 drams – 0.5% higher than in
September 2012 and 5.1% higher than in October 2011.

The highest average salary was recorded in Syunik province – more than
145,700 drams, and the lowest in Aragatsotn – about 82,400 drams. In
Yerevan, average nominal monthly salary amounted to more than 132,000
drams in November.

The highest salaries were in finance and insurance sectors – about
303,700 drams, in information and communication areas – 252,900 drams,
in mining industry – about 243,000 drams, in companies supplying
electricity, natural gas and steam – about 154,900, construction –
more than 154,300 drams and in state-governing institutions – over
130,900 drams.

The culture and rest sector’s employees were lowest-paid in October
2012. Average monthly wage here slightly exceeded 66,400 drams.
Services sector’s average monthly salary was 75,400 drams.

Education sector’s average salary amounted to AMD 79,900 drams and
public catering sector’s 80,700 drams. ($1 – AMD 403.58). -0—

By its insurance market size Armenia outstrips Central Asian countries
and lags behind its neighbors

arminfo
Friday, December 28, 23:17

By its insurance market size, Armenia outstrips the countries of
Central Asia and at the same time lags behind its neighbors. According
to the insurance report of Media XPRIMM (Romania), which refers to
ArmInfo, against the background of its post-Soviet neighbors,
particularly, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Armenia’s insurance market seems
modest enough.

In particular, the Azerbaijani insurance market is almost 4 times as
large as the Armenian one, and the Georgian insurance market is 2.5
times as large as the Armenian one. At the same time, it should be
noted that both neighbors outstrip Armenia by the number of their
population. To note, Azerbaijan has several compulsory types of
insurance (including motor third-party liability insurance), while
Armenia has only two such insurance types. Unlike its neighbors,
Georgia has no compulsory insurance, though the Georgian insurance
community made unsuccessful attempts in this direction several years
ago. Instead, due to the radical insurance reforms launched in 2006,
today Georgia has dynamically developing health insurance, which
secured 65% of the total insurance premiums in the first half of 2012.
As a result of the reforms, the standard health insurance policy has
become more affordable in price. In addition, the average insurance
package includes treatment of oncological diseases and does not rule
out treatment of the diseases revealed.

Drawing parallels between the insurance markets of Armenia and other
countries of the post-Soviet space, it is necessary to point out that
in Armenia the compulsory types of insurance have a prevailing
position in the insurers’ portfolios (85%), which is quite the
opposite picture of all the other post-Soviet countries practicing
compulsory types alongside with the voluntary types of insurance.
According to Media XPRIMM, in both Georgia and Azerbaijan, as well as
in a number of Central Asian countries, insurance companies also
practice life insurance, which is missing in Armenia.

Just to compare, in Jan-June 2012 the capacity of Armenia’s insurance
market made up 45mln EUR, against 30mln EUR in Turkmenistan and
Moldova, 9.5mln EUR in Tajikistan and just 1.54mln EUR in Kyrgyzstan.

In the “second rate” post-Soviet republics the numbers of insurance
companies are much different: in Turkmenistan there is just one
company, in Tajikistan 14 (with two domineering companies), in Moldova
as many as 24.

In Central Asia only Uzbekistan’s insurance market is bigger than
Armenia’s. In Jan-June 2012 its capacity made up 57.8mln EUR. In that
country, just like in all of Central Asia, voluntary insurance is
prevalent, with compulsory insurance making up just 1/3 of the local
insurers’ premiums.

Media XPRIMM is ArmInfo’s partner in insurance analysis. For 10 years
already it has provided professional financial analysis and reviews of
markets in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS.

AZERERIRES
Un Azéri voulant marcher d’Ankara à Erévan pour protester, a rebroussé
chemin à Kars…à cause des Azéris…

Kalenter Bayramle, un Azéri de 59 ans père de 2 enfants et de 3
petits-enfants désirait parcourir à pied entre Ankara et Erévan afin
de protester contre l’Arménie « de l’occupation des terres ». Mais le
site turc d’information Haberler a affirmé que le voyage de K.
Bayramle qui avait sur le dos un sac de 20 kg de victuailles prit fin
avant terme avant même d’atteindre l’Arménie. Après un accueil mitigé
par le consulat d’Azerbaïdjan à Kars où le consul avait préféré ne pas
se présenter, Bayramle, très énervé de ce déshonneur, après avoir
piqué une vive colère, décidait d’arrêter sa marche et retourner à
Ankara !

Dans la capitale turque, Bayramle a demandé une rencontre avec
l’Ambassadeur azéri. Mais même ce dernier a décliné sa demande… «
Vous ne savez pas pourquoi, plutôt qu’inquiéter les Arméniens par
cette marche, ce sont les diplomates Azéris qui se sont sentis mal !
Lorsque le consul d’Azerbaïdjan à Kars a refusé de me voir, je me suis
senti très mal » dit Bayramle très en colère…

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 29 décembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

ARMENIE
La vente du btiment du Ministère des Affaires étrangères retardée

Le gouvernement a annoncé jeudi qu’il a annulé la vente controversée
d’un btiment historique au centre d’Erevan qui loge les ministères
arméniens des affaires étrangères, de l’énergie et de l’administration
locale.

Le btiment a été vendue à une société privée peu connue appartenant à
l’homme d’affaires arméno-argentin Eduardo Eurnekian. En contrepartie
de la vente pour 51,7 millions de $ approuvée par le gouvernement le 4
octobre, la société Tango devait construire un nouveau btiment de
bureaux pour ces ministères livré en septembre 2015.

Le gouvernement avait aussi annoncé que le btiment vendu de 14000
mètres carrés deviendra un espace de bureaux et un hôtel cinq étoiles.

L’affaire avait été critiquée par quelques groupes de l’opposition et
des figures publiques. Quelques-uns d’entre eux ont dit qu’une
construction clef du gouvernement ne doit pas être privatisée en
principe, tandis que d’autres ont protesté contre le fait que
l’acheteur a été choisi sans un appel d’offre

Arman Sahakian, le chef d’une agence du gouvernement gérant les
propriétés publiques, a dit aux journalistes que le gouvernement a
reconsidéré la décision controversée en réponse à la critique. Il a
dit que le gouvernement a aussi décidé de vendre aux enchères la
propriété au soumissionnaire le mieux disant et assurer ainsi la
transparence la plus grande dans ce processus.

Le cabinet du Premier ministre Tigran Sarkissian a pris la décision de
la vente aux enchères lors d’une réunion hebdomadaire qui s’est tenue
jeudi.

Le btiment est situé Place de la République en face du Bureau du
Premier Ministre. Il a été construit à la fin des années 1940 et a été
pendant des décennies occupé par divers ministères du gouvernement
soviétique arménien.

samedi 29 décembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com