Author: Kanayan Tamar

Opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan in Parliament Criticizes Domestic,
Foreign Policies
Grisha Balasanyan

HETQ
12:44, October 4, 2012

During discussion of the 2011 state budget performance on Thursday,
Armenian National Congress (HAK) MP Nikol Pashinyan began his address
to the National Assembly with a joke: a man standing in Yerevan’s
Republic Square was making odd movements when a police officer
approached him and asked what he’s doing. The man responds that he’s
fending away crocodiles. The officer remarks that there are no
crocodiles, to which the man replies: “That’s because I’m driving them
away.”

Pashinyan then criticized the government’s 2011 domestic and foreign
policies. According to the opposition MP, that which comprises the
budget performance is much like a doctor who after examining a patient
who is continuously bleeding says everything is fine – the patient’s
nails are growing, there are no lice in his hair, his hair is growing
as usual, and so on.

“For five years, this government has failed; the economy has also
failed,” Pashinyan added, before moving on to criticizing “lover of
Mercedes” RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian. “On what
are you ‘Mercedes-ing’ yourself, Mr. Nalbandian?” he asked
rhetorically, noting cases of foreign policy failure, particularly the
case of Ramil Safarov who was sentenced to life in prison in Hungary,
then later extradited to and pardoned by Azerbaijan.

The 2011 performance of the state budget was voted on in parliament
today. Registered in the National Assembly were 71 MPs. Today, as
well, the Prosperous Armenia party is not participating with its
entire team. President of the RA National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan
specially urged the MPs to “remain in the building or in the rooms in
order to organize the voting.”

Corruption will be strictly punished in Armenia. Tigran Sargsyan

16:10, 6 October, 2012

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenian authorities are going to
apply more severe methods of punishments for the corruption in order
to eliminate the existent corruption cases. As reports Armenpress
Armenian Premier Minister Tigran Sargsyan noted during the press
conference in Gyumri. He has also highlighted that each corrupted
person should realize that the punishment hasn’t remained the same but
has become more severe till the initiation of criminal case. The
Premier Minister assured that all the spheres are being carefully
examined to throw light upon the cases of corruption.

Referring to the information on the reassignment spread among Armenian
press the Head of the government advised not to take such rumors for
serious. He reminded about such disinformation during the power of
former Premier Andranik Margaryan.

For Russia Ivanashvili is like a dance with a strange woman. Kakha Bendukidze

15:27, 6 October, 2012

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Ivanashvili’s coming into office is a
great event for Georgia, but it is unacceptable for the Georgian
Minister of Economy Kakha Bendukidze. Armenpress reports referring to
GHN agency. `This is not the end of the beginning, or vice versa. This
is an event of crucial importance for Georgia, as for the forming
modern country. It is not pleasant for me in the sense of our
country’s future and how we would get used to the democracy. We are
not vaccinated, so have to fall ill’ noted Bendukidze.

Referring to the question whether Ivanashvili is a Kremlin’s project,
Bedukidze has responded that he does not believe that Bidzina has
been just called and said to participate in the elections.

`Have you ever danced with a strange woman, if yes, than there were
cases when you did well but not because it had been initially planned
but because it just happened. So taking into consideration the fact
that Kremlin is antipathetic to Sahakashvili, every kind of change
would be to it’s hand’ commented Kakha Bendukidze.

Armenia’s Government to assist Syrian Armenians to extent possible

news.am
October 06, 2012 | 15:45

YEREVAN. – The Government of Armenia must do everything within its
capacity so that the Syrian Armenians can feel the care shown toward
them by the state, Premiere Tigran Sargsyan said to participants of
the Sixth Pan-Armenian Conference of Journalists.

Harut Sassounian, publisher of The California Courier, reflected on
the Syrian-Armenians’ issues and proposed that the proceeds from
`Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund’s telethon for this year be allocated to
them, the Government press service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In this connection, the PM said Armenia’s President already has made
such recommendation, that this matter is being discussed with the
Fund’s Board of Trustees, and this year’s telethon could be devoted to
the Syrian Armenians and Nagorno-Karabakh alike.

Also, Tigran Sargsyan noted that he is fascinated by the Syrian
Armenians’ organizational skills.

Armenian Analyst Responds to Georgian Party Leader’s ‘Anti-Armenian’ Comment
Narek Aleksanyan

hetq
13:30, October 6, 2012

“Bidzina Ivanishvili can deny what he said a thousand times, or say
that he said it in a different context and he didn’t mean that at all,
but, to a great extent, it won’t change anything. The Georgian
opposition leader’s statement figuratively represents Georgians’
attitude toward the other ethnicities living in their multi-ethnic
country. It’s also no coincidence that the political party holding the
majority in parliament, the leader of which is Ivanishvili, is called
‘Georgian Dream’ and not the ‘Dream of Georgia’ – as we all know,
other ethnicities live in Georgia, for whom the place where they live
is considered their homeland, including also Javakhq [Javakheti] for
Armenians, or Abkhazia for the Abkhaz,” said Armenian political
analyst Levon Shirinyan in response to Ivanishvili’s comment in an
interview with New Times in which the Georgian politician said he’s
surprised why Armenians live in Georgia when their homeland is not so
far away.

The Armenian analyst is sure that carried out in the name of
integration in Georgia is the gradual process of Armenians being
absorbed into the dominant culture, but the non-Georgian peoples
living in Georgia – Armenians and Turks – don’t combine their efforts
to oppose this process because they don’t have friendly relations with
each other. According to Shirinyan, Georgians know this and use this
to their advantage.

“The concept of non-Georgian peoples living in Georgia doesn’t exist
in Georgian thinking,” he said.

As for the role of Armenian MPs in Georgia’s parliament in
representing Armenian interests in Georgia, Shirinyan said he isn’t
pinning great hopes on 2-3 parliamentary deputies, considering the
fact that these deputies have different political orientations and
basically cannot unanimous.

Shirinyan believes that Armenia has to now try to establish the
Armenian political factor at least in Javakhq, while Armenia’s foreign
ministry should deal with Ivanashvili’s statement. Furthermore, such
incidents shouldn’t be publicized so that what happened in the case of
Ramil Safarov isn’t repeated, when in the outcome, everyone – except
for Armenia – benefited from the process.

Turkish Foreign Ministry on operation of Stepanakert airport

13:11 06/10/2012 » Comments

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on operation of
Stepanakert airport calling it a provocation by Armenia and urging
Armenia to be reasonable, Turkish website Sondakika.com reported.

The statement said in part: `It has become known that since September
28, 2012, Armenia has been operating the airport of Hankendi
(Stepanakert) in Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been under occupation
since 1992. This move represents a provocation, and it will damage the
process of negotiated settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Therefore, we urge Armenia to be reasonable and avoid approaches that
could damage regional peace.’

Source: Panorama.am

Will Gurgen Margaryan’s Brother Be Freed?

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 14:17:45 – 06/10/2012

The Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun reported that Vahram Margaryan, the
brother of Gurgen Margaryan killed by Ramil Safarov in Azerbaijan, has
been in prison for a year now. Vahram is accused of buying illegal
ammunition, as well as of killing Khachik Galoyan on Zakyan Street,
Yerevan, on 2 August 2011 with a gun provided by Boris Hakobyan.

The only witness to the case is Ashot Frangulyan. Vahram Margaryan
does not plead guilty while Boris Hakobyan claims that he murdered the
man alone. Moreover, the witnesses of the other side denied seeing
Frangulyan at the scene. The newspaper reminds that Frangulyan is the
same Frangulyan in the result of whose false evidence the editor of
the Armenian Time Newspaper Haik Gevorgyan was arrested for allegedly
running down Frangulyan.

The Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun has learned that Serzh Sargsyan has
instructed to close this case and free Vahram Margaryan as soon as
Ramil Safarov was honored in Azerbaijan. The newspaper also notes that
some outstanding Republicans have lobbied Margaryan’s release.

Identities are determined of injured parties at huge crash on Armenian
regional road

NEWS.AM
October 06, 2012 | 11:48

The identities are determined of the person who died and those who
suffered injuries at the huge car accident that occurred in Armenia’s
Tavush Region.

VAZ 2106-model vehicle’s driver, capital city Yerevan resident Rubik
Stepanyan, 52, lost his life in the crash, Armenian News-NEWS.am’s
Tavush reporter informs.

The passengers in both cars – namely, aforesaid region’s Movses village
resident Meda Khachatryan, 16, Yerevan resident Genya Ayvazyan, 60,
Movses resident Hovsep Mejlumyan, 24, and Manik Safaryan, 53 – were
transferred to Ijevan city’s medical center, and they are said to be
in average critical condition. But doctors say the Opel’s driver,
Yerevan resident Levon Aghajanyan, 36, is in very critical condition.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, a VAZ 2106 and an Opel
collided on the road of Ijevan-Aygehovit-Vazashen villages in
Armenia’s Tavush region, on Saturday at around 8:30am.

As a result, a young man died and seven others sustained injuries.

The injured are transferred to Ijevan city’s medical center, and one
of them is in very critical condition. According to preliminary data,
the young man who lost his life was the driver of the VAZ 2106.

Haykakan Zhamanak: Issue of Robert Kocharyan’s return not yet closed

11:18 06/10/2012 » Daily press

Haykakan Zhamanak daily asked second Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan’s spokesperson, Viktor Soghomonyan, yesterday if it is
possible that Robert Kocharyan will run for president in 2013.

`I have not discussed with him this issue. I can neither rule it out
nor assume it. I just say that I have not discussed with him this
issue,’ Soghomonyan said.

A website reported later in the day that Kocharyan has invited
political PR specialists from abroad, and seriously prepares to return
to politics. In any case, his spokesperson’s answer testifies that
this issue is not yet closed, the paper writes.

Source: Panorama.am

Haykakan Zhamanak: No means envisaged by 2013 draft budget for
Iran-Armenia railway construction

TERT.AM
11:45 – 06.10.12

Armenia’s 2013 draft budget has not intended funds for either new
nuclear power plant or construction of Iran-Armenia railway.

The paper claims four years ago, in October 2008 speech addressed to
people and the National Assembly, Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan
stated that `Iran-Armenia railway will be constructed in the coming
years’ and `in the coming months Armenia will start building new
nuclear plant.’ The paper claims the sums are not intended either for
main construction, or for preparation works.

If the budget draft slightly refers to the construction of new nuclear
plant, there is no reference to the construction of the railway at
all.