Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARMENIE
La partie azerbaïdjanaise aurait perdu au moins 47 soldats

Dans un entretien à Hayots Achkhar, le politologue Levon
Melik-Chahnazarian relève, citant des sources fiables, que depuis
l’incident du 4 juin qui a coûté la vie à 3 soldats arméniens, la
partie azerbaïdjanaise aurait perdu au moins 47 soldats. Selon lui, la
partie arménienne a ainsi donné une réponse appropriée aux
provocations azéries. Si la panique semble gagner les habitants
d’Erevan, la population des régions frontalières garde son calme,
prête à prendre les armes à chaque instant. D’après ce politologue,
tout incident frontalier contribue à ce que les forces armées
arméniennes deviennent plus vigilantes. « Si Aliev avait un grain
d’intelligence, il mettrait fin à la tuerie de ses soldats et punirait
publiquement quelques-uns de ses commandants, car perdre une
cinquantaine de soldats en deux ou trois jours dans des conditions de
non-guerre est un coup dur pour n’importe quel pays », dit-il.

Dans un entretien au même quotidien, Rouben Safrastian, turcologue,
directeur de l’Institut de l’Orientalogie, regrette qu’à ce jour ni
les Etats-Unis, ni les autres pays du Groupe de Minsk n’aient
clairement condamné l’agression de l’Azerbaïdjan, leurs déclarations
étant très vagues, selon lui. L’absence de message ciblé de la part de
Washington ou des autres pays médiateurs sur l’inadmissibilité d’un
tel comportement de la part de Bakou risque d’encourager celui-ci à se
montrer plus insolent et à se sentir plus libre dans ses actions.

Haykakan Jamanak reproduit un entretien avec Davit Babayan, «
porte-parole » du « Président » Bako Sahakian, qui estime peu probable
que les incidents frontaliers des derniers jours dégénèrent en
opérations militaires. L’Azerbaïdjan a juste voulu tester les
capacités et la vigilance des forces arméniennes et faire un chantage
vis-à-vis des Etats-Unis, dont la Secrétaire d’Etat se trouvait dans
la région, pour lui faire passer des messages. L’Azerbaïdjan ne
déclenchera une nouvelle guerre que lorsqu’il sera sûr de sa victoire
dans un court laps de temps. D’après M. Babayan, le Conseil de
sécurité de l’ONU doit nécessairement réagir aux actions de
l’Azerbaïdjan.

Selon Hayots Achkhar, se référant au centre d’études des journalistes
militaires d’Azerbaïdjan, au cours des mois janvier-juin 2012,
l’Azerbaïdjan aurait perdu 52 soldats sur la seule ligne de contact du
HK, 46 autres ayant été blessés.

Ambassade de France en Arménie

Service de presse

vendredi 15 juin 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
June 15 2012

Water pumping from Sevan to be doubled

Armenia plans to increase water pumping from Lake Sevan for irrigation
from 170 million to 320 million cubic meters, ARKA reports.

The Aparan Water Reservoir had only 91 million cubic meters of water
last year and 51 million this year, the Azat Water Reservoir had 71
million last year and 60 million this year.

130-150 million cubic meters were pumped last year, 100-110 million
cubic meters are planned this year, head of the State Committee for
Water Economy said at the governmental session on Thursday.

Use of Sevan water was first made in the second half of June, about 80
million cubic meters have been used this year. New quotas for water
usage would allow irrigation of 40,000 hectares. Lack of water
resources will keep the price for water at 11 drams per cubic meter.

Lake Sevan is one of the largest highland lakes in Europe and Asia,
located at the Armenian Highlands at a height of 1914 meters. It had a
water level of 1900.13 meters on January 1, 2012.

Trend, Azerbaijan
June 14 2012

OSCE calls to continue working on main principles of Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement

Azerbaijan, Baku, June 14 / Trend A. Badalova/

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was at the centre of discussions during
the visit to Baku and the region, the OSCE chairperson, Irish Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Eamon
Gilmore said at a press conference in Baku today.
“The OSCE calls on the sides to continue work on the main principles,
to refrain from the use of force and to remove snipers from the
Armenian-Azerbaijani contact line,” he said.

The time has come to build up confidence and trust,” he said. “OSCE
supports the efforts of the Minsk Group.” He recalled that the OSCE
makes all decisions on the basis of consensus.

“This is the only organisation in the world with 56 member states
which come to an agreement on the basis of consensus,” Gilmore said.

He also said that the OSCE has clear principles for the peaceful
settlement of conflicts.

“That is why, we have created a set of principles,” he said. “The
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict may be resolved on the basis of these
principles. These principles will be agreed with the countries
concerned.”

Gilmore said that the OSCE will continue working for the parties to
come to a peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the US –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
June 14 2012

Armenia’s Republican Party to discuss new government

The executive committee of the Republican Party of Armenia will
discuss the new parliament on Friday, its press secretary and Vice
Speaker of Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov said, News Armenia reports.

Preliminary talks will be hosted by the party’s leader and Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan today.

The government resigned on May 31. Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan was
appointed on June 2. He had 20 days to form a government after the
appointment. He will announced it on June 15. Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian, Defense Minister Seyran Oganyan and Minister for
Emergencies Armen Yeritsyan will remain in office.

DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
June 13, 2012 Wednesday

IT STARTED SMELLING GUNPOWDER IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Russia prefers not to interfere into the confrontation between Armenia
and Azerbaijan

by Yury Roks
Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, June 08, 2012, p. 1
[translated from Russian]

TENSION BETWEEN BAKU AND YEREVAN REACHED AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL FOR
THE LAST FEW YEARS; Several subversion acts were stopped in the
Armenian regions bordering Azerbaijan this week alone. After that
clashes happened on the contact line in unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh.
There were killed and injured people on both sides. The US, France and
Turkey expressed their concern about the events. Russia, strategic
ally of Armenia and simultaneously a partner of Azerbaijan, was the
last to react.

Several subversion acts were stopped in the Armenian regions bordering
Azerbaijan this week alone. After that clashes happened on the contact
line in unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh. There were killed and injured
people on both sides. The US, France and Turkey expressed their
concern about the events. Russia, strategic ally of Armenia and
simultaneously a partner of Azerbaijan, was the last to react.

Washington, Ankara and Paris called on the parties to stop escalation
of tension almost simultaneously. Armenia accused the Azerbaijani
party of what was going on in a harsh form.

Azerbaijan responded with a counter accusation, afterwards it
characterized the events as consequences of lack of control in the
Armenian armed forces and the General Staff finally announced, “Ten
days are sufficient for our country to liberate the occupied
territories and to reach the state borders of Iran and Armenia. The
only reason that stops us is that we do not wish bloodshed and victims
anymore.” Armenian mass media quoting this statement actively called
it an irrefutable evidence of aggressive plans of the neighboring
country.

Head of the information department of the President of
Nagorno-Karabakh David Babayan said, “Azerbaijan may try to distort
the facts in any way but they are obvious: subversions are stopped on
the Armenian land. Baku may release any kinds of belligerent
statements but it is impossible to intimidate us. We are always
prepared to resist.” According to Babayan, the actions taken by the
Azerbaijani party devaluate the already difficult negotiation process
and also make the statements of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
released during a visit to the region that new approaches would be
offered to the parties for resolving of the conflict unimportant.”

Babayan said, “After a series of provocations on the part of
Azerbaijan we have a right to expect that the US Department of State
will make corrections to its strategy for resolving of the conflict.
Azerbaijan regularly breaches the ceasefire regime and kills Armenian
soldiers but is simultaneously a temporary member of the UN Security
Council. This is absurd. The US should provide a more realistic
evaluation of the situation and change its position about this issue,
which will probably happen.”

Snor Asatryan, press secretary of the Defense Ministry of
Nagorno-Karabakh, said that the Azerbaijani party breached the
ceasefire regime more than 5,000 times on the contact line of the
armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan between January and
June of 2012. He said, “In June alone, the Azerbaijani party performed
six reconnaissance subversion actions in which it lost 20 servicemen.”

These terrible statistical data are confirmed by the center of
research of military journalists of Azerbaijan. According to data of
the organization to which some news agencies referred, between January
and June of 2012 the armed forces of Azerbaijan lost 52 people killed.
The Armenian party also has losses, although smaller ones. This year
alone, not less than eight people died during the clashes.

At a representative conference in Washington-based center of Woodrow
Wilson the leading conflict experts of the West specializing in the
South Caucasus drew a conclusion that the international community
needs to interfere urgently to prevent a full-scale conflict probably
even before the meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijan to be held in Paris on June 18.

Sabine Fraser, director of the European program of the international
crisis group, said, “There is a real danger that the conflict will go
out of control and the parties will start taking revenge on each other
for each loss. As soon as this happens it will be very difficult for
them to retreat or to win a war quickly.”

Alarming opinions were also sounded in Yerevan. An opinion about a
need for interference of the CSTO forces into the growing conflict was
even expressed on the expert level because several subversion acts of
Azerbaijan took place not in Nagorno-Karabakh but in Armenia being a
member of the CSTO and having a right to count on assistance according
to this doctrine. In any case, the quantity of supporters of this idea
is very small yet.

Babayan said, “Insertion of troops of the third party into the
conflict zone is not that simple. Agreement of all parties of the
conflict and participants of negotiations is necessary, it is
necessary to sign the relevant agreements, to settle a lot of nuances
etc. the Azerbaijani-Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is unique because it is
the only conflict in the world in which there is no one between the
armed forces of the parties. This remains a good indicator of the
potential for peaceful coexistence of the two nations still but for
the regular firing exchange.”

Well-known Armenian political analyst Alexander Iskandaryan commented
on the situation and expressed his hope that “there will be no
Armenian-Azerbaijani war.” Iskandaryan said, “The incidents are aimed
at the internal political life of Azerbaijan and the visit of the US
Secretary of State. Azerbaijan organizes propaganda actions and simply
fails. But I am afraid that it will be difficult to stop them.”

The authorities of Armenia comment on the events in a harsher way.
President Serzh Sargsian being on an official visit to Japan
announced, “Either the provocations were organized according to an
order of the authorities of Azerbaijan and in this case they bore
personal responsibility for breaching of the truce, and international
obligation undertake by Azerbaijan or the armed forces of this country
were outside of control of the command and in this case we should be
ready to deal with separate field commanders and not with an organized
army.” According to him, it is sad that the provocations coincide with
the events organized by Russia and aimed at strengthening of
confidence (a meeting of representatives of intelligentsia of Armenia
and Azerbaijan took place in Moscow) and the State Secretary of the US
– co-chair of the Minsk OSCE group, patron of the negotiation process,
has been in the region.

A long absence of a public reaction of Moscow declaring the South
Caucasus a traditional zone of its geopolitical interests was
surprising against the background of the highest tension between
Yerevan and Baku and calls of the US, France, Turkey and OSCE for
peace. Only in the second half of Thursday official spokesperson for
the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Lukashevich expressed a hope
that meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries in Paris
would relieve the tension and the parties would manifest reservation.

[translated from Russian]

WAR AND PEACE: AN INTERVIEW WITH NKR PRIME MINISTER ARA HAROUTYUNYAN
by Nanore Barsoumian

June 14, 2012

On May 2, Armenian Weekly Assistant Editor Nanore Barsoumian sat down
with Nagorno Karabagh Republic (NKR) Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan
in his Stepanakert office to discuss the challenges facing the young
republic. Below is the full text of the interview.

Ara Haroutyunyan (Photo by Nanore Barsoumian) Nanore Barsoumian-Thank
you for this opportunity. First, I want to ask you about Karabagh’s
domestic politics, and then discuss regional issues.

Ara Haroutyunyan-In regards to domestic issues, of course Karabagh
is a young republic, only 20 years old, and it still doesn’t have a
state-building tradition. However, it already has a direction; it has
chosen the principles of democracy. We are moving ahead with those
principles. The government is being shaped by the will of the people,
expressed through elections. The most fundamental achievement is our
steadfast and firm march towards state-building. We have many domestic
issues, social problems, and problems with infrastructure. After
the Soviet years, and the devastation of the war, we have inherited
a tattered economy, and we face the challenge of reviving that
economy-in fact, not only reviving it, but bringing it up to step
with the scientific and technological developments of the day. Solving
these problems requires large financial resources. We are moving ahead
step by step. Every year new construction projects are completed,
but we still have a long way to go. We consider the development of
our economy as the most important issue of the day, as it will also
provide a way for us to solve other problems.

Regionally, little has been accomplished. There is no political
progress with Azerbaijan, although negotiations are ongoing.

Azerbaijan is not ready for a compromise. And as far as we are
concerned, one-sided compromises will never happen. That is why
the status quo has been maintained by force until today. Of course,
ceasefire violations continue. When faced with gunfire from the Azeri
side, we respond. Broadly speaking, however, peace has reigned for
some years now, and I am convinced that this will continue.

N.B.-Despite Aliyev’s jingoistic language and the increase in the
government’s weapons procurement?

A.H.-Yes, despite all that. We know that Aliyev’s announcements are
first and foremost for internal consumption. The Azeri leadership and
the international community realize full well the devastation that
could be caused by renewed conflict in the region, as well as the
unpredictable consequences of the resumption of hostilities, which is
why I am convinced that we won’t have another war. As far as weapons
procurement is concerned, we are not falling behind. Armenia’s and
Artsakh’s defense armies are equipped with the required weapons and
ammunition to maintain the status quo. We never fall back. We just
don’t talk as much about it. Our level of preparedness is in no way
less than that of the Azeri armed forces.

N.B.-Going back to the domestic issues, how is the state of the
villages in Karabagh? I have been told during my interviews here
that rural migration and urban drift, especially to Stepanakert,
are problems.

A.H.-I agree. That problem exists throughout the world, including
Karabagh, where the youth prefer life in the cities. However, measures
must be taken so that the youth stay-especially because those villages
are the embodiment of our fundamental achievements. They constitute the
first line of defense against a multitude of challenges. What are we
doing about this? We are trying to create a conducive environment for
the development of our rural economy…through increased construction
and modernization in rural areas, so that villages become more
self-sufficient.

N.B.-Talk about the budget allocations to different projects.

A.H.-Funds are invested in all sectors. We invest in infrastructure:
on building roads, schools, kindergartens, houses, and hospitals. We
are working in all directions, but unfortunately, we face serious
financial challenges.

N.B.-The Azeri government has launched an aggressive worldwide campaign
on the “Khojali genocide.” What measures have been taken to counter
these efforts?

A.H.-Of course this issue concerns not only us, but also Armenia and
the diaspora. We need to struggle against this together. Lobbying
plays a central role in international diplomacy; we have our diaspora,
Azerbaijan has money. Various countries have interests in Azerbaijan.

If in the past we had the upper hand and broader reach through our
diaspora, then today Azerbaijan’s financial resources have closed
the gap. Azeri resistance and political activism has become palpable
in different countries. First and foremost, we need to redouble the
efforts of the diaspora. Also, by joining forces, we need to produce
and disseminate information to counter Azeri propaganda. We absolutely
need to wage this struggle together. I am convinced that with every
passing year this struggle will only become harder, and we are going
to rely more heavily on political activism in the Armenian Diaspora.

N.B.-Turkey and Azerbaijan are also trying to harness their
diasporas…

A.H.-Yes, and not only their diasporas. Their wealth allows them to
buy support.

N.B.-It was recently reported in the news that Israel wishes to attack
Iran through Azerbaijan. What would that mean for Karabagh?

A.H.-Any war in this region will have a negative impact not only on
Karabagh, but the region as a whole. War is not desired. Instability
in the region-whether economic, social, or otherwise-is not desired.

The likelihood of such a scenario is slim. They all realize that Iran
is one of the more powerful states in the region. It has a large
army, and a guiding ideology. The issue needs to be solved through
negotiations. Iran is not an easy morsel to swallow. It is a few
thousand-year-old civilization, and it has always been one of those
countries that has a say, has an impact.

N.B.-What factors would influence a solution to the Karabagh issue?

A.H.-First and foremost it is dependent on the will of our people. Of
course, there are interests involved. Major powers are attempting to
formulate a solution to the Karabagh issue. But if their proposals are
not satisfactory to us, they won’t get anywhere. Azerbaijani oil plays
a role. The Russian influence is also a factor. U.S. interests play a
part, as do Georgian-Azeri relations. And Iran. Ultimately, however,
the solution is dependent on our people, and the people of Azerbaijan.

Where we stand and what we envision are paramount.

N.B.-And what solution do you envision?

A.H.-The solution will very much resemble the current status quo.

That’s how I envision it. However, time and a generational shift
are necessary for people to come to terms with the status quo, and
accept it.

N.B.-What about the recognition of NKR?

A.H.-Recognition will come, but it is not a matter of 5 or 10 years.

To accomplish it, we need to have a strong economy, a unified nation:
Armenian Diaspora, Armenia, and Karabagh. We all need to work toward
the recognition of Karabagh, and I am convinced that we will be
successful.

ARMENIAN MAN, WHOSE DEAD BODY WAS FOUND IN RIVER, IS IDENTIFIED

news.am
June 14, 2012 | 14:24

The identity of the man, whose dead body was found Thursday in
Armenia’s Hrazdan River, is determined.

To note, Armenia’s Rescue Service received information on the same day
at 11:22am that the dead body of a man was discovered at the River’s
starting point in the Kotayk Region, and that rescuers were needed
to remove the body from the River.

A special water rescue squad was dispatched to the scene.

And as a result, the rescuers removed the body of Sevan city resident
Davit Hovhannisyan, 55, from the River.

EXPLOSION ON CONSTRUCTION SITE OF COVERED MARKET IN YEREVAN

arminfo
Thursday, June 14, 13:54

Explosion broke out on the construction site of the Covered Market
in Yerevan overnight, a Yerevan-based daily Haykakan Zhamanak writes.

The paper writes that the explosion might be connected with
construction and demolition process. “They dig a huge hole there and
there could be need for explosion as well,” the paper writes. In
the meanwhile the joint commission set up by the Municipality of
Yerevan and the Culture Ministry has given a resolution on the partial
demolition of the Covered Market’s arch roof on May 27. Late in the
evening on May 27 the major arcs and related structures of the covered
market collapsed following demolition of some inter-storey coverage.

Although the construction was suspended, liquidation of debris has
even deteriorated the situation.

To note, the Covered Market is included in the list of the historical
monuments of Yerevan. It was built in 1952 by Armenian architect
Grigory Aghababyan’s project and has been considered one of the symbols
of the Armenian capital since then. Earlier the mass media reported
that Armenian MP Samvel Alexanyan had bought the Covered Market from
the Leader of Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik Tsarukyan and was going
to turn it into a Yerevan City supermarket.

ARMENIA’S TOURISM INDUSTRY LACKS PROFESSIONALS – PUBLIC FIGURE

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 14, 2012 – 13:55 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia’s tourism sector is in need of professionals,
head of Association of Tour Operators of and Tourism Institute’s
rector said.

“Armenia lacks cooks, waiters and other service industry
professionals,” Robert Minasyan said, stressing the need to choose
target countries and groups to foster development of tourism in
the country.

“Russia tops the list of target countries for Armenia. We must also
try to attract tourists from Italy and Germany,” Tourism Institute
rector said, noting Iran as another good source of income.

Mr. Minasyan undercoated the necessity to create a brand for Armenia
to raise better awareness on the country.

“Mount Ararat may serve as a wonderful brand, for instance,” he said.

FOR ‘DECENT’ PUBLIC TRANSPORT: NGOS WANT RIGHTS OF BUS DRIVERS, PASSENGERS RESPECTED
By Gohar Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow
14.06.12 | 13:11

Problems within Armenia’s public transportation system have once
again become a widely discussed topic after a recent killing of a
bus driver by his colleague in a fight related to their work.

In the deadly dispute in question that happened in Yerevan’s Avan
district last week one of the drivers operating minibus route N5
hit another one in the temple, which caused the death. According to
reports, the two men had an argument over the so-called “stealing
of passengers” and in that particular incident it was about just one
passenger fare of 100 drams (about 25 cents).

A number of non-governmental organizations disseminated a statement
on Wednesday, saying that what happened to the two drivers was “the
consequence of the illegalities that exist in the sphere of public
transportation.”

According to the NGOs (the Consumer Association of Armenia,
the Achilles Center for the Protection of Drivers’ Rights, the
Center of Social Inclusion and Support for Equality, the Ecological
Public Alliance, the Decent Transportation Civil Initiative), bus
drivers in Armenia are excessively exploited by the route owners,
are deprived of elementary human rights, have no labor contracts,
nor any rights related to recreation and health, and are vulnerable
to the arbitrariness of their bosses.

“Drivers do not receive a fixed salary, while paying to the bus route
owner 15,000-25,000 drams (about $36-$60) from their daily proceeds.

This is in the case when, according to our information, bus route
owners pay a monthly fixed payment of 30,000 drams (about $72) to
the budget, which is a ridiculously low rate of payment that ensures
excessive profits for the bus route owners,” the NGOs said. “Besides,
today there are no effective mechanisms of exercising civil control
in this sector and corruption in it has reached the scope that puts
the security of the state at risk.”

According to Consumers Union Chairman Armen Poghosyan, the poor
technical condition of many vehicles serving as means of public
transportation in Yerevan and Armenia today is also the result of
the lack of proper legislation that would regulate it.

“Some $25,000, which are unaccountable and untaxed, circulate in this
sector every day,” Poghosyan said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Poghosyan said that at present 115 minibus routes operate in capital
Yerevan, while under the new concept of the sector their number is
to be reduced to 76 (in recent years the share of minibuses, known
as marshrutkas, in the public transportation of Yerevan has decreased
from 90 to 70 percent).

“Today, there are some positive changes in the sphere of public
transportation. The number of minibuses decreases, while the number
of buses grows, but the schedule of the work of public transportation
still remains a problem,” said Poghosyan.

Decent Transportation Civil Initiative activist Arman Gharibyan says
that their pressure group has a clear strategy of action to be carried
out by a working group that also includes lawyers.

“We demand decent transportation, we demand that corresponding state
bodies punish the owners of bus routes that provide poor services, we
demand that public transportation be available also in late evening
and night hours, that the driver work within the limits of the law,
refraining from smoking and listening to [mostly loud and low-culture]
music and so on,” says the activist.

Most bus drivers do not speak about their problems out loud, but
in private conversations they confess that they are face lots of
difficulties in their stressful work and literally have to fight for
their daily bread.