Author: nina hovnanian

INSUFFISANCE DU PARLEMENT ? : L’OPPOSITION CENTREE SUR LES PROBLEMES >

ARMENIE

Certains analystes politiques armeniens ont remis en question la
pertinence du parlement du pays, qui semble eviter les discussions de
questions cruciales pour le pays, en se concentrant sur les produits
derives et fuyant sa responsabilite.

En particulier, le 16 Decembre, le parlement approuvait tout un
ensemble de projets de loi relatifs a l’entree dans l’Union economique
eurasienne (UEE) dirigee par la Russie , selon lequel les principaux
taux de douane seront considerablement modifies, ainsi qu’un certain
nombre de lois fiscales, de règles phyto-sanitaires et d’autres
normes. Les projets de loi ont ete adoptes par le Parti republicain
d’Armenie (RPA), qui a la majorite requise a l’Assemblee nationale
pour cela.

D’autres factions parlementaires ont boycotte les sessions importantes
sans meme exprimer leurs attitudes. Ils etaient occupes a discuter de
l’incident avec le depute Aram Manukyan du Congrès national armenien
, qui a ete battu par un agresseur inconnu devant sa maison le 11
decembre. Comme il s’est avere plus tard, celui qui a fait cela etait
le conducteur du depute du RPA Arakel Movsisyan.

Plusieurs legislateurs de l’opposition de la faction du parti Heritage
ont assiste a la reunion. Ils ont appele a ce que l’adhesion de
l’Armenie a l’UEE prevue a partir du 1er Janvier 2015 soit reportee.

Le depute Khachatur Kokobelyan a rappele a ses collègues la situation
actuelle en Russie et leur a demande de reporter l’entree jusqu’a
ce que les circonstances deviennent claires. Mais ni le parti de la
majorite, ni la plupart des groupes de l’opposition n’ont ete d’accord
avec lui.

La deputee du parti Armenie Prospère Naira Zohrabyan a dit que le 17
Decembre les forces minoritaires exigeront une reunion speciale dans
le cadre de la forte depreciation de la monnaie nationale, le dram,
et de la situation economique dans le pays. Dans le meme temps,
le president du Parlement Galust Sahakian, a declare qu’il n’a pas
encore decide s’il participera a la session ou la boycottera.

De nombreux analystes politiques armeniens sont surpris – que ce
qui est clair, meme pour un enfant, que la base des problèmes en
Armenie – financiers, juridiques et autres – est la situation en
Russie et les sanctions occidentales contre elle. Meme le president
du Belarus Alexandre Loukachenko a cesse de croire a la Russie “,
meme si c’est un ami”, et a appele a une recherche d’autres marches
pour les produits bielorusses.

Et la classe politique armenienne essaie de faire semblant que tout
va bien en Russie, et donc en Armenie.

En l’espace de deux mois, le rouble russe a perdu la moitie de sa
valeur et l’economie de la Russie et son système bancaire s’effondre,
avec les arrets de production les migrants armeniens prefèrent rentrer
chez eux. Mais ce que les politiciens armeniens ne doutent pas encore
est l’avenir de l’alliance russo-armenienne dans le cadre de l’UEE.

Dans les medias sociaux et dans la presse il y a un debat en cours
autour de ce que cette insuffisance pourrait etre relie avec. Beaucoup
l’attribue a l’ombre des liens politiques et financiers des partis
armeniens avec les dirigeants russes, qui leur fournissent un soutien.

D’autres soutiennent que les politiciens armeniens sont reticents a
aller a l’encontre de la subordination traditionnelle et a surmonter
leur peur de Moscou, realisant ce que le Kremlin est capable de faire
avec ceux qui “ne comporte pas” bien. C’est peut-etre pourquoi peu de
gens en Armenie parlent de la necessite d’au moins retarder l’adhesion
a l’UEE et de commencer a chercher d’autres marches.

Le 23 Decembre, Moscou va accueillir plusieurs grands sommets – ceux de
l’UEE, de la Communaute des Etats independants, de l’Organisation du
Traite de securite collective et d’autres alliances pro-russes. On ne
sait pas quelle sera la situation sur le marche financier russe d’ici
la, mais les medias du monde considèrent deja plusieurs scenarios
possibles. Soit les dirigeants du Kazakhstan et la Bielorussie
offriront un retard dans l’application du traite de l’UEE, dejouant
ainsi le projet, ou il sera decide d’abandonner temporairement la
depreciation de leurs propres monnaies et de passer a une monnaie
unique eurasienne. Mais le Parlement armenien n’envisage pas ces
options.

Par Naira Hayrumyan

ArmeniaNow

mercredi 24 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

NATURE PROTECTION MINISTER’S FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE FOR 2014: WATER RESOURCES OF ARARAT VALLEY, PART 2 – VIDEO

14:53 December 23, 2014

EcoLur

Nature Protection Minister Aramayis Grigoryan finalized the performance
of the minitry for year 2014 at the press conference held on 22
December.

EcoLur presents the materials of the press categorized by topics:

Water Resources of Ararat Valley

In Ararat and Armavir Regions the inventory of the wells were carried
out in 146 communities. From the beginning to June 2014 the Nature
Protection liquidated, conserved and brought to valve regime 253
l/s water, the annual saving of which made up 8 million cum. From 16
July to 20 December 266 wells were liquidated, conserved or brought
to valve regime, which resulted in saving around 23.886 l/s water,
which annually makes up 753 million cum.

The Nature Protection Minister thinks that the problem in the region
is solved by 70%, while other works are in progress.

The Nature Protection Ministry is going to achieve the following aim in
the upcoming years: to produce much fish with little water. As Aramayis
Grigoryan noted, the process in this field will be accomplished when
automatic management system of water use will be introduced in Masis
and Armavir.

LA VIDEO DE LA TORTURE D’INJIGHULYAN MONTREE AUX DIPLOMATES

ARMENIE

C’est a huis clos que la video de la torture du militaire armenien
Hagop Injighulyan en captivite en Azerbaïdjan a eu lieu au bureau de
l’Ombudsman a Erevan rapporte News.am.

La video a ete prise sur l’un des Azerbaïdjanais qui a ete apprehende
sur le territoire du Haut-Karabagh en Juillet dernier. Deux d’entre
eux sont actuellement juges a Stepanakert sur des accusations de
meurtres et d’actes de sabotage.

La video, qui fait egalement partie des preuves dans le procès,
a ete remis au Bureau de l’Ombudsman par le ministère de la Defense
d’Armenie.

La projection a ete suivie par des representants de la mission
diplomatique du Royaume-Uni, de l’Allemagne, de la France ainsi que
de l’OSCE, du Conseil de l’Europe et de l’ONU.

Injighulyan, 23 ans, a ete fait prisonnier par les forces
azerbaïdjanaises près de la ligne de contact dans le Haut-Karabagh,
après avoir perdu son chemin en Août 2013.

Il a passe plus d’un an en captivite en Azerbaïdjan avant d’etre libere
et envoye dans un pays tiers avec la mediation d’une organisation
internationale humanitaire.

Il est revenu en Armenie au debut Octobre, disant qu’il a dû consentir
a l’option d’etre transfere vers un pays neutre de la part de ses
ravisseurs en Azerbaïdjan qui l’auraient tue lui s’il avait exprime
son desir d’etre rapatrie en Armenie immediatement.

Injighulyan aurait repris son service militaire dans les forces
armees armeniennes en Novembre. Il a egalement ete interroge en
tant que temoin dans le procès des deux citoyens azerbaïdjanais au
Haut-Karabagh.

mercredi 24 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

L’UE APPELLE LES AUTORITES ARMENIENNES A PRENDRE DES MESURES CONTRE LES VIOLENCES CONTRE LES MILITANTS POLITIQUES

ARMENIE

La delegation de l’Union europeenne a publie une declaration en rapport
avec les recents cas de violence contre des militants civiques et de
l’opposition politique.

Dans la declaration, l’UE appelle les autorites armeniennes

TRAGICOMEDY IS OVER: LIFE CONTINUES

Haikazn Ghahriyan, Editor-in-Chief
Comments – 24 December 2014, 23:12

Yesterday the process of annexation of Armenia by the Eurasian Union
ended in Moscow. The meeting in Moscow resembled a tragicomedy and
its participants knew they are doing something that will cost them
a high price in every respect.

Old Vodicka says he has never seen such a stupid world war in all his
life. There has never been and will never be a more stupid union in the
world history. It was a unique act of voluntary annexation of states
and peoples, including Russia, at the expense of their dignity and
future. Everyone understands this therefore the founding presidents
attending the summit had nothing to express except lack of confidence
and contempt.

Ukraine fought against Russia and got free. The ruling and non-ruling
system of Armenia staged a touching example of national unity and
unanimously voted for annexation, bringing absurd and meaningless
excuses.

Everyone understands for what they voted but they shed responsibility
consciously. The rest that these forces may state is demagogy, the
syndrome of a caught thief.

They hoped for preferences, the bliss of zero responsibility and
solution of their own problems. They, however, will get what they
signed – stigma and retribution which will happen soon, coupled
with losses.

In the meantime, life continues. The holiday season is coming nearer
with pleasant chores, parties, wishes and dreams. This is a normal
human situation. Soon the press will move on to their regular topics –
how much is crocodile, pork and vodka, how many ambulance calls were
reported for heart attacks and stomach problems on New Year’s Eve. Are
these problems caused by joy, grief, gluttony even though these things
are usually closely interconnected in the Armenian environment?

This is an important issue, and such matters are usually studied by
psychologists and sociologists who explain thus referring to instincts,
subconscious behavior and tradition.

The Armenian Apostolic Church will advise how to resist temptations
during the Lent period. People will get married and divorce, jump
down from bridges, opt for selective abortion to ensure continuation
of their family, educate their children.

The RPA will say it will rule always, the Armenian National Congress
will announce that every day brings the end of the regime closer,
the PAP will announce it is beside people, it is hard to tell what
the ARF will say, it depends on what needs to be done, the Armenian
prostitutes will behave decently in Dubai and Turkey and refuse
non-standard positions.

Khash, cross stones and emigration will become more meaningful and
get new qualities.

Hence, life in the biblical countries continues along the usual path.

CSTO SUMMIT ADOPTS JOINT STATEMENT, 19 RESOLUTIONS, TWO PROTOCOLS

17:30 / 23.12.2014

The leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries
— Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan —
have adopted 22 documents following the summit meeting in the Kremlin
on Tuesday. The CSTO heads of state approved of a joint statement,
19 resolutions and two protocols.

“In their joint statement the CSTO heads of state are to voice concern
over the growing danger of terrorism and the spread of extremism in
Central Asia, including the Afghan factor, and emphasized the need
for restoring peace in Ukraine and achieving a peace settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. In other words, they will identify the
common stance on the fundamental regional issues,” presidential aide
Yury Ushakov said earlier about the proposed draft.

Among other documents Ushakov singled out the CSTO Council’s decision
on checking the readiness of the CSTO collective rapid reaction force
for coping with their routine tasks and missions, the CSTO Council’s
resolutions on the collective air force, anti-drug strategy and
plans for measures to implement guidelines for collective response
to emergencies.

The CSTO Council adopted a resolution on the consultative and
coordinating centre of the CSTO for response to computer incidents.

One of the protocols concerns “resistance to criminal activities in
the information sphere.” There are plans for carrying out the CSTO’s
operation for resistance to crime in the sphere of information.

Nyut.am

PINK FUTURE FOR ARMENIAN BUSINESS TRADITION

Hakob Badalyan, Political Commentator
Business – 23 December 2014, 23:30

Discussions and mental generation on a market of 170 million of
the Eurasian Economic Union are underway in the circles of official
propaganda which are used to describe the pink prospect awaiting the
economies of Armenia and Artsakh in the Eurasian Economic Union.

Meanwhile, there is a high probability that the rose of the Eurasian
Union has thorns and Armenia will get the thorns, not the rose. In
fact, if a so-called market of 170 million opens up for the Armenian
producers, the same market will open up for Russian, Belorussian,
Kazakh producers, so does the Armenian market. Free trade and zero
customs duties will be equally enjoyed by the producers of all the
three countries.

The question is who will be more effective and competitive. And there
are factors which cause concerns about the Armenian producers. The
point is that Russian, Belorussian, Kazakh companies may have larger
capacities and therefore lower prices and be more competitive. Plus
in these countries electricity and gas cost less compared with Armenia.

Of course, competitiveness is also about quality but most Armenian
products are no better otherwise Armenian producers would have faced
markets where quality requirements are higher. Most Armenian producers
therefore announced that they prefer the Russian market because there
the quality requirements are less rigid than in Europe where a market
of 500 million with greater buying capacity would open up if the
Association Agreement had been signed.

It turns out that the competitiveness of Armenian products is a problem
not only in the Belorussian-Kazakh-Russian sector of the market of 170
million but also its Armenian sector because the producers of those
countries may eventually oust Armenian producers from the Armenian
market or reduce the share of Armenian products on the Armenian market.

All the more so if an issue of political influence exists, such as in
the case of Russian producers when the government pipe may be used for
active lobbying. It may also have a negative impact on the situation.

The point is that the government will resist such lobbying (if it ever
resists) only if it harms the business of any high-ranking official
or their friend or relative.

Therefore, the so-called unprotected producers which are operating
in Armenia with great difficulty may appear face to face with other
producers of the Eurasian Union in Armenia. This means that those who
are able to survive without the protection of government will have
to seek protection at the higher levels of government to be protected
from at least the lobbying of “founders” of the Eurasian Union.

In other words, the prospect for free competition in Armenia will be
eliminated, and the oneness of business and government will increase
with the ensuing economic, political and social consequences.

Considering the system established in Armenia, the probability that
the ruling system will offer the local producers other mechanisms of
protection than just protection or transfer of part of shares is high.

REGIME FAILED FOREIGN POLICY – DEMOCRATIC HOMELAND PARTY LEADER

15:00 / 24.12.2014

The 17 years of existence of the regime and 7 years of presidency
of Serzh Sargsyan have certain commonalities, leader of Democratic
Homeland party Petros Makeyan told the reporters on Wednesday.

“The typical thing is that the Genocide recognition issue has entered
a deadlock during the whole period of the existence of the regime. To
be more concrete, after football diplomacy and Armenian-Turkish
protocols,” he said. On the threshold of Armenian Genocide centennial
it was a big gift to the Turkish state. He said all the states abstain
from recognizing the Armenian genocide thinking that the two countries
are negotiating. “As a result we will mark the centennial with complete
failure,” he said

Another important element of Armenia’s foreign policy is the peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. “The thing is that our
country failed in this regard as well. There is no progress, instead
we are facing a growing danger of resumption of war,” he said.

SERZH SARGSYAN INFORMED CSTO ABOUT ESCALATION ON NKR BORDER

Lragir.am
Politics – 23 December 2014, 22:04

Today Serzh Sargsyan attended the session of the Collective Security
Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Moscow.

During the plenary of the Council a number of documents were signed,
including the statement of the heads of states of CSTO members.

In his address Serzh Sargsyan briefed on the situation in the South
Caucasus, particularly the incidents on the Armenian-Azerbaijani
state border and incidents at the line of contact, emphasizing that
Armenia condemns escalation of the conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh and
the militarization of our region.

“The documents we adopted today address collective and coordinated
response to challenges and existing problems. I am sure they will serve
the interests of CSTO development for the welfare of our countries
and peoples in collective terms in guaranteed security and peace.

We proceed from the fact that decision making on further strengthening
of the mechanism of cooperation of foreign policy will improve the
reputation of our organization.

I think creation of a Collective Air Force would be quite a pertinent
step. Besides, I would like to note the importance of measures taken
for developing defense cooperation of our states.

I believe that the package on information security will help boost
interaction of relevant bodies of our states in this sphere.”

E-TICKETS FOR “TATEV WINGS” TO BE AVAILABLE

December 24, 2014 17:44

Yerevan/Mediamax/. In 2015, “Tatev Wings” aerial tramway will provide
new services and introduce a new system of e-ticket sales.

“Tatev Revival” Project Manager Hayk Tutunjyan and Director of
“Tatev Wings” aerial tramway Vahe Baghdasaryan stated this during
a meeting with representatives of Armenian tourism agencies, IDeA
Foundation reports.

Hayk Tutunjyan noted that works on laser scanning and projecting of
Tatev Monastery reconstruction finished in 2014. This year, “Tatev
Wings” ropeway transported its 300th passenger.

Representatives of tourism agencies came up with offers on more
effective organization of tours to Tatev and the project managers
promised to consider them.

– See more at: