Author: nina hovnanian

NAZARBAEV : LE KAZAKHSTAN RATIFIERA LE TRAITE D’ADHESION DE L’ARMENIE A L’UEE

ARMENIE

Le Kazakhstan envisage de ratifier le traite d’adhesion de l’Armenie a
l’Union economique eurasienne a annonce le president kazakh Noursoultan
Nazarbaïev lors d’une reunion avec le Premier ministre russe Dmitri
Medvedev.

“Le 23 Decembre, nous allons tenir une reunion a Moscou. Nous allons
ratifier l’adhesion de l’Armenie. Le Kirghizstan peut egalement etre
pret a ce moment, “a declare M. Nazarbaïev, cite par le site officiel
du gouvernement russe.

mardi 23 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

ARMENIA AND TURKMENISTAN DISCUSS YEREVAN-ASHGABAT AIR COMMUNICATION

14:02, 23 December, 2014

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS: The strengthening of the air
communication between Armenia and Turkmenistan is quite important for
the development of the economic ties between the two countries. This
was stated by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the
Republic of Armenia Yervand Zakharyan, who is also the co-chair of the
Armenian side of the Armenian-Turkmen Intergovernmental Commission. He
stated that the main difficulty to implement it is the little flow
of the passenger flow from Armenia to Turkmenistan.

“This is the reason we do not open a direct flight. I have recently
been to Turkmenistan and we have come to an agreement in this
direction: if it is not possible to open a direct flight between
the countries, we will implement the passenger transfers through a
European country. We must work in this direction, as all other works
are connected with it.

The air communication remains a key target for us”, – said Zakharyan,
Armenpress reports.

ILLUMINATION DE L’ARBRE DE NOEL GEANT PLACE DE LA REPUBLIQUE A EREVAN

FESTIVITES DE FIN D’ANNEE A EREVAN

Lundi 22 decembre a 19h15 fut illumine l’arbre de Noël geant et ses
milliers de lumières, place de la Republique a Erevan. Une illumination
qui fut suivi d’un feu d’artifice. C’est le maire d’Erevan Taron
Margaryan, en compagnie de quelques enfants a procede au lancement
de cette illumination tant attendue.

Le ciel d’Erevan etait ainsi illumine des couleurs qui scintillaient
dans cette ambiance de fete en presence de milliers de personnes
et des centaines de touristes et de personnalites armeniennes et
etrangères, venues assister a ces festivites d’illumination sur la
place de la Republique.

Un concert suivit le feu d’artifice. Les premiers groupes sur scène,
furent l’ensemble > de la radio publique d’Armenie ainsi que
le chanteur qui representa l’Armenie a l’Eurovision 2014, Aram MP3. Un
autre concert geant devant se tenir le Jour de l’An. Mais recession
oblige, le budget des festivites de fin d’annee a Erevan est en baisse
depuis deux ans deja, limitant les animations du centre d’Erevan.

Krikor Amirzayan

mardi 23 decembre 2014, Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

704 NOMS DE QUARTIERS OU VILLAGES DE LA REGION DE VAN VONT REPRENDRE LEURS NOMS D’ORIGINE, EN KURDE OU EN ARMENIEN

ARMENIE OCCIDENTALE OU TURQUIE ORIENTALE

Sur decision d Conseil municipal de Van, dans la region de Van, 704
noms de lieux ont repris leur nom d’origine, en kurde ou en armenien.

Selon le journal armenien > paraissant a Istanbul, la mairie
de Van a demande a ses services de dresser la liste des anciens
noms des quartiers de la ville ainsi que des villages de la region,
aboutissant ainsi a une liste de 704 noms de lieux. Puis le Conseil
municipal de Van a vote la deliberation liee a redonner leurs noms
d’origine a ces 704 quartiers ou villages. Ainsi dans la region de
Bachkale -region de Van- 81 lieux -villages ou quartiers- furent
rebaptises en leur nom d’origine, 86 a Tchaldrtnou, 34 a Chadakh,
18 a Artamède, 105 a Ardjech, 37 a Kevache, 174 a Kyurpnar, 50 a
Ipkyolou, 41 a Mouradie, 53 a Ozalp, et 25 a Saray.

Krikor Amirzayan

mardi 23 decembre 2014, Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

NON-HELD HEARINGS IN AKUNQ COMMUNITY – VIDEO

12:54 December 22, 2014

EcoLur

The public hearings on the environmental impact assessment of
Tsarasar gold mining project were supposed to be held at Akunq Rural
Administration building, Gegharkounik Region, at 12:00 on 18 December.

Nevertheless, the organizer of the public hearings – “Armenian
International Gold” LLC didn’t attend the public hearings, while
nobody at Akunq Rural Administration building was aware of the public
hearings.

The area of Tsarasar is located in the administrative area of
Akunq village. This area has been leased to Akunq villager Papin
Hambardzumyan for 25 years, who, in his turn, subleases to the
villagers. However, two years ago a company illegally broke into the
area and started destroying 20 ha of land areas without any proper
documents.

“There was a company called Arzoyan Avetiq, who brought machinery
two years ago and destroyed everything here saying he had a permit
from the Ministry,” said leaser Papin Hambardzumyan. The document he
presented was a soil management agreement.

Papin Hambardzumyan noted that that in this 140 ha 80 ha is meadow
land, while 60 ha is plough land. In reply to the question on the
damage caused by the company, P. Hambardzumyan outlined, “If we
calculate 20 ha, each year – 2 million AMD, it makes up 10-20 million
AMD during 5 years.”

‘This village with its 5000 villagers doesn’t have enough land areas
for plough and earning their living.’

In reply to the question what their opinion would be, the villagers
said their areas support their living and naturally villagers oppose
to the mine.

DETOURNEMENT DE MILLIONS DE DRAMS AU SEIN DE LA CENTRALE DE MEDZAMOR

ARMENIE

Le quotidien d’opposition Joghovourd revient sur les limogeages du
directeur et de deux vice-directeurs de la centrale de Medzamor,
dont l’un, le vice-directeur commercial, Rouben Movsisian, a
ete arrete (cf. revue du 15.12). Il est accuse de detournements a
grande echelle et d’abus de bien social. L’enquete est menee par le
Service de securite nationale. Selon les informations du quotidien, le
vice-directeur ne serait pas le seul agent de la centrale a avoir ete
arrete. Un ingenieur adjoint en chef aurait ete egalement arrete dans
le cadre de cette affaire. D’autres personnalites ont ete limogees,
dont un troisième vice-directeur, Aram Melikjanian, charge de la
protection physique de la centrale. Celui-ci aurait ete releve de
ses fonctions debut novembre. Selon les informations de Joghovourd,
l’enquete aurait ete intentee le premier semestre de cette annee a la
suite d’un audit qui aurait revele des detournements de centaines
de millions de drams depuis 2007 principalement orchestres par
le vice-directeur emprisonne. Selon Joghovourd, celui-ci serait
un proche de l’ancien Ministre de l’Energie, Armen Movsissian,
actuellement conseiller du President Sarkissian. Le quotidien laisse
entendre que les detournements n’auraient pas ete effectues a l’insu
de l’ex-Ministre.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 16 decembre 2014

mardi 23 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

TURKEY’S ERDOGAN SAYS BIRTH CONTROL ‘TREASON’ AGAINST TURKISH LINEAGE

11:28, 23 December, 2014

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has
described birth control as a form of “treason,” saying it threatened
the country’s bloodline.

As reports “Armenpress” citing Reuters, Erdogan urged a newly married
couple at their wedding late on Sunday to have at least three children
to help boost Turkish population figures, a common refrain from the
president, who worries a declining birth rate may undermine economic
growth.

“For years they committed a treason of birth control in this country,
seeking to dry up our bloodline. Lineage is very important both
economically and spiritually,” he told the couple after serving as
their witness at the wedding. A video of the speech was posted on
the mainstream Radikal news website.

Last month, Erdogan, a devout Muslim, said it was unnatural to
consider women and men equal and said feminists did not understand
the importance of motherhood. In 2012, he sought to effectively outlaw
abortion, but later dropped the plan amid a public outcry.

Erdogan regularly faces criticism for an authoritarian style of rule
after 11 years in power.

Turkey’s population growth has been slowing in recent years and
the live-birth rate hovered at 2.07 percent last year, according to
official statistics.

PUTIN: GLOBAL SITUATION NEEDS CSTO CONCERTED MEASURES TO FIGHT OLD AND NEW THREATS

15:10 * 23.12.14

Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that current situation in
the world demands well-coordinated actions taken by the Collective
Security Treaty Organization CSTO member states.

“Our summit is being held at a quite difficult period of time,
the situation in the world is changing dynamically, old problems
are becoming acuter, but unfortunately, new ones are emerging and
global security system is deforming,” the Russian head of state said,
opening the CSTO summit at the Kremlin on Tuesday, reports the news
agency TASS.

“All this demands from the CSTO member states well-coordinated joint
measures to ensure security of our countries and the region as a
whole to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, cross-border crime and
prevent natural and man-made disasters,” he said.

Speaking about Afghanistan, Putin voiced concern over the situation.

The member-countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
should be ready for adequate and preventive measures to counter
threats from Afghanistan, Putin said at the CSTO summit.

“The current situation arouses concern. Militants from the Islamic
State terrorist group make a stab at including some provinces of
Afghanistan into the so-called Islamic Caliphate,” he said. “Terrorist
and extremist groups are trying to extend their activities in Central
Asia,” Putin said.

“Under these conditions, the CSTO countries should be ready for
adequate, preventive measures,” he said. “It is necessary to pay
growing attention to the Tajik-Afghan border and provide financial and
material aid to Tajikistan for upgrading its Armed Forces,” Putin said.

“We should continue cooperation with Afghanistan to fight the drug
threat,” he adde. Over the last years, over 1,000 Afghan law enforcers
have undergone training in Russia. The special operation codenamed
“Channel” is conducted annually to stop drug trafficking. In 2014,
over 17 tons of drugs were confiscated, Putin said.

“The CSTO should intensify close interaction with Afghanistan.

Moreover, the completing withdrawal of international forces increases
the security risks for the whole region,” he said.

“We seek to see Afghanistan prosperous and neutral. We believe that
the new Afghan leadership will do its best to stabilize the situation
in the country,” Putin said.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS: “LATEST FINANCIAL CRISIS IS ONE MORE REASON TO SHIFT POWER IN ARMENIA”

by Tatevik Shahunyan

ARMINFO
Tuesday, December 23, 11:35

The financial sector instability in Armenia, not least, the
unprecedented fall in the national currency in late November –
early December, has revealed the evils of the economic system, the
oppositional Armenian National Congress (ANC) says in a statement.

According to ANC, the key reason of the current financial instability
is the economic system that has been monopolized by oligarchs. The
system has survived due to foreign transfers only.

In addition, the statement says, the Central Bank’s years-long policy
of artificial appreciation of the national dram has reduced the state
reserves to the dangerous minimum. The reserves have decreased by $500
million over the last year. “Another reason of the current situation
is the constantly growing state debt amid declining investments,”
the ANC says in the statement.

The authors of the statement are sure that the Government and
the Central Bank failed to take timely and effective measures to
stabilize the situation in the financial market. “For instance,
a similar situation in neighboring Georgia was settled within a few
days, while the crisis in Armenia continued for a month,” ANC says.

All this, as the authors of the statement say, resulted in price hikes
and inflation. “It was not the sagging dram that caused price hikes.

Simply, the businesspersons ‘affiliated with’ the authorities took
advantage of the mess and decided to gain extra profits. This has
greatly affected the population and can plunge many more people into
poverty. The authorities are responsible for what is taking place in
the country. This regime of clans cares for its own interests only and
constitutes threat to Armenia. Out task number one is to overthrow it,”
the oppositionists say in the statement.

IRAN, ARMENIA TO COOPERATE IN CONSTRUCTION OF HYDRO, WIND GENERATORS

IRNA – Islamic Rep. News Agency, Iran
December 19, 2014 Friday

Tehran

Iran and Armenia will cooperate in various economic fields, including
construction of hydro and wind generators, power transfer lines,
Aras River environmental protection issues, railway construction,
and mines’ exploration.

Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian announced the news on Tuesday
evening on the sidelines of the Iran-Armenia 12th Joint Economic
Cooperation Commission in Tehran.

“Four committees of the commission focused on cooperation in banking,
financial, and investment, transportation, rural development,
agricultural, cultural, tourism, health, oil and gas, water, and
environmental issues, and a special joint committee was established
to focus on the construction of a hydro electrical power generator
over the Aras River,” said Chitchian.

Voicing satisfaction over the outcomes of this round of talks,
the Iranian minister expressed the hope that the joint commission’s
general achievement will further broaden the two countries’ economic
and financial transactions.

The Armenian Energy and Natural Resources Minister Yerevan Zakharian,
too, referred to the articles of the two countries’ economic
cooperation agreement, particularly in energy field.

“We hope the major part of the agreed issues, especially the Magri
hydro electrical power generator, will be implemented as of the
beginning of the next month,” he added.

Minister Zakharain said that presently Armenia is transferring one
billion kilowatt hours of electricity each year to Iran, expressing
hope that that amount will increase after the completion of the third
power transfer line between the two countries.