Author: nina hovnanian

Hayots Ashkarh: Armenia’s biggest taxpayers as of Jan-Jun 2014

10:46 * 26.07.14

Below is an excerpt from the paper’s report commenting on the Finance
Ministry’s recent findings of Armenia’s biggest taxpayers of
January-June 2014.

“The report found that the 5,000 big companies in Armenia paid to the
State Budget around 326 billion Drams (about $ 900,000,000), which
makes up 67.5 percent of the tax revenues. In comparison with last
year, big [business’] taxes have increased by 12.1 billion Drams
(approx $300,650,000) or 3.8 percent.

“In terms of the amounts paid, the main taxpayer is Gazprom Armenia
whose taxes almost 2.5 times topped the duties of the second company
on the major [taxpayers’] list. In the first six months of this year,
Gazprom Armenia transferred over 23.9 billion Drams to the State
Budget. The company’s payments have increased by 4.5 billion Drams
(approx $11,000,000), the growth being mainly due to the increased
tariffs in the internal networks.

“The second major company is again [the telephone operator] K-Telecom,
which transferred over 10.2 billion Drams to the Budget. Though the
company’s payments sharply increased compared to the first quarter,
the biquarterly result is far below the record observed in the same
period of last year. It is noteworthy that K-Telecom paid around 11.2
billion Drams to the Budget in the first two quarters of 2013.

“The other major company in the telecommunications sector, ArmenTel,
had [tax] duties of around 8.6 million Drams, the positive balance
amounting to 1.1 billion.

“Orange Armenia’s taxes have seen an increase too. They have grown
twice to 2.4 billion Drams since last year. A serious growth was also
observed in the tax duties of Ucom, another company in the sector. In
the first two quarters, this company transferred over 1.4 billion
Drams against the 680 million paid last year.

“The third major taxpayer is Alex Grig, the company owned by
businessman[-MP] Samvel Alexanyan. While this company paid 5.2 billion
to the State budget in the first quarter, the amount made 4.4 billion
in the second. The quarterly results reveal tax duties worth 9.6
billion Drams, 2.9 billion more than last year.”

Armenian News – Tert.am

ARMENIENS
Les Arméniens du Hamshen (Turquie) vont publier leur premier mensuel

En Turquie, un groupe d’Arméniens du Hamshen (Arméniens islamisés
peuplant la région du Hamshen sur les bords de la mer Noire) s’apprête
à publier le premier mensuel des Arméniens du Hamshen. Avec la volonté
par ce mensuel, de transmettre les valeurs et la culture des > (Arméniens du Hamshen).

Ces Arméniens sont réunis sous l’enseigne de l’association > ce
qui en langage des Arméniens du Hamshen signifie >.
Le groupe demande à l’ensemble de la communauté des Arméniens du
Hamshen de collaborer en envoyant des articles au journal. 90 % des
articles seront dédiés aux Arméniens du Hamshen selon les rédacteurs.
Les Arméniens islamisés qui peuplent les régions de Turquie bordant la
mer Noire sont estimés à plusieurs centaines de milliers de membres.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 26 juillet 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

Azerbaijan will not run the risk of withdrawing from OSCE Minsk Group
– Arman Melikyan

21:30 * 25.07.14

Despite Azerbaijan voicing its discontent with the Nagorno-Karabakh
peace process and the Minsk Group (MG) format, ex-FM of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Arman Melikyan told Tert.am that
Azerbaijan will not run the risk of leaving the MG format.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are calling for an Armenian-Azerbaijani
presidential meeting. Is Azerbaijan able to have the Minsk Group
dissolved, and will the co-chairing countries allow it to?

“Azerbaijan could pull out of the negotiations within the Minsk Group.
But it could only happen if Azerbaijan finally decides in favor of one
of the camps, which are in a state of political confrontation now. It
has to choose between Russia and the West, and any such decision in
the present situation could prove fateful for Azerbaijan’s President
Ilham Aliyev and his inner circles. I think he will prefer not running
the risk.”

US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick restated the need
for such a meeting. But Azerbaijan states that resuming hostilities is
the only alternative. Official Yerevan is silent. Are there any
reasons for the sides’ avoiding a meeting?

“Armenia does not refuse a meeting because expecting it to produce any
real results would be naïve. The sides’ positions are radically
different and there are no real grounds for bringing them closer to
each other now. The issue is actually settled for the Armenian side,
and it is Azerbaijan that is dissatisfied with the current situation
and is trying to change it by exerting pressures on the two Armenian
sides and on the co-chairs. It is Azerbaijan that could decide to
resume hostilities. But Azerbaijan’s leadership will not make such a
decision without most serious external guarantees.”

The French and US co-chairs’ efforts are obvious to persuade the sides
into starting talks, whereas Russia does not seem to be interested.
What could this suggest?

“Each side is playing its own game. In this context, we can recall
that, during Dmitri Medvedev’s presidency, it was Russia that, as the
Minsk Group co-chairing country, was the initiator of regular
Armenian-Azerbaijani presidential meetings.”

Some say that Azerbaijan could resume hostilities with Russia’s
support as, by fanning war in the region it could block the West’s way
to alternative oil resources. Is such a scenario possible and will
Armenia’s military partner, Russia, support Armenia?

“Oil-related issues are normally made use of for concealing
superpowers’ actually objectives and programs. There is no global oil
deficit now. As to the confidence in Russia’s support to Armenia in
case of war with Azerbaijan, if Azerbaijan decides in favor of Russia,
it could refuse to honor its commitments as Armenia’s ally. I do not
consider such a scenario highly probable. All possible scenarios
should just be considered.”

Armenian News – Tert.am

Tree that bears 40 different fruit: magical-looking plant produces
varieties of peaches, plums, apricots, cherries

18:40 * 25.07.14

Incredible ‘magical’ trees that bear 40 different varieties of fruit have
been popping up all over US, the Daily Mail reports.

These trees – which can simultaneously produce different varieties of
peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines and cherries – look ordinary
throughout most of the year.

But in spring, they bloom into a stunning patchwork of colors, with each
tree featuring its own unique selection of stone fruit.

They are the work of Syracuse University sculptor and artist Sam Van Aken
who created the trees in an attempt to make people reconsider how food can
be produced.

The project began in 2008 when Mr Van Aken discovered that a New York state
orchard, which held varieties of stone fruit 200-years-old, was to be
abandoned.

In hopes of saving it, the artist bought the orchard, and soon after
started experimenting with something known as ‘chip grafting.’

The process involves taking a sliver off a tree, including the bud, and
inserting that into a cut in the working tree.

The foreign tree part is then taped and left to heal over the winter. Mr
Van Aken explained that most stone-fruits are easily compatible.

What he came up with is ‘The Tree of 40 Fruit’, which is in fact, not one
tree, but a series of hybridised fruit plants.

So far, Mr Van Aken has created and placed 16 trees in museums, community
centres and private art collections around the U.S..

In spring, the trees blossom in shades of pink, crimson and white, and in
summer, they bear a range of stone fruit.

‘I’ve been told by people that have [a tree] at their home that it provides
the perfect amount and perfect variety of fruit,’ Mr Van Aken told Lauren
Salkeld at Epicurios.

‘So rather than having one variety that produces more than you know what to
do with, it provides good amounts of each of the 40 varieties.

‘Since all of these fruit ripen at different times, from July through
October, you also aren’t inundated,’ he said.

Mr Van Aken’s trees can be seen in cities across the U.S., including Santa
Fe, New Mexico; Short Hills, New Jersey; Louisville, Kentucky and Pound
Ridge, New York.

Will Moscow Get a “Thank You” From Yerevan, Astana, Bishkek, Dushanbe,
and Minsk?

07.25.2014 15:40 epress.am

Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to recognize the
Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) as a military-political
alliance, thus justifying the conduct of CSTO allies, which refused to
support Russia’s position both in the August 2008 war with Georgia and
during the current events surrounding Ukraine. This is the conclusion
reached by Russian journalist Arkady Dubnov, who quoted an excerpt
from the Russian president’s speech at the Russian Security Council
meeting on his Facebook page.

Dubnov writes:

“‘Russia, thank god, is not a member of any alliance,’ Putin said.
‘This is also one of the substantial guarantees of our sovereignty.
Any country that enters into alliances immediately loses a part of its
sovereignty.’

“Political analyst Fyodor Lukyanov, responding to these remarks,
continues. ‘We have to thank god that we’re alone.’

“His arguments are obvious. Russia’s attempts to define its identity,
to clarify what the Russian world is and what form of expansion in the
former territories is relevant, by definition, are incompatible with
finding allies.

“In this case, we must pay tribute to the Russian president: he called
things by their proper names, but not all of them he uttered aloud.

“After all, Putin thus disavowed the Collective Security Treaty
Organisation as a military-political alliance, thus justifying the
behavior of CSTO allies, which refused to unequivocally support
Russia’s position in the August war with Georgia, as well as during
current events around Ukraine.

“It’s hard to say whether Moscow will receive a ‘thank you’ from
Minsk, Astana, Bishkek, Dushanbe, and Yerevan for further indulgence,
for the right to opt out of solidarity in the search for a Russian
identity foreign to them.

“On the other hand, the allied capitals can now not be afraid to admit
out loud that their relations with Russia in the framework of the CSTO
are not an alliance, but a misalliance, an unequal marriage.”

Stepanakert Hosts Conference on Education for Non-Recognized States

Friday, July 25th, 2014

Stepanakert, Artsakh

STEPANAKERT (UNPO)–The Ministry of Education and Science of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic and the Artsakh State University organized
an International Conference on 27-29 June entitled “Education without
Discrimination: Bologna Context.” The event took place in Stepanakert,
the capital of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and brought together
government officials and lawmakers from Armenia, Pridnestrovian
Moldavian Republic (Transnistria), Nagorno Karbakh (Artsakh), Basque
Country, and Flanders, in addition to international experts,
researchers and students from different parts of the world.

The main purpose of the conference was to address the issue of equal
rights to education and the principle of non-discrimination,
specifically as it relates to education. Discussions were held around
this basic human right issue, which is mandated in the UN Convention
against Discrimination in Education, the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights
of the Child, and other international documents. During the
conference, the right to education was portrayed as a core aspect and
facilitator of tolerance, cooperation, and as a peaceful conflict
resolution mechanism. The conference focused moreover on the current
national and international policies for integration and participation
to the Bologna process for unrecognized states such as Abkhazia, South
Ossetia, Kosovo and Nagorno Karabakh.

The conference highlighted the importance of cooperation within a
single European Higher Education Area, especially when it comes to the
integration of non-recognized states. Dr. Torosyan from Yerevan State
University took the floor and stressed the importance of institutional
reforms, marking the peculiarities in post-conflict countries.

The participants agreed that the right to education and the creation
of a single European Higher Education Area without discrimination
should be implemented in terms of development of stable, peaceful and
democratic societies. Within this framework, non-recognized states
should be ensured to have access to the Bologna process.

Eurasian Economic Union Project Won’t Become a Reality, Says Jirair
Sefilian: Hetq.am

07.25.2014 20:04 epress.am

The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is a stillborn project — it will not
become a reality, Pre-Parliament member, Karabakh War veteran Jirair
Sefilian said in an interview with Hetq.am, commenting on Armenian
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan’s statement that Armenia will become a
full member of the EEU on January 1, 2015.

“The words of any representative of the regime, including the
aforementioned man, have no value. They have repeatedly proven this.
Their ringleader doesn’t consider it necessary to inform his gang
about the orders received from his foreign owners, much less discuss
them with them. On the other hand, it’s obvious that the matter of
Armenia’s accession is delayed, which itself should be considered a
positive circumstance. However, the reason for these delays,
unfortunately, is not Armenia’s sovereign position, since a sovereign
Armenia doesn’t exist for Russia today,” he said.

In Sefilian’s opinion, the main reason for the delay is the “Azerbaijan factor”.

“Russia seeks to persuade or oblige Azerbaijan to join the EEU and, in
all likelihood, the Russian side has decided that Armenia’s entry into
the EEU must be together with Azerbaijan. Even if Azerbaijan doesn’t
officially announce about joining the EEU, only after a verbal promise
from its leadership is received will Armenia enter this union. I think
the delays in the process of Armenia joining the EEU will continue and
one day we will hear that this project has vanished”

“At the same time, we have to be very careful and vigilant, since
though the EEU project is stillborn, Russia, nevertheless, draws us in
the latest Russian-Turkish dalliance taking place in that process, so
that it can trade with Turkey and Azerbaijan at our expense. Russia
seeking to destabilize the region and introducing troops in Artsakh
for this purpose is not ruled out,” he said.

In Mosul Islamists downed Armenian church’s cross and turned it into
preaching center

13:56, 25 July, 2014

YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS. In the northern regions of Iraq the Sunni
jihadist group that had proclaimed the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant (ISIL), downed the Armenian church’s cross and turned it into a
preaching center. As reports “Armenpress” the Turkish Media365 news site
informs about this.

It is noted that in the place of the cross the militants of the ISIL have
fixed the flag of their organization.

The site reports also that the ISIL militants issued a fatwa (religious
edict) under which about 4 million girls and women, aged 11 – 46, under
their control must be subjected to forced female circumcision. In the
cities of the “Islamic state” tobacco and hookah smoking is prohibited, all
the restaurants are closed, women are obliged to wear a headscarf.

Obituary: Albert Sarkissian (1917-2014)

By Contributor on July 24, 2014

Albert Sarkissian

Albert Sarkissian was born on Feb. 12, 1917, in an Armenian community
that was then in Russian Ashkabad. Albert was the son of Shooshanik
Hovsepian (born in Shushi) and Vaghinak Sarkissian (born in Tabriz).
Albert and his sister, Seda, were orphaned at a young age. Although
they lived with family, they needed to learn to fend for themselves
very early in life. Albert joined the army at age 16 and served as a
communications specialist. He spent most of his childhood in Iran
where he met his future wife, Lena Aganoor.

Albert and Lena were married on Aug. 6, 1943 and were inseparable
partners for 65 years. They had three children–Susan, Sofia, and Leo.
Collectively there are seven grandchildren, several of whom are
married: Susan and Ray Bagdasarian, with children, Laura and Greg
Srebotnik and Robert and Karen Bagdasarian, and great-grandchildren
Nicole and Matthew; Sofie and Marv Gough, with children, Kristen and
Thomas Aikman, and great grandson, Noah; Greg Gough; Alissa and
Michael Ray, and great grandsons Xavier and Xander; and Leo and Mary
Sarkissian, with children Heather and Matt Saforrian and Hailey
Sarkissian.

Albert worked diligently his entire life, always taking advantage of
educational opportunities, even when working full-time. The
opportunity to further his family’s and his personal education was a
driving factor in his decision to move to New York City in 1958 with
his wife and three young children.

He believed strongly in education. In New York, he attended RCA
institute while working full-time, so that he could advance himself as
an electronics engineer. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the New
York Institute of Technology and later, as a graduate, was an
instructor at the successor to the RCA Institute. Albert served as
vice president and plant manager of an electronics firm in Queens,
N.Y., for many years. In the early 1970’s, he established and became
the president of Hybrid Semiconductors, Inc. The U.S government was
one of the company’s primary customers.

In retirement in the 1990’s, he and his wife left New York to live
close to the Armenian community in Watertown, Mass. There they
attended many events and seminars hosted by the church, the Armenian
Library and Museum of America (ALMA), the National Association for
Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), the Armenian Cultural
Foundation (ACF), and other organizations.

Although his career was in electronics, in retirement Albert returned
to literature and journalism in his volunteer and personal activities.
As a “Researcher of Armenian Studies,” he authored and published a
book titled, Contemplations, Free Masons and British Anti-Armenian
Activities in 2003. He sent copies of the book to Armenian libraries
and groups across the world.

For years he was active in the Armenian church, serving on the board
of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York and attending many church
national assemblies. Albert was a member of St. Stephan’s Armenian
Church, active in the Armenian Revisionary Federation (ARF), and was a
volunteer at ALMA and the Hairenik newspaper. He felt strongly about
Armenian independence and Armenian education. He and his wife traveled
to Armenia twice in later years.

Albert always had time for his family. One of his major roles was
“chauffer,” dropping off and picking up his children, wife, and
sister-in-law often on a daily basis. He was protective of his
daughters and would not want them driving with friends (so, he would
often drive them to the mall or the movies, and wait in the car if
need be, reading or doing his engineering homework).
In addition to his family, he was fortunate to have many good friends,
both from the Armenian community and work. He was a man of strong
principles, reflected in his commitment to his Armenian heritage, his
adopted country, his family, church, and friends.

Wine-Making Prospects: Specialist predicts increased volumes, lower
quality of wine after Armenia joins EEU

Economy | 25.07.14 | 15:31

By Sara Khojoyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

Joining the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) will somewhat increase grape
production in Armenia, as well as wine and brandy production volumes,
however, because grape cultivating resources are limited in the
country existence of markets might result in falsifications of
products, winemaker Avag Harutyunyan told reporters on Friday.
Enlarge Photo

The President of the Winemakers’ Union of Armenia said that compared
to last year this year 10 percent more grapes will be procured, and 20
percent more brandy and 30 percent more wine will be produced and
respectively exported. However, according to Harutyunyan, such growth
will be difficult to provide constantly for the coming years.

According to experts in the field, the Russian market has perspectives
in terms of volume and profit, however, not so much in terms of
developing winemaking, because it will encourage the culture of
producing cheap wine, and some time later winemakers will be facing
the problem of producing the necessary amount of wine.

“Neither land, nor water or energy resources allow us to compete with
cheap wine producers. We have limited resources of grape fields, and
we produce respectively, and if the EEU tells us to bring our brandy
what are we going to do? We are going to falsify,” he explained.

“Everyone is content, everyone is happy – more wine will be sold, but
cheap wine will be sold, and the producers will not try to increase
the quality of the wine and sell it more expensively,” he added
bringing the example of Georgia, which, before obstacles were made to
it in Russia, falsified 40 million bottles of wine and exported to
Russia, in the case when it had a potential for only 20 million
bottles.

At the same time, the winemaker thinks that the Russian obstacle made
the country search for ways to produce better quality wine due to
which by last year Georgia had exported 15 million bottles of
high-quality wine to European countries.

A long-term solution for Armenia in this sense, Harutyunyan thinks, is
providing political and economic guarantees, so that investments are
made in this sphere, however, the winemaker is skeptical about it.