Author: nina hovnanian

SIX ARMENIANS ON FORBES WORLD BILLIONAIRES LIST

17:53 04.03.2014

There are six Armenian in the World’s Billionaires list published by
Forbes on March 3. Kirk Kirkoryan (328th) is still the world’s richest
Armenia with an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion. The other Armenian
billionaires are Samvel Karapetyan (345th), Danil Khachaturov (663rd),
Eduardo Eurnekian (931st) and Sergei Sarkisov and Nikolai Sarkisov
(both ranked1465th).

The ranks of the world’s billionaires continue to scale new heights-and
stretch to new corners of the world. The global wealth team found
1,645 billionaires with an aggregate net worth of $6.4 trillion,
up from $5.4 trillion a year ago. In total, there are 172 women on
the list, more than ever before and up from 138 last year.

Bill Gates is back on top after a four-year hiatus, reclaiming the
title of world’s richest person from telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu
of Mexico, who ranked No. 1 for the past four years. Gates, whose
fortune rose by $9 billion in the past year, has held the top spot
for 15 of the past 20 years. Spanish clothing retailer Amancio Ortega
(best known for the Zara fashion chain) retains the No. 3 spot for
the second year in a row, extending his lead over Warren Buffett,
who is again No. 4. American gambling tycoon Sheldon Adelson, who
added $11.5 billion to his pile, makes it back into the top ten for
the first time since 2007. Another first: A record net worth of $31
billion was needed to make the top 20, up from $23 billion last year.

Kirk Kirkoryan, a hotel magnate is still making money — even at
the age of 96. Despite selling $750 million worth of shares of MGM
International Resorts in recent years, the Chairman emeritus (till
owns nearly one-fifth its shares, which have nearly doubled in the
past year — helping boost his net worth by $1.2 billion.

Samvel Karapetyan heads the Tashir Group, a real estate firm that
owns 27 shopping centers, seven office complexes, and seven hotels.

In late 2013 Danil Khachaturov listed shares in his insurance giant
Rosgosstrakh, one of Russia’s highest-volume insurers, on the Moscow
Exchange. Khachaturov studied construction and finance at Moscow
schools and went to work at privately-held BIN Bank and then at
Slavneft, an oil company led at the time by billionaire Mikhail
Gutseriev.

Through the years, Eduardo Eurnekian, now 71, has proven he is a
flexible businessman and entrepreneur. The son of Armenian immigrants,
he first delved into the textiles industry, and then the cable TV
business in the 1980s.

Sergei Sarkisov got his start at the Soviet state insurance firm
Ingosstrakh. In 1991 he founded his own insurer, RESO-Garantiya where
he serves as chairman of the board.

Nikolai Sarkisov, the younger brother of billionaire Sergei Sarkisov,
oversees the largest clients at Sergei’s insurance company,
RESO-Garantiya. The brothers own 63% of the company, while French
insurer AXA owns the remaining 37%.

REVUE DE PRESSE N°2 – 03/03/14 – COLLECTIF VAN

Publié le : 03-03-2014

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN [Vigilance
Arménienne contre le Négationnisme] vous propose une revue de presse
des informations parues dans la presse francophone, sur les thèmes
concernant la Turquie, le génocide arménien, la Shoah, le génocide
des Tutsi, le Darfour, le négationnisme, l’Union européenne, Chypre,
etc… Nous vous suggérons également de prendre le temps de lire ou
de relire les informations et traductions mises en ligne dans notre
rubrique Par
ailleurs, certains articles en anglais, allemand, turc, etc, ne
sont disponibles que dans la newsletter Word que nous générons
chaque jour.

Pour la recevoir, abonnez-vous a la Veille-Média : c’est gratuit !

Vous recevrez le document du lundi au vendredi dans votre boîte email.

Bonne lecture.

Collectif VAN : l’éphéméride du 3 mars Info Collectif VAN –
– La rubrique “Ephéméride” du Collectif VAN a
été lancée le 6 décembre 2010. Elle recense la liste d’événements
survenus a une date donnée, a différentes époques de l’Histoire, sur
les thématiques que l’association suit au quotidien. L’éphéméride
du Collectif VAN repose sur des informations en ligne sur de nombreux
sites (les sources sont spécifiées sous chaque entrée). ” 3 mars
1915 — Syrie/Empire ottoman. Témoignages de Zareh E. Ghougassian
sur les scènes de la vie des déportés de Ras ul-Aïn : ” Les
abords des tentes étaient jonchés de cadavres. Chaque jour, ce
spectacle effroyable se répétait sous nos yeux: en moyenne, cent
vingt personnes décédaient quotidiennement. Toutes les surfaces
environnantes du camp de tentes s’étaient transformées en cimetière
pour les Arméniens. Cette situation pénible dura trois mois. Le
3 mars, les autorités firent annoncer que dès le lendemain la
population serait transférée a Mossoul et qu’il fallait être
prêt. ””

Les Ã~Itats-Unis se préparent a moderniser leur arsenal nucléaire en
Turquie Les Etats-Unis envisagent de remplacer leur arsenal d’armes
nucléaires, stockées a la base turque d’Incirlik, par de nouvelles
bombes. Les bombes B61 seront remplacées par les bombes modernisées
B61-12. La principale différence entre le nouveau dispositif consiste
en une modification de section de la queue, ce qui permet un ciblage
actif.

Turquie : réforme la justice sur fond de scandale de corruption
au gouvernement Le président turc promulgue une loi controversée
qui renforce l’emprise du gouvernement islamo-conservateur sur la
justice. Abdullah Gul permet notamment au ministre de la Justice de
nommer des magistrats et d’avoir la mainmise sur le Haut conseil des
juges et des procureurs, l’une des plus hautes instances judiciaires
du pays.

Article du journal franco-turc Zaman – 03/03/2014 – 1 Le Collectif
VAN relaye ici les articles du journal franco-turc Zaman (équivalent
du Today’s Zaman en langue anglaise, diffusé en Turquie).

Attention : ces articles ne sont pas commentés de notre part. Il
s’agit pour l’essentiel de traductions des versions turque et anglaise
du Zaman, journal proche du parti au pouvoir (AKP). “La diffusion
sur les réseaux sociaux d’une série de conversations attribuées
au Premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan a complètement chamboulé
l’agenda politique de la Turquie”.

L’antisémitisme a baissé en 2013, mais pas assez pour les
associations Une personne juive en France risque toujours davantage
qu’une autre d’être un jour agressée, menacée ou insultée. Selon
les chiffres du dernier rapport mené par le Service de protection
de la communauté juive (SPCJ), les juifs, qui représentent 1%
de la population, sont l’objet de 40% des actes de violences racistes.

L’info vue par la TRT (3) Le Collectif VAN vous propose cet article
publié sur la TRT (Télévision & Radio de Turquie). Les articles
de ce site ne sont pas commentés de notre part. Ils peuvent contenir
des propos négationnistes envers le génocide arménien ou d’autres
informations a prendre sous toute réserve. “Le ministre des Affaires
étrangères Ahmet Davutoglu a partagé ses impressions au terme
de ses prises de contact en Ukraine, avec ses interlocuteurs par
téléconférence”.

Angélique Umugwaneza, retour sur le génocide rwandais Chaque semaine,
Karen Lajon, grand reporter au JDD, raconte le combat de femmes
exceptionnelles. Cette semaine, rencontre avec Angélique Umugwaneza,
née au Rwanda en 1980, qui raconte dans un livre sa fuite éperdue
a travers le pays puis le Zaïre et enfin Bangui en Centrafrique.

Les jeunes Arméniens ont manifesté devant l’Ambassade d’Azerbaïdjan
a Washington Le 28 février un groupe de plusieurs dizaines de
manifestants Arméniens -jeunes pour la plupart- de la Fédération
de la jeunesse arménienne, ont protesté devant l’Ambassade
d’Azerbaïdjan a Washington (Etats-Unis) contre le violences
anti-arméniennes exécutées par Bakou a Soumgaït en février 1988
ainsi qu’a Bakou, Kirovabad ou Chahoumian.

Dépêche de l’APA [ 01 Mars 2014 11:39 ] – Agence de Presse
d’Azerbaïdjan Le Collectif VAN vous propose un article de l’APA
(Agence de presse azérie) daté du 1er mars 2014. Les articles
de ce site (écrits généralement dans un francais rudimentaire)
ne sont pas commentés de notre part. Ils peuvent contenir des
propos négationnistes envers le génocide arménien ou d’autres
informations a prendre sous toute réserve. “L’adjoint directeur
du Centre d’études stratégiques (CES) auprès du Président de
l’Azerbaïdjan Gulchan Pachayeva, Chef du Département de l’analyse des
questions de politique étrangère Rovchan Ibrahimov et le chargé de
recherche de ce département Fouad Tchiragov effectueront une visite
a Pakistan, les 3-5 mars”.

Génocide rwandais: l’encombrant ” frère ” tutsi de Pascal
Simbikangwa Depuis quatre semaines que dure son procès, Pascal
Simbikangwa ne cesse de clamer qu’il est ” un homme respectable
”. Vendredi 28 février, un témoin – un témoin tutsi – est enfin
venu appuyer ses dires. A la barre, les premiers mots d’Isaïe
Harintinwari ont été pour remercier celui qu’il aimait comme ”
un frère ” et qui comparaît devant la cour d’assises de Paris pour
complicité de génocide et de crimes de guerre.

L’info vue par la TRT (2) Le Collectif VAN vous propose cet article
publié sur la TRT (Télévision & Radio de Turquie). Les articles
de ce site ne sont pas commentés de notre part. Ils peuvent contenir
des propos négationnistes envers le génocide arménien ou d’autres
informations a prendre sous toute réserve. “Le ministre des Affaires
étrangères Ahmet Davutoglu a réalisé un entretien a huis clos avec
le président de la Coalition nationale des Forces de la Révolution
et de l’Opposition syrienne Ahmed Jarba”.

Retour a la rubrique

LE PARTI REPUBLICAIN ENVISAGE UN > AVEC LE NOUVEAU GOUVERNEMENT EN UKRAINE

ARMENIE

Erevan a l’intention d’avoir des contacts avec le gouvernement
interimaire de l’Ukraine forme après le renversement du president
Viktor Ianoukovitch a declare jeudi un haut representant du Parti
republicain d’Armenie (HHK).

> a declare Hovannes Sahakian, un membre important du HHK.

>,
a-t-il dit au service armenien de RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am), commentant
la reaction prudente de l’Armenie au changement de regime dramatique
a Kiev qui a suivi des affrontements meurtriers entre les forces de
securite et les manifestants anti-Ianoukovitch.

Interroge pour savoir si le gouvernement armenien cherche le type de
relation avec la nouvelle direction de l’Ukraine qu’elle a eu avec M.

Ianoukovitch, Sahakian a declare :

ARMENIA SPEEDS UP INTEGRATION IN CUSTOMS UNION

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
March 3 2014

3 March 2014 – 2:33pm

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said that the
road map to join the Customs Union will be accomplished by mid-April.

Deputy Minister for Economy Karine Minasyan noted that such a pace
of integration was a result of six years of reforms.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at the Yerkrap Union of
Volunteers that society and investors had no reasons for worries and
should expect progress. He reminded that exports had grown by 7.2%
in 2013, most of it generated by trade with the Customs Union. He
assures that joining it would make their opportunities boundless. It
would open a market with a population of 200 million for a country
with a population of 3 million.

Vladimir Lepekhin, Director of the EurAsEC Institute, said that about
50% of food was imported, mostly from the EU, Ukraine and Belarus. He
believes that food from Armenia has a good chance to find its place
in the Russian market and optimize prices. Instability in Ukraine
gives even more opportunities.

Oleg Noginsky, Chairman of the board of Suppliers of the Customs
Union, calls Armenia competitive, in terms of food and alcohol
products. Prices for Armenian goods are 2.5-3 times lower than average
in Russia, except the Krasnodar Territory. The expert noted that the
question was whether Armenia had enough products to fill the market.

He reminded that neither Belarus, nor Russia (except Kuban) grow
enough fruits and vegetables. Noginsky added that Armenian food
products were better quality than Turkish.

ZHOGHOVURD : ARMENIA STATE DEBT GROWS BY $2.2 MILLION IN ONE MONTH

March 01, 2014

YEREVAN. – The authorities have increased Armenia’s state debt by
more than 2.2 million dollars in one month, Zhoghovurd daily reports.

“According to the Armenian National Statistical Service data, in the
case when Armenia’s state debt was 4,588,000 dollars as of December
31, 2013, it has become 4,590,000 dollars on January 1 of this year.

“The government’s external debt–3.4 billion dollars–and the Central
Bank’s [debt]–505 million dollars–is especially large,” Zhoghovurd
writes.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

VARDAN OSKANIAN: ARMENIA CANNOT TAKE THE LIBERTY OF WAITING UNTIL THE NEXT ALL-REPUBLICAN ELECTIONS

by Tatevik Shahunyan

ARMINFO
Monday, March 3, 16:42

The speech of the first president of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, at
the rally of the Armenian National Congress on 1 March at the Liberty
Square of Yerevan, became the detailed continuation of the points
put forward by the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party, Gagik
Tsarukyan, at the PAP congress, Armenia’s former foreign minister,
a member of the parliament from the PAP faction, Vardan Oskanian,
wrote at his page in Facebook.

He said that in their speeches both politicians put stress at the
crisis in the social and economic situation in the republic and offered
the painless ways out from it. Oskanian offered the only right way
out of the created situation – consolidation of civil society and
political forces. “I think that any leadership which is not sold on
an idea of preserving their power by all means, should welcome the
idea of the pan-national consolidation, which will promote raising
of international image of the republic”, – Oskanian assured.

He recalled that the next all-republican election in Armenia will
be held in 2017-2018. “However, Armenia does not have such a time
potential as well as human, economic and political resources for
waiting for such a long time, especially taking into consideration
the bitter experience of the past elections. For this reason,
the all-national demand to the government to resign is the only
logical way out from the created situation”, – he said and added
thatthe next step for recovering of the situation in the republic
should be formation of the new government on the basis of the four
non-coalition parliamentary forces (Prosperous Armenia Party, Armenian
National Congress, Heritage party and ARFD) with participation of
representatives of civilian sector and out of parliament forces.

TURKEY PASSES LAW TO SHUT DOWN SCHOOLS RUN BY ERDOGAN ARCH RIVAL FETHULLAH GULEN

March 1, 2014

AFP – Turkey’s parliament has passed a bill to close down thousands
of private schools, many of which are run by an influential Muslim
cleric embroiled in a bitter feud with the government.

In a late-night session on Friday, lawmakers in the 550-seat house
voted 226 for and 22 against the bill which sets 1 September, 2015
as the deadline to shut down the network of schools.

The row between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his former
ally, cleric Fethullah Gulen, erupted in November when government
first floated the idea of shutting down the schools, a major source
of income for Gulen’s Hizmet movement.

In December a corruption scandal erupted in which dozens of Erdogan’s
allies were detained in police raids on allegations of bribery in
construction projects, gold smuggling and illicit dealings with Iran.

Erdogan accused so-called Gulenists implanted in Turkey’s police
and judiciary of being behind the graft probe in a bid to undermine
his government.

He retaliated by sacking hundreds of police and prosecutors believed
to be linked to the movement run by Gulen, who lives in self-imposed
exile in the United States.

The corruption crisis, which dragged down four ministers and prompted a
cabinet shake-up, has rattled the feathers of Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted
government ahead of a highly-charged election year beginning with
key local polls in March.

Government has also accused Gulenists of wiretapping thousands of
influential people – including the prime minister, the spy chief
and journalists.

The schools law comes on the heels of several other measures driven by
Erdogan’s government, which has pushed through legislation tightening
state control over the Internet and the judiciary, generating criticism
at home and abroad and raising questions about the state of democracy
in Turkey.

Gulen, who has been living in the United States since 1999 to escape
charges of plotting against the secular state by the then-government,
has denied any involvement in the corruption probe.

Gulen’s Hizmet (Service) movement – which describes itself as a global,
social and cultural movement inspired by Islamic ideals – is active
in education with around 4,000 private schools in Turkey as well as
more than 500 around the world, mostly in the United States of America.

SOME 220,000 ARMENIAN LABOR MIGRANTS WILL HAVE TO RETURN HOME BECAUSE OF NEW RUSSIAN IMMIGRATION LAW

YEREVAN, March 3. / ARKA /. Some 220,000 Armenian citizens will have
to return home because of a new Russian immigration law that came
into force from January 1, a demographer Ruben Yeganyan told a news
conference today.

Under the new law, migrants in Russia, including from Armenia, can
remain in the territory of the Russian Federation for only 90 days
within every 180 days.

Yeganyan said to the best of his knowledge, some 50,0000 Armenian
citizens have been banned already from entering Russia in the next
3-5 years. Besides, another 170,000 citizens of Armenia have violated
the immigration laws of Russia also facing a ban on entry into Russia.

Yeganyan said the vast majority of these persons are labor migrants
who will join the local army of jobless people once they return home.

He said while these migrants worked in Russia, members of their
families continued to live in Armenia. When back home they will have
no other choice but to leave with their families for other countries
for permanent residence that would further exacerbate the demographic
situation in Armenia.

According to him, a most likely solution to this problem is to grant
Armenian labor migrants in Russia some privileges. -0-

– See more at:

BAKU RESENTFUL OVER OSCE MG CO-CHAIR’S TWEET ON SUMGAIT

March 3, 2014 – 16:38 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Baku expressed resentment over a Twitter post of
the U.S. Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, commemorating the Sumgait
pogroms.

“We also remember Sumgait. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan should support
people-to-people programs to develop tolerance and trust,” James
Warlick tweeted.

According to APA, Azeri Foreign Ministry was fast to react to the
post. “Unrests happened in Sumgait, but the causes, context, facts
and realities are completely different,” Deputy Foreign Minister Araz
Azimov said, commenting on Warlick’s post.

As Azimov noted, Warlick also shared his views on the so-called
“Khojalu genocide” on Twitter. “Twitter is not a place to discuss
Khojalu,” Azimov added.

“On the date of the Khojalu tragedy, we are reminded that violence
is not the answer. All parties must work harder for a peaceful
settlement,” said Warlick in his Tweet.

“I can not respond to Warlick on Twitter, because the message on
Twitter must consist of only 120 letters. Warlick has recently been
appointed to this post and should view the realities of the conflict,”
Azimov said.

NOVATE.RU: OLD JULFA KHACHKARS IN 5 MAJOR VANDALIZED MASTERPIECES LIST

March 3, 2014 – 15:14 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Novate.ru Russian website released a list of 5 Major
Masterpieces Vandalized in the 21th Century, which included ancient
Armenian khachkars in Nakhichevan’s Old Jugha (Julfa) demolished
by Azeris.

According to the release, “for a long time, Armenians constituted
a major part of the population of Nakhijevan region (now a part of
Azerbaijan). Yet, in early 3rd millennium, mere wrecks of Armenian
architecture reminded of their presence, with the cemetery in Julfa
as the largest one.

“By the end of the 20th century, over 2000 khachkars have been
preserved in the cemetery. The fist attempt at their destruction
came in 1998, to be thwarted by the international community’s harsh
response. Another act of vandalism was perpetrated in 2002, with the
“Armenian issue” finalized in 2005, which saw the cemetery cleared
of khachkars to make room for shooting grounds. Meanwhile, Baku
continues denying the fact of the vandalism, as well as Armenian
history of Nakhijevan, despite significant body of evidence,” the
publication said.