Author: nina hovnanian

NSS: OSKANIAN ADMITS OFFENSE, PROSECUTION DISCONTINUED

NSS: Oskanian admits offense, prosecution discontinued
NEWS | 24.07.13 | 12:08

Photolure

The National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia has discontinued
the criminal case against former Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan
Oskanian after the latter reportedly admitted to misuse of some of
the money allocated to his institution for charity purposes and paid
the due taxes.

In a statement released on Wednesday the NSS said that on July
19 Oskanian testified that he used $250,795 of the money (some $2
million) donated by American philanthropist Jon Hunstman for purely
charity purposes for his private purposes “considering this sum as
his share from the deal”.

Oskanian, the statement said, also paid to the state budget of Armenia
the income tax in the amount of $49,363 estimated by the State Revenues
Committee from the above-mentioned sum of money.

“The criminal case earlier instituted on the ‘money laundering’ count
was re-qualified as ‘large-scale tax evasion’. Taking into account
the fact that Oskanian voluntarily settled his tax obligations,
it was decided to discontinue the criminal prosecution,” the NSS said.

The case was first brought against Oskanian shortly after the
parliamentary elections of May 2012 in which the former foreign
minister participated as a candidate with the ‘alternative’ Prosperous
Armenia Party. In autumn, while the investigation was in progress,
Oskanian was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in a move that
fueled more speculation about the political nature of the prosecution.

All along Oskanian and his aides denied any wrongdoing, claiming that
the case was politically motivated.

Oskanian did not comment immediately on today’s announcement of
the NSS.

SOURCES: MEETING OF LEGAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL OF YEREVAN’S MUNICIPALITY ENDS IN NOTHING
by Marianna Lazarian

Tuesday, July 23, 22:47

The Legal Affairs Council of Yerevan’s Municipality conferred on
Tuesday evening to discuss the Municipality’s recent decision to
raise the public transport fare in Yerevan from 100 AMD to 150 AMD.

Own sources have told ArmInfo that the conference has ended in
nothing. The conferees were at variance as to whether to revise the
decision or not. The debates ended in a clash, with those opposing
the revision leaving the hall.

As was reported earlier, following mass protests against the rise,
Yerevan’s Mayor decided to revise the decision and to reduce the fare
from 150 AMD to 120 AMD.

ARMENIAN BONE MARROW DONOR REGISTRY HONORS STUART SIEGEL, CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

The Beverly Hills Courier, CA
July 23 2013

Posted Tuesday, July 23, 2013-12:45 pm

Last week the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) presented
Stuart Siegel, M.D., of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA),
with the “Establishment of the Year” award at its annual gala at the
Hilton Glendale.

Siegel and his colleague, Neena Kapoor, M.D., director of the
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Program, were instrumental in
helping establish the first autologous transplant program in Yerevan,
the capital of Armenia.

“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of Children’s Hospital.

We have been pleased and grateful to share in this amazing work that
has come so far in meeting the needs of Armenian children who need
hematopoietic stem cell transplants,” said Siegel, founding director
of the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases.

Children receiving intensive chemotherapy as well as children with
certain immunological or blood disorders, may require a stem-cell
transplant. During the transplant, immature blood-forming cells,
called hematopoietic stem cells, are given to the child to “rebuild”
his or her immune system. The harvested cells travel into the bone
marrow, where they will mature and develop into healthy red blood
cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Since transplants ideally require both the donor and recipient carry
the same inherited tissue type, it can be difficult to identify a donor
outside a patient’s immediate family. The most successful alternative
is to search for patient-donor compatibility in an ethnically-similar
population that shares these inherited tissue types.

With the goal of easing the emotional and physical burden placed on
critically ill patients, Frieda Jordan, Ph.D., together with Sevak
Avagyan, M.D., started the ABMDR in 1999 to identify genetic matches
for Armenians.

Siegel, Kapoor and the CHLA hematopoietic stem-cell transplant team
began working with ABMDR in 2001 as they developed the registry.

In 2012, the ABMDR sought the help of Siegel and his colleagues to
equip Yerevan with the technological and educational means needed to
perform autologous transplantation procedures in Armenia. This type
of transplant harvests the patient’s own healthy hematopoietic cells
before cancer treatments, and later returns them to the patient to
replace the bone marrow cells damaged by chemotherapy and radiation.

With the help of Siegel, visiting physicians Andranik Mshetsyan, M.D..,
and Armond Mehdikhanian, M.D., were taught necessary procedures that
would bring this essential treatment option to Armenia.

Mshetsyan received guidance from Robert Seeger, M.D., director of
the Cancer Program at The Saban Research Institute, and trained in
Kapoor’s lab, where he perfected the techniques of cell harvesting,
processing and freezing.

At the conclusion of his stay at Children’s Hospital, Mshetsyan
performed Armenia’s first autologous stem-cell transplant.

“Dr. Siegel was truly a mentor to us, providing a vision for this
most important work. We are also grateful to Dr. Neena Kapoor and her
CHLA team for helping us implement an autologous transplant program
in Armenia,” said Jordan, now president of the Armenian Bone Marrow
Donor Registry.

For more information on the registry, visit

KEITH GAREBIAN AWARDED THE PRESTIGIOUS WILLIAM SAROYAN MEDAL BY THE MINISTER OF DIASPORA IN ARMENIA

Guernica Editions, Canada
July 23 2013

We are so proud to announce that Keith Garebian has been awarded
the prestigious William Saroyan Medal by the Minister of Diaspora
in Armenia at the 5th Conference of Diaspora Armenian Writers Who
Compose In Other Languages, on July 12-15th, 2013.

Keith Garebian is a widely published, award-winning freelance literary,
theatre, and dance critic, biographer, and poet. The Ministry’s William
Saroyan Medal is granted for contributing to the dissemination of
Armenian culture in the Diaspora, prominent achievements in the
sphere, developing Armenia-Diaspora partnership through creative
activities and making great contributions to the strengthening of
relations between Armenia and the Diaspora and relations within
Diaspora Armenian communities.

Among Keith’s many awards are the Scarborough Arts Council Poetry Award
(2010), the Canadian Authors Association (Niagara Branch) Poetry Award
(2009), the Mississauga Arts Award (2000 and 2008), a Dan Sullivan
Memorial Poetry Award (2006), the Lakeshore Arts/Scarborough Arts
Council Award for Poetry (2003), and an Ontario Poetry Society Award
for Haiku (2003).

His latest book of poetry, published with Guernica in 2013, is Moon
on Wild Grasses. The collection features illustrations by the author,
and shows the unsuspected scope of a very concise, precise poetic form.

Keith Garebian’s haiku encompass a wide range of themes in a vividly
elegant style that combines the pictorial with the passionate, erotic
or reflective. Nature, empirical experience, the self, love, death,
and grief are captured with a perceptive, sensitive eye.

Keith received this award on his 70th birthday, and we are so pleased
that he was given such a worthy present.

GOOD RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA, USA, EUROPE, IRAN A MUST FOR ARMENIAN STATES – DAVID BABAYAN

22:46 23.07.13

In his interview with Tert.am David Babayan, Spokesman for President
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Bako Sahakyan, answered a question
about discussions of an association agreement with the European Union
(EU) between Stepanakert and Yerevan, particularly in the context of
threats to the NKR.

“Everything must be discussed and taken into account. It would be wrong
to say that we must join an organization that would recognize Artsakh
[Nagorno-Karabakh] because the issue of international recognition of
Nagorno-Karabakh is not to be settled by joining an organization,”
he said.

The two Armenian states will reap dividends if they keep a balance.

Babayan advises against politicizing the agreement.

– Mr Babayan, in the context of Armenia initialing an association
agreement with the EU in Vilnius, the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is
being viewed. In this respect, which of the unions – the EU or the
Eurasian Union – does Nagorno-Karabakh prefer? Much has been said
that neither of them will recognize Nagorno-Karabakh.

– We view the concept of complementarity – developing friendly
relations with different states, especially with great powers, – as
one of the fundamental principles of Armenian statehood and foreign
policy. A number of factors account for that, the Armenian Diaspora
is the most important of them. We must maintain friendly relations
with all the states where Armenian communities exist. This means that
we must maintain friendly relations with Russia, the United States,
different European states, Iran. We need to formulate a subtle policy.

– Mr Babayan, do you say this in the context of Nagorno-Karabakh
alone or in the context of Armenia as well?

– First, in the context of Nagorno-Karabakh, then in the context
of Armenia because our approaches are in harmony. The complementarity
concept is the most important reality that we must take into account.

In this respect, we should thoroughly discuss what we can benefit
from joining organizations. Is it possible to join both? If it is
impossible, we must do our best to maintain friendly relations with
both. I think we should be committed to this guideline.

– Has official Stepanakert discussed a national version of an
EU association agreement with Yerevan and the ensuring consequence –
considering the talks about threats to Nagorno-Karabakh?

– Everything must be discussed and taken into account. It
would be wrong to say that we must join an organization that
would recognize Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] because the issue of
international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh is not to be settled by
joining an organization. This is the problem. So if we are committed
to this important principle, that is, a balanced approach, we will
reap dividends earlier. I say again, we must not make recognition
of Nagorno-Karabakh an end in itself. This is [Nagorno-Karabakh’s
recognition] an unavoidable process, which, however, requires time.

Even if it requires long years, but we must not feel disappointed
or refuse to establish contacts with any state or organization. We
should never fall under the influence of an alliance either. The
most important cause is to preserve a strong Armenian statehood –
both in Arstakh and in Armenia.

– In any case, have any official discussions been held in
Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia? Are any large-scale political and public
discussions being held?

– The public is making different analyses, while at the
official level is somewhat different. Armenia is a sovereign state,
and different discussions are more often at the public level.

– A Karabakh expert voiced an opinion the other day that
an association agreement with the EU is hardly of benefit to
Nagorno-Karabakh. What’s your opinion?

– Some people believe that Armenia should initial this agreement,
others do not think it would be right because of other strategic
problems. So we should consider all the opinions, but first of all
our national interests. We should not politicize this agreement. It is
not even clear when Armenia will sign it. In any case, complementary
policy must be a law for us.

– You speak of comlementarity, but our foreign policy has been
defined as “initiative”.

– You know that it was Vartan Oskanian [ex-FM of Armenia] that
put the concept of complementarity into use. But he did not consider
the most important factor that is the basis of compelmentarity,
namely, the Armenian Diaspora. This is the most important factor
for us. Of course, specific geopolitical factors play their role,
but our national interests are the most important. The Diaspora is
one of the fundaments of our statehood

.

ALEVI GROUPS ESCHEW IFTAR WITH TURKISH PRESIDENT, OPT FOR ANTI-CAPITALIST MUSLIMS

18:44 23.07.13

An Alevi association has announced plans to reject an offer from
President Abdullah Gul to attend an iftar at Istanbul’s five-star
Polat Renaissance Hotel in favor of breaking the fast with the
Anti-Capitalist Muslims group, The Hurriyet Daily News reports.

The Central Office of Alevi Cultural Associations and the Hubyar
Sultan Association said brotherhood between Alevis and the government
could not be secured only at iftar tables, noting that Alevi citizens’
problems and requests have been ignored by the government for years.

While important government figures were playing “brotherhood” at
five star hotels, the groups have decided to share the table with
the Anti-Capitalist Muslims, who share Alevis’ sorrow and recognize
the community as it is, rather than attempting to define the group.

“We believe brotherhood cannot be secured merely by eating and drinking
at a table in an environment where cemevis are still not counted as
houses of worship, compulsory Sunni education is continued for Alevi
children, children are forced to choose elective Sunni religion
classes, Alevi houses of worship, especially the Hacı BektaÅ~_
Dervish lodge, which was extorted by the government, have not been
given back to Alevis and the Madımak Hotel has been converted into
a memorial house where the murderers’ names are also found instead of
[being converted into] an exemplary museum condemning the [1993 Sivas]
massacre,” the foundation said in a statement yesterday.

“Alevis don’t have equal rights in all fields as should be in a
democratic country, and the government does not cease defining
and describing faiths, their prayers and houses of worship,” the
statement said.

“We don’t believe that brotherhood can be secured at a dinner table
while all these requests by Alevis have been ignored and the prime
minister governing the country is trying to impose on us a definition
of Alevism on one side and a ‘perfect Alevi’ definition on the other,”
they said.

The groups also highlighted their stance against the government’s
decision to name the third Bosphorus bridge after Yavuz Sultan Selim,
even though Alevis say the 16th-century Ottoman sultan killed at
least 40,000 of their community.

Armenian News – Tert.am

SPECIALIST SEES NECESSITY OF WARMER ATTITUDE TOWARDS TOURISTS IN ARMENIA

19:10, 23 July, 2013

YEREVAN, JULY 23, ARMENPRESS: For developing tourism in Armenia we need
to express highlighted warm attitude towards arriving tourists. Such
opinion expressed rector of Armenian institute for tourism Robert
Minasyan. “We should think in a different way realizing that tourist
is a person who has come to give us his money earned in his country
which will help us to create workplaces and improve our life,” said
Minasyan adding that approach has been accepted by the whole world,
reports “Armenpress”. The specialist said that the country must
implement more serious job in advertizing our touristic opportunities.

Minasyan spoke about necessity of clarifying developments directions
of Armenian tourism and implementing target work towards countries
which supply with tourists. He mentioned about cooperation with
EURHODIP-international association supporting hospitality and tourism
education and training.

Armenia has great potential for developing tourism. In the territory
of the Republic of Armenia exist numerous historical and cultural
monuments and landscapes. Government has announced tourism development
in Armenia as a priority program. In 2012 814 000 tourists visited
Armenia which is 11.3 percent more than in 2011.

55 HEADS OF ROBOTIC ENGINEERING GROUPS FROM ARMENIA’S PROVINCES TO BE TRAINED IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, July 23. /ARKA/

A one-month retraining course was launched today at Mkhitar Sebastatsi
education center in Yerevan for heads of robotic engineering groups.

This course will provide 55 heads of robotic engineering groups
from Armenia’s provinces with skills necessary for teaching robotic
engineering in schools.

They will be trained by leading specialists at National Instruments,
Simotech and Instigate education center as part of the program
“Robotics Starts from School”.

At the course-launching ceremony, an understanding memorandum was
signed by VivaCell-MTS, the Union of Information Technology Enterprises
(UITE), the Armenian office of the World Vision International
benevolent organization, Cronimet Charity Foundation, Counterpart
International USAID Project, National Instruments companies, Simotech
company and Instigate education center.

All the organizations wanting to join the program can sign the
memorandum.

Karen Vardanyan, executive director of the Union of Information
Technology Enterprises (UITE) said that the aim of this memorandum
is to attract children’s interest to high technologies, particularly
to robotics as well as to develop engineering way of thinking in
their minds and to send already high-quality motivated students
to universities.

VivaCell-MTS CEO Ralph Yirikian, on his side, said that this
cooperation will lay favorable groundwork for taking important steps
to transform robotic engineering from hobby into profession.

“Robotics Starts from School” program, which is being implemented
in cooperation with VivaCell-MTS, Cronimet Charity Foundation as
well as World Vision Armenia and Counterpart International Armenia
organizations, implies creation of 55 robotic engineering groups in
Armenian schools.

The groups are expected to start their activities
in September 2013. —0—- – See more at:

ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT TRANSFORMED TEXT OF TURKEY-ARMENIA PROTOCOLS – POLITICIAN

16:10 23.07.13

The EU Association Agreement is the modified version of the
Turkey-Armenia reconciliation protocols, according to the Marxist
Party’s leader.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, David Hakobyan said he wouldn’t
agree to sign the document if he were responsible for the process.

“The agreement is a diplomatic trap. What we see in the Association
Agreement are only two words: we’ll open the border with Turkey and
carry on trade,” he said, expressing criticism of the European set
of values.

Hakobyan stressed the importance of debating the issue nationally
before signing the deal.

He further spoke of the Russian authorities’ recent aggression
against Armenia.

“[Foreign Minister] Sergey Lavrov called for returning five
territories. The second was the military supplies which [Russia] sold
to Azerbaijan, and the third was the humiliation of the Armenian driver
in court. But as an officer who served in the Soviet Army, I know very
well that it takes minimum several years – after the supplies’ delivery
– to train soldiers using them. Russia hasn’t yet supplied Azerbaijan
with such specialists, and they are waiting for our reaction,” he said.

Armenian News – Tert.am

ARMENIAN ACTIVISTS MARCH TO POLICE BUILDING URGING TO RELEASE THEIR FRIENDS

July 23, 2013 | 13:45

YEREVAN. ~V The members of the ~SWe will not Pay 150 Drams~T initiative
are marching to the Police building to free their friends who had
been previously detained by law enforcers (photos).

Activists claim 8-10 protestors have been detained since Tuesday
morning. The activists pledge not to approach the building, in case
their friends are set free. Yerevan Deputy Police Chief Valeri Osipyan
is in the building.

The demonstrators said MPs Nikol Pashinyan and Zaruhi Postanjyan are
in the building, too.

The members of the ~SWe will not Pay 150 Drams~T initiative gathered
Tuesday morning nearby the Armenian capital city Yerevan Municipality
to struggle against rise in transport fares.