Author: nina hovnanian

SYRIAN ARMY KILLS, INJURES TENS OF ARMED REBELS IN REEF IDLIB

Wed Jul 03, 2013 2:1

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army killed tens of armed rebels and injured
dozens more in heavy clashes in Northern Idlib province on Wednesday.

The army units targeted and destroyed the terrorists’ hideouts in
al-Rami village near Jebel al-Zawiya town and Ariha-Latakia road in
Reef (outskirts of) Idlib killing tens of armed rebels and injuring
many others today.

The army also destroyed many vehicles of the armed rebels during
attacks on gathering centers of armed rebels in al-Rami village.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized
attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border
guards being reported across the country.

Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have
been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.

The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups
for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated
from abroad.

In October 2011, calm was almost restored in the Arab state after
President Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but Israel,
the US and its Arab allies sought hard to bring the country into chaos
through any possible means. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals
have been staging various plots to topple President Bashar al-Assad,
who is well known in the world for his anti-Israeli stances.

ACTIVISTS TO PROTEST WEDDING RECEPTION AT HARSNAKAR RESTAURANT

Activists say they will organize a picket outside the Harsnakar
Restaurant today at 7:30pm to protest a scheduled wedding reception
a mere three days after the first anniversary of the beating murder
of Armenian Army physician Vahe Avetyan.

Organizers say such an event is immoral and demeans the memory
of Avetyan.

ASSOCIATION OF ARMENIA TOGETHER WITH KARABAKH

The head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Dirk Schuebel has confirmed
that migration posts between Moldova and Transnistria are one of
Brussels’ conditions for visa liberalization. In addition, he noted
that border crossing points are not concerned.

Armenia has already pre-signed the visa facilitation with the EU which,
however, has not been ratified. Armenia also has a “Transnistria”. It
is Karabakh. Now there are some border crossing points on the border
of Armenia and Karabakh which not only control cargo shipment but
also register arriving and departing foreigners.

However, the border between Armenia and Karabakh is absolutely
transparent.

The place of Karabakh in the process of the European integration of
Armenia remains uncertain. Apparently, the EU agrees to apply the
same principle as to Transnistria. In other words, the EU agrees to
integration of Moldova within the framework of Eastern Partnership
by just establishing migration points on the border with Transnistria.

The problem of Transnistria will not be thereby solved but the region
altogether will appear in Europe.

Azerbaijan has refused such association with the EU, putting forth
tough conditions regarding Karabakh. In answer to this the EU has
frozen relations with Azerbaijan within the Eastern Partnership and
has activated its relations with Armenia. In fact, the EU agrees to
association of Armenia together with Karabakh, for which migration
points on the border are enough.

Today the 168 Zham published an article which refers to diplomatic
sources to claim that Armenia would have joined the Customs Union
a long time ago but Armenia disagrees the condition of setting up
migration points at the border put forth by Kazakhstan. According to
the newspaper, the EU does not put forth such requirements.

The principle of establishment of relations without resolution of
conflicts has been offered by the West a long time ago and not only
to Armenia and Azerbaijan but also Moldova and other post-Soviet
countries. Apparently, this principle is approved by Armenia but
rejected by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Turkey being a member of the EU Customs Union keeps the border with
Armenia closed. Serzh Sargsyan pointed out this fact in Poland, urging
the EU to demand that Turkey open the border. The U.S. ambassador
John Heffern also stated a few days ago that the United States will
continue to work towards opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. In
answer to him the Turkish vice-prime minister stated that his country
will open the borders as soon as Armenia withdraws from Karabakh.

Several months are left till the Eastern Partnership summit in
November, and the tricky issues need to be resolved now. Apparently,
the Karabakh issue is considered resolved, and it does not require
concessions by the Armenian side. However, as the issue is considered
to have been settled with the EU, one has reason to suggest that
Russia, the opponent of European integration of Armenia, will do
everything to make sure that Karabakh becomes a bugbear for the EU.

For this reason it will actively support Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Naira Hayrumyan 14:43 04/07/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE EDUCATION EVENTS IN US STATES

14:38, 4 July, 2013

YEREVAN, JULY 4, ARMENPRESS: The Genocide Education Project (GenEd)
led several workshops on the Armenian Genocide recently, reminding
educators that April is the month to “commemorate and educate”. As
reported by Armenpress, quoting the Armenian Reporter periodical,
through workshops focused on resistance, residual effects of genocide,
and survivor stories, the message was communicated that education is
the most effective way of remembering and preventing genocide.

Students participating in the “Day of Learning,” hosted by the
Holocaust Center of San Francisco, learned about how Armenians in
Musa Dagh successfully escaped genocide by resisting the Turkish army
until rescued by Allied forces, and how this story later inspired
Jews in the ghettos of the Holocaust to resist the Nazis.

During the annual half-day event on March 17th students attend
interactive workshops to gain a deeper understanding about the
Holocaust and other genocides, with the purpose of inspiring moral
courage and social responsibility in the future. This year’s event
was attended by more than 600 students from 101 schools in California.

“The Holocaust Center was thrilled to have GenEd join us again as
a partner,” said Morgan Blum, Education Director for the Holocaust
Center. ”

Sara Cohan, GenEd’s Education Director, taught approximately 40
high school students about the events leading up to the Armenian
Genocide, how it was carried out, its devastating aftermath, the
Turkish government’s denial, and the important connections with
the Holocaust, including the success and influence of the novel,
“The Forty Days of Musa Dagh,” written in German, by Austrian Jew,
Franz Werfel, in 1933.

Garine Panossian, Armenian language and history teacher at KZV Armenian
School, told the students about her grandfather, Margos Snabian,
one of the resistance fighters of Musa Dagh.

“Sara Cohan beautifully engaged her students in a journey through
time,” said Blum, “And Garine Panossian truly connected this century
old story with her students today, and made it relevant to the struggle
of identity they experience on a daily basis.”

Students in the “Genocide and Human Behavior” course at San Francisco’s
Lick-Wilmerding high school heard from GenEd’s Roxanne Makasdjian,
who gave an account of her grandparents’ escape from the Armenian
Genocide and the many ways it has influenced her life.

History teacher, Mary Finn, said, “The kids loved [the] talk! They
found it so helpful and interesting.”

“Genocide and Human Behavior” is an elective course offered as part
of the school’s mission to inspire students to “engage with the world
in order to enact positive change.” Students spend approximately 3
weeks learning about the Armenian Genocide. This is the third time
Finn has asked GenEd to provide a speaker to introduce her students
to someone who was affected personally by the Armenian Genocide.

GenEd’s Rhode Island branch volunteers, Pauline Getzoyan and Esther
Kalajian presented a workshop on April 10th for teachers attending
the 44th annual Northeast Regional Conference on the Social Studies,
in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

The workshop, “A Journey from Despair to Hope: The Armenian American
Experience,” explored the history of the Armenian Genocide through
the recorded testimony of genocide survivor, Margaret Der Manuelian,
illuminating this tragic history and highlighting issues regarding
immigration and human rights activism in the US today.

“The workshop participants were very engaged and interested in Armenian
Genocide education,” said Getzoyan. “I truly have confidence that
they will provide their students the knowledge they’ll need on this
subject to help them make informed decisions in the future.”

At the April 24th Armenian Genocide commemoration in San Francisco,
GenEd board member, Roxanne Makasdjian, encouraged community members to
help make the Armenian Genocide a standard part of school curriculums.

“Most of you have some connection to a local middle school or high
school. Either you, your son, daughter, grandchild, or sibling
attends one, or you may know someone that works in the school
system. That means you possess the power to make an important and
lasting contribution to the remembrance of the Armenian Genocide,”
said Makasdjian.

“Reach out to those educators and students in your lives, urging them
to bring the lessons of the Armenian Genocide into their classrooms.

Committed to their mission to promote awareness of, and gain U.S.

recognition for the first genocide of the 20th century, a local group
of Armenian American activists hosted the sixth educator’s workshop
(in Michigan) on the Armenian Genocide. Richard Norsigian, a member
of the group as well as an educator, arranged the 2013 workshop with
the Washtenaw Intermediate School District. The group set a date of
Thursday, April 18, 2013 and an open invitation was sent to secondary
educators in the area. To date the group has hosted workshops in
Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties with over 175 Michigan educators
participating.

Working in collaboration with the Boston based educational
organization, Facing History and Ourselves, the workshop provides an
introduction to the Armenian Genocide as well as the basis for more
in-depth study with instructional materials for course work and access
to teaching resources. Since 1976 Facing History and Ourselves has
offered an interdisciplinary approach to citizenship education that
connects the history of the Holocaust and other examples of genocide
to the moral questions young people face in their own lives.

ARMENIAN EXCISABLE-GOOD PRODUCERS PAID OVER AMD 5.5 BLN IN TAX IN JAN-MAY, 14.4% DOWN

YEREVAN, July 4./ARKA/. Excise taxes, paid by Armenia’s producers in
January-May 2013, added over 5.5 billion drams to the state budget,
which was 14.4% lower from a year earlier, said Gayane Zargaryan,
head of department of budget implementation analysis and reports at
Finance Ministry.

At the same time, excise taxes filled the budget with nearly 17.9
billion drams as a whole during the five month, which was by 1.1
billion drams more from a year earlier, according to her. Zargaryan
noted it was due to 19.5% increase in revenues from imposing the tax
on the excisable goods imported to Armenia. As a result, the budget was
filled with 12.5 billion drams during the first five months of 2013.

As to why the excise taxes paid by domestic producers dropped, she said
the causes can come from various factors. She didn’t confirm the reason
was the probable decrease in domestic production of excisable goods.

Excise tax added 49.3 billion drams to the budget in 2012. It was
said to be higher by 25.2% from 2011. ($1-411.3 drams).-0-

– See more at:

LITHUANIA TO ASSIST ARMENIA ON ROAD TO EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

July 04, 2013 | 12:54

YEREVAN. – National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov on
Thursday received Lithuania’s newly appointed Ambassador to Armenia,
Erikas Petrikas.

They discussed the avenues for the development of ties and the
parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, the NA press
service informs.

Reflecting on the balanced foreign policy of Armenia, the NA
vice-chair and Armenia-Lithuania Parliamentary Friendship Group
leader assured that European integration continues to be one of
Armenia’s priorities. Sharmazanov expressed a hope that Lithuania,
as an EU member-and, most recently, as its chairing country-will
assist Armenia on its road to European integration.

He also briefed the Lithuanian ambassador on Armenia’s policy geared
toward regional security. He spoke about the country’s efforts to
resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict solely through peace talks
and the inadmissibility of the Turkish policy of imposing a blockade
against Armenia.

In his turn, Ambassador Petrikas gave a high evaluation to Armenia’s
policy, and he noted that the Lithuanian authorities support the
country’s efforts to resolve the abovementioned conflict through peace
talks. He also saluted Armenia’s consistency in European integration
and in implementing democratic reforms, and he assured that Lithuania
stands ready to assist Armenia in surmounting the difficulties on
this road.

In addition, Eduard Sharmazanov and Erikas Petrikas discussed other
matters of mutual interest.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

IT DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT COUNCIL APPROVES NEW STRATEGY FOR ARMENIA

IT AND TELECOM | 04.07.13 | 12:50

Chaired by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, the IT Development Support
Council held a regular meeting in the Government Office on Wednesday.

After looking at the status of the previous sitting’s assignments,
the Council discussed and approved the Ministry of Economy-developed
new IT strategy for Armenia, the government’s press office reported.

Then, the meeting discussed e-commerce-related tax and customs issues,
as well as the timing of the planned young specialists’ training in
Germany. Prime Minister Sargsyan said the latter should be included
in the agenda of the Armenian-German intergovernmental commission in
order to find a solution.

The Council also discussed a number of issues related to the Wikipedia
Armenia project. The Ministry of Economy was told to look into the
possibility of assigning premises and extending financial support to
Wikipedia Armenian NGO.

In conclusion, the prime minister heard and welcomed the idea of
creating a global academic encyclopedia. Sargsyan instructed the
agencies concerned to discuss the proposal and submit an opinion.

ARMENIAN ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURER DISCUSSES POSSIBILITY OF EXPORT TO UZBEKISTAN

July 04, 2013 | 04:28

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s a-2 Company, which manufactures electronic
equipment, is considering the possibility of entering the Uzbekistan
market, Company CEO Ararat Voskanyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In his words, Gaz Suzan Company of Iran, whose Armenian branch–Gaz
Suzan Armenia–manufactures natural gas meters for Armenia’s
subscribers, is preparing to enter the Uzbek market. a-2 already
collaborates with them and manufactures thermoregulators for industrial
meters.

“Our partners want to work in Uzbekistan. We can supply the quantities
they need and are ready to work on an order,” Voskanyan noted.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ZHOGHOVURD: HUNTSMAN BREAKS OFF TIES WITH OSKANIAN

11:36 04/07/2013 ” DAILY PRESS

Member of Civilitas Foundation Board Jon Huntsman has broken off
ties with Prosperous Armenia MP, Chairman of Civilitas Foundation
Vartan Oskanian. According to Zhoghovurd daily, Huntsman even stopped
financing the Foundation. It is noteworthy that he reached such
decision not immediately after learning about the criminal case filed
against Oskanian with money laundering charges, but quite recently,
the paper says.

Director of Civilitas Foundation Salpi Ghazarian, when asked by the
paper to explain Huntsman’s move, said, “I have no comment.”

Source: Panorama.am

L’ONU MET LA PRESSION SUR GENEVE

Les Nations Unies voient d’un mauvais ~il l’implantation d’un memorial
commemorant le genocide armenien a deux pas de ses locaux genevois.

Elles demandent a la Ville de repenser son choix.

” Le directeur general des bureaux onusiens a Genève, le kazakh
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ne prend pas position sur le monument mais
exprime une forte preoccupation quant a son implantation dans le
parc du musee de l’Ariana, etant donnee la proximite immediate du
Palais des Nations. ” Dans les colonnes de la ” Tribune de Genève “,
le conseiller administratif de la cite de Calvin Sami Kanaan resume
sa rencontre avec le dirigeant de l’ONU au debut du mois de juin.

Visiblement, l’institution internationale voit d’un très mauvais
~il la construction des ” Reverbères de la memoire ” près de son
siège genevois. L’~uvre d’art a ete choisie par la Ville de Genève
en 2008 pour commemorer le genocide armenien. Pour le co-president
du groupe parlementaire federal Suisse-Armenie, Dominique de Buman,
il ne fait aucun doute que la Turquie est en train de faire pression
sur l’ONU et sur la Suisse pour que le memorial ne voit pas le jour.

Sami Kanaan assure que le projet ne sera pas abandonne. Reste encore
a savoir où il trouvera son emplacement. ” Nous accordons juste de
l’importance aux bonnes relations avec l’ONU “, explique l’elu au
quotidien local, assurant ne pas ceder sous le poids des pressions
venues d’Ankara.

(20 minutes)

jeudi 4 juillet 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com