Author: nina hovnanian

NKR OFFICIAL SAYS STEPANAKERT SUPPORTS STATUS QUO SHIFT

May 31, 2013 – 14:49 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Nagorno Karabakh authorities perceive Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s statement on the inadmissibility
of the preservation of status quo as normal, head of the Central
Information Department of the Artsakh Republic President’s Office said.

“We, too, want a shift in the status quo and a final resolution of
the conflict, however the sides see the settlement of the problem
in a different way. Azerbaijan wants a return to the period before
1988, which is impossible. We believe that Azerbaijan and Artsakh
must recognize each other,” David Babayan said.

“Different solutions to Nagorno Karabakh issue were offered in the
20th century. The current option at least allows for the preservation
of NKR security,” Mr. Babayan said, describing Lavrov’s statement as
a call for intensification of the negotiation process.

Dwelling on Russian arms sale to Baku, he noted it as mere business,
voicing confidence for the maintenance of the balance of power.

ENVIRONMENTALIST: TUKHMANUK MINE OPERATED ILLEGALLY

02:03 PM | TODAY | SOCIAL

Global Gold Mining Company has been illegally operating Tukhmanuk
mine in Aragatsotni marz (province) for five years, Greta Gabrielyan,
Chairperson of “Environmental Academy” NGO, told journalists on May 31.

The permit for the mine exploitation was issued in 2006 for two years,
however, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan
extended the exploitation period for another two years. The licence
expired long ago.

Environmentalist Silva Adamyan does not exclude corruption risks
here. Lawyer Ruzanna Ghazaryan adds that the American side has made
great investments in the project but the money was not spent for
due purpose.

She added that criminal charges had been filed against Ashot Poghosyan,
Director of the Armenian branch of Global Gold Mining.

Residents of Melik village near which Tukhmanuk mine is located
complain about the scarce water, land disqualification, low quality
and poor harvest. The residents of Meghradzor were also against the
exploitation of the mine as they didn’t want to jeopardize existence
of their future generations.

IRANIAN ENVOY: WE HOPE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT WILL BE SETTLED IN A SHORT TIME

13:06 31/05/2013 ” MISCELLANEOUS

We hope for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in a short
time, Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak Ayeen is quoted as
saying by ISNA.

Asked by the Azerbaijan Press Agency (APA) how much Armenian-Iranian
relations influence Iranian-Azerbaijani relations, the Iranian envoy
said, “Iran has good neighborly relations with Armenia. We seek to
expand our relations with Azerbaijan as well as to develop our ties
with Armenia.”

Speaking of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mohsen Pak Ayeen said,
“Iran is ready to become mediator in Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. We
hope the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be settled in a short time.

The protraction of the conflict does not contribute to peace and
stability in the region. Iran as the current chair of Non-Aligned
Movement and an influential regional country is prepared to introduce
proposals on Karabakh.”

Related: Iran’s Karabakh mediation mission and
liberation of Shoushi: Analysis by Iranian studies expert

Source: Panorama.am

LE FONDS HAYASTAN LANCE LE CHANTIER DE L’AXE ROUTIER VERDENIS-MARDAKERT

Reuni le jeudi 30 mai a Erevan, le Conseil d’administration du Fonds
Hayastan a annonce le lancement de la construction de l’axe routier
devant relier la ville de Vardenis sur la rive sud du lac Sevan en
Armenie, a Mardakert, au nord-est du Haut Karabagh. Le president du
Conseil d’administration, Ara Vardanyan, qui presentait le rapport du
Fonds, a precise que cette autoroute permettrait de reduire a trois
heures le trajet entre Erevan a Stepanakert. “Les gouvernements de
l’Armenie et du Haut-Karabagh ont fait une estimation du coût des
travaux de terassement et de l’asphaltage de la route ; le coût de
la construction de cet axe de 114 km de long est de 30 millions de
dollars”, a indique M.Vardanyan.

Il a souligne la necessite de moderniser le deuxième axe routier
majeur reliant l’Armenie et le Karabagh par le nord, en precisant
qu’il serait en outre un enjeu strategique pour le developpement de la
region de Martuni, au sud du bassin du Sevan. Il a ajoute que cette
nouvelle autoroute aurait un impact certain sur le developpement
du tourisme. Le projet devra toutefois attendre l’organisation de
nouvelles collectes de fonds a l’occasion des prochains telethons. Le
montant precis du financement du projet sera sans doute annonce en
janvier 2014, après quoi seulement les entreprises desireuses de s’y
associer seront sollicitees.

vendredi 31 mai 2013, Gari ©armenews.com

ACTIVIST: “NO CITIZEN SHOULD HAVE TO PAY MORE FOR GAS THAN HE OR SHE RECEIVES AS A PENSION”
Narek Aleksanyan

Civic activist Vardan Hakobyan told reporters today that he has not
come across one government bureaucrat that has publicly questioned
the justification of the level of the proposed gas hike soon to
hit Armenia.

“From the day the issue was raised, various level bureaucrats came
out as defenders of the interests of HayGazRusArd,” said the activist
and musician.

Hakobyan added that the Public Services Regulatory Committe also
serves the interests of the government and noted yesterday’s public
hearing as proof. He said the Committee tried to wrap up any dissenting
discussion of the issue in just one day, even though there’s a three
month time limit.

“Armenia claims to be a country where the social needs of citizens
are insured. In such a country, a citizen should not have to pay more
for gas than he or she receives as a pension,” Hakobyan said.

SIX RUSSIAN COMPANIES TO PRESENT THEIR TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AT DIGITEC BUSINESS FORUM

13:10 30.05.2013

Six Russian companies will present their technological solutions at
the DigiTec Business Forum to be held in Yerevan June 21-22.

The companies will present the following solutions: monitoring
of local earthquakes and an ultra-short term prediction system,
biometric technologies for innovative security solutions, a system
of regulation of traffic flows in big cities, technologies and tools
for the filtration of website content, etc.

The event is organized by the Union of Information Technology
Enterprises under the high auspices of the Prime Minister of the
Republic of Armenia.

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: SAMVEL ALEXANYAN’S NEPHEW TO BECOME HEAD OF MALATIA-SEBASTIA DISTRICT

11:44 30/05/2013 ” DAILY PRESS

Haykakan Zhamanak reported earlier that head of Yerevan’s
Malatia-Sebastia district David Ohanyan will become deputy mayor
of Yerevan.

The paper’s sources say that the nephew of MP Samvel Alexanyan will
be appointed head of Malatia-Sebastia community. Ohanyan refuted
the report the day after its publication. Indeed, Samvel Alexanyan’s
nephew, Artak Alexanyan, attended a recent meeting of Malatia-Sebastia
administration.

The district administration is well aware that Artak Alexanyan will
be their chief.

“The 25-year-old Artak is the son of Samvel Alexanyan’s brother who
committed suicide several years ago,” the paper writes.

Source: Panorama.am

HOVIK ABRAHAMYAN ASKS KUWAITI COUNTERPART TO INVEST IN CONSTRUCTION OF MASTARA RESERVOIR

13:34 30/05/2013 ” TOPIC OF THE DAY

The Kuwait National Foundation is likely to finance the construction
program of Mastara reservoir. Armenian National Assembly Speaker
Hovik Abrahamyan said during a press briefing in parliament with
visiting Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Ali Fahad Al-Rashed that
he had asked his Kuwaiti counterpart to invest $27 million in the
reservoir construction.

“Political dialogue with Kuwait is on a high level and we as
parliament speakers should do everything possible to enhance our
economic cooperation. I asked the Kuwaiti NA Speaker to assist in
financing the program as far as possible,” Hovik Abrahamyan said.

Ali Fahad Al-Rashed spoke of Syria conflict. “We are against a
military solution to the Syria crisis. We really want the conflict
to be settled,” he said.

Hovik Abrahamyan, for his part, said that Armenia is also for peaceful
settlement of the Syria conflict. He reminded that Kuwait was one of
the first states to help Syrian-Armenians that fled Syria for Armenia,
providing $100,000 aid to them.

Following the press briefing, the Kuwaiti delegation visited
Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial.

Source: Panorama.am

PRESS RELEASE
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network
28, Chovelidze street
Tbilisi, 380008, GEORGIA
Tel: ++ 995 32 99 63 28, 995 99 57 77 22
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
Web:

Switzerland has Published its New Development Cooperation Strategy South
Caucasus 2013 – 2016

The long-term development objective of the Swiss Cooperation in the South
Caucasus will contribute to a peaceful transition towards democracy and
inclusive economic growth.

Building on the experiences of past years, the new strategy reflects
Switzerland’s broader initiatives in the region in terms of mediation and
good offices. Three priority domains have been defined to which the Swiss
government is contributing its core competences, thereby further enhancing
the coherence and efficiency of Switzerland’s support for sustainable
development in the region. The largest domain in terms of funding is
Economic Development and Employment. Assistance will focus on market
development for agricultural value chains with a strong emphasis on
enhancing vocational skills, improving the framework conditions for the
financial and private sectors, and providing livelihood support to
vulnerable population groups. Second, Governance and Public Services domain
will support the role of sub-national authorities in fostering regional
development (incl. disaster management). This takes into account the
transition agenda for delegating more competences to lower tiers of
government, developing more democratic processes, and creating a more
efficient and accountable state. Third, the Human Security and Protection
domain encompasses support to conflict transformation processes coupled with
assistance to cover the basic humanitarian needs of vulnerable population
groups which can be increased in case of conflict resurgence or a major
natural disaster. Switzerland will focus its support on protection,
confidence and peace building through mediation, facilitation and political
dialogue.

Outside of the three core domains, Switzerland will finance projects
addressing labor migration and regional art and culture projects supporting
contemporary art as an important pillar of an inclusive and dynamic society.

The Swiss cooperation in the South Caucasus dates back to the devastating
earthquake in 1988 in the North of Armenia. Since then, Switzerland has
progressively intensified cooperation in the entire region. In particular,
the complementarities between technical and financial long-term assistance
on the one hand and humanitarian aid and peace-building measures on the
other have proven to be an asset of Switzerland’s support to the South
Caucasus region.

While pursuing an overall regional development goal, Switzerland will mainly
implement its programme at the national level. It will continue working with
a range of partners, namely with authorities at all state levels, civil
society organisations, the private sector, and multilateral organisations.
The official development assistance offered by Switzerland will be in line
with the priorities of the three national governments and delivered through
aid modalities which can be adapted towards new requirements.

The total financial resources allocated for the Coop-eration Strategy South
Caucasus 2013-2016 will be around USD 122 million.

More information about the Swiss development programme in the South Caucasus
can be downloaded at

PRESS RELEASE
THE PAROS FOUNDATION
918 Parker Street, Suite A14
Berkeley, CA 94710
Contact: Peter Abajian
Email: [email protected]
Web:
Tel: US 310-400-9061
Armenia: (093) 99-80-99 From US dial 011-374-93-99-80-99

May, 2013

Berkeley, CA-Since its official launch in October 2011, the Paros
Foundation’s 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity has had a significant
and meaningful positive impact on Armenia and her people. This
initiative, designed to provide the Armenian community with
opportunities to recognize the upcoming centennial of the Armenian
Genocide through implementing 100 special projects in Armenia, is on
schedule to meet its goal of having these projects completed by the
end of 2015.

100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity-Numbers of Significance:

$0 from donor contributions has been spent on administrative
expenses. 2 years remain to April 24, 2015. 18 months have passed
since the Paros 100 for 100 initiative launch. 27 projects have been
completed or are in progress. 71 people have been employed or
temporarily received a salary as a result of Paros 100 for 100
Projects. 73 projects remain to be implemented to reach the goal. 150
cities, villages and towns have benefited from a project. 210 donors
have contributed to a Paros 100 for 100 Project. 83,696 people have
benefited from a Paros 100 for 100 Project. $116,932 in cash
contributions has been received and spent on Paros 100 for 100
Projects so far. $750,270 is the value of in-kind contributions
received including new shoes, dental supplies, computers and musical
instruments.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Peter Abajian, Executive
Director of The Paros Foundation. “We are eagerly working to identify
new projects, advertise them on our website, and secure new potential
project sponsors in order to effectively and efficiently implement
these sponsored projects in Armenia. During the first 18 months of
this campaign, we significantly improved the lives of our brothers and
sisters in Armenia with support of our generous donors. As each one
of these projects is sponsored and implemented, the memory of our
ancestors is honored in a way that we believe is positive and
appropriate.”

Share this news with your friends! To get involved and help make a
difference, please donate now!

The Paros 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity develops and administers
projects throughout Armenia and Artsakh in four program categories:
Development, Education, Humanitarian and Cultural. Please consider
becoming a family sponsor of a project in memory of the Armenian
Genocide by participating in the Paros Foundation’s 100 for 100
Projects for Prosperity. Visit The Paros
Foundation underwrites all administrative expenses allowing all
sponsor contributions to be allocated 100% to the project. Donations
to The Paros Foundation, a 501(c) 3 private foundation, are
tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Formally launched
in 2006, The Paros Foundation supports six exemplary local NGOs in
Armenia with contributions of quality rent-free program space,
operating funds and human resource support. To honor the upcoming
centennial of the Armenian Genocide, The Paros Foundation launched the
Paros 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity in October of 2011. With an
aggressive goal of identifying, vetting, fundraising for and
ultimately implementing 100 special projects, The Paros Foundation and
its staff in Armenia and the United States are quickly earning a
reputation as the “go to” organization to oversee small and
medium-sized project implementation in Armenia. For more information
and to get involved visit or call (310)
400-9061.