Author: nina hovnanian

PRESSE ARMENIENNE : REVUE DU 29 MARS 2013

Publie le : 03-04-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
presente cette Revue de Presse parue sur le site de l’Ambassade de
France en Armenie le 29 mars 2013.

Ambassade de France en Armenie

Revue de la presse armenienne du 29 mars 2013

I. Politique interieure

1. Armavia en faillite ?/ L’ensemble de la presse relève que la
compagnie aerienne Armavia risque d’etre declaree en faillite et de
devoir interrompre tous ses vols a partir du 1er avril. Le porte-parole
de la compagnie n’a ni confirme, ni dementi cette information. Selon
Haykakan Jamanak, le proprietaire d’Armavia, Mikhaïl Baghdassarov,
n’ aurait pas reussi a vendre sa compagnie criblee de dettes. Le
chef de la Direction de l’aviation civile, Artiom Movsissian, a
indique aux medias que le contrat entre le Gouvernement armenien et
Armavia prendra fin le 22 avril et que la compagnie aerienne n’avait
pas sollicite de prolongation pour poursuivre ses activites, en
raison de difficultes financières ” serieuses “. Selon Joghovourd,
M. Baghdassarov mènerait des negociations avec Gaguik Tsaroukian
pour ceder non seulement Armavia, mais aussi d’autres societes lui
appartenant, dont ” Mika Ciment”.

2. Les Ambassadeurs etrangers ne sont pas censes connaître des details
d’une affaire criminelle / Interroge sur les recentes declarations de
Chefs de mission diplomatique, notamment des Ambassadeurs americain
et allemand, ayant exprime leur soutien a la fondation Civilitas,
accusee de blanchiment d’argent (cf. la revue du 28.03), Edouard
Charmazanov, porte- parole du parti Republicain , a declare que les ”
honorables Ambassadeurs ” etrangers n’ont pas a connaître des details
d’une affaire criminelle./ Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun

3. Le Gouvernement prendra en charge le traitement a l’etranger
du candidat blesse par balle lors de l a campagne presidentielle/
L’ensemble de la presse relève que le Gouvernement a decide de
debloquer 50 000 $ pour le traitement a l’etranger de Parouyr
Hayrikian, ancien candidat presidentiel, qui, le 30 janvier dernier,
avait ete blesse a l’epaule suite a un attentat. En proie a des
problèmes de sante, M. Hayrikian devra suivre un traitement aux
Pays-Bas. Selon Haykakan Jamanak, la decision du Gouvernement a
suscite une indignation sur les reseaux sociaux dont de nombreux
utilisateurs ont poste les photos d’enfants necessitant un soutien
financier [du gouvernement] pour suivre un traitement a l’etranger.

Edouard Charmazanov les a invites a ne pas comparer M. Hayrikian,
ancien dissident qui a passe 17 ans dans les prisons sovietiques
pour la lutte en faveur de l’independance de l’Armenie, avec qui que
ce soit.

II. Relations exterieures

1. Trois nouvelles Ambassades d’Armenie a l’etranger / Le Gouvernement
a approuve la proposition du MAE d’ouvrir des ambassades en Suède, au
Mexique et en Indonesie./ Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun, Haykakan Jamanak

2. Nouveau pret de la Banquet mondiale/ Le conseil d’administration
de la Banque mondiale a approuve l’octroi d’un pret a l’Armenie a
hauteur de 35 MUSD pour le programme de prevention et de contrôle
des maladies infantiles.

Le programme vise a soutenir les programmes gouvernementaux destines a
preserver la sante de la mère et de l’enfant, a prevenir les maladies
non transmissibles au niveau des soins primaires, a promouvoir le
diagnostic et le traitement precoces et a ameliorer la qualite du
service et l’efficacite des differents hôpitaux pour enfants en
Armenie. / Haykakan Jamanak

III. Questions regionales

1. Deux Syriens d’origine armenienne kidnappes a Alep / La communaute
armenienne mènerait des negociations pour la remise en liberte des
otages. / Haykakan Jamanak

2. Merci a l’homme d’affaires russe d’origine armenienne pour la
non-augmentation, cette annee, du prix du gaz/ Selon Jamanak, le gel
du prix du gaz russe livre a l’Armenie en 2013 serait imputable a
l’homme d’affaires russe d’ origine armenienne Samvel Karapetian qui,
ayant remporte un appel d’offres dans le domaine de construction en
cassant ses prix, aurait obtenu en echange le maintien du prix du gaz
russe au tarif actuellement en vigueur en Armenie (180 $ pour 1000 m3).

IV. France-Armenie

1.”La saison de la francophonie a ete fetee a l’Universite pedagogique
en presence de l’Ambassadeur de France”/Azg

Redaction : Meri Hakobian

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Ambassade de France en Armenie

50 ECOLES SONT CONNECTEES A INTERNET AU KARABAGH

Slava Asryan ministre de l’education et de la science au Karabagh a
annonce que cette annee les activites de construction se poursuivront
dans 33 ecoles dont 8 sont des jardins d’enfants.

Selon le ministre de 40 a 50 ecoles sur les 219 du pays sont connectees
a Internet. Il a exprime l’espoir qu’en raison des activites de
” Karabakh Telecom ” CJSC d’autres ecoles pourront bientôt etre
connectees.

mercredi 3 avril 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

CHRIS BOHJALIAN SETS LOVE AMID HORROR

Baltimore Sun
April 1 2013

Author will discuss ‘Sandcastle Girls’ as part of new Sun Book Club

By Catherine Mallette, For The Baltimore Sun

Chris Bohjalian’s novel “The Sandcastle Girls” has many traditional
elements of compelling fiction – people with secrets, shocking plot
twists, compulsively likable characters and a rich love story. It also
describes the 1915 mass killing of Armenians – “The Slaughter You Know
Next to Nothing About,” as one of the characters in his book calls it.

Bohjalian, who is at work on his 17th book, was inspired to write this
one by the story of his Armenian grandparents. The author will talk
about the novel April 22 as part of the new Baltimore Sun Book Club
(see details, Page 7).

The novel begins in 1915 when Elizabeth Endicott, who has just
graduated from Mount Holyoke, joins her father in Syria as part of a
Boston-based group hoping to bring relief to Armenians being displaced
by Turks in the last days of the Ottoman Empire. The situation is
horrific: Armenians are being annihilated, taken out into the desert
into death camps.

In the midst of the chaos, Elizabeth meets Armen, a handsome young
Armenian. His wife and infant daughter were rounded up by the Turks in
the village of Harput. He is hoping he might find them in convoys of
refugees arriving daily in Aleppo. But as each day passes, it becomes
increasingly clear that they are gone.

Bohjalian’s narrative of the complicated love story of Elizabeth and
Armen is woven around another narrative: a first-person account by
Laura Petrosian, their granddaughter. Her grandparents, now deceased,
never talked about their past, but now that Laura is in her 30s,
she sets out to discover more about the genocide and her grandparents.

We caught up with Bohjalian on his tour to promote the release of
the paperback edition of “The Sandcastle Girls.”

You’ve said in interviews that “The Sandcastle Girls” was inspired
by stories you heard of the Armenian genocide. Did you hear about
these experiences when you were growing up?

My grandparents, like many genocide survivors, took most of their
stories to their graves. We knew a few bits and pieces of what my
grandmother endured, but most of what I know I learned from my father
[in] the last years of his life or from my incredible aunt – who has
always been like a second mother to me.

I tried once before to write a novel of the Armenian genocide and
failed. This was back in 1993 and 1994, and I finished the whole book
– and it was awful. I never published it. I wrote the book that would
become “Midwives” instead.

In 2010, with my father’s health failing, I felt a moral obligation
to try again – and this time I got it right. There is a lot of my
childhood in “The Sandcastle Girls.”

And I think it’s interesting that this time I succeeded because I
wrote a love story.

What was it like to write about such a painful period in history?

In the course of my career I’ve written novels about – among other
things – a German family’s complicity in the Holocaust (“Skeletons
at the Feast”), a Vermont social worker who’s shattered by a horrific
sexual assault (“The Double Bind”), and a couple coping with the death
of their twin little girls in a flash flood (“The Buffalo Soldier”).

So I seem to manage.

And in this case, I felt a moral obligation to write this story. The
reality is that most of North America knows next to nothing of the 20th
century’s first genocide – the systematic slaughter of 1.5 million
Armenians in the First World War. To this day, Turkey and its allies
deny what historians have demonstrated is incontrovertible fact –
and that is a terrible injustice.

This book is rich with a history – a history that hasn’t been widely
recorded. What was the research process like for you?

I’m half-Armenian. Even though my grandparents did not discuss the
genocide, and my father – like many sons and daughters of immigrants –
wanted to be as “American” as possible, I was always aware of it. How
could I not be?

But I still did a great deal of homework. And I was aided by my great
friend, Khatchig Mouradian, a genocide scholar and the editor of the
Armenian Weekly.

I’ve traveled to Lebanon and Armenia, but I will only be making my
first trip to Turkey … in May. I’m traveling there with, among
others, the director and screenwriter of what I hope will become
“The Sandcastle Girls” movie.

Elizabeth Endicott is a brave young woman ahead of her time. Was she
modeled on a real-life person at all?

Elizabeth is not based on any one person. But Mount Holyoke has a
long relationship with the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire; they
had seminaries in Bitlis and Van up until the genocide. That’s why
Elizabeth went to Mount Holyoke in the novel.

She’s American for the same reason that Laura Petrosian, my narrator,
is American. I needed someone who could: 1) Explain to North American
readers that there was this monstrous slaughter in the desert that they
knew little about; 2) Explain to them why they knew so little about it.

Also, I think women are a lot more interesting than men. I really do.
They’re also a lot less emotionally hamstrung. I think the only reason
golf was invented was so that men would have an excuse to talk to
one another.

Why did you decide to create Laura’s character? How is her story like
your own story?

Although Laura’s childhood was my childhood, Laura’s grandparents’
experiences in 1915 were nothing like my grandparents’.

But as a result of this novel, this past year I wound up as far more
of an activist than I ever expected I’d be about anything. That’s a
bit like Laura.

What has reaction from readers been to the novel?

Well, readers have loved it – which is hugely gratifying, because
this might be the most important book I’ll ever write.

If you were to have visited my Facebook page the summer and autumn
after the hardcover was published in 2012, you would have seen hundreds
– perhaps thousands – of posts saying essentially the same thing:
“Why did no one tell me this story when I was growing up? How was it
my possible that my history teachers or professors never taught me
this?” They loved the novel, and they were aghast.

If you go

What: Chris Bohjalian will speak about “The Sandcastle Girls” as the
inaugural author in the 2013 Baltimore Sun Book Club series.

When: 7 p.m. April 22 Where: The Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert St.,
Baltimore Future: Other authors in the series include Lisa Scottoline
on May 20, Jane Green on Sept. 23 and Vaddey Ratner on Oct. 21.
Subscribers will have a VIP reception with the author at 6:30 p.m. and
free parking. Details: baltimoresun.com/bookclub or 410-332-6431.

,0,3567461.story

AZERBAIJAN’S PRESIDENT: “WE WILL USE ALL MEANS TO FURTHER KEEP ARMENIA IN THE ISOLATED SITUATION”

APA, Azerbaijan
April 2 2013

Ilham Aliyev: “According to Helsinki Final Act, the principle of
countries’ territorial integrity prevails over other principles,
including the principle of self-determination”

Bakı – APA. “Azerbaijan’s position in the resolution
of Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh is
unambiguous. This position is based both on the historical justice
and international law. Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity must be
restored unconditionally,” Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said
at the opening of the new settlement for 760 IDP families in Masazir,
Absheron district, APA reports.

The head of state underlined that Nagorno Karabakh, as well as all
the occupied territories are historical lands of Azerbaijan.

“Azerbaijan will restore its territorial integrity. A number of
factors give us reason to say this. Among them legal, political,
historical and economic factors can be mentioned.

All international organizations recognize the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan. No country recognizes nor will recognize Nagorno-Karabakh
as an independent entity. Territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
must be restored. All of the resolutions adopted by international
organizations show it. The resolution of the problem must be based
legal and political conditions.”

President Ilham Aliyev said that the balance of forces has already
changed in favor of Azerbaijan: “Today, Azerbaijan is the fastest
growing country in the world, while Armenia suffers decline year by
year. Our population is 9 300 000 people. According to the official
statistics of Armenia, its population decreases approximately by 100
000 people every year. Therefore, saying that Azerbaijan will restore
its territorial integrity, I refer to these facts. Each of us wants
this issue to be solved soon. We want urgent measures to be taken to
put an end to the occupation. Unfortunately, the double standards and
dual approach existing in the world impede the solution of the problem.

In the first stage of the conflict, there was parity between Armenia
and Azerbaijan in the military and economic spheres. However, we
managed to change the parity. Today, the difference is enormous. As the
gap grows, we receive new messages from international organizations and
the countries dealing with this issue – the issue should be resolved
only peacefully, there is no other way.

Armenia has occupied our lands through military means. The UN Security
Council adopted four resolutions to eliminate the consequences of the
occupation. None of them has been fulfilled for 20 years. How come
that a resolution is adopted on any other issue and its fulfillment
is started within a day, but when it comes to us, the issue has not
been settled for already 20 years and we just hear that the issue
must be settled peacefully. Why? The reason is double standards. We
have the full right and the international law allows us to restore
our territorial integrity by all means. There are provisions in the
UN Charter that every country must use all means for its protection.

According to Helsinki Final Act, the principle of countries’
territorial integrity prevails over other principles, including the
principle of self-determination. However, injustice, double standards,
Armenian lobby and its supporters around the word, as well as the
mediators’ passiveness don’t create necessary conditions for the
solution of the problem. In spite of this, we will resolutely and
volitionally continue our political and diplomatic efforts. At the
same time, we will take more serious steps towards military build-up.

We will use all means to further keep Armenia in the isolated situation
in economic and regional issues. I’m sure that due to these complex
measures and ever-increasing power of our country we will restore
our territorial integrity soon.

I want to reiterate, I have no doubt that we will return to our
native lands, including Zangilan, Karabakh, Shusha and Azerbaijan’s
flag will be raised in our all towns. I have no doubt. Simply, we
want to solve it soon and send you to your native lands as soon as
possible and construct beautiful buildings and settlements for you.”

ARMENIAN “ARMAVIA” BLAMES AUTHORITIES FOR BANKRUPTCY

WorldBulletin.net, Turkey
April 2 2013

On April 1, the airline suspended flights and began bankruptcy
procedures

World Bulletin/News Desk

No airline will remain in Armenia after the national airline “Armavia”
stops its activity, a letter sent by a number of officers of the
airline said. The letter was a response to the request from ArmInfo
about the current situation.

On April 1, the airline suspended flights and began bankruptcy
procedures.

“It is not just a store or even a company with 400 employees being
closed. Few people understand the depth of the tragedy and its future
consequences. “They could not withstand the competition, did not find
markets for products, and our market is small, technologies are old,
the machines are from the communist era, the management is in the wrong
(favorite words of our leaders),” the letter says.

It is already for months that they have been dealing with the problem,
and it is even possible that they are guilty for the bankruptcy of the
company. It is one of the most important organizations of the country,
even, the second important after the army, that is getting bankrupt,
but they don’t know anything, the workers noted.

“Maybe you specifically brought the situation with ” Armavia “to its
bankruptcy in order to justify yourselves in the eyes of the people,
in order to accuse us in poor management,” the letter says.

The bankruptcy of the state-owned Armenian Airlines company 10 years
ago, much before the financial crisis, is also mentioned in the letter.

“400 more people joined the ranks of the army of unemployed in
Armenia,” the letter says.

The authors emphasize that the Customs Service of Armenia became a
tool for withdrawing money from enterprises and citizens.

IRAN SPOKESMAN PRAISES TIES WITH ARMENIA – FULLER REPORT

Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA, Iran
April 2 2013

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has praised
his country’s ties with Armenia, saying that mutual support in the
international arena is the epitome of good relations with Armenia,
the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported 2 April.

“Mehmanparast said that Iran and Armenia have very close ties and
noted that supporting one another at international meetings was the
epitome of it [good relations],” Mehmanparast is quoted as saying at
the 1 April meeting with Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh
Kocharyan during his visit to Armenia.

He noted that multilateral regional cooperation was likely to further
boost bilateral ties.”Multilateral regional cooperation can be another
step towards further improvement of relations between the two sides,”
he said.

The sides also discussed the possibility of organizing media tours
for journalists of both countries, the agency said, adding that
Mehmanparast would give a new briefing later on 2 April.

[translated from Persian]

ARMENIAN SIGHTS TO BE AVAILABLE ON SMARTPHONE APPS

Mediamax, Armenia
April 2 2013

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Black Sea Silk Road Corridor ( BSSRC) program
which involves Armenia, Georgia and Turkey started today.

President of Armenian Monuments Awareness Project (AMAP) Richard Ney
said that the two-year initiative consists of 2 phases: the whole
route will be outlined within the first year and information desks
will be installed in the sights of the countries, Mediamax reports.

The second phase of the program will comprise development of 5 apps
for smartphones and an electronic portal will be launched. More than
100 enterprises – hotels, tourism agencies etc – will be involved in
the online guide.

The Armenian route will include 43 sites in Yerevan, Shirak,
Aragatsotn, Kotayk, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik marzes.

In Armenia, the project is funded by the EU Black Sea Cross Border
Cooperation framework, USAID through its EDMC Project, and AMAP as
the lead implementer. Over EUR1.2mln will be allocated to the two
countries for implementation of the program and Armenian share will
make EUR325 thousand.

U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern attached importance to
the implementation of the program from the standpoint of regional
cooperation. According to him, cooperation of various structures is
also critical.

The program aims to promotion of local (rural) services and make
the information on Armenian monuments and sights more available
to tourists.

JUDGES TO INVESTIGATE HOW CYPRUS ENDED UP NEARLY BANKRUPT

April 2, 2013 – 15:17 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Cyprus’ president has appointed a panel of three
former supreme court judges to investigate how the country ended up
nearly bankrupt, The Associated Press reports.

President Nicos Anastasiades said Tuesday, April 2 that ordinary
citizens who are shouldering the burden of “actions and omissions”
by officials want to see those responsible punished.

Anastasiades urged the judges to kick off their probe by investigating
his family’s business dealings amid an accusation in an opposition
newspaper that a company that is said to be co-owned by one of his
relatives took money out of Cyprus’ now defunct second-largest lender,
Laiki, days before the country agreed to a 16 billion euros ($20.5
billion) international rescue.

Under the terms of the bailout with its euro area partners and the
International Monetary Fund, big depositors in Laiki are facing
big losses.

SARDARAPAT MOVEMENT MOURNS THE LOSS OF PROSHYAN MAYOR AND ARTSAKH WAR VETERAN – PHOTOS

18:55, April 2, 2013

The Sardarapat Movement has issued a statement strongly condemning the
murder today of Proshyan village mayor Hrach Muradyan and ridiculing
the “Safe Armenia” presidential campaign slogan of Serzh Sargsyan.

Muradyan was the child of a Syrian-Armenian family that repatriated
to Armenia and a member of the ARF and its frontline units in the
Artsakh War.

The mayor of Proshyan since 2005, Muradyan was also one of the founders
of the Shushi Special Battalion.

Sardarapat says that Muradyan’s murder, like many other murders and
manifestations of violence in Armenia, are the result of the criminal
traits and immunity from prosecution that are the hallmarks of the
ruling regime.

Sardarapat has demanded that the Armenian law enforcement get to the
bottom of the crime and severely punish those responsible, otherwise
the regime will share the blame for this crime as well.

PLANNED AND INTENTIONAL MURDER HAS TAKEN PLACE: ARF

16:15 – 02.04.2013

ARF Supreme Body released a statement today concerning the murder of
the Rural head of Proshyan village Hrach Mouradyan.

“Today, on April 2nd, Proshyan’s rural head Hrach Mouradyan has been
killed in front of his work place. Planned and intentional murder has
taken place. This committed crime, obviously, is a result of impunity
and intolerant atmosphere, despite the committers.

Hrach Mouradyan was a devoted revolutionary, he had taken a glorious
path of Artsakh war since the first day. He had been honoured with
“Battle Cross” of second degree and with many other medals for homeland
defense. He was elected as the rural head on 2005 and was a model of
a good leader. He had implemented many programs and contributed to
solving many problems of villagers.

Hrach Mouradyan was loved and respected by all villagers as he was a
fighter, independent and was guided by the nation’s interests, which
raised dissatisfaction among some people. During the years of ruling,
tensions were made around him and many threats and attacks lead to
this termination.

We record with sorrow, that citizen’s security is not guaranteed in
our country, criminal work style is an unseparable part of our lives.

The conspirator, that had taken Hrach’s life, did not aim only on the
noblest Armenian and compassionate head of community, but also agains
Armenian statehood and its reputation. Condemning the committed crime,
ARF demands full discovery of the criminal and a strict punishment
of organizers”.

ARF Supreme Body of Armenia