Author: nina hovnanian

DES ARMES CHIMIQUES AURAIENT ETE UTILISEES EN SYRIE

Le vice-ministre syrien des Affaires etrangères, Faical Mekdad, a
annonce aujourd’hui [19 mars] que son gouvernement allait envoyer une
lettre au Conseil de securite des Nations unies, après avoir accuse
les rebelles d’avoir fait usage d’armes chimiques près d’Alep. Les
rebelles ont repondu a ses allegations en accusant a leur tour le
regime d’avoir employe des armes chimiques lors d’une attaque qui a
fait au moins 25 morts a Khan al Assal, a huit km au sud-ouest d’Alep.

Faical Mekdad a declare que Damas allait appeler le Conseil de securite
a “prendre ses responsabilites et a definir une limite a ces crimes
de terrorisme et a ceux qui le soutiennent au sein de la Republique
arabe syrienne”. “C’est plutôt le point de depart (d’un danger) qui
s’etendra a l’ensemble de la region, si ce n’est au monde entier”,
a-t-il ajoute.

A Washington, la Maison blanche a declare aujourd’hui qu’elle suivait
avec attention les accusations mutuelles du gouvernement syrien et des
rebelles, tout en precisant qu’aucune preuve ne permettait d’etayer
les accusations du gouvernement a l’encontre de l’opposition. Le
departement d’Etat a egalement indique qu’il n’avait pas de raison
de croire les accusations du gouvernement syrien a l’encontre des
insurges, tout en ajoutant qu’il etudiait encore les allegations de
l’opposition a l’encontre des forces gouvernementales.

AFP

La BBC a cependant publie des preuves des atrocites commises en Syrie,
faisant etat de plus d’une centaine de morts près de la ville de Homs,
dont de nombreuses femmes et enfants.

En 2012, Francois Hollande avait declare que si des armes chimiques
etaient utilisees, cela justifierait une intervention en Syrie.

Le 19 mars, près d’Alep les medecins transportent un soldat de
l’armee syrienne, blesse dans ce qu’ils pensent etre une attaque a
l’arme chimique

mercredi 20 mars 2013, Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

“IF TO WIN, WE ALL TOGETHER WIN”

07:13 pm | Today | Politics

“Heritage” faction leader Ruben Hakobyan’s announcement during the
session of the National Assembly on March 19, 2013.

The post-election tension still continues in the Republic. The
Constitutional Court did not change the decision of the Central
Electoral Commission. The tradition did not change its way, the
Constitutional Court goes on to be the “puppet-toy” of the government.

Obvious facts of electoral violations were again ignored.

And the statement that there have not been many complaints of
vote-rigging applications, only I will add the following: both in 1996
and in 2008, after the elections, the complaints and applications of
violations were filled in both the CEC and the Constitutional Court
but the high court’s decision was unchangeable: the government’s
candidate has always won.

If, indeed, Mr. Sargsyan, you find that the situation created can be
solved with revealing the closed envelope of proposals which have
already been rejected, with accusing Raffi of immoral expressions,
as well as in defining the hunger-striker as a hungry, sick, bitter
man against the world, I can confidently say that you really do
not understand what is happening in the republic and what can cause
your position.

I’m more than sure that this situation should be solved only through
the existence of a precise political agenda, but both the agenda and
the proposals should be adequate to the situation and the only winner
will be the STATE. In this situation individual winners and losers
should not be. If to win, we all together win.

Raffi Hovannisian and his supporters are in favor of finding
comprehensive solutions through dialogue and open discussions.

YEREVAN-VAN FLIGHT TO BE FIRST STEP TO OPENING ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER : ARMENIAN MP

YEREVAN, March 19. /ARKA/. The direct air contact between Yerevan
and Van (Turkey) will foster establishing the overland traffic and
further opening the Armenian-Turkish border, said Aragats Akhoyan,
Prosperous Armenia Party member.

Yerevan-Van first flight is scheduled for April 3. BoraJet Turkish
airlines will operate the flight on 68-seat planes. The ticket cost
is $250, but passengers can get a 20% discount during the first month.

“Through this flight we are getting linked to our historical
motherland, and along with this process we expect to accelerate the
other processes as well: opening of the overland traffic and the
border,” Akhoyan told reporters.

Gagik Gyurjyan, the chairman of Icomos-Armenia organization (Armenia’s
national committee at International Council on Monuments and
Sites), said this flight will be useful for businessmen in terms of
establishing business contacts. However, on the other hand, tourism
sector of Armenia will suffer.

“Nowadays, the Armenian companies offer tours to Western Armenia
through Javakhk thus activating trading and tourism life of the
region. Then tourists visit Ardagan, Kars, Igdir, Bayazet and other
places where they can enjoy the sightseeing ,” he said and added
that the new Yerevan-Van flight can reduce the tourist flows through
these route.

There are currently no diplomatic relations established between Turkey
and Armenia: official Ankara closed the border in 1993. The uneasy
relationship between the countries is caused particularly by Ankara’s
support to Azerbaijan on Karabakh problem and Turkey’s overreaction
to international recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman
Empire.

Normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations started in fall 2008
initiated by Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan. On October 10,
2009, foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey signed protocols about
establishing diplomatic relations and developing bilateral relations
to be ratified by the countries’ parliaments.

But on April 22, 2010 Armenian president signed a decree to suspend
the process as Turkey is not ready to go on as the ratification of
the protocols by Turkish parliament is frozen. -0-

VALLEX GROUP AND OMBUDSMAN’S OFFICE KEEP ON EXCHANGING ARGUMENTS

ARMINFO
Tuesday, March 19, 18:41

Armenian Human Rights Defender Karen Andreasyan’s report on the Nature
Protection Ministry’s activity for 2012 said that the problem of
licensing Teghout CJSC, which develops the copper-molybdenum deposit
in Teghout, is not resolved.

Vallex Group (which also includes Teghout CJSC) told ArmInfo that the
provisions on development of the Teghout copper-molybdenum deposit,
reflected in the Armenian Human Rights Defender’s Office’s report on
the Armenian Nature Protection Ministry’s activity in 2012 cannot be
considered true. The company said that in 2012 the Nature Protection
Ministry could not provide Teghout CJSC with the relevant license, as
since 2008 this issue has been under jurisdiction of the Ministry of
Energy and Natural Resources, and the Human Rights Defender’s Office
should have been aware of that. “We reiterate that Teghout is and
was carrying out its activity in any sphere only after getting the
relevant legal platform”, Vallex Group said.

The company welcomes the style of work of the Ombudsman’s Office,
which takes into account the views of the civil society when conducting
surveys. Nevertheless, in order to present the real picture, it should
have made some rational analysis and conducted additional surveys,
the lack of which led to emergence of the annual report’s provisions
that have nothing to do with the reality. The company considers that
the Ombudsman’s Office should present the information to the public
and state structures in compliance with the law, and the information
should be competently formulated and edited.

In response to Vallex Group’s comments, Anna Safaryan, Ombudsman’s
Advisor for Environmental protection, said on March 18 that the
specified provision of the report is justified by the fact that in
2006 Teghout CJSC was licensed with violation of standards and now
the company carries out activities on a project that failed to undergo
expert examination, and the environmentalists have repeatedly stated
it and the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee confirmed it.

Safaryan added that the Committee has fixed that the license for
development of Teghout deposit was provided with violation of the
Convention.

Safaryan said that the Committee for the Protection of Teghout told
the Ombudsman that now the deposit is being developed under the new
project worked out in 2010, which has not undergone any examination.

In this connection, the Nature Protection Ministry must conduct the
relevant inspections, but no response has been received from the
Ministry so far.

Vallex Group has responded to this statements as well. The company
says that Safaryan’s statements have nothing to do with the reality.

“In 2006 no license or permit was provided to Teghout CJSC at all”, the
company says. As regards the development of the deposit under the new
project worked out in 2010, Vallex Group says that “as early as on 19
Dec 2012 the company disseminated full clarification via the media and
posted it on its official website (),
so, further speculation on this topic seems strange at least”.

HANESYAN: TROUBLED SME LOANS MAKE UP LESS THAN 1% OF AMERIABANK’S PORTFOLIO

YEREVAN, March 20. /ARKA/. Troubled loans extended by Ameriabank
to small and medium entrepreneurs make up less than one percent in
the bank’s loan portfolio, Artak Hanesyan, CEO of the bank, said
on Wednesday.

“We have very few troubles loans – their share in our portfolio is
less than one percent,” he said.

Explaining this situation, Hanestan told journalists that this is
not the result of a conservative approach, but this is the result
of the right estimation of the potential borrowers’ solvency and
well-justified terms, which leave no room for problems.

He said the share of problem loans in Armenian commercial banks’
aggregate loan portfolio averaged 4.3% in the last couple of years.

“Five percent is still an acceptable rate for Armenian banks, but
not for us – out standard is no higher than 3%,” he said.

The banker added that the crunches which struck at Armenian banks
in the last four years and are still continuing should be taken into
account here.

Now Ameriabank’s SME lending amounts to more than $100 million and
constitutes 16% of the bank’s outstanding loan portfolio.

Ameriabank CJSC is a universal bank providing investment, corporate
and retail banking services in a package.

Ameriabank is the first investment bank in Armenia. It started
providing a wide range of innovative banking services in 2007. -0-

EBRD TO PROVIDE 22 MILLION US DOLLARS LOAN TO AMERIABANK FOR INVESTMENT IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES AND ENERGY SPHERES

14:10, 20 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS: Ameriabank CJSC CEO Artak Hanesyan and
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Yerevan
Office Director Valeriu Razlog signed a cooperation agreement.Within
its framework the EBRD will provide $12 million loan to Ameriabank in
the sidelines of “Raise of Energy Efficiency and Small and Medium-Sized
Business Financing”program.

The $9 million of the provided sum will be addressed to the financing
of small and medium-sized enterprises and 3 million to the financing
of restoring energy and energy saving. “Ameriabank highly rates the
cooperation with the EBRD and finds that the involvement of financial
means will create new opportunities for diversification,” Artak
Hanesyan told the reporters on Wednesday, adding that the funding
of small and medium-sized enterprises is one of the priorities of
the Ameriabank’s loan policy and this loan will help to raise the
volume of bank’s crediting of small and medium-sized businesses,
Armenpress reports.

He also said the project will essentially promote the development of
small and medium-sized enterprises and growth of their competitiveness
both in internal and external markets. The EBRD’s financing will also
help to increase the electricity production and promote the effective
usage of energy resources and energy saving.

EBRD Yerevan Office Director Valeriu Razlog said this contract
will help to provide available financing to small and medium-sized
enterprises and noted that the other goal of it is development
of energy.

AZERBAIJAN HANDS OVER 2 CIVILIANS TO ARMENIA

NEWS.AM
March 20, 2013 | 15:24

Azerbaijan handed over to Armenia two civilians who had illegally
crossed the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

The ceremony took place at about 3pm on Wednesday on the border near
Kaynavan settlement or Armenia’s Tavush Region under the mediation of
the Yerevan and Baku representatives of the International Committee
of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Mnatsakan Karyan-a resident of Dovegh village of Armenia’s Tavush
Region, and who is born in 1926-crossed the border on March 16,
whereas Anahit Arakelyan-a resident of Aygehovit village of Tavush
Region, and who is born in 1965-crossed the border on March 17.

NEWSPAPER: WILL VIGEN SARGSYAN BE APPOINTED A FOREIGN MINISTER OF ARMENIA?

ARMINFO
Wednesday, March 20, 13:54

Having returned from Moscow and Brussels Armenia’s President Serzh
Sargsyan has already started the activities toward forming of a new
government, Hraparak daily reported.

Director of Armenian National Security Service has got health problems,
nevertheless the Police and NSS will not be united.

“Interesting change is expected in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to our sources, Edward Nalbandian will return to Paris, as
ambassador. They are satisfied with his work, but Nalbandian himself
wants that as he loves Paris very much”, – the daily says.

As for the new FM, Presidential Chief of Staff Vigen Sargsyan will
be appointed to this position. It turns out that he is expecting his
third child, and therefore he could go on vacation this summer and
that is why he went on vacation now. And, besides, coming back from
vacation he will replace Edward Nalbandian, Hraparak says.

IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN TO VISIT ARMENIA

15:15 20/03/2013 ” REGION

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast will visit
Armenia in early April, Mehr News Agency reported.

According to Mehr, summing up the activities of the Iranian Foreign
Ministry in the passing year (in Iran, the new year starts on March
21), Mehmanparast said, “In the coming year, we will show that as
a regional superpower, we are committed to peace and stability in
the region.”

Source: Panorama.am

R. HOVHANNISYAN: “THE TIME FOR A NEW ARMENIA IS FAST APPROACHING”

Today – 11:07

Presiding over a press conference on his tenth day at Liberty Square,
Raffi K. Hovannisian called out acting president Serzh Sargsyan for his
continuing distortion of the truth and denial of the people’s victory
on February 18, 2013. Raffi Hovhnnisyan headquarters inform about this.

“It is sad that Mr. persists in deceiving himself about,” Hovannisian
said. “He has not yet understood that the Armenian people no longer
recognize de facto rulers. The time for a New Armenia is fast
approaching.”

Later in the day, hundreds of citizens gathered at the square to take
part in the third of an increasingly popular series of public forums.

Joined by human rights defender Avetik Ishkhanyan and moderated by
Levon Bagramian, the discussions were led by former deputy speaker
of parliament Karapet Rubinyan and focused on Armenia’s transition
into a parliamentary republic.

In the evening, at the cafe behind his bench at Liberty Square,
Hovannisian met with Gunnar Wiegand, the European Union Chief
Negotiator for Association Agreement. They discussed at length the
new developments in post-election Armenia, and Europe’s role in
encouraging true, not merely cosmetic, democracy in the republic.

Today at 12 pm Raffi Hovannisian’s spokesman Hovsep Khurshudyan
will hold a press conference at Liberty Square. At 5pm the next the
public forum will be led by former Shushi commander and leader of
the Sardarapat movement Jirair Sefilian.