Author: nina hovnanian

CIS LEGAL FRAMEWORK DISCUSSED IN YEREVAN

News of Belarus
March 18 2013

MINSK, 18 March (BelTA) – A Belarusian delegation headed by the
Chief of the Legal Department of the Foreign Ministry Andrei Popkov
attended the 14th meeting of the advisory committee of the chiefs of
law departments of the Foreign Ministries of the CIS member states,
which was held in Yerevan on 14-15 March, BelTA learnt from the press
service of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus.

The meeting focused on the ways of enhancing legal framework in the
CIS, including the regulations related to decision-making by the CIS
bodies, resolving the issues of the status of officials of the of the
CIS member states during their participation in activities of the CIS,
and other relevant international legal problems.

In addition, the meeting participants shared the views on the bilateral
and multilateral cooperation with the heads of the legal services of
the foreign ministries of other states.

CIVIL COUNCIL MEETS IN YEREVAN’S FREEDOM SQUARE

TERT.AM
18:52 ~U 18.03.13

The civil council has started its 2nd meeting in Yerevan’s Freedom
Square.

One of the ex-presidential candidates Andrias Ghukasyan is conducting
the meeting.

Heritage party Chairman Raffi Hovannisian at the opening of the
meeting. “Our main aim is to enable the speakers to voice their
opinions on the formation, government and policy of new Armenia from
April 9,” he said.

Mr Ghukasyan noted that the people distrusting the authorities exercise
power by means of rallies, discussions and civil disobedience.

He explained “what April 9 is.” According to him, real elections are
beginning in Armenia now. It is up to the people to decide if they
obey their own decisions or the current authorities, he said.

“April 9 is the day for this decision. This day will inaugurate a
serious, transitional, period. This is a period for the people showing
civil disobedience to pass to new elections, a new constitutional
situation and formation of new authorities. I think that Raffi
Hovannisian is the person able to head the body that is to supervise
the transition,” Mr Ghukasyan said.

“On April 9, the public decision must be an immediate result of
democracy. The parties that have claimed they are beside the people
must necessarily be here that day. Otherwise, their statements are
worth nothing and they obey the authorities,” he said.

ARMENIA’S NATIONAL SECURITY SERVICE TO CONDUCT NEW INSPECTION AT CIVILITAS FOUNDATION

TERT.AM
20:03 ~U 18.03.13

Armenia’s National Security Service, which initiated criminal
proceedings against the Civilitas Foundation and its Founder Vartan
Oskanian, on May 25, 2012, had decided to demand the financial
documents for 2012 and 2013, the Foundation’s statement.

The Security Service demands a report on the expenditures involving
41 private donations, Armenia’s government and different grants.

The State Revenue Committee has postponed the inspection of the
Foundation’s activities for 155 days against 90.

“The Foundation’s normal activities have been hindered for the past ten
months, which involves unreasonable demands for different documents,
letters to all the partners of the Foundation, interrogations. They
must be hoping to find the grounds for further persecutions,” says
the statement.

All the demands are politically motivated and are aimed to torpedo
the Foundation’s projects of consolidating civil society and put an
end to its information activities. The Cilvilitas Foundation calls
on Armenia’s authorities to stop the persecution.

DECISION 2013: OPPOSITION LEADER DEFIES POLITICAL EUROPE OVER ARMENIAN ELECTION STANCE

VOTE 2013 | 18.03.13 | 14:49

Photolure

By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent

Opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian, who is challenging the
official outcome of last month’s presidential election in Armenia,
is threatening the European People’s Party (EPP) with a political
scandal unless it disavows its chairman’s stance on the Armenian vote.

Hovannisian, whose Heritage party is also associated with the EPP, says
it will consider withdrawing if EPP president Wilfred Martens’ plaudits
to President Serzh Sargsyan and recognition of his disputed victory
becomes an institutionalized position of the European-level party.

In 2012, Heritage, together with Sargsyan’s ruling Republican Party
and its junior coalition partner, Orinats Yerkir, acquired observer
member statuses at the EPP as center-right parties.

Sargsyan went on to win the 2013 presidential election with an official
vote tally of 58 percent, while Hovannisian officially finished
second in the race with 37 percent. The Heritage party leader,
however, claimed massive fraud in the election and began street
protests on February 20, also unsuccessfully seeking to invalidate
the election outcome through the Constitutional Court. But before
that Martens already congratulated the incumbent Armenian leader
on his victory. Hovannisian also accused Martens of carrying out
“propaganda” for Sargsyan even before the February 18 election.

Moreover, after his re-election Sargsyan visited Brussels where he
also met with Martens on the sidelines of an EPP summit. According
to official sources, during his visit on March 14 Sargsyan had no
meetings with other European leaders apart from the EPP president.

At the summit in Brussels, Sargsyan stressed Armenia’s continued
effort for European integration, calling it a foreign policy
imperative. Meanwhile, Martens named Sargsyan a legitimately elected
president, which angered Hovannisian, who has been on a hunger strike
in Yerevan since March 10.

Speaking at a rally of his supporters last Friday, Hovannisian sharply
criticized the EPP head for his stance, as well as those world leaders
who have recognized Sargsyan’s victory despite what he described as
obvious fraud in the election. He said this is killing democracy in
Armenia. “If this is Europe, then we don’t need that… Let no one
teach us lessons in democracy, because we are a democracy,” said the
Armenian opposition leader.

If Heritage withdraws from the EPP, it may trigger a real scandal
for the largest European party, especially if the opposition movement
gains momentum in Armenia in time for Sargsyan’s inauguration scheduled
for April 9, when large demonstrations are planned in capital Yerevan.

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO EGYPT ARMEN MELKONYAN MET WITH EGYPTIAN AWQAF MINISTER TALAAT MOHAMED AFIFI

18:39, 18 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Ambassador to Egypt Armen
Melkonyan had a meeting with Talaat Mohamed Afifi Salem Egypt’s
Minister of religious endowments (Awqaf). As Armenpress was informed
from press, informational and public relations department of Foreign
Ministry, in a warm and constructive atmosphere interlocutors had
discussed number of issues on Armenian-Egyptian relations, highly
evaluating the great contribution of Armenian community in relations
of the two states. Both sides estimated the promotion of dialogue
between the two civilizations.

Armenian Ambassador informed Talaat Mohamed Afifi about the process
of peaceful resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as about
efforts of Armenia and international community aimed at it.

The Ministry of Awqaf of Egypt is one of eighteen ministries in the
Egyptian government and is in charge of religious endowments.

Religious endowments, awqaf, are similar to common law trusts where
the trustee is the mosque or individual in charge of the waqf and the
beneficiary is usually the community as a whole. Examples of waqfs
are of a plot of land, a market, a hospital, or any other building
that would aid the community.

HONDA MOTORS OPENS OFFICIAL REPRESENTATION IN ARMENIA
Hasmik Dilanyan

“Radiolur”
18:21 18.03.2013

The official representation of the Honda Motors Company was opened
in Armenia today. The solemn ceremony was attended by Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan.

The agreement was signed between the Grand Motors and Honda Motors
Companies last year. The Director of the Grand Motors Company is
former MP Ara Nranyan. The Grand Holding has invested more than $7
million to create new jobs.

“We intend to change our consumer’s conception of cars and quality
of services. We expect the five most famous models. The Armenian
consumers will ascertain that they have an opportunity to purchase
the most high-quality cars from this center,” Ara Nranyan said.

ARMENIA CAN INCREASE TRADING WITH FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS BY COOPERATING WITH CUSTOMS UNION : EDB RESEARCH

YEREVAN, March 18. /ARKA/. Armenia can significantly advance its
commercial turnover with former Soviet republics by cooperating
with the Customs Union, Vladimir Pereboev, a responsible secretary
of Centre for Integration Studies at the Eurasian Development Bank
(EDB), declared presenting “The Customs union and neighboring states:
models and instruments of mutually beneficial partnership” report.

The report covers the complex research of the basic models and
instruments of cooperation between the large integration unions and
neighboring states.

The research refers to Armenia, Moldova and Tajikistan.

Pereboev said the close ties between the former Soviet states explain
their specific partnership format.

“Trading and economic relations continue due to former ties established
in Soviet times during the planned model of economy. Local exporters
are better aware of Russia’s commercial opportunities and those of
other post-Soviet states because of similarity of laws, language
and mentality. Thus, trading and economic relations with some other
countries, even if they are more beneficial, can fail because of
inability or unwillingness to do business with them,” he said.

The expert noted in the former Soviet republics mutual trading rates
exceed those with other countries of the world.

“Nevertheless, despite some big trading turnover, by raising their
own competitiveness Armenia, Moldova and Tajikistan can increase
trade volumes through cooperating with the Customs Union,” he added.

Pereboev highlighted the increase in domestic production in an open
economy can appear if local producers can compete with foreign ones.

“There are different methods to assess a relative competitiveness
of countries in these or those economic sectors. Identification of
compared advantages can help us to realize pluses and minuses of
Customs Union integration,” he said .

He also informed Armenia has a comparative advantage over the Customs
Union in agricultural sector, whereas no comparative advantage in
mineral production, chemical and wood processing industry.

The report was presented at Economic Aspects of the Eurasian
Integration and Armenia conference organized by Integration and
Development organization in Yerevan. Economy Minister of Armenia
Tigran Davtyan, scientists, analysts from Russia, Armenia and Belarus
participated in the conference on Saturday. -0-

VETERAN POLITICIAN DISAPPOINTED WITH ELECTIONS, QUITTING POLITICS

POLITICS | 18.03.13 | 14:07

A veteran Armenian politician and former media mogul is quitting
politics over what he has described as disappointment with the process.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Tigran Karapetyan said
his People’s Party will not be contesting the May local elections
in Yerevan.

Karapetyan, 67, moved to Armenia from Russia in 2001 to set up a
media holding, ALM, only to see it controversially closed a decade
later. In the meantime, he unsuccessfully contested several elections
of various levels, including parliamentary and municipal elections
and a presidential race in 2008.

In explaining his decision to quit Karapetyan said he was disappointed
with the political process, in particular with how elections are held
in Armenia.

Karapetyan did not contest the parliamentary and presidential
elections in 2012 and 2013. In the 2007 legislative polls he claimed
the authorities had prevented his party from clearing the five-percent
threshold needed to enter the National Assembly to allow the Heritage
Party to get into the legislature instead.

Karapetyan and his People’s Party staged a series of protests in
Yerevan in January-February 2011 after ALM Holding lost a frequency
in a tender administered by a government-appointed commission.

Critics often accused ALM Holding of producing low-quality television
shows, yet the company also had a considerable number of supporters
mainly among lower classes tuning in to Karapetyan’s weekly political
shows with a rare opportunity in the 2000s of asking questions and
raising issues live.

PP LEADER TIGRAN KARAPETYAN QUITTING POLITICS

12:31 18/03/2013 ” POLITICS

Tigran Karapetyan is quitting politics and his People’s Party will
not run in the elections of Yerevan Council of Elders, he told a news
conference today.

The reason behind his decision is that he is disappointed with
political processes, particularly elections, Karapetyan said.

The PP leader believes that the Heritage party will be second in
Yerevan Council of Elders, following the Republican Party of Armenia.

Source: Panorama.am

MANGASARYAN APARTMENT SCAM TRIAL POSTPONED

11:09, March 18, 2013

Vladislav Mangasaryan, who for years has been charged by American
investor Edmond Khudyan for defrauding his Arin Capital investment
firm, was arrested three days ago by officials of the State Revenue
Committee (SRC).

Mangasaryan was taken into custody after being questioned by the SRC.

He was charged with money laundering and fraud.

Mangasaryan was scheduled to appear today as a witness in a separate
case involving Lousineh Gyulkhasyan, a woman who paid for but
never received an apartment in a building development operated by
Mangasaryan.

The court postponed the trial to March 28 in order to have the arrested
Mangasaryan brought to court as a defendant.