Author: nina hovnanian

DUE TO AZERBAIJAN’S MISTAKES, ARMENIA STRENGTHENED ITS POSITION IN FOREIGN POLICY – RICHARD GIRAGOSIAN

Panorama.am
18:02 26/12/2012 ” ANALYSIS

“The priority of Armenia’s foreign policy in the passing year is
its relations with both the West and the East, especially if we take
into consideration the fact that Armenia has considerably improved
its relations with both the U.S. and the EU. At the same time,
Armenian-Russian relations remain stable, with Armenia increasing its
role as a CSTO member state,” Richard Giragosian, political analyst,
director of the Yerevan-based Regional Studies Center (RSC), told a
news conference in Yerevan.

“Armenia’s position on normalization of ties with Turkey is another
remarkable tendency in the passing year. Yerevan keeps strong position
in this issue because all expectations and hopes continue to be linked
with Turkey,” stated the expert.

According to Giragosian, Armenian-Georgian relations can also be
described as remarkable, especially after the election of new Georgian
government. Taking into consideration the nature of this country’s
government, Armenia has a chance to be more predictable and to take
positions of more experienced and stable country, he said.

“Another tendency is the Armenian-Iranian relations. Armenia should
be careful in expanding its relations with Iran,” the expert stressed.

As for Azerbaijan, we can talk much about this country but we have
too little information to make a report, Giragosian noted.

The expert added that no significant changes have occurred in the
process of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict but Azerbaijan’s
positions have changed. According to Giragosian, this country has
become more unreasonable and unpredictable and its policy harms the
country itself.

“By pardoning and making hero out of the convicted murderer Baku
made a gift to Armenia. This move undermined Azerbaijan’s authority,”
he stressed.

“On the whole, compared with the previous year, Armenia has
strengthened its positions in foreign policy, but much initiative is
needed for maintaining these positions. Armenia’s positions became even
stronger due to Azerbaijan’s mistakes,” the political analyst added.

COMPETITION FOR VACANT PLACE OF DIRECTOR FOR “KHOSROV FOREST” PRESERVATION TO START AFTER HOLIDAYS

Panorama.am
26/12/2012

The vacant position of director in “Khosrov Forest” preservation will
be announced after the holidays, the minister of nature protection
Aram Harutyunyan said today. The competition will be open, all those
who have corresponding education experience and management abilities
can apply for the position.

Coming up to Hrachya Hovakimyan’s appointment the minister mentioned
that he has worked in preservation and has great work experience. “He
is a knowledgeable and well organized expert and it will not prevent
him from being chosen as the best,” A. Harutyunyan said.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION CENTER PUBLICIZES ITS ANNUAL “BLACK LIST”
Sona Hakobyan

“Radiolur”
16:25 26.12.2012

President of the Freedom of Information Center Shushan Doydoyan today
publicized the 2012 “black list” of officials, who have violated
the right of people to the freedom of information, as well as the
“white list” of those, who have reconsidered their activity after
appearing in the interim “black lists” over the year.

Summing up the results of the year, Shushan Doydoyan declared that
the top 5 includes the Mayors of Vardenis and Vanadzor, the leaders
of the Republican Party of Armenia, the Prosperous Armenia Party and
the Armenian National Congress.

Note that the “black list” includes representatives of government
agencies, local self-government bodies or public organizations,
who do not respond to the requests to provide information, violate
the Law on the Freedom of Information, provide a false or incomplete
information, etc.

Head of the State Market Control Inspection Levon Khalikyan and
headmaster of the school #4 after Levon Shant Anahit Vardanyan have
managed to review their activity and have been excluded from the
“black list.”

MANY UNDERSTAND THAT SARGSYAN IS LIKELY TO WIN 2013 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

news.am
December 26, 2012 | 14:28

YEREVAN.- It is clear for many that Serzh Sargsyan is likely to win the
2013 presidential elections, political analyst Richard Giragosian said.

World community, that is Washington, Brussels or Moscow, sees no
alternative to the incumbent leader, he believes.

Giragosian, director of Regional Studies Center Richard, refused to
comment on Levon Ter-Petrosyan~Rs decision not to run in elections. He
was also very skeptical about the level of competitiveness, noting
it is not a negative thing. The main task is to have transparent
elections in accordance with the international standards.

After the elections, the Armenian society will witness the process
of displaying political will. The second term is a time to ponder on
the way Armenia would choose in the future with a new leader, he added.

THINK AGAIN: CITY COUNCIL SHOULD RETHINK GLENDALE GUN SHOW

,0,3307615.story
December 26, 2012 | 9:37 a.m.

On Dec.14, I was sitting in a session of the Los Angeles City Council
for a pending council matter when a news flash came across my iPhone
on the Newtown, Conn. school shooting. My heart sank and a shiver
went through my body like it did for so many other people across
our country.

The eerie coincidence for me was that later that afternoon, employees
at Southern California Edison, where I work, were observing a moment
of silence for the colleagues we lost almost exactly a year ago when
an employee committed the same kind of rampage in the workplace.

That experience is still very vivid for me as I was on the front lines
of helping manage through the traumatic event, working with families
who are forever impacted by the tragic experience.

When I got home, I read posts on Facebook from a friend and former
colleague from Washington, D.C. who initially posted that her
brother-in-law and sister-in-law were awaiting word to see if their
niece Gracie was among the Connecticut victims, asking for prayers
for her well-being.

Then the Facebook posts turned for the worse when news arrived that
Gracie was one of the dozens of children who had been killed.

This tragedy then got closer with a few degrees of separation and
was yet another reminder of the hundreds of families that will now
be coping with the effects of the shooting for the rest of their lives.

This is not to mention the trauma that everyone at that school will
carry for a long time.

My intent is not to tackle the entire gun-control issue and whether
people have a right to own guns. That is a big issue that on a high
level loses the human connection.

The issue for me on the ground level, however, has a live example in
Glendale. The Glendale Gun Show comes to town three times annually
in March, August and around Thanksgiving. It is held at the Glendale
Civic Auditorium, which is city property, and where gun dealers
display and sell all types of guns.

What makes it more bewildering for me is that the Civic Auditorium
is across the street from Glendale Community College on one side,
the Armenian Catholic Church on the other, a playground one block
north and a residential neighborhood where I live on the fourth side.

Every time this show comes to town and their large signs go up on the
auditorium property I have a bad reaction to it, especially for where
it is held and particularly the one held on the eve of Thanksgiving.

It just doesn~Rt sit right.

The City Council considered banning the sale of firearms on city
property in 2001 and 2006. The time has come to review our position
on this issue again.

Why hasn~Rt the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees addressed
this gun show held facing the campus with thousands of students walking
by it each time? I~Rm equally surprised more people in Glendale have
not spoken up about the gun show, gun sales in Glendale in general
or even violent video game sales — all parts of the same ecosystem.

The Connecticut shootings should serve as a wake up call and catalyst
for us to take meaningful steps now.

The city should start by turning down the Glendale Gun Show business
out of principle, and if that means we have to pass an ordinance,
let~Rs do it. Decades ago, the City Council made a similar decision
when it came to hosting boxing fights at the Civic Auditorium, but
somehow guns are more acceptable than boxing?

I am sure there will be financial arguments made, since the Civic
Auditorium has difficulty covering expenses every year. But taking
a stand on this issue is more important than finances as it says
something about our city.

For me, this is about leadership and I hope we will see City Council
step up to this challenge in the New Year.

ZANKU ARMENIAN is a resident of Glendale and a corporate
communications and public affairs professional. He can be reached
at [email protected].

THE PUBLIC COUNCIL TO DISCUSS “ARMAVIA” ISSUE

12:01, 27 December, 2012

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS: Armenia should have its national
air carrier. Moreover the majority of the personnel must be comprised
mainly of Armenians. Public Council chairman Vazgen Manukyan ceme
forth in the course of the press conference with the reporters on
December 27. “Possessing a national carrier is a necessity, if we
lack it in case of war we could find ourselves in a blockade: flight
to other countries might be prohibited” Manukyan noted.

In the words of Manukyan in many countries about 30-50 percent of
shares is owned by the State. Public Council is scheduled to launch
discussions regarding national carrier “fortune”. For quite a long
time the news about the selling of Armavia are being circulated. In
the briefing with Armenpress, the spokesman of Armavia air company
Nana Avetisovna stated, it is not known yet whom they are going to
sell the company, there are many stakeholders , Italians inclusive.

The selling of Armavia company is conditioned by not being profitable
in crisis time.

LES CHEFS D’ETAT DE L’OTSC REUNIS A MOSCOU : RENCONTRE SARKISSIAN-POUTINE
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 27 decembre 2012

L’ensemble de la presse rend compte de la session du Conseil de
securite collective de l’OTSC a Moscou, a laquelle le President
Sarkissian, accompagne de ses Ministres des AE, de la Defense et
du Secretaire du Conseil de securite nationale, a pris part. Nombre
de documents ont ete signes a l’issue de la session. Les quotidiens
annoncent la suspension par l’Ouzbekistan de son adhesion a l’OTSC.

Dans son discours, le President Sarkissian a rappele que l’Armenie a
accueilli, en septembre dernier, les exercices militaires des forces
de reaction rapide de l’OTSC, qu’il a qualifie d’evenements marquants
pour les forces armees armeniennes, comme pour la cooperation au
sein de l’OTSC. Evoquant la situation regionale, le chef de l’Etat a
accuse l’Azerbaïdjan d’etre une menace pour toute la region en raison
de sa ” position non constructive ” dans le règlement du conflit du
HK. Les autorites azerbaïdjanaises font preuve de mauvaise volonte
ou d’incapacite a suivre les dispositions arretees sous l’egide du
Groupe de Minsk. La partie armenienne, en revanche, continue a etre
convaincue que les negociations demeurent le seul moyen de parvenir
au règlement du conflit. Il a ajoute que toute une generation est
en train de grandir en Azerbaïdjan dans un climat de xenophobie et
d’intolerance envers les Armeniens. Le Chef de l’Etat a fait reference
a l’affaire Safarov, indiquant que desormais en Azerbaïdjan tuer un
Armenien n’est pas considere comme un crime. ” Et cela se produit au
XXIème siècle, dans un pays membre du Conseil de securite de l’ONU…

“. Le President Sarkissian a egalement evoque les propos de son
homologue azerbaïdjanais qualifiant les Armeniens d’ennemi N°1 de
l’Azerbaïdjan et Erevan, qui va feter bientôt son 2800ème anniversaire,
de terre azerbaïdjanaise. L’Azerbaïdjan, a-t-il rappele, considère les
violations du regime de cessez-le-feu comme un fait normal, oubliant
qu’il a lui-meme sollicite cet accord en 1994. Le President Sarkissian
a par ailleurs reproche a quelques-uns des membres de l’OTSC, sans
indiquer lesquels, de soutenir des initiatives azerbaïdjanaises
[anti-armeniennes] au sein d’organisations internationales alors que
l’Armenie avait demande aux partenaires de l’OTSC de faire preuve de
neutralite dans le dossier du conflit du HK.

En marge de cette reunion, le Chef de l’Etat armenien s’est entretenu
avec son homologue russe. Le service de presse du President armenien se
borne a indiquer que ” les deux Presidents ont discute des questions
relatives au partenariat strategique armeno-russe et des possibilites
de renforcer la cooperation bilaterale dans plusieurs domaines “.

Les Ministres de la Defense d’Armenie et de Russie se sont egalement
entretenus en marge de ce sommet sur le partenariat militaire ainsi
que sur la securite regionale et internationale.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 20 et 21 decembre 2012

jeudi 27 decembre 2012, Stephane ©armenews.com

8000 ENFANTS HANDICAPES EN ARMENIE
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 27 decembre 2012

Le nombre des enfants ayant un handicap en Armenie est estime a
8000 soit 1 % du nombre total d’enfants dans le pays a declare Meri
Poghosyan de l’UNICEF Armenie.

” Si on tient compte de l’index international d’enfants avec des
handicaps qui est de 2,5 %, environ 12000 enfants sont handicapes
en Armenie mais dont le statut n’est pas, cependant, confirme selon
differentes raisons ” a-t-elle dit lors de la presentation d’une
recherche de l’UNICEF intitulee ” l’accès a l’education, la sante,
la Securite sociale en Armenie pour des enfants avec des handicaps “.

Parmi ces raisons Meri Poghosyan mentionne le non-empressement des
familles pour demander le statut d’incapacite pour leurs enfants.

Elle a dit que sur 5707 enfants handicapes, 5322 etaient dans leur
famille et 385 etaient dans les orphelinats.

La recherche a montre que 70 % des enfants avec des handicaps qui
ont des familles, vont dans les ecoles.

jeudi 27 decembre 2012, Stephane ©armenews.com

PROSPEROUS ARMENIA LEADER’S MOTHER MEETS WITH PM – NEWSPAPER

December 25, 2012 | 07:02

YEREVAN. – Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan’s mother,
Roza Tsarukyan, had a private conversation with Premier Tigran
Sargsyan on December 21, Zhoghovurd daily reports.

“In line with official information, session of the PM Adjunct Council
on Women’s Issues was held at the government, with 325 women taking
part, which Tigran Sargsyan moderated. But Zhoghovurd was unable to
find out what the PM and Roza Tsarukyan spoke about in Sargsyan’s
office.

The PM’s spokesperson Harutyun Berberyan said they have nothing more
to add aside from the official information. Thus, the mother of the
leader of Armenia’s strong alternative [political] force maintains
‘chocolate [sweet]’ relations with the authorities,” Zhoghovurd
writes.

AZERBAIJAN’S BLATANT LIES THREAT TO ENTIRE REGION – ARMENIAN DEPUTY FM

tert.am
25.12.12

In response to Interfax news agency, Armenia’s Deputy FM Shavarsh
Kocharyan commented on the Azerbaijani president’s territorial claims
on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Overt territorial claims on Armenia, which has a history of at
least three thousand years, by a state that appeared on the world
map less than a hundred years ago, is one more piece of evidence of
the Azerbaijani authoritarian regime’s agony,” Mr Sh. Kocharyan said.

“When blatant lies are presented as justice, it is a threat to the
entire region, first of all, to the Azerbaijani people. No lies will
help Azerbaijan’s leaders to evade responsibility for their aggression
against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which gained independence,”
Mr Sh. Kocharyan said.