Author: nina hovnanian

Aleppo faces bread, fuel shortage amid continuing tensions

TERT.AM
18:21 – 12.12.12

It is already several days Syria’s capital, Aleppo, is running out of
bread and fuels.

A spokesperson for Beirut’s Armenian National Prelacy, Zhirayr
Reisian, told Tert.am that finding bread in the city has turned almost
impossible, with the prices on fuels having surged twice again.

The noise of canons and mine-throwers’ bullets is often heard in the
Nor Kyughi Armenian neighborhood, Reisian said, adding that the heated
clashes are going the neighboring Bostan Pasha, a district where an
Armenian nursing was evacuated recently.

A young Armenian man was yesterday reported dead in the town of al-Hasake.

Another Armenian was later reported kidnapped but no further new are
available for now.

Armenian oppositionist not serious about joint presidential runner plan

20:28 – 12.12.12

Suren Abrahamyan of the opposition Republic party recommends against
taking a serious approach to the plans of a joint presidential runner
in the 2013 election.

`Today’s reality is so bitter and dirty that one has to be laugh not
to go crazy,’ he told Tert.am, noting with humor that several
presidential hopefuls may seek to be joint candidates at the same
time.

Asked whether their leader, Aram Sargsyan, has plans to nominate
himself, Abrahamyan said the party is to make a decision on that at an
upcoming congress next Friday.

As to whether Prosperous Armenia leader Gagik Tsarukyan’s decision not
to run for president or endorse any candidate may affect Sargsyan’s
presidency plans, Abrahamyan said they are far from such
conversations.

`I knew he would not nominate himself. I am not, of course, a
brilliant foreteller, but the things so clear. It came as a
disappointment, but depending to what circles. I am absolutely
indifferent to that issue; it is not something decisive for my
personality or family,’ he added.

Russia may to build new radar in Armenia – historian

tert.am
14:32 – 12.12.12

Russia may build a new radar station on the territory of Armenia,
according to an Armenian historian.

Commenting on the country’s decision to suspend its radar’s operation
in Gabala, Azerbaijan, Gevorg Melkonyan told a news conference on
Wednesday that the move has caused an exacerbation in the
Russia-Azerbaijan relations.

`The Azerbaijanis announce, on the level of high-ranking officials,
that this cannot affect the Russian-Azerbaijani relations, but the
same doesn’t go for Russia. Azerbaijan demanded an incomparably higher
price from Russia for exploiting the radar. For Russia, it was a stab
in the back, especially in the current circumstances in the region,’
he said, noting that Russia realized Azerbaijan is not a reliable
partner.

Melkonyan explained that the existing situation is in the interest of
Armenia where Russia may modernize its military base and strengthen
Armenia’s security.

`This will increase Armenia’s role in the regio, as the military units
stationed in Armenia turn out to be likely to protect Russia’s air
borders in the region,’ he said.

Melkonyan believes Azerbaijan may hand over the Gabala radar to Turkey
or the US, thus causing a crisis in the Russia-US relations.

No colon bacillus detected in fish production of Armenian companies-
Fish Farmers Association

YEREVAN, December 12./ARKA/. The colon bacillus is not detected in
fish production of the four fish exporting Armenian companies, Artur
Atoyan, the head of the Association of Fish Farmers of Armenia, said
Tuesday.

On September 27, Rosselkhoznadzor (Russia’s Federal Service for
Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance) imposed restrictions on
fish imports, as it detected the colon bacillus in the fish production
imported from Iceland and Armenia. Particularly, Russia’s controlling
service said the bacterium was found in the production of the four
companies (Aquatechautomatika, Unifish, Dimitri and Gos).

`Scrupulous examination was carried out on all these enterprises, and
the colon bacillus was not detected on any of them,’ he noted.

Atoyan also assured the bacterium could not get transmitted into the
production prior to the export , as the production is rigorously
examined by Food Safety Service of Armenia before it is exported.

He implied the fish production could catch the colon bacillus as a
result of inappropriate transportation on the territory of Russia.
Another reason might be an improper storage in Russian stores.

Tigran Aleksanyan, the head of Fishing industry and Beekeeping
department at Armenia’s Ministry of Agriculture, said due to the
bacterium detection, Russia imposed a strict control over the two
Armenian companies, Unifish and Gos, and banned import from the other
two, Aquatechautomatika and Dimitri.

However, following the talks between the Ministry of Agriculture of
Armenia and Rosselkhoznadzor, the latter agreed to remove the strict
control over Unifish and Gos. The Surveillance body said it will do
away with the import ban on the other two companies at the end of the
year.

Aleksanyan also said the number of the Armenian companies exporting
fish to Russia rose from 22 to 29 this year, and by the end of this
year this list will have included another 10 enterprises.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Armenia, as of 1 December
2012, fish exports rose to nearly 1,200 tons versus 900 tons from a
year earlier. Armenia exports fish to Russia (nearly 80-90% of the
total exported production), Georgia, the UAE, the U.S., and some other
states. – 0-

Journalisme
Turquie : Vous avez dit « Liberté d’expression » ?

Un nombre record de journalistes en prison

Publié le 11 décembre 2012 par jean-paul marthoz

Depuis que le Comité pour la protection des journalistes (CPJ) publie
sa « prison list », le chiffre n’a jamais été aussi élevé : 232
journalistes sont emprisonnés de par le monde, cinquante-trois de plus
que l’année dernière.

On y retrouve évidemment les « suspects habituels » : l’Iran, la
Chine, l’Erythrée, la Syrie, le Vietnam, l’Azerbaïdjan, l’Ethiopie,
l’Ouzbékistan et l’Arabie saoudite. Mais c’est la Turquie, membre
fondateur du Conseil de l’Europe et candidate à l’adhésion au sein de
l’Union européenne, qui est en tête avec 49 journalistes.

Dans la plupart de ces pays geôliers, une majorité des journalistes
ont été jetés en prison après avoir été accusés d’activités « contre
l’Etat », que ce soit pour « apologie du terrorisme », « incitation au
séparatisme » ou « propagande contre le régime ». L’immense majorité
d’entre eux, sauf trois, sont des journalistes locaux.

L’enfer syrien

Ces chiffres ne coïncident pas nécessairement avec les autres
baromètres de la liberté de la presse que publie régulièrement le CPJ.
Les assassinats de journalistes, l’ultime forme de la censure,
concernent d’autres pays (Somalie, Pakistan Brésil, Mexique). A
l’exception de la Syrie qui, cette année, se retrouve sur la liste
noire à la fois des emprisonnements et des morts de journalistes.

lire la suite, voir lien plus bas

mercredi 12 décembre 2012,
Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

KARABAKH PRESIDENT EXTENDS CONDOLENCE ON DEATH OF HERO’S MOTHER

news.am
December 11, 2012 | 18:14

STEPANAKERT. – Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] President Bako Sahakyan sent
a condolence letter to the Melkonyan family on Tuesday, presidential
press service informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“I have learnt with deep sorrow about the death of Zabel Melkonyan
– mother of the Artsakh hero, deserved son of the Armenian people
Monte Melkonyan.

The mother who deserves great respect and gratitude, gave birth and
brought up our beloved Avo, the great patriot and selfless commander.

All his life Monte devoted to defending the Armenian Cause, protecting
the rights of the Armenian people, realizing our national goals and
aspirations. In the difficult hour for the Artsakh people he stood
near us, selflessly struggled against the enemy and perished as a
great hero.

The memory of Monte Melkonyan will always remain bright in hearts
of the Artsakh people. His deed will serve as an example for many
generations.

On behalf of the Artsakh people, authorities and myself, I express
deepest condolences and support to all the relatives and friends of
Monte’s mother Zabel Melkonyan, wish them steadfastness and strength,”
the letter reads.

HEAD OF EDB: CLINTON’S STATEMENTS ON PREVENTION OF INTEGRATION PROCESSES ARE RECURRENCE OF IMPERIAL THINKING

Tuesday, December 11, 15:48

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s statements about Washington’s
intention to prevent the integration processes in the post-Soviet
space are recurrence of imperial thinking, Igor Finogenov, Chairman
of the Board of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), told Armenian
journalists in Yerevan on Tuesday.

To recall, during the summit of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Dublin,
just hours before bilateral talks with Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov, Clinton slammed “a move to re-Sovietise the region”,
referring to plans to set up a new trade union between Russia and
some former Soviet nations. “It’s going to be called customs union,
it will be called Eurasian Union and all of that. But let’s make
no mistake about it. We know what the goal is and we are trying to
figure out effective ways to slow down or prevent it”, she said.

Finogenov qualified Clinton’s statement as confrontational. When
the global economy is shocked and a model of interaction is needed
to consolidate stability, such statements seem strange, Finogenov
stressed. He thinks that integration is one of the factors increasing
the welfare of nations.

As regards de-integration processes, including economic ones, they have
sad consequences. “I think the resistance to integration processes at
the political level is a short-sighted policy”, he stressed. Finogenov
hopes that the real policy of the USA will not hinder the integration
process of the CIS countries. More than 50% of total investment in
Armenia’s economy comes from Russia. This is also proved by the money
transfers of labor migrants from Armenia. Over Jan-Sept 2012 these
money transfers totaled $1.3 bln, which has an essential impact on
the consumer demand given the current economic situation in Armenia.

SUSPENSION OF GABALA DEAL NOT TO AFFECT RUSSIA-AZERBAIJAN TIES

13:50 ~U 11.12.12

Russia’s decision to suspend the operation of its radar in Gabala,
Azerbaijan, will not negatively affect the country’s relations with
Azerbaijan, according to a senior Azerbaijani politician.

“The Azerbaijani side had asked for prolonging the rent term. Russia
did not accept the proposal. The agreement to abandon the Gabala
radar was reached as a result of talks between the two countries. If
such a decision was taken based on mutual consent, it cannot cause
an exacerbation,” Trend.az quoted Ali Ahmedov, a vice president of
the ruling Yeni Azerbaijani party, as saying.

Russia decided to suspended the Gabala rent agreement (which expires
this month) on Monday.

Earlier this year, Azerbaijan raised the radar’s annual rent price
from $7 million to $300 million.

BURNING FIR TREES IN A PARK AFTER “KAREN DEMIRCHYAN”

2012-12-11 13:52:06

On December 11, at 12:19, information was received that a fire had
broken out in, Sisian, Syunik marz, Charents street.

A firefighting arrived at the scene and the fire was isolated at
12.25 and extinguished at 12.30.

It turned out that fir trees (10 pcs.) were burning in a park after
“Karen Demirchyan” in Charents street.

KHOSROV STATE RESERVE HAS ACTING DIRECTOR

tert.am
11.12.12

With the 335-A decree of Armenia’s Nature Protection Minister Aram
Harutyunyan, Hrachya Hovakimyan has been appointed acting director of
Khosrov Reserve, state reserve of the Ministry, until the appointment
of director in accordance with the law.

According to the Ministry’s press release, the appointment has been
made in accordance with the labor code and Government’s decision and
on the basis of personal application of Hovakimyan.

Hrachya Hovakimyan worked in Khosrov reserve in 1992-1994 as deputy
director on preservation affairs. In 1994-2004 he held high posts in
Hayantar state company. In 2004 he was appointed head of the Ministry’s
state inspection’s forest control department.

In 2006-2007 he was appointed advisor to the nature protection
ministry.

>From 2007 he was engaged in private activity.