Author: nina hovnanian

EU DONOR CONFERENCE FOR ARMENIA IN AUTUMN WAS NEVER REALISTIC
By Raffi Elliottian

hetq
15:37, July 11, 2012

During his 4 July visit to Yerevan, EU President Herman Van
Rompuy declared that Armenia was moving in the right direction,
and that negotiations are now being prepared for the promised EU led
international donor conference for financial aid to Armenia’s state
and economic reform agenda.

Earlier statements by the spokesperson of EU Commissioner Stefan
Fule caused confusion, as he first stated in January that this donor
conference would take place after the parliamentary elections of May
2012, while recently mentioning a time after the presidential election
as a target.

“The plan to hold the donor conference this autumn was always very
ambitious” explained Dr Michael Kambeck, Secretary General of the
NGO European Friends of Armenia () in Brussels. “Amongst
other things, both sides need to prepare excellent strategy documents
for the World Bank. Yerevan and Brussels started those preparations
after the recent parliamentary elections and I don’t believe that
they can finish them before it gets already too close to the upcoming
Presidential Elections.”

As a general rule, the EU avoids any activities close to national
elections, which could influence these elections.

Kambeck emphasised the importance of the renewed dedication by the
EU to assisting the democratic and economic modernisation of its
Eastern-European periphery in a time of financial insecurity stating:
“What was important for us is that President Van Rompuy reaffirmed
the EU’s commitment for this donor conference, despite the EU’s crisis.

And if the Presidential Elections next February mark another progress
over last May’s elections, this conference will find enough political
support in Europe and beyond to be successful. This will be very
significant for Armenia!”

In this context, it is also noteworthy that separately, the European
Parliament decided yesterday, 10 July 2012, to increase the EU’s
financial assistance to Armenia in the framework of the Eastern
Partnership Programme and the European Neighborhood Policy. The date
for the said international donor conference will be fixed, once the
Armenian government has finalised the necessary strategy documents
in cooperation with the EU.

(Raffi Elliottian is a Canadian-Armenian political-economist currently
based in Yerevan)

ON LANGUAGE: FINES HANDED OUT TO FIRMS NOT USING ARMENIAN FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS/ADVERTISING
By Gohar Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow reporter
11.07.12 | 15:28

The Head of the State Language Inspectorate of the Ministry of
Education and Science of Armenia at a press conference on Wednesday
reported that during the first six months of this year the inspectorate
has registered numerous violations related to the use of language
in advertisement, and consequently fines were imposed on 60 economic
entities.

Sergo Yeritsyan, head of Inspectorate, says that the targets of
the inspectorate’s activity were public signs on which there is no
Armenian written or on which the Armenian text is not visable.

According to Yeritsyan, businesses and companies often break the law,
because they are not aware of the legislative demands.

“A total of three million drams (about $7,180) was collected from
economic entities which had broken the law. The registration of
violations and imposing fines result in a chain reaction, meaning,
other economic entities start changing the texts on their signboards;
or those who must install new signboards, do it in accordance with
the letter of the law,” Yeritsyan says, adding that after registering
a violation a report is drawn up and sent to the court to define the
degree of liability.

Quite popular brands and organizations are among those economic
entities which break the law “On Language”; for example, Basic House
clothes shops chain, Cacharel clothes and shoes shop, Hertz car
renting company, etc.

Yeritsyan believes that a number of problems in the sphere are not
solved because of the law being imperfect; therefore the inspectorate
has exercised a number of legislative initiatives on language, which
will be submitted to the National Assembly in September.

Yeritsyan also referred to a number of language law violations in radio
and television, and said that the National Commission on Television
and Radio (NCTR) of Armenia and not their inspectorate is in charge
of enforcing that sphere.

PAPER: STATE-RUN INSTITUTIONS LEFT WITHOUT SALARIES OVER LACK OF BUDGET FUNDS

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 11, 2012 – 15:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – According to Zhoghovurd daily, over the last 2 months
a number of state-run institutions were left without salaries, with
“no budget funds available” cited as a reason.

According to the paper, such situation has been noted both at Armenia’s
ministries and ministry-adjacent institutions.

“It is supposed that the budget moneys were used for May 6 electoral
bribes’ fund, and the authorities are having difficulties in refilling
the budget,” the daily said.

ARMENIAN MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE PROPOSED TO CREATE FOOD SAFETY SERVICE IN STEPANAKERT

ARMENPRESS
11 July, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS: Within the framework of NKR visit Sergo
Karapetyan, the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia
had a meeting with NKR Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance
Spartak Tevosyan, discussed various issues related to the sphere
of agriculture.

Minister Karapetyan noted, he is much expressed by the positive
changes, especially by the achievements in the livestock industry,
made after his previous visit.

As Ministry of Agriculture briefed Armenpress, Sergo Karapetyan
proposed to create food safety service on the base of newly buildings
built in accordance to European standards. This important service
is already operating in Armenia. The issues related to the export,
standardization and launched training courses of the specialist were
touched upon.

Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan received Minister of Agriculture Sergo
Karapetyan. At the course of the working visit Minister Karapetyan
also met senior officials, heads of households, businesses and farmers.

Jointly with his counterpart Andranik Khachatryan visited many
communities, pedigree and breeding stations ,centers of livestock
farms, processing enterprises and the veterinary Laboratory.

Further cooperation agreements were obtained during Artsakh meetings.

GABRIEL SARGSYAN IS THE LEADER OF GREEK CHESS TOURNAMENT

ARMENPRESS
11 July, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS: Armenian grandmaster Gabriel Sargsyan
in the 5th round of international chess tournament which goes on in
Greek city Retimno defeated Ukrainian chess player Yuri Krivoruchko. He
gained 5 points and became the leader of the tournament. Armenpress
was informed about this from Armenian chess federation.

Gabriel Sargsyan has 0.5 points more than Indian chess player Shiam
Sundar and Russian player Andrei Richagov.

170 chess players take part in the tournament.

Gabriel Sargsyan was a member of the gold-medal winning Armenian team
at the chess Olympiads in 2006 and 2008 and at the World Team Chess
Championship in 2011. Sargsyan was born in Yerevan on 3 September
1983 and was taught to play chess by his grandfather when he was
6. He won the World Youth Chess Championship (under 16) in 1998. In
the same year he became an international master.

ACTIVISTS DEMAND BOYCOTTING SERVICES PROVIDED BY ROUBEN HAYRAPETYAN’S COMPANIES

arminfo
Wednesday, July 11, 13:42

The initiative “We Demand Punishing All Those Found Responsible
for the Incident at Harsanaqar” has come out with a statement. The
initiative advocates boycotting the services of all the companies
owned by Rouben Hayrapetyan, MP from the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia (Bjni mineral water plant, Noy spring water plant, Harsnakar
restaurant complexes in Yerevan and Sevan, as well as the Armenian
Development Bank).

The initiative also demands that Rouben Hayrapetyan should be arrested
and dismissed from the Football Federation of Armenia. He should
also pay compensation to the medical officer Vahe Avetyan’s family
and ensure his relatives’ security, as well as stop the activity of
the Harsnaqar restaurant as a facility endangering human lives.

To recall, the 33-year-old medical officer Vahe Avetyan was beaten
to death by the security guards of Harsnaqar restaurant. Under the
public pressure, the owner of the restaurant, MP from the Republican
Party of Armenia, Rouben Hayrapetyan, put down his deputy mandate.

To note, Zhoghovurd newspaper published noteworthy information about
Avetyan. A few days before being beaten by Harsnaqar’s security guards,
the doctor successfully operated on one of Harsnaqar’s musicians, who
invited Avetyan to the restaurant on June 17 as a token of gratitude.

DELEGATION OF THE RUSSIAN COUNCIL OF FEDERATION ARRIVING IN ARMENIA

armradio.am
11.07.2012 12:03

The delegation headed by Chairwoman of the Council of Federation of
the Federal Assembly of Russia will arrive in Armenia on July 11 for
an official visit.

Within the framework of the visit Valentina Matvienko will have
meetings with Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan, Speaker of the
National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan, His Holines Karekin II, Supreme
Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.

Members of the Russian delegation will visit Tsitsernakaberd to lay
a wreath at the memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims.

WILL WEST PAY TO “DERUSIFY” ARMENIA?
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 12:03:33 – 11/07/2012

Armavia Air Company during the Farnborough salon decided to purchase
one Airbus and one Boeing, Interfax reports. Earlier, we learnt that
the Armenian carrier decided not to buy the second Sukhoi Superjet 100
(SSJ-100).

This information came right after the Russian press had reported
Mikhail Baghdasarov is going to sell Armavia Company to Russian
companies through Harutiun Pambukyan.

Which of these is the result of the other information? It is not
ruled out that Baghdasarov refused buying the Superjet, after which
the Russian party launched an information war against him spreading
rumors that his company is for sale.

Now, they say, that Armenia, allegedly, is ready to give 10% of its
assets to the HayRusGazArd to make sure Russia won’t announce gas
price increase by the presidential elections. The gas, as they say,
has already increased in price by USD 60, but it is kept secret.

Perhaps, the assets already belong to Russia.

If Russia manages to lay hands on all the assets of HayRusGazArd
and Armavia, we can say that the Western raid to remove Armenia from
under the Russian influence failed.

The West also understands that everything has its price and it won’t
be enough just to support minimal reforms. Either it will have to
cover the inevitable “damage” to Armenia or to lose it forever.

There are two versions – the West keeps the acting power in Armenia
and propose money which it uses for the compensation of the gas
price increase, preservation of Armavia and allows Armenia not to
take a loan from Russia; or the West contributes to the arrival to
power in Armenia of those who will take the risk to go for a direct
confrontation with Russia, but in this case it will have to cover
major damage. Russia has very powerful levers of economic power in
Armenia, and now it is increasing.

Apparently, conceptual talks are underway between Russia and Armenia.

Press secretary of the ministry of energy and natural resources of
Armenia Lusine Harutiunyan told Arminfo that they are negotiating in
relation to whole complex of energy cooperation including issues on
tariffs on natural gas.

This means that Armenia is trying to weaken the economic influence of
Russia which not only resists in all possible ways but also creates
new levers.

How this fight will end is hard to guess, but it is absolute that
the leading role belongs to two factors: readiness of the West to
help Armenia and capacity of the Armenian authorities to insist on
their own, even if they will have to lose power for it.

Only in case these two factors are present, Armenia may restore full
sovereignty: if the West is ready to confront with Russia for Armenia
and if the authorities intend to sell themselves to anyone who will
guarantee reproduction.

PAN-ARMENIAN FORUM OF POLITICAL SCIENTISTS AND EXPERTS ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS TO TAKE PLACE IN YEREVAN

news.am
July 11, 2012 | 01:00

YEREVAN. – A forum of political scientists and experts on international
relations is to take place in Yerevan on November 19-20.

During the Government seating on Thursday the agenda of the forum
will be confirmed.

Overall, 100 political scientists and experts on international
relations will participate in the forum; 40 out of them are from
foreign states. The aim of the forum is to discuss the problems
challenging Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian Diaspora,
to come up with a joint program and to address matters of special
education of young people.

It is also planned to organize visits of different experts to Armenian
universities and scientific centers.

‘UNCLE’ SET TO VISIT IN SEPT.
by: Dave McNary

Daily Variety
July 9, 2012

Family comedy “My Uncle Rafael” has been set for a Sept. 21 launch
in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and other major markets.

“Rafael” stars Missi Pyle, John Michael Higgins, Anthony Clark,
Joe Lo Truglio, Rachel Blanchard and Vahik Pirhamzei, whose stage
play featuring the Armenian Uncle Rafael character serves as the
inspiration for the movie.

The film was financed and is being distributed by Slater Brothers
Entertainment and Rocky Mountain Pictures.

“My Uncle Rafael,” directed by Marc Fusco, follows a dysfunctional
all-American family who is cast in a reality television show and
must invite a stranger into their home – an old Armenian uncle,
who has one week to save them from falling apart.