Friday, November 17 2017
Sarkisian Presents Annual IT Award, Calls For Knowledge-Based Economy
November 17, 2017
Armenia -- President Serzh Sarkisian hands the GIT Award to Nest Labs
co-founderTony Fadell, Yerevan, 16Nov2017
Thousands of men and women involved in the information technology
sector help Armenia move towards a knowledge-based economy, President
Serzh Sarkisian said on Thursday as he handed his annual Global IT
award to Tony Fadell, a Lebanese-American inventor, designer and
entrepreneur who is also known as "one of the fathers of the iPod".
Addressing the guests of the ceremony held in the Presidential Palace
Sarkisian went on to describe the IT sector as a major potential
locomotive of growth for Armenia.
"Some 600 companies are involved in this sector [in Armenia] and among
them are offices of many world-renowned organizations. They provide
jobs to nearly 20,000 people. For several years we see on average a
20-25 percent growth in this sector," the Armenian president
said. "But while providing such rates of development, we should not
limit ourselves to such indices. We should dream, think and create new
projects and implement them. The number of companies working in the IT
sector should reach thousands and the number of their employees should
be in the hundreds of thousands."
In this view, Sarkisian put an emphasis on the establishment of a
"dynamic system" of professional education. "I think that our
specialists should be interested in the solutions of Mr. Fadell in
terms of iPod or other innovations," he added.
In 2010, former Apple engineer Fadell co-founded a start-up company,
Nest Labs, that is a home automation producer of programmable,
self-learning, sensor-driven, Wi-Fi-enabled thermostats, smoke
detectors, security cameras, and other security systems.
Alphabet Inc. (Google) acquired Nest Labs for US$3.2 billion in
January 2014, when it had 280 employees, continuing the Nest brand
identity. In November 2015, Nest Labs had grown into more than 1,100
employees, with a new engineering center in Seattle.
Fadell is the eighth international IT personality honored in Armenia
since 2010 with the Presidential Award which is given to individuals
who have made extraordinary contributions to humanity through
advancing the world of IT.
Among the previous laureates were retired CEO/Chairman of the Board of
Intel Corporation Craig Barrett, co-founder of Apple Computers,
Inc. Steve Wozniak, CEO of Kaspersky Lab Eugene Kaspersky and others.
One of the objectives of the award is to bring to Armenia leading IT
sector individuals, thus raising the profile of the country and its
recognition in the world IT industry.
Armenian Parliament Extends Amnesty-For-Cash Option For Draft Dodgers
November 17, 2017
. Ruzanna Stepanian
The Armenian parliament building in Yerevan
All men who have illegally evaded compulsory military service and will
have turned 27 by December 1 may be amnestied provided they pay a
hefty sum, according to a new amendment passed by Armenian lawmakers
on Friday.
The 105-seat National Assembly voted unanimously for the extension of
the already existing legislation, with the amendment expected to
provide hundreds of young men with an opportunity to avoid criminal
prosecution and legally return to Armenia.
In order to do so, they will need to pay 200,000 drams (about $410)
for each conscription period they illegally missed (or a total of 3.6
million drams, or some $7,400, for all draft periods).
Ruling Republican Party MP Karine Achemian, who presented the bill in
parliament, clarified that the amended law will be in force until
December 31, 2019.
The original law adopted in 2004 has so far been amended eight
times. During this period thousands of citizens returned to Armenia
benefiting from the amnesty offered by this legislation. The previous
term of the legislation expired in May 2015.
Earlier, the Defense Ministry suggested that the parliament provide
such an opportunity for the last time and also raise the legal cost of
the amnesty to at least 9 million drams (approximately $19,000). But
that initiative was rebuffed by the parliamentary committee on defense
and security.
The committee's head Koryun Nahapetian and several other lawmakers
affiliated with the Republican Party publicly criticized the amendment
last week.
MP Achemian also argued that the amendment sought by the Defense
Ministry would restrict lawmakers' constitutional right to come up
with bills.
Nahapetian said last week that 700 and 800 draft dodgers have been
granted such amnesty annually since 2004. He also revealed that almost
9,500 other men remain on the run on draft evasion charges.
Nalbandian Speaks On Declaration Language Dispute Between Armenia,
Azerbaijan
November 17, 2017
. Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian at a press conference in
Yerevan,17Nov,2017
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian thinks it is more
appropriate to speak about differences in the approaches of Azerbaijan
and the European Union rather than Azerbaijan and Armenia towards the
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement as far as the dispute over wording in the
final declaration at an upcoming Eastern Partnership summit is
concerned.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Yerevan with his visiting
Brazilian counterpart on Friday, Nalbandian also commented on the
reports suggesting that the ambassadors of all 28 European Union
member states have agreed on the text of the declaration for the
summit to be held in Brussels on November 24 apart from one paragraph,
which has to do with regional conflicts, and on which Armenia and
Azerbaijan have suggested conflicting language.
"As for the declaration, negotiations are underway, and until the
completion of these negotiations it is early to state anything about
it. There are still a few days ahead, let's see," the top Armenian
diplomat said.
At the same time, Nalbandian insisted that Azerbaijan's approach
differs from that of the EU as much as it differs from Armenia's.
"Here we should rather speak about the differences in approaches to
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement of Azerbaijan and the EU,
Azerbaijan and the international community rather than Azerbaijan and
Armenia," he said in response to a question asked by an RFE/RL
Armenian Service reporter.
"This difference has emerged on multiple occasions, including during
the previous summits# The EU's position on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement has always been the same - in support of the
efforts and approaches of the [OSCE Minsk Group] Co-Chair
countries. It is not a situational position, but it is a
well-thought-out and conscious approach that does not harm the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but contributes to the
efforts and approaches of the Co-Chair countries and promotes a solely
peaceful resolution of the conflict. The EU has never changed this
position."
Nalbandian spoke to the media today following his trip to Moscow where
he met on November 14 with the Minsk Group's American, Russian and
French co-chairs and reportedly agreed on a meeting with his
Azerbaijani counterpart, Elmar Mammadyarov, on the sidelines of an
OSCE Ministerial Meeting in Vienna, Austria, next month.
Ahead of his separate meeting with the mediators on November 16,
Mammadyarov stressed that at the talks with Yerevan Baku demands
"concrete results" and does not want "negotiations to be held for the
sake of negotiations."
Nalbandian, in this regard, reminded his Azerbaijani counterpart that
"the Co-Chair countries at the highest level have urged the parties to
refrain from destructive and maximalist approaches if they want the
settlement of the conflict."
"The Co-Chairs have urged [the parties] to reaffirm their commitment
to the peaceful settlement of the conflict. Has Azerbaijan done that?
The Co-Chairs have urged [the parties] to reaffirm their commitment to
the three well-known principles of international law: the non-use of
force or threat of force, [the right of nations to] self-determination
and territorial integrity. Has Azerbaijan done that? The Co-Chairs
call for unconditionally respecting and implementing trilateral
open-ended cease-fire agreements. Does Azerbaijan do that? The
Co-Chairs urge [the parties] to respect the agreements reached
earlier. Does Azerbaijan do that?" the Armenian foreign minister
charged.
European Parliament Calls For Dialogue On Visa Liberalization With
Armenia
November 17, 2017
. Heghine Buniatian
Flags of the EU and Armenia
Ahead of the Eastern Partnership Summit, which is to be held in
Brussels next week, the European Parliament has called on the European
Union bodies to launch a dialogue with Armenia on visa liberalization.
A resolution passed at the European Parliament's plenary session
earlier this week refers to significant progress made since the last
Eastern Partnership summit in Riga two years ago as well as to the
conclusion of negotiations on a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership
Agreement with Armenia, which, it says, "serves as an example of how
membership of the Eurasian Economic Union and participation in the
EU's neighborhood strategies can coexist."
RFE/RL's correspondent in Brussels Rikard Jozwiak explains that
considering this progress, the MEPs want to start a Visa
Liberalization Action Plan with Armenia, something that Georgia,
Ukraine and Moldova did before. However, the final decision is to be
made by the EU member states and the European Commission, he says.
"The European Parliament is probably the body in the European Union
that is more sort of forward-looking. They obviously want to start
what is called VLAP, which is the Visa Liberalization Action Plan,
which is sort of a big action plan that Armenia has to fulfill when it
comes to different rules and regulations. In fact, it's the same sort
of things that Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine did before," Jozwiak
says. "The EU Council, the member states, the Commission are thinking
about this, but still, I don't think that they will really grant it to
Armenia at the [Brussels] summit."
"It's in the works. But what we have to remember is that the action
plan usually takes two, three, four years to fulfill. I think it was
two years with Georgia, two years and a half with Ukraine. If it
happened, it would be the very start of a project that will be very
long for Armenia," RFE/RL's correspondent in Brussels adds.
Offers of the MEPs on Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova are even more
ambitious and promising. Highly appreciating the progress of these
countries in the direction of democracy and liberalization of the
market, the European lawmakers urge their leaders to give a clear
signal that Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova may, too, one day become full
members of the European Union.
"We propose EP+ format, which includes the establishment of a trust
fund, a new European investment plan, a financial support mechanism
for the implementation of the association agreements# When the time
comes, when the homework is done and necessary requirements are
fulfilled, potential membership of these countries in the customs
union, the digital union, the energy union should be considered as an
option," said coauthor of the resolution Laima Andrikiene, an MEP from
Lithuania.
Promising broad political and financial opportunities, the European
Parliament simultaneously underlines that Brussels should set clear
limits and stop cooperation with and assistance to those countries
that do not respect European values and human rights.
"As our resources are limited, the principle of `more for more' and
`less for less' should be implemented. We should focus our resources
much more on those Eastern Partnership countries that have made
remarkable progress on their European path," Andrikiene stated.
Press Review
November 17, 2017
"Zhamanak" says, on the one hand, it understands the government's
logic that lowers the public's expectations from next year's state
budget, "since it is a budget that should lay the foundations for
future growth". At the same time, the paper considers it to be rather
cynical: "For this argument to work, the government's activities must
undergo a quick, qualitative and large-scale transformation. If the
public can see this transformation, then this approach will be quite
comprehensible for it, but people see absolutely no change in the
government's conduct."
"Chorrord Ishkhanutyun" writes: "The state budget is on which the
government can be criticized for weeks, because the country is in a
situation when no budget will save it. One can also understand the
parliamentary opposition which won't miss this wonderful opportunity
to indulge in populism. But the question is: who has led the country
to a situation when outmigration looms large, when it is impossible to
check inflation and there is no money for raising pensions and
salaries?" The daily further suggests that President Serzh Sarkisian
is mainly responsible for the current social and economic woes and
should become the main target of opposition criticism.
The editor of "Aravot" writes: "If I were a student today and were
interested in civil activism, I would fight not for getting an
exemption from the army through graduate and post-graduate studies,
but would raise a more profound issue: depoliticizing student
life. Today's student councils and their leaders remind me of the most
regressive Komsomol careerists. In conditions of the declared
political pluralism and relevant freedom of speech such characters are
perceived as very untimely."
"Hraparak" writes: "Centralized heating has not been turned on in the
National Assembly building yet and it is quite cold in the parliament
chamber. MPs have solved this problem in their rooms individually as
they either switch on air conditioners or heaters. It turns out that
in the National Assembly they save only on journalists, as the
corridors are not heated and it is not known when the repairs of the
decrepit heating system will be finished."
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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