Author: admin

AAE urges Armenian authorities to prevent repetition of March events

28.02.2010 17:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On the eve of second anniversary of March 1, 2008
events, the Assembly of Armenians of Europe issued a statement.
"Similar to October 27, 1997 events, tragic events of March 1
shattered the will and spirit of Armenian people. March 1 events
caused shock and disappointment among young generation of Diaspora
Armenians, who witnessed atrocities against protest rally
participants," ááå statement said.

Assembly of Armenians of Europe emphasized the necessity to establish
an atmosphere of trust, solidarity and tolerance in Armenia,
refraining form politicizing legal proceedings. The Assembly urged
Armenian authorities to undertake means to prevent repetition of March
events.

Armenian opposition rallies, launched in February 20, 2008 in Yerevan,
ensued in mass riots and conflicts with law enforcement officers. 8
people died and 200 were injured during tragic events.

On March 1 Armenian President Robert Kocharian declared a 20-day
emergency rule in the republic.

New gas tariffs established by RA Public Services Regulatory Commission

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. During the February 26 sitting, the
RA Public Services Regulatory Commission examined the issue of
reviewing the tariffs of natural gas sold to users by ArmRusgazprom
CJSC, as well as the natural gas distribution tariffs and the tariffs
of services provided by the operator of the gas supply system.

The commission took a decision to fix the tariff per thousand cubic
meters of gas sold to consumers of up to 10 thousand cubic meters a
month at 132 thousand drams (including VAT) instead of 136 thousand
drams proposed by ArmRusgazprom.

The above mentioned decision of the commission will come into force
from 1 April 2010.

17:14 27/02/2010 » Society
Candle rally to Tsitsernakaberd

A group of young people having burning candles resumed a march to
Tsitsernakaberd monument to pay tribute to Sumgait massacre victims.
The initiator of the rally is `Miasin’ youth movement. They will put
flowers on the monument of Holocaust victims located in Yerevan.

The organizers of the rally are going to hand letters to Yerevan
offices of the UN, OSCE and CE demanding assessment to Sumgait
massacre committed 22 years ago.

`On behalf of dozens of youth representatives, we call on
international society and international organizations to give
appropriate assessments, to name those massacres genocide in order
such crimes could be avoided,’ Gevorg Vardanyan, one of the movement
members said.

Source: Panorama.am

Harutyun Kushkyan: `The global economic crisis has not affected the
quality of services of the healthcare sphere’

2010-02-26
more/id/591989/lang/en

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS: The global economic crisis has not
affected the quality of services of the healthcare sphere of Armenia,
the RA Healthcare Minister Harutyun Kushkyan said today at the
presentation of report on the assessment of the 2009 activity of the
healthcare system and the report on Armenia’s national healthcare. He
said the reports show that the activity of the country’s healthcare
system improves during the years. The number of child deaths has
decreased, the optimization strategy of the hospital circle promoted
the increase of quality of the services, population more frequently
get use of medical services.

Armenian president and government officials discusses ways for radical
improvement of tax administration

YEREVAN, February 26, /ARKA/. Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan
convened today a special meeting to discuss ways for radical
improvement of tax administration, his press office reported.

It said the president called the attention of the participants to the
necessity of fighting against all negative phenomena that hamper tax
collection. The president underlined that among other measures, it is
necessary to deepen the inter-agency cooperation.

Serzh Sargsyan emphasized also the need for reducing the share of
shadow economy and ensuring proper documentation handling.

The head of the government issued instruction to heads of government
agencies and demanded that they join their efforts to raise the
efficiency of fighting the informal sector, sale of fake invoices and
other similar crimes.

`We have no right to stop. Our task is not only to prevent further
rise of such phenomena, but to take also all possible actions to
eliminate these vice circle,’ he said.

The meeting was attended by prime minister Tigran Sargsyan, head of
presidential staff, ministers of finance and agriculture, chief of the
National Security Service, chief of police, prosecutor general, chief
of State Revenues Committee, chief of presidential auditing service
and other officials. -0-

news.az, Azerbaijan
Feb 27 2010

West wants to bring Turkey to its knees before Armenia – Azerbaijani analyst
Sat 27 February 2010 | 08:11 GMT Text size:

Vafa Guluzade News.Az interviews Vafa Guluzade, former state adviser
on foreign policy issues and president of the Fund of political
studies of Caspian states.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan hurries Turkey to ratify the
Armenian-Turkish protocols on normalizing relations, threatening to
withdraw Yerevan’s signatures under these documents. How would you
comment on this situation?

I think the policy of blackmail is used against Turkey. The United
States blackmail Turkey saying if it doesn’t open border with Armenia,
the US Congress will recognize the so-called `Armenian Genocide’ by
the Ottoman Empire. This is a pure blackmail, because no Congress or
parliament have a right to take decisions on historical events due to
their incompetence. In this case Armenia’s policy consists of the
following components. First, Armenia does not want to discuss the
issue of `genocide’ because it does not want to query these events.
Second, it does not want to recognize the territorial integrity of
Turkey. And third, it demands from Turkey to ratify the signed
protocols. This brings the thought that Armenia and Russia do not want
these borders to open. But they want to accuse Turkey, set it in an
awkward state both diplomatically and politically, that is to accuse
Turkey of the failure to fulfilled the assumed obligations and ratify
the signed protocols. However, it was Armenia that created all
conditions for Turkey not to ratify these protocols.

Armenian president also said that if Baku’s pressure does not allow
Ankara to ratify the protocols, nothing prevents the Turkish executive
powers to open the closed border of Armenia before ratification of
protocols. Do you think Turkey may take this step?

The very formulation of Turkey’s inability to ratify the protocols
under Azerbaijan’s pressure is absolutely false. Turkey is quite a
strong and powerful regional superpower that can ignore Azerbaijan’s
opinion if its national interests demand this. But West wants to put
Turkey on its knees before Armenia and thus cause negative events in
Turkey that may hit this country and split the Turkish public,
simultaneously parting Azerbaijan from Turkey to put these countries
into dependence on enemies. In the reality, this is what they want
from Turkey. The borders between Turkey and Armenia are de-facto open.
We know that places are flying and there is a bus communication, while
Armenian citizens can go to Turkey for work and rest. This is the
reality. Thus, such statements are just a pressure to put Turkey on
its knees. This is the part of the Christian-Muslim confrontation that
started after the USSR collapse. You see, the Cyprus problem is not
settled because Cypriot Greeks do not want to see Cypriot Turks to be
equal to them. They want them to be second category citizens.
Meanwhile, the Turkish citizens of Cyprus cannot take this for normal.
Greeks want to drive Turks out of the Cyprus since all these problems
started after Cyprus was annexed by Greece and these trends continue.
The last time when Cypriot Turks agreed to be within Cyprus and join
the EU, Greeks rejected this and joined the EU themselves leaving
Turks outboard. The same occurs in relation to the whole Muslim world.

The internal political situation in Turkey is not easy connected with
bringing the military leadership of this country to responsibility for
the alleged preparation of coup. What do you think about the events?

I do not believe that the military forces of this country were
preparing a state coup. This game that causes a split in the Turkish
society, has been made up by external forces that are playing on the
Turkish political arena since the Turkish army has always had a
mission and unless there was the Soviet Union, the army positions in
Turkey have always been very strong. After the USSR collapse the
statements `Why do we need Turkey in NATO, this is a Muslim state’.
NATO and the European Union are Christian clubs while now there is
Muslim Turkey. Turkey has fulfilled the role of West’s shield during
the nuclear confrontation between the USA and USSR. Meanwhile, now
Turkey that has bore these tensions for long is not needed. Therefore,
pragmatic West thinks `why should we deal with Turkey’. There are
already plans about how to cause a split in Turkey, how to create a
Kurdish state there and how to pass a part of its territory to
Armenia.

Considering the current strained internal political situation in
Turkey, will this country be able to sustain West’s pressure and not
to take rapprochement with Armenia?

I think Turkey will cope with it. If it does not cope with the Armenia
issue, the processes in this country will worsen. Turkey must stand.
Like Premier Erdogan said, Turkey is quite a strong and powerful
regional superpower and it is ready to stand any pressure. Turkey must
demand fair execution of provisions of the signed protocols by
Armenia. In particular, Armenia should disavow its territorial claims,
changing its Constitution. However, instead of it Armenia has already
adopted the decision of its Constitutional Court, which makes the
ratification of these protocols by Turkey impossible. Armenia should
annul this decision. In addition it should make a goodwill gesture
releasing the occupied Azerbaijani lands. But it does not want to do
so. West supports Armenia. Like it supports Greece in the issue of
Cyprus, the same way he supports Armenia in the issue of occupied
Azerbaijani lands. The issue is clear here. Let’s view the US conduct
in this view. What right does the US have to provide material support
to the separatist regime of Nagorno Karabakh. The political side of
this issue is rather more important than the fact of granting some $8
mln to the regime. It turns out that the leading superpower supports
separatism against Azerbaijan. America could also support Basks,
Corsicans or Irish separatists to see how Europe would react. Before
our eyes Americans conduct the policy against Turkey and against
Azerbaijan.

What is the possibility of that the US President will not call the
events in Turkey as the `Armenian genocide’ in his traditional speech
of April 24?

I think he will not call this genocide. If he does, Turkey will leave
NATO. But first Turkey will put an end to the US bases in its
territory, including Injirlik base. Then Turkey will launch search of
new regional partners which will lead to its Iranian rapprochement. It
will also launch contacts with Russia targeting the United States.
Therefore, Barack Obama should think over this. Now, Iran has Syria
and Lebanon’s support in the Middle East. This thoughtless step of the
US government will promote Turkey’s participation in this bloc. By the
way, Azerbaijan will also join this bloc in such a case, because it
will follow Turkey.

Leyla Tagiyeva
News.Az

South Wales Echo, UK
February 26, 2010 Friday
First Edition

Women discuss politics

ARMENIAN politicians visited South Wales this week for a series of
workshops at the Senedd.

SixfemaleMPstravelled to Cardiff to discuss women in democracy as part
of a project called Wo/Men in Politics.

The initiative is backed by the National Assembly, British Council and
British Embassy in Yerevan.

Kevin Higgins, director British Council Wales, said: "Since 2005, when
British Council initiated the first international conference on gender
equality in politics, and the National Assembly for Wales hosted
parliamentarians from all continents, Welsh politicians and civil
society organisations have worked with young democracies in Central
and Eastern Europe, Russia and South Caucasus."

RIA OREANDA, Russia
Feb 26 2010

Azerbaijan and EU Discussed Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh

Baku. OREANDA-NEWS . February 26, 2010. President Ilham Aliyev
received a delegation led by the European Union’s special
representative for the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby

President Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by the European
Union’s special representative for the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby.

The European Union Azerbaijan relations, regulation of
Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, energy
cooperation, regional and other issues were discussed during the
meeting.

SKA-ENERGIA BEATS KHIMKI FC 1:2

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.02.2010 21:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Thursday, February 25, Khimki FC played the second
test match against SKA-Energia during team practice session in Turkey.

SKA-Energia beat Khimki FC 1:2. Goal keeper of Armenian team Roman
Berezovsky and Arsen Hovhannesyan of Armenia played in a team.

Khimki will play the final match against Rostov on March 2.

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN DIRECTS DEPARTMENT HEADS TO TAKE "DRASTIC STEPS" TO IMPROVE TAX COLLECTION

yun-3/
2010/02/26 | 17:01

Politics

RoA President Serzh Sargsyan convened a meeting of various government
and agencies heads today to discuss ways to reform and streamline
the tax collection process and minimize "black market" operations in
the country.

President Sargsyan underlined the importance of launching a system-wide
campaign against negative manifestations that have been entrenched
in the tax collection sector and urged greater inter-departmental
cooperation. He called for greater efforts to combat the sale of false
commercial documentation and non-registered commercial transactions.

"We do not have the right to desist in these efforts. On the contrary,
we must enact more drastic measures to see that these negative
manifestations inherited from the past are halted," President
Sargsyan said.

Attending the meeting were Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, the
Presidential Chief of Staff, the Justice and Finance Ministers, the
RoA Chief of Police, the RoA Chief Prosecutor, Head of the National
Security Service, President of the State Revenue Committee and Head
of the Presidential Control Service.