Author: Ara Felekian

The Public Services Regulatory Commission ruled today to cut the gas prices.

The price will be set at 100,000 AMD annually per 1 thousand cubic meters of gas for socially vulnerable families, which use up to 600 cubic meters of gas, and 139,000 AMD for those consuming over 600 cubic meters of gas.

Consumers using up to 10 thousand cubic meters of gas monthly will pay 139,000 AMD (down from 146,700 AMD) per 1 thousand cubic meters of gas, while those consuming over 10 thousand cubic meters of gas will pay $242.1 per 1 thousand cubic meters.

Different tariffs have been set for greenhouse economies and manufacturers of agricultural products.

The new tariffs will come into effect from January 1, 2017.

President Serzh Sargsyan received today EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn.

The Armenian President and the EU Commissioner emphasized the qualitative progress in the Armenia-EU cooperation and the intensified political dialogue.

Serzh Sargsyan stressed that Armenia attaches importance to the participation in the Eastern Partnership Program, and has done its best for the development of that format. The Armenian President voiced hope that the discussions of the Ministers of Education, Science and Research will contribute to the reinforcement of cooperation between EU member and partner countries ahead of the Eastern Partnership summit to be held in Brussels in 2017.

President Sargsyan and Commissioner Hahn exchanged views on regional issues and challenges, the process of settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

On 3 November President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan signed a decree appointing Victor Kocharyan deputy secretary of the NKR Security Council, releasing him from the post of the NKR Security Council Secretary.

According to another Presidential decree signed on the same day Vitaly Balasanyan was appointed Сecretary of the NKR Security Council.

Photo: EPA

 

A fire at a karaoke lounge in Vietnam has left 13 people dead, according to state media, the BBC reports.

The blaze broke out at an eight-storey karaoke bar in the Cau Giay district of Hanoi on Tuesday afternoon.

It took fire-fighters five hours to put it out. Two police officers were injured during the operation.

A guard told reporters that the fire was started by a sign board, and that staff tried to contain the flames but failed.

The fire spread to three neighbouring buildings, burning a car and motorbikes on the street, online news outlet VnE Express reported.

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered police to investigate the cause of the fire and punish anyone who broke the law.

He also told local authorities to carry out fire safety inspections at karaoke lounges and restaurants.

Today, at the Meridian exhibition center President Serzh Sargsyan was present at the opening of the Junwex Yerevan Show-2016 international jewellery exhibition which will run through October 30.

The exhibition center is located on the territory of the free economic zone which provides tax and customs privileges to the businesses operating here.

The exhibition is being organized by the Armenian Jewellery Association (AJA) for the sixth time.

The exhibition is attended by famous jewellery houses from different countries, individual jewelers, and experts.

The President toured the pavilions, familiarized with the jewellery pieces presented by the local and foreign companies, jewellery tools, familiarized with the activities and upcoming programs of the firms.

At the invitation of President Serzh Sargsyan, at Saturday night the Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta Fra Matthew Festing arrived to the Republic of Armenia on a state visit.

The official welcoming ceremony for the Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta Fra Matthew Festing and his delegation took place at the Presidential Palace. Later,  the President of Armenia and the Grand Master held a meeting with the participation of the official delegations.

“Your Most Eminent Highness, it gives me a special pleasure to greet you in Armenia. I am greatly honored to welcome you and your delegation. The visit of the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to Armenia is a very important event in the history of our diplomatic relations and it, I am sure, will allow us to invigorate our cooperation.

Ties between the first Christian nation and the oldest Christian Order had formed back in times of the crusades and were based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. We share the same Christian values, and they constitute the base which allows us today to form active interstate relations. I am aware that the agenda of your visit to our country is pretty full. I hope that in the process you will have the opportunity to familiarize with our people, our Christian culture which in a way is similar to the common Christian culture but is also unique, special. Welcome to Armenia,” said the President of Armenia in his welcoming remarks.

The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta Fra Matthew Festing thanked the President of Armenia for the warm welcome and hospitality and stressed the importance of his state visit to Armenia from the viewpoint of further strengthening of the bilateral relations. “I was really delighted for the opportunity to meet with you at the Saint Peter’s Cathedral where you had arrived to participate at the holy mass dedicated to the memory of the saint martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. I believe that it is critical that the Christian nations and representatives of the Christian organizations establish very close relations, considering prevailing in these times secular morals. It is particularly important in the light of the extraordinary problems which we face nowadays, particularly, the flow of migrants, problems of refugees and their movements. I believe in that context it is crucial for us to maintain a constant contact, exchanging views and coordinating our approaches. That is why these relations are so important,” said His Most Eminent Highness the Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta Fra Matthew Festing at the meeting with the President of Armenia.

By Harut Sassounian
The California Courier

Both Houses of the French Legislature have once again adopted a law that penalizes the denial of genocides recognized by French or international courts, or the denial, minimization or extreme trivialization of other genocides or Crimes Against Humanity, if accompanied by incitement to violence or hatred. The French Senate approved the new law by a vote of 156 to 146 on October 14, following the Parliament’s approval by a vote of 305-157 on July 6. The law will go into effect after President François Hollande signs it, which he is committed to do.

The question now is whether the Constitutional Council of France will approve the proposed law or find it unconstitutional, as it did back in 2012, arguing that it violated freedom of speech. Here is the background of this tortuous saga:

The French Parliament first recognized the Armenian Genocide on May 29, 1998, followed by the Senate on Nov. 7, 2000. However, due to intervening elections between the two votes, the Parliament had to approve it a second time, which it did on January 18, 2001, declaring that “France publicly recognizes the Armenian Genocide of 1915.” Prime Minister Lionel Jospin and President Jacques Chirac signed the legislature’s recognition into law on January 29, 2001. In response, the Turkish government withdrew its Ambassador from Paris.

Given the fact that several members of the French media and some Turks in France and their cohorts continued to deny the Armenian Genocide, the French-Armenian community sought to penalize the denialists, as was the case with the Jewish Holocaust. French-Armenians demanded equal protection under the law, rightfully contending that there should be no discrimination among genocide victims!

After 10 years of lobbying, French Armenians and their supporters finally succeeded in having the Parliament adopt a proposed law on December 22, 2011 which set a penalty of a year in prison and $50,000 fine for anyone denying the Armenian Genocide. The Senate followed suit on January 23, 2012, prompting Turkey once again to withdraw its Ambassador from Paris!

The French Constitutional Council decided on Feb. 28, 2012, that the proposed law was unconstitutional as it violated freedom of speech. The Council’s decision was highly scandalous. Several of its 11 members had serious conflicts of interest because their families had business ties to Turkey or had opposed this bill during their years in the legislature! Most amazingly, one of Council members was on the Board of the Bosphorus Institute, a Turkish Think Tank that was lobbying against this law! After a French newspaper exposed these unethical affiliations, two members of the Council recused themselves from the case.

The current Constitutional Council is now composed of 10 members — three are leftovers from the 2012 Council that rejected a similar law. Fortunately, several of the new members are more favorably disposed toward the proposed legislation.

More importantly, the newly adopted law, called “Equality and Citizenship,” is considerably different from the 2012 version. President Hollande along with the legislature and the French-Armenian community went to great lengths to ensure that the new language complies with the right to free speech.

Although the freedom of expression is a cherished right in all democracies, there are several important factors that must be kept in mind:

1. Freedom of speech is more of an absolute right in the United States than in Europe where there are many laws that restrict it. Even in the U.S., there are some limitations on one’s ability to say or write whatever one pleases, such as libel and defamation laws.
2. In countries where denial of the Jewish Holocaust is banned, so should denial of all other genocides, including the Armenian Genocide. No double standard among Genocide victims!
3. Since France has a law that recognizes the Armenian Genocide, there should be a penalty for violating it, as is the case with all laws!
4. Anti-denial laws would prevent Turkey from exporting its denialist policies to other countries.
5. In democratic France, it is now against the law to lie about the Armenian Genocide, while in despotic Turkey it is against the law to tell the truth!

President Serzh Sargsyan met today with the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon who has arrived to Armenia to participate at the session of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to be held in Yerevan on October 14, President’s Press Office reports.

The President of Armenia welcomed his colleague to our country and underscored that Armenia is interested in developing friendly and brotherly relations with Tajikistan. Noting that the current level of the Armenian-Tajik relations does not reflect the high level of the political relations between the two countries or the friendship of the Armenian and Tajik peoples, Serzh Sargsyan noted that nevertheless dynamics for the development of the interstate relations is there and it is necessary to mutually and consistently deepen and strengthen it. The President of Armenia underlined that in Armenia we anticipate with pleasure the official visit of President Emomali Rahmon, which will give a start to new and multiple agreements.

The President of the Republic of Tajikistan thanked the President of Armenia for a kind welcome extended to him and his delegation. He noted that this is his third visit to Armenia, and he has arrived to Yerevan one day before the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council to have an extra opportunity to meet with the Armenian partners and his friend, to exchange views and discuss the prospects of the Armenian-Tajik bilateral relations in all areas.

The President of the Republic of Tajikistan underscored that there are many topics to discuss in the CSTO and bilateral formats.

President Rahmon also noted that in his country they are following closely developments in the world, and naturally in the framework of the Yerevan session of the Collective Security Council discussed will be current issues as well as issues pertinent to the regional security.

At the meeting, the Presidents of Armenia and Tajikistan discussed in detail a wide range of issues related to the development of the bilateral interstate relations.

Asbarez – President Barack Obama issued a letter Wednesday congratulating Armenia on the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s Independence. The Armenian National Committee of America called the letter “largely generic” with key omission about Armenia’s current realities.

“On behalf of the United States, I congratulate you and the people of Armenia as you celebrate 25 years of independence this September 21,” said Obama in his letter.

“The United States has been a steadfast partner of Armenia from the first days of its independence. We remain committed to the promise of those early years, when Armenians proudly raised their tricolor flag for the first time since 1920. Today, we again affirm our belief that a secure, prosperous, and democratic Armenia is essential for the security for the Armenian people and for the region more broadly,” added Obama.

“We thank Armenia for its support of our shared goals, particularly its response to the Syrian refugee crisis and its contributions to global peacekeeping operations and nuclear security. We will continue to work together to help Armenia realize its full potential. I wish you and the people of Armenia all the best as you celebrate 25 years of independence,” concluded Obama’s letter.

“The letter is also notable for what it leaves out, namely any mention of the Armenian Genocide, the issue that the President so very prominently used to secure Armenian American votes in 2008, but that he quickly abandoned once elected,” the ANCA response posted on its social media sites said.

“It also does not reference the President’s signature Armenian initiative in office, the Turkish-Armenian Protocols. Looking back, it’s clear that the President, having secured Armenia’s backing for these recklessly flawed (and now demonstrably failed) accords in the first months of his first term, never held Ankara to account for walking away from its agreement to end its illegal blockade of Armenia,” added the ANCA response.

“Also, no mention of Artsakh, which, in the context of Azerbaijan’s April offensive, represents a missed opportunity to challenge Baku’s aggression and press the case for peace. This silence sends a dangerous signal to the Aliyev regime,” said the ANCA.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier has welcomed the signing of the Paris Climate deal by Armenia.

“I welcome the signing of the Paris Agreement on the Reduction of Climate Change by Armenia on September 21 in New York,” the Ambassador said in a statement.

“France, as a COP 21 chairing country, encourages the Armenian authorities to ratify the agreement as soon as possible and thus help the deal enter into force by the end of 2016.

The Agreement will come into force after being ratified by 55 countries, which account for 55% of greenhouse gas emissions.