Author: Badalian Vardan

PANIC IN ARMENIA

Hakob Badalyan, Political Commentator
Comments – 07 April 2015, 13:38

Armenia has entered into a phase of Eurasian panic. The myth of the
EEU is collapsing and those who were trying to persuade the society in
Armenia after September 3 that Armenia was not entering the EEU but the
paradise are now trying to persuade that whatever is happening in the
Armenian economy has nothing to do with the EEU and would be inevitable
without the EEU. And those people are politicians, representative
of the governmental and non-governmental parties who voted for the
annexation of Armenia by the EEU in December and experts who had also
been helped by the Russian “landing” and financial assistance. Now
this Armenian-Russian International is trying to persuade the citizens
of Armenia that the EEU has nothing to do with this.

In times of social and economic difficulties it seems that everyone
must join their efforts to save the Armenian economy, whereas these
efforts focus on saving the face and reputation of the EEU in Armenia.

The myth about a market of 170 million and higher level of security
was busted within a few months and still continues and the end is not
visible. Whether the EEU has anything to do with this or not is no
longer important. The EEU has something to do with getting over this.

However, this relation is adverse in nature. In other words, the EEU
will not help overcome the current plight but will hinder and make
things more complicated.

What is necessary to do to tackle the current economic problems? Of
course, it is necessary to relieve the private sector of bureaucracy
to enable companies to spend more time and resource on their core
business, the quest for new solutions and opportunities.

The mix called EEU imposes on the private sector of Armenia a new
stage of bureaucratic adaptation in a difficult economic period full
of uncertainty. The Armenian business has to adjust to new union
regulations, new trade conditions with the third countries after
joining the union.

This is the purely technical part. Furthermore, the Armenian companies
are not allowed freedom of dealing with the third countries,
several conditions of these relations have been complicated and
made cumbersome. Technically, the EEU has caused complications for
the Armenian companies which had already been caged by the Armenian
monopolies and oligopolies. Plus complicated regulations and the
picture is more than clear.

In the meantime, a group of Armenian and Russian people are trying
to make the Armenian society believe that the EEU has nothing to
do with this, totally distorting the truth. Their lies led to the
capitulation and annexation of Armenia by the EEU, their lies are
trying to save the face of the EEU in Armenia in prejudice of the
economy and future of Armenia.

MEMBERS OF AN OPPOSITION MOVEMENT DETAINED IN YEREVAN

04.07.2015 11:15 epress.am

The Armenian law enforcement has begun searches in the offices of
“Founding Parliament” initiative in Yerevan and Vanadzor, as well as
the houses of its members; “Founding Parliament” coordinator Jirayr
Sefilian, his brother, Toros Sefilian, members of the initiative
Pavel Manukyan and Varujhan Avetisyan, have been detained.

According to a statement issued by the “Founding Parliament,” about
two dozen law enforcement representatives arrived at the office of the
initiative around 6:35 AM on Tuesday, April 7, introducing themselves
as officers of the RA National Security Service, Special Investigative
Committee, and Police, headed by RA Investigative Committee Chief
investigator Roman Sardaryan.

The law enforcement officers demanded to conduct a search at
the office, without presenting a search warrant to the attorney
who had arrived at the scene, and prohibiting him, as well as a
representative of the initiative from entering the building. Meanwhile,
the initiative’s statement reported that searches have also begun at
the houses of “Founding Parliament” members Jirayr Sefilian (pictured),
Karo Yeghnukyan, and Varujhan Avetisyan.

In an official statement issued by the RA Investigative Committee on
Tuesday it is said that “the RA National Security Service and Special
Investigative Committee have joined forces to prevent mass disorders
at the public event locations on April 24, 2015.”

“As a result of measures undertaken, it has become clear that a group
of individuals, taking into consideration the real likelihood of
large gatherings at the locations of public events organized on the
territory of the Republic of Armenia on April 24, 2015 on the occasion
of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, has been calling on
the people to not obey that day the requirements of the authorities,
and, if necessary, to use violence, to resort to power struggle.

Not only is the intention to use the public events on the Armenian
Genocide Remembrance Day in their own narrow interests, to put it
mildly, far from the boundaries of morality, but such actions also
contain signs of crime preparation with the purpose of creating mass
civil unrest. Therefore, the Investigative Committee has initiated
a criminal case pursuant to Article 225 of the RA Criminal Code
(organization of mass disorder, accompanied with violence, pogroms,
arson, destruction or damage to property, using fire-arms, explosives
or explosive devices, or by armed resistance to the representative
of the authorities). An investigation is currently underway,” the
statement said.

The official body has also confirmed that the law enforcement has been
conducting searches at the houses of the “Founding Parliament” members.

TV CHANNEL BBC TELLS ABOUT ARMENIANS’ LIVES IN NKR UNDER AZERBAIJAN’S PERMANENT THREATS

19:29 07/04/2015 >> POLITICS

The British TV channel BBC has made reportage from Nagorno Karabakh
Republic. Rayhan Demytrie, the reporter tells about the life of
a family living in the village Madagis, not far from the line of
contact with Azerbaijan. They live in a constant fear that Azerbaijan
may reactivate military operations.

As the article has it, fourteen-year-old Karen hides the stump of his
left hand in his pocket. His mother, Ludmila Bagdasaryan-Mirzoyan,
says that two years ago Karen found a live anti-aircraft shell in the
garden. The relic from the 1990s war with Azerbaijan exploded in his
hands. Ludmila often contemplates what the consequences of another
war would be.

“If there is another war, we will suffer, my children will suffer.

[Azerbaijan’s forces] won’t care whether we are guilty or not, they
will just think that we are Armenians and we have no right to exist,”
Ludmila says.

According to the reportage, after the collapse of the Soviet Union
Karabakh war broke out. An estimated 30,000 people were killed from
1992 to 1994. Despite a ceasefire of 20 years, the area is heavily
militarized.

It is also noted that Nagorno Karabakh has its own government,
universities, even an international airport, though in reality
Karabakh is isolated from the outside world. The airport sits empty
as the civil planes risk being shot down by Azerbaijan. Besides,
it is noted in the reportage that the children in the schools of NPR
are taught self-defense not to repeat Karen’s mistake.

As the second part of the reportage has it, the Armenian inhabitants
of Nagorno Karabakh call themselves citizens of the Artsakh Republic.

The territory has its own flag, an international airport, police
and armed forces, although regular Armenian soldiers serve on the
frontline.

It is stated in the article that Nagorno-Karabakh is isolated.

Financially and militarily it depends on Armenia. Its subjects hold
Armenian passports. And the international airport stands empty,
because Azerbaijan has threatened to shoot down any planes.

As the article reads, peace negotiations mediated by the Minsk Group,
under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE),
have seen little progress.

“The first goal of the mediation is to keep the peace process alive
and the second goal is to prevent war,” says Richard Giragosian,
director of the Regional Studies Centre, a think tank based in the
Armenian capital, Yerevan.

Frustrated by the lack of a diplomatic solution, Azerbaijan’s
leadership has threatened to retake the territory militarily. Oil-rich
Azerbaijan has spent billions of US dollars on modern weaponry. And
most of the arms are supplied by Russia. That is deeply unpopular with
Armenia. It counts Russia as its strategic ally, and hosts Russia’s
only military base in the region.

“We are concerned that Russia, for all sorts of reasons, is selling
weapons to Azerbaijan. The problem is not the quality of the weaponry,
but the fact that an Armenian soldier standing at the border knows
he could be killed by Russian weapons,” the Armenian President,
Serzh Sargsyan, said at a recent public forum in Yerevan.

The territory’s de facto foreign minister, Karen Mirzoyan, says
that without their inclusion in the peace process, there will
be no resolution to the conflict. “When you withdraw NK from the
negotiation table, it’s very easy to say that it’s not a conflict for
self-determination, it’s just a territorial problem and it’s very
easy to show Armenia as an aggressor. But in reality this conflict
is about self-determination,” he told the journalist.

The demining organization HALO Trust fellow Yuri Shahramanyan told
BBC correspondent that their main goal is to prevent accidents.

“One of the main challenges is accessing minefields in Nagorno
Karabakh. There are hardly any roads, sometimes the roads have not
been used for more than 20 years, in winter some roads are covered
with snow, with mud and it’s impossible to drive. Karabakh is quite
mountainous and most of high grounds, hills and mountains have been
used as military positions. Normally armies would lay defensive
minelines in front of the positions and this is one of those,”
Shahramanyan said adding that they had cleared over 400 minefields,
and they had got another 127 to clear.

“Last year there was an increase of accidents. There have been 8
accidents, involving 11 casualties, of which two people have been
killed. It’s quite difficult to raise funds for Nagorno Karabakh
because Karabakh is unrecognized republic. It will be free of mines
one day and if there’s more funding available, we’ll be able to make
it free of mines even earlier,” Yuri Shakhramanyan highlighted.

ZHIRAYR SEFILYAN’S WIFE WARNS

11:57 | April 7,2015 | Politics

Zhirayr Sefilyan’s wife Nanor Sefilyan posted on Facebook that after
the search in their house Zhirayr Sefilyan’s computer was also removed.

She warns, if there is a post on Facebook under the name of Zhirayr
Sefilyan, the author isn’t Zhirayr Sefilyan.

TIM JUDAH READS THE TESTIMONY OF VACHAGAN PETROSIAN

April 7, 2015 10:02
EXCLUSIVE

Tim Judah

Photo: From T. Judah ‘s personal archive

Mediamax presents 100 Seconds project devoted to Armenian Genocide
Centennial. The project is based on testimonies of Genocide survivors
published by the National Archive of Armenia.

Tim Judah is a reporter and political analyst for The Economist,
and has written several books, mainly focusing on Serbia and Kosovo.

For 100 seconds project Tim Judah reads an extract from Armenian
Genocide survivor Vachagan Petrosian’s testimony.

National Archives of Armenia Collection of Documents

Testimony of survivor Vachagan Petrosian on the massacre of the
Armenian population of the town of Bitlis

When Jevet, the governor of Van, retreated and came to Bitlis (in
July) and saw Armenians there he said to the governor of Bitlis:
“So there are still Armenians here ?” He immediately ordered the
census papers to be brought in and based on that list gather all
males above the age of 15 and take them to the barracks. Then they
would move them out of barracks in groups, take them to Dukhanashen
where they would murder them and throw them into the water.

They took the others to the garden belonging to a wealthy Armenian from
Bitlis, tied them to each other, made them stand in line, shot them
and threw them into pits dug in advance (with many of the captives
not even wounded or lightly wounded). In this way they eliminated
the male population of Bitlis.

They selected the women and children they liked and converted them
to Islam. The remaining women and children were also taken in groups
to Sgherd, stripped on the bank of the river, murdered with daggers
and thrown into river. Most of the small boys were thrown into the
river alive.

Producers: Ara Tadevosyan
Filming: Rachel Judah Post Production: Tumo LLC

The source of Vachagan Petrosian’s testimony: National Archives of
Armenia, Armenian Genocide by Ottoman Turkey, 1915, Testimony of
survivors, Collection of documents, Yerevan-2013.

VivaCell-MTS is the general partner of 100 seconds project.

– See more at:

ARMENIA STANDS FOR COORDINATION OF FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES WITH RUSSIA – PRESIDENT

YEREVAN, April 7. /ARKA/. Yerevan has always favored foreign policy
coordination with Russia, Armenia’s president Serzh Sargsyan said in
his interview to Rossiya 24 TV channel.

When asked whether or not Moscow could count on its closest neighbors
and team-mates as concerned the international and geopolitical issues,
Sargsyan said it was a rhetorical question.

“When we join unions, we undertake obligations. Apart from the
relations we had with Russia, with the Russian people during the
centuries, we have formalized these relations. Hence, we have always
supported, first, the integration processes, and, the second, the
coordination, including that on the foreign policy. And I believe, at
least so far, there has been no case of us having tried to bypass our
direct obligations,” Sargsyan said, as cited by Novosti-Armenia. -0–

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: YEREVAN HOTELS RAISE PRICES

11:37 07/04/2015 >> DAILY PRESS

Yerevan hotels have raised the prices of rooms ahead of April 24
as many foreign guests are expected to visit Yerevan on that day to
attend Genocide centenary events, Haykakan Zhamanak reports.

A source in the marketing department of Royal Tulip Hotel said they
had price fluctuations and this is due to the “flow of guests.”

Ararat Hotel also raised the prices. The newspaper notes that the
price increase in March was seasonal. A source in the hotel told
the newspaper that several delegations have already booked rooms in
the hotel.

Armenia Marriott Hotel also increased its prices considerably. The
newspaper, however, failed to get a comment from the hotel.

“THEY WILL INVENT SOMETHING TO KEEP ZHIRAYR UNTIL APRIL 24”: N. SEFILYAN: 1IN.AM (VIDEO)

12:52 | April 7,2015 | Politics

“They haven’t found arms, but they will invent something to keep
Zhirayr until April 24,” Nanor Sefilyan tells how Zhirayr Sefilyan
has been taken into police

Video by 1in. am

TIGRAN KHZMALYAN: MOSCOW AND KGB BEHIND TERROR AGAINST FOUNDING PARLIAMENT

by David Stepanyan

Tuesday, April 7, 13:56

Tigran Khzmalyan, film director, oppositionist, public worker, says
Moscow and Russian KGB (State Security Committee) are behind the
“terror against the Founding Parliament Movement.”

Talking to ArmInfo, Khzmalyan said: “Perhaps, it is the only difference
between the actions of the Young Armenian Government of our country
and their Young Turkish teachers. I am reluctant to say that we
are witnesses and victims of a second genocidal actions against the
Armenian nation ahead of the Armenian Genocide Centennial,” he said.

Khzmalyan recalled that one hundred years ago Turks launched the
genocide of Armenians on April 24 with arrests of the Armenian
intellectuals of Constantinople and now, the Armenian authorities
are repeating the lessons of their teachers.

He said the activists of the Founding Parliament are facing arrests
not only in Yerevan, but also in Vanadzor. He anticipates reports on
expulsion of the Movement’s members from Diaspora and from Armenia.

“In other words, we are witnessing an open terror in response to
the efforts to fight corruption and feudal regime in Armenia by
constitutional methods,” the oppositionist said. Artsakh War Hero,
coordinator of the Founding Parliament (FP) Zhirayr Sefilyan, members
of the FP, Varuzhan Avetisyan, Pavel Manukyan and Sefilyan’s brother
Toros Sefilyan were detained today, on April 7.

Earlier, the Police searched the houses of Zhirayr Sefilyan, Varuzhan
Avetisyan, and Karo Yeghnukyan. The Investigation Committee of Armenia
has disseminated a report saying that “the National Security Service
and the Investigation Committee of Armenia have prevented an attempt
of organized mass disorders that were planned for April 24 2015.”

10 of the best ancient ruins … that you’ve probably never heard of

Koh Ker, Cambodia

Lost to forest and abandoned for over a thousand years, you’ll find
this little-visited site in northern Cambodia. It’s less than two
hours’ ride from its more famous cousin, Angkor Wat, and well worth a
visit to see more than two dozen temples emerging from the jungle. A
highlight is a seven-tiered pyramid, 40 metres high, which is thought
to have been the state temple of Jayavarman IV and is often compared
to Mayan temples. The site was the capital of the whole Khmer empire
from 928-944AD.
– A new road means day trips to Koh Ker are possible from Siem Reap,
but there are also now a few basic guesthouses and an ecolodge for
those who want to stay longer

Choquequirao, Peru

Photograph: Zachary Bennett/Corbis
Little sister to the better-known Machu Picchu, Choquequirao is one of
the most-rewarding travel destinations in the Americas. Only a few
hundred people visit during the dry season (May to October), compared
with thousands each day at Machu Picchu. At 3,000m, the site sits on a
cloud-forest ridge, 61 miles west of Cusco in the remote Vilcabamba
range. The city was built by Topa Yupanqui, son of the man who built
Machu Picchu, Pachacuti, some time in the 15th century. It’s a two-day
trek to Choquequirao from the town of Cachora (though a cable car link
is planned), and exploring it and the outlying sites of Capullyoc,
Hurincancha and Casa de Cascada with a guide will take several days.
– Buses run from Cusco to Ramal, close to Cachora, where guides and
pack mules can easily be hired

Ani, Turkey

The ruined church of Saint Gregory in Ani. Photograph: Alamy
There are some wonderful treasures in the far east of Turkey and one
of them is the site of Ani. Capital of the Armenian Bagratid dynasty
until the 11th century, and situated on key trade routes, it
flourished for over 400 years and at its peak was larger than any
contemporary European city, with a population of over 100,000. It was
destroyed by an earthquake in 1319, and today its ruins are spread
over a wide area, with the remains of spectacular churches, a
Zoroastrian fire temple, palaces and city walls. Take a picnic and
spend a day exploring the site.
– Ani can be reached by taxi or hire car from the town of Kars, 46km
away and served by internal flights from Ankara or Istanbul

Conimbriga, Portugal

Photograph: Getty Images
This is one of the largest Roman settlements in Portugal – roughly
halfway between Lisbon and Porto, near the village of
Condeixa-a-Nova. It was a prosperous town in Roman times and, while
not the largest Roman city in Portugal, it is the best
preserved. Although only a small section of the site has been
excavated, there are baths, luxurious houses, an amphitheatre, a
forum, shops, gardens with working fountains and city walls to
explore, with many wonderful mosaics still in situ. In its centre is
one of the largest houses discovered in the western Roman empire, the
Casa de Cantaber, which is built around ornamental pools in superb
colonnaded gardens and has its own bath complex and heating
system. There is also a good museum, cafe and picnic site. Pick up a
guidebook from the museum and have a few euro coins in your pocket to
make the fountains work.
– Easyjet and Ryanair fly to Porto and Lisbon from about £50 return

Han Yangling, China

Terracotta figures in the Han Yangling museum. Photograph: Alamy
A smaller version of the Xi’an terracotta warriors, this
often-overlooked site is the the tomb of E mperor Jing Di , who died
in 141BC, and his Empress Wang. The site, 20km north of Xi’an, is well
laid-out, with glass panels over the burial pits so you can see
everything in situ, and there is also an excellent museum. The warrior
figures here have individual faces; their arms were made of wood and
they wore clothes. Sadly, both have disintegrated now, though examples
can be seen in the museum. The pits are filled with figurines of
courtiers and animals, and you can see the fossilised remains of
wooden chariots.
– Han Yangling is easily reached by taxi, from Xi’an international
airport (25 minutes)

Pella, Jordan

Photograph: Corbis
Frequently bypassed for the larger sites of Jerash and Umm Qais ,
Pella, in the north Jordan valley, is a multi-period site, occupied
since neolithic times. It has some stunning Roman/Byzantine remains,
and recent excavations have unearthed a Canaanite temple dating from
1700BC and early-bronze-age city walls dating from 3200BC. Take the
time to climb to the top of Tell Husn, the southern mound overlooking
the dig house, and you will be rewarded with a fantastic view across
the excavations and the Jordan valley.
– The site is 45 minutes by road from the city of Irbid (two hours
from Amman). Buses run from Irbid to the present-day village of
Tabaqat Fahl

Vatican Necropolis, Italy

Photograph: AGF/Rex
Beneath the Vatican City lie the ancient streets of Rome and an
ancient burial ground, the Vatican necropolis – originally a cemetery
on the southern slope of Vatican Hill. Saint Peter is said to be
buried here, after he was martyred in the nearby Circus of
Nero. Emperor Constantine I built a basilica above the apostle’s grave
in the fourth century AD, and excavations in the 1940s did find a
number of mausoleums. To walk at ancient street levels through the
necropolis is an exciting experience for those who love to step back
in time.
– Visits must be booked with the Vatican Excavations Office. Tours, in
groups of about 12, last 90 minutes

Takht-e Soleyman, Iran

Photograph: /Getty Images
Takht-e Soleyman, meaning Throne of Solomon, is a breathtaking site
built around a mineral-rich crater lake 30km north of Takab in Iran’s
West Azerbaijan province. The earliest remains date from the Sasanian
period, from 224 to 651AD. Set in a vast, empty landscape 2,000 metres
above sea level, the site includes the remains of a Zoroastrian fire
temple complex and a 13th-century Mongol palace. It is surrounded by
an oval wall with 34 towers and two gates. The lake is 60 metres deep
and so filled with minerals that it contains no life and is
undrinkable. Don’t miss the small museum, housed in an Ilkhanid (a
13th-century building), with fine examples of tile, ceramics and
stucco decoration.
– The site is about two hours by taxi from the city of Zanjan, which
is served by buses and trains from Tehran

Fatehpur Sikri, India

Photograph: /Corbis
This surprisingly intact walled and fortified Mughal city is 40km west
of Agra and the Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh. Built by Emperor Akbar in
1571, it was the Mughal capital for 14 years before being abandoned
for lack of water. A stunning royal complex of pavilions and palaces
include a harem, a mosque, private quarters, gardens, ornamental
pools, courtyards and intricate carvings. It is the best-preserved
collection of Mughal architecture in India. Don’t miss the Rumi
Sultana palace, the smallest but most-elegant structure in the
complex, and the secret stone safes in the corner of the Treasury,
which also houses a museum opened just last year.
– The complex is an easy day trip from Agra: take a bus or train to
Fatehpur station, 1km from the site

Pula, Croatia

Photograph: Getty Images
The amphitheatre of Pula is the only Roman amphitheatre to have four
side towers and all three levels preserved. Built between in 27BC and
68AD, it is one of the six largest surviving Roman arenas in the
world, and the best-preserved ancient monument in Croatia. Overlooking
the harbour in the north-east of the town, it seated 20,000
spectators. In summer there are weekly re-enactments of gladiator
fights, and it is also used for plays, concerts and the September
Outlook festival. Look out for the slabs that used to secure the
fabric canopies that sheltered spectators from the sun.
– Ryanair flies to Pula from Stansted from £117 return