Author: Garnik Tadevosian

Armenian president offers condolences to Indonesia on deadly tsunami

Garnik Tadevosian

Armenian president offers condolences to Indonesia on deadly tsunami

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16:44,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has extended condolences to his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo on the deadly tsunami that hit after a volcanic event in the Sunda Strait, between Sumatra and Java.

On Saturday, giant waves crashed into coastal towns on the islands of Sumatra and Java, killing at least 281 people and injuring 1,016.

Sarkissian expressed his condolences and support to Widodo and the people of Indonesia, wishing speedy recovery to the injured victims and endurance and courage to the families of the fatalities.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Sports: Armenian athletes to take part in the European Youth Olympics Festival

Garnik Tadevosian
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 20 2018

Armenian athletes are set to participate at the 2019 Winter European Youth Olympics Festival (EYOF 2019) which will take place in the Olympic host city Sarajevo & East Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  The event will take place from 9 to 16 February 2019 and will bring together some 1500 athletes from 50 countries to compete in eight sports.

As the National Olympic Committee reports, at the instruction of the Chairman of the Olympic Committee Gagik Tsarukyan a central headquarters was formed to coordinate the preparation of the Armenian athletes for the competition, including addressing issues related to the necessary sport equipment and organizing training camps.

According to the source, Armenia will be represented by five athletes, figure skater Marina Asoyan, alpine skiers Mayis Yeghiazaryan and Zhirayr Arakelyan, biathlonists Aghasi Sakayan and Anna Rashoyan among them. 

Turkish FM assures Aliyev that Ankara supports Baku’s stance on Karabakh

Garnik Tadevosian
Interfax – Russia & CIS Diplomatic Panorama
Friday
Turkish FM assures Aliyev that Ankara supports Baku's stance on Karabakh

BAKU. Dec 14

Ankara will continue supporting Baku in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

"Turkey will continue providing whatever support it can to Baku in the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani issue with the observance of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity," Cavusoglu was cited as saying at a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Friday in a statement on the Azerbaijani presidential website.

Azerbaijan and Turkey have always supported each other, the minister said.

Aliyev, in turn, expressed gratitude to the Turkish side for its support for Azerbaijan's stance on the Karabakh issue.

Aliyev noted the high level of bilateral ties between Baku and Ankara, adding that the joint projects implemented by Azerbaijan and Turkey, including the TAP, the TANAP, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, and others have great importance for countries of the region and the world.

"At the meeting, the parties exchanged views on the further development of bilateral cooperation," the statement said.

SIS seeks arrest of former Secretary of Security Council Armen Gevorgyan

Garnik Tadevosian
| 13:26 | December 12 2018
Category
Politics

The Special Investigative Service has filed a motion to court requesting the arrest of former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan.

The accusations against Gevorgyan, however, concern the time period in his capacity as Secretary of Security Council (2007-2008).

The court hearing was held today, but the session was adjourned and scheduled for tomorrow 10:30.

The closed-door session was presided over by judge Arman Hovhannisyan.

Gevorgyan is charged in the ongoing March 1 investigation concerning the 2008 post-election deadly unrest. In 2008, he served as Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia.

The charges pressed against Gevorgyan are based on information leaked by WikiLeaks. In 2008, when Serzh Sargsyan was elected president, his oppositionists had disputed the outcome of the vote to the Constitutional Court. According to the SIS, an investigation has revealed that Gevorgyan, and another official, abused power and pressured a judge at the Constitutional Court.

Gevorgyan was charged with obstruction of justice and was confined to the country limits with a signature bond.

Voter turnout at Armenia’s parliamentary elections stands at 24,53% as of 14:00

Garnik Tadevosian
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 9 2018

The voter turnout at Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections in Armenia is 24,53% as of 14:00, member of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) Silva Markosyan said.

According to the CEC statistics, 636 055 voters out of 2, 592 479 eligible for voting, have taken part in the polls as of the indicated time.

To remind, the voter turnout at the previous parliamentary elections in 2017 was 33,46% as of 14:00.  

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Shaboyan: The number of importers of essential goods in the Armenian market has increased dramatically

Garnik Tadevosian
Arminfo, Armenia
Nov 24 2018
Shaboyan: The number of importers of essential goods in the Armenian market has increased dramatically



Yerevan, November 23. ArmInfo, Tatevik Shagunyan. Armenia has improved its position in the World Economic Forum competitiveness ranking by 9 positions taking 19

h place from 140 countries. The chairman of the State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition Artak Shaboyan said this at a press conference.

According to him, Armenia in this rating is far ahead of the post-Soviet countries, even the Baltic states, which are located on the 40th, 50th lines. Referring to the work of the department, he said that this year 202 "controversial cases" were revealed, 140 in the area of public procurement. "All materials are sent to the appropriate structures," Shaboyan said, while assuring that the incidence of violations in the field of public procurement was significantly reduced compared to previous years.

He further presented the situation on the market for essential goods. According to Shaboyan, if in 2014 there were 24 economic entities operating in the oil import market, then this year their number increased to 57. In the flour market, the number of economic entities since 2014 has increased from 30 to 149. Over the past four years, the number of importers in the sugar market has increased from 36 to 62. Instead of 9 importers, a banana now began to bring 21 business entities. According to him, the same trend in the markets of all essential goods.

Asbarez: Armenian Community of Argentina Repudiates Erdogan Prior to the G20 Summit

Garnik Tadevosian
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Members of the Argentine-Armenian community protest against Erdogan in Buenos Aires on Monday

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Agencia Prensa Armenia)—The Armenian community of Argentina held a demonstration to repudiate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in front of the residence of the Turkish ambassador in the country on Monday afternoon. Erdogan will travel to Argentina in the coming days to participate in the G20 summit.

“Erdogan is the head of a state that maintains a state policy of denial and non-recognition of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Turkish State between 1915 and 1923. In addition, it keeps its border with Armenia closed with the precondition that the conflict over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) would be resolved in favor of Azerbaijan. It should be remembered that Argentina formally recognized the Armenian Genocide by the three branches of the state,” denounced Eduardo Costanian, representative of the Armenian Institutions of the Argentine Republic (IARA), which coordinates all the institutions of the community. The Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church for Argentina and Chile, Archbishop Kissag Mouradian, also asked for the recognition of the genocide and called to pray for Erdogan to review the internal situation of his country.

Eduardo Costanian

The persecution suffered by minorities in Turkey, especially the Kurds, was also recalled: “Members of the People’s Democratic Party are systematically harassed by the Erdogan regime, while their leader, Selahattin Demirtaş, is being held prisoner since 2016. Political persecutions also reach activists and human rights defenders: the images of the police repression against the Saturday Mothers were seen throughout the world,” said Costanian.

Primate of Argentina and Chile Kissag Mouradian

“Turkey is among the countries that least respect freedom of _expression_. Since 2009 Erdogan is one of the 33 ‘predators’ of press freedom according to Reporters Without Borders. The failed coup against his regime opened the door to a hunt since 2016, and they have already closed some 120 media outlets and more than 200 journalists imprisoned, which made Turkey the largest prison for journalists in the world,” he added.

“The repression of the Erdogan regime reached the United States itself: in 2017, when the president traveled to meet with President Donald Trump in the White House, his advisers and bodyguards attacked American demonstrators. Something similar happened during his visits to Chile and Ecuador.”

Armenia not to save state budget means for proper expertise of Amulsar mine: Acting PM

Garnik Tadevosian
Aysor, Armenia
Nov 29 2018
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We have clearly stated that the exploitation of Amulsar will be acceptable for us only after having clear professional guarantees that the mine exploitation does not harm Lake Sevan, My Step bloc leader, acting PM Nikol Pashinyan said at the campaign today in Gavar, referring to the situation over Amulsar.

“A criminal case has been filed. A leading international organization will be involved as an expert. The expertise will be conducted on the highest professional level. Armenia will not save money from state budget for carrying out this expertise. After we get convinced that Amulsar is no threat to Lake Sevan and Jermuk water reservoir the exploitation of the mine will be acceptable for us,” Pashinyan said, adding that they cannot carry out this project with closed eyes until they are convinced that it does not strategically harm Armenia.

168: Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan refuse from PABSEC Honorary Medals: Speaker of Armenia’s Parliament urges not to politicize the issue

Garnik Tadevosian
| 12:33 | November 27 2018
Category
Politics

During the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) in Yerevan on November 27 some of the delegates refused from the Assembly’s Honorary Medals.

“The constructive position of the parliaments of the structure’s member states opens a broad path for the productive activities of the PABSEC”, PABSEC Secretary General Asaf Hajiyev said during the session.

Thereafter, the awarding ceremony of PABSEC Honorary Medals was scheduled, but the representative of the Georgian delegation announced that the delegation head refuses from the Medal without providing any comment. Head of the Turkish delegation Cemal Ozturk also refused from the Medal. “I think I do not have an honor to receive that Medal”, he said.

PABSEC Secretary General Asaf Hajiyev said the head of the Turkish delegation refuses from the Medal because he hasn’t received a mandate yet. Head of the Azerbaijani delegation Eldar Guliyev also announced that he is working at the structure for just two years and cannot receive such a Medal.

Speaker of the Parliament of Armenia Ara Babloyan received a Medal. Commenting on the aforementioned announcements, Babloyan said he understands their decision. He told reporters that he has discussed with the Secretary General the issue that it is necessary to give Medals to the heads of the delegations who chaired the delegation for many years.

“But our approach is different. By mentioning the name of the head of the delegation we hand over the Medal to the delegation, because we give it on the occasion of the 25th anniversary”, Babloyan said, adding that he agreed with Hajiyev to give the Medals to all. “And later the organization has an opportunity to separately award those for long-lasting work who currently are no longer heads, but chaired the delegation for many years. Armenia and I, as the organizer of this Assembly, are honest and ready to award all. Of course, all those who refused from the Medals, in fact they rejected their delegations to have that pleasure”, Babloyan said.

As for Turkey’s step Babloyan said that the head of the delegation was an acting head, therefore he found out that only the head can accept the Medal. “But as for Azerbaijan and Georgia, let them say why they refused. They stated that they have worked a short period of time and do not deserve a Medal. But we were ready to award”, Ara Babloyan noted.

He said he would not like to politicize this issue as this structure must deal with economic cooperation issues. “We have regional issues, if we politicize this issue, they can undermine our main goals in terms of economic and commercial relations”, he said.

Ara Babloyan informed that the head of the Ukrainian delegation was invited for the session, but couldn’t attend due to personal reasons.