Author: Kalantarian Kevo

WORLD BANK APPROVES LOANS FOR SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN ARMENIA

EastDay.com
March 18 2015

2015/3/18 11:15:13

YEREVAN, March 17 (Xinhua) — The World Bank decided on Tuesday to
grant a loan worth 30 million U.S. dollars for the development of
social infrastructure in Armenia.

The loan will be spent on constructing new schools and kindergartens
and developing social service in 150 most vulnerable communities across
the country, the World Bank’s Yerevan office said in a press release.

It is estimated that the loan will assist in creating 300 permanent
and 1,100 temporary jobs in rural and suburban communities, said
Laura Bailey, World Bank’s Country Manager for Armenia.

ZHOGHOVURD: POLISH PRESIDENT TO COME TO ARMENIA ON APRIL 24

10:18 18/03/2015 >> DAILY PRESS

Vice-President of the European Parliament Ryszard Czarnecki, who is
participating in the Fourth Ordinary Session of Euronest PA ongoing
in Yerevan, has told Zhoghovurd that he hopes he will represent the
European Parliament and will be in Yerevan on April 24.

Asked whether Poland’s President will come to Yerevan to attend
commemoration events dedicated to the centennial of the Armenian
Genocide, Mr Czarnecki said that Serzh Sargsyan has invited him to
visit Yerevan on April 24 and the President will be in Armenia on
that day.

French President Francois Hollande and Russian President Vladimir
Putin have announced that they will come to Yerevan on April 24.

SYRIAN PARLIAMENT CONVENES SPECIAL SESSION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL

March 18, 2015 09:44

Mohammad Jihad al-Laham

Photo: REUTERS

Yerevan /Mediamax/. On March 17, the People’s Council of Syria convened
a special session on the Armenian Genocide Centennial.

In his speech, Speaker of the People’s Council of Syria Mohammad
Jihad al-Laham particularly noted:

“We express our utter solidarity with friendly Armenian people as
well as with our Syrian Armenian compatriots who were subject to a
horrible genocide committed by Ottoman authorities 100 years ago. The
international community and all peoples in the world call on standing
side by side to confront the criminals, executioners and terrorists
threatening the Middle East in order to prevent other atrocities
against the mankind, civilization and history.”

Afterwards, the MPs of the People’s Council stood in silence for one
minute in honor for the Armenian Genocide victims.

Over 20 MPs addressed the session.

PRISONER SAYS HIS LIFE IS ‘IN DANGER’

18:54 | March 18,2015 | Social

Ludwig Avetisyan, the advocate of Hrachya Gevorgyan, a prisoner
of Nubarashen penitentiary institution, today called the Helsinki
Association to say that his client’s life is endangered.

Avetisyan met the prisoner at the Hospital for Convicts penitentiary.

Gevorgyan was brought to the meeting in a wheelchair and was in a
serious condition. He was unable to speak and wrote that his life
was in danger; someone tried to poison him in prison. Gevorgyan also
asked the lawyer to arrange a meeting with journalists.

The Helsinki Association immediately reported [the occurrence] to the
Rapid Response Group of the Ombudsman’s Office and the Group of Public
Observers Conducting Public Monitoring of Penitentiary Institutions.

The former promised to make a decision after talking to the lawyer
while the prison watchdog group promised to visit the prison no later
than tomorrow.

“This shows how quickly they respond to occurrences and incidents. Let
us hope that their response will be timely,” said the Helsinki
Association.

hahr.am

ARMENIA PRESIDENT: AZERBAIJANI FACTOR IS CONSTANT PRESSURE ON TURKEY LEADERSHIP

18:32, 18.03.2015

YEREVAN. – Unless there was a factor of Azerbaijan, Armenia-Turkey
protocols would have been ratified, President Serzh Sargsyan said
during “At the Foot of Ararat” media forum in Yerevan.

Answering to Turkey’s Zaman newspaper correspondent, President
Sargsyan said the factor of Azerbaijan is a constant pressure on
Turkish leadership.

“Several yeas ago Ilham Aliyev declared policy of isolating Armenia.

He naturally takes considerable efforts for this, and response of
this policy is somehow visible in Turkey,” the Armenian leader added

According to the President, by withdrawing the Armenian-Turkish
protocols from the parliament, he “neither killed them, nor closed
the window for reconciliation.”

“This is – not a legal act, but a political one. With this step,
I would like to once again draw attention of the Turkish authorities
to this fact,” he added.

– See more at:

AZAD: WASHINGTON MUST IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON AZERBAIJANI OFFICIALS BEGINNING WITH HIGHEST ONES

12:11 17/03/2015 >> IN THE WORLD

Elmar Chakhtakhtinski, the chairman of the organization AZAD
(Azerbaijani Americans for Democracy) in his interview to the newspaper
Azadlig expressed his attitude towards the anti-Western rhetoric of
the official Baku and bilateral relations noting that US-Azerbaijani
relations are built on a number of myths, the biggest of which is
about Azerbaijan’s strategic significance for America, Azerbaijani
information agency Turan reports.

According to the article, Chakhtakhtinski said that the strategic
partners of the US are the major states – European countries, Japan,
Egypt and others that maintain real power, large population, military
economical might; yet Azerbaijan has not got these all. That is why
one cannot speak about a strategic partnership between the US and
Azerbaijan. However, official Baku conceits that the US supports it
in everything and therefore turns a blind eye to the human rights
violations.

“If Azerbaijan really gets into a difficult situation, Washington
will hardly provide Baku with the expected support. The reason is that
the current relations are built on the lobbyists’ activities who take
money to create myths about the country’s significance and role for
Washington,” Chakhtakhtinski said.

He noted that the authorities in Baku actually eliminate the
pro-Western powers and rely on the groups that are inclined to
dictatorship and put up with corruption and looting. The Assistant
Secretary of State Victoria Nuland’s visit to Baku took place in these
very circumstances, which was a mistake, according to Chakhtakhtinski.

As the article has it, Chakhtakhtinski also stressed that the
corruption, continuous violations of human rights and other activities
of the authorities of Azerbaijan have spoiled the country image so
badly that it will become a serious obstacle to get the support of
the West in case a war breaks out.

“Remarkably, there are individuals in Washington who support
Azerbaijan’s point in Karabakh conflict, yet they turned into unwanted
people for Baku only because of criticizing it,” Chakhtakhtinski
stated.

The chairman of the organization AZAD is convinced that sanctions
should be imposed on the Azerbaijani officials, beginning with the
highest ones. Elmar Chakhtakhtinski also highlighted that the new US
ambassador to Azerbaijan has not been seen at Heydar Aliyev’s monument
so far, unlike his predecessor.

Related:

Former Ambassador: On background of falling oil prices it seems that
Azerbaijan is not key partner for United States

Nuland at meeting with Azerbaijan’s leadership expressed concern
about US human rights and media freedom

MOSCOW HAS PREPARED AZERBAIJAN FOR WAR

Hakob Badalyan, Political Commentator
Comments – 17 March 2015, 15:48

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has published
facts of military spending for 2010-2014. Accordingly, over the
past four years Azerbaijan has boosted import of weapons by 243%
and comes next to the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom imports 14%
and Azerbaijan imports 13% of weapons in Europe.

85% of weapons bought by Azerbaijan are supplied by Russia which is
a strategic partner and a participant of security of Armenia.

Armenia’s military expenditure, according to Stockholm Institute,
is 4% of Azerbaijan’s spending.

This statistics expresses the disrupted regional balance which is the
result of the Russian-Azerbaijani military and technical cooperation.

The statements that Russia equally supplies weapons to Armenia are a
bluff and the International Peace Research Institute busts it. Russia
brings weapons to Armenia but these weapons are under the control of
its 102nd military base in Armenia. In other words, the weapons are
physically in Armenia but these guns will fire only if Russia wants
them to. It is not hard to guess in what cases Russia will want. As
soon as the Azerbaijani weapons totally destroy the territory of
Armenia, the Russian weapons will fire to finalize its dominance over
this territory.

The fact that Armenia and Azerbaijan may be equally armed has nothing
to do with the regional balance because it is not Armenia’s but
Russia’s weapon. In other words, there is balance between Azerbaijan
and Russia, not Azerbaijan and Armenia. And judging by the levels
of the Russian-Azerbaijani military and technical cooperation, this
is not a balance but a deal against Armenia, regional balance and
stability. In addition, the result of the deal is the increasing
frequency and intensity of Azerbaijan’s sabotages over the past two
years alongside with the levels of military and technical cooperation
with Russia.

Russia and Azerbaijan are threatening security and stability in the
Caucasus, and the only way of preventing this threat is to increase
weapons possessed by Armenia, which is the issue of both Armenia and
the international community because the Russian-Azerbaijani threat
is an international threat.

EUROVISION 2015: ARMENIA CHANGES SONG TITLE

ARTS AND CULTURE | 17.03.15 | 15:37

RELATED NEWS

Armenians Deny: Yerevan reiterates no political message in its
Eurovision 2015 entry

Armenia has changed the title of its Eurovision 2015 entry, the Song
Contest’s official website said.

Originally, the song unveiled last week and performed by the band,
Genealogy, was titled “Don’t Deny”. Turkish and Azeri fans and media
alleged Armenia was promoting a “political message” promoting the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the year marking the centennial
of the 1915 massacres.

“The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) Reference Group took notice of
Armenian Public TV’s (AMPTV) request to change the title of their
entry for the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest into “Face The Shadow”,
after having submitted the song formally to the competition,” it said.

“The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the ESC Reference Group
welcome AMPTV’s request to change the title of the song in order to
take away any suggestion of political intent behind the song,” it
said, quoting Gohar Gasparyan, the head of the Armenian Delegation,
as saying on behalf of AMPTV that it was done “to strengthen the
concept of an anthem of peace, love and unity”.

Armenia will take part in the first Semi-Final of the 2015 Eurovision
Song Contest on 19th of May.

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA PAVILION AT THE VENICE BIENNALE: ARMENITY/HAYOUTIOUN

By MassisPost
Updated: March 16, 2015

SAN LAZZARO – In this symbolic year 2015, on the occasion of the 100th
commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, the Ministry of Culture of the
Republic of Armenia has dedicated its pavilion to the artists of the
Armenian diaspora. It will be located at the Mekhitarist Monastery on
the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni. Curated by Adelina Cuberyan v.

Furstenberg, the Opening is on May 6, 2015.

The curatorial concept of armenity** implies the notion of
displacement and territory, justice and reconciliation, ethos and
resilience. Regardless of their place of birth, the selected artists
carry within their identity the memory of their origins. Through
their talent and willpower, these grandchildren of survivors of the
Armenian Genocide – the first genocide of the 20th century – rebuilt a
“transnational assembly” from the remnants of a shattered identity.

Their ingrained concern for memory, justice and reconciliation
skillfully transcends notions of territory, borders and geography.

Whether they were born in Beirut, Lyon, Los Angeles, or Cairo and
wherever they may reside, these global citizens constantly question
and reinvent their armenity.

Contemporary artists from the Armenian Diaspora invited to participate
include: Haig Aivazian, Lebanon; Nigol Bezjian, Syria/USA; Ann
a Boghiguian Egypt/Canada; Hera Buyuktasciyan, Turkey; Silvina
Der-Meguerditchian, Argentina/Germany; Rene Gabri & Ayreen Anastas,
Iran/Palestine/USA; Mekhitar Garabedian, Belgium; Aikaterini
Gegisian, Greece; Yervant Gianikian & Angela Ricci Lucchi, Italy;
Aram Jibilian, USA; Nina Katchadourian, USA/Finland; Melik Ohanian,
France; Mikayel Ohanjanyan, Armenia/Italy; Rosana Palazyan, Brasil;
Sarkis , Turkey/France; Hrair Sarkissian, Syria/UK.

AZADLIG: AZERBAIJANI AUTHORITIES FIND NEW PERPETRATORS OF ITS FAILURES: APART FROM ‘ARMENIAN LOBBY’ ALSO APPEAR ‘ISLAMOPHOBES’

16:19 17/03/2015 >> SOCIETY

It has been a while since the authorities in Azerbaijan have been
trying to present the critical articles, published in Western
prestigious outlets about the corruption of the ruling regime, as
‘the order of the Armenian lobby.’ The situation has reached to a
point where the authorities in Azerbaijan claim that the US president
Barack Obama is ‘controlled by the Armenian lobby’, and the opposition
of the country is ‘funded by the Armenians and get grants from them,’
Azerbaijani newspaper Azadlig writes.

However, as a result we get quite a controversial picture: from
the upper echelons of power to the MPs, the officials in Azerbaijan
unanimously convince that ‘Armenia is starving,’ and the governmental
TV channels claim, “Armenia is on the edge of utter poverty.” Hence,
according to the logic of the Azerbaijani authorities, ‘Armenia,
moribund in hunger and poverty,’ rules over the whole world and
funds a number of well-known international organizations. Moreover,
adhering to such position, Azerbaijani authorities unwittingly confess
that they lose Armenia in foreign politics, the newspaper writes.

Now, as Azadlig has it, ahead of the European Games, the Azerbaijani
authorities have made up a new way to justify the crackdowns on their
own citizens, apparently realizing at last that the ‘Armenian version’
already comes to be overtly ridiculous to the population. Apart
from the accusations addressed to Armenia and Armenian lobby, the
authorities have set on spreading the thesis of ‘Islamophobia’. So,
according to the new version, the criticism in the foreign press is
‘the result of the Islamophobia of the West and the activities of
the anti-Islamic circles.’

According to the new tactics of the authorities, the prestigious
outlets of Germany, the UK, France, the US, as well as international
organizations speak out against Azerbaijan only out of anti-Islamic
motives, the article reads. Nonetheless, even this rhetoric contains
obvious controversy: the girls are not allowed to go to school
in hijabs because of the ban of the Azerbaijani authorities, and
well-known theologians in Azerbaijan are behind bars on trumped-up
charges together with the political prisoners.

Summing up, Azadlig concludes that the present authorities in
Azerbaijan are ready to call the whole world their enemy just to go
on with their politics of robbing the population and violating the
human rights in the country.

Related:

Yeni Musavat: Armenophobia becomes nation-wide activity in Azerbaijan

Alexander Fomenkov: Ilham Aliyev carries out deliberate Armenofobic
propaganda both in Azerbaijan and in Diaspora