Author: nina hovnanian

ARMEN MARTIROSYAN: I HOPE ARMENIA WILL HAVE NEW AUTHORITIES ON APRIL 24

by Nana Martirosyan

Wednesday, February 11, 13:41

Deputy Chairman of the opposition Heritage Party Armen Martirosyan
hopes that the leaders of the non-power parliamentary forces
(Prosperous Armenia Party, Heritage, Armenian National Congress) will
make decisions on Feb 15 to form a new power in Armenia on April 24.

At a Feb 11 press conference in Yerevan, Martirosyan said that he
disagrees with the Founding Parliament members, who announce their
intention to change the power in the country on April 24, i.e. on
the day the country will hold the events dedicated to the Armenian
Genocide Centennial. “We should have a new power by April 24 and it is
the new authorities that should accept the condolences of the guests”,
said Martirosyan.

He added that the tension in the country is escalated and it is
almost impossible to avoid a rebellion. The politician stressed
that the violation against the oppositionists proves that the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia is panic-stricken and tries to howl down
the demonstrators. “The fact that the culprits bear no responsibility
for the attacks on the oppositionists demonstrates that the authorities
are privy to the given crimes”, he said.

To note, over the past few months Artsakh war veterans Razmik
Petrosyan, Manvel Yeghiazaryan, Suren Sargsyan, activist Vilen
Gabrielyan have been beaten in Armenia. Unknown persons have inflicted
bodily injuries to Aram Manukyan, MP from the Armenian National
Congress. Artak Khachatryan, member of the Prosperous Armenia Party,
has recently been kidnapped and severely beaten. All the aggrieved
persons blame the ruling Republican Party of Armenia for the attacks.

LEVON TER-PETROSYAN CRITICIZES PAN-ARMENIAN DECLARATION

February 11, 2015 09:33

Levon Ter-Petrosyan

Yerevan /Mediamax/. First President of Armenia, Leader of Armenian
National Congress (ANC) Levon Ter-Petrosyan has rebuked the
Pan-Armenian Declaration.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s article on “Reflections on the Promulgation
of the “Pan-Armenian Declaration on the Centennial of the Armenian
Genocide” was published in “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” newspaper today.

The ANC leader noted that no matter how representative the committee
coordinating Armenian Genocide Centennial events is it cannot reflect
the united will of the Armenian people.

“Fortunately or unfortunately, no body or structure can speak on behalf
of all Armenians”, writes Levon Ter-Petrosyan. He stated that only the
Pan-Armenian referendum can express the united will of the Armenians,
however, “the referendum is impossible due to overt reasons”.

The first President said that the Declaration would have ponderous
significance and would have a value of a strong legal and political
document had it been promulgated with the signatures of the Armenian
and NKR Presidents, Catholicos of All Armenians, Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia as well as the leaders of the Armenian Catholic
Church and Armenian Evangelical Church.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan rebuked Point 3 of the Declaration, where the
Committee thanks the countries and organizations that have recognized
the Armenian Genocide.

“It’s but a rustic statement putting Armenian people in a degrading
situation”, writes Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

“The recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide does not
require courage from any state or international organization inasmuch
as it’s their commitment fixed by international conventions and being
thanked for doing it should be even insulting to them”, writes the
ANC leader.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan notes that the Declaration contains “the entire
repertoire of the current perception of the Armenian Question –
recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey,
compensation for moral and material harm to the descendants of
Armenians who used to live in Western Armenia and in other places in
the Ottoman Empire, recovery of possession of individual and community
properties, mass resettlement of Armenians in the houses of their
ancestors, and finally, enlargement of the Armenian territory in
conformity with the borders drawn by the Treaty of Sevres and U.S.

President Woodrow Wilson”.

“If since 1998 the recognition of the Armenian Genocide was placed
in the basis of the Armenian foreign policy which resulted in being
obliged to set up a committee of Armenian and Turkish historians,
then the Pan-Armenian Declaration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial
places the issue of claims in the core of the Armenian foreign policy.

Only God knows what this sharp turn will result in. At this moment
it’s simply clear that it will greatly complicate and for quite a
long time freeze the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations,
which is a highly important process for the future of Armenia”,
writes Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

REACTIONS: PAP, RPA EXCHANGE WARNINGS IN WAKE OF ATTACK ON POLITICAL ACTIVIST

POLITICS | 11.02.15 | 11:14

By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

RELATED NEWS

PAP leader warned about “personal responsibility” for possible
escalation

The violent attack on Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) member Artak
Khachatryan, who was reportedly kidnapped and beaten over the weekend,
created discontent in the opposition-leaning party led by tycoon
Gagik Tsarukyan.

The political council of the party discussed the question of boycotting
Parliamentary works, unless the crime is disclosed.

The incident took place on February 7 near the Tashir department store
in Yerevan. Three armed men dressed in black and wearing masks forced
Khachatryan into a car and drove him in an unknown direction. He was
found five hours after the incident, near his house, unconscious and
beaten. The PAP member is known as an active participant in recent
protests against the controversial sales tax law.

Political forces had different reactions to the PAP call, with some
specifically saying that the chain of violence in the country takes
up a mass character, and people are attacked for their political
views and activities.

“Armenian law enforcement bodies cannot stop this atmosphere of
violence and cannot control the situation so that there is no violence
against citizens in Armenia,” Heritage Party member Zaruhi Postanjyan
told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

The PAP said that if the police do not promptly identify the people
who kidnapped and beat Artak Khachatryan, the party will demand that
a number of officials be dismissed. This statement was immediately
followed by ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) spokesperson
Eduard Sharmazanov’s response, “We consider emotional, surreal,
demagogue statements made by some of our colleagues unacceptable,
for which they, when in sober reasonable state, will probably feel
ashamed… No personnel changes or resignations are on the agenda.”

All this was then followed by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan’s
opinion. In an interview with Tert.am he said that Gagik Tsarukyan
should personally monitor all statements coming out of the
political structure he leads, or else all “emotional nonsense” in
those statements will have to be accepted as his personal opinion,
and then responsibility for all possible political developments and
aggravations will lie with Tsarukyan.

It should be said that Tsarukyan and Abrahamyan are in-laws. Political
analyst Styopa Safaryan thinks that the PM faces a clear task: he
either solves problems with his in-law and the political force he
leads, or they both leave the arena.

“And as if Hovik Abrahamyan had never sent such a message to his
in-law, Gagik Tsarukyan, before, this time he does it clarifying that
if it continues they will appear on the opposite sides of the trench,
and then how each of them will save himself is a different problem,”
Safaryan told galatv.am.

Armenian National Congress (ANC) MP Levon Zurabyan thinks that the
violence against the PAP member is the government’s message to the
party, to the opposition troika and the public as a response to Gagik
Tsarukyan’s idea about change of government made during a conference
of non-governing forces on February 5.

According to Zurabyan, the government wants to show that the PAP has
crossed the line, which means that they can cross the line toward
the PAP, too.

ERIC RUBIN: RUSSIA MILITARY PRESENCE IN ARMENIA IS DUE TO CURRENT SITUATION

11:28, 11.02.2015

The United States (US) is planning to develop cooperation with Armenia
in the military and security domains.

The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs, Eric Rubin, stated about the aforementioned.

Rubin also noted that a Russian military presence in Armenia should
restrain neither the Armenian nor the American sides from making
their bilateral cooperation grow deeper.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State added that Armenia and the
South Caucasus, in general, are very close to the world’s most
dangerous areas.

In his words, the US and Armenia envision not solely to deepen
cooperation in security and defense, but to implement new bilateral
programs within this framework.

And commenting on the presence of Russian troops in Armenia, Eric
Rubin said this does not constrain the US, and added that this Russian
military presence is a reality conditioned on the current situation
in Armenia.

EBRD REDISTRIBUTES BONDS WORTH AMD 2 BILLION IN ARMENIAN CURRENCY

16:25, 11 February, 2015

YEREVAN, 11 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. The European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development has redistributed the coupon bonds (EBRDB3) issued
for the third time expressed in AMD. As NASDAQ OMX Armenia reports to
“Armenpress”, bonds worth a total of AMD 2 billion were presented
for redistribution.

The EBRD’s bonds worth a total of AMD 2 billion, at a nominal value
of AMD 10 thousand, with a grace period of 6 months and with 17%
coupon profitability, will be circulated in the Stock Market with the
abbreviation “EBRDB2”. The signing of targeted and repo transactions
will also be allowed.

ARMENIA BOASTS REGION’S MOST ADVANCED FIBER INTERNET SERVICE

Tuesday, February 10th, 2015

Armenia is now estimated to have the most advanced fiber-optic network
in the South Caucasus

YEREVAN–The citizens of the Republic of Armenia are enjoying what
is believed be the most advanced Fiber to the Home (FTTH) broadband
services in the South Caucasus region thanks to a fiber network built
by Ucom LLC that leverages solutions from California-based Calix, Inc.

Ucom, a 2014 Calix Innovation Award winner and fast-growing fiber
overbuilder in Armenia, continues to expand its extensive gigabit
passive optical network (GPON)-based network throughout the country.

It recently surpassed the 75,000 residential broadband subscriber
milestone in Armenia — making it the country’s largest provider of
FTTH residential wireline broadband services by revenue, and a key
infrastructure provider for the country’s public services, including
education, libraries, government offices, and other services.

Ucom, established in 2009, provides advanced wireline FTTH and wireless
broadband services that leverage its fiber access network to connect
homes and businesses in most of the country’s major cities.

Recognizing an enormous opportunity to bring a world-class fiber access
infrastructure to a country previously underserved by an aging copper
infrastructure, the company decided to go directly to GPON technology,
and put in place a gigabit-capable fiber network.

Ucom initially built the network using the Ericsson BLM 1500 and
T-Series ONTs. However, after Calix purchased Ericsson’s fiber access
assets, and subsequent platform integration work, the company has now
switched to the Calix E7-2 and E7-20 Ethernet Service Access Platforms
(ESAPs) for future services, to keep up with the ever-increasing
broadband services demand.

Today, Ucom believes it operates the largest fiber network in
Armenia and, by far, the most advanced. The company now passes over
50 percent of the homes in Armenia and is targeting continued growth
of 33 percent in 2015.

“Using the power and flexibility of the Calix technologies, Ucom
has been able to build what we believe to be the most extensive and
advanced fiber optic network in Armenia,” said Aleksandr Yesayan,
executive director, Ucom. “Our steadfast focus on creating a unique
and powerful broadband experience over wireline and wireless for
Armenians that provides the best quality service at an affordable
price has allowed us, in a few short years, to become the nation’s
largest FTTH broadband services provider. Calix has played a key
role in our success to date, and we will continue to leverage this
fiber network as we launch new Wi-Fi and LTE services — making us
the first quad-play operator in Armenia.”

With the help of Calix, Ucom’s next generation network has already
benefited schools, libraries, and other public services offices in the
region by increasing their bandwidth tenfold, facilitating activities
like teleconferencing and global learning.

Andy Lockhart, senior vice president, international sales at Calix,
said: “The broadband infrastructure in Armenia has leapt forward with
Ucom’s high quality fiber-based networks. Our E7 solutions are ideal
to provide the operational efficiencies needed without sacrificing
deployment flexibility or service functionality. This leaves service
providers like Ucom to concentrate on revenue-generating, game-changing
service delivery options. The company is already offering a wide range
of opportunities for government, education, and library services
in Armenia, creating powerful new services that now pass over half
of the homes and business in the country and changing the lives and
opportunities for the a growing proportion of Armenians.”

Ucom’s 2014 Calix Innovation Award for its leadership in Armenia
will be highlighted at the Calix booth at the FTTH Council Europe
Conference, 10-12 February 2015 at EXPO XXI in Warsaw, Poland.

TURQUA Y LA NEGACION DEL GENOCIDIO ARMENIO

Comite Central Israelita Uruguay
3 feb 2015

El genocidio del pueblo armenio fue perpetrado hace ya un siglo por el
gobierno de los Jovenes Turcos en el Imperio Otomano, desde 1915 hasta
1923. Conocido tambien como el “holocausto armenio”, este episodio,
uno de los abominables que recuerda la historia del mundo, consistio
en la deportacion forzosa y el exterminio de un número indeterminado
de civiles armenios, calculado aproximadamente entre un millon y
medio y dos millones de personas.

A pesar de la documentacion largamente probatoria del hecho, Turquía
lo sigue negando y se esfuerza vanamente por tratar de distorsionar
la historia, como si el genocidio no hubiera existido y como si los
turcos no hubieran sido responsables de el, escondiendo y desafiando
a la verdad.

Por esta razon, no debe llamar la atencion que continúe adoptando
medidas para continuar profundizando el mencionado negacionismo. Una
de ellas consiste en haber modificado la fecha de una celebracion
nacional, el aniversario de la batalla de Galípoli contra los
aliados, en la Primera Guerra Mundial, para hacerla coincidir, no
por casualidad, con el 24 de abril, fecha en la que historicamente
los armenios conmemoran el dramatico sacrificio a que fue sometido
su pueblo. Recordemos nuevamente que en ese genocidio un millon y
medio de víctimas perdieron sus vidas de una manera atroz y cruel:
o directamente ejecutadas o exterminadas por el hambre u obligadas
a marchar hasta el agotamiento, en episodios absolutamente inhumanos
que no pueden ni deben ser olvidados.

El cambio de la efemeride turca es realmente lamentable y se agrega a
las distorsionadas descripciones historicas contenidas en algunas de
las novelas para television de origen turco, que incluso se exhiben
en este momento en nuestro propio medio.

Estos esfuerzos por desfigurar y hasta banalizar el tema generan un
fuerte rechazo. El genocidio armenio no puede disimularse y, mucho
menos, borrarse de la historia. Es hora de que así sea debidamente
reconocido por las autoridades de Turquía.

CONSUMER PRICES IN NKR GROW BY 1.7% FROM 2014 DECEMBER

YEREVAN, February 10. / ARKA /. Consumer prices grew by 1.7 percent
in Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) in January 2015 when compared to
December 2014, according to NKR National Statistical Service.

Food prices are said to have risen by 2.7%, non-food products by 1.2%,
and services by 0.4%.

The consumer price index in January 2015 was 4% when compared to the
same period in 2014. Food products (including alcoholic beverages and
tobacco) grew by 4.9%, non-food products by 4.1 % and services by 2.2%.

The consumer prices in Karabakh in January 2015 were 32.4% higher
from 2010. – 0-

AS-SALAAM-ALEIKUM: GREETING IN AZERI ON ARMENIA-BOUND PLANE CAUSES PANIC AMONG PASSENGERS

NEWS | 10.02.15 | 14:15

If you are an Armenian passenger on board a plane outbound from Moscow
– hopefully to Yerevan – the last thing you want to hear is a greeting
in Azeri.

But this is exactly what Armenians on Aeroflot’s SU Flight 1866
yesterday heard from their captain as the aircraft was getting ready
for a takeoff.

The Zhoghovurd newspaper, citing its sources, says the greeting in
Azeri caused a real panic among ethnic Armenian passengers of the
Russian airline’s flight some of whom thought it was a deliberate plot
and that the plane would take them to the Azerbaijani capital, Baku.

Luckily for them, the whole incident proved to be a case of
misunderstanding, for which, however, as the Yerevan-based paper
claims, no one has offered apologies to the Armenian passengers.

This is not the first case when Armenians flying on board the Russian
airline hear the crew address them in Azeri. A similar incident
happened on December 8, 2013, but at that time it was during the
landing in Moscow.

More serious incidents involving complex relations between Armenians
and Azerbaijanis, two South Caucasus neighbors who fought a bloody
war in the early 1990s and remain divided over Nagorno-Karabakh today,
also happened in the past.

As recently as December two flight from Kyiv to Tbilisi operated
by Ukrainian airlines were diverted to Yerevan because of bad
weather conditions, bringing a total of about four dozen citizens of
Azerbaijan to the Armenian capital. All of them were treated well and
were provided with all services at Zvartnots Airport and, according
to the Armenian side, left Yerevan “satisfied”.

In 2002, a Moscow-Yerevan flight with many Armenians on board had to
land in Baku because of inauspicious weather conditions in Armenia.

The Azeri side then provided tight security for the plane that left
the Azerbaijani capital two hours later.

KIDNAPPED AND BEATEN ACTIVIST HAS SUPPOSITIONS REGARDING ATTACK BUT DOESN’T WISH TO SPEAK

02.10.2015 17:13 epress.am

The Turnover Tax law protest participant, Prosperous Armenia Party
(BHK) political councilor Artak Khachatryan, who was kidnapped and
beaten on February 7, has suppositions about the incident, which he
currently does not wish to speak about. Khachatryan told Azatutyun
radio during an interview that he was suddenly attacked by masked men,
who threw him into a car, and beat him up after driving somewhere
for a few hours.

“Then they brought me to some deserted place, and left me. When I
asked passersby, I understood that I was in the outskirts of (Nor)
Nork’s 8th district,” said Khachatryan.

He noted that he had a difficult time entering transportation, because
taxis or minibuses, seeing his bloody condition, did not stop for him.

“I walked quite a way, then in semi-consciousness I somehow stopped
a minibus,” said the activist.

When asked if he would continue to be involved in public movements,
Khachatryan responded saying he would be even more active.