Author: Talalian Arpi

NIKOL PASHINIAN SENTENCED TO 7 YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT

Noyan Tapan
Jan 19, 2010

YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, NOYAN TAPAN. Yerevan Kentron and Nork-Marash
communities’ general jurisdiction court presided by judge Mnatsakan
Martirosian by the January 19 judgement sentenced Haykakan Zhamanak
daily’s editor-in-chief Nikol Pashinian to 7 years’ imprisonment.

The court considered as proved the charge brought to him by part 1,
Article 225, RA Criminal Code, on organizing mass disorders on March
1 2008 in Yerevan. The court found him not guilty by part 1, Article
316, RA Criminal Code, on using violence to a power representative
not dangerous for his life and health on October 23 2007, due to the
lack of proof.

It should be mentioned that prosecutors Koryun Piloyan and Haroutiun
Haroutiunian had petitioned to sentence N. Pashinian to 6 years’
imprisonment by part 1, Article 225 and to 2.5 years’ imprisonment by
part 1, Article 316, with partial addition of measure of punishment,
in total to 8 years’ imprisonment.

As N. Pashinian’s lawyer Lusine Sahakian said in her interview to
journalists, they are going to appeal against the judgement at the
Criminal Appellate Court. According to her, passing such a sentence
is immorality. According to the lawyer, even the prosecutors had
petitioned to sentence N. Pashinian to 6 years’ imprisonment by part 1,
Article 225.

ARMENIA WILL HAVE TO PUT ASIDE $478 MILLION IN 2013 TO REPAY ITS FOREIGN DEBTS

ARKA
Jan 19, 2010

YEREVAN, January 19, /ARKA/. An ex-prime minister of Armenia said
Monday the country will have to put aside $478 million in 2013 to
repay its foreign debts, a sum which is twice as much as Armenia’s
defense spending for 2010.

Speaking at a news conference Hrant Bagratian, who served as prime
minister in former president Levon Ter-Petrosian’s administration,
said servicing its foreign debt last year cost Armenia $74 million,
in 2010 it will cost $115 million, $129 million in 2011, $280 million
in 20102 and $479 million in 2013. He blamed the government for failing
to have these mandatory payments in account when drafting its policies.

Hrant Bagratian argued that the government should have turned to
local, not international lending organizations, for assistance to
mitigate the fallout from the economic crisis. He said this would
have allowed the government to avoid falling into foreign dependence
and would help stimulate domestic economy.

‘If the government had sought loans from Armenian commercial banks,
half of interest profits would have returned as income taxes to the
budget,’ he said, warning also against mounting domestic debt due to
issuance of huge volumes of government bonds.

According to the official figures of Armenia’s National Statistical
Service, at the end of Q3, 2009 Armenia’s gross foreign debt rose by
5.6% from Q2 to almost $4.7 billion. Some 48.3% or $2.271.04 billion
were owned by the government, 12.8% or $600 million by fiscal and
credit regulatory bodies and 19% or $898 million by commercial banks.

According to the statistics, 82.8% of the overall debt are long-term
debts. At the end of Q3 Armenia’s gross international reserves dropped
by $47.38 million from Q2 to $2.517.23 billion. As a result Armenia’s
net foreign debt rose by $296 million to stand at $2.179.25 billion
at the end of Q3.

CC JUDGMENT — LEGAL WORDING OF RA PRESIDENT’S POSITION

news.am
Jan 19 2010
Armenia

Statement and stance of Turkish Foreign Ministry puts Turkey in
humorous situation and proves that country looks for pretexts to
protract the Protocols’ ratification, ruling Republican Party faction
Secretary Eduard Sharmazanov told NEWS.am. On January 19, Turkish
Foreign Ministry issued a statement criticizing the RA Constitutional
Court judgment on Armenia-Turkey Protocols.

"This statement revealed Turkey’s true colors," Sharmazanov said,
underlining that RA CC did not make any anti-constitutional move.

According to him, CC decision proceeds from the RA Constitution
that says "Armenian people and authorities of Armenia should seek
the international recognition of Armenian Genocide." RA President
Serzh Sargsyan also repeatedly stated this. "CC judgment is a legal
wording of RA President’s position. And the statements by Turkish
Foreign Ministry off-put country’s authorities and "provoke raucous
laughter," the MP concluded.

IF ISRAEL WANTED TO BEHAVE MORALLY IT WOULD RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE: HAARETZ

news.am
Jan 18 2010
Armenia

Israeli Haaretz daily called country’s policy "gangster diplomacy",
commenting on the recent developments in Israeli-Turkish
relations. "Our deputy foreign minister merely gave us second-rate
humiliation," the article says. The daily mentions that it is
ridiculous "when directors sit on high, uncomfortable chairs with their
feet barely touching the ground just to achieve a superior level."

Speaking about anti-Israeli series aired in Turkey, the Haaretz
recalls it is broadcasted on Star TV owned by Erdogan’s rival Aydin
Dogan. Thus, Turkish Premier "is innocent of the first accusations
against him".

Israeli newspaper wonders whether Turkey’s or Israel’s actions are
more moral. "If Israel had wanted to behave morally, it would have
recognized the Armenian genocide despite Turkish opposition, but it is
afraid that taking a moral stance on that issue would cost it dearly,"
the article reads.

news.am, Armenia
Jan 15 2010

Armen Gevorgyan: Much can yet be taxed

16:33 / 01/15/2010In 2009, communities collected property tax revenues
3.5bn AMD more than in 2008, RA Vice-Premier, Minister of Territorial
Administration Armen Gevorgyan told a press conference.

`Still, I am not satisfied with the situation, there are great hidden
reserves in this sector,’ Gevorgyan said. Much can yet be taxed ` for
example, entertainment tax can be introduced, he said. In any case,
Gevorgyan said, relatively satisfactory tax collection by local
budgets enabled them to pay off arrears of wages accumulated since
1996. So the arrears have been reduced from 2.3bn AMD in 2008 down to
866m AMD.

Minister Gevorgyan reported that the tax revenues collected by local
authorities constitute 42% of the total revenues of community budgets.
`The reason is very low tax rates. An owner of 1,000 sq meters of land
in the center of Yerevan pays an annual tax of 25,000 AMD. Tax rates
have remained unchanged since 1994, when they were introduced. But we
do not want to raise them so as not to create social tension,’
Gevorgyan said.

To improve local tax collection, the Government proposed a number of
initiatives. Specifically, the standing committees of the RA
Parliament are considering a bill on a single land and property tax.
`If we manage to enforce it from 2011, the situation will improve,’
Gevorgyan said.

The Minister also reported that the RA Ministry of Territorial
Administration intends to appraise the work of regional
administrations. `I can say that the work of none of the heads of
regional administrations has yet received an unsatisfactory rating.
But we will sum up this February,’ Gevorgyan said.

T.P.

Russia has No Intention of Pressing Yerevan for Urgent Karabakh
Reconciliation: Turkish Media

Tert.am
14:40 – 16.01.10

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent visit to the Russian
capital, Moscow, is largely seen as successful in terms of bilateral
energy deals. Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s public remarks on
the territorial dispute of Nagorno-Karabakh effectively means a hurdle
for the Turkish-Armenian normalization efforts, analysts say, reports
Turkish news source Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review.

Putin told Erdogan during Wednesday’s talks that Turkey should not
link the Nagorno-Karabakh problem between Armenia and Azerbaijan to
the normalization of its bilateral relations with Armenia.

"Both the Nagorno-Karabakh problem and the Turkish-Armenian problem
are very complicated by nature. I do not think it is right to tie them
into one package," Putin told a news conference after his talks with
the Turkish prime minister.

"It is unwise from both tactical and strategic points of view to
package these problems," he said.

As reported by numerous Turkish media, Turkey first wants to see
progress toward the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict before
opening its border with Armenia.

Like Putin, U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration has also been
urging Turkey to unconditionally put into effect the deal with
Yerevan.

Putin’s remarks make it clear that the Kremlin has no intention to
press Yerevan for an urgent reconciliation on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. And without strong Russian or U.S. pressure, the Armenians
will see little reason to compromise on this matter.

As a result, the Turkish parliament, for its part, will see little
reason to ratify the normalization deal with Yerevan, which
effectively could mean the collapse or suspension of the
reconciliation process.

"In fact, a real reconciliation involving Turkey and Azerbaijan on the
one side and Armenia on the other is one of the last things Putin’s
Russia would want to see, because such a deal may pave the way for the
construction of new pipelines carrying Eurasian oil and natural gas to
the West, bypassing Russian territory," said a former senior Turkish
diplomat.

"Russia is very jealous about its present monopoly in transporting
Eurasia’s energy resources to the West, and doesn’t want to see new
and U.S.-backed rivals in an area which it still continues to view as
its backyard," said the former diplomat. "So, the status quo is in
Russia’s benefit."

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email. [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE

January 14, 2010
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA CALLS ON ARMENIAN AMERICANS TO HELP HAITI EARTHQUAKE RESCUE AND RELIEF

— Welcomes Armenia’s Deployment of 53-Member Rescue Team

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
has welcomed the Armenian government’s decision to rapidly deploy a
52-member rescue team to Haiti, and has called upon Armenian
Americans to help augment the work of this highly trained team by
sending donations – either through Armenian charities or directly
to the American Red Cross and other relief organizations – to
support the unfolding effort to aide the survivors of the
devastating earthquake that hit the Haitian capitol of Port-au-
Prince this Tuesday.

The Armenian rescue team, created in the aftermath of the 1988
earthquake that killed tens of thousands of Armenians and destroyed
large portions of northeastern Armenia, will include specialists,
search dogs, and advanced equipment. Tens of thousands are feared
dead as a result of the Haitian earthquake, which measured 7.0 on
the Richter Scale. The Armenian team has a track record of rapidly
deploying to disaster sites around the world.

A number of options are available for donors, including on-line
contributions to the American Red Cross
( r?pagename=ntld_main)
and even a texting option, set up by the Red Cross, that allows
individuals to give $10 by sending the message "Haiti" to 90999 on
their cell phone. To date, this mobile giving effort has raised
more than $3 million for the Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

UNDER 19 AND 17 ARMENIAN FOOTBALL TEAMS’ COACH STAFF STRUCTURE ANNOUNCED

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.01.2010 15:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to official website of Football Federation
of Armenia, FFA President Ruben Hayrapetyan approved the following
staff composition for Under 19 and 17 Armenian football teams’
coaches: Under 19 Armenian football team: Head coach: Sevada Arzumanyan
Assistant coach: Ashot Barseghyan Goalkeeper coach: Hayk Kirakosyan

Under 17 Armenian football team: Head coach: Sevada Arzumanyan
Assistant coach: Ashot Barseghyan Goalkeeper coach: Hayk Kirakosyan

The Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) is the governing body of
football in Armenia, founded on January 18, 1992 and headquartered
in Yerevan.

The federation is in charge of organising competitions of football
league, Armenian Premier League, Armenian national football team,
and the Armenia women’s national football team.

RA CC DEPRIVED ANKARA OF CHANCE TO ACCUSE ARMENIA OF POSSIBLE FAILURE

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.01.2010 18:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In its conclusion, Armenia’s Constitutional Court
made clear-cut legal assessment on Armenia-Turkish Protocols, and it’s
very good it found documents conformable to Armenia’s organic law,
constitutional law expert Vardan Poghosyan finds.

RA CC deprived Turkey of the chance to shift the blame on Armenia
in case of possible failure, he told Thursday a news conference
organized jointly with Vladimir Vardanyan, Head of International
Treaties Department at RA Constitutional Court.

At that, he noted that the court’s decision establishes the framework
of relations with Turkey since the conclusion has legally binding
effect on all Armenian senior officials, including the President.

Asked by journalist whether National Assembly should make reservations
to the Protocols, the expert said he saw no such necessity for that
following the verdict of Constitutional Court.

Vladimir Vardanyan noted for his part that the Protocols, like any
other international treaty, were not devoid of shortcomings.

"To make any changes it sis necessary to reject the existing documents
and conclude new ones but that is not realistic," he said.

The protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the common border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich
by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish
counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of
diplomatic talks held through Swiss mediation.

On January 12, 2010 RA Constitutional Court found the documents
conformable to Armenia’s Organic Law.

ARMENIAN DIAMOND CUTTING INDUSTRY POSTS 54.6% DECLINE IN JANUARY-NOVEMBER 2009

ARKA
Jan 13, 2010

YEREVAN, January 13, /ARKA/. Armenian diamond cutting industry posted
a 54.6% decline in January-November 2009, the National Statistical
Service reported. According to official figures, local companies
processed a total of 43,668 carat diamonds. For comparison, in the
first 11 months of 2008 the diamond-cutting companies processed 96,086
carat diamonds. The National Statistical Committee said a total of
4,530 carat diamonds were processed in November 2009. In the same
time span they produced 704 kg of jewelry items, down from 798 kg a
year before. The decline was 11 percent.