Author: Torgomian Varazdat

ARMENIA: OMBUDSMAN SAYS VIOLENCE REPORT SKEWED

/eav092309d.shtml
NEWS BRIEFS
9/23/09

A recent report by a group of legislators on the causes of the 2008
post-election violence in Yerevan is off the mark, Armenian Ombudsman
Armen Arutyunian contends.

Speaking at a September 22 news conference, Arutyunian noted that the
long-awaited report, released earlier in the month, offered only tepid
criticism of authorities’ conduct, while the opposition was spared
no blame, the Kavkazsky Uzel news service reported. Yerevan street
protests degenerated into deadly violence on March 1, 2008, as police
battled demonstrators who disputed the results of the February 19
presidential vote. An ad hoc commission was later set up to investigate
the clashes. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The report’s criticism of the prosecutor’s office and police was
limited to expressing anger over the failure of these agencies to
cooperate with the parliamentary commission, Arutyunian said. The
ombudsman, however, commended the report for pinpointing systematic
flaws of governance that contributed to the unrest, Kavkazsky Uzel
reported.

IMPORT FROM TURKEY TO ARMENIA MAY INCREASE BY NO MORE THAN 30% WITH OPENING OF BORDER

ArmInfo
2009-09-23 12:49:00

ArmInfo. Import from Turkey to Armenia may increase by no more than 30%
with opening of the border, Director of the Union of Industrialists and
Businessmen of Armenia Gagik Makaryan told ArmInfo when commenting on
the economic consequences from possible opening of the Armenian-Turkish
border.

He also said one should hardly expect long-term growth of consumption
of the Turkish goods because of their low price. ‘If too much number
of goods enter the market, part of them will remain unclaimed even
if they are cheap. It’s another matter that the Turkish goods may
displace the cheap Chinese or South-Eastern Asian goods because of
the lower transportation costs.

However, the market laws and not some advantages of the Turkish goods
will work here’, G. Makaryan said. He thinks one should hardly be
afraid for sharp competition of the Armenian and Turkish goods. ‘The
economy of Turkey is not among the modern and upgraded ones, and
its industrial production has low competitiveness. We have a similar
situation in Armenia: a great number of enterprises in our country have
a low or average upgrading level. So, extra-high competition is almost
impossible because of a similar level of the economies’, Makaryan said.

INVENTED INTERVIEW

ahos15266.html
12:21:38 – 22/09/2009

The press secretary of the Armenian president Samvel Farmanov answering
panorama.am question in connection with the exclusive "interview"
with Serge Sargsyan published today by the Moscovski Komsomolets daily
where Serge Sargsyan’s thoughts seems strange at first instance, said.

"The exclusive "interview" with Serge Sargsyan published today by
the Moscovski Komsomolets daily is nothing more that the result of
the ill imagination of the daily’s journalist Ekaterina Sazhneva. The
president of Armenia has not given any interview to this journalist
neither to his daily.

The author of the interview with another decade of representatives
participated in a meeting at the presidential residence in the
frameworks of "Days of Russian speech in Armenia" event. The questions
in the "interview" were not voiced during the meeting and Serge
Sargsyan’s words are completely mutated. Perhaps, the journalist set
hopes on her apparently bad memory. In never happened "interview",
some thoughts are taken from the context and do not reflect the
essence of what the president said.

Let me add, that the journalist did not inform the relevant service
of the president’s staff on her intention to publish the article
which is a violence of journalistic rules’.

RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN’S CONGRATULATIONS MESSAGE ON 18TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIA’S INDEPENDENCE

Monday, 21 September 2009

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s Congratulations Message on 18th
Anniversary of Armenia’s Independence

Dear compatriots,

I warmly congratulate all of us on our chief State holiday –
Independence Day.

For each of us the holiday of independence is an occasion for
comprehension of the way gone by the State, success and failure
stories, achievements and challenges. This retrospective view is an
opportunity to think about the problems faced and anticipate future
action.

This is likewise a day of common pride for us. We must push ahead by
fostering and strengthening our independence, by making possible and
even impossible efforts toward the fulfillment of our long-cherished
dream – our legitimate right to living independently. Each of us
should feel proud of our people’s unfailing efforts thanks to which
Motherland – Armenia has been growing stronger and stronger.

We are actually going through a historical period. The modern world
is posing ever new challenges to us. I am convinced that we will
cope with them through unity and dedication which were at the heart
of our independence.

Dear compatriots, sisters and brothers,

The age of 18 is considered to be the threshold of majority. Today
Armenia’ s sovereign nationhood is stepping over it along with
those who are coevals with our State. I am formulating separate
congratulations for our children – those teenagers called "generation
of independence," who happened to be born in the independent Republic
of Armenia.

With reiterated congratulations on the day of independence, I wish
peace, prosperity and realization of the all-national goals to our
country and people.

Armenian Second TV Channel
Sept 18 2009

Armenian opposition rally slams authorities’ foreign, economic
policies

The opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) held a sanctioned
rally in central Yerevan today, the state-owned Armenian Second TV
Channel reported on 18 September.

Ararat Zurabyan, the head of the opposition Armenian Pan-National
movement, who led the rally, told the rally that all of the 15 people
who are currently in prison on charges of organizing post-election
riots in March 2008 will be soon released as a result of the
opposition’s struggle, TV said.

The leader of the opposition Republic party, Aram Sargsyan; the leader
of the opposition People’s Party of Armenia, Stepan Demirchyan; and
the ANC leader, former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, made speeches at
the rally, the Armenian Second TV Channel said. ANC coordinator Levon
Zurabyan spoke about the protocols on the normalization of
Armenian-Turkish ties, TV said.

Ter-Petrosyan criticized the authorities’ foreign, domestic and
economic policies in his about one-and-a-half-hour speech, Armenian
Public TV reported. "Exactly two and a half months have passed since
the ANC’s previous rally. And over that period almost nothing changed
in our country for the better," Armenian Public TV quoted
Ter-Petrosyan as saying.

Levon Zurabyan told the rally that former MP and businessman Khachatur
Sukiasyan, who is charged with organizing the 1 March 2008
post-election riots, was not attending the rally as he had been
summoned to the Special Investigation Service for questioning, the
Lragir.am pro-opposition website reported.

The opposition A1+ website reported on 18 September that police had
restricted access of minibuses and buses to Yerevan from a number of
Armenia’s regions ahead of the opposition rally.

ROMANIA’S TIMISHOARA SEIZES SCORES FROM AMSTERDAM

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.09.2009 10:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the first group match of European League,
Romania’s Timishoara represented by twin brothers Artavazd and Arman
Karamyans played 0:0 against Amsterdam’s Ayax, A Group favorite. This
is a successful start for Romanian team which is considered a group
outsider. Thus, Timishoara earned its first score while the Dutch
players lost their first two ones.

Of two Armenian twin brothers, only Artavazd participated in the
match since excessive number of yellow cards disqualified Arman
from competitions.

Let’s note that in the qualification match against Donestk’s Shakhter
(2:2), Romanian players scored no single goal.

In an away match against Dinamo, Belgium’s Anderlekht took the lead
in Group A, beating Zagreb’s team 0:2.

ARMENIA HAS TO INSIST ON PACKAGE RESOLUTION TO NKR ISSUE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.09.2009 19:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Official Yerevan’s diplomacy must not allow for
Ankara to link NKR settlement issue with RA -Turkish rapprochement,
Head of Democracy and Collaboration Institute, New York Department
Andranik Mihranyan told a news conference in Yerevan. "Turkish FM can
say whatever he wishes, still RA-Turkish rapprochement Protocols do
not cover NKR conflict, and no breakthrough on this issue should be
expected during Protocols’ ratification period. There could be some
pressure on Armenia in this connection, yet it won’t be significant,"
the politologist emphasized, adding that ratification can’t be
postponed forever.

According to Andranik Mihranyan, Armenia will not agree to any
concessions on NKR conflict and has insist on package resolution to
NKR issue.

GIRO MANOYAN: INDEED ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES WANT TO CONVINCE PEOPLE AND NOT TO DISCUSS ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS

Noyan Tapan
Sep 17, 2009

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Giro Manoyan, the Director of the
International Secretariate (Central Hai Dat Office) of ARFD Bureau in
Yerevan considers that indeed the discussions of the Armenian-Turkish
protocols are not discussions, the RA authorities just want to "inform,
to convince the people."

As he mentioned at a September 17 press conference, the goal of actions
carried out by ARFD is to draw people’s attention to weighty dangers
those documents and the process in general pose. "If society has a
possibility to get acquainted with problem’s essence and not only
to hear official agitation, it will really rise and not permit the
authorities to sign these protocols," he said.

According to G. Manoyan, notification activities should be also
carried out in the Diaspora. "In the Diaspora the general approach is
that these protocols are against Armenia’s interests. And even the
organizations that at first were to some extent disposed positively
have already made their position harsh," G. Manoyan said.

In his affirmation, with those documents, as well as with the current
process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations Armenia in fact
meets all three preconditions Turkey has put forward since 1991. They
are: not demanding territories from Turkey, renouncing the process
of international recognition of Armenian Genocide, and the Nagorno
Karabakh problem.

According to him, bright evidence of the latter is that Turkey has been
declaring up to the present that no relations will be established with
Armenia and the border will not be opened until the Nagorno Karabakh
problem is settled.

Besides, according to G. Manoyan, ARFD is against ratification of
the protocols by the parliament. "The executive power should assume
responsibility. Such a document on establishment of diplomatic
relations should not be compulsorily ratified by the parliament,"
he said.

ARMENIA’S ORANGE MOBILE VS. FRANCE TELECOM’S ORANGE ARMENIA

Tert.am, Armenia
Sept 15 2009

Brave Law Firm circulated an announcement recently referring to the
use of its client’s Orange Mobile’s trademark.

On September 1, Orange Armenia made an announcement which stated that
France Telecom registered the ‘Orange’ trademark in the Republic of
Armenia in 2001.

Brave Law Firm, which represents Colorful Mobile LLC, noted that it
welcomes Orange in the Republic of Armenia and it doesn’t call into
question the registered legality of the Orange trademark.

"Concerning the issue in question, we wish to inform you that
Colorful Mobile LLC has registered the Orange Mobile trademark at the
Intellectual Property Agency of the Republic of Armenia as prescribed
in the Republic of Armenia legislation. Since 2006, the company has
been marketing mobile phones and subsidiary products under the Orange
Mobile trademark, and it occupies the leading position in that market.

"Taking into consideration the circumstance that the ‘Orange’ and
‘Orange Mobile’ trademarks, as understood within Republic of Armenia
legislation, have similarities which might cause confusion, Brave Law
Firm asks that Orange Armenia abstain from engaging in transactions
which market mobile phone and subsidiary products in the Republic of
Armenia under the ‘Orange’ trademark, so as to avoid problems of a
legal nature and so as not to damage the reputation in the Republic
of Armenia market," denotes the announcement.

LEADER OF TURKEY’S FELICITY PARTY: "THE BORDERS WITH ARMENIA SHOULD NOT BE REOPENED UNLESS IT RELEASES THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES"

APA
Sept 15 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has begun meetings
with the leaders of opposition parties within the framework of the
six-week internal political discussions on the protocols initialed
with Armenia, APA reports quoting CNN Turk.

Ahmet Davutoglu first met with Numan Kurtulmus, leader of Felicity
Party which has no seats in the parliament.

After the meeting the Foreign Minister said the meeting was
constructive and it is natural that the position of the opposition
differs from that of the government.

Davutoglu and Kurtulmus discussed the processes in the Caucasus,
current state of Turkey-Armenia, Turkey-Azerbaijan relations, Cyprus
problem, tension between Iraq and Syria, Middle East peace process
and Iran.

Kurtulmus said Turkey should not reopen the borders unless Armenia
releases Nagorno Karabakh and the other occupied territories.

"If Turkey does not take right steps in terms of Armenian issue,
problems will appear in the relations with Azerbaijan and the
new strategy that Turkey tries to implement in the Caucasus will
collapse. In this case not only Caucasus but also all Turkic-speaking
states will lose confidence in Turkey, it will become an unreliable
country," he said.

Following this, Ahmet Davutoglu met with leader of Republican People’s
Party Deniz Baykal.

The Foreign Minister will also meet with leader of Democratic Left
Party Mesum Turker, leader of Democratic Party Husamettin Cindoruk,
leader of Great Unity Party Yalchin Topchu and leader of Democratic
Society Party Ahmet Turk. Leader of Nationalist Movement Party Devlet
Bahceli refused to meet with the minister.