to allocate Iran plans to boost $500,000 to Japan for elim- gas exports to Ar- ination of quake after- menia PAGE 4 math Page 3 ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS

Weekly Digest of the

April 5-11, 2011 THEMA

“Quote of the week”

“...We have a lot to do in the sphere of construction. I am sure “Construction and Reconstruction EXPO 2011” will have its contribution to ensuring develop- ment in the sphere.“

Official visit of President Serzh Sargsyan to Serbia Prime Minister of RA

t the invitation of President Boris tive. They reiterated their will and determina- ATadic, President Serzh Sarg- tion to further strengthen bilateral relations and syan arrived today to the Republic noted that recently reciprocal high-level visits Upcoming Events of Serbia on a two-day official visit. and meetings in multilateral formats invigor- April 12: Yerevan to host Arme- After the official welcoming ceremo- ated the political dialogue between Armenia nian-Chinese business forum ny for the Presidential delegation, the and Serbia. Presidents Sargsyan and Tadic Presidents of Armenia and Serbia held underscored that political dialogue between APRIL 24: Armenia marks the day a private meeting which was followed the two states, as well as cooperation in the of Armenian Genocide by the meeting in the extended format economic, trade and cultural areas have sig- with the participation of the delegations. nificant potential. They agreed to put additional JUNE 4: St. Petersburg’s Petrovsky After the talks, there took place the docu- efforts in filling the agenda of cooperation stadium will host EURO 2012 Rus- ment signing ceremony. In particular, with new content and making it more active. sia vs. Armenia signed were two intergovernmental agree- President said that at his Serb ments - the Agreement on Air Trans- colleague’s request he presented the details NOVEMBER 28-30: Catholi- portation and the Agreement on the of the current stage of the NK peace process. cos Karekin II, Grand Mufti Al- Abolition of Visas for the Holders of Dip- The two Presidents concurred that there is no lahshukur Pashazadeh may meet in lomatic/Official Passports. The two sides alternative to a peaceful resolution and that use Etchmiadzin signed also a Plan of Action of the Minis- of force or threat to use force are unacceptable tries of Culture of Armenia and Serbia on from the point of view of international law. USEFUL LINKS Cooperation in Cultural Area for 2011-2013. In the framework of the official vis- • www.president.am Later, Presidents Sargsyan and Tad- it, President Serzh Sargsyan met today • www.gov.am ic summarized the results of the ne- with the Prime Minister of Serbia Mirko • www.parliament.am gotiations at the meeting with the Cvetkovic and the Speaker of the Nation- • www.mfa.am representatives of mass media. al Assembly Slavica Dukic Dejanovic. . • www.armenpress.am The Presidents assessed the working agenda April 4-5, full story 2011 www.president.am • www.panarmenian.net as inclusive, and the negotiations as produc- • www.matenadaran.am ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS CHRONICA Still much work to do in the construction sector Headlines of the week rtsakh, Belarus, Ukraine, Rus- eign leading companies still not Asia, Georgia, Iran, … well-known companies also are • APRIL 5: DDoS attacks aimed The geography of “Construction and participating in the exhibition with against LiveJournal were carefully Reconstruction EXPO 2011” 8th in- their brands, sometimes innovatory. planned, Armenian blogger says ternational spe- RA Prime Minister • AH cialized exhibition Tigran Sargsyan be- • APRIL 6: Karabakh attaches im- which launched lieves that this ex- portance to healthcare development yesterday at Karen hibition will boost • AH Demirchyan Sports development and • APRIL 7: War in Karabakh may cost and Concerts Com- expansion of the too much for Aliyev’s clan, expert says plex in Yerevan construction sector, • AH is large. Together emergence of new • April 8: Stepanakert airport lo- with more than ideas and conclusion cation won’t allow Azerbai- 100 local and for- of new agreements. jan to shoot down civilian planes “We have a lot to do in the sphere of construction. I am sure this event • AH will have its contribution to ensuring development in the sphere,” RA • April 9: Emmy’s Boom-Boom Prime Minister noted. According to him there is still much work to do in music video premiers in Yerevan the construction sector in terms of improving quality, services and eco- • AH nomic indicators. “This exhibition certainly will make a contribution to • APRIL10: April 10 marks 19th development of the construction sector,” the head of the government said anniversary of civilians’ mas- when he toured, accompanied with other high-ranking officials, in the pa- sacre in Maraga settlement vilions, and got acquainted with the brands presented by the companies. • AH April 9, 2011 www.hhpress.am • APRIL 11: Jerusalem to host sym- posium on Armenian Genocide AH Edward Nalbandian attends the sitting of CIS Foreign Ministers in Kiev Armenian Defense Minister the Commonwealth of independent States Received in Kiev. The Ministers were hosted by the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich. the Head of the Department During the sitting the diplomats consid- of Force Planning of NATO ered 13 questions touching upon prepara- tion for the 20th anniversary of the CIS in December, the 70th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War and cooperation in the fields of science, culture and security. While in Kiev, Minister Nalbandian had short meetings with his counterparts from Ukraine, rmenian Foreign Minister Edward Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. ANalbandian participated in the sit- April 9, 2011 www.armradio.am ting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of n April 8, ARM Defense Minister re- Oceived the Head of the Department of Armenian Genocide commemoration ceremony to be held Force Planning of NATO Frank Boland. Dur- on Capitol Hill ing the meeting Frank Boland presented the initial observations concerning the Individual rmenian Genocide commemora- MD). They discussed U.S. assistance Partnership Programme and the Planning and Ation ceremony will be held on to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh as Review Process results between Armenia and Capitol Hill April 13. Armenian As- well as the importance of U.S. affirma- NATO. They also discussed issues concern- sembly of America told Armenpress tion of the Armenian Genocide. ing the ARM defense strategy reevaluation. it is organized by the co-chairs of the "The upcoming Armenian Genocide In the framework of the Individual Partner- Armenian Caucus at the US Congress. Commemoration on Capitol Hill taking ship programme and the Planning and Review Assembly Board Member Annie Totah place on April 13th under the auspices Process assessment between Armenia and and Executive Director Bryan Ardouny of the Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs NATO, NATO assessment team held discus- discussed Armenian issues in a series presents an opportunity for us to edu- sions with relevant department representatives of meetings with House Minority Whip cate Members of Congress about the of the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Congresswom- importance of genocide affirmation General Staff involved in the defense reform an Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and par- and prevention," Annie Totah said. process to assess the realization progress ticipated in a special roundtable session April 8, 2011 www.armenpress.am made in the defense-related objectives. with Representative John Sarbanes (D- April 8, 2011 www.mil.am

2 AH ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS RES PUBLICA President Sargsyan visits the newly constructed Armenia to allocate building for young universitarians $500,000 to Japan for elimination of quake ing and visited the apartments of the aftermath beneficiaries. The building is com- prised of 315 apartments. The ground floor is meant for shops, offices and social services. It has an under- ground parking lot for 214 vehicles. Chairman of the Union of Alumnae of the Yerevan State University, Deputy Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Ar- sen Karamyan noted that 1 sq. m. costs 170 thousand AMD, which is 2.5 times he Armenian government decided to allo- lower as compared to market prices. Tcate $500,000 to Japan for elimination of Upon the directive of President Sarg- the disastrous earthquake and tsunami aftermath. resident Serzh Sargsyan today at- syan, an apartment was presented to Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan Ptended the solemn opening ceremo- killed soldier Vardan Hovhannisyan’s said the government’s decision is fulfillment ny of the newly constructed building family. The keys were handed to his of moral obligation of the Armenian people. in Avan administrative district under brother Vahe Hovhannisyan, a lec- Besides, a range of international agreements the Support to the Young Universi- turer at the Yerevan State University. were approved during the governmental sit- tarians Apartment-Building Program. April 8, 2011 www.armradio.am ting –on technical cooperation with China, The President walked about the build- under which the People’s Republic of China will allocate aid to Armenia at the amount of 40mln yuans; on visa regime relaxation with Armenian Genocide commemorative events start in Korea for persons with diplomatic and serv- Australia April 15 ice passports; on avoidance of double taxation of property and income with Great Britain. he Armenian Genocide Commemo- A 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami on Trative Committee has released the March 11 knocked out the cooling systems of schedule of events to commemorate the the Fukushima plant’s six reactors - triggering 96th Anniversary of the Armenian Geno- explosions and fires, releasing radiation and cide in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. sparking global fears of a widening disaster. Western Sydney Region Commemora- April 7, 2011, www.panarmenian.net tion Evening will be held on April 15 at the Armenian Cultural Panoyan Centre, with Vache Kahramanian, ANC Australia Po- April 17. Sydney Commemoration Evening Jean-Paul Schintu: I litical Affairs Director as keynote speaker. is scheduled for April 18. Keynote speaker is learnt about Armenian Melbourne Region Commemoration Prof. Robert Kaplan, University of Wollon- Genocide at 14 Evening to be hosted on April 16 by Deakin gong, who will also speak during the Wreath University will feature Dr Donna Lee- Laying Ceremony & Armenian Geno- well-known French actor and Freize, the author book on the Armenian cide Commemorative Lecture on April 19. A stage director Jean-Paul Schintu is Genocide, Holocaust and Rafael Lemkin. April 6, 2011 www.panarmenian.net a participant of Yerevan-hosted Arm- Ryde Council Memorial will take place on Mono international festival. In a conversation with PanARME- China to increase import of Armenian brandy and wine NIAN.Net reporter, the actor shared he 6th meeting of the Armenian-Chinese of China, Sun Yongfu said for his part that memories of his first learning about the Tintergovernmental commission has com- the trade turnover between the two countries Armenian Genocide. pleted in Yerevan. Armenian co-chairman does not correspond to their existing oppor- “In my college years in Lyons, I had of the commission, RA Deputy Minister of tunities, despite the stable growth in the trade a mischievous classmate named Ives Economy Ara Petrosyan told journalists that turnover over the past years (from 2007 to Palanjian. So one day, our teacher, ex- agreements on cooperation and joint pro- 2011 – 120% growth per year). Yongfu add- asperated by his pranks, said she'll send grams in various fields were reached – in- ed that the Chinese government is going to him to Turkey in a small box. I asked frastructure construction (North-South high- take actions to increase import, specifically, him during a break, ''Why would she way, Armenia-Iran railway), silk production of brandy, wine and minerals from Armenia. pick Turkey to send you to?'', and this in Armenia, energy, mining industry, tour- Petrosyan and Yongfu also added that the is when he told me about the Geno- ism and construction. Petrosyan added that visits of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan cide.” ''I learnt about it at 14, when around 20 investment projects were submit- and Prime Minster Tigran Sargsyan to China many of my peers knew nothing about ted to China for its consideration and response in 2010, as well as the agreements reached the tragedy,'' Schintu said, adding that in the near future. Director-General of the during them gave an impetus to the Armeni- his native city is Lyons, with Armeni- Department of European Affairs of the Min- an-Chinese relations. ans comprising 50% of population. istry of Commerce of the People’s Republic April 7, 2011 www.panarmenian.net April 6, 2011 www.panarmaenian.net

3 AH ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS PRO PATRIA Gazprom still silent about gas price for Armenia Iran plans to boost gas exports to Armenia Robert Nazarian, head of the Pub- lic Services Regulatory Commis- sion (PSRC), said it did not receive any application from ARG opera- tor regarding price change. “I can say with certainty that gas is de- livered to Armenian border now at $180 per one thousand cubic me- ters and if a change happens it must be registered by PSRC and only then it can be enforced,’ he said. Nazarian said Armenia enjoys one of the lowest prices of gas in Europe and Commonwealth of Independent he director of Iran National Gas States (CIS) apart from Russia. The TCompany said numerous negotia- ussian gas monopoly Gazprom cost of Russian gas shipped to Ar- tions have taken place with Armenia Rdid not say yet how much it is menia rose by 14% in 2009 and by on boosting exports of natural gas from going to charge for one 1000 cubic another 17% in 2001 April to $180 the Islamic republic to that country. meters of gas it sells to Armenia, per thousand cubic meters. Follow- The Mehr News Agency quoted Ja- Armenia’s Energy and Natural Re- ing this the PSRC approved a 37.5% vad Oji as saying that gas exports to sources Minister Armen Movsisyan surge in the gas price for house- that neighboring country may reach said in 4 April, local press reported. holds requested by ARG. Gazprom 2.3 billion cubic meters annually. He reminded that after the talks in announced in September last year Six years ago the to countries signed St Petersburg last month Armenian plans to gradually bring its gas fees an agreement to swap gas for elec- and Russian presidents reached an for Armenia, Moldova and Belarus tricity, and according to the contract agreement that the price for Arme- up to “market-based” international Iran agreed to send one billion cu- nian households will not change this levels in the coming years. Gazprom bic meters of gas annually by 2010. year even if Gazprom raises the price currently sells gas to western and Currently Iran is exporting over one for its subsidiary ArmRosGazprom central European countries for over million cubic meters of gas to Ar- (ARG). The parliament discussed $300 per thousand cubic meters. menia per day and a 30 inch pipe- on 4 April a proposal to set up an ad ArmRosGazprom (ARG), Arme- line running 113 kilometers has hoc commission to make an inquiry nia’s e national gas distribution com- been mounted from Tabriz to the into the gas deliveries to Armenia. pany is mostly owned by Gazprom. Armenian border for this purpose. April 6, 2011 www.neurope.eu The Iranian gas and Armenian elec- tricity barter contract is for 20 years. Granny cuts off Georgia’s internet during scrap hunt It is a quadrilateral contract be- tween Iran’s National Gas Ex- France Presse. The woman was arrested in porting Company and Tavanir the village of Ksani and charged with dam- Company and Armenia’s Erevan aging property. “Taking into account her ad- TPP and its Electric Company vancing years, she has been released pending April 10, 2010 www.tehrantimes.com the end of the investigation and subsequent Armenia discussing trial,” said Mr Gvenetadze. Georgia provides construction of North- Armenia with around 90 per cent of its inter- South motorway on its ter- net capacity, and the damaged cable meant sually when there are internet problems that the whole country was without properly ritory rmenia’s Minister for Transport and in former Soviet countries, people sus- functioning internet for more than 12 hours U Communications Manuk Vardanian pect nefarious government interference. This one day last week. Thousands of homes and A stated that his country is considering the time, though, it was a granny on the hunt for businesses in Georgia also found themselves construction of a north-south motorway scrap metal who damaged fibre-optic ca- disconnected. It was late in the night before which would most probably take about 7 bles leading from Georgia to Armenia and services were got back to normal. Giorgi years. The project was publicly announced knocked the entire country’s internet out for Ionatamishvili, a spokesman for Georgian in 2009 when Armenia’s government and several hours. The 75-year-old woman was Railway Telecom, told Bloomberg the cable Asian development bank concluded the hunting for copper in rural Georgia when she belonged to the company and said customers agreement on allotting loan for USD 500 dug up the cable that is part of a network pro- suffered “massive and catastrophic” damage. mln for constructing the motorway. How- viding internet to much of Georgia, Armenia “We don’t how she found the optic cable, ever until today only USD 300 000 has and Azerbaijan. “She found the cable while which was secure,” he said, adding that bad been allotted and only a small part of the collecting scrap metal and cut it to with a weather and mudslides may have made the planning has been concluded. view to stealing it,” Georgian interior minis- cables more vulnerable. April 8, 2011 www.messenger.com.ge try spokesman Zura Gvenetadze told Agence April 7, 2011 www.independent.co.uk

4 AH ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS DIASPORA

EU Parliament’s Resolution Calls for Informal Dink Shooter Blames Contacts With Karabakh Turkish Media for His Actions ing a solution to the protracted conflicts in Transnistria and the South Cauca- sus based on the principles of interna- tional law – in particular non-use of force, self-determination and territorial integrity – through more active policy stances, more active participation and a more prominent role in permanent and ad hoc conflict resolution structures, ew resolution adopted by the Eu- including already existing negotiating Nropean Parliament provides for formats, particularly those of the OSCE. informal contacts and consultations The parliamentarians also call to develop gun Samast, the confessed trig- with the societies and de facto authori- more confidence-building measures and Ogerman in the assassination of ties of the breakaway territories, in- programmes, including the launching of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant cluding those in the South Caucasus. new missions and public communica- Dink, has claimed he committed The European Parliament adopted reso- tion strategies and the consideration of the act under the influence of me- lution on Thursday on the review of pragmatic initiatives and innovative ap- dia labeling of Dink as a “traitor.” the European Neighbourhood Policy. proaches such as informal contacts and Samast’s case was separated from The resolution calls on the EU’s strong- consultations with the societies and de the main trial because he was under er engagement in security issues in the facto authorities of the breakaway ter- 18 years of age on Jan. 19, 2007, the Eastern Neighbourhood. It also calls ritories, while conserving the EU’s non- day of the murder. Samast attended to step up EU’s involvement in find- recognition policy, in order to support the second hearing of his trial in ju- civic culture and community dialogue. venile court in on Monday. April 7, 2011 www.massispost.com He blamed the media for the assas- Making a Pitch for Vigilance on April 24 sination. Samast shot Dink in the back outside the Istanbul offices of Why do we keep mourning? In- the Turkish- , stead, let’s focus on the future.” of which Dink was the chief editor. I may tend to agree. Preaching to the Samast offered a letter to the court choir doesn’t necessarily get us any- in which he had written: “I am not where. It becomes an exercise in futil- guilty. The headlines that portrayed ity. But show me a youngster deliver- Dink as if he was a traitor were ing a recitation on where we’ve come guilty. I have [opened my] eyes, since the genocide and I’m listening. now, let the ones who wrote those All the human rights scholars in the world headlines think about it. Where are cannot compensate for the insight of a the people who have brought me to child articulating our history and culture. this process? I did not even know A world history student in one of my what Agos was.” Samast also stated neighboring high schools threw up a he could just have thrown a punch s Armenian Martyrs’ Day ap- hand when I asked for questions fol- at Dink and left, but there were Aproaches for the 96th time, let’s lowing a genocide presentation. He “people who had convinced” him. not be complacent. Instead, let us posed a rather rhetorical question. For the last four years, the “Friends use the occasion to become vigilant. “Did any good come out of the Ar- of ” platform has decried For what it’s worth, let us use the an- menian Genocide?” he wondered. the lack of investigation into any in- niversary to branch out and promote Is there anything positive to say about volvement beyond the triggerman. awareness in each of our communi- the loss of 1.5 million martyrs that left Dink was the target of a media lynch- ties across America and other places. our nation bruised, battered and be- ing campaign regarding a story he At a time when apathy replaces sympathy, wildered in 1915? Well, every dark published in Agos. The story claimed let’s make it a point to tell our genocide cloud has a silver lining, I told him. Sabiha Gokcen, the first Turkish wom- story to those who remain ignorant by it. “On the contrary, yes,” I replied. “It an pilot and the foster daughter of Tur- Ask any casual Armenian why they made us more resilient as a people. key’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atat- do not get involved with April 24th The genocide instilled in us the prin- urk, was actually of Armenian origin. and the answer is usually rehearsed. ciples of democracy and patriotism. April 5, 2011 www..com “Same old story,” they’ll tell you. April 5, 2011 “I’ve heard it a hundred times. full story www.armenianweekly.com

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