More Armenian News (some good, some disturbing)

ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN PLAYWRIGHT CELEBRATED IN TBILISI

news.am

March 30, 2012 | 15:21

TBILISI. - A memorial plate will be placed on the house in Tbilisi

where Armenian great playwright Gabriel Sundukyan died.

[National Armenian Theatre due in London in May is named after this playwright]

As the Armenian's Union of Tbilisi informed Armenian News-NEWS.am,

on Thursday, March 29, it was the 100th death anniversary of Gabriel

Sundukyan.

Members of the Armenian's Union of Tbilisi visited the grave of

the great playwright in the Tbilisi Pantheon of Armenian Literature

Figures and laid flowers.

AZERBAIJAN NOT TO LET ITS TERRITORY BE USED AGAINST 

NEIGHBOURS - OFFICIAL

APA

March 29 2012

Azerbaijan

Baku, 29 March: "We reiterate our point that we have voiced many times.

Azerbaijan did not, does not and will not allow any actions against

Iran, Turkey, Russia and Georgia from its territory," the head of

the public and political department at the Azerbaijani Presidential

Administration, Ali Hasanov, has said commenting on some Western

and local media reports on Israel's use of Azerbaijani territory

against Iran.

[ the list does not include the Republic of Armenia]

Hasanov described these reports as speculation by the forces who seek

to provoke tension between the sides.

"Some opposition circles and international organizations and their

media outlets are seeking to take advantage of the current situation

around Iran to provoke confrontation between Iran and Azerbaijan, to

damage relations between the two states and to sow discord between

them. We univocally want to let these countries and forces that

they will not achieve their goals. No one will be able to damage

Azerbaijan's relations with Iran and other neighbour countries,

with the exception of Armenia," [Hasanov said.]

[translated from Azeri]

ISRAELI EXPERT CONFIRMS: AZERI ARMS DEAL AIMED AGAINST

 ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net 

March 30, 2012 - 16:43 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Dr Brenda Shaffer, Israel's foremost expert on

Azerbaijan, suggests it is highly unlikely that Israel's sale of

drones and anti-aircraft missile defense systems to Azerbaijan in

$1.6bln arms deal points to a bilateral defense pact against Iran.

"If Azerbaijan is bolstering its defense systems, this is more likely

to be a display of strength intended for Armenia," the expert told

The Guardian on Friday, March 30.

"Azerbaijan is bordered by Russia, Iran and Turkey. Its economy

is dependent on the safe export of oil, which requires regional

stability," Shaffer said.

"More than 30 per cent of the Iranian population are ethnic Azeris,"

the expert said, adding that Azerbaijan tries to maintain friendly

relations with Iran.

"It would be very wary of allowing itself to take a step that might

be seen as aggressive. If there is a conflict with Iran, Azerbaijan

will be the first to suffer," Trend quoted Shaffer as saying.

PROPERTIES IN ORTAKOY RETURNED TO ARMENIAN 

ASSOCIATION

Today's Zaman

March 30 2012

Turkey

An Armenian association has reclaimed two real properties belonging

to the association after almost 50 years.

The Ortakoy Surp Asdvadzadzin Church Association, an Armenian

association, filed a lawsuit demanding to retake possession of two

real properties that belonged to the association yet had been seized

by the General Directorate of Foundations due to the 36 Declaration,

a 1936 decision that led to the confiscation of properties from

non-Muslim minorities. However, the association recently won a case

enabling the association to reclaim the real properties.

The president of the association, Ýskender Þahingoz, said the

properties that have been regained are of utmost significance because

the association has been planning to use them for its projects.

Speaking to the Agos weekly, Þahingoz said: "These real properties

are specifically important because one of them is on the same street

with the Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Church [in Istanbul's Ortakoy

district]. The other one is two blocks away from the church. They

are in strategic locations, yet we have not been able to use them

until today. Now, we are planning to use them for our association's

projects, which will benefit our society."

Once the association's construction projects are approved by the

Ýstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, construction work on buildings,

which will be used for the association's activities, will be launched

on the two real properties, with one covering an area of 568 square

meters and the other 412 square meters.

Þahingoz said there are other immovable assets they want to regain.

"Again in Ortakoy, there was an Armenian cemetery that was seized by

the TSK [Turkish Armed Forces] and then turned into a military base.

We have documents that prove that land used by the TSK was once an

Armenian cemetery," said the president and added that he will do

everything necessary to reclaim the cemetery as well.

There are thousands of pieces of real estate in Turkey whose rightful

owners are religious minority associations.

A new government edict, a decree that has the power of law, allows

minorities to register confiscated property with land registry

directorates within 12 months. In addition to buildings, other

edifices, such as fountains or cemeteries, will be returned to

religious foundations.

ARMENIA'S FOREIGN TRADE TURNOVER GROWS 11.6% TO 

$778.1 MILLION

/ARKA/

MARCH 30, 2012

YEREVAN

YEREVAN, March 30./ARKA/. Armenia's foreign trade turnover has grown

11.6% for the first two months of 2012, compared with the same period

a year earlier, and totaled AMD 301.8 billion or about $778.1 million

in current prices in late February, National Statistical Service of

Armenia reports on its website.

The countries exports totaled $185.1 million after growing 12.3%

over the mentioned period of 2012, compared with the same period a

year before, and imposts grew 11.4% to $593 million.

As a result, negative balance amounted to $407.9 million or $388.2

million less cargoes received as humanitarian aid.

Negative balance in FOB prices amounted to $316.6 million. (FOB or Free

On Board is a trade term requiring the seller to deliver goods on board

a vessel designated by the buyer. The seller fulfills its obligations

to deliver when the goods have passed over the ship's rail.)

According to the statistical report, mining industry's products

dominated the country's exports in January and February 2012 - they

totaled $51.9 million (8.2% year-on-year decline).

The country also exported non-precious metals worth more than $47.7

million (19.8% year-on-year decline), final food products worth

$28.3 million (58.4% year-on-year growth) as well as precious and

semiprecious stones and metals and jewelry worth over $23.8 million

(51.1% growth) etc.

Mining industry's products dominated also imports in the mentioned

period - $163.8 million (22.9% year-on-year growth). Then machinery

comes with its $70.5-million total value (11.8% growth).

Ground vehicles, air transport and water crafts imported in Jan and

Feb 2012 cost $61.1 million (37.5% growth).

Foods of plant origin worth $38.3 million (9.9% decline) and final

products worth $36.4 million (15.8% growth) were brought to the

country in January and February 2012. ($1- AMD 390.64).

ARMENIA'S POPULATION = 2,800,000; REGISTERED VOTERS

= 2,485,844. MISTAKE OR DECEIT?

By Gayane Abrahamyan

30.03.12 | 15:07

ArmeniaNow reporter

Members of Armenia's opposition parties are saying that substantial

inaccuracies on voting lists, which will become the "greatest

opportunity for violations during the upcoming elections."

Today Heritage Party will appeal to the Prosecutor's Office demanding

to carry out an investigation regarding the inaccuracies of the

voting lists.

According to the official data reported this week, the number of

voters in Armenia is 2,485,844; this index has been increased since

the Presidential elections in 2008 by 170,000 voters.

Many believe that such a growth is impossible given the rate of

emigration, as well as the preliminary data of the census taken last

year, according to which about 2,800,000 people live in Armenia.

"These are simply absurd figures. Theoretically it is impossible

that the number of people under 18 is only 400,000 in Armenia. The

exaggeration of the electorate's number is the simplest method of

ballot box stuffing, which is attempted to be implemented by the

authorities," head of Heritage faction Styopa Safaryan told ArmeniaNow.

By the time the Police in its statement published on Thursday insist

that the assumptions about the figure's being exaggerated "do not

correspond to reality," information to the contrary had been posted

on Facebook.

Edgar Tamaryan, 25, a Facebook user, found his relatives - who in

fact live in Georgia - included on the voter registration list as

living in Yerevan.

Further, more than 100 people were "registered" as living at that

same address.

"I have checked the names and last names of those people (registered

in that apartment) one by one, and to my surprise I found a person

with my last name - Tamaryan (Nodarin) Aigaz," Tamaryan writes.

"Because Tamaryan is a unique last name, and all of them who have

that last name are our relatives, it turned out that Tamaryan Aigaz

is a resident of Nardevan village. Studying that list more carefully,

I saw that all the 101 people [registered at one and the same address]

are from Nardevan. My mother is from Georgia's Nardevan village by

birth, and she has even recognized one of her classmates [named on

the list] and some other residents of our village," Tamaryan writes.

A representative of the Passport and Visa Department of the Police of

Armenia told ArmeniaNow that "probably it is again a technical matter,"

and they are aware of it and have already taken corresponding measures

to check the lists.

ARMENIA COMES THIRD IN THE WORLD WITH THE NUMBER OF 

TOBACCO-CAUSED DEATHS

Artak Barseghyan

"Radiolur"

30.03.2012 17:20

Cigarettes killed about 6 million people worldwide in 2011, according

to the data of the Tobacco Atlas published by the American Cancer

Society and World Lung Foundation.

Nearly 80% of those who die from tobacco-related illnesses are in

low- and middle-income countries. More than 43 trillion cigarettes

have been smoked in the last ten years and cigarette production has

increased by 16.5% in that time period, according to the Tobacco Atlas.

55.7% of male and 2.9% of female citizens of Armenia smoke cigarettes,

which makes 28.3% of the adult population. Tobacco is responsible

for 32.7% of all male deaths and 7.7% of female deaths.

Commenting on the data, Head of the Public Health Department of the

Ministry of Health Alexander Bazarchyan said our country comes third

in the world after Turkey and Kazakhstan with the number of male

deaths caused by tobacco.

Tobacco is also a risk factor for the four leading noncommunicable

diseases- cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory

diseases. According to Bazarchyan, smoking is both lifestyle and

addiction among us. As for women, they smoke more in urban than rural

areas. Active smoking females are aged 35-55.