Armenian News... A Topalian...Guide to Armenia Websites

keghart.com
Guide to Armenia Websites
Jirair Tutunjian

January 2016 

It’s a truism that most Diaspora Armenian media and websites have 

a perspective reflecting that of their owners—in majority of cases the 

three traditional political parties. What about the Armenia websites?

Do Diaspora readers, who read Armenia websites, know who owns 

 what, and what’s the agenda of the outlets they follow? For example, 

if they read an anti- or pro-Russia analysis, do Diaspora readers know 

whether the website is owned by a Russophile or a Russophobe or a 

pro-government or an anti-government outlet? In a country which 

doesn’t have a tradition of free press and journalism is ham-strung by 

inexperienced practitioners and publishers who can be vulnerable to 

pressure, it’s imperative that the readers know the accuracy of website 

reports and the objectivity of its analysis.

Although six Yerevan universities offer journalism courses, Armenia 

 websites seem far adept at digital graphics and razzmatazz than in 

 gathering and disseminating facts. In other words, “packaging” is given 

too much emphasis. Censorship is officially prohibited, but self-censorship 

is a fact of life because journalists know what can be allowed to be 

published. Self-censorship is particularly common in the coverage of 

 corruption, security, and Artsakh. While a number of websites claim to 

 be independent, the assertion has to be taken with a grain of salt. 

 Many of the so-called independents have “patrons”, “partners”, 

“friends”…who support the outlet financially.

Here’s Keghart.com’s brief guide to some of the leading Armenia 

websites:

1. Azatutuyun.am
Based in Prague, it is part of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s 

 Armenian Service--a U.S government outlet.

2. Azg.am
After briefly changing hands, it is back in the Ramgavar Party media 

group. It’s run by long-time editor Hagop Avedikian who was once 

editor of “Zartonk” in Beirut. In the early days of the RoA the newspaper 

served as a “school” for many budding journalists. The website is a 

copy of the newspaper.

3. Yerkirmedia.am
The website is owned by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation 

(ARF). Like “Azg” the website is a duplicate of the newspaper.

4. Aravot.am
Editor-in-chief Aram Abrahamian has a big staff with impressive CV. 

It is an independent site. The fact that Abrahamian once worked in 

the administration of the RoA president doesn’t seem to influence 

the site’s coverage.

5. Armtimes.com
Part of Haikagan Jamanag, it belongs to Nikol Pashinyan. After he 

became MP, he transferred the management to his wife. The website 

is anti the ruling Republican Party.

6. Civilnet.am
Owned by the Civilitas Foundation, it’s run by Vardan Oskanyan, 

former foreign minister of Armenia and one of the founders of the 

now defunct “AIM” magazine of California. For years one of the main

financial supporters of the organization was the Huntsman Corporation 

of the US. Its home page lists patrons (euphemism for financial 

supporters), including the governments of Germany, Switzerland, the 

 US, Poland, the Netherlands, the UK, and Norway. It also includes the 

 German Marshall Fund Eurasia Partners Foundation, Ernst & Young, 

 the Rosgosstrack insurance firm in Russia and Armenian-Argentine 

 businessman Eduardo Eurnekian, Krikor and Christine Jabourian, 

Armen and Nadya Ekserciyan, Haypost, and the Armenian Church 

Prelacy of Tehran. For a long time there have been rumours that it 

also receives financial aid from USAID. 

7. Armenpress or Armenian-news.com
It is state owned.

8. ArmeniaNow
It’s an independent site run by veteran journalist John Hughes who 

was a senior writer at “AIM” magazine.

9. 7or.am
Managed by Andranik Tevanyan, it acts as a propaganda arm of 

former president Robert Kocharian and oligarch Gagik Dzaroukian. 

Another outlet which beats the drums for Kocharian is 2nd.am

10. Lragir.am
For a long time it has been assumed that George Soros/other 

Western interests help fund the site.

11. epress.am and A1
It’s an NGO closely associated with the Independent Journalists’ 

Network (IJN). According to reports, the IJN is linked to the European 

Journalism Centre which is funded through the Matra Social 

Transformation Programme, a development arm of the Dutch Ministry 

of Foreign Affairs.

12. Panorama.am
Belongs to PanArmenian Network NGO. Armen Azaryan is the CEO

Founded in 2000, it’s the oldest online news agency in Armenia. The 

 site is owned by NGO PanArmenian Media LLC. Its stated mission

 is the “establishment of a pan-Armenian common information field 

 and adequate presentation of Armenia to the world.”

14. HetqA1+online
Specializes in investigative reporting. It is considered anti-Serge 

 Sarkissian and is owned by Edig Baghdassarian.It receives financial 

 aid from the George Soros’ Open Society Foundations and Forum. 

 In 2004 it was recognized by Transparency International for its work 

 against corruption. It’s one of the more professional and credible sites. 

15. Hraparak.am 
An independent outlet, it’s run by Armine Ohanyan. Founded in 2008, 

it claims to have 600,000 monthly visitors. Hraparak is no friend of 

Robert Kocharian, among both oligarchs. 

16. News.am
It’s an independent outlet. While it has at least seven editors, Artak 

Yeghiazaryan (co-ordinator) seems to be the senior person. The 

“co-ordinator” title is meaningless in journalism. Is Yeghiazaryan the 

publisher, manager, the editor-in-chief, the owner?

17. Tert.am
Part of Armenia News and Armenia Today (public company). It claims 

 to be the most popular website in Armenia in frequency of visits, 

 citations and references. Its editor is Sasun Khachatryan.

Good News, Bad News
Freedom of Media Index (2015), published by Reporters Without 

 Borders, placed Armenia 78th among 180 states. Turkey was 149 

 and Azerbaijan 162. Georgia was 69, the US 49. Israel was 101. 

 On the negative ledger, the Yerevan Press Club is partially funded 

 by USAID and globalizing champion Soros’ Open Society 

 Foundations Armenia.


arka.am 

ARMENIAN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN 2015 SURGED BY 

16.4 PERCENT TO 76,700 PEOPLE
YEREVAN, January 20. The number of officially registered
jobless people in Armenia in 2015 surged by 16.4% from the previous
year to 76,700, Artak Mangasaryan, head of the State Employment
Service agency, told a news conference today.

According to him, the number of job seekers last year increased
by 22.6% to 89,000, of whom 76,700 were registered officially as
unemployed. He said also the agency found jobs for 16,600 people,
by 45.6% more than in 2014.

He said 2,873 were young people and 696 were people with disabilities.

The bulk of the unemployed were women and young people.

"The bulk of over 7,000 vacancies announced last year by employers
were for pharmacists, nurses, confectioners, waiters, salesmen,
tailors, chefs, drivers, jewelry designers and makeup artists," said
Mangasaryan, adding the demand for specialists with higher education
in the labor market is relatively low.

In 2015 the agency held 11 job fairs - two in Yerevan and others -
in the regions. The fair was attended by 12,400 job seekers and 402
employers who presented 1,535 vacancies. 

a1plus.am 

DOLMAMA TO BE DEMOLISHED TOGETHER WITH OTHER 

BUILDINGS OF 19TH CENTURY (VIDEO)
anuary 21,2016

One of elite restaurants of Yerevan will be demolished. Still
according to the government decision made in 2013 the territory 

of Abovyan-Pushkin-Sakharov square was recognized an eminent 

 domain.

Founder of Dolmama restaurant says that he will lose his 18 years' job.

"It's not only me who will suffer losses; there is a desire to demolish
the whole street. There are several buildings of the 19th century,
the firefighters' building is of the 20th century," says the founder
of the restaurant Zhirayr Avanyan.

"Local developers" company belonging to Samvel Mayrapetyan has 

acquired the territory. "I don't know a tourist, who wants to come to 

Armenia and see a newly built building," says Zhirayr Avanyan. He 

suggests implementing "Old Yerevan" project on Pushkin Street.

"By restoring they get what they want."

For maintaining the territory of Abovyan-Pushkin-Sakharov square 

80 tour-operators have applied to Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan.

"We want a small part to be maintained in order to show tourists:
that's the problem. Everything shouldn't be alienated and be called
'eminent domain'. "It is given from one private owner to another,"
says Director of "Areni" festival Nune Manukyan.

Marina Kpryan, President of "Armenia Travel" tourist agency adds 

that all the tourists are interested in Old Yerevan. "Today you will 

not surprise tourists by showing new buildings."

Municipality informed the tour-operators that the decision had been
made that it will be demolished and multifunctional construction has
been planned in its place, underground car parks, green zones will
be created etc.

RFE/RL Report

Yerevan Worried About Russian Loans
Sargis Harutyunyan
20.01.2016

A further sharp deterioration of the economic situation in Russia
could call into question the planned release of two Russian loans
worth $475 million to Armenia, a senior Armenian official said on
Wednesday.

The Russian government pledged to lend the money in accordance with
two agreements signed with the Armenian side last year.

One of the loans worth $200 million is to be spent on the purchase of
advanced Russian-made weapons for the Armenian armed forces. The
other, $275 million credit is due to be used for extending the life of
the Armenian nuclear power plant at Metsamor.

"I'm not informed about all the details, but if the situation [in
Russia] worsens significantly then it's possible that [the two loans]
will not be made available," Deputy Finance Minister Pavel Safarian
told reporters in Yerevan. "The Russian government is confident and we
hope that the situation will not worsen that much."

Safarian pointed to the continuing fall in oil prices which has
plunged Russia into recession and caused the Russian ruble to lose
more than half of its value against the U.S. dollar.

Russia's Deputy Finance Minister Sergey Storchak said on Monday that
his government is finding it increasingly "risky" to promise fresh
loans to foreign states this year. But he gave no indications that
Moscow will reconsider soon its lending obligations assumed in 2015.

"Failing to honor obligations on approved loans is even more shameful
than failing to honor obligations on debt repayments," Storchak told
the TASS news agency. "There can't be a greater embarrassment for any
creditor." 

INSIDE THE WORLD'S SADDEST ZOO: SHOCKING PICTURES 

SHOW STARVING BEARS AND LIONS WHO ARE FORCED TO 

LIVE OFF SLAUGHTERHOUSE SCRAPS AFTER BEING ABANDONED 

BY ARMENIAN OLIGARCH 

Daily Mail, UK
Jan 18 2016

Lions, bears and guinea pigs display all the signs of creatures slowly
being driven mad by their unnatural existence Animals were bought on
a whim by a billionaire Armenian oligarch to parade for his friends
at jungle-themed parties But they were left to rot after their owner
vanished and now survive on scraps fed to them by an elderly couple

By Allan Hall for MailOnline

Banging their heads against the wall in despair and peering forlornly
through the bars of their godforsaken cages, these are the inmates
of the world's saddest zoo.

The planet's worst animal park is probably also its smallest.

Just three lions, two bears and two guinea pigs live out their boring,
hunger-filled days in tiny cages, displaying all the signs of creatures
slowly being driven mad by their unnatural existence.

They are the residue of a billionaire's whim, bought as entertainment
by an Armenian oligarch to underwrite his ego and parade before his
friends in themed jungle parties.

But the parties, along with the cash to care for the poor beasts,
vanished at the same time as their owner.

Now the animals scrape along on a starvation diet of slaughterhouse
scraps and scavenged woodland plants brought to them by an elderly
couple fighting hard to keep them alive.

The zoo is in the Armenian town of Gyumri - the place where the
family of Armenian-American reality stars the Kardashians hails from -
but it has been over two years since it saw a paying guest.

The ragged, hungry and bewildered tenants - lioness Mary, seven, and
her cubs Geeta, four, and Zita, two, along with bears Masha, four,
and Grisha, nine - are cared for by an elderly couple who simply
stumbled upon them one day.

The civic authorities refuse to take on any responsibility for them
and the whereabouts of their former owner is unknown.

It is left to a dirt-poor pair of pensioners named Hovhamnes and
Alvina Madoyan to care for them.

Hovhamnes said: 'I lost my job. I had nothing, my wife and I were
walking by the deserted zoo when we heard these terrible cries of
animals in torment.

'We came in to see the lioness and her cub literally frothing at the
mouths from lack of water.

'My wife and I can't bear to see God's creatures in pain. We fetched
water from them and then organised some meat from a local slaughterman.

'That is how we scrape by, feeding them what we can muster. It is the
same for the bears. We moved into an old shed near the lion enclosure
to be near to them five months ago.'

He added: 'They are sad and lonely and, when they can be bothered,
pace up and down their cages, showing the signs of being driven mad
by boredom and inactivity.

'We cannot get anyone to help them. The previous owner was stuck in
some kind of feud with local mobsters, the government doesn't want
to get involved and it is the animals who suffer.'

His wife Alvina went on: 'I get up every morning and go into the
woods to find food for the bears, but it is never enough.

'If I am lucky, some people donate some oats and cereal which we can
make into a kind of porridge for them.

'They are deeply unhappy, spending hours swaying to and fro, to and
fro, because they have been slowly driven mad by their incarceration.

'Last week, we were lucky to have been given the body of a baby foal
to feed to the lions. It is not often they get a feast that big.'

Once in a while, a vet might pop in to examine the animals from outside
the cages. But no-one has any money to pay for a proper examination.

Sussex-based animal welfare group International Animal Rescue are
trying to raise awareness of the zoo's plight in the hope action will
be taken by the authorities in Armenia, but the group is not raising
funds themselves.

The group, which has animal sanctuaries for endangered orangutans in
Borneo, is concerned that a harsh winter might prove lethal for the
lion cubs.

A spokesman said: 'The fate of these animals should not be dependent
on the philanthropy of an elderly couple who barely have enough
for themselves.

'It is vital that they are moved to a place where they can be better
cared for.'