Armenian News

How Russia Intends to Divide Armenia

Igor Muradyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 16:09:24 - 19/04/2012

New circumstances and intentions of Russia and other states in the

region are being revealed. Now there is no doubt that Russia builds up

its relationship with Armenia on the establishment of relations with

Azerbaijan and Turkey.

More and more distinct are Russia’s plans on the Karabakh issue, which

includes the following – complete withdrawal of the Armenian forces

from Karabakh, return of five, later all the seven regions to

Azerbaijan, return of the so-called Azeri refugees, deployment of

Russian peacekeepers in the conflict area, in fact in Karabakh, and

absolute disregard for the issue of status are put off for ten and

more years.

This is clearly another division of Armenia between the partners. In

the 20s and 40s Russia tried to attract Turkey to its side, enjoying

the anti-imperialist moods in Anatolia but always got a poke on the

nose instead of better access to the Black Sea channels.

So will be now but not immediately, of course, though there is always

enough time for experiments to destroy Armenia again. Interestingly,

as at other times, the excited Armenians will expect Russia to handle

their destiny. During the visit of Dmitri Medvedev to Yerevan tens of

thousands of Armenians, holding posters and Russian flags, went on the

so-called square of Russia and expressed their loyalty to the Russian

president who wants to suffocate their homeland, reduce it to the

level of mockery of the world.

Russia was waiting and planning the use of the Karabakh resource in

its policy. According to more advanced Russian political scientists

integrated with the government agencies, Russia received nothing from

the cooperation with Armenia, and further cooperation in such a

bilateral mode is meaningless. It is openly told to their Armenian

colleagues whom they have known for many years.

The leading specialists of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies,

the Institute of CIS, experts immediately advising the Russian

president administration keep to this opinion in one form or another.

As to Medvedev, he is considered as a leader of the Azerbaijani lobby

in Russia. The Russian president’s relations and interests are close

enough to insist on this.

In Russia, too many high-ranking officials are identified as

Azerbaijani lobbyists, and later on as people who hold one government

post or another. There are too many “oilmen” and “gasmen” in the

Russian government. Here are the political views.

Along with strategic and tactical interests of Russia which involve

the plans on the Karabakh issue, purely commercial interests indeed

have an important role, of large-scale character, of course. Russia is

an important supplier of weapon to Azerbaijan, and the Americans and

Turks are not indifferent to it. This is a complicated game, and

beyond Russia’s power which though tries to establish new

relationships in the world remains isolated and blocked by states.

In the region a lot seems confused and uncertain, new scenarios might

be expected which one cannot even doubt about. For the time being,

though, certain circles in Moscow are making efforts for cardinal

review of allies and partners of Russia in different regions, and

Armenia may not notice the crucial moment in this politics after which

the situation will be irreversible.

In any case, the ethnic lobbies as such are too insignificant to doubt

they have a serious role. It is only partly known who is involved in

the fulfillment of these interests. Currently a number of American and

British journalists in Moscow are intensively developing this

scenario. One day it will float, one day.

ARMENIAN MPS DEEM "SKIPPING" PARLIAMENT MEETINGS NATURAL

PanARMENIAN.Net

April 13, 2012 - 20:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - This week, the subsequent four day meeting of

Armenian National Assembly didn't take place over lack of a quorum.

Perhaps, the parliamentarians were so busy with the election campaign

that they completely forgot about their direct responsibilities i.e.

legislative activity, with more disciplined MPs having joined the

traditional truants this time.

PanARMENIAN.Net tried to learn the MP's opinion about the sabotage of

the parliament's operation during a traditional National Assembly

briefing. Orinats Yerkir's parliamentary group leader Heghine

Bisharyan, voicing regret over the frustration of the four-day meeting,

urged against blaming the MPs. She added that even their European

counterparts note that the same occurs in their countries in the

midst of election campaign.

ARF Dashnaktstyun member Artsvik Minasyan didn't deem skipping

the four-day meeting disgraceful, either. Moreover, in response to

PanARMENIAN.Net reporter's remark noting that MPs are paid for their

legislative activity, Mr. Minasyan dubbed the parliamentarians'

salary as their constitutional right. Either he didn't understand

the question or he thinks the MPs' salary comprises the payment for

their propaganda for won re-election.

As always, the head of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)

parliamentary group Galust Sahakyan stood out for his eloquence. To

the same question he answered that "MPs are paid for communication

with the public". Having no time during their term of office for

that, they sensed such a great desire to communicate with public upon

completion of their terms that the even the National assembly rules

and constitutional commitments couldn't keep them back.

As for the parliamentary groups of Prosperous Armenia and Heritage

parties, their representatives didn't attend the briefing.

In conclusion, it remains to remind the MPs of their direct

responsibility i.e. legislative activity, for which they are paid for

and of the need to ensure active work in parliament throughout the five

years of their term of office, and not during the election campaign

with various vows. After all, their pledges serve a single purpose-

to ensure another opportunity to skip National Assembly meetings.

Sale of votes has become a tradition in Armenia

arminfo

Saturday, April 14, 13:12

 19.7% of the voters are ready to sell their votes during the May 6

parliamentary elections. This has already become a tradition in

Armenia, representative of the Exit Poll Social Research Center Levon

Andreasyan told journalists on Friday.

The survey held by the Center among 2,710 people in Yerevan and

regional centers Mar 22-Apr 8 on the request of the Black Sea and

Caspian Region Institute of Political and Social Research has shown

that 9.4% of the voters will vote because they believe in the promises

given during the election campaign, 12% because their friends or

relatives have asked them to, 16.6% because they are in opposition and

19.7% because they hope to get money for their voters.

"This is very dangerous as the last group may become a tool in the

hands of external forces," Andreasyan said.

According to the Center, five of the nine running parties will pass

the 5% barrier - the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, Prosperous

Armenia, the ARFD, the Armenian National Congress and Heritage - of

whom the RPA and Prosperous Armenia will secure more than 50% of the

votes.

Two streets of Marseille to have Armenian names

news.am

April 14, 2012 | 04:14

Two streets in Marseille, France, will be given names of Armenians

Maurice-Torgom Ter-Merkerian and Edmond Piroumian, Nouvelles d`Arménie

reports. The two Armenians were volunteers in the French Forces of the

UN Nuclear Chief Meets Armenian Leaders, Inspects Metsamor Plant

Emil Danielyan

18.04.2012

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog inspected the nuclear

plant at Metsamor and discussed with Armenian leaders their plans to

delay its decommissioning during a visit to Armenia on Wednesday.

Official news sources in Yerevan said Yukiya Amano, the director

general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was also

briefed on the Armenian government's ambitious project to replace the

aging Soviet-era facility by a new plant meeting modern safety

standards.

`You are planning to extend the nuclear plant's life span and then

halt and decommission it,' a government statement quoted Amano as

telling Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian. `At all those stages, our

agency is obliged to assist Armenia in carrying out that work

smoothly.'

`Armenia is committed to further deepening our productive cooperation

with the IAEA,' Sarkisian said. `The government is paying a lot of

attention to ensuring safe exploitation of the atomic block.'

Amano discussed the matter at a separate meeting with Energy Minister

Armen Movsisian. A statement by Movsisian's ministry said they looked

into ongoing efforts to enhance the plant's `level of safety and

physical protection' as well as `technical assistance' for the

decommissioning process.

Amano and other IAEA officials accompanying him familiarized

themselves with the safety measures when they visited Metsamor after

the meeting with Movsisian. According to the ministry statement, they

inspected various units of the plant generating about 40 percent of

Armenia's electricity.

Metsamor's sole functioning reactor was supposed to be shut

down by 2017, in time for the planned construction of a new and more

powerful facility at the same site more than 30 kilometers west of

Yerevan. But with the ambitious project clearly falling behind

schedule, the Armenian government has indicated that the current plant

will operate longer than planned despite lingering domestic and

international concerns about its safety.

Amano discussed the project estimated to cost $5 billion with

Sarkisian, Movsisian as well as Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian. He

was reported to call for `joint efforts to ensure a high degree of

transparency' in its implementation.

`The prime minister assured him that Armenia is interested in that and

ready to continue to act in an open and transparent manner,' the

government's press office said. It said Sarkisian also told Amano that

the government has already drawn up a `timetable for measures to

extend the existing nuclear plant's operations and ensure its safety.'

The long-standing concerns over Metsamor's safety were rekindled last

year by grave accidents at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear

plant. The authorities in Yerevan responded by initiating a two-week

inspection of Metsamor by IAEA experts.

The Vienna-based watchdog's ad hoc Operational Safety Review Team

(OSART) concluded in June that the plant poses an `acceptable' level

of risk to the environment and can, in principle, operate beyond its

design life span.

VOTERS IN ARMENIA'S ASHTARAK GET BRIBES IN CASH, ON SPOT - NEWSPAPER

news.am

April 18, 2012 | 06:23

YEREVAN. - In the lead-up to the parliamentary elections, the ruling

coalition's Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) is collecting people's

passports in Ashtarak city, too, Yerkir daily writes.

"An Ashtarak resident told the newspaper that, in the case when the

RPA was offering AMD 5,000 [approx. US$ 13] for one passport, now the

'bet' has sharply increased by first becoming AMD 10,000 [approx. $26]

and then AMD 15,000 [approx. $38].

The citizen who spoke with us told that the RPA is unable to 'restrain'

the people and collect the passports by even offering AMD 15,000.

The Ashtarak residents demand the money in cash and on the spot,

not on the day of the elections.

Most of them decided to give their passports, take the [election]

bribe, but to vote for whomever they wish," Yerkir writes.

40 SCHOOLS IN SHIRAK REGION NEED RENOVATION

ARMENPRESS

APRIL 18, 2012

GYUMRI

GYUMRY, APRIL 18, ARMENPRESS. In accordance of the approved funds

of the state Budget 2012 Gyumry city's "Mush 2" district, Akhurik,

Ashotsk, Aregnadem villages' new schools construction is scheduled

to finish. Besides the construction of these schools until the end

of the year repair work will be conducted in Gusanagyugh, Harich ,

Mets Mantash, Anushavan villages' schools. Edward Simonyan Shirak

Marzpetaran's staff Urban Management Architectural Department head told

Armenpress reporter that all the constructions should be taken into

operation this year, besides Ashotsk village school, which according

to the contract will be completed 2013 May. This year state budget

allocated 2 billion 193 million AMD for school construction."Despite

ongoing works more than 40 schools in Shirak region need repair. These

are mostly schools dating 1988 and later; where no reconstruction

work was conducted till now" Edward Simonyan highlighted.