Thursday 12 November 2015

Armenian News...A Topalian...Kurdish confiscation of property!...


armradio.am
ASSYRIANS, ARMENIANS IN SYRIA PROTEST KURDISH 

CONFISCATION OF PROPERTY
03 Nov 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Sixteen Assyrian and Armenian organizations have issued a statement
protesting Kurdish expropriation of private property in the Hasaka
province of Syria, the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA)
reports.

The statement accuses the Democratic Union Party (YPD), the Syrian
wing of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), of human rights
violations, expropriation of private property, illegal military
conscription and interference in church school curricula.

YPD has gained some international attention in its fight against
ISIS, a fight which Assyrian fighters have joined, but it has been
accused by Human Rights Watch of massive violations of human rights,
extending to forced evictions and the destruction of homes and property
of non-Kurdish populations in regions under its control. Some of the
violations which impact the Christian Assyrian population are:

Enforcement of new curricula in private and public schools conducting
forced recruitment of young people enforcing special taxes occupation
of Assyrian owned public buildings

According to Assyrian leaders in Hasaka, the Kurds form about
30 percent of the population in Northern Syria's Jazeera region
(provincial capital Hasaka) but increasingly act as occupiers of the
region. YPD militia killed David Jendo, the commander of the Assyrian
Khabour village guards, in April this year. The guards were established
to defend the Khabur villages from ISIS.

Most recently the YPD has taken the decision to confiscate what
it calls "abandoned emigrant property," which is the property of
internally displaced Syrians, driven away from their homes by the
Syrian conflict.

Assyrian and Armenian churches, political and civic organizations
issued the following letter to protest YPD's actions:

For over four years our country, Syria, is struggling with tragic
events. War devastation and terrorism have caused all ethnic groups
much suffering. But we, inhabitants of Al-Jazeera, have kept so
precious nowadays ideals of peaceful coexistence between various
communities of our province. Due to extraordinary situation and having
safety in mind Local Self-Administration was created, together with
number of dependent institutions. Some of its regulations, however,
are not properly prepared nor thoroughly measured. This causes
valid concerns among various ethnic and national groups. While it
is happening official authorities are still performing its fiscal,
administrative, legal and military duties.

Law on Emigrant Property

After careful consideration representatives of Christian communities
in Qamishli agreed on following:

Aforementioned Law on Emigrant Property is in violation of Human Rights
Law, breaking fundamental Right to property Under no circumstances,
nobody can labelled as "traitor" just for leaving their home.

Efforts at creating "Institution for Emigrant Properties Redistribution
and Management" is an attempt of expropriation real estate under a
guise of helping those in need.

These regulations create a dangerous precedence in Proprietorship
Law in whole province of Al-Jazeera. Additionally this will cause
substantial demographic changes centered at local Christians who
will lose their homes. It's worth mentioning that nearly 35% of all
real estate in the area is owned by Christians. Expropriation of this
properties will cause valid concerns amongst both those who fled and
stayed, preventing the latter from ever coming back.

It's worth noting that stance, taken by many local Christians, of
not selling nor appointing a proxy for their properties is fully
supported by both state and international law. Any claims of this
being illegal are false.

Taking all of the above into account we believe that such actions of
"Local Administration" will cause ethnic cracks and turmoil. In order
to avoid it and to convince authors to abandon these regulations we
hereby announce ourselves as plaintiffs and prosecutors for any and all
cases under both state and international tribunals and courts of law.

"Procedure on issuing permits and licenses, new permits and licenses
fees and taxes" is redundant and illegal. Already existing permits and
licenses are absolutely valid. They were issued in accordance with the
law by official Syrian authorities and did not lose their legitimacy.

Demand for their replacement and new fees, often exceeding their
holders financial capabilities, is unacceptable.

"Conscription Law". Demanding military service by organization without
state legitimization is preposterous.

Any interference into church private schools in Al-Jazeera province
in unacceptable. These institutions are sanctioned by administrative
and education authorities. Pressure on this institutions is viewed
as an interference in education and upbringing of Christian children
and adolescents.

We appeal into everybody's sense of responsibility and ask for
restraint when handling matters that could limit rights of both
individuals and communities. Fundamental Human Rights have to be
upheld in order for peace and safety to once again grace all of Syria.

We are hoping for continuous, peaceful coexistence of all Al-Jazeera
inhabitants, regardless of their faith, ethnicity, nationality and
culture.

Signatories:

Syriac Orthodox Church Armenian Apostolic Church Al-Jazeera and
Euphrates Armenian Diocese Chaldean Syrian Church in Qamishli Assyrian
Church of the East Assyrian Ancient Church of the East Syriac Catholic
Church Syriac Orthodox Civil Peace Committee National Evangelical
Church Assyrian Democratic Organization Aramean Free Party Assyrian
Committee on Rural Agricultural Land Christian Civic Union Mother
Syria Youth Association Youth Institute for National Reconciliation
Center for Syrian Christian Youth 


horizon weekly.ca 
ARMENIAN BUSES BANNED IN RUSSIA AFTER DEADLY CRASH
November 9, 2015

Azatutyun - Citing safety reasons, the Russian traffic police impounded
two buses bound for Yerevan on Thursday two days after eight Armenians
were killed and over 40 others wounded in an accident 200 kilometers
south of Moscow.

The RIA Novosti news agency quoted a spokesman for Moscow's police
department, Andrey Galiakberov, as saying that both vehicles,
apparently owned by Armenian firms, were found to be in a poor
technical condition. Their four Armenian drivers will be fined as a
result, he said.

"Exploitation of these buses in the territory of Russia will be banned
until the elimination of all detected problems," added Galiakberov.

The buses were reportedly full of passengers travelling from Moscow
to Yerevan when they were stopped by the Russian police. Their owners
were not immediately known.

The crashed bus belonged to an Armenian transport company, King
Deluxe. Its owner has ruled out the possibility of a technical
malfunction. According to the Regnum news agency, Russia's Deputy
Interior Minister Aleksandr Savenko said on Thursday that the
Chinese-made bus overturned on a highway in the Tula region because
its driver fell asleep at the wheel.

Armenian and Russian law-enforcement authorities are currently
investigating the accident. They have announced no official conclusions
yet.

In what appears to be a related development, the Armenian government
announced on Thursday plans to toughen licensing requirements for
transport firms providing bus services in and outside Armenia. The
Ministry of Transport and Communications said it has put forward a
bill stipulating that such firms can be allowed to operate only on
a competitive basis.

First Deputy Transport Minister Artur Arakelian claimed that the bill
was drafted months before the Tula accident.

Under existing Armenian laws and regulations, bus companies
transporting people on a non-regular basis do not need to receive
government licenses and undergo special technical inspections. 


mediamax.am
70-YEAR-OLD ARARAT BRANDY SOLD AT 80 THOUSAND POUNDS
November 9, 2015 10:53

Yerevan/Mediamax/. 70-year-old Armenian ArArAt brandy was sold at
Sotheby's auction in London at GBP 80 thousand (over USD 120,000).

The special auction was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of UK Prime
Minister Winston Churchill's death.

The auction was sponsored by Albert II, Prince of Monaco. The
organization of the auction was supported by Monaco's Ambassador to
UK Evelyne Genta, Armenia's Ambassador to the UK, former PM Armen
Sargsyan
 and Saudi Prince Al Waleed.

Churchill's favorite drinks, cigars and clothes of famous brands and
various other items were put up for the auction.

During the auction, special attention was paid to Churchill's bust
by sculptor Oscar Nemon and 70-year-old brandy from the exclusive
collection of Yerevan Brand Factory which was granted by Armen
Sargsyan.

The whole amount raised at the auction will be allocated to
charity ends to support Prince Albert's initiatives to reducing the
impact of climate change, biodiversity preservation and combatting
desertification. 
ARMENIAN DENTAL TOURISM GROWING
IMTJ - International Medical Travel Journal
Nov 3 2015

Armenia seeks to widen dental tourism from mainly Armenians working
abroad to other Europeans.

Dental tourism has been a developing trend in Armenia in recent years,
as patients from abroad increasingly choose to get treatment there.

Most dental tourists in Armenia come from the Armenian Diaspora that
works away in Europe, as they can combine their treatment with a
holiday in their homeland.

Local dental clinics are also seeking to attract other dental tourists
from within Europe, although numbers of non-Armenian patients are
small. Most of these come from Russia, Belgium and France.

Average prices of dental services in Armenia are relatively more
affordable than those in most European countries, including traditional
dental tourism market leaders Hungary and Poland.

But Armenia does have a problem in that most dental materials are
bought from other countries at prices even higher than Russian clinics
pay. But the very low wages in Armenia keep treatment prices low.

Armenian specialists offer services and technologies of a quality
equivalent to international standards.

One of the latest technological innovations in Armenia is transparent
dental braces that replace traditional orthodontic cases. Specialists
say they are particularly applicable in dental tourism, as they
do not require frequent interventions from the dentist/ during a
long-term treatment.

There are no figures for Armenian dental tourism so the Dental
Tourism Foundation, which is involved in the development of the
sector, intends to fill this gap soon by collecting data on the
number of dental tourists. This organisation also cooperates with
travel agencies, to raise awareness of dental services in Armenia.

a1plus.am 
HENRIKH MKHITARYAN ANGERED AZERBAIJANI JOURNALISTS
November 6,2015 


Azerbaijani journalists were furious after Borussia Dortmund took a
4-0 win over Azerbaijani FK Qabala in the round of 32 in the UEFA
Europa League but the reason for their anger was not the score of
the match but the Armenian flags waving at the stadium.

Many Armenians live in Germany and they sometimes attend the team's
games. They love Henrikh Mkhitaryan and support him. Besides armenian
flags there were also other flags at the stadium," the secretary of
Borussia Dortmund told journalists after the match.'

The same journalists later asked Mkhitaryan why he did not travel to
Azerbaijan with Borussia Dortmund.

"I wanted to go to Baku, but the club administration decided not to
send me because of security concerns," said Henrikh Mkhitaryan who
scored made the 4th thumping shot for Borussia Dortmund during the
game against Qabala.

epress.am
ARMENIAN CHURCH PRIEST ACCUSED OF HAVING SAME 
MINDSET AS ISIL TERRORISTS
11.09.2015 


Center for Interethnic and Intercultural Cooperation NGO Head Sashik
Sultanyan has issued a press statement in connection with a 168.am
article entitled "Can an Armenian Woman Marry a Yazidi Man" which
was originally published as part of the Frequently Asked Questions
page on Qahana.am, the official website of the Araratian Patriarchal
Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Sultanyan, as stated in the letter, is calling upon Holy Trinity
Church priest Father Yessayi Artenian (pictured) to issue a public
apology to the Yazidi people for insulting their religious feelings
by saying that "Yazidis worship the sun. In Yazidis' shrines one can
see a statue of Satan. They do not believe in Satan, but rather asked
him not to harm them."

"If I'm not mistaken, priests receive higher education, and they also
relate to other religions. What was this man occupied with when he
doesn't know that Yazidis are not sun-worshipers. In their religion,
the sun is a symbol of God. Following the same logic, one could say
that Christians are cross-worshipers, and Muslims - moon-worshipers.

"The clergy member also stresses that 'there is a statue of Satan in
Yazidi holy places.' He probably refers to Tawsi Melek, the Peacock
Angel, which, I must say, is identified as Satan only by the terrorists
of ISIL and is the exact reason they kill Yazidis.

"On top of that, the priest says 'Yazidis pray to Satan not to hurt
them.' Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of theology knows that
there is no Satan in Yazidi religion. Yazidis believe that both the
good and the bad come from within, and it is the person who chooses
which way to go.

"I advise such - putting it mildly - ignorant people not to deal with
issues related to the Yazidi people, and urge the above-mentioned
priest to stay true to the Bible, show tolerance and admit his mistake
by apologizing to the Yazidi people for insulting their religious
feelings." Sultanyan writes.

Note, in a scandalous incident in May, 2011, Yessayi Artenian got into
a dispute with two Jehovah's Witnesses, Andranik Makvetsyan and Samvel
Grigoryan, prohibiting the men from preaching on church property. The
priest, as testified by Makvetsyan, threatened and yelled obscenities
at them.

However, later in the year, a Yerevan district court sentenced Andranik
Makvetsyan to 6 months in prison for insulting a member of the clergy
and for violating the lawful activities of the priest in the vicinity
of the church. 


a1plus.am
SOCIOLOGIST: YOUNG PEOPLE CANNOT FORM FAMILIES 
BECAUSE THEY ARE UNEMPLOYED (VIDEO)
November 9,2015
The main concern of Armenian youths is employment, sociologist Aharon
ADibekyan said ahead of World Youth Day.

Many say they do not think of forming families as they do not have
jobs.

"In the past, girls got married at the age of 22 and boys at 24,
but today girls marry after 25 and boys at 30. This resembles the
situation in Germany after World War I when the average age of
bridegrooms hit the over 30 mark.

"A country which is experiencing an economic decline cannot have a
prosperous life, it will always have social problems," the sociologist
said.

Psychologist Anna Badalyan added, in turn, when forming a family the
couple should have a sense of responsibility.

"Every sixth couple is divorcing today," she said.

The sociologist is also concerned to see that young people in Armenia
do not care much about politics.

"We have conducted a special survey to check the activity of young
people in politics. More than half of them said they were indifferent,
and would rather deal with their own affairs," Mr Adibekyan said. 


arka.am 
ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES EXPECT 1.4 MILLION TOURISTS TO 
VISIT COUNTRY IN 2016
09.11.2015

According to him, the draft state budget for 2016 has earmarked 3.209
billion drams for the ministry, of which 2.154 billion drams will be
used to finance a set of projects.

He said the growth rate in the previous years was higher -10-11%
a year. 'The 5% growth forecast is a a preliminary prediction and
the real growth may be higher,' he said.

According to him, in 2016 Armenia will take part in nine international
tourism exhibitions. The ministry will also spend part of the money
on updating and publishing a variety of promotional materials and
brochures about Armenia. The government expects also reporters from
24 mass media specialized in covering tourism, to visit Armenia next
year, the deputy minister said.

The deputy minister added that Armenia's neighbors are significantly
ahead of it in terms of foreign tourists visiting their countries.

According to the ministry of economy that has a department overseeing
tourism, 256,000 foreign tourists visited the country in the second
quarter of 2015, by 1.8% more than in quarter 2 in 2014.

Armenia is ranked now 89th in the global Travel and Tourism
Competitiveness Report, released by World Economic Forum. Armenia
is 38th in terms of security, 48th in terms of health care, 71st in
quality of human resources, 73rd in tourist service infrastructure
and 77th in terms of affordability of prices. ($ 1 - 477.72 drams).  

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