Armenian News
Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
June 21 2008
Azerbaijani Ombudsman Considers Groundless the Accusation by Migration
Service of Armenia
21.06.08 13:43
Azerbaijan, Baku, 21 June/ corr. Trend News I.Alizade / Ombudsman of
Azerbaijan, Elmira Suleymanova, considers groundless the lawsuit on
$5mln which is envisaged to be made by the migration service of
Armenia with regards to Azerbaijan.
`The Armenians residing in Azerbaijan took their key
properties while leaving the Country. They removed, selling their
properties left in Azerbaijan,' Suleymanova briefed the
media on 21 June in Azerbaijan's city of Guba.
The migration service of Armenia states that the Armenians leaving
Azerbaijan lost key part of their properties, and as a result, $5mln
material damage was inflicted to them. Due to it, the service plans to
submit a lawsuit against Azerbaijan to the International Court.
Suleymanova said that according to official data, as a result of
military aggression of Armenia, $60bln damage was inflicted to
Azerbaijan.
`As a result of this aggression, the Azerbaijanis incurred
ethnic cleansing, and serious damages were inflicted to the
environment and nature of Azerbaijan. The losses of Azerbaijan as a
result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are inestimable,'
Suleymanova said.
Nearly 1mln Azerbaijanis incurred ethnic cleansing in Armenia in
1988-1989. [please note that this includes the Armenians who fled Azerbaijan]
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries appeared in 1988
due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia has
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani lands including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding districts. Since 1992 to the present
time, these territories have been under Armenian occupation. In 1994,
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a cease-fire agreement at which time the
active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
(Russia, France and USA) are holding peaceful negotiations.
STATE PROGRAM ON PROVISION OF APARTMENTS TO REFUGEES
TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN YEREVAN THIS YEAR
[this contrasts with the policy in Azerbaijan who leave thier IDPs in refugee
camps despite their oil riches]
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The state program on provision of
apartments to persons deported from Azeraijan has been implemented in
Armenia for 4 years. By the program, refugees are given certificates
for apartment purchase. 3.1 bln drams (about 9.45 mln USD) has been
allocated from the state budget for the program's implementation in the
past 3 years. The head of the Migration Agency of the RA Ministry of
Territorial Administration Gagik Yeganian announced at the June 20
press conference that 1,041 out of the 3,370 most vulnerable refugee
families - program beneficiaries have received certificates. 774 of
these families purchased apartments. The rest have not yet purchased
apartments for various reasons. One reason was that the value of the
certificate did not correspond to the prices of property sold in the
given area.
G. Yeganian said that this year the program will be implemented in
Yerevan, for which 815 mln drams was allocated from the state budget.
There are about 1,100 families in need of an apartment in Yerevan.
Since 1994, more than 5,200 cottages and detached houses have been
built in Armenia for refugees with funds of the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and other
international donor organizations.
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June 20 is World Refugee Day.
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The state program on provision of
apartments to persons deported from Azeraijan has been implemented in
Armenia for 4 years. By the program, refugees are given certificates
for apartment purchase. 3.1 bln drams (about 9.45 mln USD) has been
allocated from the state budget for the program's implementation in the
past 3 years. The head of the Migration Agency of the RA Ministry of
Territorial Administration Gagik Yeganian announced at the June 20
press conference that 1,041 out of the 3,370 most vulnerable refugee
families - program beneficiaries have received certificates. 774 of
these families purchased apartments. The rest have not yet purchased
apartments for various reasons. One reason was that the value of the
certificate did not correspond to the prices of property sold in the
given area.
G. Yeganian said that this year the program will be implemented in
Yerevan, for which 815 mln drams was allocated from the state budget.
There are about 1,100 families in need of an apartment in Yerevan.
Since 1994, more than 5,200 cottages and detached houses have been
built in Armenia for refugees with funds of the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and other
international donor organizations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 20 is World Refugee Day.
FREEDOM HOUSE: CLOSE TIES OF POLITICAL AND BUSINESS STRUCTURES
IN ARMENIA HINDER ESTABLISHMENT OF TRANSPARENT AND DEMOCRATIC
STATE INSTITUTIONS
ArmInfo
2008-06-24 12:45:00
The close ties of political and business structures in Armenia hinder
establishment of transparent and democratic state institutions, says
the Freedom House Report 'Nations in Transit 2008> published Tuesday,
RFE/RL reports.
Election rigging raises public distrust in the authorities and
political and civil activity, the report says. The authors of the
report believe that the unsettled Nagorny Karabakh conflict scares away
foreign investors, hinders diversification of trade and involvement
in regional projects. The report outlines a positive factor i.e. the
comparatively positive establishment of macroeconomy and 13% GDP
growth in 2007. Poverty is reduced, however, many experts say the
population has not yet tasted the fruits of macroeconomic successes.
Freedom House experts evaluate every country by a 7-point scale on
the basis of 9 key criteria. The election process in Armenia was
evaluated at 5.50 points. In 2006 this indicator made up 5.75 points.
The developments of the year 2008 will be reflected in the report
for 2009.
The source reports that a number of indicators were left the same
as a year ago: Civil structure - 3.50; Independent press - 5/75;
State Democratic Government - 5.25; Local Democratic Government - 5.50.
Justice System and Independence was down from 5 to 5.25. Corruption
and Democracy were left unchanged - 5.75 and 5.21 respectively.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Work begins to restore old Armenian cemetery
By Rula Aweidah
21 June 08
Cyprus Mail
WORK for the reconstruction of the derelict old Armenian cemetery near
the Ledra Palace is to begin in earnest next week.
A contract has been granted complete the renovation and construction of
the cemetery, the tombs, the exterior wall as well as the chapel in the
cemetery.
Back in 2006, the Armenian Prelature had started digging up graves in
order to put remains together in a new communal grave in the new
Armenian cemetery on the outskirts of the capital. But the workers
simply started breaking up old historic tombs, damaging headstones and
exposing bones, sparking outrage among the community.
Soon after the municipality delivered a court order stopping the work,
and instructing those responsible to restore the site, but nothing was
done and the cemetery fell into even greater disrepair.
Finally after two years, renovations are now ready to take place.
`The preliminary work is complete, all the permissions are in place,
and the work will be done by architects who are all professionals,'
explained the Armenian representative at the House, Vartkes Mahdessian.
The project was awarded two weeks ago. `They will start work 100 per
cent next week,' he said.
The whole project was made possible by a subsidy that was received from
the Cyprus government, as well as a big amount contributed by the
Armenian Church. It is foreseen that the completion of the cemetery
will be complete in about twelve months.
Mahdessian said: `The boundary wall will be restored again, the small
church will be renovated, all the graves will be back in their original
places and the ones that are unidentified will all be placed in a
common grave, which will have all their names inscribed.'
`This will be something we as Armenians and Cypriots will be proud of,'
Mahdessian added.
ArmInfo
2008-06-24 12:45:00
The close ties of political and business structures in Armenia hinder
establishment of transparent and democratic state institutions, says
the Freedom House Report 'Nations in Transit 2008> published Tuesday,
RFE/RL reports.
Election rigging raises public distrust in the authorities and
political and civil activity, the report says. The authors of the
report believe that the unsettled Nagorny Karabakh conflict scares away
foreign investors, hinders diversification of trade and involvement
in regional projects. The report outlines a positive factor i.e. the
comparatively positive establishment of macroeconomy and 13% GDP
growth in 2007. Poverty is reduced, however, many experts say the
population has not yet tasted the fruits of macroeconomic successes.
Freedom House experts evaluate every country by a 7-point scale on
the basis of 9 key criteria. The election process in Armenia was
evaluated at 5.50 points. In 2006 this indicator made up 5.75 points.
The developments of the year 2008 will be reflected in the report
for 2009.
The source reports that a number of indicators were left the same
as a year ago: Civil structure - 3.50; Independent press - 5/75;
State Democratic Government - 5.25; Local Democratic Government - 5.50.
Justice System and Independence was down from 5 to 5.25. Corruption
and Democracy were left unchanged - 5.75 and 5.21 respectively.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Work begins to restore old Armenian cemetery
By Rula Aweidah
21 June 08
Cyprus Mail
WORK for the reconstruction of the derelict old Armenian cemetery near
the Ledra Palace is to begin in earnest next week.
A contract has been granted complete the renovation and construction of
the cemetery, the tombs, the exterior wall as well as the chapel in the
cemetery.
Back in 2006, the Armenian Prelature had started digging up graves in
order to put remains together in a new communal grave in the new
Armenian cemetery on the outskirts of the capital. But the workers
simply started breaking up old historic tombs, damaging headstones and
exposing bones, sparking outrage among the community.
Soon after the municipality delivered a court order stopping the work,
and instructing those responsible to restore the site, but nothing was
done and the cemetery fell into even greater disrepair.
Finally after two years, renovations are now ready to take place.
`The preliminary work is complete, all the permissions are in place,
and the work will be done by architects who are all professionals,'
explained the Armenian representative at the House, Vartkes Mahdessian.
The project was awarded two weeks ago. `They will start work 100 per
cent next week,' he said.
The whole project was made possible by a subsidy that was received from
the Cyprus government, as well as a big amount contributed by the
Armenian Church. It is foreseen that the completion of the cemetery
will be complete in about twelve months.
Mahdessian said: `The boundary wall will be restored again, the small
church will be renovated, all the graves will be back in their original
places and the ones that are unidentified will all be placed in a
common grave, which will have all their names inscribed.'
`This will be something we as Armenians and Cypriots will be proud of,'
Mahdessian added.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE WOLF ATTACKED TWO ELDERLY PEOPLE AND TRIED TO TAKE
AWAY 3-YEAR-OLD BOY
KarabakhOpen
24-06-2008 12:40:36
The female wolf attacked three people of the villages of Artashen and
Aknaghbyur of the NKR region of Hadrut. The correspondent of the Regnum
Agency in Stepanakert reports that the father saved three-year-old
Mher Arzumanyan from Artashen by miracle, who rushed into the cave
where the wolf had taken the child from the backyard of their house
where the baby was playing with another baby. After first aid at the
regional hospital the child was taken to Stepanakert with injuries
on the neck. Doctors say the child is safe now.
And in the neighboring village of Aknaghbyur the female wolf attacked
Armik Khanyan, 62, who saved the life of the 12-year-old child. Khanyan
was badly injured, and is now at the republic hospital. He will
undergo surgery and lasting treatment. The wolf also attacked Alexander
Osipyan, an 82-year-old man from the same village, who got some light
injuries and is now getting a treatment at the regional hospital. The
local hunters have shot the wolf but the people of the village say
a pack of wolves is wandering around the villages, Regnum report.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
KarabakhOpen
24-06-2008 12:40:36
The female wolf attacked three people of the villages of Artashen and
Aknaghbyur of the NKR region of Hadrut. The correspondent of the Regnum
Agency in Stepanakert reports that the father saved three-year-old
Mher Arzumanyan from Artashen by miracle, who rushed into the cave
where the wolf had taken the child from the backyard of their house
where the baby was playing with another baby. After first aid at the
regional hospital the child was taken to Stepanakert with injuries
on the neck. Doctors say the child is safe now.
And in the neighboring village of Aknaghbyur the female wolf attacked
Armik Khanyan, 62, who saved the life of the 12-year-old child. Khanyan
was badly injured, and is now at the republic hospital. He will
undergo surgery and lasting treatment. The wolf also attacked Alexander
Osipyan, an 82-year-old man from the same village, who got some light
injuries and is now getting a treatment at the regional hospital. The
local hunters have shot the wolf but the people of the village say
a pack of wolves is wandering around the villages, Regnum report.
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