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Armenia, Candles in Liberty Square to honor memory of Seryozha Avetisyan

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babyYEREVAN. – The residents of Yerevan have been bringing candles, flowers and toys to Liberty Square from early morning of Tuesday to honor memory of six-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan.

The photo of Seryozha and his 2-year-old sister, also murdered in Gyumri, was put on the steps of the Opera house. The families with their children are coming to Liberty Square to light candles.

Candles and toys have been brought to the Avetisyan’s house in Gyumri from the very moment when the reports on Seryozha’s death appeared.

As reported earlier, six-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan died on Monday. Other six members of his family were killed last week. Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the 102nd Russian Military Base in the city, stands accused in this crime.

The soldier is charged under Russian law, with “the murder of more than two people,” and “desertion with a service weapon.” The Investigative Committee of Armenia also has launched a criminal case on the murders.

 

Armenia, 38 detained in Yerevan Thursday evening, 2 had guns

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detainYEREVAN. – On Thursday evening, a total of 38 people were taken to police stations from Liberty Square and the surrounding area in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan, the Police informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The Police also informed that an administrative offense protocol was prepared against three others who were detained outside the Embassy of Russia in Yerevan.

In addition, guns were found in the possession of two people who were detained on Thursday evening, an investigation is underway, and all others, who were detained on Thursday evening, have been released.

As reported earlier, six members of the Avetisyan family—including a two-year-old girl—were shot dead, and a six-month-old baby boy was wounded in their house in Gyumri on Monday. Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the 102nd Russian Military Base in the city, stands accused in this crime. Permyakov was apprehended by the Russian border guards near the Armenian-Turkish border, and he was arrested on Wednesday. Valery Permyakov is held in custody at the Russian military base.

The Prosecutor General’s Office had said Permyakov will face justice under Russian law – a move that provoked wave of protests in Gyumri and Yerevan.

Civil funeral for killed helicopter pilots continues at Surb Sargis church (Video)

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IMG_8216YEREVAN. – The civil funeral for the MI-24 crew members started at Surb Sargis church in Yerevan.

The relatives, friends of Sergey Sahakyan,Sargis Nazaryan and Azat Sahakyan, servicemen and many citizens gathered near the church, the Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent reported.

The Azerbaijani armed forces violated the ceasefire and shot down a Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Air Force helicopter on November 12. The chopper was downed during a training flight, and it crashed very close to the Karabakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact. As a result, three pilots were killed: the commander of the helicopter, Major Sergey Sahakyan, as well as Senior Lieutenant Sargis Nazaryan and Lieutenant Azat Sahakyan.

The adversary, on the other hand, was firing intensive shots toward the crash site, thus, not allowing access to the area.

But the remains of these three military servicemen plus some necessary parts of the chopper were retrieved from the helicopter’s crash site through a special operation by the NKR armed forces. As a result, the Azerbaijanis suffered serious casualties, whereas the Armenian side sustained none.
 

Yerevan, Amman Become Sister Cities

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amman_yerevanThe mayors of Yerevan and Amman, Taron Margaryan and Akel Biltaj, sign a sister city agreement for the two national capitals, accompanied by top Armenian and Jordanian officials.

AMMAN, Jordan (ArmRadio)—A delegation headed by Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian was welcomed Wednesday at the National Council of Jordan. The Armenian delegation was received by Senate Speaker Abdel Raouf al-Rawabdeh.

On the sidelines of the official visit to Jordan, a sister city agreement was signed between the capitals of the two countries – Yerevan and Amman. The mayors of the two cities, Taron Margaryan and Akel Biltaj, signed the document at the Amman City Hall in the presence of top officials from Armenia and Jordan.

Akel Biltaj gave the Mayor of Yerevan a key to the city of Amman as a symbol of new friendship and continuous cooperation.

Under the agreement the capitals of the two countries are set to launch mutually beneficial cooperation and exchange experience on local governance, including on waste management, water management, and other fields of municipal governance and economy.

President Sarkisian is visiting the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan at the invitation of the King of Jordan Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein.

President Sarkisian and King Abdullah had a meeting in private at the King’s residence. The two reportedly discussed trade and bilateral cooperation in a number of areas.

Armenia’s leader expressed his appreciation for the warm reception the Armenian delegation enjoyed in Jordan.

Yerevan, Alec Yénikomchian victim of police abuse

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arton104460-478x320Yénikomchian Alec, who is now a member of Sardarabad movement was shoved and knowingly exposed to grave danger by police Sunday evening in Yerevan. The incident occurred while riding as a passenger in a car on the street Sayat Nova. Persons claiming to be members of the criminal police have arrested the vehicle. They then compelled by force Alec to get out, then left him in the middle of the street, before leaving with the car and its driver, who was kept at the police station. These are passersby who came to the aid of Alec, when he was alone, on foot, in the middle of traffic.

This incident has caused outrage. Alec is Yénikomchian remember the blind. He has also been cut by his left hand and two fingers of the right hand. For the record, this former militant ASALA, probably the closest friend of Monte Melkonian, suffered injuries as a result of the accidental explosion of a bomb he intended for the Turkish consulate in Geneva October 3, 1980.

The fact that the police behave this way with a person who has suffered such a heavy handicap, whatever it is, is unbearable. It is even more so when it comes to one of the best known and most respected figures of the liberation struggle.

Monday morning, the police chief, General Vladimir Kasparian, made a statement to say that an internal investigation would be opened for endangering others and failing to assist a person in danger. The case speaks throughout in some cases intolerable manners of the Armenian police.

Ara Toranian

EaEU accession will reduce Armenia farmers’ concerns with market

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EaEUYEREVAN. – When Armenia enters the Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU), the Armenian farmers’ concerns will reduce with regard to the sale of their products.

Andranik Petrosyan, who heads the Department of Foreign Relations at the Ministry of Agriculture, told the aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

He stressed that the Moscow city hall has provided a considerable assistance to Armenia, as a 1,000 square-meter space was allocated free of charge for the sale of Armenian agricultural products.

“Aside from the space, the Moscow authorities allocated stands at no cost,” Petrosyan added.

In addition, the mayor of Moscow has agreed to extend the functioning of the open market until the end of October.

Furthermore, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had visited the Armenian pavilions and stated that it would be desirable to see more Armenian goods in the Russian market.

“This means only one thing: our [, Armenia’s,] reproduction companies and farmers will have a stable sales market,” Andranik Petrosyan stated.

source: news.am

Over 10,000 Attend Opposition Rally in Yerevan

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920x680YEREVAN (Combines Sources)—More than 10,000 people flocked to Liberty Square Friday to attend a widely publicized anti-government rally organized by three opposition political parties represented in the country’s National Assembly.

Leaders from the Heritage Party, Prosperous Armenia Party and the Armenian National Congress told those in attendance that uniting around the goal of regime change will enable the country to move forward and initiate necessary reforms to combat corruption.

Heritage leader Raffi Hovannisian urged protesters to hold Armenia’s leadership accountable, while former president Levon Ter-Petrosian of the Armenian National Congress urged the people to rally behind the mission of toppling President Serzh Sarkisian and his regime.

Prosperous Armenia Party chairman Gagik Tsarukian was welcomed by loud cheers and applause. He, too, pointed to the need for regime change and widespread reforms to advance Armenia’s priorities and embolden the population to take control of their destiny.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which has been active with the rally organizers on advancing the opposition agenda, did not take part in the rally, which was also critical of the constitutional reforms being advanced by the government. The ARF has stated that it supports the reform package put forth late last spring, while the other opposition forces claim that the reforms are aimed at prolonging the rule of the current regime in Armenia.

Maria Titizian, managing editor of CivilNet, spoke to Al Jazeera saying that aside from the large number of protesters, what made Friday’s rally unusual was that three parties from Armenia’s normally fragmented opposition came together.

“We’ve come to a point where a majority of the population is really dissatisfied with the quality of living and the level of impunity and corruption, and they’re desperate for change,” Titizian told Al Jazeera.

“My concern is that changing the people on the top is not going to bring fundamental change, unless there is fundamental institutional change, impunity is eradicated and there is rule of law in the country. We’ve had several cases of high-level politicians getting away with crimes, just being assigned other portfolios,” she added.

The organizers vowed to continue the rallies and protests, Tsarukian promising the public that he will outline his party’s vision for Armenia at the next gathering.

The Yerevan rally was the culmination of a series of similar protests staged at various regions in Armenia outside Yerevan. A rally in Gumri Wednesday drew an unusually large crowd, signaling that the public’s dismay in the current regime was widespread around the country.

The rally was held on the same day that Armenia signed the membership agreement to join the Eurasian Economic Union. The organizers of the rally did not touch on this controversial move, despite earlier calls for a more balanced economic and political strategy by Armenia.

Turkish company constructing apartment building in Yerevan?

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182943PanARMENIAN.Net – Ozturkler Holding Turkish company is constructing an apartment building in Yerevan.

In a conversation with Sabah daily, the company chair Yusuf Ozturk announced plans to expand construction business in Armenia.

“Though small, the country has major possibilities and we’re the first Turkish company here. Our plan is to establish an apartment management system; construction of 5000 buildings is envisaged for the 1st stage, with a target number of 3000 buildings.”

As a representative of the Ministry of Urban Development told PanARMENIAN.Net the above-mentioned company is not operating in Yerevan. However, the Ministry promised to provide additional information after sending an inquiry to a relevant department at Yerevan Mayor’s Office.

Later, Yerevan Mayor’s Office also denied knowledge of the Turkish company’s activities in Yerevan.

Ozturkler Holding is planning construction of an urban settlement near Saudi Arabian citiy of Mecca. The settlement, to house over 100,000 people, will be located at a distance of 3 km from a sacred mosque Kaaba.

Armenia, Yerevan Rock concert to benefit Yezidis (Video) #helpyezidis

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Save-yazidiA citizens’ initiative, launched by Anna Grigoryan * and young people, helped to organize a rock concert in Yerevan, in the park of the National Assembly in favor of the Yezidis and to draw public attention to the plight dramatic suffered by this community in Iraq.

The event brought together many groups and singers from the cream of the Rock scene of the Republic of Armenia before a large audience.

* Anna Grigoryan graduated from Yerevan State University in Economics. She is involved in humanitarian and worked for the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The Armenia-Diaspora conference will be held in Yerevan from September 19 to 20 in the presence of 700 guests from 60 countries

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From September 19 to 20 will be held in Yerevan Armenia-Diaspora conference the. Yesterday at a press conference Hranouche Hagopian’s Diaspora Minister presented to the Armenia-Diasporapress a few details about the meeting, which will bring together nearly 700 guests from 60 countries. Most of these guests are associative, cultural and educational leaders in the diaspora. Politicians of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh will also be present. The Armenia-Diaspora conference will address many issues such as strengthening the links between Armenia and the Diaspora. Ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will be the focus of discussions and debates during the conference Armenia-Diaspora.

Krikor Amirzayan