“We will develop 90 percent of our relations with Russia and 10 percent with Europe and others,” Tsarukian told the O2 TV channel in rare remarks on Armenian foreign policy. He declined to elaborate.

The tycoon, whose party is widely seen as Kocharian’s new power base, was also asked about the Armenian opposition’s chances of replicating the kind of post-election regime change that took place in Ukraine and in Georgia to Moscow’s dismay. “Our president is very strong and is closely following the pre-election struggle,” he said. “If something happens, he will strictly punish the guilty.”

http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2007/04/E39C3F2B-D348-4229-A3FC-B882E792EEFB.ASP

Not quite trendez, but anyway.

NO OTHER POSTERS IN “PROSPEROUS” CITY

A1 Plus, 16 April, 2007

It is already a week since the official onset of the election campaign. So far the residents of Abovian City have got familiarized with the posters of the Prosperous Armenia Party and the ARF Dashnaktsutyun.

One can come across the posters of PPA on the facades of most buildings. You can hardly see the posters of the remaining 22 parties and 1 alliance running in the NA elections.

The residents of Abovian get information on the other parties on TV or via other available sources.

Alexan Karapetyan, member of the National Unity Party, informed A1+ that since April 9 they have fixed the NUP posters on various buildings of the city but the following morning they found the posters torn off.

In reply to A1+’s question why they didn’t apply to the Town Hall on this score, Mr. Karapetyan said ironically, “Are there authorities in Abovian whom I can apply to?”

To note, the NUP member claims that the party’s posters have found the same fate in Nor Nork and in Avan districts.

We came to learn that the posters of the People’s Party are also being removed.

To note, the United Labour Party, Hanrapetutyun Party, and the Impeachment Alliance intend to place posters throughout the country in four days.

It is noteworthy that none of the above-mentioned parties plans visits to Abovian. They all assured A1+ that they will meet the Abovian voters but none of them clarified the exact date.

“They call on the New Year’s Eve and say that your tuition is paid. There cannot be a better present for a student.” Armine is a student at one of the private institutions of higher education in Yerevan. However, she faces the risk of getting excluded: she cannot afford to pay the tuition. Her mother is dead, her father is seriously ill, and her family can hardly make ends meet. Armine works to support her ill father and younger brother and sister. When she heard that Prosperous Armenia supported students she applied to the youth wing of the party.

“I applied to them in October so that they could pay my tuition. I was told that the deadline for applications was over but they made an exception for me and promised to transfer the money,” tells Armine.

Gaguik Tsarukyan charity foundation supports the education of orphaned children, as well as children from underprivileged families by paying half of their tuition,” says Baghdasar Mheryan, the PR coordinator of Prosperous Armenia party.

He informed that the project had started in September, 2006. […]

“The project is carried out by Gaguik Tsarukyan charity foundation, and not the party. Thus, you needn’t be a Prosperous Armenia member to get support,” says Mheryan.

[…]

Anna (not her real name) does not meet any of the requirements of the project. However, she has received support. “If I had not joined the party, I would not have received the tuition money,” she says. “Once I went there, joined their party, and I was registered as a student from a socially underprivileged family.” As soon as the money was transferred, Anna left the party: she did not want to be a party member.

Narine has also paid her tuition with the party money. She tells that her name has appeared in the list of students to be supported with the help of her friends. “If you don’t have any friends or relatives in the party, you will not succeed. For example, you cannot call my family underprivileged. However, that’s how they recorded in their lists,” she tells.