Exposing ArmeniaNow, biased Western-backed political anti-Armenian media outlets.

[Mos]

Re: Exposing ArmeniaNow, biased Western-backed political anti-Armenian media outlets.

A new example of the biased anti-Armenian Western funded propaganda machine called ArmeniaNow. In their latest article, they commented on the free trade zone agreement between CIS countries. To give this a negative twist, the title itself is anti-Russian, as for the small republics the potential benefits could be even more than for the Russian Federation, as they can access to a huge market. This, ArmeniaNow blatantly ignores.

As a media, they supposed to be unbiased, but they can't even hide their propaganda means, as they write that Armenia should question if they want a revival of the Soviet Union. It's a freaking free trade agreement, which is not even comparable to the Soviet-Union (which was a republic where ethnic Russian have suffered a lot). Then they say that "some observers" which they do not quote, because those observers are they themselves, have mentioned that this will block Armenia's integration process and will again (why again!!?!!?) lead to a deprivement of Western investments. Actually, the whole article is an anti-Russian propaganda message, it's too obvious. They have made their point. Day by day they influence unknowing Armenians by their Western funded anti-Russian propaganda.

And meanwhile, the EU made the following statement;



Which basically means such a document is totally normal and does not have consequences for Armenia (which is obvious), but ArmeniaNow already did it's job, they made a fiercly anti-Russian article and will obviously ignore the statement made by EU officials as this does not suits it's own story.

They exaggerate by saying that the customs union is the rebuilding of the Soviet Union. It's just an economic free space between countries that have common ties. If the issue was Armenia joining the Eurasian Union, and the union being like the EU, then that would be another question that could regard sovereignty. Honestly, I am all for such customs union with Russia as it makes trade easier, though I am more hesitant to accept Armenia's membership into any union that would limit Armenia's sovereignty. Everybody should know of course that we are poised to have warm economic and political relations with both Russia and EU, and both EU and Russia recognise this. Though strategic of course is with Russia.

[Tigranakert]

Re: Exposing ArmeniaNow, biased Western-backed political anti-Armenian media outlets.

X Zone: New Russian initiative absorbs ex-Soviet countries in trade zone

While Western countries only state about their intention to integrate post-Soviet states, including Armenia, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin seems to have redoubled his efforts to collect former allies by forcing a majority of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries to sign an agreement on the establishment of a free trade zone – a document that has just as much geopolitical as economic significance.

Eight of the 11 members of the CIS, a loose group of former Soviet nations formed as a forum for interaction after the demise of the Soviet Union, signed the agreement in St. Petersburg late on October 18. Those were Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Moldova and Tajikistan. Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have asked for time until the end of the year to consider signing the document. The agreement contains clauses that restrict free, duty-free trade in certain types of goods, in particular limitations concern energy and metal exports.

Efforts to sign such an agreement had been futile for 17 years and the fact that it was “suddenly” signed suggest that “incentives or coercion” have been applied. Ever since the announcement, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and his government have been under pressure to answer questions on how an agreement like that could be signed without prior public discussions, without any hearings, without any consideration of all pros and cons. Perhaps, he will still be pressed for answers to these questions in front of the Armenian parliament.

Before that, however, he has already praised the agreement as a document of historic significance that creates exclusive opportunities for Armenia’s economy and businesses.

Ahead of the signing ceremony, Russian Prime Minister Putin himself said that his counterparts had achieved “a result surprising even for themselves”. The day before that, a source in the Russian government said that an agreement would be put for signing by the presidents at a CIS summit planned to be held in Moscow in December.

Meanwhile, the Armenian parliament will have to answer whether Armenia wants the revival of the Soviet Union. The accelerated pace with which Putin is approaching interaction with former Soviet countries at once brings in mind the ambitious task that Putin himself recently stated in his article in the Izvestia newspaper -- the establishment of a Eurasian Union that in the West is already considered to be an attempt at recreating the Soviet Union.

Some observers say that a major document that determines the vector of Armenia’s development and blocks the road to integration processes in other directions has been signed. Concerns linger as to whether this agreement will again deprive Armenia of Western investments, in particular, France’s construction of a new nuclear power plant and foreign investment in the North-South railroad -- investment that could change the local business environment and cause the leadership to reform the social and economic structure of Armenia. Armenia might also lose the chance to integrate into the international community and remain a “satellite” in the pro-Russian space for decades to come

A new example of the biased anti-Armenian Western funded propaganda machine called ArmeniaNow. In their latest article, they commented on the free trade zone agreement between CIS countries. To give this a negative twist, the title itself is anti-Russian, as for the small republics the potential benefits could be even more than for the Russian Federation, as they can access to a huge market. This, ArmeniaNow blatantly ignores.

As a media, they supposed to be unbiased, but they can't even hide their propaganda means, as they write that Armenia should question if they want a revival of the Soviet Union. It's a freaking free trade agreement, which is not even comparable to the Soviet-Union (which was a republic where ethnic Russian have suffered a lot). Then they say that "some observers" which they do not quote, because those observers are they themselves, have mentioned that this will block Armenia's integration process and will again (why again!!?!!?) lead to a deprivement of Western investments. Actually, the whole article is an anti-Russian propaganda message, it's too obvious. They have made their point. Day by day they influence unknowing Armenians by their Western funded anti-Russian propaganda.

And meanwhile, the EU made the following statement;

EU Not Worried About Armenia’s CIS Free Trade Deal

Armenia’s decision to join a free trade zone comprising Russia and other former Soviet republics will not hamper the signing of a similar but more far-reaching deal with the European Union, a senior EU official said on Wednesday.

Gunnar Wiegand also announced that the Armenian government has pledged to address by the end of this year EU concerns preventing the official launch of negotiations on the creation of a “deep and comprehensive free trade area,” or DCFTA, between Armenia and the bloc.

The DCFTA is a key element of an “association agreement” offered to Yerevan as part of the EU’s Eastern Partnership program covering six ex-Soviet states. It envisages not only mutual lifting of customs duties but also harmonization of Armenia’s economic laws and regulations with those existing in the EU.

Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian signed the free trade deal with his counterparts from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Tajikistan after their talks in Saint Petersburg last Friday. Sarkisian described it as “historic” on his return to Yerevan.

Wiegand, who leads an EU team holding association talks with Armenia, insisted that the deal initiated by Russia will not be an obstacle to the planned DCFTA.

“I can confirm that from our perspective there is no problem or incompatibility between negotiating a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement and being in association with the European Union on the one side and having free trade agreements with other countries on the other side,” he said after completing a seventh round of Eastern Partnership negotiations with Armenian officials in Yerevan.

“We knew for a long time what will happen in Saint Petersburg because this is a rationalization of a web of bilateral free trade agreements which already existed in the [Commonwealth of Independent States,]” added the official coordinating Eastern Partnership-related actions at the EU’s executive body, the European Commission.

Echoing statements by Armenian officials, Wiegand also argued that the Saint Petersburg agreement does not run counter to Armenia’s membership obligations to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Despite reporting major progress in the more than yearlong negotiations on the association agreement with Armenia, the EU has still not set a date for the start of separate DCFTA talks. The European Commission wants Yerevan to abolish first the discretionary authority of the Armenian customs service to ignore payment invoices submitted by importers and determine the market value of imported good in accordance with its own “control pricelists.”

Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) late last month, a senior Commission official in Brussels said that taxation authority is “arbitrary” and runs counter to WTO rules.

The valuation mechanism, in place since the 1990s, is supposed to complicate fraud in the payment of customs duties and value-added tax at the border. However, Armenian businesspeople regularly dealing with the customs consider it a breeding ground for corruption. Some of them say, though, that customs officers now tend to accept invoices issued in EU member states.

The European Commission is also demanding changes in the collection of excise duties from domestic and imported alcohol. It says the existing tax rates and procedures discriminate against importers of alcoholic beverages.

Wiegand discussed the matter at a separate meeting with Prime Minister Sarkisian and Economy Minister Tigran Davtian earlier on Wednesday. He said he received “every possible assurance” that the Armenian government will enact changes sought by the EU by the end of this year.

Wiegand said this would pave the way for the official start of Armenia-EU free trade talks. “Of course we have to see it happen before this positive assessment [by the European Commission] will be done,” he cautioned at a joint news conference with Deputy Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian, the chief Armenian negotiator.

“Our objective is to make every effort to accelerate this process,” Mnatsakanian said in reference to the DCFTA.

Both men reported major progress in their discussions on other areas of the future association agreement. They said they raised to 19 the number of negotiating “chapters” agreed upon by the two sides to date.

“I am very pleased that we were able today to advance much further in our negotiations on giving EU-Armenia relations a much deeper and much more ambitious framework,” said Wiegand.

Which basically means such a document is totally normal and does not have consequences for Armenia (which is obvious), but ArmeniaNow already did it's job, they made a fiercly anti-Russian article and will obviously ignore the statement made by EU officials as this does not suits it's own story.

[Tigranakert]

Re: Exposing ArmeniaNow, biased Western-backed political anti-Armenian media outlets.

Where are all those "Western" agencies now? Where is the US now? In England, the police brutality beats protesters and even kills them. These people dare to talk about "democracy", "human rights"? Even though the protesters in Armenia during the riots were throwing with grenades and shooting with guns!!!, they are all over Armenia, critiziing the way the Armenian police handled (ofcourse, because their puppet Levon Ter Petrosyan did not win).

The Westerns politics is composed of bunch of genocidal, bloodthirsty hypocrites. They do not care about democracy or human rights. They misuse these concepts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HECMVdl-9SQ (this person died!)

In the past the genocidal Western imperialists used "Christianity" to conquer the world, manipulate people and steal from others, now it is notion of "democracy" they are misusing for this purpose. It's basically the same xxxx, but in a different package.

[Tigranakert]

Re: Exposing ArmeniaNow, biased Western-backed political anti-Armenian media outlets.

Could have expected this article, they are so predictable.

ArmeniaNow, Washington sponsored political biased "news" agency

Pressing the Press: Experts voice concern over declining free speech standards in Armenia

Ashot Melikyan (left), Edik Baghdasaryan talked about press freedom issues
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

Reporters Without Borders: Armenian newspapers are target for libel actions

The World Press Freedom Day (May 3) served as an occasion for Armenian experts and chief editors to assess numerous issues Armenia is facing in that sphere. As Ashot Melikyan, Chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Freedom of Speech, says the committee’s study of 2010 revealed that media in Armenia are “in a dangerous transition zone from semi-free to not free”.

In their reports on press freedom, international organizations place Armenia among the “not free” courtiers. Namely, Freedom House, an international human rights watchdog, in its report made public this week placed Armenia 146th on the list of 196 countries.

“There has been a regrettable tendency of regression over the past few years (during Levon, dozens of people were tortured, jailed and political parties even banned, not even speaking about journalists, today demonstrations are common site in Armenia, and Armenia has never been so "democratic" as before, but ofcourse, they will not mention this, heck, these bastards even support Levon!). The situation is truly alarming, when outstanding representatives of political circles take active steps against mass media, especially print media proving, in fact, that the role of media is not really appreciated; they are not tolerant enough of criticism and would actually like media to be fully controllable,” said Melikyan during his meting with reporters, referring to lawsuits over the past year against some newspapers with considerable amount of financial compensations they were obliged to pay after acts of defamation and insult were decriminalized.

(As many as 12 lawsuits have been filed against print and online media within the first quarter of this year over alleged libel and insult.)

Editor-in-chief of the Hetq online daily Edik Baghdasaryan said in response to the Ombudsman’s Council of Information Disputes founded recently that he objects to the Ombudsman defending the reporters’ rights.

“We have to defend our rights on our own,” said Baghdasaryan.
According to him, the fact that state structures deny access to information is a bigger issue.

“It is practically impossible to get information from state bodies. When definite questions are asked, answers to those are never received, especially when related to corrupt deals, property of certain people, etc. To me the top issue in Armenia is that state structures are closed systems,” says Baghdasaryan.

[Mos]

Re: Exposing ArmeniaNow, biased Western-backed political anti-Armenian media outlets.

Indeed Mos, unfortunately many Armenians do not realize this. It is our duty to inform them and show them the "light". We don't need those hypocrites, everything we want to achieve, we should do it ourselves and only rely on ourselves!

We saw how the West let Georgia to rot during the war with Russia. We don't need strategic alliances with the west, no way. We should maintain friendly ties, but not become pawns to them, and we should in the end do what benefits us, not be controlled by US military/defence desires.

[Tigranakert]

Re: Exposing ArmeniaNow, biased Western-backed political anti-Armenian media outlets.

Indeed Mos, unfortunately many Armenians do not realize this. It is our duty to inform them and show them the "light". We don't need those hypocrites, everything we want to achieve, we should do it ourselves and only rely on ourselves!

[Mos]

Re: Exposing ArmeniaNow, biased Western-backed political anti-Armenian media outlets.

why do u guys think those statistics are all over the internet for the countries. they are purposely bull$hited to make revolutions easier

They want Armenia to bow down to Turkey and Azerbaijan so that their precious energy projects will be easier to construct over the region. That's why they want Levon, who was ready to sell Karabakh (and probably Armenia as well given the right amount of time).

[haysip]

Re: Exposing ArmeniaNow, biased Western-backed political anti-Armenian media outlets.

why do u guys think those statistics are all over the internet for the countries. they are purposely bull$hited to make revolutions easier

[Mos]

Re: Exposing ArmeniaNow, biased Western-backed political anti-Armenian media outlets.

Tigranakert, the reason we are not "democratic" is because we have good relations with Iran. That is why the US is punishing us while they stay silent to Georgia and dictatorship Azerbajian where 5 year olds are arrested. They are hypocritical bastards - democracy is just another term for being a vassal to America.

[Tigranakert]

Re: Exposing ArmeniaNow, biased Western-backed political anti-Armenian media outlets.

What a f*cking joke. Levon Ter Petrosyan and others have something to xxxxx about again, besides saying we should give back territories in Artsakh. Do we need biased Western officials to teach us what is justice, what is freedom, what are morals? Rating Turkey "partly free" and Armenia "unfree", haha, what a joke.

It's not that I am against freedom or that I am "pro-corruption", I just hate it when some corrupt, biased, blood thirsty genocidal Western officials try to tell other nations whether they are free or democratic enough, while at the same time they are not.

Stupid f*ckers.

Background information:
Freedom House is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights.

What a surprise...

Armenia again rated “Not Free”
08:07 PM | MAY 02, 2011 | POLITICS

Armenia is portrayed in dark colours on the map of the Washington-based Freedom House organization.

On May 2, 2011, Freedom House issued its annual report "Freedom of the Press 2011" where Armenia ranks among the 63 countries which are rated "Not Free."

Of the 196 countries and territories assessed during 2010, a total of 68 (35 percent) were rated Free, 65 (33 percent) were rated Partly Free, and 63 (32 percent) were rated Not Free. The report also noted several key trends driving the ongoing threats to media freedom.

Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia remain countries of concern, which fall into the group of "Not Free" countries while Georgia and Turkey were rated as "Partly Free."

In the past the genocidal Western imperialists used "Christianity" to conquer the world, manipulate people and steal from others, now it is notion of "democracy" they are misusing for this purpose. It's basically the same xxxx, but in a different package.