Month: October 2008

ARMENIA EXPO 2008 INTERNATIONAL EXPO-FORUM STARTED

Panorama.am
19:24 14/10/2008

"Armenia Expo 2008" eights universal regional trade-industrial
international expo-forum started in "Dinamo" sport complex and will
last until October 17.

97 commercial companies and organizations from Armenia, Russia,
Ukraine, Belarus, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Poland, France, China and
Germany are presented in the expo. This year the number of the
participants is added by 7 organizations.

The opening ceremony of the expo has been honored by the Mayor of
Yerevan Ervand Zakharyan, Deputy Minister of Economy Ara Petrosyan,
the Chairman of the Union of Manufactures and Businessmen Arsen
Ghazaryan, the Chairman of the Union of Constructors Gagik Galstyan.

Note that "Armenia Expo" has been organized by LOGOS EXPO Company
by the support of the Ministries of Economy and Foreign Affairs,
Union of Manufactures and Businessmen.

ARMENIAN WOMEN FOOTBALLERS TO MEET WITH RUSSIANS, SWEDES AND SLOVENES

Panorama.am
19:25 14/10/2008

Today the Armenian women football team of 17 years olds has left
for Slovenia to take part in European Competition for the first
qualification. Armenian football team of 17 years olds will meet with
the teams of Russia, Swedes and Slovenes.

According to the press service of Armenian Football Federation Armenian
team will meet with Swedes on October 15, with Russians on October
17 and Slovenes on October 20.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SEMINAR ON HUMAN RIGHTS LEARNING AND TRAINING TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN

armradio.am
14.10.2008 16:36

The International Seminar on Human Rights Learning and Training will
take place in Yerevan on 16 October.

The seminar will bring together 26 students and volunteers from 14 OSCE
countries, including Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Finland, etc. in order
to expand their knowledge about human rights, the ways of ensuring
their protection in the country and discuss the application of the
gained knowledge in their daily life.

The training seminar is implemented by the Voluntary Service of
Armenia, which has an extensive experience in promoting volunteer
movement, cultural exchange and student networking. The OSCE Office
in Yerevan with the financial support of the Italian Embassy supported
the initiative.

The event will be opened by Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, Head of the OSCE
Office in Yerevan, Mr. Gegham Gharibjanyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs, H.E. Massimo Lavezzo Cassinelli, Ambassador of Italy. Among
the trainers are Gevorg Kostanyan, Assistant to the President,
Ms. Tatiana Sargsyan, Human Rights Defender’s Office and other experts.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WORLDVIEW: TURKEY’S RISING ROLE: DIPLOMACY
By Trudy Rubin

Philadelphia Inquirer
Wed, Oct. 15, 2008
PA

Surrounded by conflicts, it has become more active. That could benefit
the U.S.

Inquirer Opinion Columnist

ANKARA, Turkey – Americans who explore the wonders of Istanbul rarely
visit Turkey’s capital, deep in the plains of Anatolia. It is a city of
nondescript high-rises, government offices, and new shopping centers
that reflect Turkey’s growing prosperity.

Ankara is known mainly for two things: a stunning museum that
highlights Turkey’s ancient Anatolian past, and the vast hilltop
mausoleum of Ataturk, Turkey’s founder, whose stern face is visible
on huge banners throughout the city.

But Ankara is becoming known for something else that’s of great
strategic interest to Americans: an active foreign policy that may
help resolve conflicts in critical regions where the United States
has faltered. That includes the troubled Caucasus region, where Russia
just warred with Georgia, and the Middle East.

"If you list the key issues which Turkey and the U.S. pursue, you’d
be amazed by how many parallels there are," Turkey’s president,
Abdullah Gul, told a small group of visiting U.S. journalists and
think-tank experts in an interview in his office this week.

Indeed, almost every foreign crisis on the American agenda is also
a concern for Gul. Turkey sits at the crossroads of Asia and Europe,
bordering not only the European Union, but also Georgia, Iraq, Iran
and Syria. It has been adversely affected by growing Mideast chaos
since the Iraq war.

Turkey also sits at an energy crossroads. Efforts to build new oil
and gas pipelines from Central Asia and the Caucasus – pipelines
that will circumvent Russia and make Europe less dependent on it –
all rely on Turkey. A crucial pipeline from Azerbaijan through Georgia
uses the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

Instability in its environs has prompted Turkey to become more active
in efforts at conflict resolution. "In regional foreign policy, we
had numerous problems with our neighbors," Gul said. "They must be
resolved, or there cannot be peace."

Turkey’s emphasis has been, for the most part, on soft power and
diplomacy. It is the only country with fair to good relations with
every country in neighboring regions: close ties to Israel as well
as to Arab states; good relations with Iran and carefully managed
relations with Russia; and close ties to Georgia.

Two of Turkey’s many mediation efforts could have a positive impact on
key concerns of the United States. First is Turkey’s recent overture
to Armenia. The two nations have deep disagreements over how one
million Armenians were killed in the early 20th century; Armenians
call it genocide, while Turkey insists it was the result of warfare.

In September, Gul became the first Turkish president in history to
visit Armenia. Gul had sent congratulations to Serge Sargsyan upon
his election as Armenia’s president, and Gul in turn was invited
to attend a soccer match between the Turkish and Armenian teams in
Yerevan. Both leaders faced strong domestic opposition to the visit.

"Of course, I didn’t just go to watch soccer," Gul said. "The major
aim was to establish a climate in which we can operate from now on."

The goal is to work toward normalizing relations between Armenia and
Turkey and opening their border. Turkey also may be able to mediate
the poisonous split between Armenia and a third Caucasus country,
Azerbaijan; Armenia now occupies a large chunk of Azeri territory.

Progress on resolving these conflicts could have a positive
spillover for the Russia-Georgia standoff and prospects for new
pipelines. "Solving any [Caucasus] problem would affect us all
positively," Gul said. Turkey’s (and Armenia’s) efforts are a
brave try.

A second example is Turkey’s mediation of peace talks between Syria
and Israel. "We’ve worked hard to bring peace in the region," Gul
said. "Recently, that work became more visible."

At a time when the United States preferred to isolate Syria, Turkey
worked to get Syria and Israel back to the table (and kept Washington
informed of the effort). Four rounds of private talks have taken place;
they are now on hold as Israel forms a new government.

A Syria-Israel peace would end the current alliance between Syria
and Iran and undercut Hezbollah, forcing Tehran to rethink its
policies in the region. Such an outcome could also help resurrect
the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The bottom line: The next U.S. president should encourage Turkey’s
mediation and take a cue from its soft-power efforts. Turkey’s
diplomacy has opened up new possibilities for its American ally.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A. BAGHDASARYAN RECEIVED N. BORDUZHA

Panorama.am
19:26 14/10/2008

The Secretary of the National Security Service Arthur Baghdasaryan
has received the secretary in chief of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization Nikolay Borduzha.

During the meeting a range of questions on the presidency of Armenia
in the frames of the Organization, and the activities of the legal
bodies have been discussed. They have discussed the details of the
session of the secretaries of Security Service in CSTO which should
be conducted in Yerevan.

ARMENIANS FOR OBAMA LEADERS BRIEF SENIOR OBAMA CAMPAIGN ADVISOR ON NATIONWIDE EFFORTS

armradio.am
15.10.2008 10:30

Ramping up Armenians for Obama efforts in battleground states in the
critical last weeks of the presidential campaign season, activists
Nora Keomurjian and Karine Birazian updated Obama Presidential
Campaign Senior advisor Valerie Jarrett about the group’s nationwide
actions. The discussion took place a "Pennsylvania Women for Obama"
event held in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, which brought
together a select group of community women leaders and grassroots
activists from throughout the Keystone State.

Following the function, Birazian and Keomurjian had an opportunity
to speak with Jarrett on the work Armenians for Obama has been
doing throughout the region and stressed to her some of the recent
accomplishments by Armenians for Obama. During their discussion the
two activists provided Jarrett with a copy of The Atlantic magazine
article, "McCain’s Armenia Problem", along with a weekly report put
out by Armenians for Obama on its activities and accomplishments. "It
was truly an honor to meet with Valerie Jarrett. She was able
to connect with her audience on such a personal level and as an
Armenian-American woman I was touched by the deep interest she took in
our community’s efforts to elect Senator Obama our next President,"
said Nora Keomurjian. "She was genuinely impressed with our efforts
and was eager to learn more about Armenians for Obama and its work."

"As Armenian-Americans it is our responsibility to help elect
Senator Obama our next President because of his strong record on
Armenian issues," commented Birazian. "Valerie Jarrett understands
our community’s struggles and she respects the work that we
are doing. Compared to Senator McCain’s record and his campaigns
disingenuous attempts at outreach with our community, the choice for
this November is clear," stated Birazian.

AFRICAN ACTORS WANT MARRY ARMENIAN

Panorama.am
20:12 13/10/2008

It is interesting to know that African actors from "Zarama"
African company who arrived in Armenia to take part in "Hay Fest"
6th international festival liked Armenia and Armenian women that
they decided to find an Armenian girl to marry, Rafayel Tindaba,
the manager of the company told Panorama.am.

The company has been established in 1999 in Abijan by the initiative
of a group of fellows. The goal of the theatre was the protection
of rich heritage of Kod Divur and Africa, which were under threat of
disappearing in the aftermath of the modernizing world.

"Besides there are many children in Africa who live unsafe life. We
decided to involve such children in our groups," said Rafayel amd
added that they pay honorary money to children.

Talking about other problems in Africa, the manager of the company
said that in order to come and participate in the festival they have
asked many organizations to get financial support.

STUDENTS LEAD PEACEKEEPING
By Zain Shauk

Glendale News Press
October 14, 2008 10:09 PM PDT
CA

Toll Middle School eases racial strife by enlisting group to ensure
everyone is getting along.

GLENDALE — Tensions between Armenians and Latinos were rising, and
eighth-grader David Monzon was sure that a "rumble" was on the horizon.

But before the 2007-08 school year was over at Toll Middle School,
the climate changed.

Administrators had strategically selected a group of students who
had exhibited on-campus leadership, good or bad, and asked them to
take on roles as student peace leaders.

"The bottom line is: Kids were bored," Principal Paula Nelson said
of the school, where many students are first exposed to gangs. "They
needed to be told, you’re high achievers and you need to be involved
in positive things."

"And it didn’t take much to make them realize that ‘Yeah, we should,’"
Nelson said.

Toll’s peace leaders meet with teachers to think of solutions for the
campus’ problems with division. They discuss measures for preventing
bullying and controlling impulses of anger, while also meeting with
younger students in a club setting and collaborating to encourage
participation in on-campus activities, like lunchtime basketball
tournaments or after-school drum corps.

The school’s peace leaders were only one part of an ongoing
problem-solving process that even involved structural changes to
prevent an atmosphere of division, Nelson said.

Now, 13-year-old David said, interracial violence at Toll seems
unlikely.

"This year, nothing like that is happening," said David, who is Latino
and one of the school’s peace leaders.

"We talked," David said. "We want peace."

The peace-leader concept, along with other changes, was part of
an effort started in 2007 by then-new Principal Nelson to root out
causes of tension and violence at the school and ultimately change
its climate.

The school worked with its community to create focus groups and a
collaborative effort to delve into what Nelson called a "history
of interracial conflict" and to explore solutions. This year, Toll
also received a five-year $500,000 grant from the state for a School
Community Violence Prevention program that would help implement new
ideas for what had turned out to be a generational problem.

After starting a dialogue with teachers and community members, many of
whom were former students, Nelson discovered a territorial mentality
among former students related to well-known campus locations known
as "corners." Many of the Latino former students, it turned out,
had congregated in their own "corner" as did many of the Armenian
students, dividing the campus and setting a precedent that had been
passed down by siblings.

"I realized that it’s really part of the community consciousness," said
Nelson, adding that former students looked back fondly on some memories
involving racial clashes. "They almost talk about this nostalgically."

The discovery led to physical changes in Toll’s landscape.

Large concrete tables now lie on a covered-cement eating area,
which was previously full of benches and standing room, ripe for
congregating and crowding into corners. Another area, formerly known
as "round table," after the round tables that had been there, has
now been converted into a driveway, without seating.

Yet another source of tension, which had been a table where some
Latino students had isolated themselves, has now been replaced by
vending machines.

"It really made a big difference," David said.

Peace leaders said the idea of unity was a big part of the solution.

"Last year, there was a lot of fights, and this year there are
no fights," said eighth-grader Lesly Gamboa, 13, who is a peace
leader. "And that’s because of the peace leaders."

Nelson admitted that many of the peace leaders had been "on the
fringe of being involved" in gangs and fights and may not have been
traditional choices for leadership roles.

But she said they had been noticed by teachers and administrators as
being leaders and were given positive roles.

Lesly said being a peace leader was an important responsibility.

"You don’t follow the crowd," she said. "They crowd follows you,
and you do good things."

PM TIGRAN SARGSYAN PARTICIPATED IN THE ANNUAL MEETING OF WB AND IMF

armradio.am
15.10.2008 12:09

Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan participated in the annual
meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in
Washington. The event focused on the financial crisis in the world.

According to Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund
Dominique Strauss Kahn, the financial crisis should not lead to the
reduction of the assistance provided to developing countries. This
opinion resulted in discussions and discrepancies among delegations.

Later the delegation headed by the Prime Minister visited the
Armenian Embassy in Washington, where he met with leaders of the
Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Committee –
Political Action Committee (ANC-PAC). Discussed were issues related
to the Armenia-Diaspora issues, Armenian-Turkish relations and the
world financial crisis.

PM Tigran Sargsyan met with representatives of the American Armenian
community.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA, GEORGIA TO BOOST ECONOMIC TIES AFTER SOUTH OSSETIA WAR
By Emil Danielyan

Eurasia Daily Monitor
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
DC

Armenia and Georgia have pledged to strengthen their commercial and
other links in hopes of overcoming the negative economic consequences
facing both South Caucasus states after the recent Russian-Georgian
war. Tbilisi has also officially expressed its overall satisfaction
with Yerevan’s neutrality in the conflict.

Armenia, heavily dependent on Georgian territory for its import and
export operations, has been anxious not to upset its most important
neighbor and number one military ally, Russia. Its leaders remained
conspicuously silent during the week-long heavy fighting in and around
South Ossetia. It was not until August 14 that Armenian President
Serzh Sarkisian called a meeting of his National Security Council to
express his personal concern about the crisis and praise international
efforts to resolve it.

Sarkisian has since repeatedly chided Georgia for its ill-fated August
8 attempt to retake South Ossetia. He reiterated the thinly veiled
criticism during a September 30 visit to Tbilisi. "I believe that it is
impossible to resolve existing problems through military intervention,"
he said at a joint news conference with Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili (Regnum news agency, October 1). At the same time,
the Armenian leadership has refused to recognize South Ossetia and
Abkhazia as independent states, despite apparent pressure from Russia.

After their talks Saakashvili publicly thanked Sarkisian for
"expressing support for Georgia’s territorial integrity" and gave
his Armenian counterpart an Order of Honor, a top Georgian state
award. He stressed the importance of Georgian-Armenian economic ties
and said that border crossing procedures for Armenians and Georgians
traveling to each other’s country would soon be simplified. "We must
review our relationship and do everything to improve it again. I am
sure that we will really be useful to each other," Sarkisian said
(Caucasus Press, September 30).

More importantly, the two presidents announced the impending
establishment of a Georgian-Armenian consortium that would seek to
attract foreign funding for a new highway in southern Georgia that
would significantly shorten travel from Armenia to the Georgian Black
Sea coast. Armenian Transport and Communications Minister Gurgen
Sarkisian gave details of the project at a subsequent news conference
in Yerevan, saying that the planned road could be built within two
years. He said it would pass through Georgia’s Armenian-populated
Javakheti region and go all the way west to the Black Sea port city of
Batumi. He added that the new route would cut the distance between the
Georgian-Armenian frontier and Batumi by at least one third (Arminfo,
October 4).

Armenia’s transport connections with Batumi as well as the other major
Georgian port, Poti, have long used Georgia’s main east-west highway
passing through Gori, a strategic town near South Ossetia that was
bombarded and seized by Russian forces during the war. Traffic along
that highway was disrupted as a result, seriously complicating vital
cargo supplies to eastern Georgia and Armenia.

The planned road will be hundreds of miles away from South Ossetia
and Abkhazia and therefore, in the event of renewed fighting, beyond
the striking distance of Russian ground troops stationed in the two
breakaway regions. According to Minister Sarkisian, the Manila-based
Asian Development Bank has already expressed interest in financing
the transport project; but neither the transport minister nor other
Armenian officials have elaborated on the likely cost.

The Yerevan government’s strong interest in the project suggests that
it continues to regard Georgia as landlocked Armenia’s most reliable
conduit to the outside world, even after the Russian-Georgian war and
despite its dramatic rapprochement with Turkey. The Turks keep making
the opening of the border with Armenia contingent on a resolution
of the Karabakh conflict, which may still be a long way off despite
major progress in Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks.

Interestingly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomed the
latest Armenian-Georgian agreements when he visited Yerevan on October
3. "I hope that these agreements will prevent a repetition of the
situation during the Caucasian crisis that resulted in artificial
obstacles on Georgian territory to the traffic of goods to Armenia,"
Lavrov told journalists (a Jamestown representative was present,
October 3). "I think these agreements will contribute to the economic
development of our ally [Armenia]," he said

The Armenian government estimates the total damage inflicted on
Armenia’s economy by the war at $670 million. That includes the cost
of delays in shipments of fuel, basic foodstuffs, and other goods
through Poti and Batumi. The two ports together handle at least 70
percent of Armenia’s external trade. Armenian officials say the damage
also takes account of a resulting shortfall in import duties and other
taxes as well as projects cancelled by foreign investors frightened
away by the war. In an October 7 interview with the Azerbaijani online
news service , Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian said that
the losses would have been even greater had Armenia not maintained
"constructive relations" with Georgia.

The economic fallout from the Georgian crisis was reportedly high on
the agenda of the Armenian premier’s talks late last week in Washington
with Vice President Dick Cheney and other senior U.S. officials
(Armenian Public Television, October 11). It was not, however,
immediately clear what concrete U.S. assistance Yerevan seeks in
coping with the problem.

Incidentally, Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze was also in
Washington to hold talks with U.S. officials and attend the annual
meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The
Georgian media, citing reports from the Georgian government press
office, said that Gurgenidze would meet his Armenian counterpart there.