Month: November 2016

More than 93 percent of the Congressional candidates backed by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) prevailed in Tuesday’s hard-fought elections, as U.S. voters elected Donald Trump President and maintained Republican majorities in the Senate and House.

“We congratulate Donald Trump on his victory, commend Secretary Clinton on a hard-fought campaign, and thank Armenian American voters who went to the polls in record numbers to back federal, state, and local candidates who champion issues of special concern to our community,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.  “We look forward to getting to work right away in engaging with the Trump Administration and the incoming Congress to make progress on the full range of the Armenian American community’s public policy priorities.”

“We were greatly gratified to see such a large percentage of our Congressional endorsees win their races, including powerful advocates such as Maryland Senator Elect Chris Van Hollen, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, Representatives Adam Schiff, Frank Pallone, David Valadao, Jackie Speier, and many others.”

On the Senate side, 7 out of 11 ANCA endorsed candidates emerged victorious, including Senior New York Senator Charles Schumer, a long-time advocate of Armenian Genocide justice, who is slated to replace the retiring Harry Reid (D-NV) as Senate Democratic Leader.  Also re-elected were Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), a strong supporter of demining efforts in Nagorno Karabakh and Foreign Affairs Committee member Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ), who were instrumental in Committee passage of Armenian Genocide legislation in 2014.  Also winning re-election were Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Michael Bennett (D-CO).  Long-time Armenian American issues advocate, Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D), will succeed retiring Senator Barbara Mikulski.  Illinois Senator Mark Kirk (R), a champion on U.S. assistance to Artsakh and Armenia and a lead sponsor of Armenian Genocide legislation lost a hard-fought re-election bid to challenger Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D).  Other ANCA endorsed Senate candidates who were unsuccessful in their Senate election bids were Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV) and former Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI).

On the House side, the ANCA endorsed 122 candidates, of which only 5 were reported to have lost their election bids. Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jackie Speier (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA) won their elections comfortably, while Illinois Congressman Robert Dold (R) lost re-election in a tightly contested race. Armenian Caucus Vice-Chairs Adam Schiff (D-CA) and David Trott (R-MI) won re-election handily.

The two Armenian American Members of Congress – California Democrats Anna Eshoo and Jackie Speier – each won broad support of the electorate, but Republican Danny Tarkanian, who sought election in Nevada’s third Congressional district fell short by 1%.

Among the key House races that the ANCA was following throughout the evening included House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), House Appropriations Committee Ranking Democrat Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Armed Services Committee Ranking Democrat Adam Smith (D-WA), all of whom emerged victorious. Other important House races included House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), lead authors of the Royce-Engel Karabakh peace initiative, and Committee members Chris Smith (R-NJ), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Karen Bass (D-CA), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Grace Meng (D-NY) and Daniel Donovan (R-NY) – all of whom won re-election.

Among the House races in which ANCA endorsed candidates were not successful were those involving New Jersey Republican Scott Garrett, Nevada Republican Cresent Hardy, and Florida Republican John Mica.

Unprecedented Armenian American Community and Campaign Outreach:

In over 30 states and hundreds of Congressional Districts across the United States in which the ANCA endorsed candidates ran, the ANCA sent hundreds of thousands of customized e-mail messages and shared specialized social media posts with Armenian American voters. These messages featured the ANCA grade for each candidate, news about whether the ANCA has endorsed their campaign, and a listing of ANCA records and ratings for their state’s full Congressional delegation.

The ANCA’s final push built upon months of voter registration campaigns and community education and empowerment programs – led with the remarkably successful ANCA Western Region Hye Votes campaign. ANCA regional and local activists volunteered on campaigns and encouraged candidates to fill out the ANCA Candidate Questionnaire.

A key element of this effort, as in years past, has been ANCA Congressional Report Cards, a detailed review and rating of the records of each Congressional incumbent on more than a dozen individual legislative initiatives of special concern to Armenian American voters.

Asbarez – Professor Taner Akçam of Clark University will give a lecture entitled “The Memoir of Naim Bey and Talat Pasha Telegrams: Are They ‘Armenian Forgeries’?” on Sunday, November 20, 2016, at 4pm, at the Ararat-Eskijian Museum, Sheen Chapel, 15105 Mission Hills Road, Mission Hills, California. The program is sponsored by the Ararat-Eskijian Museum, the Armenian Bar Association, the Organization of Istanbul Armenians, and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR).

In 1920-21, author and editor Aram Andonian published a book known in English as The Memoirs of Naim Bey and in Armenian as Medz Vojirě (The Great Crime). It contained the writings of an Ottoman official and telegrams from Talat Pasha containing orders for the killing of Armenians.

In 1983, Turkish authors Sinasi Orel and Sureyya Yuca published a book to establish that the memoir was fake and the telegrams were forgeries. The argument had three main pillars: 1) there was no such person as Naim Bey; 2) there is no actual memoir, since a non-existing person cannot write a memoir; and 3) the so-called Talat Pasha telegrams, like the alleged memoir, were invented by Andonian.

Although noted researcher Father Krikor Guerguerian (Kriger) in 1965 published a detailed examination of Andonian’s published and unpublished materials and Vahakn N. Dadrian in 1986 published a lengthy response to Orel and Yuca, in general the scholarly world ceased using the memoir and telegrams as trustworthy sources. Until now, the claims against Andonian have remained unanswered and became the cornerstone of denialism.

Akçam risked venturing into this highly disputed territory and pursued the matter to its necessary conclusion, seeking out the archival sources and documents needed for a proper scholarly assessment.  The first results of his research will be presented in this lecture and in a book to be published in Turkish later this fall.  The question must be asked: Is it time to remove one of the last bricks in the denialist wall and watch the façade crumble?

Akçam is the author of From Empire To Republic: Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide, A Shameful Act: the Armenian Genocide and Turkish Responsibility, and The Young Turks’ Crime Against Humanity: The Armenian Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in the Ottoman Empire, as well as other works in the English and Turkish Languages. Since 2008, he has been the Robert Aram and Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian Mugar Professor of Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University in Worcester, MA.

In addition to a broad range of infrastructure projects, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund implements several social-assistance programs in Armenia and Artsakh. One such initiative is the Gyumri Housing Project, as a result of which 26 homeless families in Gyumri now live in apartments in the city’s Mush and Ani neighborhoods.

The apartments are fully renovated and furnished, and feature a full complement of modern amenities and comforts, including appliances. The Gyumri Housing Project was launched by Armenia Fund US Western Region in 2014, through a special Telethon held in collaboration with ARTN Shant TV of Los Angeles.

The apartments were purchased, renovated, and furnished with proceeds from the 2014 and 2015 special Telethons. The grassroots support raised by these Telethons has been complemented by major contributions from individual benefactors including Antranig Baghdassarian, Vahe Karapetian, Haro and Diana Jordan, Haig Keledjian, Zakar Chaghatzbanian, Dr. Harout Mesrobian, Doctors Vrage and Svetlana Minassian, and Samvel Balasanyan.

The joint Armenia Fund US Western Region-ARTN Shant TV Telethons have made it possible to provide apartments to 22 homeless families. They include the families of Karen Khachatryan, Hovhannes Badoyan, Arsen Khachatryan, Davit Hovsepyan, Shoghik Shaboyan, Yeranuhi Safaryan, Shoghik Antonyan, Goharik Gomktsyan, Natalya Struk, Anna Melkonyan, Arusyak Barseghyan, Roza Erzrumyan, Tereza Bedishova, Anahit Martirosyan, Rima Petrosyan, Aida Stepanyan, Liana Muradyan, Stella Mkrtchyan, Zhenya Grigoryan, Fenya Sahakyan, Ruzanna Yeghoyan, and Nelly Chakhchyan. Soon one more family will be presented with an apartment.

The next special Telethon is slated for 2017. Additionally, ever since 2014, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s German affiliate has been allocating its local proceeds from the annual Pan-European Phoneathon to the Gyumri Housing Project. To date, donations from the German-Armenian community have enabled the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund to provide apartments to four Gyumri families: those of Artur Galstyan, Anahit Sukiasyan, Anna Sargsyan, and Ruzanna Yeghogyan.

Hayastan All Armenian Fund is a non-profit organization established in 1992 with the aim of facilitating humanitarian assistance and infrastructure development in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The Fund has 22 affiliates worldwide. – 2 – Ara Vardanyan, the executive director of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, said that in selecting beneficiaries of the Gyumri Housing Project, priority is given to young, destitute families with multiple children.

Photo: Getty Images

 

Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of several US cities to protest against the election of Donald Trump, the reports.

Many shouted the slogan “Not my president”. Others burned orange-haired effigies of the businessman.

Mr Trump will become the 45th US president after securing a surprise victory over Hillary Clinton.

He is due to meet current White House incumbent Barack Obama for talks aimed at ensuring a smooth transition.

Mr Obama – who had branded Mr Trump “unfit” for office and campaigned against him – urged all Americans to accept the result of Tuesday’s election.

“We are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country,” he said.

Defeated Mrs Clinton also told supporters Mr Trump had to be given a “chance to lead”.

Despite their calls, protesters gathered in several cities across the country.

• In New York, thousands marched on Trump Tower, attacking Mr Trump’s policies on immigration, gay rights and reproductive rights. Fifteen people were arrested, the New York Times reported.
• Protests were largely peaceful but in Oakland, California, some demonstrators smashed shop windows and threw missiles at riot police, who reportedly responded with tear gas
• A mass anti-Trump rally shut down a key freeway in Los Angeles
• In Chicago, crowds blocked the entrance to Trump Tower, chanting: “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascists USA”
• In Portland, Oregon, demonstrators temporarily closed an interstate highway

Demonstrations also took place in Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle and San Francisco, among other cities.

More than 700,000 Armenians have access to an improved social safety net thanks to the USAID-funded Pension Reform Implementation Program (PRIP), which marked the completion of its activities on November 9. The four-year program worked with the Government of Armenia and local partners to make the country’s social protection system more efficient, transparent, and financially stable.

The improvements brought by the program support Armenia’s broader strategy to reduce poverty, strengthen social services institutions, and empower its citizens to exercise their social protection rights and responsibilities.

During the event marking the completion of the project, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Artem Asatryan, USAID Armenia Mission Director Deborah Grieser, and John Thissen, Project Management Unit Director at Chemonics International (the partner that implemented the program), spoke of the project’s success.

In her welcome remarks, Director Grieser noted that the partnership between USAID and the Government of Armenia on this effort was geared towards tangible results and improvements in the sector. Thanks to this partnership, the government was able to increase pension benefits by 15% in 2014 and an additional 15% in 2015, with no additional cost to the budget.

“The introduction of modern technologies and the digitalization of the Ministry of Labor’s paper-based personal records have significantly improved record management and the transparency of Armenia’s social protection system, resulting in savings of many millions of drams for the state budget,” she said. “In addition, this modern system helps limit the opportunities for fraud and corruption.”

Over the past three and half years, USAID has used the reform effort to help the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs integrate several databases into a single electronic platform, ePension, which makes social sector data more accurate and decreases the chances for corruption.  Through ePension, the possibilities for duplicate registrations and multiple payments to the same beneficiary from different social service offices have been removed.  Furthermore, the ePension system is now accessible in all of the integrated social services centers throughout Armenia.  As a result, citizens with ID cards can now conveniently receive services and social payments in more locations, without having to visit several government offices and present numerous documents.

Also through the project, the Ministry developed a centralized payment system for child care benefits, so families no longer face demands for bribes in order to receive child benefits.  The Government of Armenia has also digitized and archived paper-based personal records to secure electronic files against any unauthorized data alterations or transfers.

In an innovative approach to social reform, the program also helped the Ministry work with civil society organizations to ensure that beneficiaries of the social services system receive payments and services in an efficient manner.  In fact, following the project’s implementation, a survey of about 500,000 pension beneficiaries found that 99% received timely payments and improved social services.

Another of the program’s accomplishments is the creation of the 114 hotline, which the Ministry developed with support from USAID and the World Bank.  The hotline initially addressed only pension-related questions but has since grown to accommodate a large volume of calls regarding all types of social issues, including disability allowances and family benefits.  A nationwide survey has revealed that Armenian families are highly satisfied with the 114 hotline.

Building on these successes, USAID will continue to work with the Government of Armenia on social sector reforms, including reforms that will help ensure social inclusion, improved welfare and better protection for children and other vulnerable groups.

“We applaud Armenia’s consistent progress in implementing social protection reforms and encourage the Government of Armenia to continue improving the transparency and accountability of the system to see even more results in the social protection area,” Director Grieser said.

On a visit to the United Arab Emirates, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting with the heads of a number of investment and development companies.

The interlocutors hailed the warm friendly relations between Armenia and the Arab world, especially the United Arab Emirates. They noted, however, that the economic ties do not correspond to the high-level political dialogue.

The heads of investment and development companies noted that the Armenian President’s visit to UAE and the meetings with the leadership of the country are a testament to the willingness of the parties to intensify the relations in the trade and economic sphere.

They assured of their interest in investment programs in Armenia and pledged their willingness to discuss Armenia’s proposals on cooperation in different spheres, to visit the country and study the environment on the ground.

President Sargsyan informed the participants of the meeting that the Armenian side has prepared strategic investment packages, which he keeps in the spotlight. The President said UAE investments in different spheres of the Armenian economy are welcome, and added that large investors will be offered privileges conditions.

 

 

 

There is no room for concern connected with Donald Trump’s election as US President, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told reporters today. He added, however, that there is always room for work.

“We deal with a well-established system with a stable expert field, with stable, well-developed programs,” Shavarsh Kocharyan said. He added, however, that “we have to wait to see what king of foreign policy the new head of the White House will adopt.”

Trump once said in an interview a few years ago he’s not aware of the Karabakh conflict. Shavarsh Kocharyan says it’s not a cause for concern.

“As I said the US has a very stable system with its institutional memory, its experts and structures. Therefore, it’s not a problem. It’s not a must for a candidate to have a full comprehension of the developments at every corner of the world. Naturally, he will have the complete information, when he has to deal with concrete issues,” the Deputy Foreign Minister noted.

Speaking about the large-scale military exercises planned in Azerbaijan, Shavarsh Kocharyan said “Baku, actually, keeps torpedoing the agreements reached at Vienna and St. Petersburg summits.”

Besides, he said, it’s a violation of the provisions of the Vienna Document [on Confidence and Security Building Measures], under which the states have to give notification in writing to all OSCE participating states 42 days or more in advance of the start of military activities, if the activity involves at least 9,000 troops.

Asked about the possible aggravation of the situation at the line of contact, Mr. Kocharyan said “We have to be always ready for any step on the part of the rival.” “It’s an axiom for all of us, especially after the April events,” he added.

The intention to rename the name of Nagorno-Karabakh will not affect Russia’s position on the settlement to the conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told APA.

Zakharova also touched upon the OSCE Ministerial Council in Hamburg on December 8-9, whether the Karabakh issue is expected to be discussed.

“The Nagorno-Karabakh settlement will be discussed at the Vienna meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on November 10, and also at a meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group. We believe that this work will continue at the Hamburg meeting of OSCE foreign ministers,” the Spokeswoman said.

Nikolay Ryzhkov, Co-Chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission on Cooperation between the Armenian National Assembly and the Russian Federal Assembly, and members of the Commission visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial today, accompanied by Hermine Naghdalyan, Co-Chair of the Commission, MPs Volodya Badalyan and Levon Martirosyan.

The guests laid flowers at the Eternal Fire and paid tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims with a minute of silence.

Noting that he has been familiar with the tragedy that befell the Armenian in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, Nikolay Ryzhkov said: “Centuries will pass, but the Armenian Genocide will not be forgotten. Four generations have changed in Turkey, but they keep denying the Armenian Genocide. It’s necessary to take steps towards reconciliation of the two peoples.”

“Unfortunately, the tragic events that befell the Armenians 100 years ago continue in Syria and other places today. Their prevention is the sacred mission for you and us,” Ryzhkov said.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $90.5 million in a loan and a technical assistance grant to improve infrastructure operation and sustainability in Armenia through reforms in the road, water, and power sectors.

“Aging public infrastructure, limited fiscal resources and the lack of adequate prioritization and management of scarce public resources, limit opportunities for inclusive growth in Armenia,” said Matthew Hodge, economist with ADB’s Central West Asia Regional Department. “Providing adequate infrastructure services is critical to supporting economic activity and income generation, especially outside of the capital city.”

Armenia faces economic challenges and a tight fiscal situation due to reduced remittance inflows from the Russian Federation and lowering export demand from its main trading partners. The government’s fiscal consolidation limits budget allocations for infrastructure investment, operation, and maintenance in the foreseeable future, emphasizing the need for improved cost recovery, generation of alternative revenues, and better management of fiscal resources.

The program will focus on improvements in infrastructure operations and sustainability through enhanced public financial management practices and utility regulation, increased maintenance expenditures, and improved contracting and maintenance practices in the road and water sectors. In addition, the program will also introduce competition in the power market which opens the opportunities for greater revenue generation especially from exporting surplus electricity.

This is the second phase of the Infrastructure Sustainability Support Program supported by ADB. The first phase of the program, approved in 2012 and already completed, focused on policy reforms in the water and road sectors and laid the platform for deeper engagement and expansion of the program in the second phase.

The program is in line with Armenia’s Development Strategy 2014–2025, which recognizes the need to improve the country’s management of public infrastructure to improve connectivity and utility services.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, ADB in December 2016 will mark 50 years of development partnership in the region. It is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region. In 2015, ADB assistance totaled $27.2 billion, including cofinancing of $10.7 billion.