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ZEMUN, A SLICE OF OLD AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
By Aleksandar Vasovic

BalkanInsight.com
13 October 2008
Serbia

It may have been swallowed up by Belgrade in recent decades but
‘Zemunci’ remain fiercely proud of their town and of its very different
history and identity.

One does not always have to leave Belgrade to find oneself in a
completely different place. Right across the confluence of Sava
and Danube and in full view of the Kalemegdan fortress lies Zemun,
or Semlin, as it was called in the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Cross the city’s Branko’s bridge and head to the right. Past the former
Communist Party Central Committee tower and the sprawling compound of
the former federal government and another five minutes’ drive brings
you to a town within the city, which is, and isn’t, Belgrade.

In the 1970s, the rapidly expanding city of Belgrade and its
conglomerate of drab apartment blocks enthusiastically called Novi
Beograd (New Belgrade) swallowed up Zemun.

According to historians, a settlement at Zemun dates back as far as
the 3rd Century BC. But the present name was first mentioned in the
12th century, by which time the area formed the southern frontier of
medieval Hungary. As wars devastated the Balkans over the next 500
years, control over Zemun passed back and forth between the Hungarians
and the Ottoman Turks. Habsburg Austrian armies finally took over in
1717, to stay for two centuries.

Zemun grew as a border town, located in a highly strategic position,
next to the Ottomans’ northern fortress of Belgrade. It was a key
port and an assembly point for smugglers, rebels, insurgents, spies
and politicians coming and going from Serbia. The population was
mixed, comprising Serbs, Croats, Hungarians, Germans, Jews, Gypsies,
Armenians, Turks, Slovaks and even a few Italians. "It is like that
even now," says Zdenko, a Zemun-born Croat. "The local community is
more multiethnic than any other in Belgrade and we are proud of that."

After the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, Zemun became a part
of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later renamed
Yugoslavia. Between 1941 and 1945 it formed part of the Nazi-style
Independent State of Croatia and thousands of Jews and others perished
in a nearby death camp, the Judenlager Zemlin, located at the former
Belgrade Fair compound. After the Partisan victory, it again became
part of Yugoslavia.

In administrative terms, Zemun is now no more than a municipality
of Belgrade. But it still fights to preserve its distinct identity
as a town with a very different history from that of Belgrade. Its
Central European architecture and character remain strikingly different
from those of its more Byzantine neighbour. Locals stubbornly insist
they are "Zemunci", not "Beogradjani". "It is a different mentality,
a different way of living," according to Zdenko.

Sadly, Zemun became famous for altogether different reasons in the
1990s, when the town spawned an infamous underworld clan that played
a key part in the 2003 assassination of prime minister Zoran Djindjic,
among others.

Zemun is best explored on foot, starting at the Danube quay, which
begins right after the Hotel Jugoslavija and is good for rollerblading
and cycling. A sprawling marina that spans more than a kilometre
offers views of roughly half of all the boats moored in Belgrade. For
the tired or the hungry there are plenty of floating restaurants and
cafes, dubbed "splavovi", or rafts, often boasting live music.

Fish, often caught nearby in the Danube, is the real specialty of
Zemun’s restaurants but there is also a good selection of alternatives
on local menus. Venues range from more traditional Stara Carinarnica
(Old Customs Depot), with its exhibition of historic photographs
and artefacts, to Sent Andreja, Kod Kapetana (Captain’s Inn), Saran
(Carp), Reka (River), with its live music and colourful local artwork,
and Radecki (Radetsky), a dilapidated watering hole frequented by
colourful local characters.

Past the Radecki, some steep steps bring amblers to the Old Town,
containing Gardos hill and Pregrevica. With its narrow cobbled streets
and Austro-Hungarian atmosphere, this old quarter is a step back in
time. Dozens of cafés such as Burence (Barrel) or Majcina (the word
forms part of a famous Serbian curse), restaurants and churches dot
the area. The most striking landmark is the Millennium Tower, built
in 1896 on the site of a medieval fort to commemorate the 1,000th
anniversary of the Kingdom of Hungary. Years ago it housed a café
at the top. Now it is in a state of disrepair but it may be restored
soon enough. "It looks a sorry sight now but Belgrade city hall has
allocated funds for renovation," a city official said.

Downtown Zemun has a couple of interesting more modern buildings,
too. The Air Force command is a fine an example of the pre-Second
World War Bauhaus architecture, though it was badly damaged in the
1999 NATO bombing. The Magistrates’ building, near the green market,
is another local landmark. Built in the 19th century, it is worth a
look before taking the road back to Belgrade proper.

–Boundary_(ID_ZlT+za8jWKQOawfhpbGn9g)–

Reuters UK, UK

European Football

Belgium defend unbeaten record with 2-0 win over Armenia

21:00 BST, Sat 11 Oct 2008

BRUSSELS, Oct 11 (Reuters) – Belgium kept their unbeaten record in
World Cup qualifying Group Five intact with a 2-0 win at home to
Armenia on Saturday.

Two first half goals from Wesley Sonck and Marouane Fellaini secured
the points for the Belgians, who play European champions and group
leaders Spain on Wednesday.

Spain, who beat Estonia 3-0, have nine points. Belgium and Turkey, 2-1
winners over Bosnia, are two points behind.

Attacking midfielder Sonck put the home side ahead in the 21st minute
with Belgium’s first real chance. The visitors failed to clear a
diagonal cross from Jelle Van Damme and Sonck pounced to fire home
from close range.

Fellaini doubled the lead after 38 minutes when he broke the Armenian
offside trap to latch on to a defence-splitting pass from Moussa
Dembele and slide the ball home.

© Reuters 2008. All rights reserved.

The Plain Dealer – cleveland.com, OH

Painter John Motian surprises himself as he sees where the paintbrush takes him

by Karen Sandstrom / Plain Dealer Reporter
Saturday October 11, 2008, 12:00 AM

Gus Chan/The Plain Dealer

John Motian works on "Karen’s New Dress," a painting he made over an
old junk-shop canvas. Behind him are some of the hundreds of paintings
he has done since the mid-1980s. An e-mail went out to Cleveland
artists several years ago from a young woman seeking someone to help
her father organize the paintings and drawings he had been making for
years.

Karen St. John-Vincent, a fine-art photographer, answered the call and
soon found herself parked outside the Union Avenue home of John
Motian. She figured she’d stop in for an hour and see what the job
looked like.

St. John-Vincent was greeted by Motian’s outgoing daughter, Rachel,
and by Motian himself, humble and a little introverted. She stayed
five hours. And it wasn’t just one world she fell into. There were
scores of worlds, drawn on paper and painted on canvases.

She found impressionistic landscapes full of color, portraits of women
sketched in pencil and charcoal, pictures of Jesus and images of the
crucifixion.

"Initially, I was overwhelmed, but it wasn’t that I wanted to escape,"
St. John-Vincent recalls. "It was that I wanted to see more. It almost
felt like a religious experience."

She came away with the conviction that other people needed to see
Motian’s art. Now they can. Thirty-nine of Motian’s paintings and
drawings on are view through Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the Gallery at
Brecksville Center for the Arts.

Though Motian has had shows of his work in the past — in his
hometown, Cleveland, as well as in California, where he lived for 20
years — it has been a while. And though the Brecksville gallery isn’t
exactly in the heart of any of Cleveland’s art districts, Motian hopes
people stop in for a look.

"That’s the trouble with me, I need the feedback," he says. "I don’t
get any feedback."

At 75, Motian brings a young man’s energy to his work. He rises in the
pre-dawn hours, brews coffee, greets and feeds Leche and Picasso, his
sweet, raggedy Pekingese-Maltese-mix dogs.

Then he gets busy in his studio — a south-facing living room in an
apartment above a defunct storefront.

Motian inherited the building from his late mother, Rose. Over the
decades, the street-level store has been a butcher shop, a church and,
more recently, a junk shop whose owners abandoned some of their
inventory. That included a "little kitsch painting," Motian says, with
a walnut frame worth preserving.

In the tradition of frugal artists across the ages, Motian has covered
what he says was a pretty bad landscape with an ethereal, almost
abstract painting that glows in colors of gold, green and
cream. Ghostly figures have emerged sketchily over the time Motian has
been working on the painting. It’s still not done.

The most distinct of the figures is perhaps more female-looking than
the others. Motian calls the painting "Karen’s New Dress," and says he
thinks that St. John-Vincent doesn’t know he has had her in mind as he
has been working on the piece.

"Karen’s the only beautiful woman I’ve met recently," he says.

And beautiful women have always been part of his inspiration.

But only part.

A life devoted to creating art

The son of two Armenian immigrants, Motian earned middling grades in
Cleveland schools but showed an early affinity for art. At around age
10, he borrowed a library book about French Impressionism. "I knew
then that I was going to be an artist," he says.

When he got older, he took classes at the Cooper School of Art, the
Cleveland Institute of Art and the Art Students League in New York
City. He served in the Army from 1953 through 1955, and took jobs in
labor and construction to earn a living while making art.

In 1966, he packed his car full of art supplies and headed to
California. There, he found other artists who inspired and mentored
him; met a woman he describes as the love of his life, who ultimately
moved back to her East Coast home; and had daughter Rachel and son
Noah with wife Nancy, to whom he was married from 1971 to 1984.

During those years, he did hard, physical jobs to make money — but he
lived to make art.

"I even told my wife, if it’s her or the art, the art comes first,"
says Motian, who admits the message didn’t go over well.

A year after his marriage ended, he returned to Cleveland to care for
his widowed mother, who died in 1991.

He also threw himself further into painting and drawing.

In the years since he moved back, he has filled his house with his own
work. Canvases, finished and mostly finished, are stacked against the
bedroom walls.

Most are representational, though some veer toward abstraction. He has
paintings that evoke van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin and Matisse, but
they’re always overlaid with Motian’s own sensibility.

"I’m unimpressed by photographic reality [in art]," Motian says. "I
want poetry, mystery."

Canvases filled with stories

A weekly attendee at Broadway Christian Church, where he says the
Rev. Mike Frank has become "my best friend," Motian describes himself
as a spiritual person who generally rejects religious dogma. And he
admits that he can’t quite figure out why Christ and the crucifixion
so often work their way into his compositions.

That is part of the mystery, and the mystery is a huge part of what
propels John Motian to his worktable each morning. When he starts a
new project, he simply begins to move his paintbrush or pen along the
surface of the paper without much of a plan.

With painting in particular, the materials begin to speak back. They
drive the next movement, he says, and they’re powerful.

"I make things with a lot of energy," he says. "That’s when I really
feel good. It reveals more and more."

Images emerge. Themes emerge. Ideas, half-articulated, invite the
viewer’s response rather than dictating it.

St. John-Vincent says she believes she’s so drawn to Motian’s art
because she loves stories, and his canvases and watercolors are filled
with them. They surprise her.

They surprise him, too. "I have to surprise myself, or I can’t work,"
Motian says.

These days, Motian’s daughter, son and grandchildren all live out
West. With his family obligations behind him, he greets every day as a
new opportunity to be surprised by the process of making art.

He even draws at church, where his hearing aids fail to pick up the
words of prayers and sermons. His friend, the pastor, gave him
sketchbooks to fill during services, but someone stole them. Motian
finds things to draw on. Almost anything will do.

The point of all that relentless passion is the delight of discovery:
What will show up as the piece is in process? What will show up when
it’s finally done?

But Motian doesn’t want the discovery to be his alone.

"I wasn’t that ambitious about money," he says. "I just sort of wanted
to be known. I need the approval."

He wants observers of his work to share some of what he experiences in
making it. Self-deprecating and angst-ridden as he is, Motian can
nonetheless look at his own work and find it beautiful.

He wishes viewers would, too. When they look at his paintings, he
says, "I like them to feel the way I feel."

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT DENIES TERRITORIAL CLAIMS AGAINST TURKEY

Milliyet
21 Sep 2008
Turkey

[Interview with President Serzh Sarksyan by Cenk Baslamis in Yerevan;
date not given: "Yerevan: We Do Not Have Territorial Claims."

[Baslamis] Does Armenia have territorial claims against Turkey?

[Sarksyan] I am surprised by the claims that Armenia demands a part of
Turkey’s territory. Somehow, that is a widespread conviction. However,
have you heard any Armenian official say that Armenia demands a part
of Turkey’s territory? A statement has definitely not been made to
that effect. But, there are those who link the question of genocide
with territorial claims. I do not know why that is done.

Serzh Sarksyan Cenk Baslamis

[1] 21 September2008

[Baslamis] You have disclosed that you would not object to Turkey and
Armenia setting up a committee of historians to carry out a research
on the Armenian genocide claims. Considering that you are not opposed
to the establishment of such a committee, would you be prepared to
accept the outcome of its work?

[Sarksyan] I said that I am generally not opposed to the establishment
of committees between the two countries. I also said that the
two countries establishing diplomatic relations before they set up
committees will be more useful. First, let us open our common border
and establish diplomatic relations. We can then move to establish
committees and subcommittee on every issue. You asked whether or
not we would accept the decision to be made by the committee of
historians. That is a rather strange question because a group of
historians will decide on the matter in the end. Sarksyan is in
power in Armenia at the present time. Let us say that I accepted the
committee’s decision. What will happen if the person who will replace
me says "I do not accept the decision?" In other words, the decision to
be made by the committee cannot be a determining factor. It can only
be a recommendation for those who make decisions. It can only be a
recommendation for the government. You might recall the establishment
of a similar committee as a result of US initiatives in the past. It
concluded that an act of genocide was committed. What happened? Did
it change anything? Was it accepted by anyone? No, it was not. No
one accepted its decision.

[Baslamis] You will visit Turkey to watch the return match between
the Turkish and Armenian national football teams. Do you plan to hold
talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan when you are in Turkey
or at a later date?

[Sarksyan] I will be happy to find an opportunity to meet esteemed
Erdogan.

Recognition of Karabag [Nagorno-Karabakh] is the Last Alternative

[Baslamis] Can you comment on the situation that has been created
by Georgia’s attack on South Ossetia? Why have you not recognized
Karabag’s independence after Russia recognized South Ossetia?

[Sarksyan] The developments showed how dangerous an effort to solve
an ethnic problem through the use of arms can be. Recognizing the
independence of Karabag is not on our agenda at the present time
because talks are being held on the problem. The recognition of
Karabag is the last alternative we have. However, I must note that
the Armenians will move out of Karabag if the area is miraculously
placed under Azerbaijan’s rule.

A Question That Made Sarksyan Laugh

[Baslamis] Were you able to discuss issues other than political
problems when you held talks with President Abdullah Gul? For example,
did Gul inform you on his impressions in Yerevan? Did he utter a word
in Armenian or did you say something to him in Turkish?

[Sarksyan] (After laughing for some time) No, we did not find an
opportunity to discuss other matters with His Excellency Abdullah
Gul. I believe that esteemed Gul does not know Armenian. I am said to
be able to speak Azeri. Yes, I was able to speak Azeri in a simple
way in the past. I know that the Turkish and Azeri languages are
close. But, I have not spoken Azeri for 20 years now. That is to say, I
am not able construct a logical sentence at the present time. Regarding
esteemed Gul, my impressions are very positive. He is a very nice
person. We discussed what we can do to bring prosperity to our people.

ARMENIA TO ASSUME BSEC CHAIRMANSHIP OCT. 23

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.10.2008 17:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The regular meeting of the Council of Foreign
Ministers of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation will
take place in Tirana on October 23.

"Armenia will assume chairmanship in the organization during the
meeting," Tigran Balayan, the RA MFA media relations division head,
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

The BSEC includes Azerbaijan, Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Greece,
Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.

CELEBRATED MUSICIANS TO PERFORM AT ANC-WR 2008 BANQUET

armradio.am
10.10.2008 10:35

Notable musicians Jivan Gasparyan Jr., Vik Momjian and Antranig
Kzirian will be performing at the Armenian National Committee-Western
Region’s annual banquet to be held on October 12, 2008 at the Ronald
Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The group will
perform Armenian traditional and classical music during the cocktail
hour and silent auction.

Gasparyan, from a young age, was inspired by Armenian traditional
folk melodies performed by his grandfather, legendary master duduk
player Djivan Gasparyan. He later studied music/piano, vocals, and
musical grammar at Yerevan Vocal School. At the same time he was also
learning the art of playing the duduk from his grandfather. Being a
promising student he worked hard to improve his performance, and a few
years later accompanied his grandfather at concerts in Los Angeles,
Moldavia, Poland, Moscow and other cities. Most recently, playing
a duet melody from the film "GLADIATOR", together with his famous
grandfather, he was the opening performer of the concert dedicated
to Nelson Mandella’s 90th Birthday celebration which took place in
Hide Park, London. Currently, performing with jazz and rock bands,
Gasparyan hopes to follow his grandfather’s professional virtuosity
in the performance of the duduk, and continue this traditional art
in his own unique way.

Vik Momjian is a master of the four, five, and six-string, fretted
and fretless electric basses. While his musical roots started on the
piano at age nine, Momjian turned to the guitar at age fourteen and
ultimately discovered his true voice through the electric bass at
age fifteen. Having studied with many significant musicians, three
of Vik’s most influential instructors were Jim Lacefield, Steve
Bailey, and John Pena. In addition, he has his own line of basses
and is endorsed by many notable companies. Over the last few years,
Vik has established himself as the first-call musician for many top
Middle Eastern and ethno-European artists. When he’s not touring the
world with these artists, he spends his days in town doing sessions,
teaching, and playing with Excursion. His soulful playing not only
brings enormous heart to the project, but it is an integral part of
the band’s sound and energy. He has a brilliant sense of groove and
is a unique improviser, with his incredible dexterity and slapping
techniques.

Antranig performs widely across the United States, Canada and
Europe on the oud, and has performed at festivals and concerts
internationally as a member of the Aravod Ensemble and the History
Project. Kzirian’s unique oud interpretation has taken him from
Philadelphia to New York, London, Montreal, Boston, Washington,
Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno and Charlotte among
numerous other destinations. Antranig’s command of the guitar and
saz has also garnered him much acclaim in music circles around
the country. Aside from his extensive touring schedule, Antranig
has recorded various works with the Aravod Ensemble, the History
Project and has participated in collaborations with other recording
artists as a composer, writer and experienced studio musician. When
not instructing guitar and oud to students to pass on Armenian
music and culture, Antranig ventures into fusion and world music
projects. Antranig has performed with Gor, Sonya Varoujan and various
other artists.

This year’s ANC-WR Banquet honorees include Vice Presidential Nominee
Senator Joseph Biden, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, President
Ronald Reagan and Mrs. Ashkhen Pilavjian. Honorary chairs of the
ANC-WR Banquet include Congressmen Adam Schiff, George Radanovich,
Ed Royce, Congresswoman Jackie Speier and several others.

LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURES, POOR-QUALITY INTERNET HAMPER IT DEVELOPMENT IN ARMENIA

ARKA
Oct 9, 2008

YEREVAN, October 9. /ARKA/. Lack of the required infrastructures and
poor-quality Internet hamper IT development in Armenia, Vice-President
on Strategic Market Development at Synopsys Inc., General Director
of Synopsys Armenia Rich Goldman said.

According to him, favorable infrastructures (including uninterrupted
power supply and availability of warehouses) should be established
to attract major IT corporations to Armenian market.

Goldman stressed the necessity to develop the Internet – to raise
speed and bandwidth and reduce the cost. Certain steps have been
made recently in this direction, but much remains to be done in the
country for development of the Internet, he said.

Among other weaknesses he pointed out the problems in customs and
taxation fields, as well as educational matters.

A fundamental educational system exists in Armenia, but the problem
is the lack of experimental basis and scientific developments due
to insufficient funds, Goldman said. Yet, according to him, these
problems can be solved and progress in IT can be achieved if the
country shows will and cooperation for proceeding with IT development.

According to Armenian Ministry of Economy, foreign investments in
information technologies sector are $10mln at minimum. Production
output in the field grew almost by 30% (it was about $100mln at the
end of 2006 – "AR KA").

About 190 companies are actively involved in IT sector. Synopsys
Inc. came to Armenian market in October 2004 after an agreement on
merger was signed between Leda Design and Monterey Arset and Synopsys
Armenian open joint stock company was formed.

Synopsys has it offices in a total of 60 countries (North America,
Europe, and Asia) with the headquarters located in California.

‘OPEN SKIES’ CONTRACT BETWEEN ARMENIA AND THE USA

ArmInfo
2008-10-09 12:30:00

ArmInfo. Armenia and the USA have made the "Open Skies" contract,
head of US Transport Department Mary Peters reported.

"This is the first contract between the two countries in the sphere
of air transport. Armenia has become the 94th partner of the USA on
the Open Skies’, – she said. The Open Skies removes all the limits
on air transport for contract member-states. For this reason it will
make it possible for the American and Armenian air companies to use
these countries as transit ones when implementing flights to America
and Armenia.

HILDA TCHOBOIAN AND PETER SEMNEBY HOLD MEETING

armradio.am
09.10.2008 12:13

Peter Semneby, the EU special envoy to the South Caucasus, and Hilda
Tchoboian, the Chairperson of the European Armenian Federation,
held a meeting in the framework of the regular consultations that
take place between the Euro-Armenian NGO and EU institutions.

The main focus of their talks was the recent geopolitical unrest in the
South Caucasus, the renewed interest in improvement of Turkey-Armenia
relations, and the challenges faced by Georgia’s ethnic Armenian
population.

Both Tchoboian and Semneby reiterated their common interest in
eventually seeing the normalization of regional cooperation in South
Caucasus, particularly in the wake of the Georgian crisis. The
President of the European Armenian Federation, however, informed
Mr. Semneby of her organization’s scepticism about Turkey’s proposed
"Caucasian Platform for Stability and Cooperation," noting that, until
now, Turkey has primarily been a destabilizing factor in the region,
as evidenced by its blockade of Armenia and its pro-Azerbaijani bias
in the Karabagh conflict.

"In the context of the emergence of a new balance of power in Caucasus,
Turkey is seeking assert for itself a role as an intermediary between
Europe, Russia and the Caucasian States" stated Hilda Tchoboian.

"But it’s hopes are clearly not supported by the facts on the ground
which include recent statements by its Minister of Foreign Affairs
stressing Turkey’s intention to make Armenia pay dearly for the
opening of the border, in particular, by stopping the international
process of Armenian Genocide recognition," she added.

Many observers consider the apparent goodwill displayed recently by
Turkey toward Armenia to be driven primarily by the domestic power
struggle between Kemalists and Islamists and their competing efforts
to assert primacy in guiding their nation’s foreign affairs, not any
sincere interest in materially improving relations with Armenia.

With regard to Georgia, the Federation’s President shared with Semneby
the urgent concerns voiced by the country’s Armenian minority.

"After their defeat in South Ossetia, we need to be mindful that
nationalistic elements of Georgian society and the Georgian power
structures could target the ethnic Armenians community as scapegoats"
explained Hilda Tchoboian. "Georgia has compelling interest in
moving toward a policy of respect for the rights of minorities –
especially those of the ethnic Armenians of Javakhk – as per its
commitments to the Council of Europe. Trying to build a centralized,
unitary state in the 21st century is simply unrealistic for a diverse,
multiethnic country such as Georgia" concluded the president of the
European Armenian Federation.

The Federation holds that the EU has a vital role to play in
implementing confidence building programs in Georgia.

ARMENIAN-BELGIAN JOINT VENTURE EXPECTED TO BE CREATED

ARMENPRESS
Oct 8, 2008

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS: Armenian-Belgian business-forum opened
today in Yerevan. Within the frameworks of the forum meetings will
be organized between Armenian and Belgian businessmen. The chief goal
of their cooperation is to create a joint venture which will give an
opportunity to export Armenian products to the European market and
promote the import of Belgian products in Armenia.

According to the president of Belgium-Armenia business chamber Valery
Safarian their chief task is the development of bilateral relations
between Belgium and Armenia. The forum creates wide opportunity for the
development of activity of Belgian and Armenian trade institutions,
organization of new business-forums and consolidation of cooperation
between businessmen of the two countries.

He said this forum is a mutually beneficial cooperation between the
two states. It creates opportunity to acquire reliable partners in
every sphere of industry.

According to the leading specialist of Armenian Manufacturers and
Businessmen Union Inga Sargsian, the import of Belgian products will
give an opportunity to bring the Armenian industry closer to European
standards. Particularly import technology, food and Belgian carpets.

Nine Belgian businessmen, representing different spheres of industry,
take part in the forum. The whole delegation comprises of 15 people
including the ambassador of Belgium to Armenia.

This is the second business-forum organized by Armenian Trade
Industry Chamber and Armenian Manufacturers and Businessmen Union in
collaboration with Belgium.