Author: Albert Nalbandian

Iranian president visits Yerevan`s ancient mosque
IRNA, Iran
Sept 8 2004
Yerevan, Sept 8, IRNA — Iranian President Mohammad Khatami visited
on Wednesday the ancient Masjed-e Kaboud (Blue Mosque) in the Armenian
capital of Yerevan.
“Kaboud Mosque of Yerevan is a great historical site showing
coexistence among followers of divine religions,” Khatami wrote in
the memorial book of the mosque.
In the memorial book, Khatami also called for strong ties between
Iran and Armenia and between Islam and Christianity.
Kaboud Mosque, one of the eight ancient mosques in Yerevan, was
built in 1765 A.D. Iran`s Mostazafan and Janbazan Foundation (MJF)
reconstructed the mosque during the 1996-2000 period.
The Republic of Armenia has a population of over 3.7 million people
most of whom are Christians. There are also Muslim, Russian Orthodox,
Protestant, and Yazidi communities living in Armenia. The national
flag consists of three equal horizontal stripes, of red, blue and
orange. The official language is Armenian.
At the invitation of his Armenian counterpart, President Mohammad
Khatami arrived in Yerevan on Wednesday morning on the first leg of
a three-nation regional tour.
Before concluding his visit, Khatami is to attend a press conference
to answer reporters` questions on the issues brought up and discussed
in the meeting with his Armenian counterpart.
Khatami`s official visit to Armenia is taking place in response
for an official visit paid by President Kocharian to Iran in 2001.
Khatami and his entourage will travel Belarus after concluding their
visit to Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MORE THAN 9000 OUT OF 118 THOUSAND DISABLED PEOPLE REGISTERED IN
ARMENIA ARE CHILDREN AGED UNDER 18
YEREVAN, August 25 (Noyan Tapan). At present over 118 thousand
disabled people are registered in Armenia. More than 9000 out of them
are children aged under 18. Jemma Baghdasarian, the Chief of the
Department on Disabled and Elderly People Issues of RA Ministry of
Labor and Social Issues, informed Noyan Tapan that the number of
disabled people has been growing in the recent years, thus, this year
the number of disabled poople has increased by 3000 compared with the
previous year. According to the chief of the department, the growth of
the number of disabled people is explained by the fact that under the
present social conditions people don’t apply for medical help in
time. According to J.Baghdasarian, general diseases become the reason
of disablement in 60%, including oncological, cardiovascular diseases
and diseases of nervous system. Reporting that only 10% of disabled
people are provided with job J.Baghdasarian at the same time mentioned
that at present a number of programs aimed at integration of disabled
people to society are being implemented. For instance, “The Republican
Employment Agency” of the Ministry implements programs of training of
disabled people. They will be provided with job in the future. It was
mentioned that more than 20 NGOs take an active part in the process of
integration of disabled people to the society.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Eurasianet Organization
Aug 23 2004
US TROOP REDEPLOYMENT SPARKS SPECULATION ON AZERBAIJANI BASE
Fariz Ismailzade: 8/23/04
News that the United States plans a massive redeployment of its armed
forces has Azerbaijanis wondering whether their country will soon
host US troops. Azerbaijani officials are coy on the base question,
prompting some local political analysts to say Baku is trying to
leverage the issue to achieve a breakthrough on the stalled talks on
a Nagorno-Karabakh peace settlement.
Speculation over whether the United States would establish a military
base in Azerbaijan began almost immediately after US leaders
announced August 16 that up 70,000 US troops in Europe and East Asia
would be redeployed. Most US soldiers appear headed back to the
United States, but some will staff new facilities, in keeping with
the Pentagon’s desire to create a more mobile armed forces. [For
additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive].
A few days before the announcement, US Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld visited Baku for hastily arranged talks. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive]. The Azerbaijani government provided
only a vague description about the discussions. However, Zerkalo, an
independent daily newspaper, claimed that a tentative base deal had
been reached. “Moreover, the USA is interested in modernizing …
military airfields in Azerbaijan,” Zerkalo reported on August 17,
without citing a source.
Azerbaijani media have also seized on recent comments attributed to
Gen. Charles Wald, the deputy commander for US forces in Europe, who
reportedly indicated that US defense officials were considering
Azerbaijan, Uganda and the island state of Sao Tome as potential host
sites for US rapid deployment forces. According to the Azerbaijani
reports, the United States is seeking a base in Azerbaijan to ensure
the security of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and to monitor
developments in Iran, which Washington believes is working hard to
develop nuclear weapons. [For additional information see the Eurasia
Insight archive].
While some Azerbaijani media outlets are treating an American base as
a fait accompli, the only public statements on the issue by
Azerbaijani officials have been non-committal. Foreign Minister Eldar
Mammadyarov has acknowledged that talks are on-going, but he stressed
on August 19 that “it is naive to think that military bases can be
set up overnight.”
Some analysts say it wasn’t coincidental that Mammadyarov made the
statement in Moscow. Russia is on record as opposing any US
redeployment that would place American troops in the formerly
Communist sphere, and a few observers believe the potential American
base is at the center of a geopolitical game being played by Baku.
The objective, from Baku’s viewpoint, is to secure increased
political support for a Karabakh peace settlement that is to
Azerbaijan’s liking. Azerbaijan has insisted that any settlement
leave the region under Baku’s jurisdiction. Azerbaijani officials
have grown restless in recent months over the lack of progress in the
peace talks. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight
archive].
Mammadyarov said in an August 19 television interview that the
Karabakh question topped his agenda during talks with Russian leaders
in Moscow. Some in Baku believe Russia, given Moscow’s close
strategic relationship with Armenia, is the key to achieving the
desired breakthrough on Karabakh. A trade-off involving Azerbaijan’s
rejection of an American base, effectively in return for greater
Russian support for Baku in the Karabakh peace process, could
possibly pressure Armenia into softening its Karabakh negotiating
position. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight
archive].
Some pundits say Mammadyarov’s attempt to use the base issue as a
diplomatic bargaining chip has so far failed. They note that both
Russia and the United States have given no public indication of
shifting their existing positions on the Karabakh peace process.
Given the apparent failure of what some in Baku describe as
Azerbaijan’s base “bluff,” officials are now left to weigh the
potential merits and liabilities of playing host to American troops.
Political analyst Rauf Mirqadirov, writing in an analysis published
August 19 analysis by Zerkalo, examined the pros and cons of the base
issue. On the plus side, Mirqadirov said the presence of US forces
would facilitate rapid economic development in the region. He also
downplayed the possibility of Russian retaliation, arguing that
Moscow “is not ready for global confrontation with the United
States.”
Mirqadirov, however, envisioned several potential negatives arising
out of a possible basing arrangement. An American presence, for
example, could make Azerbaijan a target of Islamic militant action.
It could also potentially limit Azerbaijan’s options in striving to
achieve its Karabakh settlement objectives.
In addition, Mirqadirov voiced concern about the possibility of
Azerbaijan becoming embroiled in the long-running feud between the
United States and Iran. “The Americans do not rule out that Iran is
their future target,” Mirqadirov said. “If all these statements are
made in order to frighten Tehran – then that’s one thing. But if the
Americans start another mess – moreover, one along our border – then
Azerbaijan, irrespective of its wishes, will be dragged into this
conflict.”
Azerbaijanis interviewed at random on the streets of Baku offered a
mixed view on the base issue. “We need to see, first, what is our
benefit from these bases. Will they help us in the war with Armenia?”
said Nargiz, a university student. Niyazi, an employee at a trading
house, suggested an American troop presence would “only bring us
trouble with Iran.” Others, however, said US troops would help defend
against potential encroachment by Iran or Russia against Azerbaijan’s
sovereignty.
Editor’s Note: Fariz Ismailzade is a freelance writer on Caucasus
politics and economics. He has obtained his masters degree from the
Washington University in St. Louis and is currently based in Baku.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri foreign minister says setting up of NATO bases may take time
Ekho, Baku
20 Aug 04

Judging by the nature of Russian media reports, Moscow is most of all
concerned about Azerbaijan’s military development. The first question
journalists asked Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov at a
final news conference in Moscow was about Azerbaijan’s prospects for
entering NATO.
“I am always asked whether Azerbaijan wants to become a member of
NATO. This question had better be addressed to NATO members,”
Mammadyarov said.
Asked about the possibility of setting up NATO bases in Azerbaijan,
Mammadyarov said: “It is naive to think that military bases can be set
up overnight.” The minister also spoke about how difficult it was to
agree the issue of establishing military bases, namely, between
parliaments.
Touching on military and technical cooperation with Russia, he said
that the issue had been discussed at his meeting with Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov. Mammadyarov mentioned that Azerbaijan and
Russia were already maintaining military and technical cooperation and
Azerbaijan had leased its Qabala radar station to Russia. Also, there
is an exchange programme between the defence ministries of the two
countries.
Speaking about the role of Russia in the region, the minister said
that Moscow should step up its role in resolving the Karabakh
conflict. “We are expecting the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen to say
their word in resolving the conflict,” the minister said. The minister
pointed to the inviolability of the territorial integrity principle.
Mammadyarov also spoke about the Caspian legal status and said that
Azerbaijan was counting on the speediest solution of the issue. “A
solution to this issue is not too far off,” he said. According to him,
the problem of dividing the Caspian should not be “viewed as a serious
one”. “The recent visit by the Iranian president to Azerbaijan and my
visit to Tehran have laid the foundations for progress,” the
Azerbaijani foreign minister said.
[Passage omitted: reported details]
“Azerbaijan stands for further cooperation with Russia in the energy
sector,” he said. Speaking about economic cooperation between the two
countries, he said “cooperation in the energy sector is part of
it”. “[Russia’s] LUKoil is actively working in Azerbaijan but there
are opportunities for other companies as well,” Mammadyarov said.
He also said that Azerbaijan was implementing a number of projects
towards establishing a transport corridor from Russia through
Azerbaijan and Iran to the Persian Gulf. Namely, both Russia and Iran
support the construction of the North-South railway corridor.
“Russia supports the idea of accessing the Persian Gulf through
Azerbaijan and Iran,” the minister said. He mentioned that Azerbaijan
had completed the construction of the railway to Astara [town on
Azerbaijan-Iran border], while Iran was building a railway line to the
town with the same name on its own territory. “When a railway bridge
between these two towns is built, the corridor will start working. An
agreement on the construction of the bridge has already been reached,”
he said.
Also, Azerbaijan is in talks with Greece on possible supplies of
natural gas there. “Agreements have been signed with Georgia and
Turkey and talks with Greece are under way,” he said when answering a
question about ways of exporting Azerbaijani gas. “I think more
customers will be found in Europe after Greece,” he added.
According to him, oil is now of higher priority than gas. “We hope
that first tankers with our oil will leave the port of Ceyhan [in
Turkey] in the summer of 2005,” he said and added that about 1m
barrels of oil are to be pumped through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
pipeline every day.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russia’s Putin offers help in settling Nagornyy Karabakh conflict
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
20 Aug 04

SOCHI
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is prepared to
act as a mediator and a guarantor in settling the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict.
“We did discuss the Karabakh problem and the discussion focused on
searching for additional opportunities for maintaining dialogue and
resolving the problem itself,” Putin said following his talks with
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.
“There have been no breakthrough decisions, but it is important to
register the sides’ intention to look for a compromise. I formed the
impression that the Armenian and the Azeri presidents have this kind
of resolve,” Putin said.
“Like in other cases, Russia is prepared to play just one part – that
of a mediator and a guarantor, in case our input is required and the
negotiating sides express such a desire,” Putin said.
As for the overall situation in the South Caucasus, “we had to inherit
numerous conflict situations”, Putin said. “I hope that the
understanding of the need to improve relations between people living
in the region will prove stronger than ambitions, and we will be
settling these conflicts during the search for a compromise,” he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

El Pais
Ago 15, 2004
A UN PASO DE LA GLORIA Y DEL FRACASO
Ritmos etnicos, salsa, ‘hip-hop’, cantautores o rock. Todo un abanico
de propuestas en los festivales de agosto. Por Fernando Iniguez
Parecia que la historia se imponia. Cualquier villa o pueblo de mas
de 20.000 habitantes, a veces incluso menos, debia tener su festival
de musica. Podia buscarse cualquier pretexto para dotarlo de
contenido: un castillo famoso serviria para juntar a las nuevas
musicas; un claustro bien conservado o una plaza rustica, un festival
de ritmos etnicos; una playa o un desierto, un encuentro salsero o
una rave electronica, y una plaza de toros o un polideportivo
espacioso, un festival de rock con acampada incluida.
Al rebufo del exito de los festivales musicales que surgieron a
mediados de los noventa, como el rockero Festimad de Mostoles
(Madrid), los etnicos La Mar de Musicas de Cartagena (Murcia) o El
Pirineos Sur del Valle de Tena (Huesca), o el de pop independiente de
Benicassim (Castellon), la geografia espanola se poblo en agosto de
festivales. Algunos sobreviven a duras penas, otros han tenido que
dejar de celebrarse y muchos variar sus planteamientos iniciales para
hacerlos mas rentables.
Ayer mismo, 14 de agosto, coincidian varios festivales de diversos
contenidos.
En Sos del Rey Catolico (Zaragoza), la actuacion el sabado del
madrileno Antonio Vega en el Patio de la Lonja Medieval puso fin a la
tercera edicion del Festival Luna Lunera, que ha cobijado en esta
quincena una amplia y evolucionada propuesta de cancion de autor.
Luna Lunera se ha esforzado siempre por alejar el arquetipo de
cantautor del artista solitario y proteston de guitarrita y taburete,
y ha contado este ano con las actuaciones de Julieta Venegas, Javier
Ruibal, Los Secretos, Robyn Hitchcock, Peter Hammill, Distritocatorce
y Josele Santiago.
El del Castillo de Ainsa (Huesca) se ha inaugurado este ano para
bucear en un concepto unico: Musicas de Europa. Arranco el jueves con
Sargento Garcia y ofrece hasta el dia 21 un interesante abanico para
profundizar en las sonoridades de un territorio como el europeo que
se ha cruzado con miles de culturas diversas sin perder sus propias
raices. El armenio Arto Tuncboyaciyan, los irlandeses Kila o la
fanfarria gitana balcanica de Liliana Buttler & Mostar Sevdah Reunion
son algunas de las actuaciones programadas.
El rock duro protagonizo varios encuentros tambien anoche.
En Lorca (Murcia) se celebra la septima edicion de Lorca Rock que,
sin apenas difusion, sobrevive con buena salud. Para este ano han
conseguido la reunificacion de Europe, en la que sera la unica
actuacion en Espana de los creadores de The Final cowntdown.
(). La plaza de toros de Tomelloso (Ciudad
Real) acogio ayer el quinto Tomelloso Rock con un cartel pasado de
decibelios: Napalm Death, TerroriStars, Beholder o Mama Ladilla,
entre otros (). Roquetas de Mar (Almeria) monta,
desde este ano, Agosto Rock, un festival que ya ha pasado por miles
de dificultades antes de inaugurarse. Se divide en dos jornadas, la
primera el pasado viernes, con los leoneses Cooper de estrellas, y
Profesor Popsmuggle y Sujeto Pasivo; y la segunda el proximo sabado
21, con una mirada mas internacional: los ingleses Pleasure Beach o
Sidonie.
No muy lejos de Roquetas, en la playa de Villaricos de la localidad
almeriense de Cuevas de Almanzora, aparece el Creamfields 2004, un
festival de vanguardia inspirado por Cream, el celebre local
londinense que ha marcado tendencias en la cultura de clubes y musica
de baile desde hace mas de diez anos. Massive Attack son sus
estrellas, pero compiten en igualdad de condiciones con Fatboy Slimo
con reputados pinchadiscos como la francesa Miss Kittin o el
norteamericano Jeff Mills.
El proximo fin de semana, Aranda de Duero celebra la edicion de
Sonorama 2004, un festival que quiere convertirse en una especie de
Benicassim mesetario. El viernes 20 actuan Yani Como, Mastretta,
Astrid, Atom Rhumba y Sidonie. Al dia siguiente, el campo de futbol
arandino recibira a Sexy Sadie o Bebe, la revelacion de la temporada,
y a El Columpio Asesino y Big Soul, una actuacion que se declara ya
historica, pues supone el punto y final de su carrera, segun anuncia
el propio trio. En la otra punta de Espana, ese mismo sabado arranca
la primera edicion del Festival de Hip-Hop Canos de Meca, a celebrar
en la localidad gaditana del mismo nombre en el marco del cortijo El
Acebuchal. La Excepcion que Confirma la Regla, Hablando en Plata,
Juaninack y 5 Elementos expondran alli sus audaces rimas callejeras.
Pero mientras unos nacen y otros se mantienen, los hay que
desaparecen. El Festival Son Latinos (Tenerife), que reunio a 400.000
personas el ano pasado en la playa de las Vistas, ha sido suspendido
por las presiones de los ecologistas. Otros, como el Festival Serie
Z, ha cerrado por falta de dinero. A la espera de como vayan las
cosas con vista al verano de 2005, todos los festivales en curso, y
los que tuvieron lugar entre julio y primeros de agosto.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
July 12 2004
Leaving for an exchange of ideas

Balboa Elementary teacher travels to Armenia to learn how country’s
education system works.
By Darleene Barrientos, News-Press
NORTHWEST GLENDALE – Balboa Elementary School teacher Maureen Miller
has helped tutor some of the district’s most gifted students. For the
next two weeks, beginning Friday, she will help teach students from
another culture, and, in the process, hopes to learn something
herself.
Miller will leave for Armenia, where she will stay with an Armenian
teacher and learn about students and teaching methods in the country.
The trip will be the beginning of a year-long working relationship
with her Armenian counterpart, connecting their students through
projects and the Internet. Miller was the lone Californian selected
for the program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the State
Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
“This trip is to introduce American teachers to their Armenian
partners and allow them time to get a sense of Armenian system of
education,” said Barbara Miller, chief operating officer for Project
Harmony, the organization coordinating the exchange.
“One of the criteria was a commitment to develop and execute the
project over the course of a year to make sure the district and the
community support the effort, and to show and express an interest in
multicultural education.”
Miller, who works part time teaching gifted students at Balboa,
applied for the program after seeing it on a bulletin Principal Linda
Milano compiles for her staff. Miller will return to Glendale on July
30.
Milano said she was so excited for Miller, she did not realize only
21 teachers were going through the program.
“I said, ‘You would be absolutely fabulous for this!’ I was so
excited when I got word that she was accepted,” Milano said.
The two teachers will work together to create either one long- or
several short-term projects for both their classes that will enable
their students to communicate via the Internet. Miller said she
believed she was chosen for the program because of her attraction to
technology, the Armenian culture and her willingness to commit to the
program.
“Because we have such a large Armenian population, I have an interest
in Armenia and that part of the world.” Miller said. “When we had the
huge influx of Armenian children in the ’90s, it was just something
that interested me. I took Armenian for the Non-Armenian for a year
at [Glendale Community College], and I got to know so many people in
Glendale who are Armenian.
“The culture is fascinating to me. Whatever I could do to make our
culture and their culture work together, I’m happy to do.”
Miller’s trip will not be the end of the exchange. She and her
assigned partner, Karine Jaghacpanyan, who teaches technology and
English in Vanadzor, the country’s third-largest city, are already
corresponding via e-mail. In October, Jaghacpanyan will travel from
Armenia to Glendale to visit Miller’s school and class.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENPAC
421 East Airport Freeway, Suite 201
Irving, Texas 75062
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2004
CONTACT: Bryan Ardouny
Phone: (406) 546-5250
E-mail: [email protected]
ARMENPAC CO-CHAIR ANNIE TOTAH MEETS WITH SENATOR HILLARY RODHAM
CLINTON (D-NY) AND REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD)
Irving, TX – As part of ARMENPAC’s ongoing effort to thank
pro-Armenian supporters in Congress and to educate our elected
officials about issues of importance to the Armenian community,
ARMENPAC Co-Chair Annie Totah recently met with Senator Hillary Rodham
Clinton (D-NY) and Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) at a special
reception for Congressman Van Hollen.
Totah thanked Senator Clinton and Congressman Van Hollen for their
support of legislation to affirm the Armenian Genocide (S. Res. 164
and H. Res. 193). This bipartisan, bicameral legislation was
introduced in the Senate by Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and in the
House by Congressmen George Radanovich (R-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ),
Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Adam Schiff (D-CA).
`Passage of this legislation will not only help defeat the ongoing
Turkish campaign to deny the Armenian Genocide, but will also help
ensure that the lessons of this terrible crime against humanity are
used to prevent future genocides against Armenians or any other ethnic
minority or peoples,’ said ARMENPAC Co-Chair Annie Totah.
S. Res. 164 is pending further action in the Senate Judiciary
Committee, while H. Res. 193, having been approved by the House
Judiciary Committee, has stalled on the House Calendar awaiting
consideration by the full House.
ARMENPAC is an independent, bipartisan political action committee and
was established to shape public policy by raising awareness of and
advocating for Armenian-American issues. ARMENPAC provides financial
support to federal officeholders, candidates, political action
committees and organizations that actively support issues of
importance to Armenian-Americans.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkey not model for Islamic states, president tells Bush – paper
Cumhuriyet, Istanbul
28 Jun 04
published by Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet (Ankara edition) on 28 June
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has told US President George W Bush that
their idea to “present secular Turkey as a model to be followed by
Islamic countries was extremely wrong-headed”.
In his meeting with the visiting US President, Sezer criticized
Turkey’s description as a model country under the Greater Middle East
Project, noting: “Turkey is a country with a predominantly Muslim
population, but it is not an Islamic country. Turkish citizens
individually practice their faith freely. But, religion is separated
from the state’s affairs. I do not consider the portrayal of Turkey as
a model acceptable.”
Sezer gave important messages about Turkey’s secular system in his
“cordial” meeting with Bush in Cankaya Presidential Palace. The
meeting focused on Iraq’s future; the ongoing fight against the PKK
[Kurdistan Workers’ Party], which is a terrorist organization; Cyprus;
the Middle East as well as other regional issues and bilateral
relations.
Sources said that Sezer clearly expressed his anxieties arising from
the view that Turkey should serve as a model for the Islamic world,
which was frequently voiced recently. Noting that he found the view
“totally unacceptable”, Sezer made the following remarks in his
meeting with Bush: “Turkey is a country with a predominantly Muslim
population, but it is not an Islamic country. Turkish citizens
individually practice their faith freely. But, religion is separated
from the state’s affairs. It was extremely inappropriate that you
portrayed Turkey as a model for Islamic countries in that regard.” The
same sources noted that Bush ended the discussion by saying: “We
understand that.”
Sezer reminded the action plan aimed at eliminating the PKK’s presence
in northern Iraq, which the two sides had agreed upon, as well as the
United States’ obligations under the plan, adding that the Turkish
public was extremely concerned about that matter and expecting quick
action. Emphasizing importance of preserving Iraq’s territorial
integrity, Sezer suggested that the Turkomans should have more
representatives in the new Iraqi government proportionate to their
share in Iraq’s population.
Sezer also said that the anti-Turkish Armenian and Greek lobbies
should not be allowed to affect Turkish-US relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Investors shore up country
By Naush Boghossian, Staff Writer
Los Angeles Daily News, CA
June 20 2004
GLENDALE — Foreign investors, many with roots in Armenia, are pumping
millions of dollars into their homeland to build housing, hotels,
roads and businesses.
American-Armenian billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, CEO of MGM Grand, has
committed $172 million to renovate 275 miles of highways, tunnels and
bridges in Armenia and streets in the capital of Yerevan, as well as
museums and theaters, through his Lincy Foundation.
Argentinian-Armenian Eduardo Eurnekian, who operates 33 airports
across South America, owns a company that took over the country’s only
airport in 2002. Construction of a new terminal began this month and
the airport will meet international standards by the completion of
the $42 million project.
New Jersey developer Vahak Hovnanian has bought 62 acres of land
20 minutes outside Yerevan to build an $80 million mini-city of 500
single-family homes, including time shares, a shopping mall, school,
sports complex and golf course — the only one in the Caucasus.
Foreign investment in Armenia grew 21.7 percent in the first quarter
of this year compared with the same period last year, according to
the National Statistics Service.
Part of the attraction is wanting to help the country, said Glendale
resident Savey Tufenkian, who along with husband Ralph and brother
Kosti Shirvanian is investing $12 million to purchase and renovate
the Ani Hotel.
“We had investments here, the stock market was high, we knew nothing
about hotels and we had no motive other than helping our country,”
she said. “They need us badly.”
Tufenkian’s Ani Hotel now employs 200 Armenians, and it is that type
of investment that the country needs more of, she said.
Owners of a successful local waste company, Shirvanian and her brother
were aware they would not make a profit for a while, and that if they
did, the money would be re-invested in building schools in Armenia.
“I believe in education, and I believe education is the most important
thing in Armenia — if we don’t educate our children, we are not
going to get ahead,” Tufenkian said.
Tufenkian is right, according to international trade specialist Ellen
House, who said Armenia is different from other former Soviet countries
because it has an educated population.
“Armenia does have things that some of the other developing countries
stuck in the cycle of debt don’t have: a literate, educated population
and some industries — the hallmarks of developed, industrialized
countries,” House said.
Tufenkian recounted how U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Harry Gilmore
once told her that Armenia, unlike other former Soviet countries,
is blessed with its diaspora — its scattered foreign population —
that continues to donate, invest and vacation in the country.
Armenians who have become successful in countries outside Armenia
not only invest in the new country but also have demonstrated strong
lobbying power — all essential to the country’s future.
“If they can get a start with investments from the diaspora community
and they have greater stability there and the economy gets better,
other companies will follow,” House said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress