Author: Andres-Papazian

ON THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF GEORGIAN PARLIAMENTARY POLLS

Vestnik Kavkaza
Oct 4 2012
Russia

by David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for VK

Agavni Karakhanyan, Director of the Institute of Public Society
and Regional Development, told VK about changes and geopolitical
alterations of Georgia in the South Caucasus Region after the
elections.

– Victory of Georgian Dream at the parliamentary elections in Georgia
means upcoming changes in the country. What changes should Armenia and
Georgia expect in the light of changes in Georgian-Russian relations?

– The mentioned changes in Russian-Georgian relations are not so
obvious. I disagree with the idea that victory of opposition in
Georgia would bring radical changes in foreign policy. What grounds
do we have to expect changes? Only persistently built up thesis
about a new player on the Georgian political field Ivanishvili as a
“Kremlin project?” The topic of “Russian footprints” of Ivanishvili
was dropped on the field of electoral political battles by Georgian
authorities and has no documental proof, it was verbal, that is
messages of opposition leader and his supporters about the coalition’s
“restoration of diplomatic relations with Russia and will solve the
problem with Russia for sure”. But if many see “Russian recurrent
tunes” in these statements, why isn’t the “transoceanic connection”
so obvious? This provokes an analogue with the “American dream”
of Georgian. During the electoral campaign, the opposition leader
emphasized prospects of cooperation with the US and Europe on many
occasions, stressing on the fact that he “quit his business in Russia
for the sake of freedom of Georgia”. But there are reasons to believe
that Saakashvili would not just give up his power. He is seen off too
early. His team has not expired its political potential. Although the
society is disappointed and tired of the same people, Saakashvili’s
party has a resource of power it may fully use until the presidential
elections. No surprise, Saakashvili said in his video message that
he was planning to assist the parliamentary majority in electing the
prime minister and forming a new government. For example, there is
the official admission of defeat which will surely be followed by
congratulations for the former political opponent “who will take the
fate of Georgia in his hands with hopesfor further democratization and
the course for integration in Europe and NATO. I believe Ivanishvili
will take the lead, but the electoral promises, as it often happens,
would be forgotten. Nothing spoils opposition as much as power. So
let’s not be hasty. Let’s wait.

– Acknowledgement of the fact that all problems of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia caused by the nationalistic pro-American course of Mikheil
Saakashvili develops. What prospects of mutually acceptable settlement
of conflicts do you expect with the change of power in Georgia?

– I would like to warn against over-exaggerated expectations in this
issue. The harsh, unconstructive policy of Saakashvili towards South
Ossetia and Abkhazia pushed them away from Georgian influence, it is
a fact. Regarding changes in this policy, lack of a political program
of the opposition bloc forces us to focus on the electoral rhetoric
of its leaders. There is not a hint in declarations that Georgia was
planning to “free” Abkhazia and South Ossetia and not considering them
part of its territory. It is hard to imagine victorious opposition to
announce that now, when it has taken power. Lack of harsh nationalistic
rhetoric and systemless of the oppositionist bloc which will most
likely split, does not mean that opposition leaders are unfamiliar
with the sense and understanding of national interests.

When developing policy for Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the best
formula is that the problem remains, but relations develop. Such
serious issues are not resolved instantly. It takes time. With
account of the fact that the process is bilateral, the position of
the opposite side of conflicts cannot be neglected. For example,
Saakashvili is more suitable for Abkhazians, because chances that he
will find common grounds with Moscow are minimal.

– On September 23, the leader of the Georgian Dream said that his
coalition was considering restoration of railway and road connection
with Abkhazia. The declaration is of great interest for Armenia. What
are its prospects after the victory of the bloc at the elections on
October 1?

– It is hard to overestimate the role of restoring communications
with Abkhazia for Armenia. It would not be an exaggeration to say
that opening railway and road connection through Abkhazia will be
vital for our country. Talks and projects on restoration of old
communications in the region were numerous. But the “railway cordon”
on this way formed by the Georgian president cannot be broken yet. I
remind that one of supporters of opening railway connection through
Abkhazia is Turkey, a rapidly growing economy interested in direct
access to Russian markets, better to say the southern markets of
Russia. It may only be realized with restoration of communications
through Armenia, restoration of the Kars-Gyumri Railway line.

– Russia and Iran will soon sign an agreement on construction of the
Kazvin-Resht-Astara Railway. Besides the RR, Azerbaijani Railways and
Iranian Railways are taking part in the project. Have the elections
results in Georgia introduced their changes to the geopolitical
project?

– It is all not that simple. The Communication corridor is always
essential for Moscow and Tehran, because this is not a matter of
economic pay-off, but strategic dividends. In this context, any
communication project is justified. The fact that any strategic route
would bypass Armenia is a matter of concerns of Yerevan only. It
is hard to imagine a situation where any regional player would quit
strategic calculations and projects just because someone else does
not fit in it. And finally, I would not link relate changes of the
North-South Corridor’s direction and Armenian involvement in the
project with the switch of power in Georgia. The switch of power
presupposes certain offset of accents, maybe priorities, but not
scrapping of state interests.

– Georgia is the key transit state for Armenia and Azerbaijan. What
geopolitical transformations in South Caucasus should be expected
with the switch of power in Georgia?

– Geopolitical transformations in South Caucasus are relation to
possible changes of political economy in foreign affairs of Georgia
associated with the personality and achievements of the opposition
leader and upcoming prime minister. Possible changes of communications
of Georgia and Abkhazia are realistic and have the right for existence,
because they are base on economic pragmatism, interest, experience of
the future prime minister as a businessman and prospect of economic
configuration of the region. Economic motivation of Ivanishvili as a
financial and business activist will affect political decisions. We
have the right to expect new readings of foreign economic policy of
Georgia in the region and scrapping of the harsh policy of isolation
of conflict republics and stress on transit dividends of the current
authorities of Georgia. With doubtless disappointment of Azerbaijan
with smoothening of Georgia of harsh isolation of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia, Turkish support of plans to restore communications in South
Caucasus should not be ruled out.

Armenia will be inevitably involved in the adjusted format of economic
relations of the region.

From: A. Papazian

EU CITIZENS NEED NO ENTRY VISA TO ARMENIA FROM 2013

Mediamax
Oct 4 2012
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. The citizens of the European Union and non-EU states
(Island, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) applying EU Schengen
rules will not be required to get an entry visa to Armenia.

Presenting the draft decision at the governmental session today,
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said that the
decision will contribute to the development of ties between the
countries and tourism, Mediamax reports.

“Besides, we expect reciprocal steps from EU member states,” said
Shavarsh Kocharyan.

The decision will come into effect on 1 January 2013.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA TO INTRODUCE VISA-FREE REGIME FOR CITIZENS OF LATVIA AND OTHER EU MEMBER STATES

Baltic News Service / – BNS
October 3, 2012 Wednesday 1:00 PM EET

RIGA, Oct 03, BNS – Starting from January 10, 2013, Armenia will
unilaterally introduce a visa-free regime for the citizens of Latvia
and other EU member states, the Armenian news portal 1in.am reported
on Wednesday.

Armenia will also waive the visa requirement in respect of the
Schengen countries which are not EU members: Iceland, Norway,
Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

The Armenian parliament is scheduled to officially pass the decision
about the visa-free regime at the next meeting on October 4.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry said that switching to the visa-free
regime with the above-mentioned countries did not hold any migration
risks for Armenia.

This new regime will foster tourism development, making visits to
Armenia easier which in its turn will create the necessary conditions
for international relations. It will also help to improve political
and economic environment, thus fostering expansion of business ties
with the EU countries, the Foreign Ministry said.

From: A. Papazian

LUSINE AVAGYAN WINS RUSSIAN JUDO CHAMPIONSHIPS

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 4, 2012 – 22:01 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Russian judo championships are underway in the
Siberian city of Kemerovo, with female participants in U 48 weight
category performing October 4.

Lusine Avagyan beat Rada Bikitimirova in the championships final
to win gold. Alesya Kuznetsova and Kristina Rumyantseva came third,
championat.com reported.

From: A. Papazian

WHY IS THERE A STATUE OF BRUTAL AZERBAIJAN DICTATOR IN MEXICO CITY?

International Business Times
Oct 4 2012

BY Jacey Fortin | October 04 2012 12:55 PM

Mexico has a brand new dictator

Not to worry; this has nothing to do with drug cartels, military brass
or even President-Elect Enrique Pena Nieto, the young and charismatic
centrist who will take office in December.

This new dictator is a dead man who once ruled with an iron fist on
the other side of the globe. He is now immortalized by a statue at the
newly-renovated Azerbaijan Park in downtown Mexico City.

His name was Heydar Aliyev, and he presided over Azerbaijan from 1969
— when the South Caucasus state was still a Soviet Republic — to
2003, when he passed away and was succeeded by his son Ilham.

>From his days as a Communist kingpin through his re-emergence as a
modernist Azeri politician, Aliyev was never one to tolerate dissent.

The elections he won were widely panned as illegitimate, and he had
a long record of suppressing dissent.

Azeris are struggling under the legacy of Aliyev, whose son has adopted
the same authoritative style of rule and still reigns as president in
the capital city of Baku. Suppression of the media and over-zealous
security forces are as problematic as they ever were.

Many Mexicans are wondering why on earth an oft-maligned autocrat
should be memorialized in their capital city.

Aliyev’s larger-than-life statue casts him in bronze, sitting in
front of a marble cutout of Azerbaijan. The late leader looks out
onto a tree-lined sidewalk on Paseo de la Reforma, a central avenue
in Mexico City that also boasts various embassies, the Mexican stock
exchange building, and the Modern Art Museum.

Surrounding the controversial monument is a newly refurbished green
space, for which Azerbaijan recently footed the bill. The country
also paid to beautify another park downtown, where a statue of a
weeping woman now stands to memorialize the casualties of the 1992
Nagorno-Karabakh War.

The total cost of these efforts was about $5 million.

Call it a global ad campaign.

Oil-rich Azerbaijan has a history of paying for parks — and thereby
gaining the rights to erect monuments — all around the world. Today,
you can find statues of Aliyev in various countries including Iraq,
Moldova, Egypt and Romania.

Some Mexican human rights activists refused to accept the new monument;
a handful of them marched to the park to stage a protest last week.

“It’s like a personality cult, transferred to Mexico,” said one
demonstrator, Homero Aridjis, to the Associated Press.

“It’s as if they brought a dictator from Mars. Are we going to be a
center for monuments to dead dictators? Who’s next? Hitler? Stalin?”

His outrage is not shared by everyone.

In fact, the vast majority of passersby are not offended by the
statue. That’s because here in Mexico City, nearly 8,000 miles away
from Baku, barely anybody knows who Aliyev is.

What residents do know is that Paseo de la Reforma now has a beautiful
new public space whose crowning feature happens to be a statue of a
foreign leader — and to them, there’s nothing wrong with that.

Herminio Batalla, who recently brought a newspaper to the park so
that he could enjoy the autumn air, told the BBC that he was happy
with his surroundings, even though a bronze Aliyev was perched
prominently nearby.

“I must admit, I don’t know who he is,” said Batalla. “But I think
it’s great they’ve donated all this money to improve the park.”

From: A. Papazian

Georgia Online, Georgia
Oct 5 2012

“Multi-ethnic Georgia” outraged by Ivanishvili’s statement on Armenians

Georgia Online
20:35 – 05 October ’12

Non-governmental organization “Multi-ethnic Georgia” is outraged and
concerned about the statement, the leader of the winning coalition
“Georgian Dream”, Bidzina Ivanishvili, made on national minorities in
an interview with The New Times magazine. The organization issued a
special statement in this regard.

“In your interview, published at the electronic edition of «The New
Times», journalist Yevgenia Albats asked you a question – “You lived
in France, your children grew up there, then you came back [to
Georgia] and suddenly – [created] party, elections … What did you
need it for?

You responded: “We, Georgians, are strange people – we are tied to the
land. This is our character. For example, we have Armenians living
here. I am so surprised, they have their homeland nearby, but they
live here. You probably do not have such an issue. But I cannot
understand. I lived in France, for a year in America, and I started
dreaming about my village, my land … “.

In this regard, we inform you that we are deeply concerned with your
words, which contradict your election campaign slogans about civil
equality, unity and inter-ethnic harmony. We believe that the
leadership of Georgia, which the “Georgian Dream” has already become
under your leadership, must in-practice pursue a balanced and tolerant
policy towards all ethnic, religious and other groups living in
Georgia.

We, representatives of ethnic minorities, are the same [kind of]
citizens of Georgia, as the representatives of the majority, with all
the rights and responsibilities involved, and we have no other home,
than the common state for all of us- Georgia.

In the meantime, we note that we share your vision with respect to the
need for establishing a direct dialogue with the Abkhaz and Ossetians,
but at the same time, we want to emphasize that for the same
Abkhazians and Ossetians it is extremely important to see the new
government being able to ensure inter-ethnic equality and harmony
within the territories, under Georgian jurisdiction. We hope that in
contrast to the former authorities, you will study and take into
account the recommendations that our organization has developed as a
result of years of work.

Given this, and the fact that your interview was published in the
online edition and there is no video or audio confirmation of the
above, Public Movement “Multi-ethnic Georgia” is awaiting for
explanations for your words in the interview, as well as [expects you
to] respond to all the intolerant statements with respect to ethnic
minorities, [used] during the election campaign.

We also consider it appropriate to hold a meeting with representatives
of different ethnic groups in the shortest possible for you time. ”

From: A. Papazian

ANC’s Yerjanik Abgaryan: `Tough problems with businessmen are solved
with compromising evidences at Baghramyan 26′

By Tigranuhi Martirosyan | 14:56 October 4, 2012 –

You have told the 168 hours that all political powers, besides the
ANC, are cutting political deals with the government. What deals do
you mean?

– What I mean is that the heads of those political powers are in
personal contact and relations with the one who has captured the seat
of the president in order to back both their status and the businesses
of their partners. They have been a part of this government through
the formation of this cleptocratic regime and they still continue
similar relations with those groups. They are doing this through a
policy of alternative opposition or alternative policies, which helps
them develop relations with the government. My question is: how can
there be civilized relations between law-abiding people and those who
have thrown the statehood into deep crisis?

– A number of representatives from the Prosperous Armenia, including
the spokesman, have said that they support the change of this
government. Do you think it is possible that the Republican party may
compromise the prime-minister’s seat to the PA?

– The empty and nonsense words of the incumbent prime-minister have
failed his attempts to present himself as an intellectual professional
and even the top officials of the cleptocratic regime want to get rid
of him as soon as possible. I think he may be dismissed from that
position even before the upcoming elections. However, I don’t see any
reasons that would make the so-called RPA criminal and oligarchic
party compromise that position to anyone else. Due to falsified
elections they have majority in the parliament and if they compromise
this position, it will be a big question as it will be a big deal with
someone else. But such solution now can be a reason for clashes
between the Karabakhi clan in Armenia and the local clans that are yet
starting to enroot here (of course if people don’t wake up by that
time and don’t kick all of them out of here).

– After a recent meeting of the president in the government and his
critics the prime-minister made some changes in the government, which
was mostly in the department of state procurements. What is the target
of these actions? Do you share the opinion that this is a show?

– He accused the official that has been working under his control
during the past four years for not `killing the head of the problem’
and instead of that tackling the problems and lingering actions. Well,
we could understand him if actions were taken but there was some
delay, but it’s about crimes of billions. Now it turns out that the
leaders of the state knew about those violations and waited till a
good time would come to use it for PR. During that meeting Serzhik
Sargsyan put both himself and the prime-minister under an accusation
in crimes. However, I believe that this was a demonstrated show on the
part of the people that can break the destiny of people to parts, and
the number of such people has become even more during the past 10-15
years.

– In an interview you said that the ANC should be careful in relation
to the PA. Why?

– I said that generally they have to be careful in collaborative
relations. In other words, in politics they make commitments, and they
must be very careful about it.

– Do you think the ANC and PA may join and bring up one candidate for
presidency?

– It is only the PA that still does not show signs about it decision;
the other parties have made it certain what they are going to do.
Currently the political sector is divided into many parts, and it is
not excluded that things may change and alliances may originate as the
election day approaches. The PA has forced itself in a difficult
situation and is playing cheap games.

They don’t know anything but they act like they know everything.
Ultimately Tsarukyan will have to figure out if he is being nominated
or wants to cut deals with Sargsyan. Theoretically it is possible that
there may be cooperation with the ANC too, but there are questions
that only Tsarukyan can answer.

He should understand that such tricky behavior is no good. Tough
problems with businessmen are solved with compromising evidences at
Baghramyan 26, and this is not a trading of gas where the air can be
sold for money too. To some point I think it is clear that the
opposition powers are not going to endorse one candidate and I think
it is positive in this situation. All political powers have a
historical responsibility against the Armenian nation to stop the
collapse of statehood. I think that dealing with this reality they
should ignore all stereotypes and prejudices and work together to
break this Karabakh clan and the powers serving for their interests. I
think that it is the right time to start negotiations between those
parties to define the strategy and tactics of the future struggle.

– Will the PA support the ANC’s candidate or the vice versa?

– You should ask that question to the PA. The other part will be
answered by the ANC representatives.

– What do you think about a possible joint candidate for the
opposition? Is there anyone for this role?

– You are asking ridiculous questions. A joint candidate can come up
only in case elections go to the second phase. Are you suspicious that
we can find a good candidate that will be better than those
governmental servants that have been sold to foreigners? The one and
joint candidate I imagine now is Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

– Rumors say that the second president Robert Kocharyan may be
involved in the presidential election process. You have said that
whatever Kocharyan does, he can never be back to power. Do you still
think so?

– I don’t see him in that process. I don’t believe in competition
between that couple. People have seen him shedding blood. Also,
Kocharyan has left so many ruins after his tenure that many
generations yet to come will remember that. Only that fact that he
gave the most important strategic objects and properties of Armenia to
a foreign country against so much debt borrowed is enough to put his
name in the same list of historical people famous with treason to the
state. Kocharyan has given special roles in this treason to his
partner and brother Serzhik.

From: A. Papazian

Mary Papazian inaugurated as Southern Connecticut State University president

Published: Friday October 05, 2012

Papazian receives the president’s medal from Michael Meotti, executive
vice president for the state Board of Regents for Higher Education
(left), and Robert Kennedy, board president.

New Haven, Conn. – Mary A. Papazian will seek to ensure that her
university is a highly significant player in the higher education
landscape of Connecticut and will prepare students for a
knowledge-based economy in the years ahead.

“Public universities like Southern (Connecticut State University) must
lead the way in showing that what we can accomplish here is vitally
important to the future of our society,” Papazian said.

“We must make it clear to the public, to the business community, and
to the political establishment that investing in an institution like
Southern is not only an investment in the students who attend the
university, but also by extension, it is an investment in the whole
community and – and this isn’t overstating it — in the very future of
America.”

Papazian outlined her vision for SCSU during her inauguration on
September 28, held at the university’s Lyman Center for the Performing
Arts. She is the 11th president of the school in its storied 119-year
history. She is the second woman to become president at Southern,
following Cheryl J. Norton, who served from 2004 to 2010. She is also
believed to be the first Armenian-American woman to lead a U.S.
university, according to the Armenian Weekly.

Lewis J. Robinson Jr., chairman of the state Board of Regents for
Higher Education, presided over the ceremony and administered the
investiture charge to Papazian. Other speakers included Lt. Gov. Nancy
Wyman, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-3), New Haven Mayor John DeStefano
Jr. and Hamden Mayor Scott P. Jackson.

Guests also included the Rev. Khajag Barsamian, archbishop of the
Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, and Rouben
Mirzakhanian, rector of the Armenian State Pedagogical University in
Yerevan, Armenia.

Papazian, 53, is an accomplished scholar, particularly with regard to
British literature. She has studied and written about John Donne, a
metaphysical English poet from the late 16th and early 17th century.
Among her other interests are Armenian history and culture. She and
her husband, Dennis Papazian, have two daughters, Ani and Marie. They
reside in Woodbridge.

“Together, we will work to ensure that Southern continues to develop
into an outstanding, comprehensive, public university of significant
value to the local community, the state that supports us, and indeed,
our nation at large,” Papazian said. “This is a university where we
strive to give the students every opportunity to acquire a first-class
education with a global vision in an enlightened, compassionate,
supportive and diverse environment. And we intend to do more in the
future…Together we will work to make Southern the most successful
university in its class.”

She also expressed her desire for Southern to reach out even more to
attract out-of-state and international students. She said not only
does that help the university financially, but it enriches the social
and education experiences of Connecticut students.

Wyman expressed confidence in Papazian’s ability to lead the
university, calling her dedicated, hardworking and innovative. “I have
no doubt this is just the beginning of a great era for Southern
Connecticut State University,” Wyman said.

She also tipped her hat to her Armenian heritage. “In the United
States, the Armenians form a small, tightly-knit community, primarily
born out of the tragic genocide of the early 20th century in which
three quarters of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire were
annihilated,” Papazian said.

“Our roots as Armenians lie in a society and rich culture that span
thousands of years. The King James Bible says that the Ark of Noah
landed on the mountains of Armenia (Genesis 8:4), and I might suppose
that in one sense all of us are Armenian. Because of our shared past,
we all of Armenian ancestry have common interests and a strong
connection to each other.”

From: A. Papazian

The New Titan of Tbilisi

Eccentric billionaire (and exotic-pet enthusiast) Bidzina Ivanishvili just won
a shock election in Georgia. But is he too crazy to actually govern?
BY SHAUN WALKER | OCTOBER 2, 2012

TBILISI, Georgia – Beyond his zebra-rearing, art-collecting eccentricities,
we don’t know all that much about Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose Georgian Dream
coalition won a shock victory in Monday’s parliamentary elections here. But
after his victory news conference, we do know one thing for sure: He’s no
orator.

In a long meeting with the media in a sweaty room at Georgian Dream
headquarters on Tuesday, Oct. 2, Ivanishvili rambled, repeated himself,
appeared to make up policy on the spot, and accused a reporter from a major
international news agency of being a stooge for his opponent,
President Mikheil Saakashvili. He was also oblivious of the fact that
Georgian law requires Saakashvili, as president, to approve the prime
minister’s nomination, at least until the Georgian Constitution changes
next year. Initially, he argued forcefully with journalists that this was
incorrect, before later conceding the point.

It was an unnerving performance that might give people some cause to wonder
just who the man is who has benefited from the wave of popular fury against
Saakashvili’s reforming but authoritarian rule, and what kind of government
he might go on to lead.

Much of the vitriolic election campaign that took place here over the past
few months focused on the flaws or benefits of Saakashvili, the hero of the
2003 Rose Revolution. His eccentric opponent was something of a side
attraction. Now that Ivanishvili’s coalition is going to dominate
Parliament, however, the spotlight falls on the oligarch, who lived in
complete hermitdom prior to his entry into politics.

Until last year, few people even knew what he looked like. He had given
just one interview, to the Russian newspaper *Vedomosti*, back in 2005, and he
shunned all publicity and public events. He moved as stealthily as a cat
whenever he left the safety of his contemporary castle of glass on a
hill overlooking Tbilisi, disbursing his philanthropic donations to Georgian
artists and intellectuals quietly and anonymously.

After he announced in October 2011 that he was the man to challenge
Saakashvili, he had to make a quick adjustment to the world of media
appearances and interviews. A gift to the profile writer, Ivanishvili
often seems like he has wandered straight off the pages of a Gary
Shteyngart novel. His political rallies have featured performances by
his albino son, who is a rapper. When I interviewed him two months ago,
at his Black Sea estate, he arrived driving a red golf buggy, playing
“My Way” on the stereo and offering an impromptu tour of his exotic-pet
collection before we sat down to chat. There were flamingos, parrots,
peacocks, and two zebras. Another reporter who visited one of his other
residences discovered a kangaroo and several penguins (it being January,
they were swimming around his pond and not being refrigerated, as they
are during summer).

“The main problem is that he does not know what love is,” Ivanishvili
told me when I asked him what he disliked about Saakash vili. In an
interview with the Russian edition of *GQ*, he elaborated: “I love
people, unlike Saakashv ili, and they feel it,” he said. “Saakashvili
loves only sex and food.”

In the time we spent talking, he came across as a surprisingly affable,
if rather bizarre character. He was comfortable talking about how Zelda,
his zebra mare, is pregnant, or how there are eight breeds of peacock
(he has them all). He was even comfortable talking about his rise from a
Georgian villager to a Russian billionaire and how he negotiated the
dangers of the 1990s Moscow business climate. He was less cogent,
however, on specific policies, concentrating instead on ad hominem
attacks on his opponent. (Saakashvili’s people, for their part, returned
the compliment, describing him as a “weirdo” and a Kremlin stooge.) He
also appeared confused by the transition from dealing with business
subordinates to dealing with inquisitive journalists. At the end of our
interview he waved a hand and said, “You know which bits to use and
which bits not to use, right? I’m sure you understand what you should
write and what you shouldn’t.”

Now that the interviews are taking place in front of dozens of television
cameras, his confusion that a journalist’s purpose actually might be to ask
him difficult questions rather than make him look good is more easily visible.
At his Tuesday news conference, responding to a perfectly reasonable
question from a Bloomberg reporter about whether the so-called “thieves-in-law”
may come back to Georgia now that he is in power, Ivanishvili lost his
cool. “Who asked you to ask that question? Saakashvili? Bokeria?” he
snapped, referring to the president and one of his key advisors, Giga Bokeria.
“It is not a valid question. I’m not answering it.”

Despite the plethora of advisors who surround him, he also seems to be
poorly briefed and is already making statements inconsistent with the
few interviews he has given. When asked on Tuesday how much of his
fortune he had spent on his campaign, he said: “About $2 million. I’m
not sure, exactly. Between $1 million and $3 million.” In a July
interview he said he had already spent up to $10 million.

His sense of political timing also leaves something to be desired. In
his rambling introduction he made the same point four times and spoke at
length about how he would prosecute a single judge who had been
responsible for what he called unlawful verdicts against the
opposition. He stated that if Saakashvili could work with the
opposition, then a cooperative relationship could be achieved. Nearly
two hours into the news conference, however, Ivanishvili suddenly
dropped a bombshell, demanding that Saakashvili resign, instead of
seeing out the final year of his presidency. “The only right thing for
him to do now is to take his pen and resign,” Ivanishvili said. “This
would be good for himself and for his future.” Ivanishvili appeared to
have had the thought on the spot, and the statement immediately caused
alarm among the international community, especially after Saakashvili’s
surprisingly magnanimous concession speech. “This call is totally
unacceptable and is a direct attack against democracy and the rule of
law,” said a statement from Wilfried Martens, president of the European
People’s Party, which is affiliated with Saakashvili’s United National
Movement. It was only on the thorny issue of relations with Russia that
Ivanishvili sounded assured, insisting that he would seek to bolster
trade and cultural ties with Georgia’s overbearing northern neighbor,
but at the same time vowing not to err at all from Saakashvili’s course
of NATO and EU integration.

The general consensus at the moment is that this election campaign,
despite being spiteful and vitriolic, has ended up as a tremendous
advertisement for Georgian democracy. There are not many countries in
this region where a powerful sitting president could be so undermined at
the ballot box. But Georgian politics, after all, has a long history of
enthusiastic celebration of a messiah figure before a swift process of
disillusionment kicks in. Recently, we have been inundated with
headlines and op-eds referencing pruned or wilted roses (the most
recent: “Petals Drop Off the Rose Revolution”).

The test for Ivanishvili will be keeping his newly victorious coalition —
which ranges from liberals to ultranationalists — together, now that they
are no longer fighting a common enemy. How soon before we see the first
“Georgian Dream Turns to Nightmare” headline? Not long, unless Ivanishv
ili develops a new set of political skills quickly.

From: A. Papazian

Prevention vs. Fear: New infant vaccine program offered, but concerns
caused by MMR make parents skeptical

Health | 05.10.12 | 11:30

By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow reporter

Beginning this month infants in Armenia up to age 3-months are being
offered free vaccination against a virus which is the main cause of
diarrhea among children up to five years old.

But the challenge for professionals implementing the campaign – led by
UNICEF – is to convince parents that not only is the vaccine against
rotavirus effective, it is also safe.

Reactions from other sorts of vaccines have left some parents
skeptical. Gayane Sahakyan, head of the Ministry of Health’s
immune-preventive national program says parents should take advantage
of the opportunity for free prevention.

`The most that can happen is that the child might run a slight fever
during the post-vaccination week, vomiting and diarrhea,’ she told
ArmeniaNow. `It’s an expected reaction and no need to worry, the
reaction proves that the vaccine is effective.’

However some parents remain unconvinced, following another program
that offered vaccination – MMR – which offered prevention from
measles, mumps, rubella.

`My son took the MMR vaccine rather badly, the reaction to the vaccine
was severe — high fever, weakness — I thought I had killed my
child,’ says Ira Poghosyan form Yerevan, whose son is now a year old.

`The MMR campaign had a controversial response world-wide, including
Armenia,’ says UNICEF Armenia representative Emil Sahakyan. `But in
the 21st century children should not die because they have been denied
vaccination.’

Sahakyan says there should be no concerns over the quality of the
vaccines: Armenia imports high-quality vaccines, only from Europe.
They are preserved in proper conditions, the chances of them being old
and expired is zero.

Karine Saribekyan, heading the ministry’s department for mother and
child healthcare, urges parents not to panic and take their children
for the diarrhea vaccination. It’s easy on the body, doesn’t have
contraindications, she says. The vaccine is given in form of nasal
drops.

According to Saribekyan, 40 percent of diarrhea among children is
caused by rotavirus, as confirmed in the ministry’s own research.

`If almost half the cases of diarrhea are caused by that virus, why
not vaccinate to prevent? Every child between 0-5 years old suffers
from diarrhea at least once a year, which can have consequences, in
most severe cases even be lethal,’ Saribekyan says.

Karine Maghakyan, 30, mother of a one-year-old and a three-year-old,
says her children have not received any vaccine. She says she knows
it’s a risky step, but thinks the risk of vaccination is also high, so
the family decided against vaccination.

Many among parents say there have been cases when children died of
vaccination, which is the reason they avoid it now.

Gayane Sahakyan says 95 percent of children in Armenia get
vaccination. The other five percent either have contraindication or
refuse, or are not in the country.

`We have not had any fatalities from vaccination. There have been
coincidences when the child died the next day after the vaccination,
but it was not the cause at all: the forensic examination and the
symptoms the parents described pointed to other causes.
Post-vaccination monitoring has been carried out since 2008 and no
unexpected reaction has been registered,’ Sahakyan says.

She says each child’s body has an individual reaction to the vaccine:
one can run a 38 C (100.4F) fever and not even feel it, for another
37C (98.6F) might feel really high.

Rotavirus penetrates into the membrane of the digestive tract mainly
damaging the child’s small intestine. Experts say vaccination will be
done by two dosages, one to 6 week-old children and the second to 12
week-old children.

The vaccine is provided to Armenia by Global Alliance for Vaccines and
Immunization (GAVI) through UNICEF. The government of Armenia will
co-fund the project until 2016, and after that it’ll become the sole
financer, responsible for the acquisition of the vaccines. For this
year’s portion of vaccines GAVI has paid $300,000 and the government
covered $67,000.

From: A. Papazian