Author: Aram Torosian

FAAE TURNED TO THE CONGRESSMEN

rahos16977.html
12:30:31 – 26/02/2010

Your Honors, Congressmen of the United States of America

The Presidency of the Forum of Armenian Associations of Europe had
written last April to HE Mr. Barack Obama, The President of the United
States of America, with the following request.

HE Mr. Barack Obama The President of the United States of America

April 15, 2009

Your Excellency, Mr. President,

In the name of the representatives of the Armenian communities in
Europe please allow us to express our deepest and utmost gratitude
for your stance on the Armenian Genocide during your pre-election
campaign. We feel confident that your continuous efforts will
contribute to the adoption of the resultant resolution on the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the US Congress.

Honorable President, Armenian communities have hitherto contributed
to the adoption of similar resolutions by the Parliaments of a number
of European countries in faith that this will aid to the development
of Turkish-Armenian relations and their neighborly cooperation. By
helping Turkey to reconcile with its past and enhance working relations
with its neighboring country, we will naturally contribute to the
development of Turkey’s democracy and create an opportunity for it
to earn its right for its future integration into the European Union.

The adoption of the resolution recognizing and condemning the
Armenian Genocide by the United States will greatly contribute to this
historical process and will help the Turkish authorities to ‘cross
Rubicon’ and rid itself of the heavy burden inherited from its past.

Honorable President,

We eagerly await your speech on April 24 in faith and hope and we
express our admiration and deepest gratitude for your newly initiated
efforts.

ARMENIA TO FOLLOW INITIATIVE POLICY: RPA MEMBER

news.am
Feb 17 2010
Armenia

"Armenia initiated reconciliation with Turkey and should continue the
process itself," Republican Party MP Rafik Petrosyan told journalists
on February 17.

"If we started the process, we have to prove that Armenia is ready to
bring this initiative to a close in accordance with Constitution and
its interests," he emphasized adding if Armenia ratifies the Protocols
earlier, than Turkey, it will show international community that keeps
its word and the country’s aspirations are sincere.

According to him, after the consideration by RA NA Standing Committee
on Foreign Relations, the Protocols will unequivocally be ratified
without any reservations. However, the documents will not be discussed
in the Parliament at February 22-25 four-day session. They will be
submitted for discussion three weeks later.

POLICE OFFICER APPARENTLY RECOGNIZED PASHINYAN’S LEG AMONG 150 PEOPLE

Tert
Oct 26 2009
Armenia

At the Court of First Instance of Shengavit Community of Yerevan,
well-known police officer and a plaintiff in the case Vazgen Dabaghyan
was interrogated during political prisoner Nikol Pashinyan’s case.

Dabaghyan described what happened on October 23, 2007, at the
intersection of Abovyan and Koryun streets during the opposition’s
march.

Dabaghyan said he received instructions to go there from his
superiors. Reaching the intersection, he saw 150 people, who, according
to the police officer, hindered traffic, brought about congestion,
and blocked pedestrians’ route to cross the street. Thus, Dabaghyan
surmised, police officers pushed people to the wall, and then a
skirmish began between police officers and march participants.

The police officer also added that in the chaos that ensued, Pashinyan
kicked him. The course of the smooth story drastically changed,
however, when Pashinyan and his attorney Lusine Sahakyan began to
cross-examine the witness.

The police officer was unable to respond to the attorney’s questions of
where people had gathered, why they were pushed to the wall, whether
there was a congestion or not. Dabaghyan was contradicting himself,
stating different things at different times.

When Pashinyan asked how the plaintiff saw him, the latter answered
by saying he recalled how Pashinyan was waving a megaphone in one
hand, while his other hand was similarly waving in the air; however,
a little while later, Dabaghyan said that Pashinyan was pushing and
pulling police officers with the other hand, which elicited laughter
among those in the courtroom.

And during that time, according to the plaintiff, Pashinyan kicked
him. Asked by the political prisoner whether, at the time of the
alleged kick, Pashinyan was alone, the plaintiff said there were many
people there and it was a chaotic situation.

Pashinyan asked in that case how the plaintiff could recognize his leg
or shoe among the 150 people the plaintiff mentioned. Nevertheless,
the plaintiff insisted he saw how Pashinyan kicked him. The witness
was unable to answer numerous other questions.

After the examination, the judge said the court session will be
postponed till October 28 in order to notify witnesses. Vardan
Vardanyan, Karen Grigoryan and Vazgen Serobyan will be examined on
that day.

ARMENIA: FUGITIVE BUSINESSMAN COMES IN FROM THE COLD
Marianna Grigoryan

EURASIA INSIGHT
ticles/eav090309a.shtml
9/03/09

One of Armenia’s most prominent entrepreneurs, who also happens to be
a major supporter of opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, is now
in custody after spending more than a year in hiding. The fugitive
businessman, Khachatur Sukiasian, has expressed a desire to clear
his name of charges that he helped instigate political violence in
March 2008.

Sukiasian, who is also a member of parliament, surrendered to
authorities on September 2. He had been wanted by police since March 4,
2008, when authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in connection
with his alleged involvement in post-presidential election political
violence. [For background see Eurasia Insight archive]. At least
10 people died during the street fighting in early March 2008. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

It is expected that Sukiasian will now face trial on charges that he
organized "mass disorder." If convicted, he could face up to 10 years
in prison. Sukiasian is not covered under an amnesty adopted by the
Armenian parliament in June. That measure gave opposition suspects
until July 31 to surrender.

In a statement issued in early July, Sukiasian insisted that he had
"committed no crime." He went on to say that he would vigorously
contest the charges against him. "I’m ready to consistently fight
for restoration of the rights and freedoms of myself and my people
and I believe justice will finally triumph," the statement said.

Until 2007, when he became active in opposition political causes,
Sukiasian was considered one of the most influential entrepreneurs
in Armenia. He led a conglomerate known as the SIL group, which
encompassed a wide variety of businesses, including a pizza parlor
chain, a tobacco distributorship, an insurance agency and a mineral
water bottling plant. Sukiasian built his commercial empire from
scratch during the early years of Armenia’s post-Soviet existence,
a time when Ter-Petrosian was the country’s president.

Starting in the fall of 2007, Sukiasian’s business empire became
embroiled in a variety of tax disputes with the government. "They
[authorities] have been trying to paralyze the work of the whole [SIL]
concern," said Anna Lazarian, a spokeswoman for the conglomerate. "And
it’s continuing right up to today."

Attention in the continuing tax dispute centers on the Bjni mineral
water plant. After being subjected to numerous audits and environmental
inspections, the plant was declared bankrupt in late 2008 and auctioned
by the government after SIL could not, or would not, pay roughly
$14 million in fines. The government’s actions prompted SIL to sue
the state in the European Court of Human Rights. Ara Zohrabyan, an
attorney representing the Bjni plant, said SIL was seeking roughly $300
million in damages, adding that the case could take years to resolve.

Stepan Safaryan, a prominent figure in the opposition Heritage
Party described the criminal case against Sukiasian as "political
punishment." The cases against him and his business empire are designed
to have a chilling effect on other entrepreneurs who might want to
support opposition parties.

"He is not an accidental target," Safaryan said, referring to
Sukiasian.

Editor’s Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance journalist based
in Yerevan.

ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES MAY COMMIT THE BIGGEST ERROR

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.09.2009 18:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian authorities do not have the right to speak
in the name of Armenian people without preliminary consultation. It
is absolutely necessary that the President of the Republic organize a
side-Armenian dialogue with Diaspora and country’s political forces.,
French journalist Jean Eckian reported to PanARMENIAN.Net, quoting the
statement of Murad Papazyan, chairman of ARF Dachnaktsutyun/Western
Europe.

"The Armenian cause is in danger, Karabakh is in danger, authorities
of Armenia will commit the greatest political error since Armenia’s
independence," Papazyan said in his statement, stressing that plans for
creating a special structure for studying Armenian Genocide already
calls into question the fact known to many well-known researchers,
scholars and specialists.

"This is a hard blow to the Armenian Cause and formidable victory of
Turkish diplomacy. By accepting protocols on establishing diplomatic
ties between Armenia and Turkey, Armenian authorities renounces theor
claims. Murad Pashinhyan called on Armenian people to voice their
unanimous position on the issue.

Trend, Azerbaijan
July 9 2009

UAE diplomatic mission to be opened in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 9 / Trend News, E.Ostapenko / Diplomatic
mission of United Arab Emirates will soon be opened in Azerbaijan, UAE
Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on July 9.

On July 9, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received UAE
Foreign Minister in Baku.

Sheikh appreciated the development of Azerbaijan and stressed that the
UAE is interested in developing relations with Azerbaijan.

UAE is most interested in developing economic relations with
Azerbaijan, amongst which the priority is petrochemical industry and
tourism, said Al Nahyan.

Touching upon Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the
guest said that his country supports the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan and withdrawal of Armenian troops from occupied
territories, as well as solution to this problem through peaceful
dialogue.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister highly evaluated the current state of
relations between the two countries and noted that the positions of
Azerbaijan and the UAE coincide on many international issues.

He also thanked Al Nahyan for supporting the position of Azerbaijan on
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding
districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in
1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the
U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Mammadyarov stressed the importance of bilateral relations and
exchange of young diplomats.

The meeting also focused on other bilateral, regional and global
topics that affect the interests of both countries.

Norvik UCO wins in Best Content and High Accessibility nomination of
CB’s Best Information Booklet competition

2009-06-06 15:37:00

ArmInfo. Norvik Universal Credit Organization has won in the "Best
Content and High Accessibility" nomination of the Central Bank’s "The
Best Information Booklet 2009" competition.

The objective of the contest is to enhance the transparency of the
financial market and to provide the customers of financial
organizations with accessible and detailed information, reports the
press service of Norvik.

CEO of Norvik Tigran Bostanjyan says that his company gives high
priority to the transparency and accessibility of its information. "We
are glad that the jury has given a high assessment of the quality
and content of our information."

Norvik was established in Feb 2006 by Latvian-Icelandic Norvik Bank. In
early July 2006 the company was granted the CB’s license. For two years
already Norvik has been the leading credit organization of Armenia.

The CB’s contest has been held since 2008. The jury comprised employees
of the CB as well as representatives of public organizations, the Union
of Banks, the Association of Insurance Market Participants, credit
companies and mass media.

ALI BABACAN: SIX-SIDED TALKS ON KARABAKH TO START SOON

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.04.2009 11:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Babacan
said six-sided talks on Nagorno Karabakh conflict with participation
of U.S., Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia will
start soon.

Babacan said all actions taken by Turkey in Caucasus satisfy
Azerbaijani interests. "Turkey is interested in Karabakh
conflict resolution and the world’s attention to this process is
rising. Negotiations will start in several weeks, but dates of
joint discussions on regional issues will be identified once all
six countries – U.S., Russian, Switzerland, Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Armenia – come to agreement on these through diplomatic channels. We
seek normalization of relations not only between Turkey and Armenia,
but between Baku and Yerevan as well," Turkish media cited Babacan
as saying.

Tigran Balayan, head of the Armenian MFA media relations division,
told PanARMENIAN.Net that Armenia got no offer to participate in
talks mentioned by the Turkish Foreign Minister.

TIGRAN SARKISYAN: NOT MONEY BUT INTELLECT TO BECOME THE MAIN RESOURCE IN THE NEW WORLD

ArmInfo
2009-03-06 16:23:00

ArmInfo. ‘Today no strategic centre is going to predict further
development of situation. There is uncertainty connected with the
fact that at present processes are taking place which will lead to
creation of the new world, which in its part will cardinally differ
from the previous one’, – Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisyan
said at today’s scientific conference in Russian-Armenian (Slavonik)
University.

He also added knowledge and intellect and ability to think will become
the basic principles in the new world. ‘The government should change
the criteria of assessing effectiveness and stimulations methods
should occupy the first place, as they suppose self-realization; and
the methods of compulsion should lag behind’, – Armenian premier said.

Touching on education, Tigran Sarkisyan said the reforms in the sphere
of education should be directed to teaching a person to think. But one
cannot think having no knowledge. For this reason, a person should
first of all accumulate knowledge and only after that he will have
a chance to study how to think. He also added the atmosphere should
be created in which intellectuals will feel themselves comfortable.

686.1BLN AMD INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT SOLD IN ARMENIA IN JAN-NOV

ARKA
Jan 8, 2008

YEREVAN, January 8. /ARKA/. The RA National Statistical service
reports 686.1bln AMD worth industrial output was sold in Armenia
this January-November, an annual increase of 2.9%. 70bln AMD worth
industrial output was sold in CIS countries, 147.3bln AMD in other
countries.

The industrial output reached 693.4bln AMD this January-November
(current prices), with metal mining output being 96.9bln AMD (101.7%
against corresponding period last year), manufacturing 465.5bln AMD
(101.6%), chemical 14.2bln AMD (88.3%), production and distribution
of energy, gas and water 114.8bln AMD (110.1%).