Author: Babajanian Karo

TURKISH SHEPHERD SHOT DEAD BY ARMENIAN BORDER GUARDS

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Aug 1 2013

1 August 2013 /TODAY’S ZAMAN, ANKARA

Thirty-five-year-old Turkish shepherd Mustafa Ulker, who crossed to
the Armenian side of the border to retrieve a lost sheep, was shot
dead by Armenian soldiers patrolling the border, Kars Governor Eyup
Tepe said on Thursday.

Ulker illegally crossed into Armenia from the Arpacay district of
Kars on Wednesday when he realized that a sheep from his herd had
crossed the border. According to reports, Armenian soldiers opened
fire on the shepherd without giving a warning.

“The Armenian side wants to return the body. Our brigade’s assistant
commander and the district governor are at the border. We will most
likely receive our citizen’s body through the east gate. We could say
that there was excessive use of force involved considering that he
[Ulker] did not have a gun in his hands,” said Tepe.

“We are continuing to have talks with Armenian officials. This
[shooting incident] is one the problems that we sometimes face at
our borders,” added Tepe.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan after the Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of
Azerbaijan in 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In 2009,
the Zurich Protocols were signed between Armenia and Turkey to
normalize relations; however, the move did not bear fruit as the
border remains closed.

The mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans in 1915,
referred to as a genocide by Armenians, is an issue that strains ties
between the two countries. Turkey categorically denies the charges of
genocide, saying that there were deaths on both sides when Armenians
revolted against the Ottoman Empire in collaboration with the Russian
army and invaded Eastern Anatolia to gain independence.

SHIRAZ: COMFORT FOOD, ARMENIAN-STYLE
By Bill Clapper Telegram & Gazette Reviewer

Worcester Telegram, MA
Aug 1 2013

The small, family-run Shiraz Armenian Cuisine along Worcester’s busy
Park Avenue is a journey back to a time when neighborhood restaurants
thrived on the authenticity of their particular ethnic cuisines.

At Shiraz that means Middle Eastern dishes with the strong influence
of Armenian, Syrian and Greek cultures prepared in traditional ways.

Add to the authentic food continuous Middle Eastern music and snatches
of conversations in various languages and you have a slice of Middle
East culture in Worcester.

There are no frills or pretention at Shiraz because the emphasis
is on the food. The decor featured cafeteria-style metal chairs,
covered in blue vinyl, hovering in groups of two or four around faux
wood grain metal tables. The tables were aligned in neat rows leading
to the back of the restaurant and kitchen.

The few objects de art on the generally white walls are small drawings,
photos and prints of people and places Armenian. They are unobtrusive
and speak to a time when proud restaurateurs put their framed newspaper
clippings on the wall.

But we didn’t venture to Shiraz on a rainy mid-week evening for
the decor … We were there for the food and on that score Shiraz
surpassed all our expectations. As we were finishing our meal, my
partner summed up the experience by announcing, “This is comfort food.”

We wanted to sample as much as we could so we decided to share the
combination plate ($10.95), which featured generous dollops of humus
and babaganoosh, tobouleh and three large stuffed grape leaves.

Triangles of fresh pita bread accompanied the plate.

Each of the samples generated positive responses, as the flavors
exploded on our palates. The humus was nutty and velvety smooth, with
more than adequate garlic and lemon juice. The babaganoosh began with
roasted eggplant that infused the baba with a deep, pungent almost
smoky flavor. The tobouleh was zesty with lemon juice and perky with
fresh, chopped parsley.

But it was the stuffed grape leaves that elevated the plate to
greatness. The rice, ground lamb, onions and spices of the stuffing
perfectly complemented the oiled grape leaves.

Other appetizers that we reluctantly bypassed included: jajek ($4.95),
cucumber with mint and garlic in yogurt; eggplant salad ($7.50),
grilled eggplant with onions, peppers, tomatoes, parsley, lemon and
olive oil; and meat pie ($4.75), ground beef and spices in a pie.

The entrees were dominated by various iterations of kebabs ($10.50 to
$14.50) but also had traditional Middle Eastern dishes such as gyros
($9.25), stuffed grape leaves ($9.95) and kibbee ($10.50). A chicken
Port Said ($15.95) and a stuffed keffa ($12.75) also stood out.

As an appeal to traditional American tastes, Shiraz offers sirloin
steak with mushrooms and onions ($14.50) and one seafood dish –
grilled swordfish with broiled tomato ($14.95). There are also burgers
($4.75 to $8.25), and pockets both vegetarian ($5.50 to $7.95) and meat
($6.95 to $8.25).

In harmony with the spirit of Shiraz, we settled on the spinach pie
($9.50) and eggplant kebab ($10.50).

The individual spinach pie was delightful. The spinach mixture was
tangy with abundant spices while the bread (made in-house) outer shell,
formed into a triangle, was light yet hearty. The bread dough spinach
pie is a departure from the traditional filo dough version and makes
a different kind of treat.

On the opposite side of our table, a plate of ground beef and ground
lamb patties alternated with roasted eggplant on a bed of roasted
green beans and a tomato-based sauce. Served with a delicately seasoned
rice pilaf, the eggplant kebab was simple yet fulfilling.

While not exotic, the meals at Shiraz are what you would expect from
a neighborhood restaurant that caters to the Middle Eastern community.

When it came time for dessert, Shiraz offered four choices including
a non-traditional cream baklava ($2.75) with custard taking the place
of the nut and honey mixture. We had to try it and were amused with
the blending of the filo leaves and the custard.

A good attempt, but for my taste it’s all about the nuts and honey in
baklava and with neither walnuts nor pistachios, the cream version
wasn’t my idea of baklava. Next time, I will stay with traditional
baklava ($2.75).

We also ordered kataif cream ($3), which was a shredded dough over a
much too sweet custard. Coffee tended to modulate the sugary creamy
custard but the sweetness dominated the dish. The other dessert was
rice pudding ($2.75).

For a night out during a busy work week, Shiraz is a perfect choice.

Good food that is well-prepared, fast service and no bar/lounge
distractions. Our quiet dinner for two with wine came to a very
reasonable $69.66 before taxes and tip.

MINORITIES IN TURKEY TAGGED BY ‘RACE CODES,’ OFFICIAL DOCUMENT REVEALS

23:18 01.08.2013

An official document penned by the Istanbul Provincial Education
Directorate has surfaced, revealing that Turkey’s population
administration system has been recording citizens who have Armenian,
Jewish or Anatolian Greek (Rum) origins with secret “race codes,”
the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

The Armenian-Turkish weekly newspaper Agos published as its headline
story on Aug. 1 a report on an official document that openly states
“citizens with Armenian origin are coded with ‘2.’” The implementation
is reported to have been in place since 1923, the foundation year of
the Turkish Republic.

A Turkish citizen’s mother whose origin is Armenian requested to
register her child at an Armenian kindergarden, but the school
responded by asking her to prove she had the “2 code” in order to
check that she had not changed religion, according to the document. In
Turkey, only minority communities’ members can register their children
at minority schools, according to the education law.

The document, sent from the Istanbul Provincial Education Directorate
to the Å~^iÅ~_li District National Education office, stated that “since
1923, the secret code of Armenians is ‘2’ on identity registration
certificates,” according to the Agos report.

“Since 1923, identity registration certificates have a secret ‘race
code,'” the document added.

The family’s lawyer, Ä°smail Cem Halavurt, said the struggle to
register children at the Armenian kindergarden was still continuing.

“We are now waiting for an official document saying, ‘Yes, your race
code is 2, you can register at an Armenian school,'” Halavurt told
the Agos.

Interior Ministry officials were not available for comment when
approached by the Hurriyet Daily News, and referred reporters to the
Directorate General for Population and Citizenship Affairs, which is
a body working under their own ministry.

An official from the population administration told daily Radikal
that the practice was being conducted “to allow minority groups use
their rights stemming the Lausanne Treaty,” signed between Turkey
and Western countries, which led to the establishment of the modern
Turkish Republic.

As part of the practice, Greeks were coded 1, Armenians were coded
2, and Jews were coded 3. Other minorities or groups are not coded,
the official told daily Radikal.

While there was no immediate official response to the report,
opposition parties’ lawmakers harshly criticized the alleged document.

“If this is true, it is fatal. It must be examined. I will bring this
onto Parliament’s agenda,” Sezgin Tanrıkulu, deputy head of the
main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), told the Hurriyet
Daily News.

Altan Tan, a deputy of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), stated
that there had long been such allegations, but they were always denied
by the authorities. Tan urged Interior Minister Muammer Guler to make
a statement on the issue.

“If there is such a thing going on, it is a big disaster. The state
illegally profiling its own citizens based on ethnicity and religion,
and doing this secretly, is a big catastrophe,” Tan said.

A KOSHER LECTURE AT A KOSHER ARMENIAN DINNER

EDITORIAL | AUGUST 1, 2013 1:29 PM
________________________________

By Edmond Y. Azadian

An announcement was sent to the media about a lecture to be delivered
on August 18 at the Congregation B’nai Israel in Tustin, Calif. A
prominent scholar in the person of Richard Hovannisian has been invited
as the lecturer. The context and the format are both interesting to
the academic community as well as the general public.

The lecture will follow a “Kosher Armenian dinner” and will deal
with the similarities and differences between the Jewish and Armenian
genocides.

When the historiography of the Armenian Genocide was still in its
infancy, Hovannisian became one of the early pioneers on the topic
driving the issue not only to the Armenian audience, but to an
international audience. This latest undertaking is also directed at
an audience whose sensitivity to the issue cannot be overestimated.

Hovannisian is taking the Genocide discussion to the Jewish community,
which is also traumatized and tormented with a catastrophic experience
that befell Armenians early last century.

Ever since the Jewish Holocaust, it has almost become a cliche to
state that had the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide been punished,
perhaps the Holocaust would have been avoided. But the cruel logic of
history and politics is that human nature will not change and given
the opportunity any dictator would become a Talaat, Hitler or Pol Pot.

But by comparing the Armenian experience to the Jewish experience,
some lessons could be learned by politicians, scholars and even by
the nations affected and shaped by those historic events.

There are similarities and differences between the two cases. The
similarities are within the realm of cause and effect. The Ittihadist
leadership blamed Armenians as traitors to the Ottoman Empire, just
like Hitler blamed the Jews for all the ills of German society and
determined to bring the Final Solution to Jewish existence in Europe.

The dissimilarities are much more pronounced since the Armenians were
exterminated in their own native land while the Jews met the same fate
in an alien land. As a result of the Genocide, the Armenians lost 75
percent of their population, along with their ancestral homeland of
3,000 years. The Jews received a homeland as a direct consequence of
the Holocaust. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 to grant a homeland
to the Jews did not become a reality until 1948, when the Jews took
their destiny into their own hands and many European Jews sought to
live lives as Israelis, not a fearful minority in Europe.

The surviving Armenians lost their homes, houses of worship and all
their belongings and at best, they were granted some charity in host
countries, while Israel became the beneficiary of the compensation
owed to the victims of the Holocaust, despite the fact that it did
not exist as a sovereign country during the Holocaust.

Genocide scholars will certainly dig more similarities and differences
in these to historic cases. But mutual education is necessary for
both nations to understand each other and stand together as a bulwark
against any future threat of ethnic cleansing.

Many serious and righteous Jewish scholars, including Israel Charny,
Yair Auron and others, maintain that the denial of the Armenian
Genocide by the Israeli government erodes the moral foundations of
the Holocaust itself.

These Jewish scholars consider it a moral imperative for the Israeli
government to recognize the Armenian Genocide, over and above
the political expediency of placating the Turks. The louder these
righteous voices resonate, the better the chances are for recognition
of the Armenian Genocide, which eventually will pave the way for
the US government to join the fray. It is no secret to anyone that
the impediment to that recognition comes from the people of Abraham
Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League and some pro-Israeli lobbyists
in Washington. Whatever these scholars of high integrity believe and
profess, does not necessarily translate into political currency.

Every time Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Erdogan makes a blunder by
accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian people,
rumors circulate and actual parliamentary hearings are held in Israeli
parliament in preparation of the Jewish State’s recognition of the
Armenian Genocide. Those inconsequential rumors evaporate and the
hearings are discontinued, as soon as Ankara signals a conciliatory
note.

The most outrageous incident took place when Israeli President Shimon
Peres visited Ankara and announced that the murder of Armenians in
the Ottoman Empire did not amount to genocide. That was a political
compliment presented to his Turkish hosts with the blood of 1.5
million Armenian martyrs. However, history is full of ironies. Not
too much later, Mr. Erdogan faced Mr. Peres in Davos, Switzerland and
walked away from a dispute shouting in the Israeli president’s face
that his country was committing genocide against Palestinians. The
Armenian victims insulted by Mr. Peres were vindicated inadvertently
by the Turkish leader.

Mr. Foxman and his ilk maintain that holding the Armenian Genocide
or any other mass murder on the level of the Holocaust will chip
away the political capital of the Holocaust. However, unless the
Jewish Holocaust and the genocides perpetrated against Armenians,
Cambodians and Rwandans, among an unfortunately long list, are treated
as integral dimensions of the universal pain, they will be devalued
as moral and historical cases.

We are certain that Prof. Richard Hovannisian will drive the point
to his Jewish audience, as have other Genocide scholars, including
Vahakn Dadrian, Taner Akcam, Robert Melson and others have done.

In the meantime, we hope Professor Hovannisian will enjoy his
well-deserved Kosher Armenian Dinner.

– See more at:

ACT NOW. NOT TOMORROW

Below is a letter Keghart.com Editorial Board member Dr. Dikran
Abrahamian sent to four Armenian community leaders in Montreal,
signatories of a recent circular “The time has come to stop slandering
and to think of the future of our church and community”.–Editor

July 17, 2013 Ontario

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the recent circular initiated by 23 individuals,
regarding the turmoil at the Armenian Diocese of Canada.

We, at Keghart, realize the importance of the issue and support
any initiative that would improve “the future of our church and
community”. The problems that we face, such as corruption, nepotism,
fraud, despotism, to name a few, are not unique to our Church and
community but are noted in many clusters of the Armenian Diaspora,
from Geneva to Montreal, Los Angeles to Lyon and Nice. Etchmiadzin
and Antelias are not immune either.

[…….]

You may already have read the petition in Keghart, titled Stop the
Fake Monument, about another challenge our community in Canada is
facing as it tries to neutralize the almost-complete success of the
campaign launched by the Turkish ambassador and consul general in
Toronto of the denailist state of Turkey. We think that resolving
the internal matters of the community, such as the recent scandal in
Montreal, and the battle against the stooges of the state of Turkey
in Canada are equally important.

Having said so we need to prioritize matters based on urgency and
time-sensitivity.

The issue of the controversial fake monument will not wait until we
finally decide to act. Our inactivity will be deleterious. We still
have a chance to resolve the problem in our favor. Unofficially,
I have been informed that the mayor of Brantford has refused to
meet a delegation of Armenians today. It tells volumes. Action is
required now, not tomorrow when another monument will be installed
following the one in Ottawa and the Calgary mayor’s assistance to
the Azeri-Turkish lobby.

Reluctantly, in this constellation of events, I shall withdraw your
circular, because it will distract people from responding to the
Brantford challenge–the target we should concentrate our efforts at
present. I know you follow the logic of my decision. Please organize
the community in that direction, rather than trying to resolve an
internal matter which needs time. Keghart cannot engage in activities
that need manpower, such as contacting the Alevis, alerting them or
other communities, such as the Assyrians and the Kurds. [….]

Hopefully Karekin II-Serge Sarkissian duo will take care of all the
matters pertaining to the Church from Beijing to Beirut and beyond.

Thanks for your attention.

Respectfully,

Dikran Abrahamian

On July 18, 2013 Keghart.com received a document titled “To Locum
Tenens and few prominent members of the Canadian Armenian Community”
by regular mail. It was penned by “A former Parish Council Member of
the Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Toronto” (July 14, 2013).

Keghart.com thanks the author but will not publish the document for the
same reasons as outlined in the above letter to a number of community
leaders in Montreal.–Editor

Armenian Apostolic Church of Crescenta Valley – Educational Committee
6252 Honolulu Ave.
La Crescenta, CA. 91214
Tel: 818-244-9645
E-mail: [email protected]

Deacon Khatchig Shannakian will be the guest speaker on the subject of
`Armenian Women’s Role in Sustaining the Armenian Apostolic Church and
Culture’ at the Armenian Apostolic Church of Crescenta Valley, located
at Western Prelacy’s “Dikran and Zarouhi Der Ghazarian” Hall, at 6252
Honolulu Ave., La Crescenta, California on Sunday, August 11, 2013 at
1pm, following the Divine liturgy, which starts at 11am.

This event is dedicated to His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia, declaring the year 2013 as `The Year of the
Armenian Mother.’

As the first Christian nation, the Armenian Apostolic Church has a
rich history and traditions. Throughout that history, women have
played an important role within our church and nation. We have had
deaconesses, nuns, saints, queens, princesses, and other national
servants. And let us not forget that the first martyr of the Armenian
Apostolic Church was indeed a woman, St. Santoukht the Virgin.

The contributions of women have certainly been exalted by our church
and nation. Armenian women have played a pivotal role in the
establishment, spread, and preservation of our Christian faith and
religious principles and traditions. They have served selflessly in
many capacities, but always with one purpose in mind, to serve to the
best of their abilities to keep our church and nation strong and
enduring, in Armenia and in the Diaspora alike.

Khatchig Shannakian was born in 1982, in Anjar, Lebanon. At the young
age of 4, his family moved to Toronto, Canada, where he lived his
youth, and after graduating high school he was accepted into the
Pre-Med program at the University of Toronto, where he completed his
Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience and Psychology, graduating
with honors in 2007.

Since childhood he has served the Armenian Apostolic Church both in
Anjar, Lebanon and in Toronto, Canada, where he was ordained into the
deaconate by His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Hagopian. Upon completion
of his Bachelors of Science and despite being accepted into Medical
school, the calling to serve God was strong in his soul and he
continued his education in religious studies, graduating in 2011 with
a Masters of Divinity degree from the University of Toronto.

In 2011 he married his wife Roubina Shannakian in Anjar, Lebanon and
then moved to Los Angeles, California. Having applied to be ordained
into the priesthood at the Western Prelacy, His Eminence Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian accepted his application, and currently Deacon
Khatchig is working at the Prelacy as the Executive Secretary of the
Youth Department, awaiting his ordainment.

This event, which is organized by Crescenta Valley Church Education
Committee, is free and open to the public.

PROSHIAN HEAD DOES NOT SIGN RESIGNATION APPLICATIONS

Thursday,
August 01

The head of Proshian village administration, member of Republican
Party of Armenia Arthur Muradian has not yet signed resignation
applications submitted by 13 employees of the administration,
‘Haykakan Zhamanak’ writes.

The daily was informed that A. Muradian is waiting for the expiry of
a three-day deadline envisaged by Armenia’s Labor Code. Under Article
112 of the Labor Code, an employee may withdraw an application for
termination of the employment contract within three working days.

After the indicated time, employees may withdraw their applications
only with the employer’s consent.

“Proshian administrator still thinks that some employees may change
their mind and withdraw applications,” the paper notes.

TODAY, 11:46

Aysor.am

TURQUIE
L’église de Diyarbakır va avoir un musée arménien

Une partie de l’église arménienne Sourp Giragos a Diyarbakir sera
ouvert comme musée de l’histoire des Arméniens dans la province
du sud-est.

Ergun Ayık, directeur de la Fondation de l’Eglise Surp Giragos a
déclaré au journal Hurriyet qu’un bâtiment dans le complexe de
l’église serait transformé en Musée de l’histoire arménienne.

” Les coÔts de nettoyage, d’électricité et d’eau seront pris
en charge par la municipalité, ainsi que la surveillance 24 heures
sur 24 du complexe de l’église”, a déclaré Ayık. “Ainsi, notre
fondation sera libéré d’un montant important du coÔt.”

Appel aux Arméniens

Le président de la Fondation a déclaré que le musée serait
formé a partir d’effets personnels et a appelé aux Arméniens,
qui possédait les objets de leurs ancêtres, de les envoyer a la
Fondation de l’Eglise Surp Giragos. Il a ajouté que l’immeuble allait
être construit selon les objets collectés, les donateurs potentiels
devraient se hâter dans l’expédition de leurs biens.

Concernant les objets a afficher, Ayık déclaré que les biens de la
vie artistique, culturelle et ̩conomique arm̩nienne Рy compris les
vieilles lettres, des documents commerciaux, des morceaux de musique,
des appareils ménagers, des vêtements, des peintures, des tapis et
des outils d’artisans – seraient exposées dans le musée.

Il a déclaré que les biens recueillis seraient transférés a
l’inventaire de la fondation en attendant la signature d’un protocole
pour le musée.

Ayık a dit qu’il y a quatre ans, le seul vestige des Arméniens de
Diyarbakır étaient deux églises en ruine dans la ville, ajoutant que
les Arméniens avaient vécu dans la région des “milliers d’années”
et avaient construit un ” grand royaume.”

Vercihan Ziflioglu

ISTANBUL – Hurriyet Daily News

jeudi 1er aoÔt 2013, Stéphane ©armenews.com

VINGT CAS DE VIOLENCE CONJUGALE DEPUIS JUIN 2012

Armenie

Selon l’association, la societe sans violence, sept femmes ont ete
tuees et plus d’une douzaine d’autres ont ete gravement blessees en
Armenie au cours de la dernière annee pour cause de violence conjugale.

Vingt cas de violence conjugale grave ont ete enregistres depuis
la fin du mois de juin 2012. ” Quatorze de ces incidents ont ete
particulièrement brutaux et sept d’entre eux ont eu une issue fatale
“, a declare Anna Aruchian, presidente de l’ONG. Beaucoup viennent
des petites villes. Dans la ville de l’Ararat, Diana Nahapetian, une
residente locale, est morte après avoir recu plusieurs coups de couteau
par son mari. Un mari jaloux aurait egalement poignarde a plusieurs
reprises sa jeune femme après avoir decouvert qu’elle etait inscrite
sur reseau social en ligne. Selon Lida Minasian, une benevole de
l’association, les medecins ont reussi a sauver la vie de cette femme.

La police armenienne a refuse de confirmer ou d’infirmer le nombre de
decès rapportes par le groupe de defense des droits des femmes. Selon
un porte-parole de la police, les organes repressifs ne classent pas
ces incidents hors de la categorie des homicides. Le fonctionnaire a
egalement fait valoir que le Code penal de l’Armenie ne definit pas
clairement la violence domestique.

Aruchian a precise que les chiffres presentes par son association
n’indiquent pas une augmentation des violences conjugales. ” C’est
juste qu’il y a plus de gens prets a les denoncer publiquement “,
a-t-elle explique. Le Departement d’Etat americain a mis en lumière ce
problème en Armenie lors de ces rapports annuels sur les pratiques des
droits de l’homme partout dans le monde. ” Les organes de repression
ont signale 762 cas de violence conjugale au cours de l’annee 2012,
dont 455 sont lies a un mari, une epouse ou un partenaire “, a indique
le departement. ” La plupart de ces cas etaient de faible ou moyenne
gravite. ”

Le rapport americain a egalement signale que la violence domestique
en Armenie n’est pas puni par la loi. La plupart de ces cas n’ont
pas ete signales en 2012 parce que les victimes ont peur de prejudice
physique ou craignent de divulguer leurs problèmes familiaux.

Certaines associations ont ouvert des refuges et des services
d’assistance telephonique pour les victimes et leur ont donne des
conseils juridiques et psychologiques. Selon le rapport du Departement
d’Etat, le Centre de ressources des femmes, une autre ONG armenienne,
a recu près de 900 appels au premier semestre de 2012. ” Le centre
a accueilli 19 femmes et 23 enfants “, a ajoute le rapport.

Aruchian a souligne que les associations manquent de soutien direct du
gouvernement. Anna Nikoghosian, benevole a la societe sans violence,
s’est plaint a cet egard que le gouvernement a recemment rejete un
projet de loi redige par plusieurs ONG.

jeudi 1er août 2013, Laetitia ©armenews.com

RUSSIA NOT THE EU MAIN PARTNER FOR ARMENIA

The Messenger, Georgia
July 31 2013

By Messenger Staff

Wednesday, July 31
Since regaining its independence, Armenia has received around 3 billion
USD investments from Russia; next comes France at 957 million USD,
followed by Greece – at 478 million USD. It is significant that the
largest amount of money transfers to Armenia come from Russia, which
is 3-4 billion USD. It should be mentioned that this money has been
the major support for the local population. As a whole, the amount
of money coming from the various EU member states is less than the
amount coming from Russia.