Author: Badalian Vardan

‘RETURNING MINORITIES’ PROPERTY AN ECONOMIC REVOLUTION’

Today’s Zaman
Aug 29, 2011
Turkey

A former official from the Privatization Administration (OÄ°B) has said
a government decision to return all confiscated immovable property
belonging to minority foundations is a historic economic revolution
that would guarantee the right to own property in a country that is
aspiring to become one of the 10 largest economies worldwide by 2023,
its centennial.

Writing in the Sabah daily, former OÄ°B Vice President Suleyman YaÅ~_ar
underlined that the expropriation of all the properties more than 40
years ago was a huge blow to the country’s economy. “It is a must to
guarantee property rights for an economy to grow rapidly in a proper
way,” he wrote on Monday. “Now the AK Party’s [Justice and Development
Party] decree will have its place as a revolution in the history of
[Turkey’s] economy,” he added.

The decree relating to the AK Party government’s decision was
published in the Official Gazette on Saturday and thereby went into
force. Accordingly, minority foundations will be able to reclaim
real property that they had declared back in 1936. All real property,
cemeteries and fountains will be returned to their rightful holders.

Immoveable property currently belonging to third persons will also
be paid for. Minority foundations will have to apply to the Turkish
authorities within 12 months to reclaim what belonged to them
decades ago.

“This is a first in the history of the Turkish Republic and a very
significant move,” said Kezban Hatemi, an attorney specializing in
minority rights, discussing the decision earlier with Today’s Zaman.

“This is the restoration of a right. This move is a requirement of
the Treaty of Lausanne and one that makes our non-Muslim citizens
feel like equal citizens in Turkey,” she also said on Sunday.

The confiscation of the minority foundations’ properties dates back
to the early days of the Republic of Turkey when it was governed by a
single-party, non-democratic regime. The 1936 Law on Foundations, known
as the 1936 Declaration, ordered all foundations to submit a list of
their immovable properties. And because there was no regulation issued
after the fall of the Ottoman Empire that allows those foundations
to own property, the General Directorate of Foundations expropriated
all the immovable property acquired after 1936.

Turkey’s mostly Muslim population of 73 million includes nearly 65,000
Armenian Orthodox Christians, 23,000 Jews and fewer than 2,500 Greek
Orthodox Christians.

ARABAÅ~^LIK ‘Predictability of law necessitates rating upgrade’

For YaÅ~_ar, the biggest contribution of the government’s move to
the Turkish economy is that it will make this a country where there
is a rule of law that creates predictability for foreign investors
who want to take advantage of Turkey’s rapid economic growth. “This
is also a decision that requires an immediate upgrade of Turkey’s
credit rating,” YaÅ~_ar says.

All three major credit rating agencies place Turkey in the
non-investment cluster, which is also referred to as junk status, but
with strong prospects for rating upgrades in the near future. Moody’s
rates Turkish credit Ba2, two notches below investment grade, with a
positive outlook. Standard & Poor’s rates the country an equivalent BB,
also with a positive outlook, and Fitch Ratings ranks Turkey as BB+,
just one notch below its investment grade.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party has been in power
since late 2002 and, having won the June 12 elections, will remain
in office for another four years. The past eight years under the AK
Party have brought decreases in Turkey’s inflation, budget deficit
and unemployment, along with improvements in economic growth. Turkey’s
current account deficit (CAD), on the other hand, spiked to 8 percent
of its gross domestic product (GDP) because Turkish industries
failed to reduce their dependence on foreign intermediate goods,
and rising oil and natural gas prices caused the country’s energy
bill to skyrocket.

Some say this deficit is the reason rating agencies have not upgraded
Turkey’s sovereign rating to investment grade despite its achievements
over the past eight years. Others, including YaÅ~_ar, believe those
agencies’ decisions are based on politics and that their technical
analyses are biased.

ARMENIAN PROGRAMMERS PARTICIPATE IN GOOGLE HACKATHON

news.am
Aug 29, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Google technology User Group Armenia participated in
hackathon of CIS states involving participants from seven cities.

A hackathon, is an event when programmers meet to do collaborative
computer programming.

It is the first hackathon involving Armenia’s representatives. Forum’s
objective is to create an additional add-on for Google Chrome browser,
one of GTUG Armenia coordinators Vardan Grigoryan told Armenian
News-NEWS.am.

“Over 70 add-ons were created during a two-day hackathon. In Armenia,
the event was attended by 7,000 people who created two applications,”
said Grigoryan.

He said that one of the applications will mark any page to read it
later – it will constantly remind you that you have something to read.

The second add-on will allow to highlight the text or a single word
right in the browser and to see its translation with the help of
Google Translate or Lingvo.

The two applications will be finalized within a month, while on October
9 the Google jury will name the winners of the best project in Moscow.

ARMENIANS SURVIVED THANKS TO BELIEF – ARMENIAN CATHOLICOS

news.am
Aug 29, 2011
Armenia

ECHMIADZIN. – Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II met on Monday
with the group of the pilgrims from Austrian city Innsbruck and
introduced them the achievements of the internal life of the Armenian
Apostolic Church.

“Thanks to our belief, Armenians survived for centuries. We experienced
and survived genocide, as we believed in Christ,” reads the message
of the Catholicos, press service of the Holy See informs Armenian
News-NEWS.am.

TURKISH GOVERNMENT TO RETURN PROPERTIES TAKEN FROM ORTHODOX, OTHER RELIGIOUS MINORITIES

Catholic Culture

Aug 29, 2011

Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan has announced plans to return
thousands that were seized by the government from religious ownership.

The surprise announcement from Erdogan will result in the return of
roughly 1,000 properties that were taken from the Orthodox churches in
the 1930s. Armenian and Jewish groups will also recover properties
under the new policy, which was announced as Erdogan prepared for an
iftar meal with Islamic leaders.

RUSSOPHILIA HINDERS US
Siranuysh Papyan

Lragir.am

29/08/2011

Interview with Haykak Arshamyan, historian

Haykak, my interlocutors in my recent interviews disbelieve Gallup’s
poll results claiming a 5% decline of Russian sentiment in Armenia.

But they say Russophilia is deeply rooted. As a historian, could
you guide us to the beginning of Russophilia? Is it due to the 70
Soviet years?

In Armenia, Russophilia dates back to the early 18th century when
the Armenian national liberation thought gradually faced the Russian
empire. It was strengthened in the 19th century as Russia captured
East Armenia. The Armenian political thought gradually fell under
the influence of the Russian politics. The emergence of the Armenian
political parties was mainly the influence of the Russian political
parties and movements.

The second layer of Russophilia is deeper and is determined by the
period of the Soviet Union. In those notorious 70 years Armenia bore
the influence of the Russian empire called the Soviet Union. I think
current Russophilia is its consequence because in the late 19th
and early 20th century the Armenian people living in the Russian
empire were disappointed with the anti-Armenian policy of the Russian
government innumerous times. It was not accidental that non-pro-Russian
trends emerged in the Armenian political thought. The disappointment
with the Russian imperialistic chauvinism was so great that in the
early 20th century the Armenian political parties tried to cooperate
with the Turkish political parties. One more example. In 1828 East
Armenia was annexed by Russia, and after the ensuing Russian-Turkish
war most Armenians migrated from Persia and Turkey to East Armenia
hoping to get support there but in a few years they got so disappointed
with the Russian empire policy and repressions that part of them
left back for Turkey and Persia. The 19th century was marked by
Russian advancement toward the Balkans and pan-Slavonism which was a
dominant ideology not only in Russia but also in the Slavic nations
of Europe who thought they would be saved if Russian empire extended
to their region, so the Armenian issue became secondary and marginal
to pan-Slavonism. The Russian-Turkish wars of the 19th century had
two fronts, Caucasian and Balkan. Every time Russia succeeded on the
Caucasian front, it eventually made concessions to gain dividends in
the Balkans. It was especially evident after the Russian-Turkish war
in 1877-1878, and only in the late 1890s did the Armenian political
thought realize that Russia is always ready to ignore the Armenian
issue for the sake of its geopolitical interests.

With such experience behind, why is today’s government again facing
Russia?

Today’s government with its innumerable roots is tied to and at the
same time dependent on Russia. Our government is not only politically
and economy dependent on the Russian government but also is facing
the problem of reproduction and every time it gets serious support
from Moscow.

These roots are deep, evidence to which are the debt of 100 million
dollars and the notorious project of property for debt which marked
another invasion of Armenia by the Russian empire and it gradually
came into possession of the greater share of our strategic resources –
communication, energy, railway – in the past decade.

In your opinion, does Russia stand a chance of democratic transition
and does it set such a goal? What processes are underway now there
and here?

Frankly speaking, I have no expectations of democracy or human
rights in Russia because it upholds the worst traditions of the same
Russian empire and the Soviet Union. There, every democratic wave,
every small uprising is cruelly cracked down by the authorities. The
Russian imperialism will continue for a long time, the Russian people
are used to the whip and believe in the idea of the good king. Even
the worst dictator in Russia is perceived as a good ruler, and the
surrounding is blamed for everything. The Russian muzhik does not
blame the tsar, he blames bad officials surrounding the tsar.

As to Armenia, the situation here is more or less “better” than
in Russia because in Russia the opposition has been annihilated
and abandoned. Unfortunately, in Russia there is just a handful of
opposition led by the chess player Garry Kasparov. The other forces
accepted the reality and mainly joined the totalitarian government.

Theoretically, of course, it is possible that if a democratic wave
rises, changing the situation by miracle, it will affect Armenia. For
the time being, however, I think Russia leads Armenia to a democratic
deadlock. The deeper Russophilia and Russian sentiment, the slower
democratic transition in Armenia will be.

One of our interlocutors says our political forces are the product
of the Soviet Union, therefore they bear the influence of the Russian
policy. Do you agree?

It is nostalgia for the Soviet Union or just upbringing that people
can’t rid of and get a broader view of the world. Russia itself is
unaware that the world lives in the 21st century, and the methods
with which the country is governed, from economy to external and
internal policies, are obsolete. Those political personalities in
Armenia who think that we are stuck amid the 90s are badly mistaken,
in the world the events succeed each other at such a pace, and such
unpredictable vectors emerge, both the government and the opposition
of Armenia must be ready to cope with these vectors.

Should we set a goal to rid of Russophilia or say no to the empire
and yes to sovereignty?

In fact, I answered this question for me a long time ago. The people
who are well-aware of the dangers coming from Russia (although positive
waves also come from Russia) must shake off the imperialistic mindset.

Actually, I don’t understand the notions “friendship of two nations”
and “elder and younger brothers”. People needn’t declare each
other friends, as we do with Russians and Georgians (and formerly
with Azerbaijan). There are no brothers, in-law, or hostile nations,
there are common interests, necessity to coexist in a region, cultural
relations and interaction.

What are the positive waves you mentioned?

The culture created within the Russian empire, education, literature,
the Russian cultural heritage. When I said positive waves, I meant
cultural interrelation and interaction.

Will Turkish-Russian normalization lead to liberation from Russophilia?

As a historian, I will say that the Armenian issue, the Armenian
people, Armenian territories were repeatedly sacrificed on the altar
of the Russian-Turkish relations. I don’t think a serious politician
would not understand this. As to the Russia-Turkey rapprochement, their
relations are a cloud in the horizon. Although Turkey is undergoing
internal transformation, there are common economic and political
interests, and we must keep the Russian-Turkish rapprochement in focus
and try to counteract and find alternative solutions. Russia has always
tried to keep the Armenian-Turkish relations under control and Russia
has a hand in the failure of the Armenian-Turkish protocols. Russia
will always keep Armenia’s foreign policies on Turkey and Iran under
control.

What causes nostalgia now when the Soviet Union has been unveiled,
and everything is clear?

This has two reasons. First, the transition to liberal economy
deviated toward a monopolized criminal-oligarchic system. As a result,
the majority of the public can’t see the advantages of an economy
without monopolies. The Soviet leveled quality of life, almost free
from polarization, is still vivid in the memories of the society.

One more observation. The press has recently brought up lustration,
declassification of KGB archives. I think it’s a peculiar form of
self-clearance, though belated because Eastern Europe and the Baltic
states did it earlier at the beginning of their independence, which
helped them overcome inhibitions, people who had cooperated with the
Soviet Union’s security body were banned from government. In Armenia,
it was not done in the 1990s, and it is not done now, but I am sure
that declassification of KGB archives will help cleanse the society,
as well as uproot Russophilia. However, it is not an end in itself,
therefore I think that it must be done only when free elections
are held in Armenia, and the society has a genuine participation in
government. In Armenia, self-cleansing could be triggered by political
forces which will come to government through democratic elections.

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF GEORGIA ABOUT ARMENIAN SCHOOLS PROBLEMS

Aysor.am
August 29, 2011

Armenian Community of Georgia sent to Ombudsman of Country the
documentary about the discrimination in Armenian schools of Georgia.

Armenian Community of Georgia sent a request to Public Defender of
Georgia about the situation, created in Armenian sector of public
school No.103 in Tbilisi.

ACG calls Public defender to investigate the incident of discrimination
and violation of minority rights in school and take appropriate
measures to regulate situation.

ACG had been monitoring the situation in the school for the last 2
years 2010-2011. During this period of time there were fixed many
facts of the violations of the rights of national minorities.

Armenian Community of Georgia sent to Public Defender of Georgia
all documentation and fixed facts of discrimination in Armenian
sector of public school No.103 in Tbilisi. In the request said
that the direction of public school No.103 in Tbilisi, except the
discrimination in Armenian sector, allowed many other violations:
administrative, financial, ethical etc.

In the requests also listed facts of discrimination by the school
direction, among which: “Holding the most of lessons in Russian;
numerous tries to liquidate the sector; interference in registration
children to the 1st class of Armenian school sector; the pressure on
parents to transfer their children to the Georgian sector; failures
in transferring children from the liquidated Armenian-Russian sector;
failure in opening Armenian 3rd class; threats, that in the elementary
school only one subject (Armenian) will be taught in Armenian (the
rest in Russian or Georgian); the constant psychological crush on
teachers in Armenian Sector; creating of unequal conditions of work
(with Russian and Georgian sectors); constant charging in incompetence;
the reduction of teachers’ hours in Armenian sector; firing 9 of 18
teachers working in Armenian sector, while they had their paid holiday
claiming it by reduction of the Armenian language lessons; etc.”

Copies of the request were sent to the President of Georgia,
Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Chairman of the Georgian
Parliament, the Prime Minister of Georgia, the Representations of UN
and EU in Georgia.

In the past Armenian Community of Georgia has repeatedly appealed with
the letters and called the Public Defender of Georgia and Ministry of
Education and Science of Georgia to pay attention on this situation
and stop the discrimination in Armenian sectors of public schools of
Tbilisi. However, there is no response from these institutions and
the situation in schools is getting worse.

Armenian Community of Georgia hopes that the Public Defender of
Georgia will be studied all the fixed facts of discrimination in the
Armenian sector of public school No. 103 in Tbilisi and the measures
will be taken.

NEWSPAPERS THAT USED ANTI-SEMITISM TO VILIFY TER-PETROSSIAN WERE SPONSORED BY SARGSYAN: US CABLE

epress.am
08.29.2011

Beginning in mid-May, pro-government print media and state-run
Public Television have made outlandish anti-Semitic and anti-Masonic
accusations against former president and current opposition leader
Levon Ter-Petrossian (LTP). Most of the accusations appear to be
harsher versions of previous allegations that surfaced right before and
after Armenia’s disputed February presidential election. The small,
pro-government Armenian Jewish community has expressed deep concern
over the attacks, given the fact that anti-Semitic rhetoric has not
been an issue in Armenia before, wrote then US Embassy in Armenia
Charge d’Affaires Joseph Pennington in a US cable dated Jun.

18, 2008, but released by Wikileaks on Aug. 26, 2011. Pennington
notes that he intends to raise this issue with Armenian officials at
the upcoming visit of then head of Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights
and Labor Assistant Secretary David Kramer.

The US cable notes that “the first accusations appeared in late May in
the pro-government Russian-language Golos Armenii (Voice of Armenia)
and Armenian-language Hayots Ashkhar (Armenian World) dailies, both
with circulations under 3,500. [Armenian] President [Serzh] Sargsyan
reportedly sponsors both outlets, and in the past the two have had ties
with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutuun) political
party,” which was then part of the four-party ruling coalition.

“The accusations that appeared in several scathing articles portray
LTP as a traitor to Armenia, claiming his true allegiance lies to
the West – particularly to Israel and the Freemasons. In an identical
article published in both papers entitled ‘Levon Hakob Ter-Petrosan
or Levon Frayim Pliskovsky – Armenian National Congress or Jewish
Congress?’ the author questions LTP’s loyalty by speculating on
his alleged conspiratorial meeting with a wealthy Russian Jewish
businessman in January where he presumably got the businessman to
give him USD 100-200 million for his presidential campaign. The author
then alleges that ‘the Jewish-Masonic lobby spent USD 65-70 million’
on the same campaign.

“On June 12 Hayots Ashkhar published an interview with Samvel
Karapetyan, a noted Armenian historian and architecture critic, who
asserted that LTP is not an opposition leader but a traitor, since
he made speeches under the Israeli flag. He asserted that people
don’t call LTP a traitor because they are afraid of his masters –
Washington and Tel Aviv.”

The cable also includes an opinion from Armenia’s Jewish community,
noting that the community is seriously concerned particularly as such
anti-Semitism might have “the backing of the people in power”:

“Rimma Varzhapetyan, head of Armenia’s Jewish community, told Emboffs
that she is distressed about the articles, calling them ‘a provocation
and a kindling of anti-Semitism’ in a country with no such record of
similar attacks. She added that ‘I am afraid to think that this has
the backing of the people in power.’ Varzhapetyan said that she has no
plans for a public response, though she believes it is incumbent upon
the GOAM [Government of Armenia] to condemn the hateful rhetoric. She
noted with concern that people are starting to believe these malicious
lies, including some of her acquaintances.”

At the end of the cable, Pennington makes the following observation:

“The emergence of anti-Semitism as a crude political tool appears to
be new in Armenia’s political arena. Its use by pro-government print
media, and its airing on Public Television, suggests it is being
condoned and even orchestrated by the current authorities, who are
employing it to weaken the opposition leader challenging their rule.

Introducing such a phenomenon in a country without an anti-Semitic
history, even for politically expedient reasons, is dangerous and
irresponsible.”

SHAHUMYAN COMMUNITY CELEBRATES RENOVATION OF COMMUNITY CENTER

armradio.am
29.08.2011

On August 29, the USAID-funded Small Scale Infrastructure Program
(SSIP), implemented by the Cooperative Housing Foundation International
(CHF) and its partner Shen NGO, marked the renovation of the
Shahumyan Community Center in the Lori region. The Governor of Lori
Arthur Nalbandyan, USAID Armenia Mission Director Jatinder Cheema,
Mayor of Shahumyan Edik Manukyan, Director of Shen NGO Hayk Minasyan,
CHF/Armenia Country Deputy Director Magda Avetisyan, representatives
of the USAID Mission, implementing partners and the village community
attended the event.

The Community Center occupies part of the ground floor of a five-story
residential building, constructed in 1978. The Center suffered damages
in the aftermath of the 1988 earthquake and was eventually closed
down. The Center, which had not been in use for over 20 years, required
a complete renovation. CHF replaced the doors, windows, and flooring,
plastered and painted the walls, and renovated the restrooms. The
total area renovated was 180 square meters. The community center is
now operational and will host a library, chess-room, computer-room,
recreation room and management office.

The village community will now have a common meeting place to discuss
and resolve community issues. “With this renovation, the community will
be able to enjoy the internet, the library, chess room and recreation
room as part of their quality daily spare time,” stressed Jatinder
Cheema, PhD in her inaugural speech.

UNITY IMPORTANT FOR ARMENIAN ARMY, GENERAL SAYS

Tert.am
29.08.11

Addressing the pilgrims that camped near the New Life water shoot
in the village of Togh, Hadrut, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR),
Aug. 28, Nagorno-Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan said that “General
Manvel Grigoryan’s yearly pilgrimages to Artsakh reminds us of our
first steps in forming our army, which is the greatest achievement
of our independence.”

“This country is ready to host its defenders, its sons,” President
Bako Sahakyan said.

“We gained victory thanks to our unity,” General Grigoryan said.

The freedom fighters that attended the events were awarded medals
and diplomas.

DIALOGUE TO CONTINUE, ARMENIAN POLITICIAN SAYS

Tert.am
29.08.11

Gagik Minasyan, Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)
parliamentary group, expects the dialogue between Armenia’s ruling
coalition and the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC)
to continue.

“After the dialogue got under way, large sections of Armenia’s society
began to hope that the political potential would be aimed at resolving
the problems,” he said. Minasyan himself hoped the dialogue would
result in effective work.

“The atmosphere was most favorable, and I was inclined to think that
we were going to make some progress,” Minasyan said.

According to him, the ANC-presented arguments for suspend the dialogue
are “beneath criticism.” ‘They used to state that the political and
legal aspects should not be mixed in Armenia. However, their present
statements run counter to the appeals they made to make people take
to the streets,” he said.

One of these days, the ANC will clearly state if it will continue the
dialogue or not. “The discussions are of paramount importance. The
ANC has presented its own document dealing with snap elections. We
presented our counter-arguments, and further discussions were to
show the public which of the parties presented stronger arguments,”
Minasyan said.

“I think that our partners from the ANC must make a choice: either,
like traditional parties, they present their problems at rallies in a
constructive way or they decide for shocks as their means of leading
the country forward,” Minasyan said. However, he added, it is not a
way to “nowhere.”