Author: Badalian Vardan

Boston Globe, United States

A Turkish writer’s plea

October 19, 2008

POLITICAL scientists evaluate societies with quantitative
methods. Literary figures prefer a more telling, qualitative
criterion: freedom of expression. The 2006 Turkish Nobel laureate for
literature, Orhan Pamuk, delivered a devastating critique of the power
elite in his own country last week when he lamented the oppression of
Turkish writers in a speech at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Pamuk’s description of the situation of Turkish writers was
courageous, and not only because he gave it in the presence of
Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul. The novelist’s denunciation of
attempts to silence writers was striking because in 2005 he himself
had been charged, under the infamous Article 301 of the penal code,
with "public denigration of Turkish identity." His offense was to have
told a Swiss newspaper that "30,000 Kurds and a million Armenians were
killed in these lands and nobody but me dares to talk about it."

Article 301 has since been amended. But as Pamuk said in Frankfurt:
"The state’s habit of penalizing writers and their books is still very
much alive; Article 301 of the Turkish penal code continues to be used
to silence and suppress many other writers, in the same way it was
used against me." Pamuck said there are hundreds of writers and
journalists being prosecuted and found guilty under the code.

Pamuk was not only protesting the folly of repressing writers in the
name of protecting Turkish identity. He also made a plea for Turkey’s
writers to "value the richness of our cultural traditions and our own
uniqueness."

Turkish political elites should heed this plea. Turkey wants to be
both true to itself and truly European. That can happen only when it
allows writers to express themselves freely.

DAY OF GYUMRI TO BE MARKED OCTOBER 18

ARMENPRESS
Oct 16, 2008

GYUMRI, OCTOBER 16, ARMENPRESS: Day of Gyumri will be celebrated
October 18. Responsible for public relations of Gyumri municipality
Lilit Aghekian told Armenpress that the re-opening of the central
square of the town is the basis of the celebration.

The square has been repaired for three months, the 3,700 sq. meters
of it is entirely covered with three-colored basalt stones. A group
of bronze statues dedicated to the heroes of Vardanank will be placed
here by October 18 in the center of which will be Vardan Mamikonian
on a horse with Ghevond Yerets and Catholicos Hovsep Vayotsdzortsi
on both sides, and Mamikoniants Great Lady and prince Kamsarakan.

According to the author of the monument, Artush Papoyan, the work is
unique in its essence and will make the appearance of the central
square complete. Rizhkov street which was also covered with stones
will also open on the Day of Gyumri.

On the same day honorable prizes of the year – "Honorable Citizen",
"Honorable Master", "Best Investor of Gyumri" will be handed in
"October" cinema. The ceremonies of the day of town will continue
till late at night and will end with a concert and fireworks.

ARMENTEL LAUNCHES ARMENIA’S FIRST 3G NETWORK
by Michael Lacquiere

Global Insight
October 1, 2008

The roll-out of 3G services in Armenia is further indication of the
market’s growing maturity.

Armentel has become the first operator to offer 3G in Armenia,
launching the service in the capital Yerevan. It will offer 3G services
to both post-paid and prepaid subscribers. The data-transmission cost
of the service will be included in tariffs for GPRS packages. Services
available to subscribers include video calls and full internet
access. Armentel, fully owned by Russia’s VimpelCom, had 655,000 mobile
subscribers at the end of the first half of 2008. Rival operator
K-Telecom, owned by VimpelCom’s Russian rival Mobile TeleSystems
(MTS), had 1.49 million subscribers at that time. A third mobile
licence is scheduled for tender before the end of the year.

Global Insight Perspective Significance: The smaller operator within
Armenia’s mobile duopoly has become the pioneer of 3G services in
the country, launching in the capital Yerevan.

Implications The move is unlikely to alter the dynamics of the mobile
market, given that rival operator K-Telecom is itself lining up a 3G
launch before the end of the year.

Outlook The roll-out of 3G services and the imminent tender of a
third national GSM licence are indicative of the growing maturity
of the Armenian mobile sector, notable amongst the emerging,
high-growth-potential markets of neighbouring Eurasian countries.

Outlook and Implications

Armentel’s 3G Launch Unlikely to Change Market Dynamics:By pioneering
3G services in Armenia, Armentel has struck a small blow against
its rival, but it is unlikely to be massively significant as
K-Telecom is itself planning to launch 3G services before the end of
2008. K-Telecom, which operates under the "Vivacell" brand, entered
the Armenian mobile market after Armentel, in July 2005, but has
since usurped Armentel and now dominates the sector. Both companies
were awarded 3G licences in October 2007, and by launching first
Armentel will hope that it can claw back some ground by tapping into
the country’s organic growth potential and possibly even churning
customers from K-Telecom. Given the current gap between the two
operators in terms of market share, and K-Telecom’s imminent 3G launch,
however, it is unlikely that Armentel’s announcement will massively
alter Armenia’s mobile market dynamics.

Further Indication of Growing Maturity of Armenian Mobile Sector:The
launch of 3G services by Armentel, coupled with the likely emulation
of this feat by K-Telecom, is a further indication of the growing
maturity of the Armenian mobile market. The sector has benefited
from the arrival over the last two years of Russian giants MTS and
VimpelCom, and the investments they have brought. Uptake levels have
soared, and penetration at the end of 2007 was 57%, with Global Insight
estimating that this figure will increase further to a very healthy 78%
by the end of 2008. The country’s Public Services Regulatory Commission
(PSRC) has indicated that a tender for a third GSM licence will take
place in 2008, and the entrance of another operator will positively
benefit the market, acting as a natural buffer on tariff prices (see
Armenia: 30 July 2008). While many of the telecoms sectors of Eurasia
are notable as emerging markets with high growth potential, Armenia
is developing into one of the better-developed, more mature markets.

‘WORLD WILDLIFE FUND’ TO ENABLE ARMENIA’S BUSINESS-SECTOR TO TAKE PART IN ECOLOGICAL PROGRAMMES

ArmInfo
2008-10-15 10:43:00

ArmInfo. ‘World Wildlife Fund’ will enable Armenia’s business-
sector to take part in the ecological programmes, representative of
the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Armenia Artur Khoyetsyan told ArmInfo.

He said WWF-Armenia schedules to appear a mediator in development
of ecological programmes within the frames of cooperation. ‘The
business-sector will give an application for any programme: a programme
for improvement of the infrastructure, personnel training, echotourism
development, etc. For our part, we announce a competition where R&D
establishments, public organizations and other interested parties may
take part. The winners of the competition will receive a grant by the
client>, A. Khoyetsyan explained. He added that the project executors
will have to submit a financial report on a regular basis.’We have not
yet received business applications, however we hope they will appear
soon>, he added. As A. Khoyetsyan said, this is the first complex
business-related programme in Armenia. He recalled that WWF organizzed
a programme in 2007 jointly with HSBC bank. ‘Within the frames of the
programme, every guest of the Armenia-Marriott hotel could donate
one dollar to WWF. As a result, 300 dollars were gathered in all
which were used for acquisition of tires for an off-roader. However,
the fact that we created a precedent and intend to develop it was of
most important for us’, he emphasized.

MONTEBELLO POSTPONES TRASH DECISION
By Amanda Baumfeld, [email protected]

San Gabriel Valley Tribune
10/09/2008 11:30:47 PM PDT
CA

Residents hold up signs of protest on Wednesday at the Montebello City
Council meeting. (Watchara Phomicinda / Staff Photographer)MONTEBELLO
– In front of hundreds of protesting residents, the City Council on
Wednesday postponed a decision to let voters decide who takes out
the trash in Montebello’s commercial areas.

With some members saying they were afraid of pending litigation, the
City Council voted 3-2 to put off a decision to place a referendum on a
March ballot. The referendum would allow a popular vote to determine
if Athens Services should have the sole right to haul trash from
commercial areas.

Mayor Bill Molinari and Councilwoman Mary Anne Saucedo-Rodriguez
opposed, while council members Robert Urteaga, Rosemarie Vasquez and
Kathy Salazar voted to postpone the decision.

Despite the council’s decision, Molinari and Saucedo-Rodriguez said
they supported the will of the petitioners.

"My opinion is that we should … allow this to go to a vote of the
people," Molinari said.

The vote came after Athens Services in July was awarded a contract
to haul all trash in the city. Previously, much of the commercial
trash service was carried out by 13 independent haulers.

"I think the council made the proper decision," said Dennis Chiappetta,
executive vice president of Athens. "The residents were lied to
dramatically."

Tuesday’s decision upset many residents, who packed the council
chambers and spilled out into the hallway to hear the verdict.

"The bottom line is they are not listening to the people that got
them elected," said resident

Chris Robles.

He and several others said the council should have decided to put
the vote up to the people, despite the pending legal issue.

Hundreds of Montebello’s residents, especially members of
Armenian-American families, have a long history in the garbage
business. A large part of the city’s economy is associated with
refuse hauling. Independent haulers want the chance to bid on any
city contract.

The independent haulers circulated a petition calling for a referendum
to be placed on the ballot that would revoke Athens’ contract and
allow other haulers to work in the city.

They gathered 6,286 signatures. Of those, 4,578 were deemed valid by
the Los Angeles County Registrar/Recorder’s Office. State law requires
2,550 signatures or 10 percent of the city’s 25,496 registered voters
to qualify for the ballot.

Then on Monday, Irene Villapania of Montebello, with the support of
Athens, filed a lawsuit against the city. The suit challenges the
validity of the referendum and questions how signatures were collected.

Villapania, a director at Azusa Chamber of Commerce, is being
represented by several attorneys who also represent Athens.

Many Athens employees also came to the meeting, some speaking on the
benefits the exclusive contract could bring to the city, such as less
truck traffic and money for infrastructure.

The 15-year contract, worth about $7.8 million annually, provides
Montebello with $500,000 and 7.5 percent of gross receipts from
commercial accounts. Approved by Urteaga, Salazar and Vasquez, it
also phases out the 13 independent haulers who currently collect trash.

The same council majority is now asking the residents to wait for
the outcome of the lawsuit building frustration among independent
trash haulers.

"There is no victory for (Urteaga, Salazar and Vasquez), no matter
which way the issue falls," said Ron Saldana, who represented many
of the independent haulers and is the executive director of the Los
Angeles County Disposal Association.

"It is only a failure of leadership of the majority who have forced
these actions," he said.

When it came time to vote on the issue, Saucedo-Rodriguez made a motion
to allow the referendum, which was quickly followed by a substitute
motion from Salazar to wait until after the lawsuit.

Vasquez seconded the substitute motion before hearing what it was,
causing some residents to cry conspiracy.

"That tells you right there that there’s a deal in place with these
council people," said Jack Topalian of Montebello.

TRADE FINANCING INSTRUMENTS PRIORITIES FOR ARMENIA: BTA INVESTBANK

ARKA
Oct 6, 2008

YEREVAN, October 6. /ARKA/. Armenia should set priorities in trade
financing instruments, said Nur Bakbergenov, deputy chairman of the
BTA Investbank’s Directorial Board.

In 2005, the bank made only a couple of small deals on trade financing
in Armenia.

"Taking into account the global market turmoil, we believe the service
can have a promising future in Armenia," Bakbergenov added.

Trade financing terms will be the same in Armenia as they are in
Kazakhstan, as the bank plans to attract investments from Almaty for
this purpose.

"I hope the terms will be much more favorable than on-hand financing
Armenian banks offer," Bakbergenov said.

He refused to make public the results of the market surveys the bank
had carried out.

In his turn, CEO of Kazakhstan’s BTA Investbank Timur Sabirbaev saud
the bank effected $1bln worth trade financing deals in the first
half. Loan portfolio of BTA Group’s trade financing totals $5.5bln,
covering around 40% of Kazakh market.

"Armenia is capable of giving a start to trade financing and customers
take a keen interest in financial flows," Sabirbaev said.

Taking this into account, the bank has designed a number of attractive
products for Armenian market.

BTA Investbank is the legal successor of the International Investment
Bank established in 1991.

The bank is the strategic partner of Kazakhstan’s leading BTA Bank
which is 48.8% shareholder of Armenian BTA Investbank. The bank’s
other shareholders are the Austrian ZRL (31.1%) and the Kazakh-Armenian
MOBILEX Company (20%).

As of June 30, the bank’s capital and assets totaled 4.6bln drams and
13.3bln drams respectively. Its authorized capital stock amounts to
5.3bln drams. The bank’s first-half negative profit was 775.1mln drams.

According to the ARKA News Agency, BTA Investbank ranks 18th in
terms of first-half assets and is the 15th in terms of loans. The
bank ranks 17th in terms of liabilities and is the 21st in terms of
total capital. It also ranks 11th in terms of the authorized capital
stock. ($1 – 303.20 drams)

VIVACELL ACQUAINTS YOUTH OF THE DIASPORA WITH THEIR MOTHERLAND

ArmInfo
2008-10-06 11:43:00

ArmInfo. VivaCell-MTS has donated AMD 20 mln to "Depi Hayk" Foundation
to realize comprehensive project which includes inviting to Armenia the
youth of the Diaspora for communication with their peers and engaging
them with their Motherland. As the Company told ArmInfo, VivaCell-MTS
staff together with volunteers of "Depi Hayk" Foundation realized
construction-renovation works in the secondary school of Norgyugh
village, Kotayk marz. In particular, 7 classrooms were redecorated
and the walls recolored.

Considering the preservation of national identity and culture as the
mission of every socially- responsible company, VivaCell-MTS takes
tangible steps to integrate the youth of the Armenian people divided
into two parts. In this respect, joint work and volunteering for public
good help foster effective communication between the Diasporan and
local Armenian youth. Young Armenians from all over the world gathered
in Norgyugh have got a chance to develop personal relationship with
their peers in Armenia, to become connected to their homeland, and
to get back in touch with their roots not only through TV programs,
internet or books about the native-soil but also as a result of
face-to-face communication.

Nothing unites people like joint work. Especially when they believe
their work is aimed at creating public good – reconstruction of
schools in rural areas where national traditions are stronger then
somewhere else, and all this for the sake of upbringing of children for
them to become educated and useful citizens for the motherland. It
is not by chance that the school was chosen as a place of joint
works by the staff of VivaCell-MTS and the volunteers of "Depi Hayk"
Foundation. The point is that VivaCell-MTS, being a corporate citizen,
pays huge attention to the school-building as the well-educated
younger generation is the greatest asset of our country and the key
to its prosperity.

As noted by Ralph Yirikian: "Being a corporate citizen means
always thinking for the future. And renovating a school is a real
long-term investment in our society, aiming at higher quality of
education and raising interest toward education, especially in rural
communities. Among Armenians, both in the Diaspora and Armenia,
high-quality education has been a very important part of life. We
must always keep our traditions awake. After all, national community
is characterized by such features as a common homeland and common
responsibility for the future."

160 schoolchildren of the village of Nor Geghi in Kotayk marz couldn’t
help waiting for the renovators. Soon they will be learning in clean,
renovated and luminous rooms. And 25 teachers are delighted as the
children are already more than ever interested in education.

These kinds of projects give opportunity to the youth of the Diaspora
to reconnect with their roots helping them to take part in Armenia’s
everyday life and invest into the development of their homeland
by volunteering, studying and at the same creating long-lasting
relations in the country of origin, eventually resulting in heightened
consciousness of national identity.

Armenian National Committee of Canada
Comité National Arménien du Canada
130 Albert St., Suite/Bureau 1007
Ottawa, ON
KIP 5G4
Tel./Tél. (613) 235-2622 Fax/Téléc. (613) 238-2622
E-mail/courriel:national.office@anc-canad a.com

PRESS RELEASE

Oct 3, 2008
Contact: Roupen Kouyoumjian

ANCC Participates in a Roundtable Dialogue with the Prime Minister

Toronto–The Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Hon. Stephen Harper,
joined 16 multicultural community leaders in a roundtable meeting on
September 18 to discuss issues of concern to these groups. Among the
participants were representatives of the Ahmadi, Armenian, Chinese,
Jewish, Korean, Polish, Somali, Ukrainian and Vietnamese
communities. Aris Babikian, executive director of the Armenian
National Committee of Canada (ANCC), represented the Canadian-Armenian
community.

In addition to the Prime Minister, Jason Kenney, Minister of
Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, and Conservative candidates
Richard Lorello, Melissa Bhagat, and Chungsen Leung attended the
90-minute meeting. Hon. Kenney welcomed the attendees and explained
the purpose of the meeting. Following his remarks, the Prime Minister
delivered a short speech. The prime minister talked about
multiculturalism, foreign accreditations, family values, economic
policy and other current issues.

Following his speech, the prime minister conducted a
question-and-answer session with the community leaders. After talking
about issues of concern to the Canadian-Armenian community,
Mr. Babikian commended the prime minister for his moral leadership on
human rights issues, on the opening of a Canadian embassy in Armenia,
and Canadian International Development Agency’s (CIDA) participation
in Armenia’s Rural Poverty Eradication program. Mr. Babikian said that
ANCC supported the government decision not to participate in the
Durban II Conference.

The prime minister said that he appreciated the comments and the
active participation of the attendees in the roundtable and in the
Canadian political and civil society life.

After the meeting, Mr. Babikian commended the PM and Hon. Kenney for
`initiating a constructive, frank and open dialogue between the
executive branch of the government and an important segment of our
civil society such as the multicultural community.’ The ANCC
representative said, `By holding such meetings we will help eliminate
many misconceptions, unjust accusations, and build a more tolerant
society.’

****

The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and
affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances
the concerns of the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of
issues.

——

Le CNAC est l’organisation politique canadienne-arménienne la plus
large et influentielle. Collaborant avec une série de bureaux,
chapitres et souteneurs à travers le Canada et des organisations
affiliées à travers le monde, le CNAC s’occupe activement des
inquiétudes de la communauté canadienne-arménienne.

Regional Chapters/Sections régionales
Montréal – Laval – Ottawa – Toronto – Hamilton – Cambridge –
St. Catharines – Windsor – Vancouver

ARMEN ASHOTYAN’S CONGRATULATION ON TEACHER’S DAY

armradio.am
03.10.2008 17:00

Chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Science,
Education, Culture, Sport and Youth Affairs Armen Ashotyan issued
a congratulatory message on the occasion of the Teacher’s Day. The
message states:

"Dear teachers,

On behalf of the Standing Committee on Science, Education,
Culture, Sport and Youth Affairs and myself, I render the warmest
congratulations and good wishes on the occasion of the Teacher’s Day.

Continuing the best national traditions in the field of education,
with your everyday honest and hard work you bring your deserving
contribution to the shaping of the future citizens of our state.

Schooling has been the firm basis of our existence in all times. With
the bright ideas of Mashtots, the Armenian teacher has passed through
trials of centuries, has enjoyed the joy of invention of letters,
has felt proud for the restoration of independence.

Teacher is not just a profession, but a high and responsible
mission. The hard and responsible mission of educating and bringing
up the younger generation is entrusted to you.

We are assured that Armenia should strengthen, and you, dear friends,
will continue participating in this responsible and sacred work of
supporting our state and statehood.

Full of that belief, I wish all of you good health, firm will in your
work and happiness20in your personal life."

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONFERS HONORS ON TEACHERS

ARKA
Oct 3, 2008

YEREVAN, October 3. /ARKA/. On the occasion of Teacher’s Day, RA
President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree conferring the title of
Honored Teacher on a number of Armenian teachers.

The RA presidential press service reports that the teachers will also
be awarded the Movses Khorenatsi Medal.

The first Saturday of October is the traditional date for Teacher’s
Day in Armenia.