Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

WELCOME TO BEIRUT’S FALAFEL DISTRICT

The Daily Star, Lebanon
Nov 19 2014

by Marc Abizeid

It’s a sunny Wednesday afternoon on Beirut’s Beshara al-Khoury Steet,
and Falafel Abu al-Ziz is completely empty. After a few minutes the
only employee working that day emerges from the back room.

BEIRUT: It’s a sunny Wednesday afternoon on Beirut’s Beshara al-Khoury
Steet, and Falafel Abu al-Ziz is completely empty. After a few minutes
the only employee working that day emerges from the back room.

A thin, clean-shaven Egyptian man in his early 20s, Tarek Sleiman
wears a wide smile as he hands over a falafel ball to sample. The
outside is crisp, but not hard, and it’s center is light and fluffy.

It’s not dry, but not too oily either.

“After they eat here for the first time, people come back,” Sleiman
said, admitting that business has been slow since the shop opened
less than a year ago.

Unfortunately for him, most people looking to get their falafel fix
are loyalists, and can be found crowding one of the two Sahyouns just
a couple shops down the street. Others are at Tabboush, a few more
shops down. As for the Armenians, you can find them at Arax.

The shops are concentrated on a short, island-resembling block facing
east Beirut that acts as a kind of barrier, separating upscale Monnot
on one side from the Amal heartland of Bashoura on the other.

In the warring years, the street was part of the Green Line that
divided the capital between east and west. But to the younger crowd
today, it’s mostly just known as that one street with all the falafel
places between Sodeco and Downtown.

Until a few weeks ago there was a sixth option: Just Falafel, a
global chain with a trendy look, and the only one on the block that
uses Twitter. But social media couldn’t save it, and for undisclosed
reasons the company shuttered all its shops in Lebanon last month
after about a two-year stint in the country.

But it’s not like the competition was losing any sleep every time a
new falafel shop opened.

“No one can get in your way. Even if 100 places opened, I would welcome
them,” said Zuheir Sahyoun, owner of the renowned Mustafa Sahyoun
Falafel, named after his father, who opened the shop in the 1930s.

Next door to him is also a Mustafa Sahyoun Falafel, opened by Zuheir’s
brother and former partner, Fuad, about eight years ago after the
two had a falling out.

“I don’t have any business with anyone else on this street,” Fuad
said. “I come in the morning, do my work, and leave.”

At their peak hours, both shops sell more falafel than they can fry.

Customers gloat that they bring their friends from America and Europe
to try their sandwiches. One man in a suit said he’s been eating at
Sahyoun since 1975, when the original shop had temporarily relocated
because of the war.

“I prefer older customers because they know what they are eating. The
young just want something cheap to fill their bellies,” Fuad said.

“This is vegetarian. It’s healthy.”

But the truth over the health benefits of falafel is more complicated.

Made from mashed chickpeas or fava beans, mixed with spices and deep
fried, falafel is high in fat, calories and sodium.

The good news is that falafel is also high in soluble fiber,
which helps lower cholesterol. And for a population wary over the
contaminated food scandal that erupted last week when dozens of
shops were revealed to be selling contaminated meat and chicken,
falafel looks to be a safer, and certainly more humane, alternative
to livestock.

On the other side of Zuheir’s shop is Arax, the only falafel place
that also sells meat sandwiches. It’s managed by Vrej Heybelian, who
said it opened about two years ago with half its sales being falafel,
and the other half shawarma.

A short man in his 50s walked in with two construction workers and
ordered them each a falafel. When asked why he chose Arax over one
of the others, Abu Garo explained bluntly: “Because it’s Armenian.”

But to its credit, Arax offered the largest portions. The sandwiches
were stuffed with the desired vegetables, or French fries by request,
and liberal amounts of tarator and hot sauce.

At the farthest end of the street, close to Downtown, is Falafel
Tabboush, owned by Fawaz, the founder’s son. It was opened in 1956,
Fawaz explained. Like the others, he was unconcerned with competition,
insisting that there will always be a market for falafel. “Falafel
is for everyone,” he said. “It’s for the old and the young, the rich
and the poor. Lebanese, foreigners, Arabs.”

A man driving a delivery truck popped his head out the window to shout
his order: One sandwich and a Pepsi. Tabboush got to work while the
driver took his vehicle around the block.

“Our ancestors have been making falafel before our time. The Israelis
say they invented it, but we are the proof that they didn’t.”

From: Baghdasarian

Ohio: Faculty member to sign book Nov. 20

US Official News
November 18, 2014 Tuesday

Columbus

The University of Toledo, The State of Ohio has issued the following
News release:

Susan Parks, a faculty member in the UT Judith Herb College of
Education, will sign her new novel at the University Barnes & Noble
Bookstore at the Gateway Thursday, Nov. 20, from 4 to 6 p.m.

His Choice The book, His Choice: A Family’s Struggle During Genocide,
is based on a true story of an Armenian Christian who refuses to
become a Muslim and is killed along with his wife and son in 1915
during World War I.

The novel follows the struggles of his four orphaned daughters as
they are separated, enslaved, and forced on a death march through
the Syrian Desert.

Co-author of the book, Parks is an undergraduate lecturer in the
Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

Parks’ interest in her heritage inspired her to join her mother and
co-author, Angel Nalbandian Rossi, in writing the book.

While growing up, Rossi, who lost her grandparents in the Armenian
Genocide of 1915, heard personal stories from her family that provided
background information for the historical novel.

From: Baghdasarian

“ANY ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WILL HAVE AN ADEQUATE RESPONSE”

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 19 2014

19 November 2014 – 1:46pm

By Vestnik Kavkaza

Last week a Mi-24 combat helicopter belonging to Armenia was heading
northeast of the village of Kangerli in the Agdam Region and attacked
Azerbaijani positions. It was shot down by the Azerbaijani side.

“Considering the fact that the Armenian side is handling information
on the incident, flights above occupied territories of Azerbaijan
are forbidden and that nonconforming flights above the territories
are thought to be an air intrusion into the country, the helicopter
which attacked Azerbaijani positions was destroyed by return fire,”
Trend cites the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan.

Vestnik Kavkaza interviewed Ali Guseinli, the chairman of the Committee
for Legal Policy and State Construction of the Azerbaijani Parliament,
on the incident.

– According to your information, what were targets of the Armenian
helicopters which maneuvered dangerously above Azerbaijani military
positions?

– These were not some positions of the Azerbaijani army, it
was Azerbaijani territory. It took place in the Agdam Region of
Azerbaijan, which is occupied by the Armenian army. The activities
of the Azerbaijani army were absolutely legal. Unfortunately,
the reaction of some organizations, including the OSCE, the
U.S. State Department, was critical. But we follow the principles
of international law. Nagorno-Karabakh is a part of the Azerbaijani
Republic. Unauthorized military exercises were held there; and
helicopters not only crossed a border, they did it in Azerbaijani
territory. The Armenian armed units should know that any illegal
activity will have an appropriate response.

– Some experts think that the Azerbaijani army had no right to shoot
down the helicopter…

– I should ask the experts what their country would do if a military
helicopter which threatens the population and the military appeared
on their territory. They would do the same. The Russian army, the
American army, and so on would do the same thing.

From: Baghdasarian

TURKISH CHILDREN FORBIDDEN FROM TRAVELLING TO NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 19 2014

19 November 2014 – 9:06pm

Turkish children who are currently visiting Armenia were
forbidden by the Ministry of Education of Turkey from travelling to
Nagorno-Karabakh, which Turkey considers to be occupied territories
of Azerbaijan.

Three Armenian schools from Istanbul are planning to participate in the
Pan-Armenian Games in Armenia, which will be held in Nagorno-Karabakh
and other occupied areas of Azerbaijan.

From: Baghdasarian

RUSSIA, CHINA SEEK TO FORM ASIA-PACIFIC COLLECTIVE SECURITY SYSTEM — DEFENSE MINISTER

Russia
November 18, 15:28 UTC+3
Russia and China are concerned over US attempts to strengthen its
military and political clout in the Asia-Pacific Region

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu during minitary parade rehearsal
in Moscow, May 2014

(c) ITAR-TASS/Sergey Bpbulev

(c) AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

Putin: strengthening ties with China top priority for Russia

BEIJING, November 18. /TASS/. Defense ministries of Russia and China
seek to form a regional collective security system in the Asia-Pacific
region, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday after
talks with his Chinese counterpart Colonel General Chang Wanquan
in Beijing.

According to the Russian defense minister, Russia and China are
concerned over US attempts to strengthen its military and political
clout in the Asia-Pacific Region (APR).

“During talks with Comrade Chang Wanquan, we discussed the state and
prospects of the Russian-Chinese relations in the military field,
exchanged opinions on the military-political situation in general
and the APR in particular,” Shoigu said.

“We also expressed concern over US attempts to strengthen its military
and political clout in the APR,” he said. “We believe that the main
goal of pooling our effort is to shape a collective regional security
system.”

Russia, China to hold joint naval drills in Pacific, Mediterranean
in 2015

Sergey Shoigu announced that Russia and China will hold joint naval
drills in the Pacific and in the Mediterranean in 2015.

READ ALSO

Russia ready to supply Su-35 jet fighters of standard version to China
— official Russia ensures supplies of missiles for Chinese fighter
jets without Ukraine — official Russia’s defense industry enterprise
to open S-300, Tor-M1 maintenance centers in China Russia-China naval
drills to practice new tasks — vice-admiral “We plan to conduct a
regular joint naval exercise in the Mediterranean next spring. Another
joint naval drill is planned in the Pacific,” he said.

Touching upon his talks with Chang Wanquan, Shoigu said the sides
expressed satisfaction that the spectrum of joint activities in the
defense sphere “has visibly expanded and gained a systemic character.”

In May, Russia and China conducted third Joint Sea naval exercises,
he noted.

In 2014, China’s teams took part in the tank biathlon world
championship and international pilot competition Aviadrafts that were
held in Russia. “Chinese servicemen demonstrated the high competitive
spirit and skills,” the Russian defense minister said, adding that
such events were “a good format for exchange of experience.”

“We have vast potential of cooperation in the defense sphere, and
the Russian side is ready to develop it is a wide range of areas,”
he added.

Strengthening ties with China is Russia’s top priority

Shoigu said strengthening and expanding ties with China remains
Russia’s overriding priority.

“Amid a highly volatile world situation, it becomes particularly
important to strengthen reliable good-neighbourly relations between
our countries,” Shoigu said at talks with his Chinese counterpart
General Chang Wanquan.

“This is not only an important factor for security of states but also
a contribution to peace and stability on the Eurasian continent and
beyond,” he said, adding that “regular private meetings between the
leaders of Russia and China give a powerful impetus to development
of bilateral partnership”.

The minister noted that next year marks the 70th anniversary of the
Allied victory in WWII. “The peoples of our countries took heavy
casualties in it,” Shoigu said. “Russia’s and China’s solidarity is
of principal importance amid attempts to falsify history and glorify
fascism.”

A wide range of events is being planned to celebrate this date,
both bilaterally and with counterparts from the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO), a security grouping comprising Russia, China and
the Central Asian former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Shoigu said.

Russia and China also started to regularly hold joint naval and
anti-terrorism drills, the minister said, adding that the countries’
military forces “showed a high level of cooperation” during an
operation to escort vessels carrying Syria’s chemical weapons. Much
work was also done during this year’s joint Naval Interaction exercises
in the East China Sea, he said.

Shoigu stressed that the two countries maintain high level of military
and technical cooperation, noting that issues of that cooperation were
“under constant review by our heads of state”.

From: Baghdasarian

LEGERE BAISSE DE LA PAUVRETE

Economie

La pauvrete en Armenie n’a diminue que legèrement l’an dernier malgre
une croissance economique continue, ont declare le gouvernement
armenien et la Banque mondiale dans un rapport conjoint presente hier.

Selon le rapport d’analyse de la situation socio-economique dans le
pays, 32 % des Armeniens vivaient en dessous du seuil officiel de la
pauvrete en 2013, alors qu’ils etaient 32,4 % en 2012.

Le chiffre est donc reste bien au-dessus du taux officiel de pauvrete
de 27 % enregistre en 2008, juste avant la crise financière mondiale
qui a plonge l’Armenie dans une recession. L’economie armenienne
s’est contractee de plus de 14 % en 2009, avant de se degrader de
plus en plus au fil des annees. Elle a augmente de 3,5 % en 2013,
selon les statistiques officielles.

La croissance economique devait s’accelerer a plus de 4 %cette annee
selon le gouvernement. Toutefois, la croissance est au contraire
ralentie maintenant en raison de la deterioration des conditions
economiques en Russie, le plus important partenaire commercial de
l’Armenie et principale ressource de travailleurs migrants. Le Fonds
monetaire international et la Banque mondiale prevoient que le produit
interieur brut augmentera de moins de 3 % en 2014.

Presentant le rapport lors d’une conference de presse avec des hauts
fonctionnaires armeniens, Laura Bailey, chef du bureau d’Erevan de la
Banque mondiale, a declare qu’une croissante plus lente que prevue
signifie qu’une baisse significative de la pauvrete en Armenie est
peu probable a court terme.

Le rapport soutient egalement que dans le PIB de 2013 de l’Armenie
a retrouve, et meme legèrement depasse, en termes reels, le niveau
d’avant-crise. La hausse plus modeste des revenus reels de la
population indique une repartition inegale des avantages de la
croissance enregistree depuis 2010.

“Durant cette periode les riches ont obtenu plus riches et les
pauvres ne sont pas sortis de la pauvrete”, a declare Hayk Gevorgian,
journaliste economique pour le quotidien “Haykakan Zhamanak.” Ceci,
selon lui, temoigne de la “nature oligarchique” de l’economie
nationale.

mercredi 19 novembre 2014, Claire (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJAN BEHAVES ITSELF AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATION: L. ALAVERDYAN

10:10, 19 November, 2014

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan behaves itself not as
a legitimate country recognized by the international community and
engaged in international relations, but as a terrorist organization.

The first Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, the
Executive Director of “Against Illegal Arbitrariness” NGO Larisa
Alaverdyan stated this in a conversation with “Armenpress”.

She was asked to comment on the statements made by the head of the
working group of the Azerbaijani state commission for POWs, hostages
and missing people Firudin Sadiqov.

Among other things, Larisa Alaverdyan underscored: “Azerbaijan is
not guided by the international law, norms, and modern understanding
of international relations, but its behavior resembles that of IS,
making usage of the fact that it still has oil.”

Previously it was reported that in the airspace of the eastern sector
of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani border, in the result of the violation of
the ceasefire regime, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces shot a helicopter
Mi- 24 of the Air Forces of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic during a
training flight on November 12 at 13:45. The place of the shot is
very close to the line of contact. The press service of the Defense
Army of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic informed Armenpress that the
rival continues firing in the direction of the incident. The details
of the incident are being investigated. Later it was announced from
Stepanakert that by preliminary data there are three victims. The
Commander of the staff was the Major Sergey Sahakyan.

The Spokesperson of the Artsakh President Davit Babayan told Armenpress
that the helicopter was not intended for military actions.

“The helicopter was not intended for military actions and did not
have any weapons in it. It just implemented training exercises. The
helicopter was not of danger for the rival. The Azerbaijani side hit
the helicopter from the back”, – said Davit Babayan.

The Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian
Federation, James Warlick of the United States, and Pierre Andrieu of
France) have also expressed very serious concern about the downing
of a helicopter near the Line of Contact and the recent violence in
their statement issued in Vienna.

From: Baghdasarian

GREECE’S MAIN CARRIER TO ADD YEREVAN TO ITS ROUTES IN SUMMER 2015

13:38, 19 Nov 2014

The Aegean Airlines announced it is adding 16 new destinations
in 10 new countries to its network next summer, reaching a total
of 134 destinations, 34 domestic and 100 abroad in 42 countries,
ekathimerini.com reports.

The airline’s network will as of next year add Helsinki in Finland,
Toulouse, Deauville and Metz in France, Naples and Pisa in Italy,
Malta, Kuwait, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Paphos in Cyprus, Riyadh
in Saudi Arabia, Tallinn in Estonia, Oslo in Norway, Tehran in Iran,
Dubrovnik in Croatia and Yerevan in Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA EXPORTED OVER 20,000 OF POTATOES THIS YEAR

YEREVAN, November 19. /ARKA/. Armenian potato exports totaled about
20,600 tons as of today, compared to 11,700 tons in the same period
of 2013, deputy minister of agriculture Samvel Galstyan told a press
conference on Tuesday.

The area under crops increased by 850 hectares compared to 2013,
he said.

Gegharkunik Marz provided the best potato crops and early potato crops
were collected in Ararat and Armavir regions of the country, the deputy
minister reported. Shirak region potato crops saw a reduction in 2014
compared to the year before, due to unfavorable weather conditions
and hail, Galstyan said.

According to the ministry of agriculture, a total of 691,400 tons of
potatoes were harvested in Armenia in 2014, compared to 660,500 tons
in 2013.

Galstyan also pointed to several factors for potato price formation,
including increased exports and demand. Yet, potato prices dropped
by 20-30 drams in the market during the last days, he said.

Potatoes cost an average of 210-230 drams per kilo in Yerevan
today. -0–

From: Baghdasarian

ANALYSIS: RUSSO-GEORGIAN RELATIONS SEEN AS KEY TO ARMENIA’S FUTURE IN EMERGING EURASIAN UNION

ANALYSIS | 19.11.14 | 10:13

By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent

Relations between Russia and Armenia and the future of the South
Caucasus part of the Eurasian Union will depend primarily on the
relations between Russia and Georgia, and whether these two countries
manage to remove from the agenda the issues of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. On this depends the probability of re-operation of the
railway and new road links between Armenia and Russia.

In late October, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, speaking
about Russia, stated that Georgia “is being forced” into a sort of
empire or union. This was taken as a hint at the proposal from Russia
that Georgia should also join the Eurasian Union.

And judging by the October events in Georgia when the country’s
defense minister was sacked and the ministers of foreign affairs and
European integration resigned themselves, the Georgian government,
indeed, was trying to slow down the Euro-Atlantic course and develop
relations with Russia.

However, the subsequent events suggest that Georgia, nevertheless,
decided not to deviate from its course to the European Union and NATO.

On November 17, Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili tightened
anti-Russian rhetoric at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg as he stated that the Government of Georgia
“is ready to promptly and effectively implement a substantial package
of NATO-Georgia.”

The elements of the NATO-Georgia package include the formation of a
joint training center in Georgia, in fact, a NATO base, which cannot
but anger Moscow. “We have decided that we will build a training
center and it will be formed, as Georgia is a sovereign state, and
NATO is an organization that works with a strong and loyal partner,
with Georgia,” NATO’s Secretary General said.

At the same time, the Georgian prime minister said that “what is
happening in Ukraine is a continuation of the Russo-Georgian war
of 2008”. He also expressed regret and concern that “despite our
constructive approach, Russia continues its destructive policy against
Georgia in order to achieve the annexation of Abkhazia and possibly
the Tskhinvali region.”

At present, Russia is trying to sign interstate treaties with the
breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (which in
Georgia is called the Tskhinvali region) and in accordance with these
treaties these regions will in fact become part of Russia. Georgia
categorically opposes it and it means that the issue of restarting
the Abkhazian railway, which will connect Armenia and Russia, is
still in doubt.

In an interview with the Caucasian Knot online paper, Abkhazia’s
President Raul Khajimba said: “I think that this [the railway]
should be interesting for Abkhazia, Russia and Armenia. I cannot
say whether Georgia is ready to implement this project. But I am
more than sure that its Western backers are unlikely to want to,
at least at this stage. I am sure this is due to the geopolitical
processes in the region.”

Khajimba also denied hints being made in Yerevan and Tbilisi recently
that Georgia, Armenia and Russia are in secret tripartite negotiations
over the re-opening of the railway communication through Abkhazia.

Experts say that it is possible that such negotiations were actually
conducted, but Tbilisi demanded a change of Moscow’s policy towards
Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Moscow apparently continues its expansive
approach, and the Georgian government, even despite its pro-Russian
approach, at the moment cannot step over public opinion, which demands
a continued Euro-Atlantic course.

Meanwhile, it transpired earlier this week that Russian Railways OJSC
plans to build and electrify a railway from Iran to Azerbaijan and
further to Russia. The issue was also discussed during the visit
of Speaker of the Russian State Duma Sergey Naryshkin to Iran on
November 16-17.

From: Baghdasarian