Author: Kajoyan Gevork

ASSYRIAN INTERNATIONAL NEWS AGENCY (AINA)

Assyrians Observe Martyrs Day
Aug 9, 2011

Sydney — On Friday 5th August, 2011, a seminar commemorating Assyrian
Martyrs and Genocide Day was organised by the Assyrian Universal
Alliance-Australian Chapter in cooperation with the Australian
Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (AIHGS) at the Parliament
House of New South Wales. The evening was hosted by Reverend the Hon.

Fred Nile MLC. Representatives of Armenian, Greek and Assyrian
organisations were present.

The Assyrian Martyrs Day which is commemorated on the “Seventh of
August” was designated by the Assyrian Universal Alliance as the
international Memorial Day for victims of the Assyrian Genocide. Over
750,000 innocent Assyrian victims were slaughtered by the Ottoman
Turkish army during and after World War I because of their ethnicity
and faith. On this day Assyrians also memorialise those Assyrians
who were heartlessly martyred by the Iraqi Army in August 1933,
only a year after Iraq declared its independence.

The Master of Ceremonies, Miss Edora David, started the program by
calling on Mr Hermiz Shahen, the Regional Secretary of the Assyrian
Universal Alliance for Australia and New Zealand. Mr Shahen welcomed
the audience and thanked Rev. the Hon. Fred Nile MLC for hosting
the conference and for all his help and support during the past
several years. He also welcomed Dr Anahit Khosroeva, An Assyrian
born in Armenia, who is a member of the International Association of
Genocide Scholars along with Dr Panayiotis Diamadis, Director, of the
Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. He commended
them both for their courageous stance which has resonated throughout
the world to fight the evils of genocide. Mr Shahen indicated that
because of the continued persecution and intimidation by the successive
dictators and brutal regimes that have ruled the occupied Assyrian
lands till this day, unlike the Armenians, the helpless Assyrians have
been late in lobbying for recognition of the Genocide perpetrated
against them by the Ottoman Turks in 1914-1918. Equally is the fact
that the government of modern Turkey has continued in ignoble denial
and refusal to acknowledge its Ottoman predecessor’s involvement in
these crimes against humanity.

Mr. Shahen talked about the Turkish Government’s aggression and
intervention to stop the construction of the Assyrian genocide
monument last year; “We are pleased to say that the action of
the Turkish government resulted in a strong coalition between the
Assyrian Universal Alliance, the Armenian National Committee and the
Australian Hellenic Council in Australia in opposition to genocide
and its subsequent denial. We value this friendship and we pledge to
broaden and deepen this relation until we get the proper recognition”.

Mr Shahen concluded his remarks by calling on the Federal and the
State Parliament of New South Wales to recognise and condemn the
genocide perpetrated against the Assyrian, Armenians, and Hellenes.

Next, Rev the Hon. Fred Nile followed with a notable and
inspiring speech, pledging his support to the recognition of the
Assyrian genocide when tabled in Parliament. This was followed by
reassuring speeches and supportive messages by; Senator Concetta
Fierravanti-Wells, Senator for New South Wales, The Hon. Victor
Dominello MP, Minister for Citizenship and Communities and Minister
for Aboriginal Affairs, The Hon. Marie Ficarra, MLC, representing
the Premier of New South Wales the Hon. Barry O Farrel MP, Mr Varant
Meguerditchian, Executive Director, Armenian National Committee
of Australia , Mr Craig Kelly MP, Federal member of Hughes (NSW),
Dr John Kaye, MLC and The Hon. David Clarke, MLC., Parliamentary
Secretary for Justice.

Following the members of Parliament, the international keynote
speaker, Dr Anahit Khosroeva delivered her paper titled “The Assyrian
Genocide in the Ottoman Turkey (Late 19th Earlier 20th Century)”. Dr
Anahit presented a great deal of weighty evidence about the Assyrian
genocide. She mentioned that “at the end of the 19th and the early
20th century, according to the criteria of international law, a real
genocide was implemented in Ottoman Turkey toward the Assyrian nation.

With the criminal connivance of the Great Powers, and taking the
opportunity presented by the martial law, Turkey committed the gravest
crime against humanity – genocide. The criminal policy of Sultan Abdul
Hamid II and the Young Turks against Assyrians permits to conclude that
during this period the Ottoman state developed into a genocidal state
and became the cradle of genocide. The sources show that before 1895
the Assyrians living in Turkish-controlled and adjacent territories
during Ottoman times to be about one million. During 1895-1896
massacres up to 55,000 Assyrians were killed by the hands of Sultan
Abdul Hamid II and 750,000 Assyrians were subjected to genocide by
the Young Turks cruel government. Assyrians lost 2/3 of their people
during this period.”

Dr Anahit was followed by the next guest speaker, Dr. Panayiotis
Diamadis, Director, of the Australian Institute for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies. Dr. Diamadis’ presentation was titled “Australian
Rescuers of Assyrian Genocide Survivors”. He highlighted the roles of
Australians in the Assyrian Genocide. He brought to light the heroic
and benevolent stories of the Australian servicemen who rescued an
estimated 40,000 Assyrians and Armenians in 1918. Dr. Diamadis showed
irrefutable facts of genocide against the Assyrian people recorded
meticulously and precisely in the National Archives of Australia. Dr
Diamadis encouraged the members of Parliament to follow the lead of the
International Association of Genocide Scholars and the South Australian
Parliament to recognise the Assyrian, Armenian and Hellenic genocide,
and to pressure Turkey to acknowledge and apologise for the genocide
committed against these three nations.

Notably, a moving speech was delivered by 7 years old, Miss Breteil
Tigris David, student of the Assyrian Diglat School, which deeply
touched the hearts of all attendees. A short film was also screened
titled “The Forgotten Pages of One Nation” produced by the late Miss
Lena Yakubova.

Assyrian Universal Alliance

View photos at

HAK-COALITION MEETING STARTS; ONLY NAIRA ZOHRABYAN MISSING

Panorama
Aug 9, 2011
Armenia

A regular meeting between the Armenian National Congress (HAK) and the
political coalition started at the Government Reception House today.

The delegates attending the talks say they are in high spirits and
are ready to get down to work. The HAK delegation is complete, and in
the coalition delegation, only Naira Zohrabyan from the Prosperous
Armenia Party is missing. She had announced earlier that she was
traveling to Bulgaria to spend her vacation there.

A regular meeting between HAK and coalition on August 4 decided to
make the talks more frequent, up to twice a week. This is the first
meeting this week.

ARAM KHACHATURIAN MUSEUM TO RECEIVE “CHIPOLINO” BALLET SCORE

ARMENPRESS
August 9, 2011
YEREVAN

Tomorrow Stepan Petrosyan, the RA deputy minister of Diaspora,
will give the score of “Chipolino” ballet to the Aram Khachaturian
House-Museum.

RSFSR People’s Artist Karen Khachaturian, composer, bequeathed the
score to Armenia before the death, RA Diaspora Ministry press and PR
department reports.

ITALIAN DAILY SAYS KARABAKH RECOGNITION NECESSARY

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 8, 2011 – 10:32 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Italian weekly Il Dimocratico has published an
article on Nagorno Karabakh.

The author, Armando Pascale, refers to recognition of Kosovo that
was backed up by a national referendum and stresses the necessity of
recognition of Karabakh by the international community.

Nagorno Karabakh had been populated by Armenians from the ancient
times and is, consequently, an inseparable part of Armenia, the
article says. It also notes that Baku pursued a policy of forced
‘Azerbaijanification’ of Armenian lands.

The author emphasizes that although being unrecognized, Nagorno
Karabakh possesses all attributes of an independent state and its
rejoining to Azerbaijan would be a violation of the international
law norms on sovereignty.

DEEPLY IMPRESSED ARMENIAN DELEGATION HAS ALREADY RETURNED FROM “MNDZURI, NATURE AND CULTURE FESTIVAL”

armradio.am
08.08.2011 14:25

It’s already 11 years the “Mndzuri, nature and culture festival” is
being held in the province of Western Armenia Dersim, which is now
called Tunceli. In recent years, also participants from Armenia are
invited to the festival. Last year the ethnographic group Akunk was
one of the participants from Armenia, this year it is Maratuk. The
festival was held from July 27 to 31. Deeply impressed the Armenian
delegation has already returned.

Mndzur River’s sources are the “Anahit sources”. Mndzur is now over
walled with reservoirs for hydropower constructions. An ecological
catastrophe signalizing not tolerate this intervention, is not accepted
by the local residents as well as they not tolerate their artificially
entitled of “Turkish” nation.

“Our group was dancing on stage, people, especially young people,
were making a dancing line and began to dance the same dance. “It is
the same song which the Zazas were singing and they were singing it
in Zaza language, and we in Armenian. And it is understandable why,
because the large parts of Zazas are Armenians. ”

This is confessed by the young generation and they believe without
a doubt, but by the elderly generation the fear is still rooted.

A one week lasting Dersim festival in different areas has brought a big
resonance also in the Turkish press. The Armenian guests are saying,
many of local residents were seeing Armenians for the first time.

REVUE DE PRESSE N1 – 08/08/11 – COLLECTIF VAN

08-08-2011

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN [Vigilance
Armenienne contre le Negationnisme] vous propose une revue de presse
des informations parues dans la presse francophone, sur les themes
concernant la Turquie, le genocide armenien, la Shoah, le genocide
des Tutsi, le Darfour, le negationnisme, l’Union europeenne, Chypre,
etc… Nous vous suggerons egalement de prendre le temps de lire ou
de relire les informations et traductions mises en ligne dans notre
rubrique

Par ailleurs, certains articles en anglais, allemand, turc, etc,
ne sont disponibles que dans la newsletter Word que nous generons
chaque jour. Pour la recevoir, abonnez-vous a la Veille-Media : c’est
gratuit ! Vous recevrez le document du lundi au vendredi dans votre
boîte email. Bonne lecture.

Syrie : Deir ez-Zor, la destination finale Info Collectif VAN –
– Dimanche 7 aout 2011, les troupes syriennes ont
donne l’assaut dans la ville de Deir ez-Zor, tuant une cinquantaine
de personnes. Ankara, “a bout de patience”, va envoyer son chef de
la diplomatie Ahmet Davutoglu mardi en Syrie pour transmettre “avec
fermete” au regime de Damas les “messages” de la Turquie “face a la
violence de la repression”, selon le Premier ministre Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. Un message qui resonne amerement pour les Armeniens du monde
entier : en 1915 et 1916, des centaines de milliers d’Armeniens de
Turquie ont ete deportes par l’armee turque et massacres dans les
deserts de Deir ez-Zor, en Syrie. Un genocide qui, pres d’un siecle
apres les faits, est toujours nie avec arrogance par l’Etat turc
actuel. La Turquie, qui n’hesite pas a donner des lecons concernant
la violence de la repression inacceptable qui sevit dans certaines
villes de Syrie, tend par ailleurs a faire oublier comment elle
reprime dans le sang les justes revendications de sa population kurde.

Turquie : deux eglises de plus reouvertes au culte Info Collectif VAN –
– “Pour les eglises chretiennes des minorites,
apres une succession d’actes negatifs allant de leur destruction
deliberee a la negligence, en passant par le refus d’autorisation,
aux institutions minoritaires et meme pour des menus travaux, cette
initiative est bien sur un pas positif. Mais cela ne reste qu’un tres
petit pas sur le chemin des aspirations que nous avons, en particulier
en dehors de la Turquie, pour redresser les injustices passees,
qui sont tres importantes et ne peuvent etre facilement satisfaites”
a declare Raffi Bedrossian, un Armenien du Canada natif d’Istanbul
et implique dans la collecte de fonds pour la restauration de Saint
Dominique. Nota CVAN : dans sa grande clemence, l’Etat turc autorise
pour la deuxieme annee consecutive une messe annuelle dans deux
eglises armenienne et grecque bientet reouvertes au culte. Alleluia
! Le Collectif VAN vous invite a lire une traduction de Gilbert
Beguian d’un article en anglais mise en ligne sur le site de NAM
(Nouvelles d’Armenie Magazine) le 5 aout 2011.

Rwanda : une reaction a un article du Nouvel Observateur Info
Collectif VAN – – Notre amie le docteur Annie
Faure, representante en France de trois femmes Tutsi qui accusent
des militaires francais de les avoir systematiquement violees en
1994, a envoye un texte au Nouvel Obs, dans lequel elle revient sur
certains aspects de l’article consacre par le Nouvel Obs a ce sujet
sensible. Le Collectif VAN reprend ici la lettre du docteur Annie
Faure, publiee le 23-07-11 sur le site du Nouvel Obs.

Chypre n’a pas besoin de plan d’aide pour l’instant Chypre n’a pas
besoin d’un plan d’aide international pour l’instant, a declare
vendredi le nouveau ministre des Finances Kikis Kazamias, exhortant
toutes les parties a faire en sorte qu’une telle extremite soit evitee.

Bassma Kodmani : “Le changement de regime est ineluctable” La machine
de guerre deployee par le regime de Bachar Al Assad pour mater la
revolte populaire rencontre une determination farouche, stoeque et
inebranlable des Syriens. Pour la chercheuse syrienne Bassma Kodmani,
“la population connaissait la barbarie du regime et savait qu’elle
entrait dans une guerre totale contre lui”.

L’armee syrienne deployee dans Hama apres les pilonnages Chars et
blindes de l’armee syrienne se sont deployes samedi dans l’ensemble
de la ville de Hama, a rapporte un habitant, apres une semaine de
bombardements qui ont cause la mort de 300 civils dans ce foyer de
la revolte engagee contre le president Bachar al Assad.

Le depute azeri attend de Sarkozy une avancee La tournee du president
francais Nicolas Sarkozy en octobre prochain en Armenie, Georgie et
Azerbaidjan pourrait avoir des consequences positives sur le reglement
du conflit du Haut Karabagh. C’est du moins l’avis du depute azeri
Assim Mollazade repris par SalemNews.

Abadi s’en prend au ” complot americano-israelien ” contre Damas
L’ambassadeur d’Iran, Mohammad Rokn Abadi, s’est defendu hier d’adopter
une politique des ” deux poids, deux mesures ” par rapport aux
intifadas arabes, soutenant a la fois ” les revendications du peuple
syrien ” et condamnant ” la violence, le meurtre et les tentatives
de semer la discorde sectaire ” de la part des protestataires, dans
le cadre d’un ” complot international ” contre Damas.

La Turquie facilite les formalites pour l’ascension du mont Ararat
La Turquie vient de faciliter l’accès du mont Ararat aux alpinistes
etrangers. Selon le journal turc ” Today’s Zaman ” les formalites
pour obtenir le visa de l’ascension du mont Ararat seront effectuees
plus rapidement puisque les autorisations seront desormais accordees
directement par les prefets des regions d’Aghri et Igdir.

Syrie : condamnations et massacres se succident Les declarations
officielles condamnant la repression sanguinaire de Bachar al-Assad
envers la population syrienne se succident au rythme ou les massacres
s’enchaenent. Le Premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a
qualifie le massacre de Hama d’atrocite et annonce qu’il se rendrait
a Damas pour delivrer un message au president syrien.

Retour a la rubrique

SYRIE : DEIR EZ-ZOR, LA DESTINATION FINALE

collectifvan.org
08-08-2011

Info Collectif VAN – – Dimanche 7 aout 2011, les
troupes syriennes ont donne l’assaut dans la ville de Deir ez-Zor,
tuant une cinquantaine de personnes. Ankara, “a bout de patience”,
va envoyer son chef de la diplomatie Ahmet Davutoglu mardi en Syrie
pour transmettre “avec fermete” au regime de Damas les “messages”
de la Turquie “face a la violence de la repression”, selon le Premier
ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Un message qui resonne amerement pour
les Armeniens du monde entier : en 1915 et 1916, des centaines de
milliers d’Armeniens de Turquie ont ete deportes par l’armee turque et
massacres dans les deserts de Deir ez-Zor, en Syrie. Un genocide qui,
près d’un siecle apres les faits, est toujours nie avec arrogance
par l’Etat turc actuel. La Turquie, qui n’hesite pas a donner des
lecons concernant la violence de la repression inacceptable qui sevit
dans certaines villes de Syrie, tend par ailleurs a faire oublier
comment elle reprime dans le sang les justes revendications de sa
population kurde.

Photo : Les restes des os des martyrs armeniens de 1915, provenant
des deserts de Deir ez-Zor, ont ete enterres sous la colonne de
la resurrection dans l’eglise armenienne de Deir ez-Zor – Lucine
Kasbarian –

Deir ez-Zor est un lieu de pelerinage pour le genocide armenien,
comme Auschwitz l’est pour la Shoah. Destination finale des cohortes
de deportes armeniens en 1915-1916, Deir ez-Zor est situe dans les
sables du desert syrien sur les rives de l’Euphrate, a 450 km de
Damas et 320 km d’Alep.

Un memorial commemorant les evenements tragiques a ete erige dans la
ville. Un gigantesque monument en souvenir des martyrs a ete erige
en face de l’entree principale du mausolee. Un Khatchkar s’y dresse
(stele de pierre-croix) amene d’Armenie et devant lequel brille la
flamme de l’eternite. A gauche de la place, se dresse une eglise
armenienne. A l’interieur de l’eglise, les restes des os des martyrs
armeniens provenant d’AI-Chadadeh, de Souwar, de Markadeh et de
Deir Ez-zor, ont ete enterres sous la colonne de la resurrection,
en memoire de cette extermination de masse. Une salle d’exposition
contient des livres, des publications et des photos documentaires
racontant la souffrance du peuple armenien durant le genocide de 1915;
une carte indique les centres d’extermination et les routes suivies
par les deportes armeniens dans les deserts de Syrie.

La premiere pierre fondatrice du Memorial du genocide armenien a
Deir-es-Zor a ete posee le 12 mai 1985 en presence de Sa Saintete
le Catholicos Karekin II de la Maison de Cilicie. L’inauguration de
l’eglise a eu lieu le 3 et le 4 mai 1991, en presence de Karekin II.

D’apres:

Wikipedia – Deir ez-Zor

Armenweb – Der Zor, eglise et Mausolee des martyrs armeniens

Fenotte 2003 – La “perle du desert”, la “fiancee de l’Euphrate”

Hetq – Der Zor Diary: A Pilgrimage to the Killing Fields of the
Armenian Genocide

Lire aussi :

Syrie : condamnations et massacres se succèdent

Retour a la rubrique

LE LEADER DE L’OPPOSITION INVITE LES MILITANTS A SE PREPARER POUR DE NOUVELLES ELECTIONS
[email protected]

lundi 8 aout 2011
ARMENIE

Un membre dirigeant de l’opposition du Congres national armenien
(HAK) a encourage les partisans vendredi a se preparer a de nouvelles
elections presidentielles et legislatives qui, selon lui, devraient
etre imminentes. ” Vous avez deja entame le processus. Commencez
activement a preparer les elections anticipees “, a demande Davit
Shahnazarian a des dizaines de militants du HAK dans la deuxieme
ville armenienne, Gyumri.

Shahnazarian est l’un des cinq membres de la delegation representant
le bloc d’opposition dans les negociations en cours avec le
gouvernement. Le HAK souhaite organiser des elections anticipees.

Faisant echo a des declarations du haut dirigeant du HAK, l’ancien
president Levon Ter-Petrosian, Shahnazarian a affirme que les autorites
armeniennes doivent ” faire un choix sur la question des elections
anticipees ” pour septembre.

” Je dois souligner que ce dialogue est tout simplement l’occasion pour
les autorites de resoudre la crise politique armenienne de maniere
civilisee “, a -t-il dit aux militants de Gyumri. ” S’ils ne le font
pas maintenant, ils devront le faire sous la pression du peuple “.

Shahnazarian, qui etait a des postes clefs au gouvernement lors de
la presidence de Ter-Petrosian de 1991 a 1998, a decrit le dernier
scenario comme ” tres probable “. ” Il est possible que le dialogue
soit interrompu a un moment donne “.

L’opposant direct a note que les representants du HAK ont jusqu’ici
ete satisfaits du cours des negociations.

” Nous n’avons encore aucun reproche a faire “, a -t-il dit. ” Je parle
du processus du dialogue en lui-meme. L’atmosphère est pragmatique,
ce qui est bien “.

” Et je pense que beaucoup de choses seront davantage claires lorsque
les discussions reprendront mardi “, a ajoute Shahnazarian.

YOUNG DIASPORA INVESTOR: “ARMENIA IS HOME AND I’M READY TO FACE ALL CHALLENGES”
Sona Avagyan

hetq
12:55, August 6, 2011

You wouldn’t say that Pedro lacks ambition.

This Armenian, raised in the States from the age of 9, purchased 112
hectares of land in the village of Bagaran, just this side of the
Armenian border with Turkey, in 2008.

Pedro has already planted walnut and apple saplings on 4 hectares.

What inspired Pedro, who has born in Iran, to invest his hard earned
savings into a patch of earth so close to western Armenia, at the
confluence of the Akhurian and Arax Rivers?

“I fell in love with this place the first time I saw it. Not far are
the villages of Bagaran and Yervandashat. There’s the Arax River and
Turkey on the other side,” he explains.

Pedro was 33 when he decided to pull up stakes in the U.S. and move
to Armenia.

He had visited before and knew the move wouldn’t be easy – that he
would have to fight for certain things. Pedro came prepared to do
just that.

People probably first heard of Pedro Zarokian in various internet
forums. In order to transport his car and personal items to Armenia
without paying any bribes he had to make 20 trips to 4 separate
customs agencies in Armenia.

Caught in a never ending maze of bureaucracy and corruption, Pedro
took his case public. He sent off public protests to customs officials,
Armenia’s migration agency and the Diaspora Ministry.

In a separate matter, Pedro and his neighbours launched an 8 month
campaign against a karaoke club in their building. The music, played
so loudly and late into the night, prevented residents from getting
a decent night’s sleep.

“Now, they are constructing a 12 story illegal building on Northern
Avenue, opposite our house. I and my neighbours are now locked in a
battle against the developers. You have to fight to live normally in
your home. In fact, you have to fight for everything,” says Pedro.

Pedro came to Armenia by himself. His parents and siblings remained
in the States. Pedro’s father sometimes urges him to come back,
but the son is set against returning.

“You either have the need inside you to live here or you don’t. I
have such a need.”

At first, Pedro wanted to open a factory producing personal hygiene
items; soap, shampoo, etc. When he realized that most of the raw
materials would have to be imported, necessitating constant contact
with customs, Pedro nixed the idea.

[nut.jpg] Back in the States, Pedro was secretly drawn to the idea
of farming the land. That desire blossomed here in Armenia.

“There are so many people into farming in the U.S. and the sector
is really developed. It wouldn’t have made sense for me to start
farming there. But here in Armenia, you can really make a difference
by introducing new farming methods and technologies.”

Pedro also finds that working the land is calming and pleasurable,
despite the difficulties involved.

“My plan was to create something from nothing in Armenia. Why should
you import this or that if you can make it here. It’s a shame that
much of the food is imported rather than home grown.”

Pedro told me that a major problem facing local agriculture is that
villagers lease large expanses of land, not with the intention of
farming, but rather in the hope of selling the land to prospective
buyers – whether Armenians from the diaspora or other foreigners.

There are large tracts of land adjacent to the border that aren’t
being cultivated due to irrigation problems.

It took Pedro one full year to get all the permits to install
irrigation pipes and water pumping units. Given the large amount of
water seepage during irrigation, Pedro is now planning to deploy a
drip irrigation system.

There is also the problem of pilferage. A week after Pedro installed
electricity wires half of them were stolen. It was a $500 setback.

The culprits were never found. Pedro was forced to build a small
cabin for a guard who watches over the land at night.

Pedro makes a point to visit his land almost every day to monitor
the work going on. Usually, there are 2-4 workers and from 10-20 when
the fields have to be cleared of stones and debris.

Gevorg, a resident of the nearby village of Vanand, has been working
for Pedro for the past nine months. The man planted a stand of apricot
trees three years ago and has another 3-4 years to wait until they
produce fruit.

Next spring, Pedro plans to sow grapes on 2-3 hectares of land. He
also wants to plant more walnut trees.

He says that an anti-hail station is also on the agenda once the
revenues start to trickle in.

[hoghamas.jpg] Pedro anticipates an income stream in 4-5 years and
says that a reprocessing unit is also a possibility down the road.

The young entrepreneur assured me that he’s taken stock of all the
risks involved when it comes to doing business here.

“Hopefully, no one will bother me during the next 4-5 years. I am
moving slowly with measured investments. This way I won’t lose my
shirt all at once. I’ll expand my holdings a little each year.”

The young man hopes that Armenia will become a law abiding country
by then and that tax officials or larger business interests won’t
make things difficult for him.

“I am ready for any struggle. I follow the law and don’t pay bribes.

I’ll take any anyone to court, even government officials, who do
anything illegal. I’ll resist whatever way I can. The more people play
by the rules and demand justice from the courts, the entire judicial
system will be forced to clean up its act,” Pedro says.

He argues that feudalism reigns in Armenia and that the country is
divided amongst a handful of feudal lords who can do as they please.

“It’s like the feudal system in England 300-400 years ago. It’s a
non-national model and we will not be able to preserve the country if
it continues. It’s up to the new generation to put a halt to it. The
system must be demolished and everyone will be held accountable for
their actions.”

Pedro says that he finds many in Armenia to be selfish and indifferent
to the plight of others. As proof, he points to the scuffles to get
ahead in lines at the stores or the fact that many drivers ignore the
rules of the road. There is no tradition of common courtesy he argues.

But he doesn’t regret moving to Armenia.

“It’s my country, our country. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. If I can’t
carry on here it would mean that I’ve failed.”

ARMINFO DETERMINES THE MOST UNIVERSAL BANKS OF ARMENIA

arminfo
Friday, August 5, 18:48

By its main financial indices, Ameriabank took the lead among the
most universal banks of Armenia in Q2 2011. The Analysis of the
Banking System of Armenia by the financial analysis service of the
Agency of Rating Marketing Information (ArmInfo) by its own methods
has demonstrated that in Q2 2011 Ameriabank improved the level of
diversification of active and passive operations and occupied the 3rd
position. The first and the second positions, which are by right to
be occupied by the potentially most universal banks actively engaged
in all directions, are still vacant.

VTB Bank (Armenia) held the 4th position, having risen from its fifth
position of 2010. Three banks – ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank, HSBC Bank
Armenia and Ardshininvestbank – shared the 5th position. Moreover,
only one of them – Ardshininvestbank – could retain its fifth position
since 2010, and ACBA- Credit Agricole Bank and HSBC Bank Armenia
dropped by one position. ArmBuainessBank is the 6th. The 7th position
is vacant. Unibank occupied the 8th position, having dropped from
its 7th position of 2010. Converse Bank occupied the 9th position,
having dropped by one position. Areximbank-Gazprombank Group (annual
rise by one position) and ARARATBANK (annual rise by two positions)
shared the 10th position.

INECOBANK, which retained its position since 2010 and Artsakhbank
(annual fall by one position) shared the 11th place. The 12th position
was held by Anelik Bank (annual fall by one position). Armeconombank
(annual fall by two positions) and Mellat Bank (annual rise by three
positions) shared the 13th position. The 14th position proved to be
vacant. ArmSwissBank retained its 15th position. Prometey Bank held
the 16th position and shared it with Byblos Bank Armenia (annual
fall by one position). Armenian Development Bank occupied the 17th
place and ProCredit Bank was the 18th. The 19th position was vacant,
and BTA Bank occupied the 20th position (annual fall by one position).

To recall, since Q2 2009 the analysis of the banking system of Armenia
has taken into account not only the commercial banks’ positions by the
total capital, assets, total provision of crediting, loans provided
to economy, investments in government securities, liabilities,
attracted funds, pre-tax profit for the period under review (in the
present ranking – the profit over Jan-June 2011), but also the banks’
positions by loro and nostro accounts, loans provided to individuals,
call liabilities, time deposits, attracted amd placed interbank
deposits and loans.

The Agency focuses on the fact that the present quantitative analysis
demonstrates only the level of activeness of certain banks in all
segments of banking activities and does not at all point out the
quality of the banks’ indices and thereby cannot be a basis for taking
investment decisions.