Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Israeli President promises “a big step” to Armenian community

January 31, 2015 10:31
exclusive

Reuven Rivlin
Photo: REUTERS

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Israeli Armenian community is outraged about
President Reuven Rivlin’s attempt to equalize the Armenian Genocide
and Khojaly events during his speech at the UN General Assembly.

A few days ago, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin addressed a speech at
the UN General Assembly touching upon 1915 Armenian Genocide:

“In 1915, the days of the Armenian Genocide, Avshalom Feinberg of the
NILI underground [a Jewish spy network in Ottoman Palestine] wrote the
following: ‘My teeth have been worn away by anger, who is next? I have
walked on sacred and holy ground, on the road to Jerusalem, and asked
myself if it is this time that we live in -1915 – or in the days of
Titus or Nebuchadnezzar?”, said the Israeli President.

He also said:

“Is our struggle, the struggle of this Assembly, against genocide,
effective enough? Was it effective enough then in Bosnia? Was it
effective in preventing the killing in Khojaly?”

Talking to Mediamax, Head of Armenian Cause National Committee of
Jerusalem Georgette Avagian said she was surprised that one of the
pioneers of Armenian Genocide recognition in Israel, Reuven Rivlin,
didn’t call the 1915 events “Armenian Genocide” directly. Georgette
Avagian also noted that previously, as a President of Knesset, Rivlin
had repeatedly blocked Azerbaijani’s efforts to submit a draft law on
Khojaly to the Knesset.

“It was Rivlin, as a Knesset Spokesman, that didn’t allow such a draft
law to be submitted to the parliament. And now I am very much
surprised by the way he speaks about the events. It’s obvious that his
stance has been influenced by the political interests and intentions
with Azerbaijan”, said Georgette Avagian.

She said that the Armenian Cause National Committee informed the
President about being outraged with the speech. The President’s Office
responded to Georgette Avagian that “the President will take a big
step toward Armenians.

New law poses serious risk for investors – says economist

15:01 | January 31,2015 | Economy

2015 will be a crucial year for the Armenian economic market,
economist Artak Manukyan told reporters on January 31. The year will
be especially severe for small and medium-sized businesses.

His assessment referred to the traders who have been staging a series
of protests in Armenia against the controversial law on sales tax
which comes into effect on February 1.

The economist says the law poses a serious risk even for investors.
“Until recently, business relationships have been transparent for
them; everything will be much more complicated after the law enters
into force. I would be glad if traders had an alternative option, as
the prime minister said yesterday,” said Mr Artak Manukyan.

The economist says retailers in Armenia are facing serious problems
today. This is also evidenced by the international reports published
in 2013 which say that about 18 percent of retailers in Armenia
have been driven out of the field.

“Since we joined the Eurasian Economic Union we have been taking up
new challenges. We could have supported our traders instead of
drafting new laws for them. I think the protests can develop into a
wave of revolt as political forces are joining the protesters, trying
to receive dividends. If the government shows a balanced approach to
the problem and makes compromises, I think things will not go that
far,” he said.

Classified Archives on Armenians or What Erdogan Hints

Lragir.am
Politics – 31 January 2015, 14:06

The Turkish president Erdogan has again dwelled on the Armenian
Genocide, criticizing the Armenian Diaspora. The interesting thing in
his speech is his statement on setting up a commission of historians
and publishing documents.

He said the Turkish archives are open while the Armenian archives are
classified.

“Open up your archives, we have opened ours. If there are third
countries as well, let them also open them, let historians work
together and let all of us respect their reports,” he said.

One question is whether Turkey has opened the archives, and if yes,
which part of it. For example, the progressive Turkish intelligentsia
insists that it is impossible to work with those documents.

Another question is what is there in Armenian archives when Armenia
was not a state then and did not have archives. In those years Armenia
was divided between Turkey and Russia and apparently the important
documents are in the archives of these countries.

In this regard, Erdogan’s statement on the archives of “third
countries” is quite interesting.

The point is that no matter how carefully these archives were kept
close, over years a lot of information has been published on World War
I, the actions of the governments of Germany and Russia in 1915, which
favored Turkey’s anti-Armenian plans one way or another. Documents
have been published which were “checked out” on the developments of
the time of World War I.

Germany is a leading country of the European Union and has a big
influence on Europe’s political decisions, and Russia is Armenia’s
“patron” and can keep any archive closed and curb Armenia’s claims.
Maybe this is Erdogan’s hope.

It is not ruled out that Erdogan, aware of its own archives, resorts
to blackmail against the international community, thereby trying to
prevent the process of international recognition of the genocide,
involving “allies”.

Hence, Turkey probably hopes to get the support of “third countries”
to avoid responsibility and retribution for the ultimate crime –
genocide and displacement of the Armenians people.

It is impossible, and retribution will be inevitable. As to how soon
it will happen depends on the sovereign policy and decisions of
Armenia.

Turkish director’s Armenian Genocide film premieres in Yerevan

19:15, 30 Jan 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Renowned Turkish film director Fatih Akin was in Yerevan today to
present his film on the Armenian Genocide – The Cut.

The main figure is Nazaret Manoogian, played by Tahar Rahim, an
Armenian blacksmith who is separated from his wife and young twin
daughters in the middle of the night by Turkish soldiers, who take him
to a work camp, after which his town is cleared of Armenians.

He survives the forced labor in the desert and avoids having his
throat slit when his would-be executioner takes pity and only pretends
to kill him.

After Turkey’s defeat in the war, he begins a quest that takes him to
Cuba and America in search of his missing daughters who have fled
there, after their mother and the rest of their family were killed.

The 138-minute film with a budget of EURO 15.5 million has been shot in
Jordan, Germany, Cuba and Malta. The State Commission on Coordination
of the Events for Commemoration of the 100thAnniversary of the
Armenian Genocide also supported the creation of the film. The Cut
premiered at the 71st Venice Festival on August 27.

Fatih Akin was born in 1979 to Turkish parents, who had moved to
Germany in 1960s. He first visited Yerevan in 2010 within the
framework of the Golden Apricot International Film Festival.

“It was a significant event, as it was a very sensitive moment for a
man with of Turkish dscent to visit Armenia,” Akin told reporters in
Yerevan.

“In the past it wasn’t even possible to use the word ‘genocide’ in
Turkey. It’s not very easy today, but I believe in the freedom of
speech. I think the freedom of speech is the fragile grace given to
us,” he said.

FAIT DIVERS
Une jeune adolescente de 15 ans saut du > à Erévan et
s’en sort indemne

Jeudi 29 janvier, une jeune fille de 15 ans qui désirait mettre fin à
ses jours a sauté du > à Erévan, tombant dans la
rivière Hrazdan à quelques dizaines de mètres en contrebas. Araïk
Haïrabédian, appelé >, le propriétaire du restaurant
> qui se trouvait sur les lieux du drame pour
suivre un chantier en construction a vu la fille tomber du pont. Il
confie : >. Araïk
Haïrabédian extrait la jeune désespérée hors de l’eau et appelle les
pompiers qui constatent que malgré le choc la jeune fille était
physiquement indemne. Mais conduite à la clinique “Armenia”, la jeune
fille, inconsciente fut placée sous respiration artificielle.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 31 janvier 2015,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

Chorrord Ishkhanutyun: Decline in foreign transfers continues

11:45 * 31.01.15

The paper has addressed the declining trend in foreign money transfers
to Armenia.

Citing the Central Bank’s statistics, it says that a total of
$1,728,500,000 were transferred to the country by natural entities
last year, against the $869,700,000 reported in 2013. The paper notes
that especially the transfers from Russia plummeted to a record low, –
from $1,600,000,000 in 2013 to $1,400,000,000 in 2014. As for the
private transfers from Russia, they have reportedly increased to
$103,600,000 instead of the $82,300,000 in 2013.

Fitch downgrades Armenia

10:16 * 31.01.15

Fitch Ratings has downgraded Armenia’s Long-term foreign and local
currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) to ‘B+’ from ‘BB-‘, Reuters
reported.

The Outlook is said to be Stable. The issue ratings on Armenia’s
senior unsecured foreign and local currency bonds have also been
downgraded to ‘B+’ from ‘BB-‘. The Country Ceiling has been revised to
‘BB-‘ from ‘BB’ and the Short-term foreign currency IDR affirmed at
‘B’. KEY RATING DRIVERS The downgrade of Armenia’s Long-term IDRs
reflects the following key rating drivers and their relative weights:
High Armenia is highly exposed to the severe economic downturn
inRussia (BBB-/Negative), which will weigh heavily on Armenia’s
balance of payment and growth prospects.

The economy is expected to fall into a mild recession in 2015, with
risks tilted to the downside given the worsening economic situation in
Russiaand likely negative impact on external imbalances and further
depreciation pressures. The current account deficit is expected to
widen again in 2015 as a result of a sharp reduction in both
remittances inflows and export demand from Russia. Remittances amount
to about 15% of GDP and fell by about 30% during the last months of
2014 as 90% of the total come fromRussia. The impact of the fall in
oil prices on imports will be largely outweighed by the strengthening
of the dollar and a decline in international prices of key Armenian
exports. Mining exports, especially copper, account for about half of
Armenia’s goods exports. Foreign currency reserves at the Central Bank
of Armenia (CBA) are expected to continue their downward trend from a
relatively low level of USD1.49bn in December 2014. The decline in
reserves is primarily due to lower current account receipts and FDI
inflows, but also, to a lesser extent, to market intervention by the
CBA to limit the depreciation of the Armenian dram.

Foreign currency reserves are expected to represent about three months
of current account payments in 2015-16, compared with more than four
months on average in 2010-13. Medium Public debt dynamics are highly
sensitive to depreciation risks, as about 80% of public debt is
foreign currency denominated. The debt-to-GDP ratio rose to nearly 50%
in 2014, primarily as a result of exchange rate depreciation. The
ratio is expected to remain broadly stable in the coming years but
this assumes a stabilisation of the exchange rate. Risks are to the
downside. Fiscal policy has been prudent since 2010, and we expect the
government to maintain the fiscal deficit below 3% of GDP. Armenia is
highly reliant on Russian gas supplies, remittances and military
support, leaving it particularly vulnerable to economic and policy
changes in Russia. Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union
in January 2015 will further deepen its economic, financial, political
and institutional ties with Russia. Despite recent events in Gyumri,
we expect the close bilateral relationship to remain and to continue
weighing on Armenia’s economic and institutional setting. The
financial sector is highly dollarised and will therefore be negatively
impacted by the depreciation of the Armenian dram. The depreciation
and economic downturn are likely to bring about an increase in
non-performing loans and to dent the currently robust capital adequacy
ratios. The CBA has increased the minimum capital requirements for
banks, which could trigger some consolidation in the sector. Armenia’s
‘B+’ IDRs also reflect the following key rating drivers: The CBA
raised its refinancing rate twice in recent months to 9.5%. The
Armenian dram depreciated by 17% in 2014. Inflation is expected to
pick up to 6.5% in 2015 (CBA target range: 2.5%-5.5%) as a result of
higher import prices, although relatively moderate pass-through
effects should contain the impact.

Armenia benefits from an IMF Extended Fund Facility for 2014-17 worth
USD119.1m, which acts as a policy anchor. Armenia is expected to
continue fulfilling the performance criteria and to continue to enjoy
support from major international financial institutions, primarily to
finance large infrastructure projects. Armenia’s business environment
compares favourably with rating peers, as illustrated by the World
Bank’s ease of doing business indicators. Armenia’s geopolitical
environment is a constraint on the rating. The latent conflict with
Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region entails the risk
of escalating into a full-scale conflict. No resolution is expected in
the short term.

Iskandaryan: Purpose of OSCE MG is to keep status quo on Karabakh

Director of Caucasus Institute, political scientist Alexander
Iskandaryan said today that the purpose of the OSCE Minsk Group is to
keep the status quo on Karabakh and continue the process.

According to him, presently one can hardly find a format, in which the
U.S, Russia and France would actively cooperate. “It is a result of
the fact that war in our region is not advantageous to anyone,”
Iskandaryan said.

In his words, the OSCE Minsk Group copes with its mediation mission
and organizes meetings of the sides, even if they may seem
unsuccessful at first glance.

30.01.15, 16:43

L’Orient-Le Jour, Liban
30 janv 2015

La Turquie prête à “payer le prix” des massacres d’Arméniens si elle
est coupable, affirme Erdogan

AFP

La Turquie est prête à “payer le prix” si elle est reconnue par des
historiens indépendants coupable des massacres d’Arméniens commis à
partir de 1915, a assuré le président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan, qui a
rejeté à nouveau leur qualification en “génocide”.

“Si les résultats des recherches devaient révéler que nous avons
commis un crime, si nous devons en payer le prix, nous prendrons les
mesures nécessaires”, a déclaré M. Erdogan lors d’un entretien
télévisé diffusé jeudi soir sur la chaîne publique TRT.

Les autorités turques nient catégoriquement que l’Empire ottoman ait
organisé le massacre systématique de sa population arménienne pendant
la Première guerre mondiale. Ankara reconnaît la mort d’environ 500
000 Arméniens, qui s’étaient rangés du côté de son ennemie la Russie,
lors de combats ou à cause de famines. Les Arméniens évoquent à
l’inverse le génocide d’environ 1,5 million d’entre eux.

En avril 2014, le président Erdogan, alors Premier ministre, avait
offert des condoléances sans précédent pour les victimes arméniennes,
parlant d’une “douleur commune”. Mais il écarté l’idée de reconnaître
un génocide à l’occasion du centième anniversaire, cette année, des
événements de 1915.
“Nous ne sommes pas obligés de reconnaître le soi-disant génocide
arménien sur les ordres de quelqu’un”, a-t-il souligné jeudi soir,
“nous ne pouvons pas accepter une chose pareille”.

La veille, le président français François Hollande a appelé la Turquie
à faire un “effort de vérité” sur ces événements, estimant qu’il était
l’heure de “briser des tabous”.

Le chef de l’Etat islamo-conservateur turc a appelé les hommes
politiques à laisser cette question aux historiens. “Si vous êtes
vraiment sincères, laissez les historiens faire leur travail”, a-t-il
dit. “Nous avons ouvert nos archives et mis plus d’un million de
documents à disposition. Si l’Arménie dispose aussi d’archives, elle
doit les ouvrir également. Ensuite nous pourrons nous asseoir et
parler entre dirigeants politiques”, a conclu M. Erdogan.

La Stampa, Italia
30 gen 2015

Armeni, Turchia: un autogol…

Poche settimane prima che in tutto il mondo si ricordi il centenario
dell’inizio del Genocidio degli Armeni, il primo del secolo dei
genocidi, il governo di Ankara ha commesso un autogoal la cui ironia
può essere pienamente apprezzata solo da chi conosce il vigore della
politica negazionista di Ankara.

marco tosatti
30/01/2015

Poche settimane prima che in tutto il mondo si ricordi il centenario
dell’inizio del Genocidio degli Armeni, il primo del secolo dei
genocidi, (il 12 aprile il Papa celebrerà una messa in ricordo) il
governo di Ankara ha commesso un autogoal la cui ironia può essere
pienamente apprezzata solo da chi conosce il vigore della politica
negazionista di Ankara.

Il Ministero degli Esteri turco ha pubblicato, pare per errore, una
fotografia del “Monumento al Genocidio Armeno” eretto a Yerevan,
capitale dell’Armenia, in un pieghevole ufficiale preparato per
commemorare la battaglia di Çanakkale, la battaglia dei Dardanelli,
combattuta dalla Turchia contro le forze alleata durante la Prima
Guerra mondiale. Un funzionario del Ministero degli Affari Esteri ha
detto a Hurryet Daily News che la fotografia è stata “inclusa
accidentalmente insieme ad altre fotografie”.

E’ stata aperta un’inchiesta per capire come sia stato possibile un
errore del genere, e il responsabile verrà punito, ha detto il
funzionario, aggiungendo che la maggior parte dei pieghevoli non sono
stati ancora distribuiti. Il funzionario ha negato vigorosamente che
la fotografia faccia parte di un’operazione di “apertura” verso
l’Armenia.