Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Armenia willing to cooperate with EU in all fields of common interest:
Edward Nalbandian

17:20 23.07.2014

On July 22 Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian participated in
the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the EU member states and
Eastern Partnership countries held in Brussels, attended by the High
Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Catherine Ashton, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European
Neighbourhood Policy Åtefan Füle.

Delivering a speech at the meeting, Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward
Nalbandian mentioned that Armenia desires to develop its cooperation
with EU, based on the results and progress achieved over the last
years.

`At the Vilnius summit, Armenia and the EU have reconfirmed their
commitment to further develop and strengthen cooperation in all areas
of mutual interest within the Eastern Partnership, stressing the
importance updating the existing basis of our relations. We look
forward to taking further steps in order to prepare a new legal basis
of cooperation with the EU, which, on the one hand, can reflect what
has been achieved in the course of Armenia’s negotiations, and, on the
other hand, will take into account the new realities’, said the
Foreign Minister of RA.

Edward Nalbandian highlighted that the EU’s consistent assistance and
support play significant role in the realization of reforms in
Armenia, the strengthening of democracy and institutional capacities.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia stressed that numerous areas, starting
from the political dialogue to judiciary and mobility partnership,
from migration issues to institutional reforms and the increase of
resources are on the agenda of Armenia-EU cooperation, he also
mentioned Armenia’s willingness to continue working in all the fields
of common interest.

The Minister noted that expanding mobility between our societies is a
common goal and Armenia wishes to launch a dialogue on the exemption
of visa regime based on the successful experience of EU-Armenia visa
facilitation and readmission agreements.

The Foreign Minister stressed the significance of the Protocol to the
Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (which entered into force this
March) on the basic principles for the participation of the Republic
of Armenia in various EU programs, that allow Armenia to take part in
different EU programs and expand bilateral sectoral cooperation.

As per regional cooperation, Minister Nalbandian stated that Turkey
continues blockading the border with Armenia and thus hinders the
normalization of bilateral relations and the exploitation of transport
and communication routes between Armenia and the EU.

It is paradoxical that Turkey as a country which expresses willingness
to join the EU has closed its border with a neighbouring country
whereas free mobility is a fundamental principle throughout the
territory of the EU.

In his speech Edward Nalbandian welcomed the appointment of Herbert
Salber as EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and wished
him success in his mission.

Touching upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution process the
Foreign Minister of Armenia emphasized that in response to numerous
calls of the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair states,
unlike Azerbaijan, Armenia consistently reaffirmed its commitment to
the principles of the international law, in particular the non-use of
force or threat of force, equal rights and self-determination of
peoples and territorial integrity. He also expressed regret for the
absence of political will in Azerbaijan which is expressed through the
continuous rejection of all proposals by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

`We absolutely agree that peoples should be prepared for peace, not
war. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan is doing just the opposite by
continuing its bellicose and provocative rhetoric, propaganda of
xenophobia, intolerance and hatred, which along with its provocations
on the line of contact with Nagorno-Karabakh and on the border with
Armenia leads to raising tension and escalation of the situation in
the region.

We also appreciate that the European Union, on various occasions, has
expressed its unequivocal support to the efforts of the Minsk Group
co-chairs aimed at exclusively peaceful resolution to the conflict,’
added Nalbandian.

14:15 23/07/2014 ‘ REGION
Amnesty International starts campaign in support of Azerbaijani human
rights defender Leyla Yunus

Human rights organization Amnesty International calls everyone to address a
letter to the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and to the Prosecutor
General Zakir Qaralov calling on the authorities to put an immediate stop
to the intimidation and harassment of Leyla Yunus and her husband Arif
Yunus. The call and the sample of the letter are posted on the website of
the organization.

Amnesty International notes that since 28 April 2014 the Azerbaijani
authorities have been harassing human rights defender Leyla Yunus, who is
the President of Azerbaijani NGO the Institute for Peace and Democracy.

`The authorities have regularly summoned her to the prosecutor’s office and
interrogated her in connection with the criminal proceedings against an
independent Azerbaijani journalist Rauf Mirgadirov, who has been arrested
on what appear to be trumped-up charges of spying for Armenia. Leyla Yunus
had been collaborating with him on joint reconciliation projects with
Armenian NGOs,’ the statement reads.

According to AI, Leyla Yunus and her husband were detained on 28 April at
the airport and the next day, officials searched the couple’s home
and the office of the Institute for Peace and Democracy.

Leyla Yunus accused officials of threatening to rape her and when a
colleague of hers asked whether it was acceptable for a male police officer
to behave like that, the latter replied, `She is not a woman. She is not an
Azerbaijani woman. She is Armenian’.

AI is calling on the authorities to put an immediate stop to the harassment
of the human rights defender, to return the passports to the couple, to
start an impartial investigation and bring all those responsible to justice
who harassed and ill-treated them.

Famous Azerbaijani human rights defender Leyla Yunus and her husband
conflictologist Arif Yunus were detained on 28 April at Baku’s airport, as
they prepared to board a flight to Doha. They were planning to fly to Paris
and then to Brussels as they were invited by the EU for participating at an
international event.

Leyla Yunus was summoned to an interrogation to the department of grave
crimes investigation of the General Prosecutor’s office where she spent 9
hours. Her husband Mr. Yunus, who was detained together with her, was
hospitalized in a pre-stroke condition. Also, officials searched the
couple’s home and the office of IPD.

The Human rights commissioner at the Council of Europe Nils Muižnieks, the
EU, the US State Department, the US Embassy in Azerbaijan and human rights
organizations such as the Norwegian Helsinki committee, Human Rights Watch,
Freedom House, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) have
all condemned the arrest of Leyla Yunus in Baku.

Related materials

*Leyla Yunus:Azerbaijani authorities want people that are under their
control work with Armenians in people’s diplomacy sphere
*

*Suit is filed against Leyla Yunus in Azerbaijan; human rights activist has
made an appeal *

*PACE Rapporteur: Human rights defenders’ condition in Azerbaijan has
sharply worsened
*

Azerbaijan – Italy. An Armenian mess?

12:30 * 23.07.14

By Formiche.net

This will be a summer of passion for the Italian Government, abroad.
The Presidency of the European Semester for Italy is on the one hand a
way to prove to be a reliable partner, on the other a slippery road
where you can fall easily, as proved by the recent story of the
candidacy of Federica Mogherini as High Representative for Foreign
Affairs of the European Union.

For this reason, never as now, the government of Matteo Renzi is under
the magnifying glass of the governments of the 28 and will prove to be
coherent with commitments, both in Italy and abroad. Certainly,
another till now hidden and very controversial situation does not
help. It has the potential to explode suddenly at the expense of Italy
and to damage it during the European Semester.

The source of the scandal comes from Azerbaijan’ steppes, a country
known for two things: oil and dictatorship of Alyev, a dynasty of
despots who disdain the observation of the most elementary basic
rights, both civil and human, and that has the habit of putting in
prison (if they are lucky) journalists and opponents.

Italy has commercial ties with Azerbaijan, just like the rest of the
European countries, being the Great Britain at the top of the list.
This is because, in a two-tier world, human rights follow a parallel
path compared to economic needs. In particular, the former Prime
Minister Enrico Letta has formally committed to Baku for the
construction of the mega TAP gas pipeline, which would carry gas from
Baku to San Foca (Lecce), and then be sold throughout Europe. A huge
project, which is colliding with the typical localism of a
short-sighted policy and unable to come to terms with the future and –
more importantly – unable to keep their commitments.

President Ilham Aliyev has recently been to Italy, to talk about TAP
and beyond. And here there is the case. Days before the visit of
Aliyev a document, which – according to the experts would be
euphemistic to define as imperfect – was negotiated by the two
diplomacies, and in which it seems that Italy has forgotten the
consolidated positions of the EU and the OSCE on the Azeri issue and
on the Nagorno-Karabakh “frozen conflict”.

Somebody in the Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry has detected the
Azeri trap and blocked the publication of the official text. The
timing of the event is crucial. Aljiev arrives in Rome on July 14th
and on July 16th in Brussels, Italy is playing the game for the
appointment of Federica Mogherini as head of EU diplomacy. The French
are co-chairs of the Minsk Group on Nagorno Karabakh, together with
Americans and Russians, and they could have accused Renzi and his
Minister of Foreign Affairs for a pro-Azerbaijani text on the frozen
conflict. So, the Italian diplomacy duggests to Azerbaijan to work on
a new text.

But Aliyev is an old style satrap and does not care about commitments.
He instructs his ambassador in Rome to publish a document called ”
Italy-Azerbaijan Joint declaration on strategic partnership”, both on
Facebook and on the official website of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in
Italy. Meanwhile, the chair for Mogherini in Brussels is shivering and
MFA officials understand that it is better not to create other
disasters and begin to work on the text of the joint declaration with
Baku.

But the positions are ambiguous and slippery. The MFA’s action against
the Azerbaijani regime is just an unhearable stammering. In short, the
government has not taken a clear position and in Baku they say what
they want, selling the text as an official statement made by the
Italian government. Moreover, the Azerbaijani regime’s propaganda
delivers a note to Interfax press agency which says that “Italy
supports the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the
framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.”

That is to say that “suddenly” Italy has changed its position in
relation to the EU and the OSCE, and in relation to itself, given that
our country is a member of the Minsk Group and has always taken a
neutral stance on Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In short, it is a total
lie, but what can we expect from one of the most long lasting regimes
in the world?

In view of this, it must be said that the government was distracted by
other very sticky domestic and European issues. However, at this
point, it would be necessary to clarify as soon as possible the issue

Armenian foreign minister attracts OSCE Minsk group co-chairs’
attention to Azerbaijan’s destructive policy

YEREVAN, July 23. /ARKA/. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan,
who is in Brussels now for a working visit, met OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs Igor Popov (Russia), James Warlick (the United States) and
Pierre Andrieu (France) as well as Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal
Representative of OSCE CiO, as part of his visit, the press office of
Armenia’s foreign ministry reports.

Nalbandyan attracted the co-chairs’ attention to the Azerbaijani
leadership’s bellicose rhetoric that distorts the essence and content
of the negotiations and that has intensified recently.

He also pointed out the recurring raids on the border with Armenia and
on the contact line with Karabakh taken in a gross violation of the
ceasefire regime.

The Armenian foreign minister stressed that Azerbaijan’s provocative
actions escalate tension, contrary to calls of mediator countries’
leaders for peace.

Ignoring the international community’s calls that have already become
targeted, he said, Azerbaijan continues pursuing its destructive and
dangerous policy persecuting and jailing those Azerbaijanis who seek
peace and reconciliation.

Nalbandyan said Armenia remained steadfast in its determination to
continue joint efforts with the co-chairs to settle the conflict by
peaceful means.

Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988 when Karabakh, mainly populated by
Armenians, declared its independence from Azerbaijan.

On December 10, 1991, a few days after the collapse of the Soviet
Union, a referendum took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the majority
of the population (99.89%) voted for secession from Azerbaijan.

Afterwards, large-scale military operations began. As a result,
Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven regions
adjacent to it. Some 30,000 people were killed in this war and about
one million people fled their homes.

On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the
military operations.
Since 1992, talks brokered by OSCE Minsk Group are being held over
peaceful settlement of the conflict. The group is co-chaired by USA,
Russia and France..-0—

– See more at:

TURQUIE
Arrestation d’une centaine de hauts responsables de la police

Ankara, 22 juil 2014 (AFP) РLes autorit̩s turques ont annonc̩ mardi
l’arrestation d’une centaine de hauts responsables de la police
accusés notamment d’écoutes illégales dans le cadre d’une enquête
criminelle sur des allégations de corruption et d’abus de pouvoir,
poursuivant la purge au sein de la police et de la magistrature.

Au moins cent hauts responsables de la police, en activité ou à la
retraite, ont été arrêtés, parmi eux les anciens chefs de l’unité
antiterroriste de la police d’Istanbul, Omer Kose et Yurt Atayun, a
indiqué dans un communiqué, le bureau du procureur d’Istanbul qui
avait émis 115 mandats d’arrêt.

Au cours de cette vaste opération menée tôt mardi, la police a
effectué 200 interventions dans la seule ville d’Istanbul. Les images
télévisées ont montré des hauts responsables de police emmenés
menottés. Des descentes de police ont été menées simultanément dans 22
villes à travers la Turquie, rapporte le quotidien Hurriyet sur son
site internet, comme Ankara, Izmir et Diyarbakir.

“Je me suis rendu, mais comme vous le voyez ils m’ont mis les menottes
dans le dos”, a dit Yurt Atayun aux journalistes. “Tout ça est
politique”, a-t-il ajouté lorsqu’on lui a demandé pourquoi il a été
arrêté. Ils sont accusés d’espionnage, d’écoutes illégales, faux et
usage de faux documents officiels, violation de la vie privée,
fabrication de preuves et violation du secret d’instruction, selon les
médias.

La plupart des personnes arrêtées occupaient des postes clés lors de
l’enquête anti-corruption contre le Premier ministre
islamo-conservateur Recep Tayyip Erdogan et son entourage en décembre
dernier. Au cours de ces enquêtes, des milliers de personnes ont été
illégalement mises sur écoute, y compris M. Erdogan, les membres du
cabinet, ainsi que le chef de l’Organisation nationale de
renseignement de la Turquie (MIT) Hakan Fidan, a rappelé le bureau du
procureur.

Cette nouvelle vague d’arrestations à trois mois du premier tour de la
présidentielle, fait partie de la grande purge dans la police et la
magistrature, lancée par le pouvoir fin juin contre le mouvement
religieux du prédicateur exilé Fethullah Gülen. Le Premier ministre
Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuse le mouvement de son ex-allié d’avoir
manipulé l’enquête sur un vaste scandale de corruption l’impliquant
ainsi que son entourage.

Dans une interview à la télévision lundi soir, M. Erdogan a promis que
la lutte contre le mouvement Gülen continuerait “non-stop”, tout en
réclamant des Etats-Unis l’extradition de l’imam. “J’attends que les
États-Unis prennent position sur la question Gülen”, a déclaré M.
Erdogan.

Agé de 72 ans, M. Gülen vit depuis 1999 en Pennsylvanie (est), d’où il
dirige un puissant mouvement socio-religieux qui compterait plusieurs
millions de membres, influents dans la police et la magistrature
turque. Il a toujours nié d’être à l’origine de l’enquête contre
Erdogan.

Malgré les critiques et les scandales, le parti de la justice et du
développement (AKP) du premier ministre a remporté une victoire
éclatante aux municipales du 30 mars et M. Erdogan est le candidat
donné gagnant de l’élection présidentielle du 10 août.

mercredi 23 juillet 2014,
Ara (c)armenews.com

APA, Azerbaijan
July 22 2014

Elmar Mammadyarov: “Goods produced in the Nagorno-Karabakh are sold
by Armenia in the EU market under various fraudulent labels”

[ 23 July 2014 03:25 ]

Baku-APA. “Mentioning trade, I would like to express our concern on
some disappointing facts regarding distorted trade practices, which we
discovered in the past. It came to our attention that goods produced
by Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and other occupied
territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan have been allowed to enter
the EU market under various fraudulent labels in contradiction to the
rules of origin and the commitments undertaken by Armenia in the World
Trade Organization agreements”.

APA reports quoting press service of Minister of Foreign Affairs that
Elmar Mammadyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Azerbaijan said at the Foreign Minister’s meeting of EU Member States
and Eastern Partnership countries.

“This is a clear case of violation by Armenia of its WTO obligations.
When acceding to WTO, Armenia reaffirmed that the terms and conditions
of its WTO membership, as well as the obligations of the Republic of
Armenia under the WTO Agreements and the provisions of those
Agreements, should only apply to the territory of the Republic of
Armenia as recognized by the United Nations. Therefore, recalling the
recent regulatory legal framework adopted in respect to other similar
cases in Eastern Partnership region, we call upon our European
partners to undertake all measures to prevent such distortive steps by
the Armenian side”, – the minister said.

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
July 22 2014

Armavir mayor injured by mine in Kelbajar

22 July 2014 – 1:02pm

One man died and three were injured by a mine exploding underneath
their car in the Kelbajar District occupied by Armenia. Armavir Mayor
Ruben Khlgatyan was one of the injured. He was taken to the Erebuni
Medical Center in Yerevan by helicopter. His driver died, News.am
reports.

Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Oganyan said earlier that mines
should be laid in the district.

First Things
July 22 2014

A Line Crossed in the Middle East

What the end of Christianity in Mosul means for Christians everywhere

by Mark Movsesian

Say goodbye to one of the most ancient Christian communities in the
world. Last week, members of ISIS–the “Islamic State in Iraq and
Syria,” a Sunni Islamist group that recently has captured parts of
Iraq and declared a new caliphate–began going through the northern
Iraqi city of Mosul and marking the homes of Christians with the
Arabic letter “Nun.” “Nun” stands for “Nasara,” from “Nazarenes,” a
word that refers to Christians. The implications were clear. Mosul’s
Christians faced the same fate the Christians of Raqqa, Syria, had
when ISIS captured their city last spring. “We offer them three
choices,” ISIS announced: “Islam; the dhimma contract–involving
payment of jizya; if they refuse this they will have nothing but the
sword.”

The dhimma is the notional contract that governs relations between the
Muslim community, or umma, and Christians (as well as Jews) in
classical Islamic law. The dhimma allows Christians to reside in
Muslim society in exchange for payment of a poll tax called the
jizya–in Mosul, ISIS required a jizya of about $500–and submission to
various social and legal restrictions. The dhimma forbids Christians
from attracting attention during worship, for example, from building
new churches, and generally from asserting equality with Muslims.

The dhimma is said to date back to an “agreement” a seventh-century
caliph made with the Christians of Syria, though nowadays most
scholars dismiss that claim. Most likely, the rules developed over
time; by the eighth or ninth centuries, they were standardized in the
Islamic law books. From the classical Muslim perspective, the dhimma
reflects the fact that Christians, as the recipients of an earlier,
incomplete revelation, merit some protection and communal autonomy.
But there is a price. The jizya and the many dhimma restrictions are
meant to keep Christians in their place and provide a salutary
incentive for them to convert to Islam.

By last week, most Christians in Mosul had already taken a fourth
option–evacuation. Their departure marks the end of a continuous
Christian tradition in Mosul. For thousands of years, Mosul has been a
center for Christians, particularly for Assyrians, an ethnic group
that predates the Arab conquest of Mesopotamia. Indeed, the ancient
Assyrian capital of Nineveh, where the Prophet Jonah preached, lies
across the Tigris River. Christianized in apostolic times, Assyrians
have divided over the centuries into a number of communions that
reflect the history of the religion: the Assyrian Church of the East,
a small body, historically associated with Nestorianism, which once
spread as far as China; the Syriac Orthodox Church, a member of the
Oriental Orthodox family; and the Chaldean-rite Catholic Church, in
communion with Rome. A small number of Assyrian Protestant churches
exist as well, the legacy of nineteenth-century American missionaries.

As recently as a decade ago, tens of thousands of Christians lived in
Mosul, some of them descendents of victims of the genocide the Ottoman
Empire perpetrated against Assyrians, as well as Armenians and Greeks,
during World War I. After this weekend, virtually none remain. On
Saturday, ISIS expelled the fifty-two Christian families still in the
city, after first requiring them to leave behind all their valuables.
For good measure, ISIS also burned an 1800-year-old church and the
Catholic bishop’s residence, along with its library and manuscript
collection.

What ISIS has done in Mosul is a worrying hint of Islamism’s possible
future. For the moment, ISIS is unique among Islamist groups in
advocating formal reinstatement of the dhimma. Although Islamists
everywhere reject the idea of equality for Christians, they typically
avoid calling for the dhimma, as they understand that most
contemporary Muslims would reject the idea. Nothing succeeds like
success, however. ISIS has now shown that it is possible to
reestablish the dhimma at the center of the Muslim world. Other
Islamist groups will take notice.

The expulsion of Mosul’s Christians also serves as a reminder of what
can happen to religious minorities when secular dictatorships in the
Arab world collapse. Principal responsibility for this outrage lies
with ISIS, and with Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, whose Shia
sectarianism has alienated Sunnis and created a situation in which
ISIS can flourish. (ISIS brutalizes Shia Muslims as well as
Christians.)

But the United States bears some responsibility as well. Its invasion
of, and subsequent withdrawal from, Iraq set in motion a chain of
events that has allowed radical groups like ISIS to succeed. Having
intervened in the country, the United States had an obligation to take
reasonable steps to prevent disaster from occurring. For Iraq’s
Christians, American intervention has been an unmitigated disaster.

In the Middle East, secular dictatorships can be very brutal. But, bad
as they are, they are often the only thing that stands in the way of
the absolute destruction of minority religious communities. Toppling
such dictatorships and hoping for their replacement by “moderates” is
not a good bet. Incredibly, this seems to be a lesson the United
States still has to learn. Consider Syria.

Mark Movsesian is the Frederick A. Whitney Professor of Contract Law
and the Director of the Center for Law and Religion at St. John’s
University School of Law. His previous blog posts can be found here.

Vahagn Hovnanyan: It is necessary to hold a protest action in front
Russia’s Embassy in Armenia to support Levon Hayrapetyan

by Marianna Lazarian
Tuesday, July 22, 18:16

It is necessary to hold a protest action in front Russia’s Embassy in
Armenia to support Levon Hayrapetyan, and to demand immediate changing
of the pre-trial restrictions regarding him, a businessman Vahagn
Hovnanyan said at today’s press-conference.

He said that Hayrapetyan’s health status does not allow keeping him in
custody, and the Russian court had to take this into consideration.
“Moreover, Hayrapetyan is such a good and kind man that such an
attitude regarding him is simply inadmissible. We have to hold a
protest action in front Russia’s Embassy in Armenia to support Levon
Hayrapetyan, and to demand immediate changing of the pre-trial
restrictions regarding him”, he said.

To remind, the Russian special services have detained one of the
richest Armenian businessmen in the world Levon Hayrapetyan on
suspicion of being privy to the notorious “Kingisep” criminal group.
According to Rosbalt, Hayrapetyan was detained on Tuesday upon
arriving in Moscow from his home in Monaco. Shortly the investigators
are planning to petition the Basmanny Court to arrest the businessman.
They are currently investigating the case of Sergey-Finagin’s
“Kingisepp” group, which together with Alexander Matusov’s “Schelkovo”
gang, is believed to have done a number of contract killings first for
businessman Georgy Safiyev (killed in the United States) and then for
former Senator Igor Izmestyev (who is now in jail for life). And it
was Izmestyev who said that Levon Hayrapetyan was privy to some of the
killings, particularly, those related to the Bashneft oil company.

ÇD38C40-11AA-11E4-88FC0EB7C0D21663

‘Brand Armenia’: Promoting Armenia’s Image in the 21st Century

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014

A view of Khor Virap monastery with Mt. Ararat in the background

BY VASKEN KALAYJIAN

The Republic of Armenia, and by extension its worldwide diaspora, is
at an exciting crossroad between the past and future. What road it
will take in the coming critical years depends largely on Armenia’s
ability grow its economy. Tourism and foreign investment are important
factors in reaching this key goal.

Unlike other nations pursuing similar objectives, Armenia has been
late to the party in terms of actively marketing its brand assets in
today’s competitive global economy. But thanks to a groundbreaking
initiative, recently launched by the Armenian government, this is
about to change.

The Armenian National Competitiveness Foundation, working in close
cooperation with the Embassy of the United States in Armenia, has been
tasked by Armenia’s government to market Armenia and its people under
the assignment’s banner “Brand Armenia.”

Brand Armenia is a project driven by original research that explores
the ways and means to properly showcase Armenia and its people on the
world stage.

It begins with asking a range of stakeholders and knowledgeable
observers some fundamental questions like: What unites Armenians
worldwide as a people? How do Armenians see themselves as a unique
identity relative to other nations? What are Armenia’s greatest
strengths and weaknesses? And most important, how would the “ideal”
Armenia be defined in next 20 years?

Armenia is a Case Study in Contradictions and Complexities
Trying to brand a place like Armenia is both challenging and
inspiring. Ideally, a country’s essence, assets and allure should be
summed up in few words and images. Yet Armenia’s image is difficult to
wrap a cohesive strategy around for multiple reasons.

First, Armenia represents a history steeped in Christianity, yet it is
undeniably influenced by the Ottoman and Soviet empires under which
historical Armenia was subjugated until recently.

Today’s Armenia is known to lack natural commodities for export and
trade, yet it is very rich in human brainpower. It’s an ancient
civilization, yet a relatively young and newly independent state. It
boasts a mountainous climate with breathtaking vistas, yet it’s
landlocked and surrounded by historical enemies, thereby creating
barriers to trade and commerce.

Most of all, although Armenia’s population is extremely homogenous,
its national identity is fragmented into hybrid identities resulting
from its worldwide diaspora–French-Armenians, American-Armenians,
Latin-American Armenians, Middle Eastern-Armenians,
Australian-Armenians and Russian-Armenians. Each lays claim to Armenia
as its ancestral homeland, so depending on who’s looking, Armenia is a
mirror upon which to reflect a kaleidoscope of traits rather than as a
window into the quintessential Armenian soul.

Brand Armenia is all about changing this outworn narrative, so that
today’s Armenia can project itself as a modern, progressive nation
with key cultural, social and business-friendly attributes that appeal
to tourists and investors alike.

The Principles and Processes of Country Branding
People unfamiliar with the nuances of marketing may see branding as
simply the presentation of a logo or design that can be instantly
associated with a product or service. Clear examples of this are the
Nike swoosh and the unmistakable penmanship of Coca-Cola’s signature,
which has been used by the company since its inception. Also, few
realize the psychological and emotional elements employed to construct
a solid, loyal customer base that an effective brand campaign can
generate.

GK Tribe Global country branding specialists are able to tap into
individual and collective archetypes, emotions and values when
branding products and companies. The same applies to place and country
branding–forming a connection based on values and ideals.

As the CEO and Brand Architect of GK Tribe Global, the New York-based
branding firm contracted to lead the Brand Armenia initiative in
partnership with other Tribe Global office in Canada, Cundari Group.
“I believe that a strong country brand enhances a nation’s cultural
and political influence. And a country’s reputation is based on
intangible assets built on actions and achievements that are highly
tangible.”

Places are some of the most interesting things to brand. The
initiative is often labeled “place branding,” “geo-branding” and
“destination branding.” The most important activity in this process is
identifying the most powerful strategy and unique positioning for the
place–the “brand position.”

Establishing a signature visual and raising awareness of the brand are
the next most important phases. Both involve conducting proper,
relevant research with the various key stakeholders. Those audiences
can include residents, businesses, tourists and visitors, meeting and
event planners (including convention planners and major sporting event
organizers), travelers and corporate commercial traffic.

It means surveying and interviewing people across the spectrum of
society, from the heads of state to all levels of community, villages,
various regions, artists and doctors, teachers and business leaders,
religious leaders, political parties, the media, various diasporans
around the world and non-Armenians in 36 different countries.

Each of these audiences has its own distinct issues and needs, and
specialized place-based organizations market to meet such needs, such
as visitor and convention bureaus, economic development councils and
business improvement districts. The stakeholder groups multiply into a
large mix of potentially competing points of view. This may include
mayoral offices, county, provincial, state and regional entity
executives and business, cultural institutions and sports team
leaders.

A carefully orchestrated branding project seeks to gain a consensus
across divergent stakeholder groups. That is another reason why a
place-branding effort often takes much longer than does a product or
corporate branding effort.

Some attributes that are important target audiences for place-branding
can include good job opportunities, low crime, good medical care,
affordable housing, scenic beauty, friendly people, tours to unique
local sights and activities, abundant cultural opportunities, low cost
of living, good restaurants and an environment for future growth and
market competition.

Does Armenia possess enough of these qualities to gain stature on the
world stage? Brand Armenia is ready to find out. Here’s how we will
work to connect the dots in developing a cohesive and compelling brand
image for Armenia and its people.

* Employ a consensus building process.
* Assess Armenia’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
based on in-depth market research.
* Select the most important assets around which a unique value
proposition and marketing campaign will be built–one that appeals to
residents, businesses and tourists alike.
* Tailor messages for each group.
* Create a tagline and master image that not only looks and sounds
appealing, but also powerfully communicates Armenia’s unique value
proposition at a glance.

Brand Armenia will present its brand strategy by the end of this year
with the intention of launching the new brand in 2015. Stay tuned for
updates of each leg of this exciting journey.