Author: Kalantarian Kevo

TIPS FOR EXPATS RELOCATING TO ARMENIA

September 22, 2011

Cultural tips for those moving to Armenia

It takes some time for freshly relocated expatriates to comfortably
settle into the surroundings of their newly chosen home country. Let’s
be honest – even in some of the biggest expat hubs, such as Dubai,
Shanghai or Moscow, and even after some time spent acclimatizing,
foreigners are still quite easy to spot.

Therefore, to help first timers adjust to their new lives in our
countries of operations, Move One’s relocation specialists produce
a list of very useful tips for a different location every week.

Things newbie expats in Armenia need to know

1.The electrical frequency in Armenia is 50 Hz 2.Internet is easily
available, though not cheap in Yerevan. Outside of Yerevan, certain
towns have providers, and others don’t, but a bad connection to
Yerevan may be possible 3.The voltage in Armenia is 220V which
is the same voltage used in China, Greece, Russia, South Korea,
and the United Arab Emirates 4.The quality of gasoline in Armenia
ranges from good at some of the more reliable stations in cities to
very poor. The gasoline and other fuels sold out of jars, barrels,
and trucks by independent roadside merchants should be considered
very unreliable 5.You can get liquor at almost any cafe, restaurant
and even some bistros, so if it’s a drink you want, you’ll find
plenty of places at which to enjoy it 6.Try to avoid photographing
such sites as military bases, their equipment or any other military
installations. Also be aware of cultural sensitivities and do not
take pictures of churches or any other religious objects 7.Armenian
cuisine is highly influenced by the Mediterranean, Eastern European
and Middle Eastern tastes 8.Pag shuka – This downtown Yerevan market
is where farmers sell their produce and while you may not need to
buy meat or the famously fresh Armenian vegetables, the preserves
sold here are worth trying. It is also a great way to understand the
cuisine and lifestyles of the people of the country 9.Being located
in the Caucasus mountains, Armenians are a Caucasian race, speaking an
Indo-European language. This entire region is known for its hospitality
and people here can astonish you with their friendliness and curiosity
10.The monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin are recognized UNESCO World
Heritage sites. Both steeped in centuries of history they are truly
worth a visit if only to soak up Armenia’s long and colorful past
11.The center of Yerevan is still very affordable, and is lined with
many parks and fountains 12.The Soviet Union created a very strong
and well funded cultural infrastructure which has survived almost
intact, even with dramatically lower funding 13.Armenia’s roads are
by and large in a poor state of repair. You should be cautious when
driving and be on alert for reckless and dangerous motorists 14.It is
possible to drive to Armenia via Iran or Georgia. The borders with
Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed. Local travel agents can arrange
transport to the border; some Georgian agents can arrange transport
all the way through to Tbilisi. Although more expensive than a train
or a bus, a private car may be more comfortable and combined with
sightseeing along the way 15.Armenia has escaped the post Soviet
crime wave syndromes experienced in many other places, and has become
for the traveler or expat a virtually crime free zone 16.If you are
planning to visit Armenia, the best time to do it is from early May
to late October. At this time the weather tends to be warm, but not
too hot, and there is little humidity. However, even in the summer
temperature can get as low as 18 C and the evenings are usually quite
cool 17.Medical care is affordable, however not at the best standard.

Armenia recently had one of the highest number of Physicians per
capita in the world. Medicine was advanced and free. The quality of
care has fallen quickly in some areas, as funding has fallen. Doctors
here are still pioneering new treatments and techniques which are
being adopted in the west

FORMER HEAD OF CENTRAL BANK: 30% OF ARMENIA’S POPULATION LIVE IN PENURY

ARKA
Sep 22, 2011

YEREVAN, September 22. /ARKA/. People living beyond poverty line
constitute 30% of Armenia’s population, Bagrat Asatryan, former
chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia, said Thursday at a news
conference.

He said that the gap between the poor and the rich is wider than in
any post-soviet country and social tension is more acute. Things grew
worse in the recent three years, after the 2008 crisis.

Asatryan also singled out the share of economically active people in
the country’s population among Armenia’s biggest troubles.

“Some 1.2 million people are economically active,” he said. “Of them,
some 500,000 are people working in rural areas.”

Asatryan said referring to statistical reports that if one has even
one pear tree in his garden, he is viewed as an employed person.

He said that these 500,000 people employed in Armenia’s farms produce
as much as 20,000 or 25,000 produce in developed countries, such
as Israel.

It can be concluded that at least 400,000 people in Armenia are
jobless.

According to the latest official statistical reports, the poor
constituted 34.1% of Armenia’s population in 2009 against 27.6%
in 2008.

It means some 214,000 people were rendered poor over one year – 23.6%
year-on-year increase.

About 1.1 million people in Armenia lived in poverty in 2009.

ARMENIA’S INDEPENDENCE 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATED IN KUWAIT

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 22, 2011 – 20:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Walid al-Kubaisi, Head of Europe Department of
Kuwait Foreign Ministry and other top officials, local intellectuals,
members of the Armenian community also attended the event.

Armenian ambassador Fadey Charchoghlyan touched upon bilateral
relations, emphasizing the role of the Armenian community in fostering
ties.

Armenian dancing group Shake performed during the event.

BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT LIMITS ARMENIAN BRANDY IMPORT

news.am
Sept 21 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has put
limitations on imports to his country, including the products of
Armenia’s “Noy” Wine, Brandy and Vodka Factory, even though this
factory’s owner Gagik Tsarukyan has very close relations with
Lukashenko,” Zhoghovurd daily writes.

“According to reports, Lukashenko is prohibiting the import of
those products and obligating the establishment of a corresponding
factory in his country. In his interview with the newspaper, Multi
Group company’s director Sedrak Arustamyan said he is unaware of this
ban and they are exporting brandy to Belarus. By the way, Armenian
Ambassador to Belarus Armen Khachatryan proposed, in Minsk, that the
country’s authorities lift the quota on importing Armenian brandy.

According to a Ukrainian agency, the Ambassador will raise this issue
at the highest level,” Zhoghovurd writes.

WESTPORT’S OZTEMEL HELPS TEAM TO PAN-ARMENIAN HOOP GOLD

The Hour
Sept 21 2011
CT

Former Staples basketball standout Andrei Oztemel has taken his game
to new heights.

The 6-foot-6 forward, who will be going into his junior season on the
Ithaca College team, was a member of the Los Angeles-based squad that
won the gold medal late last month at the fifth Pan-Armenian Games.

The Games, conducted in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, include play
in nine sports and are open to Armenian citizens as well as men and
women of Armenian descent.

Teams represent cities, not countries, and the Los Angeles squad
that Oztemel played for was one of 24 that competed in the men’s
basketball tournament.

“A lot of people don’t understand the significance of these games
simply because a lot of people don’t know Armenia exists,” said
Oztemel, a business administration major at Ithaca. “But being of
Armenian descent and going back to Armenia is comparable to people
of Jewish descent going on birthright to Israel.”

The All-Area co-MVP as a senior at Staples and a two-time All-FCIAC
pick, Oztemel and the Los Angeles squad played seven games in eight
days, culminating with an overtime win in the championship game against
a squad from Sochi, Russia, that had defeated L.A. for the 2009 title.

Oztemel called the sense of cultural pride he felt while in Armenia
“amazing.”

An independent republic since the collapse of the Soviet Union in
1991, Armenia is one of the world’s oldest civilizations but had been
invaded and ruled by a succession of empires.

Oztemel was selected for the team by Carl Bardakian, coach of the Los
Angeles team, after a recommendation from his Ithaca teammate, Eric
Halejian, who was the point guard on the Pan-Armenian tournament team.

After winning its first six games, Los Angeles squared off against
Sochi in a packed Miga Arena in Yerevan. The crowd of more than 2,000
included Armenian President Serge Sargisian.

With team captain Mike Danielian pouring in 49 points, Los Angeles
defeated Sochi, 93-86, in a hard-fought overtime encounter.

Los Angeles had beaten Aleppo (Syria), Stepanakert (Artsakh) and
Tehran (Iran) in the preliminary rounds, earning a spot in the
playoff round. Los Angeles downed Aleppo again in the round of 16,
and conquered by Cairo (Egypt) in the quarterfinals. The L.A. squad
then defeated Tehran in a rematch in the semifinals to earn its shot
at Sochi.

The teams from both Cairo and Tehran included professional players.

“The style of play was quite different. … it was definitely solid
competition,” said Oztemel.

“I’ve never won anything of that magnitude in the sport that I love,
so it was definitely special for me,” said the 2009 Staples grad,
son of Glenn and Laurel Oztemel of Westport.

As a freshman at Ithaca, Oztemel played in all 28 of the Division
III Bombers’ games, starting two. He was named Empire 8 rookie of
the week three times in a season in which he averaged 10.4 points
and 4.4 rebounds.

As a sophomore last winter Oztemel played in 27 games with 18 starts.

He averaged 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in just over 26 minutes per
game. He also connected on 40 percent of his shots from outside the
3-point line.

‘MORE INT’L PRESSURE ON ARMENIA CAN LEAD TO PROGRESS IN KARABAKH TALKS’

news.az
Sept 21 2011
Azerbaijan

There should be more international pressure on Armenia.

The statement came from Abdullah Buksur, head of the Ankara-based
Turkic World Human Rights Association, well-known human rights
activist, while commenting on inclusion of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
into the agenda of the UN General Assembly.

‘Armenia neither recognizes international laws nor does it respect
human rights. There should be more international pressure on this
country so that we would observe some positive chances in the Karabakh
talks,’ Buksur said.

Buksur believes a new war may begin in the region in case Armenia
refuses to withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh.

‘This time the developments may evolve in a way not suiting
international organizations and I believe that international
organizations should take timely measures to prevent a war,’ Buksur
noted.

ARMENIA OR LIBYA DESTINATION FOR MOLDOVAN WEAPONS?

news.az
Sept 21 2011
Azerbaijan

Armenia has denied involvement in the sale of a consignment of Moldovan
weapons, reported to have gone to Libya.

The scandal over the supply of a 60-tonne consignment of weapons
to Libya has spread beyond Moldova after the Moldovan authorities
announced that Latvia and Armenia were involved in the deal. On
Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Valeriu Lazar told journalists that
the plane that flew from Libya to collect the Moldovan weapons belongs
to Armenia which is the end recipient of the cargo.

“The plane belongs to Armenia. The consignment of used weapons was
acquired by Latvia and, according to the waybill showing the end
recipient, required in these cases, the shipment is to go to Armenia,”
Lazar told the press.

The arguments put forward by the deputy prime minister were denied
by the Armenian aviation authorities. Armenia’s Main Civil Aviation
Directorate said that the information that it was an Armenian plane
that took 60 tonnes of weapons out of Moldova “is way off the mark”.

The Directorate’s press secretary, Nelli Cherchinyan, said on Thursday
that the information published in Moldova that Armenian air freight
carried weapons on the Libya-Moldova route was not accurate.

On 14 September, Latvian Foreign Ministry spokesman Janis Silis denied
in Riga the Moldovan Defence Ministry’s information that the weapons
had been sold to a Latvian firm.

At 19.39 on Monday 12 September, an Il-76 plane, flying from Libya,
landed at Chisinau airport. The Defence Ministry said that after
refuelling, the plane flew to a military airfield in Marculesti where
it was to have picked up the cargo of arms, owned by the country’s
national army and acquired by a Latvian company, registered in Riga.

After the cargo had been loaded, the plane flew from Marculesti in
the second half of the day on 13 September.

The overall weight of the weapons sold to the Latvian firm is 60
tonnes. It was taken out on two flights by a Libyan cargo plane,
on 13 and 14 September. The head of the Moldovan Defence Ministry’s
press service, Alexander Josan, told Omega that the consignment of
weapons consisted of “artillery and anti-tank systems”.

The plane which flew from Benghazi to Chisinau arrived in Moldova
just three days after Moldovan Prime Minister Vladimir Filat met
the Transdniester separatist leader Igor Smirnov in Germany. As well
as official talks, Filat and Smirnov had talks behind closed doors,
the topic of which is not known.

BOOK ON ARMENIAN FACTOR IN CAUCASUS PUBLISHED IN LONDON

news.az
Sept 21 2011
Azerbaijan

Three-volume set “The Armenian Question in the Caucasus, Russian
Archive Documents and Publications (1724-1914)” was published in
London.

The three-volume set prepared by the European Azerbaijan
Society was published in English by Garnet Publishing
().

‘The Armenian Question in the Caucasus, Russian Archive Documents and
Publications (1724-1914)’ is issued in this three-volume collection
as a special topic of study for the first time in world historiography.

The problem is presented basing on about 300 rare documents,
materials of periodicals and publications collected from various
archival files, which were revealed in Russian State History Archive
(St. Petersburg) and Russia State Military History Archive (Moscow)
and kept “confidential” and “strongly confidential” for a long time.

The great majority of the documents and materials presented in this
volume are made publically available here for the first time. This
allows to approach differently the notion of “Armenian question”
in general, as well as “Armenian question” in the Caucasus.

The documents and materials collected in the three-volume book
once more prove that Armenians are newcomers in the Caucasus. The
“Armenian question” in the Caucasus was opened while they were
purposefully migrating to this region. This process widened by the
Peter the First’s order issued on November 10, 1724 and has gained
regular character since the beginning of the 19th century.

Commander of the Russian troops in the Caucasus Patskevich was
writing in his report on May 26, 1828 that Armenian migration was
successfully conducted and already 279 Armenian families were settled
in Karabakh and 948 families in Iravan. According to Colonel Lazarev’s
report this number would exceed 5000 families. (Volume I, p. 112,
114) Armenian attempted to raise territorial and separatist claims,
to realize their dream of “Great Armenia”, while their number was
increasing in the Caucasus. They used most grave crimes against the
mankind such as genocide and terrorist attacks. Volume II of the
set contains materials about the genocide committed by the Armenians
against the Azerbaijani people in 1905-1906.

Unique documents described in the book create full idea about the
scale and geography of the 1905-1906 events. One of the documents is
a report of the Yelizavetpol (Gandja) District Court to the Tbilisi
Court’s prosecutor, which was sent on January 5, 1906. The document
says that in that year at the night to January 1, three thousands of
Armenians attacked the Azerbaijani Gadabey village, killed about one
hundred men, women and children, set all houses on fire and plundered
all properties of Azerbaijanis (Volume II, p. 510).

The documents and materials about the role of Armenian-Gregorian church
and Dashnaktsutyun party in “Armenian question” must be especially
noted (Volume II, documents No. 15-18; Volume III, documents No. 7-9).

Russian archive documents contain a lot of important facts about
identifying real essence of “Armenian question” not only in the
Caucasus, but in Turkey. In April, 1903 Secretary of General Consulate
in Erzurum informed that the Armenians of Tbilisi committed riots
in order to oblige Russia to start war with Turkey: “The Armenian
committees are dissatisfied with non-hurrying of Russians to conquer
Erzurum province” (Vlume I, page 499).

“Armenian question” remained on agenda because misleading information
was spread about it. The materials of the leading mass media
organizations of that period on judicial trial held in Peterburg
in 1912 against the members of the Dashnaktsyutun party deserve the
attention as an opinion of public community. The article in “Russkoye
Znamya” newspaper reads that unfortunately, the trial is held behind
closed doors: “Entire Russian people must know everything about this
process and it is impossible to conceal the details from the people.

Russian people must know that who are Armenians”. (Volume III, page
290). This approach still keeps its actuality.

Undeniable materials and facts collected in 3-volume book gave an
opportunity to unveil all realities of the “Armenian question”. The
documents covering the 200-year period clearly showed how the Armenian
question was coordinated with the different periods of the history.

These facts have a great significance for clarifying contemporary
fictions about the “Armenian question”.

APA

HOW LEVON TER-PETROSSIAN ENVISIONED INDEPENDENCE IN 1991: LEAKED CABLE

epress.am
09.21.2011 21:39

In May 1991, then Armenian Supreme Soviet Chair Levon Ter-Petrossian
outlined to US Embassy officials his vision of the path to Armenia’s
independence. First, he said, Armenia planned to follow the USSR
Supreme Soviet law on secession. This was stated in a recently leaked
US diplomatic cable written by then US Deputy Chief of Mission to
the USSR James F. Collins.

Ter-Petrossian told US officials that six months ago, Moldavian
President Mircha Snegur introduced a plan for cooperation among the
six republics which had no intention of signing the union treaty.

These include the three Baltic republics, Georgia, Moldova, and
Armenia.

“At that time these republics had a strong sense that the center
would implement punitive measures to keep them in the union. Armenian
Supreme Soviet foreign affairs committee member Hovanes Igityan
had just returned from a trip to Moldova and was preparing to leave
for the Baltics the next day to continue these discussions. Igityan
is the working-level Armenian representative in the formulation of
countermeasures to any kind of economic pressure the nine may try to
inflict on these six republics.

“Igityan indicated that these discussions had become more frequent
since the Apr. 23 signing of the nine-plus-one declaration. He added
that the leaders of the six republics had not yet met because they
have been busy with their own problems in their respective republics.

“Ter-Petrossian maintained that any kind of economic sanctions against
the six republics would be very difficult to carry out because of
the nature of the Soviet economic system. He asserted that the close
economic integration of the republics would make it very hard for
the center or the nine republics to take action without suffering
retaliation. Thus, he concluded that such economic pressure would
backfire on the center,” writes Collins.

In a section titled “A Legal Path to Independence,” the US diplomat
notes that Ter-Petrossian informed embassy officials on his plan for
Armenia’s secession from the Soviet Union:

“This process will begin with the Sept. 21 republic referendum on
independence. Soon after, Armenian officials plan to hold republic
elections. After the elections, the new Republic Supreme Soviet will
draft a new constitution. Finally, the Republic will complete the
final stages for complete independence from the Soviet Union.

Ter-Petrossian and Armenian Supreme Soviet foreign relations commission
chairman Vardaniyan could not give a specific time frame and indicated
that the process could take a long time. Ter-Petrossian maintained
that Armenia’s choice to follow the legal route to independence
had upset the center and therefore the center exacerbated the
Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute.”

Collins also mentions meetings with Armenian Communist Party and
government officials, who said that Armenian Communist Party chief
Stefan Pogosyan resigned on May 13 because “he refused to collude
with the center against the Armenians.” However, local government
official Serzhik Dovladbegyan told them Pogosyan resigned because
he had been asked to form a national salvation committee in Armenia
to work against the Armenian independence movement. Kamu Kocharyan,
another local official, said Pogosyan resigned because “he did not
want to betray his people.” Other officials told us the last straw
for Pogosyan was when he asked Gorbachev for a meeting to discuss
the deportation of Getashen and Martunashen and was refused.

“Dzhema Ananyan, formerly a very active Armenian Communist Party
activist and member of the USSR CPSU Control Commission, embodied the
bitterness local communists feel toward the CPSU and the center… When
[embassy officials] met Ananyan on May 15 in her office in the
Armenian border city of Idjevan, she exuded bitterness and disgust
toward the center and the CPSU. She accused the center of conducting
‘a campaign of state terror against the Armenians.’ She added,
‘I have been a loyal and dedicated Communist Party official for 40
years and this is how they treat us.’ She showed [embassy officials]
a copy of her published statement in which she resigned from the CPSU
Control Commission and aired her disgust with the center’s support of
Azerbaijan and the shelling of villages along the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border. She also reflected that ‘it is strange that they would give
the Nobel Peace Prize to a man who would conduct this kind of terror
campaign’,” referring to Gorbachev.

The cable ends with the US Deputy Chief of Mission returning to
his discussion with Ter-Petrossian, who said Armenian officials
are engaged in negotiations with the Soviet Army over the status
of Armenia’s draftees and where they will serve. According to the
draft agreement with the Soviet Army, Armenia would conclude its own
agreements with other republics about where soldiers would serve.

“Ter-Petrossian said they were in the process of concluding such an
agreement with Lithuania, for example. The Armenian leader said the
plan has the blessing of USSR Defense Minister Yazov and one of his
deputies, who has just been in Armenia to finalize the agreement.

“Ter-Petrossian said that Armenia was particularly anxious to settle
this issue, particularly given their historical experience with
Russian troops. He said that in 1918 and 1942, Russian soldiers had
abandoned Armenia to the enemy and had not defended the republic
against hostile forces. ‘With our own part of the army staffed by
Armenians, this would not happen,’ he said,” wrote Collins.

TURKEY MULLS SANCTIONS AGAINST SYRIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 21, 2011 – 17:43 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Turkey is considering imposing sanctions against
Syria for its brutal crackdown on the country’s uprising and is
coordinating its efforts with the United States, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying Wednesday, September 21.

According to AP, Erdogan also told Turkish journalists after talks
with U.S. President Barack Obama in New York late Tuesday, that he
is no longer in contact with Syria’s leadership.

“I have cut all contacts with the Syrian administration,” the state-run
Anatolia quoted Erdogan as saying. “We never wanted things to arrive
at this point, but unfortunately, the Syrian administration has forced
us to take such a decision.”

Earlier this month, Turkey hosted a group of Syrian opposition figures
who declared a 140-member Syrian National Council in an effort to
present a united front against President Bashir Assad. Some 7,500
Syrians are seeking refuge from the violence in six camps in Turkey,
near the border.