Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ANCA welcomes John Kerry’s nomination to America’s top diplomatic posting

13:24 22.12.2012

President Obama nominated long-time Armenian American issues
supporter, Senator John Kerry (D-MA), as his next Secretary of State,
with Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) widely considered to take his
place as the next Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

`We welcome President Obama’s nomination of Senator Kerry – a
legislator with a three decade-long record of support for Armenia and
a legacy of advocacy for the foreign policy priorities of Armenian
Americans – as our nation’s next Secretary of State,’ said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian. ‘We look forward to continuing to
work constructively with Senator Kerry, now in his new role at the
Department of State, as we seek to lift Turkey’s gag-rule on American
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, strengthen U.S.-Armenia ties,
and put in place freedom-based solutions that provide security to the
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.’

Senator Kerry was first elected to the Senate in 1984. He succeeded
now-Vice President Joe Biden as Chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee in 2009. Over the years, Senator Kerry has been a
strong advocate for Congressional affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide, cosponsoring many resolutions to end U.S. complicity in
Turkey’s denial of this still unpunished crime. As a member of the
Foreign Relations Committee, he pressed ambassadorial nominee to
Turkey, Francis Ricciardone about U.S. policy on the Armenian
Genocide, Turkey’s blockade of Armenia, and the pending Turkey-Armenia
Protocols. He is not currently a cosponsor of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution.

In the early 1990s, Senator Kerry was a vocal leader in support of
Senate adoption of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, which
restricted U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan until it lifted its blockades
and stopped its aggression against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Earlier this year, Chairman Kerry was `shocked and appalled’ at
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s pardon, praise and promotion of
convicted Azerbaijani axe-murderer Ramil Safarov. `This needlessly
provocative act endangers the fragile peace between these countries
and damages the government of Azerbaijan’s credibility,’ noted Senator
Kerry.

The ANCA had endorsed Senator Kerry in his bid for the presidency in
2004 against Republican incumbent President George W. Bush.

Senator Kerry will likely be succeeded by Senator Robert Menendez as
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Menendez
has been an outspoken advocate for U.S. affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide since his years in the House of Representatives. He is the
lead sponsor for the Senate Armenian Genocide Resolution (S.Res.399)
introduced earlier this year. Senator Menendez was joined by Senator
Barbara Boxer (D-CA) in blocking the nomination of Dick Hoagland,
President George W. Bush’s nominee as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia,
after Hoagland denied the Armenian Genocide during his Senate
confirmation process. Later, Senators Menendez and Boxer successfully
opposed the nomination of U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza,
expressing concerns about his serious shortcomings in his track record
as a senior diplomat dealing with the Caucasus.

Other changes in the Senate Committee leadership include Senator
Barbara Mikulski’s selection to serve as Chairwoman of the powerful
Senate Appropriations Committee, taking over the position from Hawaii
Senator Daniel Inouye, who passed away earlier this week.

Serzh Sargsyan: Armenia will use all means to protect the people of
Nagonro Karabakh

19:21 21.12.2012

In an interview with Russia 24 TV Channel Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan spoke about the socio-economic problems Armenia faces, the
perspectives of economic development, the settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh issue, and in some way summed up the results of the five
years of his presidency.

Armenia on the peak of electoral processes

According to Serzh Sargsyan, parliamentary elections were the most
important event in the passing year.

The President reminded that Armenia was on the peak of electoral
processes in the past year. `In May we held parliamentary elections,
local self-government elections were held in September, presidential
elections are expected in two months.’

Speaking about the 2012 parliamentary elections, President Sargsyan
noted: `I’m glad that the parliamentary elections were well-conducted.
I was heading the proportional list of the Republican Party. The
elections were held in a competitive atmosphere,’ the President said.

Serzh Sargsyan underlined that `the international community has
positively assessed the Armenian parliamentary elections.

Open society created in Armenia

The Armenian President said he has good chances to win the trust of
the people and be elected for the second term. Underlining that the
country faces a number of problems, Serzh Sargsyan said `an open
society has been created in Armenia.’

`People are free to criticize the authorities, there is a competitive
struggle, the mass media are free,’ the President said.

The business environement has improved

`Of course we have many problems as regards socio-economic
development. We suffered from the global financial-economic crisis, we
had a 14% decline, but we have managed to recover over time. Last year
we reported a 4% of GDP growth and hope to reach 7% this year,’ Serzh
Sargsyan said.

The President said the business environemtn in the country has
improved, and this is proved by Central Bank indices.

Speaking about the Turkish blockade, Serzh Sargsyan said Armenian
exporters are in a disadvantageous position, and Armenia develops
those branches of economy, which are competitive and are not hampered
by the transport component.

The President noted that the Information Technologies are rapidly
developing in Armenia. `The production in the field has grown thrice
in the past five years and about 10 thousand people are employed in
the sphere,’ President Sargsyan said.

Karabakh has no future under Azerbaijani jurisdiction

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan spoke about the Karabakh issue in an
interview with Russia 24 TV Channel. Serzh Sargsyan underlined that
last year’s events once again confirmed what the people of Nagorno
Karabakh had been speaking about in the course of 70 years – they have
no future under Azerbaijani jurisdiction.

`When those people hear the Azerbaijani leadership saying every day
that Armenians are their enemy, that Yerevan, which will soon
celebrate its 2800th anniversary, is an Azerbaijani land, when a
murderer is being glorified and reimbursed for the years spent in the
Hungarian court, they will not even want to listen about or have
anything to do with Azerbaijan,’ Serzh Sargsyan said.

President Sargsyan reminded that Armenia is the guarantor of security
of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, and if Azerbaijan applies to force,
Armenia will use all possible means to protect the people of Artsakh.

Asked whether Armenia will rely upon its CSTO partners, President
Sargsyan said: `Of course, it would be strange not to rely upon their
assistance, otherwise why would we remain in that alliance? Countries
have joined that organization to help each other in case of
necessity.’

At the same time, the President voiced hope that the peace process
would continue and some solution would be found.

Armenia’s Mining Quandary: Developing a Diaspora-linked Economy

16:27, December 21, 2012

By Saleem Ali

Among the various states that emerged from the demise of the Soviet
Union, Armenia had the most well-established diaspora.

Owing to a history of marginalization and oppression from various
neighboring powers, particularly in the earlier part of the twentieth
century, Armenians fled their ethnic homeland in alarming numbers.

The mass-killings of more than a million Armenians between 1915 to
1923 by Turks is recognized by notable scholarly organizations and
twenty countries as `genocide,’ and led to rapid migration during this
period.

Out of an estimated 11 million ethnic Armenians worldwide, only 3.7
million actually reside in Armenia (about one-third of whom reside
within the capital Yerevan), while the rest are distributed primarily
across Russia, the United States, France, Argentina, Lebanon, Syria,
Iran, Canada, Ukraine, Greece, and Australia.

The influence of the diaspora in terms of demographic and economic
clout is considerably higher than for most post-Soviet countries. Like
nearby Lebanon, the diaspora has contributed enormously to investment
in the country and to infrastructure development. Unlike, Lebanon,
however, Armenia benefits from a much more homogenous religious
profile and far less internal strife.

The diaspora’s strength has recently been displayed in challenging the
government’s economic investment decisions, particularly in the
context of extractive industries. During his recent visit to the
United States, Armenian prime minister, Tigran Sargsyan, was greeted
with protests from numerous Armenian-Americans concerned about a
copper-molybdenum mining project in the northern region near the town
of Teghut.

Striking a conciliatory tone, Prime Minister Sargasyan invited the
Teghut protesters in the diaspora to come back to Armenia and he would
listen to their concerns `with great love.’ The activists dismissed
this gesture as `unserious’ given the track record of the Armenian
government in giving lenient contracting terms to various companies,
including Vallex corporation, a Liechtenstein-registered company which
is developing the Teghut project.

Given this trust deficit between the government and the environmental
activists in the diaspora as well as in the capital city of Yerevan,
the American University of Armenia organized a conference on November
30, 2012 to discuss the role of mining in development, supported by
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

I was invited as a keynote speaker to provide comparative examples
from around the world that could inform this debate. In addition to
the Teghut project, Armenia is seeing a considerable rise in mining
activity across the country with a wide range of minerals.

The sector is a dominant source of export revenues and the government
sees this as potentially a leading sector in developing some of the
rural parts of the country. However, Teghut remains the most
contentious of these projects leading environmentalists to make a wide
range of appeals to United Nations bodies, domestic litigation
strategies, and invoking trans-boundary pollution linkages of riparian
pollution flows to neighboring Georgia. This is partly due to the
forest ecosystem where the mine is planned and the high level of
biodiversity in this region.

Environmentalists argue that there are alternative development paths
for Teghut such as tourism or harvesting honey. Yet as the activists
accompanying me on a field visit admitted themselves, local community
interviews in Teghut reveal that a majority of the population supports
the mine.

In the nearby town of Alaverdi, where the ore would be smelted, there
is a history of mining and mineral processing ,dating back to the
eighteenth century. The persistent image of the pseudo-volcanic plume
emanating from the Alaverdi smelter, perched atop a steep rocky
mountain captures the looming anxiety that many urban Armenians feel
about mining.

Public health studies of this region have shown high levels of heavy
metals in the soil and some signs of health impacts as well on the
local population. However, many in Teghut, consider these outcomes
to be a calculated risk, while the activists from Yerevan and the
diaspora feel the local community is being exploited.

The capital is bustling with young diaspora returnees who are
sincerely trying to invest in their ethnic homeland. A hallmark of
such investment is the multi-million dollar Tumo Center for Creative
Technologies, funded by Armenian-American philanthropist Sam Simonian.
Yet the rural hinterland is far-removed from such development paths
and the diaspora struggles to connect with distant parts of the
country.

Driving through the countryside en route to Teghut, one can see the
stark difference between relative urban affluence and the continuing
levels of poverty that still make Armenia eligible for multilateral
development assistance from the World Bank and the UNDP.

Environmentalists argue that it is incumbent upon such multilateral
donors to ensure that support for the government’s development plans
be linked to appropriate regulatory structures that allow for
environmental monitoring and liability for mining investment. Their
analysis of the current legislation reveals several stark inadequacies
pertaining to liability for tailings dams and the implementation of
the environmental impact assessment process, particularly in a
seismically active region such as Armenia.

The concerns and distrust stem from a legacy of mining with impunity
during past booms. There are also concerns about the flow of revenues
and incipient corruption. International programs such as the
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) are still
considered with suspicion by many of the Yerevan activists.

The fact that Armenia’s neighbouring adversary Azerbaijan (with whom
the country is still at war over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh)
was the first country to be officially validated under the EITI
system, also seems to resonate a degree of incredulity about such
mechanisms. However, it is partly because of the ongoing hostilities
with Azerbaijan and Turkey which make mining more attractive as a
development path.

Tourism and other service sectors are often vulnerable in states with
tense geopolitical trajectories. Armenia is also a landlocked country
and thus relies a lot on its two other neighbours Iran and Georgia for
trade access. The country continues to maintain strong ties with Iran
but is also inextricably linked to the United States because of the
large diaspora there. Armenia `s development trajectory and the
consequential role it can play as a bridge-builder in major
geopolitical struggles between Iran and the United States deserves
greater attention.

Resource extraction and foreign investment that is carefully managed
on environmental and social terms has the potential to enhance the
country’s economy and regional standing rather than lead to internal
strife and social unrest.

The involvement of academic institutions in providing a science-based
approach to such decisions is heartening. At the conclusion of the
conference and through media engagement, I sensed greater willingness
to consider an issue-based path to considering the role of mining,
rather than uncompromising opposition on the part of the campaigners.

As the race for scarce mineral resources accelerates worldwide, the
small but strategically significant nation of Armenia may provide us
with important lessons on constructive confrontation between
environmental conservation and pragmatic economic development.

(National Geographic; December 21, 2012)

Ministry of Healthcare is in close collaboration with international
organizations: Derenik Dumanyan

10:55, 22 December, 2012

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS: Ministry of Healthcare of the
Republic of Armenia in the frame of bilateral cooperation currently is
collaborating with a range of foreign countries .More than 30
international treaties refer to health care field have been signed
within CIS. Referring to Armenpress reporter question, Minister of
Healthcare Derenik Dumanyan was quoted as saying ”We are
collaborating more actively with UN agencies, namely World Health
Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN HIV / AIDS
Prevention Center (UNAIDS), the reproductive health and family
planning (UNFPA) programs, the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID), AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria fight Global Fund,
World Bank, World Vision Armenia and other organizations”.

”The Ministry has a rich experience in launching productive projects
with the international organizations. Reportedly effective programs
are being implemented with Armenian Relief Fund of America, North
America, Armenian Relief Society (ARS), United Armenian Fund (UAF),
Armenian doctors international committee and a number of Diaspora
organizations” Minister stated. In the words of the interlocutor
Healthcare Ministry is actively involved in CIS health commissions
sessions, launches effective discussions in the areas of interest for
our country, signs a number of documents aimed at solution and
regulation of common problems pertain to CIS frames. According to
Minister Dumanyan all the above mentioned areas are of priority for
our country.

The head of the Ministry noted Ministry is collaborating with various
other countries and organizations aimed at implementation of reforms
in the primary essential branches, fighting against tuberculosis,
preservation of maternal and child health care, improving emergency
and urgent care services, quality and management, investment of
international medical sanitarium rules and reportedly in sanitary and
epidemiological fields.

The Ministry of Health in collaboration with international
organizations annually launches a range of thematic seminars for
capital Yerevan and provinces mass media .

ANCA welcomed nomination of John Kerry in the post of the Secretary of State

11:59, 22 December, 2012

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS: ANCA welcomes long-time Armenian
American issues supporter, Senator John Kerry as his next Secretary
of State, with Senator Robert Menendez widely considered to take his
place as the next Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, Armenpress reports citing the Armenian National Committee
of America.

”We welcome President Obama’s nomination of Senator Kerry – a
legislator with a three decade-long record of support for Armenia and
a legacy of advocacy for the foreign policy priorities of Armenian
Americans – as our nation’s next Secretary of State,” said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian. ”We look forward to continuing to
work constructively with Senator Kerry, now in his new role at the
Department of State, as we seek to lift Turkey’s gag-rule on American
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, strengthen U.S.-Armenia ties,
and put in place freedom-based solutions that provide security to the
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh”.

Senator Kerry was first elected to the Senate in 1984. He succeeded
now-Vice President Joe Biden as Chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee in 2009. Over the years, Senator Kerry has been a
strong advocate for Congressional affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide, cosponsoring many resolutions to end U.S. complicity in
Turkey’s denial of this still unpunished crime. As a member of the
Foreign Relations Committee, he pressed ambassadorial nominee to
Turkey, Francis Ricciardone about U.S. policy on the Armenian
Genocide, Turkey’s blockade of Armenia, and the pending Turkey-Armenia
Protocols. He is not currently a cosponsor of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution.

In the early 1990s, Senator Kerry was a vocal leader in support of
Senate adoption of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, which
restricted U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan until it lifted its blockades
and stopped its aggression against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Earlier this year, Chairman Kerry was ”shocked and appalled”at
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s pardon, praise and promotion of
convicted Azerbaijani axe-murderer Ramil Safarov. ”This needlessly
provocative act endangers the fragile peace between these countries
and damages the government of Azerbaijan’s credibility,”noted Senator
Kerry.

The ANCA had endorsed Senator Kerry in his bid for the presidency in
2004 against Republican incumbent President George W. Bush.

Senator Kerry will likely be succeeded by Senator Robert Menendez as
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Menendez
has been an outspoken advocate for U.S. affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide since his years in the House of Representatives. He is the
lead sponsor for the Senate Armenian Genocide Resolution introduced
earlier this year. Senator Menendez was joined by Senator Barbara
Boxer in blocking the nomination of Dick Hoagland, President George W.
Bush’s nominee as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, after Hoagland denied
the Armenian Genocide during his Senate confirmation process. Later,
Senators Menendez and Boxer successfully opposed the nomination of
U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza, expressing concerns about
his serious shortcomings in his track record as a senior diplomat
dealing with the Caucasus.

Among the other changes in the Senate Committee leadership include
Senator Barbara Mikulski’s selection to serve as Chairwoman of the
powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, taking over the position
from Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye, who passed away earlier this week.

ARMENIE-ARMEMENT
L’Arménie va moderniser ses missiles C-300

L’Arménie va moderniser son système de défense anti-aérien. Le
gouvernement arménien vient de décider de moderniser en priorité ses
batteries de missiles de longue portée C-300 de fabrication russe. En
coopération avec des spécialistes balistiques de Russie et du Belarus
l’Arménie va porter des améliorations sur ses missiles C-300 en
utilisant les capacités de l’usine d’armement « Badnech » de Hrazdan
(Arménie). Cette usine de Hrazdan va être modernisée pour devenir un
centre de rénovation des armements radio-électroniques et ses annexes.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 22 décembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

ARMENIE
Le tourisme intérieur en Arménie en hausse de 13 pour cent

Le nombre des vacanciers arméniens qui a préféré prendre des vacances,
de courtes pauses et faire des excursions dans leur propre pays est en
hausse de 13,.2 pour cent dans la première moitié de l’année à 63 963
personnes, selon le vice-ministre de l’économie Ara Petrosian. Il a
dit que ce nombre de ceux préférant passer leurs vacances à l’étranger
a augmenté de 10 pour cent.

Il a aussi dit que le nombre des touristes étrangers visitant
l’Arménie est en hausse de 5 pour cent à 281 000 personnes.

« Erevan est devenu une des villes les plus attirantes aujourd’hui sur
la carte internationale et régionale du tourisme » a-t-il dit.

Ara Petrosyan a ajouté qu’il y a aussi des difficultés et des
problèmes, mais le secteur du tourisme ne peut pas progresser
soudainement.

Il a souligné à cet égard que le développement des infrastructures de
tourisme en Arménie est en avance sur les ressources humaines
demandant aux universités arméniennes de faire plus pour former le
personnel. Le ministère de l’économie s’attend à une augmentation de
10,8 % du flux des touristes cette année qui sera d’environ de 800 000
touristes.

samedi 22 décembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

Armenian President is sure those leaving the country will once definitely return

19:52, 21 December, 2012

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS: Armenia has improved the business
environment. In accordance with the results of Doing business we have
moved forwards for 18 points. Among CIS countries that is the best
result, and for Eastern Europe and Central Asia our result is at the
5th place. As reports Armenpress this was noted by Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan in the interview with Russia 24 channel.

Head of State underlined that despite Armenian losses caused by global
financial and economic crisis, it managed to record a noticeable
progress during last several years.

`Last year we had a 4 % GDP growth, this year we hope to bring it to 7
%,’ President said.

Serzh Sargsyan reminded that it has been already 20 years that Armenia
lives in isolation. `Turkey has illegally isolated Armenia and we live
and develop in such extremely difficult conditions,’ he said.

`Comparing with foreign exporters our exporters are in unequal
conditions. We have got used to this conditions and try to develop
those spheres of economy which are competitive and don’t depend on
transport component. A great progress has been recorded in Armenia in
IT sphere. We have managed to increase production to 3 times in this
area during last 5 years,’ Serzh Sargsyan highlighted.

President of Armenian Republic also referred to migration issue. `We
are not going to create insurmountable obstacles for those who want to
find their destiny in foreign countries. Country cannot turn into a
prison for its own citizens. The only solution is to create such
conditions which our citizens are willing to find in other countries.
We need time. I am sure they will return to Armenia, especially
because they all are connected with Armenia,’ mentioned Armenian
President.

Chicago Defender, IL
Dec 21 2012

Surprising Facts About the World’s Happiest People

21 December 2012 By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN, AP

(AP) – The world’s happiest people aren’t in Qatar, the richest
country by most measures. They aren’t in Japan, the nation with the
highest life expectancy. Canada, with its chart-topping percentage of
college graduates, doesn’t make the top 10.

A poll released Wednesday of nearly 150,000 people around the world
says seven of the world’s 10 countries with the most upbeat attitudes
are in Latin America.

Many of the seven do poorly in traditional measures of well-being,
like Guatemala, a country torn by decades of civil war followed by
waves of gang-driven criminality that give it one of the highest
homicide rates in the world. Guatemala sits just above Iraq on the
United Nations’ Human Development Index, a composite of life
expectancy, education and per capita income. But it ranks seventh in
positive emotions.

“In Guatemala, it’s a culture of friendly people who are always
smiling,” said Luz Castillo, a 30-year-old surfing instructor.
“Despite all the problems that we’re facing, we’re surrounded by
natural beauty that lets us get away from it all.”

Gallup Inc. asked about 1,000 people in each of 148 countries last
year if they were well-rested, had been treated with respect, smiled
or laughed a lot, learned or did something interesting and felt
feelings of enjoyment the previous day.

In Panama and Paraguay, 85 percent of those polled said yes to all
five, putting those countries at the top of the list. They were
followed closely by El Salvador, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago,
Thailand, Guatemala, the Philippines, Ecuador and Costa Rica.

The people least likely to report positive emotions lived in
Singapore, the wealthy and orderly city-state that ranks among the
most developed in the world. Other wealthy countries also sat
surprisingly low on the list. Germany and France tied with the poor
African state of Somaliland for 47th place.

Prosperous nations can be deeply unhappy ones. And poverty-stricken
ones are often awash in positivity, or at least a close approximation
of it.

It’s a paradox with serious implications for a relatively new and
controversial field called happiness economics that seeks to improve
government performance by adding people’s perceptions of their
satisfaction to traditional metrics such as life expectancy, per
capita income and graduation rates.

The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan famously measures policies by their
impact on a concept called Gross National Happiness.

British Prime Minister David Cameron announced a national well-being
program in 2010 as part of a pledge to improve Britons’ lives in the
wake of the global recession. A household survey sent to 200,000
Britons asks questions like “How satisfied are you with your life
nowadays?”

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which
unites 34 of the world’s most advanced countries, recently created a
Better Life Index allowing the public to compare countries based on
quality of life in addition to material well-being.

Some experts say that’s a dangerous path that could allow governments
to use positive public perceptions as an excuse to ignore problems. As
an example of the risks, some said, the Gallup poll may have been
skewed by a Latin American cultural proclivity to avoid negative
statements regardless of how one actually feels.

“My immediate reaction is that this influenced by cultural biases,”
said Eduardo Lora, who studied the statistical measurement of
happiness as the former chief economist of the Inter-American
Development Bank

“What the empirical literature says is that some cultures tend to
respond to any type of question in a more positive way,” said Lora, a
native of Colombia, the 11th most-positive country.

For the nine least positive countries, some were not surprising, like
Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Haiti. For others at the bottom, Armenia
at the second lowest spot, Georgia and Lithuania, misery is something
a little more ephemeral.

“Feeling unhappy is part of the national mentality here,” said Agaron
Adibekian, a sociologist in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. “Armenians
like being mournful; there have been so many upheavals in the nation’s
history. The Americans keep their smiles on and avoid sharing their
problems with others. And the Armenians feel ashamed about being
successful.”

The United States was No. 33 in positive outlook. Latin America’s
biggest economies, Mexico and Brazil, sat more than 20 places further
down the list.

Jon Clifton, a partner at Gallup, acknowledged the poll partly
measured cultures’ overall tendency to express emotions, positive or
negative. But he said skeptics shouldn’t undervalue the expression of
positive emotion as an important phenomenon in and of itself.

“Those expressions are a reality, and that’s exactly what we’re trying
to quantify,” he said. “I think there is higher positive emotionality
in these countries.”

Some Latin Americans said the poll hit something fundamental about
their countries: a habit of focusing on posivites such as friends,
family and religion despite daily lives that can be grindingly
difficult.

Carlos Martinez sat around a table with 11 fellow construction workers
in a Panama City restaurant sharing a breakfast of corn empanadas,
fried chicken and coffee before heading to work on one of the hundreds
of new buildings that have sprouted during a yearslong economic boom
driven in large part by the success of the Panama Canal. The boom has
sent unemployment plunging, but also increased traffic and crime.

Martinez pronounced himself unhappy with rising crime but “happy about
my family.”

“Overall, I’m happy because this is a country with many natural
resources, a country that plays an important role in the world,” he
said. “We’re Caribbean people, we’re people who like to celebrate, to
eat well and live as well as we can. There are a lot of possibilities
here, you just have to sacrifice a little more.”

Singapore sits 32 places higher than Panama on the Human Development
Index, but at the opposite end of the happiness list. And things
weren’t looking good Wednesday to Richard Low, a 33-year-old
businessman in the prosperous Asian metropolis.

“We work like dogs and get paid peanuts. There’s hardly any time for
holidays or just to relax in general because you’re always thinking
ahead: when the next deadline or meeting is. There is hardly a fair
sense of work-life balance here,” he said.

In Paraguay, tied with Panama as the most-positive country while doing
far worse than Panama by objective measures, street vendor Maria Solis
said tough economic conditions were no reason to despair.

“Life is short and there are no reasons to be sad because even if we
were rich, there would still be problems,” she said while selling
herbs used for making tea. “We have to laugh at ourselves.”

Trend, Azerbaijan
Dec 21 2012

Iran condemns monument destruction in Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenians

Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 21 / Trend T. Jafarov /

Iran has condemned the destruction of mosques and historical monuments
in Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenians. This was said by the adviser of
Iranian president, the chairman of the Islamic Culture and Relations
Organisation Mohammad Bagher Hurramshad in Baku on Friday.

“Iran condemns such actions regardless of where in the world they take
place. Cultural monuments have to be treated with respect,” he said.

Speaking about the relations between the countries, Hurramshad noted
that Tehran is interested in developing cooperation with Azerbaijan,
and statements made by the country’s individuals should not be
interpreted as the official position of Iran, as well as the views of
Azerbaijani social structures are not perceived as the official
position of the country in Iran.

Hurramshad is in Baku to participate in the international conference.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. are
currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions regarding the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.