Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Election Monitors Make Statement About May 6 Vote

asbarez
Saturday, May 12th, 2012

On election day in Armenia (photo by Nanore Barsoumian)

YEREVAN – A group of independent non-governmental organizations tasked
with monitoring last week’s parliamentary elections in Armenia issued
a statement on the May 6 vote. Below is the text of the statement:

The parliamentary elections that took place in the Republic of Armenia
on May 6, 2012 unfortunately did not help the process of genuine
democratization of the country and do reflect the lack of political
will of the authorities to reform elections institutionally.

Confidence of the Armenian public in the electoral process has
gradually diminished starting from 1995. All elections were marred by
widespread harassment, threats, and vote buying, and in 2008, the
elections were followed by tragic events resulting in casualties. The
need to conduct proper elections and to restore public trust in the
electoral processes has become a core issue in the relationship of
Armenia vis-à-vis other states and various international
organizations; it has been, in particular, reflected in resolutions of
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the
Association Agreement talks of Armenia with the European Union.
Despite these factors and the repeated public promises of the Armenian
authorities to hold `exemplary’ elections, the Armenian public could
not witness democratic elections in May 2012, either, and both our and
the international community’s expectations were not met.

Besides certain positive improvements in comparison to the previous
general election (such as the mass media securing a `level playing
field’ for the political forces during the campaign, the regulation of
the distribution of printed campaign materials, the clear assignment
of polling stations for voters on the voting day, and others), major
steps have not been implemented to secure fair elections reflecting
the free will of the voters. Vote buying, abuse of administrative
resources, political imposition and harassment of employees by the
public sector and private employers, and the use of numerous other
illegal `techniques’ have affected the voting process and the election
result to an unprecedented scale. The law-enforcement agencies have,
as a rule, failed to act in prevention of irregularities and holding
the guilty ones responsible. Numerous cases of these practices were
reported by civil society organizations and individual voters.

Disappearing ink in the passport stamps that were introduced to
preclude the fraud further exacerbated concerns over inflated voter
lists.

The validity of the electoral process was strongly affected by
widespread poverty – unemployment, lack of protection for individual
citizens, and impunity for others have deprived scores of citizens of
the possibility to make a free, informed, and conscious choice. The
formation of this moral and psychological atmosphere was largely due
to the fact that the Armenian authorities have so far failed to exert
sufficient efforts to identify and punish those in charge of
organizing and carrying out the 1 March 2008 bloodshed, as well as
those responsible for the fraud in the 2008 and following elections.
On the eve of the 2012 May election, the National Assembly adopted a
contentious Law on the Legal Regime of the State of Emergency, which
allows the interference of the armed forces in the domestic political
process and was, as such, perceived by many as a threat.

As civil society representatives engaged in the promotion of human
rights and democracy, we are profoundly concerned over perpetual
sophistication and `improvement’ of election fraud mechanisms, as well
as the impunity of those implementing the fraud. We believe that both
local and international organizations should draw appropriate
conclusions from yet another failure of Armenia to honor her
international commitments of implementing democratic reforms.

We find that the list of voters that participated in the 6 May 2012
elections must be published in order for democratic elections to
become institutionalized in Armenia. It is the primary step that can
demonstrate the will of the Armenian authorities to reconstruct the
real outcome of the election and to dispel the public skepticism
regarding the results of the vote.

Armenian Helsinki Committee
Protection of Rights Without Borders NGO
Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center
Journalists’ Club `Asparez’ NGO
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly – Vanadzor Office
Open Society Foundations – Armenia
Menk Plus NGO
Arena of Education NGO
Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression
Collaboration for Democracy Center
Journalists for the Future

Burbank Community Honors Rep. Adam Schiff

asbarez
Saturday, May 12th, 2012

ANCA Burbank members with Rep. Adam Schiff

Rep. Schiff, Burbank Mayor Join Local Officials and Armenian Americans
to Honor City Clerk Margarita Campos, Sarkis Nikogosian, Zareh
Sinanyan, Talar Kossakian

BURBANK – Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and a host of state and local
legislators and their staff joined more than 300 Armenian American
community members from throughout the area to celebrate Armenian
National Committee of America Burbank successes and recommit to
expanding the role of the local ANCA in all aspects of civic and
community life.

The May 4th gala reception, held at the beautiful Arbat Hall,
attracted veteran community leaders and more recent ANCA Burbank
activists, with proceeds to benefit the youth and civic education
programs of the ANCA Endowment Fund. Throughout the evening, speakers
and participants hailed the achievements of the local ANCA to broaden
Armenian American participation in Burbank civic life along with
campaigns on the state and federal level to advance the views and
values of the Armenian nation.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Burbank Mayor Dave Golonski are joined by
ANCA Burbank Secretary Annette Kargodorian, Banquet Mistress of
Ceremonies Nanneh Chehras, ANCA Burbank Chairwoman Silva Kechichian
and Banquet Chairwoman Souzy Ohanian.

There was no shortage of local legislators and candidates joining in
the gala celebration in support of ANCA Burbank efforts, including
Burbank Mayor Dave Golonski, Vice Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy, Burbank
City Councilmembers Dr. David Gordon and Jess Telamantess, Glendale
City Councilman Ara Najarian, and Glendale City Clerk Ardashes
Kassakhian. They were joined by a number of Glendale and Burbank
School Board members, including Ted Bunch, Dave Kemp, Debbie Kukta,
Roberta Reynolds, Larry Applebaum, and Nairi Nahabedian. Burbank
Policy Chief Scott LaChasse, Captain Denis Cremins, and Burbank city
representatives were also on hand, along with State Assembly
candidates Adrin Nazarian and Greg Krikorian, who currently serves as
chairman of the Glendale School Board. Also on hand for the
celebration were ANCA Western Region Chairwoman Nora Hovsepian, ANCA
Western Region Board members and staff including Executive Director
William Bairamian, ANCA Telethon 2012 Executive Director Armen
Carapetian, ANCA Hollywood Chairman Paul Seradarian, ANCA Glendale
Chairman Berj Karapetian, CAAD Executive Board member Zanku Armenian,
SCAD President Armond Aghakhanian, and representatives from a host of
Armenian American organizations including the ACF, ARS, and AYF.

Congressman Adam Schiff; ANCA’s Elizabeth Chouldjian Offer Washington
DC perspectives on Politics and Community Activism

Rep. Adam Schiff with ANCA Burbank honorees Sarkis Nikogosian, Zareh
Sinanyan, Esq., City Clerk Margarita Campos, and Talar Kossakian.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a favorite with the local Armenian American
community for his leadership on efforts to secure Congressional
affirmation of the Armenian Genocide and promote high levels of U.S.
aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, was eloquent in his remarks
detailing Congressional efforts to address the difficult economic
times facing the nation. He then outlined a series of Congressional
initiatives and strategies addressing U.S. affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide, and the December, 2011, passage of House legislation, H.
Res. 306 which calls on Turkey to return the thousands of confiscated
Christian churches to the Armenian, Greek, Assyrian and Aramean
(Syriac) communities. On the foreign aid front, Rep. Schiff discussed
an expanded focus on U.S. assistance to the Armenian community in the
Republic of Georgia, citing his recent discussion of the plight of the
Samtskhe-Javakheti Armenian populations with Republic of Georgia
President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Rep. Schiff spoke of the important and effective role groups like the
ANCA play in Burbank’s civic life. `Through your grassroots activism,
we have made great progress on issues, and we have a lot more work to
do. But without an incredible ANCA staff in Washington, and
incredible ANCA organizations throughout the Western Region and around
the country, all we have accomplished would have been absolutely
impossible,’ explained Rep. Schiff.

Watch Rep. Schiff’s complete remarks.

ANCA Communications Director Elizabeth Chouldjian, who had travelled
from Washington, DC to join in ANCA Burbank’s gala celebration,
touched on, what she termed, the `3 C’s’ necessary to successfully
advocate issues in the nation’s capital – a just Cause; Courage to
pursue that cause; and the Capital – both human and financial – to
advance the community’s key concerns. To that end, Chouldjian
discussed the vital role of ANCA Endowment supported programs
including the Capital Gateway Program and the Leo Sarkisian Internship
program, which assist university students and recent graduates in
their exploration of careers in public policy, as well as the Hyevotes
regional initiative () to increase Armenian
American participation in the electoral process.

Watch Chouldjian’s remarks.

In appreciation of their participation and presentations, Rep. Schiff
and Chouldjian received beautifully framed images of Armenian churches
and religious relics, confiscated by the Turkish government –
illustrating the Armenian American community’s commitment to secure
the return of these historic treasures in the ongoing campaign of
justice for the Armenian Genocide.

City Clerk Margarita Campos, Sarkis Nikogosian, Zareh Sinanyan, Talar
Kossakian Honored

The ANCA Burbank continued its tradition of honoring local leaders in
government, business, grassroots activism and youth issues with
Burbank City Clerk Margarita Campos, local business owner Sarkis
Nikogosian, ANCA Western Region Board Member Zareh J. Sinanyan, Esq.
and AYF leader Talar Kossakian given top honors for 2012, in
recognition of their years of selfless service to the Burbank
community in each of their categories.

Burbank City Clerk Margarita Campos received the `William Saroyan’
Legislator of the Year Award for her years of service to the local
community, working tirelessly to facilitate broader voter registration
and participation, particularly among those who recently became U.S.
citizens.

The owner and proprietor of the beautiful Arbat Banquet Hall, Sarkis
Nikogosian, received the `Levon Shant’ Businessman of the Year Award
for his active participation in Burbank’s busy business life and his
ongoing support for Armenian community efforts in Southern California
and projects in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh over the past 30 years.

ANCA Western Region Board member Zareh J. Sinanyan, Esq. received the
`Vahan Cardashian’ Community Leader of the Year Award for his
consistent and dedicated leadership within both the Armenian American
community and Burbank civic life.

Local AYF member Talar Kossakian received the `Karekin Njdeh’ Youth
Activist of the Year Award for her work with the AYF and ANC in
reaching out to local Armenian youth groups, including the Burbank
High School Armenian Club, which presented an Armenian Genocide
awareness video during the April 24th Burbank City Council
commemoration.

Steadfastly Serving the Burbank Community
A consistent theme throughout the gala banquet was the critical role
of grassroots participation in the success of the local ANCA. This
was particularly true in the ANCA Burbank video, prepared by Horizon
Armenian Television’s Vartan Esmaielian, which spotlighted the diverse
programs undertaken by the local chapter. Watch the complete video.

Banquet Chairwoman Souzy Ohanian reflected on the extensive support
and respect the local ANCA receives from community leaders and
activists alike. `The Burbank ANC chapter has experienced a period of
remarkable growth over the past few years. This growth can be
attributed to the ANCA’s role as an effective grassroots organization
serving the city’s Armenian-American community. The Burbank ANC
Chapter strives to bring the people of its city together to work
towards the common goal of making Burbank a better place to live and
work.’

The evening’s Mistress of Ceremonies, Nanneh Chehras concurred, noting
`I’ve been a member of ANCA Burbank for several years, and there is
never a shortage of work. It seems as if the second you’re done with
one project, you already have 10 e-mails for the next. A few flyers,
press releases, and several meetings later that project is done and
the cycle continues. But this is the beautiful thing about the entire
ANC organization. We don’t run out of ideas.’

ANCA Burbank Chairwoman Silva Kechichian thanked attendees for their
`wholehearted and unwavering support for the ANCA,’ observing that it
is a `testament to the powerful and unifying mission and message of
our organization – a mission to defend the rights of the Armenian
nation in the halls of Congress, in the CA State Capitol and here in
our fair city of Burbank; a message of community pride, of community
power and of community progress – relayed by the most vibrant and
effective spokespeople of the Armenian Cause – you. Each and every
one of you.’

Watch Kechichian’s remarks.

×8

The ANCA Burbank placed special focus on the talent of local youth
with the opening of the festivities by the Homenetmen `Sipan’ Chapter
Scouts, followed by the national anthems sung by Nairi Balian. During
the course of the evening, students from Lilia’s Dance Studio
performed a series of beautiful Armenian traditional dances.

Following the presentations and awards ceremony, singing sensation
Koko Hayitian entertained the audience with American standards and
Armenian dance and patriotic songs.

Community Leaders And Benefactors Rally For ANCA Telethon 2012

asbarez
Saturday, May 12th, 2012

Mr. & Mrs. Ara and Sandy Bedrossian hosted one of several events for
the ANCA Telethon

LOS ANGELES-With just a week until ANCA Telethon 2012, Armenian
American leaders and benefactors are rallying in support of the ANCA
Endowment Fund civic education mission at a series of benefit
briefings and community receptions.

`I am the Armenian Cause’ (Yes em Hai Tahd-uh) said guests gathered at
the homes of Mr. and Mrs. Vahe and Aida Yeghiazarian, Mr. and Mrs. Ara
and Sandy Bedrosian, and Mr. and Mrs. Hovsep and Elizabeth Boyajian,
who graciously hosted the first three of a series of receptions
leading up to the May 20th Telethon, which will be broadcast in major
Armenian American communities and streamed live online from 2pm to 8pm
PDT (5pm to 11pm EDT). The complete channel listing for the ANCA
Telethon is featured at

Mr. and Mrs. Vahe and Aida Yeghiazarian at their home during the ANCA
Telethon event

Hosts and participants alike stressed the importance of broadening
Armenian American civic participation as a top priority in advancing
community concerns. In his remarks at the first of these receptions
on May 3rd, Vahe Yeghiazarian spoke passionately about the Armenian
American community’s responsibility to defend Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh against the onslaught of foreign government funded
disinformation campaigns in the media and within government.

His message was echoed by ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian, who
noted that `The Hai Tahd movement, with the ANCA at the forefront –
represents the second army of the Armenian nation – defending Armenian
American rights, and advancing our shared interests.’

Dr. Viken Hovsepian, a prominent community leader, stressed the
universal nature of the ANCA’s efforts, noting broad community support
for the fundamental goals the organization advances, include a strong
and democratic Armenia, self-determination for Karabakh and ongoing
efforts to secure justice for the Armenian Genocide.

ANCA Telethon reception hosts Hovsep & Elizabeth Boyajian (center)
with their daughters Talar and Silva

`May God bless all Armenians who work with the ANCA and its local
chapters in raising their voices to defend the rights of the Armenian
nation,’ his Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the Western United States,
told US Armenia TV. `As the May 20th Telethon approaches I urge
everyone to participate in this noble effort because you and I are the
Armenian Cause (Hai Tahd) and as children of the survivors of the
Armenian Genocide, for as long as we have not achieved justice for the
Armenian nation, the ANCA has much to do.’

Supporting Youth Participation in U.S. Civic life
A focal point of the ANCA Telethon’s efforts will be continued broad
based support for the national, regional and local internship programs
encouraging youth participation in U.S. civic life. Prominent
entrepreneur and longtime ANCA activist Ara Bedrosian placed
particular emphasis on the importance of the Capital Gateway Program
and its efforts to assist young Armenian Americans to pursue public
policy careers in Washington, DC. `My greatest wish is that more
Armenian Americans get involved in Armenian and American civic life –
move out to Washington, DC, explore careers in our nation’s capital.
And the ANCA’s Capital Gateway Program is an extremely important
effort in that regard.’

Mrs. Elizabeth Boyajian, who in addition to opening her home for the
third ANCA Telethon reception has taken a lead in the fundraising
campaign for the initiative, stressed the vital role the ANCA’s
efforts play in the daily life of the Armenian American community.
`From supporting youth education to inspiring broader civic
participation, the ANCA’s efforts have touched each and every one of
us in our quest to strengthen our local communities and advance our
national aspirations.’

ANCA National Board Member Raffi Hamparian concurred, in an interview
with Horizon Armenian Television. `The ANCA Telethon is all about
capturing the spirit of American democracy, the spirit of
participation, the spirit of engaging public officials. The ANCA, on
the local level, on the federal level is fighting the good fight…
Armenian Americans are saying Yes to the ANCA, Yes to Hai Tahd, Yes to
advancing our common Cause.’

Additional fundraising receptions will be take place throughout
Southern California and across the nation in the days leading up to
the May 20th broadcast. In addition, community groups are planning to
host an array of viewing parties and local events in support of the
nationwide campaign.

The ANCA Endowment Fund supports a broad range of educational, youth,
and civic programs that give voice to the views and values of the
Armenian American community, strengthening our presence in the
American civic arena, and empowering pro-Armenian stakeholders with
the information and resources they need to take on the powerful forces
aligned against the Armenian nation.

The first two ANCA Endowment Fund telethons, held in 2006 and 2009,
raised more than $4.5 million for Armenian American educational,
youth, and civic programs. Both programs touched a common emotional
chord, speaking directly to the devotion to the Armenian Cause that
rests in the hearts of Armenians from across the U.S., regardless of
organizational or political affiliations.

Countless organizations, volunteers, churches, community leaders,
local ANCAs, performing artists, Members of Congress, and state
legislators from across the nation participated in the telethons,
contributing to their enormous success. Both telethons featured
several documentaries that highlighted various ANCA programs and
numerous results the ANCA Endowment has achieved over the years,
largely through its volunteer and grassroots network.

ANCA Telethon donations may be made online at
or by calling (855) 208-ANCA.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 11 2012

France: a chance to restart

BERÄ°L DEDEOÄ?LU
[email protected]

The presidential elections in France were closely monitored in Turkey.
With the victory of socialist François Hollande, the most frequently
asked question now is how the election of this new president will
affect the future of French-Turkish relations. In order to improve
relations, both sides have to do their bit, which means Turkey mustn’t
just wait and expect steps to be taken by France.
What initiatives can Turkey take in order to accelerate the process of
improvement? First of all, we must emphasize that under Hollande’s
presidency, the main determiner of relations will not be whether or
not Turkey is a European nation, but whether or not Turkey respects
democratic values.

There were some people in Turkey who were `happy’ with Nicolas Sarkozy
because he had turned his attention away from Turkey, resulting in an
absence of criticism over Turkey’s problems with democracy. However,
from now on, Turkey should be ready to face much criticism, and it has
to be careful to avoid reacting harshly when it is criticized about
human rights, minority rights, transparency, the rule of law and the
Armenian `problem.’

If the two countries manage to build new bilateral relations based on
EU values, this will be beneficial and constructive for both of them.
Nevertheless, one has to admit that many ill intentions, prejudices,
misunderstandings and broken hearts have poisoned relations in the
last five years. In order to make a fresh start, one of them first
needs to show its goodwill.

Perhaps Hollande should include Turkey on his foreign visit list. We
recall that Sarkozy came to Turkey in February 2011, not as the French
president but as the head of the G20, and he stopped in Ankara for
only a couple of hours. His visit was so low profile that one might
think he was an illegal migrant and not a president. That’s why
President François Mitterand’s visit in 1992 is still considered the
last official visit paid by a French president to Turkey.

If it is necessary to find a reason (not to say an excuse) to explain
why Hollande has to visit Turkey as soon as possible, one can come up
with a few ideas. Maybe Hollande himself does not like the idea that
any visit to Turkey would eventually be described as a shift in
France’s policy regarding Turkey’s accession to the EU. Maybe it would
be wiser to find another reason to justify this visit, an issue not
directly related to the EU accession process but that could, later on,
be helpful with regards to accession.

One reason Hollande could use for visiting Turkey without signaling a
shift in French policy would be to discuss the resuscitation of the
Union for the Mediterranean project. This partnership was supposed to
be a cooperation initiative but, thanks to Sarkozy’s mishandling, it
has turned into a platform for rivalry and conflict. You may recall
that while describing the project, Sarkozy even made France’s closest
allies in Europe very angry, and he failed to convince many countries
in the Mediterranean Basin that his proposed projects were worthwhile.
Besides, as he preferred to present the project as a viable
alternative to Turkey’s EU membership, Turkey was furious over the
organization from day one.

If the Union for the Mediterranean is to be redesigned, not as an
alternative but as a starting point from which Turkey could join the
EU in the future, it can become a project for stability in which
France and Turkey can cooperate closely. In the EU enlargement process
towards Eastern Europe, Germany played a facilitating role in Poland’s
accession. Why won’t France do the same for Turkey? If it becomes the
country to carry Turkey into the EU, Turkey would not refuse France
with help in the Middle East in exchange. At a time when both
countries need to initiate rapprochement, the Union for the
Mediterranean may be a good place to start.

States News Service
May 11, 2012 Friday

MY MOTHER TOLD ME TO EAT ALL MY DINNER AND THE GLOBAL FOOD MARKET

WASHINGTON

The following information was released by the Union of Concerned
Scientists (UCS):

When I was young, my mother used to tell me to eat all my dinner and
would remind me that there were hungry children who would be happy to
have what I was leaving on my plate. I’m sure lots of you heard the
same thing. And if you were like me, it may have been the first time
you actually doubted your parents’ wisdom, since it was obvious that
whether I cleaned my plate or not, there was no way that the food
would go to those hungry children. It would end up in the garbage, or
at best in a plastic container for me to eat the next day. But it
certainly wouldn’t feed the hungry.

You probably had a similar experience, although exactly where those
hungry children were supposed to live likely has changed over the
decades. For me in the fifties I think they were in India; my
grandfather used to talk about “the starving Armenians”; my own
children remember hearing about famine in Ethiopia in the 1980s, and
for my parents’ generation, brought up in Europe in the Depression,
they could have been just about anywhere. And I suspect that children
have reacted with the same skepticism for a long, long time, knowing
that their eating all their dinner would do nothing to prevent
starvation.

But actually, the idea underlying that perennial parental message has
gotten stronger in recent years. It’s not that there have been amazing
technological advances in food teleportation, but the global food
system has changed in a way that does link the plates of children
around the world a bit more closely. The kids are still all right, but
maybe the parents are right too.

Here’s why. The share of food production that is traded
internationally has become a larger and larger share of total food
production, particularly for meat, feed grains and oilseeds. Many of
our basic foodstuffs – corn from the U.S., soy from the Amazon and
palm oil from southeast Asia – are shipped around the world in
increasingly large quantities. This has created a global world food
market, in which consumption in one country affects prices in all the
others.

Thus, when 30% of the U.S. corn crop goes into ethanol, it pushes
prices upward and makes tortillas more expensive in Mexico. And when
Americans eat 225 pounds of meat annually, it creates demand for corn,
soy and other feeds, pulling up their prices as well as those of meat
all around the world.

This isn’t anything complicated; it’s what economists have been
explaining about supply and demand for centuries. It’s just that now,
what matters is global supply and demand.

In this way, children’s dinner plates all around the planet are
connected by the global food market. What we eat is part of the total
demand for food that makes it cheaper or more expensive for other
parents in other countries to give their kids three square meals a
day.

Now, I don’t see this as reason to feel guilty, and as I’ve said in a
previous post, I don’t think guilt is a very useful motivation for
deciding what to eat. Anyhow, my mother’s message wasn’t that I should
feel guilty about starving children elsewhere. It was that I was
fortunate to be well-fed and shouldn’t be wasteful, about food or
anything else. A valuable lesson to remember as we consider our
country’s food policies. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

Posted in: Biofuel, Food and Agriculture Tags: agriculture

About the author: Doug Boucher is an expert in preserving tropical
forests to curtail global warming emissions. He has been participating
in United Nations international climate negotiations since 2007 and
his expertise has helped shape some of the U.N. policies. He holds a
Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of
Michigan.

Support from UCS members make work like this possible. Will you join
us? Help UCS advance independent science for a healthy environment and
a safer world.

Bako Sahakyan stressed the importance of the youth’s role in
strengthening the Motherland-Diaspora unity

11-05-2012 21:13:52 | | Social

On May 11 President of Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan received a group
of young people who had arrived in Artsakh from the Diaspora and the
Republic of Armenia by the initiative of the `Birthright Armenia’
foundation.

Bako Sahakyan stressed the importance of the youth’s role in
strengthening the Motherland-Diaspora unity and preserving the
Armenian national identity, as well underlined the necessity of their
frequent visits to Artsakh.

The Head of State rated high the activities of the `Birthright
Armenia’ foundation in this direction, considering invaluable the
experience the organization has accumulated in this field.

During the meeting the President also answered to various questions
raised by the young, the Central Information Department of the Office
of the Artsakh Republic President informs.

News from Armenia and Diaspora – Noyan Tapan

DIPLOMATIE-HAUT KARABAGH
La motion pro-azérie sur le Haut Karabagh a échoué au Parlement de Lituanie

La diplomatie azérie redouble son activité pour faire adopter des
textes favorables aux thèses de Bakou au sujet du Haut Karabagh. Mais
jeudi 10 mai, l’une de ses dernières tentatives fut un échec au
Parlement lituanien. Ce dernier a rejeté une motion titrée « Règlement
pacifique du conflit du Haut Karabagh » qui bénéficiait du lobyying de
Bakou et favorisait ses thèses. Mais grce aux efforts de l’Ambassade
d’Arménie, de la Commissions interparlementaire arméno-lituanienne et
de la communauté arménienne de Lituanie, le Parlement lituanien n’a
pas été dupe et a rejeté le texte lors de son vote. Pire, peu avant la
présentation du texte au Parlement de Lituanie, des députés Lituaniens
appellaient même à la reconnaissance officielle de la République du
Haut Karabagh.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 12 mai 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

Arménie : trois partis dénoncent des infractions aux législatives

ARMENIE

Trois partis arméniens ont dénoncé vendredi des `infractions` aux
élections législatives du 6 mai en Arménie, qui ont été remportées par
le parti du président Serge Sarkissian et critiquées par
L’Organisation pour la coopération et la sécurité en Europe (OSCE).

`Les élections du 6 mai ont été marquées par des infractions
massives`, ont indiqué dans un communiqué le mouvement d’opposition
Congrès national arménien, le mouvement Arménie Prospère, ex-allié du
parti de M. Sarkissian dans la coalition gouvernementale, et la
Fédération révolutionnaire arménienne Dachnaktsoutun (nationaliste).

`Le Parlement formé à l’issue de ces élections ne reflète pas le
soutien accordé par le peuple à des forces politiques variées`,
souligne le communiqué.

Le Parti républicain de M. Sarkissian a recueilli 44% des voix aux
législatives et devrait obtenir la majorité absolue à l’Assemblée
nationale, avec 68 sièges sur 131, selon des analystes locaux.

Le mouvement Arménie Prospère, dirigé par un millionnaire et
ex-champion de bras de fer, Gaguik Tsaroukian, obtiendrait 36 sièges,
alors que le Congrès national arménien, dirigé par un ancien
président, Levon Ter-Petrossian, et la Fédération révolutionnaire
arménienne devraient se contenter respectivement de sept et six
sièges, selon les analystes.

Le scrutin de dimanche était considéré comme un test pour cette
ex-république soviétique du Caucase, dont c’est la première élection
au niveau national depuis la présidentielle de 2008.

A l’époque, la victoire de M. Sarkissian avait déclenché des
manifestations de l’opposition qui ont dégénéré en affrontements après
l’intervention de la police, faisant 10 morts.

Les autorités de ce pays de 3,3 millions d’habitants avaient promis
des élections transparentes et démocratiques pour éviter de nouveaux
débordements.

L’OSCE a salué une `ambiance pacifique et transparente` de la campagne
électorale, mais a estimé que les élections elles-mêmes avaient été
minées par des manquements à la démocratie.

samedi 12 mai 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

More People Left Than Arrived

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 14:13:22 – 12/05/2012

In the past 4 months more people departed than arrived in Zvartnots
Airport. According to statistics published by the General Civil
Aviation Department, in the abovementioned period 238,406 people
departed from the airport against last year’s 222,650. Meanwhile, the
number of arrivals was 192,109 compared with last year’s 180,640. In
Gyumri’s Shirak Airport, 11,548 arrived and 7,814 departed in the past
four months.

Song and dance moves to Armenia

By The Armenian Reporter
Thursday, May 10, 2012

Boston – There has lately been some activity surrounding the cause of
what’s called “repatriation”, of having Diasporan Armenians move to
the Republic of Armenia or to Artsakh. Not that that cause is new by
any means, it’s just that a couple of concerted efforts over the past
months has highlighted some points that seem worthy of reflection.

A youth group in the Los Angeles area, for instance, held a seminar
recently that brought together interested parties and organisations
that do work in Armenia. Such activities are truly informative and
helpful to the community out there. But the sort of effusive
representation of life and times in Armenia that comes up and of
“repatriation” can sometimes be a little over the top.

It’s essential to note that many Armenians could never be
“repatriates”, really; they would not be “moving back” to Armenia at
all, but simply “moving to”. Many Armenians trace their ancestry to
homelands – patria in the form of cities, towns, villages, regions –
that lie outside the borders of today’s Republic of Armenia and
Artsakh. So the kind of connection that has to be made with that
country would in many ways be the same as the kind of connection one
would have to forge when moving to a whole new country anyway. Of
course, being Armenian, considering one’s self Armenian, speaking the
language (whatever the form), and the ideological and emotional drive
that goes with moving to Armenia is well-placed and meaningful. It’s
just that there is the danger of it being overwhelming to the
detriment of appreciating the realities on the ground in Armenia,
especially from afar.

Consider the case of the Armenia 3500 Project. It is a movement
spearheaded by some Diasporan Armenians who have made the move to
Armenia, aiming at attracting three thousand five hundred “Armenians
from the West (AFWs)” to pledge to move to Armenia and Artsakh in the
next three years. An “AFW” is “any Armenian from the European Union,
the United States, Canada or Australia/New Zealand”. The anonymous
people behind the idea state on their FAQ page that, “Having lived in
Armenia ourselves, we’ve seen the impact a few people can have, and
are convinced a larger group would create a butterfly effect that
would help create jobs, connections and better governance. We believe
an infusion of AFWs would be a rich contribution to the fabric of
Armenian society”.

I couldn’t agree more. It would be excellent to have all sorts of
Armenians living and working in Armenia. In fact, I would go so far as
to say that it would be excellent to have all sorts of people in
general living and working in Armenia. And I imagine that that will
happen some day. Even a generation ago, one would have been
hard-pressed to find an Irishman expecting an influx of immigrants
from Nigeria or Poland on the streets of Dublin. But the economic boom
and liberal policies of that country resulted in a more cosmopolitan
society. I think – I hope – Armenia is headed down that same path.

For now, though, the opposite is the case. A lot has been made of
emigration from Armenia, in the past year or two especially. If the
government itself has brought it up, then surely it has reached a
significantly higher rate than before. How could well-meaning
Diasporan Armenians expect anyone to pledge to move to a place that is
facing so many difficulties?

What is more, who is to stand in the way of the Armenian of Armenia
who has received a job offer elsewhere, whose career has the potential
to encompass wider horizons, whose children could end up with a much
broader worldview than what Armenia can currently offer?

To give another example, wouldn’t it be great if the Armenians of
Syria moved en masse to Armenia tomorrow? It certainly would. Could
the Republic of Armenia handle it? Not in the least. Not right now
anyway, as the handful of Iraqi-Armenians could testify.

Of course it would be helpful to move to Armenia and help surmount the
country’s difficulties. Who can deny that? More power to those who
already have and more on the way. But the onus of creating
attractiveness to move to Armenia lies with Armenia, with the people
of Armenia, with the leadership and policies of Armenia.

The truth is that there is a lot of corruption in that country. The
truth is that there is immense ineptitude. Videos that set aside these
facts and instead focus on how happy some immigrants to the Republic
of Armenia have been risk characterising themselves as one-sided.

There are indeed a lot of Armenians from the Diaspora who have made it
and who are really happy in Armenia. A lot of Armenians from the west,
north, south, and east have come to Yerevan and elsewhere, have set up
businesses, have dealt with whatever they have had to deal with, have
settled in, and they are leading successful, meaningful, even enviable
lives. It’s serious work, though. It’s not all the song and dance that
certain videos might make it out to be.

As of this writing, the Armenia 3500 Project has had twelve people
take the pledge since September. Its Facebook page has 165 “likes”.
No-one is denying that it’s a good idea, only that it is perhaps a
little unrealistic or misdirected. Diaspora youth in the United States
and elsewhere, and even older folks, can be enthusiastic about
Armenia, they can visit, they can participate in Birthright Armenia or
other programmes, all of that is sincerely welcome and very
encouraging. But to make the move – make no mistake – is to move to a
whole new country, to get used to a whole new set of circumstances.