Author: Kanayan Tamar

KIM KARDASHIAN IN ARMENIA: PR CAMPAIGN TO MAKE THE COUNTRY’S NAME BRAND?

15:36 * 09.04.15

That Kim Kardashian is one of the most acclaimed Armenians worldwide
is a fact of objective reality, so her visit to Armenia is thought
to be a good opporunity to make the country’s name a brand, says a
PR specialist.

“I find that we must use all the possible chances to spread Armenia’s
brand around the world. I do not even speak about a trade mark; I
mean Armenia as a country, which we could make recognizable through
a PR campaign,” Vigen Hakobyan told Tert.am, commenting on the
celebrity’s visit.

The expert said he thinks that just one photo of Kardashian near
temples of Garni and Geghard (pagan-era historical monuments in
Kotayk region) or Lake Sevan would be enough for internationalizing
Armenia and making the country known to hundreds and millions people
who haven’t heard about it before.

He added that the visit could also be a good chance for
internationalizing the Armenian Genocide recognition campaign.

“This visit alone will not develop Armenia’s economy, but Armenia,
as a brand, will have its own place on the tour maps of millions of
people. For that class of individuals – we want it or not – Armenia
may be not just a country as such but Kardashian’s country.”

According to Nona Melkonyan, an associate professor at the Yerevan
State Univeristy’s Chair of Social Work and Social Technologies,
it is not surprising at all that the visit of a celebrity like
Kardhashian might cast a shadow on numerous other events and very
different problems in Armenia.

“We heard of a soldier’s death on the frontline, but the [report]
simply got lost in the news flow. We had internal political problems,
which were lost too,” she told our correspondent.

WHAT WAS BEHIND THE ETHNIC CLEANSING OF ARMENIANS?

Al-Monitor
April 9 2015

Author: Mustafa Akyol
Posted April 9, 2015

In 1915, the Ottoman state, in the midst of World War I, took the
fateful decision of deporting all Armenians in Anatolia to eastern
Syria. An entire people was forced to migrate over night, and many of
them, perhaps a million people, perished on the road due to starvation,
disease and massacres by locals. There is no doubt this enormous
tragedy deserves remembrance and empathy today — and we Turks must be
much more considerate about it than we have been over the past century.

The proper term to use in defining the fate of Ottoman Armenians has
been a matter of controversy. Armenians themselves and many others
in the West use the G word: genocide. Most Turks, in return, only
use the much more innocent term “tehcir,” or deportation. Personally,
I take a middle ground and opt for the term, “ethnic cleansing.” (The
difference between ethnic cleansing and genocide is that the former is
about cleansing a geographical area from a group of people, whereas the
latter is about the very extermination of that people. As a comparison,
note that the Ottoman government only pushed Armenians out of Anatolia,
whereas the Nazis searched for Jews everywhere in order to exterminate
them one by one.)

A perhaps more important question, however, is why did this catastrophe
happen? In the West, sometimes religion is perceived to be the
underlying problem, as “Muslim Turks” are pitted against “Christian
Armenians.” Yet this perception disregards the very fact that, before
1915, the same Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians co-existed for
centuries under the banner of the Islamic Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire was a multi-ethnic and multi-religious entity,
where faith communities constituted “nations.” Muslims were the
“ruling nation,” whereas Christians and Jews were “protected” nations,
in line with the status Islamic law gives to “the People of Book.”

That is why Armenians, like Greeks or Jews, lived and flourished
in the Ottoman Empire for centuries with some autonomy and certain
rights. They were not allowed to become soldiers or public servants,
which were jobs reserved only for Muslims, hence they excelled
in artisanship. (No wonder some of the most beautiful mosques and
palaces in Istanbul were built by Armenian architects from the famous
Balyan family.) Moreover, in the Reform Era of the mid-19th century,
the Ottoman state gave all non-Muslims the status of equal citizenship.

That is why in final decades of the empire, Armenians began to take
public jobs, becoming ambassadors, ministers or parliamentarians.

Yet in the same 19th century, the road to disaster began to unfold,
in a seemingly unrelated place: the Balkans. The French Revolution
had ushered in an era of nationalism, which gradually influenced
Ottoman-ruled Christian peoples of the Balkans, such as Serbs, Greeks
and Bulgarians. Rebellions by these peoples led to nation-states,
which often resorted to ethic cleansing, whose victims were often
Muslims. A similar tragedy hit the Muslims of Crimea and Caucasus as
well, who were persecuted by the Russian advance. Historian Justin
McCarthy estimates that some 5 million Ottoman Muslims have perished
during the decline and shrinking of the empire over two centuries —
all due to various waves of ethic cleansing.

The impact of this drama was to lead the Turks, who tried to hold the
empire together, to finally develop their own nationalism, culminating
in the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) that dominated the Ottoman
state’s final decade. When they entered the Great War in October 1914,
the CUP leaders faced the Russian onslaught from the east, and they
found that Armenian nationalists had established paramilitary units
to support the enemy. This formed the basis for the catastrophic CUP
decision to expel all Armenians in Eastern Turkey to Syria. It was
an inexcusable verdict — but it happened out of the fear that the
Balkan nightmares would be repeated this time in Anatolia, the last
stronghold of the Turks.

In other words, the ethnic cleansing of Ottoman Armenians took place
not because of the Ottoman system. Rather, it occurred because of
the fall of the Ottoman system. Christian Armenians, who lived with
Muslim Turks for centuries, were driven out not because of religion,
but a modern ideology: nationalism.

It is therefore not an accident that some Islamic sentiments and
views of the era fell at odds with the nationalist motives behind
the deportation and murder of Armenians. In a famous incident, in
Bogazliyan, a district of the central Anatolian province of Yozgat,
the mufti of the town, Abdullahzade Mehmet Efendi, protested the
governor of the town who willingly executed the deportation orders
from the capital. Later the mufti testified in the Ottoman military
tribunal trial of 1919, stating, “I fear the wrath of God.”

In the neighboring province of Cankiri, some elders accompanied by
their mufti put a request to the governing in May 1915, saying: “The
Armenians and their children from the neighboring vilayets [provinces]
are being driven like cattle to the mountain for slaughter. We do not
want these type of things to occur in our vilayets. We are afraid of
the wrath of God.”

A more scholarly Islamic objection had come from Egypt’s Al-Azhar
University in 1909, when Grand Sheikh Salim al-Bishri condemned the
massacre of Armenians in Adana, in a drama that preceded the bloodshed
in 1915. His fatwa, or religious opinion, read:

“We have seen in local newspapers agonizing news and vile reports
about Muslims of some Anatolian provinces of the Ottoman Empire
attacking Christians and killing them brutally. We could not believe
these reports and hoped that they were false, because Islam forbids
aggression, oppression, bloodshed and harming human beings — Muslims,
Christians and Jews alike.”

The Egyptian sheikh then reminded the “protection” Jews and Christians
deserve under Islamic law:

“Oh Muslims living in that region and elsewhere, beware of actions
prohibited by God in His Sharia [Islamic law] and spare the blood
that God prohibited to spill and do not transgress on anyone since
God does not like aggressors. Your duty toward those who are allied
with you, who entrusted their safety to you and who reside among you
and next to you from Ahlul Dhimma [Jewish and Christian minorities
protected under Islam], as imposed by God, is to uplift them as you
would uplift yourselves, prevent them from what you prevent yourselves
and your kinsfolk, make your strength their strength, make pride and
prosperity out of your strength, and protect their monasteries and
churches the way you protect your mosques and temples.”

Of course, history is never clear-cut, and many of the Turks (and
Kurds) who engaged in the massacres against Armenians acted with
hatred against (or fear of) “the infidels,” reflecting their Islamic
identities. Still, the distinction between the religion-as-identity,
taking the form of a nationalism, and religion as a set of values,
is important.

It is practically important, too, because if Turkish society will
develop a more emphatic view of the ethnic cleansing of Armenians,
this will happen not due to any foreign pressure, which actually
only backfires, but rather due to some honest self-criticism based
on authentic values. A wise reading of Islam presents such values,
and no wonder in the past few years some notable Islamist pundits in
the Turkish media expressed remorse and sympathy for the Armenians
by Islamic arguments. In my view, these arguments — and not any
imposing statement from Washington or any other Western capital —
presents the key for a much-needed grand reconciliation between us
Turks and our good old neighbors, the Armenians.

WHAT DID IRANIAN AMBASSADOR PROPOSE?

Hakob Badalyan, Political Commentator
Comments – 09 April 2015, 11:16

While presenting the report of the ad hoc gas committee, the head of
the Standing Committee of Economic Affairs Vardan Aivazyan surprised
with his answer to Member of Parliament Nikol Pashinyan’s question.

Nikol Pashinyan said according to the report, extraction costs of the
Iranian gas are the lowest in the world and asked why Armenia does
not buy gas from Iran. Vardan Aivazyan stated that Iran will never
propose a price lower than 189 dollars.

His statement is at least strange, considering that in 2013 the Iranian
ambassador to Armenia Muhammad Reisi announced several times that Iran
can supply gas to Armenia that will be competitive with Russian gas.

Then the Armenian minister of energy Armen Movsisyan announced that
the Iranian gas is more expensive than the Russian gas. The Iranian
ambassador replied to him in his next press conference that everything
depends on negotiations, and gas may cost 400 dollars for one and
100 dollars for another.

The ambassador is an official, the representative of his country to
Armenia, and if the ambassador states something, it is an official
statement, not his personal opinion. Hence, either Vardan Aivazyan
is distorting the truth or he is not competent and does not know that
Iran has offered cheap gas to Armenia. How Armenia responded to that
offer is another issue.

For example, in his end-of-year press conference in 2013 the Armenian
ex-prime minister Tigran Sargsyan said the statements of the Iranian
ambassador were apparently a “diplomatic error”. It was the so-called
official response to Iran’s proposal.

It is possible that official Yerevan was expecting an original proposal
of cheap gas from the Iranian side, for example, the Iranian foreign
minister of president drop the cheap gas offer with a parachute
on the Republic Square or knock at the window of one of the public
institutions of Armenia, such as the president or the government,
and offer cheap price. Or write the price with balloons in front of
the government.

However, Yerevan did not get original proposals. Tehran did not try
to be original and simply announced bluntly that they could sell
cheap gas to Armenia and everything depends on negotiations.

Yet it is clear that Russia will not allow Armenia to buy cheap gas
from Iran, especially now when every single cubic meters of gas
matters much to Gazprom. Moreover, statistics will show that the
quantity of electricity generated on the expensive Russian gas has
increased. Only sovereign Armenia can buy cheap gas from Iran which is
capable of political decisions. Furthermore, the political decisions
will not be limited to the revision of the gas deal and negotiations
with Iran. The point is that the negotiations will cover important
political issues, namely the destiny of the regional status quo.

Iran wants the Armenian side to continue to control the liberated
territories. This is especially relevant on the backdrop of the
growing pressure by Russia to station CSTO peacekeepers in Artsakh.

Russia thereby offers a deal to Azerbaijan and Turkey, promising to
pressure on Armenia to return one or two territories. This is not a
desirable option for Iran, and it is generally reluctant to see anyone
else at the northern border apart from the Armenian military control.

However, this is not a goal but a means of protection of the Armenian
factor through which Iran expects to boost its regional role,
especially with the positive dynamics of normalization of relations
with the West. In this respect, Armenia is a very important platform
for Iran, a platform to which there is no alternative, and Tehran
highly estimates the sovereignty and autonomous policy of Armenia.

There are big economic and defense prospects but it is more convenient
to tell that Iran has not proposed anything to Armenia than to assume
responsibility for complicated political issues. It is good that
there are no statements like there is no Iran, and they never knew
such a country ever existed.

CHYPRE CRIMINALISE LA NEGATION DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

Publie le : 08-04-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – Le parlement chypriote
a adopte jeudi 2 avril 2015 une resolution penalisant la negation
des genocides, des crimes contre l’humanite et des crimes de guerre,
modifiant la loi existante qui exigeait la condamnation anterieure
[d’un genocide] par un tribunal international pour faire de son deni
un crime. Le lundi 30 mars, les deputes chypriotes avaient accepte
de modifier la loi penalisant la negation d’un genocide, si le
genocide en question avait ete reconnu a l’unanimite par la Chambre
des representants. C’est precisement le cas du genocide armenien que
la Chambre des representants de Chypre a officiellement reconnu le
24 avril 1975, en votant a l’unanimite la resolution 36. La nouvelle
decision intervient a quelques jours du centenaire du genocide contre
les Armeniens dont les commemorations se tiendront le 24 avril 2015.

L’extermination programmee en 1915 par le gouvernement Jeune-Turc
avait fait 1.500.000 victimes parmi les Armeniens et au moins 250.000
morts chez les Assyriens. Le Collectif VAN vous propose la traduction
de deux articles en anglais du journal chypriote Cyprus Mail, publies
les 3 mars et 2 avril 2015.

Cyprus Mail

Le 2 avril 2015

George Psyllides

Chypre criminalise la negation du genocide armenien de 1915 par
les Turcs

Chypre a estime jeudi [2 avril] que nier que les Turcs ottomans ont
commis un genocide contre les Armeniens de Turquie il y a un siècle,
etait un crime.

Le parlement chypriote a adopte une resolution penalisant la negation
des genocides, des crimes contre l’humanite et des crimes de guerre,
modifiant la loi existante qui exigeait la condamnation anterieure
[d’un genocide] par un tribunal international pour faire de son deni
un crime.

“Aujourd’hui est un jour historique”, a dit le president du parlement,
Yiannakis Omirou. “Il permet au Parlement de retablir des verites
historiques, avec des decisions et resolutions unanimes.”

L’île a ete l’un des premiers pays au monde a reconnaître en 1975
les massacres armeniens comme un genocide. Ce dernier est commemore
le 24 avril.

La Turquie accepte que de nombreux Armeniens sont morts dans des
combats partisans au debut de 1915, mais nie que jusqu’a 1,5 million de
personnes ont ete tuees et que cela constituait un acte de genocide
– un terme utilise par de nombreux historiens occidentaux et des
parlements etrangers.

L’Armenie accuse les autorites ottomanes de l’epoque d’avoir
systematiquement massacre un grand nombre d’Armeniens, puis d’en avoir
deportes un plus grand nombre, y compris les femmes, les enfants,
les personnes âgees et les infirmes, dans les conditions terribles
des marches dites >.

La question a longtemps ete une source de tensions entre la Turquie
et plusieurs pays occidentaux, notamment les Etats-Unis et la France,
où vivent de grandes diasporas armeniennes. Chypre a egalement une
population armenienne.

Article en anglais:

Cyprus criminalises denial of 1915 Armenian genocide by Turks

———————————————————————————

Cyprus Mail

Le 31 mars 2015

Accord sur la penalisation de la negation du genocide armenien

Par Elias Hazou

Ce lundi [30 mars] les deputes chypriotes ont accepte de modifier la
loi penalisant la negation d’un genocide, si le genocide en question
a ete reconnu par la Chambre des representants [1].

La question concerne essentiellement le genocide armenien et elle a
refait surface la semaine dernière en raison de la prochaine visite a
Chypre du president de l’Assemblee nationale armenienne pour marquer
le 100ème anniversaire du genocide armenien [Nota CVAN : cette visite
a eu lieu le 2 avril].

En l’etat actuel, la loi stipule que la negation des crimes contre
l’humanite et du genocide est consideree comme une infraction penale
uniquement dans le cas où le crime en question a ete reconnu par la
decision irrevocable d’un tribunal international.

Chypre figure parmi les 22 pays qui ont reconnu le genocide armenien.

Cependant, comme la Cour penale internationale ne l’avait pas reconnu,
la negation de ce genocide n’etait pas consideree comme une infraction
penale ici [a Chypre].

Le president de la Chambre des representants, Yiannakis Omirou, a tenu
a ajouter une clause a la legislation, penalisant la negation d’un
genocide, que celui-ci ait ete reconnu par un tribunal international
ou par une resolution du Parlement de Chypre.

Après un debat qui s’est tenu lundi a la commission des affaires
juridiques de la Chambre, les parties ont adopte la proposition
legislative d’Omirou, mais avec une modification – la negation d’un
genocide sera consideree comme une infraction penale uniquement si
la resolution de la Chambre reconnaissant ce genocide avait ete votee
a l’unanimite.

Omirou avait voulu faire modifier la loi avant ou pendant la visite
a Chypre de Galust Sahakyan, president de l’Assemblee nationale
armenienne.

Des sources emanant du Parti du Rassemblement democrate (DISY)
au pouvoir [Nota CVAN : opposition de droite liberale] ont indique
a Cyprus Mail que la Chambre pourrait tenir une session plenière
extraordinaire jeudi matin [le 2 avril], avant la plenière prevue,
pour adopter la modification de la loi.

Sahakyan, qui est attendu sur l’île mercredi, doit prononcer son
discours devant la Chambre des representants jeudi après-midi.

Il semble qu’Omirou a promis a son homologue armenien lors d’un voyage
officiel en Armenie en novembre dernier, que Chypre allait penaliser
la negation du genocide armenien, comme d’autres pays – la Suisse,
la Slovaquie, la Grèce – l’ont fait.

Les memes sources du Parti DISY ont rejete l’opinion rapportee par
le quotidien Simerini, selon laquelle Omirou et la presidence etaient
en desaccord au sujet de la modification de la loi.

Les seules reserves que le president avait, concernaient le fait que
le gouvernement n’avait pas ete consulte sur cette question qui est
liee a la politique etrangère.

Les sources ont egalement refute les rapports des medias selon lesquels
les deputes du DISY avaient pris position, devant la commission,
contre la penalisation du negationnisme car cela pourrait provoquer
la colère des Chypriotes turcs et de la Turquie, particulièrement en
ce moment où les pourparlers de paix peuvent reprendre.

Chypre a ete le premier pays europeen (et le deuxième au monde, après
l’Uruguay) a reconnaître officiellement le genocide armenien. Le 24
avril 1975, la resolution 36 a ete votee a l’unanimite par la Chambre
des representants.

Etant donne que la decision a ete unanime, l’amendement de la
criminalisation proposee maintenant devrait automatiquement s’appliquer
au genocide armenien.

Cela suggèrerait que la penalisation de la negation de cet evenement
n’a jamais ete un point de desaccord entre les deputes – sauf
peut-etre le fait que DISY faisait une question de principe que de
telles decisions doivent etre adoptees a l’unanimite, donnant de cette
facon au gouvernement en place – via les voix du parti au pouvoir a la
Chambre Рun levier dans les questions liees a la politique etrang̬re.

Selon la loi, la negation ou la > de crimes
de guerre reconnus, de crimes contre l’humanite et de genocide,
dans le cas où le crime est reconnu par un tribunal international,
est passible d’une peine qui peut atteindre cinq ans d’emprisonnement,
accompagnee ou non d’une amende de 10.000 euros.

Les gouvernements de la Turquie et de l’Azerbaïdjan nient le
genocide armenien. Les organisations internationales reconnaissant
officiellement le genocide armenien sont le Parlement europeen,
le Conseil de l’Europe et le Conseil oecumenique des eglises.

Le genocide armenien concerne l’extermination systematique par le
gouvernement ottoman, de ses sujets de la minorite armenienne, dans
leur patrie historique au sein du territoire qui constitue l’actuelle
Republique de Turquie. On estime que 1,5 millions d’Armeniens ont
peri entre 1915 et 1923.

[1] Nota CVAN : La Chambre des representants est monocamerale. Ses
membres sont elus au suffrage universel pour un mandat de cinq ans. Le
Parlement comprend 80 sièges dont 56 sont elus par la communaute
chypriote grecque et 24 par la Communaute chypriote turque. Depuis
1963, les sièges des Chypriotes turcs restent vacants (ce qui explique
le vote a l’unanimite de la reconnaissance du genocide armenien
en 1975).

(c)Traduction de l’anglais Collectif VAN – 2 avril 2015 –

Article en anglais:

Agreement on criminalising denial of Armenian genocide

—————————–

Nota CVAN :

Turquie

La Turquie, qui est pourtant dans un processus d’adhesion a l’Union
europeenne, occupe 37% de l’île de Chypre, un territoire de l’UE…

Ankara ne reconnaît toujours pas la Republique de Chypre et a mis
un veto a son adhesion a plusieurs instances internationales (OCDE,
Wassenaar, MTCR en particulier). La Turquie interdit l’accès aux
ports et aeroports turcs des bateaux et aeronefs chypriotes ou ayant
transite par Chypre. Cette situation est contraire au Protocole
d’Ankara, signe par la Turquie le 29 juillet 2005 et qui visait
a etendre l’Union douanière aux dix Etats membres ayant adhere en
2005, dont Chypre. Alors que les Turcs avaient souligne, dans une
declaration, que cette signature ne valait pas reconnaissance de la
Republique de Chypre, les Etats membres ont adopte en septembre 2005
une contre-declaration rappelant que la reconnaissance de tous les
Etats membres etait une condition necessaire du processus d’adhesion
a l’UE et que l’ouverture des chapitres de negociations serait liee
a la pleine application du Protocole.

Lire aussi :

> vs >

Observatoire du Negationnisme du Collectif VAN

Source/Lien : Cyprus Mail

ARRESTED ARMENIAN OPPOSITIONISTS BANNED FROM THEIR RIGHT TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD

04.08.2015 14:57 epress.am

The six members of the “Founding Parliament” civil initiative arrested
yesterday, April 7, Jirayr Sefilian, Ashot Hakobyan, Pavel Manukyan,
Garegin Chugaszyan, Gevorg Safaryan, and Varujhan Avetisyan, have
no access to radio or print media, Public Monitoring Group at the RA
Police Detention Facilities said in a statement. The representatives of
the Group met with the arrested oppositionists on Wednesday, April 8.

“On incomprehensible to the Group basis the investigative body has
placed a ban on their right to communicate with the outside world,”
the statement said. In particular, the Police have banned visitations
and phone calls from relatives.

The arrested men, as stated by the Public Monitoring Group, did not
express any complaints about the general conditions or treatment at
the detention facility. Meanwhile, Pavel Manukyan has begun a hunger
strike to protest his unlawful arrest.

The members of “Founding Parliament” were arrested on charges pursuant
to Article 225 of the RA Criminal Code (organization of mass disorder,
accompanied with violence, pogroms, arson, destruction or damage to
property, using fire-arms, explosives or explosive devices, or by
armed resistance to the representative of the authorities), the RA
Investigative Committee said on Tuesday, April 7.

According to an official statement issued by the Committee, “the RA
National Security Service and Special Investigative Committee have
joined forces to prevent mass disorders at the public event locations
on April 24, 2015.”

“As a result of measures undertaken, it has become clear that a group
of individuals, taking into consideration the real likelihood of
large gatherings at the locations of public events organized on the
territory of the Republic of Armenia on April 24, 2015 on the occasion
of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, has been calling on
the people to disobey that day the requirements of the authorities,
and, if necessary, to use violence, to resort to power struggle,”
the statement said.

Note, that the “Founding Parliament” civil initiative is pursuing
regime change in Armenia. However, the initiative’s coordinator,
war veteran Jirayr Sefilian stated earlier that they were not going
to organize upheavals on April 24.

VLADIMIR SPIVAKOV TO GIVE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENARY COMMEMORATION CONCERT IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, April 8. /ARKA/. The National Philharmonic of Russia led by
world-known conductor Vladmir Spivakov will hold concerts in Armenia
to commemorate the centenary of the Armenian genocide, the Top Concert
facebook page reports.

The concerts will take place at the National Academic Theatre of
Opera and Ballet in Yerevan.

The concert program includes Mozart Piano Concert N12 and Requiem
(April 14), Verdi, Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti and Puccini (April 15)
and Chaplin “Big City Lights” multimedia project (April 16). -0–

OVERDUE LOANS OF ARMENIAN BANKS IN FEBRUARY 2015 INCREASE BY 4.7% TO 37.5 BILLION DRAMS

07.04.2015 21:34

YEREVAN, April 7. / ARKA /. Armenian commercial banks’ overdue loans
in February 2015 increased by 4.7% from the previous month to 37.5
billion drams making 1.8% of their total lending, according to the
numbers, released today by the National Statistical Service (NSS).

NSS said about 67.9% of that amount or 25.5 billion drams were
short-term loans, which increased by 6.3% in one month.

At the same time, extended loans during the reporting period increased
by 3.3% to approximately 129.5 billion drams, including 53.1 billion
drams worth short-term loans.

According to statistics, credit investments of the banks in February
were 1.2% down from January standing at 1.916.7 trillion drams. Of
that amount the equivalent of 1.272 trillion drams were foreign
currency loans.

As of February 2015 the total lending portfolio of 21 Armenian banks
stood at about 2.083.8 trillion drams, a decline of 0.8% from late
January. ($ 1 – 474.15 drams).

CYPRUS PRESIDENT TO VISIT TSITSERNAKABERD WITH A REPRESENTATIVE DELEGATION

17:37, 8 April, 2015

NICOSIA, 8 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades
will be accompanied by Members of the Parliament of Cyprus and
representatives of the Cypriot-Armenian community during his April
22-25 visit to Armenia. As a representative of the office of Armenian
Member of the Parliament of Cyprus Vartkes Mahdessian said in an
interview with “Armenpress”, the President will be accompanied
by members of the country’s three major political parties at
Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex. “Member of
the Parliament of Cyprus, leader of Tisi Party and chair of the
Cyprus-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group Averof Noephytou,
secretary of Akel Party of Nicosia Stefanos Stefanou and former leader
of Cyprus’s TICO Party and former parliamentary speaker, current
Member of Parliament Marios Garoyian will also be participating in
the ceremonies commemorating the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide
to be held in Armenia on 22-25 April,” as reported from Nicosia.

Armenian Member of the Parliament of Cyprus Vartkes Mahdessian will
also be joining the President on his visit to Armenia.

BACK TO ROOTS: KIM KARDASHIAN ARRIVES IN ARMENIA

21:23, 08 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Armenian-American reality star Kim Kardashian has just arrived in
Armenia, accompanied by her husband Kanye West and sister Khloe.

She was greeted at Zvartnots Airport by tens of journalists.

“I’m very happy to be in Armenia,” Kim said.

Once outside the terminal the reality stars left in a minivan together.

On a visit to the country of her ancestors, Kim Kardashian will pay
tribute to the victims of the Armenian genocide.

The Kardashians will be followed by camera crews from the broadcaster
E! to film several episodes of the reality seriesKeeping Up With The
Kardashians, but no official meetings or press conferences are planned.

Her late father Robert was a third-generation Armenian American,
and on several occasions she has publicly supported international
recognition of the Armenians’ systematic extermination at the hands
of the Ottoman government.

ARMENIA’S SECOND PRESIDENT FINDS CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM SENSELESS

YEREVAN, April 8. /ARKA/. Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharyan
finds constitutional reform senseless.

He is convinced that the country’s problems are not connected with
the Constitution, especially with the type of governance.

Kocharyan said in an interview he posted on his informal
website.

In his opinion, important is an accomplished system of parties and
democracy and struggle inside parties that renewed their leadership
and update their strategies.

“Do you know such parties in Armenia? Unfortunately, even the level
of political discussions is extremely primitive here,” he said.

“It is naivety to think that a parliamentary governance model will
automatically create democratic and competitive environment for
parties. It is more likely to strengthen cronyism in the governance,
which is dangerously commonplace in Armenia and is one of the
country’s woes.”

On March 14, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan approved the concept
of constitutional reforms that has been worked out by a professional
commission.

In compliance with the president’s instruction, the commission must
organize discussions with political parties and respond to their
proposals and remarks.

The concept is focused on reasonability of transition from