Author: Kanayan Tamar

STRENGTHENING AND DEEPENING TIES WITH GERMANY IS SUBSTANTIAL FOR ARMENIA – PRESIDENT

news.am
Sept 15 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Strengthening and deepening ties with Germany is substantial
for Armenia, said the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan at the
meeting with officials of South Caucasus parliamentary group of German
Bundestag on Thursday.

Sargsyan noted that he highly values the visit of the delegation to
Armenia in the context of deepening the mutual trust. The president
appraised different high-level efforts aimed at strengthening bilateral
relations between Germany and Armenia. He thanked the German government
for cooperation and assistance provided to Armenia in various sectors,
presidential press service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

ARMENIANS OF BAYSIDE GATHER FOR ANNUAL FESTIVAL
By Jason D. Antos

Western Queens Gazette
Sept 14 2011
NY

Hundreds attended the Oceania Street Festival.

Photos Jason D. Antos The Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs
at Oceania Street and the Horace Harding Expressway in Bayside,
celebrated its annual Oceania Street Festival in observation of the
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 10.

Hundreds of people, mostly of Armenian descent, feasted on Middle
Eastern food that included chicken kebabs, salads, a variety of pita
breads, baklava, coffee, imported teas, wine and beer.

A band provided musical entertainment with ethnic dance performances
and modern musical selections.

Children~Rs rides, games and festival foods were located at the
far end of Oceania Street. Youngsters enjoyed slides, a rock wall,
a bouncy house, cotton candy, ice cream and a ring toss.

Dozens of vendors sold Armenian themed novelties and gifts, including
books, music, movies and jewelry.

Admission to the festival was free and, unlike last year~Rs downpour,
festivalgoers were thankful that the weather held out.

TURKEY, US SIGN AGREEMENT ON NATO RADAR DEPLOYMENT

Today’s Zaman
Sept 14 2011
Turkey

Ambassador Francis Ricciardone signed the agreement on behalf of the
US. (Photo: AA)

Turkey and US officials have signed a memorandum on the deployment
of US radar as part of a NATO-backed missile defense system designed
to protect European members of the alliance from missile threats.

According to the memorandum, the X-band radar system will be deployed
at a military base in the eastern province of Malatya, private NTV
television reported on Wednesday. It also said the agreement was signed
by Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun SinirlioÄ~_lu and
US Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone at the Turkish Foreign
Ministry on Wednesday morning.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the radar system would
be deployed in Kürecik, Malatya. â~@~The site surveys and relevant
legal arrangements have been finalized, and accordingly a military
installation in Kürecik has been designated as the radar site,â~@~]
a statement from the Foreign Ministry said.

NATO members agreed to an anti-missile system over Europe to protect
against Iranian ballistic missiles at a summit in Lisbon last year. A
compromise was reached with Turkey, which has cultivated close ties
with its neighbor Iran and had threatened to block the deal if Iran
was explicitly named as a threat.

At the NATO summit of heads of state and government in Lisbon last
year, Turkey formally backed NATO plans to build a missile defense
system, saying it will also contribute to national defense against
the growing threat of ballistic missile proliferation.

The summit came after months of discussions between Turkey and the US,
in particular over some aspects of the proposed shield, most notably
whether countries such as Turkey’s neighbors Iran and Syria should be
named as potential threats. Ankara insisted that the proposed system
should provide protection for all territories of member states and
that reference to any country would undermine the defensive nature of
the shield by antagonizing countries singled out as a threat. Turkish
insistence paid off in the end as the NATO summit endorsed the missile
defense system plans without naming any country as a potential threat.

Ankara on Sept. 2 announced its decision to host the early-warning
radar system as a contribution to NATO’s missile defense system.
Turkey’s decision annoyed Iran, which said Tehran would not tolerate
any aggression against its national interests. â~@~The West claims
the radar system [in Turkey] is to confront Iranian missiles, but they
should be aware that we will not tolerate any aggression against our
national interests,â~@~] Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi was
quoted as saying by Iranian state TV.

The Turkish and US governments say the radar system will help spot
missile threats coming from outside Europe, including potentially
from Iran. The system, provided by the United States, is to become
operational later this year.

OSCE CONFLICT PREVENTION CENTER DIRECTOR DISCUSSES NAGORNO-KARABAKH PROBLEM IN YEREVAN

Trend
Sept 14 2011
Azerbaijan

Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Center Adam Kobieracki has
held meetings with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and
Secretary of Security Council Artur Baghdasaryan in Yerevan today.

Mediamax reported that Edward Nalbandian presented the latest
development in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

Kobieracki and Baghdasaryan discussed the issues related to the
cooperation between Armenia and the OSCE in the security sphere The
conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when
Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed
forces have occupied 20 percent 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 on the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding
regions.

AZERBAIJANI FM COMMENTS ON ARMENIAN EVENT IN US CONGRESS

Trend
Sept 14 2011
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry commented on the evening organized by
the Armenians in the U.S. Congress regarding the 20th anniversary of
“establishment” of the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Pro-Armenian members of the U.S. Congress booked a hall for a certain
amount in favor of the nationalist Armenian diasporas, which again
shows the bias of these congressmen, and conducted this event,”
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s official Elman Abdullayev told Trend.

The evening dedicated to the 20th anniversary of “establishment”
of the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh was held at the Golden
Hall of the Congress. The event was attended by U.S. congressmen.

Abdullayev said that the official U.S. position is that the country
supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and does not recognize
the separatist regimes.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent 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 on the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding
regions.

AN UNLIKELY REFUGE FOR MUAMMAR QADDAFI

The Economist
Sept 10 2011

Come and be an Israeli!

The colonel has sympathisers in an unexpected place

IF HE needs a refuge, Colonel Muammar Qaddafi might consider the
Israeli town of Netanya. An Israeli family of Libyan origin has
recently surfaced saying they are the colonel’s relatives and that
he should think of making aliyah (the Jewish voyage of return) and
claim Israeli citizenship as any Jew may do under Israeli law. Gita
Boaron told Israeli television she shares a great-grandmother with the
colonel. “She fled her Jewish husband for a Muslim sheikh,” she says.

“Her daughter was the colonel’s mother, making him Jewish under
rabbinic law.”

Some jokers suggest that Mrs Boaron’s family want a share of the gold
the colonel is said to be carrying. But others say there may be a more
solid claim. “Jews from Tripoli remember he attended a Jewish wedding
in the 1960s, long before he became leader,” says Pedazur Benattia,
founder of Or Shalom, a centre that promotes Libyan-Jewish culture
in Israel.

In Netanya, a resort north of Tel Aviv, where many of the 100,000-odd
Israeli Jews of Libyan origin have settled, a square has been called
Qaddafi Plaza in anticipation of his arrival. “Whatever he’s done,
Israel’s his home,” says Rachel, a widow sipping her macchiato, Libya’s
beverage of choice, and nibbling abambara, a Libyan-Jewish pastry in
one of the square’s Libyan-owned cafes. “After all, he’s a Jew.” With
his curls, she says, he would fit into many a Libyan synagogue.

The colonel’s popularity is odd since he chased non-Muslims, Italian
Catholics and Jews alike out of Libya and took their property. But
Israel’s Libyan Jews say he has sought to atone for his youthful Arab
radicalism. In the New York Times in 2009 the Great Leader noted that
“Jews and Muslims are cousins descended from Abraham. The Jewish
people,” he added understandingly, “want and deserve their homeland.”

Other family members are said to have kept up the tradition. Israeli
tabloids make much of reports that Saif al-Islam, the colonel’s son and
oft-presumed heir, used to date Orly Weinermann, a sometime scantily
clad Israeli soap-opera actress. Quite a few of the colonel’s Libyan
foes believe such gossip. Graffiti with Stars of David superimposed on
swastikas have spattered the walls of Benghazi, the rebels’ eastern
base. “Qaddafi Mossad agent,” reads one of the banners.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: “ARMENIA MUST DEVELOP FASTER THAN THE WORLD’S AVERAGE RATES”

Mediamax
Sept 14 2011
Armenia

Exclusive interview of the second Armenian President, Robert Kocharyan,
to Mediamax

– Armenia will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its independence in a
week. Thank you for having agreed to talk to us about the anniversary
and let us congratulate you on the upcoming holiday.

– Thank you. I would also like to congratulate you and all our
compatriots on the 20th anniversary of independence.

– You were the President of Armenia during 10 years out of 20 years
of independence. Did your perception of an independent statehood
change during these 10 years, conditioned by the gained experience,
change of the scale of the tasks set or other factors?

– Yes, of course it did. First of all, the world itself is changing
fast enough and one has to harmoniously fit in these changes. By the
way, it refers both to the country and to the citizens. Otherwise
you will lag behind. And, of course, the governing experience and
the intuition help quickly choose the direction of reforms, their
speed and depth. The process of globalization already sets definite
parameters of economic policy and ignoring them might be simply fatal
for country’s economy. One should grasp the emerging trends and not
catch up with them. Armenia simply must and can develop faster than
the world’s average rates.

– You have met with the leaders of largest and most powerful countries,
discussed complicated issues with them and, most likely, not always
managed to come to an agreement. How can the head of a small but
independent country say “No” to the powers that be?

– You shouldn’t have any complexes. The size of the country doesn’t
mean that its leader is cleverer or more efficient than other
presidents. Yes, they are certainly more powerful due to the political
weight of the country. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that they
are your bosses if, of course, you don’t perceive them as such. The
most important thing is to build correct, fair, partner relations,
clearly outline the interests of your country and have persuasive
arguments if you disagree with something. For example I have very warm
recollections of my meetings with Vladimir Putin, Jacques Chirac and
Bill Clinton. None of them ever tried to emphasize his superiority.

– The boys and the girls who were born in 1991 are already 20 years
old. This is the generation, which has never seen the Soviet times
and has heard of them only from parents or books. In some 10 or 15
years this generation will play a decisive role in the process of
building of Armenia’s future. What can you advise these young people?

– I think giving advice is useful only if the addressee realizes that
he needs it. That’s why I don’t like giving advice. I would rather
wish them to become the example of Armenia’s competitive advantage
by their knowledge, energy and creativity.

– Independent Armenia will mark its 50th anniversary in 30 years. What
will it be like then?

– I don’t know. A little more than 50 years ago, Somali and South Korea
had almost the same GDP per capita and today it’s even impossible to
compare these countries. Somali is torn apart by contradictions, the
population is starving, whereas South Korea has become a powerful
industrial country and one of the world leaders by a number of
branches of economy. This is the effective management, the vision of
perspectives and the choice of proper development model. I believe
Armenia has a serious potential to become the most effective country in
the South Caucasus. Time will show how this potential will be realized.

– In conditions of globalization, people’s free movement across the
world, development of internet, social networks and technologies,
opinions are more frequently voiced that the conception of an
independent statehood gradually loses its primary meaning and will
finally have a symbolic significance. What do you think, how real
this scenario is?

– The model of the European Union certainly suggests something like
that. But this model is effective only in Europe. It has a pronounced
European character and there will be no such integration anywhere
else in the foreseeable perspective. Yes, nobody is going to reject
national states even in the European Union. I think independent
countries will long be the main subject of the international law.

– Boris Yeltsin and Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Stepanakert 20 years
ago. What do you remember about this visit? Are there any details
still unknown to the general public? What do you think, could this
visit give real results or Azerbaijan was not ready for concessions
and the war was inevitable?

– Yes, I remember this visit very well. Together with Leonard Petrosyan
we conducted negotiations with Boris Yeltsin and Nursultan Nazarbayev
on our vision of the fate of Nagorno Karabakh. There are indeed some
details unknown to the general public. But I don’t think the time has
come to speak about them. This was the mediators’ sincere attempt
to stop the escalation of the conflict, but I don’t think anything
could be changed by that time. The process developed by other logic,
in the context of collapse of the USSR.

ARMENIA TO HOST AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL CAPITAL MARKETS

Mediamax
Sept 14 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. On October 6, 2011 NASDAQ OMX Armenia and Cetral
Depository of Armenia will organize an international conference
“Global Opportunities of Local Markets: Infrastructure and Regulation”.

As Mediamax was informed in the press-service of NASDAQ OMX Armenia,
the Conference is remarkable by being the 1st joint International
Conference of Stock exchanges and CSDs of two regional associations –
Association of Eurasia Central Securities Depositories (AECSD) and
International Association of Exchanges of CIS Countries (IAEx of CIS).

The Conference will attract CEOs and senior representatives from
stock exchanges and CSD, associations, regulators and other high level
experts from the financial services industry of CIS, Europe and Asia.

The Conference is expected to cover such topics cooperation and
interoperability of as stock exchanges and central depositories,
technical, legislative and regulatory aspects securities markets
development and internationalization, as well as opportunities of
local securities markets’ access to global market.

GROUP CAN STAY THOUGH MUSEUM PLAN FELL APART
By Matt Reynolds

Courthouse News Service
Sept 14 2011

(CN) – The Armenian Assembly of America can stay in a downtown
Washington, D.C., building meant to house a contentious, and now
defunct, Armenian Genocide museum and memorial project, a federal
judge ruled.

Earlier this year, the court ruled that the failure to develop the
property into a museum by the Dec. 31, 2010, deadline triggered the
reversion clause of an 11-page grant agreement between the Cafesjian
Family Foundation and the Armenian Assembly of America.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly largely dismissed a series
of claims and counterclaims between the assembly and two former board
members after a 12-day bench trial in November.

The reversion clause required the assembly to transfer all properties
associated with the project over to one of the defendants, Gerard
Cafesjian, according to the court.

Cafesjian helped purchase a building for an Armenian Genocide
museum and memorial, conceived in the late 1990s, and also bought
four properties adjacent to the building, which he later donated to
expand the project.

Cafesjian also assisted in the formation of Armenian Genocide Museum
and Memorial Inc. (AGM&M) but distanced himself from the nonprofit’s
board after it failed to reach consensus on how to complete the museum.

Cafesjian handpicked John Waters, the other defendant, as his successor
on the board. But after Cafesjian sued the assembly for payment of
an unpaid promissory note, the board excluded Waters from further
participation in the project.

“This resulted in a series of lawsuits filed by the parties fighting
for control of AGM&M and alleging mismanagement of the corporation,”
the court said. “The three other AGM&M trustees attempted to move
forward with the project without Waters’s involvement, but they were
unable to raise the funds necessary to implement a development plan.”

After Kollar-Kotelly upheld the validity of the reversion clause,
Cafesjian asked the assembly and Armenian National Institute to vacate
one of the buildings he purchased: the Families U.S.A. Building.

When the assembly refused, arguing that it held a valid leasehold
to the property, Cafesjian asked the court to void that leasehold
interest under the reversion clause.

But Kollar-Kotelly noted Monday that the court had already found that
the lease did not violate the grant agreement.

“Defendants have assumed without discussion that the reversion clause
in the grant agreement created a defeasible estate,” according to the
13-page opinion. “However, based on the structure of the transactions
through which AGM&M acquired title, the court cannot conclude that
AGM&M’s interest in the property was defeasible by CFF’s exercise of
the reversion clause.”

Kollar-Kotelly conceded to the defendants’ basic proposition that the
assembly’s leasehold interest would have been extinguished when AGM&M
transferred the property to the Cafesjian Family Foundation if AGM&M’s
property interest in the Families U.S.A. building was defeasible.

Neither Cafesjian nor his foundation, however, ever held a “direct
interest” in the Families U.S.A. building or other adjacent properties
after they were conveyed to AGM&M by third-party sellers, according
to the court.

Thus, Cafesjian and the foundation did not “retain a reversionary
interest in the properties,” Kollar-Kotelly said.

“At most, Cafesjian and CFF could have an executory interest in
the properties,” she wrote. “However, any defeasible fee interest
subject to an executory interest would have to be created by deed
under D.C. law.”

Kollar-Kotelly stated that the deed conveying title of the building
to AGM&M made “no reference to any conditions that would make the
fee interest defeasible.”

“Therefore, AGM&M took a fee simple absolute interest in the Families
U.S.A. building, and that interest was transferred, not extinguished,
when CFF exercised its rights under the reversion clause in the grant
agreement,” the decision states. “Accordingly, the leasehold interest
conveyed by AGM&M to the Assembly is also transferred.”

The court also denied Cafesjian’s motion for attorneys’ fees for
vexatious litigation.

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO IRAN: ARMENIAN-IRANIAN TRADE VOLUME INCREASED

Panorama
Sept 14 2011
Armenia

“The trade volume between Armenia and Iran has grown. Last year
we’ve recorded 40% of growth and we’ll record another growth this
year also,” Armenian Ambassador to Iran Grigor Arakelyan said in an
interview with Iranian official “IRNA” news agency.

It’s said that Armenian Ambassador has visited Markazi province of
Iran to meet with the businessmen here.

Savehi city mayor said that Ambassador Arakelyan’s visit is aimed at
improving Armenian-Iranian business relations. The Iranian official
has also said that big Iranian industrial companies will attend the
exhibition which Armenia will host in October.