Author: Kanayan Tamar

Wife of Armenia’s Control Service Head Gets $200K in Loans Without Any
Declared Income

Grisha Balasanyan
11:41, January 8, 2015

How does one obtain over US$200,000 in loans without having any
official income to show?

Well, in Armenia, is doesn’t hurt to be married to Sargis Grigoryan,
who heads the Control Service of Armenia’s Prime Minister.

Despite the fact that Armineh Kocharyan, Grigoryan’s wife, never
worked in 2013 and declared no financial revenues, she was able to
receive three substantial bank loans – US$50,000, US$30,000 and 41
million AMD (US$86,320).

Naturally, the question arises as to how she convinced the banks to
advance her credit given her lack of declared revenue. Or, perhaps,
she’s just concealed her financial assets from public scrutiny and the
banks know this to be the case.

So much for the financial transparency heralded by the government when
President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree to form a Commission on
Ethics of High-Level Officials on January 9, 2012. At the time,
Sargsyan proclaimed that the Commission’s mission would be to increase
social trust toward public institutions in the country, create a
system of good governance, as well as make high-level officials’
activities more transparent and public.

Needless to say, the Commission has yet to reveal anything about top
officials that would engender such public trust. To be fair, according
to the law the Commission’s powers are somewhat restricted and, even
if it wanted to, the body doesn’t have the teeth to carry out its
stated mission.

In countries where they are serious about following the money trails
of top government officials, the loans obtained by Armineh Kocharyan
would have raised a few red flags; but not in Armenia.

Whereas banks require village farmers seeking much smaller loans to
put up substantial collateral (houses, property, etc.) and have 3-5
individuals sign as loan guarantors, Kocharyan received those loans in
2013 and another 40 million AMD ($84,000) in 2012, showing no
financial revenues.

Now, let’s get back to her husband Sargis Grigoryan, who’s headed the
Control Service since 2003, and his financial dealings.

In 2010, he declared 250,000 Euros and 4 million AMD in cash assets.
By the end of2011, those figures had changed to 100,000 Euros and 6
million AMD. By the way, his only declared income that year was 4.420
million AMD in salary.

Where Grigoryan obtained the 250,000 Euros in the first place and what
happened to the 150,000 Euros in the course of one year is anyone’s
guess.

Evidently, Armenia’s Ethics Committee isn’t losing any sleep over the matter.

$200k-in-loans-without-any-declared-income.html/

British expert: EU will hardly relax strategy on Russia

19:59, 07.01.2015

There are not many reasons to believe that the EU strategy on Russia
will show signs of gradual relaxation in the immediate future, Gunter
Walzenbach, senior lecturer at the University of the West of England,
said.

As long as the threat to the territorial integrity of Ukraine is real
and present the EU sanction regime will continue both in terms of
target selection and comprehensiveness, he said responding to an
e-mail inquiry by Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Asked whether the sanction regime imposed by the EU had an impact on
Russia’s foreign policy, Walzenbach said it is always difficult to
assess the impact of sanctions on any particular target country.

“Historically we know that sanctions sometimes work and sometimes they
do not. From my point of view the policy makers in Brussels indeed
have reasons to be satisfied with the relative success of their
approach. The official EU account sees the range of restrictive
measures that have been introduced as part of an attempt to change
Russia’s policy vis-a-vis Ukraine. However, these come with parallel
efforts to keep communication lines open and that try to achieve a
diplomatic solution through peaceful negotiation, ” the political
analyst said.

Moreover, the EU has at a very early stage excluded any military
intervention in the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

“As a consequence, there seem to be not many other instruments left on
part of the Union to articulate its opposition to the course of action
chosen by Vladimir Putin in recent months”.

The Russian economy is clearly feeling the impact of sanctions further
augmented by pre-existing structural problems, the falling oil prices
and the retaliatory imposition of trade embargos especially for
agricultural products from European markets, he emphasized.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

Victims of New World Order Are Known

Naira Hayrumyan, Political Commentator
Comments – 08 January 2015, 18:27

The U.S. President Barack Obama threatens to veto bill on Keystone
pipeline between the United States and Canada. “If this bill passes
this Congress, the president wouldn’t sign it,” White House Press
Secretary Josh Earnest said.

Recently the great powers have tended to give up on the construction
of oil and gas pipelines. Russia has given up on South Stream despite
investments amounting to 5 billion dollars. Earlier China had refused
to build a pipeline to Russia, and Putin’s statement on laying out a
pipeline to Turkey via the Black Sea sounds like demagogy not
supported by anything. Yet earlier Europe had refused Nabucco.

“Unexpected” loss of interest in new pipelines confirms that oil and
gas are losing their geopolitical importance. An energy revolution is
going on in the world, and now it is already being felt. Discovery of
new sources of energy, creation of thermonuclear batteries, mass
production of electric cars has resulted in sudden change of the
policy of global powers. Geopolitics based on oil and gas is ending.

The United States is producing oil and gas, causing prices to drop.
Iran already is not trying to make new deals, directing its entire
potential at seeking for new sources, namely the maintenance and
development of the nuclear program. All these countries are interested
in blocking the way of its “competitor” Russian oil.

Apparently, this tendency determines the global politics, bringing
about serious consequences for both major and small states. Therefore,
prices of oil keep falling, “caliphates” emerge which are used by some
to get their share of Iraqi oil, Russia weakens and grows aggressive
and a lot of other processes are underway.

With its huge human and scientific potential Armenia can find its
place in the new global system if the consequences of the energy
revolution, its impact on the world’s map and our region are
estimated. Obviously, Russia will not have an honorable place on the
new energy map. The country which will have new energy technology and
will manage them will have advantage in the new setting.

All this does not seem real but sudden changes of the world are
already visible. Why is nobody surprised at the low prices of oil? It
seems funny that the United States and Arab states incur losses to
weaken Russia. Russia is part of the Western system and is fully
dependent on it. Hence, Russia is not a purpose but a victim. How many
victims will there be?

People pay tribute to Charlie Hebdo victims at French embassy in Armenia

15:55 * 08.01.15

Members of the newly created Facebook group “Condoling with the people
of France” are paying tribute to the victims of the terrorist act in
Paris.

“We condemn the terrorist act in France. If you wish to offer your
condolences to the people of France, we request that you visit the
French Embassy in Armenia on January 8and leave flowers and a pencil
at the enclosure thus paying tribute to the Charlie Hebdo victims,”
reads a message on the group’s Facebook page.

Glendale Memorial Hosts Armenia Christmas Service and Water Blessing

13:28, 08 Jan 2015

On Monday, January 5, Armenian Christmas was celebrated at Glendale
Memorial Hospital with the Blessing of Water ceremony conducted by
Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian who was assisted by
Rev. Fr. Boghos Tinkjian and the St. Mary’s Church pastors.

The service was held in the Main Lobby with the participation of
Glendale Memorial Hospital President Jack Ivie, Glendale Police Chief
Robert Castro, City Council member Paula Devine, City Commissioner
Seda Khojayan, City Manager Scott Ochoa, Mary Hovaguimian representing
Congressman Adam Schiff, Taline Mangioglu representing State Senator
Carol Liu, administrators, and staff, Asbarez reports.

President Jack Ivie welcomed the Prelate and clergy, thanking them for
their traditional Christmas visit, and greeted also the honored
guests, wishing a happy new year to all.

The Prelate conveyed his New Year and Christmas greetings and well
wishes to the Glendale Memorial Hospital family and guests. He
explained that the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Birth and
Baptism of Christ on the same day and gave an overview of the Blessing
of Water ceremony and of the Holy Muron, which is used during the
ceremony from a dove-shaped vessel, symbolizing the descent of the
Holy Spirit during Christ’s Baptism. The Birth of our Lord is the
greatest gift bestowed to mankind, the manifestation of God’s infinite
love, said the Prelate, a gift which continues to give centuries later
and continues to transform hearts and souls with hope, love, and
goodwill. At the start of a new year, the Prelate urged all to resolve
to be thankful to God daily for His blessings of health and wellness,
for the love of family and friends, and for the successes we enjoy.
“May Christ be born again within our hearts and generate new life
within us so that we can live with goodness in His example, and spread
His love and mercy within our surroundings, and especially to the less
fortunate”. In conclusion, His Eminence commended the compassionate
care provided at the facility, prayed for the health of the patients,
and wished a blessed year for all filled with the priceless gifts of
health, love, peace, and joy.

The Blessing of the Home service was then conducted, during which
prayers were offered beseeching the Lord to protect and keep in peace
the facility and all within it. The Blessing of Water followed,
symbolizing the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River and His
Revelation as God. The service concluded with the Lord’s Prayer.
Guests were offered the blessed water and received prayer cards as
mementos. Afterward, the Prelate visited patient rooms to offer
prayers for healing. The Prelate also blessed a newborn baby and
conveyed his congratulations and well wishes to the parents.

LIBAN
Sa Sainteté Aram I rend visite aux personnes gées à Bourj Hammoud

Le 30 Décembre 2014 Sa Sainteté Aram Ier, accompagné par les membres
de la confrérie, a visité la maison pour les personnes gées à Bourj
Hammoud, sa dernière visite pastorale de 2014.

Les membres du conseil d’administration et la Direction ont accueilli
le Catholicos, qui les a remerciés pour leur prise en charge et
l’engagement envers les personnes gées.

S’adressant aux résidents, Sa Sainteté les a assurés de la continuité
des soins de la communauté. Il a dit que chaque membre de la
communauté est appelée à répondre à l’appel de Jésus à servir selon sa
capacité parce que “les plus grands sont ceux qui servent.”

Après avoir participé au programme culturel de poésie et hymnes et des
cantiques de Noël, Sa Sainteté Aram I a remercié les résidents et le
personnel pour leurs bons voeux et leur a donné sa bénédiction.

jeudi 8 janvier 2015,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

USA
Plus de 57 000 $ recueillis par les écoles arméniennes en Californie
pour leurs homologues syrienness

Lorsque le Comité exécutif du Fonds de secours Arméno- Syrien (SARF) a
fait appel aux écoles arméniennes en Californie pour aider leurs
frères et soeurs en Syrie, il n’a pas fallu longtemps pour que 11
d’entre elles commencent diverses activités de collecte de fonds dans
leurs écoles respectives.

Sous le slogan “Un petit cadeau de mon école à la vôtre,” ils ont
organisé divers événements de collecte de fonds, allant de ventes de
ptisseries et lave-autos à des marathons de danses et des marathons
de marche, amassant un total de 57,613.03 $.

Au-delà de son objectif financier, cette entreprise avait aussi une
fonction éducative car elle a enseigné aux étudiants l’importance de
donner à ceux qui sont moins chanceux qu’eux et comment nos efforts
peuvent aider à faire une différence dans la vie de nos frères et
soeurs arméniens à l’étranger. Beaucoup d’écoles ont indiqué que leurs
élèves étaient allés jusqu’à donner leur argent du déjeuner pour cette
noble cause.

Ha’aretz, Israel
Jan 8 2015

Israel won’t recognize Armenian genocide, says ambassador

Diplomat in Azerbaijan expresses hope to improve relations with Turkey.

By Haaretz | Jan. 8, 2015 | 7:50 PM

Israel does not plan to recognize the Armenian genocide perpetrated by
Turkey, Rafael Harpaz, Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, told Azeri
website Trend.

“Israel is a democratic country, everybody has two opinions, not one
opinion,” Harpaz said. “The government has a very clear opinion.”

He said Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had made Israel’s policy clear.

Harpaz told Trend he hoped Israel’s troubled relations with Turkey
would improve.

“There are enough common interests and issues in the world for us to
cooperate,” Harpaz reportedly said. “I would like to take an example
of Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines is the biggest foreign airline
which is active in Israel. Istanbul is the biggest hub for Israelis.
The same goes for tourism, trade which is up. We hope that our
political relations with Turkey will improve.”

Harpaz has served as Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan since 2012.

Rolling Stone
Jan 8 2015

Genocide and Kim Kardashian: The Bloody History Behind System of a Down’s Tour

Frontman Serj Tankian on the mission driving the band’s music and the
hopes for a new album

By Kory Grow | January 8, 2015

Between their spasmodic rhythms and jagged melodies, System of a Down
have always been committed to a sobering cause: raising recognition
for the Armenian genocide of 1915. The group’s self-titled debut LP
contained a song called “P.L.U.C.K.,” in which frontman Serj Tankian
sang “A whole race, genocide/Taken away all of our pride,” and over
the years the band has held several one-off “Souls” concerts to help
raise awareness of the tragedy.

Now the group, whose members are all children of survivors, is
commemorating the 100th anniversary of the genocide ` in which Ottoman
Turks began arresting and executing some 1.5 million Armenians,
something that Turkey and several countries still refuse to recognize
officially ` with an international tour named “Wake Up the Souls.”
This will end on April 23rd, the day before Armenia commemorates the
anniversary, with the group’s very first performance in the country of
their ancestors. The band plans on livestreaming the concert so people
all over the world can watch.

System of a Down have also set up an interactive “heat map” on their
website, allowing fans to learn about how different parts of the world
have reacted to the genocide, including which countries have
officially recognized it. Elsewhere, they host a call to action
motivating fans to ask the Turkish president and parliament for
recognition.

“Part of it is bringing attention to the fact that genocides are still
happening, whether you use the word ‘genocide,’ ‘holocaust’ or
‘humanitarian catastrophe,'” Tankian says. “None of that is changing.
We want to be part of that change. We want the recognition of the
first genocide of the 20th century to be a renewal of confidence that
humanity can stop killing itself.” He chuckles. “I say that, laughing,
because obviously it’s ridiculous.”

Why have you decided to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian genocide with a tour?
This is a recommitment and expansion of some of the work that we’ve
been doing with the Armenian genocide for years. The whole “Souls”
concept became a tour, and it’s something that we all believe in
because we’re all children of survivors of the genocide. It’s
important for the recognition of the genocide as an end result, as
well as attaining justice.

What are the steps toward attaining justice?
I think for us it’s important for Turkey to know its own history in a
truthful manner. It’s not just about the genocide of the Armenians,
Greeks and Assyrians, but what’s going on now. There are no executable
international agreements that have to do with stopping the genocide.
Irrespective of a number of great U.N. bodies and even U.S.-based
bodies in terms of genocide prevention, there’s no binding resolution
on any genocide or holocaust occurring. We still see them happening. I
read in today’s press that they discovered a mass grave in Deir Ezzor
in Syria of ISIS massacres of this one tribe there, and it reminded me
of all the bones that are under those sands in Deir Ezzor from the
first genocide of the 20th century in the exact same place. If that’s
not symbolism, I don’t know what is.

Your grandparents both lived through the Armenian genocide. What did
they tell you about it?
They had these incredible, haunting stories of their survival. They
were both toddlers, small children. My grandmother and her grandmother
were saved by a Turkish mayor in a small city, as they were being
marched through Turkey toward Syria, toward Deir Ezzor, the desert.
They were saved in that way. My grandfather lost the majority of his
family on the pogrom. He ended up in a number of different orphanages
and ended up in Lebanon, in terms of finding a home there and growing
up there. Just really heart-wrenching stories.

When my grandfather was still alive, we had them on camera for this
film that we were part of called Screamers. It was a nice partial
telling of his story, which was very fulfilling for me. We got a
camera crew to tape 16 hours of these important stories that are
disappearing because the survivors are almost all gone.

You’ve played in Armenia as a solo artist. How was that experience for you?
It was really amazing. The first time was with my band, the F.C.C., on
my solo tour throughout Europe. We played a show in a beautiful, large
theater. The second time, I played with an Armenian orchestra called
the Opera Orchestra of Armenia. We played at the opening of a
non-profit technology center called Tumo. There were about 11,000
people in this beautiful courtyard by a park, on a built stage
overlooking this gorgeous gorge. It was truly amazing. A lot of youth,
a lot of excitement. It was really very encouraging as to what the
future of Armenia has to embrace.

Have you gotten a sense of how people there feel about the band doing
this concert?
In Armenia, our status is unparalleled. I don’t want to use any
monikers like the Beatles or anything, but it’s a unique kind of
thing. So we want to go there and play for the people, which we’ve
never done as System of a Down. It’s quite exciting.

How is it that System of a Down have never played Armenia?
You know, that’s a really good question. I don’t have a direct answer
to that. We’ve been asked to play, but it’s never transpired either
due to timing or the challenge of investment in infrastructure. It
takes time for any of the large performance infrastructure to take
place.

Has the band ever played in Turkey?
No. We were looking into Turkey as one of the dates of this Wake Up
the Souls tour. We needed to get permission from the government, based
on our outspokenness about the genocide and against the actions of
[then-Turkish Prime Minister Recep] ErdoÄ?an’s government in
particular. At the time, the new prime minister had just stepped in,
which was the old foreign minister, and of course ErdoÄ?an became
president and left the prime minister’s post. We waited a while, but
we never got a response, so we planned the rest of the tour.

What is your relationship with Turkish fans like? It must be hard for
you not to be able to play for them.
Totally. I personally want to go play there. Our relationship with
them has been really cool. Years ago, someone planted things in the
Turkish press trying to denounce us, I’m assuming an agent of the
government, saying that we’ve done things that we’ve never done. So we
put up something on our website saying that all of this is
misinformation, please don’t listen to it. It’s all lies. Our fans
were the ones that protected us in Turkey. They wrote to the editors
of those newspapers who were planting this misinformation, this
disinformation, and fought for us. Our jaws dropped. Here we have fans
in Turkey that are protecting System of a Down. No society is
unipolar.

Do you think Turkey will ever recognize the genocide?
I think it’s very possible. I just read that there is a resolution for
recognition for all past crimes, including the Armenian genocides `
named specifically ` that was just introduced to the Turkish
parliament by a minority Kurdish MP, Sebahat Tuncel. Although I’m sure
they don’t have majority to pass it, that’s an amazing sign not just
of courage for her to bring that up, but that times could be changing,
and that’s a positive thing.

Speaking of times changing, there are Armenian celebrities drawing
attention to the genocide lately.
Absolutely. For all the flak people give Kim Kardashian, I could say
that with her yearly commemorations of the Armenian genocide and
spreading that word, she’s been valuable. She’s been great.

She can raise a lot of awareness.
Absolutely. She’s got more Twitter people than I do, that’s for sure [laughs].

Shifting topics, it’s been 10 years since the last System of a Down
album. Are you guys talking about making a new one yet?
There has been talk, and we are going to play this tour, come back and
we’re going to see where we are. If we have songs that work for
System, if I have them and Daron [Malakian, guitar] has them. The
openness is there to work together, but we haven’t made any particular
plans that we can announce.

Have you personally written songs with System in mind?
I have a few that could apply, but I’m not sure until the time comes
where I can actually play them for the guys and see if it’s something
that vibes off them.

Right now, I’m actually focusing on a film score. It’s actually a
really cool score, and it’s for a film based on, again, the genocide.
That’s all I’m dealing with right now. It’s called 1915. It’s a very
interesting drama that’s actually shot in Los Angeles at the Los
Angeles Theater, a very old and distinguished theater. It’s a really,
really interesting psychological thriller, modern story. It deals with
denial and the psychological impacts of a genocide rather than the
physical aspects of it.

Getting back to a new System album, I’m sure your fans are curious
where you’re at.
They will be the first to know. Fans will know before the press knows,
I assure you.

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Jan 7 2015

Council of Europe hails Turkey’s decision to build a church in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Bartholomew I performs a mass for
Christmas on Jan. 6, which is celebrated by Orthodox Christians across
the world.

The Council of Europe has hailed Turkey’s decision to allow the
building of a new church for the Syriac community in Istanbul, which
will be the first new church to be built in the country in nearly a
century.

`The Council of Europe welcomes Turkey’s decision to permit a newly
built Christian church in Istanbul as sign of diversity,’ wrote Daniel
Holtgen, spokesperson for the secretary general of the Council of
Europe, said via his Twitter account on Jan. 7.

The church will serve the tiny Syriac community in Turkey and will be
built in the Istanbul suburb of YeÅ?ilköy on the shores of the Sea of
Marmara, which already hosts a number of old Greek Orthodox, Armenian
and Catholic churches.

The state will allocate an area for the construction of the church,
officials from the Prime Ministry stated on Jan. 2.

`It is the first [new church] since the creation of the republic [in
1923]. Churches have been restored and reopened to the public, but no
new church has been built until now,’ a government source told AFP.

The announcement came after Prime Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu met
Turkey’s religious leaders in Istanbul on Jan. 2, during which he said
`no faith that has lived in this country could be regarded as
foreign.’

The religious representatives and the prime minister discussed a
number of issues during the meeting, with DavutoÄ?lu emphasizing
`unity’ during his speech.

`All [representatives] are equal and real citizens of the Republic of
Turkey,’ he said.

DavutoÄ?lu also invited the religious leaders for a New Year’s meal at
the Prime Ministry’s office.

January/07/2015