Author: Kanayan Tamar

Dual Power: Semi-Step or Status Quo

Aghassi Matevosyan
15:00 23/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

Ideas on dual power can be based on two main concepts.

First, dual power is a temporary, transitional, shadow activity aimed
at redistributing gradually the available public resources and levers
and handing them over to systems that are elected and trusted by
people.

Second, dual power is the clear division of the available public
resources and levers between two policies, it is a lasting, agreed
state which rules out shadow and the physical split of the civil
society. Lasting competitiveness and establishment of an alert climate
can help optimize the solution of public problems and finally lead to
the discovery of the right option of governance.

Which option will be established well in the consciousness of the
civil society and government? One of them will be brought into being
definitely. Later we will prove it. In addition, assumptions that the
idea of dual power is not acceptable to the government are mistaken.
As far as we have observed, both the civil society and the government
are equally inert to this idea. And both have different reasons for
that.

The main reason for the civil society is the wish of quick and
immediate change of government expressing the will of people and
eliminating the crisis of the state. The reason for the government’s
inertness is the fear of losing the right to handle resources that
belong to people though they will never admit to it, and as a formal
reason they will point to their duty of defending constitutional
order.

We will come back to the content of these two concepts of dual power.
For the time being, let’s dwell on an important circumstance of the
post-electoral relation between Raffi Hovannisian and Serzh Sargsyan.

In their face-to-face meeting, as well as further monologues none of
them voiced proposals on the idea of dual power. Serzh Sargsyan
outlined something (he mentioned constitutional reforms and/or victory
in the local election in Yerevan). These sketches, however, were
rightly refused by Raffi Hovannisian, we think at an emotional, not
conscious level. Rightly, because these sketch-proposals were made by
Serzh Sargsyan not in the context of the idea of dual power but in the
context of deceiving the civil society again. Of course, the
government manipulates Raffi Hovannisian’s refusal and will continue
to manipulate it for a long time but as the consciousness of the civil
society is growing, these manipulations will be reduced to a paragraph
in monitoring reports of international organizations and a pill to
tranquilize the clan.

Raffi Hovannisian stated that he personally will not run in the local
election, explaining that this is not the mission he has committed to
people. So, he again took the right step at the emotional level? Why
do we think it was at the emotional level?

Logically, if a person refuses proposals on wrong steps but does not
propose other steps, he or she loses confidence but not as fast as if
he had accepted proposals on wrong steps. This downfall slows down his
determined position on hunger strike. Hence, there is a number
(conventionally) expressing the confidence of the civil society and
there are forces that increase or decrease this number. The most
independent force is time. It never increases the number. The number
is boosted by conscious (intellectual) actions.

There is no need to think that Raffi Hovannisian does not know about
this rule. However, as long as these actions and steps are at the
emotional level, one supposes that the negative effect of time caused
by delay of conscious steps must be made up for by unexpected
conscious actions.

The idea of dual power has not been understood by the civil society
and the government. It is inevitable though. The phrases `coalition’
and `opposition’ are already history. They will be replaced by dual
power. It is not a problem that the government does not understand it
yet. The phrase `opposition’ also used to be something alien. The
problem is to resolve rapidly and correctly the issue of
self-consciousness of the idea of dual power for both the civil
society and the government and take one of the abovementioned concepts
as a platform.

It is worthwhile to mention that a number of destructive forces
representing both the government and the civil society will actively
resist understanding of this idea. Those will be reactionary forces
that cling to their personal interests and unable to foresee their
steps.

Why the Diaspora Should Join Armenia’s Barevolution

by Tania Sahakian

March 23, 2013

Raffi Hovannisian was asked by a reporter recently, `What would you
like to say to the diaspora?’ His response, `You’re asking me the
wrong question. You should ask the diaspora what they want to say, and
I will listen. Do they want to be part of building a more Democratic
Armenia? If so, I will listen.

The diaspora should join Barevolution, argues Tania Sahakian. (Photo
by Khatchig Mouradian, The Armenian Weekly)

During previous elections, the diaspora has, for the most part,
remained silent. Today, with the Internet, social media, and live
coverage of the election and its aftermath, information has become
more widely available, allowing the diaspora to not only be more
informed and connected, but more involved. However, in the current
state and projected future of the country, the diaspora must utilize
this critical opportunity to get involved in a deeper way if it cares
about the survival and prosperity of the country.

What role can the diaspora play? Do they have any power? Does it
matter to the locals if the diaspora gets involved? The diaspora
already does its part in other spheres; do they have any business
getting involved in daily politics if they don’t live in Armenia? To
answer some of these questions, I turned to local activists who were
at the time writing letters to Serj Tankian asking him to come to
Armenia. When asked why they wanted him to come, they responded with
confidence that if Tankian were to come to Liberty Square, he would
have a vital role to play in Barevolution. After all, in his written
exchange with Tankian, Sarkisian replied to more questions posed by a
diasporan expressing concerns about the election than he has to the
thousands of citizens protesting outside the presidential palace. One
might argue that Serj Tankian may have no business in Armenia’s local
politics, but he is still able to make an impact.

Why is it vital that the diaspora join the movement? Since the last
presidential election, roughly 180,000-250,000 people have left
Armenia, mostly right after the election. Political instability, loss
of hope in the system, monopolization of the country’s resources,
poverty and unemployment are all to blame. Studies on population and
emigration trends show that at the current high rate of emigration and
low birth rate, there will only be one person left in Armenia by 2048.
The diaspora has been fighting for years for the survival of the
Armenian state, carrying out the mission of Hye Tahd (Armenian Cause).
Surely, Armenia’s depopulation and domestic plight should become part
of this mission.

Since regaining independence two decades ago, Armenia has faced no
shortage of regional and internal challenges. It has endured a
devastating earthquake, a war with neighboring Azerbaijan for
Nagorno-Karabakh, and a blockade from two of its four neighboring
countries. This prompted the diaspora to focus on aid to Armenia – and
rightly so. Armenia needed first-responders such as charities.
Diasporans sent food and clothing, or wrote a check to a trusted
charity and felt good about doing their part. Now, more than twenty
years later, the diaspora’s approach towards Armenia must shift, as
Armenia has reached another phase in the effort to build a stable
republic.

Today’s ailments and key threats to the nation’s survival include
widespread emigration, human rights injustices, environmental
degradation, regional hostility, and the suppression of pluralism and
diversity of opinion in the private and public sectors. Oligarchs and
mafia, all of whom are widely believed to have ties to the sitting
president, currently monopolize the country’s thin resources,
neglecting investment in economic development and in a viable middle
class. Therefore, today’s Armenia needs partners, activists, and
human-rights defenders. The Gyumretsi of yesterday needed emergency
earthquake relief, but today she needs a partner in justice, making
sure her voice is heard and her rights and resources are protected.

One does not need to be a rock star in order to play a role in
changing Armenia’s future. Diasporan efforts can play a major role in
providing moral support, resources, or pressuring both the Armenian
and foreign governments to not legitimize fraudulent elections. To
sustain claims of legitimacy, the Sarkisian camp has relied on
congratulations from not only foreign heads of state but diaspora
Armenian organizations. The initial OSCE assessment of the
Presidential election was favorable, which most foreign leaders then
echoed. After local activists intensely protested OSCE’s findings,
OSCE altered their final report to state, `The analysis of official
results shows a correlation between very high turnout and the number
of votes for the incumbent. This raises concerns regarding the
confidence over the integrity of the electoral process.’
Unfortunately, the damage was done, as the preliminary report had
already informed the decisions of several foreign governments to
congratulate Sarkisian. The local effort by activists could have been
bolstered by diasporan efforts abroad to pressure foreign governments
to follow suit and reassess their conclusions about the election.
American Armenians certainly have the power to write to their
congressional leaders in such issues, as do their European
counterparts.

There are many examples of diasporans who have physically joined the
effort. Inspiring stories are being told around town of people
quitting their prestigious jobs to fly to Yerevan to support the wave
of change. Although this kind of commitment is not possible for
everyone, drastic measures are not necessary; moral support can also
go a long way. When local activists were asked what value diasporan
support would offer them, and what kind of support they would like to
see, they stated that, `The homeland is not only for the locals. It is
the homeland of all Armenians. In the last 20 years we have reached
out to the diaspora asking for aid through charities, we cannot tell
them now to not get involved. We shouldn’t have two agendas and split
our resources. The diaspora should be involved in this process
bringing its resources and connections towards concrete actions for
Armenia.’ Recently, the board of the Armenian Law Student’s
Association at Southwestern Law School wrote a letter to Amnesty
International, urging the launch of a supporter mobilization campaign
to assist in collective efforts towards a more democratic Armenia.

Barevoltion is a nationwide movement joined by different groups
working towards the goal of a more democratic, citizen driven
republic. Like every movement in history, change will not come
overnight. It will require a committed group united in the struggle
willing to defy the status quo fighting for the mission of a better
tomorrow. The involvement of the diaspora in Armenia has always been a
controversial topic, but I decided to address it in this article
because the alarm is ringing loud. Armenians in foreign lands needs to
hear it before it is too late, because today the diaspora needs
Armenia as much as Armenia needs the diaspora. The injustices in
Armenia are making our nation ill, and they call for an emergency
departure from the status quo. The diaspora has the resources, the far
reaching network, and the ability to organize and lobby a cause.
Armenia is looking for partners, investors, and activists to make the
average citizen’s voice heard. Our parents’ generation fought to see
an independent Armenia. This generation will be tested to see if they
are able to create a stable, democratic republic for all – including the
diaspora.

Tania Sahakian has worked with numerous Armenian organizations over
the last decade. She moved to Armenia two years ago. Tania served as a
monitor during the 2012 parliamentary elections and the 2013
presidential election in Armenia. She has experience working in
elections in the U.S. and Europe as well, including the U.S.
presidential campaign in 2008 and several senatorial and local
elections. This is her first opinion piece for the Armenian Weekly.

Levon Zurabyan: HAK/ANC is going to fight

03:11 pm | Today | Politics

Armenian National Congress ( HAK) party’s coordinator Levon Zurabyan
considers HAK the most powerful political force in Armenia: “If free
and fair elections are held in Armenia, the Congress would win in any
election, be it parliamentary, presidential or municipal. Therefore I
consider the most powerful political force in Armenia. Do not judge
with the numbers that are registered in the National Assembly, for
instance the number of mandates, etc., we know that they have been
achieved via rigged elections”,- Mr. Zurabyan told Aravot.am.

With what resources HAK is going to win in the coming elections the
coordinator explained: “Do you think that the only resources are the
oligarchs or criminals? HAK’s entire force is that our main resources
are based on ideology and human resources, the biggest resource that
one can have …

It’s right, that despite this the Congress is not still able to
convert into real mandates peoples’ support. But we are not suppressed
absolutely. We will continue our struggle, we will be fighting. I am
sure that in 5 years we could change the country”.

Memorial evening on Sumgait massacre anniversary held in Jerusalem

13:35, 23 March, 2013

JERUSALEM, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS: On initiation of Joint Committee on
Genocide, memorial evening on 25th anniversary of Sumgait massacre
took place in Jerusalem, Armenpress correspondent from Jerusalem,
member of the St. Hakobyants Congregation of Jerusalem, Father,
Archimandrite Koryun Baghdasaryan reported.

Chairman Serob Sahakyan delivered the opening address after which
member of the St. Hakobyants Congregation of Jerusalem, Father,
Archimandrite Koryun Baghdasaryan gave an extended lecture. In his
speech Archimandrite Baghdasaryan mainly underlined that Sumgait
massacre was initially preplanned. List of people to be killed was
initially prepared.

During the memorial evening opera singer Asatour Baljyan presented
with commentaries of Komitas creations. Anoush Nagashyan read the `The
Dance’ of Siamanto and Ashot Ghazaryan read a part from Paruyr Sevak’s
`Anlreli Zangakatun’. Documentary film `An ordinary Genocide’ was
presented during the evening which was concluded by prayer.

Serzh Sarkisian’s Gaffes And The Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus

Friday, March 22nd, 2013

Armenians protest Azeri aggression

BY SETO BOYADJIAN, ESQ.

As Members of Congress and Armenian Americans were celebrating the
25th Anniversary of Artsakh’s freedom and democracy movement on
Capitol Hill last week, Representatives Bill Shuster (R-PA) and Steve
Cohen (D-TN), the co-chairs of Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus,
launched a preemptive campaign against Congressional efforts at
extending recognition to the independent Republic of Artsakh.

In a `Dear Colleague’ letter, the co-chairs cautioned the Members of
Congress against such recognition. They said, `[W]e write to inform
you of our concerns about an effort to involve the US Congress in
recognizing the province of Nagorno-Karabakh as a free and independent
country.’ They argued that `This is contrary to longstanding US policy
in the South Caucuses and would destabilize an area of the world that
desperately needs to resolve its issues peacefully.’

In their letter on behalf of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus,
Shuster and Cohen pleaded with their Congressional colleagues the
following points against recognition of independent Artsakh:

1. That the co-chairs `have no reason to believe that an effort to
create statehood for Nagorno-Karabakh will do anything to relieve the
ethnic and religious tension in the region.’

2. That the existing conflict should be resolved `peacefully and
diplomatically, not by haste or by force.’

3. That, to that end, the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been working toward finding a
peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict.

4. That just two months ago the President of Armenia himself has
`advised against Armenian recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh, warning
that such recognition would end the Minsk talks and force his nation
to prepare for military conflict.’

It is expected of the Azerbaijani lobby to counter Armenian support
for Artsakh with a campaign based on falsehood, false pretenses,
shallow hyping of Azerbaijan’s importance, and distorted facts. This
type of campaign has always been short-lived and very soon falls flat
on its face.

The anti-Artsakh campaign becomes worrisome and attains an air of
credibility when Azeris find the necessary support for their arguments
from Armenian sources. The higher the source, the more reliable
becomes the Azeri position. A flagrant example of this situation is
carried in the `Dear Colleague’ letter where it refers to President
Serzh Sarkisian’s opposition to Armenia’s recognition of independent
Artsakh that he publicly stated two months ago during the presidential
campaigns.

Sarkisian’s opposition to the recognition of Artsakh may be a tactical
move, but formulating his position in an awkward manner is helping
Azeri arguments and damaging the cause of Artsakh.

Unfortunately, Sarkisian has become gaffe-prone when dealing
publically with issues pertaining the Armenian Genocide, Artsakh and
the Armenian Cause.

Just last Tuesday, on March 19, responding to a reporter’s question on
Armenia’s possible recognition of the Republic of Artsakh, Sarkisian
yet again committed the same gaffe on this matter. He said that such
recognition `would not bring any benefit for Armenians neither in
Armenia nor in Karabakh.’

What’s more ironic, he went on to echo one of the points of the `Dear
Colleague’ letter by stating that recognition would halt the peace
process led by the OSCE Minsk Group. He said, `This step could hit the
co-chair countries in the Minsk group like a slap in the face. If a
war breaks out, we cannot fight against the whole world. Such a
decision would ruin our weight in the international area. Our citizens
would not probably benefit from it.’

This was manna from heaven for the Azeris. They immediately began
exploiting it, as they had done with prior gaffes of Sarkisian.
Thousands of Azeri tweets went out claiming, `Armenia admits
recognition of Karabakh would violate the Minsk protocol and do no
good for Armenians.’ This gaffe will now reinforce the position of the
Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus in its quest to undermine Armenian
American efforts in support of Artsakh’s self-determination and
independence.

Sarkisian’s diplomatic faux-pas and political gaffes damaging
essential Armenian issues are not new. They began at the onset of his
first presidency in Moscow when he announced his `football’ diplomacy
with Turkey, and went on to repeat them over and over again: On the
eve of April 24, he gave an interview in New York Times downplaying
the acknowledgment of Armenian Genocide; instead of detecting the
inherent dangers of the Protocols with Turkey, he cherished them as a
source of salvation to Armenia; in an attempt to please President
Obama, he equated `Medz Yeghern’ to Genocide. His last attempt at
gaffes was his repeated negation of Artsakh’s independence.

One of the fundamental qualities expected of Armenia’s President is to
minimize public gaffes that jeopardize national interests. An equally
fundamental quality is to avoid awkward enunciations that may be
exploited against the national cause.

So far Serzh Sarkisian has been missing on both counts.

Seto Boyadjian is an attorney and serves on the national board of ANCA.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

DELEGATES OF THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA PRESENT AT THE ENTHRONEMENT OF
POPE FRANCIS I

On Tuesday 19 March 2013, the delegates representing His Holiness Aram I
attended the enthronement of Pope Francis I at St. Peter’s Cathedral. The
delegation consisted of Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the
Western Diocese of the USA, Archbishop Nareg Alemezian, Ecumenical Officer,
and benefactors Alecco and Annie Bezikian. On Wednesday, the delegates met
with Pope Francis I, congratulated him and transmitted the greetings of His
Holiness Aram I. The Pope in return sent his greetings to His Holiness Aram
I.
##
Photo:

ARMENIANS FLEE WAR IN SYRIA FOR HOMELAND, ONE CENTURY AFTER THEY LEFT MASS KILLINGS IN TURKEY

International Business Times
March 22 2013

By Palash R. Ghosh | March 22 2013 1:40 PM

Thousands of Armenians have fled the violent crisis in Syria for
their ancestral homeland after almost a century in the country.

According to a report in ArmeniaNow, at least 6,000 Armenian families
have departed (or were forced out of) Syria since the civil war
erupted two years ago.

BBC puts the number closer to 10,000.

Vardan Poghosyan took his family from the northeastern Syrian city
of Qamishli to the Kashatagh region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“It was my decision to come directly to Karabakh,” he told ArmeniaNow.

“Rather than going to Europe or America, why not come and live in
our homeland?” Gayane Soghomonyan, the head of the General Education
Department of the City Hall at Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, told
reporters the Syrian arrivals face unique problems aside from jobs and
housing. For one thing, there is a language issue – Syrian-Armenians
speak either Arabic or ‘western Armenian,’ while most Armenians speak
‘eastern Armenian,’ a somewhat different dialect with Russian mixed in.

Of Syria’s estimated 120,000-strong Armenian population prior to the
civil war, the majority were clustered in the northeastern city of
Aleppo near the Turkish border, which has witnessed heavy fighting and
bombings since the revolt against Bashar al-Assad’s regime broke out.

The departure of Armenians from Syria reverses a mass migration
from a century ago in which a program of state-sponsored genocide by
the Ottoman Empire of Turkey triggered a huge exodus of Armenians –
to Syria and other parts of the world.

In both cases, Armenians fled war and mass killings.

A Syrian-Armenian named Sarkis Atamian, a native of Aleppo and a
musician, moved to Yerevan, which now has a cluster of restaurants
and other businesses catering to arrivals from Syria.

Atamian noted that while the Assad regime was generally tolerant
towards non-Muslim minorities, as Christian , many Armenians are
fearful of what may happen in the future if Islamic fundamentalists
seize power in Syria.

“The good thing here in Armenia is that you know the language, the
alphabet, the religion,” Atamian told BBC.

“When I came here, I thought: ‘the people look like [me]. The faces,
physically, they’re like [me]!'”

The Armenian government has taken an official stance of neutrality
with respect to Syria, fearing that expressing support for either
Assad or the rebels might endanger the lives of Armenians still
trapped in Syria.

Nora Pilibbossian, an ethnic Armenian who fled Syria and set up
a school in Yerevan for Armenian, children gravely worries about
the future.

“I get so upset when I see what’s going on in Syria right now,”
she told BBC.

“God know what’s going to happen. That’s where we were born, grew
up and went to school. We had our homes there, and our friendships
with Syrian-Arabs, who we lived and worked with. Now we’ve left
everything behind.”

In addition, despite the fact that Armenia is a relatively poor,
isolated country with a 20 percent unemployment rate, Armenians are
welcoming their blood brothers and sisters, given the tragic history
of the Armenian Diaspora.

“Everyone understands that they are the descendants of those Armenians
who died in the [1915 Turkish] genocide. We all want to do something
to help,” said Firdus Zakarian, an official with Armenia’s Ministry
of Diaspora.

But Zakarian also added: “Syrian-Armenians are arriving every week. It
is hard for Armenia. We do not have the strongest economy, but we
are trying to do everything we can so they don’t feel more pain.”

Sarkis Assadourian, a former MP in Canada, is an Armenian who grew
up in Aleppo, Syria.

In the Median district where he lived in during the 1960s, ” 90 percent
of the people were Armenian. Nobody bothered us. The Muslims called us
‘our Armenian brothers,'” he told the Toronto Star newspaper.

” Our teacher was a Sunni Muslim, and she adopted an Armenian orphan.

There was no hatred toward our community.”

But now Assadourian also fears the Islamic rebels in Syria as much
as Assad.

“Assad was wrong,” he said. “He used cannon to kill a fly. But what
will happen if fundamentalists take over? Christians are losing ground
throughout the Middle East. In Syria, there will be very few left.”

Richard Giragosian, director of Regional Studies Center (RSC),
an independent think-tank located in Yerevan, explained to Voice
of America that Armenians have always been a people ‘on the go’ –
never quite comfortable anywhere they have lived in.

Indeed, Armenians left Egypt in 1952 after Gamal Abdel Nasser assumed
power.

“Then it was Beirut, then the [Lebanese] civil war,” he said. “Then
it was Tehran [Iran]. They left in 1979 in large numbers. So there
is a natural dynamic trend for change in what is called the Armenian
Diaspora. So the Armenian position in the Middle East has never been
static or stable.”

LOSER OF ARMENIA POLLS EXTENDS HUNGER STRIKE

Agence France Presse
March 21, 2013 Thursday 2:04 PM GMT

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian’s top challenger in last month’s
election vowed Thursday to continue his 11-day hunger strike until
the ex-Soviet state’s leader renounces his win in a vote he claims
was rigged.

Raffi Hovannisian urged Sarkisian, due to be inaugurated on April 9,
not to take “a false oath.”

“Only over my dead body can he lay his hand on the constitution and
the Bible.”

Sarkisian “must reject office on April 9 or put forward an adequate
solution of the political crisis,” Hovannisian told journalists.

Sarkisian won February 18 polls with 58.64 percent of the votes
against Hovannisian’s 36.75 percent of votes.

But Hovannisian claimed that the result was rigged and that he was
the true winner.

Observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly said the election was
an improvement on past polls but lacked real competition after two
leading candidates pulled out late last year.

Armenia’s Central Elections Commission said the vote was free of
serious violations.

FEWER IRANIAN TOURISTS EXPECTED IN ARMENIA

Haykakan Zhamanak, Armenia
March 19 2013

[Translated from Armenian]

Yerevan, 19 March: In an interview with Haykakan Zhamanak daily,
the head of the Tourism and Economic Development of the Armenian
Economy Ministry, Mekhak Apresyan, expressed hope that the number of
Iranian tourists coming to Armenia during Nowruz [Iranian New Year]
holiday will be as same as 2012.

However, travel agencies forecast a sharp tenfold drop in the number
of [Iranian] tourists. A travel agency said that this year two buses
crossed the Iran-Armenia border daily. Last year during the same
period, however, the figure stood at 10.

Each Iranian visiting Armenia during the Nowruz holidays on
average spent 1,000 US dollars. This greatly helped to prevent the
devaluation of the dram. However, this beneficial effect will diminish
significantly this year.

It should be noted that the dollar exchange rate against Armenian dram
in exchange offices of Yerevan amounted to 416. Last year during the
same period, however, the exchange rate was lower, which was the result
of the great volume of foreign currency brought in by Iranian tourists.

ARMENIAN AGRICULTURE MINISTRY PROPOSES FARMERS TO EXPAND AREAS UNDER CORN AND PULSES CROPS

YEREVAN, March 22. /ARKA/. Armenian Deputy Agriculture Minister Garnik
Petrosyan finds it necessary to enlarge areas under corn crop and
grain in the country.

He said today that climate in Armenia is very favorable for cultivating
corn.

The deputy minister said it would be better to cultivate corn here
instead of importing dozens of tons of corn seeds fro other countries.

He said areas under pulses crop, including peas, beans and lentils,
should be expanded as well.

Petrosyan said that farmers may use Ararat and Armavir provinces’
areas which were affected by potato and tomato moth in 2012.

He said there are 450,000 hectares under crop in the country.

According to the National Statistical Service of Armenia, 3,000
hectares are under corn crop and 2,000 under