Author: Mamian George

A LOOK AT ISSUES DIVIDING NEIGHBORS ARMENIA AND TURKEY

Washington Examiner
Sept 2 2009

(AP) Issues dividing neighbors Armenia and Turkey, which announced
Monday they would establish diplomatic relations for the first time:

GENOCIDE: Bitterly divided by killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians
by Ottoman Turks during World War I, which many scholars consider
first genocide of 20th century. Armenia wants it recognized as one of
worst humanitarian atrocities. Turkey denies it constituted genocide,
contending toll has been inflated and dead were victims of civil war
and unrest that killed Muslims as well as overwhelmingly Christian
Armenians.
___

NAGORNO-KARABAKH: Disagree over Nagorno-Karabakh, predominantly ethnic
Armenian region of Azerbaijan controlled by separatists. Turkey closed
border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with ally Azerbaijan, with
which Turks share common language, culture and religion. Move hurt
landlocked Armenia’s economy.
___

SLAYING OF TURKISH DIPLOMATS: Relations strained by murders of dozens
of Turkish diplomats in 1970s and ’80s by extremists seeking to expand
Armenian homeland in eastern Turkey and vengeance for slayings of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks. Militants also attacked Turkish Airlines
counter at Paris’s Orly Airport in 1983, killing eight people and
wounding 56.

ACAA ANNOUNCES HONOREES FOR ANNUAL BANQUET IN SUPPORT OF ANCA EASTERN REGION

acaa-announces-honorees-for-annual-banquet-in-supp ort-of-anca-eastern-region/
August 28, 2009

Bandazian and Kerneklian Named Vahan Cardashian Awardees

NEW YORK-The Armenian Cultural Association of America (ACAA) announced
the honorees for the Third Annual Banquet and Awards Program in
support of the Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region
and its tradition of service to the Armenian American community. The
ACAA will host the event, which will take place on Saturday, October
3 at Espace in New York City.

As a key part of the banquet’s awards program, the Vahan Cardashian
Award will be presented to the brother-sister pair of Bedros Bandazian
and Melanie Kerneklian, both from Richmond, Va., who have dedicated a
lifetime of steadfast activism to the ANCA at both local and leadership
levels. Influential figures in their state’s political and community
life, having served volunteer appointments to a number of state-wide
projects and commissions, Bandazian and Kerneklian are among the
founders of the Richmond ANC and have led countless grassroots
educational campaigns in support of Armenian issues.

Both awardees were instrumental in a campaign aimed at introducing
the teaching of the Armenian Genocide into the Virginia standards of
learning, an effort that was featured in the PBS documentary series
Frontline in March 2002. Both played critical roles in spearheading
the Virginia Governor’s Commission on Armenian Affairs under different
governors. Alongside many leadership accomplishments within the ACAA,
ANCA and ANCA Endowment, Bandazian established a longstanding record of
Virginia gubernatorial proclamations related to the Armenian Genocide
and has been pivotal in founding the acclaimed Armenian Heritage
Cruise, an event that has become a prominent cultural tradition in the
Armenian-American community over the last decade. During her tenure
as a lead staff member to then Virginia State Delegate Eric Cantor
(currently minority whip of the U.S. House of Representatives),
Kerneklian was a driving force in educating the Virginia legislature
on the Armenian Genocide. The Turkish government, supported by it

s lobby and Virginia’s tobacco and defense corporations, responded
to these grassroots educational efforts with heavy-handed political
maneuvers. Ultimately, these educational efforts resulted in the
legislature’s passage of an Armenian Genocide resolution in 2000.

"We are pleased to honor Bedros Bandazian and Melanie Kerneklian with
the Vahan Cardashian Award," said ACAA spokesperson George Aghjayan
"These are two individuals who have repeatedly demonstrated the power
of grassroots education and activism-especially in a small Armenian
community. Their contributions to the ANC and the Armenian community
are an inspiration."

The Vahan Cardashian Award is given annually to an ANCA supporter who
demonstrates longstanding dedication and active involvement in the
Armenian American community and its issues. The award is named for
Yale-educated lawyer Vahan Cardashian who set aside his successful
New York practice to dedicate himself to the establishment of the
American Committee for the Independence of Armenia (ACIA), predecessor
organization to the Armenian National Committee, and to advocate for
the plight of the Armenian nation.

Plans are currently being finalized for the banquet. The evening
will begin with a silent auction and cocktail reception, followed
by dinner and awards program. For more information and reservations,
call 312-615-7698.

Established in 1969, ACAA is a 501©3 charitable organization that
assists and supports impoverished people of Armenian origin; welfare
institutions that aid those of Armenian origin; and educational and
charitable organizations that encourage and develop the Armenian
cultural heritage. The ACAA also aids students, authors, artists and
researchers who are pursuing intellectual efforts in Armenian culture
and education, and publishes educational, scientific and literary
books that raise the educational, cultural and intellectual standards
of the community. The ACAA sponsors projects both in the Republic of
Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora. It also serves as a repository of
historic Armenian national documents and archives.

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA: WE MUST LOOK FORWARD BUT WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO FORGET OUR PAST

ArmInfo
2009-08-31 11:25:00

ArmInfo. We do not consider recognition of Genocide as precondition
to establishment of relations with Turkey, President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan says in an interview with BBC.

Asked if Armenia is ready for concessions in the issue of the
events of 1915 and their recognition by Turkey as Genocide, the
president said: "It is very important, indeed. It is important for
our nation, for Turkey and for the world. It is important to restore
historical justice. It is important for our nations to establish
normal relations. And after all it is important to prevent that in
future. Nevertheless, we do not consider recognition of the genocide
as a precondition to establishment of relations." In response to the
specifying question if a compromise is possible, S. Sargsyan said: "No.

It must not be considered as compromise. It is not the very case
for speaking of a compromise. We say the following: yes, there was
genocide and irrespective of whether Turkey recognizes that or not,
this fact is recognized by all the genocide specialists in the world
and by many-many countries. In the present condition, we do not
consider it as a precondition to establishing relations with Turks. "

In response to the following comparison that driving a car one must
follow the traffic not forgetting about the side mirror, S. Sargsyan
said: "Yes. I understand what this means. This means that we must
look forward but we have no right to forget our past."

FORGIVE THE MILITANTS, NOT THE FRENCH

Al-Ahram Weekly
m
Aug 28 2009
Egypt

The Algerians are willing to give militants another chance, but they
are less keen to forgive the French for past colonial injustices,
writes Nabil Fawwaz

Algerian President Abdel-Aziz Bouteflika has said that he intends
to declare a general amnesty in the country in order to end current
fighting. Recalling the crimes committed by the French during their
occupation of the country between 1832 and 1962, Bouteflika called
for France to apologise for the atrocities it committed.

In a speech delivered on his behalf during a rally marking a key
battle against the French, Bouteflika said that the "strategic choices
the people have made through public referendum or parliamentary
representation are common principles that assert the unity of the
national stand… and we are going to follow this path to the very
end."

What is meant by "strategic choices" is that terror ends and normalcy
is restored in the country.

The Algerian government is now preparing to hold a referendum on
general amnesty. After the referendum, Bouteflika is expected to
take further action to end the cycle of violence that has left more
than 100,000 dead so far. Observers expect the referendum turnout to
be high.

But things may not go exactly as Bouteflika hopes. There is no
guarantee that militant groups will lay down their arms, as many of
them doubt the real intentions of the government.

Bouteflika chose to declare the initiative in Ramadan for one obvious
reason. The holy month has been traditionally among the bloodiest in
the country’s history of domestic strife. Many Algerians support the
declaration of amnesty, hoping that it will end the fighting and put
the country back on the path to peace and prosperity.

This is not the first such initiative of Bouteflika. In 1999, he
proposed a referendum for "civil accord", and six years later he
organised another referendum on "national unity". Both initiatives
helped reduce the level of violence.

One of the militants who renounced violence in response to earlier
initiatives is Madani Mezraq, former leader of the Islamic Salvation
Army. He is now asking authorities for permission to engage in
peaceful politics. Mezraq and the former militants of his group
want to have their own party and to be integrated into the country’s
political scene.

With regard to Bouteflika’s call for France to apologise for the
crimes it committed during its occupation of Algeria, some see this
as an answer to Nicolas Sarkozy’s demand that the Algerian government
disclose the circumstances of the death of seven monks in Algeria
in 1996. Rumours have it that the Algerian army had a hand in the
monks’ murder.

But the Algerian president may also be jealous of Libya, which made
Italy apologise for its years of occupation. The Swiss have also
apologised to the Libyans for arresting leader Muammar Gaddafi’s
son. The Algerians have also taken note that France was pressing
Turkey to apologise to the Armenians.

Some observers note that the Algerian authorities like to bring up the
matter of a French apology from time to time. But so far Algeria hasn’t
made any official request to France in this regard. Algerian-French
relations have been strained since French authorities arrested
an Algerian diplomat in connection with the murder of an Algerian
activist in France. The diplomat was later released, but the incident
left the Algerians with a bitter taste.

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA MAY LEAVE FOR TURKEY TO WATCH FOOTBALL MATCH AS FOOTBALL FAN – DEMOCRATIC PARTY

ARKA
Aug 27, 2009

YEREVAN, August 27. /ARKA/. RA President Serzh Sargsyan may leave for
Turkey to watch the football match as a football fan, said leader
of Democratic Party of Armenia Aram Sargsyan at a press-conference
on Thursday.

"The visit may not stipulate any negotiations and be analogous to
the visit of the Turkish president last year," Sargsyan said.

According to him, on the other hand the President of Armenia has
all grounds for not going to Turkey, as the Turkey has not met its
engagements.

"Armenian-Turkish relations cannot develop further as Turkey has lost
any interest to the process. Imitation of endevour to regulate the
relations was based on the desire to enter the European Union. As
soon as Sarkozy and Merkel eliminated that possibility, Turkey lost
its interest for regulating the bilateral relations.

There are no diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey and the
state border has been closed since 1993 on Ankara’s initiative.

Complicated relations are caused by a number of conditions, namely
Turkey’s open pro-Azerbaijani stance in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as
well as its strong reaction to the process of international recognition
of the Armenian Genocide conducted by the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

The progress in Armenian-Turkish relations has started since last
September 6, when President of Turkey Abdullah Gul visited Yerevan at
the invitation of his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan to be present
at a football match between the Armenian and Turkish national teams
as part of the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers. During the visit the sides
discussed opportunities for settling bilateral relations.

PROSPECTS FOR RESOLUTION OF KARABAKH CONFLICT DOUBTFUL: RUSSIAN EXPERT

Today.Az
Aug 26 2009
Azerbaijan

26 August 2009 [16:28] – Today.Az

"Prospects for resolution of Karabakh conflict are doubtful as
conflicting parties’ stance remain fundamentally incompatible,"
Vice President of Russia’s Center for Political Technologies Sergey
Mikheyev said.

"I think it is not realistic," Mikheyev said commenting on the idea
of creating so-called Caucasian home, commonwealth of North and
South Caucasus republics, intended to promote peace and stability in
the region.

"Caucasus is divided by national boundaries. Often the Caucasus
states openly feud with each other. In such circumstances, I see no
possibility to implement such initiatives in the coming years. We
must be realistic – the Caucasus has never in its history lived
peacefully. Neither internally nor with their neighbors. Memories
of relatively prosperous Soviet past mislead us. But in historical
terms it was fairly short period," Mikheyev said.

In a response to the question "Do not you think that in the example
of the Karabakh conflict, Moscow can restore the image of peacemaker
country undermined by the events of last August in the South
Caucasus?" said the following: "I do not think that the point is who
exactly is mediator. The main point is that Baku and Yerevan are not
ready to make any serious concessions to each other and everybody
expects that mediators to put pressure on the other and then we can
settle everything without special concessions. This position seems
to me a dead-end."

He also commented on possibility of trying a military solution: "In
the Caucasus, it is better refrain from using weapons for any reason,
because the consequences would be "lasting" and "difficult to solve".

COURT STRIKES DOWN LAW ALLOWING ARMENIAN AMERICANS TO SEEK LIFE INSURANCE OF VICTIMS OF OTTOMAN EMPIRE
Jesse A Hamilton

BestWire
August 25, 2009 Tuesday 04:42 PM EST

California had cleared the way for Armenian Americans to collect on
life insurance policies purchased by "Armenian genocide victims" in
Ottoman Empire violence in the early 1900s. But the U.S. 9th Circuit
Court of Appeals has decided the law is preempted by U.S. policy that
doesn’t recognize the mass killings from 1915 to 1918 as genocide.

The opinion reversed earlier legislative and court approvals that
would have granted the American descendants standing to sue foreign
companies — in particular, three German corporations listed as
defendants: Victoria Versicherung, Ergo Versicherungsgruppe and
parent company Munich Re. The judges were primarily concerned with
whether California’s law encroaches on U.S. foreign-policy issues. "We
conclude that it does, and accordingly, we hold that the California
statute is preempted," read the 2-1 opinion.

"We’re very pleased with the opinion," said Neil Soltman, the attorney
for the defendant companies. "We think it is consistent with an
increasingly long line of cases out of the Supreme Court and the 9th
Circuit which have held that states may not use legislation to weigh
in on questions relating to foreign affairs." He also said he’d never
seen copies of policies demonstrating the plaintiffs insurance claims.

The California legislature had provided formal recognition that the
Armenians killed during that period were victims of genocide, writing
in its legislative findings: "During the period from 1915 to 1923,
many persons of Armenian ancestry residing in the historic Armenian
homeland then situated in the Ottoman Empire were victims of massacre,
torture, starvation, death marches, and exile." But the federal
government has not declared it a genocide. Congressional attempts
seeking recognition have been blocked by more than one White House,
citing foreign-relations reasons. Present-day Turkey, national heir
to what was the Ottoman Empire, strongly opposes such a distinction.

There were other elements in the legal case, but the foreign-relations
question was decided first. The majority judges, Dorothy W. Nelson and
David R. Thompson, decided the California law "impermissibly impairs
the president’s ability to speak with one voice for the nation in
the realm of foreign affairs, and undermines his diplomatic authority."

"I thought the opinion was outrageous," said Brian Kabateck, an
attorney representing the Armenian American plaintiffs in the case. "I
thought the two judges in the majority not only got it wrong but got
it way wrong — incredibly wrong."

The court had relied on 2003 Supreme Court ruling that had tossed out
a state law for insurance recoveries in World War II-era Holocaust
cases. "They perverted it by saying that it applied to the Armenian
genocide," Kabateck said.

The dissenting judge, Harry Pregerson, wrote of the majority claim that
California had overstepped its interests: "California’s interest in
ensuring that its citizens are fairly treated by insurance companies
over which the state exercises jurisdiction is hardly a superficial
one." He wrote, "There is no express federal policy forbidding
California from using the term ‘Armenian Genocide’ in the course
of exercising its traditional authority to regulate the insurance
industry."

In 2000, then-Gov. Gray Davis had signed the law that would have
allowed victims of Armenian genocide and their heirs to sue insurance
companies to recover delinquent claims. The Ottoman Empire is accused
of killing more than 1.5 million men, women and children of Armenian
heritage The law was similar to one allowing Holocaust victims and
their heirs to sue insurers in California that may have European
affiliates or parent companies that owe outstanding claims (BestWire,
Oct. 5, 2000).

In another case in 2004, New York Life Insurance Co. agreed to settle
a multinational class-action lawsuit, paying $20 million to more than
2,500 descendents of those who died (BestWire, Nov. 14, 2006).

Though it wasn’t considered an element in the legal case, according to
written opinion, the court received a diplomatic letter from Turkey,
expressing opposition to the California statute and asking the court
to overturn it.

The Turkish government disputes the historical accounts, and some
countries including the United States, United Kingdom, and Israel do
not formally recognize the period as a genocide. However, the period
is acknowledged as a genocide by the governments of Canada, Germany,
France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Russia, and Greece, as well
as the vast majority of U.S. states (BestWire, Nov. 14, 2006).

Kabateck intends to file a petition to have the case reconsidered
by the entire 9th Circuit. Barring that, he said he’d seek a Supreme
Court review.

Soltman pointed out that achieving either is statistically
unlikely. Kabateck countered, saying he understood the rarity of
getting it reconsidered, but he said the legal question itself is a
rarity. "This is a one-of-a-kind case."

NICK BAIRD: WE HAVE TO MAKE A PROGRESS IN NKR ISSUE

armradio.am
26.08.2009 16:00

"If Turkey’s Kurdish, Armenian and Cyprus issues are resolved, the
region will be much better off," Nick Baird, the Ambassador of Great
Britain to Turkey told the "Hurriyet" daily.

"My sense is now that probably we have to make progress in that
(Nagorno-Karabakh) issue in order to take a step forward in the
Armenian road map more generally," the Ambassador said. I don’t think
Ankara has a choice. Turkey is in good relationship with Azerbaijan,
and wants to normalize relations with Armenia.

It is very difficult for Turkey to make a choice. But its worth
mentioning, that they need a progress in this process to provide the
stability of the region," the diplomat underlined.

Ambassador Baird noted that Great Britain should insist on the USA and
OSCE Minsk Group support Baku and Yerevan to settle the NKR conflict.

MILK IS CHEAPER THAN WATER: "ASHTARAK MILK" PAYS VILLAGERS 80-85 AMD PER LITER
Voskan Sargsyan

2009/08/2 4 | 16:07

Feature Stories marzes

Of the four districts in Tavush Marz, Berd is the most remote. One
could say the district is cut off; a no man’s land. Local villagers
have a hard time selling their crops and dairy products in the
large markets. It’s 62 kilometers from the town of Berd, the former
administrative district center, to the present regional center of
Ijevan, and 199 kilometers to Yerevan.

The highway linking Yerevan with Berd is in pretty decent shape except
for the pot-holed stretch through the village of Vazashen. Once you
leave Berd, however, the 20-25 kilometer stretch of road linking
outlying villages to the former district center is almost impassable.

Villagers in these remote communities have no possibility of selling
their agricultural goods in the capital, Yerevan. They simply cannot
compete with the farmers in the Ararat valley, for whom the Yerevan
markets are merely minutes away. Thus, what are sorely needed in
the Berd area are centers to collect the locally grown crops. If
such centers were built it would greatly reduce the unemployment now
afflicting the border regions of Tavush and other marzes. Then too,
the exodus of people from these sensitive border regions would also
be slowed.

With the assistance of CARD (Center for Rural and Agro-Business
Development) a milk collection units were set up in the villages of
Tavush, Varagavan, Navour and Nerkin Garmiraghbyur. A similar unit
was launched in the village of Norashen. This unit was established
in the framework of the Small Commercial Agricultural Development
Program. Pavel Tsutsoulyan, who heads the program’s support team in
Tavush, says that this milk collection unit was put into operation
last year at the cost of 15 million AMD. The Norashen unit was
envisaged to serve the communities of Norashen, Tchoratan and Verin
Garmiraghbyur. It was established in collaboration with the firm
Ashtarak Milk. The company supplied the unit with the necessary
technical equipment. For the most part, all the units in the area
supply Ashtarak Milk with the raw milk they’ve collected.

On August 7, during a speech at a session of the Tavush Regional
Council, Vahan Karapetyan, Director of the Tavush Regional Center for
Agricultural Assistance, directed the attention of Tavush Regional
Administrator Armen Ghularyan and regional community leaders to an
issue of major concern – that the milk collection units in the Berd
district have basically ceased to operate due to low milk prices. It
turns out that villagers aren’t willing to sell their product at such
ridiculously low prices.

Pavel Tsutsoulyan says that Ashtarak Milk pays 80-85 AMD on average for
one liter of milk produced in the Berd district. The company only buys
milk at this price if the fat content meets its standard of 3.8%. For
milk with a higher fat content, the company pays 90-95 AMD per liter.

Hratzin Grigoryan, a Tavush village resident and agro-advisor to
the Tavush Agricultural Assistance Center has an explanation for the
local milk collection unit’s practices. He says that Ashtarak Milk
imports inexpensive dried milk from overseas which it uses to produce
its liquid milk, thus having no need to collect milk in Tavush. When
demand exists, villagers can sell their milk at a higher price to
fellow residents or turn the milk into fat or cheese. The number of
those buying milk in the villages isn’t great, however, and the milk
collection units built with credit or other means along the border
areas are doomed to stand idle.

On August 12, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met with editors of
regional papers in the Government Building. Taking advantage of the
opportunity we asked PM Sargsyan to speak about the low prices paid
by Ashtarak Milk and the fact that the collection units are going idle.

"The milk issue is of major concern today. One of the theories
making the rounds is that milk prices have dropped because fried
milk powder is being imported in great quantities to Armenia. During
the first six months of this year, twice as much dried milk has been
imported to Armenia than last year. Naturally, many plants prefer to
use the powered milk since it’s cheaper. Now we have decided to keep
the same customs value on powdered milk as last year. This can only
have a positive impact on the conditions faced by our domestic milk
producers. I hope that we can feel the effects of this decision in
the next few months," answered PM Sargsyan.

When we asked Tatevik Ghabazyan, Ashtarak Milk’s Public Relations
Director, why the company was paying such low prices for milk produced
in the Berd district and whether it was due to the cheap milk powder
being imported, she answered that the company has never imported
milk or milk powder from overseas. Ashtarak Milk has its own plant
to produce milk powder. During the summer, some of the fresh milk is
made into powder.

Director Ghabazyan assured us that prices paid at the collection
units were based on market conditions.

Director Ghabazyan also informed us that on average the company
sells every liter of milk it produces for 300-350 AMD. After being
reprocessed, milk can be sold at 4x the price. But isn’t it true that
the by-products of reprocessing, such as whey, which is a good way to
fatten pigs, also has a certain price and can bring in supplemental
revenue to the reprocessing plants?

Presently, a half liter of regular spring water is sold in stores
for about 100 AMD. In bigger plastic containers, a half liter of
non-carbonated spring water sells for 120 AMD. The container itself
has a cost attached to it, which includes the wages paid to workers,
production costs and taxes. If we deduct these costs from the price
it turns out that regular spring water isn’t cheaper than the milk
being collected.

At the above mentioned Tavush Regional Council session, Regional
Administrator Armen Ghularyan promised that he’d meet with the
executive director of Ashtarak Milk in the near future and that they’d
discuss the issue of low milk prices in the district.

RIA Oreanda, Russia
Aug 20 2009

ARARATBANK Appears in Top5 of Press Rating

Yerevan . OREANDA-NEWS . The news agency "ARKA" published the "Press
Rating” of Armenian banks based on the results of the second quarter
of the year 2009. In the reported period AmeriaBank, HSBC-Armenia,
Armeconombank, Unibank and ARARATBANK are in the top 5 of "Press
Rating", reported the press-centre of ARARATBANK.

According to the analysis, during the second quarter in Armenian press
there has been a definite increase in the informative activity of the
banks. During April – May of 2009, the number of "press-signals" has
increased by 2.7% compared to the same period of the previous year.

The prevailing part of the information has been occupied with the
approaches on the "Bank policy" and "Views and forecasts of
economy". "Press Rating" of ARKA is made based on the Bank’s financial
and economic indicators, the actual state of its activities and the
effectiveness of providing information.

The higher is the degree of effectiveness with which the bank provides
information about its actual activities, the more productive is its
communicative policy. It is worth mentioning that this rating does not
consider any advertising material.