Author: Nanijanian Alex

IN JULY-DEC 2009 UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN ARMENIA WILL GROW BY 1.6%

ArmInfo
2009-07-30 17:28:00

ArmInfo. In July-Dec 2009 the unemployment rate in Armenia will grow by
1.6%, says the monetary credit policy of the Central bank of Armenia
for Q3 2009.

The average salary will drop by 1.5% due to declining wages in the
private sector. The efficiency of labor will decline by 12%. This
may result in certain inflation pressure. The spending per worker
will grow. In Jan-June 2010 the situation on the labor market will
be improved by the government’s anti-crisis projects.

MATENADARAN GIFTS PRAYER MANUSCRIPT TO PRESIDENT OF SERBIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
29.07.2009 16:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "After a visit to Matenadaran, I realized that
the Armenian and Serbian peoples have much in common, especially in
culture," Serbian President Boris Tadic said during a visit to the
Institute of Ancient Manuscripts Matenadaran.

Boris Tadic familiarized with the main exhibition hall, a collection of
manuscripts of Cilicia and the history of the Armenian alphabet. Tadic
also signed the book of honorable guests.

Prayer manuscripts and album of ancient miniatures was presented the
President of Serbia. In turn, Boris Tadic, presented a book on Serbia
to the Institute.

BATUMI-YEREVAN TRAIN CRASHES INTO FALLEN ELECTRICITY POST

ARMENPRESS
July 30, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS: Stone pieces from the tunnel fell on
the high-voltage electricity post as a result of heavy rain on the
2km of Spitak-Gyumri highway which on its part fell on the railroad.

Press department of the Rescue Service of the Armenian Emergency
Situations Ministry told Armenpress that at 02.35 am Batumi-Yerevan
train crashed to the fallen post. Another train moved the wagons of
the train to "Gyumri" railway station. No passengers were injured
as a result of the accident. The traffic of trains was restored at
about 08.00 a.m.

INTERNAL MERGER OF CASCADE BANK AND CASCADE CREDIT COMPLETED

ArmInfo
2009-07-29 19:34:00

ArmInfo. Cascade Capital Holdings announces it has completed the
internal merger of Cascade Bank and Cascade Credit. The merged entity
will trade as Cascade Bank, the press-service of cascade Bank told
ArmInfo.

Cascade Capital Holdings’ CEO Jonathan Stark stated: "Consolidating our
two lending operations into one increases Cascade Bank’s market reach,
position and profile. Integration, achieved with the agreement of our
partners including EBRD, World Bank and the Central Bank of Armenia,
allows for greater internal efficiency while strengthening our core
customer service ethic. A broader range of competitive products,
will both enhance quality for existing customers, and attract new
clients to Cascade Bank and our sister companies, Cascade Insurance
and Cascade Investments."

Cascade Bank Chief Executive Officer Aharon Levonyan said:
"Consolidating Cascade Credit UCO with Cascade Bank will combine
the banking and lending functions of Cascade Capital Holdings under
the same roof, favor enhancement of Cascade Bank’s positions at the
banking market, and expand the scopes of services offered by the
Bank. The consolidation will ensure considerable increase of the
Bank assets, liabilities, loan portfolio and improvement of other
financial ratios. The earning capacity of the Bank is also expected
to increase as the result of consolidation."

Cascade Bank is owned 100% by Cascade Capital Holdings whose other
operating companies include Cascade Insurance and Cascade Investments.

Cascade Capital Holdings is 100% owned by the US domiciled Cafesjian
Family Foundation.

FORMER ARMENIAN CONSUL IN LOS ANGELES ARRESTED

Noyan Tapan
July 29, 2009

WASHINGTON, JULY 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The following five people were
arrested on July 28 in the U.S.: Norair Ghalumian, 52, of Burbank,
the Armenian consul in Los Angeles from 1999 through 2003, Hakop
Hovanesyan, 54, of Glendale, a former employee at the Armenian
Consulate in Los Angeles and current operator of Regency Travel
in Glendale, Margarita Lazarian, 41, of Glendale, Oganes Nardos,
36, of Valencia, a substance abuse counselor, Elvis Madatyan, 47,
of Glendale. Later N. Ghalumian and another three persons arrested
with him were released with a pledge. And of the arrested, who has
never been a Consulate employee, was not released even with a pledge.

They have been arrested on charges that they sold official letters to
illegal immigrants. These letters state that a country will not issue
a travel document for a particular individual. They helped them avoid
deportation. According to proper American bodies, part of citizens
receiving forged documents are accused of crimes.

In connection with the incident RA Foreign Ministry Acting Spokesperson
Tigran Balayan reported to Radio Liberty that the news is being
checked, and they will provide additional information later.

According to Radio Liberty’s information, American law enforcers
have attended to the investigation of this case for several years. An
FBI agent was involved in the suspects’ environment. He periodically
provided information to investigators investigating the case.

FORMER ARMENIAN CONSUL AMONG THOSE CHARGED WITH HELPING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AVOID DEPORTATION
Alexandra Zavis

Los Angeles Times
7/suspects-charged-with-helping-illegal-immigrants -avoid-deportation.html
July 28 2009

Five people, including a former Armenian consul in Los Angeles and
a Beverly Hills immigration attorney, have been arrested on charges
that they sold official letters to illegal immigrants to help them
avoid deportation, prosecutors said today.

The arrests, which took place in the last 24 hours, were the result
of a two-year investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agency.

The five are accused of supplying so-called letters of refusal from
the Armenian Consulate for as much as $35,000 apiece, according to
a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District
of California.

These letters state that a country will not issue a travel document
for a particular individual, essentially blocking that person’s
deportation to that nation.

Investigators believe many of those who purchased the letters were
Armenian nationals facing deportation after being convicted of felony
offenses in the United States.

"These defendants endangered the safety and security of United States
residents," U.S Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien said in the statement.

"The defendants allegedly exploited their community ties and knowledge
of the immigration system to help dangerous criminals, among others,
avoid deportation," said Robert Schoch, special agent in charge of
the ICE Office of Investigations in Los Angeles.

The five defendants were identified as:

Norair Ghalumian, 52, of Burbank, the Armenian consul in Los Angeles
from 1999 through 2003.

Hakop Hovanesyan, 54, of Glendale, a former employee at the Armenian
Consulate in Los Angeles and current operator of Regency Travel
in Glendale.

Margarita Lazarian, 41, of Glendale, an immigration attorney for
Inman & Associates law firm in Beverly Hills, Calif., who was arrested
last night.

Oganes Nardos, 36, of Valencia, a substance abuse counselor.

Elvis Madatyan, 47, of Glendale.

They are expected to make initial appearances this afternoon in United
States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

THE AWAY MATCH
by Shahan Kandaharian

Aztag Daily
July 24 2009
Lebanon

In its 23 July 2009 issue ‘The Economist’ online posted an article
about Turkish foreign policy titled ‘Dreams From Their Fathers’. The
article highlights the elements of the Turkish foreign policy as
well as the main issues and problems of the policy adopted by the
country’s state department.

Naturally the part that interests us is the Armenian
portfolio. According to the analysis of ‘The Economist’, in order to
establish a relationship with Armenia Turkey has abruptly given up on
its previous approach of demanding preconditions concerning the removal
of the Armenian forces from the Azerbeidjani ‘occupied’ territories.

The issue here, of course, concerns the April 22 ‘road map’
agreement. Despite of the fact that the contents of the ‘road map’
haven’t been disclosed yet, nevertheless, both the Turkish media and
other sources make no mention of the Gharapagh issue. Not even as a
separate point in the assumed content defined by the road map.

The issue, however, is clouded by political tricks . After the April
22 joint announcement, witnessing the Azerbeidjani political turmoil
of unrest, Turkish senior officials rushed to Baku to persuade their
Azerbeidjani counterparts that any development in the Armenian-Turkish
relations will not take place without the settlement of the Gharapagh
issue. The reassurances were evidently valid since the manifestations
of the unrest calmed by and by.

It’s not totally improbable for the roadmap not to have included the
Gharapagh issue. However, we must necessarily take into account the
following: In the wake of April 22, the then Turkish Prime Minister
Ali Babacan announced, for the first time, that the Gharapagh
conflict negotiations and the Armenian-Turkish relations must go
parallel. After that this principle of parallelism was echoed by this
or that representative of the international community.

This is exactly what’s happening today. The world powers and
specially the tri-presidency of the Minsk Group where those powers
are represented are trying to make a breakthrough in the Gharapagh
negotiations. There’s the need of making a forward motion, even a
seeming one, in the Gharapagh wagon so that the first point of the
Armenian-Turkish agreement, which could be the opening of the border,
can go forward. That way Turkey not only will have respected the
document it signed with Switzerland’s mediation but also will have
comforted its Azerbeidjani brothers.

In this respect, the ‘Economist’ analysis is not persuasive. In
essence it is favourable to the world powers in their dealings or
policies in that part of the world. When they say that Turkey made
abrupt changes in its policy, dismissing its pre-condition, that is
an obvious effort to maintain the image of Turkey as a peacekeeper;
as a country that seeks to solve its problems with its neighbours
and is ready to compromise for that end.

The Armenian side is facing the urgent necessity of organizing a
propaganda campaign. The Turkish propaganda has gained ground on the
international news platforms. The Turkey that implements a policy
based on preconditions is now being presented as the opposite,
whereas the policies that its playing are advancing towards the
opposite direction exactly.

The article also makes mention of US President Obama’s 24 April
address, explaining that Obama didn’t use the ‘G’ word so as not to
disturb the Armenian-Turkish relations.

The conclusion of an article tends to highlight its main points as
well as end it with the propostition. Apparently, by ‘The Economist’s’
evaluation, the basic challenge in Turkey’s foreign policy is the
Armenian issues. The article ends with a quote by a Western official,
according to whom Turkey has a unique relationship with the US and
when the issue concerns Turkey and Armenia, Turkey wins every time.

We accept that in April 22 terms, the Turkey-Armenia diplomatic
game is continuing with a score of 1 to 0. The away match is not far
away. By October, official Yerevan will have counted all its mistakes
and faults. The coach must replace the captain, and the whole team
must concentrate its efforts not only on balancing the score but also
on tilting it towards its favour.

AZERBAIJAN UPDATES THE LIST OF PERSONAE NON GRATAE

armradio.am
28.07.2009 18:13

Persons who have a visa to Karabakh in their passport will not be
allowed to Azerbaijan.

Those who trip to Karabakh without official notification and permission
of Azerbaijani authorities, violate Azerbaijan’s legislation,
Bakililar.az reports referring to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Azerbaijan.

Currently Azerbaijan is updating the list of representatives of this or
that country who have visited Karabakh. The list will be submitted to
corresponding bodies in Azerbaijan. The ban applies to all, including
representatives of the show business.

Popular Russian singers Katya Lel, Aziza, Soso Pavliashvili and many
others will never be allowed to Azerbaijan because of having visited
and performed in Karabakh.

ARMENIA CAN COUNT ON SOROS FOUNDATION’S FINANCIAL SUPPORT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
27.07.2009 17:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Soros Foundation will allocate USD 100 million to
countries most impacted by world financial crisis. Among 20 states
of Eastern Europe and Middle Asia, Armenia also counts on Soros
Foundation’s financial support, apollo.lv reported.

The extent of crisis in the country will be considered during
estimations, as well as population size, anti-crisis program length
and co-financing possibilities.

Besides Armenia, the following states have a claim on Soros
Foundation’s financial support: Latvia, Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Estonia Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan,
Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia,
Slovakia, Tajikistan and Ukraine.

GEORGIAN, ARMENIAN TRUCKERS HELD WITH LIQUOR AT IRAQ-KUWAIT BORDER
By Munaif Nayef

Arab Times
agesdetails.asp?nid=35187&ccid=22
July 27 2009
Saudi Arabia KSA

Liquor smugglers held: Customs officers at the Khabara Al-Awazem border
post recently foiled attempts by two truck drivers — a Georgian and
an Armenian — to smuggle alcohol into the country, reports Arrouiah
daily. According to security sources the men arrived at the Kuwaiti
border post from Iraq and inspectors reportedly seized 50 bottles
of whisky from the Georgian and 33 from the Armenian. The bottles
were reportedly hidden in secret compartments of their trucks. The
contraband and the bootleggers have been referred to the concerned
authorities.