Author: Tamamian Anna

MILITARY PARITY BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN TO BE PRESERVED

ArmInfo
2009-06-18 12:49:00

ArmInfo. The House Appropriations Subcommittee responsible
for U.S. foreign aid policy, this morning, voted to maintain
U.S. economic assistance to Armenia at last year’s level of $48
million and to increase humanitarian assistance to Nagorno Karabagh
to an unprecedented annual allocation of $10 million, reported the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The Subcommittee voted to maintain military assistance parity to
Armenia and Azerbaijan, keeping foreign military financing to both
countries at $3 million. The panel chose not to accept President
Obama’s proposals, included in the FY10 budget that he released
earlier this year, to reduce economic aid to Armenia by 38%, from $48
million $30 million, and to tilt the military aid balance in favor
of Azerbaijan.

The Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs,
which is chaired by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), also strengthened
language governing the President’s authority to waive Section 907
of the Freedom Support Act, a provision of law that restricts aid to
Azerbaijan due to its blockades and other offensive actions against
Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.

"We value Chairwoman Lowey’s leadership and the efforts of Rep. Adam
Schiff, Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Mark Kirk, Representatives Steve
Rothman, Jesse Jackson Jr, Betty McCollum, Barbara Lee, Steve Israel,
and our many friends on the Subcommittee for constructively working to
address our community’s foreign aid priorities," said ANCA Executive
Director Aram Hamparian.

"The Assembly commends Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and members of
the Subcommittee for ensuring this positive outcome," said Armenian
Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "Today’s Subcommittee action
sends the right message to the people of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh,
that America will continue to assist our friends in the region,"
added Ardouny. "However, the Assembly remains concerned about the
overall level of assistance to Armenia, especially the impact of
the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) recent decision to hold
funding on a rural roads project. The Assembly will continue to press
for increased assistance to benefit the people of Armenia."

BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT VOWS TO CREATE FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS FOR ARMENIAN BUSINESS

Belarusian television
June 16 2009
Minsk

[Presenter] Belarus will create most favourable conditions for Armenian
businessmen, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said at a
meeting with Armenian businessmen today [16 June].

Heads of the Multi Group concern and Ardimpex company arrived in Minsk
to study investment opportunities. The Belarusian president noted that
mutual trade with Armenia, a country which was actually isolated,
increased by 900 per cent over two or three years. The countries
have found ways of mutual supply and increased last year’s trade by
almost 20 per cent on 2007 to 28m dollars. The Belarusian president
said activity of Armenian businessmen would be welcome.

[Alyaksandr Lukashenka] At the beginning of the year, I set an
objective to myself to make Serbian and Armenian businessmen a
priority. We will provide everything necessary for them to work
here, especially to those who will make investments here. We will
create better conditions for you in Belarus than in Armenia. It
is natural because we have more opportunities. That is why we will
provide for very beneficial and good conditions for you with import
substituting goods which we do not produce in Belarus and if you open
your assembling lines here. Second, it is clear that Armenia is going
through not good times, especially because the situation has taken
this turn: there is almost no access to the West or the East. Some
positive changes have begun to show with Turkey, but [nobody knows]
when this will happen. That is why I believe that the access of
businessmen, entrepreneurs to Europe is a positive thing.

NO COLOR REVOLUTION IS TAKING PLACE IN IRAN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.06.2009 15:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Current events in Iran can’t be characterized as
"color revolution", as such revolutions are usually initiated by West,
an expert at YSU Iranian Studies Department Garnik Asatryan told a
news conference in Yerevan.

Garnik Agatryan emphasized that Iranian president has to exercise
vigilance and wisdom by agreeing to negotiate with Mir Hossein
Mousavi’s supporters. Otherwise, the country could face unpredictable
consequences. According to the expert, initially the West had
a neutral position on Iranian elections, yet western forces are
gradually starting to emphasize ethnic character of elections. "Recent
presidential elections in Iran are standing out among previous ones
due to the first instance of ethnic representatives being turned into
manipulation subjects," Garnik Asatryan stated.

According to official results, provided by Iran CEC, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad won presidential elections of June 12, with 62,6% of
votes, followed by Mir Hossein Mousavi – 33,7%, Mohsen Rezaee- 1,7%
and Mehdi Karroubi – 0,85%.

Fuller Center for Housing Armenia
Yerevan 0033, Baghramyan str. 3rd lane, house 10a
Tel: (+374 10) 271 499

Contact: Gohar Palyan
Manager of Programs

17 June 2009 — Vanadzor – In the result of the fruitful partnership of
Armenian Relief and Development Association (ARDA), Vanadzor Municipality,
and Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, 16 families that had been living in
metal containers more than 20 years, moved to their new, safe and decent
homes in the Taron 3 district of Vanadzor city.
The initiator of the project is Steve Lazarian, the president of ARDA and an
American-Armenian philanthropist.

With a common goal of eliminating poverty housing in Armenia, all three
partners signed an agreement in 2008 to work together in the Vanadzor, Lori
region in north-central Armenia.

For this project, ARDA invested 50 percent of the expenses to build homes
for the 16 families, while the municipality invested 35 percent and the
Fuller Center for Housing Armenia invested 15 percent. In addition, the
Vanadzor municipality donated the land for the homes, installed the
necessary infrastructure to the district and landscaped the area.

The homes were built using new technology of polystyrene foam block. It is
possible to complete a new home in a month using this technology, rather
than the six- to 12-months required with traditional building materials.
Such homes are ecologically clean, reasonably priced and, most importantly,
earthquake resistant. These homes have proven standards of efficiency and
structural integrity that can be delivered at affordable prices. These low
cost homes are cool in the hot Armenian summer and require little heat in
cold weather. The standard home has two bedrooms, bath, kitchen and living
room.

"It is the priority of the ARDA foundation to make houses that are the most
convenient for the families as they have seen so much sorrow. For each
family the foundation has donated kitchen cabinets, a gas kitchen stove and
oven, as well as a gas heater," said Hrahat Stepanyan, executive director of
ARDA’s Yerevan office.

The temporary housing district formed in Vanadzor after the 1988 earthquake
turned into permanent shelter for many families which survived the disaster
that killed some 27,000 people. The families, hardly earning any income, had
to renovate the temporary shelters every year just to make them a little
bearable under the exhausting summer sun and against the cutting cold of
winter. Many children grew up in the temporary shelters and now their
children are growing up in the same conditions.

<For many years we have been waiting for this day. From all beneficiary
families’ name I would like to express my deepest apreciation to three
partners; Vanadzor municipality, ARDA foundation, Fuller Center for Housing.
May God’s blessing be on you> said Aida Ghukasyan, mother of 3 kids.

The new polyester homes are a dream come true for the 16 families receiving
them, and another 16 families will celebrate their new homes during
dedication ceremonies in November. However, some 150 more families remain
trapped in the temporary housing erected over 20 years ago.
The average cost of the new polyester home is 5.2 million Armenian drams
(about $14,000 U.S. dollars). The homes are built with the help of the
benefiting families, as well as local and American volunteers.

To find out more about the homes, the sponsoring partners and how to get
involved, go to:

— Armenian Relief and Development Association (ARDA), established in 1999
by the Armenian Gospel Mission to deliver humanitarian programs to poor
families, at

— Vanadzor municipality, involved in many home improvement projects in
cooperation with many organizations, at

— The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, working to eliminate poverty
housing by providing long-term, interest-free loans and by assisting with
the volunteer work helping low-income families to build simple, sustainable,
affordable houses and renovate their houses, at

For more details, please contact to Gohar Palyan Fuller Center for Housing
Armenia by phone (37410 271499) or visit our website

Fuller Center for Housing Armenia assists low- income families to build or
renovate safe, simple, comfortable homes,by offering them long-term,
interest free loans, Their monthly repayments flow into the Revolving Fund
and are used to help more families, thereby providing the financial
foundation for a sustainable community development effort.

COMPANIES LOBBY (QUIETLY) ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL

AZG Armenian Daily
17/06/2009

Armenian Genocide

Corporate America typically hires lobbyists to pressure Congress on
taxes and trade rules. But in an unusual — some say risky — move,
five military contractors and an energy company have stepped into
a fight over whether the U.S. should label Turkey’s slaughter of a
million Armenians nearly a century ago as genocide.

The six companies have strong ties to Turkey, a key strategic
ally of the U.S. in Mideast peace efforts and the fight against
terrorism. None would state their position on the House resolution,
but industry analysts and others said they likely lobbied against the
measure to show support for Turkey, an important market for weapons
and industrial products.

"They don’t want to be seen opposing a resolution that has a very
evident human rights element," said Rouben Adalian, director of the
Armenian National Institute, a Washington research organization. "It
would put them on the side of denying history and denying genocide."

BAE Systems Inc., Goodrich Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., Raytheon Co.,
United Technologies Corp. and energy producer Chevron Corp. spent $14
million to lobby Congress in the first quarter of this year. Besides
the genocide resolution, the companies lobbied on Pentagon spending,
climate change, taxes and more.

United Technologies, which sells Sikorsky helicopters to Turkey,
says it provided information to lawmakers "that helped round out
their understanding of the international trade and national security
interests involved."

But businesses lobbying against the resolution are not being "good
corporate citizens," said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., its lead sponsor.

Lobbying on human rights issues comes with risks, said Gerry Keim,
associate dean at Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of
Business. Several companies halted their efforts opposing restrictions
on white minority-ruled South Africa in the 1980s when anti-apartheid
activists applied pressure.

"Originally, they were concerned about markets in South Africa. Then
they were concerned about markets here," Keim said.

Other analysts say any public backlash against companies lobbying on
the Armenia genocide resolution would be minimal because the firms
serve governments, not individual consumers who could boycott their
products.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has not taken up the resolution
and the Senate does not have a version. A spokeswoman for the House
committee said its chairman has not decided when the resolution —
or other pending bills — will be taken up as the House considers
legislation on Pakistan, State Department funding and other matters.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million mostly Christian Armenians
were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I. Turkey
denies that the deaths were genocide, saying the number of casualties
is inflated and was the consequence of civil war and unrest.

Turkey’s embassy in Washington did not return calls and e-mails
seeking comment.

President Barack Obama, before visiting a World War II-era
concentration camp in Germany earlier this month, said the world
has an obligation to stop genocide, even when it’s inconvenient. His
administration is working to end the genocide in the Darfur region
of Sudan, he said.

While running for president, Obama promised to "recognize the Armenian
Genocide" once in office, but he avoided the term during a speech in
Turkey in April.

Putting the U.S. on record that the killings of Armenians 94 years
ago was genocide gives credibility to the drive for international
support to stop killings in Sudan, Schiff said.

But pressure on the six companies to avoid offending Turkey is intense.

Among the ventures between U.S. businesses and Turkey are a $3 billion
contract from Northrop to a Turkish company to be a supplier for
fighter jets. Goodrich Corp. and a Turkish firm agreed to a joint
venture for maintenance and repair work on engine components. BAE
Systems and a Turkish company jointly market and supply armored
vehicles to the Turkish armed forces.

Chevron holds a stakes in a pipeline that crosses the country. Raytheon
has agreed to sell to Turkey Stinger missile launcher systems valued
at $34 million and is working to sell its missile defense systems.

Chevron said it lobbies on a range of interests, "including
international issues that fall outside of a narrow energy policy
focus."

Representatives of the U.S. subsidiary of London-based BAE Systems
PLC and Northrop referred questions to the Aerospace Industries
Association. The trade group defended Turkey as a key U.S. ally and
cited "large and growing commercial ties" between the two nations.

Raytheon and Goodrich did not respond to requests for comment.

Andrew Kzirian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee’s
western region in Glendale, Calif., said backers of the resolution,
which has been considered before, will not quit if it fails again.

"If you don’t call it out and call it for what it is, you have Darfur,"
he said.

PRESS RELEASE
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
Governmental Buiding 3, Yerevan, RA
Contact: Hasmik Grigoryan
Tel: +(3741) 56 01 06 ext. 105
Fax: +(3741) 52 15 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

15 June, 2009

Hayastan All-Armenian Fund builds new school in Artsakh’s Gishi Village

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has begun construction of a new school in
Gishi, a village in Nagorno Karabakh’s Martuni Region. The project is
sponsored by the Vardanyan Family Foundation and the government of Artsakh.

Designed to accommodate 300 students, the future campus will have 12
classrooms, a computer room, and laboratories for the study of chemistry,
physics, and biology. The school will also feature a sizeable gym, a
first-aid room, a library, an events hall, and a cafeteria with a 140-person
capacity.

"Of the wide range of projects implemented by the Hayastan All-Armenian
Fund, I would be hard-pressed to single out the most important ones," said
Ara Vardanyan, the fund’s executive director. "I think all of our projects
are urgently needed. Still, it’s worth noting that our school-building
initiatives hold a special place in our hearts, and continue to be carried
out with particular care and a sense of responsibility with respect to our
present and future generations."

Gishi’s existing school, which is attended by 220 students, is in a state of
disrepair. Its two crumbling buildings were constructed in 1930 and 1968,
respectively.

Commenting on the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund project, Gishi mayor Gevorg
Balayan expressed his strong belief that the new school will help foster
educational excellence, by improving the quality of the pedagogical and
learning processes alike.

# # #

Hayastan All Armenian Fund

39TH WORLD CONGRESS OF SOCIOLOGY TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN

ARMENPRESS
June 10, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 10, ARMENPRESS: "In Sociological Crossroads" 39th world
congress will be held June 11-14 in Yerevan State University. The event
is organized by the International Sociology Institute in Stockholm.

Rector of the YSU Aram Simonyan said that the event will give an
opportunity to clarify the success reached in the sphere in Armenia
and get acquainted with the innovations.

The congress will discuss theoretical and methodological achievements
in social sciences, impact of the economic crisis and present
solutions.

About 450 representatives of 50 countries will participate in the
event.

PRECONDITIONS FOR OPENING THE BORDER WITH ARMENIA STILL VITAL ON TURKEY’S POLITICAL AGENDA
Karen Ghazaryan

"Radiolur"
11.06.2009 17:17

Turkey approaches the issue of the Armenian Genocide more realistically
today, because it’s clear that the Armenian side will never refuse
from the fact, Turkologist, expert of the "Noravank" Foundation Ruben
Melkonyan told a press conference today. He believes that Turkish
specialists are assured that the Genocide issue has grown into a
component of Armenian identity and it’s hard to demand to refuse
from it. Ruben Melkonayn is confident that the issue of the Armenian
Genocide is a political and legal question rather than a historical
one, and expecting the recognition of the fact of genocide by Turkey
in the near future would be unrealistic.

According to the Turkologist, after the "football diplomacy" the
Armenian-Turkish relations have reached some point and as a result
of certain international impulses Turkey has started addressing the
issues of establishment of relations with Armenia, and opening of
the shared border with greater attention and concern.

Summing up the positions of Armenia and Turkey on the establishment
of diplomatic relations, the expert said: "Armenia has declared many
times that it is ready to establish relations with Turkey without
preconditions.

However, preconditions still remain vital on Turkey’s pol itical
agenda whether open or disguised.

HAK DEMANDS ELECTIONS BE NULLIFIED

2009 /06/05 | 19:00

Important Politics

HAK (Armenian National Congress), the opposition alliance that came in
third place in the official vote count in the May 31 Yerevan municipal
elections, sent a petition to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC)
demanding that it declare the election null and void.

HAK says that it has sent documentation to the CEC which it says
substantiates widespread violations in the run-up to the election,
on election day itself and the ensuing ballot recounts.

MUDSLINGING GOING FULL SWING AHEAD OF LEBANON VOTE
Natacha Yazbeck

Agence France Presse
June 3 2009

With just days to go before Lebanon’s general election, mudslinging is
at a peak as candidates trade insults touching on religion, corruption
and even each other’s personal lives.

One candidate calling an opponent "a thief" on national television and
another accusing a contender of spying for Israel, all is fair game
in the battle pitting a Western-backed faction against a Hezbollah-led
alliance supported by Iran and Syria.

"I would say that it’s crunch time, do-or-die, go-for-broke," said
Elias Muhanna, editor of the political blog Qifa Nabki. "You might
as well sling all the mud you can before Sunday."

And sling the mud they have before the June 7 vote — on billboards,
television talk shows, campaign rallies and in private meetings
secretly caught on tape.

One audio-recording broadcast on television has an official badmouthing
the country’s Armenian community, whose main political bloc has
decided to support Hezbollah’s faction during the election.

"F— the Armenians," the official is overheard saying in the
recording. "What do they have to do with us?"

Candidate Nayla Tueni, 26, was in the hot seat this week after a
rumour that she had converted to Islam spread like wildfire.

Tueni, a Greek Orthodox who is seeking to fill the seat left by her
slain father Gebran Tueni, was forced to go on air to refute the
allegation, even displaying a document showing she had not renounced
her faith.

Religion plays a key role on all levels in Lebanon and the country’s
top government positions and the 128 seats in parliament are allocated
along confessional lines.

The president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a
Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament a Shiite Muslim.

Seats in parliament are equally divided between Christians and Muslims.

Mudslinging in the run-up to the vote has not been restricted to
political foes with even allies slamming each other.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a member of the ruling majority,
was recently red-faced over remarks he made during a meeting with
religious leaders of his community during which he denigrated his
Maronite Christian allies, calling them a "bad breed".

Jumblatt later downplayed his comments saying they were unintentional
and taken out of context.

With tempers running high, some political leaders have not spared
their own constituents.

A video making the rounds on television and on YouTube has Christian
leader Sleiman Franjieh, who is allied with Hezbollah, calling a
group of his followers "dogs" and "donkeys" as he warns them to
refrain from violence on election day.

"I have 30,000 idiots in this village, that’s what I have," an angry
Franjieh is seen telling a small crowd in his stronghold of Zgharta,
in northern Lebanon. "If one of you dares raise his fist (during the
election), you’ll have to answer to me."