Author: Tambiyan Samvel

TARKANIAN V. SCHNEIDER: Jury says lawmaker defamed opponent

Coach’s son gets $50,000 in actual damages

Las Vegas Review-Journal (Las Vegas, NV)
August 2, 2009

By LAWRENCE MOWER, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

A jury late Friday handed down a verdict and $50,000 in damages in
favor of Danny Tarkanian in his long-running legal feud against State
Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas.

At about 10:30 p.m., and after deliberating for more than three hours,
the jury found Tarkanian’s claims were justified, according to
Tarkanian and his attorney, Gus Flangas.

"It was very gratifying — very nerve-racking, but very gratifying,"
Tarkanian said Saturday.

The lawsuit stemmed from a vicious 2004 state Senate campaign between
the two men. After losing the race, Tarkanian sued Schneider, claiming
that he was defamed and libeled during the campaign.

Tarkanian, who was running as a Republican in a heavily Democratic
district, was accused of acting as a resident agent for several
companies that later were investigated for illegal telemarketing scams
that victimized the elderly.

Schneider also suggested that Tarkanian turned "state’s evidence" to
save himself in a criminal investigation.

Flangas said Saturday that he asked the jury for $30,000 in damages
over comments Schneider made about Tarkanian on the "Face to Face"
show with journalist Jon Ralston, $10,000 for fliers mailed out by
Schneider’s campaign and $10,000 for comments Schneider made about the
status of Tarkanian’s law license.

The jury awarded all of that, plus determined that the case was
eligible for punitive damages. Flangas said Tarkanian could be awarded
up to $300,000 during the punitive phase of the trial, which starts
Monday.

Schneider released a statement Saturday saying he was "shocked and
saddened" by the verdict.

The statement continued: "I entered public service to serve the people
of Nevada and have always upheld the law. My family and I are spending
time together. I respect Nevada’s judiciary system and am hopeful for
a positive resolution of this matter."

Tarkanian said the amount of the award was not as important as having
the facts cleared up.

"I was going to settle the case for a lot, lot less if Mike had
acknowledged that at the time he made the statements he thought they
were true but he learned later that they were false," Tarkanian said.

Schneider would not agree to that, Tarkanian said.

Tarkanian was a registered agent for several telemarketing companies
that were indicted on fraud charges, but he said in later interviews
that he was merely an attorney who did legal work on behalf of the
companies and knew nothing of the fraud.

The same claims came up in a 2006 campaign for secretary of state,
which he lost to Democrat Ross Miller. Tarkanian said he wanted to sue
the first person who made the claims. He said he can’t sue Miller
anyway because the statute of limitations has expired.

Tarkanian, the son of legendary former UNLV basketball coach Jerry
Tarkanian and Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian, said he is
considering running for office again.

He wouldn’t say for what but felt he wouldn’t be able to win had the
claims against him not been cleared up.

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at [email protected] or
702-383-0440.

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GOVERNMENT COMMISSION ON COORDINATION OF RELIEF PROGRAMS MET, CHAIRED BY HEAD OF COMMISSION SIMON TER-SIMONYAN

Gov.am
Aug 2 2009
Armenia

14 projects have been discussed and approved, including Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund-implemented "Water supply system upgrade in Apaven
village of Lori marz," "Reconstruction of the second floor of the Holy
Virgin Medical Center’s obstetrics ward," "Sanitary unit repairs for
the Olympic School of Wrestling and secondary school N.57 in Yerevan,"
"Repair of a classroom in secondary school N.4 in Artashat town of
Ararat marz," as well as the Holy See of St Echmiadzin-carried out
"Construction of Yeghishe Manukyan manuscript depository."

The meeting has endorsed the following projects, too: Armenia
branch of the US-based Armenian Educational Institution’s "New
heating system installation at the children’s musical college of
Shushi town of the NKR," a project financed by the Armenian Karitas
benevolent association referred to as "Heating and hot water supply
for Aregak child disability care center in Gyumri town," 3 projects
carried out by World Vision International, entitled "Organization of
Christian summer campuses in a number of villages of Tavush marz,"
"Organization of summer campuses and building of playgrounds in Shamb,
Tolors, Aghitu and Halidzor communities of Syunik marz."

The commission similarly approved the opening of a tomography center by
Gulbenkyan surgery hospital in Gyumri town as financed by "Solidarity
between the French Protestant Church and Armenia" relief society,
as well as a "Kamrjak" welfare union-implemented project, entitled
"Construction of a second block for the kindergarten of Vokhchan
community of Aragatsotni marz."

The meeting next discussed and approved a program, funded on the
part of the International Center for Research and Education by the
RA National Academy of Sciences in an effort to develop an academic
curriculum for students specializing in Library Management and
Informatics, as well as the St. John Church construction project
carried out by Artashat charity.

The meeting has also discussed and approved several sub-programs
under the standing ones, as well as projects on import of charitable
freight destined to various organizations operational in Armenia.

Iran opposition riot participants put on trial
01.08.2009 13:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The trial to prosecute a group of 100 ‘rioters’ who
opposed the election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has begun in a
revolutionary court in Tehran, Fars news agency reported..
Iranian news networks said earlier that about 20 people accused of
rioting would be put on trial from Saturday.
Iranian news agencies say the accused face charges of having
"participated in riots, acting against national security, disturbing
public order, vandalizing public and government property and having
ties with counter-revolutionary groups."
The Islamic republic is engulfed in its worst crisis in its 30-year
existence as a group led by former premier Mir Hossein Mousavi refuse
to acknowledge Ahmadinejad’s victory and demand a rerun of the
election.

RIA Oreanda, Russia
Economic News
July 31 2009

IFC Vice President Highlights Priorities for Georgia and Armenia

Tbilisi. OREANDA-NEWS . On 31 July 2009 was announced, that Jyrki
Koskelo, Vice President of IFC, a member of the World Bank Group,
pledged that IFC will continue supporting the growth of the private
sector in Georgia and Armenia by expanding its presence in the
countries.

IFC views the region as a long-term strategic priority and is planning
to expand its activities by building on established partnerships with
the private sector and government. IFC also plans to continue
providing expert advice to mitigate the effects of the financial
crisis, improve the investment climate, and foster corporate
governance best practices.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony of the new IFC hub office in
Tbilisi covering Georgia and Armenia , Koskelo emphasized IFCs
long-term commitment to these countries. Despite the global financial
crisis, IFC has decided to expand its presence in the region because
we are facing increasing demand for our products and services, he
said. The new office in Tbilisi will help us be closer to our Georgian
and Armenian clients, maximize our resources, and strengthen our
collaboration with partners across the region.

The past financial year was a record year for Georgia and Armenia with
IFC investing USD 229 million as part of its global strategy to
respond to the financial crisis and the needs of the clients with
appropriate products.

Georgia and Armenia became shareholders and members of IFC in 1995. As
of June 2009, IFC has committed around ////$

500 million in these countries across a variety of sectors. IFC
continues to look for opportunities to build on the success of its
advisory services programs and investments, and to increase the
availability of debt funding and equity investment to local
enterprises.

PR-USA.net
Aug 2 2009

Hilton Garden Inn Debuts in Armenia

"Hilton Garden Inn, a three star hotel and an exhibition center will
cover two hectares of land and will have 202 hotel and 40 apartment
rooms. The cost of the rooms will vary between $150-200 during high
season, and $120-150 during off season," said a California-based
Armenian businessman Gary Bedian, the founder and president of Bedian
International Company, who will be in charge of the Hilton Garden Inn
construction work in Armenia.

The construction of the hotel and exhibition center will start next
year and will last 3 years. The hotel will be located on the main
highway to Yerevan’s Zvartnots international airport.

Attracting a prestigious global brand like Hilton Garden Inn to
Armenia only adds testimony to the increasing interest in Armenia as a
tourism destination. This new hotel and exhibition center will create
a highly visible gateway to Armenia with international conferences,
meetings, incentives and events.

About ATDA
The Armenian Tourism Development Agency (ATDA) was established as the
Government’s tourism promotional arm in June 2001. In partnership with
private businesses, it aims to market Armenia in local and
international markets, and create programs aiding the overall
development of Armenia’s tourism industry.

THE INVENTION OF HISTORY: AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA, AND THE SHOWCASING OF IMAGINATION

AZG Armenian Daily
30/07/2009

History

Rouben Galichian has written a new book, The Invention of History:
Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the Showcasing of Imagination.

Mr. Galichian’s new book focuses on the history of Azerbaijan. He
argues that Azerbaijan as an entity north of the River Araks is
an invention of 1918, and that the edifice of Azerbaijani national
history is built with bricks that have their Armenian inscriptions
hacked off of them.

The falsification of Azerbaijan’s history, especially as it relates
to Karabakh, concerns Mr. Galichian. But he is especially concerned
by Azerbaijani efforts to propagate a novel history of Armenia,
one that does not include Armenians until the beginning of the
nineteenth century.

Historical maps have been a major focus of Mr. Galichian’s interest
until now. He is the author of Historic Maps of Armenia: The
Cartographic Heritage^A (London: I.B. Tauris, 2004), Countries of the
Caucasus in Medieval Maps: Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan^A (London:
Gomidas Institute, 2007), and a book about Armenia in world maps.

In an interview with Armenian Reporter editor Vincent Lima Rouben
Galichian said that the reason he wrote the book is exactly that
"in 1918, when the countries south of the Caucasus Mountains became
independent, the country that is now called the Republic of Azerbaijan
was originally supposed to be called the Southeastern Transcaucasian
Republic. But the Musavat nationalist party decided on the name
Azerbaijan, purely for political reasons.

The political reason was that they were trying to establish an
Islamic belt of countries that started from Turkey toward Central
Asia. Azerbaijan was going to be one of them. Another reason was that
they intended to take control of the Iranian province of Azerbaijan
too.

The Iranian province of Azerbaijan, which Armenians call Atpatakan,
is about 2,000 years old, and in the past has been part of Lesser
Media. The name Atpatakan – or Atropatakan – comes from the name of the
general Atropat, who protected the country and wouldn’t let Alexander
the Great conquer it. It had always been south of the River Araks,
never to the north of it. Suddenly in 1918, north of the River Araks,
a country appears, with the same name. It is analogous to today’s
Macedonia and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

But that was not enough.

The newly established country wanted to show the world that it had
all of the cultural and historical background [of a legitimate nation].

It was a mixture of various races: Persian, Turkic, Tatar, Mongol,
local Albanians – who had evolved and converted to Islam and became
Lezgins – and Shirvanis, and God knows how many peoples. According
to the ancient historians there were 26 tribes living in Caucasian
Albania in ancient times.

But there was a problem. There were some Islamic monuments there,
which they could point to and say, "This is our heritage," but
a majority of the monuments were Christian. There were churches,
there were tombs, there were khachkars, and all sorts of things that
could not be Islamic. Therefore the Azerbaijani authorities began a
campaign saying, "We are actually the descendants of the Caucasian
Albanians. They were our ancestors. They used to be Christian and
they converted to Islam. And we are them."

At the same time, to be in Turkey’s good books, they claimed that they
are the descendants of the Oghuz Turks – the Kara Koyunlu, Ak Koyunlu,
etc. – and the various tribes.

This is a contradiction. One is a central Caucasian tribe; the other is
a Central Asian tribe. How could you have two ancestors so different
from each other? You must be a mixture of races. Well, they said no,
we are Albanian and the Turkish population has been in this part of
the world for over 2,500 years".

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO DEBATE NEW AZERI RESOLUTIONS ON KARABAKH

Asbarez
Jul 29th, 2009

UNITED NATIONS (Trend.az)-The 64th session of the United Nations
General Assembly may debate two Azeri drafted resolutions on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Azeri Trend News Agency reported,
quoting the UN Press Office.

The two resolutions to be brought to the floor for a vote are
named:"Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications
for international peace, security and development" and "The situation
in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan", the UN Press Office
told Trend.

According to Trend, the press office said the two resolutions were
been considered by the General Assembly at its 63rd session, and thus
remain on the agenda for the upcoming session. Their inclusion in
the provisional agenda of the 64th session is subject to any action
the Assembly may take on it at its 63rd session and the exact time
at which these resolutions are to be discussed will be determined at
the end of September.

Azerbaijan has long sought to exploit its alliances in the United
Nations to pass resolutions in the UN favoring its position on
Karabakh. Baku hopes to bolster its case in the peace process by
establishing a paper trail of relevant documents supporting its
alleged claims to Karabakh.

On March 14, as Armenia was in a state of emergency, Azerbaijan
succeeded in p ushing for an adoption of a resolution "reaffirming
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, demanding withdrawal of all
Armenian forces from all occupied territories there."

The non-binding resolution was adopted by a vote of 39 in favor to
7 against. The US, Russia and France voting against the resolution,
and stressed the importance of continued mediation efforts through the
OSCE Minsk Group, which they co-chair. They were joined by Armenia,
Angola, India, and Vanuatu in voting against it. Over 150 countries
abstained or did not vote.

Armenia’s then foreign minister, Vartan Oskanian, condemned the
resolution as "bogus" and "hypocritical." Armenia has long maintained
that the UN is not the proper venue for discussion or resolution of
the Karabakh conflict as it is under mediation by the OSCE Minsk Group.

Kyrgyzstan agrees to host second Russian base – Kremlin

MOSCOW, July 29 (RIA Novosti) – The deployment of a Russian military
base in southern Kyrgyzstan has been coordinated with Kyrgyz
authorities, an aide to the Russian president said on Wednesday.
"Everything has been agreed, in principle," Sergei Prikhodko said on
the eve of an informal summit of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), to be held in Kyrgyzstan on Friday.
The post-Soviet CSTO security bloc comprises Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Russia earlier offered to deploy a battalion-sized unit as part of the
CSTO rapid reaction force in the Batkenskaya region of Kyrgyzstan.
"In essence, this is not a Russian base. These are efforts in line
with CSTO plans to set up a joint rapid reaction force," Prikhodko
said.
Russia’s security strategy until 2020, recently approved by President
Dmitry Medvedev, envisions the CSTO as "a key mechanism to counter
regional military challenges and threats."
The leaders of the post-Soviet security bloc signed on June 14 an
agreement on creating a joint rapid reaction force, which will
comprise large military units from five countries – Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Russia already operates an airbase in the city of Kant, some 20
kilometers (12 miles) outside the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.
Some 250 Russian officers and 150 enlisted personnel from Russia’s 5th
Air Army are deployed at the base, as well as Su-25 Frogfoot strike
aircraft and Mi-8 transport helicopters.
Prikhodko said Moscow was not concerned about the presence of a
U.S. transit center in Kyrgyzstan to support an international
contingent which is fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan.
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed on July 7 a law allowing the
U.S. to continue using its Manas airbase for the transit of troops and
supplies to Afghanistan.
"If the operation of the center is carried out in line with its stated
mandate, we will have no formal cause for concern," the
ing that if the mandate is violated, Kyrgyzstan will have to provide
explanations to other CSTO members.

ARMENIAN PM RECEIVES NEWLY APPOINTED ITALIAN AMBASSADOR

ARMENPRESS
July 27, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
received today newly appointed Italian Ambassador to Armenia Bruno
Skapini.

Governmental press service told Armenpress that congratulating the
ambassador on starting diplomatic mission in Armenia, the prime
minister expressed assurance that the ambassador’s activity will
promote the achievement of progress in Armenian-Italian relations. The
prime minister pointed out that Armenia underscores the relations
achieved with Italy which today are more developed particularly
in economic and cultural spheres and have good prospects for
consolidation.

The interlocutors pointed out that it is possible to ensure new
development on the basis of existing strong bilateral relations.

Bruno Skapini noted that there is an opportunity of using potential
of trade economic cooperation especially in the private sector.

RALPH YIRIKIAN NAMED "MAN OF THE YEAR 2008" OF GYUMRI

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
27.07.2009 14:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A special ceremony of honoring VivaCell-MTS General
Manager Ralph Yirikian was held Monday in the Institute of Art in
Gyumri, where he was named "Man of the Year 2008" of the city.

Earlier this year a group of Gyumri citizens applied to an NGO ‘Man
of Year of Gyumri" with a request to consider granting VivaCell-MTS
General Manager Ralph Yirikian the title "Man of the Year 2008". The
board of the organization comprising prominent figures in the sphere
of art, science and education, decided to name Ralph Yirikian "Man
of the Year 2008" of Gyumri.

"For the activity that helped improve the moral-psychological state
of the city of Gyumri, namely, for the donation of 20 apartments to
homeless people on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Spitak
Earthquake," the Board’s statement reads, VivaCell press office
reported.