Author: Taslakhchian Andranik

Converse Bank plans to increase crediting of small and medium enterprises

YE REVAN, DECEMBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN. 2008 was a successful year for
Converse Bank that has increased the number of its branches in Armenian
marzes (provinces) to 25, that of cash machines – to 41 against 29 in
early 2008, while its pre-tax profit will amount to about 2.5 billion
drams (8.1 mln USD) at the end of 2008, thus exceeding the programmed
index, the CEO of Converse Bank Ararat Ghukasian stated at the December
26 press conference.

According to him, the amount of deposits with the bank made nearly 23
bln drams as of November 30 – against 16 bln drams in early 2008. As of
the indicated date, the bank’s credit investments grew by 36% from
early 2008 and made 42 bln drams, with the crediting of small and
medium enterprises growing by 17% to 5.4 bln drams, consumer crediting
growing by 22% to 7.4 bln drams, mortgage crediting – by more than 80%
to 4.5 bln drams, and agricultural crediting growing by 130% to over a
billion drams. The credit repayment index is high. Converse Bank has a
long-term goal of increasing the crediting of SMEs not only with EBRD’s
10 million dollars but also with its own funds. The bank has raised
interest rates of its credits by 1-1.5%, but their repayment period has
also been increased up to 4 years.

Responding to NT correspondent’s question, he did not exclude the
possibility of crediting Armenian high-tech enterprises by Converse
Bank based on evaluation of their nonmaterial assets, in particular,
intellectual property. In his opinion, the problem is in the
availability of assets-evaluating organizations.

Presenting the results of the first placement of Converse Bank’s
nominal, medium-term, coupon bonds of 300 million drams, the Deputy CEO
Tigran Davtian said that the placement of these bonds with a 3-year
redemption period and a 10.64% annual yield was done in 10 days instead
of the envisaged period of 30 days. Bonds were acquired by 29 natural
and juridical persons. It is envisaged placing the remaining bonds of
1.2 billion drams in 2009.

Robert Fisk’s World: How can anyone believe there is ‘progress’ in the
Middle East?
A test of Obama’s gumption will come scarcely three months after his
inauguration

Saturday, 27 December 2008
Independent.co.uk Web

If reporting is, as I suspect, a record of mankind’s folly, then the
end of 2008 is proving my point.

Let’s kick off with the man who is not going to change the Middle East,
Barack Obama, who last week, with infinite predictability, became
Time’s "person of the year". But buried in a long and immensely tedious
interview inside the magazine, Obama devotes just one sentence to the
Arab-Israeli conflict: "And seeing if we can build on some of the
progress, at least in conversation, that’s been made around the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be a priority."

What is this man talking about? "Building on progress?" What progress?
On the verge of another civil war between Hamas and the Palestinian
Authority, with Benjamin Netanyahu a contender for Israeli prime
minister, with Israel’s monstrous wall and its Jewish colonies still
taking more Arab land, and Palestinians still firing rockets at Sderot,
and Obama thinks there’s "progress" to build on?

I suspect this nonsensical language comes from the mental mists of his
future Secretary of State. "At least in conversation" is pure Hillary
Clinton ` its meaning totally eludes me ` and the giveaway phrase about
progress bei
ng made "around" the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is even
weirder. Of course if Obama had talked about an end to Jewish
settlement building on Arab land ` the only actual "building" that is
going on in the conflict ` relations with Hamas as well as the
Palestinian Authority, justice for both sides in the conflict, along
with security for Palestinians as well as Israelis, then he might
actually effect a little change.

An interesting test of Obama’s gumption is going to come scarcely three
months after his inauguration when he will have a little promise to
honour. Yup, it’s that dratted 24 April commemoration of the Armenian
genocide when Armenians remember the 1.5 million of their countrymen `
citizens of the Ottoman empire slaughtered by the Turks ` on the
anniversary of the day in 1915 when the first Armenian professors,
artists and others were taken off to execution by the Ottoman
authorities.

Bill Clinton promised Armenians he’d call it a "genocide" if they
helped to elect him to office. George Bush did the same. So did Obama.
The first two broke their word and resorted to "tragedy" rather than
"genocide" once they’d got the votes, because they were frightened of
all those bellowing Turkish generals, not to mention ` in Bush’s case `
the US military supply routes through Turkey, the "roads and so on" as
Robert Gates called them in one of history’s more gripping ironies,

these being the same "roads and so on" upon which the Armenians were
sent on their death marches in 1915. And Mr Gates will be there to
remind Obama of this. So I bet you ` I absolutely bet on the family cat
` that Obama is going to find that "genocide" is "tragedy" by 24 April.

By chance, I browsed through Turkish Airlines’ in-flight magazine while
cruising into Istanbul earlier this month and found an article on the
historical Turkish region of Harput. "Asia’s natural garden", "a
popular holiday resort", the article calls Harput, "where churches
dedicated to the Virgin Mary rise next to tombs of the ancestors of
Mehmet the Conqueror".

Odd, all those churches, isn’t it? And you have to shake your head to
remember that Harput was the centre of the Christian Armenian genocide,
the city from which Leslie Davis, the brave American consul in Harput,
sent back his devastating eyewitness dispatches of the thousands of
butchered Armenian men and women whose corpses he saw with his own
eyes. But I guess that all would spoil the "natural garden" effect.
It’s a bit like inviting tourists to the Polish town of Oswiecim `
without mentioning that its German name is Auschwitz.

But these days, we can all rewrite history. Take Nicolas Sarkozy,
France’s cuddliest ever president, who not only toadies up to Bashar
al-Assad of Syria but is now buttering up the sick and awful Algerian
head of
state Abdelaziz Bouteflika who’s just been "modifying" the
Algerian constitution to give himself a third term in office.

There was no parliamentary debate, just a show of hands ` 500 out of
529 ` and what was Sarko’s response? "Better Bouteflika than the
Taliban!" I always thought the Taliban operated a bit more to the east
` in Afghanistan, where Sarko’s lads are busy fighting them ` but you
never can tell. Not least when exiled former Algerian army officers
revealed that undercover soldiers as well as the Algerian Islamists
(Sarko’s "Taliban") were involved in the brutal village massacres of
the 1990s.

Talking of "undercover", I was amazed to learn of the training system
adopted by the Met lads who put Jean Charles de Menezes to death on the
Tube. According to former police commander Brian Paddick, the Met’s
secret rules for "dealing" with suicide bombers were drawn up "with the
help of Israeli experts". What? Who were these so-called "experts"
advising British policemen how to shoot civilians on the streets of
London? The same men who assassinate wanted Palestinians in the West
Bank and Gaza and brazenly kill Palestinian civilians at the same time?
The same people who outrageously talk about "targeted killings" when
they murder their opponents? Were these the thugs who were advising
Lady Cressida Dick and her boys?

Not that our brave peace envoy, Lord Blair, would have much to say

about it. He’s the man, remember, whose only proposed trip to Gaza was
called off when yet more "Israeli experts" advised him that his life
might be in danger. Anyway, he’d still rather be president of Europe,
something Sarko wants to award him. That, I suppose, is why Blair wrote
such a fawning article in the same issue of Time which made Obama
"person" of the year. "There are times when Nicolas Sarkozy resembles a
force of nature," Blair grovels. It’s all first names, of course.
"Nicolas has the hallmark of any true leader"; "Nicolas has
adopted…"; "Nicolas recognises"; "Nicolas reaching out…". In all,
15 "Nicolases". Is that the price of the Euro presidency? Or will Blair
now tell us he’s going to be involved in those "conversations" with
Obama to "build on some of the progress" in the Middle East?

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN CHAIRS THE SITTING OF THE YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY BOARD

armradio.am
25.12.2008 17:55

The Yerevan State University Board held its final sitting of 2009
today. The sitting was chaired by the President of Armenia, President
of the Yerevan State University Board Serzh Sargsyan.

During the sitting, Rector of the University, correspondent-member
of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences Aram Simonyan presented
the report on activity on the 2007-2008 academic year. He said the
activity in all directions has been targeted at the development of
the university, raise of its role in the domestic and international
scientific-educational fields.

According to Aram Simonyan, during the academic year the University
continued the improvement of the educational process, structural
changes, development and modernization of the educational technologies,
expansion of research activity. In his words, certain progress has been
registered with regard to the organization of the educational process,
modernization of methods, enrichment of the content of education and
raise of quality.

STEPAN DEMIRCHYAN: "THE CONSEQUENCES ARE NOT SURMOUNTED"

A1+
[03:38 pm] 24 December, 2008

"The grave consequences of March 1-2 are not addressed today. Today
Armenia faces socio-ecomic, moral and psychological crisis," Leader
of the People’s Party of Armenia (HZhK) Stepan Demirchyan announced
today when summing up the passing year.

The HZhK Leader congratulated political prisoner Alexander Arzumanyan
on his birthday and wished him an immediate release. Demirchyan
also condemned the violence against detainee Grigor Voskerchyan
and considered the trail of the case against seven as an utter
farce. Demirchyan said that the publicised eavesdropping of
Arzumanyan’s telephone talks further dispelled the alleged coup
attempts in Armenia.

Stepan Demirchyan noted that the artificial tension during the previous
court ruling might give grounds for the authorities to hold closed
sittings but, in his opinion, a case finding deep resonance in public
should be heard openly.

"The authorities had an opportunity to avoid tough assessments of
the PACE Monitoring Committee but they missed the chance." The HZhK
Leader meant PACE’s recommendation to release people jailed for their
political viewpoints.

Demirchyan thinks that the authorities should free the political
prisoners and start a dialogue with the opposition.

With regard to their further steps, Demirchyan reminded about the
ANC’s intention to hold a massive pan-national rally on March 1.

"The authorities themselves enhance rallies," said Demirchyan grounding
his statement for the fact that the authorities don’t give halls to
the Congress, address the existing problems, release the political
prisoners and make a fair inquiry into the March 1-2 riot.

Today Mr. Demirchyan made rather bleak predictions for 2009: the
international economic crisis has added to the existing problems. The
crisis will pose numerous hardships before Armenia.

In reply to a journalist’s question why the Congress qualified the
Monitoring Committee’s preliminary report as a victory and whether
they do not realise its negative outcome, Demirchyan said he would
avoid using the word "victory." Then he added that people rigging
the election, and hindering the democratic development of the country
should care for the aftermaths.

He noted that Armenia continues ignoring the PACE resolutions. "People
tampering the 2003 elections are still unpunished, A1+ hasn’t
been returned to the air, moreover, they cancelled tenders for TV
frequencies by 2010," concluded Demirchyan

TURKEY’S PRESIDENT FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST CHP DEPUTY, WHO CLAIMS THAT GUL’S MOTHER IS OF ARMENIAN ORIGIN

armradio.am
23.12.2008 12:25

President Abdullah Gul has filed a lawsuit against Republican People’s
Party (CHP) deputy Canan Arıtman, who claimed that Gul’s mother is
of Armenian origin. "Arıtman, who has political motivations, caused
doubts about the performance of the president, who has non-political
responsibilities," the petition states, Hurriyet Daily reports.

The defendant’s claim, which is based on racism and discrimination,
is a heavy assault on the client’s personal and family values,
honor and reputation." The 1 YTL lawsuit petition submitted by the
president’s lawyer, Omer Kucuközcan, refers to Arıtman’s claims.

On Dec. 17, Arıtman attacked the campaign initiated by a group of
intellectuals to apologize for the Armenian massacres of 1915, which
Armenians claim constituted genocide.

"The false scientists signing it should apologize to Turkey," she
said, claiming that Gul — because of his "ethnic origins" — was
rubberstamping the campaign. "We see that the president supports
this campaign. Abdullah Gul should be the president of the entire
Turkish nation, not just of those sharing his ethnicity. Investigate
the ethnic origin of the president’s mother and you will see."

The petition states that Gul stands at an equal distance from all
citizens in his cur rent position and that in his previous duties as
a Deputy, Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Prime Minister
and President, he expressed his ideas openly at the national and
international platforms on the topic and on Turkish-Armenian relations.

"My client’s views have been distorted and it was suggested that he
has ethnic ties on his mother’s side, as if he stands closer to a
part of society because of that," the petition states.

The petition also states that according to the news reports, CHP head
Deniz Baykal has been uneasy about Arıtman’s statements.

–Boundary_(ID_eCcF+5aD9KLAS8ntHP4WVA )–

DISABLED HAVE EQUAL POSSIBILITIES

Panorama.am
14:50 22/12/2008

"Sunflower" 6th annual award ceremony on equal possibilities of
the disabled people organized by "Bridge of Hope" and "Mission
East" organizations and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs
finished. The mission of the ceremony is to remind that the disabled
people have equal possibilities.

The ceremony included the publications from November 20, 2007 to
December 15, 2008. In 2008 the jury was content with the online
and print publications. In "Best article" nomination a journalist
from Goris Susanna Shahnazaryan was awarded, the second prize was
awarded to Edgar Amirkhanyan from "Panorama.am" online publication
( 8/09/02/teqahartakner/) and
the third prize was awarded to Haykuhi Barseghyan from "168 Zham".

"For two days the members of the committee have discussed the
publications, it was very difficult to make final decision," said
the President of "Bridge of Hope" NGO Susanna Tadevosyan.

APOLOGY FOR GENOCIDE CONDEMNED BY NATIONALISTS

WELT ONLINE
257/Apology-for-genocide-condemned-by-nationalists .html
Dec 19 2008
Germany

An online initiative spearheaded by leftist intellectuals to apologize
for the mass slaying of ethnic Armenians by the Turkish state in
World War One was the subject of a terse debate in Turkey Friday,
drawing heavy criticism from Turkey’s foreign minister Ali Babacan
as well as prime minister Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish generals.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said on Friday a controversy
over an apology by Turkish intellectuals for the mass killings of
Armenians in World War One could hurt efforts to improve diplomatic
ties with Armenia.

His comments came on the same day Turkey’s powerful generals said
they opposed the Internet initiative, which has also drawn criticism
from Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and nationalists.

"This is a sensitive issue for Turkey. There is a negotiation process
going on (with Armenia)… This kind of debate is of no use to anyone
especially at a time talks continue and it may harm the negotiation
process," Babacan was quoted by Anatolian news agency as saying.

On Wednesday, Erdogan said the campaign, which has tested one of
Turkey’s most sensitive taboos, had no other benefit than "stirring
up trouble, disturbing our peace and undoing the steps which have
been taken".

President Abdullah Gul has hailed the initiative as proof of Turkey’s
democratic health. He became the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia
in September as Turkey sought to end almost 100 year of animosity.

Turkish and Armenian officials have expressed hopes of restoring full
diplomatic relations soon.

Turks, including Nobel prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk, have been
prosecuted in the European Union candidate country for affirming that
the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 amounted to genocide.

Turkey accepts that many Armenians were killed during the waning
years of the Ottoman Empire, but rejects Armenian assertions, backed
by Western historians, it was genocide, saying that Muslim Turks also
died in inter-ethnic conflicts.

The apology, which avoids the word genocide and uses instead the
term great catastrophe, has reignited a debate that challenges one
of the ideological foundations of modern Turkey. It comes at a time
of heightened nationalism in Turkey.

Organisers have said the initiative, posted on the Internet
() along with a non-binding petition to gather
signatures, was meant to allow Turks to offer a personal apology and
to end an official silence. It has been signed by 200 intellectuals.

Les Echos, France
jeudi 11 décembre 2008

Rénovation de luxe du centre culturel arménien à Lyon

par MARIE-ANNICK DEPAGNEUX
ORIGINE-DEPECHE: DE NOTRE CORRESPONDANTE À LYON.

Le programme, placé sous la maîtrise d’ouvrage d’une SCI contrôlée par
un fonds d’investissement privé, consiste à rénover et agrandir deux
hôtels particuliers.

Un programme immobilier haut de gamme s’inspirant des demeures
toscanes, tel est le parti pris architectural choisi pour la
rénovation et l’agrandissement de l’ancien centre culturel et cultuel
arménien, au coeur du 6e arrondis- sement de Lyon. Ce bien, en vente
depuis de longs mois, a été acheté par la société civile immobilière
Crillum détenu par Aquasourça, fonds de capital-investissement
indépendant. L’emplacement de choix dans un quartier bourgeois donne
un caractère un peu unique à cette opération, dont la
commercialisation démarrera début 2009. La composante tertiaire
baptisée « Hôtel particulier » fait référence au bti d’origine, deux
hôtels particuliers réunis en un, dont le plus ancien date de 1860.

« Nous avons travaillé avec les Btiments de France, car l’édifice
devait être sauvegardé, conformément au plan local de l’urbanisme »,
raconte Albert Constantin, qui dirige l’Atelier de la Rize, à Lyon,
concepteur du projet. « Nous conservons le beau toit à la Mansart, la
façade sud le long de la rue Tronchet avec ses oeils-de-boeuf et ses
chiens-assis. Quant à la façade nord, enduite d’un crépi à
l’italienne, nous l’enveloppons d’une coque métallique vitrée. Si bien
que le mur d’origine devient une cloison intérieure. Cela nous permet
d’agrandir le btiment et de le surélever d’un niveau. »

Les orangeries d’autrefois

A l’intérieur, parois et planchers sont démolis et remplacés par une
charpente métallique soutenant les parquets en bois, matériau
également choisi pour les fenêtres. Un ascenseur et deux escaliers
desservent les trois étages pouvant offrir des plateaux de 230 m2 et
la superficie utile s’établit à 1.100 m2. « En fonction des occupants,
les décorations peuvent être classiques ou au contraire très
contemporaines. On peut imaginer par exemple des moulures et des
toiles murales », commente l’architecte.

L’ensemble comprend également un petit immeuble neuf de 9 logements de
grande qualité baptisé « Villa Crillon ». Les murs extérieurs sont
revêtus de terre cuite, dans le respect de l’ambiance italienne, et
les appartements sont agrémentés de grands balcons et de vérandas
jouant le rôle de serres bioclimatiques. « Les plus grands pouvant
atteindre 270 m2 sont destinés à l’accession à la propriété et les
autres seront proposés à la location », indique Michel Abattu, chez
Aquasourça. Sous l’immeuble d’habitation se logent une cinquantaine de
places de parking dont la sortie piétons sur le patio intérieur est
traitée comme une terrasse. Elle se prolonge par des allées de sable
ornées de pergolas et grandes jarres. Ce jardin intérieur de 500 m2
est aussi planté de grands arbres derrière lesquels se devine l’Hôtel
particulier « dont la structure métallique évoque ces orangeries
d’autrefois », savoure Albert Constantin. Ce programme de prestige,
dont le coût des travaux est chiffré à 8 millions d’euros hors taxes,
voisine avec une opération d’Habitat et Humanisme accueillant une
congrégation religieuse, une résidence pour personnes gées et des
logements très sociaux. A Lyon, la mixité sociale devient une réalité.

CZECH, AZERI FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSS NAGORNO-KARABAKH IN PRAGUE

CTK National News Wire
December 10, 2008 Wednesday 6:03 PM (Central European Time)
Czech Rep

Prague, Dec 10 (CTK) – The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed
landlocked region in the Caucasus, was one of the topics Czech
Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg and his Azeri counterpart
Elmar Mammadyarov discussed in Prague today in connection with the
forthcoming Czech EU presidency.

Schwarzenberg told journalists after the meeting that Czech diplomacy
could help resolve the conflict if it were asked and if it received
the necessary mandate.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been controlled by Armenian separatists since
the beginning of the 1990s after an armed conflict that claimed
30,000 lives.

In 1994, representatives of the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan
agreed on the cease-fire. Since then they have been holding peace
talks on resolving the conflict.

However, armed conflicts have been quite frequent during this period.

Schwarzenberg said it was necessary for both countries to be interested
in resolving the problem.

"It is high time to settled the conflict," Mammadyarov said.

The Czech Republic will take over the six-month EU rotating presidency
on January 1, 2009.

One of Czech priorities is orientation towards countries eastwards
of the EU. According to the Czech Foreign Ministry, Azerbaijan is
one of these countries.

THE KOPALIAN FAMILY: BACK IN BUSINESS IN THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

Examiner.com
Dec 12 2008

Foodies who remember when Chahe and Nanik Kopalian ran Araz restaurant
in Studio City some years back will want to know that they’re back in
business, this time in tandem with their sons Avo, Raffy, and Chris
at a new place, Mediterranean Bistro, in Porter Ranch.

Foodies will also be glad to know that, as the name of the family’s
new place suggests, Mediterranean Bistro specializes in a mix of
Lebanese and Armenian dishes, spiced up – if that’s the right phrase –
with the tastes of Syria as well. This includes the marinated quail
– grilled to perfection – that became Chahe Kopalian’s signature
dish at Araz, along with filet and chicken kebabs and, of course,
a host of appetizers including sarma (grape leaves wrapped around
rice, onions, pomegranate juice, and spices), soups, main dishes,
and Nanik Kopalian’s specialty desserts.

Chahe Kopalian sold Araz eight years ago, tried to go into retirement
but, according to Avo, kept getting up in the morning with only one
question on his mind: "What are we going to eat today?"

"He had been in the restaurant business for 30 years," Avo says,
"and we had to make him retire, my brothers and I. He got bored and
wanted to open up something new, so we told him we weren’t going to
let him do it on his own."

Mediterranean Bistro is the only place within miles where you can
get anything like Chahe Kopalian’s delicate quail, and when you go
there, be sure to ask Avo Kopalian about the manteh – spiced meat
in a ravioli-like dough – or kebbelebeniya, an exotic hot soup of
meatballs with cracked wheat, yogurt and mint, served in portions
large enough to make for a whole meal by itself.

The Kopalians tested the waters in Porter Ranch with these dishes
and similar dishes when they opened Mediterranean Bistro eight months
ago, all of them given special twists by Chahe Kopalian, and although
they aren’t on the menu right now, Avo Kopalian says they’re likely
to make it back, and in the meantime, if you ask, you stand a good
chance of getting them.

"Whatever I like, I like to give to other people," Avo says.

Mediterranean Bistro is definitely a family affair. Arrive a little
early for lunch and you might get a special treat – the sound of Avo
Kopalian, busy in the kitchen, singing along to Lebanese songs coming
from a CD player. Can he carry a tune? Who cares? The man can cook.

Mediterranean Bistro is at 19735 Rinaldi St., Northridge,
818-831-1122. Prices are moderate.

Another Unusual Mix

As long as we’re talking unusual mixes, let me tempt you with another
interesting place, La Cienaga Grill. It’s in West Los Angeles, not in
the San Fernando Valley, so if you live in the San Fernando Valley,
you have to drive.

Trust me, it’s worth the trouble.

Ignacio Hernandez, the native Oaxacan who runs the place, has a long
pedigree in the restaurant business hereabouts; fans of Cafe Bizou in
Santa Monica, for instance, will remember him as chef in that very
good place. He was at Cafe Bizou seven years, and he put in another
three at Il Sole in Westwood.

Hernandez opened La Cienega Grill only months ago serving up an
unusual mix of Mexican and American foods – for example, a Cajun
chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onions, bacon, guacamole sauce,
cheddar cheese, and a chipotle ranch dressing.

Who’d a thunk up that chipotle ranch dressing other than a man who
learned to cook serving Italian and French food for Americans?

Hernandez also serves a bistek Mexicano with a unique sauce of green
peppers, onions, and tomatoes and a Oaxacan specialty called clayuda,
a huge hand-made corn tortilla topped with beans, avocado, tomato,
cabbage, Oaxacan string cheese, and your choice of four meats –
chicken, chorizo, cecina or tasajo. One of those last two is thinly
sliced beef salted and laid out in the sun to cure, the other
thinly sliced pork also salted and laid out in the sun to cure –
both delicous, so don’t ask me which is which.

For my money, though, the best thing on the menu is Hernandez’s very
special Oaxacan mole, made sweeter and darker than most Mexican mole
sauces by the addition of more chocolate than usual. You don’t get
Oaxacan mole better than this anywhere this side of – well, Oaxaca.

La Cienega Grill Cafe is at 1663 La Cienega Blvd., West Los Angeles,
310-860-1165. Prices are moderate.