Author: Tavakalian Edgar

MCDONALD’S + LOUVRE = MCLOUVRE?

Tert.am
13:50 05.10.09

Lovers of France’s two great cultural symbols – its haute cuisine and
fine art – are aghast at plans to open a McDonald’s restaurant and
McCafé in the underground approach to the Louvre museum, known as the
Carrousel du Louvre, next month, reports the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph.

The notorious American fast food chain is celebrating its 30th
anniversary in France with a coup: the opening of its 1,142nd Gallic
outlet a few yards from the entrance to the country’s Mecca of high
art and the world’s most visited museum.

The chain faces a groundswell of discontent among museum staff,
many already unhappy about the Louvre lending its name and works to
a multi-million pound museum project in Abu Dhabi.

"This is the last straw," said one art historian working at the
Louvre, who declined to be named. "This is the pinnacle of exhausting
consumerism, deficient gastronomy and very unpleasant odours in the
context of a museum," he told the Daily Telegraph.

Armenian National Committee of Canada
130 Albert St., Suite 1007
Ottawa, ON KIP 5G4
Tel: 613-235-2622
Fax: 613-238-2622
E-mail: [email protected]

Kenneth V. Hachikian
ANCA Chairman Remarks to President Serge Sargsyan in New York (Oct 3)

Mr. President:

The Armenian National Committee of America stands with the
overwhelming majority of the Armenian American community in opposition
to the intense pressure by Turkey and its allies to force Armenia into
accepting a flawed and dangerous set of Protocols that threaten the
security of Armenia, surrender the rights of the Armenian nation, and
insult the dignity of the Armenian people.

Among the ANCA’s primary concerns, in keeping with the basic American
principles of fairness and the enduring values of the Armenian nation,
is that Armenia, illegally blockaded by Turkey and under intense
economic and diplomatic pressure, is being forced into accepting terms
that threaten her interests, rights, safety, and future – very notably
in the form of a proposed "historical commission’, whatever its
composition turns out to be. This provision, a tactic long pursued by
Ankara to cast doubt on the historical record of the Armenian
Genocide, is clearly intended to serve Turkey’s drive to roll back the
growing tide of international recognition of this crime against
humanity. There can be, as a matter of basic morality and political
reality, no enduring relationship between Armenia and Turkey that is
not built upon the foundation of Turkey’s acceptance of a true and
just resolution with respect to the Armenian Genocide.

Further, these Protocols outrageously surrender the historical rights
of the Armenian nation to a just resolution of the Armenian
Genocide. They also dangerously undermine the right to freedom and
self-determination for the Nagorno Karabagh Republic.

Mr. President, your actions in pursuing these protocols are
naïve. They are reckless. And they are simply irresponsible. Your
assertion that they do not contain any preconditions insults our
intelligence. The requirement for a commission of historians, which I
might point out has been soundly rejected by the International
Association of Genocide Scholars, the formal recognition of borders,
and the acknowledgement of territorial integrity without any mention
of self-determination are all preconditions imposed and insisted upon
by Turkey, which you have unwisely accepted at the point of their
blackmail of the closed borders. These preconditions were and are
requirements of Turkey: they are the price you are willing to pay to
the Turkish blackmailers. Many countries readily normalize relations
without such one-sided preconditions.

How dare you accede to Turkish blackmail when our forbearers
sacrificed so much and suffered at the hands of the Turks, who to this
very day deny the Genocide which the rest of the world acknowledges?

How dare you attempt to squander the political capital that so many
have, at great sacrifice, built up over the decades in capitals around
the world? And make no mistake, signing the Protocols would put at
risk that very capital. You have no moral right to do so. You have no
power to do so. And we will not allow you to do so.

You cannot take away the rights of our nation and our people simply
because you view yourself as the savior of our country. You are not
saving our country: you are relegating us to a subservient position
to Turkey while simply abandoning our rights to justice. Your efforts
are doomed to failure.

You will be remembered as the president who led our country to a path
of dependency, who foolishly bargained away our lands, whose
misjudgments led us to a weakened status. If you go forward with these
Protocols, your legacy will be deeply flawed.

Do not attempt to hide behind the support of the minority who blindly
offer support for your initiatives. They are not the true grassroots
of the Diaspora. They simply do not represent the majority of the
community. In the face of our vigilance in confronting successive US
administrations over their blind and unwavering support for Turkey,
their default position is to support these policies of the US State
Department. They are the same people who surrendered Section 907 of
the Freedom Support Act, who supported the disastrous Turkish Armenian
Reconciliation Commission, and who supported the nomination of Richard
Hoagland, a morally reprehensible genocide denier, to be ambassador to
Armenia. They no longer have political relevance in our
community. Don’t be seduced by their meaningless support.

Mr. President, you are making a grave mistake here. I hope you have
the wisdom to listen to your countrymen and to back away from this
disastrous agreement, before you bring great harm to our country, to
our people, and to your presidency.

IN JAN-JUL 2009 CLIENTELE OF ARMENIAN COMMERCIAL BANKS INCREASED BY ALMOST 3% UP TO 1.067 MLN

ArmInfo
2009-10-01 19:34:00

ArmInfo. By August 1, 2009, the client base of the Armenian banking
system numbered 1.010 mln individuals and almost 56.7 thsd legal
entities.

According to the preliminary data of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
provided to ArmInfo by the National Statistical Service of Armenia,
a total of 1.067 mln clients had 1.450 mln accounts in the commercial
banks of Armenia, 1.3 mln of them – accounts of individuals and 108.1
thsd – accounts of legal entities.

According to the source, in July 2009 the client base of commercial
banks of Armenia grew by 1%, or 10.025 thsd. The number of legal
entities increased by 1,3% or 740 entities, the number of individuals
– by 1% or 9.285 thsd as compared with June 2009. In July 2009 the
number of accounts opened by individuals and legal entities in the
commercial banks of Armenia increased by 1,4% or 20.3 thsd. Over this
period the accounts of legal entities increased by 2,7% or 2.9 thsd,
and those of individuals – by 1,3% or 17.4 thsd.

In Jan-Jul 2009 the clientele of the commercial banks grew by 2,5% or
51.8 thsd. Since the beginning of 2009, the number of legal entities
has grown by 10,5%, and individuals – by 4,8%. In Jan-Jul 2009 the
number of the clients’ accounts increased by 4,7% or by 65.9 thsd,
particularly, the accounts of legal entities – by 3,2% or 3.4 thsd,
those of individuals – by 4,9% or 62.5 thsd.

As of 1 August 2009, the number of joint accounts in VTB Bank Armenia
was 37, the clientele of these accounts – 3469462, having undergone
no changes.

THE NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC IS OPEN TO JOURNALISTS

30/nkr
05:18 pm | September 30, 2009 | Official

Despite Baku’s ballyhoo in connection with the Turkish NTV film
crew visit to the NKR and the Azerbaijani pressure on the political
leadership of Turkey apropos of this, Turkish journalists keep on
making a request for the NKR authorities to grant them entry visas
to the republic for covering the current events here.

Following the democratic principles and treating with understanding
the journalists’ aspiration to fulfill their professional duty by
getting information from the primary sources, the NKR leadership does
not only raise difficulties, but even support their activity.

The Nagorno Karabakh Republic is open to journalists, irrespective
of the country they represent. The NKR authorities also proceed from
the fact that an objective and detailed presentation of the situation
in the republic to the world will only contribute to the peaceful
settlement of the conflict with Azerbaijan and to the international
recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

NALBANDYAN STARTED DISCUSSIONS

lrahos15356.html
13:45:27 – 30/09/2009

The Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandyan during his visit to New
York met with the representatives of Armenian-American organizations.

Edward Nalbandyan presented to the Armenian communities in New York
and New Jersey the issues of the Armenian foreign ministry and their
solutions.

Nalbandyan met also with the AGBU executive director, the leadership
of the Armenian Assembly of America. In the course of the meetings,
the sides discussed issues relating to the Armenian and Turkish, and
Armenian and American relations, as well as the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

Kotchikian: The Turkish-Armenian Protocols and ‘Public’ (Dis)Content

09/30/kotchikian-the-turkish-armenian-protocols-an d-public-discontent/
September 30, 2009

The past three weeks have witnessed increased attention, condemnations,
and justifications to the protocols as announced by the Armenian
and Turkish governments on Aug. 31. Not surprisingly, what received
the most attention was the section of the protocols that called for
the establishment of "a sub-commission on the historical dimension
to implement a dialogue with the aim to restore mutual confidence
between the two nations, including an impartial scientific examination
of the historical records and archives to define existing problems
and formulate recommendations…" Yet another clause that received
attention states: "… recognition of the existing border between the
two countries as defined by the relevant treaties of international
law." Both of the above points received the most attention and
criticism from those opposing the protocols on the Armenian side-and
for a good reason, as both these points are the ones that carry the
most nationalist sentiments.

The aim of this opinion piece is neither to justify nor to condemn
the protocols. Rather, it is to raise some questions and offer some
alternative reading of the protocols by focusing on such issues as:
Who is opposing the protocols? Is such opposition viable? And is it
possible to link the opposition in the Armenian Diaspora with the
one in Armenia?

Perhaps the first obvious question would be: Are these protocols a
fait accompli and if so, can parties criticizing them introduce any
changes? If history is any indicator, policymaking in Armenia is
far from being a democratic process. It is, and has always been,
a monopoly in the hands of a few in Armenia. During the last 18
years, most if not all of the decisions made by successive Armenian
governments have rarely swayed, no matter how "disastrous" or "naive"
these policies were, and no matter how much opposition came from the
diaspora. The fact that all three previous Armenian administrations
lacked legitimacy because of fraudulent elections had led them to
operate from a position of insecurity and lack of compromise, as they
continued to view any dialogue with the opposition within Armenia as
a manifestation of weakness.

The above observations lead to the next question: Is there any mass
opposition against the protocols in Armenia? Again, a quick glance
over the past decade or so rarely shows the presence and operation of
a viable opposition movement against the dominant system. Political
control in Armenia is based on hegemony, and no matter how much
discontent exits regarding any given policy, the authorities have
rarely reconsidered their policies. In today’s political atmosphere in
Armenia, especially after almost a decade of no coherent and distinct
opposition, the task of the government is much easier as there are
no official leverages (parliamentary groups, civil society activists,
etc.) that any group opposing the government can utilize.

Related to the issue of the existence of an opposition, a
relevant question remains over the number of people opposing the
protocols. While it is clear that there are a number of Armenians
opposing this specific issue, it is far from being sizeable. This is
true not only in Armenia but also in the diaspora, where opponents to
the protocols are small in number. This does not mean that the majority
of Armenians support the government or its decisions; rather, it is a
manifestation of widespread political apathy and a disconnect of the
masses from politics and political discourse. At the end of the day,
the playing field in Armenia(n) politics remains polarized between
two relatively smaller groups, the decision makers and their opponents.

Finally, an interesting point recently brought up by a political
analyst is the necessary distinction that should be made between
the normalization of relations and reconciliation. While the former
is a Turkey-Armenia issue, the latter is a Turkish-Armenian one. If
Armenia decides to normalize its relations with Turkey then it is
a simple state-to-state issue, one that the nation does not and
should not have any say in. However, if the issue at hand is about
reconciliation, then it becomes a topic that requires the ownership of
all Armenians. The problem with the interpretation of these protocols
is that it is both about normalization and reconciliation-hence merging
the two sometimes non-overlapping ideas of the nation’s interest and
the state’s interest.

One thing that strikes an observer of this process is the complete
inability of the Armenain government to articulate its position on
the protocols-a fact that many people would promptly attribute to
the notion that Armenia is under pressure and hence its government
has no option but to sign the protocols.

President Sarkisian’s recent announcement that he intends to visit
diasporan communities and centers for consultative purposes is clearly
an attempt to articulate his position regarding the protocols. The
hope is that this time around, he will be better prepared than the
consultative meetings he had in Armenia with the local political
parties.

PRESS RELEASE
Center for Armenian Remembrance
535 N. Brand Blvd. Suite 245
Glendale, CA 91203
Tel: 818-627-2376
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Attorneys Vartkes Yeghiayan and Rita Mahdessian Honored in Greece

California Attorneys Vartkes Yeghiayan and Rita Mahdessian were recently
honored in Athens, Greece, for their efforts in repatriating the legal
rights of the Eastern Greeks.

In 2008, Attorney Yeghiayan facilitated the creation of a voluntary
settlement program with New York Life Insurance Company for heirs of Greeks
who had purchased life insurance policies in the Ottoman Empire prior to
1915. The total value of the voluntary program was $15 million.

In a magnificent setting at Dora Stratou Amphitheatre at the Acropolis, the
Federation of Refugee Associations of Greece, the Pan-Pontian Federation of
Greece, the Ecumenical Federation of Constantinopolitans and the
Pan-Hellenic Federation of Thracian Associations jointly honored the lawyers
with a rich cultural program including performances by nine Greek
traditional folkloric dance ensembles. The event, which took place on
September 14, 2009, was attended by some two thousand people, including
former Greek Prime Minister Yiannis Grivas, who presented the awards. Also
present were representatives from the Mayor’s office, the press and
political parties.

The ceremony was preceded by a one day International Conference on September
12, 2009, at the Auditorium of Athens Parnassos Literary Society, on the
occasion of the 54th Anniversary of Septemvriana (Istanbul prior to 1955 –
The Restitution of Minorities as a prerequisite for Respect of Human Rights
in Turkey.) The topics covered the Mechanisms of confiscation of properties
and persecution during the Second World War.

There were many distinguished speakers at the event, including Assistant
Professor Iakovos Aktsglov, Assistant Professor Ioannis Ktistaskis,
Representatives of Swedish and European Parliaments, four scholars from
Turkey including Dr. Ron Marguiles, Dr. Dilek Kurban, Dr. Dilek Guven, &
Sait Cetinoglu, and Attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan.

IRAN TO HOLD INT’L PRESS, NEWS AGENCIES EXPO

PRESS TV
Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:20:07 GMT

Iran is planning to hold the 16th International Exhibition of Press
and News Agencies, hosting 30 countries in the capital of Tehran.

The event, which will kick off on Oct. 20, 2009 at Tehran’s permanent
prayer grounds, will present some 1,500 newspapers and journals,
Fars News Agency reported.

"Visitors will also be able to read various newspapers and magazines
at the exhibition’s news café," announced Iran’s deputy culture
minister for press affairs, Ali Reza Malekian.

Indonesia, the UK, Italy, Brazil, Bahrain, Bosnia, Pakistan, Turkey,
Tajikistan, China, Japan, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait,
Georgia, Lebanon, Nigeria, Venezuela, India, Greece, Azerbaijan,
Germany, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Afghanistan, Armenia, Ukraine and
Malaysia will be among this year’s participants.

"A photo exhibition will also be held on the sidelines of the event,
where photojournalist will showcase their works," Malekian added.

Iran’s 16th International Exhibition of Press and News Agencies will
run until Oct. 27.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN RECEIVED TODAY THE DIRECTOR OF THE WORLD BANK ARMENIAN OFFICE ARISTOMENE VARUDAKIS

ARMENPRESS
Sep 30, 2009

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan received today the director of the World Bank Armenian Office
Aristomene Varudakis and members of his delegation.

Governmental press service told Armenpress that during the meeting
the sides discussed issues on bilateral cooperation, pointed out
the importance of reflecting the priorities of the activity of the
government in joint programs

ARMENIA’S VACANT CHAIR

5326.html
17:54:43 – 28/09/2009

Today, in Warsaw, the OSCE Human Dimensions implementation meeting
started which will last until October 9 and will discuss the human
rights issues in OSCE member countries. 56 countries took part in the
meeting with more than 300 participants including all the ambassadors
of OSCE countries except the Armenian ambassador. In one of the
speeches, the U.S. representative dwelt on the violations of human
rights in post-soviet countries, in particular noting the breaches at
the 2008 presidential elections in Armenia and the murders of peace
protestors. Violations against journalists in Azerbaijan, murders of
Russian public figures engaged in human rights defense.

Only the chair of the Armenian representative was empty near the
round table.