Author: Tavakalian Edgar

Armenia Fund, Inc.
111 North Jackson St. Ste. 205
Glendale, CA 91206

Tel: 818-243-6222
Fax: 818-243-7222
Url:

PRESS RELEASE
Contact ~ Sarkis Kotanjian
[email protected]

Armenia Fund Chair Meets U.S. Ambassador Yovanovitch

Los Angeles, CA – On Thursday, June 25, 2009, Armenia Fund U.S. Western
Region President Ara Aghishian, Esq. met the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia,
Marie Yovanovitch at a luncheon hosted by the Armenian Assembly of
America. The luncheon was held at the residence of Mr. Varouj Babikian
and Ms. Talin Yacoubian.

Aghishian thanked Ambassador Yovanovitch for taking the time in meeting
with the greater American-Armenian Diaspora. He briefed her about the
ongoing projects of Armenia Fund, most notably in the education,
healthcare, and water infrastructure sectors. The Ambassador stressed
the importance of the American-Armenian Diaspora in the development of
Armenia and how it can continue to play a positive role. Aghishian also
expressed his gratitude to the Ambassador and specifically the U.S.
government for continuing its assistance towards humanitarian programs
in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation
established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and
infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Since 1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $190 million in
development aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia Fund, Inc. is
the U.S. Western Region affiliate of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund. Tax
ID# 95-4485698

FOUR FILIPINO SERVICE MEN BECOME US CITIZENS AT NELLIS AIR FORCE CEREMONY

Asianjournal
Thursday, 09 July 2009 04:38

At the naturalization ceremonies last July 4th, USCIS District Director
John Kramer told the new American citizens to seek civilian positions
at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). USCIS is an agency
under the DHS.

"On behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, when you’re done
serving (the US Armed Forces), you are invited to join the department,"
he said.

For her part, NV Congresswoman Dina Titus thanked the eleven new
American citizens for their service to the country.

"The sacrifices that you make are things that make it possible for
this country to survive and grow and prosper," she said.

"We are all indebted to you for your service. Thank you very much
for allowing our families to continue to be free," she added.

President Obama, in a taped message from Washington DC , told the
eleven service men, "It is an honor and a privilege to call u a fellow
citizen of the United States of America ."

"This is now officially your country your home to protect, to defend
and to serve through active and engaged citizenship," he added.

US District Court Judge Lloyd George, who administered the oath to
the eleven service men, said he is delighted to have the privilege
to participate in the ceremony.

"Today we celebrate your declaration of loyalty, commitment and common
good as the newest citizens of the US just as we celebrate the 233rd
anniversary of the declaration of independence -the longest surviving
democracy on earth," he said.

( ) ( Published on July 9, 2009 in Asian Journal
Las Vegas p.A1 )

Eleven members of the US Armed Forces became naturalized American
citizens at the 233rd celebration of US Independence at Nellis Air
Force Base, Las Vegas.

Las Vegas-Four service men became American citizens during the United
Independence Day celebration at Nellis Air Force Base last Saturday,
July 4th. USArmy officers Ryan Reyes Santos and Armand Torres Velasquez
along with Air Force Reserve Paul Francis Valdez and Navy Reserve Marc
Ronquillo became naturalized Americans during the annual Freedom Fest
celebration at the air force base. These four officers were part of
a group of eleven service men from six countries who fulfilled the
requirements set by the United States Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS).

Three other service men from Mexico were naturalized during the
ceremony. Along with them were officers from Armenia , Cameroon ,
Colombia , and South Korea . These service men were members of the
US Army, US Air Force and the US Coast Guard.

The USCIS requires all candidates for naturalization to have good
moral character, an ability to read write and speak English, an
understanding of US history and government, and an attachment to the
principles of the US constitution.

It also requires candidates to prove residency as well as physical
presence in a particular USCIS District prior to filing of
naturalization application.

But some of these requirements are either reduced or completely waived
for members of the US armed forces who apply for naturalization.

For one, they are not required to pay a fee for their
application. While they need to have served the Armed forces honorably
for at least one year, they do not need to demonstrate residence or
physical presence in the United States .

In addition, service men’s spouses and children are also allowed to
naturalize even without traveling to the United States .

TMC Net
[July 09, 2009]

Total digital music download users in Eastern Europe to reach 878.9
million by the end of 2013, according to new market research report
by IE Market Research Corporation

(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Vancouver, July 8, 2009 –
IE Market Research Corporation (IEMR), the Canadian-based provider
of market intelligence services, announced today the release of
its Eastern Europe Digital Music Forecast for online, mobile, and
subscription channels, 2009 – 2013.

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"The current recession is slowing down growth of paid digital music
users. However, as the Eastern European economy recovers completely in
2011, we expect that volumes will pick up noticeably. We expect that
digital music paid download users in Eastern Europe will increase
from 31.2 million to 65.8 million over the forecast period, 2008 –
2013 (Compound Annual Growth Rate is 9.2%)," said Nizar Assanie,
Vice President (Research) at IEMR. "Hungary will enjoy one of the
highest growth rates in the region. We forecast that the number of
digital music paid download users in Hungary will increase from 0.82
million in 2008 to 2.26 million in 2013, for a CAGR of 21.3%. The
largest market is Russia where we expect that the number of users
will increase from 14.6 million in 2008 to 29.8 million in 2013,
for a CAGR of 8.0%." Mobile channel will continue to account for a
large share of music downloads in Eastern Europe. The number of users
who download digital music using mobile broadband will increase from
21.8 million in 2008 to 38.9 million in 2013 (CARG of 4.9%). On the
other hand, for online single download users, we are forecasting a
subscriber CAGR of 23.1%. We expect that online music paid download
users will increase from 9.42 million in 2008 to 26.32 million in
2013. We think that this movement from the mobile channel to the online
channel is reasonable to expect in the next five years. Given the
economic downturn, users are willing to pay less for digital music
services. Mobile downloads of music are generally more expensive,
both in terms of traffic and content, compared to broadband downloads.

"It is interesting to see major differences between Eastern European
countries in terms of channels used to download digital music
files. For example, in Poland, we expect that 5.77 million out of 7.68
million total mobile users (75.1%) will be downloading music online
rather than through a mobile channel in 2013. On the other hand,
for Russia, we forecast that only 9.5 million out of 29.8 million
total users (31.9%) will be online users in 2013," said Mr. Assanie.

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In terms of revenues, IEMR is forecasting that digital music retail
revenues in Eastern Europe will increase from $84.9 million in 2008
to $448.7 million in 2013 (CAGR of 322.6%). Revenue growth will be
the fastest for online single download users. Retails revenues from
online paid download users in Eastern Europe will increase from $6.6
million in 2008 to $106.6 million in 2013.

This Digital Music Forecast of Eastern Europe provides a comprehensive
forecast of regional, and country-specific digital music market. We
cover online, mobile, and subscription channels. The countries/region
covered are Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), Czech
Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic,
Ukraine, and the Rest of Eastern Europe (which includes Albania,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Georgia, Macedonia FYR, Moldova, and Romania).

For each country and for the whole region, we provide forecasts (2009 –
2013) for the following series: Digital music download retail revenues
($ millions), Digital music download wholesale (record company)
revenues ($ millions), Digital music download paid users (Thousands),
and Digital music download Average Revenue per User ($). This forecast
is considered one of the most comprehensive forecasts of the digital
music industry.

In addition to the data series, IEMR’s Digital Music Forecast
provides valuable insights into the fast-changing digital
music markets around the world. This report will be useful to: *
Record companies, device manufacturers, mobile operators, handset
vendors, software vendors, and internet service providers in need
of strategy recommendations in the digital music industry * Telecom
strategists and analysts at vendors and operators responsible for
strategy development and business analytics * Financial analysts and
portfolio managers covering firms in the digital music industry *
Consultants advising their clients on international digital music
markets * Researchers who need to gain a better understanding of
the digital music market To purchase this report, visit our website at:
s/ViewReportDetail.aspx?RID=792&flag=1
Countri es Covered in this regional forecast Baltic States Czech
Republic Hungary Poland Russia Slovakia Ukraine Rest of Eastern Europe
Series Covered for each Country and Region, 2008 – 2013E Digital music
download retail revenues ($ millions) Online Mobile Subscriptions
Digital music download wholesale (record company) revenues ($
millions) Online Mobile Subscriptions Digital music download paid
users (Thousands) Online Mobile Subscriptions Digital music download
Average Revenue per User ($) Online Mobile Subscriptions ((Comments
on this story may be sent to [email protected])) (c) 2009 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

ARMENIAN JUNIOR BOXING TEAM COMES 3RD IN BRANDENBURG CUP

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
08.07.2009 22:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian junior boxing team returned from Brandenburg
Cup tournament held from June 30 to July 6. Armenian sportsmen won
two medals and took the third place, following Germany and Russia in
the team event.

Karen Alazayan (51 kg) and Hovhannes Ohanyan (91 kg) won gold.

MOSCOW AGREEMENTS BETWEEN OBAMA AND MEDVEDEV DIMINISH THE GEOPOLITICAL ROLE OF CAUCASUS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
08.07.2009 18:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The meeting between Russia and US presidents focused
on the following issues: allocation of ballistic missile defense
(BMD) system in Europe, continuation of negotiations for strategic
arms agreement and use of Russian communications for cargo delivery
to Afghanistan," Armenian politologist Igor Muradyan told a news
conference. Dwelling on the first aspect, Muradyan noted that the
policy of previous US administration was aimed at strengthening of
military and political component, which lead to BMD allocation plan
in Europe. The plan has become another leverage of pressure on Russia,
along with NATO expansion.

Muradyan believes that Russia- USA agreement on the use of Russian
communications for cargo transfer to Afghanistan diminishes the
geopolitical role of Caucasus, as our regional communications will not
be used to this purpose. According to Muradyan, the positive aspect
is that little attention directed at Caucasus means less pressure. He
also emphasized that the meaning of Caspian basin oil will decrease,
should ail production increase in Iraq.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT’S AIDE: NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT WILL BE DISCUSSED AT G8 SUMMIT

Today.Az
07 July 2009 [17:15] – Today.Az

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be discussed at the G8 summit in Italy
on July 8-10, aide to Russian President Arkadiy Dvorkovich told APA
correspondent in Moscow.

He said G8 leaders will discuss various issues including the work
done within the OSCE Minsk Group.

Dvorkovich said there was a progress in the conflict solution and
Russia hoped for more progresses. "We have friendly neighborhood
relations with both Azerbaijan and Armenia".

He said Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev’s last visit to Azerbaijan
was successful. "There is wide cooperation between our countries
not only in energy, but other fields as well. We believe that
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s upcoming visit to Russia will
also be successful."

News-Leader.com
July 6, 2009

PROFILE: FINE EUROPEAN MARKET
Donna Baxter

Owners: Krasi and Veronika Lukamov

Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday

Nature of the business:

The aroma of imported Mediterranean spices drifts in the air at Fine
European Market, a spacious, family-owned store with shelves colorfully
stocked with foods from more than 25 countries.

"We start with deli cheeses and cold cuts, hams, sausages and we have
feta cheeses, wines, different pastas and pasta sauces… most all
imported," owner Veronika Lukamov said.

Breads — baked by a German bakery in Colorado — include European
rye and wood oven rye (different color and shape of loaf). They also
have chocolate cookies from different parts of the world.

>From Eastern Europe there are specialties like small fish and caviar,
pickled vegetables, tomatoes, vegetable spread and more.

In the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean section are foods like couscous
(small grain pasta) and falafel (made from crushed chickpeas or
garbanzo beans) as well as lavash, a flat bread.

"Armenian people use lavash for bread, but it’s more like a tortilla,"
Veronika said.

Mediterranean appetizers include grape leaves and eggplant stuffed
with rice.

Veronika and Krasi make their own special dipping sauce for the
grape leaves.

Customer Ursula Green of Ozark, originally from Germany, stopped in
to buy barrel pickles.

"This is a very nice store… I come here all the time," said Green.

"We want to provide customer service and make customers feel good so
they’ll know that we appreciate their business and they’ll want to
come back," Veronika said.

She has been collecting e-mail addresses for a newsletter she will
begin sending out soon about the arrival of new foods and specials
as well as holiday gift ideas and recipes.

"We will always have German, English, Italian and other specialty
foods at Christmastime."

The market has three employees in addition to the owners.

How business started: The Lukamovs, both 33, arrived in Springfield
eight years ago from Bulgaria and became U.S. citizens last year.

They saw the need for a place to buy European foods.

"Because there wasn’t a store like this in Springfield, it was needed,"
said Veronika. "We always had to go online to buy specialty cheeses,
vegetable spreads and chocolate."

To earn money to start the store, they drove a truck for five
years. Veronika stopped driving when the store opened in August 2008.

"We now own one 18-wheeler," she said. "Krasi still drives it to
bring in the merchandise."

Experience: Veronika received her green card during the five years
she worked on a cruise ship.

"We were invited into the country and I came with my husband," she
said. "We had a very good friend who was in Springfield at the time. We
needed somebody to help us so we came here and ended up staying."

Challenges: The first challenge was starting a business totally new
to them.

"We got on the Internet and studied… started the paperwork… had
to find out where we would get the product from," said Veronika.

They renovated the store building themselves.

"The economy was OK when we started and suddenly it just crashed,"
Veronika said. "The biggest challenge now is to get more customers
through that door and to get more products from importers… we don’t
import ourselves."

Goals: An immediate goal is to get a Web site running.

"We also want to get a freezer and the equipment needed for baking the
bread," said Veronika. "In about a month we will start doing baklava
(a desert) and bread baking like French croissants and European
pastries in house."

ARMENIAN REPORTER

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Editorial: Discrediting denial in Ankara

Advocate acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey, and you
risk prosecution and imprisonment for the crime – yes, it’s still a
crime – of insulting Turkey. If you’re Armenian and you do it, you
also risk getting killed, as we learned in January 2007 when Hrant
Dink was shot dead.

That said, it’s also true that open discussion of the Armenian
Genocide is more common in Turkey today than it has been for decades.
Mainstream newspapers like "Radikal" write about it, and respected
public figures acknowledge it – like the Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk,
who has had repeatedly to answer charges of insulting Turkishness.

Last week, a British peer, Lord Avebury, and historian Ara Sarafian
set out for Ankara, a Turkish translation of the British parliamentary
Blue Book on the Armenian Genocide in hand. (See story:
1-in-ankara–blue-book–launch-genocide-denial-is- challenged
) The stated purpose was to engage the Turkish parliament on a debate
it had originated.

Four years ago, the Turkish Grand National Assembly sent a petition to
the British Parliament, asking it to repudiate the Blue Book, which it
had commissioned in 1916. The Foreign Office wrote back to say it saw
no reason to do so. A group of British members of Parliament and peers
wrote back to say the Blue Book is solid, but let’s talk about it and
hear your concerns.

The Turkish parliament dropped the matter. No response was forthcoming
to the British legislators who had agreed to engage the Turkish
legislators.

Instead of dropping the issue, Lord Avebury and Mr. Sarafian took the
matter to Turkey.

Addressing the Turkish Grand National Assembly in April, President
Barack Obama had urged the parliament to come to terms with Turkey’s
past as it relates to Armenians. He had reminded his audience of how
America is better for having come to terms with some of the shameful
parts of its history.

But the Grand National Assembly has yet to heed Mr. Obama’s advice.
And, indeed, no member of the Turkish parliament joined the foreign
diplomats and other distinguished guests who attended the presentation
made by Lord Avebury and Mr. Sarafian in Ankara last week. The absence
even of members of the pro-Kurdish party MEP is an indication of the
prevalence and extent of anti-Armenian pressure brought to bear
against politicians in Turkey.

Present or absent, the members of parliament got to read about the
presentation in the Turkish press, which covered it. It is perhaps an
indication of the damage to the denial effort inflicted by this
presentation that a retired ambassador held a news conference to
denounce it.

In going to Turkey and engaging the establishment, we offer messages
that are broadcast, if at all, through the filter of the Turkish
media. It is not by any means an even playing field, or a safe one.
And it’s counterproductive to appear to engage in a debate over
whether the events of 1915-17 constituted genocide. That is a
contrived debate, and to their credit, Lord Avebury and Mr. Sarafian
were able to avoid the appearance of engaging in such a debate.

What their modest presentation did was not simply to offer in Turkish
an important resource for people who want to learn the truth about the
Armenian Genocide. More importantly, it showed the bankruptcy of the
Turkish denial machine.

The leaders of the denial effort had put the Turkish legislature into
an embarrassing position, and that was clear: they had persuaded the
legislature to denounce a book – the Blue Book – on grounds that were
patently and demonstrably false. In demonstrating that the case made
by deniers was dishonest and disingenuous, Lord Avebury and Mr.
Sarafian helped discredit the denial effort itself. We commend them
for that.

Meanwhile, this initiative may serve as a good opportunity for
Armenian individuals as well as organizations to ask themselves
whether they have anything to do in Turkey. The answer may not always
be affirmative, but the question is certainly worth exploring.

************************************* **************************************

(c) 2009 Armenian Reporter LLC. All Rights Reserved

DECISION CONTRADICTING KARABAKH PEOPLE’S INTERESTS MAY NOT BE VIABLE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
06.07.2009 20:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ No solution to Nagorno Karabakh conflict can be
viable if it contradicts Karabakh people’s interests, President
Serzh Sargsyan said today in Yerevan, during a joint communique with
his Cypriot colleague. "There are no special developments currently
observed in Karabakh settlement talks. All conflicting parties are
aware that that Karabakh status is a key issue in the negotiations,
and I am very happy that there are more and more people supporting
the idea," RA President noted.

Demetris Christofias announced in his turn that he took
sides with Armenia in Karabakh settlement talks, "Armenia and
Cyprus have similar approaches to regional and international
issues. We find that the conflict should be settled within
OSCE MG frameworks," Cypriot President said, thanking Armenian
leadership for assisting in the solution of Cyprus problem

AZERBAIJANI POLITICAL EXPERT: SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER MEANT SUSPENSION OF EASTERN PARTNERSHIP WHICH INCLUDES AZERBAIJAN FOR COMING HALF-YEAR
Naila Abdullayeva

Today.Az
02 July 2009 [17:45]

I think Swedish Prime Minister Frederick Reinsfild who presides over
the EU meant suspension of the Eastern Partnership which includes
Azerbaijan for coming half-year during which Sweden will hold EU
chairmanship.

Political expert Rasim Musabayov said to Day.az while commenting
on Swedish PM Frederick Reinsfild’s statement which said Eastern
Partnership Program will be postponed.

"Eastern Partnership is not confined only to the fact that the EU
allocates money. It has lots of things that do not require the direct
costs. This is to facilitate access of products to EU markets and
facilitating visa regime," he said.

"The funds the EU has allocated for the program is very
little. Moreover, much of this sum has already been allocated as a
part of the European Neighborhood Policy," the political expert said.

"I think prime minister’s statement refers only to the fact it is
not worth waiting for additional funds over the next half-year of
Sweden’s EU chairmanship. But that does not mean that the program is
closed. Reinsfild is just not authorized to do it," Musabayov said.

The Eastern Partnership was initiated by Sweden and Poland. The
program of cooperation with six former Soviet countries Belarus,
Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova, Georgia and Azerbaijan involves deepening
of cooperation with Europe.