Author: Vanyan Gary

ARMENIA, TURKEY AGREE PLAN FOR ESTABLISHING TIES
by Mariam Harutunian

Agence France Presse
August 31, 2009 Monday 9:14 PM GMT

Armenia and Turkey said Monday they had agreed on a plan to establish
diplomatic ties and re-open their border, seeking to end decades of
distrust and resentment on both sides.

The two countries have no diplomatic relations, a closed frontier and
a long history of hostility rooted in massacres of Armenians under
the Ottoman Turks during World War I.

Ankara and Yerevan said they would hold six weeks of domestic
consultations before signing two protocols on establishing diplomatic
ties and developing bilateral relations.

"The political consultations will be completed within six weeks,
following which the two protocols will be signed and submitted to
the respective parliaments for ratification," the countries’ foreign
ministries said in a joint statement with mediator Switzerland.

According to copies of the protocols released by the Armenian foreign
ministry, the two countries have agreed to re-open their common border
"within two months" of the deal taking effect.

The agreement also calls for the creation of a joint commission
to examine the "historical dimension" of their disagreements,
"including an impartial scientific examination of the historical
records and archives."

The two countries said in April that they had agreed to a road map
for normalising diplomatic ties after years of enmity.

Turkey has long refused to establish diplomatic links with Armenia
over Yerevan’s efforts to have World War I-era massacres of Armenians
by Ottoman Turks recognised as genocide — a label Turkey strongly
rejects.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were systematically killed
between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire, Turkey’s predecessor,
was falling apart.

Turkey categorically rejects the genocide label and says between
300,000 and 500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil
strife when Armenians took up arms in eastern Anatolia and sided with
invading Russian troops.

Turkey also closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
ally Azerbaijan over Yerevan’s backing of ethnic Armenian separatists
in the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region.

Rare talks between the two neighbours gathered steam last September
when Turkish President Abdullah Gul paid a landmark visit to Yerevan
to watch a World Cup qualifying football match between the countries’
national teams. It was the first such visit by a Turkish leader.

Gul invited Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian to attend a rematch
in Turkey in October. Sarkisian said in July that he would not attend
unless Ankara took "real steps" at mending ties.

Washington has backed the reconciliation effort, with President Barack
Obama calling on Armenia and Turkey to build on fence-mending efforts
during a visit to Turkey earlier this year.

Late Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office issued a
statement saying France encourages Turkey and Armenia to "redouble
their efforts so they can quickly sign an accord… which will be an
historic event and contribute to stability in the region."

But Azerbaijan has demanded that any final deal be linked with the
withdrawal of Armenian forces from Nagorny Karabakh, which broke from
Baku’s control during a war in the early 1990s.

Officials there have hinted that energy-rich Azerbaijan would consider
cutting gas supplies to Turkey if Ankara ignored the Karabakh issue
in its talks with Armenia.

The plan could also face domestic opposition in both countries, where
the issue of the Ottoman-era massacres continues to raise strong
emotions. One of Armenia’s most influential political parties, the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), left the country’s
governing coalition in April in protest over the talks with Ankara.

CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE

ptember-1
Sep 1, 2009

Official

Congratulatory message by RA President Serzh Sargsyan on the occasion
of Knowledge Day

Dear Teachers and Parents,

Dear schoolchildren,

I congratulate you on the occasion of Knowledge Day.

The well-known maxim "Knowledge is power" is particularly valid
in the contemporary world. The more educated the society, the more
opportunities it has to organize its life, provide for its well-being,
preserve and develop its culture.

That universal truth is core of the plan of action of the Government of
Armenia. Problems concerning the system of education and the process
of its reformation are in the center of our attention.

I especially congratulate the first graders who are entering school
for the first time to discover a new world which has no boundaries –
the world of books, "an infinite universe".

I wish the teachers and students success in the new school year. Let
it be a productive year, since every day and even every year is
important for knowledge acquisition. Knowledge is the promise for
Armenia’s strength and standing.

TURKEY AND ARMENIA SEEK DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
By Dale Yurong

KFSN (ABC Fresno)
news/national_world&id=6991739
Aug 31 2009

ANKARA, Turkey (KFSN) — Armenia and Turkey are ready to
end a historically unbreakable rift and establish diplomatic
ties. Recognition by Turkey of the Armenian genocide has long been
a priority for Armenians. But it’s not clear whether the talks will
solve the long-running dispute.

Historians say between 1915 and 1923 more than one-point-five million
Armenians were massacred by the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Turkey’s
government has maintained the deaths were the result of civil
war. Since then, normalizing relations between the two countries has
been impossible.

Fresno State professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian said, "Turkey has
been the stumbling block because they have refused to recognize the
Armenian genocide."

Der Mugrdechian heads the Armenian Studies program at Fresno
State. He’s pleased the two countries are ready to establish diplomatic
ties but doesn’t believe Turkey is ready to acknowledge the world war
one-era mass killings. He explained, "It’s my feeling the genocide
issue will not be there simply because Turkey has refused to do that
before. I don’t see them changing that at this point and Armenia
has always said there would be no pre-conditions on normalizing
diplomatic relations."

EMIL SOGHOMONIAN: IF A SECOND STAGE OF THE CRISIS BEGINS IN THE WORLD ECONOMY, ARMENIAN BANKING SYSTEM WILL NOT BE SHATTERED

NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY
August 26, 2009
Yerevan

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian banking system will
end this year by making a profit, Chairman of the Union of Armenian
Banks, Chairman of Prometey Bank’s Board Emil Soghomonian expressed
an opinion. According to him, the March 3 sharp depreciation of the
Armenian dram (by almost 20%) will not happen again and there will be
no sharp fluctuations of the dram’s exchange rate because the measures
being taken by the government and the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
are aimed at ruling out that. He forecast that the recession will
make about 10% in Armenia, while next year this decline will stop
and a zero percent growth will be recorded.

At the same time, at the August 25 press conference E. Soghomonian
announced that the nonrepayment of credits currently amounts to 5-6%
in Armenia as compared to 1% in 2008. He added that an index of 5-6%
is quite high for a country like Armenia with an overall capital of
30-40 million USD.

In his words, in the first half of 2009 the banks made a profit of 4
billion 300 million drams, which was lower than last year’s index. 16
out of the 22 banks made a profit, while 6 banks suffered losses. In
the opinion of E.

Soghomonian, the major cause of losses was the return to a floating
exchange rate on March 3.

E. Soghomonian expressed conviction that if a second stage of the
crisis begins in the world economy, the Armenian banking system will
not be shattered.

In response to the question about why the government and CBA allocate
the financial resources attracted from outside to the banking sector
as well, in case of the banks’ being so stable, E. Soghomonian replied
that they are behaving correctly. "In other countries, governments
also provide financial assistance to banks, feed the banking systems
to avoid worse situations. Our purpose is to develop small and medium
business," he underlined. According to him, the interest rates of
credits are not so high in Armenia as in conditions of a crisis,
the risks increase and the interest rates rise.

The chairman of the Union of Armenian Banks told the reporters about
his concern. In his words, the Armenians have become dollar sellers:
many people get into a panic and start exchanging their drams for
dollars, while later they suffer losses when selling these dollars,
even though they initially intended to make a profit. "If this
mentality does not change, negative developments are not ruled out,"
E. Soghomonian said.

YERVAND BOZOYAN: ONE-WAY ORIENTATION PREGNANT WITH PROBLEMS

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Aug 26 2009
Armenia

17:06 / 08/26/2009"On the one hand, Russia’s recognition of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia a year ago had a positive effect. On the other
hand, it aroused the West’s serious concern over the possibility
of Russia’s making a similar step toward Nagorno-Karabakh," the
political scientist Yervand Bozoyan told NEWS. am. As to what was
Nagorno-Karabakh’s benefit from discontinuing its participation in
the Russia-initiated meetings of the leaders of unrecognized states,
he said: "We all understand that Russia’s recognition of the two states
was a response to the West’s recognition of Kosovo. By taking that step
Russia also prevented Georgia’s integration into the Western agencies,
including NATO, as NATO is most cautious over the integration of states
having territorial problems. In fact, Abkahzis and Ossets received that
&’present’ from Russia as a result of those geopolitical processes,"
Bozoyan said.

As regards Nagorno-Karabakh, the expert said that "it would be most
dangerous if the Armenian side showed one-way orientation – either to
Russia or to the West – as we must be interested in [Nagorno-Karabakh]
being recognized by both Russia and the West." Bozoyan is sure
that the precedents set in Kosovo or Abkhazia do not hold good
for Nagorno-Karabakh. "Kosovo was explicitly West-oriented, while
Abkhazia and South Ossetia were explicitly Russia-oriented. As regards
Nagorno-Karabakh, if we show explicit orientation to one of the sides,
we may encounter serious problems," said Bozoyan. He believes Russia
is not considering Nagorno-Karabakh from the same aspect as Abkhazia
and South Ossetia. Russia is demonstrating it recognized those states
because of Georgia’s Western orientation.

Bozoyan referred to RF Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who stated that
the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is radically different from the Abkhazian
and South Ossetian ones, as no actual aggression has been committed
against Nagorno-Karabakh. "That is, Russia does not want to worsen
its relations with Azerbaijan, making the following reservation:
if Azerbaijan does not change its orientation in the West’s favor,
Russia will not show the same attitude to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem
as to the Abkhazian and South Ossetian ones," the expert said.

ARARATBANK ACQUIRES 100% STAKE IN IZMIRLIAN-EURASIA UCO

ArmInfo
2009-08-25 20:34:00

ArmInfo. ARARATBANK has acquired a 100% stake in Izmirlian-Eurasia
Universal Credit Organization (UCO). Ashot Osipyan ARARATBANK Board
Chairman and Ara Hamazaspyan Country Director of Izmirlian Foundation
(Geneva) signed relevant document in Yerevan on Tuesday.

A. Osipyan said at a press conference that due to this transaction
for nearly $6 million, ARARATBANK will increase in share and
strengthen its position in the financial market as well as get new
clients. "It is our first big investment in the authorized capital
of a company. We had negotiated for acquisition of that universal
organization for over 6 months and have arrived at the logical end,"
he said. A. Osipyan did not rule out further amalgamation of ARARATBANK
and Izmirlian-Eurasia UCO. He said that no changes will be made to
the activity of Izmirlian-Eurasia within the nearest future. "We
will continue lending bigger resources and more intensively," he
said. A. Osipyan is sure that the above transaction will become a
start for new achievements of ARARATBANK.

For his part, Ara Hamazaspyan Country Director of Izmirlian Foundation
said that the Foundation adopted a decision to strengthen cooperation
with ARARATBANK just in such way, which was the most reasonable
way to boost cooperation with its partner given the high level of
development and efficiency of the Armenian banking system. "We believe
that ARARATBANK will continue lending to the small and medium-sized
enterprises more effectively.

We are sure that the programs of further cooperation of ARARATBANK
and Izmirlian Foundation that are currently under discussion will
be a success," he said. He mentioned that Izmirlian Foundation is a
charitable organization funded by the Izmirlian Family representing
the Armenian Diaspora since 1997. It was in 1997 that the Foundation
started investing in implementation of SME support programs in
Armenia. The Foundation launched activity in the lending market of
Armenia in 1999 as part of Eurasia Foundation program. In 2004 it
found Izmirlian-Eurasia UCO to continue that business.

ARARATBANK and Izmirlian Foundation signed a $4 million contract in
June 2007 as part of the program on co-financing of enterprises in
Armenia. As of August 25 2009, the bank co-lent almost $723,000 as
part of this program.

By data of ARARATBANK, total capital of the bank as of August 24 2009
made up 7.8 bln drams, accumulated profit reached 1,3 bln drams. The
bank serves 27 branches located mostly in the regions. As of July
1 2009 the number of ARARATBANK shareholders totaled 84, including
80 individuals. The holder of 74.1% stake in the bank is one of the
largest oil traders in Armenia, Flash Company, and the blocking stake
of 25%+1 share belongs to EBRD.

Izmirlian-Eurasia UCO has recently reported 2.1 bln drams assets,
891.5 mln drams credit portfolio , 2.1 bln drams total capital.

PROGRESS IN THE CYPRUS, KURDISH AND ARMENIAN ISSUES WILL HELP THE REGION ACHIEVE STABILITY – UK ENVOY TO TURKEY

Trend News Agency
Aug 26 2009
Azerbaijan

Progress in the Cyprus, Kurdish and Armenian issues will help the
region achieve stability, according to the British Ambassador to
Ankara Nick Baird, whose new post will start next month in London
as director-general for Europe and Globalization, Hurriyet Daily
News reported.

If Turkey’s Kurdish, Armenian and Cyprus issues are resolved, the
region will be much better off, according to the outgoing British
ambassador, who added that Turkey is making good progress in solving
the points of contention.

"If we could over the next year really start addressing these three
big issues, then the region will be in a much better position,"
Ambassador Nick Baird told the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review
in an interview.

On Turkish efforts to normalize ties with its neighbor Armenia,
the ambassador said the government was very courageous to take that
step. The process has been blocked, however, by Ankara linking an
open border with Yerevan to progress in Nagorno-Karabakh upon pressure
from inside and its regional ally Azerbaijan.

"My sense is now that probably we have to make progress on that
[Nagorno-Karabakh] issue in order to take a step forward in the
Armenian road map more generally," said Baird.

In April, both Turkey and Armenia announced a road map to normalize
their troubled relations, saying they achieved tangible progress
and mutual understanding in talks. Ankara’s move drew criticism
from Azerbaijan, which argues that opening the border will block
a settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh. Opposition to the road map, both
inside Turkey and from Baku, prompted Ankara to return to its original
position, with the prime minister assuring that the border would not
be opened before a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

On Ankara’s approach in linking the two problems, Baird said: "I
didn’t think they have very much choice, frankly. Turkey has good
relations with Azerbaijan and it is trying to build better relations
with the Armenians. You cannot choose one over another. I mean,
you’ve basically got to, for the purposes of regional stability,
take these things forward together."

He added, "We’ll be strongly urging the United States and the Minsk
Group mediating a solution between Azerbaijan and Armenia to reach
an agreement now."

Britain is one of the strongest advocates of Turkey’s bid to
join the European Union. While Cypriot leaders are preparing for
the give-and-take in October to reunify their divided island, the
Brussels deadline to review Ankara’s performance in complying with
Ankara protocol obligations is nearing. Turkey hopes a solution will
be reached on Cyprus by the end of this year, which will give it an
upper hand in its rocky EU journey.

"We very much hope that progress will be made in the autumn. The
[Cypriot] leaders have now finished their first reading of all the
issues, which means that they are now moving to serious negotiations. I
do think you have a situation where you have two leaders who genuinely
want a settlement," said Baird. "They don’t agree yet on what that
settlement looks like, but the will is there. That’s my strong
impression. I met them both personally myself."

On Turkey’s EU talks, he said, "We must ensure that whatever happens
this process continues but to get a solution by the autumn would put
a lot more momentum into this process and that’s what we really want
because we’ve had three quite difficult, quite slow years."

In Turkish-EU negotiations, eight chapters were frozen due to Ankara’s
refusal to open its ports to shipping from Greek Cyprus. Turkey has
so far opened 11 chapters since it formally started entry talks in
October 2005.

"If Turkey can make progress in such a way as to unfreeze those
chapters, then that would really give extra momentum to the process,"
said Baird.

After three years in Turkey, Ambassador Baird said he would return
home with good memories. He will serve as director-general in charge
of Europe and Globalization in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
in London.

He told the Daily News that he would still be completely involved with
Turkey. "I’ll work very hard for Turkey from London as well … Turkey
is my second home. It has been a fantastic, really, really good three
years in Turkey," said Baird.

Turkey is so interesting as well, according to the diplomat. "It is
quite a complex society. If you are not here, you don’t necessarily
understand it as well as you should. One of the most striking things
for me in my time here is how little Turkey is understood outside
of Turkey. There are big misconceptions about what Turkey is like,"
he said.

Britain’s new ambassador to Ankara will be David Reddaway, who was born
in Ottawa, Canada, and studied history at Cambridge University. He
joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1975. His career has
included assignments in Iran (during the Iranian revolution), India,
Spain, Argentina and Afghanistan. He last served as British ambassador
to Ireland.

ARMENIAN-AMERICANS TO CHALLENGE CONGRESSIONAL INCUMBENTS IN 2010
by Emil Sanamyan

8-21-armenian-americans-to-challenge-congressional -incumbents-in-2010
Friday August 21, 2009

Running in Senate race in Nevada, House races in Michigan, Ohio

Washington – At least three Armenian-Americans have launched
electoral campaigns to take on incumbent members of Congress in the
2010 elections.

Danny Tarkanian, a Las ­Vegas businessperson of Armenian descent,
is seeking the Republican Party nomination to challenge Senate
Majority leader Harry Reid in the 2010 elections, Mr. Tarkanian’s
office reported on August 9.

Making the announcement, Mr. Tarkanian acknowledged he was facing
long odds.

"I have no illusions about what I’m up against, but I also know I am
doing the right thing," he said in a statement, adding that he would
run on mainstay Republican issues, such as opposition to growth in
government spending and regulation.

According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, six other individuals are
seeking the GOP nomination in addition to Mr. Tarkanian, and Nevada
Republicans were also reportedly seeking to recruit others.

But Sen. Reid, who is running for a fifth term in the Senate, is
believed to be a strong favorite. His campaign expected to raise $25
million in campaign cash.

Nevada’s other senator is John Ensign, a Republican who has recently
admitted to an extramarital affair; he is not up for re-election
until 2012.

Son of the nationally renowned basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian,
Danny Tarkanian previously ran for the Nevada State Senate in 2004
and Nevada Secretary of State in 2006, both times unsuccessfully. In
the latter run he received votes of more than 230,000 Nevadans.

Both incumbent Nevada senators – Democrat Reid and Republican Ensign –
have been supportive of Armenian-American issues.

Armenian Caucus member challenged in Michigan

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R.-Mich.), an active member of the Armenian
Congressional Caucus, in his fourth term in Congress, is facing a
challenge from an Armenian-American Democrat.

An educator and community activist, Natalie Manoogian Mosher is seeking
the Democratic nomination in the 11th congressional district, which
includes northwestern suburbs of Detroit, in the 2010 election. The
district has elected Republican members of Congress since 1967.

As part of her campaign announcement earlier this year, Mrs. Mosher
pledged to "make certain the Armenian-American community has an active
and effective advocate" in Washington.

Michigan is one of the U.S. states most affected by the recession
and Rep. McCotter is believed to be vulnerable. Mrs. Mosher has
strongly criticized the incumbent Republican’s opposition to the
Obama administration’s economic stimulus programs and healthcare
reform proposal.

According to CQ Politics, the Michigan Democratic Party was seeking
to recruit additional candidates to run against Rep. McCotter.

Armenian-Turkish debate in Ohio

David Krikorian is another Armenian-American seeking the Democratic
Party’s nomination ahead of the 2010 elections. Unlike the other two
challengers, he is running against an incumbent who is opposed to
the Armenian-­American agenda and is supported by the Turkish lobby.

Republican incumbent Jean Schmidt is in her third term and represents
Ohio’s 2nd congressional district that includes parts of Cincinnati;
the district has been under GOP control since 1983.

Last April Ms. Schmidt filed a complaint against Mr. Krikorian over his
charges that she took money from Turkish government interests to oppose
the congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide. As part of the
complaint, Ms. Schmidt is represented by Turkish American Legal Defense
Fund, an organization linked to the Turkish lobby. Mr. Krikorian
in turn retained the help of Mark Geragos, a prominent attorney of
Armenian-American descent.

The Ohio Elections Commission is expected to rule on the complaint
on September 3.

connect:

The New York Post
August 10, 2009 Monday

CAMPUS HERO; PREXY BUILDS HOLOCAUST CENTER

BYLINE: CYNTHIA R. FAGEN

It’s so close to his heart that Queensborough Community College
President Eduardo Marti can’t wait for the official grand opening on
campus of The Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Resource and
Archives center in October.

The same time last year, Marti was the recipient of the Post’s Liberty
Medal in the Freedom category, for working to combat racism and
hatred. He was cited, among other things, for his dedication in seeing
the mammoth project on the Holocaust go from the transfer of crumbling
historical documents stored in a leaky campus basement to an
ambitious, $5 million, glass-enclosed, 10,000-square- foot interactive
showcase.

"There’s a wall of survivors’ names," Marti said. "When you press the
name of the survivor, their story is told" on video. "It’s very
impressive."

There will also be rotating exhibits on the Japanese massacre in
Nanking, China, during World War II, as well as the genocides in
Armenia and Rwanda, among others.

At the start of the new school year, the college will offer a special
program for principals and teachers on how to combat hate crimes among
students.

"I am very proud of that," Marti said.

Institute for War and Peace Reporting IWPR, UK
Aug 21 2009

ARMENIA’S YEZIDIS BEMOAN LOWLY STATUS

Long-marginalised community claims it faces systematic discrimination.

By Aghavni Harutyunian in Zovuni and Arpi Makhsudian in Yerevan

Most of the population of the Amo district in the Armenian village of
Zovuni are ethnic Yezidis, making it a rare place even in the
multi-ethnic Caucasus, but visitors can be forgiven for not
noticing. Their attention will be occupied by the loud buzz coming
from the high voltage power cables overhead.

For the visitor, the noise may cause a headache, but the residents
have lived with it since the 1970s, when the decision to install the
wires was first made.

`When my father and uncle complained about it, they were told they
would be given a house in a different place. Then the people went to
the mountains for the summer, and when they got back, the lines had
already been built,’ said Qyalash Avdalian, an ethnic Yezidi whose
family is considered the largest in the district.

Many local residents claim their health has been affected by the wires
and that the government’s failure ` over four decades ` to reroute the
lines or rehouse the Yezidis is a result of endemic discrimination.

The Yezidis are Armenia’s largest minority, with more than 40,000
people out of the country’s total population of 3.2 million. That
makes Armenia’s the second largest Yezidi community in the world, a
long way behind that in Iraq, which may be as large as half a million.

They speak their own language, Yezidi, which is related to Kurdish,
and have their own religion called Yazdanism, which is often presented
as `devil-worship’, but which in reality combines elements of all the
Middle East’s faiths.

The government has tried to satisfy the Yezidis’ demands, but is
starting from almost nothing, since they have long been
marginalised. Vardan Astsatrian, the head of the government’s
department for national minorities and religions, said the first job
was to try to produce school books.

`In the last year books have been published for the younger children,
and now we are working on a set of textbooks for the higher years,’ he
said.

But if he thought that was enough to please the Yezidis, he was
mistaken. The new textbooks are written in the Kurmanji dialect of
Kurdish but printed in the Cyrillic script.

`We do not know this language Kurmanji and we don’t want to know
it. It is as if Armenians had to learn in Azeri or Georgian,’ said
Hasan Tamoian, the head of Yezidi programmes at Armenian public radio.

Armenia has no Yezidi schools, and never has had. Yezidi children
study in normal Armenian schools with special language lessons, but
even that is under threat since teachers of Yezidi are paid so poorly
that the programme may not last much longer.

Mamoian Asmar, for example, teaches in the village of Nor Geghi,
which, like Zovuni, is in the Kotayk region, but wants to find a new
job because there are few textbooks for her pupils and little money
for her.

She only has textbooks for the first three classes, and has no idea
what books the older children will use if she agrees to teach again.

`We are not going to teach the children the alphabet over
again. Leaving that aside, the headmistress gave me extra teaching
hours last year, but this year a teacher has demanded her hours
back. What can I do then? I can’t solve this problem on my own. I am
not going to go to work for just four hours,’ she said.

If young Yezidis leave teaching, the current deficit of specialists
will become even more severe in the future, something the government
has recognised as a major problem.

`In Soviet times there were serious specialists ` doctors, academics `
who trained others. But now the specialists have died, or are too
old,’ said Astsatrian.

He said the government was trying to prepare a programme in which
Yezidis could be allowed into university with lower marks than ethnic
Armenians to help produce more teachers, but other officials say
Yezidis often do not want to go to university, complicating the quest
for a new class of specialists.

Tamoian said Yezidis should be grateful that they live in Armenia,
where their situation is better than elsewhere. `In northern Iraq, in
the Yezidis’ homeland, there are no Yezidi newspapers, there is no
radio, no cultural organisations, and in Armenia conditions are better
than ever,’ he said.

He blamed the Yezidi view that they are discriminated against on the
difficult economic conditions in the country, the proportionately
poorer condition of Yezidi communities and a tendency not to emphasise
education in Yezidi families.

But this does not wash with Aziz Tamoian, chairman of the Union of
Yezidis, who was head of the village administration in Amo district in
the 1960s and 1970s. He said the failure to remove the power lines as
well as a consistent refusal to allow Yezidis to buy land, were proof
of systematic discrimination against the community.

He said that the opposition of the villagers was ignored when the
power lines were built, and that now some 40 houses are directly below
the constant buzz of the cables.

But he did not get much sympathy from Electric Networks of Armenia,
which owns the lines.

`When these high-voltage electricity lines were put up, there were no
houses in the security zone. The village was located away from the
line. There were just a few plots of land where sheep were kept,’ said
Shavarsh Avetisian of the security department, adding that the houses
were built under the lines in the 1980s, and that the Yezidi residents
cannot blame the electricity company.

`The national minority card is always being played here. The Amo
district only appeared here after the electric lines were built.’

Aghavni Harutyunian is a reporter with Azg daily. Arpi Makhsudian is a
reporter with Capital daily. Both are members of IWPR’s Cross-Caucasus
Journalism Network.