The California Courier Online, July 27, 2017
1 – Commentary
Azerbaijan’s US
Lobbying Firm’s
List of Impressive
Accomplishments
By
Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2 – Legendary
Coach Ara Parseghian
Being
Treated for Hip Infection
3 – Bako
Sahakyan Re-elected
President
of Artsakh
4 – U.S. Legislators Demand Erdogan Apologize
And Extradite Perpetrators of Embassy Attack
5 – Armenian Scholar Elected President of
the
International
Association of Genocide Scholars
6 – Montreal
Woman Injured in Times
Square
Rampage Takes First Steps
7 – Marine
Corps Veteran Who Lived and Worked
In Yerevan Launches
Congressional Campaign
8 – Freeway Signs for Pasadena Armenian Genocide
Memorial Approved by California Legislature
9 – Armenian
Girls’ Team is a Finalist
In
Global Technovation Challenge
10-
Kansas
National Guard Medical and Hazardous
Material
Experts Train Firefighters in Armenia
11- Russian-Armenian
Investors Will
Start
Financing Projects in Armenia
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1 – Commentary
Azerbaijan’s
US Lobbying Firm’s
List of Impressive
Accomplishments
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Several weeks ago, I wrote about the four
lobbying and PR firms hired by Azerbaijan
in the United States.
One of these companies is the Tool Shed Group.
This week, I would like to
present a sample of the impressive activities organized by the Tool Shed Group
on behalf of the Consulate General of Azerbaijan which is getting a great
bargain by paying only $9,000 a month for all of these pro-Azeri efforts,
almost none of which could have happened without the Tool Shed Group.
Most readers are unaware
that American lobbying and PR firms hired by foreign entities are legally
required not only to register their clients with the Justice Department under
the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), but also file the detailed list of
activities on their behalf.
In order to know what
efforts have been made by the Tool Shed Group on behalf of the Consulate of
Azerbaijan, I have checked the website of the Justice Department where the Tool
Shed Group has listed by date all of their activities for Azerbaijan’s
Consulate in Los Angeles.
Tool Shed’s list of
activities starts on April 1, 2009, but mysteriously ends on March 31, 2011.
This must surely be a violation of the Justice Department’s requirement which
has to be brought into the attention of the U.S. government. Nevertheless, the
two-year report provides a detailed glimpse which I have summarized below as it
is a dozen pages long:
1) Outreach to Universities:
Arranged meetings for Consul
General Elman Abdullayev with the following University officials: Jolene
Kester, California State University, Northridge, CA; the University of New
Mexico; Geoff Cowan and Adam Clayton, USC; Chapman University, Orange, CA;
Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA; Larry Greenfield, Vice President of the
Claremont Institute, Los Angeles, CA; Jack Lewis, Associate Dean, USC Marshall
School of Business, Los Angeles, CA; Gail Lapidus, Stanford University,
Stanford, CA; David Lundberg, UCLA NanoSystems Institute; University of
California, Irvine; and University of Las Vegas, Nevada; Lectures by the Consul
General at UCLA; San Francisco State University; San Jose State University, San
Jose, CA; USC; Scripps College, Claremont, CA; University of California, Santa
Barbara, CA; California State University, Fullerton, CA; Arizona State
University, Phoenix, AZ; University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; and Stanford
University, Stanford, CA; spoke at a conference on religious pluralism at USC;
and conference call with USC Center for Public Diplomacy to discuss a lecture
by the Consul General.
2) U.S. Politicians:
Consul General met with
Darrell Steinberg, President Pro Tem, California State Senate, Sacramento, CA;
Karen Bass, Speaker, California State Assembly, Sacramento, CA; Annette Porini,
Chief of Staff, State Senator Joe Simitian, Sacramento, CA; Felipe Fuentes,
Assemblyman, California State Assembly, Sacramento, CA; Councilor Chris
Calvert, City of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico,
Santa Fe, New Mexico; Speaker Ben Lujan, New Mexico State Legislature, Santa
Fe, New Mexico; Mayor Bob Foster, Long Beach, CA; Cong. Adam Schiff, Glendale,
CA; Congresswoman Diane Watson; Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchins, Santa
Ana, CA; Orange County Board of Supervisors; Mike Schneider, President Pro Tem,
Nevada State Senate, Las Vegas, Nevada; Mayor Oscar Goodman, City of Las Vegas,
Nevada; Asked Cong. Michael McMahon (NY) to join the Azerbaijani Caucus, Los
Angeles, CA; Mayor Chuck Reed, City of San Jose, CA; Meeting with California
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to present a gift from Azerbaijan to the
Governor, Los Angeles, CA; Mayor Coss, City of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Cong. Dana
Rohrabacher, Huntington Beach, CA; and City Council Member Jan Perry, Los
Angeles, CA.
3) Jewish and Israeli
Representatives:
Consul General of Azerbaijan
met with Consul General Jacob Dayan of Israel, Los Angeles, CA; John Fishel,
Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles; Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Museum of
Tolerance, Los Angeles, CA; Lecture at Temple Judea, Tarzana, CA; American
Jewish Committee, San Francisco, CA; and met with Rabbi Leider and Prof. Reuven
Firestone regarding a lecture by the Consul General at Temple Beth Am, Los
Angeles, CA.
There are dozens of other
meetings that Jason Katz, the owner of Tool Shed Group, had arranged for the
Consul General of Azerbaijan. I must admit that for a paltry $9,000 a month Mr.
Katz is underpaid for arranging such a wide array of access for Azerbaijan
in several US States, something the Consul General of Azerbaijan could have
never accomplished on his own.
The Armenian-American community
makes up for its lack of lobbying and PR firms by the activism of its
organizations and their members. However, a professional lobbying and PR firm
can add a lot to the existing successes. Unfortunately, most Armenians do not
have a proper appreciation for the work of lobbying and PR firms and therefore
do not believe in funding such a valuable and much-needed effort!
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2 – Legendary
Coach Ara Parseghian
Being
Treated for Hip Infection
SOUTH
BEND, IN (ESPN) –
Famed Notre Dame coach Ara
Parseghian, 94, is undergoing treatment for an infection in his hip.
Parseghian has had five operations on the hip,
the Chicago Tribune reports, and
currently is being treated at a care facility in South Bend, Indiana.
Another surgery isn’t an option for Parseghian
because of his age, and the infection is being treated with antibiotics.
Former players were told via email that
Parseghian isn’t accepting visitors at this time and were asked to write
letters to his home in Indiana.
In 1966, Notre Dame and Michigan State
played the most monumental and controversial game in college football history.
It was a 10-10 tie on the field, but the Irish got the nod as national champ.
Parseghian was 95-17-4 in 11 seasons with Notre
Dame starting in 1964, and he led the Fighting Irish to national titles in 1966
and 1973. He also saw success with Northwestern and Miami (Ohio).
He coached the Irish in one of the most famous
ties in college football history, a 10-10 draw with Michigan
State in 1966. Their collective
rosters included 25 All-Americans, 10 NFL first-round draft picks and 31 future
pros.
Parseghian later became a television analyst and
has remained involved with his former programs. He was an honorary captain for
Northwestern’s homecoming game in 2010 and has kept in regular communication
with Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly.
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3 – Bako
Sahakyan Re-elected
President
of Artsakh
YEREVAN
(Mediamax) – On July 19, the National Assembly of Artsakh re-elected acting
President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan to the same position in a closed secret
voting. Out of 32 participating MPs, 28 voted for his candidacy.
His competitor, former Mayor of Stepanakert, leader of Movement-88 party Eduard
Aghabekyan, received 4 votes.
The presidential system of governance was established in Artsakh after the
constitutional reforms referendum in 2017.
According to the reforms, the Constitution and system of governance should be
brought into accordance with the new model during the transition period in
2017-2020.
Artsakh made a decision to elect the President for this transition period by
National Assembly’s vote instead of the popular one.
Sahakyan will hold the position until 2020, which will be followed by
presidential and parliamentary elections.
Sahakyan has been the President of Artsakh since September 7, 2007. He was
re-elected in 2012, receiving 66,7% of popular vote.
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4 – U.S. Legislators Demand Erdogan Apologize
And Extradite Perpetrators of Embassy Attack
WASHINGTON,
DC – Senior members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Dana
Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Ted Poe (R-TX), Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
Co-Chairman Jim McGovern (D-MA), and Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA) and John
Sarbanes (D-MD) condemned Turkish President Erdogan’s violent crackdown – both
in Turkey and the U.S. – during “A Stand for Free Speech” held at Washington,
DC’s Sheridan Circle, site of the May 16th attack by the Turkish presidential
security detail which hospitalized nine people, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America.
“We’re here affirming our First Amendment
freedoms – rejecting Ankara’s violent efforts to enforce its gag-rule against
American citizens,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA), which organized the event in coordination
with the Sheridan Circle May 16 Initiative (including many victims of the
beatings), and a host of Kurdish, Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, and Christian
groups including the American Kurdish Association (AKA), In Defense of
Christians, American Hellenic Council, Armenian Legal Center for Justice and
Human Rights, A Demand for Action, Hellenic American Leadership Council, AHEPA,
and the Armenian Youth Federation.
“The idea that a foreign tyrant can come to the United States
[…] and allow his goons to beat up Americans on American soil is preposterous,”
said Rep. Poe, who went on to call for the extradition of those charged with
the attack. “They need to have a trial and they need to go to jail, if
they’re convicted. All of them – all of them involved in the assault.”
Rep. Poe, who had called for Congressional colleagues to join him in
returning to the site of the May 16th beatings during the May 25th House
Foreign Affairs Committee consideration of a measure condemning the crimes, was
unequivocal: “The Turkish Government is responsible for that action, and they
need to be held accountable.”
Rep. Jim McGovern voiced similar concerns,
calling on the “State Department and the Justice Department to do everything
they can to extradite the perpetrators of this vicious attack on US
citizens and US soil. They need to be held to account.” He noted that the
Turkish government “showed its brutality when faced with people who disagree
with them — people who believe in the reality of the Armenian Genocide, people
who believe in the reality of freedom of religion in Turkey, people who believe
in the reality of minority rights in Turkey, and people who believe in the
reality of the security of Greece and Cyprus.”
Citing the increasing repression within Turkey, Rep. Rohrabacher stressed that, “Erdogan
beat people here… and the American people need to know this was nothing
compared to the suppression and brutality that Erdogan is showing his own
people in Turkey.”
He went on to send a clear message to Turkey’s
authoritarian regime: “Until [Erdogan] apologizes to the American people for
having his thugs beat up American citizens who are expressing their opinion,
Mr. Erdogan should not be welcome to come back in the United States for a visit.”
Rep. Costa concurred, noting “The Turkish
government owes us an apology and more than that; those injuries that took
place are a reflection of the lack of respect of human rights in Turkey
today where literally thousands of Turkish citizens have found themselves
imprisoned, found members of the press in jail, only for trying to protect
their own views.”
Rep. Paul Sarbanes reminded President Erdogan
that “in this country, under our First Amendment, under our constitutional
democracy, we have the right to peaceably assemble.” He noted that Turkey’s
authoritarianism is nothing new for those in attendance of the protest –
“discrimination, aggression, repression, (and) violence directed at the Kurds,
at Armenians, at other ethnic and religious minorities, and of course there’s
the shameful legacy of the Armenian Genocide.”
A number of victims of the brutal attacks spoke
out in defiance of President Erdogan’s authoritarian tactics.
“As an American citizen, I was violated from
exercising [my] first amendment right of freedom of speech,” said Sayid Reza
Yasa, who lost a tooth, required stitches on his nose, and continues to suffer
from the consequences of a concussion. “I will never be afraid of them,
but next time I go, I’ll take my hard hat with me, just in case.”
Ceren Borazan, who was videotaped in a
choke-hold by a member of the Turkish security detail, outlined the litany of
ongoing repression in Turkey.
“A half million Kurdish people have been displaced,” said Borazan. “More
than 5,000 politicians and activists arrested in just 2 years. Erdogan has
jailed more than 150 journalists and closed over 200 media outlets. He has
fired more than 5,000 academics and also shut down 2,000 academics. He also
tells women how many children they should have, targeting women’s rights.”
A third victim, Lucy Usoyan, who is of Yezidi
origin and hails from Armenia,
reminded attendees: “We all have seen what happened on May 16th. Our
fundamental rights as U.S.
citizens have been threatened by Turkish government. President Erdogan,
himself, wanted to silence our voices, but instead he made sure that we have
been heard worldwide.”
Hellenic American Leadership Council’s Michael
Maragos noted: “The Greek-American community shared everyone’s shock when we
watched when peaceful protesters were attacked by Turkish thugs on American
soil. We were shocked but not surprised. For 100 years, Turkey has ignored the rule of
law.”
The diverse group of community leaders were also
joined by Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian of Soorp Khatch Armenian Church, in Bethesda, MD,
as well as by a Congressional aides, including those representing the offices
of Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), a senior member of the Foreign Affairs
Committee, and Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA), Chairman of the House
Intelligence Committee.
The ANCA streamed remarks by participants live
on its Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat channels and has posted videos
to its YouTube page at:
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5 – Armenian
Scholar Elected President of the
International
Association of Genocide Scholars
BRISBANE,
Australia –
Professor Henry C. Theriault was elected President of the International
Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) during the organization’s annual
conference becoming the first Armenian to assume the position.
The conference also elected the Dr. Suren
Manukyan, Deputy Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute in Yerevan as a member of
IAGS’s Advisory Board.
In his nomination statement, Theriault warned of
the threats facing human rights advances due to the dire political climate in
the United States and Europe.
“Genocide studies has been at the forefront of
recent human rights advances. Dire political climates in the US, Europe, and
other areas threaten this progress. Racism, xenophobia, misogyny, etc. pervade
public discourse and drive repressive legal and political regressions the world
over. Genocide’s prevalence even threatens increase,” said Theriault.
“Against this, a vibrant IAGS is essential.
Demagogues attack the sensibilities genocide studies engenders. Our work is a
crucial challenge to their propaganda. IAGS must strive against this
marginalization while innovatively expanding the field, especially creating
space for emerging scholars particularly vulnerable to this backlash,” he
added.
Theriault is a board member of the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights and serves
as the Armenian Genocide Reparations Study Group (AGRSG), which was assembled
in 2007 by four experts in different areas of reparations theory and practice.
In September 2014, the group completed its final report, “Resolution with Justice—Reparations for the Armenian Genocide,” a
wide-ranging analysis of the legal, historical, political, and ethical
dimensions of the question of reparations for the genocide. It also includes
specific recommendations for the components of a complete reparations package.
Theriault was most recently Professor in and
Chair of the Philosophy Department at Worcester State
University, where he has
taught since 1998 focusing on courses on genocide, mass violence against women,
and related topics. He has published and lectured widely on his research which
focuses on the relationship of genocide and sexual violence, victim-
perpetrator relations in the long-term aftermath of genocide, genocide
prevention, genocide denial, and reparations. From 1999 to 2007, he coordinated
the University’s Center for the Study of Human Rights.
He earned his B.A. in English from Princeton University
and his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University
of Massachusetts, with
specializations in social and political as well as continental philosophy.
He is co-editor of Genocide Studies
International, a peer-reviewed journal from the University of Toronto Press
and the Zoryan Institute’s International Institute for Genocide and Human
Rights Studies and of Transaction Publishers’ Genocide: A Critical
Bibliographic Review book series.
In 2013, Theriault served as a panelist at the
Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region’s Grassroots Conference, speaking on challenges facing
the Western Armenians, especially with regards to Kurdish and Armenian
relations.
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6 – Montreal Woman Injured in
Times
Square
Rampage Takes First Steps
By Sarah Leavitt
MONTREAL, (CBC News) – Elena Avetisian was in
New York City to celebrate her cousin’s wedding in May, but the celebration
turned to tragedy when she was among the 22 people struck by a motorist in
Times Square. (Facebook)
Elena Avetisian has
taken her first steps two months after the Montrealer was critically
injured when a car plowed into a crowd of pedestrians in New York City.
“It’s a miracle, she took a few steps,”
her sister, Victoria Avetisian, told CBC.
“She was in very critical condition and she
lived. She’s alive.”
Avetisian was visiting family in New York City in May, when
she stepped away from lunch to get a stroller for her daughter. At that
moment, a car plowed into the crowd at Times Square.
One person was killed and 22 were injured in the
crash. The driver, Richard Rojas, was charged with murder, 20 counts
of attempted murder and five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide.
Avetisian spent the following month in
a New York
hospital in a coma with severe head injuries and a shattered pelvis. She was
one of the most seriously injured survivors.
“As doctors used to say … she was the
number one victim from this accident,” said her sister Victoria.
When she awoke from the coma, Avetisian was
transferred home to a hospital in Montreal.
Avetisian has no memory of the crash and her
verbal communication is still limited.
“For now, it’s so fragile,” her sister
said.
“They don’t know if she’ll be able to walk
or no. Yes, she was able to take a few steps but it’s going to be
difficult.”
Doctors have told the family that Avetisian
will soon be transferred to a rehabilitation centre, but just how mobile she
will be remains to be seen.
“We hope that she will be better and she
will be able to speak,” her sister said.
“But it’s a miracle she woke up so quickly
and she’s doing very well.”
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7 – Marine
Corps Veteran Who Lived and Worked
In Yerevan Launches
Congressional Campaign
COLUMBIA, Illinois – David Bequette, a Marine Corps veteran, and
native of Columbia, Illinois
has launched a Congressional Campaign in Illinois’s
12th Congressional District. Bequette and his wife Irina Ghaplanyan,
originally from Yerevan, have spent the last
several years living in Yerevan
along with their three kids.
David and Irina founded The Green Bean Coffee
Shop, a chain of sustainable cafés in Yerevan,
with locations on Amiryan, in the Cascade, and American University.
Bequette taught marketing courses at the Agribusiness
Teaching Center
in Yerevan, and Irina was an adjunct lecturer at
the American University
of Armenia.
David and Irina were extremely active in civil society in Armenia and both spoke at TEDx
Yerevan, focusing on engaging the entrepreneurial community throughout the
country.
David is proud of his connections to Armenia
and his families Armenian identity. “Our kids – David, Nane, and Anthony, are
growing up bilingual, with a deep sense of their roots and their
responsibilities as bearers of Armenian heritage,” Bequette responded.
David has been outspoken on his support for
Armenia stating, “As someone who intimately understands Armenia and its
challenges, I believe strongly in the importance of strengthening ties between
the United States and a Christian nation that is landlocked, sharing strategic
borders with volatile regimes in Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan. I believe in a
solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that supports the sovereignty and
right to self-determination of its Armenian population. The United States and international
community must use its leverage to stop the resumption of war, hold Azerbaijani
aggression to account, and support a peaceful solution to the conflict to
benefit the entire region.”
Bequette is committed to raising the
geopolitical and economic importance of Armenia as a priority in US foreign
relations. He also plans to continue the fight for the official recognition of
the Armenian Genocide. “I feel strongly that the United States must fully and
properly recognize the first genocide of the 20th Century – the Armenian
Genocide. This is a matter of principal
and of conscience for our country,” said Bequette.
Bequette is running on the democratic ticket and
is currently fundraising to win the democratic seat in the upcoming March 2018
primaries with the intention of unseating incumbent GOP Congressman Mike Bost.
David has launched a Facebook page and a website where you can learn more about
his priorities as well as support the campaign through donations.
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8 – Freeway Signs for Pasadena Armenian Genocide
Memorial Approved by California Legislature
Sacramento, CA — Authored by Senator Anthony J.
Portantino, SCR 25 seeks to install freeway signs at the Fair Oaks Avenue exit off Interstate 210
for the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial. Passed by unanimous support
of the State Assembly on July 13, SCR 25 has now passed both houses of the
legislature, paving the way for the placement of the freeway signs directing
the public to the Genocide Memorial. Since resolutions do not require the
Governor’s signature the Assembly action completed the last step of the
legislative process.
“SCR 25
was one of the first pieces of legislation that I introduced as I joined the
State Senate and I am very proud to see it approved by both houses so quickly.
I would like to thank my colleagues for sympathizing with the purpose of this
legislation and helping it move through the legislature with bipartisan
support. I would also like to thank all of the Armenian organizations
that supported the creation of the memorial and subsequently this
resolution. I look forward to seeing these signs installed in Pasadena so that future
generations can learn about the horrendous actions from 1915 at a place of peace
and remembrance for descendants of the 1.5 million lost martyrs,” commented
Portantino.
The Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial was
unveiled in April 2015 in the northeast corner of Memorial Park in Pasadena to honor the
martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. It was constructed by the nonprofit
Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee with unanimous support from the
Pasadena City Council. Senator Portantino served on the board of the
nonprofit prior to joining the State Senate. He was the only non-Armenian
to have served on the board.
“We are
very excited that SCR 25 has become law to highlight the memorial that so many
Armenians and non-Armenians came together to support and build. Our board
is very appreciative of the efforts of our friend Senator Portantino.
Anthony served with us on the board and continues to support this important
historical and cultural project,” concluded Robert Kalunian, Board Chair,
Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee..
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9 – Armenian
Girls’ Team is a Finalist
In
Global Technovation Challenge
SAN
JOSE, CA – From 3,000
global teams representing 105 countries, 12 final teams were selected in a
Global Technovation Challenge with the directive to develop an innovative
mobile application. Technovation is a global organization that promotes girls
in STEM.
Five girls, ages 10-18 representing Armenia
participated and won first place in the Technovation Global Challenge.
As a guest of the Technovation Finalist, the
Armenian team was officially invited to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Two more events will close the competition at
the Goggle Campus, Building TBD, Mountain
View, CA on Aug. 9,
from 5:30 pm to 8:30 p.m. Admission is free.
The second and concluding event is the Global
Technovation Award Ceremony on August 10, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the same
location
Iridescent, together with Google’s Made with
Code, invites everyone to join them at the Global Technovation Awards Ceremony!
The 12 global Technovation finalists come from
Hong Kong, Kazhakstan, Cambodia, India,
Armenia, Kenya, Canada
and across the US.
You can learn more about how they tackle problems around peace, poverty,
equity, environment, health and education. This event is the culmination
of Technovation’s annual World Pitch Summit, said AIWA-SF Christine Soussa. She
also invited Armenians to attend the event and cheer the Armenian girls’ team.
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10- Kansas National Guard
Medical and Hazardous
Material
Experts Train Firefighters in Armenia
YEREVAN (Tert.am) – A team of Kansas National
Guardsmen is in Armenia to train Armenian firefighters in first aid,
life-saving techniques, and hazardous material awareness, recognition and
response, the US Embassy in Yerevan
reported.
The Kansas Guardsmen are joined by soldiers from
the United Kingdom’s
Royal Army Medical Corps, and members of the British Army’s 6th Rifles
Battalion. Together, they will conduct training through July 28 at six fire
rescue stations across the Shirak Marz.
This military-to-humanitarian outreach event is the first-of-its-kind in the
14-year partnership between Armenia
and the Kansas
National Guard, part of the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program.
“This exchange is the continuation of our
strong and vibrant relationship between the Kansas National Guard and Armenia,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Donald
Harper, a Kansas National Guard Airman who serves as the bilateral affairs
officer for the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan.
“The Armenians, British Medics and CBRN soldiers, and Kansas Guardsmen all
stand to benefit from this peer-to-peer exchange of experience.”
Harper said the primary goals of this exchange are to strengthen relationships
between the Ministry of Emergency Situations and fire rescue stations. It will
also improve Armenian firefighters’ capabilities to provide basic first-aid and
improve their responses to any hazardous material incidents.
The exchange will help the fire departments develop their medical skills, a
responsibility recently assigned to them by the Ministry. These added
capabilities will complement other local and national first responder agencies.
Because the fire rescue stations are assuming new responsibilities, the Kansas
National Guard is also providing each station with a package of basic medical
and first aid supplies.
This exchange provides a chance for the Kansas Guardsmen and RAMC soldiers to
share their knowledge, broaden their worldview, and improve their
team-building, instruction and presentation skills.
The multi-national training exchange will
culminate with a capstone exercise on July 28 which will showcase the skills
Armenian firefighters learned during the 10 days.
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11 – Russian-Armenian Investors Will
Start
Financing Projects in Armenia
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)
— An investment fund set up recently by three dozen wealthy Russian
entrepreneurs of Armenian descent will start financing business projects in Armenia this fall, a senior government official
in Yerevan said
last week.
The fund called the Investors Club of Armenia
(ICA) was officially set up in March at a ceremony in Yerevan attended by Prime Minister Karen
Karapetian. The latter has warm rapports with its key founders, notably the
Armenian-born billionaire Samvel Karapetian (no relation).
The Armenian government signed a memorandum of
understanding with the ICA
in April. Minister for Economic Development Suren Karayan said at the time that
the fund’s investments in the Armenian economy should total around $300 million
this year.
According to one of Karayan’s deputies, Hovannes
Azizian, the ICO will likely launch its first investment projects in October or
November. “The projects to be implemented by the Club will mainly target the
areas of energy and renewable energy,” he told a news conference. “Now
discussions are underway on the possibility of the Club’s involvement in some
manufacturing sectors as well.”
Azizian said that the Russian-Armenian investors
are particularly interested in hydropower and solar energy. The government, he
said, expects them to finance, among other things, the construction of
medium-sized hydroelectric plants.
One of those plants would be built in Samvel
Karapetian’s native Lori province. The Armenian Energy Ministry estimates that
work on the 76-megawatt facility would cost roughly $150 million.
Azizian would not be drawn on the amount of funding
which the ICA
has set aside for its first projects. “When the projects are finalized we will
give information about the investment package,” he said.
Foreign direct investment in the Armenian
economy has rapidly declined in recent years. Government data shows that it
stood at a modest $130 million in 2016.
Prime Minister Karapetian has repeatedly
promised to attract more than $3 billion in investments in the coming years
since he was appointed as prime minister in September. The former business executive,
who lived and worked in Russia
from 2011-2016, has said that at least $830 million of the sum will be invested
in 2017.
The Russian-Armenian businessmen voiced strong
support for the 53-year-old premier’s ambitious reform agenda when he paid an
official visit to Moscow
in January. Samvel Karapetian reaffirmed that backing at the official launch of
the ICA in
March.
In addition to his extensive business interests
in Russia, the tycoon owns Armenia’s national electric utility, largest
thermal power plant, and a shopping mall in Yerevan. His Tashir Group is due to open
another sprawling trade center in the Armenian capital in September.
According to “Forbes” magazine estimates, Samvel
Karapetian’s personal fortune is currently worth $3.5 billion, meaning that he
is most probably the richest ethnic Armenian in the world.
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California Courier Online provides viewers of
the Armenian News News Service with a few of the articles in this week’s issue of The
California Courier. Letters to the
editor are encouraged through our e-mail address, [email protected]. However,
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