Time is money (or why the world is queueing up to buy a £36,000 watch)

They adorn the wrists of pop stars and presidents, a footballer risked his
life for one and Silvio Berlusconi gives them away as gifts. Rose George reveals
what makes Franck Muller timepieces tick

Independent/UK
19 February 2005

It happened, as the best dramas do, in a men’s toilet. Precisely,
near the urinals of Funky Buddah, a Mayfair nightclub frequented by
celebrities and footballers, and where, in the early hours of 30 June
last year, minder Godfrey Kessie threatened Dwight Yorke and asked
for his watch. Not just any watch. A Conquistador King, as seen on
David Beckham’s wrist, complete with diamond-encrusted face, triaxial
tourbillon and carefully crafted complications and movements. And a
£36,000 price tag.

Yorke gave Kessie the watch, he told Southwark Crown Court in London
this week, then something got the better of him. Despite Kessie’s
greater bulk and height, and going against all personal safety rules,
he tackled the minder, despite being concerned for his life. He got
the watch back. Kessie, 25, from Wood Green in north London, is in
custody awaiting sentence after pleading guilty to robbery.

The question is, why did Yorke bother? The price tag is a couple of
kicks around the pitch, in footballer-salary terms. The Conquistador
had diamonds, but Yorke probably has a dozen more that do, too. He
risked his life because he was not just saving a watch. He was saving
a Franck Muller.

“Please don’t call it a watch,” says a Franck Muller watchmaker in
Switzerland, when I ask him about the watches he makes. “Please call
it a work of art.” These works of art, then, made by the Swiss watch
firm Franck Muller, wrap the wrists of David and Victoria Beckham. Sir
Elton John collects them; the entire Arsenal squad wears them. Colleen
McLoughlin bought a £15,000 one for Wayne Rooney, perhaps to make up
for the engagement ring flung at the squirrels. The Italian Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi, in a non-patriotic moment, gave one
worth £9,800 to President George Bush. And in an unusual display
of international unity, even the Russian President Vladimir Putin
has been spotted with a Franck Muller on his wrist. Politicians and
paparazzi fodder alike are prey to the exploding Art Deco numerals,
the mixed-up numbers of the Crazy Hours, the colours and stitching,
the sapphire-blue glass and diamonds.

That is just the bling. But beyond the glitter lies the story of
a revolution. The rise of Franck Muller, in the slow and slowly
maturing world of Swiss watch-making, has been spectacular. Most of
the venerable watchmaker houses – Patek Philippe, Jaeger-Le Coultre,
Zenith – have existed for decades, or centuries. Muller started his
company only 13 years ago, with five employees. He produced 12 watches
in his first year. Today, Franck Muller’s Watchland, an estate based
around a chateau and two additional buildings, is housed in the sweet
Swiss village of Genthod.

The setting is serene enough – Lake Geneva to one side, Mont Blanc
to the other – but it hides a busy business, including a team of 60
watchmakers, 12 jewellers and a fair amount of diamonds. Franck Muller
employs 550 people worldwide. The company produced 47,000 watches last
year, and 20 new models. Next month, to celebrate the 10th anniversary
of Muller’s famed Casablanca watch, the London celebrity jeweller
Theo Fennell will launch his latest Franck Muller collaboration,
the limited-edition, pale-green Nile. The most expensive Niles –
white gold with white diamond-set case, automatic movements – will
sell for £24,950, and the top numbers of the limited editions have
already been reserved by celebrities, even before the previews.

Fashion-driven covetousness aside, that is still not bad going for a
company that does not spend much on publicity or marketing (there are
no glossy pages in the right magazines; there is not even a dedicated
website). It is not bad, either, for a watch-maker who did not intend
to be one. Franck Muller – he’s a real man (unlike Patek Philippe),
with heavy eyebrows and plentiful hair – was born in 1958 and grew
up in Geneva. He did not know what he wanted to be, until, hanging
out at a local flea market, a watch expert noticed his interest in
timepieces. He suggested Franck went to Geneva’s watchmaking school,
L’École d’horlogerie, because there were not enough people to repair
antique watches, and it could be a good career. Franck took his
advice and found he was good at it. He had the manual dexterity
required to work with tiny, interlocking mechanisms. He had the
patience. By 1990 or so, he had backing, in the shape of Armenian
investors and his Armenian-Turkish-Swiss partner, Vartan Sirmakes.
Unlike most watchmakers working with the venerable Swiss houses,
conservative by nature and design, he also had flair.

“People don’t remember now,” says celebrity jeweller Theo Fennell,
who introduced Sir Elton and other big clients to Franck Muller. “But
14 years ago, the watch world was really boring. There were no big
watches, apart from divers’ watches. Everything was soulless and
really plain, a rehash of what had gone before. Franck Muller watches
were elegant, with a retro look. I immediately loved them. They
were different.”

They were also a salvation. By the 1980s, the Swiss mechanical watch
industry was in serious trouble. Cheap, easy to produce and more
accurate than the most complicated of mechanical mechanisms, the quartz
watch was destroying the Swiss mechanical watch industry. Watch houses
were reducing production. Muller began making watches at exactly the
right time. The climate began to change when in 1989, a Patek Philippe
Calibre 89, containing 1,728 parts and 33 functions, was sold at
auction for $3.7m (£1.9m). Vintage and unmodern was back, along with
as many complications as possible. A complication, in watch terms, is
one of three categories of mechanisms that add to the basic mechanism.

It can be additional hands with a timing function (second hands that
jump back, for example), or minute repeaters, or the astonishing
intricacy of a perpetual calendar, a device that fully rotates only
once every four years, and can calculate months with 28, 30 or 31
days, entirely mechanically. A “grand complication” encompasses all
three categories. Franck Muller, starting small in Geneva, found he
could do grand, and more.

In 1986, he produced his first watch. It had a tourbillon, a mechanism
patented in 1801 that was designed, via complicated balances and
springs, to correct inaccuracy caused by gravity. So tricky was the
tourbillon, only a few hundred had been made since the original patent,
but Muller mastered it. To the tourbillon, he added “jumping hours”,
where the hand jumps to the next hour after 60 seconds, and separate
dials for hour and minute hands. He pioneered his signature “exploding
numbers”, oversized, Art Deco numerals that are now copied worldwide.

They were not new; there had been other watch designs with similar
numerals, and other watch cases that were curved, like his. But the
combination became the Franck Muller signature, as did “Master of
Complications”, which he began to engrave on every watch case. This
was high self-praise indeed. It is a measure of his talent that in
the esoteric and fanatic world of watch-lovers, hardly anyone disputes
that he deserves it.

A watchmaker in Muller’s own Watchland certainly does not disagree. He
does not want to be named, he says, for reasons that are not clear,
but he is a watchmaker with 35 years’ experience, including nine
years at Franck Muller, and he does not show signs of wanting to
work anywhere else. He talks about how one tourbillon design requires
576 pieces in its movements. He points to the Master Banker, a watch
with several time zones, and says only the Franck Muller has hour and
minute hands on all the dials. “We make all our movements in-house,”
he says proudly, because for a watchmaker, this is important.

Most watchmakers buy the movements – the wheels and balances, the
mechanics that make the watch work – from outside firms, and modify
them in-house. Muller claims not to. As proof of how good he is,
Franck Muller Technowatch SPA has won 40 patents in 13 years.

But behind the complications of the watch, there was also proper
marketing talent. What sets Franck Muller apart, his anonymous
watchmaker says, “is that we are so dynamic. I’ve worked in watch
houses where it takes months for a decision to be made, because there’s
such a hierarchy. Here, we can get a prototype produced in a year,
from initial decision to the production.”

Nadine Broden, Muller’s marketing manager, says; “If customers or
agents make a suggestion about a trend or desire in the market, we
can respond much more quickly than other companies. We don’t waste
a long time on market research.”

They know, for instance, that south Asians love the pastel colours
of the Crazy Hours, and Arabs prefer diamonds. High-end business men
and bankers like the complications and the chronographs.

Everyone likes the prices. Not because they are cheap, but because
they’re not. Rich men – of which there were many, in those boom
days, and of which there are still enough – have a limited choice
of accessories. As portable status symbols, a watch worth several
hundred thousand dollars, encrusted or just complicated, became
unbeatable. Muller seized the zeitgeist and controlled it perfectly.

Muller is a young man, for a watchmaker, and his team, on average,
are in their thirties. This explains the risk-taking dynamism –
the exclusive Swiss watchmaker is not above making a £70,000 watch
in Crystal Palace colours for Palace owner Simon Jordan – and also
the odd tendency to cheesiness. Last year’s Color Dreams, all pastel
colours and crazy numbers, Nadine Broden says, “was designed to inject
some joie de vivre into the gloom of the post 9/11, war-in-Iraq world”.

But if it is just the flashiness that sells, the Muller delight
will not last. “There are other watches that are as complicated,”
says a London watch expert, who prefers to remain anonymous. “There
are better, more interesting ones for the same price. He’s a very
good watchmaker, and he was very clever to realise there was room for
more excitement in the industry. But if you ask me, Franck Muller is
a busted flush.”

The company has certainly had problems, with Muller and partner Vartan
Sirmakes feuding, and resolving the dispute only late last year. The
dispute was bitter – with Muller saying publicly that Sirmakes had
been employing illegal Armenians – and last year the company was
nearly split up. But for now, things in the serene surroundings of
the castle in Genthod are back to normal.

Theo Fennell, for one, is not worried. “I really don’t think it’s
just a fad. There are enough models that each can be a limited
edition. You’re not likely to see the same watch on someone else’s
wrist, unless you bought it for them. Franck Muller watches are
beautifully made and produced.” If they’re on showbiz wrists, he says:
“It’s not because they’re a gimmick. It’s because they can afford to
buy the best.”

–Boundary_(ID_bMRYUO4DX2uufZZ1UT4V3g)–

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
02/18/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://

1) ANC Glendale Announces Endorsements for City Elections
2) Ambassador Evans Discusses Vital Issues with ANCA, FED
3) Armenian Singers Refuse ‘Cultural Cooperation’ with Turkey
4) A ‘Cigaro’ Is Just A ‘Cigaro’
5) AESA to Hold 4th Annual Science Olympiad
6) AMAA Orphan Care Committee’s Luncheon and Fashion Show
7) Ambassador John Evans Visits Western Prelacy
8) Fresno Native Appointed Judgeship by Gov. Schwarzenegger
9) Annual Brunch & Silent Auction to Benefit Disabled
10) UCLA Armenian Students to Express Culture through Comedy with Vahe
Berberian
11) Armenian-Greek Guitarist Iakovos Kolanian to Perform in San Francisco,
Fresno
12) SKEPTIK’S RANDOMN THOUGHTS AND RAMBLINGS
13) ‘Tis Upon Us

In observance of President’s Day, our next issue will appear on Tuesday,
February 22.

1) ANC Glendale Announces Endorsements for City Elections

GLENDALE–The Armenian National Committee of Glendale (ANCG) announced
Thursday
its list of endorsed candidates for the Glendale City Municipal Elections. The
endorsements include candidates for Glendale Unified School District Board of
Education, Glendale Community College Board of Trustees, City Clerk, and City
Treasurer.
“With 19 candidates in the City Council race, the endorsement process is
inevitably taking a few weeks,” stated board member Armond Gorgorian. “We
really want to make sure we take the time to meet with candidates, as well as
community members in order to make a well informed endorsement decision.”
In the highly publicized City Clerk race, the Armenian National Committee of
Glendale endorsed Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian. The committee endorsed incumbent
Ronald Borucki for City Treasurer, along with all three incumbents for the
College Board of Trustees: Armineh Hacopian, Anita Quinonez Gabrielian, and
Victor I. King. Finally, for GUSD Board, the ANCG endorsed incumbents Greg
Krikorian and Chuck Sambar as well as Nayiri Nahebedian for the remaining
seat.
“The Armenian National Committee of Glendale believes that these 8 candidates
are the best candidates for their respective races. We are confident that
these
candidates bring with them the experience and leadership skills necessary to
improve our city and serve our community,” announced Alina Azizian, Executive
Director of the ANCG.
The endorsements come less than 2 months before the April 5 elections. The
ANCG will spend the next 6 weeks encouraging people to register to vote and
get
active on campaigns, Azizian stated. The ANCG will also be launching a voter
education campaign to inform voters about the candidates, the issues, and the
voting process.
The ANCG has not finalized its endorsements for Glendale City Council at this
time but expects to do so within the next two weeks.
For more information regarding the candidates or ways to get involved, please
contact the Armenian National Committee of Glendale at (818) 243-3444 or
[email protected].

City Clerk: Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian

Glendale Unified School District Board of Education: Greg Krikorian, Nayiri
Nahabedian and Chakib “Chuck” Sambar

Glendale Community College Board of Trustees: Armine G. Hacopian, Victor I.
King, Anita Q. Gabrielian

City Treasurer: Ronald T. Borucki

2) Ambassador Evans Discusses Vital Issues with ANCA, FED

GLENDALE–Members of the Armenian National Committee of AmericaWestern Region
(ANCA-WR) and the Foundation for Economic Development (FED) met with US
Ambassador John Marshall Evans and his delegation of US officials, including
Robin Phillips, Director of the US Agency for International Development
(USAID) Mission in Armenia, Eugenia Sidereas, Desk Officer for Armenia at the
US Department of State, and Aaron Shirinian, who serves as the Political
Officer, assistance coordinator at the US Embassy in Armenia.
Berdj Karapetian, a member of the FED Board of Directors, introduced
Ambassador Evans to the FED’s mission and its ongoing efforts to launch the
California Regional Trade Office in Armenia. Karapetian explained that the
trade office contract that was awarded to the FED by the State of California
would serve California’s small to medium enterprises that were interested in
investing or selling products in Armenia. Like his predecessor Ambassador John
Ordway, Ambassador Evans expressed support for the initiative. While the Trade
Office is an official State of California representative, due to budgetary
issues, the funds necessary to begin operations are being raised privately.
ANCA-WR Board of Directors member Zanku Armenian led the discussion on the
ANCA-WR’s concerns over the recent statement made by Assistant Secretary of
State Elizabeth Jones, which mischaracterized the Karabagh Republic’s leaders
as “criminal secessionists.” The issue was of high concern to the Ambassador,
who explained that while he understood how many misconstrue Jones’s comments,
the Assistant Secretary had not intended the term “criminal secessionists” to
reflect on the leaders of Karabagh. The Ambassador hoped that the incident was
resolved as he and the Assistant Secretary had reached out to the Armenian
public.
Several of the meeting participants, including members of the ANCA-WR
Board of
Directors Leonard Manoukian and Armen Martin, pointed out the recklessness of
Azerbaijan’s recent efforts to jeopardize the peace negotiations by seeking
any
forum that may result in a more favorable outcome for Azerbaijan. The group
also discussed the aggressive rhetoric that continues to come from Baku. “The
Minsk group is an honest broker in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” commented
Ambassador Evans, adding that “the US is a friend to Armenia.”
Armenian commended President Bush for establishing military aid parity in his
Budget proposal for 2006. Such parity helps maintain a balance in the fragile
ceasefire that has existed between Karabagh and Azerbaijan for over ten years.
Continuing on the topic of aid, Armenian stated that the ANCA would persist in
securing high levels of aid to Armenia given Turkey’s blockade of the
fledgling
democracy.
An overarching issue that the group brought up with the Ambassador was the
matter of the Armenian genocide. Representatives of the ANCA-WR asked that the
US State Department include the history of the Armenian genocide on its
website
under Armenia’s country profile given the overwhelming number of documents
held
in the US Archives.
“It is important for groups like the ANCA-WR to regularly meet with US
government officials who administer US policy firsthand in Armenia. Ambassador
Evans is certainly a competent diplomat and well read on the Genocide and
Armenia’s modern history. We are hopeful that he will continue to play an
effective role in helping Armenia face the challenges that lay ahead in
guaranteeing Armenia’s right to self determination and security and insuring
continued development to her democratic institutions. A strong and prosperous
Armenia is good for Armenia and America,” commented Steven Dadaian,
Chairman of
the ANCA-WR Board of Directors, who met the Ambassador’s delegation at an
event
later in the day hosted by His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian.
The breakfast meeting with the ANCA-WR and FED kicked off a day of scheduled
visits for the Ambassador’s delegation. The delegation went on to meet with
Professor Richard Hovannisian of UCLA, followed by a talk with UCLA students.
He also met with Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian of the Western
Prelacy Armenian Apostolic Church and leaders of community organization. A
reception was held by the Western Diocese Armenian Apostolic Church later that
evening.

3) Armenian Singers Refuse ‘Cultural Cooperation’ with Turkey

YEREVAN (Yerkir)–A group of Armenian singers and musicians rejected a
proposal
for cultural cooperation put forth by a Turkish production company, calling it
a “dangerous” offer.
Speaking at the news conference on Friday, singer Arsen Grigorian, who
received the offer, called on his colleagues to also reject participation in
the Armenian-Turkish cultural project.
“It is not by an accident that the Turks are attempting to engage
Armenians in
a pro-Turkish project, to be funded by the US, in the same year we are marking
the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide,” he said.
According to Grigorian, the Turkish production company TDI is planning to
produce a CD of performances by Armenian and Turkish musicians.
“They are trying to convince the world that Armenians and Turks can be
friends. As long as they deny the Genocide, I cannot accept any cultural or
economic cooperation,” he concluded.

4) A ‘Cigaro’ Is Just A ‘Cigaro’

Though leaked track is a hit, they’re not making it an official single.

Blabbermouth.net reports System Of A Down have confirmed an April 26 release
date for “Mezmerize,” the first half of their new double album set. The second
CD, titled “Hypnotize,” will be out sometime this fall. Meanwhile, the first
single from “Mezmerize,” called “B.Y.O.B.” is poised to arrive at rock
radio on
or around March 1, according to Launch Radio Networks.
The quartet has just wrapped up its headlining stint on Australia and New
Zealand’s Big Day Out festival and is heading home to Los Angeles to finish
work on the new album.
The band is also one of many acts that have donated items to a second eBay
auction sponsored by Waxploitation Records to raise money for genocide victims
in the African nation of Sudan. Other artists that have contributed signed or
rare items include Dave Matthews, Dashboard Confessional, and Bad Religion.
System contributed to Waxploitation’s first such auction last month, along
with
Limp Bizkit, Korn, 311, Rob Zombie and others.

BURBANK–“You know how when you meet someone as a little boy and he turns
into
a man, you will always remember the little boy?” System of a Down guitarist
Daron Malakian asked recently.
“Well, we’ve got that,” he continued. “You remember what our roots are. As we
grow up as men, you can see that we are evolving, but you remember us as
little
boys.”
So explains what to expect from System’s upcoming ambitious double album,
Mezmerize/Hypnotize.
“You will hear a difference, you will hear a growth, but you will always hear
us,” Malakian said. “All my favorite bands tend to have those kinds of
careers.
They kind of re-create themselves, but they re-create themselves, they don’t
re-create into somebody else.”
System of a Down’s first new music since 2002’s Steal This Album!, which was
mostly leftovers from 2001’s Toxicity, will blend familiar elements (skittery
riffs, Middle Eastern-influenced rhythms, harmonized vocals) with new, mostly
sonic, touches.
“I personally came in very focused with how I wanted everything to sound on
this record opposed to our other records,” said Malakian, who wrote the music
and most of the lyrics and also sings more than ever on the albums. “I think
our guitars were a little muddy on our other records. On this record I think
it’s a lot more crisp. We’ve got the best drum tone that we’ve ever had on any
of our records. And the performances, each individual musician, everybody is
performing much better than we used to. We’ve all stepped up and grown up with
what we do, so that’s definitely reflected in the songs.”
One of those songs, “Cigaro,” was recently leaked online and became an
instant
hit on KROQ-FM in Los Angeles as well as other stations. Another song,
“B.Y.O.B.,” will actually be the first single. System will shoot the video
later this month before the track hits the airwaves in March.
“I don’t know if I’ll direct it by myself, but I would love to have some kind
of influence on it,” bassist Shavo Odadjian, who co-directed the “Toxicity”
and
“Aerials” videos, said. “I would love to collaborate with someone else. I love
doing that.”
Choosing a single proved especially challenging after the band recorded more
than 40 tracks and decided to release them as a double album (see “System Of A
Down To Release Two-Album Set In 2005”). “We had a lot of songs last time,
too,
but this time I think they join together,” Malakian said. “You feel like you
want to show people what you’re doing right now.”

System are calling Mezmerize/Hypnotize a double album, although unlike
Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, for example, the
first half (Mezmerize) is due in April, followed by Hypnotize six months
later.
“[Mezmerize] is going to have plenty of material, and we want people to sit
with it before we give them the second one,” frontman Serj Tankian said.
“Songs tend to lose character if you bunch them all together,” Malakian
added.
“Some people throw [together] as much music as you can throw on a CD and it
doesn’t really do each individual song justice. They end up getting lost in
the
shuffle.”
System recorded the tracks in the fall but worked on them throughout most of
2004.
“We’re a live band, so what we do in terms of recording is we work out the
songs for a long time and let them live with us, and if we want to change
something over time, if we are uncomfortable about something or think
something
could be better, we would know it before anyone else steps in,” Tankian
explained. “When we go into recording, we don’t ever walk in and say, ‘Oh,
let’s write a new song in the studio.’ It’s always like we’ve got all these
songs that we’ve been living with as a band for at least six months to a year.
And that makes it so much easier recording it. If everyone is much more
fluent,
more comfortable, there is no hesitation. Sure, we change things here and
there
in the studio, but a lot of it is well-digested.”
Track titles other than “B.Y.O.B.” and “Cigaro” include “Hypnotize,” “Lost in
Hollywood,” “Violent Pornography,” and “Kill Rock ‘n’ Roll,” which revolves
around the line “I killed the rock ‘n’ roll in you.”
“We have a really tough time explaining songs because we would like everyone
to take something else aside from what we think of the song,” Malakian said.
“But [‘Kill Rock ‘n’ Roll’] is about being a murderer and enjoying it at the
moment, but actually having a conscience about it after you are done.”
Well, OK then.

Corey Moss

5) AESA to Hold 4th Annual Science Olympiad

LOS ANGELES–The Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America (AESA) will hold
its 4th annual Science Olympiad on Sunday March 13, at Ribet Academy in Los
Angeles.
Last year, 120 participants from 9 schools throughout Los Angeles County met
in competition and 24 winners were recognized for their outstanding
achievement.
The Science Olympiad is open to all Armenian students at the middle and high
school levels from Armenian and non-Armenian schools, and organized into three
categories: Biological Science, Physical Science, and Engineering. Each
category and level includes first, second and third place and honorable
mention
for monetary awards of $500, $250, $100, and $50 respectively. This year, all
participants who win the first and second place of the California State
Science
fair in May 2005 will be eligible for an additional $500 and $200 special
awards.
Distinguished scientists and engineers, as well as veterans of California
State and Los Angeles Country Science Fairs will be returning this year to
judge the AESA Science Olympiad. Qualified personnel who are interested in
becoming a judge for the first time are welcome to apply.
Applications for both students and judges can be requested by calling (818)
662-0264 or downloaded from the AESA website at
<;

6) AMAA Orphan Care Committee’s Luncheon and Fashion Show

LOS ANGELES–Armenian children from around the city will participate in
Armenian Missionary Association of America’s (AMAA) Orphan Care Children’s
Fashion Show and Luncheon on April 9 in an effort to bring Armenians together
to raise money for the AMAA.
Directing the fashion show this year is designer Pol’Atteau, who will exhibit
his collection, some of the hottest items for next season. Pol’ Atteu Haute
Couture specializes in custom designed couture gowns, dresses, and suits for
cocktails, debutant balls, bridal parties, engagement parties,
television/studio, academy awards and Emmy awards.
The AMAA Orphan Care Committee provides food, clothing, summer camps, and
Christmas programs, including Christmas packages, to the children in Armenia.
In the last ten years, the AMAA has significantly improved the lives of
thousands of children in Armenia.
The co-chairs for this year’s Orphan Care Committee are Eileen Keusseyan,
Lucy
Gulvartian, and Alice Chakrian. The public is invited to enjoy Pol’Atteu’s
fashions, a luncheon, and silent auction on April 9 at the Beverly Hills
hotel. The donation is $65 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under. For
more information and tickets call Savey Tufenkian (818) 956-8455 or Eileen
Keusseyan (818) 404-5686.

7) Ambassador John Evans Visits Western Prelacy

ENCINO–US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans visited the Western Prelacy on
February 17, to meet with Prelate Moushegh Mardirossian at the Prelacy’s
temporary offices in Encino.
Present at the meeting were Consul General of the Republic of Armenia Gagik
Kirakossian, representative of the Central Executive Committee of the Holy See
of Cilicia Khajag Dikijian, representative of the ARF Bureau Viken Hovsepian,
as well as representatives of the Prelacy Councils and Armenian organizations.
The Prelate welcomed the Ambassador as “a true friend of the Armenian people
and Armenia,” highlighting his experience in the field of diplomacy and as a
historian. His Eminence also acknowledged the bondage that bridges the
diaspora
Armenians with Armenia. Welcoming remarks were also made by the Chairman of
the
Prelacy Executive Council Chairman, Hrair Balian.
Ambassador Evans thanked the Prelate for his sincere words and presented a
briefing about his mission in Armenia. He also answered questions regarding
his
mission and Armenia’s economic prospects.
At the end of the two-hour long meeting, Prelate Archbishop Mardirossian bade
farewell to the honorable guest and presented him a souvenir–a book of the
Treasures of the Holy See of Cilicia.

8) Fresno Native Appointed Judgeship by Gov. Schwarzenegger

FRESNO–David C. Kalemkarian was recently appointed to the judgeship in the
Fresno County Superior Court by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Kalemkarian, 42, of Fresno, has served for the last seven years as Fresno
Superior Court Commissioner. He previously worked as an attorney for Morrison
and Foerster , LLP, and later for Stephan A. Kalemkarian, Inc. where he
practiced primarily family law. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Boalt Hall
Law School at the University of California, Berkley and a Bachelor of Arts
from
California State University, Fresno. He is a member of the Fresno County Bar
Association and the California State Bar Association. He fills the vacancy
created by the retirement of Judge Ralph Nunez.

9) Annual Brunch & Silent Auction to Benefit Disabled

GLENDALE–The Pyunic Annual Winter Brunch & Silent Auction benefiting programs
for the disabled in Armenia, will take place on Sunday, February 27, 11:00 am
to 2:00 pm at the Brandview Collection in Glendale, California.
Featuring brunch, live entertainment, and a silent auction, the event will
raise funds to help programs for the disabled in Armenia, including the Early
Intervention Program–a summer camp at Lake Sevan, computer workshops, and to
train athletes for international competitions.
“There are over 100,000 disabled individuals in Armenia. This event will help
us provided much needed services, training and equipment as well as create
more
public awareness,” says Sarkis Ghazarian, president of Pyunic.
The silent auction will offer unique paintings, rugs, arts and crafts and
jewelry made in Armenia, as well as art donated from Southern California
artists Vahe Berberian, Anahid Boghosian, and Shahe Boyadjian. “I’m more than
happy to be part of an event that empowers the disabled,” said Boghosian,
whose
own father has been an amputee since the age of nine.
Pyunic will also be honoring two of its disabled athletes, Mariné Hakobyan
(paraplegic) and Greta Khndzrtsyan (double amputee), competing in the 20th
running of the Los Angeles City Marathon on Sunday, March 6, 2005. Both
athletes suffered injuries in the devastating 1988 earthquake in Armenia that
left over 25,000 dead and hundreds of thousands injured and homeless.
Founded in 1989 to help the disabled children of the 1988 earthquake in
Armenia, Pyunic is the leading non-governmental organization shaping public
awareness for the disabled. Pyunic provides humanitarian aid, social services,
career training and summer/winter teaching camps. Pyunic athletes have
competed
in numerous worldwide athletic competitions, including the Los Angeles
Marathon
and both summer and winter Paralympics since 1994.
Winter Brunch & Silent Auction will be held at the Brandview Collection–109
East Harvard Street, Glendale, California 91204. Tickets are $40.00. For
reservations, please call Lorig Sivazlian at 818 517-1208.

10) UCLA Armenian Students to Express Culture through Comedy with Vahe
Berberian

LOS ANGELES–The UCLA Armenian Student Association (ASA) continues its
tradition of Open Mic Night by hosting an Armenian cultural comedy night with
famous Armenian artist and comedian Vahe Berberian. The event’s purpose is to
entertain, as well as educate Armenian students and ASA members about Armenian
culture and assimilation in the diaspora.
“The UCLA ASA is honored to have Vahe Berberian express his creativity on
stage with our members. Comedy is a unique medium through which one’s culture
can be expressed with a humorous slant,” proclaimed ASA cultural director Lucy
Tagessian.
The event will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 23, on UCLA’s campus at 7:30 pm in
the Cooperage (inside the Ackerman Union Building). The event is free and open
to the general public.
For more information you can contact or Raffi Kassabian at (626) 372-4630.
The UCLA ASA is one of the oldest Armenian-American student groups in the
United States. This year marks the 60th anniversary of its existence. The UCLA
ASA seeks to cultivate a true understanding and appreciation of Armenian
history, heritage, and culture through cultural, social, and recreational
activities.

11) Armenian-Greek Guitarist Iakovos Kolanian to Perform in San Francisco,
Fresno

US Debut Concerts feature Armenian Folk Music Arranged for Classical Guitar

Armenian-Greek classical guitarist Iakovos Kolanian will be performing in San
Francisco on Friday, March 4, and in Fresno on Saturday, March 5–highlighting
a 16 year journey to arrange and transcribe Armenian folk songs for the
classical guitar
The concerts will support the new groundbreaking Pomegranate Music CD release
titled Shoror: Armenian Folk Music for Guitar by Kolanian. As Kolanian
explains, “I managed to collect a considerable number of traditional dances
and
songs, deciding in the process that I would transcribe or recompose part of
this material for the guitar. However, such was the emotional impact of this
music on me that, I sometimes found it difficult to hold back my tears as I
worked through a particular piece. It was during this stimulating process that
I came to the realization that this pursuit was not simply a professional
step,
but, without a doubt, a journey into the depths of my soul in search of my
Armenian roots.”
The program for each concert will consist of one half being devoted to the
selected works of JS Bach (Lute Suite in A Minor BWV), Agustin Barrios-Mangore
(La Catedral), and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (Capriccio Diabolico). The entire
second half of the concert will be devoted to Kolanian’s arrangement of 13
Armenian folk and traditional songs, including the famous Komitas Dances.

San Francisco: Friday March 4, 8pm at the Florence Gould Theater, Legion of
Honor. Lincoln Park, 100 34th Ave, San Francisco, CA USA. A Pomegranate Music
Event. Tickets are $35 Adults, $20 Students. No children under the age of 6
please. For ticket information, please visit

Fresno: Saturday March 5, 7:30 pm at The Concert Hall at California State
University, Fresno- Music Building. 5241 N. Maple Ave, Fresno, CA. A
Pomegranate Music Event. All net proceeds of this concert are being donated to
the Armenian Community School of Fresno and the Armenian Studies Program at
California State University, Fresno. Tickets are $15 Adults, $8 Students. No
children under the age of 6, please. For ticket information, please visit
<;
Iakovos Kolanian was born in Greece in 1960, to an Armenian father and a
Greek
mother. At the age of 13, influenced by the musical currents of the time (pop,
rock, as well as classical) he started his musical journey that eventually led
him to the National Conservatory of Athens. There, he studied classical guitar
with noted professors Evangelos Assimakopoulos and Lisa Zoe, and graduated in
1985 with the top award and a special honor for exceptional performance. Since
that time, he has attended various special seminars and master classes in
Greece and abroad, broadening his knowledge of the instrument from
distinguished teachers such as Oscar Ghilia and Leo Brouwer.
Throughout the years he has toured in Europe, Asia and Latin America,
where he
has presented to audiences a large part of the classical guitar repertoire. He
also regularly takes part in important international festivals (Vienna, Milan,
Athens, Israel, Cyprus and Yerevan) by giving individual recitals or acting as
soloist with symphonic orchestras and ensembles of chamber music. He has
performed as a soloist with Athens State Orchestra, Thessalonica State
Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra of Greek Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), The
Camerata Orchestra of Athens, Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as with
numerous ensembles of chamber music.
He has been regularly featured in well-known television and radio programs
such as BBC, ORF, Radio France, ERT, RIK. One of these collaborations, in
1991,
resulted in the recording and release of a CD of Loris Tjeknavorian’s Concerto
for Guitar and Orchestra with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra with the
composer himself as the conductor in a production of the Austrian Television
(ORF).
Most recently, in 2003, Kolanian’s recording of the Lute Suites of J.S.Bach
was released on the Eros label to critical acclaim.
In addition to his career as a soloist and recording artist, Iakovos Kolanian
has been the head of the Classical Guitar Department at the Contemporary
Athens
Conservatory since 1992, and is an honorary professor at the Armenian Academy
in Yerevan.

Shoror
Shoror: Armenian Folk Music for Guitar was produced by Kevork Imirzian and is
on sale at e-tailers such as
<; and
<; Apple’s iTunes will also be carrying
Shoror for digital download in 2005. Pomegranate Music Founder/CEO Raffi
Meneshian recently commented, “Being able to present Armenian folk music
though
the medium of guitar is a unique project for any record label. To have one of
Europe’s best classical guitarists be the proponent of this material is even
more special. We are thrilled to be starting our North American tour in two of
America’s most historic and important Armenian communities- Fresno, CA and San
Francisco, CA.
In December of 2004, the influential All Music Guide critic Rick Anderson
gave
Shoror: Armenian Folk Music for Guitar a 4 star review, “…what Kolanian has
created here is an admirably lyrical, complex, and insightful fusion of folk
and classical music, the kind of thing that rarely works well at all. In this
case it works beautifully, mainly because of the combination of Kolanian’s
deep
feeling for this music and his equally deep mastery of both his instrument and
the principles of classical guitar style. Note in particular the delicately
woven counterpoint he creates in his arrangement of ‘Yaman Yar,’ and the
gently
dancing grace he brings to ‘Zankezouri.’ Very highly recommended.”

12) SKEPTIK’S RANDOMN THOUGHTS AND RAMBLINGS

These last few weeks have been a doozie. I’ll be honest with you. When I was
told last Friday that there was no room left in the paper to run my column, I
didn’t shed a tear. After all, getting the news in the hands of the public is
more important than people reading personal rants on topics that most people
consider esoteric. Nevertheless, I thank Asbarez for giving me space to
have my
own forum to share my views and thoughts. This week, I decided to unload a
number of thoughts that have been swimming around aimlessly in my head.
First of all, why is it that whenever it rains in California, people forget
how to drive? On the east coast you can have hail, snow, torrential downpours,
but people manage to get to where they’re getting to, with little or no
problem. In Southern California, you get a little bit of mist and all of a
sudden the 134 looks like the DMV’s driveway.
Why does every Armenian teenager driving down Glenoaks feel like they have to
give you the evil eye if you stare in their general direction at a stop light.
The other day I was at a red light and turned over to find a 16 year old
driving one of those fixed up sports cars looking at me like I was Adolph
Hitler’s twin. If anyone has an answer to this one, I’d love to find out.
When did it become fashionable for Armenian high school students to wear
athletic warm-ups everywhere they go. I was at church and saw a kid walk out
looking like he was a member of the Iranian Olympic weightlifting team. He was
decked out in warm ups from head to toe with matching sneakers. Let me see
if I
understand. You can take the time to find sneakers to match your velvet jump
suit but can’t go to Marshall’s or Ross and buy a dress shirt and tie?
I read this week that the Armenian Diocese Church in Canada is planning on
banning gay marriages. I also read that the Armenian Parliament was
considering
a similar law. Two thoughts came to mind here. First of all, does the
Armenian
Church think that by banning a specific activity they will prevent people from
doing it? And secondly, is there such a mad rush by gay Armenians to get
married that the Church and Government see this as a priority? How about
dealing with the whole poverty issue first? Or maybe that little thing about
getting rid of corruption would be nice too. And no, that wasn’t directed at
only the Armenian parliament.
Speaking of banning things in Church, Lent started last week. This is when
our
church bans the consumption of meat. No. This is a new thought. The other
meat. The animal kind. Do Armenian banquet halls have an agreement with
Etchmiadzin or God that I don’t know about? Every Armenian restaurant and
event
I’ve been to has served such massive quantities of meat that it makes me
wonder
if we’re single handedly contributing to an eventual beef, pork, or lamb
shortage.
Continuing on the topic of flesh, the other day I made the unfortunate
mistake
of going to the Glendale Galleria to buy a watch. I walked in and within a
span
of five minutes saw at least 20 young Armenian girls walking around in less
clothing than the cocktail waitresses at a Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. I’m not
a fashion fascist but if your pants make me want to reach over and pull
them up
for you, then you should buy a pair that fits. I can’t imagine that having
half
of one’s rear end sticking out of a pair of pants or showing any butt cleavage
is comfortable. And parents, please remind your children that crack–of ANY
kind–is dangerous!
Last but not least, I read that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
went to
Turkey and praised the Turkish people for being such close friends and allies
to the US. Now I’m not going to say that what she did is right or wrong.
But if
there are ANY delusional Armenians out there who thought that President Bush
will recognize the Armenian genocide during his second term when there’s less
pressure and he’s establishing a legacy…then I’ve got beach front property in
Armenia that I’d like to sell to you.
Anyway, that’s all that I’ve had on my chest this week. If you can think of
answers, explanations, or have questions of your own…email me at
[email protected].

Skeptik Sinikian would like to remind everyone that with all its hopes,
dreams,
promises, and urban renewal, the world still manages to continue
deteriorating.
Have a nice day and email him at [email protected].

13) ‘Tis Upon Us

By Garen Yegparian

Yup, the Burbank election is here. Tuesday, February 22 is the primary
election in my fair city. Hot on its tail are the LA City, LA Unified School
District, and LA Community College District (the latter two impacting numerous
cities) primaries–March 8, Pasadena primary–also March 8, Glendale–April 5,
then possible runoffs in Burbank–April 12 and Pasadena–April 19, and finally
LA general–May 17. And come Autumn, other cities where Armenians pack some
punch, such as San Francisco and Montebello, have their municipal elections
scheduled.
Then there’re exciting-issue-based elections such as the one in Rosemead with
an anti-Walmart slate running. Let’s hope they win and put a crimp in the
style
of that bane of human existence!
As I’ve discussed in recent articles, it seems Armenians are running for
office en masse, qualified or not, willy-nilly, wise or whacked,
disruptive/divisive or constructive.
But enough pounding on those losers, now, it’s time for the other side of the
formula–the voters and voting.
Now’s the time that voters have to think. What do we want? Do we just want
someone who has no appropriate preparation for office? Do we want someone
who’s
just in it for the money? Burbank elected officials get nominal pay, but LA
councilmembers get paid handsomely, and Glendale’s pay is not too shabby
either, though probably not enough to live on. Do we want someone who’s
demonstrated community service? Do we want someone who represents us? Who
springs from the same concerns as we have? Do we want someone whose motives
for
running are questionable? What if one candidacy’s a put-up job to sow discord
among a certain constituency? Have the candidates been challenged on these
issues? Do they sound believable when they respond?
The nice thing about local elections is that you can actually get close
enough
to enough of the candidates to get these or other questions answered. You can
really smell ’em! Go to candidate forums. Go to the coffees people hold in
their home for favored candidates- for that matter, host one of these
yourself.
Listen to people’s commentary. Follow the local newspaper’s letters and op-ed
sections. Track who’s giving how much money to who which candidate- it’s all
public information usually housed in the city clerk’s office (or other whoever
is that jurisdiction’s election official). Watch for endorsements by the ANCA
or some of the smaller Armenian political groupings. Look for who the Sierra
Club, National Rifle Association, Americans for Democratic action, the
political parties, local interest groups (e.g. homeowner associations),
chambers of commerce. Always remember too, sometimes you can tell more about a
candidate by observing what forces oppose him/her that those in support! Have
fun with this stuff. It can truly be a joy.
In Burbank, with an all-mail-ballot, time is running out–remember Monday
is a
holiday with no mail service. But you can walk in your ballot on election day
or even Saturday, February 19–special 10-2 office hours at city hall. The
holiday also impacts LA and Pasadena elections in that the voter registration
deadline falls on that day–so it’s probably already too late unless the
Registrar of Voters makes a special accommodation. There’s only one week left
for absentee ballot requests for LA. In Glendale, that process is just
about to
commence, so if you plan to vote by mail, get your request in soon.
The ANC is always willing to help. For Burbank call (818) 562-1918 or
[email protected]. For Glendale it’s (818) 243-3444. Or call the
Western
Region’s offices for other references (818) 500-1918.
Remember, who gets into local office impacts your life on the most immediate
level. Make sure the right people get in. Which means VOTE.

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MUSIC WILL TELL ABOUT THE GENOCIDE

A1+
18-02-2005

Since February 21 the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra is
organizing concert-actions in 12 schools of Yerevan and also in the
regions devoted to the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide with
the heading “Open Lesson”.

More than 300 artists will take part in the action free of
charge. Among them are actors, singers, and reciters. As for the
question why the action is organized in schools, Laert Movsisyan, head
of the Armenian National Philharmonic, said, “What is most important
is that we must tell the younger generation about the Genocide,
raise their awareness about the historical events and enhance their
patriotic spirit”.

Actor and reciter Volodya Abajyan said about the action, “I am most
happy to be invited”.

Azeri aide justifies Christian minority’s protest at “fake” Armenian inscription

ANS TV, Baku
17 Feb 05

[Presenter] The Baku government has confirmed that there is an influx
of people from various parts of Russia. To recap, reports regularly
emerge of people from Russia, particularly Dagestan, applying
for residence in Azerbaijan’s northern districts. Hidayat Orucov,
[Azerbaijani] state adviser for ethnic affairs, has commented on this
and other issues in an interview.

He also was calm while commenting on the views of the Udi community,
residing in the village of Nij in Qabala District [northern
Azerbaijan], on the Armenian inscriptions on Udi monuments.

[Correspondent over video of Orucov speaking in his office, a church]
Relevant state agencies are investigating whether registration in the
northern districts is taking place within the legal framework, Orucov
told journalists while commenting on reports in several media outlets
that Russia seeks to shift the demographic situation in the northern
districts of Azerbaijan. The state adviser said that should the reports
on illegal registration be confirmed, specific measures will be taken.

Incidentally, those who seek residence in Azerbaijan cite stability
in the country as the main argument for their wish. Orucov shares
this view.

[Orucov] The social and economic situation in Azerbaijan is better than
that in many regions of Russia. This has a certain impact. Therefore,
[people from] various parts of Russia try to work in Azerbaijan,
settle here, if temporarily. There are some people who will try,
if conditions allow, seeking Azerbaijani citizenship.

[Correspondent] Sounds exactly like the logic of those who go from
Azerbaijan to Russia to earn money.

The Udi community in the village of Nij in Qabala District protests
at the efforts of the Norwegian Humanitarian Enterprise, which is
funding the restoration of the village’s church, to preserve the
Armenian inscriptions in it. The protest has even led to a letter of
the village’s residents to the Norwegian embassy in Baku.

Orucov said that historically Armenians did not live there, and
the fact that several Armenian families moved to the districts in
Soviet times does not prove that Armenians have historical roots in
the village.

[Orucov] There is no need for a foreign humanitarian organization or
a foreign ambassador to intervene in this issue because this is the
memory of the people. The Udis and the Udi intellectuals, those people
who stage these protests, they undoubtedly sense and know their history
better than I do, and better than international organizations do.

[Correspondent] Hence, the demographic situation, one of the
most sensitive issues for statehood, is under complete control, in
Orucov’s view, and this control is based on the principle of equality
of peoples.

Ukraine to Ease Visas for Eurovision
by Greg Walters

Moscow Times
February 18, 2005

KIEV — EU citizens will soon be able to forget about invitations, long
lines and hefty processing fees when applying for Ukrainian visas. As
part of its effort to bring Ukraine closer to Europe — and attract
more fans to the Eurovision Song Contest — the government intends
to roll out the welcome mat as early as April, said Oleg Rybachuk,
the deputy prime minister in charge of European integration.

The new visa policy for EU citizens was being hastily thrown
together at the personal request of President Viktor Yushchenko,
officials said. It was a subject of high-level talks Thursday with
a visiting senior EU official, Commissioner for External Relations
Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

“We are talking about substantial simplifications,” Rybachuk said
in an interview Wednesday night. “We will not be having those lines,
those procedures. You will be able to get on board the plane and get
your visa upon arrival in Ukraine.” Citizens from other countries
might also enjoy eased rules, but officials said it was too early to
give a possible timetable.

The new rules for EU citizens should be in place in time for the
Eurovision Song Contest, which kicks off May 19, said Rybachuk,
who heads the committee organizing Eurovision.

Thousands of tourists are expected for the annual music festival,
which will feature contestants from 40 European countries this year.
Kiev is hosting the event after Ukrainian pop star and Yushchenko
ally Ruslana won the top award in 2004.

“There will be so many tourists here, and by that time we will make
sure that there will not be any visa problems we will be ashamed of,”
Rybachuk said.

Visas will probably not be free of charge for EU citizens, but the
price will be considerably reduced, Rybachuk said.

Visa prices for Europeans, Americans, Canadians and Australians
currently start at about $ 100, and an application must be submitted
days in advance. The maximum stay for EU citizens is one year, and
obtaining a new visa means leaving the country and reapplying at a
Ukrainian embassy.

The current policy is widely regarded by Europeans living and working
in Kiev as a major headache.

“It’s a serious issue right now,” said Jorge Intriago, a partner at
PricewaterhouseCoopers in Kiev and vice president of the European
Business Association in Ukraine.

“From the very beginning there’s a barrier placed by the requirement
to have an invitation letter and by the costs of the visa,” he said.
“The new policy sends a very strong message: ‘We’re open for
visitors.'” Guenther Nieschlag, the Ukraine country manager for
Austrian Airlines, called the current visa regime discouraging.

“To get a Ukrainian visa in Vienna, you have to queue outside
the embassy, even in the cold,” he said. “The consular section is
very small, so there are maybe 50 or 60 people on the street. It’s
disgusting, plus it’s expensive.” The new policy will encourage
foreign investors to give the country a closer look, Intriago said.
“It will make a big difference,” he said. “The signal is the country’s
open.” By simplifying its visa rules, Ukraine would be following in the
steps of a handful of other former Soviet republics in welcoming guests
from EU member states, the United States, Canada and Australia. The
Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — lifted all short-term
visa requirements for citizens of those countries in the early 1990s.

Georgia allows Western visitors to buy visas at the border for $
10, while Azerbaijan offers visas at Baku Airport for $ 40. Some
countries, such as Armenia and Uzbekistan, still require visas but
no longer require tourists to obtain invitation letters.

Russia moved to simplify its visa regime a couple of years ago, but
foreigners complain that the process remains expensive, unpredictable
and time-consuming.

Russia does not require Ukrainian citizens to obtain Russian visas,
and Ukraine offers Russians the same courtesy.

ZORYAN INSTITUTE OF CANADA, INC.
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736 E-mail: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
George Shirinian

DATE: February 18, 2005 Tel:
416-250-9807

Holocaust Scholars to Honor Prof. Vahakn Dadrian. His Book on History of the
Armenian Genocide is Breaking Records in Sales

Philadelphia.- The participants of the Annual Scholars’ Conference on the
Holocaust and the Churches will honor Prof. Dadrian during the scholars’
annual convention that will take place in Philadelphia, March 5-8, 2005. The
ceremony will be carried out during the Conference Banquet on Monday, March
7, 6:30-8:15 p.m. at the Hilton Hotel. Under the theme, “Remembrance of the
Armenian Genocide 90 Years Later,” Dr. Dadrian will be celebrated “for his
lifetime of distinguished work” dealing with studies on genocide in general
and Armenian Genocide in particular. Renowned author and poet Peter
Balakian, Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of Humanities at
Colgate University and a recent Guggenheim Fellow, will present Dadrian
while outlining his accomplishments. The banquet ceremony will be chaired by
Dr. Gregory Dell’Omo, Vice President of Saint Joseph’s University. The
Annual Scholars Conference is a gathering for hundreds of Holocaust scholars
from all over the world, who explore the manifold aspects of the Holocaust
and its connections to Christianity and the Churches.
As an interesting historical note, it was at this conference in 2000, while
celebrating their 30th anniversary, that the organizers invited Prof.
Dadrian to deliver one of the three keynote speeches. The other keynote
speakers were Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and distinguished Holocaust scholar
Yehuda Bauer from Hebrew University and Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. On that
occasion, 126 of the conference participants, practically all of them
Holocaust scholars, signed a now famous proclamation. That proclamation
declared that “The Armenian Genocide is an incontestable historical fact”
and that “Turkey for her own sake should come to terms with it.” It further
encouraged Western Democracies “to urge the Government and Parliament of
Turkey to finally come to terms with a dark chapter of Ottoman-Turkish
history and to recognize the Armenian Genocide. This would provide an
invaluable impetus to the process of the democratization of Turkey.” The
proclamation was published in the New York Times, the Jerusalem Post, and
several other periodicals.

Brisk Sales of the New Revised Edition of “History of the Armenian Genocide”

New York- Berghahn Books has announced that the new revised and expanded
version of Prof. Vahakn N. Dadrian’s massive volume, The History of the
Armenian Genocide, is now entering its third printing in paperback format.
The hardcover editions went through six printings from 1995 to 2000,
totaling over 6,000 copies, a remarkable achievement for a serious academic
work.

This ground-breaking book has been translated and published in French (two
editions), Greek, and Italian. There are plans to publish it in Russian and
in Hebrew, as well.

Prof. Vahakn Dadrian is Director of Genocide Research at Zoryan Institute.

The Zoryan Institute is the first non-profit, international center devoted
to the research and documentation of contemporary issues related to Armenian
social, political and cultural life. To this end, the Institute conducts
multidisciplinary research, publication, and educational programs dealing
with Armenia, the Armenian Genocide, and Diaspora, within a universal
context.

New audit finds near-total compliance with policies on sex abuse
By Agostino Bono, Catholic News Service

Catholic News Service
Feb 18 2005

WASHINGTON (CNS) — An independent audit released Feb. 18 in
Washington reported that 96 percent of the 195 U.S. dioceses and
Eastern-rite eparchies were implementing every applicable article of
the U.S. bishops’ policies to prevent clergy sex abuse of minors as
of Dec. 31.

Despite the almost-total compliance, “continued external oversight and
evaluation (are) essential” since compliance “may improve or diminish
over time,” said the audit report for 2004 prepared by the bishops’
Office of Child and Youth Protection.

An audit “does not ensure that all offenders or potential offenders
have been appropriately removed from ministry,” it added.

The 50-page report said that in 2004 there were 1,092 new allegations
of child sex abuse made against 756 diocesan and religious priests
and deacons, with most of the alleged abuse taking place in 1965-74.
It said 73 percent of the accused, prior to the allegation, had been
removed from ministry or were dead or missing. No breakdown of priests
and deacons was given.

Half of the new allegations were against clergy who had been previously
accused. Males accounted for 78 percent of the 1,083 accusers.

During 2004, the U.S. church spent $158 million for sex abuse
related activities, with more than $106 million paid in settlements
to victims, the report said. The figures include money spent by
religious orders. When added to other published figures, the U.S.
church has now spent about $1 billion in child sex abuse related
costs since the beginning of 1950.

The statistics are contained in the 2004 annual report on the
implementation of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and
Young People”; the report was released at a press conference at
the National Press Club. The child protection office prepared the
report for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National
Review Board, appointed by the bishops to monitor compliance with
the charter. The all-lay review board approved the report before it
was sent to the USCCB.

The charter was approved by the bishops in 2002 and calls for an
annual compliance report.

“There is undoubtedly progress still to be made,” said Bishop William
S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., USCCB president, in a cover letter to
the report.

“Much of what dioceses face today is the result of past abusive
behavior — often long past — and procedures are in place to deal
with and put a stop to new instances of abuse that may be reported,”
he said.

The data on new allegations and spending came from a separately
commissioned study done by the Center for Applied Research in the
Apostolate, known as CARA and based at Georgetown University in
Washington, and incorporated into the final report by the bishops’
child protection office.

The report also includes recommendations for improving policies.
These include developing a mediation system for the resolution of
allegations and an annual report by each diocese and eparchy with
information about new allegations and costs.

This was the second year in a row that on-site audits were done in
dioceses, with much of the data based on self-reporting by church
officials. While the charter requires the child protection office to
issue annual compliance reports, it does not stipulate how to gather
the data for the report.

Other figures from the 2004 report include:

— 3,277 victims and some of their relatives received outreach services
from dioceses.

— 43 priests were laicized.

— 66 priests and two deacons were directed to lead a life of prayer
and penance.

— 56 allegations received before 2004 were judged false in 2004.

— 57 of the allegations made in 2004 were judged false.

The audit also reported major inroads in conducting background
checks of clergy, lay employees and lay volunteers coming into
regular contact with children. Important strides were also made in
implementing “safe environment” education programs to prevent abuse.
The background checks and education programs are considered crucial
to long-term efforts to prevent child sex abuse.

Some of the safe environment findings include:

— Almost 84 percent of the 34,514 diocesan priests received safe
environment education.

— More than 82 percent of the church’s 13,663 deacons took safe
environment courses.

— More than 1.4 million adults and more than 3.1 million children,
over half the minors in Catholic schools and religious education
classes, have taken safe environment courses.

— 97 percent of the 203,393 Catholic educators have taken safe
environment courses.

— 82.5 percent of the 203,343 other church employees required to
take safe environment courses have had the training.

— 73 percent of 1 million church volunteers received safe environment
training.

Background checks have been conducted on 92 percent of the 34,874
diocesan priests needing them. All 13,559 deacons subject to background
checks have been screened.

More than 97 percent of the 185,924 Catholic school educators have
had background checks. More than 85 percent of the 207,817 other
church lay employees have been screened. And almost 79 percent of
the 978,172 church volunteers have had background checks.

The report said that background screenings and evaluations also take
place for priesthood candidates in the 112 seminaries run by the
dioceses and eparchies audited.

The report is based on audits of 194 of the 195 U.S. dioceses and
eparchies conducted by the Gavin Group Inc. of Boston and on data
collected by CARA from dioceses, eparchies and religious orders.

Only the Diocese of Lincoln, Neb., did not participate in the
compliance audits. No reason was given in the report. It noted that
participation in an on-site audit was voluntary. The Lincoln Diocese
was judged noncompliant with article 8 of the charter, which calls
for participation in an audit process.

Of the 194 dioceses and eparchies audited, only seven were not
compliant with one or more of the charter’s 17 articles on Dec. 31.

This is a significant advance from the 2003 report, when 19 of the
191 dioceses and eparchies audited were not compliant with aspects
of the charter.

Compliance was judged in two steps. First was the on-site audit,
which judged the situation since the 2003 audit. Dioceses not in
compliance with aspects of the charter were given “required actions”
to remedy the situation and had until the end of the year to take
the actions. Initially, 50 dioceses received “required actions”
with 43 taking the necessary actions by the end of 2004.

The report warned, however, that compliance audits do not measure
the quality or effectiveness of the programs.

Regarding allegations and spending, CARA received responses from
181 dioceses and eparchies, representing 93 percent of the total,
and from 158 religious communities representing 71 percent of the
total U.S. male religious population.

Spending figures showed that 32 percent of the $140 million spent
by dioceses and eparchies was covered by insurance and 12 percent of
the $18 million spent by religious orders was covered by insurance.

The report said that the new allegations generally parallel the
patterns of gender and age reported in the massive “nature and scope”
study of clergy child sex abuse from 1950 to 2002 released last year
by the National Review Board.

The “nature and scope” study conducted by the John Jay College of
Criminal Justice in New York reported that 81 percent of the accusers
were males while the 2004 audit showed that 78 percent were males.
The John Jay study reported that 59 percent of the accusers were
between 10 and 14 years old when the abuse began while the 2004
figures reported that 55 percent were in the same age group.

Recommendations in the 2004 report for improving sex abuse prevention
programs include:

— Informing people if a lawyer is being used by the diocese or
eparchy to receive allegations and providing an alternative person
for people uncomfortable talking to a lawyer.

— Special outreach to clergy and religious who have been victims of
sexual abuse.

— Developing practices for monitoring priests and deacons at risk
as offenders.

The report notes that the church needs to continually develop new
prevention initiatives because full implementation of current policies
“will not ensure that no child will ever be abused again in a church
environment.”

It asks Catholics to be “unwavering in our commitment to ensuring
the accountability of all Catholic bishops of the United States to
their people in the future and to the safety of all our children.”

The seven dioceses and eparchies not in compliance on Dec. 31 all
failed to implement safe environment programs. Some also were cited
for other failures. The seven are: Armenian Catholic Exarchate of the
U.S.A. and Canada, headquartered in New York; Diocese of Burlington,
Vt.; Chaldean Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle, headquartered in
El Cajon, Calif.; Diocese of Fresno, Calif.; Melkite Eparchy of
Newton, Mass.; Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, W. Va.; and Diocese
of Youngstown, Ohio.

ARMENIAN ARCHBISHOP OF TEHRAN CONDEMNS IRANIAN TV AND RADIO PROPAGANDA

ArmenPress
Feb 18 2005

TEHRAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS: The Tehran Diocese of the
Armenian Apostolic Church organized the first painting and recital
competition among students of local Armenian schools. The topic of
the painting competition was the Bible and that of the recital
competition were the Psalms.
While handing over prizes the head of the Diocese, Archbishop
Sepuh Sarkisian, emphasized the necessity of Christian education at
schools and in families, but also criticized the growing “distorted”
propaganda by the Iranian television and radio alleging that Iranian
Armenians “have deep faith in Islam and its relics.”
He said this is either an “unconscious” propaganda or the outcome
of interviews with “poor-informed’ Armenians about Islam and its
relics.
Condemning such propaganda, Archbishop Sarkisian stressed that
today is the time of dialogue and mutual understanding and there is
no need for such primitive propaganda, which he said was a violation
of national minorities’ rights.
He said Iranian Armenians have a respect towards Islam, its relics
and rituals, but also called on Armenians “to honor the memory of
their fallen victims and avoid irrelevant announcements in order to
please the interviewers.”
Iran’s officially recognized religious minorities are the Armenian
and Assyrian Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians. But despite the
constitutional protection and political representation they enjoy in
the Islamic republic, all three communities are dwindling because of
emigration and low birth rates.
The Armenians, brought to Persia en masse as merchants and
partisans by Shah Abbas in the early 17th century, are the largest
official minority. They have two seats in the Islamic parliament ,
one for Tehran and northern Iran, the other for Isfahan and the
south.
“Before the 1979 Islamic revolution there were 300,000 Armenians
in Iran. Today, according to some estimates, there are no more than
150,000. Many have moved to join relatives in the United States or
Western Europe.
Since Armenian Christians do not proselytize, they are not
regarded as a threat to Iran’s Islamic faith.

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

MEDIA ALERT
February 18, 2005
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
Email: [email protected]

RE: Rep. Pallone’s Statement Before the House of Representatives

The Armenian Assembly of America would like to bring to your attention
the following statement made by Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues
Co-Chair Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) before the House of Representatives
on February 17. In his remarks, Congressman Pallone entered into the
congressional record the full text of Armenia Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian’s speech before the UN General Assembly on the occasion of
the 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Nazi Concentration Camps.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

NR#2005-014

THE HONORABLE FRANK PALLONE
STATEMENT BEFORE THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 17, 2005

Mr. Speaker, I was proud to join my colleagues last month in
commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz.
On that solemn occasion, Congress remembered the heroic forces that
helped bring an end to this crime against humanity, and we reminded
ourselves and others to never forget the lessons of the past.

At the request of the United States, Canada, the European Union,
Australia, New Zealand, and Russia, the United Nations, for the first
time, also observed the liberation of Auschwitz. Armenia’s Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Vartan Oskanian, was among a select group of foreign
ministers who addressed the United Nations 28th Special Session in
New York.

As a people victimized by genocide under the cover of WWII, all
Armenians have a special empathy for the victims, survivors and
descendants of the Holocaust. As Minister Oskanian said at the UN
General Assembly:

“After Auschwitz, we are all Jews, we are all Gypsies, we are all
unfit, deviant and undesirable, for someone, somewhere.”

As the Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues,
I am pleased to submit the Minister’s full remarks as delivered
to the Congressional Record. By remembering all instances of man’s
inhumanity to man, we renew our commitment always to prevent this
crime’s recurrence, and therefore negate the dictum that history is
condemned to repeat itself.

Statement of H. E.Vartan Oskanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Republic
of Armenia At the 28th Special Session on the 60th Anniversary of
the Liberation of the Nazi Concentration Camps

New York, January 24, 2005

Mr. President
Your Excellencies
Dear Friends,

On behalf of the people and government of Armenia, and as a descendant
of genocide survivors, I feel compelled to be here today, to join
other survivors and descendants, of both victims and perpetrators,
to take part in this commemoration. I am also duty-bound to urge us
all to confront more effectively the threat of genocide anywhere,
at any time, regardless of cost and political discomfort.

The liberation of Auschwitz is, indeed, cause for commemorative
celebration. However, in this commemoration, with each uttering of the
name Auschwitz, we are forced to reflect: to look back, look around,
look deep, look at the other, but also look inward, at ourselves.

After 9/11 and reacting to the unusually high number of victims
of a singular event, an editorialist proclaimed “We are all
Americans”. Sympathy, solidarity, anxiety, and indignation bound us
together. How much more intense our feelings about Auschwitz and
the singularity of its horror, its synonymity with the technology
of death-making, its eerily ordinary commitment to efficiency, to
pragmatic, effective, result-oriented administration.

After Auschwitz, we are all Jews, we are all Gypsies, we are all unfit,
deviant and undesirable, for someone, somewhere. After Auschwitz, the
conscience of man cannot remain the same. Man’s inhumanity to men,
to women, to children, and to the elderly, is no longer a concept
in search of a name, an image, a description. Auschwitz lends its
malefic aura to all the Auschwitzes of history, our collective history,
both before and after.

In the 20th century alone, with its 15 genocides, the victims
have their own names for places of infamy. What the French call
‘les lieux infames de memoire’ are everywhere. Places of horror,
slaughter, of massacre, of the indiscriminate killing of all those
who have belonged to a segment, a category, an ethnic group, a
race or a religion. For Armenians, it is the desert of Deir-El-Zor,
for Cambodians they are the killing fields, for the children of the
21st century, it is Darfur. For the Jews and Poles and for a whole
generation of us growing up after The War, it is Auschwitz.

Mr. President,

Just as we all were, or are, or might be victims, we all were or are
or might also be guilty. It is only through the engagement of those
who have seen and done the unimaginable, and who have had the dignity,
the grace, the sensitivity, the decency and courage to acknowledge
wrongdoing, that we may achieve the requisite collective political
will and its expression.

This is not as naïve, unrealistic, idealistic as some might wish
to label it, perhaps in order to dismiss it. Genocide is not about
individuals who act insanely, do evil, commit crimes, perpetrate
irrevocable wrongs. Genocide is the undertaking of a state apparatus,
which must, by definition, act coherently, pragmatically, with
structure and organization.

Thus, this is not a plea to reform human beings, but an appeal to
take conscious account of the role of our national institutions and
international institutions must play to insure that no one can expect
to enjoy impunity.

After Auschwitz one would expect that no one any longer has a right to
turn a blind eye or a deaf ear. As an Armenian, I know that a blind
eye, a deaf ear and a muted tongue perpetuate the wounds. It is a
memory of suffering unrelieved by strong condemnation and unequivocal
recognition. The catharsis that the victims deserve, which societies
require in order to heal and move forward together, obligates us
here at the UN, and in the international community, to be witness,
to call things by their name, to remove the veil of obfuscation,
of double standards, of political expediency.

Mr. Chairman,

Following the Tsunami-provoked disaster, we have become painfully
aware of a paradox. On the one hand, multilateral assistance efforts
were massive, swift, generous and without discrimination. But, when
compared and contrasted with today’s other major tragedy, in Africa,
it is plain that for Darfur, formal and ritual condemnation has not
been followed by any dissuasive action against the perpetrators.

The difference with the Tsunami, of course, was that there were no
perpetrators. No one wielded the sword, pulled the trigger or pushed
the button that released the gas.

Recognizing the victims and acknowledging them is also to recognize
that there are perpetrators. But this is absolutely not the same
as actually naming them, shaming them, dissuading or warning them,
isolating or punishing them.

If these observations signal a certain naiveté that overlooks the
enduring structures of our political and security interests, then,
on this occasion, when we have gathered to commemorate this horrible
event, then allow me this one question: if not here and now, then
where and when?

Mr. Chairman,

The Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana, who has been quoted
here, admonished us to remember the past, or be condemned to repeat
it. This admonition has significance for me personally, because the
destruction of my people, whose fate in some way impinged upon the
fate of the Jews of Europe, should have been viewed more widely seen
as a warning of things to come.

Jews and Armenians are linked forever by Hitler. Who, after all,
speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians? said Adolf Hitler,
days before he entered Poland.

Hitler’s cynical remembrance of Armenians is prominently displayed
in the Holocaust Memorial in Washington because it is profound
commentary about the crucial role of third parties in genocide
prevention and remembrance. Genocide is the manifestation of the break
in the covenant that governments have with their peoples. Therefore,
it is third parties who become crucial actors in genocide prevention,
humanitarian assistance and genocide remembrance.

We are commemorating today, because the Soviet troops marched into
Auschwitz 60 years ago. I am here today because the Arabs provided
sanctuary to Armenian deportees 90 years ago.

Third parties, indeed, can make the difference between life and
death. Their rejection of the behaviors and policies which are neither
in anyone’s national interest nor in humanity’s international interest,
is of immense moral and political value.

What neighbors, well-wishers, the international community can’t
accomplish, is the transcending and reconciling which the parties
must do for themselves. The victims, first, must exhibit the dignity,
capacity and willingness to move on, and the perpetrators, first and
last, must summon the deep force of humanity and goodness and must
overcome the memory of the inner evil which had already prevailed, and
must renounce the deed, its intent, its consequences, its architects
and executors.

Auschwitz signifies the worst of hate, of indifference, of
dehumanization. Remembrance of Auschwitz and its purpose, however
abhorrent, is a vital step to making real the phrase “Never Again”.

Thank you.

#####

–Boundary_(ID_8mFizSRg45xXcUIfjvnghA)–

ARKA News Agency
Feb 18 2005

Karen Nazaryan appointed to post of Armenian Ambassador to Iran

Ashot Kocharyan appointed to post of Armenian Ambassador to India

Inecobank starts issuing co-brand cards

Regular session of the Armenia-EU Committee on cooperation to be held
in Yerevan in June 2005

Armenian delegation to leave for Greece to participate in the meeting
of ministers of pabsec states-members

A criminal falsifying payment cards is arrested in Yerevan

Two thirds of bank deposits of Armenia account for deposits in USD

A Board of Trustees of Deposits Insurance Fund is formed in Armenia

Armenia planning to complete negotiations over its membership in
International Exhibition Organization

In 2004, the volume of international private monetary transfers
through Ardshininvestbank (Armenia) make $160 mln

Presentation of Tavush and Gegharkunik Marzes development programs to
be held in Yerevan on February 21

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

KAREN NAZARYAN APPOINTED TO POST OF ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO IRAN

YEREVAN, February 1. /ARKA/. President Kocharyan signed a decree on
Friday appointing Karen Nazaryan to the post of Armenian Ambassador
to Iran. According to Presidential Press Service, Nazaryan was born
in 1966, graduated from Yerevan State University as orientalist in
1990 and Diplomatic Academy of Russian Foreign Ministry in 1992.
Since 1991 he has worked at various positions in the RA Foreign
Ministry and since 2002 worked as Adviser to Armenian Foreign
Minister and simultaneously fulfilled duty of Armenian-American
intergovernmental commission’s member. M.V. -0–

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

ASHOT KOCHARYAN APPOINTED TO POST OF ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO INDIA

YEREVAN, February 1. /ARKA/. President Kocharyan signed a decree on
Friday relieving Presidential Press Secretary Ashot Kocharyan from
his post and appointing him to the post of Armenian Ambassador to
India. He will succeed Armen Bayburdyan, who fulfilled his diplomatic
mission in India from March 2000 to November 2004. M.V. -0–

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

INECOBANK STARTS ISSUING CO-BRAND CARDS

YEREVAN, February 18. /ARKA/. The Armenian “Inecobank” is the
country’s first bank to start the issue of co-brand international
Master Cards, in cooperation with “Austrian Airlines”. At today’s
presentation, Executive Director of the “Inecobank” Yervand
Barseghyan reported that a holder of this cards will enjoy the right
to a 3% discount on a ticket of “Austrian Airlines”, as well as to
the transportation of 10kg. of luggage free of charge. Besides, the
co-brand cards allow their holders to accumulate bonuses, which, if
the client wants, can be converted into additional discounts on the
“Inecobank”‘s services. Card holders will also enjoy the right to
discounts on purchase made at the “Vesta” and “Zodiak” electronics
shops, as well as at the “Bever” and “Khartya” computer shops.
Another advantage of the card is that it can be served by both the
MasterCard international system and the local ArCa system.
President of the Central Bank of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan said that
“the offer of such novelties on the market is evidence that
competition between local banks is getting keener, which is to
client’s advantage.”
The “Inecobank” was incorporated on February 7, 1996. The founders of
the bank are individuals, over 70% of them being residents. In
December 1997, the bank was the first to start serving trade in
consumer goods on credit. According to a survey conducted by the
prestigious journal “Banker”, the Armenian “Inecobank” was among 20
most rapidly developing banks in transitional economies. In 2004, the
“Inecobank” was recognized Armenia’s “Best dealer serving the
internal debt.” ($1=AMD473.45). P.T. -0–

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

REGULAR SESSION OF THE ARMENIA-EU COMMITTEE ON COOPERATION TO BE HELD
IN YEREVAN IN JUNE 2005

YEREVAN, February 18. /ARKA/. The regular session of the Armenia-EU
Committee on cooperation will be held in Yerevan in June 2005, as
stated the Chief of the Department for Foreign Economic Policy of RA
Ministry of Trade and Economic Development Garegin Melkonyan.
According to him, the committee stably works, and specific program
are developed and being implemented currently.
To note, the previous session of the Committee was held in 2004 in
Brussels. The co-Chairman of the Committee representing the Armenia
side is the Karen Chshmarityan, the RA Minister of Trade and Economic
Development. A.H. –0–

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

ARMENIAN DELEGATION TO LEAVE FOR GREECE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING
OF MINISTERS OF PABSEC STATES-MEMBERS

YEREVAN, February 18. /ARKA/. Minister – Head of the RA Government’s
apparatus Manuk Topuzyan and the Head of the Department for Foreign
Affairs adjunct to the RA Government Arthur Manaseryan left for
Greece, where they will participate in the meeting of the Ministers
of the states-members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) to discuss “Improvement of State
Administration and Structure Reforms”. According to RA Government’s
Press Service, the discussions will be held on February 20-21. It’s
planned that by the results of the meeting Ministers of Justice and
Ministers responsible for state administration of the states -members
of PABSEC will make a joint statement on “Structure Reforms and
Quality Administration”. A.H. –0–

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

A CRIMINAL FALSIFYING PAYMENT CARDS IS ARRESTED IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, February 18. /ARKA/. A criminal falsifying payment cards is
arrested in Yerevan. According to the Press Service Department of RA
National Security Service (NSS), as a result of operative
investigation, on February 17 Artak Sedrakyan, a resident of Yerevan
born in 1981, was arrested when using a false plastic card. His
accomplice Gevorg Lazarian (born in 1982) came to RA NSS and
confessed his guilt. A criminal proceeding is instituted.
“This type of crime is something new for our society. However, we
warn that we have enough power and capacity to detect and neutralize
criminals”, according to the press-release.
>>From banks and centers for servicing payment cards signals about
getting money from ATMs of Yerevan by means of using false plastic
cards. About $ 15-20 thsd is defalcated, according to the ArCa system
specialists. A.H. -0–

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

TWO THIRDS OF BANK DEPOSITS OF ARMENIA ACCOUNT FOR DEPOSITS IN USD

YEREVAN, February 18. /ARKA/. Two thirds of bank deposits of Armenia
account for deposits in USD, as stated CBA Chairman Tigran Sargsyan
at a press-conference. According to him, that is why the law on
Guaranteed Compensation of Bank Deposits of Individuals provides for
difference in guarantying deposits in USD and AMD. “Our primary goal
is to stimulate the growth of deposits in AMD in the banking system,
that’s why they are guaranteed in terms up to AMD 2 mln., and those
in USD- up to AMD 1 mln.”, he said. Besides, according to him, the
same goal, that is stimulation of AMD circulation in the republic and
prevention further dollarization, is pursued by the law on Currency
Regulation adopted in 2004.
On November 24, 2004, the RA Parliament adopted in the third reading
the Law On Guaranteed Compensation of Bank Deposits of Individuals.
The Law stipulated the formation of a Deposit Insurance Fund at
commercial banks’ expense. Banks are to effect quarterly payments to
the Fund. The Fund guarantees foreign currency deposits up to AMD
1mln., and deposits in AMD up to AMD 2mln.
According to CBA, there are as many as 3 mln. 817 thsd. 860 deposits
totaling AMD 110 206 mln in Armenia. A.H. –0–

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

A BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF DEPOSITS INSURANCE FUND IS FORMED IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, February 18. /ARKA/. A Board of Trustees of Deposits
Insurance Fund is formed in Armenia. According to CBA Chairman Tigran
Sargsyan, the Council of Trustees includes Tigran Khachatryan (Deputy
Minister) and Arshaluys Margaryan (Chief of the Department for State
Debt Management) from RA Ministry of Finance and Economy, and Samuel
Chzmachyan (Chairman) from the Union of Banks of Armenia and the
President of ACBA Stephan Gishyan. Besides, CBA in the Board is
represented by CBA Chairman Tigran Sargsyan, who was elected a
Chairman of the Board, and the Chairman of CBA’ Board Karine
Minasyan. The seventh member of the Board is elected the Chairman of
RA NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic
Affairs Gagik Minasyan.
CBA Chairman noted that the Board of Trustees will monitor the
activity of the Executive Director of the Fund, utilization of the
accumulated finances in the Fund, will set the criteria for
management. According to Sargsyan, quite high status of members of
the Board of Trustees will ensure “transparent and safe” work of the
Fund. He noted that the finances attracted by the Fund will not be
invested into high-risk assets.
On November 24, 2004, the RA Parliament adopted in the third reading
the Law “On guaranteed compensation of bank deposits of physical
persons”. The Law stipulated the formation of a Deposit Insurance
Fund at commercial banks’ expense. Banks are to effect quarterly
payments to the Fund. The Fund guarantees foreign currency deposits
up to AMD 1mln., and deposits in AMD up to AMD 2mln.
The Law will apply to the banks that will legally operate from July
2005, but not to the subsidiaries of foreign banks that, according to
the RA Law, have no right to attract deposits of individuals in
Armenia. As regards foreign banks’ branches, their deposits will be
guaranteed by the Fund as well. Currently, $2 mln is accumulated in
the Deposits Insurance Fund ($1 -AMD 473,45). A.H.–0–

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

ARMENIA PLANNING TO COMPLETE NEGOTIATIONS OVER ITS MEMBERSHIP IN
INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION ORGANIZATION

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18. /ARKA/. Armenia is planning to complete
negotiations on its membership in International Exhibition
Organization, as stated Garegin Melkonyan, the Head of RA Trade and
Economic Development Ministry Department for Foreign Economic Policy,
at today’s press-conference. In his words, work for joining to the
organization’s appropriate convention is under way now and all
procedural matters are planned to be settled by the end of the year.
He noted that the Organization is reckoned among quite impressive
structure, which controls all large-scale registered exhibitions all
over the world.
According to Melconyan, as many as 30 exhibitions are expected to be
opened in Armenia in 2005, the majority of which – under the auspices
of the Ministry. M.V. -0–

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

IN 2004, THE VOLUME OF INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE MONETARY TRANSFERS
THROUGH ARDSHININVESTBANK (ARMENIA) MAKE $160 MLN

YEREVAN, February 18. /ARKA/. In 2004, the volume of international
private monetary transfers through Ardshininvestbank (Armenia) made
$160 mln. According to the Chairman of the bank’s Board Aram
Andreasyan, the bank is the exclusive agent of Money Gram
international payment system in Armenia. “The private monetary
transfers service occupies a significant place in the field of
“retail” banking activity in servicing individuals”, according to the
press-release.
The “Arshininvestbank” CJSC was issued a banking license (#83) by the
Central Bank of Armenia on February 27, 2003. The bank was founded by
the Russian “International Business Center” financial-industrial
group. The bank’s shares are held by two enterprises forming the
group. By December 31, 2004, the bank’s total capital had been AMD
5.bln, its authorized capital being about AMD 3bln. The bank’s assets
totaled AMD 38.3bln., its net profit in 2004 totaled AMD 1,788.4mln.,
and balance profit AMD 2,418.9mln. According to the information at
ARKA’s disposal, the “Ardshininvestbank” is among the leaders of
Armenia’s banking system as to the key activity indices, as well as
asset and capital profit-earning capacity.
According to the CBA, the aggregate volume of monetary transfers in
the RA banking system of Armenia via international payments system
amounted to AMD 219,1 bln. (about $412 mln) in 2004. As of As of
December 31, 2004, transfers via the following international payment
systems were made: Western Union, Money Gram, Anelik, Unistream,
Express, Interexpress, Contact. ($1 – AMD 473,45). A.H. –0-

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

PRESENTATION OF TAVUSH AND GEGHARKUNIK MARZES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS TO
BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON FEBRUARY 21

YEREVAN, February 18. /ARKA/. Presentation of Tavush and Gegharkunik
Marzes development programs will be held in Yerevan on February 21.
According to the Public Relations and Press Department of RA
Government, the main objective of the programs is the assistance to
administrations of the regions and implementation of RA Government
strategic poverty reduction program. This event will be a final
opportunity to discuss the Regional Development Plans before they are
submitted to the Cabinet for approval. This should take place next
month.
The meeting will mark the completion of the first phase of the
Armenia Regional Development Programme, funded by the Department for
International Development (DFID) and implemented by the British
consultants Oxford Policy Management.
Hovik Abrahamyan, the Minister for Territorial Administration, and
Thorda Abbott-Watt, the British Ambassador, as well as RA NA
Deputies, representatives of RA President’s staff and central and
regional government agencies, the donor community, embassies, NGOs,
contractors and other potential development partners will take part.
DFID provided the funding to draw up the Regional Development Plans
and has also set aside ?2 million for their implementation in Tavush
and Gegharkunik regions of Armenia (?1 million for each). The main
goal of the program is to render assistance to the administrations of
the regions, development and implementation of the strategic program
of the RA government on poverty reduction. The program will last for
54 months, 18 of which will be spent on the development of the
program.
DFID has been operating in Armenia since 1996. The main goal of DFID
is to contribute to the government of the republic in the issue of
poverty reduction. L.V. –0

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