A DISCUSSION ON ARMENIA
By Christopher Cadelago

Glendale News Press
09/06/26/politics/gnp-armenia26.txt
June 26 2009
CA

U.S. ambassador to Armenia addresses recent controversy involving
Obama and other issues.

BURBANK — President Obama’s broken promise to recognize the Armenian
Genocide — a move that set off a firestorm of anger throughout the
Armenian community — served as a seminal moment where skepticism
overwhelmed any sense of promise, members of a large crowd gathered
in Burbank said Thursday.

"It’s an issue," said Minas Nazarian, of Thousand Oaks. "Sooner or
later they will recognize it. You can’t deny it."

During a visit Thursday to the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church
in Burbank, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch acknowledged
the public displeasure, which still runs deep more than two months
after Obama omitted the word "genocide" after making his opinions on
the matter clear on the campaign trail.

"I know there is disappointment, perhaps that is not even a strong
enough word, and even anger, at President Obama’s April 24 statement,"
she said. "You can count on me to convey those feelings to Washington."

She also stressed that Obama went further in his words than any
previous president in American history.

Throughout her travels across Boston, New York and Los Angeles,
the diplomat has met with government officials, religious leaders
and representatives of Armenian American communities to suss out
relations between the United States and Armenia.

She was scheduled to visit the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Church
at 6252 Honolulu Ave. in La Crescenta at 7:30 tonight, and then the
USC Davidson Conference Center in Los Angeles on Saturday.

In criss-crossing the nation as part of the two-week tour that ends
June 30 in Washington, D.C., Yovanovitch has faced probing questions
about Western energy interests in the Caucasus region, an open border
policy with Turkey and allegations that the U.S. has glossed over
human rights issues there.

She spoke of the need for accountability in the face of corruption that
she said permeates all levels of Armenian government, advocating for
a transparent media landscape, especially when it comes to covering
elections. While improved, last month’s municipal elections were
problematic, she said.

"You don’t need to talk to too many people to know that there is a
demand for accountability and transparency in government," she said.

The discussion Thursday at in Burbank centered on U.S. foreign policy,
government aid efforts and on-the-ground developments in Armenia,
where the World Bank projected the poverty rate to increase 5% next
year, from 23% to 28%.

No bank in Sisian, Armenia, has provided a loan since January, and some
cities have seen demand for various products drop by 50%. Statistics
released Thursday show that the economy has contracted by 15%,
she said.

The partnership between the U.S. and Armenia cannot be overstated,
Yovanovitch added. In all, the U.S. has poured $1.8 billion into
Armenia, she said, with Coca-Cola and Sun Microsystems providing key
funding for infrastructure and technological training grounds.

The economic crisis, Yovanovitch contended, is an opportunity for
the Armenian government to make reforms that modernize the country’s
infrastructure and institute an aggressive private sector.

And despite pointed criticism of the U.S. cutting back some aid,
she lauded American efforts to increase short-term humanitarian
help, citing a program that allocates money to villages for
infrastructure improvements and employs local residents to carry out
the projects. About $2.2 million recently provided to the country will
go toward installing wells and fixing the roofs of homes and churches.

"The programs all put people to work so they can put food on the
table," she said.

She also advocated for an open Armenian-Turkish border in what she
described as a win-win situation.

"I know many of you are probably skeptical as to whether this is
possible," she said.

But an open border without preconditions is projected to cause an
uptick in Armenia’s gross domestic product to the tune of a few
percentage points over the next 15 years.

"We believe that people from Turkey and Armenia would find they have
more that unites them than divides them," she said.

â~@~BCHRISTOPHER CADELAGO covers City Hall and the courts. He may
be reached at (818) 637-3242 or by e-mail at christopher.cadelago@
latimes.com.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress