1 - Commentary
Congress Must Investigate U.S. Loans
To Secretive Azeri Silk Way Airlines
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- In Van, Akhtamar Church Set to Reopen for Mass on September 9
3- German city removes golden Erdogan statue
4 - Turkish National Anti-Armenian Lobbyist Oksuz Arrested in Yerevan
5 - Azerbaijan Issues Arrest Warrant for Dan Bilzerian
6 - Grape Blessing Service Held at North County Correctional Facility
7 - Makeup artist Robin Manoogian recalls her decade with Aretha Franklin
By Melody Baetens
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1 - Commentary
Congress Must Investigate U.S. Loans
To Secretive Azeri Silk Way Airlines
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Last year, I wrote an article reporting that the Silk Way Airlines of
Azerbaijan made 350 secret flights to transport hundreds of tons of
weapons from Bulgaria to ISIS terrorists in Syria and other Middle
Eastern countries between 2014 and 2017. We now have a new surprising
revelation that Silk Way received $419.5 million of loans from the
U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) to buy three 747-8 cargo planes from
Boeing to continue its sinister operations.
The disclosure was made by a reporter for the Organized Crime and
Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) by filing a Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) request with the U.S. government in 2016. It is
noteworthy that Silk Way, “owned by a company with past ties to
Azerbaijan’s Aliyev family, won some lucrative contracts from the U.S.
military,” according to FOIA documents. In fact, “Silk Way was given
contracts worth more than $400 million with the U.S. Defense
Department’s Transportation Command for more than decade,” according
to Devansh Mehta of OCCRP. Silk Way transported “ammunition and other
non-lethal materials” to Afghanistan as of 2005. “In addition to its
relationship with the U.S. government, Silk Way Airlines has also
worked as a subcontractor for the Canadian Department of National
Defense, the German armed forces, and the French army,” Mehta
revealed.
In April 2017, Silk Way increased its purchases from Boeing, signing a
$1 billion deal for 10 new 737 MAX passenger planes, according to
reporter Mehta. However, it is not known how the new acquisition was
financed. Last October, Silk Way announced plans to buy two more 747-8
cargo planes.
Mehta disclosed that “the airline is owned by Silk Way Group, which,
at least at one point, was closely associated with Azerbaijan’s ruling
Aliyev family (which has used its planes for private trips) and has
benefited from benevolent state deals. Information obtained through
FOIA shows that Silk Way Airlines took steps to conceal its owners’
identity, perhaps to improve its chances of winning the valuable U.S.
loan guarantees and military contracts.”
Mehta added that “Azerbaijan ranks 122nd out of 180 countries in
Transparency International’s corruption perception index, while
President Ilham Aliyev’s family owns luxury properties around the
world worth over $140 million. The Panama Papers and other leaks have
implicated the country’s first family as being involved in nearly all
sectors of the Azerbaijani economy, from luxury hotels to mining to
banking.”
According to the terms of the Export-Import Bank’s $419.5 million loan
to Silk Way, in case of default the loss would be repaid by the
state-owned International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA). The problem is
that IBA has been “implicated in the Azerbaijani Laundromat, a massive
scheme that pumped nearly $3 billion out of the country through
various shell companies,” Mehta wrote. Furthermore, IBA is not in a
position to guarantee the Silk Way loan, as the IBA itself declared
bankruptcy in 2015, unable to pay its $3.3 billion debt!
Nate Schenkkan, project director of the Nations in Transit report at
Freedom House, a US-based nonprofit that monitors democracy and human
rights around the world, questioned the wisdom of EXIM Bank’s loan to
Silk Way: “In Azerbaijan, where one family dominates economically and
politically, and is then using state institutions to back its economic
projects, there’s an obvious conflict of interest.”
Arzu Aliyeva, Pres. Aliyev’s 21-year-old daughter in 2010, was one of
the three owners of Silk Way Bank, the financial arm of Silk Way
Holding. Since 2017, her name is no longer mentioned as an owner.
“Silk Way Holding, also referred to as Silk Way Group (SW Group) on
its website, is a conglomerate that has currently listed 11 companies
in its portfolio, including the airline,” according to Mehta. Silk Way
Holding dominated Azerbaijan’s aviation sector after the state carrier
AZAL airlines was privatized in a highly secretive manner without any
bids and tenders. Mehta wrote that “a similar privatization of the
telecom sector ended up with the [Aliyev] family earning about $1
billion in bribes in cash and share value, according to an earlier
OCCRP story. The investigation also found that the money was funneled
to the first family through various secret offshore companies. These
companies have enabled the Aliyevs to control stakes in gold mines,
telecommunications and construction businesses in Azerbaijan.”
According to a filing in 2006, Silk Way Airlines was owned by IHC
(International Handling Company), an offshore entity based in the
British Virgin Islands. In a 2017 filing, Silk Way Airlines stated
that 40% of the company was owned by IHC, while 60% was owned by SW
Holding, “effectively controlled” by Zaur Akhundov, an Azerbaijani
citizen. Mehta stated that “IHC is linked to the Aliyev family through
its director Jaouad Dbila who reportedly served as a proxy for the
first family’s business interests in the past.”
In 2011, a Russian-born manager, Grigory Yurkov, was given power of
attorney for both Silk Way Holding and IHC, according to Luxembourg’s
official gazette. This appointment was used as a means to conceal the
true owners of IHC.
Meanwhile, Zaur Akhundov had mysteriously become the 100% owner of the
entire Silk Way Group in 2014. By that time, the firm and its many
holdings were already worth billions of dollars, Mehta declared, based
on the company’s loan guarantee application. Akhundov, 50, had held
several official positions in Azerbaijan. “It is unclear how Akhundov
became the owner of a billion-dollar conglomerate with more than 10
aircrafts, an insurance company, a construction company and an
aircraft maintenance company, to name a few of the enterprises in the
Silk Way Group,” Mehta wondered.
According Schenkkan of Freedom House, “Azerbaijan can be described as
a centralized, vertical pyramid where the benefits go to one family
that collects rents throughout the economy. This includes all sorts of
transactions, not only official state transactions that might involve
taxes and public funds, but also things that involve what we normally
consider the private sector: import-export, consumer goods,
transport—any area of the economy, the family has a stake in it and
receives a cut on what takes place.”
The U.S. Congress should hold a hearing to investigate the
appropriateness of EXIM Bank’s $419.5 million loan guarantee to Silk
Way Airlines, its arms shipments to terrorist groups in the Middle
East, and its hidden ownership by the ruling Aliyev family. After all,
why should Azerbaijan, a country with billions of petrodollars, be
given a U.S. loan?
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2- In Van, Akhtamar Church Set to Reopen for Mass on September 9
VAN—Four years after an annual religious service was cancelled, the
iconic Armenian church on an island in Lake Van will host a mass on
September 9, reported the Daily Sabah newspaper.
The Holy Cross Church on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van in eastern
Turkey, is usually open to public as a museum. The Armenian
Patriarchate in Istanbul is organizing the event, which is expected to
attract hundreds of Christians from around Turkey and the world.
Turkey Culture and Tourism Ministry and local authorities gave the
green light for the event.
According to the source, travel agencies and hotels in the Van
province where the lake is located have seen a substantial increase in
bookings while local businesses are counting on faith tourism dollars.
Added to the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage in 2015, the
church was built between 915 and 921 A.D. by architect Bishop Manuel,
under the supervision of Gagik I Artsruni, an Armenian king.
Believed to be constructed to house a piece of the “True Cross,” which
was used in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the church was restored
in 2005 and opened in 2007.
The church has been hosting annual international religious ceremonies
organized by the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul once a year since
2010.
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3 - German city removes golden Erdogan statue
(Panorama)—The German city of Wiesbaden removed on Wednesday, Aug 29 a
temporary statue of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan set up in a
town square by artists, after it sparked confrontations between his
supporters and opponents, AFP reports.
“In agreement with state police, Mayor Sven Gerich decided to have the
statue removed as security could no longer be guaranteed,” the city’s
government said on Twitter.
Firefighters arrived shortly after midnight with a crane to lift the
four-metre tall golden effigy of Erdogan from the central German Unity
Square, where it had been placed on Monday as part of Wiesbaden’s
Biennale art festival. Organisers had hoped the statue would provoke
public debate relevant to this year’s theme of “bad news”. The statue,
which had been posed to point boldly into the distance, was quickly
defaced with insults like “Turkish Hitler”.
Since a failed 2016 coup attempt in Ankara, Erdogan’s crackdown on
political opponents and journalists—including some German
nationals—has been closely followed in Germany, home to a sizeable
Turkish minority. A “slightly aggressive atmosphere” developed, said a
police spokesman, while city councillor Oliver Franz told the
Wiesbadener Kurier newspaper that verbal confrontations had escalated
into scuffles and “bladed weapons were spotted”.
“We put up the statue to discuss Erdogan,” Wiesbaden city theatre
chief Eric Laufenberg told DPA.
“In a democracy, we have to put up with all kinds of opinions”.
But Emil Saenze, a local representative of far-right, anti-immigrant
party Alternative for Germany (AfD) blamed the outcry on “stupidity”
by the organizers, who had “given a stage to a despot who spends his
time humiliating Germans.”
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4 - Turkish National Anti-Armenian Lobbyist Oksuz Arrested in Yerevan
YEREVAN—Police in Armenia, in cooperation with Interpol, detained on
Wednesday, August 26, Turkish national Kevin Oksuz wanted by the U.S.
law enforcement bodies.
Oksuz registered a business in Armenia in September 2017, records
obtained by Armenpress indicated. On Friday, August 28, prosecutors
filed a motion to remand him.
In 2017, the State Registry of Armenia registered The Sena Group,
listing Oksuz as its director. According to the company’s website, the
business is a full-service tourism company providing tours, organizing
conference and special events in Armenia.
Police spokesperson Ashot Aharonyan told Armenpress on Friday that
Oksuz is still in Armenia, but did not release any other details,
including whether he will be extradited to the United States, where he
is deemed a fugitive and wanted for perjury and falsifying documents.
“The Armenian Diaspora is powerful and it is doing a very good job.
The Azerbaijani Diaspora is nothing. They only waste money on
lobbying, but they fail to achieve anything. When a resolution on
recognizing the Armenian Genocide reached the U.S. Congress, the Turks
begin working against it. They call and organize meetings. I too have
done a similar thing, because I didn’t believe [in the genocide],”
Oksuz reportedly told Yerevan police during his interrogation.
Before appearing in Armenia, Oksuz, a Turkish-born U.S. citizen, was
engaged in lobbying for Turkey and Azerbaijan, most notoriously
planning a 2013 visit for American lawmakers to Azerbaijan and Turkey,
in partnership with the state-run SOCAR oil company, which secretly
funneled $750,000 to a non-profit group allegedly run by Oksuz. He
submitted false documents to the Ethics Committee, noting that the
organization never received financing from any source either directly
or indirectly.
However, it has now been revealed that the organization actually
didn’t pay for all expenses and received additional financing,
including from SOCAR Oil Company belonging to the Azerbaijani
government.
“The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic, known as SOCAR,
allegedly funneled $750,000 through nonprofit corporations based in
the United States to conceal the source of the funding for the
conference,” reported the Washington Post in 2015, citing a 70-page
report by the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), an independent
investigative arm of the US House of Representatives.
The “Vision for the Future” event in Baku was attended by ten members
of U.S. Congress, their spouses, state legislators from 42 states and
32 staffers. Nine Members of Congress and 32 staff members received
gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In reporting the arrest, the Turkish press said Oksuz’s brother, Adil,
is linked to Fethullah Gulen, the Islamic cleric who is accused by
Turkey for masterminding the 2016 coup.
“Armenian Police and Interpol cooperation to help the United States
bring Mr. Oksuz to justice is a welcome development,” said ANCA
Communications Director Elizabeth Chouldjian. “Exhaustive
investigations by the Office of Congressional Ethics— released in 2015
following ANCA grassroots pressure and public calls by watchdog
groups—revealed that non-profits led by Mr. Oksuz had funneled over
$750,000 in State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) funds to illegally
pay for Congressional junkets to Baku. We look forward to Mr. Oksuz
and his patrons in the Azerbaijani government to be held accountable
for the full extent of their foreign manipulation of the U.S.
political system.”
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5- Azerbaijan Issues Arrest Warrant for Dan Bilzerian
By Steve Helling
(People Magazine)—The country of Azerbaijan has issued an arrest
warrant for Dan Bilzerian, the social media celebrity with the lavish
lifestyle known as the “King of Instagram.”
People confirms that the Investigative Department of the Prosecutor
General’s Office of Azerbaijan has initiated a criminal case against
Bilzerian, alleging he illegally visited Nagorno Karabakh, a region
that is the subject of a conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Authorities allege that Bilzerian illegally acquired grenades and
firearms before “demonstratively” opening fire at a shooting range.
The exact charges Bilzerian faces were not immediately clear.
The alleged incident occurred after a trip that Bilzerian, 37, made to
the neighboring country of Armenia.
Bilzerian, who is of Armenian descent, arrived in the capital city of
Yerevan on Monday, August 27. He and his brother took part in a
naturalization ceremony where they became Armenian citizens. Per the
laws of the country, he also registered for military service.
Bilzerian tells People that after the ceremony, he traveled to
Karabakh with a group of other people—though of that group, only
Bilzerian has been charged with a crime.
A source in the Azerbaijan government told Armenian Public Radio that
“Interpol will search for the criminal.”
The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office said in a message on Aug.
30 that Bilzerian, “illegally crossed the territory of Armenia as part
of an organized group and arrived in Khankendi city and other occupied
settlements of Azerbaijan,” and that the “Investigation Department of
the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office on Heinous Crimes launched
criminal case under articles 228.3 (Illegal acquisition, transfer,
sale, storage, transportation or carrying of firearms, component parts
to it, ammunition, explosives or explosive devices) and 318.2
(Crossing of Azerbaijan’s protected state border without established
documents or outside the state border checkpoint).”
Bilzerian is the CEO of Ignite, a producer of cannabis products that
are sold in licensed dispensaries in states where its sale is legal.
He tells People he thinks the arrest warrant was politically motivated.
“They only issued the warrant for my arrest, and nobody else on the
trip,” he says. “I think it’s because I am a public figure and they
want to try to make an example out of me.”
It appears that the country of Armenia is supporting Bilzerian.
People confirms with the Consulate General of Armenia that the nation
has contacted Interpol and urged them to dismiss Azerbaijan’s
prosecution of Bilzerian as political.
Bilzerian vows to fight the charges, but says he’s focused on his work
at Ignite. (He recently unveiled a search for spokesmodels for his new
business, paying $1 million to models he hires.)
He tells People that he has “no interest in ever going to Azerbaijan.”
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6- Grape Blessing Service Held at North County Correctional Facility
In celebration of the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of
God, and under the auspices of H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
on August 25, the blessing of grapes was conducted for Armenian
inmates at North County Correctional Facility and on August 27 at a
rehab center for recovering addicts. The service at NCCF was conducted
by H.G. Bishop Torkom Donoyan, Vicar General, assisted by Rev. Fr.
Boghos Baltayan, and Chaplain Rafi Garabedian. Deacons and members of
St. Sarkis Church of Pasadena participated in the service. Chaplain
Rafi conveyed the greetings and blessings of the Prelate, after which
the Vicar General delivered his message. Inmates received Holy
Communion, and prayer books from the Prelacy. Monday’s service at the
rehab facility was conducted by Rev. Fr. Ghevont Kirazian, assisted by
Chaplain Rafi Garabedian. Fr. Ghevont conducted the grape-blessing
service and delivered the sermon.
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7 - Makeup artist Robin Manoogian recalls her decade with Aretha Franklin
By Melody Baetens
(The Detroit News)—Back in 1999, beauty expert Robin Manoogian was in
the Hamptons doing makeup for a client when she got the call that
another client, Aretha Franklin, was going to be opening for the Three
Tenors at Tiger Stadium in Detroit and she needed Manoogian’s
artistry.
The concert was the next day.
“I took a bike, a ferry boat, a bus, a cab and a plane, and I made it
to her home,” said Manoogian, who was Franklin’s makeup artist from
1994-2004. Manoogian returned to the Hamptons the following day. That
kind of dedication was all part of the job when your canvas was the
face of the Queen of Soul. “Those things give you such a boost of
confidence that you rise to the occasion, face the challenges, and
when you’re able to pull it off and just kind of release a big ‘phew’
and on to the next thing,” she said.
Manoogian, who has her own line of cosmetics, has owned her salon,
About Face, in Royal Oak for 26 years. She’s worked with on-air
personalities at WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), dating back to 1985 when she
would get Marilyn Turner and John Kelly ready for the camera.
Because of her work in local television, Manoogian was hired to do
makeup at the Auto Show Charity Preview in 1994 where Franklin was
performing.
Manoogian said she wasn’t even halfway finished with Franklin’s makeup
when the singer asked if she was available to do her face for the
Grammys that March. “She was receiving a lifetime achievement award,”
Manoogian said. “And that was just a big thrill, absolutely. That was
the beginning of a 10-year career with her. Ultimately, I had a great
team to back me up, because I had responsibilities of the live
newscasts.”
Before the 1994 Grammys, just 10 days after meeting Franklin for the
first time at the Charity Preview, Manoogian got a call asking her if
she could drop everything and do Franklin’s makeup at a secret event
in Chicago the following day. It was Oprah’s surprise 40th birthday
show.
“It was all Oprah’s favorite people,” she said. “Just being backstage
and around all the excitement. I’ve always loved the pulse of live TV,
as a kid I always loved television, and to actually be around it was
definitely enough that it motivated me and put a smile on my face
throughout.”
Through working with Franklin and WXYZ, Manoogian has also brushed the
faces of some of the most high-profile people of the 1990s and 2000s,
including Bill and Hillary Clinton. She did then-presidential
candidate Bill Clinton’s makeup for the cover of Newsweek photo shoot.
The headline read, “Can He Beat Bush?” Clinton autographed the
magazine cover for her, writing “to Robin, thanks for making me look
better.”
Manoogian said her life has been so fast-paced that she’s hardly had
an opportunity to sit back and think on it all.
She accompanied Franklin everywhere, from the White House—”Bill
Clinton was a big fan of hers”—to the Kennedy Center Honors to
“Saturday Night Live,” where she remembers Mike Myers and Dana Carvey
running around at rehearsals.
True to Franklin’s style, Manoogian said she always looked in the
opposite direction of trends. In the 1990s, when neutral tones and
matte makeup was in style, Franklin wanted glitter. Later, at a
fundraising event on Valentine’s Day, instead of red or pink, she
chose to wear yellow and turquoise.
“You get a sense that she knew who she was, what she was about, what
she wanted to do, and you just played along,” Manoogian said. “The
only way I knew I was doing the right thing is, most often, she would
tell me about the next upcoming date.”
This article appeared in The Detroit News on August 25, 2018.
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