Author: Chilingarian Babken

STATE HEARS SCHMIDT GENOCIDE CASE
By Jon Craig

Cincinnati.com
8:09 pm | Thursday, August 13, 2009

COLUMBUS – U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt’s Armenian-American opponent probably
made false statements during the 2008 campaign about contributions
she received from Turkish political action committees, a unanimous
three-member panel of the Ohio Elections Commission ruled today.

David Krikorian, an independent candidate now running as a Democrat,
also claimed the Republican congresswoman denied the mass killings of
Armenians during World War I constituted genocide. Schmidt’s attorney
withdrew an elections complaint about that claim, as well as complaints
about three other statements.

The three-person panel Thursday found probable cause that Krikorian
made false statements. Next, fhe full seven-member elections commission
will hear evidence Sept. 3 to decide whether the statements were
false. If they are, it could result in a written reprimand, a fine or,
in rare cases, prosecution.

Donald C. Brey, Schmidt’s Columbus attorney, argued, "It would be
illegal, it would be a crime, for her to take money from a foreign
government. . . It’s a false statement."

Brey denied Krikorian’s claim that Schmidt’s campaign received $30,000
in "blood money" from Turkish PACs and Turkish people.

"We actually wanted them to find probable cause," Krikorian said
afterward, complaining he’s been unable to get Schmidt to discuss
the Turkish contributions during the campaign. "Jean Schmidt brought
these frivolous charges against me. She’s afraid of facing me in an
election. She’s not used to people speaking the truth."

Christopher P. Finney, Krikorian’s Cincinnati attorney, told the
election panel that the Turkish government has poured campaign
money into the U.S. government so it does not recognize the Armenian
genocide of the early 1900s. "We’re actually disappointed we won’t
have a hearing on her being a genocide denier," Finney said.

The debate spilled out into the commission lobby after the hearing:
Krikorian attempted to argue facts of the case with Brey. "You can’t
bring charges and drop them," Krikorian said.

"Actually you can," Brey replied, saying an honorable man, if he
tells a lie, would ultimately apologize.

"I don’t understand why he doesn’t say he misspoke," Brey told the
Enquirer.

TURKISH LOBBY LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN AGAINST GOOGLE

News.am
20:21 / 08/12/2009

Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) pressures the world search engine
Google and launches an Internet campaign making it to become complicit
in Armenian Genocide denial, Armenian Hay Dat Committee reports.

The thing is that being devoted to its credo "Don’t be Evil", Google
blocked certain programs of Turkish organizations on the site. As
a result of "Armenia", "Armenian", or "Armenian Genocide" wording
search, the Genocide denial websites were popping up, artificially
multiplying the number of visitors.

TCA has also inveighed against the 252 Resolution introduced at
U.S. Congress House of Representatives. Executive Director of Hay Dat
Aram Ambartsumyan said the efforts to involve Goggle in anti-genocide
campaign are as vicious, as their whole activities targeted at
justification of crimes against humanity.

TURKISH GROUP ACCUSES GOOGLE OF LIMITING FREE SPEECH

FoxNews.com
Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The Turkish Coalition of America said Google pulled its ads without
giving the group a chance to respond to the accusations made by the
Armenian National Committee of America.

A Turkish advocacy organization is accusing Google of limiting free
speech after the Web search leader suspended the group’s ads in
response to complaints by an Armenian-American group that the ads
were "morally reprehensible" for denying a genocide occurred in the
Ottoman-Armenian conflict of a century ago.

The Turkish Coalition of America said Google pulled its ads without
giving the group a chance to respond to the accusations made by the
Armenian National Committee of America.

A Google spokesman told FOX News that it does not accept ads "designed
to stir up hate or advocate against a protected group." The spokesman
also said the company does not allow ads for Web sties "that suggest
revisions to history or attempt to revise history against the interests
of a protected group."

"So you can imagine an ad by a Nazi group that said the Holocaust is
a myth," the spokesman said, offering another example of an ad that
would be rejected by Google.

The Turkish Coalition, or TCA, objects to Google’s policy.

"The notion that there is a Google-accepted version of history is
extraordinarily disturbing," the group said in a statement.

"Google has failed to distinguish between advocating an idea in an
historic controversy, which the TCA does, and advocating against a
group, which the TCA does not," the group said. "This notion strikes
at the very core of the First Amendment free speech rights."

The Armenian National Committee of America initiated its online
campaign against the ads in May, asking supporters to urge Google to
stop hosting genocide denial ads placed by the Turkish Coalition.

"Ask Google to live up to its guiding principle of ‘Don’t be Evil’ by
refusing to profit from an organization seeking a platform for their
historically inaccurate, morally reprehensible and deeply offensive
genocidal denial campaign."

The group said search terms such as "Armenian Genocide," "Armenia" and
"Armenian" typically spawn a Google ADWords link that reads either :
"History, Propaganda" or "Learn Armenian Atrocities." Both directed
users to the Turkish Coalition’s Web site that it says features
"extensive content denying the Armenian Genocide."

The Republic of Turkey disputes the use of the term "genocide" to
describe the decimation of the Armenian population of the Ottoman
Empire during and just after World War I.

David Saltzman of the Turkish Coalition told FOX News that his group
is not against any group and lamented that anyone who disputes a
genocide happened in 1915 is "accused of immorality and criminality."

The suspension of ads, Saltzman said, is devastating to his group
because it limits its "presence in the marketplace of ideas."

Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee
of America, told FOX News that he was "gratified" that Google decided
the Turkish group’s ads were not "consistent with its values. We
think Google did the right thing."

He added that the Turkish group was just as misguided in trying to
force Google to run the ads as it is in denying the genocide.

SPANISH AND SCANDINAVIAN TV CHANNELS TO BROADCAST "THE LAND OF NOAH" FILM ABOUT ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
Aug 11, 2009

YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS: Two Spanish and Scandinavian TV
channels acquired the right of broadcasting the documentary film
about Armenia "The Land of Noah".

Mekhak Apresyan, head of the economic development and tourism
department of the Economy Ministry, told Armenpress that Spanish TVE
(Televisign Epanola) channel which has 450 million audience has already
acquired the film and will soon start broadcasting. In the Scandinavian
countries it will be broadcasted by "Scandinavia" TV company.

The 52-minute long film in English presents whole Armenia, Nagorno
Karabakh, Ani and Mount Ararat. A historic sketch is being made on
historic territory of Armenia, fact and documentary materials are
being presented. The government released 225,000 euros and 11 million
AMD for the preparation of the film.

M. Apresyan noted that the CNN and Euronews channels continue showing
the clip telling about tourism attractions of Armenia.

Sibel Edmonds Fights to Testify

/sibel-edmonds-fights-to-testify/
By Weekly Staff – on August 7, 2009

WASHINGTON – On Aug. 7, the National Whistleblower Legal Defense and
Education Fund fought efforts by the FBI and the Department of Justice
to prevent Sibel D. Edmonds from testifying in a case of alleged
election fraud. Sibel Edmonds is scheduled to testify before the Ohio
Elections Commission in response to a subpoena in the Schmidt
v. Krikorian case. Both the Department of Justice and the FBI are
attempting to halt her from testifying.

On behalf or Ms. Edmonds, the Fund sent a letter earlier this week
requesting that Attorney General Holder independently review the basis
upon which the State Secrets privilege was initially invoked against
Ms. Edmonds.

On Aug. 6, Valerie Caproni, General Counsel of the FBI, and Vesper
Mei, Senior Counsel with the Department of Justice responded by
claiming that the subpoena to testify served on Edmonds was invalid
and sought to bar her from appearing. The DOJ claimed that Edmonds is
under `no compulsion’ to testify in the Krikorian case and the FBI
asserted that she, `does not have approval for any disclosure of any
information.’

Neither the Justice Department nor the FBI has stated why testimony in
a case of alleged election fraud would involve State Secrets and/or
involve national security.

According to Sibel Edmonds’ counsel, Michael D. Kohn (President of the
National Whistleblowers Center), `The thrust of the government’s
action is aimed at self-censorship of a witness. As far as we are
concerned, if the government wants censorship then it must do it
itself as Ms. Edmonds will have no part in censorship.’ To this end,
Edmonds’ counsel responded to the FBI and DOJ stating: `We hereby
place you on notice that the failure to take appropriate action (i.e.,
seeking to quash the deposition dispatching legal counsel to the
deposition, or raising the States Secrets Privilege before the
Commission) may be construed as a waiver of any legitimate basis the
FBI may have to keep Ms. Edmonds from testifying’ and `If you believe
that the FBI or the Justice Department has any legal basis to halt the
deposition or to prevent Ms. Edmonds from testifying, please take
whatever action you deem necessary in that regard. The responsibility
for doing so is yours not Ms. Edmonds.’

According to Mr. Kohn: `The First Amendment protects Sibel Edmonds’
right to testify truthfully without government intervention and we are
disheartened that the Justice Department’s actions evidence a
different approach.’

TURKISH MP LINKS KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT WITH MOSCOW-ANKARA TIES

Today.Az
4479.html
Aug 7 2009
Azerbaijan

Turkish member of parliament does not rule out impact of strengthening
relations between Moscow and Ankara on resolution of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict.

"Solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the important
issues for Turkey. Russia also has priorities and Moscow will not deny
its priorities. If Turkey preserves the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on
the agenda, the proximity between the countries may bring progress
in solution of this conflict, Turkish MP Onur Oymen said.

During his visit to Turkey Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
said active work is underway to resolve [Armenia-Azerbaijan]
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkish Anadolu news agency reported.

"Serious work is being done to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
and there is serious progress in this direction. Moscow is eager to
see rapid resolution of the conflict," Putin added.

Putin said his country is unwilling to see any conflict in the
Caucasus. "Conflict in the Caucasus casts shadow on our relations
with the countries of the region," he stressed.

The prime minister said that Russia’s position on the solution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remained unchanged. "We cannot do the job
of conflict sides, but only assist with the solution to the dispute,"
he added.

ARMENIAN ECONOMY FALLS TO RECORD LOW IN MONTHS OF RECESSION

/ARKA/
August 6, 2009
Yerevan

In late June, Armenian economy fell to the record low in months of
the recession.

National Statistical Service of Armenia said the country faced 16.3%
decline in Jan-June 2009, compared with the same period a year early.

Stepan Mnatsakanyan, head of the National Statistical Service of
Armenia, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, said that the
construction sector faced decline at the mentioned period of this year.

Its share in GDP shrank from 22.9% in Jan-June 2008 to 14.3% at the
same period a year later.

Mnatsakanyan also said that agriculture, forestry and fishery’s 1.4%
decline had 0.2% reducing effect on GDP in Jan-June 2009, while at
the same period a year earlier these sectors added 0.8 points to
GDP growth.

"As a whole, Armenia’s agriculture heavily depends on season
factors. Agriculture sector’s share in GDP has grown a great deal
since the initial stage of the transition period. Later, construction
enlarged its presence in GDP and then services."

Mnatsakanyan also pointed out industrial downturn and export and
import reduction.

In his words, the only sector that has grown over the period between
January and June 2009 is services sector.

However, he said, retail trade turnover indicators remained unchanged.

Being guided by objectivity – one of the key principles of official

statistics, Mnatsakanyan refrained from forecasting future GDP and
economic sectors’ shares in it. M.V.

ARMAVIA INCREASES FREQUENCY OF FLIGHTS TO EUROPE

ArmInfo
2009-08-05 13:24:00

ArmInfo. Armavia national air carrier has announced of increasing
the frequency of flights to Europe, the company press service reports.

So, Yerevan-Zurich-Yerevan flight will be carried out three times
a week started August 15: on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and
Yerevan-Rome-Yerevan flight will be carried out twice a week started
August 16: on Wednesdays and Sundays.

TURKMENISTAN: BIG TOP IN ASHGABAT TO MAKE A COMEBACK

Eurasia Insight
es/eav080309b.shtml
8/03/09

Citing popular demand, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov is bringing
back the circus to Ashgabat.

"This popular kind of art has good traditions in Turkmenistan,"
the semi-official Turkmenistan.ru quoted Berdymukhamedov as saying
on August 1. The circus will be under the control of the Ministry
of Culture, Television and Radio Broadcasting, the report added. In
January, the Turkish firm EFOR secured an $18 million contract to
renovate the circus building in Ashgabat. The building was built
in 1985.

Many forms performing arts, including ballet and opera, were banned
under former president Saparmurat Niyazov.

IFC PLANS INVESTMENTS IN RA MORTGAGE MARKET

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
31.07.2009 11:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met
Thursday with IFC Vice President for Financial Markets, Funds,
and Africa Jyrki Koskelo to discuss the programs the IFC plans to
implement in the republic, specifically mortgage market development,
renewable energy, financial sector, IT and healthcare.

The Armenian PM voiced hope that cooperation with the International
Financial Corporation will be mutually beneficial and continuous.