Author: Ekmekjian Janet

ARMENIA EXPO 2009 TO OPEN IN YEREVAN ON SEPTEMBER 4

ARKA
Aug 31, 2009

YEREVAN, August 31. /ARKA/. The ninth universal regional trade and
industrial exhibition ARMENIA EXPO 2009 is to be held in Sport and
Concert Hall after K. Demirchyan in Yerevan on September 4-6.

The forum is organized by LOGOS EXPO Center and the Union of
Manufacturers and Business of Armenia.

LOGOS EXPO Center reports that the forum brings together regional
and branch exhibits revealing the country’s industrial potential. The
exhibition covers practically all industry branches.

ARMENIA EXPO 2009 is a biggest regional exhibition, the report says.

Uniting small exhibits into a biggest industrial exhibition allows
considerably reducing direct and indirect costs for the participants
and the guests and provides a successful marketing opportunity.

Every year the exhibition gives enterprises wide opportunities to
present technologies, systems and components, as well as innovative
solutions for various industry branches.

"For those who value time, it is a real opportunity to find an
advantageous business partner or a foreign investor in a short period
of time, without leaving the country," the report says.

The exhibition is officially supported by Armenian government,
the country’s ministries of economy, transport and communications
and agriculture.

Over 150 local and foreign organizations, companies and associations
from Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia, B elarus, Iran, United Arab
Emirates, Germany, Georgia and China.

The area under the exhibition is more than 1,500 square
meters.

SOME NEW NEWS, TWISTS IN THE SCHMIDT V. KRIKORIAN (SIBEL EDMONDS-RELATED) ELECTION CASE IN OHIO
By Brad Friedman

Brad Blog

Aug 31 2009

A couple of quick updates, and a few notable developments in the status
of the Ohio Election Commission (OEC) case between the Republican
2nd-Distrtict U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt and her independent ’08 (and now,
Democratic ’10 ) challenger David Krikorian.

This is the case which resulted in the recent stunning deposition
of FBI translator-turned-whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, as Schmidt
has alleged "false statements" by Krikorian when he claimed that she
accepted "blood money" from the Turkish Lobby in exchange for opposing
a Congressional vote on the "Armenian Genocide" resolution. He says
her campaign received more money from that lobby than any other member
last year, after which she became the co-chair of the Congressional
Tukish Coalition. That, despite the paucity of any actual ethnic
Turks in her district.

Krikorian offered a few interesting status updates on the case to
The BRAD BLOG, late last week during a phone conversation…

â~@¢ A FEIN MESS: Schmidt’s attorney, Bruce Fein, who, as it came
out during the Edmonds deposition, happens to be a member of the
"Turkish Lobby" himself, as legal counsel for the Turkish American
Legal Defense Fund (TALDF) and for the Turkish Coalition of America
(TCA), and, as such, will now be deposed in the case himself. Krikorian
recently applied to the OEC for permission to depose Fein, and they
have now ruled in his favor and allowed a subpoena to be issued to him.

Fein was a former Reagan Administration official who became a bit of a
hero to Progressives over the last several years due to his outspoken
criticism of the Bush Administration. As an attorney, however, his
work during the deposition, in attempting to impeach the credibility
of Edmonds may be seen as, um, somewhat less than effective (and,
at times, even quite humorous, in our opinion).

Following the 8/8/09 Edmonds deposition, when asked by an Armenian
media outlet if he felt it might be a conflict of interest in
representing Schmidt, since he could be called to testify himself,
given his position in the Turkish Lobby, Fein didn’t believe he would
be called to testify, "because this case has nothing to do" with the
organizations he’s associated with. (Video here, Fein interviewed
beginning at appx the 5:30 mark.) However, if called, he said he’d
"testify under oath there is nothing that I did that even remotely
resembles….any insinuation that [Edmonds] made in regard to this
case."

Krikorian tells us he believes Fein is the "archtect of the entire
Turkish Lobby’s defense in the U.S. … The guy who travels the country
attacking anybody he can attack vis a vis the Armenian Genocide. … We
will now be able to take his testimony, which is highly unusual given
that he is the opposing counsel in the case."

â~@¢ SCHMIDT PLAYS SGT SCHULTZ: Jean Schmidt herself was recently
deposed in the matter, though, according to Krikorian, "she would not
agree to allowing a video tape of the deposition, unless an agreement
was made before hand to not release the video tape into the public
domain." The transcript of her deposition (which we haven’t yet had
time to review, but here’s Armenian Weekly’s coverage reporting that
Schmidt claimed she had no idea why she’d received so much money from
the Turkish interests), can be downloaded here [PDF].

â~@¢ EDMONDS TO TAKE STAND?: Finally, the Krikorian team has
petitioned the OEC to postpone the public hearing in the matter,
which is currently scheduled for this Thursday, Sept. 3rd, a few days
later. The reason: They would like Edmonds to take the stand during
the hearing, though she is scheduled to be out of the country until
the end of this week. Edmonds tells The BRAD BLOG she’d very much
like to appear as a witness, though she seems less than optimistic
that Krikorian will be granted the extension he has requested.

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
Aug 25 2009

US Armenians worried by Washington`s policy
25-08-2009 23:25:17

The Armenian National Committee of America has sent an appeal to US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying the Armenian community in
the United States is utterly concerned over what it called
Washington`s foreign policy supporting Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The committee criticized US President Barack Obama and Vice President
Joe Biden, claiming that the pair had failed to deliver on their
pre-election pledges to recognize the so-called genocide of Armenians,
a claim on the World War I-era mass killings in the Ottoman Empire.
The Armenian community was particularly riled with the views of
Matthew Bryza, the US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group brokering
settlement to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, accusing the
diplomat of what they claim is a pro-Azerbaijan stance. “This
stance, in particular, his blocking the recognition of the 1915
developments, has raised our serious concerns,“ it said.
The letter addressed to Secretary Clinton maintained that the Madrid
principles, an outline for Garabagh settlement submitted by the
mediators to the sides in November 2007, pose a threat to Armenia`s
national security. It also claimed that the status of Upper Garabagh,
which is seen by Yerevan as a key issue in the peace process, appears
obscure in the Madrid document.
The committee went as far as demanding that the secretary of state
meet with representatives of Armenian religious and public
organizations and charities operating in the U.S.

USAID ACCOMPLISHES WATER REHABILITATION PROJECT FOR ARTASHAT AND 27 VILLAGES

ARKA
Aug 27, 2009

YEREVAN, August 27, /ARKA/. The United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), a leading donor agency in Armenia, has
accomplished a $3.16 million worth rehabilitation project of water
supply system of Artashat town and 27 surrounding villages.

Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
U.S. ambassador to Armenia, Marie Yovanovitch, Armenian parliament
speaker Hovik Abrahamian, Ararat province governor Vardkes Hovakimian,
representatives of and Armenian government officials, were present
at a ceremony marking the end of the project.

The project including construction of new water distribution
networks, 50 km long new water pipelines, a new water reservoir and
reconstruction of two water reservoirs, was started in 2007 May.

Some 100,000 residents of Artashat and 27 surrounding villages will
have continuous supply of safe drinking water. The project is expected
to help the Armenian Water Company move towards commercial viability.

Ararat province governor said continuous supply of safe drinking water
is of great significance for the province. He then thanked all those
who had contributed to its successful implementation. Ambassador
Yovanovitch pointed out the economic and social benefits of the
projects.

HAROUTIUN KHACHATRIAN: "ARMENIANS CANNOT RIGHTLY USE CULTURAL WEAPON"

Noyan Tapan
Aug 27, 2009

YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The Golden Apricot on Wheels of
the Golden Apricot International Film Festival travelled to Artsakh
on August 19-23, already for the third time. The previous two years
the films of the festival were shown only in Shushi at the Narekatsi
Art Union, and this year the organizers held the festival also in
Stepanakert. According to the film program organizers, Yerevan’s Golden
Apricot on Wheels Festival that opened at the hall of the Culture
House on August 20 with Sergei Paradjanov’s "Color of Pomegranate"
united film lovers.

Minister of Culture of Artsakh Narine Aghbalian who was present at
the opening ceremony of the festival said that the Golden Apricot
gives an opportunity to the audience of Artsakh to see and know
the best Armenian and foreign films. The Minister is sure that such
projects are of great importance for the prosperity of the population
of Artsakh. She hoped that the Golden Apricot Festival will become
continual and will go round all distant settlements of NKR.

Deputy Director of the festival Ara Khanjian told the film
audience that the 40th anniversary of Sergei Paradjanov’s "Color of
Pomegranate" and the 85th birth anniversary of its author are marked
this year and that is why it was chosen as the opening film of the
festival. A. Khanjian also noted that H. Khachatrian’s "Border",
Spartak Gharabaghtsian’s "The Vandals of the 20th Century" and "By
the Tracks of Toros Roslin", Karen Hovhannisian’s "Ghost," Hamshen
Armenian film director Ozchen Alper’s "Autumn" and other films were
selected for Artsakh festival.

The Director General of the Golden Apricot International Film Festival
is pleased with the program of the film on the wheel as two festivals
held in Shushi gave their positive results: "This year there was no
free room at the Narekatsi Art Union, that is why people already
look forward to the festival each year. It is a great victory for
me." And as to the festival held in Stepanakert, H. Khachatrian is
sure that it will attract more people in a year or two, though he
is also pleased with the audience of this year: "there were 250-300
people at the hall but they knew the real value of a film," he said.

H. Khachatrian thinks that film is the strongest weapon of the arts
and the thing which the political figures and politicians fail to do
for years the film can do very quickly. The director of the festival,
however, is sure that Armenians cannot rightly use that cultural
weapon.

SVETLANA LOBODA AND TINA KOROL TO SING IN ARMENIAN

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Aug 28 2009
Armenia

Ukrainian singers Svetlana Loboda and Tina Korol will sing Armenian
songs.

The two famous singers will perform Armenian songs within the framework
of Yerevan-Kiev-Transit concert scheduled fall 2009, Analitika.at.ua
E-media reports.

According to the source the necessary arrangements for the concert are
completed. Popular singers like Vladimir Grishko and "Hot chocolate",
"Bumboks", Potap & Nastya Kamenskih, Vitaliy Kozlovskiy and Anya
Sedakova already recorded their songs.

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK: 20-30% OF ARMENIANS SUFFER FROM HUNGER

2009/08/26 | 15:36
economy

In a statement made today, the Asian Development Bank reported that
more than 30 percent of Armenia’s population suffers from hunger, as
do 20-30 percent of the people in Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia,
Mongolia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and East Timor.

The ADB reported that large pockets of extreme poverty and hunger
persist in Asia, where the global downturn makes it more difficult
to achieve U.N. goals to reduce the ranks of the poor, the Asian
Development Bank said Wednesday.

Nepal is the worst off with 55.1 percent of its population surviving
on less than $1.25 a day. In China and India, 15.9 percent and 41.6
percent of the population live below the poverty line, respectively.

ACTIVIST MIGHT SUE GOVERNMENT OVER NORTHERN AVENUE BUILDING VIOLATIONS
Arman Gharibyan

socie ty
2009/08/25 | 15:14

"I’ve written twice to Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan but he has not
answered my letters. Architect Narek Sargsyan responded to my first
inquiry but failed to address the issue I had raised."

This is what Sedrak Baghdasaryan, President of the "Victims of
Government Needs" NGO, told "Hetq" regarding his inquiry as to who
authorized the construction of 12-14 story buildings on Northern
Avenue.

Mr. Baghdasaryan states that in the original blueprints for Northern
Avenue, building heights were topped off at 25 meters, or the same
height of the second story of the Opera House. This ceiling was duly
noted in Decision N774 of 2000.

"Today, however, most of the buildings on Northern Avenue surpass
this height. I want to know what government decree permitted such
construction," Mr. Baghdasaryan said.

Mr. Baghdasaryan forwarded his second inquiry to PM Sargsyan on July
5. According to Armenia’s Freedom of Information Act, PM Sargsyan
has a maximum of five days in which to respond.

When asked by "Hetq" if he wasn’t planning to take the matter to the
RoA Administrative Court in order to get the desired information,
Mr. Baghdasaryan responded, "It can’t be ruled out that we will
take the government to court since they have failed to respond to my
written inquiries. In his response, Narek Sargsyan failed to answer
my question."

CELEBRATIONS ON 18TH ANNIVERSARY OF DECLARATION OF NKR INDEPENDENCE TO BE HELD IN STEPANAKERT

ARMENPRESS
Aug 25, 2009

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS: Celebrations will be organized in
Stepanakert on the occasion of the 18th anniversary of Declaration
of Independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Member of the
governmental commission set up to coordinate the events Michael
Gasparyan said that September 1 the first class in the educational
institutions of the republic will be dedicated to the Declaration of
Independence. During this traditional event representatives of the
Karabakh National Security Council, National Assembly and Government
will present in schools and universities the way of Karabakh’s
independence and its symbol.

September 2 soldiers’ column will march in the morning in Stepanakert
streets announcing the launch of celebrations. High-ranked officials
and citizens headed by the President of Nagorno Karabakh Republic
Bako Sahakyan will visit Stepanakert town memorial and put a wreath.

President of Nagorno Karabakh will organize a reception. Besides,
in the Revival Square of Stepanakert in the evening at 8.00 pm a
concert will take place.

PRESS RELEASE

ARMENIAN GENERAL BENEVOLENT UNION
2495 E. Mountain St, Pasadena, CA 91104
Tel: (626) 794 7942
Fax: (626) 794 2622
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

A Book Signing Event with Michael Bobelian at the AGBU Alex Manoogian Center

With the collaboration of Abril Bookstore, the AGBU Glendale/Pasadena
Chapter is hosting a special presentation and book signing of author
Michael Bobelian’s `Chidren of Armenia’ due to be published by Simon &
Schuster on September 1st, 2009.

Michael Bobelian, a graduate of the Columbia Graduate School of
Journalism, is a lawyer, journalist, and grandson of Genocide
survivors and currently resides in New York City. His work has
appeared in Forbes.com, American Lawyer, and Legal Affairs magazine
and has been featured on NPR’s Leonard Lopate show.

After uncovering his family’s experiences during the Genocide, Michael
Bobelian struggled to rationalize how an event as widely reported as
the Genocide – more than a hundred articles ran in The New York Times
in 1915, with a typical headline exclaiming `Wholesale Massacres of
Armenians by Turks’ – could fade from public consciousness. Why was
the Genocide ignored, forgotten, and, worse, relegated to fiction for
so long? What role did America’s national self-interest play in
helping Turkey evade public accountability? Why did Armenians
themselves initially stand silent? Based on years of archival research
and personal interviews, Children of Armenia is the first book to
trace this post-Genocide history and reveal the events that have
conspired to eradicate the `hidden holocaust’ from the world’s memory.

At the close of World War I, the upsurge of support for the Genocide’s
survivors, considered one of the world’s first international human
right movements, inspired the few remaining Armenian leaders – such as
Simon Vratsian, the ravaged nation’s last prime minister, and Vahan
Cardashian, Armenia’s chief advocate in the United States – to seek
relief and justice for their people. But despite their tireless
efforts, the promises made to them by the war’s victors were
systematically cast aside during postwar negotiations. In the end, the
Armenians received nothing, not even an apology, and decades of
silence would pass before the Genocide’s survivors – dispersed,
stateless, and on the verge of extinction – would produce a new
generation of activists who would renew their fight for justice.

In Children of Armenia, we meet Gourgen Yanikian, a seventy-seven year
old terrorist bent on revenge, whose act of terrible violence in
southern California galvanized a movement for recognition=3B Vartkes
Yeghiayan, a lawyer who brought a class action suit against New York
Life, seeking to win a judgment for thousands of unclaimed policies=3B
and Van Krikorian, who teamed up with Senator Bob Dole to gain public
acknowledgment of the Genocide from the U.S. government. From the
initial acts of revenge-fueled terrorism to the birth of an organized
movement seeking recognition for these unacknowledged crimes –
including political maneuvering to get a resolution passed by the
U.S. Congress – this is a groundbreaking account of the Armenian
struggle to seek redress in the face of recalcitrant perpetrators and
an indifferent world.

Bobelian delivers a powerful lesson on the price that is paid when
injustice goes unacknowledged and a moving story of a people living in
the shadow of a century-old genocide.

The presentation and book signing will take place September 24th at
7:30PM at the Boyajian Hall of the Alex Manoogian Center at 2495 E
Mountain Street in Pasadena, CA. For detailed information, please
contact the AGBU offices at (626) 794 7942.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually serving some
400,000 Armenians on five continents.