Author: Jabejian Elizabeth

VOTE UNDERMINES OBAMA’S TURKEY STRATEGY
By Daniel Dombey in San Jose, Costa Rica and Delphine Strauss in Ankara

FT
March 5 2010 00:20

When Barack Obama, US president, took time out last year to visit
Ankara and Istanbul he hailed the US’s relationship with Turkey as a
"model partnership".

On Thursday, after Ankara recalled its ambassador to Washington
in protest at a vote by a congressional panel, Mr Obama’s bid to
strengthen that partnership faced its biggest test.

EDITOR’S CHOICE Turkey recalls ambassador over US vote – Mar-05US
turns screw on Ankara over sanctions – Feb-24US foreign policy has
not made breakthroughs – Feb-07The ties between the two countries are
at the heart of much of the Obama administration’s strategy and have
occupied much of the time of the US’s top diplomats, from Hillary
Clinton, US secretary of state, down.

The US has hailed Turkish political system as a model for much of
the Muslim world, particularly as the country’s current government
led by the AKP has Islamist roots but the country’s constitution
is secularist.

US policy acknowledges as a starting point that Ankara has growing
influence throughout the Middle East, maintains Nato’s second
biggest army, hosts important US military bases and is increasing in
self-confidence in global affairs.

The US is also urgently seeking Turkey’s support for sanctions on
Iran, which Washington would like to be adopted by the United Nations
Security Council in a show of international unity in coming weeks.

Turkey, which currently has a seat on the council, is unconvinced of
such sanctions, as are states such as China and Brazil.

On Thursday, US officials acknowledged that their agenda had become
much more of a challenge following the committee vote to label
Ottoman-era massacres of Armenians as "genocide".

Howard Berman, the committee chairman, resisted a personal entreaty
from Mrs Clinton, who said the resolution could damage reconciliation
efforts between Armenia and Turkey she brokered last year.

"This will most likely be a difficult and painful process for the
Turkish people, but at the end of the day it will strengthen Turkish
democracy and put the US-Turkey relationship on a better footing,"
Mr Berman said.

Nancy Pelosi, the powerful House Speaker, has not committed herself
to a full vote. "No decision has been made yet whether to bring the
bill to the floor," said a Democratic aide.

Unless Ms Pelosi opts to take the resolution to the full House it
could expire at the end of this year. In the past she has given
higher profile support to a genocide resolution, only to backtrack
after pressure from the White House and elsewhere.

The genocide debate also stirs nationalist sensitivities within Turkey,
as do the negotiations with Armenia. Last autumn Turkey signed joint
protocols with Armenia aiming to restore diplomatic ties and open
the border. Mr Obama called on Abdullah Gul, Turkey’s president,
this week to speed ratification.

But the agreement is close to disintegrating. Armenia is frustrated
by Turkey’s refusal to put the protocols to a vote in parliament
until there is progress in the intractable dispute between Armenia
and Azerbaijan, its ally and gas supplier, over the Armenian-occupied
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The congressional resolution urges the US president to describe the
killings as genocide in an address commemorating the events on April
24. In spite of a pre-election promise, Mr Obama avoided the word
last year and is likely to maintain that position.

INTERACTIVE MAP OF ARMENIAN MANUSCRIPT CENTERS IS PUBLISHED IN INTERNET

Panorama.am
20:22 04/03/2010

Society

Today map-based presentation of Armenian manuscript centers is launched
in Internet. Interactive map is located in The
map shows Armenian cultural centers, where starting from 400
y. A.D. up to 1600 y. A.D. manuscripts are created using sophisticated
technologies. This obviously tells cultural, scientific and social
activity of Armenians in these population places. Zooming the map one
can see those places, from where only ten manuscripts have succeed
to survive after Genocide.

Viewing distribution of centers with more than 100 survived
manuscripts, one can realize how heavily was damaged Armenian nation,
lost not only essential part of population, but also its vital centers.

TURKEY SUMMONS US ENVOY ON GENOCIDE VOTE
By Delphine Strauss

FT
March 5 2010 13:19

The US ambassador to Turkey was summoned to the foreign ministry on
Friday after a congressional panel approved describing the Ottoman-era
massacres of Armenians as genocide.

The non-binding resolution, passed in the foreign affairs committee on
Thursday by 23 votes to 22, will test US-Turkish relations at a time
when Washington is already at odds with Ankara – a Nato member and
crucial ally in the region – over its drive for sanctions against Iran.

EDITOR’S CHOICE Turkey recalls ambassador over US vote – Mar-05Vote
undermines Obama’s Turkey strategy – Mar-05Analysis: Turkey – At
the garrison’s gate – Mar-03US turns screw on Ankara over sanctions
– Feb-24US foreign policy has not made breakthroughs – Feb-07The
Turkish government, which has long warned that such a vote would harm
bilateral relations, has recalled its ambassador from Washington for
consultations, complaining that a last-minute plea by Hillary Clinton,
secretary of state, to stop the resolution was not forceful enough.

"We expect a more effective policy from the administration," Ahmet
Davutoglu, foreign minister, said on Friday, adding that Washington
had displayed "a lack of strategic vision".

He also said the vote could harm ongoing Turkish and Armenian efforts
at reconciliation, as Turkey "never took decisions under pressure".

The Turkish cabinet is set to assess the situation on Monday after
consultations with Namik Tan, the ambassador who will fly back from
Washington on Friday, Mr Davutoglu said.

Similar resolutions have passed a committee vote before without
ever being put to a full vote on the floor of Congress, and the US
administration is signalling the pattern may be repeated.

"We understand that there will be no decision in full Congress. We
are against any new Congress decision," Jim Jeffrey, US ambassador,
told reporters as he left the ministry in Ankara on Friday.

"I do not think it is for any other country to determine how two
countries resolve matters between them," Mrs Clinton said during a
Latin American tour on Thursday. "We do not believe that any action
by the Congress is appropriate and we oppose it." She added that
the administration did not believe the full House "will or should"
vote on the resolution.

However, Turkey’s tough reaction reflects the difficulty it already
faces in salvaging an agreement with Armenia, signed last year after
mediation by Mrs Clinton, setting a timetable to restore diplomatic
ties and open their shared border.

There is fierce public opposition to the agreement in both countries,
and Ankara is refusing to ratify the protocols without progress in
the separate and intractable dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan
over Armenian occupation of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabagh.

"Turkey will not be responsible for the negative results that may
stem from this vote in every area," Abdullah Gul, president, said in
a statement. Mr Davutoglu said it was too early to talk about specific
measures in retaliation against the vote.

Turkey denies the 1915 killings of some 1.5m Armenians constituted
genocide, saying many Turks also died in the chaos that engulfed the
disintegrating Ottoman empire, and that the interpretation of events
should be left to an international committee of historians.

Both the genocide debate and Nagorno-Karabakh stir nationalist
sensitivities in Turkey, where anti-US feeling runs high.

Analysts think the chances of the resolution reaching a vote on the
floor of Congress are still weak. Atilla Yesilada, of the consultancy
Global Source, warned that if it did proceed, the ruling Ak Party
"simply can’t look weak in the face of such a great insult", as it
risked losing votes to nationalists before a possible referendum and
elections due in 2011.

The Armenian National Committee of America hailed the vote but said
the real test was a full House vote.

INDIAN GOVERNMENT FUNDS REBUILDING OF ARTSNI SCHOOL

02-indian-government-funds-rebuilding-of-artsni-sc hool
Tuesday March 02, 2010

New York – Armenia Fund is implementing a major renovation of the
community school of Artsni, a village in Armenia’s Lori Region,
with financing provided by the government of India.

The project entails the reconstruction of one of the two main buildings
of the two-story school, which was built in 1962. At the conclusion of
the initiative, the renovated school will accommodate all of Artsni’s
students – who at present total 49 children.

To date the building’s roof as well as doors and windows have been
replaced, along with an added boiler room. Currently construction
crews are preparing to install new hardwood floors and paint the walls.

Marieta Arustamyan, principal of the school, conveying her profound
gratitude to the Indian government, said that the campus had long been
in a state of disrepair, adversely affecting the quality of learning.

She went on to express her confidence that the renovated school will
boost student morale and lead to educational excellence.

"Today our residents are filled with renewed hope at the sight of
construction activity in the village, even though many of the issues
we face as a community still need to be addressed," said proud Artsni
Mayor, Khenko Khachanesyan.

"Education has always been a core aspect of Armenian life in India,
ever since the 17th century, and it is so wonderful to see the
Indian government continues to play an instrumental role in Armenian
education today," said Ara Vardanyan, executive director of the
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. "Furthermore, the Indian government’s
sponsorship of the important Artsni-school reconstruction is yet
another heartwarming step in strengthening the friendship of the
Indian and Armenian peoples."

"India’s contribution to the reconstruction of the school of the Lori
Region’s Artsni community is part of India’s Development Assistance
Programme for friendly states such as Armenia, and reflects the desire
on the part of India to be a willing and reliable partner in their
developmental efforts, beginning with projects of high priority,"
said Achal Kumar Malhotra, Ambassador of India to Armenia. "We are
confident that, once reconstructed, the school premises will provide
an ideal environment for education," Mr. Malhotra concluded.

WRONG TIME FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL

World Politics Review
aspx?id=5210
March 3

Demonstrating a predictable lack of strategic foresight, the
U.S. Congress plans to renew its obsession with the Armenian genocide
tomorrow, when the House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold its
mark-up session for the Armenian Genocide resolution. In 2007, the
resolution — which "[calls] upon the president to ensure that the
foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding
and sensitivity concerning . . . the Armenian Genocide" — passed out
of committee but never reached a vote on the House floor, following a
strong pushback effort from the Bush administration. The supporters
of this year’s iteration hope the Obama White House will prove less
resistant to its foreign policy being held hostage to Congress’s
parochial interests.

While there is little doubt outside of Turkey that genocide was
perpetrated against the Armenians in the 1910s, the resolution
threatens to undermine U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and South
Caucasus at exactly the wrong time. Turkey and Armenia are currently
in the midst of a slow-going rapprochement, an effort broadly opposed
by the Armenian diaspora in the U.S., but supported by the Obama
administration. Meanwhile, Washington needs Ankara onside with regards
to Iran, especially as the U.S. pushes for a new sanctions resolution
in the U.N. Security Council, where Turkey holds a non-permanent
seat. The Armenian Genocide resolution would scuttle both efforts.

Turkish-Armenian rapprochement has progressed in fits and starts for
more than two years, but it appears to have again stalled. Since
signing two protocols in October 2009 that outlined the path
toward normalizing diplomatic relations and opening borders, the
two neighbors have made little tangible progress. Armenian President
Serzh Sarkisian has made it clear that the country’s parliament will
not ratify the protocols until Turkey does so first. For its part,
Turkey has belatedly linked ratification of the agreements to progress
in resolving the stalemated conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic
Armenian province seeking independence — with Armenia’s support —
from Azerbaijan. Ankara had long conditioned normalizing ties with
Armenia on a resolution of the dispute, but agreed to forgo the demand
in signing last October’s agreements. Ankara reversed course once again
in response to vocal opposition to the agreements from nationalists
at home and longstanding ally Azerbaijan abroad. Armenia rejects the
renewed linkage, rightly pointing out that neither protocol mentions
Nagorno-Karabakh.

The smart money is now on a breakdown in the process. However,
Turkey and Armenia have surprised in the past. In September 2009,
most analysts believed the process had ground to a halt, only to be
proven wrong weeks later when the two governments signed the protocols
at a ceremony in Zurich. With Armenian Remembrance Day approaching
on April 24, Turkey may again feel the need to demonstrate progress
in order to reduce the likelihood of President Barack Obama using
the word "genocide" in his statement on that day.

In this context, the Armenian Genocide resolution is a unilateral
provocation, not a constructive application of pressure. It is
driven by a domestic constituency that would broadly prefer to see
the incipient Turkish-Armenian rapprochement fall apart. Ankara
knows this and views it as brinksmanship on the part of Yerevan —
which, truth be told, has far less sway over the Armenian diaspora
than Ankara claims. But if the resolution were to pass in the House,
Turkey would likely walk away from the process altogether, feeling
betrayed by its Armenian interlocutors.

More importantly, the resolution has the potential to undermine U.S.

efforts to halt Iran’s uranium enrichment and other nuclear
activities. Turkey has proven a fickle partner in this endeavor,
positioning itself as a potential broker between Iran and the West by
cultivating ties to Tehran, often to the befuddlement of the U.S. and
Europe. However, the passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution
would give the Turks even less incentive to work with its NATO allies
on Iran, especially in the U.N. Security Council where the P5+1 need
nine votes to pass another round of sanctions. Given Turkey’s cordial
relations with Iran, a Turkish vote for the next round of sanctions
would send a clear signal to Tehran that its policies have left it
more diplomatically isolated than ever. However, if Congress pushes
forward on the Armenian Genocide resolution, Turkish support for
stronger Iranian sanctions would prove even more fleeting than they
have to date.

Given its strategic location, Turkey has a stake in a number
of other U.S. foreign policy goals: political reconciliation
and normalization in Iraq, the reunification of Cyprus, European
energy security, security stabilization of the South Caucasus, and
the Arab-Israeli peace process, among others. For the most part,
Turkey under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party has not
worked at cross-purposes to U.S. interests in the neighborhood. But a
domestically self-serving resolution on the Armenian genocide would
further complicate the bilateral U.S.-Turkish relationship to the
detriment of the Obama administration’s foreign policy in the region.

The resolution is a luxury at a time when the U.S. needs its leaders
to show a statesman-like grasp of the national interest.

The exercise of foreign policy is, ultimately, an exercise in
prioritization. The U.S. has more important considerations in the
Middle East and the South Caucasus than shadowboxing with the past.

Matt Stone, a Washington-based energy consultant, is an adjunct policy
fellow in International Studies at the University of Arizona.

Photo: Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan, Yerevan, Armenia, September 2008 (Martin Shahbazyan).

US SAYS WILL CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE TURKEY AND ARMENIA TO MOVE FORWARD

Today’s Zaman
March 3 2010
Turkey

Days before the March 4 vote in the US House foreign affairs committee
regarding a resolution on Armenian allegations related to the incidents
of 1915, US officials said Obama administration would continue to
encourage Turkey and Armenia to move forward, not look backward.

At a daily press briefing on Tuesday, spokesman for the US Department
of State Philip Crowley said Washington supported the current process
for normalized relations between Turkey and Armenia.

At a ceremony in Switzerland last October, Turkish and Armenian foreign
ministers signed protocols to normalize relations. US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton was also present at the signing ceremony.

"We haven’t changed our view, but we continue to engage at a high
level with both countries and to encourage them to see it implemented
on both sides," Crowley said.

"We continue to encourage both sides. We understand how difficult this
is, how emotional this is. There’s not a common understanding of what
happened 90 years ago, but we value the courageous steps that both
leaders have taken, and we just continue to encourage both countries
to move forward, not look backward," he said.

Asked about the Armenian resolution to be voted Thursday by a US
House panel, Crowley said the US administration had a pretty good
understanding of how everyone feels on this issue.

On Monday, Turkey asked Obama administration to exert efforts against
the resolution and warned its NATO ally that relations would be
damaged if the House foreign affairs committee approved the measure.

Meanwhile, a group of Turkish lawmakers are lobbying in Washington,
D.C. against the resolution. Lawmakers are having meetings with
Congressmen in the House. Murat Mercan, head of the delegation,
voiced on Tuesday Turkey’s expectations from Obama administration to
exert more efforts against the resolution.

TURKISH FM SENDS LETTER TO U.S. CONGRESS

Trend
March 2 2010
Azerbaijan

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has sent a letter to the U.S. Congress.

The letter states the consideration of so-called "Armenian genocide"
will negatively influence the peace in the South Caucasus region,
CNN Turk reported. Consideration of so-called, "Armenian genocide"
by the U.S. Congress will be a blow to the Turkish-American relations
and Turkey hopes that the U.S. Congress will not consider the question
of the Armenian genocide, the letter says.

Turkish Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Murat
Mercan went on a working visit to the United States to prevent the
consideration of so-called, "Armenian genocide" by the U.S. Congress,
CNN Turk reported earlier.

Before his visit to Washington, he said that the discussion of the 1915
events in the U.S. Congress would damage Turkish-American relations.

U.S Congress’s International Relations Commission Chairman Howard
Berman proposed to submit the so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ for
consideration March 4.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that submission for
consideration of the bill on the so-called, "Armenian genocide" March
4 by the U.S. Congress’s Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Howard
Berman is not accidental and planned by Armenia.

He said that for some reason, when Ankara announced the protocols’
signing in August there was no pressure. According to him, someone
is trying to convince Ankara of something it did not commit.

TURKEY MANEUVERS TO BLOCK GENOCIDE DRAFT BY US HOUSE

ANSAmed
March 1, 2010 Monday 10:35 AM CET
Italy

(ANSAmed) Tensions in Ankara increased on the eve of Thursday’s
Armenian genocide voting in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US
House of Representatives, today’s Radikal daily newspaper reports.

Relations between Turkey and Armenia have until now been soured by
differences over the massacres of Armenians between 1915 and 1917 at
the time of the Ottoman Empire. Ankara denies that it was genocide,
which Ierevan has always claimed.

A Turkish delegation went yesterday to the US to hold contacts in
Washington before the voting scehduled on Thursday. The Turkish
Foreign Ministry in turn has warned the US that the approval of the
draft would have negative impact on Turco-American relations as well
as on the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia. Today’s
Sabah daily newspaper adds that Turkey’s newly appointed ambassador to
Washington Namik Tan was working hard to block the draft. Radikal says
that the silence of US President Barack Obama regarding the draft was
seen as a negative sign for Ankara. The paper says that the Turkish
Foreign Ministry was aware of the risks and was exerting efforts to
make the White House block the controversial process.

WARLIKE STATEMENTS BY BAKU SWAMP KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS: NALBANDIAN

news.am
March 2 2010
Armenia

Warlike statements by Azerbaijani are impeding Karabakh conflict
settlement, that meanwhile provoked hostility in Karabakh conflict
zone in the past, RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said at the
press conference in Yerevan.

Speaking of OSCE Minsk Group efforts and Madrid Principles, he
maintained that the workflow in the frames of OSCE MG goes on and
sides keep on submitting their working proposals. "The process will
go on until the sides reach a consensus," Minister noted.

Commenting on international community’s efforts to resolve Karabakh
conflict, Nalbandian underlined that EU and other organizations can
play a crucial role in securing ceasefire and removal of snipers from
the contact line. "The parties have not reached final enhancement
on ceasefire, the question with snipers is still open, as only one
side gave its consent over the matter, while the other one keeps on
making warlike statements," RA Foreign Minister concluded.

VARDENIS DIARY: RESIDENTS NO LONGER EXPECT SOLUTIONS FROM ELECTED OFFICIALS
Grisha Balasanyan

2010/03/01 | 16:22

MP Tigran Torosyan: "People must understand officials are not here
to hand out favors"

Trying to reach the village of Vardenis, Aragatzotn Marz, especially
during the winter, is an arduous and nearly impossible journey. Roads
leading to the village, located just five kilometers from the town
of Abaran, are covered with slick ice from the hardened snows.

When the snowfalls are light, the roads are usually cleared pretty
quickly, but the snow is swept along the roadsides, making turning
impossible on the two-lane road.

One of the drivers must park the car along the snow covered roadside
and then, with some elbow grease from the passengers, push the car
back in the other direction. This is what happened to us when we
allowed a passing car to overtake us.

A group of men from Vardenis had gathered next to a non-descript
one story building they call the cultural center. When we entered the
smoke filled room, there were about fifty men inside playing backgammon
and cards. There were two former village mayors in the crowd.

Former Vardenis mayors now unemployed

Djivan Sargsyan was mayor of Vardenis from 1996-2002. He’s now
unemployed and passes the time of day playing backgammon with other
men from the village. During our conversation, he had only praise
for current Mayor Kamo Petrosyan, saying that the new man has already
done more than he ever did.

"Today, it’s become the accepted norm that all taxes in the village
are collected. Back in my day, we just couldn’t do that," said Mr.

Sargsyan

The former village mayor points to government subsidies for the tax
collection success story, arguing that without government assistance
no community leader could ever manage to collect taxes.

Another Djivan, this time Asatryan, served as Vardenis mayor from
2002-2008. He said that he pulled out of the local race two years ago
because it was becoming next to impossible to manage a community with
such few resources.

"I you go pay a visit to someone’s home the first thing you pay
attention to is the how clean the place is and the woman who runs the
household. This here is like our living room because everyone from
the village meets here. Take a look around and you’ll get a good idea
of what shape the village is in," Mr. Asatryan said, pointing towards
the cultural center. He said that the list of problems facing Vardenis
is a long one Land aplenty but farming just not profitable

Vardenis has about 650 hectares of tillable land, 100 hectares of
natural meadow and 500 hectares of pasture. "The village has a good
amount of land, but residents just don’t have the means to buy seed
and fertilizer to work the land and make a profit. We sow our local
seed and pray for rain. There’s practically no irrigation water to
speak of. We even use drinking water to irrigate the gardens by our
homes," Mr. Asatryan said.

He told the story of how the entire village flew in a panic the day
the meadow grasses were being mowed for harvesting. The combine,
made in 1985, conked out after just one hectare and remained out of
order for days.

We asked Mr. Asatryan if the village couldn’t get the needed equipment
on credit. He answered that there wasn’t one person in Vardenis able
to make such a purchase.

We also asked if he had followed up on a list of issues that his
predecessor had presented to Lyova Khachatryan, the local Member
of Parliament.

"What do you expect us to demand of him; he’s just one individual.

You’re correct he should raise these issues in parliament. This is
his second term in office. But he says nothing about the problems here.

The only development was the 1.5 kilometer gas pipe they installed
back in 20007. Lyova Khachatryan had something to do with that small
event," he said.

Village remains without gas

Gas for heating and cooking has been the main problem in the village
and remains so today. Residents burn dried dung for their winter
heating needs. Those better off can afford to buy wood.

Valery Safaryan, one of the unemployed men, who had gone to the
cultural center to shoot the breeze, told us that the village had
loads of uncultivated land.

"Even the young people have nothing to do and drift around aimlessly.

Those who can, leave the village. All of us would leave if he had
the chance," he said.

"No government official has ever visited the village to ask how we
are coping. The only time we see a politician is before an election to
ask for our votes. You don’t see these guys for the next four years,"
said Hendo, a village resident.

Residents claim MP Khachatryan practices "favoritism with funds"

I asked if they ever got in touch with their representatives. "Geez,
give me a break. The minute we turn our backs they tear up the petition
we just handed over. Nothing gets done. Why should they even read the
damn thing? They come and hand out money at election time and figure
they’ve solved the problem," answered Hendo.

When we asked how much the politicians hand out Hendo replied,
"5,000 AMD, the same amount they gave you."

Vardges Manoukyan, another resident, said that they have petition MP
Lyova Khachatryan several times but that nothing has yet to be done.

Mr. Manoukyan was worried about the village school. The building is
structurally unsafe. He confessed that it’s with some trepidation
that he sends his grandchild to first grade since the building could
collapse at the slightest tremor.

"Every official invests in their home town. It’s the same with Lyova
Khachatryan. He takes care of Yerndjatap. He’s built a fabulous
cultural center in the village and the gas flows freely. No one cares
about us," Mr. Manoukyan said. He wasn’t the only one critical of
the discriminatory largesse handed out by the local MP.

"Our regional governor is from the Talin region. They all direct
the bulk of state funding to their districts. It’s the same with the
regional governor. Perhaps, if our esteemed president would just send
a fact-finding team around to the villages, it’s just possible that
they’d have a change of heart, a feeling of remorse, and make changes
to actually help rural folk," said resident Artur Grigoryan.

Former NA Speaker Torosyan – Villagers should pester their elected
representatives

He noted that while MP Tigran Torosyan, the former parliament speaker,
traces his roots to Vardenis, he’s never publicly acknowledged the
fact and has done nothing for the village.

When asked, MP Torosyan didn’t deny the connection to Vardenis but
added that it was his ancestors that lived there ninety years ago
and that today, he has no dealings with the village.

"Officials aren’t there to do favors for anyone. They have their
elected MP, village mayor and regional governor. These are the
officials they should be contacting regarding the problems they face,"
MP Torosyan told Hetq.

MP Torosyan said that one of the unfortunate aspects of the country
is that members of parliament usually funnel government money and
projects to their home towns. Other districts go without as a result.

We asked MP Torosyan why he hadn’t channeled any government projects
to Vardenis, given that he is the only official to ‘hail’ from the
village.

"Since the good people of Vardenis have yet to understand that it’s
their local mayor who must seek solutions for local problems, they’ll
always wind in the same predicament," he answered.

We didn’t get to see the mayor of Vardenis. He was in Ashtarak
on business. We did get to speak with Parandzem Gevorgyan, the
municipality’s staff secretary. She basically repeated what we had
heard from local residents.

Mrs. Gevorgyan pointed out that farming was no longer cost-effective
since the government had halted subsidies for fertilizer. The cost,
at 7,500 AMD a sack, is prohibitive for most

"Forget about the fact that we have no seed to plant. Our MP knows
what’s going on in this village. We’ve petitioned him on many occasions
but what can he do?" Mrs. Gevorgyan answered in despair.