Author: Toganian Liana

New Round Of Talks Possible Between Yerevan And Ankara: Vahan Hovhannisyan

Tert.am
19.04.10

Talks over the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement may be continued without
the ratification of the Protocols, member of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (Dashnaktsutiun, ARF-D) Bureau Vahan Hovhannisyan told
Tert.am asked to what extent is the viewpoint realistic that the talks
between Yerevan and Ankara might continue without the ratification
of the Protocols.

According to Hovhannisyan talks conducted so far will be at the core
of the new talks and will affect them not positively.

In his word the two sides had better withdraw from the current
talks and initiate a new round of talks, at the same time trying to
neutralize the negative effects of the previous negotiation process.

As what concerns Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s recent visit
to Washington and also the meetings he held there, according to
Hovhannisyan, it ‘left many questions unanswered," though "generally,
the visit was a positive one."

Diaspora is Armenia’s Top Asset
By iwpr.net
Created 16 Apr 10

Loyal expatriate Armenians return often, support economy.
By Aghavni Harutyunyan in Yerevan

In a market in Yerevan, visitors can buy an empty jar labelled simply
`Armenian Air’. It appears absurd, but it taps into a profitable
emotion: the love that diaspora Armenians feel for this little
post-Soviet Republic.

Ashot, who runs the stall selling the jars, said they were very
popular with visiting Armenians and had helpfully labelled the jars
with ingredients: the spirit of hospitality; the air of Yerevan and
the mountains; the smell of Armenian bread and meat; the steam of Lake
Sevan.

Five million of the world’s eight million Armenians live outside the
republic, and their visits are a major boost to its economy. Almost
two-thirds of the 575,281 tourists who came to Armenia last year were
from the diaspora.

Salbi Agarakian, in her late fifties, was born in Aleppo in northern
Syria but has lived in Los Angeles for almost half a century. She
first came to Armenia in 1991 and has visited whenever she can since.

`When I see Armenian TV channels, when they show the [Yerevan
landmarks] Cascade Complex or Republic Square, I immediately want to
come to Armenia, to walk the streets, to mix into the crowds. I always
miss Armenia. I feel pangs for it, for the people and the country,’
she said.

`Compared to the 1990s, there have been significant changes, but the
country must grow further. All of us must try to become better.
Although it takes 16 hours to fly here, and my work does not let me
travel often, I want to be in [the religious centre of] Echmiadzin for
Easter, to hear the priests talk, to be among the people, with my
family, my extended family. For me the nation is a family, and not
just people. Here I do not feel alone, I am with my family.’

Agarakian’s ancestors, like those of most diaspora Armenians, were
scattered across the world by the mass killings of Armenians committed
by Ottoman Turkish troops in the First World War. The question of
whether the campaign of murder was a genocide or not has dogged
relations between Armenians and Turkey ever since.

According to Suren Manukyan, deputy director of the museum of the
Armenian genocide, there are no precise figures for the number of
Armenians who lived in what is now eastern Turkey before 1915. He said
most historians think there were two million, of whom 500,000 survived
the mass killings, and found asylum in various countries around the
world.

The major inflow of diaspora Armenians takes place in April, since
April 24 is the Remembrance Day for the victims of the atrocities,
marking the anniversary of the arrest and savage murder in 1915 of 250
Armenian intellectuals in Istanbul.

In the first years of Armenian independence, many diaspora Armenians
invested in the country, although often these deals ended unhappily
owing to official corruption or incompetence.

`Several complaints remain today. Either the money due for payment is
not paid, or a high price is set for some services or goods. The
American and French Armenians are used to accuracy, and clear
relations,’ said Tevos Nersisyan, spokesman for the diaspora
ministry, which was set up in October 2008 with the aim of encouraging
unity among Armenians.

`This is a very difficult duty, since sometimes Armenians from
different societies differ more amongst themselves, than in relation
to different nations. There are people who feel themselves to be
Armenians if they no longer have Armenian names, while many who have
Armenian surnames feel they are foreigners. It happens that Armenians
living in the same country only meet each other at our events.’

For seven years, Anahit Meliksetian and Artush Andreasian have visited
Armenia regularly from their home in Iran. Their two children study in
Yerevan.

`We always had connections to the homeland. When the chance came to
study in Armenia, the children preferred to come to Armenia although
we have a `green card’ and they could have studied in the United
States,’ Meliksetian said.

`Everything is coming together bit by bit. Armenia is our homeland. We
do not ask what our country can do for us. We ask what we can do for
our country.’

Her daughter, Ani Andreasian, is in her second year at university in
Yerevan.

`I decided for myself that I would live and work here. I do not feel
like I do in Armenia anywhere else. It is nice to feel that
everything, be it good or bad, is mine. I am thinking about living
here for longer, and becoming a citizen of Armenia,’ Ani said.

Diaspora Armenians can receive citizenship in a simplified procedure,
without the usual need to live in the country for three years or know
the Armenian language. They can also, if an agreement exists with
their country of origin, become dual nationals.

Armenians from the 18 countries whose citizens require an invitation
to gain a visa can enter the country without bureaucratic
procedures. This applies to countries like Syria, Egypt and India,
which have significant Armenian populations.

Iranian Armenians can get an entrance visa at the border. Shahen
Babaians, was born in the city of Urmia in Iran, and first came to
Armenia in 1991, although his homecoming was not what he had hoped for
since the economy was collapsing and the country was at war over
Nagorny Karabakh.

`After three months I returned to Iran, but with a desire to come back
to Yerevan as soon as I could. However, I only got back to Armenia in
2002. Then I came to Armenia with a firm desire to live here, to
marry, to raise a family. After a few trips, I at last managed to move
my business to Armenia, to marry an Armenian woman, and my daughter
Sose is now six years old,’ he explained.

He said it was harder to run a business in Armenia than Iran, but did
not regret his decision to move.

`I always dreamed of living in my homeland. I know Armenian badly, and
always dreamed that my children would get an Armenian education, and if
possible, in the homeland itself,’ he said.

Aghavni Harutyunyan is a journalist from the Azg newspaper.

Seda Muradyan, IWPR Armenia country director, contributed to this
report.

© Institute for War & Peace Reporting
48 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8LT, UK

OFFICIAL VISIT OF RA NATIONAL SPEAKER HOVIK ABRAHAMYAN TO LEBANON ENDS

National Assembly (parliament.am)
April 15 2010
Armenia

Within the framework of his official visit to Lebanon on the evening of
April 13 RA National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan had a meeting
in the Armenian Embassy to Lebanon with the heads of the political
parties and community structures. Representatives of the Armenian
Lebanese, members of the parliament and government of Lebanon of
Armenian descent attended the meeting. Hovik Abrahamyan told about
his efficient meetings, which took place in Lebanon, noting that
the President of the country, Head of the Parliament and the Prime
Minister warmly received him. The Armenian Lebanese community has
its major role in it, which in the National Speaker’s words with its
organizational and law-abiding abilities earned respect in Lebanon. It
is extremely important that the Armenian Lebanese are accepted and
assessed not only as Armenians, but also as Lebanon’s dignified,
creative citizens, especially taking into account the fact that our
compatriots are represented in the parliament and in the government.

Hovik Abrahamyan presented the viewpoints of the Armenian authorities
on the Armenian-Turkish relations and Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

In the reception organized at RA Embassy in Lebanon, in which foreign
diplomats accredited in Lebanon also took part, Hovik Abrahamyan said
that Armenia wants to more deepen the relations with Lebanon. He
expressed his conviction that they would be more strengthened,
noting that it would be necessary to develop the economic relations
and reach them to the level of political relations, which are very
close and warm.

In the yard of the Armenian Embassy in Lebanon within the framework
of the official visit of RA National Assembly Speaker an action The
Dialogue of the Cultures was implemented: painters Teni Vardanyan,
Marina Dilanyan and Armen Gevorgyan representing the Armenian Modern
Art completed on the land of Lebanon a united work comprised of
twelve canvases dedicated to the Armenian-Lebanese cultural ties,
which began from the Armenian land. The Speaker of the National
Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan presented it to the Lebanese Parliament and
the Government for the token of the Armenian-Lebanese warm friendship.

THERE IS NO MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE SETTLEMENT FOR NAGORNO KARABAKH ISSUE: MARKEDONOV

Tert.am
17.04.10

There no mutually acceptable variants for the solution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that would bring the two sides closer to
each other, Russian political scientist and expert on Caucasus issues
Sergei Markedonov told Tert.am.

"I cannot understand where the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict is as each side is pushing today its objectives over the
settlement of this issue: one side is speaking about the nations’
self-determination right and the other is mentioning territorial
integrity," said Markedonov.

As what concerns the foreign players involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue, in his opinion, today they do not have a special will to find
the variant for a solution that would be acceptable for both sides.

"That is why I do not think that the issue will be solved anytime
soon," added Markedonov.

A RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS

Armenian Weekly Staff
Fri, Apr 16 2010

Two months ago, the Armenian Relief Society Eastern USA Office received
a letter from Der Hayr Bedros Shetilian of Troy, N.Y. asking for
assistance for Larissa Arzumanov of Albany, N.Y. Arzumanov needed
immediate surgery to treat a complicated eye disease, but due to
unfortunate family circumstances was unable to pay for her medical
treatment.

She was blind in her right eye and only had two percent vision in her
left eye. Surgery was the only solution in order to save her eyesight.

Arzumanov was a victim of the Armenian pogrom that took place in Baku,
Azerbaijan in 1988. She was a witness to horrible events, including
murder. She and her family were able to flee Baku for Russia with
nothing more than the clothing on their backs. She considers herself
very lucky to be alive today. She recently immigrated to the United
States to be with her son, her daughter-in-law, and her newly born
granddaughter.

The ARS, as a humanitarian organization, immediately informed its
chapters of the urgency of this case, and chapters willingly sent in
their monetary donations.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the Armenian community and Der Hayr
Shetilian, today Arzumanov is doing well after a successful operation.

The Armenian Relief Society Eastern USA, Inc. Board of Regional
Directors would like to thank the individuals, members, and chapters
for their acts of kindness.

STUCK IN 1915 HOW TURKEY AND ARMENIA BLEW THEIR BIG CHANCE AT PEACE.
THOMAS DE WAAL

Foreign Policy
April 15 2010

Not many borders are closed in our globalized world, but the frontier
between Armenia and Turkey is still a dead zone where the railroad
stops. The closed border is a strange anomaly in the new Europe
that stems from two old tragedies: the still unresolved conflict
of the early 1990s between Armenia and Turkey’s ally Azerbaijan,
and the catastrophe of 1915 when the entire Armenian population of
eastern Anatolia was deported or killed in the dying days of the
Ottoman Empire.

People on both sides of this closed border want it open. Last month I
flew between the Armenian capital of Yerevan and Istanbul — the two
countries do at least have an air connection. The standard look of the
Armenian businessmen packing the plane was slightly menacing at first.

They all had dark leather jackets and hair cut short to the scalp,
concealing a cheerful friendliness toward Turks. The two men sitting
next to me wanted to be able to send the carpets, doors, and windows
they currently buy in Turkey, and dispatch to Armenia in a roundabout
route via Georgia, directly home across an open border.

In Istanbul, the thoughtful Turkish academic Cengiz Aktar told me
why he thinks that Turkey will be liberated if it faces up to the
truth of what happened to its missing Armenians. Aktar initiated an
Internet petition apologizing for the "Great Catastrophe" of 1915
(adopting the Armenians’ own phrase for the tragedy) and expressing
sympathy for "my Armenian brothers and sisters." More than 30,000
Turks have signed it — remarkable for a country whose schoolbooks
were, until recently, saying that Armenians killed Turks in the dying
days of the Ottoman Empire and not the other way around. It is not an
easy process, but the taboo on discussing the issue of what happened
to the missing Armenians has now been lifted in Turkey.

For a little while it seemed as if the governments in Yerevan and
Ankara were also defying their region’s dark historical determinism.

Last October, the Armenian and Turkish presidents, Serzh Sargsyan and
Abdullah Gul, moved to sign two protocols on normalizing relations,
pledging that, once the documents were ratified by their countries’
parliaments, the closed border would open within two months. Six months
on, insecurities and local politics are again winning the day, and the
protocols are in trouble. Turkish leaders are postponing ratification
of the agreements. An April 12 meeting between Sargsyan and Turkey’s
powerful prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Washington on the
sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit, was a last-ditch attempt
to broker a rescue, but the initial omens from it are not good.

What has gone wrong? Ankara has gone cool on the process, saying
it wants to see progress on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh — even though the conflict is not mentioned in
the protocols. The Turks clearly did not expect the furious reaction
the rapprochement would have with Azerbaijan, the losing side in the
conflict over the disputed province in the early 1990s. One-seventh
of Azerbaijan’s de jure territory is still under Armenian control, and
in 1993, Turkey closed its border with Armenia in solidarity with its
Turkic ally. Azerbaijan has been lobbying hard and effectively against
the protocols, and its fears are understandable — it is worried that
if the Armenia-Turkey border opens, a key lever of influence on the
Armenians to make concessions over Nagorno-Karabakh will be lost.

That might be true in the short term, but in the long run the opening
of the border would be bound to transform the South Caucasus region
and have a positive effect on the deep-set Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
as well. The Turks would become a neutral player in the Caucasus and
have positive leverage there for the first time. Alas, this kind of
long-term thinking is not the norm in this region.

Another complication is the approach of April 24, the date marked as
Armenian Genocide Day. As always, the coming anniversary is fraying
tempers, as Armenians make their annual push for the U.S. president
and Congress to term the 1915 killings "genocide," infuriating Turkey.

Sargsyan has endured much criticism from diaspora Armenians for his
rapprochement with Turkey. He is now under pressure to withdraw his
signature from the protocols and ward off criticism at home and in
the diaspora that he has allowed the Turks to string him along.

A short-term fix is needed to overcome the immediate danger of a
collapse in the process, one that the U.S. administration might have
only a few days to try to engineer. But there is also a longer-term
challenge here — how to pull the South Caucasus region as a whole
out of its historical cycle of mistrust and deadlock. Local actors
appear trapped, afraid to break the recurring negative dynamics that
keep borders and minds closed. A broader long-term strategy akin to
the one that has slowly turned around the Balkans in the last decade
and a half is needed here.

That means making a much greater commitment to untying the biggest
knot tangling up the area between the Black and Caspian Seas, the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. Currently the
international resources being invested in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace
process are much too small to make a difference. The conflict is
dormant, but there is no room for complacency. Oil-rich Azerbaijan
now spends more than $2 billion a year on its military budget, more
than Armenia’s entire annual budget. A few years down the line this
could lead Azerbaijan into an attempt to reconquer Nagorno-Karabakh
by force, triggering a regional war that would shake the area between
Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

The United States could also invest in some long-term thinking on
the Armenian-Turkish issue, making reconciliation its strategic goal
and not treating it as a problem that flashes up as a red light once
a year, close to Armenian Genocide Day. In recent years, the issue
of whether the U.S. president will use the "G word" — genocide —
in his annual April 24 statement has degraded what should be the
commemoration of a historical tragedy into grubby political bargaining.

A key date, the centenary of the Armenian holocaust in 2015, is
glimmering over the horizon and can be a useful star for Turks,
Armenians — and President Barack Obama — to be guided by. The
Turkish government should recognize that it has five years to
come up with a better response to the Armenian question before
the whole world commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
holocaust. By pushing the question five years into the future, Obama
would be respectfully but gravely giving the Turkish government a
chance to catch up with the growing debate in its own society. If
on April 24 he says, "In five years’ time I will be marking the
centenary of the Great Catastrophe of 1915. I hope to be marking it
with our Turkish friends and not without them," he will start to
be a catalyst for reconciliation rather than just a player in the
perpetual Armenian-Turkish quarrel.

Thomas de Waal is senior associate for the Caucasus with the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace.

PRIME MINISTER OF ARMENIA COMES OUT IN DEFENSE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES

ArmInfo
2010-04-15 16:49:00

ArmInfo. The Government of Armenia will further response to any
complaints by small and medium-sized enterprises regarding taxation.

Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan said in the Government on
Thursday that the government announced at the previous meeting that
surveys were launched to reveal efficiency of tax inspections for
2008-2009 as a result of complaints of frequent inspections at SMEs.

"We must be very careful and attentive in this sphere and create
favorable conditions for SMEs. In this context, tax administration is
very important, since distrust and non-confidence in the government
are observed in this sphere, in particular," the prime minister said.

He said that the collected data are discouraging. "Thus, total number
of inspections by tax authorities in 2009 grew 82%, whereas additional
tax revenues fell 25%. However, there are certain inaccuracies in the
collected data, in particular, the number of inspections grew 82%,
including inspections at big taxpayer companies grew 30%, at the
companies with annual turnover not exceeding 53 million drams – 70%,
and at other companies – 250%. In the meanwhile, additional revenues
fell 2-3 times," he said. Tigran Sargsyan said that the ratio of
additional payments to the actually paid taxes by big taxpayers is 4
times lower than by others. This difference grew 3.8 times in 2008 and
4,6 times in 2009. "It has turned out that a softer approach has been
made to big taxpayers rather than to small ones," Tigan Sargsyan said.

The given data must be analyzed, he said, because there are evident
problems with efficient taxation and all the criticism must be levered
at the Finance Ministry that should have carried out reforms as
planned. "If necessary, we are ready to render additional assistance
since creating favorable conditions for business just through our
macro parameters is impossible. This sphere must be a target since GDP
growth mostly depends on good macroeconomic and expansionary policies.

We have made big investments in economy, which cannot but lead to
economic growth. Microenvironment needs improvement, whereas too
frequent inspections will just arouse dissatisfaction of dozens of
thousand of enterprises with the government that fails to fulfill its
promises," the prime minister said. He did not allow Gagik Khachatryan,
Head of the State Revenue Committee, to speak in defense of his policy.

T. Sargsyan said there are complaints also regarding the Economy
Ministry that made inspections at small enterprises in 2009 violating
the prime minister’s instructions. "Big companies can protect
themselves, whereas small and medium ones cannot. From now and on
this sphere will be in the focus of attention of the government and
any alarm by SMEs will become a reason for serious discussions,"
Tigran Sargsyan said.

ROSTOV-NA-DONU TO HOST CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY PHOTO EXHIBITION

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 15, 2010 – 16:05 AMT 11:05 GMT

Crime against Humanity photo exhibition will take place at Don State
Public Library from April 20-24.

The four-day photo exhibition is dedicated to the 95th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide.

MURDER OF DEPUTY CHIEF OF POLICE OF ARMENIA IS STILL UNDISCLOSED

ArmInfo
2010-04-14 14:49:00

ArmInfo. The murder of Deputy Chief of Police of Armenia Gevork Mheryan
is still undisclosed, Chief of Police of Armenia Alik Sargsyan said
during a press-conference today.

He said that the investigation is well underway and there already are
suspects. "However, the case still remains undisclosed," Sargsyan said.

To remind, Mheryan was killed Feb 3 2009 evening. The Special
Investigatory Service has instituted a criminal case.

RUBEN MELKONYAN: YEREVAN AND ANKARA TEST EACH OTHER’S FIRMNESS

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 14, 2010 – 17:43 AMT 12:43 GMT

Turkologist Ruben Melkonyan said that the process of normalization of
the Armenian-Turkish relations reminds going round in circles. There
is not any progress in ratification of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols,
Melkonyan told a press conference in Yerevan. "It is possible that,
if the Turkish side continues the imitation policy, Armenia will
withdraw its signature under the Protocols. But this issue depends
on a political expediency," he said.

According to him, currently a struggle of nerves is taking place
between Yerevan and Ankara – the sides test each other’s firmness. The
Turkologist noted that, judging from this, it would be incorrect,
if Armenia becomes the first to yield its position. "I strongly
believe that Turkish politicians will toughen their stance towards
ratification of the Protocols after April 24. They will try to force
Armenia to commit errors," said Melkonyan.

According to him, the Turkish Prime Minister’s statement about
deportation of illegal Armenian immigrants shall be viewed within this
context. The expert warned that one should not treat this statement
as a threat, since the deportation of 12,000 Greeks in 1964 proves
that Ankara may take such a step.

Melkonyan added that Ankara will be responsible for failure in the
Armenian-Turkish dialogue and its reputation will suffer significantly.