Author: Vardapetian Ophelia

Ohio U.S. House Candidate Issues Press Release on Sibel Edmonds’
‘Revealing’ Testimony

David Krikorian campaign notes Google’s removal of ads by Turkish
lobby group denying Armenian genocide

Announces open-to-public preliminary hearing tomorrow in his Ohio
Election Commission case against Ohio Rep. Jean Schmidt…

The BRAD BLOG
By Brad Friedman on 8/12/2009

As we continue to wait for the release of the video/transcript of
long-gagged FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds’ deposition last Saturday,
the campaign of David Krikorian, Ohio’s Democratic candidate for the
U.S. House seat in the 2nd Congressional district, has just issued a
press release relating to it. (Complete release posted below.)

In the statement, they re-iterate some of the information which The
BRAD BLOG covered during our live-blogging of the event over the
weekend, including Edmonds’ allegations under oath that "the Turkish
Lobby in the United States was under the direction of the Turkish
Government and engaged in operations including bribery, espionage and
blackmail with certain members of the US House of Representatives to
further its objectives in the United States including one of which is
the denial of the Armenian Genocide."

Some of those current and former House reps, such as Dennis Hastert
(R-IL), Dan Burton (R-IL), Bob Livingston (R-TX), Dick Gephardt
(D-MO), and Stephen Solarz (D-NY), were said to have been specifically
named during the 5-hour-long deposition. One female Representative,
said to be a Democrat and still serving in the House, was described,
but not named, as having been "hooked" by Turkish agents into
participating in a lesbian affair which is said to have been
videotaped for potential blackmail use against the sitting
Congresswoman….

Krikorian’s statement also repeats his allegations against his
opponent, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH), that she "took more money from the
Turkish lobby in the 2008 election cycle than any other member of the
House or Senate and has already booked thousands in contributions from
the Turkish despite there being almost no Turkish people or interests
in Ohio’s 2nd congressional district."

He goes on to allege that "Jean Schmidt has displayed a pattern of
taking money from groups in exchange for pushing their agendas."

Edmonds’ testimony arose out of a "false statements" complaint filed
by Schmidt against Krikorian, who is of Armenian descent, in the Ohio
Election Commission over his claim that she has accepted "blood money"
from Turkish interests who deny the 1915 Turkish genocide of ethnic
Armenians. Edmonds herself is a Turkish-born U.S. citizen. Schmidt is
the co-chair of the Congressional Turkish Caucus.

A preliminary hearing in the case will be conducted by the Ohio
Elections Commission in Columbus tomorrow. It will be open to the
public, beginning at 9:30am, according to the Krikorian press release.

The press release also cites a story on the Fox "News" website today,
highlighting a complaint from the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA),
against Google, charging that they inappropriately removed ads which
deny the Armenian Genocide. Fox quotes "a person familiar with
Google’s policies" likening the ads to "a Nazi group that said the
Holocaust is a myth."

On Saturday, Krikorian told The BRAD BLOG, during a break in Edmonds’
testimony: "From my opinion, if I’m some of the current members of
Congress, I’d be very very worried about the information that’s going
to come out of this. There are current members of Congress that she
has implicated in bribery, espionage.

It’s not good. It’s crazy, it’s absolutely crazy. For people in power
situations in the United States, who know about this information, if
they don’t take action against it, in my opinion, it’s negligence."

Video of his reaction on Saturday, as well as that of Edmonds and
several of the attorneys involved in the deposition, is now posted
here.
The Krikorian campaign’s press release, issued within the last hour
today, follows in full below…

—————————————- —————-
Krikorian For Congress Press Release

FBI Whistleblower Provides Revealing Testimony In Schmidt v. Krikorian
Case

Ohio Elections Commission To Hold Preliminary Hearing Tomorrow

Cincinnati, OH – August 12, 2009 – FBI Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds,
testified on Saturday to her knowledge of Turkish Government
infiltration of US Department of State and the US House of
Representatives. The testimony was revealing and will be used in David
Krikorian’s defense against frivolous false statement claims brought
by his 2010 opponent Representative Jean Schmidt.

Ms. Edmonds testified that the Turkish Lobby in the United States was
under the direction of the Turkish Government and engaged in
operations including bribery, espionage and blackmail with certain
members of the US House of Representatives to further its objectives
in the United States including one of which is the denial of the
Armenian Genocide.

Representative Schmidt took more money from the Turkish lobby in the
2008 election cycle than any other member of the House or Senate and
has already booked thousands in contributions from the Turkish lobby
in 2009 despite their being almost no Turkish people or interests in
Ohio’s 2nd congressional district.

FOX News is reporting today that the Turkish Coalition of America,
whose political action committee is a large contributor to the Schmidt
campaign, had its Armenian Genocide denial ads pulled by Google. A
Spokesman for Google said the company does not allow ads for Web sites
"that suggest revisions to history or attempt to revise history
against the interests of a protected group."

"Jean Schmidt has displayed a pattern of taking money from groups in
exchange for pushing their agendas" said David Krikorian "Whether it
be taking money from the trucking industry to raise the federal weight
limit on tractor-trailer trucks despite the public safety hazard and
road damage concerns or taking money from the banking lobby to push
for bailouts for the banking industry or in this case taking money
from the Turkish lobby in exchange for pushing it
f the Armenian Genocide, Jean Schmidt has shown that she is for sale
in the US House.

The Ohio Elections Commission will conduct a preliminary hearing
tomorrow in Columbus. The hearing is open to the public and begins at
9:30 AM. Mr. Krikorian is confidant that the facts of the case will
support his defense against Schmidt’s outrageous claims.

Krikorian For Congress
[email protected]

http://w ww.bradblog.com/?p=7353#more-7353

Making history

Litchfield Park family instrumental in establishing Armenian church

WestValleyView.com (Avondale, Arizona)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009

By Beth Kristin Ott, Assistant Editor

Donna Sirounian wants to be certain her children understand their
heritage.

In doing so, she has helped create a religious and cultural gathering
place for Armenian families across the state.

Her dream will come to fruition Sept. 20, when the St. Apkar Armenian
Apostolic Church is consecrated. Armenians from across state have been
holding services in a hall for years and started fundraising for a
church in 2003.

"We’re on the road to making this dream a reality," she said. "For me,
it’s incredible. There’s such a difference between rolling out an
altar and setting up chairs and actually walking into a sanctuary."

A few Armenian families began meeting in Scottsdale in the 1950s. Now,
approximately 2,000 Armenian families are in Arizona, Sirounian said.

She and her husband, Greg, and their two children, 4 and 6 years old,
trek to the East Valley from Litchfield Park for services each
Sunday. Others travel from as far as Tucson and Sedona.

"I want our kids to grow up in an Armenian church here," she
said. "They are why I worked so hard."

She has planned, raised money and started teaching Sunday school for
the church.

The Sirounian children take Armenian lessons to learn the language. It
has its own complex alphabet.

Steeped in history
Armenia became a Christian nation in A.D. 301. For more than 1,700
years, the Armenian Apostolic Church has been the center of Armenian
life.

"Religiously speaking, you’ll find a lot of the same beliefs as the
Catholic, Episcopal and other churches," Sirounian said. "We are
Christian."

Services are about two hours long, always spoken in Armenian and the
church has its own pope. Women do not serve as clergy.

"It’s a very traditional church," she said.

Armenia has a troubled history. Armenians were victims of genocide at
the hands of the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1919. It is estimated tha
ad very few members of their family survive the genocide, they
said. Then Armenia was part of the Soviet Union for some years and the
religion was suppressed, they said.

"There’s been a bit of a rebirth now. The Soviet Union had a negative
influence on the church for many years," Greg Sirounian said.

The church has held the people together. It has maintained the culture
and language for people who migrated around the world.

"There are Armenian communities in most countries in the world," he
said. "The one thing that remains constant from place to place is the
church."

The appearance, service and language is always traditional. The church
is a place for Armenian families to celebrate their heritage.

The church is at 8849 E. Cholla St. in Scottsdale. A dance will be
celebrated at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19 with authentic Armenian food and
music. The consecration ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Sept. 20. A lunch
will be served following service that day. Call 480-545-9089 for
information or to make reservations for the special events.

Donna and Greg Sirounian’s grandparents each helped found Armenian
churches in America when they immigrated. So, it was a natural step
for the Litchfield Park couple to take in Arizona, they said.

"It’s very exciting," Sirounian said. "There are a number of West
Valley families who will make the drive."

PHOTO CAPTION: INSTRUMENTAL IN BUILDING the Valley’s first Armenian
church are Greg and his wife, Donna Sirounian, pictured with their
children, Stephen, 6, and Isabell, 4, of Litchfield Park.

Beth Kristin Ott can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].

http://www.westvalleyvie w.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=1& ArticleID=35076&TM=47382.56

MARRIOTT BUILD DAY

Lragir.am
id=lrahos||society&pid=14894
13:19:33 – 11/08/2009

Armenia Marriott Hotel staff members joined Fuller Center for Housing
Armenia beneficiary family on the building site in the village of
Haytagh, Armavir region.

Armenia Marriott Hotel associates including Management and Hourly
staff were in the village of Haytagh to help build a house for a
disadvantaged family. A group consisting of 12 staff members did not
waste an opportunity to help Arshakyan family to get their first
ever house and a possibility to raise their children in safe and
healthy conditions.

Sub-standard housing is all too common in Armenia. Many families live
in deteriorated housing, in cramped quarters with inadequate water
and heat. These families are unable to purchase their own homes,
as they do not have sufficient income to save to pay for the entire
house cost up front.

Fuller Center for Housing Armenia provides these families long term
interest free loans and which is more important encourages volunteers
to join the beneficiary families build with them shoulder to shoulder.

"This joint effort once more demonstrated that core values and
culture are the ideals that serve as the foundation of all aspects
of Marriott’s Spirit to Serve" said Ami Miron, the General Manager
of Armenia Marriott Hotel. "The Spirit to Serve the community is
demonstrated every day by associate and corporate support of local,
national, and international initiatives and programs". Serving
the community is an important part of doing business ‘the Marriott
Way.’ "We pledge that every Marriott community will be a better place
to live and work because we are there". JW Marriott Jr.

Fuller Center for Housing Armenia believes that the core values of
Marriott Inc. are related to those of the organization, as both of
them are widely involved in community developing activities.

"It is very encouraging to see that a corporation like Marriott INC is
joining FCH Armenia in the common goal to make life in our communities
more comfortable and decent for everyone. I believe that the Armenia
Marriott Hotel build day will become a wonderful example of serving
our communities and landing hand to the families, deprived of basic
dwelling. It is also very symbolic to see that hospitality -Business
Company cares of those who need a place to spend safe nights and
to build safe future for their children, said Ashot Yeghiazaryan,
Fuller Center for Housing Armenia president.

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER: THE RUSSIAN-TURKISH PROXIMITY WILL CONTRIBUTE IN SOLUTION OF THE [ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI] NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT, TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER AHMET DAVUDOGLU TOLD TURKISH TV CHANNEL KANAL 7, ANADOLU NEWS AGENCY SAID.

ArmInfo
2009-08-10 16:21:00

ArmInfo. The Russian-Turkish proximity will contribute in solution
of the [Armenian-Azerbaijani] Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkish
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davudoglu told Turkish TV channel KANAL 7,
Anadolu news agency said.

The Russian-Turkish proximity will undoubtedly contribute in
the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict without any doubt,
Davudoglu said.

During his visit to Turkey Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated
the serious and active work for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, Turkish news agency ANADOLU 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.

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 in the solution to the dispute,"
he added.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY’S COMMENT

LRAGIR.AM
15:05:02 – 06/08/2009

The head of the Foreign Ministry Press Division Tigran Balayan
answering the question that Novruz Mamedov from the Azerbaijani
president’s staff insists that Armenia is being repressed to make
concessions in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, stated, "Mamedov’s thoughts
again proved his being unaware and his wish to represent for reality
what is desired, which has also been stated by the OSCE Minsk group
co-chairs. If I am not mistaken, lately, Mathew Bryza stated that
Mamedov did not take part in any meeting between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani presidents and consequently, he cannot make conclusions
about their content and the essence of the negotiation process".

PROCREDIT BANK OF ARMENIA OPENS NEW BRANCH

ARKA
Aug 5, 2009

YEREVAN, August 5. /ARKA/. ProCredit Bank of Armenia opened a new
branch in Nor Nork community of Yerevan, as part of its branch network
expansion program. The address of the new branch is Gay Avenue 17/1,
marketing and public relations department of the bank reported.

"Opening of "Nor Nork" branch is a step forward to the stable
development of ProCredit Bank," says the press release. "Nor Nork",
the sixth branch of the bank, was officially registered by the Central
Bank of Armenia on July 18 2009.

"Nor Nork" branch is one of our most beautiful and largest branches
and we think that the community people will be satisfied both with
the products’ quality and with the warm atmosphere of the customer
service," said Ashot Abrahamyan, Deputy Executive Director of
ProCredit Bank.

The bank is planning to ensure its presence in all communities of
Yerevan and in Armenian regions within the next few years and become
a reliable banking partner, Abrahamyan said.

ProCredit Bank closed joint stock company launched its activities in
Armenia on February 5 2008. ProCredit Bank is a full-service bank with
a 100% foreign capital, focused on lending to small and medium sized
enterprises and offering a full scale of banking services to private
individuals and legal entities. Another important area of ProCredit
Bank’s foc us is to promote savings culture among the population,
by starting even from small amounts. ProCredit Bank in Armenia is a
member of ProCredit Group, consisting of 22 financial institutions
operating in Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America, which are
governed by ProCredit Holding AG located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Founders of ProCredit Bank are ProCredit Holding AG (67.49% shares),
KfW (15.84%) and EBRD (16.67%). Since February 2008 the Bank is serving
more than 6600 clients including deposit clients. The bank has an
outstanding loan portfolio of about USD 24.5 million and deposit
portfolio of around USD 13.5 million. The headoffice of ProCredit
Bank is in Yerevan.

ARMENIA ANNOUNCE TEAM FOR BERLIN

European Athletics
php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7602&a mp;Itemid=2
July 30 2009

Sprinter Ani Khachikyan and Javelin thrower Melik Janoyan will
represent Armenia at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics
to be held in Berlin through August 15-23.

Khachikyan, with a personal best of 12.17, will participate in 100m
run. She also holds the national junior record of Armenia.

Melik Janoyan also a national record holder with a personal best of
78.03 will be hoping to give his best amidst the top throwers in the
world at the German capital. His season best achieved at Artashat in
May stands at 73.61.

The duo also wore the Armenian colours at the Beijing Olympic
Games. Besides, they have represented Armenia at several international
meet over the years.

TOTAL LIABILITIES OF ARMENIAN BANKING SYSTEM 2.4% DOWN TO 868 BLN DRAMS IN Q2

ARKA
July 30, 2009

YEREVAN, July 30. /ARKA/. Total liabilities of Armenian banking system
went 21 billion drams or 2.4% down to about 868 billion drams in the
second quarter of 2009.

According to the review of Armenian banks prepared by the Central
Bank of Armenia (CBA), accrued liabilities of individuals grew by
1.5 billion drams or 0.7% to about 203.5 billion drams in the second
quarter of this year with accrued liabilities from legal entities
having increased by 4.7% to a total of 121.3 billion drams.

Liabilities to Armenian government grew by 7.6 billion drams or 36%
to 28.8 billion drams. Liabilities to banks and other financial
organizations decreased 11.7% or by 34.5 billon drams down to 260.2
billion drams in the second quarter of 2009. Of this, 5.1 billion
drams were correspondent accounts of other banks with their balance
reduced by 48.6% or 4.9 billion drams over the period.

According to the Central Bank, call liabilities totaled 210.2 billion
drams by the end of June 2009 that is a 1.2% reduction over the period.

Other liabilities of Armenian banks grew by 4.3% up to 35.7 billion
drams in the reporting period.

Accrued interest went 0.01% up to 8.4 billion drams as compared with
the beginning of the quarter.

According to the preliminary information based on interim financial
reports of banks for the second quarter, the following were the
five top banks in terms of liabilities in the first half of 2009 –
HSBC Bank Armenia (118.8 billion drams), ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank
(115.2 bn drams), Ardshininvestbank (88.1 bn drams), Bank VTB (Armenia)
(76.1 bn drams) and Ameriabank (65.4 bn drams).

There were 22 banks and 383 branches operating in Armenia on June 30
this year. ($1=367.15 drams).

UPDATED VERSION OF MADRID PRINCIPLES MUST MEET AZERBAIJAN’S NATIONAL INTERESTS: RULING PARTY OFFICIAL

Today.Az
cs/54225.html
July 29 2009
Azerbaijan

"It is difficult to speak about the updated version of the Madrid
Principles as they have not been disclosed yet."

"If updated version of the Madrid document meets Azerbaijan’s
national interests, Azerbaijan will take them as a basis for talks,"
ruling New Azerbaijan Party official and member of parliament Mubariz
Gurbanli said.

He said if updated version does not meet Azerbaijan’s interests,
Azerbaijan will propose to develop new principles to take as a basis
for negotiations.

Gurbanli said Azerbaijan will never surrender its principal position.

"Azerbaijani president has stated on numerous occasions that the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved within Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity and sovereignty. This serves as a basis in all
options of conflict settlement," Gurbanli said.

ARMENIAN AND SERBIAN MINISTERS ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION

BSANNA NEWS
July 29 2009
Ukraine

BELGRADE, July 29 (Tanjug) . Serbian Minister of Trade and Services
Slobodan Milosavljevic and Armenian Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsian
discussed Wednesday the ways of promoting economic cooperation between
the two states, Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia stated.

Milosavljevic is currently in Yerevan, as a member of the Serbian
delegation headed by Serbian President Boris Tadic which is in two-day
visit to Armenia.

According to the statement published on the ministry’s website, the
two ministers discussed many issues, particularly the cooperation in
the domain of information technologies, agriculture, food industry,
pharmacology and tourism and the possibility of realizing joint
projects.

Yeritsian and Milosavljevic expressed willingness to support every
initiative that could give an impetus to the trade and economic
relations between Serbia and Armenia, the Armenian news agency
Armenpress reported.