Happy New Year!

Happy new year from Armenia Blog! May you and everyone the world over have a wonderful 2007!

Watch out for that cork, though!

Profile: Calouste Gulbenkian

Calouste Gulbenkian
1869 - 1955

Calouste Gulbenkian born into an illustrious Armenian family in Scutari, Turkey. The oil baron got his start in England: he studied petroleum engineering at King's College London and immediately thereafter went to the oil-rich Middle East and opened it up to the world; he was also instrumental in founding the oil-giant Royal Dutch/Shell. Gulbenkian was the main architect behind the Turkish Petroleum Company, which was created in 1912/1914 so that the biggest European oil companies could explore for oil in Iraq: this would also ensure that other firms would be kept out, thus greater profits for the participants.

From all of his business endeavors, Gulbenkian amassed an incredible fortune, which he used to build an amazing art collection. His collection is now housed in a museum in Lisbon, Portugal, and includes rare and treasured art, some dating back nearly 4,000 years; When he died, a clause in his will created the Gulbenkian Foundation, whose activities are in the fields of arts, charity, education and science. The foundation also awards an annual Gulbenkian Prize of £100,000 to a museum or gallery in the United Kingdom for "track record of imagination, innovation and excellence".

Did you know?
Gulbenkian is very well known as "Mr. Five Percent" because he had a 5% interest in the Turkish Petroleum Company, which he put together. It may not seem like a lot, but it was enough to make him a multimillionaire and reportedly the richest man in the world for many years!

If you would like to learn more, here are some suggested sources:
Gulbenkian Museum
Gulbenkian Foundation
Calouste Gulbenkian
Iraq Petroleum Company
Gulbenkian Prize
Gulbenkian Essay

Man Arrested Over Coup Plot in Armenia

Armenians are never behind on the latest and greatest fads. Coups were all the rage earlier in 2006.

Security officers in Armenia have detained a man in connection with an alleged coup plot by opposition activists.

Vaan Aronian was arrested at his home in the village of Lusatar in western Armenia, where security officers found weapons and ammunition including guns, grenade launchers and a shoulder-fired missile launcher, the National Security Service said in a statement.

It said the detention was linked to a probe that led to the arrest earlier this month of Zhirair Sefilian, a Lebanese citizen who heads the Association of Armenian Volunteers, and another activist of the group, Vadan Malkhasian.

Then again, this is most likely politically motivated in two ways: one, to make it seem like the administration is doing its job to keep the people safe; and two, to wipe out any serious political opposition before the all-important "elections" in 2007.

Source: IHT

Armenia Wants Diplomatic Relations With Turkey

I don't like what has been coming out of Serge Sarkisyan's mouth lately. Whenever I see a quote of his anywhere, the words "sell out" immediately come to mind.

Letter of Defense Minister of Armenia, Serge Sarkisyan, published in “The Wall Street Journal” reads: “We intend to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey not bringing up genocide as principal condition”. Saying that “we want to look at the future”...

...he stressed that remaining the issue of the genocide in agenda is necessary from the point of view of memory on past and prevention of such crimes against humanity.

No one can deny that opening up borders and being closer with Turkey will be great for Armenia, but I believe that Serge is merely trying to gain entry into the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railroad project, which is obviously very important to us economically.

But let's consider the fact that Turkey will always be closer with Azerbaijan than with us, which means even if the genocide is not a precondition - and I believe that it absolutely must be - then it will eventually have conditions of its own in its attempts to control Armenia and help out Azerbaijan. We can't sell out our struggle or our future!

Source: Demaz

Armenia: World Leader in Natural Gas Vehicles

Armenians have always been ready to adapt to new technology as they require it - and this is no different.

The transport ministry estimates that between 20 and 30 percent of vehicles in Armenia run on gas. That compares to just over 3 percent in the Netherlands, a front-runner in natural gas-powered transport, according to the World LP Gas Association.

In landlocked Armenia, it is not concerns over climate change or global warming that are driving growth in natural gas-powered vehicles. Instead, it is harsh necessity - and an unresolved war with Azerbaijan, its neighbor to the east.

"Petrol is getting more expensive," said Transport and Communications Minister Andranik Manukian. "(Natural) gas ... has not gone up by that much so it is preferable to use it."

Back in the late 1980s, my father had his Niva converted to natural gas. The car worked as normal, except it had one enormous red bottle - or more like a barrel - where the trunk space should have been. Oh, and it almost usually had a faint gas smell coming from it. Of course, gas doesn't smell, but an aroma is added so you could smell if you were in trouble and get out. Needless to say, that smell didn't matter then and it doens't matter now, even despite the fact that a majority of Armenians smoke regularly. However, I've heard - and they may just be urban legends - of some buses on natural gas exploding into flames in Yerevan and injuring or possibly even killing people nearby.

I encourage you to read the full article linked below.

Source: Topix

Simple Comparison of Military Power: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkey

I saw a video of Armenia's air force a while back and decided to investigate our military power and that of our neighbors. Because of certain agreements to which these countries are party, there is a lot of available information on the internet. However, some sources gave differing numbers, so I've had to make certain estimates for your reading pleasure.

Armenia
Active Troops: 60,000
Aircraft: 16
Tanks: 110
Expenditure, 2005: $162 million

Azerbaijan
Active Troops: 126,400
Aircraft: 172
Tanks: 270
Expenditure, 2005: $300 million

Turkey
Active Troops: 1,043,550
Aircraft: 430
Tanks: 4,265
Expenditure, 2005: $9.8 billion

Russia
Active Troops: 1,037,000
Aircraft: 3,200
Tanks: 22,800
Expenditure, 2005: $18 billion

As I said above, these may not be completely accurate due to different sources. However, the message is clear: even though our forces are more experienced and will compensate for lack of some very important military equipment, it is in our absolute best interest to remain very close friends with Russia.

Sources:
ArmeniaNow
U.N. Disarmament Web Site
WikiPedia

Gas Pricing in Armenia Changed

Looks like Armenia is working hard to find a pricing structure that works.

Armenian government decided...to drive gas prices for those consuming less than 10 thousand cubic meters a month down from AMD 90,000 to 84,000 per 1,000 cubic meter.

Industrial entities consuming over 10,000 cubic meters will have their gas prices increased.

For your reference, $1 is about AMD 445 as of today.

Source: Arka

New Water Quality Lab for Yerevan in 2007

Ever wonder whether drinking water out of the tap in Armenia is safe? I've always thought about it!

A new laboratory for water quality examination will start working in Yerevan from June 2007, Director General of "Yerevan Jur" CJSC Serge Popoff reported Thursday. He pointed out that complex activities are currently implemented in Yerevan to ensure water quality. In particular, 100 samples of water are taken every week for examination.

"The company plans to increase the level of 24-hour water supply of Yerevan from 60% to 79%," Popoff reported.

Actually, I'm more disturbed by the fact that Yerevan's water is provided by a corporation!

Source: Arka

The Incredible Photography of Hovik Melikyan

I accidentally stumbled on Hovik's Flickr account to find some very beautiful photographs of Armenia, Yerevan, and other subjects, as well.

Find his photos here and enjoy!

Armenia's Byurakan Observatory

The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory was founded in 1946 by the renowned Victor Hambartsumian. For many years this observatory, which is located at an altitutde of 1,500 m/5,000 ft in Armenia on the slope of Mount Aragats, was a major center of astronomy in the Soviet Union. The main scientific instruments at the observatory are: a 2.6m Cassegrain reflector telescope, 1m and 0.5m Schmidt telescopes, a few other telescopes of 40-60 cm size, and many other astronomical instruments.

Many important discoveries have been made at Byurakan throughout the years, including the discovery of stellar associations in 1947, the hypothesis about activity of galactic nuclei by Hambartsumian in 1958, and the discovery and study of many Seyfert galaxies and quasars, discovery of more than 1000 flare stars, dozens of Supernovae, hundreds of Herbig-Haro objects and cometary nebulae, and valuable works in the field of radiative transfer theory.

Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the observatory endured difficult times. It is currently owned and operated by Armenian Academy of Sciences. The Byurakan astronomers collaborate with scientists of France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia, USA, Mexico, Japan, China, India, and other countries. Recently, they have started offering tours, as well.

Sources:
Official Byurakan Observatory Website
Armenian Astronomical Society
Byurakan Observatory on WikiPedia

Russia Approves Serbia's Arms Sales to Armenia

First Russia, and now Serbia.

President Boris Tadic said "the issue has been successfully resolved" in his meeting with Russia's ambassador to Belgrade, Aleksander Alexeyev, who has given "a positive response" to Serbia's appeal that the Zastava arms company is allowed to sell guns and rifles worth US$2.55 million (€1.94 million) to Armenia.

Earlier this month Zastava criticised the Serbian government for withholding permission for its previously arranged sale to Armenia, allegedly because Russia — Serbia's traditional ally — objected to the Serbian supplier venturing into a market usually supplied by Moscow.

It's about time Armenia upgraded its weapons. I'd rather they never see much use, but one can never rule out certain possibilities.

Source: IHT

Azerbaijani Authorities Deport Turkish-Armenian Musician

Another unbelievable story from our unfriendly neighbors.

Azerbaijani authorities denied an entrance visa to a Turkish citizen of Armenian origin who arrived in Baku together with a famous Turkish musical group, led by Sertab Ereneri. The Armenian, Burak Petikian, a pianist of the group, was forced aboard the same Turkish airplane that brought him to Azerbaijani capital and flew back to Istanbul.

It's good to know that racism is alive and well in Azerbaijan.

Source: ArmenPress

Indonesia Offers Visas to Armenians & Georgians

Always great to see Armenians getting more freedoms around the globe.

Citizens of Armenia and Georgia wishing to travel to Indonesia may obtain visas at its consulate in Armenia. The consulate is situated on Israelian street, 37, in Yerevan. Until now Armenians could obtain visas at Indonesia's embassy in Armenia, located in Kiev, Ukraine. The new procedure becomes effective from January 10.

So if you're a citizen, go get yours. Indonesia is a beautiful country!

Source: ArmenPress

Turkey Warns United States About Armenian Genocide Bill

First the Turks tried to stop Stallone's movie, and now they're trying to indirectly threaten the United States to stay away from the Armenian genocide issue.

[Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Namik] Tan further said: “The U.S. has always been constructive and right minded vis-à-vis those kinds of efforts. We believe that the U.S. administration will continue the same approach. The relations between the U.S. and Turkey are so important that they transcend those insignificant issues.”

This is good news for us. Why? This means we are on the right path with our lobbies and our unity. The Turks are now on the offensive, trying to protect their interests from our advancement. Honestly, I applaud our efforts and I'm confident that justice will eventually prevail. Now is the time to turn up the heat!

In the meantime, I would love the opportunity to take a big sheet of paper, write on it everything that the Turks have taken away from us, and shove it up Namik Tan's ass. Who wants to help?

Source: Zaman

Ugandan Eugene Sepuya Joins Armenia's Banants FC

And from the world of sports we bring you this breaking news.

UGANDAN striker Eugene Sepuya has completed a dream career transfer to Armenian soccer giants Banants FC for an undisclosed fee.

The lofty striker, who has been at Colorado Rapids in the US, signed a two-year deal to switch to the former Soviet state with the help of FIFA agent Antonio Carlo. Carlo helped Uganda sign German Laszlo Csaba as national coach.

"Eugene did very well during his week-long trial in Armenia. Everybody was impressed with his physical presence and hard work," Carlo said.

And the step after this? World Cup!

Source: AllAfrica

Most Important Armenian Stories of 2006

As the year draws to a close, there are some stories that received more attention and had more impact than others.

1. The crash on May 3 of an Armenian airliner off the Russian Black Sea coast. All 113 people on board the Airbus A-320 were killed in what was the worst air disaster in Armenia’s history.

2. The ouster on May 12 of then parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian’s Orinats Yerkir party from the governing coalition.

3. The official disclosure in June of the international mediators’ most recent plan to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

4. The announcement on July 18 of Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian’s affiliation with the governing Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). The move was widely construed as a confirmation of Sarkisian’s intention to contest the next presidential election due in 2008.

5. The emergence and rapid expansion throughout the year of a new political party led by Gagik Tsarukian, the most influential of Armenia’s government-connected tycoons. The Prosperous Armenia party is now tipped to make a strong showing in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

6. The year saw more street protests by residents of Yerevan that were forcibly evicted from their homes as a result of the ongoing massive redevelopment in the city center. The evictions were declared unconstitutional by Armenia’s Constitutional Court.

7. A further strengthening of the national currency, the dram, that triggered fresh opposition allegations about exchange rate manipulation. One U.S. dollar is now worth roughly 360 drams. It traded at about 460 drams at the beginning of 2006.

8. An apparent rise in anti-Russian sentiment fuelled by continued racially motivated killings of Armenians in Russia.

9. The year saw a number of high-profile cultural events such as Armenia’s first-ever participation in the Eurovision song contest, an open-air concert given by Charles Aznavour and other famous French singers, and the annual Golden Apricot film festival in Yerevan.

10. The Armenian team’s victory in the 2006 world Chess Olympiad.

This list was put together by the source, but I'd say it's a good representation of the year's most imortant events.

Source: ArmeniaLiberty

Armenia's Battle With Tuberculosis

I did not realize that such a large number of Armenians have tuberculosis, or that it was a threat at all.

“This program will run from 2007 through 2015,” said Vahan Poghosian, a senior Armenian Health Ministry official coordinating the anti-TB campaign. “It will involve training courses [for medical personnel], purchase of laboratory equipment and, most importantly, medicines.”

According to the Health Ministry, the number of people suffering from tuberculosis rose by 18 percent to almost 6,500 between 2000 and 2005.

It was not immediately clear how much the Armenian government plans to spend on its the latest program adopted by ministers at a weekly cabinet meeting. Officials said only that much of the funding for, $7.5 million, will come from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The government of Germany, for its part, will contribute almost $3 million to the effort.

According to the source, it costs more than $12,000 to treat someone with tuberculosis. I'm by no means an expert, but wouldn't it be more cost-effective to vaccinate the general population - at least those at risk - than to wait for them to get infected and then try to do something about it?

Source: ArmeniaLiberty

Armenia's Short-lived Car Industry

Believe it or not, Armenia did produce buses at one point. A Latvian factory called RAF - Rigas Avtobus Fabrika - introduced in 1958 a model called RAF 977, which was basically a minibus. There were many varieties of this new bus, which were produced under the Latvija name, to serve a variety of needs, from passenger transport to ambulance uses. An updated variation known as RAF 977D was put into production in 1962 in Latvia, but due to insufficient factory size was moved to Yerevan, Armenia in 1966. The factory responsible for making these buses in Armenia was known as ErAZ, which stood for Yerevanskii Avtomobilnee Zavod, or Yerevan Car Factory. Needless to say, most people referred to the car itself as Yeraz, which means "dream" in Armenian. It is unclear how much of the car was produced there and how much was merely a putting-together of parts from all around the Soviet Union.

If you ever had the pleasure of riding in a Yeraz, you would know that that name has a double meaning that's not completely favorable to the car! It was slow, having only a tiny 75-horsepower engine - the equivalent of two old VW Beetle engines - and a 3-speed transmission to drag around nearly two tons of Soviet steel; the ride was also very uncomfortable - I speak from first-hand experience - and the design was quickly outdated.

It seems the RAF 977 was replaced in 1976 by the squarer RAF 2203, which Armenians refer to simply as "RAF," though it is unclear how long after that ErAZ continued making the 977. Unconfirmed sources assure me that the 977 model was produced at least until near the end of the Soviet Union. Once the Soviet Union fell, so did the supply lines which kept the factory going. In 1997, the Latvian company declared bankruptcy.

If anyone has more information about this very interesting bus, please let me know!

Sources: RAF on WikiPedia, Post Soviet...PDF Document, and Kommersant

Another Azeri Soldier Surrenders

If anyone out there is doubting Armenia's superiority to its neighbors, eat your hearts out!

A spokesman for the Defense Ministry said an army conscript who identified himself as Samed Mamedov willingly crossed the westernmost section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and surrendered to Armenian forces deployed there on Sunday. The official, Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, said the 19-year-old claimed to have been systematically mistreated and humiliated by his Azerbaijani commanders.

The reported incident occurred one day after another Azerbaijani soldier, who reportedly crossed into Armenian-controlled territory east of Nagorno-Karabakh earlier this month, was handed back to the Azerbaijani side with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

I do feel bad for the fellow who was returned to the Azeris, because now he has to settle for fermented horse urine. If he's lucky, that is.

Source: ArmeniaLiberty

Armenia and Chad Establish Relations

Well, I didn't see this one coming at all.

On December 26 in the Armenian Embassy in Russia the Ambassadors of Armenia Armen Smbatian and of the Republic of Chad Jibrin Abdul to the Russian Federation signed the Protocol on establishing diplomatic relations. During a conversation that followed the ceremony, the sides noted the importance of further development of relations between Armenia and Chad, specifically in political, economic and humanitarian fields.

Chad does have a lot of oil. Oh, and Rebels. Maybe we can import a bit of both.

Source: PanArmenian

Proof: Azerbaijanis Destroying Khachkars

If the video doesn't play, click here.

Not like anyone needed proof, but here it is anyway.

On December 15, 2005, eyewitnesses across the River Araxes videotaped Azeri soldiers destroying Armenian burial monuments - khachkars (cross stones). Azerbaijani officials denied the vandalism, but banned European Parliament members from visiting the site in March of 2006. Only a few outside news sources tried to publicize the tragedy.

“The New Tears of Araxes” is written by Sarah Pickman, a University of Chicago student, who was the only American reporter to cover the tragedy when she interned for Archaeology Magazine.

No matter what sort of proof the rest of the world has for any injustice, those perpetrating it will be undeterred. At least everyone seeing this video will see the people Armenians have had to deal with.

Source: Hetq

Armenia and Kazakhstan Sign Important Agreements

And they say Borat never helped Kazakhstan.

The two countries signed an intergovernmental agreement on citizens' trips, a convention on avoiding double taxation, an agreement on investment protection and a cultural cooperation agreement.

"As a result of talks, we confirmed the urge of our states to further strengthen our relations. Increasing trade and economic ties will contribute to this, for Kazakhstan's business and capital not to be afraid to go to Armenia," he [Nazarbayev] said.

Armenia is doing the right thing, as it needs every friend it can get in the region. What is especially noticeable is how Armenia and other former Soviet states have realized that they need each other to survive, which is a far cry from the initial reaction to freedom by most of these countries, which was akin to economic isolationism. Maybe that's why it took Armenia 15 years for its GDP to surpass Soviet levels.

Source: Portalino

Armenia Welcomes Military Modernization

I hope this isn't the start of an arms race.

As he told the Armenian Public TV, he will be glad if Russia decides to modernize the base and replenish it with the most modern armament.

According to him, the issue concerns Armenia and Russia only and "we are not obliged to ask for permission from anyone else."

Serge Sargsyan reminded of Azerbaijan's purchasing Ukrainian MIG-29 and other armament.

Armenia should upgrade its aging military equipment, but it would be much smarter to do as they are doing now: have the Russians do it for their bases within Armenia. Only after our economy stabilizes and the tax revenue maximizes should we consider arming ourselves with the latest and greatest weapons at our expense. Even then, only for reasons of defense.

Source: PanArmenian

Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant Will Continue to Operate

It seems we may need to dam up a few more rivers.

The nuclear power plant...will not be shut down until the country has alternative energy sources, RA minister of Energy Armen Movsisyan told reporters.

He also added that the conference participants agreed that a new NPP can be an alternative to the currently operating NPP.

The nuclear power plant was planned in the 1960s to meet increasing energy needs, especially by the mining industry; the first reactor became operation in 1976 and the second in 1979. Both were shut down in 1989 following the earthquake in 1998, as the power plant is located in a seismic zone. However, Azerbaijani & Turkish embargos meant that Armenia was at a loss for electricity. As a result, the second reactor was restarted in 1995, but only after many upgrades & international oversight. The nuclear plant has been under Russian financial management since 2003. Even though it produces over 40% of Armenia's electricity, it will need to be replaced in 2016, as it was originally designed to have a forty year life.

The question is, where will Armenia find that 40% to avoid what happened in the early 1990s, namely blackouts, the disappearance of Yerevan's trees for heat, and general misery? Being as small as we are, Armenia is the best place to implement alternative sources of energy, such as solar, wind, geothermal, and so on. Simply building another dangerous reactor on earthquake-prone land or putting up a few hundred hydroelectric plants simply will not do.

Source: Arka, NTI, and The Guardian

Turkish Groups Try Stopping Stallone's Genocide Movie

And yet again, a story from the past comes alive.

Turkish organizations are going to send protest letters to American movie actor Sylvester Stallone who intends to screen Franz Werfel’s ‘The 40 Days of Musa Dagh’.

Savaş Eğilmez, the chairman of the so-called ‘Association on struggle against Armenian Genocide acknowledgement’ stated that [Franz Werfel's novel] is full of lie since the author wrote it after talking to the Armenians with nationalistic and radical views.”

In his words, “It is necessary to take appropriate measures till the start of shoots, since after everything has already began it will be more difficult. “We have already sent appropriate documents about the events of those days to the producers of the film. Our compatriots will assist us to urge the producers not to shoot the film,” he underlined

If you look at the original blog entry linked above, Stallone understands that Turkey has been trying to keep the genocide as a whole under wraps for 85 years, so I doubt he will be derailed by these futile efforts.

It must be really hard to be a Turk these days, what with all of these Armenians making ridiculously laughable claims about genocides and all. It's a good thing such an organization as the "Struggle against Armenian Genocide acknowledgement" exists.

Here's an idea, why don't you email the leader of this triumphant organization and tell him how you feel about this issue? Here's his email address: Savaş Eğilmez

Source: PanArmenian

Nicholas Burns: Bush Administration Didn't Deny Genocide

Looks like the Genocide Denier story is back!

Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns said that the Bush administration has never denied the murders of 1.5 million Armenians. “Despite some claims, nether candidate for the US Ambassador in Armenia Richard Hoagland, nor the presidential administration have ever humbled and denied the fact that during its last days of existence the Ottoman Empire deported and executed half a million Armenians.”

I'm more confused now than I was before.

Source: PanArmenian

Gagik "Dodi Gago" Tsarukian: A Hero To Armenias?

It is a sad day in Armenian history when a convicted rapist, an economic thief, and a ruthless criminal is considered anything other than what he really is!

Gagik Tsarukian, a government-connected millionaire businessman, is the most popular and revered individual in modern-day Armenia, according to a new U.S.-funded opinion poll released this month.

Of all the living Armenians mentioned by respondents, Tsarukian had by far the highest rating: 8 percent.

If you, like many Armenians belive that my claims above are unwarranted, keep watching this blog for a detailed, referenced look at the real Dodi Gago.

For our non-Armenian speaking friends, "Dodi" in his nick name means "Dumb"!

Source: ArmeniaLiberty

Iran and Armenia to Build Hydro Power Plant on Araks River

The Araks River is 665 miles (1072 km) in length. It flows near Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Turkey.

Armenian energy minister Armen Movsisian said last week the feasibility plan for construction of a hydro power plant on the border River of Araks separating Armenia form Iran was ready. He said the construction was set to start early next year.

He said the hydro power plant, which will be located near the southern Armenian town of Meghri, will have a 130-140 megawatt capacity to generate annually about 850 million kilowatt/hours electricity.

Movsisian said it will be a unique hydro power plant in this region to benefit both Iran and Armenia.

Alternative sources of energy are always great, but we should consider the possible ecological damage of building such a large plant. The same source states that there are 50 small plants already on Araks and 50 more being constructed. This to me is the equivalent of rape of a river's resources, as there are many types of fish that live there including sezan, loko (a kind of cat fish), tolstolobik, karas, tarap, and karmrakhait. There are several other issues with hydroelectric plants, as well, and you can read about them here.

Source: ArmenPress
Source about fishes: ArmeniaInfo

Armenia Issues Silver Coin - Minted in the Czech Republic!

The Central Bank of Armenia has been issuing commemorative coins for quite a while, and they've just announced a new design.

Central Bank of Armenia issued Monday a silver coin dedicated to 100th birthday Armored Troops Chief Marshal Hamazasp Babajanyan.
The CBA press service says the coin's value is AMD 1000, weight 33.6g and diameter 38mm. Armenia's state emblem is placed on the obverse side of the coin. Marshal Babajanyan in military uniform is depicted on the reverse side.
The coin is designed by Karen Kojoyan. As many as 500 coins are issued. They were made in Czech Republic.

What? Doesn't Armenia have a mint capable of producing silver coins, or we are so desperate that we have to outsource the production of Armenian commemorative coins to the Czech Republic?

THIS JUST IN! The same source tells us that the Central Bank of Armenia has also issued a commemorative gold coin in honor of the victory of Armenian chess players at the 37th World Chess Olympiad. One guess as to where this coin was produced. Give up? Czech Republic, again!

Source: Arka and Arka

Armenia's GDP to Grow 13.5% in 2006

It's no surprise to anyone in Armenia that it is experiencing rapid growth. As long as the administration facilitates that growth, we seem to be on a rather good path, at least economically. By the way, GDP is Gross Domestic Product, which indicates the total annual value of all goods and service produced.

GDP growth will amount to no less than 13.5 percent in Armenia in 2006, ARKA News Agency quoted the republic's Economy Minister Karen Tchshmarityan as saying. In January-November, Armenia's GDP rose 13.2 percent, he said. The minister attributed this advance to an increase in the country's industrial production.

Investment in Armenia's real economy, excluding state-backed credit, will exceed $400m in 2006, which is a 20-25 percent increase on the year before. Investment went chiefly to such sectors as transport, telecommunications, and the mining and metallurgy industries, Tchshmarityan stressed.

During the latest 3 years there were 25000 subjects of small and medium enterprises were established in the republic, more than 11000 of which in 2006. As a result, there appeared 16 000 new jobs during the current year.

For comparison, the GDP of the United States grew 3.2% in 2005. That means Armenia's economy is still nascent and not yet mature.

Source: RBC and Banks.am

Merry Christmas from Armenia Blog!

We at Armenia Blog would like to wish you a Merry Christmas! Have lots of food, lots of fun, love your loved ones, and be thankful for what you have! Stay safe, everyone!

Source image: here.

Russia Arms Armenia, Azerbaijan Objects

Here's one of those fearful S-300s!

It's no surprise that Azerbaijan is up in arms (no pun intended) about Russia's supply of several potent anti-aircraft missiles to Armenia.

Russia plans to supply the 102nd base and Armenia’s Air Defense Troops with several anti-aircraft missiles S-300.

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry condemns Russia’s supplying Armenia with arms. The ministry press service officer Ilgar Verdiyev told the APA that Armenia stations the armaments in occupied Azerbaijani territories.

“Azerbaijan and Armenia joined the European Firearms Convention. We want the regional states to observe the terms of the contract,” he said.

Source: APA

U.S. Prevents Armenia's Isolation by Neighbors

The Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railroad is one of immense dispute. The reason? Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia have tried laborously to keep the project amongst themselves, which would have negative economic consequences for Armenia. It would essentially create strong economic ties between the participating countries, so an exclusion could be costly, both politically and otherwise. In 1992, Turkey imposed a blockade which brought to halt the Kars-Gyumri railroad, which is the main rail connection between Armenia and Turkey. But there may be some good news now.

Earlier, the US president approved a bill banning state financing of the construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railroad. Earlier, the bill was passed by the House of Representatives, and then by the Senate. “We call upon Turkey to revise the policy of alienating Armenia, put an end to the 13-year-old blockade and take actions directed at cooperation with its neighbors,” the statement says.

The document contains an amendment proposed by Senators Robert Menendez and Rick Santorini, which rules out financing by the Export-Import Bank of the construction of the railway that would isolate Armenia from the economic and regional transport corridor with average estimated cost of $400 mln.

And who says Armenia has no one fighting for them? Unless those three countries figure out another way of keeping Armenia out, it seems to be looking good for us thus far!

Source: Regnum
Reference: ArmeniaNow

Rock Aid Armenia - The Video!

Rock has always come to the rescue: in fact, it came to our rescue. In 1989, some of the greatest musicians of the world came together to raise money for Armenia's earthquake victims with an album: The Earthquake Album. Some amazing people were involved: Bryan Adams, Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple), Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Keith Emerson (Emerson Lake and Palmer), Ian Gillan (Deep Purple & Jesus Christ Superstar), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd!), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Jon Lord (Deep Purple & Whitesnake), Brian May (Queen), Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden), Paul Rodgers (Bad Company), Chris Squire (Yes) and Roger Taylor (Queen).

What you are watching above is Deep Purple's famous "Smoke on the Water," which is being performed by all of the above greats! That re-recorded single reached the British Top 40.

Enjoy the video!

Vahe Peroomian's Armenia Photography

Vahe Peroomian is a fantastically talented Armenian photographer. On his site you will find majestic pictures of our motherland that defy explanation! The photo above is called "First Light at Haghartsin Monastery."

This is my early Christmas present to you!

Check out Vahe's image gallery as well as his home page.

Profile: Komitas Vardapet

Komitas Vardapet
1869 - 1935

We may know Komitas by name, but do we really know who he was? Komitas, whose original name was Soghomon Gevorki Soghomonyan, was an Armenian priest, composer, choir leader, singer, music ethnologist, music educator, and musicologist. He was one of the many brilliant Armenians who were arrested and deported starting in 1915 by the Turkish government. Even though he survived the ordeal due to the intervention of many of his influential friends, the horrors that he witnessed forever impacted his soul. Komitas died in 1935, having spent the last twenty years of his life at Villejuif, a suburban sanatorium in Paris.

Did you know?
In 1906 after one of the concertos, the outstanding French composer Claude Debussy exclaimed excitedly: “Brilliant father Komitas! I bow before your musical genius!”

If you would like to learn more, here are some suggested sources:
Komitas Virtual Museum (ENG,ARM,RUS)
Komitas on WikiPedia

Armenia's Prime Minister Man of the Year!

Wow, what a special treat!

A survey conducted by Hayeli (Mirror) press club among 700 residents of the capital city Yerevan and across the country has found prime minister Andranik Margarian the Man of the Year. The respondents praised the prime minister for his input into the country's public and political life and for his economic policies. Speaking to a news conference today Margarian said the outcome of the poll was a real surprise to him.

This is what Armenia needs: a biased poll to kiss the ass of one of the heads of an imcompetent administration! Hip, hip, hooray!

Source: ArmenPress.

Sylvester Stallone Considers Genocide Film

I've been hearing rumors about this for a couple of days, so I've decided to publish it.

For years, Stallone has wanted to create an epic, and the book that intrigues him is Franz Werfel's "The Forty Days of Musa Dagh," detailing the Turkish genocide of its Armenian community in 1915.

French ships eventually rescued some Armenians, and Stallone has his favorite scene memorized: "The French ships come, and they've dropped the ladders and everybody has climbed up the side. The ships sail. The hero, the one who set up the rescue, has fallen asleep, exhausted, behind a rock on the slope above. The camera pulls back, and the ships and the sea are on one side, and there's one lonely figure at the top of the mountain, and the Turks are coming up the mountain by the thousands on the far side."

The movie would be "an epic about the complete destruction of a civilization," Stallone said. Then he laughed at the ambition. "Talk about a political hot potato. The Turks have been killing that subject for 85 years."

Not only would that make a great film when properly produced, keeping in mind a low-profile version was made in 1982, but it would project the greater issue onto the masses. Here's to Stallone!

Why Azeris, Turks, and Others Hate Us

As an Armenian, it is my duty to wonder why we are so hated by our neighbors. Set aside the historical reasons, and set aside the last decade or so of instability. Why? While looking for news - and yes, I don't discriminate when it comes to a source, as long as it is accurate and truthful - I found shocking propaganda disguised under the veil of legitimate issues. When garbage like this is spouted off as fact, is it any wonder there is so much animosity towards us?

At result of Armenian aggression Azerbaijan has lost not only 20% of its territory, with thousands victims due to military operations, with 1 mln. people turned into refugees and displaced persons, thousands people are still missing and taken hostage...women, youth, children, thousands Azerbaijanis are still in Armenian captivity. After medical examination of Azerbaijanis, released from captivity, especially this concerns youth and children, it was found out that many of them became disabled for the rest of their life. Thus, Armenians took their organs. Today, secret laboratories and amputation cabinets are still functioning on the territory of Armenia, and on Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, Nagorni Garabagh, other 7 regions. By cutting organs of young Azerbaijanis and children Armenians send them to different world “black markets”. Names of some Armenians surgeons, and it would be right to call them butchers, who commit such crimes now in amputation cabinets, hospitals and laboratories are known.

There are Armenian terrorist organizations aiming at killing famous Azerbaijanis, representatives of youth not only inside Azerbaijan but outside it.

Today, Armenia is harboring the most dangerous international terrorists on these territories being out of international control, including their free movement, preparation of personnel. Armenia is a state that supports terrorism on state level.

I hate to make long, drawn-out posts, but this one deserved a little more. I want all Armenians to read that web site, which is nothing more than propaganda, and imagine the difficulty of establishing friendship or moderate stability with a group of people who believe this propaganda. Obviously, I am not claiming that all Azeris are as extreme, but my point is clear.

Read the rest of this marvelous document here.

Armenian Mobsters on TV

I never thought I'd see the day when Armenians start worrying about being portrayed as members of organized crime.

The Armenian Mob has been taking over the tube lately with guest-starring-criminal roles on three of our favorite shows: in a trial of a Mob boss on TNT’s The Closer; in a money-train robbery on FX’s The Shield; and now in Showtime’s comedy Weeds they're muscling in on the grow house of weed entrepreneur Nancy Botwin, a.k.a. Lacy LaPlante (Mary-Louise Parker). So why the sudden popularity?

It has been my experience that Armenians are also exposed as shrewd businesspeople on TV and in movies, though sadly these roles have limited. I'd take seeing us as successful, smart businesspeople, scientist, leaders, and the like, rather than mindless, bloodhungry criminals.

Source: EW.

Arthur Abraham Voted Germany's Boxer of the Year

Arthur Abraham was born and grew up in Yerevan, Armenia.

IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham has been voted Germany's boxer of the year. "King Arthur" gained international fame by beating top-ranked Colombian Edison Miranda despite fighting with a broken jaw for the last eight rounds.

Too bad he changed his last name.

Source: EuroSport.

Foreign Investments in Armenia Increase 32%

Well, we wanted some good news, and here it is!

Armenian national statistical service (Armstat) said the volume of foreign investments in the country's real economy sector in January-September of 2006 (not counting investments in the state management and banking sectors) rose almost 32 percent from a year ago to $297.5 million.

Armstat said the volume of direct investments was $149.4 million, 8 percent up from a year ago. It said investments from Greece declined 34 percent to $44.8 million, investments from Russia declined 5 percent to $34.4 million. Instead investments from Argentine grew 9 times to $58 million, 2 times from Lebanon to $56.2 million.

Investments from the USA and Great Britain made $17.6 and $21.1 million respectively, up 42 and 15 percent. Investments came also for the first time from China, Liechtenstein and Finland. Almost 34 percent of foreign and 23.7 percent of direct investments went to the communications sector, 23 percent of direct investments went to the mining and 16.4 percent to aviation sectors.

As long as these numbers don't hide a certain truth of fudging, this really is good news for Armenia. As reported earlier, this most likely means more Armenian assets are going to foreign companies/governments, which essentially means Armenains can't control their future. International conflicts and other such economic disturbances can possibly play havoc on Armenia's economy.

But since we're still growing rapidly, maybe this "initial wave" of investments - some 15 years in the making - is a good thing.

Source: ArmenPress.

Imported Food into Armenia to be Labeled by Law

It's about time, really.

Foodstuffs imported into Armenia should be subjected to obligatory marking in Armenia, head of the Standardization and Compliance of the Trade and Economic Development Ministry Robert Dayan announced at a news conference on December 21.

He said subject to mandatory Armenian language marking are chicken meat, eggs, meat products, sausages, meat cans, dairy products, confectionaries, teas and coffees, chocolates, vegetables, jams and others. He said foodstuff with no Armenian language marking will not be allowed into the country.

The official noted that many foodstuffs imported from Turkey do not meet Armenian standards and, taking into consideration that the question cannot be settled because of absence of diplomatic relations with the country, Turkish foodstuffs imports were banned. All imported goods should be certified, but Turkish foodstuffs are not. “Turkish food sold in Armenian markets are smuggled,” Robert Dayan said.

One source did not mention the complete banning of Turkish food, so take that with a grain of Armenian salt. Even if food is labeled and such a label is not embraced by the market, it takes about three seconds to come up with the solution of importing the food with labels and later removing them for resale. Thus, square one.

Sources: ArmenPress and Regnum.

Crime Rate in Armenia Increases 13%

I'm always hoping for positive news, but then we get something like this.

Armenian national statistical committee said 8,202 crimes were registered by law-enforcement bodies in January-October of 2006, 13.2 percent up from a year. It said 938 crimes were against persons, including 60 murders and 22 murder attempts, 532 cases of intentional injury and 48 cases of sexual assault.

Another 1,853 crimes were against public order and people's health, a 30 percent year-over-year growth. One case of banditry, 344 cases of hooliganism, 157 cases of illegal arms possession, 468 cases of traffic rules violation were registered. The committee said 162 people were killed in road accidents and 783 drug-related crimes were reported.

Out of 264 economic crimes 40 were related to printing or sale of fake bank notes. Forty cases of power abuse and draft were reported.

One can only guess how many crimes are not reported at all.

Source: ArmenPress. Picture by Onnik Krikorian.

Armenia's Biggest Chemical Plant Sold to British

A deal that has been in the making since mid-August is coming to a close: Armenia will sell a 90% stake in Nairit, Armenia's biggest chemical plant, to a British company called Rhinoville Property Limited for $40 million.

Movsisian said under the takeover agreement the new owner has committed to invest $120 million to modernize the plant.

Movsisian said the plant produces now 1000 tons of synthetic rubber a month, sold, apart from Russia, also to the USA and Europe. The new owner has committed also to increase the output from current 10,000 tons a year to 35,000 tons.

This is great. I think the Armenian government has found the best way to finance itself: sell off important assets as necessary! Is there anything we haven't yet sold? Pretty soon we're going to be foreigners in our own land.

It's obvious why any company would like to do business in Armenia. Sure! If they can pollute rivers and the environment, poison the people, and get cheap labor, while at the same time getting away with it all, why wouldn't any company want to do the same? It's always the bottom line that matters, but at what cost?

Original article here.

Turkey in the EU Good for Armenia

Think about this and see if this makes sense to you:

Turkey’s membership in the European Union would strengthen Armenia’s national security and bring the South Caucasus nation “geopolitically closer to Europe,” Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian said in a newspaper article published on Friday.

“In addition to building diplomatic ties between our two countries, we believe that in negotiating for membership -- and perhaps as a future EU member state -- Turkey will contribute to an economically stronger and more stable neighborhood,” he said. “This is in the interest of both Turkey and Armenia.

I'm not so sure about this. Maybe all he's doing is trying to embrace the inevitable, which is Turkey's entry without official recognition of the Genocide. But besides a stable region that will be created as a result, with which I agree completely, this will only move the formal recognition of the Genocide farther away. We can't have this.

Original article here.

Caravan: A Video

This is a really interesting video about Armenians. A must see!

Four Set Themselves on Fire in Armenia

This story is actually a few days old, but so shocking that I feel the need to publish it regardless.

The protesters poured gasoline on themselves and set themselves on fire in front of the president's office in Yerevan, the teenagers' great uncle Surian Avdalian told The Associated Press. The grandmother and her 14-year-old grandson were injured and hospitalized with burns, Avdalian said. The other two teens were unharmed.

The four were members of the small Yazidi community who were protesting what they called official inaction in last month's beating death of the children's father, Avdalian said. They argued that the case was not being investigated because of discrimination against the Yazidi, a Kurdish ethnic group. About 50,000 Yazidi live in Armenia.

Source here.

Genocide-denier Blocked by U.S. Senate

Armenians are stronger than ever, but yet Bush chooses to nominate an individual who apparently doesn't believe that the word "Genocide" is appropriate to describe what was in fact a genocide.

The U.S. Senate has effectively declined to approve Richard Hoagland, President George W. Bush's pick for ambassador to Yerevan, who has been condemned by U.S. Armenian groups for refusing to characterize last century's Armenian killings in the Ottoman Empire as genocide.

But in any case, U.S. Armenian leaders have made clear that they and their backers in the Senate are determined to block any "genocide denier" as U.S. envoy to Armenia.

Armenian groups have made it clear that they will press for the passage of at least one genocide recognition resolution in Congress before April 24, designated by U.S. presidents as the day of remembrance of the Armenian killings.

You can find the full article here.

In unrelated news, the animal rights lobby has declared a lawsuit against Dick Hoagland for using apparently furry animals as unfashionable wigs.

Beautiful Shot of Yerevan & Beyond

(click to enlarge)

I found this really beautiful aerial picture of Yerevan. Note the concentric rings, as planned by Alexander Tamanyan.

Aerial photo from here.

Architects Upset Over Armenia's Disappearing Architecture

If you've seen Yerevan over the past decade, then you know very well that the city has changed tremendously. Redevelopment has drastically altered the city center, but not necessarily for the best.

A group of renowned Armenian architects are ringing alarm bells over the few remaining old buildings in central Yerevan that seem to be disappearing in a construction boom which is rapidly changing the city center.

In a joint appeal to Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, they called for the Armenian government’s “immediate intervention” in what they see as an illegal destruction of the country’s historical and cultural heritage.

They listed in particular a dozen buildings dating back to the pre-Soviet period that were supposed to be protected by the state but have been torn down by private developers over the past two years. All of those buildings were included in December 2004 on a government list of over a hundred properties that are not subject to demolition.

The pursuit of profits has once again come at the expense of Armenia and its people.

To read the full article, click here.

Russian Gas Pipeline Ruptures

According to ArmeniaLiberty, the section of the pipeline going through Georgia has been damaged.

Armenia was receiving a fraction of its regular gas supplies from Russia for a third consecutive day on Wednesday due to the reported rupture at a vital pipeline running through neighboring Georgia.

Georgian officials say a section of the pipeline was ruptured by an avalanche on Sunday. Armenia has since been importing Russian gas through a much smaller reserve pipeline.

Russian gas is used for generating about 40 percent of Armenia's electricity. It is also the principal source of winter heating.

And yet again, our previous post makes perfect sense!

Iran to Ship Gas to Armenia

According to Bloomberg,

Iran will start shipping gas through a pipeline to Armenia in January, the Tehran Times reported Sunday, citing an Iranian official.

About 1 million cubic meters of natural gas will be shipped daily through the 160-kilometer pipeline, said Mohammad-Reza Akbari, the managing director of Payandan, the company operating the pipeline. That will increase to 3 million cubic meters per day “later on,” he said.

It's pretty obvious that this is the first step towards greater cooperation between the two countries, as seen in a previous post. Independence from Russia's gas monopoly is always a good thing, but there may be a greater price to pay.

Marriott Armenia Wins World Travel Award

According to Armenia Now, the Armenia Marriott hotel won for the second year consecutively the World Travel Award for
Armenia’s Leading Hotel. This is the world’s most comprehensive travel awards ceremony, with trophies awarded in all areas of the industry. Voting is cast by travel agents in over 200 countries around the world. Hundreds and thousands of votes each year are registered online on the official World Travel Award site.This year voting reached a total of 167,000 travel professionals world wide, including 110,000 travel agents.

This elegant hotel was once called Hotel Armenia and was bought for $10 million from the government in 1997. Marriott took over management in 2001 and the entire hotel in 2004.