Turkey's Preconditions to Border Opening: Laughable!

It seems that Turkey comes up with stranger and stranger requests weekly. Maybe not entirely so, but I found this particular attempt laughable.

"We do not want the border with Armenia to be opened," announced head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Igdir Kemal Arslan. According to him, the businessmen of Igdir are against the opening of the border as, "Armenia has occupied 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan."

According to the Turkish official, as a precondition for the opening of the border, "Armenia must give back the occupied territories to Azerbaijan, recognize the borders of Turkey and refrain from the recognition of the Armenian Genocide."

First, this is not Turkey's official stance, it seems, but rather that of Igdir, a city in Eastern Turkey. Second, do you realize that if we refrain from the recognition of the Armenian Genocide - and that is what Kemal Arslan suggests - then that means a Genocide actually took place, which is the opposite of the official Turkish stance. Ah, they'll come to terms with their past.

Anyway, this whole thing is laughable to me. I've covered the border issue in previous entries, if you're interested in finding out more.

Source: A1+

First Chinese Child Born in Akhaltskha

In case you were wondering, Akhaltskha is an area in Georgia with a large Armenian population. But now they have a new arrival!

On January 26 the first Chinese child was born in Akhaltskha.

In fall of 2006 several Chinese families came to Akhaltskha. They are engaged in their own business. One of those families had a son...

In related news, Akhaltskha has now become a manufacturing superpower, churning out toys, cars, phones, and more, and each item that is exported carries a golden oval which states, "Made in Akhalatskha by China."

That deserves a haha. At least a ha!

Source: A1+

Armenian Girls Wear Revealing Clothes, Get Sick

A certain girl, whom I will not name, is also such a victim. Instead of dressing warmly, she gives in to fashion and gets sick often.

Because of short jackets and low-cut jeans the young organism cannot stand the cold. The modern "fashion" results in many illnesses including those of the kidneys.

Gynecologists often speak about this problem too. "Catching cold is dangerous for all the organs including the ovaries. The latters are very sensitive and cold can cause serious damage to their functions resulting even in sterility," says gynecologist Nelli Abgaryan.

She mentions that nowadays more and more young girls visit the doctors.

Armenian girls: take note! We'll still love you, even if we can't see the top of your butt or if it means you covering up your arms for the sake of your health. What will it be: sickness or sense?

Source: A1+

Armenia's Taxis to Get New Yellow Numbers

The Taxi world appears unshaken by recent developments.

The taxi services are not going to make their service more expensive, although the Government decision on taxis will cost them dear. “Of course yellow numbers will reduce the quantity of the services, but they will not become more expensive. The people using taxi services mainly belong to the middle walk of life. If the service becomes more expensive, we will lose the majority of the clients”, said one of the drives.

On January 12 the RA Government decision on the "Demands on the numbers of the means of public transportation" come into force. According to the decision, the cars used as taxis should have yellow numbers, like route taxis.

Just another way to exercise control over taxi drivers and companies, or a drive to regule them in the name of consumer demands? You be the judge.

Source: A1+

Archeology in Armenia Yields Discoveries!

This is superb! While people are worrying about the elections, the neighbors, the censorship, etc., archaeologists in Armenia are making history-changing discoveries!

As a result of excavations in Aratashen, evidence was discovered of a neolithic settlement dating to 5-4 century BC.

Found materials make it possible to make certain adjustments to the historical data on the trends of development, not only of Armenia but other nearby regions, as well.

According to the budget of RA 2007, the Institute allocated 190 million drams, which is about $521,000.

I would love to dig in Armenia. Who knows what you'd find? It would be tremendously great for the public to be made more aware of such findings and other discoveries within Armenia. What better way to inspire the young and further our culture?

Source: Yerevan.ru (translated)

Gazprom to Build Oil Plant in Armenia

I should note that it seems plans are not yet finalized, even though some sources make it seems as if they are. Let the pollution begin!

Gazprom Neft Russian company announced the intention to build an oil processing plant in Armenia. The capacity of the plant is supposed to make 7 million tons per year.

The plant will be located at the border of Armenia and Iran, the supplier of the stock. A new pipeline from Tebriz will be laid for the purpose. The processed stock will be delivered to Tehran via a railway that doesn’t exist yet, reports Kommersant daily.

Can't join in the railroad project with the Kars-Gyumri line? Team up with Russia and Iran and build a whole new line and make barrels of money! Smart thinking.

Source: Yerkir

Armenian Taxes in 2006 in the Billions...of AMD!

Every country has to have a hated agency. Of course, in the United States it's the Internal Revenue Service, charged with making your life a living hell full of numbers, exceptions, and lots of paper! But don't worry: Armenians aren't exactly green with envy, because they've got the same at home!

The RA Taxation Service collected a total of AMD 220.683bln (about $605 million) taxes instead of the planned AMD 220.417bln...

He said that tax revenues actually increased by AMD 47bln ($128 million) compared to 2005. Tsolakyan stressed that a steady increase in tax revenues have been recorded in Armenia over the last few years.

Tsolakyan stressed that the RA taxation Service focused its attention on construction, mining industry, gas and public catering.

So if you run a prostitution ring, you get off without a hitch.

Source: Arka

Hrant Dink's Agos Newspaper Receives Death Threats

Even though many took to the streets in support of condemning Hrant Dink's murder, there are some who want more.

Employees of the bilingual “Agos” weekly said they received a letter late Wednesday that described Dink as an “enemy dog” and warned that anyone calling World War One-era massacres of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey a genocide will meet his fate.

“If you fail to exercise caution, many of your other dogs will also die,” read the letter signed by the obscure Turkish Revenge Brigade (TIT). “We have enough explosives to send the ‘Agos’ building skywards.”

“If you claim to have endured a genocide in 1915, then you don’t know what a genocide is. A real genocide will begin now,” it said.

The newspaper will not be swayed, even if a small group of ultranationalist pigs believe otherwise. I'm convinced that Turkey is on the verge of enormous change, but I fear that more killings of the sort will take place in the meantime.

Source: ArmeniaLiberty

Vanes Martirosyan Victorious!

What do you see in the top picture? I see a victorious Vanes standing in front of a fighter - Taronze Washington - who can no longer stand, and in the process upping his record to 12 wins, 0 losses, with 8 knockouts.

Martirosyan put Washington (9-6) on the canvas with a right uppercut-left hook combination to the head. Washington was up at about eight, but referee David Mendoza did not allow him to continue, as he stood on wobbly legs.

"Me and Freddie have been working on that right uppercut," Martirosyan said, in reference to trainer Freddie Roach.

Congrats to Vanes from Armenia Blog! It's great to see Armenia represented in the ring, and especially great that the fighter is thus far undefeated!

Source: PressTelegram

Armenia Blog Now Has Categories!

Right! Look to your right: do you see the section labeled BROWSE? Of course you do! Browse allows you to look through recent as well as old stories of a specific category, so if you're only interested in recent sports news, you won't have to sift through a discussion on foreign policy to get there. Nifty, eh?

I'm still working on the categories: I am changing, merging, etc.

If you have any specific ideas to make the blog better, I'm all ears!

Armenia Blog Maintenance

In case you are wondering why there aren't a ton of new entries: Armenia Blog is being made better and faster as we speak...erm, type! I'm working on making previous entries much more accessible, as well as making the entire blog load much quicker than now.

You should see new stuff in about 24 hours.

See you soon!

Armenian Ferraris - One Man's Garage

(Click to enlarge)

Many Armenians have done well in this country and abroad, no question about that; and no question about the fact that we must always have the best of everything, as if we were in a perpetual competition with the Armenian Joneses! These Ferraris belong to an Armenian named Armen, but that's as much information as I'm going to give out.

The reason I posted this is to show that anything is possible. When I see young Armenians using words like "gangsta" and "thug" as they look up to unsavory characters, I wonder if they realize that there is a world beyond "Deagles," "hoes," and "chronic." Seriously though, Armen is just one guy out of many who has steered clear of everything that's holding back many among the youth of today within the firm grasp of clever marketing and smoke and mirrors.

Of course, the other reason I posted this picture is because I love homes and I love cars!

The Dog & The Cat - Shunn u Katun

If you grew up in Armenia, then you know this story well. Here's a video of the cartoon, in Russian. Enjoy!

Vanes "The Nightmare" Martirosyan Fights This Saturday!

Vanes hails from Glendale, California, and is going to fight Taronze Washington of Dallas, Texas, this Saturday, January 27th, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. I think Vanes will win hands down. Have a look:

Vanes: 11 Wins, 0 Losses, 7 KOs
Taronze: 9 Wins, 5 Losses, 5 KOs

Of course, there's more to boxing than past performance, but go out there and support Vanes, regardless!

Links of interest:
Vanes Martirosyan's Official Website
Honda Center

Mel Gibson: Friend to Armenians?

(Click for bigger version)

I am still jumpy after seeing Apocalypto, but it seems Armenians need not fear the wrath of Gibson. The picture above - when clicked and enlarged - claims that Mel Gibson had an outburst of sorts in Malibu in the summer of 2006. The contents of this outburst involve Gibson saying that he respects and admires our ethnicity and hates the "bastard Turkish brutes."

Does it matter if Mad Max is pro-Armenian? Realize that half of Hollywood - and you know which half - hates this guy to the core, so any association with Gibson is a liability these days. It's sort of like, "Oh, Mel Gibson said he likes Armenians? Well, I guess we know what that says about Armenians!" Maybe not really, but guilt by association is a nasty thing.

Keep in mind that this clip is from the National Enquirer, which among other things, asserts that Clint Eastwood is an alien from some still-unknown planet. No joke.

Why I Didn't See "The Priestess"

I was really looking forward to seeing Vigen Chaldranian's "The Priestess" - but I didn't. I was very excited about the notion of a Hollywood-style film, in terms of the picture quality, sound quality, and that polished look that Armenian films always miss, for better or worse.

Long story short, I didn't see it - and this is the main reason: "Premiere pricing" meant that I had to pay anywhere from $50-60 a ticket to see a couple of hours of film. What a joke!

Sure it's a premiere, sure it's a Chaldranian film, but does this mean getting raped financially for the pleasure of enjoying an Armenian film? At first, I planned on taking my family and my other half, but that would mean my spending $250. I don't think so. I was further dissuaded by the fact that when I called the special number to get the tickets - and this is before I knew of the steep price - a woman said the following in Armenian: "Yes?"

Did I get the wrong number? Were the phone lines crossed? Surely this couldn't have been Grauman's Chinese Theater! I don't know where I called - most likely some suite in a building somewhere in Glendale - but I was confused. I said, "Hello?" and she replied, "Ayo?" (Ayo is "Yes" in Armenian.) A few seconds after that exchange, it seemed clear that the only people taking orders were Armenian and they didn't speak English.

Why does this bug me? It bugs me because I want Armenian movies to succeed! I don't care what the theme is: don't limit the movie to Armenians! Get operators who can actually speak the language in which it is premiering! For crying out loud, are you trying every last possible option to make sure that this film does not succeed with the rest of the world?

Regardless, if you have a review, submit it and I will publish it if it is good.

Armenian Terrorists: Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia

As I've said before, this blog serves to discuss anything and everything to do with Armenia. Unfortunately, there are some things that most people don't talk about or maybe even don't know about, such as terrorism.

Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia - better known as ASALA, also known as The Orly Group or 3 October Organization - is the most infamous of all Armenian terrorist groups. The organization was founded in 1975 in Beirut, Lebanon by Hagop Tarakchian and Hagop Hagopian. ASALA's was founded to force the Turkish government to acknowledge publicly its responsibility for the Armenian Genocide, pay reparations, and return Armenian lands. They planned to accomplish these objectives by assassinating Turkish diplomats and politicians, though they have killed many civilians, as well.

Some of their acts include: assassination of Turkish ambassador to Austria Danis Tunaligil in Vienna in 1975 , assassination of the First Secretary of Turkish Embassy Oktay Cerit in Beirut in 1976, killing 9 people in the bombing of Ankara airport in 1982, and killing 8 people in the bombing at Orly Airport in Paris in 1983. It is believed that ASALA has killed a total of 31 people, including women and children, and wounded many others.

As of today, ASALA is not believed to be active.

Sources:
NPS
WorldStatesmen

Armenians Participate in Game of Intellect

If you speak Russian, chances are you know about this game. If not, here you go:

The “What, Where, When” Russian-language intellectual game that originated in the 1970s and Brain Ring established later are currently widely spread in CIS countries.

During the game six intellectual players get a question sent by TV viewers and discuss it for one minute, and then the captain of the team decides who gives the answer, which, if correct, brings a point.

With stormy discussions and great enthusiasm Armenian intellectual players try to find answers to interesting questions. Every correct answer is followed by gleeful celebration.

The unique aspect is not the game, but that it was sponsored - that is, paid for - by Armenia's Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs. However, since fewer Armenians speak Russian, some of the teams are not as strong, as they must first translate and then solve the questions.

Source: ArmeniaNow

Several Theaters in Armenia to be Reconstructed

I have fond memories of theaters in Armenia, especially the State Puppet Theater, which I've always known as, "tiknikayin tatron" or with Tumanyan's name in front of it.

The buildings of the Yerevan state theater of Music Comedy after Paronyan and the State Puppet Theater, as well as that of the "Pan-national" will be reconstructed this year. They will be equipped with new equipment.

"Today it is a must, as the theaters are still using the equipment from 1960-70s which is completely out of order", said representative of RA Ministry of Culture Razmik Abrahamyan.

In 2003-2004 five state theaters were reconstructed thanks to the investment of the Lincy Foundation. Nevertheless, the administrative building of the state academic theater after Sundukyan has not been fully reconstructed. It is included into the Ministry 2007-09 plans.

Let us remind you that there are 22 theaters in Armenia today.

There goes yet another portion of my childhood. Goodbye conservative architecture, hello gaudy monstrosities.

Source: A1+

Turkish Daily News Writes in Armenian

Can someone check on hell and see if it has frozen over?

Turkish Daily News, one of the most influential newspapers in Turkey, issued an article titled in the Armenian language "Goodbye Hrant, we are all Armenians" (Mınasparov Hrant Polorıs Hay Yenk). The article was dedicated to the funeral of Hrant Dink.

"Tens of thousands of mourners gathered for a last farewell to murdered journalist Hrant Dink in Osmanbey, one of the central districts of Istanbul where he was shot in front of his newspaper's office building, Agos," the newspaper says.

This could be the beginning of something good, but only if we do not forget that we still have a stained past with Turkey that must first be addressed and resolved.

Source: PanArmenian

Russia to Double Investments in Armenia

Translation: Russia will buy up more of Armenia!

"Today, the volume of Russia's accumulated investments in Armenia makes up 800 million dollars. But three Russian companies - VympelKom, Rusal and Gazprom are planning investments and already investing," he added.

"It will double the volume of investments to 1.5 billion dollars in the nearest future," Putin stated.

"Other companies also display an interest in working on the Armenian market. It instills optimism," he added

Alone Vympelcom's investments will make up 490 million dollars," the Russian president noted.

Hooray for capitalism! While increased investment is always a good thing, we should stop to realize the potential consequences of so much Russian money in a tiny country like Armenia.

Source: Itar-Tass

Turkey Wants Armenia's Friendship

There is no question that this "friendliness" is politcally motivated, as Hrant Dink's death has brought Turkey much criticism. Regardless, here's what one didn't expect to hear:

"Turkey aspires to enjoy friendly ties with all of its neighbors on the basis of mutual trust and respect and we want to establish ties with Armenia as well." [said Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül]

But he noted that Armenia should not come up with unfair demands from Turkey – such as the recognition by Ankara of the alleged genocide of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Empire – in return for normalization of bilateral ties. On genocide claims, Gül repeated the Turkish government's proposal to set up a joint commission of Turkish and Armenian academics to study allegations.

Translation: "We need you to show the world - and the EU - that we're decent people who love all, whether Armenian, Greek, Kurd, or otherwise. Turkey would love to be your friend, if only you revise your history to our acceptable standards using our prepared documents. Deal?"

No deal without precondition. Of course, Armenia disagrees.

Source: Turkish Daily News

PACE Acknowledges Armenia's Progress

PACE is the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. You may remember the earlier report about Azerbaijan's failed attempts to get Armenia kicked out of it!

“While acknowledging the progress made by Armenia towards compliance with its obligations and commitments, in particular since the adoption of the constitutional reform, the Assembly today decided to pursue its monitoring procedure until the current or proposed reforms in the fields of electoral law, the media and the justice system have produced tangible results,” says the resolution adopted January 23 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

“The Assembly expects Armenia to demonstrate its capacity to hold the parliamentary elections in 2007 and the presidential elections in 2008 in accordance with international standards, not least with regard to pluralist, impartial media coverage of the election campaign,” the document says.

The election is very important to Armenians as well as the international community. If it is anything resembling the previous one, our standing will surely take a hit.

Source: PanArmenian

Apple Computer Wants Big Bite Out of Armenian Market

Not content with the sales of millions of iPods and other Apple items, the company recently began its presence in the Armenian market.

Officially the [Apple] Center opened on December 15, 2006, and the Company was registered in May 2005. There is demand practically for all the "Apple" production. The Armenian computer market is already practically formed, and the "Apple" production is a somewhat different approach to the world of computers.

In the nearest future we intend to cover the level of 30-40% of the market - this is a very serious index. It is reasoned by the quality of the production and the pricing policy of "Apple". So, in Yerevan the "Apple" equipment cost only 5-7% more expensive than in the USA.

The prices of the "Apple" computers in the Armenian Center start from $1700. We also realize credit sales with 20% pre-pay and 6-12 months credit term.

It's always surprising to me that there are people in Armenia with enough money to buy $100,000 cars, $2,000 computers, and $5,000 purses. Besides the minority that rules the country in a virtual monopoly, how do the rest of them generate such enormous sums? What percent of Armenians can afford a $1,700 computer?

Source: Banks.am

Homeless People are Dying on the Streets of Yerevan. Again.

What a sad, sad story:

“Help us. Igor is dying,” Tony said with tears in his eyes. "We all are going to die soon. Eight people have already died this winter. Gayane, Ashot from Shamshadin, Mamikon… David died lying next to the garbage dump – I called emergency."

"I have a spasm in my throat. I'm cold. I sleep on the concrete floor. Even now when the fire is lit I don't feel it; I can't get warm." [said Igor]

Igor Brutkaroyan died on the night of December 30th.

There are many more stories like this. Just because these people have no homes - and it is for many reasons - it does not make them any less human. They feel cold, they feel hungry, they feel alone. And we all know the Armenian perspective on the less fortunate people in society: complete and utter disgust and ignorance.

I commend Hetq for running this story, along with many others devoted to homelessness in Armenia.

Georgia Imposes Restrictions on Armenian Schools

Here's what you need to know:

The Council of the Armenian NGOs of Javakheti is worried by the upcoming qualification of directors of schools in Tbilisi on January 28...The directors of the Armenian schools of Javakheti, as well as other parts of Georgia will take a test on Georgian besides the other exams.

On January 28 fewer Armenian directors will pass qualification than the number of Armenian schools. Consequently, some Armenian schools will have non-Armenian directors. Therefore, Artak Gabrielyan, a member of the Council of Armenian NGOs of Javakheti, says the knowledge of Armenian should also be obligatory for the directors of Armenian schools.

That sounds fair, doesn't it?

Source: Lragir

Fewer Die Serving in Armenian Army

It's pretty sad when one reports happily on a decrease in deaths in the Armenian Army. The Armenian Army is a horrible place to spend two years of your young life: I think many would prefer an American prison, instead. Regardless, some families circumvent the mandatory service requirements by spending thousands of U.S. dollars to bribe the right people and keep their sons out of the Army. Since the average Armenian makes a couple of hundred dollars a month, these huge sums put families in large debts.

In 2006 the rate of death in the army declined, 33 cases were reported against 47 in 2005, said Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan today in a news conference. “However, 33 is not the finish line and we must make efforts to reduce deaths in the army,” Serge Sargsyan says.

He said these 33 deaths had different causes, including killings, shooting by the enemy, etc. Besides, the minister of defense said it should be taken into account that over 40 thousand 18-year-old boys serve in the army, the majority have weapon and serve in the border installations.

“I do not think that you will find a community which will have better indexes," Serge Sargsyan said.

Hey Serge, try telling that to the grieving mother who lost her only son to your ineptly-run Army. I think you will impress her with the index numbers!

Source: Lragir

Robert Kocharian Receives Orthodox People’s Unity International Foundation Award

I had no idea there was such an award, did you?

On January 21, a solemn awarding ceremony of the Orthodox People’s Unity International Foundation for “Outstanding activities for consolidation of unity of orthodox nations” took place in Moscow. The awarding ceremony was lead by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexi II. This year the awards were handed to:

-Armenian President Robert Kocharian for the contribution to the development of the church-state relations;

-UN 6th Secretary General Butros-Butros-Gali for prominent personal contribution to the promotion of Christian spiritual values;

-Gazprom Russian company for assistance in renaissance of the Russian Orthodox Church and other churches throughout the globe.

The Armenian President is awarded as a consistent and active adherent to extension of Christian influence within the modern society.

While some countries fight bloody wars to separate the church from the state, Kocharyan is awarded for its further integration. A more apt award I cannot imagine.

Source: Yerkir

Armenian Hackers Deface Azeri Public TV Website

That's the claim, anyway:

A statement presented as an announcement of the secret services of Armenia was placed on the online site of the Azerbaijan Public TV last weekend. The statement contained threat of physical destruction of the Azerbaijan hacker cracking the Armenian sites, saying "it was the last warning."

The so-called war of hackers between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not a new phenomenon and has been proceeding for 10 years with variable success and is accompanied by campaigns in the mass media of two countries.

So these people - on both sides - have so much time on their hands that they spend their time playing a very complicated form of tag? Imagine if they spent that time on more important pursuits, such as blogging!

Source: Today.az

Armenian Movie "The Priestess" Opens January 25th

One of the producers of "The Priestess" informed me of the premiere details:

Place: Grauman's Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, California
Date: Thursday, January 25th, 2007
Time: 7:00PM
Call: 818-265-0506

A lot more information is available on the official "The Priestess" website. The web site has a trailer, photo gallery, and more.

Go out there and see it!

Armenia to Build Public Toilets...and Kill Dogs!

I wish there was a joke in there somewhere, but there isn't. At least in the United States, stray dogs are given the option of adoption, whether by the government or private groups.

The municipality will allocate land for building some 50 public lavatories, Karen Gevorgyan, trade and service department head of the municipality, told a briefing today. He said they understand the need of lavatories as tourism develops in Armenia.

The municipality also makes sterilization of outdoors dogs. Gevorgyan says at least 30 percent of outdoors dogs will be eliminated in 5 years. The municipality official said they had invited an American expert to share more experience in work with outdoors animals. “They do not ask money for that,” he said.

Something tells me that sterilization is a euphemism for - uhhh, what's the word I'm looking for? oh yeah - death! On a private note, tourists to Armenia inform me that animals which are no longer alive are left to rot on the streets. Thus, the true motivation for this news: more money from tourism as a result of expanded facilities and clean-of-all-living-animals streets!

Source: Panorama

Armenian Boy Murdered in Moscow

When will these hate-filled acts stop? When will Russia do something about it?

Moscow law enforcement bodies informed Interfax that a body of a young boy was detected not far from 45 Kostanayevskaya Street.

“The law officials detected the body of Arthur Martirosyan, born in 1991, who went to one of Moscow schools and was in its 7th year of studies,” the source says.

The investigation says the young boy was found stabbed in his left thorax. A criminal case is instituted.

Does it matter to the family that a case has been launched? Most likely they won't find the person responsible, and even if they do, no amount of "justice" will bring their son back. What Russia needs to do is to completely ban the organization of such groups, as they do nothing more than hate other groups, whether Armenian, Georgian, Azeri, Jewish, or some other group. This has got to stop.

Source: Panorama

Trees Cut Down to Build New Hotel

Another story that I'm too disgusted to even type.

The grove near Aghayan 19 and Teryan 56 no more exists. Two days ago the residents of those houses woke up to find out that the 20 healthy trees of the grove have been chopped down. They could not prevent the trees from being cut as the policemen did not allow them to interfere. Several residents managed to take photos with cell phones.

The plan to cut down the grove was created in 2002 by Nushikyan Association which intends to build a four-storied hotel instead. The project had been rejected more than once but in 2006 it was finally accepted.

The residents of the nearby houses have created a committee protecting their rights, with Rouben Torosyan at the head. They have sent letters to Robert Kocharyan, RA Prime Minister, the head of the Police, as well as the RA Ombudsman and the Public Prosecutor. Mayor Yervand Zakharyan had promised that the trees would not be cut down.

Capitalism over common sense, as always. When will it change? When will Armenia itself be uprooted for the construction of a series of pipelines or something completely devastating on a massive scale?

What I do like about this story is the democratization of media: people with cell phones. Imagine if they had not been there: would this story have had the same impact? Doubtful.

Source: A1+

Armenia & Azerbaijan Discuss Nagorno-Karabakh

It's about time that this issue be resolved, once and for all.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov will meet today with his Armenian counterpart, Vartan Oskanyan, in Moscow to discuss a settlement to the bitterly dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azeri territory occupied by Armenian troops...

The meeting will be a part of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, co-chaired by Russia, France and the United States, which has been attempting to broker a settlement to the dispute for more than a decade.

Let's hope some good comes from this meeting. War is not what we need.

Source: Turkish Daily News

10-15% of Armenian Computers Connected to the Internet

Given the web presence of Armenians, it is quite a surprise. Then again, many Armenians online are not from Armenia at all!

The overall number of computers in Armenia, both old and new is estimated at about 500,000 but only 10-15 percent of them are connected to Internet, according to Andranik Alexanian, chief manager of Arminco company, which is the biggest Internet provider. He said overall 100,000 people in Armenia have access to Internet, adding that population in remote areas, and especially in rural areas, do not even dream of having access to Internet.

The progress is seen in Gyumri, Vanadzor, Kapan, Hrazdan and Etchmiadzin towns, where the percentage of people with access to Internet in even higher than in Yerevan.

And to think that Yerevan is assumed as being the most everything city! Regardless, the free exchange of information for all computer users is very important. In a democracy, it is essential.

Source: ArmenPress

Azerbaijani Sniper Kills Armenian Soldier

I hope this incident is not related to this one. Here's the story:

Armenian defense ministry said an Armenian serviceman was fatally wounded by an Azerbaijani sniper today morning at a position on Armenian-Azerbaijani border near the town of Berd. The ministry said Armen Malkhasian, 19, was wounded in the head and died on the road to hospital. Seyran Shahsuvarian, a spokesman for Armenian defense ministry, said an investigation was started into the incident.

This is getting out of hand: what is the future of our two countries?

Source: ArmenPress

Khoren Palyan Passes

I have some sad news to report today.

Khoren Palian, honored worker of culture, passed away this morning at the age of 72. Khoren Palyan was a singer, a choirmaster, professor at Yerevan State University, member of the International Academy of Nature and Society, member of the Forum of Intelligentsia of Armenia. In the course of the last few years, he actively engaged in protest actions organized by the opposition.

It is always sad when a notable figure passes away. Rest in peace, Khoren.

Source: Panorama

Strong Earthquake Near Armenian Border

Remember the previous earthquake? Here's another, but with a different epicenter:

An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the open-ended Richter scale jolted the eastern Turkish province of Agri today, seismologists said.
Authorities said the quake had demolished homes in at least two villages and they were checking for casualties.

The epicentre of the tremor, which hit at 9.38am (6.38pm AEDT), was at the town of Tutak, near the borders with Armenia and Iran, the Istanbul-based Kandilli observatory said.

What's going on with the Earth?

Source: TheAustralian

Syria Signs Economic and Trade Agreements with Armenia

Here's the story:

Syria and Armenia on Sunday signed three agreements for the economic and trade cooperation within the framework of boosting bilateral cooperation and solving problems and obstacles that hinder its development.

Chainmen of Aleppo Chamber of Commerce Mohmmed Saleh al-Mallah signed with Armenian Chairman of Industry and Trade Chamber Martin Sarkisean a twinship agreement and another one to establish a joint business council between both countries' businessmen.

Good for Armenia, good for Syria!

Source: Sana

Kohar Symphony & Choir to Tour in 2007

Peter Bahlawanian informs me that the Kohar Symphony & Choir will tour 10 cities in North America, including San Francisco, Fresno, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto and Montreal. Venues will include Carnegie Hall in New York and the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Dates have not yet been announced.

SunChild: Armenia's First Regional Environmental Festival!

SunChild is organized by Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets and Golden Apricot Fund for Cinema Development and will take place between April 1-15 of 2007, in Dilijan, Armenia. Here are some more details:

The aim of the festival is to create a background with suitable conditions for bringing up a healthy and strong generation, taking care for the nature of their own country as well as of neighboring countries and protecting the assets and treasures that were created by mankind throughout thousands of years. In this sense, the festival provides wide opportunities for cross-cultural communication and dialogue.

One of the most important goals of our festival is to develop within the new generation the love, care and understanding towards the nature surrounding them. Our children will inherit this planet, and it is not only important in what condition they inherit it, but even more, whether they will be prepared to live in harmony with nature, to preserve and care for its beauty.

Armenian Film programs from the festival will be screened at different International Environmental festivals worldwide.

Armenia's hippies, unite!

Source: SunChild Festival

Former Communists Want A Red Reunion!

First a claim of record membeship, and now this.

Russian Communists urged Saturday the Communist parties of ex-Soviet states to join their efforts to restore the former Soviet Union.

Communist leaders from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia and other ex-Soviet republics gathered Saturday in the Russian capital to discuss the strengthening of future cooperation and the development of a common strategy to re-unite the former members of the now-defunct Soviet Union.

The participants of the meeting issued a statement calling upon all parties on the territory of the former Soviet Union that adhere to Communist ideology to join the fight for the "socialist development of brotherly nations and their unification into a Union State."

"Without a union between Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other brotherly republics that used to be members of the Soviet Union, we do not have a future," Zyuganov said.

Communism is always made out to be a bad, evil force, but the way I remember it is much different. Do I want it back? It's hard to answer, but most likely not. There are problems that cannot be solved even today with the tools of a quasi-democracy: how can we expect a failed system to ever do the job?

Source: RIAN

Armenian Journalist Goes on Trial

Yet another one of those free speech stories breaking cover:

The trial opened in Yerevan and immediately adjourned on January 17 of Gagik Shamshian...Shamshian faces charges, which he denies, of having extorted money in 1998-2004 from residents of Yerevan's Nubarashen district in return for not publishing articles criticizing them, and, on the basis of unpublished cartoons, of defamation.

The charges were brought against Shamshian last August, two months after he claimed to have been assaulted by associates of Nubarashen Mayor Mher Hovannisian. Shamshian claimed Hovannisian was angered by articles he published criticizing the district authorities. Shamshian said on January 17 that a senior prosecutor recently offered to drop the charges against him if he wrote to the OSCE admitting his guilt.

Does anyone out there really believe the extortion story?

Source: EurasiaNet

Euroset Comes to Armenia

Is this a sign that local monopolies may soon face international competition?

“Euroset” Company - one of the largest retailers in Russia and the CIS states, today announced the opening two shops in Yerevan...by the end of the year there will be 30 shops of the net opened in Armenia.

We are happy to announce the opening of the “Euroset” shops in Armenia – the eleventh country, where our company functions. Now a good choice of mobile phones, digital equipment with traditionally low prices for the company will be available for our customers in Armenia. As in all the other countries, we will offer the customers in Armenia high standards of quality service”, the President of “Euroset” Eldar Razroev stated.

They already have 5,100 shops across the CIS, and in 2006 had sales of over $4.62 billion. Other international companies will be making their way to Armenia soon, if this is any indication.

Source: Banks.am

Azerbaijan Wants Armenia Out of PACE

PACE is the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Azerbaijan wants Armenia out of it:

During the PACE winter session they are going to raise the issue of expelling Armenia from the PACE. “Armenia is the only one from the 46 countries which periodically violates the main principles of the structures. Armenia occupies the territories of other countries. It has non-constructive approach in the negotiation process and keeps itself isolated from the CE. That is why Armenia should be expelled from the CE. Nevertheless, it is not an easy thing as several country support Armenia. But we will continue to struggle”, said Seidov.

According to the source, this is Azerbaijan's second attempt at expelling Armenia from PACE.

Source: A1+

Possibly: United States Ready for War With Iran

I'm not one to speculate on things of this nature, but the signs of an impending invasion are there.

The US naval command announced yesterday that a fleet of American warships, including the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, have been deployed to the Persian Gulf. Washington is making no secret of the fact that the amount of American military might that is being concentrated in the region is intended to bring pressure to bear on Iran, which the Bush administration blames for the failure of its mission in Iraq. The prevailing opinion in the region is that the United States is planning to strike Iran within the next few months.

The carrier, which is crewed by more than 3,000 sailors, will stop off at the naval base in San Diego to pick up an 80-plane air wing before charting a course for the Persian Gulf.

It doesn't seem to me that Iran is willing to back down, so the premise of a mere threat is unfounded. Will we see war in the coming months? How will it affect Armenia? All of this remains to be seen.

Source: Kommersant

Cows for Martakert

Pretty self-explanatory:

A number of cows are soon to be sent to the residents of the villages of Martakert region. Within the framework of the regional development program of Martakert...

Alongside with supporting the villagers, the fund also sends one cow to each family which according to the agreement will be sent to another family three years later. Three villages have been chosen for the program: Mokhratagh (13 families), Talish (22 families), Chankatagh (14 families) and Vardadzor (8 families).

Does anyone know how much a cow costs in Armenia? It seems like a worthwhile project to initiate on a grassroots level.

Source: A1+

Oligarchs May Buy National Parks

Historical buildings? Check. Politicians? Check. Votes? Check. National parks? Erm, check!

It is not excluded that the Armenian oligarchs privatize Sevan and Dilijan national parts. “In fact, the new law does not prohibit that. At the moment, the parks are managed by non commercial state enterprises,” Simon Papyan, first deputy minister of nature protection told reporters.

In the words of the deputy minister, 50 percent of the credit program of this year in the amount of $800,000 will be directed to these parks to implement reforms. The state will release another 156 million Armenian drams to Sevan national park and 75 million to Dilijan national park for protection purposes.

Who is taking bets as to when the buying and selling of people by oligarchs becomes a reality? Oh, wait.

In case you were wondering, that beautiful man in the picture is Armenia Blog's best friend Gagik "Dodi Gago" Tsarukian.

Source: Panorama

Armenia to Integrate Disabled into Employment Market

We covered a story about the physically challenged in Armenia and the difficulties for them there, whether living, working, or otherwise. Now, the future looks brighter!

Employment rehabilitation center for disabled will be established in Armenia too, Sona Harutunyan, head of Employment State Service Agency...

The center will engage in monitoring and assessment of opportunities for employment of disabled. The results of the studies will be given to employers. Harutunyan is sure the center will promote integration of the disabled into the work market. Employment centers and employers also organize classes of sewing and computer for the disabled.

Armenia is slowly but surely turning into a country which values Western ideals.

Source: Panorama

Azerbaijan Claims Soldier Killed Near Karabakh

Apparently having forgotten about their breaches of ceasefire, they're on to something new:

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry says Armenian forces shot dead an Azerbaijani soldier near the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region

Armenia's Defense Ministry denies the charge. The Armenian side said its soldiers were preserving the cease-fire agreement in the area. Azerbaijan does not recognize the independence of the predominantly ethnic-Armenian territory, which has been under dispute since a six-year conflict that ended with a 1994 cease-fire.

We'll see what becomes of this story.

Source: RFE/RL