Armenian News

The Prayers for the Day with an Armenian theme will be broadcast on

Thursday 12 April. BBC Radio 4 FM Only .

RFE/RL Report

Armenian Growth Data For 2011 Released

10.04.2012

Economic growth in Armenia accelerated to 4.6 percent last year in

line with government projections, according to official GDP statistics

released this week.

The Armenian economy expanded by over 2 percent in 2010 following a

sharp downturn in 2009 caused by a global financial crisis.

The latest macroeconomic data from the National Statistical Service

(NSS) shows that its faster growth in 2011 was mainly driven by the

manufacturing and agricultural sectors. Industrial output rose by 14

percent and accounted for more than one-quarter of Armenia's GDP worth

3.82 trillion drams (about $10 billion).

According to the NSS, growth in agricultural production was just as

fast largely owing to relatively favorable weather conditions. The

sector's share in the economy reached about 22 percent as a result.

The 2011 growth would have been faster without a further double-digit

drop in construction. The Armenian construction industry is still

reeling from the 2009 recession.

The Armenian government expects the economy to grow at a slightly

slower rate, 4.2 percent, this year. Government officials acknowledge,

though, that the uncertain global economic outlook could translate

into a more sluggish growth.

The International Monetary Fund last week revised downwards its growth

projection for Armenia. A senior IMF official said in Yerevan that

growth will likely slow to 3.8 percent in 2012 `against the backdrop

of weak external environment.'

The NSS has reported strong gains in industrial and agricultural

outputs as well as services in January and February.

ANCIENT INHABITATION BENEATH ARMENIA'S TATEV MONASTERY

 - NEWSPAPER

news.am

April 10, 2012 | 07:57

YEREVAN. - There is an ancient city in the area of Armenia's

Tatev Monastery, under the earth. This city is not yet studied, and

archaeologists from Russia are planned to come to carry out studies,

Iravunk daily writes, referring to the information it has received.

"Senior specialist Boris Gasparyan of the [Armenian] Institute of

Archaeology said: 'There is a dwelling place here, but no one has

excavated to understand what it is.

When a church is restored here, first its surroundings must be

excavated to reveal the economic life around it. And this is expensive

and demands a long time.

And with respect to inviting archaeologists from Russia, pursuant

to Armenia's law this is possible solely in the case when this is

permitted by our archaeology commission; and our director is the vice

chairman of that commission, so if there were such thing, we would

have known.

No foreign expedition can carry out any activities in Armenia without

the Armenians' participation,'" Iravunk writes.

ARMENIA TO HOST AZERBAIJANI FILM FESTIVAL

Vestnik Kavkaza

April 9 2012

Russia

The Journalist Club in Armenia's Gyumri will host an Azerbaijani Film

Festival on April 12, Georgia Online reports.

4 short films made in Azerbaijan in 2007-2008 (1 documentary and

three feature films will be demonstrated).

One of the films will be awarded with a premium for Audience's

Sympathy.

Special bus transport Yerevan-Gyumri-Yerevan was organized for everyone

willing to attend. The festival is organized within the framework of

the Caucasus World Center and the British and US embassies in Armenia.

MICHAEL MALOOF: RUSSIA MODERNIZING BASE IN ARMENIA

Panorama.am

09/04/2012

Russia is moving more troops and modernizing its base in Armenia in

anticipation of the whole crisis in the Middle East from Syria to

Iran, Michael Maloof, a former Pentagon official from Washington,

said in an interview with Press TV commenting on potential risks for

the Russian security to be caused by Syrian crisis.

"It's making Moscow increasingly uneasy in terms of instability in the

region of what Syria is just one aspect of a larger problem that the

Moscow has now seen. For example, Russia is moving more troops and

modernizing its base in Armenia in anticipation of the whole crisis

in the Middle East from Syria to Iran," said Mr. Maloof.

Michael Maloof said Russia has some major military assets in Syria

itself that they'll probably come in the play if the opposition

continues to bombard.

www.WorldBulletin.net, Turkey

April 6 2012

Turkey returns historic graveyards to non-Muslim communities

Six historic graveyards were returned to Ä°stanbul's Jewish, Greek and

Armenian communities.

Six historic graveyards were returned to Ä°stanbul's Jewish, Greek and

Armenian communities on Thursday, following a decision by a government

board that regulates the practices of the country's non-Muslim

communities.

The decision of the Directorate General for Foundations (VGM) to

restore the cemeteries to their respective minority communities is the

first ruling on a February application by 19 non-Muslim foundations

for the return of 57 historic properties. In September, the government

authorized the return of properties seized from non-Muslim religious

communities in decades past.

Thursday's VGM ruling saw the return of two cemeteries to the BeyoÄ?lu

Yüksek Kaldırım Ashkenazi Jewish Synagogue Foundation, as well as the

repatriation of cemeteries belonging to the BeyoÄ?lu Greek Orthodox

Churches and Schools Foundation, the Balat Surp HreÅ?tegabet Armenian

Church and School Foundation, the Kadıköy Hemdat Israel Synagogue

Foundation and the Kuzguncuk Beit Yaakov Ashkenazi Synagogue

Foundation.

Laki Vingas, the representative of non-Muslim foundations at the VGM,

told the Radikal daily on Thursday that the decision is a sign that

the minority property law passed in September is being acted upon by

the government. This week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told

the US Congress that she was encouraged by the `concrete steps ¦

Turkey has taken over the past year to return properties to religious

communities.' Turkey's mostly Muslim population of nearly 75 million

includes roughly 65,000 Armenian Orthodox Christians, 20,000 Jews,

15,000 Assyrians and about 3,500 Greek Orthodox Christians. While

Armenian groups have 52 foundations and Jewish groups 17, Greeks have

75. Some of the properties that were seized from those foundations

include schools and cemeteries.

Turkey's Foreign Minister In Search of `Soft' Armenians

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

Monday 9 April 2012

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey's `man on the run 'has added

to his extremely busy schedule the new task of travelling around

the globe trying to recruit `sensible' Armenians.

Davutoglu has embarked on such a desperate initiative after the failure

of all Turkish attempts to divide and conquer the Armenians and weaken

their resolve to pursue their just cause. The Turkish Foreign

Minister openly acknowledged that his urgent efforts are prompted by

the looming 100thanniversary

of the Armenian Genocide that hangs like a Damoclean Sword over

his country.

After the collapse of the Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission

(TARC) and Turkey's futile attempts to seek `friendly' Armenians around 

the world, Ankara gave up on the Diaspora altogether and turned its

attention to a `softer target' – the Government of Armenia.

Initially, Turkey registered some success when the Armenia-Turkey

Protocols were signed by both countries, under the guise of opening their 

Mutual border. However, this latest attempt to drive a wedge between `soft'

Armenian officials and `hard-line 'Diasporans also failed, when the

much-touted Protocols were not ratified.

Realizing that Turkey had to deal with the Diaspora, not just Armenia

to resolve genocide related issues, Davutoglu once again turned his

attention to Armenian communities worldwide. During a March 24, 2010

CNN-Turk interview, he announced that Turkish authorities would

initiate a dialog with `sensible' Diaspora Armenians.

To pursue this stratagem, in April 2010 Davutoglu met in Washington

with Turkey's ambassadors to the United States and Canada, and Consul

Generals in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and Toronto. He

Instructed them to contact Armenians who are open to dialog, and to

avoid `hard-line groups,' according to the Turkish `Today's Zaman'

newspaper.

A few weeks later, `Hurriyet' reported that the Foreign Ministry issued

a 10-point action plan, instructing Turkish diplomats worldwide to:

Invite and involve local Armenians in Turkish events;

Participate in Armenian community activities;

Contact Armenians who are materially benefiting from making genocide

claims as well as recent immigrants from Turkey; and invite to Turkey 

those who harbor anti-Turkish sentiments;

Establish good relations with Armenian diplomats and attend their

official events;

Accept speaking opportunities at local community and university events

to explain Turkey's position on Armenian genocide claims;

Establish contacts with local academics to explain to them

Turkey's position;

Develop contacts with diplomats of countries neighboring Turkey and

familiarize them with Turkey's position on Armenian genocide claims;

Advocate the creation of `a joint commission of historians';

Promote normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations;

Emphasize that the peaceful resolution of the Karabagh conflict would

benefit Armenian-Turkish relations.

In December 2011, Turkey announced a revised concept of `Diaspora' to

include all descendants of `Anatolia,' regardless of their religion or

sect. Davutoglu instructed all Turkish diplomats to hold `face-to-face'

meetings with such individuals in order to discuss their `joint

history' and "the suffering of all Ottoman people during the incidents

of the World War I era."

Dissatisfied with the efforts of his diplomats, Davutoglu decided to

take matters into his own hands. Last month, he spent several hours in

Washington meeting privately with several Armenians and non-Armenians

from the Los Angeles area to discuss `Armenian-Turkish reconciliation.'

The Turkish Foreign Minister also invited the attendees to come to

Ankara and bring along other `prominent' Armenians. Since then,

Davutoglu has held similar meetings elsewhere.

Meanwhile, another Turkish-initiated group on `Armenian-Turkish

reconciliation' will be launched on April 12 in Washington. The host

group `HasNa' is set to meet at the offices of Arnold & Porter, a

lobbying firm hired by the Turkish government. The attendees will

include some Armenians and Turks, U.S. government officials, members of

the media, non-governmental organizations, academics, and others.

Armenians who choose to get involved in Turkish recruitment schemes

could well be seeking fame or fortune, or are well-intentioned,

but naive do-gooders. However, regardless of the reasons for their

involvement in such questionable practices, they should be mindful of

the consequences of their actions:

Dialog for the sake of dialog could do more damage than good to the

Armenian Cause. The Turkish government would exploit such efforts

To create the false impression that Armenians and Turks are in the

process of reconciling, thereby derailing the recognition of the

Armenian Genocide by other countries.

Unless a specific positive outcome is agreed upon in advance, there is

a good chance that the Armenian participants would end upholding an

empty bag.

Only Armenian officials and credible leaders with diplomatic expertise

should be negotiating with shrewd and skilled Turkish

diplomats. Otherwise, Turkish officials will cleverly cut a deal with

those who are bound to be less demanding and more accommodating.