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EU TIGHTENS VISA RULES FOR ARMENIANS

European diplomats in Yerevan presented on Friday details of new, stricter

visa rules for citizens of Armenia and other countries planning to travel to the

European Union.

Under the rules effective from April 5, consular services of EU countries

making up the Schengen zone will not consider visa applications from those

Armenians whose passports were issued more than ten years ago and/or will

expire less than three months after their planned return home.

Armenian passports are normally valid for ten years. However, a police

authority issuing them can extend their validity by five years with a special

stamp, sparing passport holders the need to apply and wait for a new travel

document.

Frederic Grapin, France’s consul-general in Yerevan, acknowledged that the

Schengen zone countries have decided to stop accepting such passports

because of the Armenian authorities’ failure to introduce new passports

containing biometric data this year.

Speaking at a joint news conference with fellow consular officials from

Germany and several other EU states, Grapin also announced that Armenians

seeking to enter the Schengen zone will have to sign special statements in

which they will pledge not to overstay their visas. He said that such documents

would be used by EU immigration authorities in possible legal action against

visitors refusing to return home.

Another rule announced by the diplomats will obligate the EU consulates in

Armenia to explain, in writing, reasons for turning down visa applications.

“This change will help to improve the transparency of the process of issuing

visas to Armenian travelers and citizens,” said Grapin.

Armenian nationals seeking Schengen visas already need to submit a long list

of documents, including information on their employment, monthly income and

bank accounts. The French consulate also requires passports and, if applicable,

death certificates of applicants’ family members along with their translated

copies certified by notaries.

These requirements will be toughened further despite Armenia’s inclusion in the

EU’s Eastern Partnership program that offers six former Soviet republics closer

ties with the bloc in return for political and economic reforms. EU officials have

said before that one of the concrete results of the scheme will be the liberalization

of visa rules for partnership countries.

The strict visa rules are the result of large-scale illegal immigration to the EU from

Armenia and other ex-Soviet republics that followed the break-up of the Soviet

Union. Tens of thousands of Armenians are believed to reside illegally in France,

Germany and other European countries.

In an annual report released on Friday, the office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said more than 6,000 Armenian citizens,

the vast majority of them living in the EU, asked for a political asylum last year.

Most of them claim to be victims of politically motivated government repression.

Others say they were harassed by the Armenian authorities because of their

non-traditional religious beliefs and sexual orientation.

EU immigration bodies frequently ask Armenian human rights groups to assess

the credibility of such claims. “I have been working with Belgium’s immigration

service for many years,” said Mikael Danielian of the Armenian Helsinki

Association. “I also receive similar inquiries from the United States, Germany

and Norway.”

Danielian agreed that most of the asylum requests are unsubstantiated.

“Political figures, sexual minorities and Jehovah’s Witnesses are indeed

harassed, but they don’t leave Armenia,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.

“Jehovah’s Witnesses are in prison, sexual minorities are trying to find a way of

integrating into the society, while the opposition, as you know, is fighting.”

Just how so many illegal immigrants managed to receive EU visas in the first place

is another question. There has long been a widespread view in Armenia that just

about anyone can buy a Schengen visa with a lavish kickback paid to a consular

official through local intermediaries. EU missions there have always denied that.

TURKEY'S ARMENIANS DEMAND APOLOGY FROM ERDOGAN
Ara Khachatourian
Tue, Mar 30 2010

To minimize the damage caused by his threats to deport Armenians
working illegally in Turkey, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan met with what his office called "the leader of the Armenian
community in Turkey" on Fri., March 26.

Except, that person does not represent the Armenian community nor
its institutions.

Berdos Sirinoglu, the president of the Board of Trustees of the
Armenian Holy Savior Hospital, told reporters following talks with
Erdogan that no good could come out of bringing up what happened a
century ago, and that what happened between Turks and Armenians was
a fight "among friends."

"This was 100 years ago. There is no point in digging further into
the past. I cannot understand why some people try to keep it open,"
added Sirinoglu, who said his own grandfather died in the 1915 events.

"There is no need to call the events genocide either."

Angered by these statements and the apparent effort to unilaterally
represent and speak for the Armenian community of Turkey, the relatives
of slain journalist Hrant Dink kicked off a petition Tuesday distancing
themselves from Sirinoglu and his comments.

The petition, entitled "We live in a different Turkey," has received
wide support and prompted a wave of protests by Armenians in Turkey,
who say that Sirinoglu and his vice-chairman Herman Baloyan, who also
attended the meeting, do not represent or speak for the community.

"Sirinoglu is not the leader of Turkey's Armenian community," read
the petition announcement, as reported by the Istanbul-based Agos
newspaper. Dink was the editor of Agos before his murder in January
2007.

Sirinoglu "is the president of the Holy Savior Hospital and that
position does not give him the right to make announcements on behalf
of the Armenian community. Thus, Sirinoglu's announcements only
reflect his personal opinions. We expect those who are creating
confusion in the community to immediately correct their mistakes,"
added the announcement.

Sirinoglu also said that Armenians felt safe in Turkey and had no
complaints to that effect. "Those people who have been away from
their country for a long time should come and see Armenian property
and schools, they should see how Armenians live in Turkey, and then
they should decide," he said.

"Hearing Sirinoglu's announcement that 'Armenians feel safe in
Turkey-Have you ever heard any complaints from them?' prompts us
to think that perhaps we live in a different Turkey," the petition
continued.

"Sirinoglu may feel safe in this country. But, that's a lie," added
the petition, which went on to stress that Armenians are subjected
to racial and ethnic discrimination and are being used for political
goals.

"We expected Sirinoglu to remind the prime minister of the murder
of Hrant Dink three years ago and demand that those responsible are
brought to justice," emphasized the announcement.

Sirinoglu said most of the 1.5 million Armenians who were living in
Anatolia when the massacres began migrated to other countries-Lebanon,
Syria, Iraq, the United States, France, etc. "I am not saying nothing
happened, but there is no benefit in digging deeper into the past. If
we do this, our future will remain in the dark," he said.

Sirinoglu went as far as taking the blame for the inflated figure
of 100,000 illegal Armenians announced by Erdogan in his deportation
threat earlier this month. "We gave the figures to the prime minister.

Since he trusted us deeply, he did not check it with other sources. We
apologize for this," said Sirinoglu, adding that the correct figure
was about 20,000.

"Sirinoglu's apology for the inflated figures raises suspicion,"
the petition read. "We believe that all of this was staged and was a
coordinated effort to portray the Turkish government as a benevolent
entity."

"We condemn the prime minister's announcement and express that we do
not share Bedros Sirinoglu's views," read the petition, which also
called on Erdogan to issue an apology.

ISTANBUL'S ARMENIAN COMMUNITY WISHES TO SEE SEBOUH

CHOULDJIAN AS CO-PATRIARCH
PanARMENIAN.Net
30.03.2010 20:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey's policy managed to create an atmosphere
of fear among Istanbul's Armenian community, which later extended to
clergy, according to expert Ruben Melkonyan .

Istanbul's Armenian community faces serious legal status-related
problems, the expert told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

Dwelling on oncoming election of co-patriarch at the Armenian
Patriarchate of Constantinople, Melkonyan noted that Istanbul's
Armenian community wishes to see Bishop Sebouh Chouldjian as
co-patriarch.

"Sebouh Chouldjian's election campaign was brilliant. The Bishop
advanced new and brave ideas, which were in synch with Armenian
community's position; namely, modernisation of Armenian schools and
cessation of outmarriages" Ruben Melkonyan stated, characterizing
Sebouh Chouldjian as the spiritual leader community needs.

The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople also known as Armenian
Patriarch of Istanbul is today head of The Armenian Patriarchate of
Constantinople, one of the smallest Patriarchates of the Oriental
Orthodox Church but has exerted a very significant political role
and today still exercises a spiritual authority, which earns him
considerable respect among Oriental Orthodox churches.

The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople recognizes the primacy
of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, in the
spiritual and administrative headquarters of the Armenian Church, the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia,
in matters that pertain to the worldwide Armenian Church. In local
matters, the Patriarchal See is autonomous.

60% OF POOR AND 40% OF EXTREMELY POOR PEOPLE DO NOT

APPLY FOR BENEFITS
PanARMENIAN.Net
30.03.2010 18:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Presentation of the book, entitled: "Why poor people
do not apply for family allowance," took place on March 30 in Yerevan.

The book is created on the basis of researches conducted by focus
groups in eight communities of Armenia. Representatives of the RA
Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Consultative Center of Social
and Economic Researches, National Center of Small and Medium Business
Development in Armenia foundation presented the problems covered in
the book.

Nairuhi Jrbashyan, a member of the Consultative Center of Social and
Economic Researches said that the system of family benefits is one
of the largest programs of the state's social security, aimed at
decreasing the poverty level. However, 60% of poor people and 40%
of extremely poor people, due to various reasons, do not apply to
social security services for benefits.

She voiced basic reasons, for which people do not apply to social
security services: distrust for system, sense of unfairness, certainty
that they will not meet criteria stipulated, as well as sense of shame
for receiving a benefit. However, according to Nairuhi Jrbashyan,
92% of extremely poor people and 80% of poor people, applying for
the benefit, receive it.

According to her, however, there are indirect reasons for such
attitude: low level of awareness, corruption in social services, etc.

Nairuhi Jrbashyan noted that due to family benefits the level of
extreme poverty decreased by 5.5 times from 1999 to 2000, while the
level of poverty - by 2.5 times. However, a quarter of Armenia's
population was below the poverty line in 2008.