Armenian News - See attachment for a useful history timeline of Armenia

icij.org
SUPREME PATRIARCH AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS

Born Ktrij Nersessian, he was enthroned in 1999 as the 132nd Supreme
Patriarch and Catholicos (meaning "universal leader") of Echmiadzin,
the holy seat of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church. He has
traveled the world visiting the Armenian diaspora and promoting
inter-faith dialogue. His travels have taken him to places including
Vatican City, the United States, India and Turkey, milestones of his
pontifical visits.

File details
HSBC internal files first listed Karekin II among its clients in 2000.

He was connected to an account named "His Holiness Karekin II Nersis"
that listed one bank account and held as much as $1.1 million in
2006/2007. The leaked files do not specify the exact role that Karekin
II had in relation to the account.

A spokesman told ICIJ that the account in question was opened by His
Holiness Karekin II's precedessor "for the benefit of the Church and
its charities. This account was transferred to His Holiness Karekin
II Nersissian upon the death of his predecessor to be used for the
same purposes. The Catholicosate -the area of responsibility of the
Catholicos- of the Armenian church is a national religious institution
and is not subject to any taxes" and that His Holiness "has immunity
from any taxes." 

epress.am
ACTIVIST KIDNAPPED AND BEATEN BY MASKED MEN: POLITICAL OPPOSITION CONDEMN ACT CITING HIGH LEVEL INVOLVEMENT
02.09.2015 

On Saturday, February 7, masked men kidnapped Artak Khachatryan from
Tolstoy St. near Tashir mall and beat him up. He was later found in
an unconscious state in Nor Nork's 8th district.

Khachatryan was heavily involved in the recent protests against the
Law on Turnover Tax and is a member of the Prosperous Armenia Party's
(BHK) political council.

The activist's brother, Artyom Khachatryan, told iLur.am that Artak
was kidnapped by 3 masked men with machine guns. He was found in Nor
Nork with serious injuries and had difficulty speaking and was later
sent to the Malatia Hospital.

"I spoke to him last night and there was nothing to be nervous about,
no suspicious talk, no one had called or threatened him. Artak has
no connection to the criminal world; they kidnapped him in broad
daylight on a street in Kentron (downtown). I'm assuming that this
was part of a plan by a special service," said Khachatryan.

Certain political parties and political figures have condemned the
incident. The BHK's political council considered the incident as an
impudent and cynical challenge directed toward the political forces
and society.

"It is clear hat the entire responsibility of the incident falls on
the country's political authorities. The main culprit of the gangster
environment and impunity created in the country is the country's elite
political power, who are also responsible for all this. We promptly
demand that law enforcement bodies discover in the shortest time
possible the culprits in this incident and all past ordered criminal
activities on political, civil officials and on activists. Let no one
think that the violence implemented against Artak Khachatryan and on
others is going to be left unpunished. Those who carried it out will
be punished, as well as those who ordered it. If law enforcement
does not (punish them), then the people will do it," stated BHK's
political council.

Armenian National Congress Party (HAK) considers Artak Khachatryan's
kidnapping and the brutal violence against him was no coincidence,
stressing that there is a link to a chain of insidious terrorist
actions unleashed against the opposition by the authorities.

"These types of actions by the authorities only call for an adequate
answer by the people and political forces to collectively revolt for
a speedy regime change, to restore the constitution, to establish
legitimate authorities, and secure the supremacy of rights and the
law," said the HAK's statement.

The Free Democrat Party also condemned the violence against Artak
Khachatryan noting that Armenian citizens are not protected in their
own country and their constitutional rights are being openly violated.

"The nondisclosure of these incidents creates a vicious atmosphere
of impunity and becomes the cause of their recurrence," said the
party's statement.

HAK faction MP Nikol Pashinyan noted on his personal Facebook page that
if the ruling authorities do not quickly and convincingly discover
the monstrous attack on Artak Khachatryan, than the attack on Vilen
Gabrielyan (Navak Jojogh) and other violent incidents would mean
that any Armenian citizen could claim that those entities which are
supposed to prevent and reveal such incidents are responsible for
organizing and implementing them.

"If these incidents and their nondisclosure are not followed by
resignations of high level officials responsible for law enforcement,
then any Armenian citizen has the right to claim that violence is
organized by Serzh Sargsyan's permission and approval, and maybe at
times directly addressed commands," stressed Pashinyan.

According to Artyom Khachatryan, as of Saturday, "A group of
investigators came from the Kentron police department, now the head
of the criminal investigation unit has taken over the investigation."

RFE/RL Report
Armenia Deepening Ties With Iraqi Kurdistan
Emil Danielyan
09.02.2015

Armenia will open a consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan and launch direct
flights to its capital Erbil this year as part of efforts to forge
closer ties with the semi-autonomous region, official Yerevan
confirmed over the weekend.

Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian underlined those efforts on
Saturday when he met with the region's President Massoud Barzani on
the sidelines of an international security conference in Munich.

In a statement on the meeting, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said
Barzani welcomed Yerevan's decision to open a consulate general in
Erbil and expressed confidence that the move "will help to expand
cooperation" between Armenia and Iraqi Kurdistan.

"The interlocutors discussed joint steps to be taken with the aim of
deepening bilateral trade," said the statement. "President Barzani and
Minister Nalbandian agreed that the imminent launch of flights between
Yerevan and Erbil will give new impetus to commercial ties."

Armenia's trade with the Kurdish region and other parts of Iraq has
already grown considerably in recent years. According to Armenian
government data, it was up by almost 39 percent at $106 million last
year. Significantly, Armenian exports to Iraq jumped by 66.5 percent
to around $81 million.

The official figures do not specify the volume of export and import
operations with Iraqi Kurdistan. The region is likely to account for a
large part of Armenian-Iraqi commerce, having been the most stable and
peaceful part of Iraq ever since the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

The Armenian ambassador in Baghdad, Karen Grigorian, reportedly
announced the upcoming Yerevan-Erbil flights when he visited the Iraqi
Kurdish city on February 3. Local media also quoted him as saying that
the Armenian consulate in Erbil will likely start functioning in June.

According to the Foreign Ministry statement, Barzani briefed
Nalbandian on ongoing military operations conducted by his Kurdish
Peshmerga forces against Islamic State (ISIS) militants that control
much of central and western Iraq. Nalbandian "reaffirmed Armenia's
solidarity" with the Western-backed campaign, it said.

The Kurdish autonomy is thought to be home to several thousand Iraqi
Armenians. Some of them are former residents of Mosul who were forced
to flee their homes when the city was captured by the ISIS in June
2014.

In December, Barzani's administration reportedly enacted a law giving
an official status to the Armenian and several other minority
languages. 

lragir.am
ARMENIAN MARKET CLOSES FOR ARMENIAN COMPANIES: 

EXPORTS PLUMMET
10 February 2015

Armenian businessmen avoid exporting goods to Russia because the
situation of this country's economy is uncertain. People relating to
this sector state that this January the levels of exports to Russia are
down compared with the previous years, levels of exports from Armenia
to Russia are down, though no official statistics is available yet.

There are several reasons for this which stem from the complicated
situation in the Russian economy. Gagik Makaryan, the head of the
Republican Union of Employers, highlights three problems. "Some
companies, considering the existing situation, have not resumed
exports, they are studying the setting, are cautious. Second, some
companies continue to export goods to Russia, suffering losses, not
to lose the market. Third, some employers have received new offers on
change of prices. Some canneries have to figure out if they can supply
goods to their Russian partners not to lose the market," Makaryan said.

He notes that some businessmen have frozen their contracts with Russian
partners, others are negotiating. The Russian side has requested
Armenian exporters to supply their goods at cheaper prices since
their profits are down.

At this stage the Armenian companies have to export goods to Russia
at higher prices because according to contracts with the Russian side
payment is made in rubles and the ruble has devaluated. Expensive goods
sell badly in the Russian market, sales drop, which automatically cuts
exports. Wine and brandy companies are facing serious problems. The
head of Agrarian and Farmer Association Hrach Berberyan told Lragir.am
they have suffered considerable losses. Some companies avoid speaking
about their problems at this stage.

MAP told Lragir.am that they have encountered problems with export
and sale of drinks in the Russian market. Sales and exports dropped
as prices soar. "Our goods are not competitive in the Russian market.

They want to pay us in rubles, they say they lose from paying in
dollars," MAP told us, adding that exports to Russia have been
dropping since September. Proshyan Brandy Factory's spokesman told
us the same thing.

Hrach Berberyan said according to the contracts the canneries
signed with the Russian side, payment is made after selling the
goods. The companies of the sphere suffered great losses after the
ruble devaluated.

"Reliance on the Russian market was not the right thing," he says. It
hits the economy of Armenia.

The head of Association of Exporters Raffi Mkhchyan told Lragir.am
that Armenian businessmen are in uncertainty. "The Russian side does
not want to pay in foreign currency, and the Armenian side does not
want to sustain losses. In this situation things are not moving in,
levels of exports plummeted. Some companies which used to export
till December have stopped exports since January. Instead, imports
from Russia have increased. At this stage businessmen are importing
flour from Russia to Armenia because the price of a bag of flour has
decreased by 4 dollars," Mkhchyan says.

Forecasts of immense exports to the Eurasian Economic Union by members
of Armenian government are not coming true. "Kazakhstan and Belarus
do not make a big change, neither have we discovered new markets or
reached new agreements there. We need to look at the state of the
Russian market," he said. 

RFE/RL Report
EU Envoy Sees `Dialogue' With Karabakh Armenians
10.02.2015

The European Union is embarking on a dialogue Nagorno-Karabakh's
leadership, a senior EU diplomat reportedly said after holding talks
with Karabakh Armenian representatives in Yerevan on Tuesday.

Herbert Salber, the EU's special representative for the South
Caucasus, met with Karen Mirzoyan, the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic's foreign minister, during his latest visit to Armenia.

The unresolved Karabakh conflict was high on the agenda of Salber's
separate meetings on Monday with President Serzh Sarkisian, Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian and Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanian. According to official Armenian sources, they specifically
discussed the recent upsurge in ceasefire violations in the conflict
zone.

Salber underscored EU concerns about the escalation with his ensuing
encounter with Mirzoyan. A statement by Mirzoyan's office said the two
men also "exchanged thoughts on possibilities of cooperation" between
the EU and the Armenian-populated disputed territory.

"This was my first meeting with representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh,"
Salber told News.am after the talks. "We will continue this dialogue
and try to find ways of maintaining contacts."

The EU already indicated three years ago its intention to establish
direct contacts with the Karabakh Armenians, in an apparent effort to
step up its support for Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks mediated by
the United States, Russia and France. The EU's Foreign Affairs Council
called at the time for "unconditional access for representatives of
the EU to Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions."

Earlier in February 2012, officials in Brussels told RFE/RL that the
28-nation bloc wants to have its diplomatic and other representatives
visit Karabakh without prior permission from the Azerbaijani
government. They said a lack of contacts with Karabakh Armenian
leaders hampers greater EU involvement in the search for
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace.

Mirzoyan similarly stressed the importance of "ensuring EU
representatives' unfettered entry" to Karabakh. He invited Salber to
visit the territory and familiarize himself with the "existing
realities" there.

Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry appeared to downplay the
significance of the EU envoy's meeting with Mirzoyan, saying that Baku
was informed about it beforehand. According to the Trend news agency,
a ministry spokesman also noted that Salber met with leaders of
Karabakh's former Azerbaijani community when he visited Baku in
October.

 
bournemouthecho.co.uk
What helps 100-year-old Nevart stay young?
Nevart Dervishian celebrates her 100th birthday with family 

and friends
by Will Frampton
Wednesday 11th February 2015 

A BOURNEMOUTH pensioner celebrated her 100th birthday with 

family at the Carlton Hotel on Sunday.

Nevart Dervishian reached triple figures yesterday, marking a full 

century since her birth in Egypt in 1915 during the early part of the 

First World War.

At the weekend she was joined by her son and daughter Paul and 

Louise, along with five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, 

for a celebratory meal.

Born in Cairo, but of Armenian descent, Mrs Dervishian lived for 

much of her life in Egypt where, after a short period working as a 

typist for an oil firm, she married and settled down to start a family.

Later in life she moved to Montreal in Canada, before finally moving 

to Bournemouth several decades ago to be near her daughter 

Louise Garel-Jones, with whom she lived for many years.

“I feel good, life has given me plenty,” she said on Sunday.

“I’m very happy to see my family today, they are all good people.”

Mrs Garel-Jones said she believed it was her mother’s positive 

outlook on life as much as her healthy lifestyle which accounted 

for her longevity. “She is very positive and has always appreciated 

what she has,” she said.

“And she has a keen interest in the wider world which keeps her 

young, she has BBC Radio 4 on all the time and she always knows 

what is going on with the young people.”

A vegetarian, who likes her food steamed, Mrs Dervishian speaks 

English, French and Armenian, and worked for many years as 

a piano teacher.

She loves fashion, and being up-to-date on current affairs and 

trends. She also has a strong faith as a member of the Armenian 

Orthodox Church.

Currently she lives at the Colindale care home in Richmond Park 

Avenue.