Armenian News...@...8 Articles
THE HUGE ASYMMETRY BETWEEN TURKEY AND THE
ARMENIAN DIASPORA
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
March 12 2015
by BARCIN YÄ°NANC
When Armenians in the former Republic of the Soviet Union were
discussing declaring independence, some objected to it, saying that
the moment Armenia declared independence Turkey would attack and
kill Armenians.
This anecdote was told to a group of journalist and academics last
week by an Armenian who was present during these discussions. He
also revealed that in 1992-93, when Russia stopped sending supplies,
the Turkish government allowed the Europeans to send supplies via
the closed Turkish border. "Turkey saved us from starvation," he said.
He talked about that incident within the context of the exaggerated
prejudices that are still very strong among Armenians, who believe
that Turks are waiting for any opportunity to harm them. In other
words, he was trying to show the discrepancy between the reality and
the conviction.
The discrepancy between the conviction and the reality during the
Cold War can be explained, to a certain degree, by the fact that
there was no free flow of information behind the Iron Curtain. But
such discrepancies are harder to explain in the information age.
In Turkey, fortunately, the gap between the conviction and the reality
on what happened in 1915 is narrowing. The speed with which it is
narrowing might not be satisfactory to many Armenians, but after
decades of nothing moving, the wheels of change are turning. They
are gaining speed with each day.
Compared to 10 years ago, there is tremendous change. There is less
denialism and more questioning of what happened. Even on the official
level there has been recognition of the sufferings of the Armenians,
reflected in the statement issued by the prime ministry on April 24
last year.
When Turks talk about this important change, the reaction of the
Armenians usually says that it is too little, too slow.
One hundred years after the tragedy, perhaps their impatience can
be understood. Nevertheless, after nearly 100 years of a Turkish
position based on "we have done nothing wrong," the degree to which
this understanding is changing should be appreciated.
The change in motion should at least be known by the Armenian
diaspora. But it seems that they are not too aware of it.
Why is it important that they should know?
It is important because if they are aware of it reconciliation will
be easier. If you see that your interlocutor is making an effort to
change their "red lines," it is easier to build a dialogue.
So as much as change is taking place on the Turkish side, one wonders
whether there is any change in the stance or narrative of the Armenian
diaspora.
It is not easy to answer this question, because the Armenian diaspora
is not a monolithic entity.
Armenians tell us that views about expectations from Turkey differ -
from simple apology to the return of land. It seems that this is also
valid for the younger generations, who keep a sense of common purpose.
However, there does appear to be one significant new factor in the
Armenian camp: The large number of Armenian diaspora members visiting
Turkey. "This is important for the humanization of Turkey. Turks become
real and Turkey becomes real," said one Armenian living in the U.S.
We need a change in the perceptions and convictions on both sides
for a lasting reconciliation. For now, the change on the Turkish side
has more momentum than the change on the Armenian side.
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
March 12 2015
by BARCIN YÄ°NANC
When Armenians in the former Republic of the Soviet Union were
discussing declaring independence, some objected to it, saying that
the moment Armenia declared independence Turkey would attack and
kill Armenians.
This anecdote was told to a group of journalist and academics last
week by an Armenian who was present during these discussions. He
also revealed that in 1992-93, when Russia stopped sending supplies,
the Turkish government allowed the Europeans to send supplies via
the closed Turkish border. "Turkey saved us from starvation," he said.
He talked about that incident within the context of the exaggerated
prejudices that are still very strong among Armenians, who believe
that Turks are waiting for any opportunity to harm them. In other
words, he was trying to show the discrepancy between the reality and
the conviction.
The discrepancy between the conviction and the reality during the
Cold War can be explained, to a certain degree, by the fact that
there was no free flow of information behind the Iron Curtain. But
such discrepancies are harder to explain in the information age.
In Turkey, fortunately, the gap between the conviction and the reality
on what happened in 1915 is narrowing. The speed with which it is
narrowing might not be satisfactory to many Armenians, but after
decades of nothing moving, the wheels of change are turning. They
are gaining speed with each day.
Compared to 10 years ago, there is tremendous change. There is less
denialism and more questioning of what happened. Even on the official
level there has been recognition of the sufferings of the Armenians,
reflected in the statement issued by the prime ministry on April 24
last year.
When Turks talk about this important change, the reaction of the
Armenians usually says that it is too little, too slow.
One hundred years after the tragedy, perhaps their impatience can
be understood. Nevertheless, after nearly 100 years of a Turkish
position based on "we have done nothing wrong," the degree to which
this understanding is changing should be appreciated.
The change in motion should at least be known by the Armenian
diaspora. But it seems that they are not too aware of it.
Why is it important that they should know?
It is important because if they are aware of it reconciliation will
be easier. If you see that your interlocutor is making an effort to
change their "red lines," it is easier to build a dialogue.
So as much as change is taking place on the Turkish side, one wonders
whether there is any change in the stance or narrative of the Armenian
diaspora.
It is not easy to answer this question, because the Armenian diaspora
is not a monolithic entity.
Armenians tell us that views about expectations from Turkey differ -
from simple apology to the return of land. It seems that this is also
valid for the younger generations, who keep a sense of common purpose.
However, there does appear to be one significant new factor in the
Armenian camp: The large number of Armenian diaspora members visiting
Turkey. "This is important for the humanization of Turkey. Turks become
real and Turkey becomes real," said one Armenian living in the U.S.
We need a change in the perceptions and convictions on both sides
for a lasting reconciliation. For now, the change on the Turkish side
has more momentum than the change on the Armenian side.
Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 14 2015
Turkey slams European Parliament call for recognition of
March 14 2015
Turkey slams European Parliament call for recognition of
`Armenian genocide'
March 14, 2015
The Turkish Foreign Ministry denounced on Saturday a report adopted
last week by the European Parliament that called on European Union
member states to recognize Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of
the late Ottoman Empire.
In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgiç called the
European Parliament's annual human rights and democracy report's
reference to the Armenian claims as `devoid of historical reality and
legal basis.'
`We find these expressions extremely problematic and regret them,'
Bilgiç said in the statement.
The European Parliament adopted the Annual Report on Human Rights and
Democracy in the World 2013 on March 12. Article 77 of the report
`calls, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, on
all the Member States legally to acknowledge it, and encourages the
Member States and the EU institutions to contribute further to its
recognition.'
Armenians say 1.5 people were killed during the First World War years
in eastern Anatolia as part of a systematic genocide campaign against
the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey disputes that
claim, saying both that the death toll is inflated and that the
Armenians were killed while the Ottoman Empire was trying to quell
unrest caused by Armenian attacks on Turkish population in an effort
to establish an Armenian state in eastern Anatolia.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute and normalize relations
between Turkey and Armenia have produced no result after protocols
signed to that effect were shelved amid disagreements over Turkish
demands that a settlement should also include a resolution in the
Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, occupied by Armenia.
Armenians are preparing for commemorations on centennial of the
killings on April 24, the date they say marks the beginning of the
alleged genocide campaign in 1915. The annual commemoration is also an
opportunity for increased lobbying for greater recognition of the
alleged genocide worldwide.
Turkey declared that it will also host commemorative events on April
24 this year, in memory of those who perished during the Gallipoli
Battle of the First World War in 1915. More than 100 countries,
including Armenia, were invited to the events in Çanakkale but
Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan swiftly dismissed the invitation,
saying in an open letter addressing Turkish President Recep Tayyip
ErdoÄ?an that it is an attempt to distract the world's attention from
the 100th anniversary of the alleged genocide.
Bilgiç said the European Parliament report offers a `one-sided'
interpretation of an era that was `tragic' for the entire population
of the Ottoman Empire with a `selective sense of justice' and that the
document sets out `demands that defy logic and law.'
He said such steps hurt both Turkey-EU relations and prospects for the
Turks and Armenians to build their future together and added that
Ankara expected its European partners to contribute to efforts to
resolve the disputes, not to deepen them.
March 14, 2015
The Turkish Foreign Ministry denounced on Saturday a report adopted
last week by the European Parliament that called on European Union
member states to recognize Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of
the late Ottoman Empire.
In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgiç called the
European Parliament's annual human rights and democracy report's
reference to the Armenian claims as `devoid of historical reality and
legal basis.'
`We find these expressions extremely problematic and regret them,'
Bilgiç said in the statement.
The European Parliament adopted the Annual Report on Human Rights and
Democracy in the World 2013 on March 12. Article 77 of the report
`calls, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, on
all the Member States legally to acknowledge it, and encourages the
Member States and the EU institutions to contribute further to its
recognition.'
Armenians say 1.5 people were killed during the First World War years
in eastern Anatolia as part of a systematic genocide campaign against
the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey disputes that
claim, saying both that the death toll is inflated and that the
Armenians were killed while the Ottoman Empire was trying to quell
unrest caused by Armenian attacks on Turkish population in an effort
to establish an Armenian state in eastern Anatolia.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute and normalize relations
between Turkey and Armenia have produced no result after protocols
signed to that effect were shelved amid disagreements over Turkish
demands that a settlement should also include a resolution in the
Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, occupied by Armenia.
Armenians are preparing for commemorations on centennial of the
killings on April 24, the date they say marks the beginning of the
alleged genocide campaign in 1915. The annual commemoration is also an
opportunity for increased lobbying for greater recognition of the
alleged genocide worldwide.
Turkey declared that it will also host commemorative events on April
24 this year, in memory of those who perished during the Gallipoli
Battle of the First World War in 1915. More than 100 countries,
including Armenia, were invited to the events in Çanakkale but
Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan swiftly dismissed the invitation,
saying in an open letter addressing Turkish President Recep Tayyip
ErdoÄ?an that it is an attempt to distract the world's attention from
the 100th anniversary of the alleged genocide.
Bilgiç said the European Parliament report offers a `one-sided'
interpretation of an era that was `tragic' for the entire population
of the Ottoman Empire with a `selective sense of justice' and that the
document sets out `demands that defy logic and law.'
He said such steps hurt both Turkey-EU relations and prospects for the
Turks and Armenians to build their future together and added that
Ankara expected its European partners to contribute to efforts to
resolve the disputes, not to deepen them.
news.am
Nalbandian: Turkey has to reconsider what it has done wrong
14.03.2015
"Turkey failed to respect the principle of pacta sunt servanda,"
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Edward Nalbandian stated
speaking to Dnevnik daily of Slovenia, and with respect to the
prospects for the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations.
"That was the initiative of our President to start negotiations with
Turkey, aimed at the normalization of relations without preconditions.
Before it our relations were in a deadlock. Our President invited
President Gül for a soccer match in Armenia. This initiative became
known as 'Football diplomacy.' We conducted very intensive and tough
negotiations and came to the agreements. We signed two protocols in
Zurich in October 2009. But Turkey was not able to ratify and
implement them. Turkey failed to respect the principle of pacta sunt
servanda. And that's why the international community - many countries
of the world - said the ball is on the Turkish court.
"Turkey returned to the language of preconditions, trying to link
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement with Armenia-Turkey
normalization. Many countries underlined that attempts to link the two
issues could harm both processes. One of the old Turkish
preconditions, reanimated after Zurich was related to the Armenian
Genocide recognition. But Armenia unequivocally said and repeated: we
will never question the reality of the Armenian Genocide and the
importance of its international recognition and condemnation,"
Nalbandian said.
And to the query, "Can Russia help you as a good friend of Turkey to
again put this dialogue on a passed phase?" the Armenian FM responded:
"First of all Turkish Government has to be friend of the Turkish
people to act in the interest of its people. Do you think that the
normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations is more in the interest of
any other country than Turkey and Armenia? Of course, this is in the
interest of Armenia, in the interest of Turkey, in the interest of our
region.
"But, unfortunately, Turkey did not have courage and wisdom to ratify
and implement agreed and signed protocols. So this is not about
waiting for anybody to play a role to push forward normalization of
relations between Armenia and Turkey. First of all, Turkey has to
reconsider what it has done wrong. Back then I had warned that with
this approach of Turkey, their proclaimed policy of 'zero problems
with neighbours' would turn into 'zero neighbour without problems.'
Nowadays everyone is reaffirming this view."
The Times Educational Supplement, UK
March 13, 2015
Armenian 'soup' has the ingredients to unite nations
by: William Stewart
£83 million international school aims to promote world peace
Nestled between snow-covered mountains at the bottom of a steep,
forested valley, Dilijan is blessed with an undeniably beautiful
location.
But just as apparent in the Armenian town is poverty. Austere
Communist-era blocks of flats are interspersed with ramshackle houses,
exposed gas pipes and battered old Soviet cars.
In the past two years, an island of wealth and investment has sprung
up in this unlikely location, in the form of a gleaming new $125
million (£83 million) school under the headship of John Puddefoot,
former deputy head of Eton College.
Few locals will attend this state-of-the-art campus. It has been
funded by the near-billion-dollar fortune of Ruben Vardanian, a
banking tycoon turned philanthropist, partly because the Moscow-based
Armenian wanted somewhere to send his two youngest children.
But their future schoolmates are unlikely to share such affluent
backgrounds. Some will come from the poorest countries in the world,
from families who cannot afford to give them pocket money, let alone
pay school fees.
This is not the straightforward story of a boarding school designed to
get rich kids into top universities.
This is the latest United World College (UWC), part of a global
educational movement founded in South Wales more than half a century
ago, with the lofty goal of promoting world peace.
Its roots go back to Atlantic College, an independent sixth-form
boarding college on the Glamorgan coast, opened in 1962 by Kurt Hahn.
Amid growing cold war tension, the German educationalist wanted to use
education as a way of uniting the world.
Out of Atlantic College grew both the International Baccalaureate and
a string of affiliated schools on five different continents, all based
on Hahn's principles.
He believed that by schooling children from opposing countries
together, they would go on to promote peace.
At the new school in Dilijan, which opened last autumn and is the 14th
UWC, you can see those principles in action among the first students,
who come from 48 different countries.
TES visited the day after heavy fighting resumed in Ukraine between
government forces and Russian-backed rebels.
As the students gathered for a group discussion on the purpose of
education, one of their teachers quietly pointed out that two students
from the warring countries had sat down next to each other.
And alongside them were an Armenian and a Turk - students who grew up
on opposite sides of the divide created by the 1915 Armenian genocide;
an atrocity that still creates tensions a hundred years later.
The seating arrangements were not contrived, they were just friends
who wanted to sit together. And that is exactly how a UWC is supposed
to work. Asked how the school - which also has students from Gaza,
Israel, Iran, Syria and Lebanon - copes when trouble flares up in such
areas, headteacher Mr Puddefoot said: "If people live together they
have to get on.
"It is more subtle than saying, 'Let's have a seminar on conflict
resolution.' We don't do that. We have found that the students
themselves generate the conversation that is required.
"We simply show people that, even though they are from nations at
loggerheads on a political level, they are human beings just like
anybody else."
Mr Puddefoot added: "They don't just bring political differences. They
also bring religious, cultural and socioeconomic differences. So it is
an absolute soup of different perspectives, which we need to manage
actively."
The soup is very carefully concocted. Each UWC decides the exact
international balance of students it wants, and then turns to the UWC
national committees in 147 countries to recruit and select them.
Admission is designed to be needs-blind: 63 of Dilijan's initial 96
students are on 100 per cent scholarships; most of the rest will have
at least half their fees paid.
But to be admitted, the teenagers - who will have no choice over which
UWC they are sent to - must be able to speak English, or be able pick
it up quickly.
They need to be able to thrive in a strange country and have, as Mr
Puddefoot puts it, "some sense of wanting the world to be a better
place".
That comes over powerfully from the school's idealistic and articulate students.
"This college is making me a better human being," said Jady Sampaio de
Araujo, a 17-year-old from Brazil. "Now when I hear about the Ukraine
it has a name and a face. I know people, so when I hear about the
conflict it touches my heart."
Co-founder and chair of governors Veronika Zonabend, the wife of Mr
Vardanian, was originally inspired to create a utopian school after
hearing a speech by Liverpudlian educationalist Sir Ken Robinson.
"He said, 'Education is the key for the future, but the key is turned
in the wrong direction'," Ms Zonabend recalled. "I agree that
education doesn't need reforming. It needs a completely new approach."
The couple felt that Armenia offered more potential for this than more
developed countries, and set out to open a genuinely international
school - a perfect fit, they quickly realised, with the UWC movement.
No expense has been spared in turning their vision into reality.
Boarding houses look like Swiss chalets, built with local materials to
traditional Armenian designs.
The school itself - with roofs sculpted to merge with the valley floor
- feels like an extremely high-end academy, complete with a very
expensive-looking swimming pool.
One student described the campus as "over-fancy", and was concerned
about how that would make local people feel.
But the foundation set up by the couple behind the school is also
investing in the rest of Dilijan. It has already created more than 100
new jobs and is ensuring that the school remains active in the local
community.
Ms Zonabend is unapologetic about the college's intake. "We are not an
Armenian school," she said. "We are an international school in
Armenia. I do not believe in double standards and the fact that I
built this school for my kids is proof that I really believe in it."
Her staff believe in it, too. "It is very different from a girls'
independent school in Surrey," said deputy head Sally Norris, who
came, via Atlantic College, from just such a school. "There is no
shared culture and assumptions, so people have to listen to each
other.
"Everyone looks at things through a lens and here you learn what your
own lens is."
armenianow.com
EUROBONDS ISSUE: ARMENIA PLANS ANOTHER ISSUANCE
AMID CONCERNS OF GROWING FOREIGN DEBT
13.03.15
By SARA KHOJOYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
While experts in Armenia warn that by means of issuing new currency
bonds the government will accumulate more foreign debt, which already
exceeds a third of the gross domestic product, companies in Europe
that are licensed by the Armenian government have started negotiations
directed toward replacing bonds and attracting more buyers.
On Thursday Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC Bank J.P. Morgan Securities said
that Armenian bonds will start to be sold from next week on - March
16-18, Bloomberg reported, citing an unnamed source.
The Ministry of Finance does not yet comment on this news.
The government approved the agreements and documents related to the
process of bond issuance on March 10 at the meeting of the executive
when Minister of Finance Gagik Khachatryan said that their issuance
is one of the sources of financing the deficit of the state budget.
"The function of managing the state debt is not limited to the
replacement of bonds. The management of the liabilities is no less
important," the minister said.
It is noteworthy that Armenia's state, as well as foreign debt
significantly decreased last year. Specifically, the state debt
decreased by more than $140 million, forming $4.44 billion by the
end of 2014. The foreign debt decreased by more than $110 million -
forming $3.78 billion by the end of last year.
This year, however, the foreign debt will increase, because Armenia
wants to involve $700 million in the form of Eurobonds. Bonds of
similar volume were first issued in September of 2013 - for seven
years and six percent profitability.
According to international financial consulting centers, bonds to be
issued this time will have profitability of more than seven percent,
because the Armenian economy will be affected by hardships in the
Russian economy, as well as in January the country's rating was
decreased at once by two international financial rating structures -
Moody's and Fitch.
ARMENIA TAKES GENOCIDE-RECOGNITION TO EUROVISION
EurasiaNet.org
March 13 2015
March 13, 2015 - 2:41pm, by Giorgi Lomsadze
Armenia plans to use Eurovision, the pop-and-politics fest
extraordinaire, to ask Europe not to "deny" that the slaughter of
thousands of ethnic Armenians in Ottoman Turkey amounted to genocide.
The Armenian entry for Eurovision, "Don't Deny," has not formally been
linked to many countries' - most notably, Turkey's - reluctance to
admit that the slaying amounted to genocide. But in the song's video,
presented on March 12, the subtext is fairly obvious.
The performers, a sextet called Genealogy, are made up of five ethnic
Armenian artists (from Australia, Ethiopia, France, Japan and the
US), reportedly all descendants of survivors of the 1915 massacre,
and a singer from Armenia.
The group, mostly kitted out in contemporary renditions of early
20th-century outfits, sing amidst retro-shots of an extended
World-War-I-era family. The family ultimately vanishes, leaving empty
chairs behind.
Armenian Weekly claimed that each singer in the collective stands
for a petal of the forget-me-not flower, the symbol chosen for the
April 24 genocide-centennial in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. The
publication claimed that Armenian singer Inga Arshakian represents
the midpoint of the flower -- the center of gravity, if you will --
for the far-flung Armenian Diaspora.
The centennial's official commemoration date hits roughly a month
before Eurovision's May 19-23 run in Vienna.
Yet despite the obvious symbolism, Armenia denies that "Don't Deny"
is about genocide denial. Arguably, it has its reasons. The country
needs to make sure its submission makes it into the contest over
complaints from century-old foe Turkey and modern-day enemy Azerbaijan.
Already, Azerbaijan, which hosted the 2012 contest, has pledged that
it will "act adequately" to stop Eurovision 2015 from "being sacrificed
to the political ambitions of a country;" in other words, Armenia.
The European Broadcasting Union maintains that it wants to avoid
turning the contest, decided by cross-border voting, into a venue
for political exchange. In 2009, an entry from Armenia's neighbor,
Georgia, a song called "We Don't Wanna Put In," was disqualified for
allegedly taking a swipe at Vladimir Putin, the then prime minister
of host-country Russia.
But the event is unavoidably political. Particularly in the post-Soviet
region, where countries tend to take the result especially seriously.
Don't expect anything different this time round.
13.03.15
By SARA KHOJOYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
While experts in Armenia warn that by means of issuing new currency
bonds the government will accumulate more foreign debt, which already
exceeds a third of the gross domestic product, companies in Europe
that are licensed by the Armenian government have started negotiations
directed toward replacing bonds and attracting more buyers.
On Thursday Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC Bank J.P. Morgan Securities said
that Armenian bonds will start to be sold from next week on - March
16-18, Bloomberg reported, citing an unnamed source.
The Ministry of Finance does not yet comment on this news.
The government approved the agreements and documents related to the
process of bond issuance on March 10 at the meeting of the executive
when Minister of Finance Gagik Khachatryan said that their issuance
is one of the sources of financing the deficit of the state budget.
"The function of managing the state debt is not limited to the
replacement of bonds. The management of the liabilities is no less
important," the minister said.
It is noteworthy that Armenia's state, as well as foreign debt
significantly decreased last year. Specifically, the state debt
decreased by more than $140 million, forming $4.44 billion by the
end of 2014. The foreign debt decreased by more than $110 million -
forming $3.78 billion by the end of last year.
This year, however, the foreign debt will increase, because Armenia
wants to involve $700 million in the form of Eurobonds. Bonds of
similar volume were first issued in September of 2013 - for seven
years and six percent profitability.
According to international financial consulting centers, bonds to be
issued this time will have profitability of more than seven percent,
because the Armenian economy will be affected by hardships in the
Russian economy, as well as in January the country's rating was
decreased at once by two international financial rating structures -
Moody's and Fitch.
ARMENIA TAKES GENOCIDE-RECOGNITION TO EUROVISION
EurasiaNet.org
March 13 2015
March 13, 2015 - 2:41pm, by Giorgi Lomsadze
Armenia plans to use Eurovision, the pop-and-politics fest
extraordinaire, to ask Europe not to "deny" that the slaughter of
thousands of ethnic Armenians in Ottoman Turkey amounted to genocide.
The Armenian entry for Eurovision, "Don't Deny," has not formally been
linked to many countries' - most notably, Turkey's - reluctance to
admit that the slaying amounted to genocide. But in the song's video,
presented on March 12, the subtext is fairly obvious.
The performers, a sextet called Genealogy, are made up of five ethnic
Armenian artists (from Australia, Ethiopia, France, Japan and the
US), reportedly all descendants of survivors of the 1915 massacre,
and a singer from Armenia.
The group, mostly kitted out in contemporary renditions of early
20th-century outfits, sing amidst retro-shots of an extended
World-War-I-era family. The family ultimately vanishes, leaving empty
chairs behind.
Armenian Weekly claimed that each singer in the collective stands
for a petal of the forget-me-not flower, the symbol chosen for the
April 24 genocide-centennial in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. The
publication claimed that Armenian singer Inga Arshakian represents
the midpoint of the flower -- the center of gravity, if you will --
for the far-flung Armenian Diaspora.
The centennial's official commemoration date hits roughly a month
before Eurovision's May 19-23 run in Vienna.
Yet despite the obvious symbolism, Armenia denies that "Don't Deny"
is about genocide denial. Arguably, it has its reasons. The country
needs to make sure its submission makes it into the contest over
complaints from century-old foe Turkey and modern-day enemy Azerbaijan.
Already, Azerbaijan, which hosted the 2012 contest, has pledged that
it will "act adequately" to stop Eurovision 2015 from "being sacrificed
to the political ambitions of a country;" in other words, Armenia.
The European Broadcasting Union maintains that it wants to avoid
turning the contest, decided by cross-border voting, into a venue
for political exchange. In 2009, an entry from Armenia's neighbor,
Georgia, a song called "We Don't Wanna Put In," was disqualified for
allegedly taking a swipe at Vladimir Putin, the then prime minister
of host-country Russia.
But the event is unavoidably political. Particularly in the post-Soviet
region, where countries tend to take the result especially seriously.
Don't expect anything different this time round.
ARMENIA: TOXIC DISPUTE AT FAILED PLANT
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR Caucasus Reporting #770
March 13 2015
Workers sacked en masse amid continued talk of saving the
debt-ridden factory.
by Ani Petrosyan
Any remaining hope of reviving what was once Armenia's most
prestigious industrial asset faded in January when most of the staff
were fired. To add insult to injury, months of back wages owed to
them remained unpaid, and they responded with demonstrations.
Based in the capital Yerevan, the Nairit plant once supplied synthetic
rubber and other chemical products to the giant Soviet economy,
but it closed in 1989 because of pollution concerns. After Armenia
became independent in 1991, the plant reopened, and in 2006 it was
privatised. However, it produced little more than ever-growing debt.
Last year, Russian energy firm Rosneft expressed interest in buying the
plant . But that interest has waned, and a deal no longer seems likely.
In January, Nairit's management sacked all 2,200 staff, hiring back
about 490 of them to keep the plant mothballed. All workers received a
final paypacket in February, covering one month's wages, but this was
hardly any consolation as they were still owed 18 months in back pay.
This debt covers a period of about two-and-a-half years in which
wages were paid sporadically but mostly not at all.
Company spokesperson Anush Harutyunyan told IWPR that the 487 staff
members who were being kept on would receive their wages on a regular
basis, but she was unable to say when everyone would get the money
they were owed.
The redundant staff have made their feelings known at protests outside
the government building and the presidential residence in Yerevan.
They want a clear schedule of wage payments set out before March 16,
otherwise there will be more trouble, including hunger strikes.
Tigran Minasyan is the only breadwinner in his household, and faces
extreme hardship since he has only been paid one monthly wage of 120
drams over the course of many months. He came alone to the protest
as he said none of his relatives could afford the bus fare.
"My daughter is a student but she's dropped out of university because
we couldn't pay her fees," he said. "In his election campaign, the
president said we were heading towards a 'Secure Armenia'. Is this it,
then? I wish they could spend a couple of hours in our position."
The government insists that it is no longer directly responsible for
the plant or its problems.
In December, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan told workers that they
had a right to demand their wages - but they should direct those
demands to their managers, not to the government.
In 2006, the Armenian government sold the factory to a consortium
called Rhinoville Property Limited that included Polish, United
States and Russian companies, retaining a ten per cent stake. To raise
enough funds to pay the government, the firm deposited its shares as
security for a loan with the Inter-State Bank, an institution of the
Commonwealth of Independent States. The factory's debts continued
mounting until they exceeded the value of the shares, so control
reverted to the bank.
Former prime minister Hrant Baghratyan, now a parliamentarian with
the opposition Armenian National Congress, said the debt accrued over
this period was as inexplicable as it was crippling.
He sits on a parliamentary subcommittee tasked with "resolving
the basic problem at Nairit - the history of how an immense, 400
million dollar debt built up. In the difficult years between 1993
and 1995, Nairit operated without debt. So the history of this debt
is incomprehensible."
An explosion at the factory in 2009 brought operations to a halt.
It later transpired that things were more complicated, as revealed
in an investigation conducted by journalists from Hetq Online. The
consortium had paid the Armenian government the asking price of 39
million US dollars for a 90 per cent stake in Nairit. But the loan
it took from CIS Inter-State Bank was 70 million dollars. Where did
the rest go?
In January 2014, the Inter-State Bank won a court case awarding it
107 million dollars to be paid by Rhinoville, covering the 70 million
dollar loan sum plus interest and penalty payments. The Armenian
government has agreed to pay the sum.
But despite assuming this obligation, the government does not consider
itself responsible for the 15 million dollars that Nairit staff are
still owed.
On March 13, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Yervan Zakharian
met workers at Nairit and talked about the options for repaying the
debt. He said there were two views under discussion - selling off
some of Nairit's assets, and negotiations with the Inter-State Bank
Artsvik Minasyan from the opposition Dashnaktsutyun party sits on
the parliamentary subcommittee on Nairit, and has strong views on
the subject.
He argues that selling off parts of the plant in the hope of saving
the whole makes no sense, since that will make investors less keen
to buy it.
"I am sure that if it is to be relaunched, the staff will agree to
having their wages delayed as long as they have jobs," he said. "So
it's really important that the two issues are resolved in tandem -
a relaunch and the repayment of what's owed to the staff."
In February, the World Bank agreed to hire consultants to assess the
Nairit plant, the state of its equipment, its environmental impact,
and its financial viability. Once this is submitted, the Armenian
government will be able to decide whether it has a future.
The bank's Yerevan director Laura Bailey told IWPR that the study was
to have started in February but it took more time than anticipated
to find the right experts to do it.
Ani Petrosyan is a freelance journalist in Armenia.
ISMAIL GOING PLACES WITH ARMENIAN FLAG
The News International, Pakistan
March 13 2015
Waqar Hamza
KARACHI: Ismail Rauf, a young squash player from Peshawar, has got
work permit in Armenia and he has been playing there which will help
him improve his international ranking.
Ismail has been given work permit by Armenia to represent it in
European and international squash circuit. "He is getting more
tournaments to play, especially in Europe, due to this," said Ismail's
father Mr Rauf while talking to this scribe.
"This is the reason he has improved his international ranking
recently," he said.
Rauf added that Ismail had been trying to get that opportunity for
the past few years and was now happy to represent Armenia. "Ismail
is allowed to use Armenian flag under this work permit. He is happy
that due to this he is easily playing in European squash circuit,"
added Rauf.
He said his son had no problem with Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF).
In fact, the federation always supported him, he added. Ismail achieved
his career-best ranking of 219 this month. He had started the year at
470th position. He had been playing PSA events since July 2012 but had
not made much progress, so he decided to get work permit from Armenia.
Ismail has recently appeared in two international junior events held
in Qatar under the Armenian flag. Now he is playing in Germany and
after that he will go to play Malaysian Squash Tour in Malaysia
and then appear in CNS International Squash championship and FMC
International in Pakistan.
After that, he will play Inno Wood Open, Sekisui Open, and Pilatus
Cup in Switzerland; and Kent Open in England.
by Ani Petrosyan
Any remaining hope of reviving what was once Armenia's most
prestigious industrial asset faded in January when most of the staff
were fired. To add insult to injury, months of back wages owed to
them remained unpaid, and they responded with demonstrations.
Based in the capital Yerevan, the Nairit plant once supplied synthetic
rubber and other chemical products to the giant Soviet economy,
but it closed in 1989 because of pollution concerns. After Armenia
became independent in 1991, the plant reopened, and in 2006 it was
privatised. However, it produced little more than ever-growing debt.
Last year, Russian energy firm Rosneft expressed interest in buying the
plant . But that interest has waned, and a deal no longer seems likely.
In January, Nairit's management sacked all 2,200 staff, hiring back
about 490 of them to keep the plant mothballed. All workers received a
final paypacket in February, covering one month's wages, but this was
hardly any consolation as they were still owed 18 months in back pay.
This debt covers a period of about two-and-a-half years in which
wages were paid sporadically but mostly not at all.
Company spokesperson Anush Harutyunyan told IWPR that the 487 staff
members who were being kept on would receive their wages on a regular
basis, but she was unable to say when everyone would get the money
they were owed.
The redundant staff have made their feelings known at protests outside
the government building and the presidential residence in Yerevan.
They want a clear schedule of wage payments set out before March 16,
otherwise there will be more trouble, including hunger strikes.
Tigran Minasyan is the only breadwinner in his household, and faces
extreme hardship since he has only been paid one monthly wage of 120
drams over the course of many months. He came alone to the protest
as he said none of his relatives could afford the bus fare.
"My daughter is a student but she's dropped out of university because
we couldn't pay her fees," he said. "In his election campaign, the
president said we were heading towards a 'Secure Armenia'. Is this it,
then? I wish they could spend a couple of hours in our position."
The government insists that it is no longer directly responsible for
the plant or its problems.
In December, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan told workers that they
had a right to demand their wages - but they should direct those
demands to their managers, not to the government.
In 2006, the Armenian government sold the factory to a consortium
called Rhinoville Property Limited that included Polish, United
States and Russian companies, retaining a ten per cent stake. To raise
enough funds to pay the government, the firm deposited its shares as
security for a loan with the Inter-State Bank, an institution of the
Commonwealth of Independent States. The factory's debts continued
mounting until they exceeded the value of the shares, so control
reverted to the bank.
Former prime minister Hrant Baghratyan, now a parliamentarian with
the opposition Armenian National Congress, said the debt accrued over
this period was as inexplicable as it was crippling.
He sits on a parliamentary subcommittee tasked with "resolving
the basic problem at Nairit - the history of how an immense, 400
million dollar debt built up. In the difficult years between 1993
and 1995, Nairit operated without debt. So the history of this debt
is incomprehensible."
An explosion at the factory in 2009 brought operations to a halt.
It later transpired that things were more complicated, as revealed
in an investigation conducted by journalists from Hetq Online. The
consortium had paid the Armenian government the asking price of 39
million US dollars for a 90 per cent stake in Nairit. But the loan
it took from CIS Inter-State Bank was 70 million dollars. Where did
the rest go?
In January 2014, the Inter-State Bank won a court case awarding it
107 million dollars to be paid by Rhinoville, covering the 70 million
dollar loan sum plus interest and penalty payments. The Armenian
government has agreed to pay the sum.
But despite assuming this obligation, the government does not consider
itself responsible for the 15 million dollars that Nairit staff are
still owed.
On March 13, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Yervan Zakharian
met workers at Nairit and talked about the options for repaying the
debt. He said there were two views under discussion - selling off
some of Nairit's assets, and negotiations with the Inter-State Bank
Artsvik Minasyan from the opposition Dashnaktsutyun party sits on
the parliamentary subcommittee on Nairit, and has strong views on
the subject.
He argues that selling off parts of the plant in the hope of saving
the whole makes no sense, since that will make investors less keen
to buy it.
"I am sure that if it is to be relaunched, the staff will agree to
having their wages delayed as long as they have jobs," he said. "So
it's really important that the two issues are resolved in tandem -
a relaunch and the repayment of what's owed to the staff."
In February, the World Bank agreed to hire consultants to assess the
Nairit plant, the state of its equipment, its environmental impact,
and its financial viability. Once this is submitted, the Armenian
government will be able to decide whether it has a future.
The bank's Yerevan director Laura Bailey told IWPR that the study was
to have started in February but it took more time than anticipated
to find the right experts to do it.
Ani Petrosyan is a freelance journalist in Armenia.
ISMAIL GOING PLACES WITH ARMENIAN FLAG
The News International, Pakistan
March 13 2015
Waqar Hamza
KARACHI: Ismail Rauf, a young squash player from Peshawar, has got
work permit in Armenia and he has been playing there which will help
him improve his international ranking.
Ismail has been given work permit by Armenia to represent it in
European and international squash circuit. "He is getting more
tournaments to play, especially in Europe, due to this," said Ismail's
father Mr Rauf while talking to this scribe.
"This is the reason he has improved his international ranking
recently," he said.
Rauf added that Ismail had been trying to get that opportunity for
the past few years and was now happy to represent Armenia. "Ismail
is allowed to use Armenian flag under this work permit. He is happy
that due to this he is easily playing in European squash circuit,"
added Rauf.
He said his son had no problem with Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF).
In fact, the federation always supported him, he added. Ismail achieved
his career-best ranking of 219 this month. He had started the year at
470th position. He had been playing PSA events since July 2012 but had
not made much progress, so he decided to get work permit from Armenia.
Ismail has recently appeared in two international junior events held
in Qatar under the Armenian flag. Now he is playing in Germany and
after that he will go to play Malaysian Squash Tour in Malaysia
and then appear in CNS International Squash championship and FMC
International in Pakistan.
After that, he will play Inno Wood Open, Sekisui Open, and Pilatus
Cup in Switzerland; and Kent Open in England.
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