Expedition Reaches Mt. Ararat Summit
asbarez
Friday, August 6th, 2010
BY ADRINE AVANESYAN
On July 15, a team of 11 men, including six from Southern California,
two from New Jersey, two from Canada, and one from Fresno reached the
summit of Mt. Ararat. Team `Ararat 11,' a code name that the team had
given themselves would soon be known to all Armenians.
[a later report ways that Turkey has despatched a team to replace these
flags with Turkish one]
lragir.am
39% WOULD LEAVE ARMENIA FOREVER
05/08/10
The desire to study or take part in a work-study program in another
country or to move to another country permanently is the highest in
Armenia, which has one of the largest diasporas in the world. More
Armenians are estimated to live outside the country than in it. Only
Moldovans are roughly as likely as Armenians to say they would like
to migrate permanently if given the chance, is said in the study
carried by Gallup research center.
According to the survey, 44 percent of polled Armenians would like
to move for temporary work and 39 percent would like to leave the
country for ever.
>From the neighboring Georgia only 14 percent and from Azerbaijan only
12 percent would like to leave their countries.
The second comes Moldova, where 36 percent of the population would
like to leave the country for ever, 53 percent - to move for a
temporary work.
Roughly one in four adults in 12 former Soviet nations say they would
like to move to another country for temporary work (24%) or to study
or take part in a work-study program (25%) if they had the opportunity
to do so. Together, an estimated 70 million desire to migrate for
either of these reasons or for both. Half has many -- approximately
30 million -- would like to leave their countries permanently.
As a result of the survey, it was also found out which post-soviet
countries live on account of assistance from abroad. Tajikistan leads
this list; Armenia is the forth after Moldova and Kyrgyzstan.
The lowest index in this list has Russia; in 2009, only 1 percent of
Russians got assistance from their relatives abroad.
The survey was conducted in the post-soviet 12 republics within 13
thousand people, Liberty radio reports.
TURKEY VIEWS REOPENING OF SURB KHACH AS COMMERCIAL
PROJECT
news.am
Aug 4 2010
Armenia
Director and chief editor of the Van Times newspaper Aziz Aykac said
that 6, 000 families are ready to open their doors to the Armenian
guests arriving in the city to participate in the service in Surb Khach
church on Akhtamar Island. According to him, the Armenian Diaspora
responded positively to the initiative. The number of people wishing
to host Armenians in their houses is increasing day after day.
At present, 6,000 applications have been received from the citizens
of Van.
Aziz Aykac also noted that in the initiative of Agos daily, ten
European journalists have already agreed to cover the reopening of
Surb Khach church. "We expect that 10,000 guests will arrive in Van.
This event will ease the tension in the Armenian-Turkish relations.
Our newspaper will publish stories in Armenian as well," Aziz Aykac
stated, adding that Surb Khach church reopening might be commercialized
and the city of Van should not miss this opportunity.
With September 19 coming, the Turkish authorities are trying to
attract world's attention to their so-called "gesture of goodwill".
ARMENIAN TOURISTS PREFER TURKEY'S SOUTH, EAST
Tert.am
05.08.10
Ignoring the calls of their national press to boycott Turkey, many
Armenians are choosing the Turkish Mediterranean coast for their
summer vacations.
According to travel-agency figures, 50,000 Armenian tourists visited
the southern Turkish province of Antalya in 2009 and such visitors are
from the highest income bracket, according to Hurriyet Daily News &
Economic Review.
Narine Davtyan, the manager of Tez Tour, believes the southern town
of Bodrum, in Mugla province, will dethrone Antalya next year as an
attraction for Armenian tourists. Adding that the tours Tez organizes
to both locations would continue through October. "The prices are
climbing depending on the season. Despite the price increase, there
is not the slightest decline in demand."
Tour prices vary between $500 and $2,000 according to the type and
standards of hotel accommodation, and whether it is full-board or
half-board.
Despite the closed borders and the crippled relationship between the
two countries, Armenians' demand for Turkey trips has also affected
the aviation industry. In addition to regular weekly flights between
Yerevan and Istanbul by Armavia Airlines (the national airliner of
Armenia) and Atlas Jet, tour operators have recently begun flights
between Antalya and Yerevan via Airbus 300 charter planes hired from
Armavia Airlines.
The flights between Antalya and Yerevan occur twice a week, and,
according to tour operators' figures, demand is high. Statistically,
the demand for tours to Turkey is followed by the demand for tours
to Cairo and Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, as well as to Dubai.
According to figures by Davityan, Tez Tour has taken 7,000 Armenian
tourists to Antalya: "We started our tours three years ago. Every year
there is a 30 percent boost in demand, and this is really promising."
Valer Muradyan, the manager of Nekevank Tour, confirmed the high demand
for Turkey, adding that the company is taking Armenian tourists to
Antalya twice a week. He said each tour operator has its own pricing
policy, and the prices vary according to the type of accommodation and
the standards of the hotels with which the operators contract. Muradyan
said high agency's prices range between $300 and $500, adding that
tour operators in Armenia have already started making bookings for
next year.
"We only have tours for Antalya, and there is a new demand for Bodrum.
Perhaps we will include it in our program next year. Our tours will
continue through October," he said.
Although beach lovers prefer Antalya and Bodrum, not all Armenians
are after sea and sun for their vacations. Those who look for culture
and history instead favor Istanbul and eastern Turkey. Among the
eastern provinces, the most preferred are Kars, where the ruins of
the ancient Armenian city of Ani are located, and Van, famous for
the Surb Khach Church on Lake Van's Aktamar Island, which opens in
September for one annual service.
FROM THE BOSPHORUS: STRAIGHT - A BIG WELCOME TO
OUR ARMENIAN SUMMER GUESTS
Hurriyet Daily News
Aug 5 2010
Turkey
The people-to-people rapprochement between Turks and Armenians in
recent years continues to inspire. The Yerevan State Ballet's visit to
Istanbul five years ago, countless artistic exchanges and the women's
volleyball matches that were perhaps overshadowed by the more strategic
(and male) football matches. And we reported in the Hurriyet Daily News
& Economic Review on Armenian-Canadian director Atom Egoyan' interest
in filming a movie here and his friendship with our own Fatih Akın.
All of us at the Daily News have our own anecdote of the human side
of the Turkish-Armenian relationship: The reporter invited home for a
meal in Beirut after an encounter with a policeman who proved to be of
Armenian heritage; the orchestra in a Yerevan cafe that immediately
played "Sarı Gelin," the famous folk song claimed by both peoples
upon discovering the identity of one of our editors; the taxi driver
from Kars ferrying one of our reporters to the famous football match
in Bursa who offered his personal plea for open borders.
Such examples are many. But we still must share the sentiment of Narine
Davityan, a Yerevan tour operator quoted in our story in yesterday's
Economic Review section by our reporter Vercihan Ziflioglu:
"Despite the closed borders, the tourism capacity is fascinating,"
said Davityan, manager of Tez Tour. "I cannot imagine how much it
will prosper once the borders are open again."
Ziflioglu's story was on the fact that some 50,000 citizens of Armenia
last year chose to make their annual holiday in Turkey, most of them
choosing the coastal resort of Antalya. That number is expected to
grow by at least 30 percent during this year's tourist season.
Yes, relations remain frosty, and the border opening initiative of
two years ago is all but shelved. Officially, no diplomatic ties exist
between Ankara and Yerevan. The Kars border crossing has been closed
for almost two decades. And no one can say when this will improve.
But this week alone, two charter flights will carry planeloads of
passengers from Yerevan direct to Antalya, and flights are set to
run through October. Tour operators in Armenia are trying to expand
transport options to Bodrum. And Armenian historical sites in Turkey,
from Akdamar Island in Van to the Ani ruins near Kars, are another
huge draw.
These are not small numbers. Armenians prepared to pay $2,000
for a package tour certainly have other options for a week at the
beach. And the fact these tourist visits occur despite regular calls
in some sectors of the Armenian press to boycott Turkey is all the
more significant.
Like Davityan, we don't exactly know what to make of this beyond
the observation that the phenomenon is fascinating. Diplomacy may
have its setbacks. Politicians may prevaricate and waffle. But it is
clear to us that average Turks and Armenians just want to have normal
relations. They are doing so.
GRAPE HARVEST TO EXCEED LAST YEAR'S INDEX BY 7,000T IN ARMENIA IN 2010
PanARMENIAN.Net
August 4, 2010 - 20:06 AMT 15:06 GMT
Armenian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Territorial Administration
Armen Gevorgyan visited Ararat region and held a working meeting with
heads of communities.
During the visit, data on agricultural products and volumes of
their sale during the first half of 2010 was provided to the Deputy
Prime Minister, the press service of the Ministry of Territorial
Administration reported.
In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister and governors of Ararat,
Armavir, Aragatsotn, Tavush and Vayots Dzor regions, as well as
Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Deputy Minister
of Agriculture discussed the expected grape harvest and efficient
organization of its purchase process in the aforementioned regions.
The governors were instructed to work jointly with the Ministry of
Agriculture with organizations dealing with purchases to clarify
earlier agreements on volumes and terms of purchase of 2010 grape
harvest.
The grape harvest will exceed last year's index by 7,000t in Armenia
in 2010, according to information provided by regional administrations
and the RA Ministry of Agriculture.
RFE/RL Report
Friday, August 6, 2010
Armenian Bread Price Set For Further Rise
06.08.2010
Ruben Meloyan
The price of bread in Armenia looked set on Friday to soar further
following the Russian government's decision to ban all grain exports
because of a severe drought that has devastated crops across Russia.
The move, announced by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday,
pushed international prices of wheat to the highest level since the
2007-08 global food crisis. They jumped by more than 12 percent in
European commodity markets.
The wholesale and retail prices rose just as drastically in Armenia
where one 50-kilogram sack of flour cost between 9,500 and 10,000
($27.4) on Friday. The rise did not immediately push up bread
prices. They are nonetheless expected to be adjusted accordingly in
the coming days.
`Three days ago I bought first-class flour for 8,500 drams [per
sack,]' said Rafik Sahakian, the owner of a small bakery in
Yerevan. `It costs 9,500 drams today. What is going to happen next?'
Sahakian told RFE/RL's Armenian service that he will have no choice
but to raise the bread price.
Bread prices in the country already rose by roughly 20 percent late
last month. The Armenian government blamed that on a significant
decrease in global wheat output expected this autumn.
Imported wheat, most of it coming from Russia, meets nearly two-thirds
of Armenia's domestic demand estimated at roughly 600,000 metric tons
per annum. The bulk of those imports are controlled by two companies
belonging to government-linked wealthy businessmen.
One of them, Samvel Aleksanian, attributed the latest price hike to
the Russian export ban and its knock-on effects on world food
markets. `I would love to keep the flour price unchanged, but the
market is dictating its terms,' Aleksanian told News.am.
Government critics dismiss such explanations, arguing the importers
are still selling wheat and flour which they purchased earlier this
year or last fall at much lower prices. They say the de facto
monopolization of the local wheat market is the main reason for the
increased cost if what is a key staple foodstuff in Armenia.
`The Armenian society is captive to a handful of individuals,' Bagrat
Asatrian, an opposition-linked economist, told a news conference. `We
are obliged to pay them as much money as they need for being happy.'
The government says the best way to guard against price fluctuations
in international markets is to ease Armenia's heavy dependence on
wheat imports. It approved last month a five-year plans of actions
which officials said will boost domestic wheat output to over 350,000
tons by 2013.
The program puts the emphasis on use of new, more productive sorts of
seeds to be imported from Russia or grown by local agricultural firms.
ARMENIAN FIRE RESCUE TO HELP RUSSIA IN FIRE FIGHTING
/ARKA/
August 5, 2010
YEREVAN
The presidents of Armenia and Russia Serzh Sargsyan and Dmitri Medvedev
agreed on the integration of Armenian fire-fighters and rescuers in
the fight against the disaster in Russia, the press service of the
Armenian state reported.
Natural fires are raging in 17 regions of Russia because of the
heatwave and drought.
In seven regions, including in the Moscow region, state of emergency
has been declared due to a presidential decree.
Forty eight people had already been killed.
According to the Ministry of Regional Development of Russia, fires
destroyed in Russia more than 1,9 thousands of homes were left without
shelter more than 3,5 thousand people.
"The Armenian people know how in such situations it is important
to assist friend-countries," Serzh Sargsyan said in the course of a
telephone conversation on Wednesday with the Russian leader.
He offered the assistance of Fire and Rescue Service of Armenia in
extinguishing fires and their consequences.
The President of Armenia reiterated his sympathy and regret at the
human and material losses resulting from natural disaster.
RFE/RL Report
Research Sheds Light On Domestic Violence In Armenia
05.08.2010
Narine Ghalechian
Almost one in ten women in Armenian has been physically ill-treated by
their husbands or partners, according to government research
commissioned by a United Nations agency.
In what was the most comprehensive ever study of domestic violence in
the country, the National Statistical Service interviewed nearly 2,800
female residents aged between 15 and 59 in late 2008 and early 2009.
Yerevan-based representatives of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) made its
findings available to RFE/RL's Armenian service on Thursday
They show that 9 percent of respondents said they were occasionally or
regularly beaten in domestic disputes. Another 3.3 percent alleged
sexual abuse, usually accompanied by physical violence, at the hands of
their husbands or boyfriends. A quarter of those polled claimed to have
faced intimidation and other types of `psychological pressure.'
The UNFPA survey identifies `economic violence' as another form of
domestic violence. According to it, 7.5 percent of Armenian women are
not allowed to work, while 8 percent of those having jobs are forced to
give their incomes to their male partners.
`We live in a patriarchal society,' Garik Hayrapetian, deputy head of
the UNFPA's Yerevan office, told RFE/RL, commenting on the results of
the survey.
`The man plays the role of family protector and main breadwinner. That
brings with it a sense that if he is the main breadwinner then he must
have final say, and any objection to that leads to what we have,' he
said.
In another finding emphasized by Hayrapetian, more than half of the
female respondents justified the beating of wives and girlfriends for
infidelity and other perceived serious offenses. Such attitudes are
particularly prevalent among women in rural areas, the UNFPA official
said.
