Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
8 October 2004

Poll Shows Armenians Cynical About Democracy, Independence

By Anna Saghabalian

Less than one in five Armenians believe that their country stands on the path to democratization and is truly independent almost 13 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, according to an opinion poll released on Friday.

The nationwide survey by the Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS), an independent think-tank, suggests that as many as 70 percent of the Armenian citizens feel that major decisions taken by their government are dictated by foreign powers, notably Russia.

ACNIS pollsters said only 18 percent of some 1,500 people interviewed across Armenia think that it is on course to become a democracy. Almost two thirds of them do not expect that to happen in the next 25 years.

The survey also confirmed widespread public disenchantment with the independence, with early half of the respondents saying that they were better off in Soviet times and another 27 percent seeing no socioeconomic change in their lives. "The overwhelming majority of the public has felt no positive impact on their living standards over the past 13 years," said Stepan Safarian, a senior ACNIS analyst.

Consequently, economic hardship and "the formation of [government-linked] clans" were identified by most respondents as the most negative phenomena that have characterized Armenia's post-Soviet history. They also singled out the "falsification" of the presidential elections held since independence as well as the October 1999 terrorist attack on the Armenian parliament as the most significant factors that have hampered the country's progress.

When asked about Armenia's biggest post-independence achievements, 29 percent mentioned the creation of the national army while 18 percent pointed to the victory in the war for Nagorno-Karabakh. About a tenth of those polled singled out the country's closer ties with its worldwide Diaspora.

Before you read this story, I want to state that for the last 2 months, I’ve been documenting what it costs to live in Yerevan and once upon a time the statistic that the government published on how much it cost for an individual to eat a normal diet each month was around $50. I am sorry to report that in 2004, the price of food in Yerevan has gone up and though I can not yet publish my findings, since 2 months is not enough time to measure the cost of food, I can say that my fiancé and I have been eating a somewhat normal diet, but nothing too fancy and have been sending twice as much on food as what the government claims we can survive off of. I really have to wonder how people are surviving in Yerevan, especially when you consider that one needs not only food, but electricity, gas and water. Does poverty and homeless exist in Armenia? From my findings of costs and the story below, I’m afraid that it is more the rule these day, than the exception.

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
6 October 2004

Rising Income Gap Leaves Armenia's Homeless Out In Cold

By Emil Danielyan

Vartan is remarkably health-conscious for a man who has been homeless for almost 15 years. Every morning he jogs in a park and eats two raw eggs afterward. That, he says, is U.S. action movie icon Arnold Schwarzenegger's recipe for fitness and good health.

"I haven't taken any medicines for 15 years. No drugs at all," says this 41-year-old former university graduate.

This seems more of a rebuke to Armenia's government than bravado. Vartan's sole contact with the government is periodical encounters with police officers who he says don't like to see him and his friends live rough on the street.

"I sold my apartment, divorced my wife and now live on the street," he says. "They must somehow take care of me. Instead, they come and beat me up. We are not their slaves, are we?"

Long-term homelessness seems to have dimmed the sense of time of Vartan's Ukrainian-born girlfriend, Tatyana. She is not sure how old she is. She must be at least 46, Tatyana says smilingly.

The couple had accommodation only last winter when they rented a room with proceeds from the collection of empty bottles and scrap metal. Their usual "workplace" is the area around a small agricultural market in Yerevan's northern Arabkir district. Traders there give them fruit, vegetables and even meat.

Homeless people like Vartan and Tatyana form the most underprivileged class of Armenians still reeling from the collapse of the Soviet command economy. Their number may not be large given the scale of poverty in the country. But its seems to have increased in recent years amid an accelerated economic growth that has done more to increase income disparities than to reduce poverty.

According to Eleonora Manandian, chairwoman of the New Armenia youth organization engaged in social work, prolonged misery is eroding Armenians' traditionally strong family bonds that have cushioned post-Soviet hardship and curbed poverty-driven phenomena like homelessness, alcoholism and drug addiction.

"You may not see many homeless people on the streets, but the number of marginalized people keeps growing because social bonds are increasingly weakening," she says. "That is, those people stop feeling themselves citizens, full-fledged members of the society. And there will come a moment when they find themselves outside that society."

The social polarization is particularly eye-catching in Yerevan whose glitzy center filled with restaurants and luxury cars increasingly contrasts with rundown suburbs. Real estate prices in the downtown have skyrocketed since 2001, fueling a housing construction boom -- another indication of increased wealth.

Yet enormous contrasts can be found even here. Alla, a 47-year-old lone woman, has lived in a dry fountain pool of a public park flanked by apartment blocks for the past four years. She broke a hip joint last winter and can hardly walk.

"How do you think I manage to get by?" she asks. "It's neighbors that support me. They bring me water and food. They are nice to me."

Alla, who lost most of her relatives in the 1988 catastrophic earthquake in northern Armenian, says not a single government official has ever visited or offered here any assistance. In fact, neither Armenia's Ministry of Social Affairs nor any other government agency has programs to help the homeless. An RFE/RL inquiry found that there are even no officials dealing with such people.

According to government statistics, the proportion of the population living below the official poverty line declined from almost 50 percent to 43 percent last year due to an almost 14 percent surge in Armenia's Gross Domestic Product. The government says the robust growth continued into the first half of this year.

However, little suggests that it has improved the lot of 13 percent of Armenians that are officially considered to be living in "extreme poverty." It is still not clear how they might benefit from the Armenian government's poverty reduction program launched a year ago with the blessing of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The program envisages to bring the poverty rate to 19 percent by 2015 through job creation and increased public spending.

The government plans to spend $6 million in 2006 to provide families lacking adequate housing with new homes. Sources in the Western donor community say the modest scheme was recently narrowed to only Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan.

This is bad news for thousands of people huddling in former factory hostels that lack basic amenities such as running water and toilet. Many of them fit into the Western definition of homelessness.

This is particularly true for dozens of poor families squatting in a ramshackle building in the southern outskirts of Yerevan. Once dotted with big factories, the area is now an industrial graveyard. The three-story building which housed a factory school began to be inhabited last year.

Armenuhi Boyajian, a single mother, moved there with her four children this summer. The oldest of them, a 15-year-old boy, dropped out of school three years ago and is now the family's main bread-winner because of his mother's poor health. His three sisters are also not attending school at the moment because of their failure to submit health certificates from a local policlinic. Lying in her bed and grimacing with pain, Boyajian explains that she has no money to pay for the documents.

"They want 3,000 drams ($6) for that. When I tell them that I'm a single mother they say that it mattered only in Communist times," she says.

Susanna Boyakhchian, another squatter, is slowly repairing the building's former toilet and is preparing to move there with her disabled son and his wife. They used to live in their own apartment. It was confiscated in the late 1990s when he was imprisoned for a minor crime which his mother says he never committed. The family currently rents a room in a kindergarten near a market where this hefty middle-aged woman sells second-hand clothing to scrape a living.

Boyakhchian seethes with anger when asked what she thinks her government can do for them: "I don't expect anything from this state because this state has ruined my life. I have been left on the street because of this state."

(Photo by Onnik Krikorian, Hetq.am: The former factory school occupied by squatters.)

I came to Yerevan for the weekend to celebrate my birthday with my fiancé and I was going to return today to Artsakh, but the car I was suppose to return with, broke down, so I ended up staying an extra day.

Tonight since I was stranded, I ended up visiting with an old friend (Vahe, the president of he Monte Melkonian Fund, Inc., USA) who just flew in from Califronia a couple of days ago, called me on the phone a half-hour before I was expecting to depart for Artsakh, who I then called back as soon as I got word of our delay.

I was planning on meeting up with him in the evening when he finished with an evening engagement, but instead, he told me to join him at the Marriott Hotel (the former Hotel Armenia), to a 10th year celebration of Raffi Hovannisian’s Armenian Center for National and International Studies.

I asked Vahe if there was an issue of invitations, tickets or anything of that nature, suggesting that we meet after the event at the lobby bar, to which he said he was not sure, but in the event of complications, we will meet at the bar.

My fiancé and I got all dressed up and in Armenian tradition and of course after warning Vahe, we showed up to the gathering an hour late and registered at the door, giving our names, of which this really nice girl who I didn’t know, seemed to know me and said that she had been waiting for us and added our names to the list and placed us at Vahe’s table.

We went into the lounge area to find Vahe, who was talking with someone named Ashot, who I had met in 1999, right after the Parliament tragedy, while he was hanging out with Mesrop Srpazan (I only figured out where I had seen him when the event ended and we left together, so you can only imagine what a strain that was to me for the night, trying to figure out who he was).

As we were talking in the lounge and even before we had arrived, I mentioned to my fiancé in the cab on the way to the hotel that I bet Stephan Demirchyan will show up and sure enough, as we were talking, in walks in Stephan, who was alone and looking around the room with a blank, confused look on his face.

I spotted Emil Danielyan of RFE/RL, who I greeted with the traditional Armenian kiss. As we talked, I asked him about the new homosexual scandal in parliment, to which he said that he hopes that no one got a picture of us kissing. I noticed the security camera, pointing to it, to which we both started to laugh. I shared my thoughts of the stories that covered that event and the shooting which followed, to which he said that Hagop Hagopian mentioned to one of their staff that they shot at his house and by the time he got his pants on, they were gone, but he fired a couple of shots in the air anyway. This means that no one broke into his house.

Before we went in to sit down, Emil and I were laughing at just about everything and sharing our finding with each other about the various people in the lounge and what we know they do in their spare time (gamble, fool around, own this or that and so on).

It was a very interesting gathering with some very interesting faces and prominent key figures of Armenian society and all I could think of was the Ricky Nelson song “Garden Party”. The only thing that was missing was Kirk Krikorian in Dillon shoes.

We made our way to our table (#28) to join some other prominent figures (one who if I’m not mistaken I’ve seen before and know him as Aram Abrahamian’s (the President of the Armenian Businessman’s of Russia) right-hand man) and some other interesting people who you could tell are important and connected in circles I usually avoid.

Raffi made his way to every table, greeting each guest and shaking their hands. He blessed my fiancé with a kiss on her forehead after Vahe introduced her as Saibek’s daughter, who Raffi my have met during the war, or maybe learned of after his death, but from the praise he was giving, it seemed that he knew him. My fiancé immediately relayed to me that it shows in Raffi’s eyes that he is a good, honest man. My fiancé is rarely wrong from her first impressions and I guess got a good look at his eyes.

When the people sitting at our table learned we were from Karabagh, during one of the toast, one of them said a toast as someone from Karabagh would say, pointing out to the rest of the people at our table that this is how they would say it in Karabagh, to which one of them responded that yes and in a couple of years they will be saying it like that here too. We laughed, but it was clear from the guy that made the comment that he was not happy with shift in power in Armenia today.

The keynote speaker was Finland's foreign affairs minister Erki Tuommio, to which he talked about globalization and security. I won’t give my opinion on his speech, but will just say it was long and I was not all that impressed, since it touched on the standard stuff and from what I was hearing, had the same solutions of how to fight terrorism, which I don’t see as being the solution.

I saw many people who I have not seen in ages, a few who know my parents, one who I’ve never met before, but said she was a classmate of my father’s in Iraq. Her husband was the founder of some Armenian school back in the 1960’s (I didn’t get his name, but know that he must be important, since Raffi made mention of him when he was recognizing prominent people in attendance and when he stood up when his name was announce, the clapping that he got, was up there on the clap meter). We took a picture together and he said something about his father, who worked with my grandfather Shahan on some operation in the early ARF days. He asked my fiancé how many children we plan on having, to which my fiancé said as many as God wants us to have, to which he wished us many children. He told me I was very lucky to have such a beautiful fiancé.

The evening ended and as we left, we were each given a 755 page book, which is titled “ACCOUNTING FOR THE DECADE”. It’s in Armenian, Russian and English and will make for some very interesting reading.

Anyway, a very nice unexpected evening, to which I congratulate Raffi and all those involved with the Armenian Center for National and International Studies on their 10th anniversary. I’m really glad I was allowed to be a part of their celebration.

BTW, on Saturday, I went to Square One for a late dinner with my fiancé and a friend. While we were there, we saw Salpi G., Raffi K., Edith K., Madlene and Arthur, Apo B., of course Sam (one of he owners) and a bunch of other familiar faces.

One suggestion I make to Sam was that the signage on the backroom he should think about changing. The men’s restroom has a mustache, which while I was using, I though a woman tried to enter into. On the woman’s restroom there are red lips, which I guess is okay, since I don’t think parliamentarians frequent Square One yet. Sam said that he will leave the signs as is for now, as a 5% margin of error is acceptable in his opinion.

Anyway, I highly recommend Square One to everyone, especially for those that are looking for a friendly and clean restaurant with good service.

I don’t know if I believe this story, but since it alleges that someone tried to kill the MP making accusation about homosexuals in parliament, I’m posting it. My gut feeling tells me that this could be Hagop Hagopyan (the guy making the accusations) trying to show that he is on to something and now someone is trying to kill him before he can present his evidence, meaning that it could very well have been staged, since I would think if gunmen were trying to kill you, you would not go chasing after them.

UNKNOWN GUNMEN ATTACK ARMENIAN MP'S HOUSE

Arminfo
2 Oct 04

YEREVAN

Armenian MP Akop Akopyan's house came under an armed attack last
night.

The MP told journalists today that the incident happened from 0100 to 0200 (0800-0900 gmt) on the night of 1-2 October. A gang of unidentified armed men burst into the house and opened fire. In reply, the MP used his personal weapon and fired at the attackers, after which they escaped.

The MP attempted to follow the attackers, but failed to find them.

After the incident, Akopyan went to the Zvartnots hotel where he learned that the attackers had arrived at the hotel before attacking his house. Threatening the hotel personnel with weapons, they inquired about the deputy's home address.

To recap, a public argument recently happened between Akop Akopyan and the deputy chairman of the faction of the Orinats Yerkir Party (Law-Governed Country Party), Mger Shakhgeldyan.

(Arminfo also said in a separate report that the police have started criminal proceedings)

Parliamentarians and homosexuality in our culture don’t mix?

Though I’m sure this will become a very sensitive subject, I just could not resist touching on it, only because it is so ridiculous and I suspect more a vindictive act, as the recent more believable ArmInfo story I’ve posted below implies.

The one thing that I hope will come out of this is a comment that was made by Karen Babayan, Chief Physician of Dermatology and Venereal Disease of the Republic of Armenia, who basically said that people who spend their whole day with prostitutes and/or gambling, are no better and if you ask me, are much, much, much worse since gamblers and people who cheat on their families have very bad judgment. I know for sure that the majority of parliamentarians engage in such practices, as do many of our ministers, Presidents and Prime Ministers. The proof of this is our present day condition.

One thing that I will say is that the stories that have come out about this subject on the part of journalist is quite irresponsible, since not only did they not get the whole story before printing this sensational story, but in a recent story from ArmInfo, the other side of the story which seems to make more sense has now come out and really tells me that this story should not have been taken seriously in the first place (and the reason I didn't repost it on my site).

One thing that is sad is the initial reaction we got from some high ranking officials who suggested some very uncivilized, dehumanizing and illogical solutions to this “problem”. These are the same people who have been trusted to adopt laws and run our country. Their judgment should be brought into question.

The only thing I do agree with is that for gamblers and those that cheat on their families by spending their days with prostitutes, we should do like Deputy Emma Khudabashyan said and “After publicizing the names these deputies [and government officials they] must be seated backwards on donkeys, their faces blackened with soot and they must be taken for a ride in their electoral districts so that those who elected them, could spit in their face,” she said. “This is what our grandfathers used to do with those who were repudiated by society.” Not that I really think this is the solution (because I don’t), but it was so ridiculous that I just could not resist reposting Emma’s stupid backwards way of thinking suggestion. As sad as her suggestion may be, my friends and I got a good laugh over it.

HOMOSEXUAL SCANDAL IN ARMENIA's POLITICAL ELITE


YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30. ARMINFO. A homosexual scandal has broken out in Armenia's political elite. Parliamentarians came to calling one another gays, and homosexualism became a subject of serious discussions and comments in the ruling elite.

Today's briefing at the RA National Assembly focused on the subject and on the possibility of gays being members of the ruling elite. The member of the "People's Deputy" Hakob Hakobyan publicly called Vice-Chairman of the "Law-Governed Country" party, Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Defense, National Security and internal Affairs Mher Shahgelsyan a homosexual, stating that he can present proofs in court. In his turn, Shahgeldyan denied the claim. "Hakob Hakobyan's claim is a filthy lie. He just could not discredit me in another, as I have a stainless reputation. Nobody would believe him if he accused me of financial embezzlements, bribery, changing party affiliation, so he decided to discredit me in this way," Shahgeldyan said. "After this claim Hakobyan has to have a man-to-man talk," Shahgelsyan said. He pointed out that he does not consider it advisable to apply to court now.

The scandal broke out yesterday, Hakobyan demanded that Parliament Speaker, Chairman of the "Law-Governed Country" party Artur Baghdasaryan present an annual report on the Parliament's expenses. According to him, even Vice-Speakers Tigran Torosyan (Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia) and Vahan Hovhannesyan (ARF Board member) agreed with him. Hakobyan demanded that the Speaker report on the spending of the additional 65,000 USD provided to the Parliament by the RA Government. The Speaker did not satisfied Hakobyan's demand, which aroused the latter's indignation. He began swearing at the Speaker and the Head of the Parliament staff, claiming that "persons that came to Parliament in T-shirts are now driving armored Jeeps'." Hakobyan stated that he is even ready to transgress law for the people's benefit. Then he made a shocking claim that Vice-Chairman of the "Law-Governed Country" party Mher Shahgelsyan is a "gay." It is noteworthy that the reason for active talks about homosexualism in Armenia's political elite is a statement made by Chairman of the "Armenian-Aryan Order" party Armen Avetiosyan that some of the Armenian minister and parliamentarians are gays, and he intends to publish their names soon.

The other morning I woke up at 4:30AM to take part in watching the debate between George W. and John Kerry, since the debate topic was foreign policy and since I figure my world will be effected by this, I should see what the candidate are planning to implement.

I have to tell you that when all was said and done, I was scared. I was and am scared for the whole world since the American president is not just a leader who will lead America, but in John Kerry’s words, “I believe America is safest and strongest when we are leading the world…”

Here was another scary statement made by John Kerry:

“I have a better plan for homeland security. I have a better plan to be able to fight the war on terror by strengthening our military, strengthening our intelligence, by going after the financing more authoritatively, by doing what we need to do to rebuild the alliances, by reaching out to the Muslim world, which the president has almost not done, and beginning to isolate the radical Islamic Muslims, not have them isolate the United States of America.”

Strengthen the US military, bla, bla, bla? And who says that the only threat is from the Muslim world? Doesn’t America also suppress non-Muslims, who could also strike back at America with acts of “terror”? Ever think about not screwing nations so they wont get pissed off at you and retaliate?

And then Bush with his, “We've upheld the doctrine that said if you harbor a terrorist, you're equally as guilty as the terrorist.”

So would it be fair to say that America harbors terrorist who unjustly attack civilian populations, which include women and children? I think so. I think that’s the work of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization, just to name a few, of which I believe are harbored in Washington DC.

I’m not going to make this long and touch on each point that scared me, since practically the whole thing scared me and will just say that be it Bush or Kerry, the developing nations of the world are going to loose and sooner or later, America is going to see many tall buildings fall.

If I were an “American”, I would vote for Bush, only because he is ready to screw the rest of the world, suck the natural resources dry, so his parasite population can continue to live in excess. Bush will also continue to comfort his people who suspect that something is just not right, with stories of how we are doing the right thing by saying, “We have a duty to defeat this enemy. We have a duty to protect our children and grandchildren.” That will be comforting to Americans while they continue to live a relatively material wealthy life. I also don't care too much for Kerry's smile. There seems to be something fake about it.

I think what I'm trying to say to you was best said in Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer book, “WAR AGAINST THE POOR -- LOW-INTENSITY CONFLICT AND CHRISTIAN FAITH” (ORBIS BOOKS Martknoll, New York 10545, ISBN 0-88344-589-1)

“As the leading ‘have’ power, we may expect to have to fight to protect our national valuables against envious ‘have nots.’” General Maxwell D. Taylor, U.S. Army

BTW, if anyone is interested in reading “WAR AGAINST THE POOR”, e-mail me and I’ll send you the text from this great book that is a real eye opener to what America is really all about and why its wealth far exceeds its natural resources.

Outside Eye: This Week, An Insider Looks Out


By Julia Hakobyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter


This week I joined hundreds of Armenians in the long line of dreams, waiting outside the US Embassy in Yerevan for a visa to America. The process is a test of endurance.

Having previously taken papers, we all were invited between at 9 -9.30 a.m. and were told to wait. Two by two, applicants disappear inside for about 20 minutes at a time. I was 15th in the line and grew weary calculating when my turn would come.

I decided instead to indulge in eavesdropping. . .

Two people in front of me and three behind were angrily discussing the increased price for visiting a consular service. Last year it was $50 and now it is $100. Even if you don’t get the visa, you pay the fee.

“For what we are paying, for being rejected?,” asked one woman.

“Because here in Armenia it is anarchy,” answered one man. “And the Americans decided: ‘Why do we have to pay $20 at the airport for leaving their country. If so let them pay too for entering our country’.”

“They just collect money from people and give visas to a few,” said the other man. “How do you think the Americans are building their new embassy here? Each week they collect $20,000 from people like us and it goes to the construction works and to the wages of embassy employees. They get at least $1,000, and it all comes from our pockets.”

You can learn a lot about your countrymen, listening to them trying to leave. By their words, they neither like where they are nor where they are going . . .

They went on, accusing President Robert Kocharyan of corruption, anarchy, poor economy in the country and in allowing Americans to take so much money.

“I would never leave Armenia if I feel protected here, if I have job. If my president can not provide me with a job, I will go to serve another country,” one man said.

It is a sunny September in Yerevan. The sidewalk, the walls, the pavement and the heated words are enough for a headache.

I crossed the roped off line to stand in the shadow of a tree between the stone barriers built by the embassy after 9/11. People watched, perhaps enviously, but none left the line to join me. However in about five minutes an embassy guard approached to put me back in line.

“I can’t. It’s too sunny there,” I told him.

“Please go back,” he repeated, politely, but firmly. “You can’t wait here”

“Did I do something illegal,” I asked, jokingly. “I want to wait here and I see no problem.”

“You hinder the way of passersby,” the guard said. “See everyone stands, even old people. Please sister- jan go back, otherwise I will be in trouble.”

Of course I was not obstructing pedestrians, but his last argument persuaded me.

I returned to the line to find global issues on the talk agenda.

One man predicted an imminent energy crisis in the US.

“Soon Americans will not fuel their cars because it will be too expensive for them,” the man said. “And they will be deprived of electricity and gas.”

“If it is so, then why are you going there?” a woman asked.

“I go to see my grandsons, whom I’ve never seen,” the man replied. He then told that his two sons are not US citizens and could not send him an invitation.

In an hour of listening I realized that I was probably the only one in the line who had an official invitation from a US entity (for a Duke University media fellowship) – the only one in that hot line who had reasonable hope.

And I guess that for most people the visa was a one way ticket. For a group of people I saw, mostly middle-age and old the visa stamp was the most desirable thing they could wish for.

But what impressed me most was the people’s sympathy towards each others, their uniting around the common aim. The frankness of Armenians reach its apex in the visa line. Or so it was that day I was watching people’s true stories about their life in Armenia and purposes in US. People were so easily sharing their secrets of their true intentions in US as if we were at a private party.

A woman of about 40 with emaciated face was telling people around that she is going to get a job in the US but she would tell the embassy interviewer that she goes to the US to visit her god mother. The woman had no paper, no invitation and no idea how she would get a job in the US. The only thing she knew was that she has to leave Armenia to get a job in America, because no one of her five family members has a job here.

“If I get a visa we will sell a car to cover the ticket cost,” the woman said. “And I will not be back for at least five years.”

I tried to persuade her that it is not so easy to get a job and warned her that she could become a victim of cheaters. But she replied that her friend left last year and now is a housemaid at one of the hotels in Utah. She too wanted to be a housemaid. I asked her if she is ready for this job, why she does not try to find a similar job here.

“I can’t do this job here. My relatives will know about it and I will feel uncomfortable. If I go to the US I will tell them that I work as a babysitter.”

In 20 minutes the woman told me the story of her life, about her husband, of her uneasy relations with her mother-in-law.

I was trying to follow her logic, logic of a tired and unprotected Armenian woman, who told me her secret only because I was a stranger. I asked her if she is not concerned that one of the people in line is an employee of the US embassy who learned about her true purposes. As soon as I said that, others in the line joined our discussion, saying that no matter why you go to US, if they (interviewers) decide to give you a visa they do not care why you are going to their country.

In that line I learned that all the US consular employees are psychic, and no matter what papers you have, they look at you and make a decision. Face-control, in other words. I also heard that the most severe consular agent is a bald American of middle age who rejects everybody.

“There are three windows in the consular room, try to approach the windows with two young Americans, they give visas,” said one old woman, whose sister was rejected last month by the bald American.

People in line were generously giving advice on how to behave to get a visa. The one I liked most was from a woman who was going on her second trip to visit her daughter.

“Whatever you are asked, you have to tell ‘no’,” the woman said. “Do you have relatives in US? Say ‘No’. Do you intend to stay in the US? ‘No’. I did so last time and got a visa.”

Finally my turn came. I got the bald guy.

He went through my papers for five minutes without saying a word. Then he started asking questions. Turns out that all my answers, in fact, were “No”.

“Do you need a translator,” he asked in Russian. “No,” I replied. “Do you intend to study or work in the US?” “No.” “Did someone else fill out your application?” “No.”

I was the last to leave the US embassy that day. The guards asked me the results, then sincerely congratulated me.

There were some people outside who were rejected but stayed near the building as if it could help them. One woman was crying, men were smoking. They all looked very depressed.

I was looking for the woman who indented to go to the US for work, but I did not see her. I hope that she is aware of human trafficking. And I want to hope that whatever she does she will not be involved in a bigger trouble.

I looked at them all – at people whose life turned in a way they could never expect. At people whose children, though safe in the US, can not see their parents. At people who know the US life only from movies and want to go there to be in the country where dreams come true. For some.

This is an interesting idea, though if the law is adopted and the President is the one who appoints the ombudsman, then this will just turn into another tactic to calm the discontent population who are sick and tired of corruption. I think the ombudsman should be elected by the people.

PROTECTOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN KARABAKH

Azat Artsakh - Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
01 Oct 04

The chairman of the parliament committee of foreign relations and information Vahram Atanessian undertook the bill `On the protector of human rights' which was included in the schedule of the ninth session of the NKR National Assembly. The bill may be discussed in October. If the law is adopted, for the first time in our country an ombudsman will be appointed whose only responsibility will be to protect people's rights. The notion of ombudsman first appeared in Sweden. In the second half of the 20th century most countries of the world already had the institution of the protector of human rights. Usually the ombudsman is appointed by the parliament although in some countries the president also takes part in this, but originally this is a parliamentary form of protection of human rights. The ombudsman's decisions, as a rule, do not have force of law, however, being included in the report of the ombudsman with a negative shade is a blow to the carrier of any official. It is notable that the protector of human rights views the actions not only from the point of view of correspondence to the law but also to justice and appropriateness. As a rule the person who is known in public as frank, respectable, able to work independently is appointed as ombudsman. Who will be ombudsman in Karabakh after the adoption of the law is not discussed yet. Perhaps it will be discussed along with the law.

NAIRA HAYRUMIAN.
01-10-2004

This is very bad. Last year while talking to some doctor friends of mine who work at the hospital, I was told that there was word of the hospital being privatized and the names of the people doing the privatization was the head doctor of the hospital, the RA military prosecutor and our very own President of NKR.

The doctors were very upset about such a thing happening, one saying that it will probably not happen, since there has been millions of dollars of aid given to the hospital since independence, mentioning Japan as giving alone over a million dollars of equipment.

This is very wrong and will certainly cause hardship for economically challenged persons who are entitled to free medical care from the state.

Our self-inflected WHITE GENOCIDE continues.


RFE/RL Armenia Report - 09/30/2004

Major Armenian Hospital Privatized For $267,000

By Emil Danielyan

The Armenian government approved a cut-price sale of the country's biggest state-run hospital on Thursday, resuming the controversial privatization of healthcare institutions suspended a year ago after protests from a member of the ruling coalition.

A government statement said ministers decided to allow the staff of the Armenia Republican Medical Center to privatize their sprawling hospital for 135 million drams ($267,000) without a tender. It have no reasons for the move, saying only that the new owners have pledged to invest 100 million drams in the Yerevan-based complex.

Senior officials at the Armenian Ministry of Health contacted by RFE/RL were not immediately aware of the decision. They said the ministry, which had direct control over the hospital until now, had no role in the deal because it was on the list of state assets subject to privatization.

Another ministry source predicted that the hospital will end up under the personal ownership of its current executive director, saying that he will almost certainly force his approximately 700 employees to surrender their shares. The privatization of 37 other health institutions in recent years largely followed the same pattern. Virtually all of them are now owned by their previous government-appointed bosses.

Under Armenian law, workers of state-run enterprises can buy them out at a quarter of their face value set by the government. It is not clear whether the legal clause was applied to this case. Officials at the government's privatization agency, the Committee on State Property Management, could not be reached for comment.

The sale of the Republican Medical Center leaves only one big hospital, also located in Yerevan, under state ownership. Most of Armenia's Soviet-era hospitals and policlinics have been privatized since the late 1990s. The cash-strapped government has argued that it lacks the resources to maintain them.

The process was frozen in August 2003 after strong objections voiced by parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian whose Orinats Yerkir Party has three ministers in the cabinet. `The haphazard privatization of medical institutions may paralyze the country's health care sector and lead to social problems,' he said at the time.

Baghdasarian argued that Armenia still lacks a mandatory national system of medical insurance. Its creation is seriously hampered by widespread poverty and unemployment.

Access to healthcare in Armenia has declined dramatically since most medical services became paid more than a decade ago. They remain beyond the means of a considerable part of the population.

The privatization appears to have failed to alleviate another grave problem facing the sector: rampant corruption. Even in private hospitals many patients still have to give kickbacks to doctors and other medical personnel.

This is proof that a collective voice of the people can get results. Let’s see how this issue is concluded.

RFE/RL Armenia Report - 09/30/2004

College Staff End Strike As Government Meets Their Demand

By Gayane Danielian

The staff of Armenia's national ballet school have ended a three-week strike after forcing the government to promise to sack their new director appointed by the controversial Culture Minister Hovik Hoveyan.

The outcome of the row is certain to deal a further blow to the credibility of Hoveyan who has been dogged by scandals since being appointed minister by the Orinats Yerkir Party of parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian last April.

At issue was his decision earlier this month to appoint a high-ranking academic, Karen Gevorgian, as the director of Yerevan's State College of Dance Arts. It infuriated the college faculty that argues that Gevorgian, who held a senior post at the State Pedagogical Institute, is an expert on folk dance, not ballet. Similar objections have been voiced by several prominent Armenian artists.

Hoveyan was literally driven out of the college building on September 10 as he attempted to introduce the new boss to the teaching personnel. They went on strike two days later. It ended on Tuesday, the day after representatives of the protesters were received by Prime Minister Andranik Markarian.

`The prime minister was very concerned about this dispute,' the deputy director of the school, Hasmik Markosian, told RFE/RL. `He told us that we are not using the right methods, but added that taking into consideration the future of dance art, Mr. Gevorgian will not be our director.'

Markosian said the decision will be formalized this week after Hoveyan's return from China where he is accompanying President Robert Kocharian on an official visit. `For us the prime minister's words are a solution to the problem,' she said.

Gevorgian confirmed the information, saying that he too met with Markarian this week. `I told the prime minister that I am ready to quit for the sake of the students and the resumption of the teaching process,' he told RFE/RL.

Gevorgian also denounced the outcry over his appointment as a `false noise' provoked by a small group of people driven by their personal interests.

It is not yet clear who will be named in his place. The college staff have until now demanded that their previous boss, who resigned in uncertain circumstances in August, be reinstated in his post.

Hoveyan's staffing policy came into question even before this row. The flamboyant minister sparked an uproar by naming members of his Orinats Yerkir Party to run several state-run cultural institutions shortly after his appointment. One of those decisions was subsequently overturned by a Yerevan court.