I wonder what this is all about?

This reminds me of the Jackson family and their interest in opening up something in Armenia. What ever happened to that?

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA RECEIVES FAMOUS US BUSINESSMAN

Armenpress
Aug 23 2006

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Robert Kocharian met today with the US famous businessman, president of "Huntsman" corporation John Huntsman and the delegation headed by him.

Presidential press service informed Armenpress that Huntsman has arrived in Armenia with serious programs which will be carried out in education and health spheres. The president welcomed the ideas of the businessman and said "Everything which is being done by John Huntsman is done with love, devotion and belief."

The US businessman wants to establish a modern oncology center in Armenia. The president said that he is ready to support the implementation of the program which he described as interesting and prospective.

During the meeting the Kocharian also expressed assurance that the effective cooperation established with the businessman will continue in future and his ideas will be brought to life.

The interlocutors also referred to the Armenian-USA relations and with the request of the guest the president also talked about the economic situation in Armenia, its priorities and development prospects.

HEAD OF ARMAVIA AIRLINE DISAGREES WITH IAC CONCLUSIONS

Yerevan, August 23. ArmInfo. Head of the Armenian national airline Armavia, Mikhail Baghdasarov, categorically disagrees with the conclusions of the International Aviation Committee (IAC) on the results of the investigation of A- 320 crash near Sochi on May 3. To recap, under IAC made a conclusion that the reason of the crash was human factor, i.e. the faults of the crew.

In an interview to Haykakan Zhamanak, M. Baghdasarov says: "What was shown to us was not right." He says none of the Armenian party representatives participating in the investigation have signed any document so far. In such conditions, no final resolution is possible, he says. The fact that IAC published its version of the resolution is a gross violation of international aviation rules. Under these rules, a resolution on the results of a crash investigation is made subject to the fact that the resolution is final. While, it requires signatures of all the parties of the investigation, Baghdasarov says.

The homophobic Armenian community join in…

ARMENIAN ORGANIZATION REMONSTRATES AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY OF POSSIBLE US AMBASSADOR

www.regnum.ru/english/691963.html
19:53 08/21/2006

The Armenian Aryan Order has expressed its protest against attempts to appoint Richard Hoagland new US Ambassador to Armenia. The Order has issued a statement concerning the issue. REGNUM publishes the statement translated from Russian.

"The excuse for recalling current US Ambassador John Evans looks rather strange. It has caused great disappointment in the whole Armenian community, as the main reason for recalling John Evans was the word 'genocide' pronounced by him, when he meant the Armenian Genocide during which over 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered. It is a serious signal for us, Armenians, so, deriving form the reason to exchange the ambassador we change our attitude towards the US policy as well.

'The fact that the US administration is going to replace John Evans with Richard Hoagland, who, according to Armenian and Tajik media, is a homosexual, is a humiliation, disrespect for the Armenian nation that holds traditions sacred. Thus, the US administration is trying to strike two purposeful blows, both political and moral ones. If they manage to do it, Armenian society will be left nothing but boycotting activities of the US embassy in order at least by this to disgrace those who are trying to disgrace us.

'We call upon the Armenian authorities, the whole Armenian community to raise a protest wave by all possible means against possible nomination of the homosexual ambassador. Armenia is not a training ground for those ill and demented. Messrs Americans, stop immoral games!"

A good man lost to the Armenian Genocide...

US AMBASSADOR JOHN EVANS TO LEAVE ARMENIA EARLY SEPTEMBER

ArmRadio.am
22.08.2006 16:51

US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia John Evans is completing his mission in Armenia and will return to motherland early September, the Ambassador told Arminfo Agency in response to the concrete terms of completion of his tenure in office.

At the same time Mr. Evans rejected the request to comment upon the US Senate postponement of the appointment of the new Ambassador to Armenia.

To remind, the Congress discussions of the issue are scheduled September 7. " I do not comment on the activity of the Congress," John Evans underlined.

Another scam hits Armenia...

It sounds to me like the U.S. Department of State is running another scam to put Armenia in debt.

Armenia fell for the IMF and World Bank scam, so why not the "Millennium Challenge Account - Armenia" scam?

From what I understood, the Millennium Challenge was to be a grant (according to their website http://www.mca.gov/ they are), but according to the story below, it is a "LOAN" not some grant that would not have to be repaid.

As I said before on this subject: "It’s quite clear from Armenia’s proposals to Washington, they are presenting programs that will allow them once again to have an opportunity to enrich their own personal wealth by misusing, and/or misappropriating funds by overcharging by a few times for roads and water systems, inevitably pay starvation wages to the common workers and stuffing the difference in their pockets."

Mark my words, the Millennium Challenge Scam will only cause Armenia harm and make some very bad people more powerful, thus taking us further from becoming a fair and free nation.

Of course this is what Washington has and is working towards.


ARA HOVSEPYAN ASSIGNED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF "MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT - ARMENIA" FOUNDATION

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Aug. 17, 2006

YEREVAN, August 17 /ARKA/. Ara Hovsepyan was assigned Executive Director of Millennium Challenge Account - Armenia Foundation, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy David Avetisyan told journalists today.

He said that Hovsepyan's nomination was approved at a sitting of the Millennium Challenge Account administrative board.

Avetisyan reported that 48 nominations were put forward for this post; however, more than half of them did not meet the official requirements.

"Ara Hovsepyan is really a strong contender and fitted most for this post," Avetisyan said.

In his turn, Hovsepyan expressed gratitude for the trust in him, and pointed out that he realizes the whole responsibility that this post imposes on him.

"The program of the Millennium Challenge Account Corporation in Armenia is a unique opportunity to improve the infrastructure in the Armenian regions," he said.

Ara Hovsepyan holds a Master's Degree of the Oxford University and the American University of Armenia. He worked as a representative of the British Ministry of Development in Armenia, and also at the Department of International Organizations of the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

On March 27, 2006, Armenian Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatryan and Executive Director of the American Millennium Challenge Account Corporation John Danilovich signed an agreement in Washington, DC.

According to the agreement, the corporation will give Armenia $235.65mln loan for five years for implementation of projects on restoration of irrigation systems and regional roads.

The Millennium Challenge Account Corporation was founded at the beginning of 2004 under the U.S. State Department program, aimed at developing economy and poverty reduction in the world.

YEREVAN MIGHT LEAVE NAGORNO-KARABAKH TALKS

Interfax, Russia
Aug. 17, 2006

YEREVAN. Aug 17 (Interfax) - Armenia might leave negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh if Azerbaijan initiates a discussion of the issue at the UN, Armenia's representative in the UN Armen Martirosyan told the Svododa radio.

Martirosyan reminded reporters that last year Armenia and Azerbaijan reached an agreement that the Nagorno-Karabakh problem will be solved exclusively in the format of the Minsk group of the OSCE, whose co-chairmen are Russia, France and the U.S., and that Baku will not try to take the Karabakh issue to the UN.

Azerbaijan, however, recently sent a letter to UN, he said.

He said that Azerbaijan in its letter tried to initiate a discussion of the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh at the UN, and, in particular, was calling on the UN to "help in recovering the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan."

"If Azerbaijan persists in calling for a discussion of Nagorno-Karabakh at the UN, and attempts to push for a vote on issues related to Nagorno-Karabakh at the UN, Armenia may leave negotiations," he stressed.

Another factory privatized for pennies again...

It looks like the state-owned Nairit chemical plant had once again been privatized. This time the deal sounds as if someone was almost given the plant.

You will note in the story below that the price was $40 million, but the state will buy back one part of the plant for $34 million. I'm not sure if I'm reading this right, but if the meeting was chaired by Robert Kocharian, then I'm probably right about this and he has some share in this deal.

Will something good come of this deal? I would guess that a few people will get very rich and the rest of us will once again get the short end of the stick.

Armenian Chemical Giant Privatized
RFE/RL Armenia Report - 08/18/2006

By Emil Danielyan

The government approved and unveiled on Friday a complex deal that will lead to the sale of Armenia's largest chemical enterprise, which has been struggling to remain afloat since the Soviet collapse, to an obscure British-registered company.

A government statement issued after a weekly cabinet session chaired by President Robert Kocharian said the core production facilities of the state-owned Nairit plant will be sold to Rhinoville Property Limited for $40 million. It said the Armenian Energy Ministry, which owns 90 percent of the plant through a state-run gas company, will retain control over one of Nairit's debt-ridden divisions and will pay the new owner $34 million for that.

The statement did not explain why the government decided to keep Nairit-2 and thereby nullified the bulk of the revenues resulting from the privatization. Nairit-2 had been set up and structurally separated from the plant to assume its huge debts that totaled $54 million as December 2002. The restructuring was meant to make the aging facility more attractive to foreign investors.

The statement said the deal was approved after an acquisition offer and `investment program' submitted by Rhinoville. It did not specify any details of that program.

Nor is it clear who owns Rhinoville. An online catalogue of British companies contains scant information about the company, saying only that it was registered in Tiverton, a small town in England, in December 2002. Rhinoville apparently has no website.

Another British-based company, Ransat Group, already tried to revitalize Nairit when it signed a management contract with the Armenian government in early 2002, pledging to invest $25 million in the chemical giant within the next five years. However, the deal collapsed several months later, with each other side accusing the other of failing to honor its contractual obligations.

Nairit was then taken over by an Armenian commercial bank in payment for its $14 million debt to the latter. However, the bank itself went bankrupt in 2003, leading the Armenian authorities to effectively nationalize the sprawling factory located on the southern outskirts of Yerevan. A Russian industrial group briefly managed it in 2004 before deciding to pull out.

Nairit, which mainly produces synthetic rubber and employed thousands of people in Soviet times, has largely stood idle since then. Trade and Economic Karen Chshmaritian announced recently that it will be reactivated in the second half of this year.

TIGRAN THE GREAT'S CITADEL FOUND IN ARTSAKH

AZG Armenian Daily
17/08/2006

August 10, The expedition "Tigranakert" of the institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Academy of Sciences of Republic of Armenia with the initiative and financing of "France-Karabagh" and "Yerkir" Union of NGOs for Repatriation and Settlement has made astounding discoveries. The expedition, led by the Doctor of Historical Sciences Hamlet Petrosian, managed to find the citadel constructed by Tigran The Great. The structure was built by huge plain stone blocks tied to each other with the so-called "swallow-tail bounds" - an advanced Hellenic technique. Such a complicated and advanced technique is used here for the first time and serves as evidence for the hypothesis of the research group, in particular that Tigranakert of Artsakh is located at the same place as the current archaeological excavation. One of the fenced terraces of the city, which is also constructed from plain blocks, is also under excavation. The excavations of the urban district and adjacent burial mounds have also been initiated.

These excavations have come to prove that Armenian identity has been present in the lower stream of Khachenaget (former region of Aghdam) at least since the first century B.C.

Is Israel a Terrorist State?

WHO IS MR. EVANS?

Lragir.am
9 Aug 06

The Lragir has learned that certain NGOs and political forces in Armenia seek for revealing the foreign connections of the criminal elite of the government. In particular, the problem of revealing the real attitude of great powers is put forward. The authors of the initiative are especially interested in the standpoint of the United States. Namely, the United States keeps on talking about democracy, rule of law, fair governance, whereas in reality it supports part of the government that denies all these things. Considering this, the initiators of investigation on the criminal-outer world relation are going to study the activities of the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans to find out his relations with some public officials of the Armenian government, and whether these relations proceed from the U.S. policies.