NEW ANTIHAIL SYSTEMS TO BE INSTALLED IN SHIRAK PROVINCE

Armenpress
Nov 06 2006

GYUMRI, NOVEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenian agricultural ministry said it will test next year a new antihail system, developed by Armenian engineers, in Armenia's northwestern province of Shirak. The new system, operating on solar energy, was already tested 20 years ago in the region of Talin. The ministry promised also to release finances for installment of new system.

Four or five antihail stations are to be installed in the province, each of which costs $22,000.

Scientists say one antihail system is able to protect about 80 hectares of land under crop from hails. The system transforms hail into rain saving crops from being damaged.

Rural communities in Shirak chosen to have stations in their territory will have to make their input into its assembly and installation. Some 30 rural communities are located in areas targeted usually by hails. Agricultural experts estimate that this year the province has sustained 1.2 billion drams damages from hails.

We Take our Participation at the Conference Very Seriously, But They Don’t

Diaspora Armenians Comment on the 3rd Armenia-Diaspora Conference

www.hetq.am
[October 30, 2006]

The Third Armenia-Diaspora Conference, held from September 18-21, 2006, was the largest yet in terms of participation (there were 1984 registered participants). The reason for this was perhaps the theme chosen for the conference – it was dedicated to the eradication of poverty in the rural areas of Armenia. The Armenian authorities focused their attention to the regional provinces for the first time, announcing that the revival of villages near the country's borders must be prioritized by providing them with technical and strategic aid. The participants were promised the chance to discuss and debate the policy, structure and means of implementation of the program.

Hetq and the daily newspaper Azg had been publishing a series of reports on the situation in the provincial regions for six months, stressing the problems of poor villages, especially those lying near the country's borders. Although more than sixty such villages in five provincial regions had been described in the articles, only three of them were chosen to be among the fifty villages targeted in the first stage of the Government Program to Eradicate Poverty in Rural Areas, for which the state expected the financial support of those present at the conference. This may be for two reasons – first, that a large proportion of the villages in Armenia are in a state of deterioration and it is difficult to choose one over the other; and second, that in such cases preference has usually depended on personal connections or membership in a political party - these are considered to be important criteria in Armenia.

What did our compatriots from the Diaspora think? To what extent, in their view, was the government justified in expecting to implement this program with the support of the Diaspora? We present some answers to these questions through our interview with American-Armenian businessman Harutyun Bronozyan.

What set this conference apart from the ones that preceded it? To what extent did the content of information during the conference correspond to the issue of poverty eradication in villages near the border? Did the conference meet your expectations?

I was present for a part of the first conference, and hoped that this time it would be more purposeful, more practical – something where you could expect a concrete result, considering that the issue of border villages was raised, a vital issue that had been neglected for a long time. I thought that the government's intentions were very serious this time and that they had specific projects in different villages, which they expected Diaspora Armenians to finance. We would have like to fund such programs, but for that we would like to have information about the villages, to go and see the conditions they are in, clarify the program that was to be implemented, how much funding is required and how the program should be implemented.

Every problem has a solution, but it must be presented well, so that people can understand what they need to do, but this was not done. The speakers at the conference did not have any relation to those problems – there was a lot of abstract and philosophical talk. There was no clear program studied, just unnecessary talk. The speakers were not villagers, nor did they know anything about the problems in those villages. None of the discussions at the conference covered the method of implementation so that you could understand what investments the program required. There were no clear proposals, no directions – just plain conversation, and I don't think there will be results of any kind.

The organizers of the conference published a directory of the villages, prioritized by the need for investment. Did you look through that directory?

No, if such a directory existed, it should have been presented to all the participants at the conference. There should have been a discussion as well as a question-and-answer session, but there was nothing of the sort. A two-day conference cannot solve such problems – people should have gone to those villages after the conference to see everything with their own eyes, to see what needs to be financed there and to make direct contact with the villagers.

Is that only your view alone, or did other participants also think that the conference should have been more practical?

I did not meet anyone who seemed enthusiastic. It was just two days of conversation – they did not even have a poster presentation or a slideshow so that we could see what those villages were like and the purpose for the financing required. The main topic of the conference – the revival of villages near Armenia's borders – was only discussed for 2.5 hours during the two-day conference, when they said that there were 25-30 villages for which they were seeking donations. What needs to be done in those villages, how much funding it requires, how it is going to be done, who will manage the program – nothing was said about any of this.

Were you ready to invest in the program if it had been presented in the way you had expected?

Even now, I am investing in a village in Aragatsotn, sending them equipment to improve water supply, which should benefit around 2,000 villagers. People either do not consider this, or do not want to understand why we come here. We are very serious, but they do not take our presence seriously. This is not an issue of “we” or “you” – it is an issue of the government versus the people. If they are not interested in the people but pretend to be, then the people will not be interested in the government. You cannot solve problems using flowery speeches, and we are not naïve enough to think that something was achieved if all they did is speak for a couple of days. We came to achieve results, but it seems the organizers of the conference were not well selected. Perhaps the Ministry of Economy and Finance should have organized it, or those people implementing projects in the villages. There should have been representatives from the villages to present the conditions in which they live, honestly and clearly. 2,000 people were registered to participate in the conference, but only 10 of them were local Armenians.

The economic forum organized the same week was much more practical. But there needs to be people in order for business to be possible – there needs to be a market – while, on the other hand, emigration from Armenia remains at a high level. The president of the country must reinforce the idea of patriotism in the people's hearts every day. He should give the country a good reputation. If that happens, there won't be the need to invite anyone – people will come of their own accord. Swindling the people and the Diaspora is possible only on a short-term basis.

Sara Petrosyan

Is the Armenian nation heading towards moral bankruptcy?

“Trafficking is directly proportional to the level of corruption in Armenia. The fact that Diaspora organizations and churches have done little or nothing to stop trafficking and help trafficked victims is proof of their moral bankruptcy”
-harry

The comment above came in response to my prior log announcing the release of the second edition of Desert Nights, our book/DVD documenting the trafficking of Armenian women/children to the United Arab Emirates and forced into prostitution by their captors.

It’s been well over a year since the release of our findings and as of now any viable steps to counter this epidemic have not been done by anyone.

I’ve spread the word until I'm blue in the face to numerous international organizations, spoke and continue to speak at public gatherings and until now have seen NO serious efforts or special programs that have been of help to any of the victims, though many people have vowed their support and interest in helping.

When the comment that Harry made was posted, it hit home. What I had been trying to understand became clearer and also explains why there is not a flood of concerned and morally responsible people taking up the cause. They know what’s going on, but their moral fortitude is not powerful enough to push them into action.

Trafficking is a difficult subject to come to terms with since it is so culturally incorrect for us, is something that people don’t want to face, so ignoring it has been easy for most. It’s not their problem until their wife, daughter or grand-daughter is a victim, but then it’s too late.

So while our Armenian girls, some as young as 14 years old (they could be even younger, though I don't have any documentation though heard there is) are being held hostage in the UAE, Turkey, Spain, Egypt, Russia and Los Angeles, being forced to have unthinkable sex with stinky, disease infested animals, who are morally bankrupt, ask yourself if you too are just as bankrupt as they are by doing nothing, thus just as guilty of this crime against humanity being committed to our sisters that we have turned our backs to during their greatest time of need.

Is the Armenian nation morally bankrupt? All the indicators are sadly pointing to YES at this time.

Are you up to the challenge to do something and prove your morality? I sure hope so, though I don’t expect much from the Diaspora anymore, since they have failed the most important challenges God has given them up until now.

Freedom and independence for any nation comes with a price. If we are not willing to pay that price, the Armenian nation as we all dream of will never be realized. Today there is no “free and independent” Armenia, though with a little bit of sacrifice and morality from all of us, the Armenian nation can become something we all will be proud of.

If you are interested in getting involved and being a part of the solution, drop me an e-mail (ara_manoogian@yahoo.com) as to what you feel you can do to help out and I’ll try to plug you into the overall solution.

Please pass this message on if you agree with what is stated above and pray for the salvation of our people.

Desert Nights - Second Edition

The second edition of Desert Nights is now available from Abril Book store in Glendale, CA.

Abril does not have a link on their website yet for the book (it should be in a couple of weeks), but if you get in touch with Harout Yeretzian, the owner via e-mail at: harout@abrilbooks.com, he will arrange to get you a copy. Of course if you live in or near Glendale, you can stop in and buy a copy over the counter.

The second edition is three times thicker than the first edition (200+ pages), covering all the articles that HETQ as published in relation to trafficking and a few additional items. It is in English and Armenian.

We have also published on DVD our documentary with English subtitles. Included on the same disk is a broadcasted live interview with Edik of HETQ.am and the director of the UN’s Armenian anti-human trafficking department, who later on turned out to NOT be working to prevent trafficking, but was in fact a person who was part of the trafficking ring and had somehow infiltrated the UN. The guy from the UN once in a meeting said in response to my saying that we saw girls as young as 16, “…and they sure know how to service men.”

Anyway, for those of you interested in the book and DVD, please contact Harout Yeretzian and order yourself a copy.

RUSSIAN DUMA MEMBER: TURKEY OBLIGED TO ACKNOWLEDGE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.10.2006 15:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The resolution of the Armenian Genocide problem lies in its acknowledgement by Turkey, President of the International League of Human Dignity and Security Protection, Russian State Duma member, General Valentin Varennikov said Monday in Yerevan. "I fully agree with the statement Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II made during his visit to Turkey. Turkey is simply obliged to acknowledge the fact of Genocide, since there cannot be any other position on the issue," he said, reports newsarmenia.ru. When in Istanbul June 20-27 head of the Armenian Apostolic Church Garegin II stated that the Armenian Genocide must be recognized by Turkey and pointed out to irrelevance of formation of committee of historians for the investigation of the fact of Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

US State Department: French Bill on Armenian Genocide "Senseless"

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.10.2006 13:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide "is senseless," US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Daniel Fried stated at a news conference in Brussels.

"I share the opinion that the bill does not make sense," he said. In Fried's words, the US and the President Bush had made many statements on massacre of Armenians in WWI, but did not call it a Genocide.

Daniel Fried noted Washington wishes for Turks and Armenians to honestly consider the issue. "I am convinced that the wording similar to that adopted by the French Parliament stimulates that process," the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State said, reports RFE/RL

Have your say about the French Bill on the Armenian Genocide

My friend and reader Harout sent the following:

Have your say about the French Bill on the Armenian Genocide which is posted on BBC. Many pro-Turks are at it (maybe with assumed non-Turkish names) ... I just added mine, but it will go through the moderator before it's posted!!

The page is at:
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=4247&sortBy=1&editionfiltered=1&ttl=20061012170215

The article is at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6043730.stm

It's the most emailed article on the BBC today until this moment :)

Harout

SUREN ABRAHAMYAN HAS BEEN BEATEN UP

A1+
[02:00 pm] 09 October, 2006

Suren Abrahamyan, former Minister of Internal Affairs, former mayor of Yerevan, and member of the Republican party political council, was attacked yesterday. Two people attacked him, threw him down to the ground and started to kick him, the Republican party informs. The details of the case will be revealed during today's press conference.

Let us remind you that Suren Abrahamyan had made a speech within the framework of the "Anti-criminal movement". When the journalists asked him to mention names, he mentioned that of Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan.

The Yerevan police informed that on October 8 at 01:30 p.m. citizen of Yerevan Suren Abrahamyan (b. 1947) turned to the police and informed that the same day about 10:20 a.m. he was attacked by two unknown people and beaten up.

The police took measures to find out the criminals.

Preliminary investigation is under way.

SOAD Lead Singer Welcomes Blocking Hoagland Confirmation

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.10.2006 17:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Serj Tankian, lead singer for the Grammy Award-winning band System of a Down, has welcomed the "hold" placed by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) on the confirmation of Richard Hoagland as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia until the Bush Administration ends its denial of the Armenian Genocide, Armenian National Committee of America reported. "His principled stand represents a powerful contribution to the worldwide effort to end the denial of justice for this crime, and break forever the worldwide cycle of genocide," said Serj Tankian.

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) placed a "hold" on the confirmation of Richard E. Hoagland as the next U.S. Ambassador to Armenia. In blocking the Hoagland nomination, Sen. Menendez stressed that, "as a leader and defender of democracy, it is our nation's responsibility to speak out against injustice and support equality and human rights. But if the Bush Administration continues to refuse to acknowledge the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide, then there is certainly cause for great alarm, which is why I am placing a hold on this nominee."

PRESIDENT CHIRAC CALLS ON TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE OF ARMENIANS

Focus News, Bulgaria
Sept 30 2006

Yerevan. The French President Jacques Chirac call on Turkey to "acknowledge its past" while he was speaking about the mass murders of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Macedonian TV A1 reports.

"Turkey should acknowledge its mistakes from the past. I believe that each country should recognize its tragic moments and mistakes from the past", the French head of state announced at a joint press conference with the Armenian President Robert Kocharian.

According to President Chirac who is on a two days' visit in Yerevan, Turkey should declare the killing of Armenians as genocide.

The Armenian community claims that some 1.5 million Armenians were killed between 1915 and 1923.