The Armenia Tree Project is celebrating its 10th Anniversary with a open air concert at Garni Temple. Luminaries such as President Kocharyan and US Ambassador Ordway have been invited.
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There is a very interesting article from the Pictorial Gazette, Connecticut, (Via Groong), about small-scale online commerce.

Peter Kwasniewski, who together with his wife spent time in Armenia as Peace Corps volunteers.

Peter just launched Peter K Designs, an online business retailing designer belts and dog collars, which are hand-stitched by Armenian women from the village of Noembrayan, in the country’s northeast corner. The unusual partnership was conceived after Peter and his wife Stephanie returned from a two-year stint in Armenia with the Peace Corps.
It happened like this. While working with the villagers - Peter as a business consultant and Stephanie as an English teacher-trainer - they noticed that a number of women and girls were exceptionally skilled in the art of petit needlepoint and embroidery, which is similar to cross-stitching only the stitches are much smaller. The women would try to sell 6-by-11-inch embroidery designs - which took about 150 hours to make - to foreign merchants who occasionally traveled through the village looking for craft items. If the women were lucky, they’d get $4 for each item. Sometimes the merchants would just take the work, promising to pay later but would never return.

Peter has launched a his site, http://www.peterkdesigns.com/.

Peter mentions in the article about the good work ethic of the women, but says that the culture makes many of the available jobs unacceptable for men, who sit around the village all day or play backgammon. It’s certainly a very common site in most rural (and not so rural) Armenian towns and villages.

Eurasianet.org has a relatively upbeat article on investment in Armenia. New funds from the World Bank and also the Millenium Challenge Account set up by the US will be targeted at trying to aleviate rural poverty through investment in roads and utilities, and other rural infrastructure.

For the past few years, Armenia has had one of the best performing economies in the former Soviet Union. Annual economic growth has averaged over 10 percent. Price liberalization and privatization programs and the accession of Armenia to the World Trade Organization in 2003 have all contributed to the surge. Foreign direct investment has increased by 74.5 percent since 2003, according to the National Statistics Service, with much of that coming from the far-flung Armenian Diaspora. Last year, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development cited Armenia as the most likely candidate among the former Soviet Union for accession to the European Union.

I think that EU membership is on the other side of the rainbow, as it were, but pushing for such investment could have beneficial effects on Armenia’s politics. At least that is what both the EU and the US seem to hope.
The World Bank, it was announced earlier this month, plans to spend $250 million on rural infrastructure projects.

Read the full article.

On the sidelines of the current NATO summit in Turkey, the foreign ministers of Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan met, reports ChannelNewsAsia.
NATO and the EU are trying to get the three countries to patch up their differences and settle the Karabagh dispute.

While Turkey may be under pressure to open its border with Armenia, there is little prospect of this happening soon. It would represent a big climb-down for Turkey, and create a dilemma for Azerbaijan, perhaps even making it feel cornered enough to attack Armenia.

Bakutoday.net reports that Turkish prime minister Erdogan blames Yerevan for the worsening relations between Ankara and Yerevan.

“The Armenian Diaspora is still sticking to its so-called genocide claims. Turkey and Turks will never accept this. It is impossible to forge relationship under these conditions,” Erdogan said in a meeting that was also attended by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

UPDATE: TurkishPress.com is reporting that Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan will hold a trilateral meeting in September in New York. The reason for this meeting seems to be the process of integrating the South Caucasus into Europe. Georgia will apparently be invited.

There will be a presentation on the Armenian Schools Connectivity Project (ASCP) by Mourad Mouradyan of the Project Harmony on Tuesday 29, 2004 7:00PM at Armenian Society of Los Angeles.
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The Montreal Gazette has a good article (via Groong) about the book “From Empire to Republic” by Turkish scholar Dr. Akcam. Dr. Akcam stresses the important to Turkey of coming to terms with its past, but also makes the point that Turkey is approaching a ’second crucial stage’ in its nation-building process.

Akcam contends the collapse of the Soviet Union and the U.S. invasion of Iraq have reawakened the Eastern Question, the redrawing of the political map of the Middle East at the expense of the Ottoman Empire and now the Turkish Republic.

Equally dangerous, Akcam argues, is the reawakening of revanchist ideas among Turkey’s military-bureaucratic elites. Coupled together, these tendencies could lead to another calamity, he warns.

Topically, Bush called Turkey a good example for the Muslim world.

Emil Danielyan has written an article on Transitions Online about Kocharyan and the worsening human rights record of Armenia.

“Armenia has taken a big step backward in the past three months in terms of human rights protection,” says Vartan Harutiunian, a prominent human rights campaigner who himself spent eight years in Soviet labor camps as a political prisoner. ‘We are now firmly on a path leading to dictatorship.”

One of the main charges is the widespread use of “administrative” imprisonments which last for up to 15 days, and require no charges be brought. These are similar in some way to anti-terrorism legislation in the US and the UK (among other countries) by which authorities only need to say they are a risk to national security. In that case of Armenia, the police merely bring charges of “disrupting order” or defying police.

EurasiaNet has a commentary about Armenia’s supposed attempts at political reform, and the recent controversy over the opposition demonstrations and political crackdown.

The Armenian government’s brutal crackdown against opposition protests this April, its attacks on journalists, the ransacking of opposition headquarters, and political arrests were a blatant contradiction of democratic standards. Two subsequent court decisions provided further evidence of Armenia’s ambiguous commitment to rule of law - a demonstrator who struck a police officer with a plastic bottle received an 18-month prison sentence, while gang members who intimidated and assaulted protestors and journalists at an April demonstration were fined less than $200.

Armenia’s inclusion in the US government’s Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) may provide the impetus for change, but at who’s expense?

Read the full commentary.

Haigazian University was the location for a lecture by Prof. Henry C. Theriault, an academic from the US. The Department of Armenian Studies has issued a press release (via Groong)about the lecture.

In it, he draws interesting parallels with denialist movements in other countries, notably Japan. Japan is notable, because while the Japanese government does not categorically deny the massacres that occurred in occupied China in the late 1930s, there are many leading politicians who have tried to both deny and promote this view in Japan via the adoption of school textbooks which leave out mention of these events.

The end result is a simmering dispute with neighbours such as South Korea and China over the massacres, and continuing compensation claims by survivors. Japan responds that all such claims were settled by the post-war San Francisco conference between the US and Japan. While most older East Asians remain deeply mistrustful of Japan, many younger people, although not unaware of the events, nonetheless like Japan for its culture and status as an Asian success story. Of course Japan’s economic success has never been matched by political power.
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The Vahakni development, which I posted about two days ago, has a write up from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. They interview Vahak S. Hovnanian, the man behind the project.

“But Vahakni is in itself a lifestyle, which makes it different from others. It is not true that housing here will only be available to the privileged classes. Everyone is welcome - our prices are quite normal for Armenia, on a par with apartment prices in prestigious downtown neighbourhoods of Yerevan. But I always say that Hovnanian Ltd is building more than just housing, we are building a way of life.”

The article says that 20 houses so far have been sold. The purchasers are looking for security; something they will get with 24 hour guards at the entrance. However, the development seems to be a depressing irrelevance to most locals.

It seems unclear now what course the opposition will take. There have been reports that the opposition will carry on with their protest. Prime Minister Markaryan stated in an interview with Aykakan Zhamanak (Via Groong) that he believes the opposition will change its strategy. Predictably he sees no parallels between what happened in Georgia and the situation in Armenia.

Meanwhile Armenpress reports (permanent link on Groong) that opposition leaders admit they have made mistakes in their campaign to remove Kocharyan from power.

On Monday Ardarutyun said it would most likely start a campaign of
signature collection for the removal of the president. According
to Viktor Dalakian, a senior member of the alliance, though the
undertaking would have a symbolic significance, as under the law even
a petition with millions of signatures in the support of opposition
calls does not provide for president’s resignation, it would expose
the volume of real popular distrust towards the authorities.

Maybe I spoke too fast.

The Computer Crime Research Center reports that most computer crimes in Armenia are committed through the Internet.

She said that these crimes are not solved in Armenia, like anywhere in the world, because banks try to avoid announcing such information; they fear to incur reputation damage. Olga Safaryan informed that these crimes haven’t been prosecuted yet hence they have no special organization to fight computer crimes in Armenia.

Well, not quite. I got the following email from the [name removed] Restaurant in Dubai about their ‘Armenian Night’:

Tonight ARARAD is performing at [name removed] Restaurant at [name removed], Dubai.

Now, how did I get on their spamming list? I don’t live in Dubai, haven’t even been there. I already get over 100 spam a day from all over the world - except Armenia.

Now, economic development will really have come to Armenia when I get my first email promising body-enhancing lavash or better yet an email from a senior government official offering to give me a cut if I help him get his stolen millions out of Armenia. That’ll be the day.

Another good crop of articles over at ArmeniaNow.com include this story about the Brazilian-produced soap set in Morocco.

“Clone” is a Brazilian-produced serial set in 1980s Morocco, about a love affair between a Brazilian man and an Arabic girl, about a cloned boy, about the differences between Eastern and Western morals and manners, about the bright life of the East, followed by bright Arabic dances and stories of the Koran. Essentially, the ingredients for 45 minutes, five times a week (10 if you count rebroadcast), of distracting Armenian viewers from anything except what will happen to Lucas, Jade, Said, Uncle Ali, Latifa and others.

Here’s a lovely story about the ship Cilicia, about to set sail from the port of Poti on an epic voyage to Amsterdam. I was lucky to clamber aboard the Cilicia on a cold and windy October day last year on Lake Sevan. It wasn’t a place that I would like to spend several months, but by the look of their stash of vodka they were well-prepared.

I must admit the idea of sailing away from a land-locked country seemed to be making the challenge all the more difficult, but then isn’t facing up to impossible challenges all what being Armenian is about?
It has taken them 11 years to build Cilicia and get it ready for the long voyage. I must say I’d like to be there for the final ceremonies in Amsterdam.

The Los Angeles Daily News talks about the time shares being marketed to Armenians in the US for the Vahakni development north of Yerevan.

“To local Armenians, I say, It’s your land, it’s your responsibility, to go back and see how magnificent it is,” said Hovnanian representative Hilda Grigorian, who staged the first time share meeting this month in Glendale, drawing more than 100 prospective buyers.

20 year leases, for which the purchaser gets one week a year to use the apartment, are going for between $4,000 and $6,000. That works out at between $200 and $300 a week.

Foreign Minister Oskanian has described the Turkish blockade as beneficial to Armenia’s economy, reports the Washington Times.
He made these statements while speaking in Washington after a meeting with Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice.

“We have strengthened our [information technology] industry. We have
diversified into diamonds and jewelry: things that can go out on
satellite or in small pouches on airplanes.”

I wonder if this is official policy, or just an ‘off the cuff’ remark. It is certainly the policy of the Armenian government to pursuit the opening of the borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan, but maybe he is trying to paint things in the best possible light.

Hrach Kalsahakian who runs the Azad-Hye email group has set up an accompanying blog. There is a site feed, unfortunately only in the as yet not widely used Atom format.

Azad-Hye concentrates on news from the Armenian community in the UAE. Hrach lives in Abu Dhabi with his wife. I met him about 4 years at Meghri while we are both travelling from Armenia into Iran.

According to Golos Armenii (Via Groong), Azerbaijan’s new strategy is to wear down Armenian forces with a localised war of attrition. This involves pushing forward in places and firing on Armenian farmers, etc.

Since May 1994 the cease-fire regime has been broken hundreds of times, as a result of which not only has agricultural work been frozen, but many of our compatriots have died. By the way, while on the Armenian side it is mainly civilians, peasants, who have died, on the Azerbaijani side servicemen have predominated. It is not difficult to guess the logic of these official statistics: Armenian arable farmers and stockbreeders have become the victims of Azeri diversionary sorties and the fact that the [Armenian] army stops these sorties has led to such lamentable results for the rank-and-file soldiers in the enemy’s army. The fact that all these years Azerbaijan has been the initiator of cross-border exchanges of fire stems from this statistical material: it is Baku alone, not Yerevan or Stepanakert, that constantly talks about resuming the war, as it is Azerbaijan that is displeased with today’s disposition of forces and the de facto positioning of the borders

Read the full article.