I was forwarded this letter to the California Courier by K. George Najarian and Carolann S. Najarian. It’s their story of an investment in Armenia gone wrong. Helping, befriending, and trusting a man they met while doing humanitarian aid, they decided to invest in Armenia. Tricked out of their money, they decided to fight, but despite overwhelming evidence, they got nowhere. It’s a sad indictment of law in Armenia. Until I find a proper link, I am posting the full letter below.
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The government of Armenia and OTE, the owners of Armentel, have settled their long-running dispute.

As a result, the Armenian consumer will benefit from an enhanced competitive offering of telecommunication services rendered.

Let’s see what this actually means for the Armenian consumer. A second GSM license, breaking the monopoly that Armentel had. Prices and service?

ArmenianHouse.org has added some new works in Armenian and Russian to its electronic library of documents on Armenian literature, history, and religion.

The latest offerings are:
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Chad did me the service of posting about me, so I return the compliment. I particularly like the part about being smart, although I hate to point I am not in Armenia (Tokyo, if you must ask).

His Farther From Home: Ramblings of a Caucasian wandering the Caucuses [sic] is a mix of politics, local gossip, and Armenian links.

Dhimmi Watch has an interesting entry on an article by Gamaliel Isaac in Front Page Magazine.

The statement of Mr Akyol that Turkey has an Islamic Heritage free of anti-westernism and anti-semitism is inaccurate. We need only look at Turkey’s long history of conquest of Western countries and persecution of conquered westerners.>

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Moushegh Baghdasaryan is a 14 year old boy from Armenia who made the film “Intervention” last year. His film has been included in the 2004 Chicago Film Festival.

Hakob has forwarded me this link to an article about him in Time.

A1 Plus reports on the results of a survey carried out by the “Nikol Aghbalyan” Student Union on “Corruption in Institutes of Higher Education of Armenia”.

43% of the surveyed students expressed willingness to partake in any initiative for fighting with corruption, 25% finds actions must be taken against college corruption but excluded own participation in the process, and 32% thinks all the initiatives for that purpose will fail.

I wonder if that proportion holds true for the population in general, or if this is just youthful optimism?

Read the full article.

Onnik forwarded me this link to an account of a recent trip to Georgia by Brian Kearney of the Armenia Social Transition Program.

WEEKEND IN SAAKASHVILILAND.

Apparently the days of passing some lari to the policeman when you run a red light are also gone. Using a mobile phone while driving will also be against the law from January 1st 2005. Registering a car has also been simplified eliminating the need to re-register each year- another source of revenue for corrupt officials gone.

Articles like this (from The Times) pop up every so often.

“If there are no systemic changes in Armenia, we could face a catastrophe,” says Vardan Gevorgyan, a sociologist. “We will not disappear as an ethnic or cultural group in the world, but we will cease to be an effective republic.”

Official statistics put the population of RA at 3.2 million, but the real figure is closer to 2 million due to the fact that many Armenians are living abroad illegally and are thus still registered at home, points out the article.

And to the solution? As is oft said, the rooting out of corruption that can make it easier for young people to create businesses and save for their future.

Read the full article.

ArmeniaNow.com reports on Aghdam and talks to one of its former residents.

“During the war the whole Azeri population of the region took an active part in the hostilities, “Avanesyan remembers. “For more than two years the initiative totally was in the hands of the Azeri army and such a notion as ‘civilians’ practically didn’t exist at that time.”

What the article addresses is claims by Azerbaijan that Armenia occupies 20% of Azerbaijan. Efforts by Azerbaijan to get Karabagh prioritized by the international community are leading to the view that Karabagh is occupied rather than examining the real issues - the status of Karabagh.

Historian Vardan Khachatryan says the Azeri president’s numbers are exaggerated by 2.5 times and that the request by Azerbaijan deserves a sharp response from the highest authorities in Armenia.

Read the full article.

The title of this page is very odd. “British Embassy, Yerevan Turkey”

It turns out it’s a page on the British Embassy’s site about Turkey. But they could have given it a better title.

Eurasianet.org comments on a recent survey which pointed to a decline in the number of people living in poverty in Armenia.

Given the NSS findings, questions are already being raised about the accuracy and potential effectiveness of the government’s anti-poverty blueprint. While officials have been happy to tout the reduction in poverty, already one government minister has disputed the NSS findings. At a recent news conference, Vardan Khachatrian, the minister of finance and economy, described the results as difficult to trust and too optimistic.

eurasianet.org points to the the previous report by the International Crisis Group which said that “There is little sign of poverty decreasing.

Read the full article.

A new book on hiking and rock climbing in Armenia has been released. There will be a public launch of the new on Wednesday 17 November, 17:30-19:30 at Artbridge Bookstore & Cafe on Abovian.

The guide has been put together by the Kanach Foundation, with whom Jeffrey Tufenkian is involved.
The guide offers:

1. 2 day hikes and 4 rock climbing sites, with detailed maps and descriptions
2. Everything you need to know to prepare for hiking or rock climbing in Armenia
3. Useful contact information for accommodation and transportation to organize excursions yourself
4. A concise introduction to Armenia and its natural environment

I personally contributed one hike around Tatev to the effort, but I don’t know if they used it or not.

Books will be available that evening for purchase at a discount. Beginning on 11 November, the book will be available at Noyan Tapan Bookstore, Artbridge Caf? & Bookstore and Salt Sack Shop. Please note that this first edition of the book is an English language version aimed primarily at an international audience, but will be followed by an Armenian language version in early 2005. For more information go to: www.kanach.org.

Maybe this wasn’t the best choice of words. An article titled “Yerevan Mellows about Genocide Claim” has appeared on Turks.us.

It is reported that this year the Armenian government has not included an article about the so-called genocide in the 2005 budget draft that has been sent to Parliament.

I am not familar with the so-called genocide article in the Armenian budget. Does anyone know anything about this?
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Eurasianet.org talks about the internal opposition to deployment of Armenians to Iraq. Will these troops actually be deployed, wonders the article. Opposition has been based around the fear that the deployment will make conditions even worse for the Armenian minority in Iraq.

Some pro-government media commentators say deployment should be considered by Armenians as a geopolitical necessity. They note that Armenia’s neighbors, Azerbaijan and Georgia, already have hundreds of troops on the ground in Iraq. Deployment could help Armenia complement its military alliance with Russia with closer security ties with the United States and the West in general. A cosmetic Armenian military presence in Iraq, they add, is important for ensuring US neutrality in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

Read the full article.

A reported plan to station US troops in Karabagh has been flatly rejected by Seyran Oganyan, NK defence minister.

Asked whether a report by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, which
allegedly said that “talks are being conducted on the deployment of
the US troops at the liberated territories [Azerbaijan’s occupied
territories] bordering Karabakh”, was true, the minister said: “I
realize that they, particularly, mean Cabrayil, Zangilan, Qubadli and
other districts. I should say that Baku’s claim is absolutely
groundless. We are in full control of the aforesaid territories.
Incidentally, quite a strong defence system has been established in
this sector. We have military units with relevant combat readiness
and we will stay there to the bitter end”.

“I would even say that we will defend every inch of the land, where we
have shed blood, to the bitter end,” the NKR defence minister added.

I haven’t heard of this plan before, and I doubt that the US would even want to send troops to Karabagh (unless oil was found).

A depressingly familiar scene is recounted by Edik Baghdasaryan on HETQ Online.

Gagik described what happened next. “We didn’t get out of the car. He got out, came up and grabbed the door with his right hand and hit me in the face with his left hand,” “He was holding the door, preventing me from getting out. Karen got out of the car, then he let the door go and I got out, too. He said that I deserved to be hit, and that he was a law enforcement officer. I said, ‘Then let’s go to the police station.’ So we drove toward the police station, but he drove off.” The license plate on the Mercedes ML was 70 SO 600. “I found out that the name of the guy behind the wheel was Ruben Karakhanyan. They say that he is the owner of the store Egoist on Saryan Street. That’s all I know about him,” he said.

Read the full article.

Eurasianet.org highlights a report (PDF) by the International Crisis Group.

Armenia faces instability unless it takes quick steps to improve relations with its neighbors, and fosters the rule-of-law at home, according to a new study that examines the Caucasus nation’s political and economic prospects. The report, prepared by the International Crisis Group, urges Armenia to approach the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process “realistically.” It adds that President Robert Kocharian’s administration should “supplement economic success with robust democratization.”

The report focuses heavily on the Karabakh conflict. It calls for Yerevan to “reevaluate” its current negotiating stance.

The report indicates that achieving a Karabakh breakthrough will require a reevaluation of Yerevan’s current negotiating stance. “Despite rhetoric, Armenians acknowledge they share many experiences and interests with other Caucasian nations,” the report says. “They know the future can improve only if old relations with Azerbaijan - which means addressing the Nagorno-Karabakh issue realistically - and Georgia are renewed,” the report says.

Ominously, it says that events in Armenia may take a violent turn. What little economic progress has been made would be destroyed and foreign investment frightened away. OK, so we see what Armenia “must” do to break the impasse, but what about Azerbaijan?