Armenia

Armenia Now has a special issue dedicated to environmental concerns in the Republic. Unfortunately, since independence, blockade, corruption, poor governance, the lack of accountability and community involvement in the decision making process, as well as the general decline in the rule of law pose a grave threat to Armenia’s long term future.

Armenia can hardly afford to waste or abuse the precious few natural resources offered the tiny, landlocked republic.

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Government authorities, lawmakers and citizens themselves should heed cautious words of environmentalists. And, advocates for everything green must indulge the crucial condition of a society in which a choice for ecology over economy is as real as clean air versus income.

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In these nine articles we report on one factory that is filling a community’s air with toxins, and another that is clogging plants and people with harmful dust. We look inside reasons why Armenia’s forests are dwindling, and we listen to the debate over whether Armenia’s nuclear power plant is safe.

Hetq Online also has more on the environment here, and my article on the campaign to save the Shikahogh Nature Reserve and Mtnadzor Forest, mentioned in the Armenia Now report on deforestation, is here. Thankfully, environmentalists won in this case, but there is still much work to do.

The international media has plenty of coverage of the meeting between U.S. President George Bush and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. Previously, it was believed that as with Armenian President Robert Kocharian, Aliyev would never be invited for such a high profile meeting because of serious concerns with his record in the area of democracy and respect for human rights. However, things appear to be changing.

Bush met in the Oval Office with President Ilham Aliev, who succeeded his father 2 ½ years ago in a ballot that the State Department said suffered from “numerous, serious irregularities.”

With Aliev sitting in an armchair next to him, Bush held out Azerbaijan as “a modern Muslim country that is able to provide for its citizens, that understands that democracy is the wave of the future.”

Of course, perhaps Bush is being a little “economic with the actualité,” as Alan Clarke used to say. In fact, most observers believe that there are other far more important issues at stake than democracy and human rights whatever the White House might say.

A year ago, the country celebrated the opening of a 1,100-mile pipeline from its capital, Baku, on the Caspian Sea, through Georgia and on to a Mediterranean port in Turkey. The event was important enough to the U.S. that Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman attended.

The pipeline creates a link that avoids Iran, Russia and neighboring Armenia to carry 1 million barrels of oil a day to Western markets by 2008.

Other reports indicate that Iran topped discussion between Bush and Aliyev and that the two presidents also touched upon the issue of Nagorno Karabakh. However, no details are known on this last point although Today.az carries the full transcript of what was said at a photo opportunity staged by the two leaders.

Of course, the issues of resolution of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh also in the center of our discussions and we — I informed Mr. President with the latest status of the negotiations and expressed my hope that a peaceful settlement of the conflict will happen and will serve to the peace and stability in the whole region.

The Azerbaijani online publication also says that Aliyev is against providing assistance to the U.S. in the event of any military action against Iran. However, a short report on the PanArmenian.net site says that Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Karabakh are now seemingly linked.

The United States will take every possibility to get hold of Azerbaijan as an ally against Iran, political scientist, orientalist David Hovhannisian told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. “In this view the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is bound with the Iranian problem. At that it should be noted that for the United States Iran in the number one tactical problem. Talks with Aliyev will be held on the whole scope of relations including the distribution of energy resources, U.S. influence upon the whole Caspian region and many others. Azerbaijan’s geopolitical location as a transit state should also be taken into account. By the way, Azerbaijan has been for two years already providing its military and civic airdromes for the United States,” Hovhannisian remarked.

[…]

The political scientist also noted that the U.S. may involve Armenia in the conflict with Iran. However, in his opinion, this will be not dangerous for Armenia. “The principle “the ally of the enemy” works, but Armenia should not fear of it. We will be apart of the conflict if such occurs,” he underscored.

On a kind of related note, the World Peace Herald also carries an op-ed on Armenia’s situation in the region and the world as well as the problems it currently faces by the U.S. born opposition party leader Raffi Hovannisian.

In the 15 years of the country’s newly rediscovered statehood, authority has never been transferred from incumbent to challenger by free and fair elections. They have always been forged — unfortunately always by the administration. The sitting presidency is no exception to this deplorable rule of illegitimate government.

For Armenia to reclaim its democratic advantage in the region, to become a competitive contributor to peace, development and security, and to realize its strategic credentials at an increasingly critical crossing on the global map, it must transform itself both at home and abroad.

It’s worth a read.

Berd, Tavoush Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online 2006

Finally some of the many pics taken during a two day return trip to Berd with Edik Baghdasarian, Editor-in-Chief of Hetq Online. Loads to sort out, but for now two Diasporans who were among those repatriated to Soviet Armenia in 1947. Life is not good for many in Berd, but for these guys it is especially hard. Edik wrote something in Armenian on them last week, and I daresay the English translation will be ready for Monday’s edition.

Berd, Tavoush Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online 2006

Prkutyun Center for Disabled Children, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online 2006

When Zarchka at Life Around Me invited me to attend today’s event at the Prkutyun Center for Disabled Children in the Yerord Mas district of Yerevan I jumped at the chance. Since 2000 I had already worked on the issue of disabled children and adults in Yerevan, Kharberd, Ijevan and Tbilisi, but had never heard of this center.

Our mission is to favor solutions to social, educational and healthcare problems of disabled children and their families through training, consultation, awareness campaigns, provision of medical services, as well as through mediation and humanitarian aid, thus implementing their full integration into the society.

Zarchka has a far more comprehensive post over at her blog, and not least because she’s known the center for a while.

What I particularly want to mention is the meticulous care and devotion with which the pedagogies, defectologists, psychologist and the President of the NGO Arpine Abrahamyan treat these children. Another thing worth mentioning is that Since November 1, 2005 a charitable dentist’s room has been functioning in the “Prkutyun” Center of Disabled Children and rendering service to disabled children and their families who are registered at the Center, as well as to members of families - beneficiaries of poverty allowance system of Shengavit district.

Twice a year the NGO organizes charitable concerts with participation of well-known performers. Some of these children also become the participants of those concerts and the enthusiasm with which they perform their play prevails over the audience. This is another event for them as the most part of those families are deprived from such undertakings because of enduring social problems.

Today was especially good because I got to run into an old friend, Dr Harut Balasanian, Director of the Kharberd Specialized Children’s Home. Incidently, there’s some exciting news from Kharberd, but I’ll leave that for a later time. For now, I need to get some sleep after a very hectic week.

Prkutyun Center for Disabled Children, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online 2006

The Prkutyun Center for Disabled Children has a web site at http://www.prkutyun.am.

Siranush, Berd, Tavoush Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online 2006

After arriving back to Yerevan and walking straight into a mass protest by Indian students outside of parliament, I haven’t had time until now to go through the photos I took in Berd, a town situated in the north eastern Tavoush region of Armenia and almost cut off from the rest of the country.

Now that a week’s solid work on the Indian students is almost over, I’m slowly starting to look at those images to put together a photo essay for Hetq Online on Monday. I’ll probably give readers of this blog an exclusive preview of that before the, but in the meantime just to say that we did find the family of the little girl I blogged about here.

It’s been almost two years since last encountering them and sorry to say there situation hasn’t much improved. However, on a brighter note, Siranoush — now aged 7 — is no longer the shy and somewhat sad little girl we encountered back then. In fact, she’s now delightfully boisterous and mischevious. More on that later.

After students called off their sit-in on Yerevan’s Republic Square, Tuesdays’s meeting between Indian students and Yerevan State Medical University’s Rector was meant to be open to the media. However, although only journalists from Hetq Online, Haykakan Zhamanak and Aravot were present, we were eventually requested to leave the hall and later used as reason for YSMU to call off the meeting in our absence.

Nessuna has translated an account of that meeting published yesterday by the Aravot newspaper.

MEDIA IMPEDES

The Rector of Yerevan State Medical University, Gohar Kyalyan, refuses to meet with 400 Indian students of the university until the media leaves the hall

The Rector’s precondition was incomprehensible for the Indians gathered in the university hall, and especially for a foreign correspondent from Hetq Online. Before that, the Vice Rector responsible for PR, Ervand Sahakyan, and the Dean of English speaking students, Anna Sargsyan, answered questions from Indian students regarding the circumstances of their friend’s death. Afterwards, Mr. Sahakyan stated that the Rector G. Kyalyan will come down shortly to make an important announcement. However, the Rector did not arrive.

A little later, the Vice-Rector said that the Rector will come if the media leaves the hall and we agreed to do so in order to avoid additional tension, but it turned out that was not enough for her. Mr. Sahakyan said that he will give us the keys to his office if we go into the neighboring building, which is to say only if we leave this one. Then it was suggested to enter the student council room which was located on the same floor. We entered the room, but shortly afterwards, Indian students left the main hall one after another. One of the students said it was a pity that we left, while another added that the Rector told them that newspapers lie.

This referred to newspapers that had earlier published an interview with the Rector where she expressed her opinion about the Indian nation. In order not to create tension between nations, our newspaper did not present the Rector’s comments, but we are ready to stand behind our colleagues who quoted the Rector, and for which they were accused and and blamed of lying by some officials at the University. The officials did not believe, or were pretending not to believe, that their Rector is capable of such a comment until they were provided with the recorded evidence.

After publication on Saturday, Indian students continued their protest on Republican square. Later that day some of them had a meeting with the administration of the university and came to certain agreements. However, during yesterday’s meeting some students were protesting that they were not satisfied with the fact that only a few students met with the Rector. That is why yesterday’s meeting with a larger group was planned, but it did not take place because Vice-Rectors and other officials blame the media.

Eventually a few Indian students were taken to meet with the Rector, and after the negotiations that lasted until late evening, they came out to announce that they do not have any problem with her. Vice Rector Sahakyan insists that they were discussing some questions regarding student council elections, but was the entire story because of those questions? Overall, during those days, Mr. Sahakyan was playing the role of reconciler, “a dove of peace”, and was constantly apologizing on behalf of everybody, if there is anybody’s guilt at all.

Considering the issue accusaing the Dean, Anna Sargsyan, of responsibility in Prashan Anchala’s death, who threw himself from the sixth floor, it must be said that she was in quite a disturbed psychological condition yesterday. Telling of how she arrived at the place [of the accident], and how there were only two students near the body, as well as how she graduated from Medical University with excellent grades, she said she knew that the body should not be moved.

The only thing to do was to call an ambulance, and that she had been told the ambulance was on its way.

Two of the students present admitted that Mrs. Sargsyan could not do anything in that situation although one of the students complained that the Dean took a “marshutak” (a mini bus) to the hostel rather than a taxi. Mrs. Sargsyan announced that she cannot afford to take taxis and that she does not even have a cell phone. The accusations were about that level and therefore unfounded.

“Our legal bodies now investigate the reasons as to why the ambulance was late, and why it lacked proper equipment. If the young person died, we are all to blame, because it is against the nature for 21 year old to take such a step,” said Vice-rector Sahakyan. He informed the students that from now on an ambulance will be attached to the hostel, and that the university has agreed to pay the costs.

Ever since yesterday morning we have tried to clarify certain points with the Indian Embassy in Armenia, but the “receptionist,” Astghik, told us that the embassy does not have anything to say on that matter and they also steer clear of contacts with the media.

Hasmik Budaghyan

The original article in Armenian can be read here. Incidently, Hasmik Hovhannisyan and I met with some Indian students today to continue her investigation into last week’s events. Hopefully, all will be a lot clearer when her article is complete.

Hetq Online is currently trying to investigate the circumstances of the death of Prashant Anchalia, an Indian student from studying in Yerevan, Republic of Armenia. In particular, Hetq Online would like to contact people who knew Anchalia in Siliguri and any students who witnessed the events following his fall.

Hetq Online would also like to contact members of Anchalia’s family in India. Please email papermoonmic@yahoo.com if you have any information to share or can provide any other assistance. All correspondence will be treated in the strictest confidentiality.

Tsitsernakaberd (Genocide Memorial), Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online 2006

By Nessuna

On April 24 Armenians all over the world honor the memory of the one half and a million victims of atrocities that qualify as “the first genocide of the XXth century.” The Armenian genocide was planned and carried out during between the years 1915 and 1923 by the Turkish government against the entire Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire.

The present-day Republic of Turkey adamantly denies that genocide was committed against the Armenians. Fortunately, there are now historians in Turkey who speak out about the Armenian Genocide. I will refrain from going into the timeline of the events because there is large amount of information online.

The history books are open. You need only to open your mind.

In the Armenian blogsphere, Christian Garbis over at Notes from Hairenik has an entry on the Armenian genocide as well as a little background on the families of his mother and father who managed to survive it, while Tamar has posted links to all the blogs that mention it at Armyouth.

It should be crystal clear to everybody that affirming the truth about the Armenian Genocide is an issue of international significance. As Dennis R. Papazian states at Useful Answers to Frequent Questions on the Armenian Genocide, which is an absolute must read:

Many scholars and intellectuals have argued that if the Allies had punished the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide after the war, namely the leaders of the Young Turk party of the then Ottoman Government of Turkey, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis would not have carried out the Jewish Holocaust during World War II.

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By leaving the Armenian injustice of World War I uncorrected, the stage was set for the Holocaust of World War II. The abandonment of the Armenians was not lost on Hitler. Hitler said before sending his troops into Poland, “Go, go kill without mercy. Who today remembers the extermination of the Armenians?”

It is simple really. Unless you recognize and condemn genocide, history will repeat itself. That is why I found the fact that Global Voices did not link to Christian Garbis’s entry on the Armenian genocide or mentions on other sites a little weird. I hate to sound paranoid, and I would love for them to prove me wrong and link to the posts including this one, but I cannot think of a reason as to why anybody would miss out such an event unless…

After the appalling manner in which the highest levels of authority at Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU) treated its Indian as well as other foreign students after last week’s protests, I’m glad to see what might be one of the best examples of using blogs effectively in Armenia. Now that talks between Indian students and YSMU have broken down, Nanyaar? has set up a blog for students to write about the University.

Fantastic stuff, especially when you consider how the institution is run, and it probably comes as no surprise to discover that the aftermath of the recent protests takes center stage.

We were not sure of what’s happening, whether the decisions that are being taken, are they one voice or not. We saw us united on the first day, second day but from 3rd day we started dividing. It was the point we got weakened. How can we let all the efforts go in vain? I believe if now we cannot do anything, we can never because it was the first and the only time we all were together Death is the ultimate thing as well as the worse thing that can happen to anyone and his family. How can we forget that the person was alive for 45 min. How can we forget that he could be saved but was not? How can we take orders from the person due to whose mistake we lost our friend, and who is none other but our dean , a doctor. How can we forget that when we went to rector to listen clarifications we listened nothing but abusive words. How can we forget all this?

Here’s hoping that this new blog will shed some light on the deeply flawed inner workings of the University and provide a medium through which students can voice their concerns. A perfect example of how blogs could be used to promote democracy in Armenia which can be found http://ysmu.wordpress.com.

Want to Write?

Just chip in what you think about what is happening around you here in college. Join us to be a contibuter in this blog, or send in your emails to nanyaar@gmail.com

Hopefully other students, including local Armenians, will be able to use this blog to push for badly needed reform in what strikes me as a deeply draconian, undemocratic, authoritarian and corrupt educational facility. And really, I am still shocked by the arrogance and hostility of the Rector, Dean and Pro Rector of YSMU in its dealings with those students who are partly responsible for their employment in the first place.

Given that the Student Councils in Yerevan’s State Universities are controlled by the Republican Party of the Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markarian and all independent voices have been silenced, this is a great move. Well done Nanyaar?.

As I was recently attacked for not writing about the murder of an ethnic Armenian in Moscow at a time when I had no time to do anything other than my work in Yerevan, maybe it’s time to highlight what the Armenian press is saying on the matter.

“Aravot” condemns as “odd and outrageous” the failure by the Armenian embassy in Russia to react to the weekend killing of an ethnic Armenian teenager in Moscow. The paper says that neither Ambassador Armen Smbatian nor his Russian opposite number in Yerevan have expressed sympathy to the family of the 17-year-old Vahan Abrahamiants. “Also silent are those Armenian political and public organizations that react very sharply and promptly to attacks on ethnic Armenians in any other country of the world, including Georgia. It is not clear whether this is the result of the Armenians’ inferiority complex vis-à-vis the Russians or other motives such as a slave mentality or unwillingness to pour scorn on [Armenia’s] strategic ally.”

Actually, the attack seems to have preoccupied most of the Armenian newspapers and RFE/RL’s press review has a comprehensive round up of what they’re saying. Really, I’m impressed because Armenians generally only concern themselves with such incidents when they can be used to attack “enemies” such as Georgia, and not “allies” such as Russia.

“One gets the impression that the Russians and especially their not highest class instinctively feel that something is wrong with them and that they are losing their national self-consciousness and waning g moral stature,” writes “Azg.” The paper says the Russians respond to that loss by adopting the “most primitive, most predatory way of struggle.”

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Commenting on the subject, a senior member of the opposition Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party, Suren Sureniants, tells “Aravot” that it would be naïve to expect President Vladimir Putin to protect ethnic minorities because his regime fails to respect even the basic civil rights of ethnic Russians. “What is happening in Putin’s Russia is natural because that country has long deviated from democracy, while its authorities are guided by imperial ambitions,” says Sureniants. He claims that the authorities in Yerevan remain silent on the continuing killings of Armenians in Russia because they have turned their country into a Russian province.

“The Armenian authorities are subservient [to Russian] to such an extent that they are even scared of defending the interests and rights of their citizens and compatriots in the territory of supposed ally Russia lest the Russians treat us badly,” writes “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun.” “It’s about time we adopted a bit more dignified stance and asked the Russian authorities, ‘If you can not ensure the security of our compatriots, declare it so that we could urge our citizens not to travel to Russia.’”

“Taregir” reports that Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamlet Gasparian is ambiguous in presenting Yerevan’s official reaction to the latest Moscow killing. Asked “How many Armenians need to be killed in Russia in order to prompt a reaction [from Yerevan?],” Gasparian replies, “Such cases are at the center of our attention and of concern to us. Our embassy does keep in touch with relevant Russian services on a daily basis.”

“Hayots Ashkhar” says Moscow prosecutors are now effectively denying that Abrahamiants’s killing was racially motivated. They have suggested that the killing resulted from a dispute over a young woman. “Unfortunately, all the signs are that killings of and attacks on foreigners in Russia will continue,” writes the hitherto pro-Russian paper. It points the fact that a group of Russian skinheads who stabbed to death a 9-year-old Tajik girl in Saint-Petersburg were effectively acquitted by a Russian court last month. “In effect, [Russian] fascists were openly told, ‘Do whatever you want. You won’t get any punishment.’”

According to “Haykakan Zhamanak,” the criminal investigation into the Armenian teenager’s fatal stabbing in a Moscow underground station is little more than a cover-up. “Everything is being done to move what happened to a social plane,” says the paper.

Actually, we should be concerned with racism towards anyone and everyone wherever they are, including any attacks on minorities in Armenia. This also includes the way Yerevan State Medical University treats its foreign students.