Happy New Year!

Happy new year from Armenia Blog! May you and everyone the world over have a wonderful 2007!

Watch out for that cork, though!

Profile: Calouste Gulbenkian

Calouste Gulbenkian
1869 - 1955

Calouste Gulbenkian born into an illustrious Armenian family in Scutari, Turkey. The oil baron got his start in England: he studied petroleum engineering at King's College London and immediately thereafter went to the oil-rich Middle East and opened it up to the world; he was also instrumental in founding the oil-giant Royal Dutch/Shell. Gulbenkian was the main architect behind the Turkish Petroleum Company, which was created in 1912/1914 so that the biggest European oil companies could explore for oil in Iraq: this would also ensure that other firms would be kept out, thus greater profits for the participants.

From all of his business endeavors, Gulbenkian amassed an incredible fortune, which he used to build an amazing art collection. His collection is now housed in a museum in Lisbon, Portugal, and includes rare and treasured art, some dating back nearly 4,000 years; When he died, a clause in his will created the Gulbenkian Foundation, whose activities are in the fields of arts, charity, education and science. The foundation also awards an annual Gulbenkian Prize of £100,000 to a museum or gallery in the United Kingdom for "track record of imagination, innovation and excellence".

Did you know?
Gulbenkian is very well known as "Mr. Five Percent" because he had a 5% interest in the Turkish Petroleum Company, which he put together. It may not seem like a lot, but it was enough to make him a multimillionaire and reportedly the richest man in the world for many years!

If you would like to learn more, here are some suggested sources:
Gulbenkian Museum
Gulbenkian Foundation
Calouste Gulbenkian
Iraq Petroleum Company
Gulbenkian Prize
Gulbenkian Essay

Man Arrested Over Coup Plot in Armenia

Armenians are never behind on the latest and greatest fads. Coups were all the rage earlier in 2006.

Security officers in Armenia have detained a man in connection with an alleged coup plot by opposition activists.

Vaan Aronian was arrested at his home in the village of Lusatar in western Armenia, where security officers found weapons and ammunition including guns, grenade launchers and a shoulder-fired missile launcher, the National Security Service said in a statement.

It said the detention was linked to a probe that led to the arrest earlier this month of Zhirair Sefilian, a Lebanese citizen who heads the Association of Armenian Volunteers, and another activist of the group, Vadan Malkhasian.

Then again, this is most likely politically motivated in two ways: one, to make it seem like the administration is doing its job to keep the people safe; and two, to wipe out any serious political opposition before the all-important "elections" in 2007.

Source: IHT

Armenia Wants Diplomatic Relations With Turkey

I don't like what has been coming out of Serge Sarkisyan's mouth lately. Whenever I see a quote of his anywhere, the words "sell out" immediately come to mind.

Letter of Defense Minister of Armenia, Serge Sarkisyan, published in “The Wall Street Journal” reads: “We intend to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey not bringing up genocide as principal condition”. Saying that “we want to look at the future”...

...he stressed that remaining the issue of the genocide in agenda is necessary from the point of view of memory on past and prevention of such crimes against humanity.

No one can deny that opening up borders and being closer with Turkey will be great for Armenia, but I believe that Serge is merely trying to gain entry into the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railroad project, which is obviously very important to us economically.

But let's consider the fact that Turkey will always be closer with Azerbaijan than with us, which means even if the genocide is not a precondition - and I believe that it absolutely must be - then it will eventually have conditions of its own in its attempts to control Armenia and help out Azerbaijan. We can't sell out our struggle or our future!

Source: Demaz

Armenia: World Leader in Natural Gas Vehicles

Armenians have always been ready to adapt to new technology as they require it - and this is no different.

The transport ministry estimates that between 20 and 30 percent of vehicles in Armenia run on gas. That compares to just over 3 percent in the Netherlands, a front-runner in natural gas-powered transport, according to the World LP Gas Association.

In landlocked Armenia, it is not concerns over climate change or global warming that are driving growth in natural gas-powered vehicles. Instead, it is harsh necessity - and an unresolved war with Azerbaijan, its neighbor to the east.

"Petrol is getting more expensive," said Transport and Communications Minister Andranik Manukian. "(Natural) gas ... has not gone up by that much so it is preferable to use it."

Back in the late 1980s, my father had his Niva converted to natural gas. The car worked as normal, except it had one enormous red bottle - or more like a barrel - where the trunk space should have been. Oh, and it almost usually had a faint gas smell coming from it. Of course, gas doesn't smell, but an aroma is added so you could smell if you were in trouble and get out. Needless to say, that smell didn't matter then and it doens't matter now, even despite the fact that a majority of Armenians smoke regularly. However, I've heard - and they may just be urban legends - of some buses on natural gas exploding into flames in Yerevan and injuring or possibly even killing people nearby.

I encourage you to read the full article linked below.

Source: Topix

Simple Comparison of Military Power: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkey

I saw a video of Armenia's air force a while back and decided to investigate our military power and that of our neighbors. Because of certain agreements to which these countries are party, there is a lot of available information on the internet. However, some sources gave differing numbers, so I've had to make certain estimates for your reading pleasure.

Armenia
Active Troops: 60,000
Aircraft: 16
Tanks: 110
Expenditure, 2005: $162 million

Azerbaijan
Active Troops: 126,400
Aircraft: 172
Tanks: 270
Expenditure, 2005: $300 million

Turkey
Active Troops: 1,043,550
Aircraft: 430
Tanks: 4,265
Expenditure, 2005: $9.8 billion

Russia
Active Troops: 1,037,000
Aircraft: 3,200
Tanks: 22,800
Expenditure, 2005: $18 billion

As I said above, these may not be completely accurate due to different sources. However, the message is clear: even though our forces are more experienced and will compensate for lack of some very important military equipment, it is in our absolute best interest to remain very close friends with Russia.

Sources:
ArmeniaNow
U.N. Disarmament Web Site
WikiPedia

Gas Pricing in Armenia Changed

Looks like Armenia is working hard to find a pricing structure that works.

Armenian government decided...to drive gas prices for those consuming less than 10 thousand cubic meters a month down from AMD 90,000 to 84,000 per 1,000 cubic meter.

Industrial entities consuming over 10,000 cubic meters will have their gas prices increased.

For your reference, $1 is about AMD 445 as of today.

Source: Arka

New Water Quality Lab for Yerevan in 2007

Ever wonder whether drinking water out of the tap in Armenia is safe? I've always thought about it!

A new laboratory for water quality examination will start working in Yerevan from June 2007, Director General of "Yerevan Jur" CJSC Serge Popoff reported Thursday. He pointed out that complex activities are currently implemented in Yerevan to ensure water quality. In particular, 100 samples of water are taken every week for examination.

"The company plans to increase the level of 24-hour water supply of Yerevan from 60% to 79%," Popoff reported.

Actually, I'm more disturbed by the fact that Yerevan's water is provided by a corporation!

Source: Arka

The Incredible Photography of Hovik Melikyan

I accidentally stumbled on Hovik's Flickr account to find some very beautiful photographs of Armenia, Yerevan, and other subjects, as well.

Find his photos here and enjoy!

Armenia's Byurakan Observatory

The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory was founded in 1946 by the renowned Victor Hambartsumian. For many years this observatory, which is located at an altitutde of 1,500 m/5,000 ft in Armenia on the slope of Mount Aragats, was a major center of astronomy in the Soviet Union. The main scientific instruments at the observatory are: a 2.6m Cassegrain reflector telescope, 1m and 0.5m Schmidt telescopes, a few other telescopes of 40-60 cm size, and many other astronomical instruments.

Many important discoveries have been made at Byurakan throughout the years, including the discovery of stellar associations in 1947, the hypothesis about activity of galactic nuclei by Hambartsumian in 1958, and the discovery and study of many Seyfert galaxies and quasars, discovery of more than 1000 flare stars, dozens of Supernovae, hundreds of Herbig-Haro objects and cometary nebulae, and valuable works in the field of radiative transfer theory.

Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the observatory endured difficult times. It is currently owned and operated by Armenian Academy of Sciences. The Byurakan astronomers collaborate with scientists of France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia, USA, Mexico, Japan, China, India, and other countries. Recently, they have started offering tours, as well.

Sources:
Official Byurakan Observatory Website
Armenian Astronomical Society
Byurakan Observatory on WikiPedia

Russia Approves Serbia's Arms Sales to Armenia

First Russia, and now Serbia.

President Boris Tadic said "the issue has been successfully resolved" in his meeting with Russia's ambassador to Belgrade, Aleksander Alexeyev, who has given "a positive response" to Serbia's appeal that the Zastava arms company is allowed to sell guns and rifles worth US$2.55 million (€1.94 million) to Armenia.

Earlier this month Zastava criticised the Serbian government for withholding permission for its previously arranged sale to Armenia, allegedly because Russia — Serbia's traditional ally — objected to the Serbian supplier venturing into a market usually supplied by Moscow.

It's about time Armenia upgraded its weapons. I'd rather they never see much use, but one can never rule out certain possibilities.

Source: IHT

Azerbaijani Authorities Deport Turkish-Armenian Musician

Another unbelievable story from our unfriendly neighbors.

Azerbaijani authorities denied an entrance visa to a Turkish citizen of Armenian origin who arrived in Baku together with a famous Turkish musical group, led by Sertab Ereneri. The Armenian, Burak Petikian, a pianist of the group, was forced aboard the same Turkish airplane that brought him to Azerbaijani capital and flew back to Istanbul.

It's good to know that racism is alive and well in Azerbaijan.

Source: ArmenPress

Indonesia Offers Visas to Armenians & Georgians

Always great to see Armenians getting more freedoms around the globe.

Citizens of Armenia and Georgia wishing to travel to Indonesia may obtain visas at its consulate in Armenia. The consulate is situated on Israelian street, 37, in Yerevan. Until now Armenians could obtain visas at Indonesia's embassy in Armenia, located in Kiev, Ukraine. The new procedure becomes effective from January 10.

So if you're a citizen, go get yours. Indonesia is a beautiful country!

Source: ArmenPress

Turkey Warns United States About Armenian Genocide Bill

First the Turks tried to stop Stallone's movie, and now they're trying to indirectly threaten the United States to stay away from the Armenian genocide issue.

[Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Namik] Tan further said: “The U.S. has always been constructive and right minded vis-à-vis those kinds of efforts. We believe that the U.S. administration will continue the same approach. The relations between the U.S. and Turkey are so important that they transcend those insignificant issues.”

This is good news for us. Why? This means we are on the right path with our lobbies and our unity. The Turks are now on the offensive, trying to protect their interests from our advancement. Honestly, I applaud our efforts and I'm confident that justice will eventually prevail. Now is the time to turn up the heat!

In the meantime, I would love the opportunity to take a big sheet of paper, write on it everything that the Turks have taken away from us, and shove it up Namik Tan's ass. Who wants to help?

Source: Zaman

Ugandan Eugene Sepuya Joins Armenia's Banants FC

And from the world of sports we bring you this breaking news.

UGANDAN striker Eugene Sepuya has completed a dream career transfer to Armenian soccer giants Banants FC for an undisclosed fee.

The lofty striker, who has been at Colorado Rapids in the US, signed a two-year deal to switch to the former Soviet state with the help of FIFA agent Antonio Carlo. Carlo helped Uganda sign German Laszlo Csaba as national coach.

"Eugene did very well during his week-long trial in Armenia. Everybody was impressed with his physical presence and hard work," Carlo said.

And the step after this? World Cup!

Source: AllAfrica

Most Important Armenian Stories of 2006

As the year draws to a close, there are some stories that received more attention and had more impact than others.

1. The crash on May 3 of an Armenian airliner off the Russian Black Sea coast. All 113 people on board the Airbus A-320 were killed in what was the worst air disaster in Armenia’s history.

2. The ouster on May 12 of then parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian’s Orinats Yerkir party from the governing coalition.

3. The official disclosure in June of the international mediators’ most recent plan to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

4. The announcement on July 18 of Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian’s affiliation with the governing Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). The move was widely construed as a confirmation of Sarkisian’s intention to contest the next presidential election due in 2008.

5. The emergence and rapid expansion throughout the year of a new political party led by Gagik Tsarukian, the most influential of Armenia’s government-connected tycoons. The Prosperous Armenia party is now tipped to make a strong showing in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

6. The year saw more street protests by residents of Yerevan that were forcibly evicted from their homes as a result of the ongoing massive redevelopment in the city center. The evictions were declared unconstitutional by Armenia’s Constitutional Court.

7. A further strengthening of the national currency, the dram, that triggered fresh opposition allegations about exchange rate manipulation. One U.S. dollar is now worth roughly 360 drams. It traded at about 460 drams at the beginning of 2006.

8. An apparent rise in anti-Russian sentiment fuelled by continued racially motivated killings of Armenians in Russia.

9. The year saw a number of high-profile cultural events such as Armenia’s first-ever participation in the Eurovision song contest, an open-air concert given by Charles Aznavour and other famous French singers, and the annual Golden Apricot film festival in Yerevan.

10. The Armenian team’s victory in the 2006 world Chess Olympiad.

This list was put together by the source, but I'd say it's a good representation of the year's most imortant events.

Source: ArmeniaLiberty

Armenia's Battle With Tuberculosis

I did not realize that such a large number of Armenians have tuberculosis, or that it was a threat at all.

“This program will run from 2007 through 2015,” said Vahan Poghosian, a senior Armenian Health Ministry official coordinating the anti-TB campaign. “It will involve training courses [for medical personnel], purchase of laboratory equipment and, most importantly, medicines.”

According to the Health Ministry, the number of people suffering from tuberculosis rose by 18 percent to almost 6,500 between 2000 and 2005.

It was not immediately clear how much the Armenian government plans to spend on its the latest program adopted by ministers at a weekly cabinet meeting. Officials said only that much of the funding for, $7.5 million, will come from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The government of Germany, for its part, will contribute almost $3 million to the effort.

According to the source, it costs more than $12,000 to treat someone with tuberculosis. I'm by no means an expert, but wouldn't it be more cost-effective to vaccinate the general population - at least those at risk - than to wait for them to get infected and then try to do something about it?

Source: ArmeniaLiberty

Armenia's Short-lived Car Industry

Believe it or not, Armenia did produce buses at one point. A Latvian factory called RAF - Rigas Avtobus Fabrika - introduced in 1958 a model called RAF 977, which was basically a minibus. There were many varieties of this new bus, which were produced under the Latvija name, to serve a variety of needs, from passenger transport to ambulance uses. An updated variation known as RAF 977D was put into production in 1962 in Latvia, but due to insufficient factory size was moved to Yerevan, Armenia in 1966. The factory responsible for making these buses in Armenia was known as ErAZ, which stood for Yerevanskii Avtomobilnee Zavod, or Yerevan Car Factory. Needless to say, most people referred to the car itself as Yeraz, which means "dream" in Armenian. It is unclear how much of the car was produced there and how much was merely a putting-together of parts from all around the Soviet Union.

If you ever had the pleasure of riding in a Yeraz, you would know that that name has a double meaning that's not completely favorable to the car! It was slow, having only a tiny 75-horsepower engine - the equivalent of two old VW Beetle engines - and a 3-speed transmission to drag around nearly two tons of Soviet steel; the ride was also very uncomfortable - I speak from first-hand experience - and the design was quickly outdated.

It seems the RAF 977 was replaced in 1976 by the squarer RAF 2203, which Armenians refer to simply as "RAF," though it is unclear how long after that ErAZ continued making the 977. Unconfirmed sources assure me that the 977 model was produced at least until near the end of the Soviet Union. Once the Soviet Union fell, so did the supply lines which kept the factory going. In 1997, the Latvian company declared bankruptcy.

If anyone has more information about this very interesting bus, please let me know!

Sources: RAF on WikiPedia, Post Soviet...PDF Document, and Kommersant

Another Azeri Soldier Surrenders

If anyone out there is doubting Armenia's superiority to its neighbors, eat your hearts out!

A spokesman for the Defense Ministry said an army conscript who identified himself as Samed Mamedov willingly crossed the westernmost section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and surrendered to Armenian forces deployed there on Sunday. The official, Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, said the 19-year-old claimed to have been systematically mistreated and humiliated by his Azerbaijani commanders.

The reported incident occurred one day after another Azerbaijani soldier, who reportedly crossed into Armenian-controlled territory east of Nagorno-Karabakh earlier this month, was handed back to the Azerbaijani side with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

I do feel bad for the fellow who was returned to the Azeris, because now he has to settle for fermented horse urine. If he's lucky, that is.

Source: ArmeniaLiberty