responses - Armenian Reporter

The Armenian Reporter | July 26, 2008 19ArmeniaFrom Armenia, in briefn Continued from page 18Torikian. President Serge Sargsiancongratulated the ArmenianEvangelical Association on its 90thanniversary and stressed the importanceof the work done by diasporanArmenian organizations.The delegation briefed the Armenianpresident on their history andpast accomplishments and spokeabout projects that are being implementedby their organization inArmenia and Karabakh.Opposition figureGurgen Yeghiazarianfreed, another triedOn Monday, July 21, oppositionfigure Gurgen Yeghiazarian,who had been arrested in connectionwith the events following thepresidential elections in Armenia,was released from police custodypending trial. He is charged withplotting a coup d’etat; he maintainshis innocence and claims the chargesare politically motivated.At a news conference the followingday, Mr. Yeghiazarian denouncedPresident Serge Sargsian’sadministration, labeling it asa “fascist regime” RFE/RL reports.That same day, another prominentopposition figure, SmbatAyvazian, appeared in court. Mr.Ayvazian had been arrested severaldays before the events of March 1and was accused of illegal possessionof a knife and resisting arrest.Mr. Ayvazian demanded thatAghvan Hovsepian, Armenia’sprosecutor general, be summonedto court to personally substantiatethe charges. Judge Gagik Avetisianrejected his demand.Dozens of supporters presentduring the trial greeted the defendantwith applause and chants. Asa result of the ensuing chaos inthe courtroom, the judge expelledtwo opposition politicians, formerspeaker of the parliament BabkenArarktsian and former Ministerof Interior Suren Abrahamian.Hranush Hakobyan.Hranush Hakobyanrecommends Tebi YerkirmovementAccording to Armenpress, HranushHakobyan, who is to heada Diaspora Ministry set to beginoperations in October 2008, hassuggested that a new movement,“Towards Armenia” or Tebi Yerkir, beestablished.Ms. Hakobyan recently metwith the leaders of the ArmenianRevolutionary Federation, Countryof Law Party, and ProsperousArmenia, which are in a coalitionwith the ruling Republican Partyof Armenia. The focus of themeeting centered was preservingdiasporan-Armenians’ Armenianidentity and developing mechanismsfor utilizing the full potentialof the diaspora.According to the press office, thisidea was endorsed by the coalitionpartners. With this same intention,Ms. Hakobyan has also met withCatholicos Karekin II to presenther programs and vision.AGBU scouts in Armenia.AGBU holds firstdiaspora youth andscouts jamboree inArmeniaThe Armenian General BenevolentUnion (AGBU) is holding, for thefirst time, its diaspora youth andscouts chapters’ jamboree in Armenia.Some 300 scouts from Syria, Iraq,Lebanon, and Iran arrived in Armeniaon July 21 to take part in thejamboree, whose objective is to linkyoung diaspora-Armenians withthe homeland.The jamboree was held in Loriprovince, in the community ofLermontovo, where the AGBU hasbought property for a campground.The opening and blessing ceremonytook place on July 24.Armenian wines and grapes.Armenian wineproducers in state ofconstant crisisAccording to Mediamax, Avag Harutyunyan,chairperson of theUnion of Wine Makers, said thatwine producers in Armenia are in aconstant state of crisis.by Nyree AbrahamianOn Friday, July 18, 2008, Armenianyouth from around the world gatheredat Tsitsernakaberd for theopening ceremony of the secondbiannual AYF Worldwide BadaneganJamboree. The theme of thisyear’s gathering was “Getting toknow the homeland.” The weeklongjamboree ran until July 25and was attended by eleven groupshailing from nine countries: Armenia,Georgia, Iran, Lebanon, Syria,Kuwait, Greece, the United States,and Canada. The Badanis (juniors)range in age from 14 to 17.The AYF Jamborees are plannedon an alternating cycle, with juniorsgathering in Armenia one year andThe Kotayk booth at the Drink Expo in Yerevan . Photo: Photolure.Mr. Harutyunyan said that “almostall raw materials are directedto the production and export ofcognac and very little attentionis paid to wine.” About 1 millionbottles of wine are exported fromArmenia each year; however thecountry has the capacity to export6 million bottles, he said.Armenian legislation says that inorder to produce brandy, producershave to use local raw materials.“Before 1998, Armenian cognac hadbeen produced both from Armeniangrapes, and from imported ones; thishelped Armenia a lot in low-yieldyears,” Mr. Harutyunyan stated.The problem, he said, is thatgrapes meant for wine are beingused in the production of brandy.The union is trying to lobby thegovernment to reconsider thislegislation and allow the import ofgrape and cognac alcohol.First-ever specializeddrinks expo takes placein YerevanThe first international specializedDrinks Expo kicked off in Yerevanon July 23. About 25 local and foreignproducers of alcoholic andalcohol-free drinks took part inthe expo. According to organizers,the majority of participants arenew Armenian producers. Internationalparticipants include theRussian Zoloto Polubotka vodkacompany and some Belgian beercompanies.Artak Mirijanyan, commercialdirector of Prom Expo, saidthat this exhibition will help localproducers to attract new businesspartners.Increase in brandyproduction for first halfof 2008According to the National StatisticalService of Armenia, brandyseniors the next. They stay at acamp in Aghavnadzor, Kotayk Province.Four countries were representedat Friday’s event – Armenia, Iran(Tehran and New Julfa) Georgia(Javakhk), and the Western UnitedStates. The other groups would bearriving in the following days.Vahan Hovhannesian, memberof the Armenian RevolutionaryFederation’s Bureau, spoke at theevent, reminding the youth of thesignificance of the Tsitsernakaberdmemorial which was built in responseto the 24-hour mass protestheld in Yerevan on April 24, 1965,the 50th anniversary of the ArmenianGenocide. He stressed the importanceof keeping the spirit of the1965 protestors within our modernfight for Genocide recognition.production in Armenia increasedby 9.4 percent this year. However,during the same period, theproduction of vodka and distilleryproducts decreased by 4.3percent and the volume of wineproduction also decreased by 19.5percent.Children teach adults traffic rules onYerevan’s congested roads.Children teach adultstraffic rules in YerevanThe International Association ofLawyers and Psychologists helda special event in Yerevan called“Children teach traffic rules toadults.” The chairperson of the association,Khachatur Marozyan,said that through this event theyhope to impress upon adults theimportance of respecting and followingtraffic rules.Young people from the YoungLeaders’ School and the youth wingof the International Association ofLawyers and Psychologists, about150 in all, took part in the event infour districts of the capital city.The event was sponsored by themunicipality of Yerevan.The Byurakan Children’s DanceEnsemble performed severalnumbers, which had the youthon their feet and clapping to thebeat. Following the ceremony, thegroup gathered around the eternalflame for a moment of silence tocommemorate the victims of theGenocide. Next, they visited theGenocide Memorial Museum.For many, this was the first timeat Tsisternakaberd and althoughthere was a general air of excitementthat comes with meeting newfriends and seeing new places, itwas a moving experience. 15-yearoldLori Boghigian of Los Angelesput her emotions to words. “I’donly ever seen this place in booksbefore and I knew what it stoodfor,” she said, “But being here is aHail damages crops inShirakSevere thunderstorms and haildamaged crops in the region of Ani,in the province of Shirak. Farmersin the rural communities of Sarakap,Jrarpi, Haykadzor, Bagravan,and Aghin sustained heavy damages.According to Armenpress,the regional Agricultural SupportCenter said the storm hit crops andhomestead lands. It also said that acommission is to be set up by theregional governor to evaluate thedamage to see what assistance canbe offered.New anti-hail stationsto be installed in ShirakThe governor of Shirak, LidiaNanyan at a press briefing saidthat new anti-hail stations areto be installed in the region nextyear, Armenpress reports. Thispast year, six such stations wereassembled and installed in thenorthwestern province whichhave the ability to protect approximately600 hectares of landfrom hail.Through a government initiative,encompassing 57 rural communities,local farmers are beingencouraged to cultivate wheat andother cereals. The governor saidthat those farmers who cultivate atotal of 15,000 hectares of land willreceive a total of 494 million dramsin government subsidies, 35,000drams per one hectare.Births are up in Yerevan.7,411 babies born inYerevan in the first halfof 2008Armenpress reports that ArmenSoghoyan, head of the health andsocial issues department of the Cityof Yerevan, said that in the first sixmonths of 2008 7,411 babies wereborn in Yerevan, an increase of 5percent from 2007.fAYF World Badanegan Jamboree in Armeniacompletely different. It feels morereal.” Having just arrived from LosAngeles two days earlier, Lori waslooking forward to seeing more ofArmenia and forming her own impressionsof a place she had heardabout her whole life.Others saw this week’s jamboreeas a chance to get better acquaintedwith their homeland. MinehNazaryan, 16, could not containher excitement despite having justendured a 24-hour bus ride fromTehran. “There’s something aboutArmenia,” she said, “I’ve been herebefore, but every time I feel closerto this place. It feels like home.”Over the course of the week, AYFyouth from around the worldwould echo this emotion and finda home in Armenia.f