Relocating to Armenia from Arab countries

[arakeretzig]

Re: Relocating to Armenia from Arab countries

As I already mentioned in another thread, there are stories of repatriation, specially from Iraq. I Personally know 2 families that live armenia now dont listen to the haters.
(also, moderation in this forum sucks, bell-the-cat should be banned)

[Tigranakert]

Re: Relocating to Armenia from Arab countries

Armenians don't need to listen to Westerners, the only thing they care for is power. Everything they say should be taking it with a grain of salt. They have proven in history to fool us. They prove today they are one of the most corrupt, criminal, blood-thirsty countries in the world. They don't know our history, they do not understand our culture, but still are extremely good in judging other peoples. Kitty is a good example of this.

In the past the genocidal Western imperialists used "christianity" to conquer the world, manipulate people and steal from others, now it is notion of "democracy" they are misusing for this purpose. It's basically the same xxxx, but in a different package.

[Tigranakert]

Re: Relocating to Armenia from Arab countries

There is a full-scale media blitz against Armenia.

There is a full-scale media blitz against Armenia. Listening to the Western press and its pathetic lackeys within our communities discuss Armenia these days, one would think that this is the very end of the road for our fledgling republic in the Caucasus; Armenia has finally reached its cul-de-sac. Some people in very high places would like our people to believe that if a Western inspired color revolution in Armenia does not succeed in putting into power a kabal of mercenaries that are willing to serve their Anglo-American-Zionist masters, the Armenian state will soon cease to exist. That is fundamentally what they want you and I to believe. And it is towards this aim that they are carefully preparing their field of play. Something must be going down behind the scenes in Washington. I hope that something is not a major regional war. But looking at the volatility of the political situation in the region today that may certainly be it. The very terms "Armenia" and "Armenian" are being turned into something negative; similar to what they did with Serbia ten years ago. They are trying to cause instability in the republic. I pray to God that the next stage, which usually is the start of hostilities, is averted somehow.

Alarmingly, the anti-Armenia media blitz carried out by various American funded media outlets and their affiliates in Armenia's so-called "opposition" is succeeding in convincing a significant portion of our compatriots that it's all a lost cause. The toxicity of their propaganda campaign has begun permeating all layers of Armenian society. Helplessness and hopelessness, despair and desperation is what one immediately feels when discussing Armenia these days. The divide between the homeland and the diaspora is growing and divisions within Armenia itself are deepening. Please read the various articles posted below this commentary to better acquaint yourselves to the kind of atmosphere/mood they are attempting to create, as well as their their long-term political intentions (comments posted below some of the featured articles are also quite interesting to read). The primary catalysts of apocalyptic news about Armenia, the vehicles upon which corrosive propaganda travels within the Armenian community are - ArmeniaNow, Asbarez, Hetq, A1 Plus, Radio Liberty and their various affiliates in and out of Armenia.

Various Western measures to bring the fledgling Armenian state in the Caucasus to its knees have not bore fruit. Armenia won the war against a Western-backed Azerbaijan. Armenia has been bravely enduring an almost twenty year economic blockade by NATO - via Turkey, of course. And much to their dismay, Armenia has institutionalized its military alliance with the Russian Federation and it has established very warm relations with Iran. Equally to their dismay, Armenia's national infrastructure is slowly but surely developing - independent of the Western alliance. As a result of its close working alliance with the Russian Federation and its very healthy relationship with Iran, Armenia today has put itself in a strategic position to potentially become a major regional energy/trade hub - independent of the Western alliance. Yerevan's audacity in not playing ball with the Anglo-American-Zionist alliance is essentially what's driving the multi-pronged propaganda assault against the Armenian state today.

http://theriseofrussia.blogspot.com/2011/02/american-media-blitz-against-armenia.html

[Tigranakert]

Re: Relocating to Armenia from Arab countries

Have the Armenian mafiosi so empoverished the native population, and emptied the bank accounts of all the gullable diaspora Armenians from America and Canada, that they now have to seek new victims from Syria or Egypt?

The Scottish speaks again. Western countries are one of the most genocidal, corrupt and criminal countries in the world, whose whole system is based upon imperialism. Who the **** are you to teach us something?

It was not the Armenian "mafiosi" who impoverished the native population, but largely the geopolitical situation, the genocide, the earthquake, etc. It's a new country and developing, and it's need evolution. Slowly but steadily, especially if higher educated people will get involved in Armenia, things will change for the good. Of course you are against this, as you will never want something good to happen for Armenia.

Your comment is racist, a huge generalization and anti-Armenian.

Really? One of the best places in the world to invest? Below are three news items, all just from last Friday's Groong. Check any day of the week and you will always find similar news reports. And there are the never-ending ongoing scandals, like non-tax paying millionaire Dodi Gago's theft of small shareholders' shares in Yerevan Brandy, or the American-Armenian property developer conned out of the appartment he paid to be constructed, and then conned again out of the money he paid to "buy" it back - and all the criminality is supported and defended by the Armenian justice system of course.

If I want to find an article about corruption in America, The Netherlands, etc, I also can find hundreds of articles. That doesn't mean xxxx. The US Millenium Aid Program is just a political tool, as Western countries are one of the most corrupt, dirty, blood-thirsty nations in the world. They don't give a damn about democracy, nor about "aid", they just want to control other nations.

There are hundreds of examples of succes stories, also those of Diasporan Armenians (like Ralph Yirikian, Hovnanian, hotels in Dilijian) who have made a difference in Armenia. Of course, you won't quote their stories.

As kitty is fiercly anti-Armenian and just like ArmeniaNow and other Western idiots, they like to hammer only on the negatives. It remains surprising that a man his age, and a so-called "intellectual", spends to much time on an Armenian forum, to spread such bullxxxx. One only has to ask why?

His goal is to denigrate Armenians, he floods all of the topics like these with negative posts so that Armenians get pessimistic and lose hope and faith. That's his only goal. The only thing he had to do so Armenians "listen" to him, is to visit some Khachkars in Nakhichevan and tell a somewhat sad story about it we all already knew.

Just read all of his posts, the one more denigrating and disrespectful than the other. I have rarely seen such a case of a racist Scott, who barely understands Armenian culture, to be so judgmental. I think he is the danger and such a person should be banned to keep the forum clean.

[UrMistake]

Re: Relocating to Armenia from Arab countries

All residents of Yerevan know about Dody Gago,the tax problem and the oligarchs.

Secondly we already analysed the IMF, MCA ,Yovanovitch and connection they have with Rafick Hovanesyan,and Levon ,please the lack of america in armenia dose not mean less democracy,we know what is good for us with out the US thank you very much!

And what has to do the bad management of Ministry with Armenians of Arab world coming home,its totally internal issue !!

[gegev]

Re: Relocating to Armenia from Arab countries

great idea... our gov't should defenetly create an environment comfortable for them so they can fit in easily... (btw i suggest we just ignore the cat)

If the cat is against the relocation we can't do anything. He decides where we should live. He is able finding crap arguments to support his rulings.

There is no place in the world where everything is perfect (especially in nowadays world you know and see it every day) come and build our future PERFECT country. Armenians are used, for centuries, building and creating everything they need in foreign countries, regardless of difficulties encountered. Lets do it, for the last time, in our own country for coming centuries and generations.

Arab world unrest is threatening Armenians/strangers most, because at dealing with alienating factions we have no other choice, but taking sides. At the end the alienating factions are getting united against “strangers” and we loose our belongings and/or we are discriminated, as usual.

For instance recently Armenians in Syria have been supporting president; Bashar Asad, but now he is in very difficult situation, what will happen next ...

Armenia is the only country where this can't happen with you and your kids.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Relocating to Armenia from Arab countries

Today's Armenia is one of the best places in the world to invest, don't get afraid, don't believe the people that claim the contrary.

Really? One of the best places in the world to invest? Below are three news items, all just from last Friday's Groong. Check any day of the week and you will always find similar news reports. And there are the never-ending ongoing scandals, like non-tax paying millionaire Dodi Gago's theft of small shareholders' shares in Yerevan Brandy, or the American-Armenian property developer conned out of the appartment he paid to be constructed, and then conned again out of the money he paid to "buy" it back - and all the criminality is supported and defended by the Armenian justice system of course.

Tax Collection In Armenia Still Poor, Says IMF

Armenia -- Guillermo Tolosa, the IMF representative in Yerevan, at a
news conference, 15Apri2011.

15.04.2011
Ruben Meloyan

Tax collection in Armenia remains `appallingly' poor despite
government efforts to combat widespread fiscal fraud, a senior
official from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday.


Guillermo Tolosa, the IMF's resident representative in Armenia, said
the authorities in Yerevan are still not doing enough to improve tax
administration and the broader business environment. `Tax revenues as
a share of the economy continued to be in 2010 as appallingly low as
in 2009,' he told a news conference.

According to official statistics, the Armenian government's total tax
revenues rose by more than 13 percent to 591 billion drams ($1.58
billion) last year. They were equivalent to just over 17 percent of
the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

`This ratio, this share is the lowest in ... the former Communist
countries, with the only exception of Tajikistan,' argued Tolosa. He
said it shows that `positive steps' taken by the authorities are not
enough to tackle the problem.

`Tax collections have not increased. So that has to mean that the
shadow economy has not decreased,' he added.

Finance Minister Vache Gabrielian admitted earlier this year tax
collection has yet to improve significantly. He downplayed the 2010
rise in tax revenues and said more needs to be done to reduce tax
evasion.

Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian regularly describes improved tax
administration as a top government priority, having pushed through
parliament numerous changes in Armenian tax legislation. The most
recent legal amendments approved by the National Assembly in December
envisage a major simplification of the country's cumbersome taxation
requirements and procedures.

Both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund consider
radical tax reform as well as an improvement of the investment climate
essential for Armenia's sustainable economic development. Tolosa
reaffirmed this view on Friday.

Armenia No Longer Eligible For U.S. Aid Program

Armenia -- Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian (L) and U.S. Ambassador
Marie Yovanovitch (C) meet with beneficiaries of U.S. assistance
provided under the Millennium Challenge Account program, 15Apr2011.

15.04.2011
Sargis Harutyunyan

Armenia is currently not eligible for receiving additional
U.S. economic assistance under a program designed to reward good
governance and reforms around the world, U.S. Ambassador Marie
Yovanovitch said on Friday.


She said the approaching parliamentary and presidential elections in
the country will be an opportunity for the Armenian government to
improve its democracy and human rights record and thus again qualify
for the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) program.

The U.S. government approved $236 million worth of MCA assistance to
Armenia in 2006 to finance a rural development plan submitted by
Yerevan. In June 2008, Washington scrapped a $67 million segment of
the aid package, which envisaged the reconstruction of hundreds of
kilometers of rural roads.

The decision was widely attributed to a disputed presidential election
held in February 2008 and a harsh government crackdown on the Armenian
opposition that followed it.

The aid cut did not affect the rest of the MCA funding which is being
mainly channeled into Armenia's battered irrigation networks. Their
ongoing refurbishment is due to be completed this September.

Yovanovitch and Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian visited on
Friday the central Aragatsotn province to inspect local irrigation
canals that have been rehabilitated with MCA funds. They also met with
farmers that have received training as part of the same scheme.

`We hope that this program has made and will continue to make a real
impact on the rural community in terms of increased wealth,'
Yovanovitch told journalists there.

The U.S. diplomat made clear that Yerevan can not apply for more MCA
aid for the time being. `Perhaps at some point in the future, there
might be a possibility,' she said. `Every year, every country is
reviewed for eligibility. At this point, Armenia is not eligible for a
second compact due to where it stands on the [MCA] indicators.'

Yovanovitch specified that President Serzh Sarkisian's administration
should, among other things, hold more democratic elections. `As
Armenia enters into an election cycle, with parliamentary elections
next year and presidential elections the year after, there is an
opportunity to boost these indicators,' she said.

`Obviously, conduct on the day of elections is an important thing but
so is freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, the many other things
that go into general good governance,' she added.

Yovanovitch urged the Armenian authorities to hold free elections,
respect civil liberties and embark on other 'deep and difficult'
reforms in a recent speech at Yerevan State University. In particular,
she stressed the importance of 'ensuring that peaceful, lawful
assemblies will not be harassed or broken up.'

CLAIM AND COUNTERCLAIM: FUND OFFICIAL ACCUSES DIASPORA MINISTRY OF WRONGDOING
By Gayane Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow reporter
14.04.11

A former culture minister has accused current Diaspora Minister
Hranush Hakobyan of "money laundering" and making "illegal decisions"
claiming it has resulted in a situation where a fund involved in the
organization of a well-known festival is on the verge of liquidation.

The claim by Tamar Poghosyan, who today is executive director of the
"One Nation, One Culture" Fund, is vehemently denied by the Diaspora
Ministry and its head.

Poghosyan has turned to the Prosecutor's Office asking it "to reveal
illegalities".

The "One Nation, One Culture" festival first held in 1999 in the last
five years has been organized and managed by Poghosyan, the fund's
executive director and Armenia's culture minister in 2003-2004. It
was her job, on decision by the Board of Trustees, to manage the
financial means transferred to the fund by the state.

However, last year a decision was made that the festival should be
organized in cooperation with the Ministry for the Diaspora and
Diaspora Minister Hakobyan was elected chairperson of the Fund's
Board of Trustees. Poghosyan claims Hakobyan was "single-handedly
taking illegal decisions."

The problem arose last December when Hakobyan requested that a sitting
of the Board of Trustees be convened to present accounts.

"I was against the demand for hastily convening a sitting, but the
issue was not discussed, the entire staff (eight persons) got down
to preparing the reports, but the tension, after a year's strenuous
work, the stressful and psychologically tense situation led to my
illness and I had to get hospital treatment for a month and a half,"
says Poghosyan.

Despite the absence of Poghosyan the meeting did take place and,
according to her, taking advantage of her absence, made a decision
to give part of the funds to some other organizations.

"I say and repeat that implementing activities through some other
organizations is a classical mechanism of money laundering, and I
could not sign that," says Poghosyan.

A total of 12.7 million drams (about $35,000) out of some 18.6
million allocated to the fund's president and staff from the budget
under a relevant government decision, have been allocated to several
organizations, which, according to Poghosyan, are organizations headed
by members of the Fund's Board of Trustees.

"These organizations have nothing to do with the organization of
the festival and the Fund, but for some reason they were called the
fund's strategic projects," says Poghosyan. "I certainly could not have
signed such unlawful contracts, which ruined the whole money laundering
scheme of the Ministry. I am saying this. What do I have to lose?"

According to Poghosyan, because of that decision the salaries' stock
of the fund's staffers was reduced from 1 million drams (approx.

$2,700) to about 300,000 drams (about $810) and a demand was presented
to her to hastily reduce the number of personnel.

Officials at the Ministry for the Diaspora deny the accusations,
considering them to be "groundless talk".

Tevos Nersisyan, head of the Ministry's Press and Public Relations
Department, clarified to ArmeniaNow that at Poghosyan's request the
Prime Minister's control service had examined the case revealing
no violation.

"The Prime Minister's control service found out that the December 28
decision of the Board of Trustees was in full conformity with the
statutes of the "One Nation, One Culture" Fund and the letter of
Armenia's Law "On Funds"," said Nersisyan.

Poghosyan counters that the examination by the Prime Minister's control
service was not complete and concerned only the data presented by
the Ministry for the Diaspora.

The case is due to be examined by the Prosecutor's Office soon.

Poghosyan says she does not pin much hope on law enforcement.

"I have no expectation. I'm going there knowing there is a wall there.

I'll go as far as I can, but someone must know what is happening in
this kitchen," she says.

[UrMistake]

Re: Relocating to Armenia from Arab countries

Well armenian in in arab nations were life there is so much harder,should enter into program of repatriation giving them free home and a job,ministry of diaspora should make some initiatives!!

[haysip]

Re: Relocating to Armenia from Arab countries

great idea... our gov't should defenetly create an environment comfortable for them so they can fit in easily...
(btw i suggest we just ignore the cat)

[Mos]

Re: Relocating to Armenia from Arab countries

It’s very nice what you say, inviting Armenians of Diaspora to home land is a very good idea, but I will suggest one thing though, let us try to create an environment over there so people that already there won’t leave or even think of leaving.

Situation is improving, of course there are problems, things are not perfect, but the country is growing and developing. Just look at how much country has improved in the past 10 years. Given our situation (landlocked, blockaded), we are doing very well.