Leaders of the Pasadena Armenian National Committee took California State Assemblymember Anthony Portantino (D-44) on a tour of Armenian American businesses in the City of Pasadena on December 11, 2009 to help the Assemblymember better understand the challenges facing Armenian American business owners in this challenging economy and what actions, if any, the State can take to improve the economy.
Today’s Turkey Has No Place in EU, Says Greek Minister
Only days after the EU foreign ministers’ warning over Ankara’s ‘failure’ to open its ports to shipping from Greek Cyprus, Greece’s Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas says although Turkey has a place in the bloc, it is not the Turkey of today.
Two Shot Dead in Ongoing Kurdish Protests
Two people were shot dead and several were wounded Tuesday in southeastern Turkey when a shopkeeper fired on demonstrators protesting a court ban on the country’s main Kurdish party, a local official said.
Bipartisan Senate Letter Rebukes Turkey for Worsening Israel Ties
A bipartisan letter sent to the Turkish Embassy from 10 US senators on December 7 sharply rebuked the Turkish government for the “downward trend of relations between Turkey and Israel this past year,” reported the Weekly Standard’s Blog on Monday.
How Sweet It Is
Paul Krekorian won the election for LA’s second council district seat! This is a credit to very good organization, outreach to the many communities and components that make up that weirdly gerrymandered district, and also a very respectable turnout and effort by the Armenian community and ANC. It’s also proof that organization can trump money.
Gordon Urges Turkey to Drop Karabakh Condition For Armenia Ties
Within days of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan clearly linking the normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan to a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a senior US State Department official urged Turkey to make progress on normalization efforts without setting preconditions.
ARF Parliament Leader Meets with U.S. Representatives, East Coast Communities
Armen Rustamian, a leading member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Supreme Council in Armenia is touring East Coast Armenian-American communities visiting with congressional and other U.S. government representatives, announced the ARF Eastern US Central Committee. Rustamyan is also a member of Armenia’s National Assembly, serving as chairman of its Standing Committee on Foreign Relations. During his visit, he will discuss a wide range of issues tied to Armenia’s foreign policy and will reiterate the ARF’s continued opposition to the Armenia-Turkey protocols.
Erdogan Denies Genocide, Links Karabakh to Armenia Ties On Prime Time TV
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared on the Charlie Rose show on Tuesday evening to discuss his meeting with President Obama in Washington DC earlier this week. Speaking on Prime-Time television, he directly linked the normalization of his country’s relations with Armenia to a pro-Azerbaijani settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Kremlin Ready To Reopen Georgia Border Crossing
Russia is ready to reopen its main border crossing with Georgia heavily used by Armenian exporters despite refusing to deal with the current Georgian leadership, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.