On September 14th, 13 Democratic candidates are vying for an open-seat in the Maryland State Assembly’s 16th district primary. Nanor Mahdessian sat down with Hrant Jamgochian to discuss his candidacy, his recent endorsements by the Washington Post and Maryland Gazette, and the prospect of becoming the first Armenian American in the Maryland State Legislature.

To learn more about or support Jamgochian’s candidacy, visit: http://www.gojamgo.com

Nanor Mahdessian (NM): On September 1, the Gazette writes, “Hrant Jamgochian, health policy director for United Way Worldwide, also possesses timely expertise. His knowledge of the recent national health care overhaul could help bring more federal dollars and assistance to Maryland.” Not only do you have Washington Post on your side, but also Gazette. What does this mean to you?

Hrant Jamgochian (HJ): The Washington Post endorsement was amazing and really provided a tremendous bounce for my campaign. The Gazette endorsement only builds on my campaign’s momentum. The Washington Post is a well-known newspaper across the country and in our district [District 16]. At the same time the Gazette is a really good local paper that is widely read, which brings additional enthusiasm to the campaign. The most important endorsement however, is that of the voters in my district, many of whom are following the race as closely as these two media outlets.

NM: One of your priorities has been Health Care, as member-elect, how would you approach this issue?

HJ: I am extremely passionate about health. I have spent most of my career working to improve patient access to health care, and currently serve as the director of health care policy at United Way Worldwide. I want to make sure that Marylanders take advantage of the new Health Care reform law, much of which will be implemented at state level. First, I will work to ensure that insurance is affordable, by making sure that our exchange is strong when Marylanders who purchase insurance outside of their employers’ plans. Second, state oversight of insurance will be important to help ensure we start to see some of the savings envisioned in the new law. Third, we need to connect patients to care, educating them about the many new benefits included in the new law, which are designed to shift our system of “sick care” to one which prioritizes keeping us healthy. There is still much in the new law that is yet to be determined, so it will be critical to elect policy makers with a strong understanding of how our health care system works and the steps we need to take to further improve it while preserving the best it has to offer.

NM: What about the other important agenda items on your campaign, such as the economy and education?

HJ: We need to prioritize our economy. It all starts here. If we want to address our budget deficit we need to grow our tax base, which means getting people back to work, which in turn provides the critical resources we need to protect the most vulnerable in our population. First, we need to ensure that business have access to the capital they need, which starts with us streamlining the application process for small business loans. Next, we need to increase incentives to attract new industries like high paying “green jobs.” Finally, we need to leverage federal resources and knowledge to ensure that business and government are partners not adversaries as both benefit from our shared success.

When it comes to education, I appreciate the importance of a good education, which is why I’m the only candidate who has a post-graduate degree. Education has opened many doors in my professional career and I want to ensure everyone in my district has the same opportunities. That starts by addressing the overcrowding in our public school system, ensuring teacher accountability and also prioritizing STEM education [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education] at every level.

NM: How has your Armenian background influenced your policies?

HJ: My passion for public service started when I was a boy scout of the Homenetmen Armenian Athletic and Scouting Organization. My sense of community was also reinforced by my active involvement in my church. As a result, I went into a career in the non-profit sector working to make a difference. I have also remained active in the Armenian community and I am fortunate to have such strong support. Of course, my candidacy is much more than just me. I plan to represent everyone in my district and hope to encourage others towards public service as well. If elected, I will be the first Armenian American to serve in the Maryland General Assembly, but hope to be known for the policies that I help to advance to improve the lives of everyone in our state.

NM: The election is in less than a week, what do you want to tell the voters?

HJ: I would like to point out that every vote counts, especially in a race with 13 candidates. Please do not underestimate the impact you can have, especially in a race like this. We have a lot of challenges in our state, so we need to elect candidates who have the experience and leadership in addressing complex problems, which is why I received such strong endorsements from The Washington Post and The Gazette. Therefore, even if you do not live in my district, but know friends who do, make sure you tell them to vote on Tuesday, September 14 and let them know why they should support my candidacy. While we are only a few days away from the primary election, many of the individuals in my district are still making-up their minds, so don’t wait. Call your friends and family today. In a race that could be decided by a handful of votes your efforts could be the difference.

Both ceremonies will be broadcast on the internet and can be viewed live on the Diocesan website its Ustream page.

http://www.armenianchurchwd.com/consecration
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/pontifical-visit-2010

Members of the general public attending either the Consecration Ceremony or the Pontifical Divine Liturgy will have access to parking at Woodbury University, located across the street from the Western Diocese. Parking is limited and attendees are encouraged to arrive at least 30 minutes before each event.

Since Sunday is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and requiem services are not offered on major religious feasts, memorial prayers will be said for the more than 3000 victims of the tragedy.

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)—During a meeting with the French, US and Russian co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group Thursday, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian said the inclusion of Karabakh in peace talks was essential and would greatly enhance the process.

After visiting Baku and Stepanakert the co-chairmen, Russia’s Igor Popov, France’s Bernard Fassier and the US’s Robert Bradtke, concluded their visit to the region in Yerevan, where they also met with President Serzh Sarkisian.

High on the agenda was the rampant cease fire violations in Karabakh, which in the last month have resulted in at least four fatalities on the Azeri side, when they breached the cease fire regime firing on Karabakh units.

The President’s office reported that Sarkisian and the co-chairmen jointly agreed that the recent cease-fire violations “reflect negatively on the negotiating process.”

Nalbandian and the co-chairmen also discussed future steps in the process, but no clear indication was made on the progress ofthe talks. The co-chairmen indicated in Stepanakert Wednesday that they would issue an announcement after meetings in Armenia.

An issue that took center stage was the co-chairmen’s announcement Monday proposing a “field assessment mission to observe the humanitarian situation” in the liberated territories surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which would reportedly take place from September to October.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported Thursday that the leadership of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic had “not yet accepted” the proposed mission, which would also include the participation of the Office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees and other international bodies.

“We are not against the idea in principle,” Davit Babayan, Karabakh President Bako Sahakian’s spokesman, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “But there are still some technical issues and our final position will probably be clarified soon.”

“We are looking into the matter,” Babayan said without elaborating on those issues. He made clear that the mission can not go ahead without the Karabakh Armenians’ consent.

Another matter making waves during this visit was a comment made by Fassier, who told reporters that when visiting Nagorno-Karabakh the delegation crossed the “line of contact and not the [Karabakh] border.”

“Mr. Fassier is an experienced diplomat and he wasn’t mistaken in saying that the Co-Chairmen had crossed the contact-line and not the border, for two reasons. First, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen crossed the contact-line of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan’s military positions from Karabakh proper, which is under Azerbaijan’s occupation thus far. And second, this is the section of the contact-line that is gradually turning into a area of conflict between the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan armed forces, due to the continued aggression by Azerbaijan,” explained the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Foreign Ministry in a statement.

The foreign ministry was referring to the territories of Shahumian and Getashen, which remain under Azeri occupation since the conclusion of the cease-fire agreement.

“Exactly for this reason, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen personally conducted the monitoring, crossing the contact-line aimed at the reduction of confrontation between the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan armed forces,” the statement said.

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

In response to questions raised during his Senate confirmation process about the potential conflict of interest between his professional work and the Caucasus-related advocacy of his wife, Caspian energy expert Zeyno Baran, Matthew Bryza, the U.S. Ambassador-designate to Azerbaijan, asserted that: “Since January 2009, she has conducted no conferences, briefings, studies or other official work related to the South Caucasus.” Furthermore, Mr. Bryza stated: “She has received no salary from the Hudson Institute since May 2009 and was officially placed on leave without pay, June 2009.”

The record clearly shows otherwise.

The following publicly available citations point to instances in which Ms. Baran has, since January of 2009, undertaken work on behalf of the Hudson Institute regarding the South Caucasus. The Hudson Institute, for its part, receives funding from the energy industry, including from firms doing business in Azerbaijan, and has cosponsored programs with Azerbaijani and Turkish business interests.

January 2009 – Quoted in an article: “Pipeline Talks put Turkey at Center Stage”
Relevant excerpt: “The fact that Turkey’s demands have not been resolved prior to the summit has left a question mark in people’s minds,” said Zeyno Baran, Director of the Center for Eurasian Policy, who will be attending the summit. “Turkey has always been seen as the alternative, safe, reliable transit route to Europe and we are all just hoping this is only a hiccup and not more difficult to resolve.”

February 2009 – Conference: “Energy Security Challenges to Europe and Eurasia Conference”
Moderated Panel Three: Turkmen & Kazakh Gas and Oil Exports: Key Factor in Western Energy Security (sponsored by Chevron)
Relevant excerpt: “Zeyno Baran: Director, Center for Eurasian Policy, Hudson Institute”

Each of the following instance occurred after the date that Mr. Bryza asserted that Ms. Baran went on leave without pay from the Hudson Insitute:

July 2009 – Conference: “2nd International Black Sea Symposium: The Black Sea Region: the State of Play and the Way Forward”
Relevant excerpts: “4) Zeyno Baran, Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C.” and “6) Matthew J. Bryza, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.”

August 2009 – Quoted in article: “Turkey woos Russia as EU hopes dim”
Relevant excerpt: “‘Europeans need to really understand what’s going on in Turkey, how close it has gotten to Russia as opposed to Europe and the US,’ Zeyno Baran, an energy expert at the US-based Hudson Institute, told EUobserver.com, an online publication dealing with EU affairs.”

August 2009 – Quoted in article: “Russia, Turkey sign major gas deal to rival EU gas project”
Relevant excerpt: “Experts, however, warn that in case the South Stream will be built the EU will be forced to buy Caspian gas at a much higher price. ‘If South Stream is built, Nabucco will not be, for all that Caspian gas is going to pour into the South Stream,’ Zeyno Baran, a Turkish-American energy expert with the Washington-based Hudson Institute stated.”

August 2009 – “Turkey plays double game on EU Energy Security”
Relevant excerpt: “I argue that if South Stream is built, Nabucco will not be, at least not for Caspian gas,” Zeyno Baran, a Turkish-American energy expert with the Washington-based Hudson Institute, told Euobserver.” She added: “If South Stream is built, all that Caspian gas is going to pour into it. Nabucco is important not only for diversifying Europe’s needs, but it’s also freeing the Central Asian countries and the Caucasian countries from the hold of Russia. Now with this, Turkey sent a signal, whether it to wanted or not, that it doesn’t really care about those countries, it just cares about becoming a gas hub.”

August 2009 – Quoted in an article: “The USA Wants NABUCCO to Go Round Russia”
Relevant excerpt: “The USA have no economic interests in the Nabucco gas pipeline project, as well as there was no economic interest in the oil pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan. This was stated by Zeyno Baran, the Director of the Center for Eurasian Policy at the Hudson Institute. According to Zeyno Baran, who is also a wife of the US State Secretary Deputy Assistant Matthew Bryza, Washington has a pure political interest in these projects.”

November 2009 – Quoted in an article “Schroeder & Fischer continue rivalry with opposing pipeline deals”
Relevant excerpt: “Without Schroeder, the project would never have got off the ground,” says Zeyno Baran, a Eurasian energy expert at the Hudson Institute in New York. The Nord Stream pipeline has had to collect permits from Baltic state nations who fear that the pipeline will seriously upset the ecology of the sea. Denmark, Finland and Sweden have now all agreed. Only Germany and Russia have yet to give the formal nod – and there cannot be much doubt that they will do so.”

May 2010 – Citation in report: “White Stream: A Priority Project of the EU & Integral Component of the Southern Gas Corridor” by the OSCE, Ashgabat
Relevent excerpt: “There were numerous suggestions for White Stream to use LNG option for sea crossing, e.g. Hudson Center article AZERBAIJANI – REALIZING THE VISION, Zeyno Baran, January 2009, published in ‘Azerbaijan Focus.’

June 15, 2010 – Speaker at the NCSJ Board of Governors Meeting “Turkey’s Expanding Influence in the Causcasus and Central Asia” in Washington, D.C.
Relevant excerpt: “Zeyno Baran, Senior Fellow and Director of Center for Eurasian Policy, Hudson Institute”

July 2010 – Quoted in article (in Turkish) as a Hudson Institute energy expert
http://www.haberte.com/news_print.php?id=68866
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haberte.com%2Fnews_print.php%3Fid%3D68866&sl=tr&tl=en (Google English translation)

2010 – Cited as member of editorial board of Azerbaijan Focus: Journal of International Affairs
Relevant excerpt: “Editorial board. . . Elmar Mammadyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan. . . Zeyno Baran, Director, Center for Eurasian Policy, Hudson Institute.”

Dimitris Droutsas said Wednesday he hopes Turkey will show the “necessary political will” to back talks on the island that have produced only limited progress after two years of negotiations between rival leaders.

Cyprus was split into a Turkish Cypriot north and a Greek Cypriot south in 1974 when the Turkish military invaded the island, occupying its northern half after a bloody war that has left Cyprus as the most militarized country on the planet.

The draft resolution aimed to uphold Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and called for the return of so-called Azeri refugees to the liberated territories surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

By introducing this resolution, Azerbaijan aimed to divert the peace process from its current OSCE Minsk Group to the UN, a move that has been opposed by international powers engaged in the process. After a cool reception from the international community, Azerbaijan aimed to promote its efforts within Muslim countries, aiming to secure support across religious lines.

The biggest blow to Azerbaijan’s latest efforts to derail the peace talks came last week, when a non-governmental group known as European Friends of Armenia announced that the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group—France, Russia, the US—would oppose the resolution and urged all European Union member states to join the three powers in opposing it.

“The Azerbaijani draft resolution to be discussed at the UN General Assembly on Thursday 9 September is expected to be voted against by the three Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, France, Russia and the USA,” EuFoA said in a statement last week. “But according to EuFoA’s sources, a common response by all EU countries is not yet clear, despite the longstanding and clear EU support for the Minsk Group.”

“The UN is not the right level to discuss this question because there is only one international mandate to resolve this issue and it lies with the OSCE Minsk Group,” the EuFoA secretary general, Michael Kambeck, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service last week.

“This process has been going on for a long time,” he told RFE/RL. “It is very delicate, it is full of specific sensitivities, and the OSCE Minsk Group is doing a good job. I think we should first let them finish their job.”

“If Azerbaijan really thinks that this has come to a total end, then they should stop the negotiations and cancel everything. But they are not doing that,” Kambeck told RFE/RL.

EuFoA statement warned that by capitalizing on Muslim support for its cause Azerbaijan risks adding a “religious component” to the Karabakh conflict. “This conflict has never been about religion, about Islam versus Christianity,” argued Kambeck. “This is an ethnic conflict, and if now we start adding a religious component to it, it will become even more difficult to resolve the whole conflict.”

Kambeck said the draft resolution is “dangerous” also because it overlooks other principles of international law that are at the heart of the mediators’ existing peace proposals. “This resolution is very single-sided,” he said. “You basically have only two options, as an international body. You either rewrite it completely, or you reject it, if you want to make it a balanced text.”

EuFoA was set up in early 2009 by European parliamentarians and intellectuals to promote Armenia’s integration into European political and economic structures.

Earlier this month, President Serzh Sarkisian warned that the adoption of such a resolution would be a “serious error” on Azerbaijan’s part. Armenia’s foreign ministry also warned that the resolution would “seriously damage” the peace process.

In 2008, Azerbaijan made a similar move at the UN General Assembly. The move, once again, was opposed by the co-chairing countries and was supported by Azerbaijan’s mainly Muslim allies.

PASADENA, Calif., – Continuing a year-long campaign to connect leaders in the City of Pasadena with the local Armenian American community, the Pasadena ANC will be hosting a town hall meeting on September 29th with Mayor Bill Bogaard.

The town hall is open to the public and will begin at 7:30pm at the new Pasadena Armenian Community Center located at 2242 Foothill Boulevard.

The Mayor is a longtime friend of the Armenian American community in Pasadena and a respected policymaker in the southern California region. The town hall meeting will provide an opportunity for residents to hear from Mayor Bogaard on the latest developments in the City of Pasadena and to ask questions on a variety of public policy issues.

“We are pleased to be hosting Mayor Bogaard at a town hall meeting,” said Pasadena ANC leader Dro Hagopian. “Bringing our community together with distinguished public officials, like Mayor Bogaard, and other civic leaders, is something the Pasadena ANC, a grassroots organization, places a high priority on.”

“The Pasadena ANC was pleased to host an outstanding town hall meeting with our new Chief of Police last month and we expect our town hall meeting with Mayor Bogaard to be another outstanding opportunity for Pasadena Armenian Americans to directly engage a public official who is shaping the future of the City of Pasadena,” Hagopian added.

In 2007, Mayor Bogaard began a new four year term as Pasadena’s first City-wide elected mayor. His time in office has been an active period in the City’s history, involving the arrival of the Gold Line light rail transit system with six stations in Pasadena; new housing construction; strengthening of cultural institutions; reform of the public schools; and enhancement of the City’s neighborhoods.

The Mayor is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School, after serving as a U.S. Air Force Captain in Los Angeles and Casablanca, Morocco. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pasadena Educational Foundation and the Pasadena YMCA. In 1997, the City of Pasadena granted him its highest civic recognition, the Arthur Noble Award.

In the private sector, Mayor Bogaard engaged in private law practice, handling financial transactions and mergers and acquisitions, and thereafter served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of First Interstate Bancorp, a financial services holding company. He works as an arbitrator of business disputes and has taught law at the University of Michigan and USC Law School.

All area Armenian Americans are encouraged to attend the town hall meeting with the Mayor. Refreshments and desserts will be available to those attending the town hall meeting.

The Pasadena ANC advocates for the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the area’s Armenian American community and promotes increased Armenian American civic participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Armenia is continuing to trail most countries of the world in terms of the competitiveness of its domestic economy, according to an annual global survey released on Thursday.

Armenia ranks only 98th in the Geneva-based World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) of 139 economies around the world. Neighboring Azerbaijan and Georgia occupy 57th and 93rd places respectively in the rankings.

Each of the countries surveyed was assigned a GCI score based on 12 “pillars of competitiveness,” including the efficiency of public institutions and the labor market, the macroeconomic environment, financial market sophistication and the quality of public healthcare and education.

A slight increase in the Armenian GCI score registered by the WEF in the past year was not enough to improve the country’s position in the rankings. The survey found “notable positive changes” in the fields of health, primary education and higher education. But it said those were mostly nullified by a “significant downward trend” in the macroeconomic situation, an apparent reference to last year’s sharp contraction of the Armenian economy.

“Armenia’s competitive advantages are the low level of redundancy costs, effective labor market regulations, ease of procedures for starting a business, as well as the low business impact of malaria, crime and violence,” concludes the survey. “The list of major disadvantages highlights competition issues, such as effectiveness of anti-monopoly policy, intensity of local competition and extent of market dominance, as well as capital market deficiencies, such as access to local equity and venture capital financing.”

“Our score is rising much more slowly than others countries’ score,” said Manuk Hergnian of the Yerevan-based Economy and Values Center which conducted the Armenian segment of the WEF research.

“That the Armenian government is doing something to improve legal procedures for the opening and management of businesses is evident,” he told journalists, presenting the finding of the survey. “That is reflected in World Bank surveys [on the ease of doing business] that mainly gauge formal business regulations. But problems start when it comes to the implementation of laws, which is what this indicator of competitiveness primarily measure.”

Commenting on government measures that would make the Armenian economy more competitive, Hergnian singled out the need to strengthen business competition and enforce the country’s anti-trust legislation in earnest.

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia (RFE/RL)–Four Armenians were reportedly among at least 16 people killed in a powerful explosion that ripped through a busy market in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of South Ossetia on Thursday.

Sarkisian met with the group to discuss the continued development of relations between the two countries through greater investment in the Armenian economy, and a deeper involvement in the fields of mining, agriculture, education and culture.

Welcoming the group, the Armenian leader praised his country’s relations with Canada, describing them as efficient and multilateral with “a strong base” for realizing its full potential. Sarkisian also stressed his government’s desire to “invigorate” inter-parliamentary interaction between the two countries.

“Canada is important for us as a powerful economy and democracy,” Sarkisian said, acknowledging its historic role as a welcoming host for Armenians. “Canada has become the second motherland [for thousands of Armenians], where they developed their best qualities and served Canada as well as Armenia,” he added.

According to Friendship Group Chairman, Harold Albrecht the large Armenian community of Canada is one of many examples of the “close relations and active cooperation between Armenia and Canada.”Armenians, he added, “provide significant contributions to the development of economic, political, cultural and all other areas of Canada’s life.”

Albrecht discussing the various annual activities of the Friendship Group, explaining that its members raise awareness of the Armenian Genocide and its international recognition throughout Canada.

In their talks, Sarkisian also hailed Canada’s 2006 recognition for the Armenian Genocide and discussed with the ongoing effort to gain international recognition of the crime. “We are grateful to the Parliament and Government of Canada for their position regarding the recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” said Sarkisian. “Canada is one of those few nations where the Parliament and the Government have been unanimous on this issue.”

As a part of the Internship-Externship Program, Alexanian wrote articles and press releases featuring ANC activists and community organizations as well as reporting on events taking place in the Armenian-American community.

During her internship, Alexanian gained hands on experience using online media for youth civic engagement, using social networks, and traditional public relations strategies for outreach to Armenian-American students in the region. A graduate of the ANC Glendale Internship, Alexanian also learned how ANC advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a larger scale, especially through online media.

“As an ANC Glendale intern, I learned about the inner workings of the city government as well as how to directly influence and aid my surrounding community,” said Alexanian. “I was very excited to discover more about the different Armenian American communities within the Western region and how we can tailor our outreach efforts based on the different issues of interest, specific to each area.”

While completing her internship with the ANC-WR, she was fulfilling her externship requirement with Los Angeles City Council Member Paul Krekorian. As an intern in the Council Member’s North Hollywood district office, she assisted with event planning and outreach efforts.

Throughout her years at Crescenta Valley High School, Alexanian has been devoted to aiding both the Armenian and American Communities, completing over 1,000 hours of service while doing so. Valuing the importance of civic engagement, she volunteered on Krekorian’s Los Angeles City Council race as well as Nayiri Nahabedian’s Campaign for State Assembly. Furthermore, Alexanian was a news anchor and reporter for the school’s daily television broadcast, CVTV. Her experience in interviewing and scriptwriting prepared her well for the feature articles she wrote for during her ANC internship.

Alexanian is now attending California State University, Northridge (CSUN) where she will pursue a degree in public relations and political science this autumn. Alexanian plans to become a member of the Armenian-interest sorority, Alpha Gamma Alpha as well as the Armenian Student Association on campus. She will continue to be an active member in the AYF Glendale “Roupen” Chapter.

The Armenian National Committee-Western Region is the largest Armenian American grassroots community organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR works to promote understanding regarding issues of concern to the Armenian American community.

YEREVAN (BTA)—Bulgaria is interested in building a railway link between Armenia and Iran, a Bulgarian Minister said on Thursday as he visited Armenia.

“Any improvement in the field of transportation is beneficial for Bulgaria,” Bulgarian Transport, Information Technology and Communications Minister Aleksandar Tsvetkov said. He added that Armenia is a friend to his country with “traditionally effective” levels of cooperation.

The project, if implemented, will lay 540 km of rail track linking the two neighboring countries, with a bulk of the line passing through Armenia. 480 km of the track will run through Armenia, with the remaining 60km through Iran, Tsvetkov said.

According to Armenia’s Transport and Communications Minister, cooperation between Armenia and Bulgaria has “increased considerably” and will continue to grow. “Armenia’s trade with Bulgaria in 2009 totaled $147 million, and in the first half of 2010 alone, reached $125 million,” Vardanyan said, adding that Bulgaria is among Armenia’s top ten trade partners.

The two ministers met on Thursday at the 6th Session of an Intergovernmental Commission organized by both countries to streamline economic cooperation in trade and science.

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen

STEPANAKERT (Combined Sources)—The French, Russian and US co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group visited Stepanakert Wednesday and met with Nagorno-Karabakh Republic leaders after taking part in a monitoring of the Karabakh-Azerbaijan frontlines.

France’s Bernard Fassier, Russia’s Igor Popov and the US’s Robert Bradtke traveled to Stepanakert after meeting in Baku Tuesday, crossing the border from Mardakert, which has been the scene of the most violent clashes after Azeri forces attacked Karabakh positions. Two such incidents in one week, claimed the lives of at least five Azeri soldiers.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the monitoring of what is called the “line of contact” went according to schedule, adding that no cease-fire violations were registered during the visit.

During talks in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakian expressed concern to the OSCE co-chairmen about the rise in Azeri violation of the cease fire, saying the recent incursions have caused concern and pose a serious threat to the national security of Karabakh.

Calling a military solution to the conflict unacceptable, Sahakian urged the co-chairmen to use their influence to steer Azerbaijan toward a more constructive approach in the continuing peace talks.

“Both sides pointed out that the military option of resolving the conflict is absolutely unacceptable,” said an official statement from the Karabakh Presidential Office.

“I can not share our impressions with you because … we are only in the middle of our mission,” Fassier told journalists in Stepanakert, adding that his Russian and US colleagues would issue a joint communiqué after scheduled talks with President Serzh Sarkisian in Yerevan on Thursday.

Earlier this week, the three co-chairmen issued a statement condemning the recent attacks and cease-fire violations, but refused to acknowledge Azerbaijan’s role as an instigator in the attacks.

Istanbul Patriarcate Archbishop Ateshyan

ISTANBUL (Combined Sources)—Delays in installing a cross atop Holy Cross Church on Akhtamar Island, ahead of a planned Mass on Sept. 19 was blamed on the upcoming constitutional referendum in Turkey, according to Vicar of the Istanbul Patriarchate, Archbishop Aram Ateshyan who discussed the matter with a German publication.

Ateshyan told the Deutche Welle that the Turkish-Armenian community’s enthusiasm for the upcoming Mass at Holy Cross was shattered after news that a cross would not be installed atop the renovated 10th-century Armenian church, rationalizing that a cross would be installed after the scheduled services.

“The Van Governor promised the Armenian community that the cross would without fail be installed after the liturgy. We expected 5,000 people to take part in the liturgy, but the present situation has reduced the number – some people refused to participate. The Holy Sees of Echmiadzin and Cilicia refused to participate in the services,” Ateshyan told the German news organization.

The Mass, which the Turkish government has spearheaded as an effort to show the world its brand of tolerance for minorities, has been mired in controversy as Armenian political and religious forces have boycotted the event.

Citing the Turkish government’s decision to not erect a cross atop the church, the Holy See of Etchimiadzin Saturday reversed an earlier decision to send a high-level delegation to the service. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem also announced that it would not participate in the service, in light of Etchmiadzin’s recent posturing.

However, the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia last week announced that it would not participate in the services, citing the blatant attempt by the Turkish government to capitalize on this religious matter and bolster its standing in the international community.

Calls to boycott the event have been heard from varied political circles in Armenia, including the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and the ruling Republican Party.

The recent wave of boycotts, however, did not deter the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul to push ahead with its plans to hold the Mass.

At an assembly convened in Istanbul, the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul confirmed Monday that the service will be held as planned, despite the fact that a cross may not grace the church’s dome, as had been initially promised.

“The [patriarchate’s] spiritual assembly decided that the organization [of the service] will be held as initially planned, without undergoing any changes,” the patriarchate said in a written statement Monday after the assembly was gathered under Ateshyan’s chairmanship, according to the Anatolia news agency and as reported by Hurriyet.

Thirty nongovernmental organizations criticized the controversy regarding the “cross issue” in a joint statement, according to a report Tuesday by daily Radikal.

After reopening the Holy Cross church in 2007 as a museum following an extensive renovation effort, the Turkish government said it would allow Armenians to hold a Mass in their own church once a year.

Synopsys Armenia chosen by State Department

WASHINGTON—Synopsys in Armenia is one of 12 finalists selected for the Secretary of State’s prestigious 2010 Award for Corporate Excellence.

Synopsys was chosen for the software and programming company’s promotion of U.S. and foreign investors by showcasing Armenia as a potential informational technology hub; collaboration with universities on IT training programs; and reduction of pollution levels by planting hundreds of trees to counter recent deforestation

These U.S. companies were chosen from a record number of 78 nominations submitted by American ambassadors around the world. ACE finalists are international business leaders who recognize the vital role that U.S. businesses play abroad as good corporate citizens.

The Secretary of State has awarded the ACE since 1999 to recognize U.S. businesses for advancing good corporate citizenship, innovation, and democratic principles. The Department of State is committed to working with business to further these best practices worldwide and to recognize efforts to improve lives at home and abroad. The 2010 ACE winners will be announced at the annual ceremony hosted by the Secretary of State later this fall.

Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Official Yerevan disapproved of Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze on Wednesday for reportedly describing Armenia’s latest defense agreement with Russia as a threat to regional security.

Vashadze was quoted by the Azerbaijani APA news agency as saying on Tuesday that the deal extending Russia’s lease on a military base in Armenia until 2044 and upgrading its mission will impede “stability, security and cooperation” in the South Caucasus. 

“The sole goal of the Russian military base is to heighten tension in the region. The extension of the term of that base’s deployment in Armenia by 24 years and the change in its functions poses a big threat to the region,” he said, according to APA.

Vashadze’s reported remarks were at odds with official Tbilisi’s initial reaction to the Russian-Armenian pact that was voiced by Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalanadze. She said late last month that Yerevan remains “conscious of threats to Georgia emanating from Russia.” “We have no reason to suspect that Armenia is calling regional security into question in any way,” added Kalanadze.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. The ministry spokeswoman did not respond to phone calls throughout the day.

Commenting on the statement attributed to Vashadze, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan said, “We do not share that view.” He suggested at the same time that it was distorted by the government-controlled Azerbaijani media outlet.

“In any case, no foreign official has the right to meddle in our affairs and make comments on our security issues,” Balayan told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. He added that Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will telephone Vashadze to discuss the matter later in the day.

Nalbandian’s office reported no such phone conversation as of 9 p.m. local time.

Vashadze met with Armenia’s ambassador in Tbilisi, Hrach Silvanian, on August 31, less then two weeks after the signing of the Russian-Armenian accord. His press office said they spoke about the “the need to further strengthen ties traditionally existing between the two countries and the importance of carrying out bilateral visits.”

Armenian Army officers

YEREVAN (ArmRadio)—A 10-member military brigade from the Armenian Armed Forces left for Budva, Montenegro, Wednesday to take part in the “Doctor-2010” military training program under the Partnership for Peace initiative organized by the US European Command.

Representatives of the Armenian armed forces have been participating in this annual military training since 2004. The main purpose of the training is to develop the skills of military medical practitioners and medical units of NATO member and partner states in emergency situations together with multinational rescue missions or during international peacekeeping missions.

Since the September 1, 20 communication officers of Armenia’s Army have been participating in the signal and communication system implementation “Combined Endeavour – 2010” annual military exercises in Germany and Romania. These too are being conducted under the Partnership for Peace initiative.

The initial planning conference of the military exercises was held in Yerevan in January.

Armenian Army staff officers will also participate in a joint US-Ukraine peacekeeping exercises in Lvov.

Cast of "Beast on the Moon"

HOLLYWOOD—Seta and Aram have one thing in common: they survived. Now, this young photographer and his mail-order bride—two exiles in a foreign land—must look to their future together in order to heal the past. Olga Konstantulakis and Zadran Wali star in Richard Kalinoski’s critically acclaimed, award-winning drama, Beast on the Moon—a lyrical triumph of hope, humanity, and love.

“Yes, you are my husband, and I am grateful, but I am Armenian too, I am a dead person living too…” –Seta, BotM, Act Two, Scene Three

1920’s Milwaukee. In ordering his bride, Aram Tomasian saves a teenage girl, Seta, from a shared peril: the Armenian holocaust. His plan is to start a family, one big enough to replace the family ripped from him—the plan is to start over in America. But, as the couple struggles to redefine family amidst grief and displacement, these kindred strangers realize a love deeper than ever imagined. This sensitive, yet humorous love story has moved audiences in 17 countries, and won more than 40 awards.

“Largely the notion of a young girl making something out of almost nothing–her courage inspired me. She reminds me a little of Anne Frank…courage in the midst of despair…I was fascinated with what a young girl might do when her husband (a stranger) encounters her–the play is very much about the table–where their lives get negotiated…I have always been interested in how relationships/marriages get negotiated; handled. This is a play about how “romance” comes later–much later.” –Richard Kalinoski, Playwright

Richard Kalinoski’s Beast on the Moon won the 2001 Best Play from the Repertory prize at the Moliere Awards in Paris. The Wisconsin native has distinguished himself as a playwright by writing plays with great international appeal. Indeed, since emerging as a “triumph” (Ben Brantley, The New York Times) at the 1995 Humana Festival, Beast on the Moon has been translated into 17 languages and produced in venues all over the world, such as Athens, Brussels, London, Moscow, New York (off-Broadway), Prague, Sao Paolo, and Toronto. It has garnered a host of awards including the Osborn – “Best New Play in America by an Emerging Playwright”, awarded by the American Theatre Critics Association in 1996, and, in 2001, five Ace Awards, including Best Play, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2005, President of Armenia Robert Kachadarian awarded Kalinoski the Khorenatsi Medal for contribution to the Arts from the country of Armenia. Kalinoski also spent a year at the National Playwrights Conference, and a year as Dramaturg under Lloyd Richards at the O’Neill Center.

“My mother is a WWII Holocaust survivor and I emigrated to Canada from communist Poland when I was ten years-old, fleeing antisemitism and the suppression of basic human rights. Stories of immigrants, outsiders, the oppressed and the disenfranchised always are of interest to me, especially when they are presented in an interesting artistic context.

Director Paul Lampert has worked extensively as a director, actor, and teacher. His European directing credits include the national premiere of “Oleanna” for the Stary Theatre in Kraków, Poland; “Raised In Captivity” in Berlin, Germany; “I Claudia” in Barcelona, Shanghai and Munich; twice directing at the renowned East 15 Acting School in London, England; and, most recently, directing “Problem Child” in Munich, Germany. His many directing credits in Canada include work for the Actors Repertory Company, Globe Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Persephone Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Tattoo, The Great Canadian Theatre Company, Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, The National Theatre School of Canada, the renowned Shaw Festival and the Blyth Festival. He has taught in Canada, England, Poland, Sweden, Cuba, Austria, Switzerland and China.

“Simply put, I fell in love with the play and its profound humanity. It left an indelible mark on me upon reading, and as many plays as I continued to read and work on since, I kept coming back to Beast on the Moon. I knew I had to tell this story.” -Olga Konstantulakis, Co-Producer, Malabar Hill Films

Olga Konstantulakis is an actor/producer based in LA, and a partner at Malabar Hill Films. Recent LA theatre credits include: Beatrice in Modigliani and Mademoiselle “Y” in The Stronger (People’s Theater), Collette in Four Dogs and a Bone (Lisa Robertson Studio/Coast Playhouse), Bess in Bury the Dead (ICAP/Union Film & Theatre Co.) and Cecily in The Importance of being Ernest (ICAP Theatre). In 2005, she produced and starred in Miss Julie, at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal, which garnered a MECCA nomination and was noted as “one of the most memorable productions of 2005,” by the Montreal Gazette.

Malabar Hill Films strives to create works of art that illuminate different facets of the world, yet speak to a global audience.
        
THE FACTS: 
Beast on the Moon
By Richard Kalinoski
Directed by Paul Lampert – http://www.paullampert.com/
Costume Designer: Sarah Register (Behind the Gates, All My Sons)
Lighting Designer: Tom Ontiveros (Lascivious Something)
Dialect Consultant: Joel Goldes
Production Stage Manager: Shazia Malik
Assistant Producer: Rita Rani
 
OPENING: September 11th and running through October 17th
Thursday – Saturday @ 8pm, Sunday @ 2pm
Previews September 9& 10 (@8pm)
 

“Turkey pursues a multidimensional foreign policy as a requirement of its historical and cultural responsibilities. Turkey needs the EU as much as the EU needs Turkey,” said Çavuşoğlu, who spoke Saturday at a conference in Sweeden dedicated to Turkey’s role in the EU.

He also dismissed speculation of an “axis shift” and said Turkey’s active participation in international organizations such as PACE, the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and NATO is proof that there is no “shift of axis” in Turkish foreign policy.

Speaking about the constitutional reform package that will go to a national referendum on Sept. 12, the PACE president said Turkey will get closer to EU standards once the public endorses the changes. “We attach great importance to this constitutional package,” he added.

Çavuşoğlu also noted that Turkey has good relations with Europe and with its own neighbors and that Turkey is eager to improve ties with countries in the region. In that regard he pointed out Turkey’s relations with neighboring Armenia, saying that Ankara would normalize ties with Yerevan but “we want Armenia to withdraw from the territories it has occupied in Azerbaijan.”

ETCHMIADZIN, Armenia—Official Etchmiadzin announced Saturday that it will not take part in the Mass scheduled to take place on Sept. 19 at Akhtamar because Turkish authorities have declined to place a cross on top of the Holy Cross Church.

“The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin learned with regret and disappointment that the placing of the cross on top of the dome of the Church of the Holy Cross at Akhtamar is being postponed by the Turkish authorities without cause. The Mother See had been assured that the consecrated cross would be permanently placed on the dome of the church one week prior to the celebration of Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Holy Cross, scheduled for Sun., Sept. 19,” said the official Etchmiadzin announcement.

“Taking into account the breach of the assurances provided regarding the placement of the cross, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin—which was prepared to satisfy the request of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople to send two representatives to participate in the Divine Liturgy—is suspending the participation of her representatives in the celebration of the Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Cross at Akhtamar on Sept. 19,” concluded the announcement.

Last week, the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia also announced that it would not send representatives to the Akhtamar Mass.

Upon the Etchmiadzin announcement Saturday, Archbishop Aris Shirvanian, Director of Ecumenical and Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Jerusalem Patriarchate’s Holy Synod told Armenian-American publisher and Asbarez columnist Harout Sassounian that he would not participate in the Akhtamar events.

Earlier in August, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party spoke out against Armenian participation in the Mass. The party’s spokesman, Eduard Sharmazanov, denounced the Turkish government’s decision to reopen it for a one-day religious ceremony on Sept. 19 as a publicity stunt and “provocation” aimed at misleading the international community. “Once again, instead of taking a serious step, the Turks are staging an imitation show,” Sharmazanov told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “I don’t think you can achieve tolerance and solidarity of civilizations in that way.”

In turn, Armenian Revolutionary Federation political affairs director Giro Manoyan had urged Armenians to boycott the Mass. “I think it would be wrong to go there on a day set by Turkey and especially in these conditions of blockade… I don’t want to blame believers willing to go there but they must know that they somewhat contribute to the Turkish provocation,” said Manoyan.

STEPANAKERT (Combined Sources)—The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Armed Forces reported an attack on Karabakh position by Azeri forces Saturday that left two Azeri soldiers dead and became the second such breach of the cease-fire by Azerbaijan in one week.

Terming it “sabotage” by Azeri forces, the Karabakh army said the deadly clashes, in which land mines were set off by Azeris, took place in the same area as an attack last Tuesday, which claimed the lives of seven Azeri soldiers.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry confirmed on Saturday that one of its soldiers had been killed but said the attack was initiated by the Armenian side and set off a heavy exchange of gunfire. Private Azerbaijani television station ANS TV reported on Saturday that a wounded Azerbaijani soldier later died in the hospital.

Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian urged international attention on the continued cease-fire violation by Azerbaijan.

“In the current situation, both the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the Republic of Armenia are ready to respond to any action from the other side, whether it be an armed provocation or diplomatic steps on the international level,” he said. “I think the situation has gone too far that the time has come for the international community and mediators to make certain statements, because one of the sides [in the negotiation process] is trying to disrupt it. The Armenian side is ready for negotiations, for a compromise decision.”

BAKU (Combined Sources)–International mediators on Monday issued a statement deploring the growing wave of Azeri military incursions across the Nagorno-Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact, the OSCE Press Office reported.

In a joint statement issued in Baku, the Russia, French and American co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group “strongly condemned” any violation of the 1994 ceasefire agreement between Karabakh and Azerbaijan and, in particular, “incursions across the Line of Contact.”

The statement went on to deplore the “useless loss of life” and tacitly warned that the use of force to resolve the conflict “would only lead to suffering, devastation, and a legacy of conflict and hostility that would last for generations.”

The statement came two days after a deadly Azeri incursion into northeastern Karabakh when, according to the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army, about a dozen Azerbaijani commandos attacked one of its outposts early in the morning with the apparent aim of capturing an Armenian soldier.

“In response to the most recent incidents along the Line of Contact, [the Co-Chairs] also strongly condemn any violation of the cease-fire, in particular incursions across the Line of Contact,

The statement also condemned a similar incident last week, when Azeri units breached the cease-fire agreement in an attempt to overrun Karabakh positions in the same area.

The same section of the frontline was also the scene of another serious skirmish when Azeri forces launched an attack killing four Armenian soldiers on June 18.

“During this period of intense activity, the Co-Chairs urge all parties to respect strictly the cease-fire and to exercise restraint on the ground,” the Minsk Group co-chairs said in the statement. They also called on the conflicting parties to “demonstrate the convincing political will to engage in serious dialogue” and “abstain from inflammatory public statements.”

The co-chairs also pledged to intensify their efforts to secure a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, adding that they would embark on a new round of shuttle diplomacy between Armenia, Karabakh and Azebaijan in the coming days.

“The Co-Chairs will travel to Baku, Yerevan, and Nagorno-Karabakh [from] September 6-10 to discuss additional actions necessary to strengthen the cease-fire, to promote a spirit of compromise by all parties, and to finalize modalities for further action,” the statement said. “During the third full week of September, the Co-Chairs will travel to Washington, D.C. and then to New York to work with the sides on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.”

Meanwhile, the Azeri Press Agency reported Monday that the three co-chairs and a team of OSCE field officers will monitor on Wednesday the ceasefire regime in the violated area along the contact line.

The co-chairs said the co-chairs would return to the region in mid-October to conduct a “field assessment mission” of the humanitarian situation in the liberated Armenian territories surrounding Karabakh.  But it did not mention whether the conflicting parties would hammer out their remaining differences over the basic principles of a Karabakh settlement proposed by the Minsk Group.

“A team of high-level advisors and experts, including representatives from the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and others, are expected to accompany the Co-Chairs on their mission, which will be the first international mission in these territories since the OSCE fact finding mission in early 2005,” the statement said.

The Co-Chairs will then brief the OSCE Minsk Group in Vienna on their findings and then “present their annual activity report to the OSCE Permanent Council” in preparation of the OSCE summit in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana scheduled for December.

These efforts, however, will only be successful if “if all sides to the conflict demonstrate a genuine interest in achieving progress,” according to The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Kazakhk Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, who released a statement on Monday echoing the mediators’ concern and condemnation.

“I support today’s statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs calling on the parties to the conflict to exercise restraint, and to strictly observe the ceasefire and refrain from inflammatory public statements,” he said.

The statement also added that “any violation of the ceasefire would destabilize” the Minsk Group negotiations, “limiting opportunities to enhance constructive dialogue” between the sides. In this regard,

The European Union on Monday also chimed in to express its concern over Azerbaijan’s repeated incursions, News.am reported.

“The European Union is concerned with the frequent incidents recently on the cease-fire line, the EU’s Special Envoy to the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby, told ANS television during a visit to Baku. “It is necessary to concentrate on peace negotiations,”

STEPANAKERT (ArmRadio)—Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakian sought over the weekend to reassure the Karabakh Defense Forces that his government would “do everything possible” to support and maintain army preparedness following a recent string of cease-fire violations by Azerbaijan, The presidential press service reported.

Sahakian made his comments after a failed Azeri commando raid on Karabakh Defense Army positions on Saturday. The weekend skirmish led to the death of two Azeri soldiers and is the latest in a recent wave of border skirmishes instigated by the Azeri side. Earlier last week, one Armenian soldier was wounded after Azeri army units attempted to overrun defense positions in northeastern Karabakh.

“The authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic will do everything possible to keep the military equipment of the Defense Army on a proper level and nothing will be spared,” Sahakian said at a meeting with the Defense Army’s military council.

But ensuring the supply of modern military hardware is not enough, he noted, adding that “it’s necessary to keep soldier morale high” through comprehensive measures that address their psychological, educational and social needs.

Sahakian condemned the recent string of border violations by Azerbaijan as “subversive terrorist acts that pose a threat to both regional security and the entire civilized world.” He underscored that the only way to prevent the ongoing aggression is to put forth a strong defense. If Karabakh’s Defense Forces cannot rebuff the attacks, he warned that “instability will increase [in the region]

The Karabakh leader also used the opportunity to bestow medals to a group of servicemen for successfully defending against the Azeri raid on Saturday.

Nisanyan told the Armenian Weekly in an email that he is “now appealing to the European Court for Human Rights.”

The Nisanyan Hotels are located in Sirince, Izmir, a village of around 600 inhabitants in the Aegean hills. Nisanyan settled there 15 years ago, and almost single-handedly turned the small village into a booming tourist spot.

Nisanyan purchased and renovated many houses in Sirince, using traditional methods of building while preserving the aesthetics that are authentic to the area. He then converted them into what are known today as the Nisanyan Hotels.

Nisanyan noted that to date, 16 criminal charges have been brought against him–all related to “unauthorized construction,” “unauthorized repair work,” and “defying government orders”– calling for a 50-year prison sentence. Five cases have concluded, serving him with a total of 10.5 years in prison. His appeals are pending.

Nisanyan, who was awarded the 2004 Freedom of Thought Award by the Human Rights Association of Turkey, has often voiced views that are controversial in the tightly censored Turkish society. His last comments about the Armenian Genocide, made during a Turkish television debate program, resulted in the punishment of the airing station by Turkey’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK), which claimed Nisanyan’s comments were excessively critical and “humiliated the Republic of Turkey.”

Many believe that the demolition order is meant to punish Nisanyan for his outspokenness (click here for more details).

In Nisanyan’s own words to the Weekly, “’The Armenian who openly defies the Turkish state is something they cannot tolerate.”

The delegation came from the U.S. to Turkey around two weeks ago to warn banks and private companies not to do business with Iranian companies, Milliyet reported.

The visit came in the wake of a fourth round of sanctions approved on June 9 by the U.N. Security Council against Iran for its nuclear programs. In late June, the U.S. and the EU imposed their own stricter sanctions and asked other countries to the same. Turkey declined to follow the tougher sanctions, saying it would abide by the U.N.’s rules.

“Due to American pressure, a great problem is being experienced in money transfers from Iran to the Turkish banking sector,” a top executive of a large bank told Milliyet, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “The Americans have threatened us with freezing our assets abroad. We may also face a risk of arrest on our trips abroad if we carry out any transfers with those Iranian banks.”

The U.S. delegation, whose members were not revealed, also warned that it might blacklist Turkish state and private banks that do business with Iranian banks. A list of names of people, companies and institutions that have relations with Iran has been given to Turkish banks by the delegation, the top executive told Milliyet.

“The U.S. had already warned Turkey about Libya and Iran,” he said. “But after the delegation’s trip in August, this pressure has significantly increased and now we are experiencing serious problems in banking transactions.

Alongside tougher rules on financial transactions with Iranian banks, the latest U.N. sanctions prohibit Iran from buying heavy weapons such as attack helicopters and missiles, and increase the number of Iranian individuals and companies targeted with asset freezes and travel bans. There is also a new framework for cargo inspections to detect and stop Iran’s acquisition of illicit materials. Turkey and Brazil voted against the new round of U.N. sanctions in June and Lebanon abstained.

“Due to the embargo imposed by the U.S. and the European Union on Iran, there has been a serious contraction in transaction volume between [Turkish and Iranian] banks,” he said.

In addition to private banks, state banks also have commercial relations with Iranian counterparts.

The delegation from the U.S. also met with state institutions and companies including the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the Turkish Treasury, the Financial Crimes Investigative Board, or MASAK, the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency, or BDDK, the Turkish Banks Association, or TBB, Turkey’s top refiner Tüpraş and the state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation, or TPAO.

The delegation warned the institutions and companies not to do business with companies and banks related to Iran, Milliyet said.