Welcome to the fourth issue of your Chamber’s E-Newsletter, in which
you will find the latest chamber news, and business related stories
from Australia and Armenia.
To ensure our chamber continues to run smoothly,
please remember to do the following, if you haven't already done so:
1. Pay your membership dues
2. Send in your member details update form with or without changes-
this is vital, as we need to update our membership database.
As this is YOUR newsletter, we would welcome your comments
and suggestions concerning this edition, and also suitable material
for inclusion in next month’s email. To submit comments, suggestions
and editorial material please contact Elaine Clayton or Harmick Hacobian
on (02) 9418 9964. Articles concerning your own business's services
and activities would be welcomed.
Looking forward to see you at the next networking night....
PS. To forward this email to a friend, use the Forward to A Friend Link at the bottom of this page. Click here to go to there now.
VISIT
ARMENIA WITH THE CHAMBER IN MAY 2006!
Travel
Cafe Sydney is currently preparing a package for Chamber members who
are interested in visiting Armenia to learn more about the business
opportunities the country can offer. This trip is currently scheduled
for May 2006, and as a minimum of ten persons are needed, the Travel
Cafe would appreciate it if members could ring Harmick Hacobian if
they are interested in participating. Details of the package will
be made available in the next edition of ACCA Aware.
September
It is less than a week until we hold our next
networking night!! To assist us in running this event please RSVP ASAP.
The Chamber's next networking night will be held on the 7th
of September at the Lane Cove Rive Steak House, located at 213 Delhi
Rd, Chatswood. The function will start at 7.00pm. Tickets will
cost $40 for members and $45 for non-members, and will include a two
course meal and soft drinks (a cash bar has also been organised). On
the night, two members will be given the opportunity to promote their
business- if you are interested in making a presentation, please contact
Harmick Hacobian.
THE
2005 ARMENIAN PLATINUM BUSINESS DIRECTORY WILL BE LAUNCHED AT THE ARMENIAN
CULTURAL FESTIVAL ON THE 18th OF SEPTEMBER.
PLEASE VISIT OUR STAND AT THE EVENT TO OBTAIN A COPY.
COPIES OF THE DIRECTORY WILL ALSO BE POSTED IN THE LAST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER
TO ALL ACCA MEMBERS, ADVERTISERS AND OVER 3000 ARMENIAN HOUSEHOLDS.
A SPECIAL SHIPMENT OF THE DIRECTORIES WILL ALSO BE SENT TO OUR MELBOURNE
OFFICE.
Participating in our AGM, will give you
the opportunity to have your say into how the Chamber is run.
You are cordially
invited to attend our 2005 Annual General Meeting, which is
scheduled for 7.00pm on the 12th of October and will be held
at the Willoughby Legions Club.
Please RSVP by the 2nd of October to Harmick Hacobian on (02)
9427 1011.
When History Hurts
Article
from the Economist discussing how Turkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide
is barring their entry to the EU. Click here to read.
Australian
company Iberian Resources invests in Armenian Gold Mine Article
from the Australian
Click here to read.
Moving Marriott Across the Globe American-Armenians
invest in Yerevan's landmark hotel Click here for
full story.
From
Panel Beater to Billionaire- The Graeme Hart Story
click here for more.
Armentel
to Improve Quality of Mobile Communication
Armenia's leading phone company has committed itself to improving the
quality of mobile communications in Armenia. Click
here for full story.
VivaCell
Embarks on Selling Business Phone Cards to Reduce
Telecommunication Costs in Armenia
click here for more.
118 Million USD has been Allocated
to Improve Armenia's Water Supply
click here for more.
Celebrate the 170th Anniversary
of the Armenian Church in Singapore with fellow Chamber Members.
click here for more.
LATEST
DRAM RATES
USD $1 = 439.5 DRAM
AUD
$1 = 334.865 DRAM
For the latest currency rates click here
The ACCA
will be holding a special members networking event on Melbourne Cup
Day, so get ready to enjoy the excitement of the race that stops a nation
with your fellow chamber members.
Details of this event are currently being finalised and will be sent
to you via email shortly.
The Platinum launch will be held at the
Manly Pacific Hotel, with tickets costing $100 for members and $110
for non-members, including a three course dinner, beer, wine and soft
drinks and live entertainment. To book your tickets please contact Harmick
Hacobian on 9427 1011.
Whilst
the 2005/2006 Armenian Platinum Business Directory will be launched in
September, we will be postponing the official celebrations until November
the 18th, to ensure we have ample time to organise a function
that matches the caliber of our new directory.
If
you have paid your membership dues, you should receive your colourful
new membership card in the post this week. When you receive your card
make sure to place it in your wallet, and to fill in the BENEFITS SCHEME
PARTICIPATION FORM. All members will have the opportunity to participate
in our new membership benefits scheme, which will help to encourage
trade between ACCA members.
IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY PAID
YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES PLEASE DO SO IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
ABOUT YOUR DUES PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE ASAP.
5/43 Burns Bay Rd, Lane Cove, NSW 2066 PH: 02 9418 9965 FAX: 02 9418 6911
www.armenianchamber.com.au
In theory, Turkey's rendezvous with the Union—entry talks are due to
start in October—should be good news for the Turkish scholars who have
risked prosecution by challenging the official line, which holds that
the mass deportation of Armenians in 1915 did not amount to a conspiracy
to kill them. And earlier this year, there were some good signs. After decades of denying that the killings—which Armenians round the
world regard as genocide—ever took place, Turkey in April called on
international scholars to determine once and for all what really happened,
saying they were free to examine the Ottoman archives. This invitation
from Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, won strong praise from
EU governments. But the few intrepid souls who took him at his word
have had nothing but trouble ever since. In May, a group of Turkish historians (many of whom challenge the official
view that the main cause of death among deported Armenians was exposure
and disease) suffered a sharp setback. They had to cancel a conference
which was due to debate the Armenian tragedy after the justice minister,
Cemil Cicek, accused them of “stabbing Turkey in the back”. Another bad sign: Hrant Dink, the publisher of Agos, an Armenian weekly
in Istanbul, is facing up to three years in jail for telling an audience
in 2002 that he was “not Turkish” but “an Armenian of Turkey”. In a
separate case, also filed this year, Mr Dink is facing up to six years
for urging Armenians and Turks to stop hating one another. In both instances,
Mr Dink was said to have “insulted the Turkish state”. How do these prosecutions square with Mr Erdogan's stated wish to take
the sting out of Turkish-Armenian relations by allowing some honest
research? “Easily,” insists Mr Dink. “There are forces in this country
who are working night and day to stop Turkey from joining the EU and
part of that is silencing people like me.” But these days, the problems of liberal Turkish scholars—and advocates
of Turkish-Armenian reconciliation—are not all caused by their own country.
Take the case of Yektan Turkyilmaz, an internationally acclaimed Turkish
scholar who was arrested in Armenia on June 17th on charges of seeking
to smuggle antique books out of the country. Fluent in Armenian, Mr
Turkyilmaz is among the few Turks who say the Ottoman policy in 1915
did amount to deliberate killing. The first Turkish academic to be granted
access to Armenia's national archives, Mr Turkyilmaz is being held in
a maximum security prison in Yerevan. He will face trial next month
for violating Article 215 of the Armenian Criminal Code, which equates
the smuggling of antiquities with trafficking in weapons of mass destruction.
He could incur a jail sentence of up to eight years. Mr Turkyilmaz insists he had no idea about the law, and that the dealers
who sold him some 100 volumes never said he would need permission to
take them out. In an open letter to Armenia's president, Robert Kocharian,
some 200 academics, campaigning for the historian's freedom, said the
arrest would “raise serious doubts as to whether Armenia encourages
independent scholarly research on its history.” Whatever view you take of the Armenian tragedy, it can get you into
trouble—in unexpected places. Dogu Perincek, an eccentric Turkish leftist,
was briefly detained in Switzerland on July 23rd. The Swiss authorities
say he breached article 261 of their penal code, which makes the denial
or justification of genocide a punishable offence. Mr Perincek had told
a conference that to speak of Armenian genocide was an “imperialist
lie”. Oddly enough, the Turkish authorities seem far more indignant
about his minor travails than they are about Mr Turkyilmaz.
When
History Hurts
Aug 4th 2005 | ANKARA From The Economist
print edition
Times are tough for outspoken scholars
IF TURKEY is ever to join the European Union, it will need to acknowledge—and
allow free discussion of—the mass slaughter of the Ottoman empire's Armenian
subjects both during and after the first world war. That, at least, is
the opinion of some EU members—especially France, where many Armenians
live, and where objections to Turkish entry run high.
Iberian Resources Invests in Armenian Gold Mine
August 20, 2005 Saturday Travel Edition Mining Week SOURCE: MATP Compiled by Robin Bromby
ARMENIA is the latest addition to the growing list of foreign countries being explored by Australian juniors. Iberian Resources (IBR) has entered a joint venture with US-based Global Gold Corp to acquire, finance and develop the Lichkvaz gold project, located in the former Soviet republic near its border with Azerbaijan. Iberian said it believed the project could quickly be brought into production. Based on Soviet-era estimates, the project has a resource of up to four million tonnes containing more than 650,000 ounces of gold and could have as much as 4.5 million ounces of silver and 15,000 tonnes of copper. Much work on underground and opencut access has already been done, and there is a processing plant at the site. Iberian will have an 80 per cent stake after paying $US3.04 million ($3.95 million). The Australian partner will bear all costs up to the start of production. Gold mining in this part of Armenia dates back to the sixth century BC.
Back to top.
Moving
Marriott Across the Globe to Armenia... Paul Korian is managing partner of AK Development, an investor group
behind the purchase and multi-million dollar renovation of the Marriott
Hotel in Yerevan, Armenia's capital. The nine-story hotel, with 226 guest rooms and four restaurants, is
at the heart of the city's cultural and business center. `The hotel
marks a number of firsts,' explained Korian, an Armenian-American who
has resided in Weston for eight years. `It's the largest U.S. investment
in Armenia, and the first internationally-branded investment in that
nation.' It's probably also the first time that Korian and other private investors,
most of whom are also Armenian-Americans from the Boston area, had ever
come face-to-face with the stark realities of the communist era. `During
renovation, contractors discovered a secret level in the building, used
by KGB agents to monitor listening devices in rooms,' he recalled. The
five-star hotel is housed in a 1950s-era building. While architecturally
pleasing, it needed a total renovation to meet international hospitality
standards. The involvement of Marriott, one of the world's best-known hotel operators,
added luster and credibility to the project. `The property itself convinced
Marriott to get on board with us,' explained Korian. `They were amazed
by its prestigious location.' The grandiose building, purchased by AK
Development from the government for $10 million, sits prominently on
Yerevan's Republic Square, center of the capital city. The National
Art Gallery is opposite the hotel, and a number of other museums and
businesses are within walking distance. While the structure had always functioned as a hotel, guests experienced
few, if any, Western-style amenities. Credit cards were not accepted
for payment - wads of cash sufficed - and making outgoing phone calls
were difficult at best. These situations have been rectified, and higher
health and safety measures have also been implemented. `Marriott has
been a pioneer in stepping into former communist lands, like Poland,'
Korian pointed out. But challenges of doing business in the former USSR
persisted throughout the project. For example, artwork shipments to
the hotel were delayed for several weeks because border guards thought
they were originals. Armenia, a mountainous country about the size of Belgium, is a sovereign
nation of 3.3 million currently transitioning into a market-based economy.
Located in the Caucasus region at the crossroads of the Old Silk Road
between Asia and Europe, it gained independence from the USSR in 1991.
Checking into a homeland opportunity Korian, a co-founder of Staples,
the office superstore, had no previous experience as a hotelier. Though
he had always been active in the Armenian community, a devastating earthquake
that struck Armenia in 1988 prompted him and many others to evaluate
more permanent ways to aid their ethnic homeland. `The opportunity is bringing Western-style business practices to a
post-Soviet country,' Korian said. AK Development was created in 1997
to acquire and restore the hotel, which was offered for sale through
Merrill Lynch. Since the 1998 purchase, Korian has traveled back and
forth between Weston and Armenia at least 25 times. Hallmarks of luxury
in the new hotel - for which the president of Armenia cut the ceremonial
ribbon for -include a fitness center, in-room Internet connectivity,
24-hour room service and a two-story presidential suite fit for visiting
heads of state. Marriott has incorporated the hotel into its worldwide
reservations system, sent over a dozen Armenian employees abroad for
management training, and installed seasoned company executives in Yerevan.
Katrin Hentszel, the hotel's general manager, has worked for Marriott
in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Warsaw. The hotel's director of sales and
marketing, Alex Nurock, comes to his new post fresh off a stint at the
Riviera Marriott in Monaco. Korian and Hentszel noted that Armenia is
just beginning to market its assets, like its rich history and natural
beauty, to a global audience. It was always a tourist destination for
those in the Soviet system, and many USSR Olympic athletes trained in
its warm summer climate. In fact, Armenia's famous brandy was said to
be a favorite of Winston Churchill. `The hotel is a catalyst to demonstrate
that people from all around the world can enjoy Armenian culture,' emphasized
Korian.
Weston
Town Crier, MA July 28 2005 By Cheryl Balian Scaparrotta / Correspondent
In the culmination of an eight-year labor of love, a Weston businessman
is helping awaken a sleepy post-communist economy 5,000 miles from home
by funding a glamorous new hotel in the former Soviet republic of Armenia.
An
Inspiration- From Panel Beater to Billionaire....
Source: AFR
New
Zealand billionaire Graeme Hart has come a long way since leaving school
at 16 to work as a panel beater, a job that funded his first acquisition
– a tow truck – after he rapidly tired working for a boss.
Yesterday he mounted his most audacious corporate move yet: a $NZ3.27
billion (AUD$3.02 billion) takeover bid for forestry and timber group
Carter Holt Harvey. Mr. Hart, who last week pocketed nearly $NZ500 million
in profit by selling most of his NZ Dairy Foods business to NA dairy
giant Fonterra after three years of ownership, has proved to be a courageous
deal maker. He is not afraid to put his personal fortune on the line.
The bid for Carter Holt Harvey, which employs 10,500 people across
Australia, NZ and China, continues the aggressive and opportunistic
corporate strategy of buying undervalued assets that has built Mr. Hart’s
personal fortune. That fortune was estimated at $NZ2.5 billion before
this deal, making him NZ’s richest person. Mr. Hart yesterday secured
an agreement with United States-based global giant International Paper
Co to buy its 50.5 per cent stake in CHH for $NZ2.50 a share. His Rank
Group vehicle has bid for the rest of CHH at the same price. Amcor and Richard Pratt’s Visy Industries have both previously signaled
they would be interested in bidding for some of CHH’s assets, and private-equity
buyers are also thought to be lining up. International Paper Co signaled
two months ago that it wanted to exit its investment in CHH as part
of a global debt-reduction program. Mr. Hart is chairman and 54 per cent owner of listed food company Burns
Philp, which owns the former Goodman Fielder business. Mr. Hart’s bold
play for Burns Philp in 1997 put him firmly in the spotlight in Australia.
A series of deals in his home country, in sectors including printing
and book stores, had already elevated him to one of NZ’s most successful
businessmen in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Mr. Hart made a stock-market raid on Burns Philp in 1997 and scooped
up 19.9 per cent at $2.50 a share. He was roundly pilloried by many
business commentators when the Burns Philp share price collapsed the
following year to below 10¢ as investors became nervous about loan covenants.
But Mr. Hart toughed it out, taking part in capital raisings at low
prices. Eventually, Burns Philp recovered to the extent that in late
2003 Mr. Hart launched a $2.5 billion, debt-funded bid for cereals,
snack foods and bread maker Goodman Fielder. At the time, Goodman Fielder
was almost twice the size of Burns Philp but it was swallowed by the
smaller company and heavily restructured. Mr. Hart, who lives in Auckland and likes to scuba dive and sail in
his limited spare time, is likely to break up the CHH business if his
bid is successful, CHH operates four pulp and paper mills, a dozen packaging
plants, nearly 30 timber mills and controls more than 300,000 hectares
of timber plantations in NZ, Australia and China. CHH chief executive
Peter Springford said it was “premature” for him to comment in detail
on the bid, but said one positive aspect for New Zealanders was that
Rank Group was NZ-owned.
Armentel Telecommunication Company (Armenia) Implements Continuous Work To Improve Quality Of Mobile Communication
Source: www.armeniadiaspora.com
Yerevan,
August 11, Arka: The ArmenTel Telecommunication Company (Armenia)
implements continuous work to improve quality of the mobile communication,
Executive Director of ArmenTel Vasilios Flavios told journalists. Answering
the ARKA News Agency's question, he said that "there is no doubt in
poor quality of mobile communication in July, 2005". He also said that
he is not going to deny this fact. Ar the same time he reported that
the company implements all possible technical work to improve quality
of mobile communication, and some progress is already seen. He said
that the problem exists only in evening hours in Yerevan center, and
this problem will be solved by the end of August, 2005. He said that
"improvement of quality of the mobile communication is very hard work
that needs some time". He said that the company should project its network
carrying the obligation to reduce about three times the spectrum of
its frequencies during nine months. He said that ArmenTel is worried
about the possibility to loose its clients due to the law quality of
mobile communication. "There are some risks, but we believe we will
provide the mobile communication of a higher quality", Flavios said.
In his turn, Vice-Commercial Director of ArmenTel Armen Simonyan said
that provision of AMD 1,000 bonus to pre-paid communication subscribers
was based on approximate calculations of the mobile communication usage
for a certain period. The Greek OTE Telecommunication Company bought
90% of ArmenTel shares on the international tender for USD 142.47mln
in 1997. The company was a monopolist on the Armenia mobile communication
market till the RA Government decision on November 4, 2005. The "K-Telecom"
Company entered the Armenian market of mobile communication on July
1, 2005 with VivaCell trademark.
VivaCell
Embarks On Selling Business, Business+, Optima Corporative Cards
Source: www.armeniadiaspora.com
Yerevan,
August 03:
VivaCell, the second mobile telecommunication operator in Armenia, has
embarked on selling Business (5-20 lines), Business+ (21-100) and Optima
(over 100 lines) corporative cards. The company says per-minute prices
within corporative network will be 40, 38 and 36 Armenian drams correspondingly.
Prices for porting Business, Business+ and Optima cards make AMD 3800,
3400 and 3000 correspondingly. Each line monthly payment is set at AMD
3800, 3600 and 3300. Depository bill for the three kinds of cards is
equal - AMD 22500. All the corporative cards also have fool free package
of services, such as SMS messages, voice mail, received calls identification
call-waiting regime, readdressing, international connection, multi-customer
network and others. Prices for calls made in different hours will be
also different. Rush-hour per-minute prices (from 7:00 to 23:00) for
the mentioned cards owners' calls to Viva Cell's other subscribers and
to Armenia's cable network subscribers will made AMD 46, 44 and 42 correspondingly
while at the remaining hours they will be AMD 42, 42, 40. Prices for
calls to ArmenTel and Karabakh Telecom (NKR) subscribers as well as
to Nagorno-Karabakh cable network subscribers at rush hours (remaining
time) are 52 (48), 50 (48) and 50 (48). The package-owners' calls to
Russia and Georgia will cost AMD 235 and AMD165 (at rush and other hours),
to the CIS other member countries - AMD 285 and AMD 200, to the USA,
Canada, Europe and Australia - AMD 430 and AMD 300, Middle East countries-
AMD 350 and AMD 245. The network's all subscribers will be able to send
local SMS messages for 20 Armenian drams and foreign - for 55. The company
also says all received calls are free. The prices are indicated with
taking into account 20-percent VAT. ($1 = AMD 447.17)
Back
to top.
Millennium
Challenges Program To Provide 118 Million Usd To Armenia For Reconstruction
Of Water Supply System
Source: www.armeniadiaspora.com
Yerevan, August 16: "Millennium Challenges"
program will provide 118 million USD for the reconstruction of water supply
system in Armenia. Water supply specialist of the "Millennium Challenges"
task group Tigran Kalantarian noted that the program includes reconstruction
of water dams, main canals, gravity flowing systems etc. Underscoring
the technical support, studying and training of the newly created companies
of water users, Kalantarian noted that for the development of institutional
system 5.3 million USD will be provided, another 8 million will be provided
for works on projecting and on the management of the program. At present
the US specialists are assessing Armenia's suggestion. The task group
and US delegates are studying the opportunities for the implementation
of the program from the economic, financial and surrounding environment
viewpoints to assess how the program will promote the poverty reduction
in village areas. The assessment phase will be finished in early fall.
The agreement is expected to be formed and signed by the end of the year.
Join Fellow Armenians for the 170th Anniversary of the Armenian Church of St Gregory the Illuminator in Singapore...
From our previous newsletter you would be aware that the Trustees of the Armenian Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, Singapore have invited all Armenians to join them in celebrating the 170th Anniversary of their church.
To help you join in these celebrations, the Travel Cafe Lane Cove are offering the following package, exclusive to Chamber members and their families for only............................
$1400pp
(twin share)
single supplement available on request
- Departing from Sydney on the 11th of November at 8.30am, flying Singapore Airlines (economy class)
- Transfers from the airport to the hotel, with English Speaking guide
- 3 Nights accommodation in the Grand Plaza Park Royal including breakfasts (located close to the Armenian Church)
- Half day tour of Singapore
- Transfers from the hotel to the airport on the 14th of November
- Return flight departing Singapore on the 14th of November at 9.40am, flying Singapore Airlines (economy class)
- All taxes, gratuities and porterage tips
As spaces are limited, the Travel
Cafe has requested that all interested members contact them directly
by Friday the 9th of September on (02) 9427 1011
CELEBRATIONS
The Celebrations, to be held in Singapore from 11-13 November 2005,
will be honoured by His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian Primate
of Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, and will include a variety
of religious, cultural and social events. The schedule of events includes:
- Friday 11th November 2005: Evening welcome reception at the Church
- Saturday 12th November 2005: Saturday evening prayers followed by cultural dinner in a five star venue with live entertainment
- Sunday 13th November 2005: Sunday morning Badarak followed by reception in the Church gardens
A web-site – www.armeniansinasia.org
– has been created to serve as your personal guide to the celebrations
in Singapore. It currently includes information on the history of the
Church, a program of events, and tours/excursions of Singapore and the
surrounding region. Please refer to the site frequently as it will be
updated with the latest information regarding the celebrations. Please
be sure to inform the Church committee of your attendance and where
you will be staying during the celebrations.
FUNDING
The Church is currently solely funded by support from generous Armenians
living in the region and abroad. To date, the majority of these funds
have been deployed for the careful maintenance and repair of this historical
monument and the surrounding gardens and parsonage. In order to help
recover costs for the three dinners (including wine and beverages, other
events and functions during the celebrations), the Trustees
kindly ask that each participant donate a minimum of $550 Singapore
Dollars (~$330USD) to the Church. Your early confirmation and
remittance of the required donations for your participation will be
most appreciated. Your generous support will ensure the success of the
celebrations.
ENQUIRIES & CONTACT
Please send all questions and expressions of interest to:
Web: www.armeniansinasia.org
e-Mail: 170years@armeniansinasia.org
Fax: +65 6334-3279
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT – WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU
IN SINGAPORE!