Boghos

This one is for Arpa. Please fire away!

At the end of the day the conclusion is that we have been mostly spectators over much of our history. Whether that means anything is a whole different subject. On Anastas I think much further digging is necessary. I am not aware of any biography of him which is quite surprising. He held very high posts in the USSR for quite a long time. Unfortunately most Armenian historiography is still conducted in the form put forward by Khorenatsi . Shouldn't we call Ardem, Anushavan? That's his real name and you can even see it in his monument. Ardem was a Russian adaptation.

Not sure we should blame Mikoyan. Actually if we are to believe certain versions of history, Mikoyan lobbied very hard to maintain Armenia's status as a republic after WWII when the population was quite small and obviously affected by the War. Also the fact that he survived Stalin and was not executed after Khruschev took over must mean something. In fact Mikoyan's role in the USSR is something obscure. Dadrian mentions that Mikoyan gave a speech in Armenia in 1951 suggesting that Charentz and Raffi should be back in print, intellectuals rehabilitated, etc which is not unlike most of what was happening in other republics. We Armenians may choose strange heros but to blame Mikoyan for the loss of Karabagh and Nakhichevan seems to be uncalled for.

Interesting. Can you please post the whole document?

Hello Louise, Armen Garo died in Geneva but I am not sure that he is buried there. He also wrote a book about the famous (or infamous) Bank Ottoman event. It is appropriately called "Bank Ottoman".

The Turks probably helped by their allies in the region get an article in the NYT. We answer in Asbarez...

Thank you, Yervant jan. I'll do my best.

I hear rat poison import is forbidden in Armenia. I will inquire why.

Turkish foreign policy has really become sharper and sharper. Imagine that Turkey may actually end up being invited to invade Syria if the situation deteriorates further... No doubt to protect Armenians and other minorities as it has been doing from time immemorial.

I will be in Yerevan July 1st. I will see if the garbage removal is really on...

you have a message boss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKffxzOaN0Y&feature=relmfu Beautiful!

Yes but in Armenia the criminals are in parliament and in the executive. Small fish criminals may leave Armenia but the real ones are running the country. So who is going to repatriate? Only the very brave or those from countries where life is even harder such as Irak. That being said, I can't care less if the FBI, Mossad, MI5, 007 or Jason Bourne arrest Armenians. Finally what are some Latinos doing in Armenian Power? Hello Azat jan, how are you?

Please respect FT.com's ts&cs and copyright policy which allow you to: share links; copy content for personal use; & redistribute limited extracts. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights or use this link to reference the article - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f79a460a-4bdb-11e0-9705-00144feab49a.html#ixzz1GaYPe31k Sberbank buys Troika Dialog in $1bn-plus deal By Catherine Belton in Moscow Published: March 11 2011 13:12 | Last updated: March 11 2011 13:12 Sberbank, the Russian state savings bank, has agreed to buy Troika Dialog, the privately owned investment bank, in a $1bn-plus deal that will extend the government’s reach into the country’s investment banking business. EDITOR’S CHOICE Lex: Russian banks - Feb-07 Russians prepare for listing spree in London - Jan-25 Sberbank chief hits at Russian tax-rise plans - Dec-14 Sberbank hints at foreign listing - Dec-01 The bank will buy a 63.6 per cent stake from a group of Troika shareholders led by Ruben Vardanian, its founder and chairman, who is to stay on as chief executive of Moscow’s oldest brokerage for three years by the terms of the deal. It will also pay $372m to buy out the 36.4 per cent stake South Africa’s Standard Bank holds in Troika. The South African bank had stepped in to support its strategic partner Troika at the height of the 2008 financial crisis, swapping assets worth $300m for its stake. The long-awaited deal is part of Sberbank’s attempt to emulate the success of VTB, its state banking rival, whose investment banking arm, VTB Capital, grew from nothing to become the country’s leader in equity and debt deals in only two years. VTB Capital leapfrogged local players including Renaissance Capital and Troika, alongside big international banks such as Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan, as it benefited from the deep pockets and cachet of its state owner while competitors struggled during the crisis. German Gref, Sberbank’s chief executive, told reporters on Friday that he expected the bank’s acquisition of Troika to give Sberbank a market-leading position by 2014. “This is a very ambitious plan,” said Mr Gref, who will serve as chairman of Troika’s board of directors. “This deal is logical for Sberbank and Troika Dialog – and it will create new growth potential.” Mr Vardanian told the Financial Times that Troika would gain access to Sberbank’s large roster of corporate clients and its balance sheet to allow it to offer structured products, asset management and project finance and to build a stronger presence in investment banking. Sberbank would also be able to access Troika’s international clients as it seeks to become a global player. Standard Bank would remain a strategic partner for deals in Africa, he said. Mr Gref said the deal is expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2011. Terms would be finalised in this year’s second quarter. Sberbank, Russia’s biggest bank by assets, is also part of the government’s privatisation programme, with the sale of a 7.6 per cent stake in the bank expected to be offered this year.

It would be a great pleasure, Yervant.

Yes, dear Yervant, quite sad. On another note: just back from Toronto...nice Indian restaurant on Queen...it's called Babur.

http://hetq.am/en/society/arm-4/

http://www.mirrorspectator.com/?p=4643

Indeed dear Arpa. Also we would be in much better waters if we also adopted separation between church and so called "state" in the diaspora.

Hello! That's the only word I know and shows in the dictionaries I have. What do you have in mind? A synonim? No language I know of has more than one word for volcano.

) what is this? April Fools'?

I didn't know you were living in Armenia...

I don't think he is an idiot. What I think is that the minor Russian style nobility that runs Armenian does it only for its own benefit as it is logical for an absolutist monarchy. The diaspora intsitutions and especially AGBU have no choice but to help Armenia and Etchmiadzin even if that means helping the princelings, counts and barons that live in the Russian Empire, Province of Armenia. So where do we go from here? Do we expect the people to revolt or we just tolerate the most used Armenian protest strategy: immigration?

Yes, yes, there is a lot of truths and many more half truths and at the end of the day what Armen Koyoumjian describes can be appplied to almost any circumstance. I rarely ever try to discredit the writer and prefer to focus on ideas but in this particular case I have to say that Mr. Koyoumjian is a big whinner: he has complained of the lack of gratitude of Armenians, Danes, Swedes, Norwegian, French, the local airline (LAN) and almost whomever else he has come across, a simple search of his writings suffices to show that. I do feel sorry for him, undoubtedly it is easier to take advantage of generous people. Also, it is not very hard to have second thoughts about what goes on in the ROA. But I believe that these and other points he makes have little to do with being Armenian.