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WHERE IN THE GLOBE IS ARMENIA?...
Mynextfone, UK
Sept 12 2014
Armenia in global publicity drive.Where in the globe is Armenia? It's a
question that the nation 's President, Serzh Sargsyan, is anticipating
to get more individuals around the world to answer accurately .
He likes to mobilise the 10 million Armenians living abroad for a
global internet publicity campaign to boost tourism and influence
foreign investors.
Entitled the One Armenian, One Article campaign the idea is to get
expatriates to write positive stories regarding the nation .
President Sargsyan and others behind the publicity drive state their
nation needs a higher profile, because many individuals struggle to
recall anything regarding the country .
So only what do individuals know regarding Armenia?
'We never hear regarding it'
London in the summer is full of tourists so it was easy to operate
an impromptu series of informal interviews, ambushing dozens of
unsuspecting strangers from around the world to get their views.
A couple from Saudi Arabia had heard of Armenia but just knew it was
in Asia, while a Danish woman said to me that "we never hear regarding
it in Denmark."
But the most amusing was a man with his family from the United States,
who could just tell me that "all the individuals 's names end in
'-ian'."
His wife was quick to tell me he based that on the celebrity Kim
Kardashian.
The socialite Kim Kardashian is one of many who have family roots
in Armenia
Only one of the individuals I spoke to knew much regarding Armenia,
and that was a woman from Paris who had been to the capital, Yerevan,
and stated , "It is a small nation and its individuals have suffered
a lot."
My questioning was strictly informal, but it does indicate the size
of the challenge experiencing President Sargsyan and his compatriots.
'Soft power'
Enlisting individuals around the globe who have Armenian roots to raise
the nation 's profile could prove efficient . Famous individuals with
connections to Armenia include the singer Cher, tennis player Andre
Agassi, billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian and the late Steve Jobs
of Apple.
"The Armenian diaspora sees itself in many ways as the second army
of the Republic of Armenia," states Aram Suren Hamparian, executive
director of the Armenian National Committee of America, based in
Washington DC.
"Armenians spread around the globe and prospered wherever they went,
and they haven't forgotten their roots and they try to stay connected -
and that is part of the soft power of the Armenian country ."
Armenia's ancient culture survived decades of Soviet influence before
independence in 1991. But regardless of its independence, the nation
still has significant economic ties to Russia.
Next year, the government in Yerevan plans to join the common economic
zone of the Russian Federation, alongside Kazakhstan and Belarus.
Armenia relies heavily on loans from Moscow too as the World Bank,
the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank.
Armenia: Key facts Size of economy: $10.4bn (£6.3bn) Economic expansion
: 3.5% Population: 2.9 million Proportion of population below poverty
line: 32.4% Life expectancy: 74 years
Sources: World Bank and CIA World Factbook, 2013
Closed borders Continue reading the main story "Start Quote
Opening the border with Turkey will really be a game changer"
End Quote Teresa Daban Sanchez IMF representative in Yerevan
Money delivered home by expatriate workers is also a major driver of
economic activity, and accounts for one-fifth of Armenia's economy.
"Remittances from Armenian workers living abroad are very important,
it provides resources, US dollars, to fund imports in Armenia and to
fund consumption," states Teresa Daban Sanchez, the IMF's inhabitant
representative in Yerevan.
Yet "90% of remittances come from Russia," she adds - emphasizing
the nation 's trade links with Russia.
However, Armenia's economic development is hindered because its
borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey are closed.
Being blocked from trading with Turkey, one of the district 's largest
economies, is a big barrier to expansion .
Reopening the borders would transform Armenia's economy, states Ms
Daban Sanchez.
"Opening them, particularly the border with Turkey, will really be
a game changer, because Turkey's a large diversified economy with
access to European markets."
Being landlocked presents a " enormous challenge", states the IMF's
Teresa Daban Sanchez
The reasons the borders are shut lie in two 20th Century conflicts.
During World War One, between 1915 and 1917, hundreds of thousands
of ethnic Armenians died at the hands of Ottoman Turks.
Yerevan wants Turkey to recognise the deaths as genocide and some
countries have done so, but Ankara insists there was no genocide and
that the dead were victims of the war.
It remains a extremely sensitive problem .
Expatriate Armenians provide significant "soft power", states Aram
Suren Hamparian
Meanwhile, a fragile ceasefire is in place with Azerbaijan on Armenia's
eastern border, over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh district .
In 1988, towards the end of Soviet rule, Azerbaijani soliders and
Armenian secessionists began a war that left the district in the
hands of ethnic Armenians when a cease-fire was signed in 1994.
Negotiations have until now failed to produce a permanent peace
consensus , and the dispute remains as a so-called frozen conflict.
Tourism potential
Yet even if Yerevan and its neighbours do reopen their borders, the
IMF's Teresa Daban Sanchez cautions that the nation still faces the
more basic challenge of its location.
"Armenia, remember is a landlocked nation , so even without these
geopolitical issues Armenia has a enormous challenge."
If Armenia's expatriate society can effectively be mobilised for an
online public relations offensive then the nation could attract more
visitors and perhaps more business for travel agents.
"People will get an idea of what it's such as ," states Gillian
Leaning, marketing manager at the UK travel company Regent Holidays.
"They'll see images of the ancient monasteries and they'll hear
regarding the rolling valleys of the Lesser Caucasus, or what it's
such as to taste the nation 's brandy in Yerevan.
"So they'll be far more likely to choose it as a destination for
their next holiday."
Furthermore to boosting tourism, positive stories online could also
catch the attention of possible foreign investors and to quote an
old Armenian proverb: "Whatever the eye sees, the heart won't forget."
Listen to more from Russell Padmore on Armenia's publicity drive on
BBC World Service's World Business Report.
http://www.mynextfone.co.uk/headlines/where-in-the-globe-is-armenia-h16966.html
Mynextfone, UK
Sept 12 2014
Armenia in global publicity drive.Where in the globe is Armenia? It's a
question that the nation 's President, Serzh Sargsyan, is anticipating
to get more individuals around the world to answer accurately .
He likes to mobilise the 10 million Armenians living abroad for a
global internet publicity campaign to boost tourism and influence
foreign investors.
Entitled the One Armenian, One Article campaign the idea is to get
expatriates to write positive stories regarding the nation .
President Sargsyan and others behind the publicity drive state their
nation needs a higher profile, because many individuals struggle to
recall anything regarding the country .
So only what do individuals know regarding Armenia?
'We never hear regarding it'
London in the summer is full of tourists so it was easy to operate
an impromptu series of informal interviews, ambushing dozens of
unsuspecting strangers from around the world to get their views.
A couple from Saudi Arabia had heard of Armenia but just knew it was
in Asia, while a Danish woman said to me that "we never hear regarding
it in Denmark."
But the most amusing was a man with his family from the United States,
who could just tell me that "all the individuals 's names end in
'-ian'."
His wife was quick to tell me he based that on the celebrity Kim
Kardashian.
The socialite Kim Kardashian is one of many who have family roots
in Armenia
Only one of the individuals I spoke to knew much regarding Armenia,
and that was a woman from Paris who had been to the capital, Yerevan,
and stated , "It is a small nation and its individuals have suffered
a lot."
My questioning was strictly informal, but it does indicate the size
of the challenge experiencing President Sargsyan and his compatriots.
'Soft power'
Enlisting individuals around the globe who have Armenian roots to raise
the nation 's profile could prove efficient . Famous individuals with
connections to Armenia include the singer Cher, tennis player Andre
Agassi, billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian and the late Steve Jobs
of Apple.
"The Armenian diaspora sees itself in many ways as the second army
of the Republic of Armenia," states Aram Suren Hamparian, executive
director of the Armenian National Committee of America, based in
Washington DC.
"Armenians spread around the globe and prospered wherever they went,
and they haven't forgotten their roots and they try to stay connected -
and that is part of the soft power of the Armenian country ."
Armenia's ancient culture survived decades of Soviet influence before
independence in 1991. But regardless of its independence, the nation
still has significant economic ties to Russia.
Next year, the government in Yerevan plans to join the common economic
zone of the Russian Federation, alongside Kazakhstan and Belarus.
Armenia relies heavily on loans from Moscow too as the World Bank,
the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank.
Armenia: Key facts Size of economy: $10.4bn (£6.3bn) Economic expansion
: 3.5% Population: 2.9 million Proportion of population below poverty
line: 32.4% Life expectancy: 74 years
Sources: World Bank and CIA World Factbook, 2013
Closed borders Continue reading the main story "Start Quote
Opening the border with Turkey will really be a game changer"
End Quote Teresa Daban Sanchez IMF representative in Yerevan
Money delivered home by expatriate workers is also a major driver of
economic activity, and accounts for one-fifth of Armenia's economy.
"Remittances from Armenian workers living abroad are very important,
it provides resources, US dollars, to fund imports in Armenia and to
fund consumption," states Teresa Daban Sanchez, the IMF's inhabitant
representative in Yerevan.
Yet "90% of remittances come from Russia," she adds - emphasizing
the nation 's trade links with Russia.
However, Armenia's economic development is hindered because its
borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey are closed.
Being blocked from trading with Turkey, one of the district 's largest
economies, is a big barrier to expansion .
Reopening the borders would transform Armenia's economy, states Ms
Daban Sanchez.
"Opening them, particularly the border with Turkey, will really be
a game changer, because Turkey's a large diversified economy with
access to European markets."
Being landlocked presents a " enormous challenge", states the IMF's
Teresa Daban Sanchez
The reasons the borders are shut lie in two 20th Century conflicts.
During World War One, between 1915 and 1917, hundreds of thousands
of ethnic Armenians died at the hands of Ottoman Turks.
Yerevan wants Turkey to recognise the deaths as genocide and some
countries have done so, but Ankara insists there was no genocide and
that the dead were victims of the war.
It remains a extremely sensitive problem .
Expatriate Armenians provide significant "soft power", states Aram
Suren Hamparian
Meanwhile, a fragile ceasefire is in place with Azerbaijan on Armenia's
eastern border, over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh district .
In 1988, towards the end of Soviet rule, Azerbaijani soliders and
Armenian secessionists began a war that left the district in the
hands of ethnic Armenians when a cease-fire was signed in 1994.
Negotiations have until now failed to produce a permanent peace
consensus , and the dispute remains as a so-called frozen conflict.
Tourism potential
Yet even if Yerevan and its neighbours do reopen their borders, the
IMF's Teresa Daban Sanchez cautions that the nation still faces the
more basic challenge of its location.
"Armenia, remember is a landlocked nation , so even without these
geopolitical issues Armenia has a enormous challenge."
If Armenia's expatriate society can effectively be mobilised for an
online public relations offensive then the nation could attract more
visitors and perhaps more business for travel agents.
"People will get an idea of what it's such as ," states Gillian
Leaning, marketing manager at the UK travel company Regent Holidays.
"They'll see images of the ancient monasteries and they'll hear
regarding the rolling valleys of the Lesser Caucasus, or what it's
such as to taste the nation 's brandy in Yerevan.
"So they'll be far more likely to choose it as a destination for
their next holiday."
Furthermore to boosting tourism, positive stories online could also
catch the attention of possible foreign investors and to quote an
old Armenian proverb: "Whatever the eye sees, the heart won't forget."
Listen to more from Russell Padmore on Armenia's publicity drive on
BBC World Service's World Business Report.
http://www.mynextfone.co.uk/headlines/where-in-the-globe-is-armenia-h16966.html