He ceased to be a shareholder of Kin. Interview with the Ambassador: Armen Yeganyan The winemaker did not appear for a suspended sentence

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Group of Companies "KiN"

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Armen Yeganyan left the spill

As Kommersant learned, Armen Eganyan, who headed the board of directors of MVKZ KiN for many years, ceded his stake in the plant and the rights to alcohol brands. The new co-owners of the cognac enterprise were businessmen from Dagestan - long-time partners of another KiN shareholder Nikolai Evseev.

KiN plant manager sentenced to suspended sentence for fraud

The Basmanny Court of Moscow sentenced the chairman of the board of directors of the KiN wine and cognac factory, Armen Yeganyan, to six years of suspended imprisonment for fraud on an especially large scale, Interfax reports.

“By the court’s verdict, Yeganyan was found guilty of committing fraud on an especially large scale; he was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment suspended with probationary period at five years old. As an additional punishment, the defendant was given a fine of 1 million rubles,” court press secretary Ekaterina Korotova told the agency.
link: http://www.vedomosti.ru

To seize the KiN plant, Igor Kesaev brought in “siloviki”

The story of Armen Yeganyan may have no less international resonance than the “Magnitsky case.” The businessman, fortunately, is alive, well and at large, but behind the attack on him, in addition to the same group of security forces, is a major Russian partner of the Philip Morris Corporation, which will ensure close attention of the American establishment and the press.
link: http://www.compromat.ru/page_ 29850.htm

How Igor Kesaev drank cognac

Yeganiada, or How the Chairman of the Board of Directors of KiN Armen Yeganyan deceived his partners

The oldest alcoholic beverage company in the country is preparing to celebrate its anniversary - in December 2010, the Moscow wine and cognac factory "KiN" will turn 70 years old. Could its founders have thought back in 1940 that seven decades later the plant would be robbed by dishonest managers, the cognac produced would go from a quality standard to fusel, and the “helmsman” of the enterprise Armen Yeganyan, having been found accused in a criminal case of fraud in especially large size, will be mired in intrigues and dirty scandals.
link: http://www.compromat.ru/page_ 30076.htm

Igor KESAEV returned the money for cognac

The owner of the Mercury group, Igor Kesaev, achieved in the court of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) the recovery of $13.1 million from the company Featherwood Trading Ltd, owned by the co-owner of MVKZ KiN Armen Yeganyan. In 2007, Mercury transferred these funds to Featherwood as the main payment for 26% of KiN shares, which it never received as a result.
link: http://osetia.kvaisa.ru/ibrannoe/izbrannye

The winemaker did not appear for a suspended sentence

The Basmanny District Court of Moscow handed down an unexpectedly lenient sentence to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC Moscow Wine and Cognac Factory KiN Armen Yeganyan, who was found guilty of major fraud. The state prosecution requested eight years in prison for him, but the court limited himself to a suspended sentence.
link: http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1965912/print

Kesaev sued $13.1 million from co-owner KiN

The offshore company Featherwood belongs to the co-owner of MVKZ KiN Armen Yeganyan. Through her, the Mercury group transferred part of the amount at which Yeganyan’s structures valued 13,229,834 shares of KiN (approximately 26%). Alexey Belkin, who owns the stake, received $2 million, and Featherwood received $13.1 million.
link: http://www.sostav.ru/news/ 2012/06/21/kesaev_sud_13mln_ sovladelets_kin/

KiN will be left without Kinovsky.

The united company, which owns a non-controlling 43.07 percent stake in KiN, motivated this by the fact that the plant, the name of which underlies the brand, does not own it directly, but pays royalties for use to the copyright holder, Rekona LLC. The sole owner of the LLC, according to SPARK-Interfax, is Karen Yeganyan, the brother of another KiN shareholder, Armen Yeganyan. The United Company considered that in this way the shareholder withdraws part of the profit and misleads cognac consumers. Recona tried to challenge Rospatent's decisions in the courts, but to no avail.
link: http://www.mercuryalko.ru/ company/news/Alkogolni_rinok/ kinovskiy/index

Blood and cognac

Co-owner of the KiN cognac factory Armen Yeganyan, after committing a series of crimes, still remains at large, using corrupt connections in law enforcement agencies
link: http://in-sider.org/biznes/item/46-krovikoniak3.html

did you run into KiN?

The chairman of the board of directors and co-owner of the Moscow Wine and Cognac Factory KiN OJSC, Armen Eganyan, was detained by the police last Wednesday and placed in a temporary detention center on Petrovka, 38.
link: http://ru-alcohol.livejournal. com/144458.html

New level of personalized cognac

“The development of a line of branded cognac in our assortment,” says Armen Eganyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the KiN Group, “one might say, was predetermined. We have long noted that when choosing alcohol, consumers are increasingly focusing not so much on a specific brand, but on the reputation of the manufacturer. Three years ago, our research received powerful practical confirmation - the first brand of the KiN Group, with an emphasis on the company’s name, was very well received by the consumer.”
link: http://www.kingroup.ru/presscenter/newsreleases/508. html

Mercury acquired a 51% stake in the wine and cognac factory

According to the Vedomosti newspaper, the Mercury company acquired 51% of the shares of OJSC Moscow Wine and Cognac Factory KiN / KiN - the leader of the cognac market in Russia, Chairman of the Board of Directors of KiN Armen Yeganyan said this. According to him, the deal will be legally finalized in the near future.

“The Bank of Moscow applied for KiN shares, but minority shareholders preferred Mercury,” added Yeganyan. On July 25, employees of the Tax Crimes Department of the Moscow Main Internal Affairs Directorate seized documents on KiN, these actions were appealed in the Zamoskvoretsky Court, the hearing date was postponed from October 17 for an indefinite period. When asked whether this could be an attempt to put pressure on KiN shareholders from a potential buyer (not Mercury), Yeganyan replied: “I can’t deny it.”
link: http://dgbiz.ru/analitic.php? art=464

Jewel Domaine de Broix

“Why do we think that a decanter of L’Oeuvre cognac is a jewel? There is a simple explanation for this. A gift of jewelry is proof of Love. Cognac is also a love story. We put all our Love, all our skill into this cognac. Therefore, trying Domaine des Broix cognac is a touch of happiness!” – said Armen Yeganyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of KiN Group, commenting on the event.
link:

Armen Yeganyan resigned from the shareholders of KiN and stepped away from management, Nikolai Evseev, another shareholder of the plant, told Kommersant. Managers of three alcohol companies are aware of this. “He made the decision to leave himself, it did not affect the work of the enterprise in any way, all our specialists remained,” Mr. Evseev emphasized. KiN does not comment on the size of the stake owned by Mr. Yeganyan and the terms of the deal. It was not possible to reach Mr. Yeganyan.

From the KiN materials it follows that until February of this year, Armen Yeganyan directly owned only 0.0001% of the shares. But its real share in KiN was about 26%, says a Kommersant source close to the plant. A comparable package (26.5%) in 2014 was held by the Cypriot Trena Com Ltd. In the first quarter of 2015, she was still listed among the shareholders of KiN, but with 22.57% of the shares. Nikolai Evseev’s stake during this period increased from 17.46% to 22.83%. The nominal holder of 43.07% is the Bank of Moscow. The bank's shareholder, VTB Group, announced in July 2012 the sale of its shares to an unnamed investor.

The new shareholders of KiN, according to Nikolai Evseev, are his long-time partners from Dagestan with extensive experience in the cognac industry. One of them, David Yagudaev, headed the board of directors of KiN. According to him, Mr. Eganyan’s share passed to Mr. Evseev’s partners. From the materials of KiN it follows that since mid-2014, its board of directors, in addition to Mr. Yagudayev, included the first deputy director of the Kizlyar Brandy Factory, Sherif Kerimkhanov, and the general director of the Derbent VKZ, Shabatai Nakhshunov. The change of shareholders allowed KiN to gain control over all its brands, notes Nikolai Evseev. Previously, they were registered to companies associated with Mr. Yeganyan: KiN paid them royalties.

In April, "Midwest Enterprises M" transferred the rights to cognacs to KiN " Old town", "Alexander Bergerac" and Matrioshka vodka, and "Rekona" - for Katyusha vodka (data from Rospatent). Mr. Evseev does not name the plant's costs for the acquisition of trademarks. Director of CIFRRA Vadim Drobiz estimates the KiN portfolio at approximately $17 million.

Armen Yeganyan became a shareholder of KiN in 2000, having headed the board of directors in 2007; a number of scandals are associated with his name. One episode happened with the Bank of Moscow, to which KiN did not pay dividends in the mid-2000s, another with billionaire Igor Kesaev, whose Mercury group was going to acquire 51% of the plant in 2007, but never received what was promised for its money. In 2009, FKP Soyuzplodoimport accused KiN of failure to fulfill the terms of the contract for the bottling of Moskovsky cognac. In September 2014, FKP resumed production of the brand at KiN. This became possible, among other things, due to the fact that even then Mr. Yeganyan stepped away from management, says one of Kommersant’s interlocutors. In 2012, the entrepreneur was sentenced to six years of probation due to the double sale of a controlling stake in Usovsky Wine and Cognac Cellars LLC.

Over the past five years, KiN's performance indicators have been declining. If in 2010 the plant was the leader in the production of Russian cognac with a production volume of 1.1 million decaliters, then it dropped to third place - in 2014 the production volume amounted to 0.6 million decaliters. KiN's revenue fell from RUB 2.5 billion. in 2010 to 1.6 billion rubles. in 2014, net profit - from 99.1 million to 9.3 million rubles.

Now the management of KiN is faced with the task of reaching the production volumes of 2012 by the end of 2016 - 1 million decaliters. In March, KiN announced a freeze on prices for its products until the end of 2015, expressing its readiness to reduce profits in order to increase natural volumes. They also hope to increase production at KiN by expanding the partnership with Soyuzplodoimport: in addition to Moskovsky cognac, the plant would like to bottle other FKP cognac brands.

To understand all the intricacies of this “Eganiad”, you need to understand what the KiN Group of Companies actually is today. According to data provided by the Group’s employees, it includes OJSC Moscow Wine and Cognac Factory KiN, the Domain des Broix winery located in the French Cognac region, and the KiN vodka production. However, this "official" information amazingly does not reflect reality, hiding behind the sonorous name of the KiN Group of Companies the not entirely law-abiding activities of a narrow group of people led by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Group Armen Yeganyan.

And the situation is this: the only asset that belongs directly to OJSC MVKZ KiN is the central office building on Leningradskoye Shosse in Moscow. Everything else - directly or through intermediaries - is owned by Armen Yeganyan himself and the former general director of the plant Nikolay Evseev, who, according to Yeganyan, is his “ right hand" Even the well-known alcohol brands produced at the enterprise have nothing to do with the plant; KiN bottles them under license. So, trademark cognac "KiNovsky" belongs to LLC "Rekona", which is listed as Armen Eganyan's brother - Karen Eganyan. Trademarks “Katyusha”, “MATRYOSHKA”, “Old Town”, “A. Bergerac" belongs to CJSC "Midwest Enterprises M", whose shareholders are Eganyan A.G. (50%) and his partner N.N. Evseev. (50%).

Needless to say, the real profit for the use of these now popular trademarks, on the basis of licensing agreements, is received by Mr. Yeganyan and his friends and relatives. For now, honest shareholders of the KiN Moscow Exhibition Hall can only dream of the dividends that are rightfully due to them.

The famous vineyards, which Mr. Yeganyan enthusiastically talks about in numerous interviews as the possessions of KiN, naturally do not belong to the company either. And they belong to the French company Domaine Des Broix SAS, whose owners are - who do you think? - again, Messrs. Eganyan and Evseev. According to French law, only products from the Cognac region can be called cognac and cognac spirits, everything else must be called brandy. Armen Garnikovich is confident that thanks to his vineyards in Grande Champagne, when Russia joins the WTO, he will not lose the right to write the name “Cognac” on the labels of the drinks he produces. However, whether the season for grapes turns out to be successful or, on the contrary, low-yielding, Mr. Yeganyan cares little: for several years now he has been buying low-quality alcohols from other suppliers and selling them at exorbitant prices to “KiNu” as real cognacs. You can easily guess how this deal affects the quality of the product produced by KiN and who gets the colossal money into their pockets. But the Domaine de Broy estate never ceases to amaze the imagination of the surrounding residents with its noisy festivities, which, contrary to common sense and French traditions, are held not after, but before the grape harvest.

Companies controlled and owned by Yeganyan take part in both the production and marketing of the product manufactured by KiNom. For example, until recently, the main supplier of components for the production of alcohol - bottles, caps and labels - was a certain Hatrol LLC. The sale of the plant's cognac products is carried out through the trading houses Optimum LLC and Visttorg LLC, which are also controlled by Yeganyan. Prices for the provision of services by these companies, as usual, are inflated. Mr. Eganyan, thus, concentrated in his hands the main threads of management of OJSC "MVKZ "KiN", in fact controlling all of its strategic activities, while in fact owning only 2.24% shares The history of Yeganyan’s acquisition of this stake, by the way, is very interesting: in May 2008, Armen Garnikovich bought these shares from LLC “ Trading House"Interrepublican Winery", having concluded a purchase and sale agreement with the director of LLC Kalabin Evgeniy Lvovich. Such a deal somehow does not fit in with the accusations of corporate raiding that Yeganyan never tires of leveling against the United Company, which was one of the founders of KiN, and Evgeny Kalabin personally. For his hard work in the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of KiN, Armen Garnikovich accrues to himself a very modest monetary reward, being, according to tax returns, practically without silver. But only in France does he own a villa worth at least 10 million euros with the romantic name "Daria", located on the "Cape of Millionaires" in the center of the French Riviera and the Domaine d'Aubigny estate in French Burgundy with a family noble castle and vineyards, where the "royal blood" Armen Yeganyan and his wife Svetlana Lavrova have 261 hectares of land between them. For comparison, the French actor Pierre Richard was able to afford to buy vineyards with an area of 20 hectares. Against the backdrop of the splendor and royal splendor of his French possessions, Yeganyan’s living space somehow looks quite modest. in Moscow, this is just a mansion on the banks of the Moscow River with a small swimming pool, where, according to rumors, the Russian swimming team could train in its own way. in full force. As for personal transport, here Yeganyan appears before us as a true English aristocrat: in addition to the Jaguar and Range Rover cars that have become familiar to the humble worker, Armen has acquired the latest model of the Aston Martin sports car and has recently appeared at work in in the image of a sort of James Bond in Armenian.

Did Textile Institute graduate Armen Yeganyan dream of such a fabulous life at the beginning of his life? career path, selling stockings and socks in a small company called “Yellow Triangle”? Surely there were dreams, but they began to come true only after the death of V.F. Martynova, general director and the largest private shareholder of the KiN plant, when Eganyan, together with Nikolai Evseev, as a result of a scam they carried out together, became the owners large package shares of a successful enterprise. Together they quickly prepared fake purchase and sale agreements for KiN shares, put facsimile signatures of the deceased Martynov on them, found an accommodating notary who agreed to come to the plant, and certified the imaginary transaction. The newly-minted owners of the plant decided to celebrate this solemn moment by “defending” their candidate’s dissertations on the same day and unanimously becoming candidates of technical sciences, and Evseev, the future general director of the KiN International Exhibition Hall, at the same time acquired a piece of paper about higher education, of which a former loader from Sheremetyevo did not. Although with Armen Garnikovich’s higher education, not everything is clear: for some reason, Mr. Yeganyan shows everyone the diploma of a graduate of the Moscow Technological Institute of Food Industry that came from nowhere, cruelly neglecting his native alma mater.

Despite the fact that responsibility for all the machinations of the “gray eminence” Yeganyan should have been borne by the general director of the plant, Nikolai Evseev, Yeganyan still did not escape difficulties: in 2007, a criminal case was opened against him for kidnapping. The director of that same Hatrol company, A. Karakozov, refused to participate in Yeganyan’s financial schemes, for which Evseev and Yeganyan personally held Karakozov in the office of the general director of KiN, beating him and demanding that he sign the documents they needed. Only gigantic sums of money, submitted to law enforcement agencies on time, helped Yeganyan avoid investigation and trial. According to rumors, witnesses to this crime were intimidated right in the investigators' offices. The closure of this case was presented by Yeganyan to his subordinates and partners as a sign of power and impunity: according to plant employees, Armen Garnikovich even “certified” the resolution to terminate the criminal case with the corporate seal of OJSC MVKZ KiN.

So Yeganyan got used to getting away with all crimes. And, probably, like a bolt from the blue for Yeganyan in 2010, the charge thundered in a criminal case initiated on the basis of fraud by a group of persons by prior conspiracy, causing significant damage to citizen M.A. Maksimov on a particularly large scale. The trial in this case will be the result of an investigation that began in 2008 after Maksimov appealed to the investigative authorities. However, there is nothing surprising and certainly not unpredictable in the initiation of a criminal case against Armen Yeganyan: such a development of events is a direct consequence of his criminal activities. The subject of the criminal case, according to some information, was the “double sale” carried out by Mr. Yeganyan of Usovsky Wine and Cognac Cellars LLC, an enterprise that was previously positioned as another production site of the KiN Group of Companies. To implement this plan, Yeganyan, with the help of his subordinate Sultanov, included the one-day company RusCapital LLC among the founders of Usovo, transferring 80.46% of the company’s shares to it. Then RusCapital, which owns an attractive asset, is sold to Yeganyan’s former partner Mikhail Maksimov for 4 million euros. Almost instantly, Eganyan, using forged documents, carries out a purchase and sale transaction of 50% of the shares of UVKP between RusCapital LLC and the structures of the Mercury Group, owned by businessman Igor Kesaev, also receiving a significant amount of money for this. After some time, through the efforts of Mr. Eganyan, RusCapital LLC loses the remaining 30.46% of UVKP, naturally, without the knowledge of its current owners. Subsequently, another interesting circumstance becomes clear - UVKP LLC, in complete discrepancy with the financial statements provided during the sale by Yeganyan, has multimillion-dollar debts, and the list of creditors who filed claims with the Moscow Arbitration Court for the recovery of funds includes such companies as OJSC "MVKZ "KiN", CJSC "Midwest Enterprises M", LLC "Visttorg" and LLC "Optimum".

What is surprising in all this is not even the intricacy of the “double sale” technology, but the impudence with which Mr. Yeganyan carries out such operations. The question arises: what was the calculation? What did the criminal hope for when he carried out his plan? But there really was a calculation, and no less criminal than the principle of double sale itself. The logic was this: if Mikhail Maksimov suddenly ends up in prison, then there will be no one to challenge the false deal. And it’s doubly good if some unfortunate incident suddenly happens to Maksimov in prison, as a result of which he does not leave prison. Eganyan, with the help of Nikolai Evseev, is trying to falsify a criminal case against Maksimov. So far, Mr. Yeganyan has gotten away with all his criminal activities, and the fraudster hopes that luck will continue to be on his side. But the charge against Maksimov was recognized as fabricated and dropped, after which Mikhail Maksimov turned to the investigative authorities with a statement about committed crime. It is worth noting that until April 2010, Mr. Yeganyan tried to hush up the criminal case of fraud through peaceful corruption, and, of course, did not think of publishing the details of what happened on the pages of the media. When the current situation could be characterized by the words “you can’t hide an awl in a sack,” Armen Garnikovich decided to turn it to his advantage by speaking in the press with a heartbreaking story about black raiding and the pressure of the security forces on the “largest shareholder” of the KiN plant.

However, being under investigation is already a familiar way of life for A. Eganyan and N. Evseev. In 2007, the Tax Crimes Department of the Moscow City Internal Affairs Directorate opened a criminal case against the management of the KiN MKVZ. During this case, operatives from the Moscow City Internal Affairs Directorate conducted searches at the plant and seized a number of documents. The arrears were revealed to be quite large - about 300 million rubles. But even in this situation related to tax evasion, Yeganyan is trying to distort the truth in his favor. The lawyers he hired from the law firm of Pavel Astakhov grabbed the fact of a tax audit like a straw. According to lawyers, the unfortunate businessman Yeganyan became a victim of a criminal conspiracy powerful of the world this. But not a single publication provided information about how and when the investigation of this criminal case ended: the leaders of KiN fully admitted their guilt, repented and paid the arrears, and therefore in the summer of 2010 they were released from criminal prosecution for a tax offense .

Even the interest of law enforcement agencies in the production of counterfeit products organized by Yeganyan - an inspection carried out at the plant by the prosecutor's office and the Department for Economic Economic Crimes for the production of counterfeits by the plant in September 2010 - Yeganyan presents as pressure from evil security forces who came to take the plant away from him. Unintelligible cries about corruption schemes and scoundrels in the security forces who cut down the sprouts of honest business have repeatedly appeared in paid media. Eganyan’s adviser, A. Dobrovinsky, even brought in the notorious case of Sergei Magnitsky: the same Interior Ministry employees were allegedly involved in the “attacks” on Eganyan. Speculation on the name of the deceased is doubly disgusting in that, with the help of the chosen tactics, a banal criminal case is politicized and brought to the international arena - Dobrovinsky described his fantasies on given topic And sent them to the Helsinki Commission of the US Congress . The logic is simple and unpretentious - mentioning the name of a tragically deceased lawyer cannot fail to attract public attention not only in Russia, but also abroad. There has not yet been a response from the Helsinki Commission: probably, the US Congress is also unclear why on earth swindlers and tax cheats are claiming to be great martyrs.

Another “original” idea of Yeganyan’s public relations specialists is to link the tax audit with the Luzhkov government, which allegedly caused chaos at the plant. Only the lazy now do not blame all their troubles on the machinations of the disgraced Moscow leader. However, Yeganyan and his henchmen are silent that it was precisely thanks to his connections with Luzhkov’s team, distributing bribes right and left, that Mr. Yeganyan managed to carry out his machinations for so long and with such impunity.

The criminal activity of A. Eganyan, willy-nilly, casts a shadow over all the products of the KiN Moscow Exhibition Hall, casting serious doubt on its current quality. “Russian cognac - legend or reality?” reads one of the headlines on the official website of the KiN MVKZ company. This question should be forwarded to the plant owners themselves. With such a helmsman as Yeganyan, the oldest plant, which turns 70 this year, itself can remain only a legend and go to the bottom, tarnishing its once glorious reputation for a long time with turbid alcohols.

Alexandra Tryumina

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Canada Armen Yeganyan represents the work of the embassy, as well as the activities of the influential and respected Armenian community:

The Embassy of Armenia in Canada has been operating since 1995. What have our diplomats done over the years?

The Armenian Embassy in Canada was founded as part of the second wave of opening diplomatic missions of independent Armenia. Canada plays an important role in the orbit of Armenia’s foreign relations: it is a G7 country, one of the most dynamically developing economies in the world, and a state with a large and influential Armenian community.

The work of the embassy can be divided into three main areas. The first, of course, is political. Diplomatic relations between the two states, starting in 1992, have moved along the path of stable development. I would like to note that on the occasion of handing over copies of my credentials, I received as a souvenir from former Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird a copy of the joint declaration on the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Canada. The document was solemnly placed at the embassy as a “birth certificate” of bilateral relations.

Armenian-Canadian ties have always been highlighted as friendly, but in recent years There has been an increase in political dialogue. Over the past 3 years, as a result of searching for ways to strengthen friendly relations, 5 Canadian delegations visited Yerevan, two of them led by ministers. At the same time, just this year we received Energy Minister Yervand Zakharyan and Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan in Canada. And in May, the head of the Armenian parliament Galust Sahakyan made an official visit. The attention that the Armenian side feels at meetings with Canadian officials is very obliging. We greatly value our friendship with Canada.

It is necessary to especially note the cooperation with Canada within the framework of International organization Francophonie. Canada was one of the most active supporters of Armenia's accession and provided great support in many organizational issues, including the holding of a meeting of the Ministerial Council of Francophonie in Armenia this year.

The second sphere is economic. Since the 1990s, economic ties between the two countries have been quite active in the mining industry. One of the largest mining companies in Armenia, Dundee Precious Metals, formerly Dino Gold Mining, is Canadian. We expect the active participation of Canadian capital in the development of the Amulsar gold deposit. However, in recent years, economic relations have been diversifying, and the embassy is focusing primarily on high technology.

The third sphere is cultural. Every year we organize dozens of cultural events at the embassy - concerts, film screenings, book presentations, and so on. In collaboration with the Armenian community, we hold events in both Montreal and Toronto. We are glad that our work to promote Armenian art and culture meets with a friendly response among the local population.

Finally, since its founding, the embassy has been providing consular services to citizens of Armenia - passport, notary and others.

What is being done to intensify Armenian-Canadian business ties?

As I have already noted, since the 1990s Canada has been actively involved in the mining industry of Armenia. At economic meetings, I always note that we are grateful for the knowledge and environmental responsibility that Canadian companies bring to Armenia. Now I can happily note the development of trade and economic relations in the sphere high technology, agriculture and a number of other industries.

One of the important areas is the presentation of the Armenian market to Canadian business circles. Work is being carried out with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Canada, and with various companies.

We actively cooperate with Canada-Armenia business councils in the country's two largest cities - Montreal and Toronto, which include both Canadian Armenians and Canadian entrepreneurs. In March of this year, the first Canadian business delegation, consisting of 20 businessmen, visited Armenia. Got a lot positive feedback and we expect new Canadian companies to enter the Armenian market.

The Armenian Embassy became the third foreign mission to occupy a building included in historical heritage Ottawa. What is the history of this building?

It was built back in 1907. This old building has old diplomatic traditions. Back in the 1920s, the Uruguayan embassy was located there. The second diplomatic mission was the Hungarian one, which was located here from 1965 to 1995. The fact that this building is now occupied by the Armenian Embassy is due to the great contribution of the American entrepreneur of Armenian origin Sarkis Hakobyan. I would like to once again express my gratitude to Canadian philanthropists and engineers of Armenian origin who provided complete renovation and the interior of the building. Opposite the building since 2002 there has been a monument to “Immortal Armenia”, which was created by folk artist Armenia, sculptor Levon Tokmadzhyan. The monument is made of Armenian tuff. After renovation in 2005, the building was enriched with a bas-relief of Ararat.

It is known that Armenians in Canada are concentrated mainly in Toronto and Montreal. How did Armenians appear in Canada, what issues concern the community today?

About 90 thousand Armenians live in Canada, from Vancouver to Quebec. But most of all they are concentrated, as you correctly noted, in Toronto and Montreal. There are more than 15 Armenian churches, three traditional parties, active lobbying organizations, dozens and hundreds of cultural, educational, community and other unions in the country. I would like to especially mention the Armenian schools in Toronto and Montreal, including two large ones, where more than a thousand children study. This real feat our community. The community, which was formed in the early 1900s and grew from the 60s to the 70s, has retained not only its national appearance, but also its language. All this is thanks to schools.

Speaking about the Armenian community of Canada, it is impossible not to mention the names that make both countries proud: Yusuf Karsh and Malek Karsh, Atom Egoyan and Arsine Khanjyan, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Alin Kutan and many others. The constellation of these names is a natural bridge between our countries. Cooperation is carried out in various areas - in culture, community events, as well as in lobbying activities and public diplomacy.

The Armenian community is fully integrated into the life of Canada: in the history of this country there have been three Armenian deputies, officials at the federal, regional, and city levels. The community is influential and respected.

For many years, the community's main concern was recognition of the Armenian Genocide, efforts that reached a peak in 2006 when Prime Minister Stephen Harper recognized the Genocide at the executive level. Now on the agenda of the active part of the community is providing assistance to Syrian Armenians, returning Armenian churches in Turkey, and so on.

You are also the permanent representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which has its headquarters in Montreal. How involved is Armenia in the work of this organization, and what joint projects are currently underway?

The relevant department for cooperation, of course, is the General Directorate of Civil Aviation of Armenia, which actively cooperates with both the world and European headquarters in Paris. The embassy, in turn, good relations with the management of the organization, with whom he periodically discusses the prospects for the development of the civil aviation industry.

Previously, you held diplomatic posts in various countries. What makes Canada stand out to you?

My first business trip was to Moscow, then two missions in Washington. This is my first time working as an ambassador in Canada. Leading a diplomatic department is, of course, a great responsibility. But this work gives relative freedom and the opportunity for a creative approach to improve and develop bilateral relations.

2015 is the year of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. What events have taken place and are taking place this year in Canada?

Preparations for events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Genocide began back in 2012. More than two dozen representatives of all organizations of the Armenian community met at the embassy, and an executive committee was created to coordinate memorial events. Since the fall of 2014, dozens of political, scientific and cultural events have taken place across the country, and many more are yet to come.

Among the major events I would like to name a few. This is a procession of about 5 thousand people in Toronto, as well as an ecumenical liturgy at the Metropolitan United Church in the city center, led by the leader of the Catholic Church of Toronto, Cardinal Collins, a procession of 8 thousand people in Ottawa and 10 thousand in Montreal. An ecumenical liturgy was also held there in the Saint-Joseph Church, led by the Catholic leader of Montreal, Archbishop Lepin. In Ottawa, we also organized a screening of Atom Egoyan’s film “Ararat” for the diplomatic corps and government officials, in the presence of the director and his wife, actress Arsine Khanjyan.

Thanks to our joint work with the Government of Canada and the Armenian community, the country's parliament adopted a new resolution, which confirmed the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the resolution of 2004 and the recognition of April 24 as the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide. It is noteworthy that the resolution was adopted precisely on April 24.

During 2015, scientific events were also held at the University of Toronto and McGill University in Montreal, with the participation of the largest researchers of the Genocide in Canada. Similar events are expected to take place in Ottawa and Moncton in the second half of the year. Other events in memory of the victims of the Genocide are expected: film screenings and archival photographs, concerts, book presentation, marathon. In total, Canada has more than 60 major events planned, most of which have already taken place.

The daily life of an ambassador is very busy. How do your family feel about this?

I am truly happy that I feel the full support of my family members. As on previous trips, my wife, Maria, and three sons accompanied me to Canada. Maria has been actively involved in the work of the embassy from the first days of her trip, carrying out a lot of work on cultural events. With her active participation, over the 4 years of work in Canada, several dozen events were organized, not only at the embassy, but also in a number of cities, together with Armenian communities. My eldest son Gevork returned from service in the Armenian Armed Forces several months ago and is now studying political science at Carleton University in Ottawa. Coming soon military service My middle son Nikogaios will start. Our youngest son is ten-year-old Levon. By the way, he is a great Lego specialist.

We traditionally ask this question at the end of the conversation within our section. What advice do you have for the young diplomats of tomorrow?

I think the most important characteristic of a diplomat is patriotism and the desire to promote one’s rich culture. At the same time, diplomacy, especially modern diplomacy, is a very broad concept. The life of a diplomat is varied. I don’t think that one practical piece of advice can exhaust everything, but, first of all, I want to encourage openness of mind and openness to new ideas. The profession can provide a diplomat with the freedoms of the most liberal country, and in a year or two - a culture that imposes severe restrictions on restraint. A diplomat must be ready to feel at home in any country in the world and must have the energy to adapt to any civilization.

Yeganyan Armen Garnikovich

Compromising evidence

The main owner and chairman of the board of directors of the Moscow wine and cognac factory KiN was sentenced by the Basmanny Court of Moscow to six years of suspended imprisonment for fraud on an especially large scale.

Yeganyan was given a suspended sentence with a probationary period of five years, and he will also have to pay a fine of 1 million rubles. Yeganyan himself did not admit his guilt and did not appear in court for the announcement of the decision.

The subject of the dispute was the company “Usovsky Wine and Cognac Cellars” (UVKP). The case was initiated on the basis of a statement by Mikhail Maksimov, a former shareholder of the UVKP company. Maksimov claimed that he was illegally deprived of an 80% stake in UVKP.

It turned out that in 2006, Yeganyan sold 100% of the Ruscapital company, which owned 80.46% of UVKP, to Maksimov for 4 million euros. At the same time, Yeganyan sold 50% of UVKP itself to another group of legal entities for 21 million rubles. In 2010, Yeganyan was arrested in this case, but was released on bail by a court decision.

This sentence was the second for Yeganyan in a month. Previously, the Mercury group won a dispute with Featherwood Trading Ltd., owned by Armen Yeganyan, in the court of the British Virgin Islands (BVI). According to the court's decision, Featherwood must pay $13.1 million.