On 2 May, Kathy Leach, British Ambassador to Armenia, gave a presentation on Armenia to a group of 40 British business people with a particular interest in the South Caucasus. A wide range of businesses were represented at the meeting, including retail; property/infrastructure; metal trade; mining; business consultancy; health services; engineering; agriculture/construction machinery; insurance; tourism; environmental consultancy; publishing; food-service design; and technical and vocational education. [The full list of names and companies is available]. Several companies had worked in the region before. A number of companies have followed up with queries.  The Embassy has also been successful in winning funding for a trade mission to Armenia in the autumn, when we hope to bring out a number of these different businesses to look at business opportunities.  We are keen to hear about any specific projects or ideas which members of the ABBC think British business might be interested in.

The Tekeyan Cultural Association of London has revitalized. Affiliated to the London charitable organization, the Tekeyan Trust, the London TCA, has come to life to continue the TCA mission and activities in promoting Armenian culture and bridging Armenian Diaspora communities with one another and with Armenia.

On March 17, at the Copthorne Tara Hotel, an official dinner reception was held to celebrate the new beginning of the major cultural organization with the newly appointed President Mr Vartan Ouzounian, Chairman Mr Hratch Gouyoumdjian and the new Executive Board. More than one hundred guests from London, Paris, Geneva, Beirut, Armenia, the USA, Cyprus and from other corners of the world had come to witness the official launch of the TCA London programme of events. All the Tekeyan devotees gathered to share the common happiness and to pay tribute to the great individuals, as thanks to their efforts, the TCA was established in Beirut in 1947 and later, in 1975, in London.

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Some thirty ABBC members were invited by Tower International Consultants president Alan Kutchukian to go to see the opera Sayat Nova being staged for the sixth time at the Armenian State Opera and Ballet House named after Alexander Spendiaryan on 7 February 2012. The opera, composed by internationally acclaimed Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian in 1969, was first performed in Yerevan and Baku in 1969 in Armenian and Azerbaijani languages. Last year a completely new production was created under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of the RA. The production, conducted by Yuri Davtyan, has received high praises from the public and from critics.

Haggis traveled from Scotland to Armenia for the 14th time on BMI and presented to H.E. UK Ambassador Mrs. Katy Leach on 27 January at the Gafesjian Museum.  Saturday night, on the 28 January was Burns Supper, where the centerpiece is the whisky souse flavored starter haggis supplied by Hawick butchers W.J.Hutton, Scottish National Back-pipe music, Whiskey, Scottish dance, traditional toasts, national kilts, etc. However, the whole idea behind the performance is CHARITY.  The event organized by British Community in Armenia under auspices of British Embassy and Armenian British Business Chamber is one of the most entertaining events where the money raised through generous sponsors and dinner participants is spent for local causes. Burns Supper gets more and more attention from year to year.  Among the VIP guests were Jedburgh councilor Len Wyse and the town’s Royal British Legion Pipe Band pipe major, Ian MacDonald.  The event was very well attended by International community, senior officials, high rank diplomats
and prominent businesses.  The haggis was piped in and Mr. Wyse did the honors by addressing the haggis.  Nice performance of “Yerevan Drummers” was sponsored by Global Bridge Educational Center.
As a result of the festivity, with the support of major sponsors HSBC Bank Armenia, BMI and Pernod Ricard and about 170 participants, Burns Supper charity fund reached to 6.5 mln AMD.  The proceeds is donated to 6 projects proposed by Charity NGOs. 

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