TRADE COULD BUILD TIES ARMENIANS CONNECTING.

Byline: Nicholas Grudin Staff Writer

Pumpkin preserves and pomegranate wine are just a couple of the Armenian products that Glendale and other California cities will see more of with the creation of a California trade office in Armenia.

Armenia has even loftier hopes for the state office, which would help facilitate business between California and the fledgling republic on the cusp between Europe and Asia. The office would be a key step in Armenia's transition from the Soviet Union's communist regime, which ended in 1991, to the current, independent free-market system, said representatives of Armenian groups in Glendale.

The bill passed the Senate with a 27-1 bipartisan vote Friday. Gov. Gray Davis has until the end of September to sign the bill, which was introduced by Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena.

``It's a win-win situation. We benefit California and help lift up that young country,'' Scott said, explaining that the office would stimulate Armenia's economy while enriching California's international trade, store shelves and culture.

Members of Glendale's Armenian-American community agreed, supporting Scott's bill for the sake of California and Armenia.

The city of Glendale has the largest concentration of ancestral Armenians outside of Armenia, with a population of 70,000. California has 500,000 Armenian-Americans.

``The most noticeable impact will be in Armenia. It is a smaller economy and region,'' said Ardashes Kassakhin, the director of government relations for the Armenian National Committee of America, Western Region, who lives in Glendale.

California will see the difference as well, Kassakhin said.

``Armenian-Americans would notice the change right away. These are people that would like to do business with Armenia, and bring some of their arts and crafts, agricultural products, techniques and ideas in the fields of high-tech and biotech,'' Kassakhin said.

The office will not just serve Armenia and California, but also the countries surrounding Armenia, he added.

``Armenia is on the crossroads of the traditional trade route where east meets west,'' he said.

For California, the trade office would open up a frontier for businesses to expand their trade. It is one of the few regions in the world where California does not have a trade presence, Scott said.

The state has trade offices in Germany, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, South Africa, Taiwan and Japan.

And at a time when California's economy is slumping, this could be a good move, according to Vache Mangassarian, owner of the Armenian Nation Network, a local television station in Glendale.

``American companies can build factories in Armenia now. Because of Armenia's need to develop businesses in their country, it will be beneficial to both ends,'' Mangassarian said.