Month: March 2007

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

THE FAITHFUL LIVE A HISTORICAL DAY IN ANTELIAS

The Armenian women gathering in the Saint Gregory the Illuminator
Cathedral for prayers every Tuesday lived a historical day on March 27, when
they bowed in prayers before Saint Gregory’s relic.

Following the usual discussion of a different topic every week and the
teaching of hymns, Rev. Torkom Donoyan, director of the Christian Education
Department guided the women to the Holy Trinity altar where the faithful
group kneeled down in front of the newly placed relic, saying prayers and
singing "Der Voghormya". It was a touching moment of spiritual renewal for
each of the more than 100 women, who, in their prayers, didn’t forget to
mention their children, husbands, grandchildren and other family members.

The relic, placed permanently in the Mother Cathedral, by His Holiness
Aram I during the Antelias "Pilgrimage Day" on 25 March 2007, has already
started to receive pilgrims and visitors on a daily basis. Believers kneel
down before the Holy Trinity altar, warmly praying in front of the remnants
of the Armenian Church’s Patron Saint.

##
View the photo here: #3

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES METROPOLITAN SALIBA

His Holiness Aram I received, on March 29, Bishop Georges Saliba, the
Metropolitan of the Syrian Church in Beirut. Ecumenical Officer of the
Catholicosate of Cilicia, Bishop Nareg Alemezian, also attended the meeting.

The Pontiff and his guest discussed the meeting in Damascus next month
between the spiritual Heads of Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East
and the agenda of the preceding Steering Committee meeting. His Holiness
made a number of comments in this respect, clarifying the importance of the
issues to be discussed and the priorities among them.

The upcoming annual meeting between the three spiritual Heads of the
Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East- the Coptic Orthodox, the
Syrian Orthodox and the Armenian Apostolic churches (Catholicosate of
Cilicia)- will this year be the tenth annual meeting of this kind.

##
View the photo here: #2

Posted on Fri, Mar. 30, 2007
Small loans, poor women, success
Q&A with the new chief of a network of microfinance institutions and banks.
By Suzette Parmley
Inquirer Staff Writer

Mary Ellen Iskenderian: Women are more likely than men to use profits
to aid families.

When Muhammad Yunus won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to provide
small loans to the poor to foster economic development, the world’s
attention was drawn to microfinance.

That will continue today when a leading microfinance organization,
Women’s World Banking, conducts a conference on the subject at the
Wharton School.

Women’s World Banking is a global network of 53 microfinance
institutions and banks in 30 countries throughout Africa, Asia,
Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. It is based on the
idea of lending tiny sums of money to poor people, particularly women,
to start businesses as a way to escape poverty.

Mary Ellen Iskenderian, 47, the newly appointed president of Women’s
World Banking, will give a keynote address at today’s microfinance
conference.

Iskenderian, a former senior manager at the International Finance
Corporation of the World Bank Group, is the microfinance group’s first
new president in 16 years. She took time this week to answer questions
about the rapidly changing microfinance industry and where she wants
to take the group at this critical juncture.

Question: How did Yunus’ Nobel Prize affect the microfinance industry?

Answer: The direction for microfinance is being driven a lot by the
attention being given to the industry by players or organizations that
have not been previously involved. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize has
put it into the spotlight.

Q: What trends are you seeing in the microfinance industry?

A: What we’re seeing so much more of is greater commercial interest in
the industry among largely institutional investors, commercial banks
and philanthropists. They’re now looking at this market for lending –
as a new distribution channel to tap into to reach low-income people
for a whole range of reasons. Commercial funding grew to $7.3 billion
in 2005 from $4.9 billion in 2003. It’s not charity, but giving people
a sustainable way to lift themselves from poverty. That’s very
appealing to a philanthropist.

Q: The WWB has been established especially for women. Why?

A: That entrepreneurial step tends to be taken by women. Certainly,
that is our target focus and at the heart of the founding of our
organization. Women have proved to be very responsible
borrowers. Their repayment rates are on average 98 percent. There is a
huge multiplier effect on the community when you lend to a woman vs. a
man. She is far more likely to file her proceeds and savings from her
business and put them toward the education of her children, the
improvement of health care in the community, and her own family’s
housing.

Q: What are the challenges ahead for microfinance?

A: There are questions around technology, and whether it can reduce
operational costs and reach more rural populations – which is an
enormous problem facing the industry in places such as in Africa, for
example. Also, in a lot of these developing countries, they don’t have
good credit-reporting systems in place . . . and a person can get in a
lot of trouble with a lot of outstanding debt. There needs to be a
good financial infrastructure in place, including a regulatory
environment, to allow for microfinance to flourish and be carried out
in a sustainable way.

Q: You said one of your priorities was making inroads with commercial
banks, a community that possesses little knowledge or experience in
making loans to poor women. What are some of your concerns as this
sector becomes more involved?

A: We are worried that more commercial banks are recognizing that the
low-income market segment can be very profitable, but that the product
they are offering may not be microfinancing, but loans for consumer
purchases, like buying a television. The overindebtedness of this
low-income population would be a terrible tragedy.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenia Solidarity
Nor Serount Publications
British Armenian All-Party Parliamentary Group

c/o The Temple of Peace, Cathays Park, Cardiff
[email protected] Tel:07876561398

One Hundred Members of the UK Parliament Recognise the Genocide

A milestone on the road to Armenian Genocide recognition in the UK was
passed today, when Ed Davey became the 100th MP( Member of Parliament)
in the House of Commons, London, to sign a Motion recognising the
Armenian Genocide. The motion is called "Early Day Motion 357 and was
put by Bob Spink MP in december.

There are over a thousand motions in the House of Commons at this
time but this is the only motion opposed to government policy which has
accumulated 100 names. Also, of the motions on international issues,
only motions on Burma, Zimbabwe and Darfur have gained more
signatures.This shows that the Genocide issue is a high priority amongst
MPs, and we look forward a possible vote on the issue in the late autumn
in response to the activity of our supporting parliamentarians.We are
convinced that a vote in the House of Commons on the issue would be won.

Of the signatories, nearly two thirds of eligible Welsh MPs have
signed showing the usual strength of feeling in Wales on the issue. The
majority of Liberal Democrat MPs have also signed including their
Foreign Affairs and Defence Spokesmen.

The motion will run until november so there is still plenty of scope
for the number to increase substantially if more UK Armenians and their
friends assist in the lobbying.
We appeal to all Armenians to put aside your political differences
or your reticence to become involved in politics and assist us in this
campaign. The wording of the motion is shown below

EDM 357

ARMENIA
29.11.2006

Spink, Bob
That this House believes that the killing of over a million Armenians in
1915 was an act of genocide; calls upon the UK Government to recognise
it as such; and believes that it would be in Turkey’s long-term
interests to do the same.

Signatures( 100)
Standard Order Party Groups Alphabetical Order Party Totals
Status
Open signatures All signatures

Spink, Bob
Campbell, Gregory
Dismore, Andrew
Meale, Alan
Caton, Martin
George, Andrew
Lepper, David
Drew, David
Holmes, Paul
Marris, Rob
Corbyn, Jeremy
Etherington, Bill
Wareing, Robert N
Austin, Ian
McCrea, Dr William
Cryer, Ann
Williams, Hywel
Williams, Stephen
Donaldson, Jeffrey
Vis, Rudi
McDonnell, Alasdair
McDonnell, John
Bercow, John
Wilson, Sammy
Hemming, John
Simpson, Alan
Cable, Vincent
Turner, Desmond
Illsley, Eric
Abbott, Diane
Williams, Roger
Connarty, Michael
Gummer, John
Swinson, Jo
Keetch, Paul
Engel, Natascha
Morgan, Julie
Davies, Dai
James, Sian C
Harvey, Nick
Jackson, Stewart
Hopkins, Kelvin
Mullin, Chris
Williams, Betty
Griffith, Nia
Amess, David
Leech, John
Llwyd, Elfyn
Francis, Hywel
Field, Mark
Price, Adam
Hunter, Mark
Flynn, Paul
Chaytor, David
Cohen, Harry
Field, Frank
Oaten, Mark
Wyatt, Derek
Willis, Phil
Russell, Bob
Jones, Lynne
Mates, Michael
Dowd, Jim
Bottomley, Peter
McGrady, Eddie
Clark, Katy
Featherstone, Lynne
Baker, Norman
Horwood, Martin
Gidley, Sandra
Hancock, Mike
Tami, Mark
Harris, Evan
Khabra, Piara S
Clegg, Nick
Barrett, John
Austin, John
Main, Anne
Clarke, Tom
Dean, Janet
Havard, Dai
Brown, Lyn
Goodman, Helen
Rogerson, Daniel
Burstow, Paul
Moore, Michael
Howarth, David
Morden, Jessica
Foster, Don
Galloway, George
Pugh, John
Betts, Clive
Williams, Mark
Lamb, Norman
Bryant, Chris
Teather, Sarah
Ennis, Jeff
Riordan, Linda
Clapham, Michael
Davey, Edward

March 30, 2007

PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Website: <;

PRELATE’S EASTER MESSAGE
THE GLORIOUS RESSURECTION IS THE TRIUMPH
OF LIGHT AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

".And the women who came to anoint the body of the Lord heard from the angel
that the eternal living had risen from the dead"
(Hymn)

It is Easter once again and a time when Christians worldwide
celebrate the Glorious Resurrection of Christ with unsurpassed spiritual
joy. Once more, we recall the everlasting message of the angels who
centuries ago proclaimed,

"Why do you seek the living among the dead,
He is not here, but is risen." (Luke 24: 5-6)

Each aspect of the earthly mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, but
especially His Glorious Resurrection, epitomize everlasting messages which
do not diminish over time but rather continue to illuminate our lives and
guide us towards eternity.

Let us return for a moment to that marvelous occurrence. Let us
remember the last days of the earthly mission of our Lord, which lead to the
crowning moment, His Resurrection.

The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem leading up to his
betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion, and Resurrection, comprise a series of
events that together wholly express the infinite love of God toward man.
The Lord had sent His only begotten Son not to condemn mankind, but to take
on the burden of man’s sin and to make the ultimate sacrifice, to shed His
blood for the expiation of those sins and for man to be worthy of eternal
life. "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

God promised salvation to mankind through His Son, our Savior. Had the
mission and teachings of Christ ended with His crucifixion, the promise of
the salvation of God would not have been fulfilled. However, the mission of
our Lord Jesus Christ did not end on the cross. His commandments do not
apply solely to our earthly lives, but rather are intended to prepare us for
eternal life. Therefore, he who abides by the commandments of our Lord on
earth will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he
who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and
shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John
5:24).

"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly" (John 10:10).

The glorious Resurrection was the ultimate triumph of good over
evil, the final triumph over death and the greatest expression of this
message. Armed with the spirit of the Resurrection, man can truly face
death without fear, for "We know that we have passed from death to life" (1
John 3:14).

The messages of our Lord Jesus Christ were those of light and
righteousness, which advised man, and still advise us, to defeat evil and
injustice. They advise us to steer clear of sin and all practices that will
deprive us of the graces of eternal life and lead us to obliteration.

* * *

Centuries later, the enduring message of the Resurrection
continues to resonate throughout the world, and especially throughout the
Armenian nation. The Armenian people survived and thrived amid adversity due
to our loyalty and adherence to the light of righteousness. Indeed the
light of the Resurrection, which was brought to the Armenian people by the
apostles Saints Thaddeus and Bartholomew, quickly spread through the hearts
and minds of the people and resulted in the adopting of Christianity as the
state religion, the first ever nation to do so. Moreover, the aspirations of
our illuminators to spread the Gospel lead to the invention of the Armenian
alphabet and the subsequent development of Armenian culture with the
translation of the Bible, the "Queen of Translations".

The culture that we inherited from our forefathers, which
originated from the Armenian language, has been enriched over the centuries
and has become a source of inspiration for the Armenian musician, writer,
and artist, and the basis of our existence. It is with this same
inspiration that we have heeded the call of H.H. Aram I, Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia, over the past few years to celebrate the victory of
the Armenian Culture, School, and Language.

Dear Faithful,

The events and experiences our history is built upon exemplify our victory
over evil and the threat of annihilation. There have been countless
attempts to take our faith away but each time the ideals shaped on the field
of Avarayr reinforced and reminded us that no one can take away our faith
for we believe in and follow Christ and the Lord assures us, "I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he
shall live" (John 11:25).

Many have tried repeatedly to massacre us and obliterate us from
the pages of history. However, our faith and strength have always guided us
on the path toward justice, truth and righteousness.

With our past experiences we, the Armenian people, became the
most faithful adherers of "conquering death by death", and transformed the
message of the Resurrection to a national value and ideal. Today and
always, we will continue on this righteous path, which will grant us eternal
life.

With this spirit of the Resurrection, we extend our best wishes
to our clergy, Executive Council members, parish representatives,
educational institutions, sister organizations, and our faithful
parishioners. May this glorious feast reinvigorate us all, whether in
Armenia or the Diaspora, and may our Savior grace us with the faith and hope
to triumphantly continue on our righteous path.

Christ is risen from the dead

Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ.

Prayerfully,

Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate

Western United States

Easter, 2007

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

March 21, 2007

40th Anniversary of Ordination of Archbishop Oshagan
Will be Celebrated during May in New England,
Mid Atlantic, and Mid West

by Iris Papazian

NEW YORK, NY-The community of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of America, is preparing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of His
Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan’s ordination to the priesthood during
the month of May in three different locations.
Archbishop Oshagan has been the Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy since
1998 and last year during the National Representative Assembly he was
elected to a third four-year term. A national steering committee, under the
leadership of Jack Mardoian, Esq., chairman of the Prelacy’s Executive
Council, is guiding the three events with the coordination of local
committees.

New England
The first of the commemorations will take place on Saturday, May 5. The
event, which is expected to draw attendees from various parts of New
England, is being hosted by the Sts. Vartanantz Church of Providence, Rhode
Island. The banquet will take place in the evening, beginning with a
reception at 6:30, followed by dinner and program, at the Marriott on Orms
Street in Providence, located right off Interstate 95 and easily reached
from all areas of New England.

Mid Atlantic
One week later, on Saturday, May 12, the Mid Atlantic community will
honor Archbishop Oshagan with a gala banquet at The Marriott at Glenpointe
in Teaneck, New Jersey. A cocktail reception will begin at 7 pm, with dinner
and program at 8 pm. The Marriott’s location is conveniently located at the
crossroads of major highways and is easily accessible from New York to
Washington.

Mid West
Coinciding with the Prelacy’s National Representative Assembly (NRA),
which is being hosted by St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, the third
event will take place on Friday, May 18, at Doubletree Hotel, in Dearborn.
Cocktail reception will begin at 7 pm, with dinner and program beginning at
8 pm. This event will provide the opportunity for the faithful of the Mid
West parishes to attend, as well as the NRA delegates who will be in
Dearborn for the annual assembly.

Identical Programs
The program at all three events will be basically the same, with some
variation for local artistic participation. Mr. Mardoian will be the Master
of Ceremonies, and Judge Sarkis Teshoian will be the keynote speaker at all
three events. A video message from His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia, will be shown, as will a short video presentation
about Archbishop Oshagan’s life and service. The Vicar General, His Grace
Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, who is hosting all three events on behalf of
the Religious and Executive Councils, will introduce the Prelate.

Keynote Address
The Honorable Judge Sarkis Teshoian, a devoted son of the Armenian
Church and a close friend of the Prelate, will deliver the keynote address
at all three events. Judge Teshoian has served in many leading positions,
including chairman of the Prelacy’s Executive Council. He has been honored
by the Holy See of Cilicia for his devoted service by both Catholicos
Karekin II, and Catholicos Aram I, who presented him with the highest
civilian award-the Prince of Cilicia insignia-in 2005.
Judge Teshoian was appointed to the judiciary in 1988 by then Governor
of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis. Judge Teshoian, who retired recently
after serving close to 18 years on the bench, notes that for a judge it is
most important to have a sense of fairness, to allow individuals to present
their perspectives, and to study situations without prejudice. By following
his own guidelines, he has earned the respect of his fellow jurists and the
public for his integrity, humanity, and his vast knowledge of the law.
Last year, the Massachusetts Judges’ Conference honored Judge Teshoian
for judicial excellence in the district court. In 1980, he received the
Ecumenical Award from the St. Thomas Moore Society.

Commemorative Booklet
A commemorative book is being published on this occasion devoted to the
life and service of the honoree. The book will be a keepsake memento of an
extraordinary gifted clergyman. Donations, which His Eminence has requested
to benefit the Prelacy’s fund for clergy recruitment, training and education
and religious publications, will be acknowledged in the commemorative book.
Inquiries about this should be directed to the Prelacy office in New York
City.

Archbishop Oshagan
Archbishop Oshagan was born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1947, with baptismal
name of Manoog. He is the third of six children of Antranig and Marie (nee
Kasbarian) Choloyan. He received his primary education in Aleppo’s Haikazian
School. In 1960 he was accepted into the Cilician See’s Seminary in
Antelias, Lebanon. He was ordained a deacon in 1964 and a celibate priest in
1967, and given the name Oshagan, by Bishop Karekin Sarkissian, who in 1994
as Catholicos Karekin II of Cilicia, ordained him to the Episcopal rank. He
1998, His Holiness Aram I elevated him to the rank of Archbishop.
He attended the American University of Beirut from 1968 to 1970 where he
majored in history. From 1974 to 1978 he attended Princeton Theological
Seminary where he majored in education and psychology, earning a Masters
Degree. Continuing his studies at Princeton, he earned a second Masters in
the history of the church.
In May 1977, he was called upon to serve as locum tenens of the Eastern
Prelacy for eight months prior to the election of a new prelate. In April
1980, His Holiness Karekin II appointed him pontifical legate to Kuwait and
the Arab Emirates, to organize the whole region, which in 1992 was
officially declared the newest diocese of the Armenian Catholicosate of
Cilicia. He was subsequently elected to serve that diocese as prelate. In
1998, he was elected prelate of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian
Apostolic Church of America. He was re-elected in 2002 and 2006.
In addition to his demanding pastoral and leadership duties, Archbishop
Oshagan has been a vital force in preserving the music of the Armenian
Church. Together with the late Archbishop Zareh Aznavourian, he meticulously
prepared five volumes of sharagans (hymns) of the Armenian Church, most of
which were not available in print, thus preserving the hymns for posterity.
He and Archbishop Aznavourian also collaborated on a new translation of the
New Testament from Classical Armenian into modern Armenian. They were in the
midst of translating the Old Testament when Archbishop Zareh passed away.
Archbishop Oshagan is currently leading the continuation of this monumental
work in tribute to his late spiritual brother.
He has been a member of the Middle East Council of Churches since 1979,
serving for several years on the executive committee. He has served as a
delegate to the World Council of Churches Assembly, and he has participated
in many ecumenical meetings throughout the world representing the Holy See
of Cilicia. He served as co-chair of the executive committee for the 1700th
anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion in
Armenia. Most recently he was elected chairman of the newly formed
organization of the churches of the Middle East in the United States.
Throughout his service to the Armenian Church he has been guided by his
intense faith in the mission of the Church and his dedication to the
Armenian nation, always guided by the words of St. Paul, "Therefore.be
steadfast, immoveable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you
know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

Information can be obtained from local parishes or the Prelacy by
telephone (212-689-7810) or on the Prelacy web page
() which lists complete information about all three
events.

SPIEGEL ONLINE – March 29, 2007, 12:27 PM

URL: ,1518 ,474636,00.html <, 1518,474636,00.html>

OPINION

Evil Americans, Poor Mullahs

By Claus Christian Malzahn

Forty-eight percent of Germans think the United States is more
dangerous than Iran, a new survey shows, with only 31 percent
believing the opposite. Germans’ fundamental hypocrisy about the US
suggests that it’s high time for a new bout of re-education.

The Germans have believed in many things in the course of their recent
history. They’ve believed in colonies in Africa and in the Kaiser.
They even believed in the Kaiser when he told them that there would be
no more political parties, only soldiers on the front.

Not too long afterwards, they believed that Jews should be placed into
ghettos and concentration camps because they were the enemies of the
people. Then they believed in the autobahn and that the Third Reich
would ultimately be victorious. A few years later, they believed in
the Deutsche mark. They believed that the Berlin Wall would be there
forever and that their pensions were safe. They believed in recycling
as well as in cheap jet travel. They even believed in a German victory
at the soccer World Cup.

Now they believe that the United States is a greater threat to world
peace than Iran. This was the by-no-means-surprising result of a Forsa
opinion poll commissioned by Stern magazine. Young Germans in
particular — 57 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds, to be precise — said
they considered the United States more dangerous than the religious
regime in Iran.

The German political establishment, which will no doubt loudly lament
the result of the poll, is largely responsible for this wave of
anti-Americanism. For years the country’s foreign ministers fed the
Germans the fairy tale of what they called a "critical dialogue"
between Europe and Iran. It went something like this: If we are nice
to the ayatollahs, cuddle up to them a bit and occasionally wag our
fingers at them when they’ve been naughty, they’ll stop condemning
their women to death for "unchaste behavior" and they’ll stop building
the atom bomb.

That plan failed at some point — an outcome, incidentally, that
Washington had long anticipated. Iran continues to work away
unhindered on its nuclear program, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
reacts to UN demands with an ostentatious show of ignorance. The UN
gets upset and drafts a resolution.

Another item on the Iranian president’s wish list is the annihilation
of Israel. But that will take a bit longer. In the meantime, just to
make sure it doesn’t get out of practice, the regime had 15 British
soldiers kidnapped a few days ago. But it’s still all the Americans’
fault — that much is obvious.

Inherently evil

We’ve known just what they’re like for a long time. The 19th-century
German author Karl May taught us about the American Wild West, and
Karl Marx warned us about unbridled capitalism. Besides, we’ve all
been there at least once — on vacation, of course. Be it in
California or Florida (that’s where you get the best deals on rental
cars, you know), we can see right through the Americans.

For us Germans, the Americans are either too fat or too obsessed with
exercise, too prudish or too pornographic, too religious or too
nihilistic. In terms of history and foreign policy, the Americans have
either been too isolationist or too imperialistic. They simply go
ahead and invade foreign countries (something we Germans, of course,
would never do) and then abandon them, the way they did in Vietnam and
will soon do in Iraq.

Worst of all, the Americans won the war in 1945. (Well, with German
help, of course — from Einstein and his ilk.) There are some Germans
who will never forgive the Americans for VE Day, when they defeated
Hitler. After all, Nazism was just an accident, whereas Americans are
inherently evil. Just look at President Bush, the man who, as some of
SPIEGEL ONLINE’s readers steadfastly believe, "is worse than Hitler."
Now that gives us a chance to kill two birds with one stone. If Bush
is the new Hitler, then we Germans have finally unloaded the Führer on
to someone else. In fact, we won’t even have to posthumously revoke
his German citizenship, as politicians in Lower Saxony recently
proposed. No one can hold a candle to our talent for symbolism!

Anti-Americanism is the wonder drug of German politics. If no one
believes what you’re saying, take a swing at the Yanks and you’ll be
shooting your way back up to the top of the opinion polls in no
time. And on the practical side, you can be the head of the Social
Democratic Party and endear yourself to the party’s hardcore with a
load of anti-American nonsense, and still get invited back to
Washington — just look at Gerhard Schröder. In fact, you could, like
leading German politicians in the debate over the planned American
missile shield in Europe, be accused of having "an almost unbelievable
lack of knowledge" by a former NATO general, and even that wouldn’t
matter. It’s all about what you believe, not what you know.

Anti-Americanism is hypocrisy at its finest. You can spend your
evening catching the latest episode of "24" and then complain about
Guantanamo the next morning. You can claim that the Americans have
themselves to blame for terrorism, while at the same time calling for
tougher restrictions on Muslim immigration to Germany. You can call
the American president a mass murderer and book a flight to New York
the next day. You can lament the average American’s supposed lack of
culture and savvy and meanwhile send off for the documents for the
Green Card lottery.

Not a day passes in Germany when someone isn’t making the wildest
claims, hurling the vilest insults or spreading the most outlandish
conspiracy theories about the United States. But there’s no risk
involved and it all serves mainly to boost the German feeling of
self-righteousness.

Not so safe

Iran is a different story. The last time someone made a joke on German
TV about an Iranian leader, the outcome was not pleasant. Exactly 20
years ago, Dutch entertainer Rudi Carell produced a short TV sketch
portraying Ayatollah Khomeini dressed in women’s underwear. Carell
received death threats. The piece, which lasted all of a few seconds,
led to flights being cancelled and German diplomats being expelled
from Tehran. Carell apologized. Jokes about fat Americans are just
safer.

Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, the American historian who in his 1996 book
"Hitler’s Willing Executioners" deprived the Germans of the belief
that they didn’t know what was going on back in the day, is currently
studying the history of genocides in the 20th century. One of the
things he has noticed is that the politicians or military leaders who
planned genocides and had them carried out rarely concealed their
intentions in advance. Whether the victims were Hereros, Armenians,
kulaks, Jews or later Bosnians, the perpetrators generally believed
that they were justified and had no reason to hide their murderous
intentions.

Today, when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad talks about a world
without Israel while dreaming of an atom bomb, it seems obvious that
we — as Germans of all people — should be putting two and two
together. Why shouldn’t Ahmadinejad mean what he says? But we Germans
only know what we believe.

The Americans are more dangerous than the ayatollahs? Perhaps the
Americans should take the Germans at their word for a change. It’s
high time for a new round of re-education. The last one obviously
didn’t do the job.

Claus Christian Malzahn is SPIEGEL ONLINE’s Berlin bureau chief.

© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2007
All Rights Reserved

PRESS RELEASE
UCLA AEF Chair in Armenian History
Contact: Prof. Richard Hovannisian
Tel: 310-825-3375
Contact: Peter Szanton, 310-825-4669
[email protected]

Mar ch 30, 2007

attached illustration: Stockholm, January: Karine Arakelian, Richard
Hovannisian, Erebouni and Vahagn Avedian
sent as a separate attachment: Geneva, March: Vartiter Hovannisian, Sarkis
Shahinian, Tamar Hacoyan, Lilit and David Ekchian

PROFESSOR RICHARD HOVANNISIAN IN ACTIVE FIRST QUARTER

During the first quarter of 2007, Professor Richard G. Hovannisian, AEF
Chair in Modern Armenian History at UCLA, has continued to maintain an
intense schedule of lectures, conferences, and interviews relating to the
Armenian Studies. He has at the same time maintained a full teaching load
in his popular UCLA courses in Armenian history and on the comparative
study of genocide.

Atlanta-Stockholm-San Francisco-Zurich

Hovannisian attended the annual conference of the American
Historical Association in Atlanta, January 4-7. As president of the Society
for Armenian Studies (SAS), he also took part in meetings of groups
affiliated with the AHA and laid plans there for SAS participation with
organized panels in the next AHA conference which will be held in
Washington, D.C. in January 2008.

The following weekend, January 12-13, Dr. Hovannisian was in
Stockholm, Sweden, where he spoke to the Council of Swedish Armenian
organizations on the changing landscape of historic Western Armenia. The
community is made up of Armenians speaking a variety of languages,
including those who know only Kurdish, Turkish, or Swedish. Hovannisian’s
bilingual presentation and illustrated talk helped to reach all segments of
the audience. At the same time, he became better acquainted with the
translation into Swedish and placing on the worldwide web of his selected
works, an initiative of Mr. Vahagn Avedian, a computer specialist in
Uppsala. He is the web master of the informative web site
<;
[SEE ATTACHED PHOTOGRAPH jpeg 7 Stockholm: Karine Arakelian, Richard
Hovannisian, Erebouni and Vahagn Avedian]

On January 27, Dr. Hovannisian spent an hour on Horizon
Television in a cultural program, Gragan Yeter, hosted by Ms. Monet Airian,
a former student and poet. The following day he was at St. John Armenian
Church in San Francisco at the invitation of Father Sarkis Petoyan for an
all-community luncheon and his presentation on impressions of the historic
homelands now in eastern Turkey.

On February 3, Richard Hovannisian was in Zurich for a talk to
the Switzerland-Armenia Association. The event was coordinated by Mr.
Sarkis Shahinian, an architect who was highly instrumental in the release
by Time Magazine in Europe of the DVD on the Armenian Genocide and who with
several others is currently leading a campaign in Switzerland against
genocide deniers. Among his collaborators is Mr.David Ekchian, who with his
wife Lilit hosted Hovannisian and the conference organizers at a
post-lecture dinner and discussion.

Clark Library and Pepperdine University

On February 9-10, Dr. Hovannisian was an invited guest at the
historic Clark Library in Los Angeles for a conference on Imperial Models
in the Early Modern World, during which the management of differences in
the Ottoman, Hapsburg, Iberian, and other imperial states was the subject
of exploration and discussion.

On February 11-12, Hovannisian was a featured speaker at an
international conference Genocide and Religion: Victims, Perpetrators,
Bystanders, and Resisters, sponsored by the Pepperdine Law School Institute
on Law, Religion, and Ethics. Addressing a large audience of legal
scholars, academics, human rights activists, and students, Hovannisian
assessed the degree to which religion was a contributing factor in the
Armenian Genocide, the religious components of pre-genocidal Ottoman
society, and the exploitation of religion by the Young Turk nationalists.

Western Diocese and NAASR

On the evening of February 16, Professor Hovannisian was honored
by Archbishop Hovnan Derderian and the Western Diocese of the Armenian
Church in a rich cultural and culinary event, with analyses of
Hovannisian’s life and work by former students and now professors, Barlow
Der Mugrdechian of California State University, Fresno, and Vahram
Shemmassian, California State University, Northridge. The immediate
occasion for the event was the publication of the sixth volume in the
series, Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces, with the papers for each
volume revised and edited by Hovannisian. The volumes now include
Van/Vaspurakan; Baghesh/Bitlis and Taron/Mush; Tsopk/Kharpert;
Karin/Erzerum; Sebastia/Sivas; and Tigranakert/Diarbekir and Edessa/Urfa.
Professor Der Mugrdechian adeptly presented Hovannisian’s life from his
youth in the San Joaquin Valley to his past and present academic pursuits.
Shemmassian discussed the importance of each province and volume in the
series, before Hovannisian himself reflected on his career and the advances
and challenges in Armenian studies.

Richard Hovannisian flew to Boston on February 23 to present an
illustrated lecture sponsored by the National Association of Armenian
Studies and Research in a standing room audience at the First Armenian
Church in Belmont, Massachusetts. He was introduced by NAASR president Ms
Nancy Kolligian and the director of programs and publications, Mr. Marc
Mamigonian. Hovannisian’s recent books were featured at the NAASR bookstore
during the post-lecture reception.

Hrant Dink Memorial at UCLA

Professor Hovannisian returned to UCLA on February 25 for a memorial
tribute and program on dedicated to the life and works of Hrant Dink. On
Hovannisian’s initiative, a collective of Turkish students, the
Organization of Istanbul Armenians (OIA), and the UCLA Armenian Studies
Program, Near Eastern Languages Department, Center for Jewish Studies, and
Center for Near Eastern Studies participated in the memorial program: Hrant
Dink: His Legacy and His Challenge. The overflow audience of more than 500
students, faculty, and community members participated in a moving program
that was opened by Richard Hovannisian followed by a minute of silence with
accompanying memorial music. Speakers included Mr. Simon Acilac of the OIA,
Ms. Zeynep Turkyilmaz of the Initiative of Turkish Students, Professor
David Myers, Director of the Jewish Studies Center, Professor Ayse Gul
Altinay of Sabanci University in Istanbul, and UCLA alumnus Dr. Rupen
Cetinyan. A video tribute was prepared by Stepan Partamian and a moving
musical program with violin and duduk was followed by the traditional
"helva" in memory of the departed.
London and Geneva

The pace of activities has continued into the month of March,
with presentations in the Kensington Library of London sponsored by the
Armenian Institute on March 3. The Institute’s president, Dr. Susan Pattie,
discussed the importance of the series that Hovannisian edits on Historic
Armenian Cities and Provinces, and then invited the professor to recount
first hand experiences and impressions in those regions. A post-lecture
dinner was hosted by Mr. Adom and Mrs. Sella Tenjoukian.

On March 4, Richard and Vartiter Hovannisian flew to Geneva to
take part in a gathering sponsored by the Armenian Church and nearly all
the Armenian organizations of Switzerland. As the event came on the eve of
the test case in the Swiss courts involving a denier of the Armenian
Genocide, Hovannisian outlined the typical denial arguments in a
comparative perspective and pointed to the continuing harm that denial
causes to survivors and successive generations. He also reflected on issues
that still need to be resolved in the study of the actual decision-making
processes and execution of the genocide. The afternoon program was attended
by Armenians from all parts of Switzerland as well as numerous city and
canton officials from Geneva and the ambassador of the Republic of Armenia,
Mr. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan. The initial verdict of the court that tried the
case in Lausanne two days later found the denier guilty and imposed a token
symbolic fine, although there is little doubt that the perpetrator side
will take the case to courts of appeal and continue to mount pressure on
the federal government of Switzerland.
[SEE ATTACHED PHOTOGRAPH jpeg: 3212 Geneva: Vartiter Hovannisian, Sarkis
Shahinian, Tamar Hacoyan, Lilit and David Ekchian]

Returning to Los Angeles, Hovannisian was in the Avedissian Hall
of Ferrahian High School on the evening of March 9. The program sponsored
by the Anahid chapter of the Armenian Relief Society featured his
power-point presentation with historical commentary on the sites visited in
historic Western Armenia with Dr. Vartiter K. Hovannisian, Professor Fatma
Muge Gocek, and the Armenian editor of Agos, Mr. Sarkis Seropian, during
the summer of 2006.

The Armenian Communities of the Indian Ocean

On the weekend of March 16-18, Hovannisian organized with Dr.
Sebouh Aslanian the sixteenth in the UCLA series on historic Armenian
cities, provinces, and communities. The conference, Ebb and Flow of the
Armenian Communities of the Indian Ocean, brought together scholars from
Armenia, Europe, Mexico, and the United States to consider the active and
colorful commercial, intellectual, and philanthropic history of the
Armenian communities of India and South Asia. During the conference, which
was sponsored by UCLA’s AEF Chair in Armenian History, International
Institute, Near Eastern Center, History Department, and AGBU Southern
California District Committee Professor Hovannisian presented the story of
a number of prominent Armenian civic leaders in India and introduced a film
about Sir Catchick Paul Chater, who rose from humble origins in Calcutta to
become a towering figure in the development of the Hong Kong colony, where
even today a park and street bear his name. His large bequest to the
Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth in Calcutta has helped to maintain the
church and the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy (Mardasiarkan
Jemaran). All conference participants were hosted to special dinner with
AEF members by Mr. and Mrs. Hacop and Hilda Baghdassarian.

Saint Mary’s of Maryland

Richard Hovannisian completed his engagements of the first
quarter of the year on March 28-29 with meetings with students and faculty
and a public lecture at St. Mary’s College in St. Mary’s City, Maryland
(the state’s first capital) at the invitation of Professor Bjorn Krondorfer
of the Department of Religious Studies. Hovannisian’s presentation in the
college’s distinguished lecturer series, titled "Must We Still Remember?
The Armenian Genocide as Prototype," addressed many of the issues with
which students in the fields of religion, philosophy, and history have been
confronting.

—END–

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
March 30, 2007
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS

Assembly One of 16 Organizations Invited to Testify at the Public
Witness Hearing

Washington, DC – Testifying before the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations Appropriations and Related
Programs, which decides assistance levels to Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh, Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny urged the
Subcommittee to continue funding for Armenia at "not less than" $75
million and to allocate $10 million for Nagorno Karabakh. 

"It is essential that significant assistance to Armenia be maintained
in the face of the fourteen-year blockades by its neighbors, Turkey
and Azerbaijan," said Ardouny, and also noted the "compelling
humanitarian and development needs" in Karabakh. "We also urge the
Subcommittee to institute new report language requiring a full
accounting of the steps the U.S. has taken and the responses therein
to eliminate these blockades," he continued.

With respect to regional cooperation, Ardouny stressed that "ongoing
attempts to isolate Armenia, such as the Azeri-proposed rail bypass of
Armenia, run counter to U.S. policy goals," and urged the Subcommittee
to build upon legislation (H.R. 3361) introduced last Congress by
Subcommittee Member and Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg
(R-MI) to combat such attempts and look for opportunities to promote
regional cooperation. "For example, funding should be made available
to provide for minor repairs needed to open the existing Kars-Gyumri
rail link between Turkey and Armenia."

Ardouny also expressed the Armenian Assembly’s extreme concern with
the "inclusion of counterproductive language" in State Department
reports and noted that language "labeling Armenia as an occupier is
not only patently false, but also directly contradicts the U.S. role
as a mediator and undermines" U.S. credibility.  Ardouny’s testimony
urged that it be "corrected post haste."

While noting that the Armenian Assembly supports the purpose of the
Millennium Challenge Act (MCA) to improve democracy and good
governance in Armenia, Ardouny shared the concerns raised by many
Members of the Subcommittee, including Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY),
that MCA funds "should not be used as a substitute" for other funding
priorities.  Specifically, it should not be used as a justification to
cut the Freedom Support Act (FSA), which provides critically important
assistance programs to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.    Ardouny drew
attention to Azerbaijan’s ongoing war rhetoric, "despite U.S. demands
to cease such  provocative actions," and called on the Subcommittee to
carefully monitor U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan "to ensure that the
principle of military and security parity" envisioned with the
conditional waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act "is
maintained throughout all funding areas." Further, should Baku
continue its anti-Armenian rhetoric, Ardouny urged the Subcommittee
"to suspend the waiver authority it granted and reinstate Section 907"
of the Freedom Support Act.

Ardouny also underscored the importance of Armenia’s energy security
and "urged the Subcommittee to utilize the tools at its disposal to
pave the way for Armenia’s full inclusion in, and contribution to,
existing and future energy and development projects."

In addition to the Armenian Assembly of America, the following
organizations testified before the Subcommittee: Georgetown University
Center for Intercultural Education and Development, The Asia
Foundation, Alliance for International Educational and Cultural
Exchange, National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes, Basic Education
Coalition, World Wildlife Fund, The Population Institute, Interns for
Peace, The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, The GAVI Fund,
Internews Network, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Refugees International, Helen
Keller International, and Kiwanis International.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

###

NR#2007-043

Edit or’s Note:  Attached is the full text of Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny’s written testimony.

Testimony by Bryan Ardouny, Executive Director, Armenian Assembly of
America, Inc. Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related
Programs Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives

March 29, 2007

Madame Chairwoman Lowey, Ranking Member Wolf, and distinguished
Members of the Subcommittee, the Armenian Assembly of America
appreciates the opportunity to submit testimony regarding
U.S. assistance and policy in the Caucasus generally, and with respect
to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh specifically. The Assembly requests
that Armenia receive "not less than" $75 million and that $10 million
be allocated to Nagorno Karabakh from the FREEDOM Support Act
(FSA). In addition, we urge the Subcommittee to maintain military
parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan as envisioned by the conditional
waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act by providing equal
allocations of $4.3 million in Foreign Military Financing and $1
million in International Military Education and Training.

Recommendations for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008

1. Assistance to Armenia

The Assembly urges the Subcommittee to maintain U.S. assistance to
Armenia in FY 2008 at a level of "not less than" $75 million.   It is
essential that significant assistance to Armenia be maintained in the
face of the fourteen-year blockades imposed by its neighbors, Turkey
and Azerbaijan.

Despite the dual blockades, Armenia’s economic reform measures are
progressing, as demonstrated by the Wall Street Journal and Heritage
Foundation’s "2007 Index of Economic Freedom," which ranked Armenia
32nd in the world.  In addition, the World Bank report "Armenia as a
Caucasian Tiger: Sustainable Economic Growth Maintenance Policies,"
released in March of this year, praised Armenia’s strong record of
performance noting that since independence in 1991, Armenia’s economy
has grown faster than that of any other post-Soviet state, excluding
the Baltics.

While we welcome the spirit and intent of the Millennium Challenge Act
(MCA) and the compact between the United States and Armenia, currently
under implementation, we share the concerns raised by many members of
the Subcommittee that MCA funding should not be used as a substitute
for funding in other areas.  Specifically, MCA funding for Armenia,
which supports rural roads and irrigation infrastructure development,
should not be used as a justification to cut FSA funding that promotes
economic and institutional reforms, democracy-building and civil
society development.

2. Elimination of Blockades, Regional Cooperation and Energy Security

Despite successful reforms, Armenia’s full economic potential cannot
be realized as long as its eastern and western borders remain under
blockade. The United States should ensure that concrete steps are
taken to remove the blockades, thereby alleviating the financial
hardships they cause. We urge the Subcommittee to institute new report
language requiring a full accounting of the steps the U.S. has taken
and the responses therein to eliminate the Turkish and Azeri blockades
of Armenia. 

Ongoing attempts to isolate Armenia from regional projects, such as
the Azeri-proposed rail bypass of Armenia, run counter to stated
U.S. policy goals of regional cooperation and economic
integration. Azerbaijan’s President had this to say about the rail
bypass: "If we succeed with this project, the Armenians will end in
complete isolation, which would create an additional problem for
their future, their already bleak future." We, therefore, urge this
Subcommittee to build upon and further enhance legislation H.R. 3361
that prevents the use of taxpayer funding of a rail bypass of
Armenia, by ensuring its implementation as a matter of
policy. Introduced last Congress by Rep. Knollenberg, H.R. 3361
enjoyed the support of many members of the Subcommittee, including
Chairwoman Lowey, Reps. Jackson, Schiff, Kirk, Rothman, and
McCollum. We urge the Subcommittee to undertake measures, such as the
full enactment of H.R. 3361, that combat these counterproductive
actions and ensure that Armenia has the resources to overcome such
obstacles. For example, funding should be made available to provide
for minor repairs needed to open the existing Kars-Gyumri rail link
that connects Turkey, Armenia, and Georgia, which would serve to
foster regional cooperation.

We also wish to draw the attention of the Subcommittee to Armenia’s
energy security – a fundamental element of the country’s economic
vitality. During the past decade, strategic energy projects launched
with U.S. support in the South Caucasus have created long-term
development opportunities for most of the nations in the region. 
However, these initiatives have not benefited Armenia, due to the
Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades. The Armenian Assembly, therefore,
urges the Subcommittee to utilize the tools at its disposal to pave
the way for Armenia’s full involvement in, and contribution to,
existing and future energy and development projects in the region. The
Assembly also urges parallel U.S. assistance targeted to help Armenia
address critical energy security needs through diversified and
affordable sources of energy, including non-hydrocarbon, in order to
reduce the risk of overdependence on limited regional routes or
suppliers.

3. U.S. Military Assistance  

The Assembly urges the Subcommittee to maintain security assistance
parity and requests $4.3 million in Foreign Military Financing, and $1
million in International Military Education Training assistance to
Armenia. The conditional waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support
Act makes it clear that any assistance provided shall not "undermine
or hamper" the Karabakh peace process or "be used for offensive
purposes against Armenia" or any "Armenian community in the Caucasus
region."  The President must consult with Congress prior to the
provision of any assistance under the agreement and report to Congress
"in detail" on "the nature and quantity" of such assistance, its
impact on the "military balance between Azerbaijan and Armenia" and
negotiations over Karabakh.  Finally, there was an understanding
between the Administration and Congress to ensure military parity
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Providing asymmetrical military assistance to Azerbaijan violates the
will of Congress, subverts the short- and long-term U.S. policy goals
for the South Caucasus region, and will only serve to legitimize
Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockades against Armenia and Karabakh, thereby
making its position at the negotiating table even more intransigent. 

In fact, Azerbaijan continues its unabated war rhetoric against
Armenia, despite U.S. demands to cease such provocative
actions. Rather than heed U.S. and European Union calls for
cooperation with Armenia, Azerbaijan has rejected Armenia’s numerous
proposals for economic and regional confidence-building, and has
instead dramatically increased its military spending to levels that
nearly equal Armenia’s entire national budget. Given Azerbaijan’s
escalating military expenditures, the Subcommittee is encouraged to
continue supporting military parity in the region by adjusting its
policy accordingly. In addition, we encourage the Subcommittee to
carefully monitor military assistance given to Azerbaijan through
other assistance programs, such as the Caspian Guard initiative, to
ensure that the principle of military and security parity is
maintained throughout all funding areas.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-Armenia military relationship, at both the
bilateral and Euro-Atlantic levels, has grown, as evidenced by
Armenia’s continued participation in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq,
as well as in Kosovo as part of the NATO peacekeeping mission.  Last
year, Armenia’s partnership with NATO expanded significantly due to
the entry into force of its Individual Partnership Action Plan
(IPAP).  Recently, Armenia held the "Week of NATO," which included the
formal opening of the NATO Information Center in the capital city of
Yerevan. NATO’s Deputy Secretary-General for Public Diplomacy Jean
Fournet, stated that "Armenia has reached real progress in the
implementation of IPAP" and that "…The leadership of the Alliance is
satisfied with the results already achieved…"

The Assembly strongly believes that it is in the U.S. national
interest to build upon this important area of cooperation with Armenia
at both bilateral and Euro-Atlantic levels, and looks forward to
working with the Subcommittee to further expand U.S.-Armenia military
relations.

4. Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act

Given the ongoing war rhetoric emanating from Azerbaijan, the Assembly
urges the vigorous monitoring of the conditional waiver of Section 907
of the FREEDOM Support Act to ensure the safety of Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh, and expects the Administration to provide substantive
reporting in this regard.   As the Subcommittee is aware, in the
aftermath of September 11th, pursuant to then-Secretary of State Colin
Powell’s request for flexibility to counter terrorist elements and
organizations operating in Azerbaijan, Congress granted a conditional
and limited waiver to Section 907.  While safeguards were built into
the waiver, the Assembly remains deeply troubled by the continued war
rhetoric emanating from senior Azerbaijani officials.  Should
Azerbaijan not cease its increasingly anti-Armenian rhetoric, the
Armenian Assembly urges this Subcommittee to suspend the waiver
authority it granted and reinstate Section 907. 

5. Assistance to Nagorno Karabakh (NK)

The Assembly commends the vision and leadership of the Subcommittee
for its continued support of critical assistance to NK.  We request
that the Subcommittee allocate $10 million for Karabakh in FY 2008. 
While progress has been made in Karabakh, there are still many
compelling humanitarian and development needs resulting from the war
launched against the people of Karabakh by Azerbaijan. For example,
out of some 5,000 homes damaged or destroyed by the war, only a
fraction have been restored.  In addition, many healthcare, education,
drinking water, sanitation and other needs have yet to be addressed,
including the urgent need for a new public hospital in
Stepanakert. The Assembly strongly urges the Subcommittee to ensure
that continued funding be provided to rehabilitate damaged
infrastructure and encourage development.

6. Peace Process (the Nagorno Karabakh conflict)

The Assembly praises the Subcommittee for previously providing funding
for confidence-building measures to help facilitate a peaceful
resolution of the Karabakh conflict.  In order to facilitate peace,
the Assembly requests that these funds continue to be made available
for increased cooperation among Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh.  In
particular, the Assembly recommends that the Subcommittee urge
Azerbaijan to support confidence-building measures that facilitate
interaction among the parties, in order to address the region’s urgent
safety and development needs jointly, while also working toward a
negotiated settlement.

Further, we are extremely concerned with the inclusion of
counterproductive language regarding Nagorno Karabakh in the State
Department Reports on Human Rights Practices for Armenia and
Azerbaijan. We urge that it be corrected post haste as the language
labeling Armenia as an occupier is not only patently false, but also
directly contradicts the U.S. role as a mediator and undermines the
credibility of its effort. We understand that State Department
officials have acknowledged this mistake. Finally, we urge the
Subcommittee to institute report language that  supports the OSCE
Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ efforts to find a mutually acceptable
resolution of the conflict among all three parties – Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh.

7. Conclusion

Madame Chairwoman, on behalf of the Armenian-American community, I
would like to express our deep and sincere gratitude to Congress for
its assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.  Armenian-Americans
remember the support the U.S. provided during Karabakh’s struggle
throughout the Soviet era, and America’s proud World War I record of
intervention during the Armenian Genocide. The enduring and natural
bonds that exist between the U.S. and Armenia are readily apparent in
Armenia’s ongoing support for America. 

Armenia stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and on the
frontlines in the new war against terrorism. Armenians in Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh look to the United States as the leader of the
Western world and a beacon of hope in pursuit of freedom and
self-determination. They stand ready to help America ensure the defeat
of terrorism and triumph of democracy.

The Armenian Assembly of America greatly appreciates your attention to
these very important matters and looks forward to working with the
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee throughout the 110th
Congress.

TURKEY RESTORES ARMENIAN CHURCH AS GOODWILL GESTURE

PRESS TV, Iran
March 29 2007

Ankara has held a ceremony in eastern Turkey to mark the restoration
of an Armenian church, in a move to improve ties with its neighbor
Armenia and its own Armenian minority.

Among those in attendance at the opening of the Akdamar church on
an island in Lake Van were Patriarch Mesrob II, head of the Armenian
Orthodox minority in Turkey, Armenian Deputy Culture Minister Gagik
Gyurjyan and Turkish Culture Minister Atilla Koc.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mesrob said he hoped that the
Armenians could use the site as a place of prayer during a once-a-year
festival.

Despite having no diplomatic ties with Armenia, Turkish officials
decided to invite Armenian government ministers to the opening as a
goodwill gesture.

Restoration of the 1,000-year-old church, which will now open as a
museum, took two years.