Month: March 2007

REPORTERS’ TRICK, SPEAKER SAYS

Panorama.am
20:35 15/03/2007

On March 23, Republican Party member Ruben Khlghatyan and Prosperous
Armenia member Araik Aghababyan will combat the election for the post
of Armavir mayor.

The media already disseminated opinions that they will use all means
of elections fraud and the "strongest" will win.

"It is a reporters’ trick. Such speculations do not have anything
common with the reality," Tigran Torosyan, speaker of the Armenian
parliament, told a press conference today.

FORUM PRESS OPENED, FORUM DEBATE TO OPEN

Panorama.am
20:51 15/03/2007

Forum Press Club will organize press conferences each week without
topical restrictions, Viktor Mnatsakanyan, chairman of F-industry
media holding, told Panorama.am.

In his words, Forum Debate will start functioning starting April. The
forum will organize debates with political figures and experts on
top issues of the week.

Today Forum Press Club held its first press conference today. They
guest was Elizabeth Petrosyan, director of Forbes-Armenia.

STATE DECIDES TO ALIENATE SEVERAL MONUMENTS

Panorama.am
19:08 15/03/2007

Our oligarchs can even buy churches because some of them are subject
for alienation. Today the government approved the list of monuments
which are not subject for alienation. Out of 24132 monuments, 18935
are not subject for alienation.

Hasmik Poghosyan, minister of culture and youth affairs, said
those churches that may be used after reconstruction are subject
for alienation.

No legal act defines on what conditions and to whom the monuments
may be alienated. In the words of Poghosyan, these issues will be
solved on contract basis. She promised that the churches may not be
alienated to religious sects. The minister confessed that the state
is not able to take care of so many monuments.

PROJECTIONS DE FILMS ARMENIENS CE SOIR AU CHAPEAU-ROUGE

Le Telegramme
15 mars 2007 jeudi

L’association Gros Plan et le centre d’art contemporain Le Quartier
consacrent une soiree au cineaste armenien Artavazd Pelechian
aujourd’hui a 18 h 30 et 20 h 30, aux Studios du Chapeau-Rouge, a
Quimper. En presence du realisateur et comedien Serge Avedikian et
en echo a l’exposition " D’Armenie " presentee au Quartier.

Quatre courts-metrages d’Artavazd Pelechian.

" Au debut/Nacalo " (1967) consacre au 50 e anniversaire de la
Revolution d’octobre ; " Nous/My " (1969), a propos du peuple
armenien, son genocide mais aussi " le caractère intolerable de
toute animosite nationale " ; " Les Habitants/Obitateli " (1970)
alerte sur le fait que " les agressions de l’homme contre la nature
menacent son equilibre naturel " ; " Les Saisons/Vremena Goda "
(1972), une vision cosmogonique de l’Armenie et du monde. A 20 h 30.

" Retourner ".

Documentaire de Serge Avedikian (2006). Serge Avedikian est ne a
Yerevan, en Armenie sovietique en 1955. Comedien au theâtre et au
cinema (" Le Pull-over rouge ", " La Diagonale du fou ", etc.),
il cree en 1988 sa societe de production pour realiser des films
documentaires ou de fiction. Il connaît Artavazd Pelechian depuis de
nombreuses annees. A 18 h 30.

Informations complementaires sur le site ou au
02.98.53.74.74.

–Boundary_(ID_DeAlLNyIMfwcmOb W1ncqgA)–

DANIEL FRIED CALLS THE GENOCIDE OF ARMENIANS "ETHNIC CLEANSING"

ArmRadio.am
16.03.2007 12:50

US Assistant Secretary of State on Europe and Eurasia Daniel Fried
has declared that "the US Administration has never denied, has not
questioned or undermined the mass killing of Armenians and the historic
fact of that ethnic cleansing," Mediamax reports.

Daniel Fried said this, speaking in the Foreign Relations Committee of
the House of Representatives during the hearings on "American-Turkish
relations and future challenges."

"Possibly, the congress will pass the resolution characterizing
the mass killing of 1.5 million Armenians during the last years of
existence of the Ottoman Empire as genocide. US Administration has
never denied, questioned or undermined the historic facts of the mass
killing and ethnic cleansing. Every year on April 24 the Us Presidents
comes forward with a statement," Daniel Fried declared.

The Assistant Secretary of State said, "Our goal is to promote the
fair investigation of these terrible events by the Turkish society
to help Turkey reconcile with its own past and with Armenia."

"It’s not easy: for the United States it was also hard to accept
the black pages of its history. However, after long silence Turkey
demonstrates progress in this direction. This year more than 100
thousand of Turkish citizens attended Hrant Dink’s funeral," Daniel
Fried said. He mentioned that the Turkish President, Prime Minister
and Head of the General Staff have condemned this murder.

"We also see calls, including from the Turkish Prime Minister and
Foreign Minister, to amend Article 301 of the Penal Code. We welcome
the suggestions of Turkish leaders to amend or expel Article 301,"
the State Department representative said.

"We think that adoption of Res.106 in the US House of Representatives
will silence the voices which call to fairly investigate the past
for reconciliation with the history and Armenia. Members of the
Armenian community of Turkey counting 60-70 thousand tell us that
such resolutions will pressure the dialogue and can escalate a
wave of national tensions which will threaten their security. Our
aim is to open the soul and heart of Turkey although via painful
self-recognition," said Daniel Fried.

85% OF AZERIS CONSIDER TURKS THEIR FRIRNDS AND ALLIES

ArmRadio.am
16.03.2007 11:00

Public opinion polls revealed that 85% of Azerbaijani citizens
consider Turks their friends and allies, the Journal of Turkish Weekly
reports. Russia and Georgia follow Turkey. Armenia is the first in
the list of enemies.

The survey was conducted the "Frederic Eberti" Fund among 1
000 citizens from 12 cities of Azerbaijan. More than 59% of the
interviewee does not accept the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict.

REPRESENTATIVE OF PENTAGON ANXIOUS ABOUT THE PASSAGE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

ArmRadio.am
16.03.2007 13:12

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for NATO and European Affairs
Dan Fata declared that the adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution
"will create nationalist and anti-American moods among the Turkish
society, which is not of high opinion about the United States even
without it," Mediamax agency reports.

Dan Fata said this during the hearings on the "American-Turkish
relations and future challenges" in the US House of Representatives.

"The adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution will have a number
of negative consequences. In particular, the reaction of Turkey will
damage the US continuous efforts to reconcile Turkey and Armenia,
will hamper the military actions of the US in Iraq and Afghanistan
and will cause harm to important issues of national security.

The passage of the bill will create nationalist and anti-American
moods among the Turkish society, which is not of high opinion about
the United States even without it. Such emotional reaction will
most probably make the Turkish Government take steps that can cause
considerable harm to our activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. Turkey
has considerable contribution to the global fight against corruption
and the defense of US rights in the region, and all this will be
endangered. If we speak in a broader scope, serious damage will be
caused to the relations with NATO, which will considerably harm the
opportunities of the US to reach its short-term and long-term targets,"
the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense stated.

ARMENIA TO SHIFT TO SUMMER TIME ON MARCH 25

ArmRadio.am
16.03.2007 13:42

According to Armenian legislation, the last Sunday of March, at 02:00
the pointers of the clock will be drawn an hour forward, marking the
start of " summer time."

RA Deputy Minister of Trade and Economic Development Garnik Badalyan
told Armenpress that the "summer time" which starts in Europe and
CIS countries the last Sunday of March is artificial and is targeted
at the effective use of summer days and weakening of overloading of
the energy sector. The real geographic time in the republic is the
"winter time," which starts on the last Sunday of October.

PRELACY’S ANNUAL SEMINAR FOR DEACONS TO BE HELD IN TORONTO

ArmRadio.am
16.03.2007 10:24

Under the Auspices of His Eminence, Archbishop Khajag Hagopian,
Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada, the annual seminar for
the church choir and Deacons will be held at the St. Mary’s Armenian
Apostolic Church in Toronto from March 24 to 25, 2007.

This year’s seminar, which is for Acolytes, Subdeacons and Deacons
of the Prelacy, will concentrate on Armenian Church Traditions,
Church Choirs and Youth. Participants of the seminar will include
choir members and Deacons of the Armenian Apostolic Churches of Sourp
Hagop in Montreal, Sourp Kevork in Laval, St. Mary in Toronto, Sourp
Nishan in Cambridge and St. Paul in St. Catharines.

The seminar’s opening remarks will be delivered by St. Mary’s
Armenian Apostolic Church Pastor, Very Rev. Fr. Meghrig Parikian. The
agenda for the seminar include lectures by Viken Khanamirian, Vahe
Pouchikian, Sossy Kavasian and Melkon Kargotsian. Sharagan teachings
will be presented by Archpriest Hrair Nicolian and Rev. Fr. Gomidas
Panossian. Rev. Fr. Karnig Koyounian will in turn present a session
on spiritual meditation.

The guest church choir members will be participating in the Sunday
Mass at St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church on March 25, 2007.

IRAN-ARMENIAN GAS PIPELINE TO BE PUT INTO COMMISSION ON MARCH 19

ArmRadio.am
16.03.2007 10:50

The Iran-Armenian gas pipeline will be put into commission on March
19. Head of the "High-tension Electric Networks" Sahak Abrahamyan told
Armenpress that the Presidents of Armenia and Iran will participate
the opening of the pipeline. The construction of the 40 km long sector
of the gas pipeline on the Armenian territory has been completed.

In the first stage it is envisaged to transport 300-400 million cubic
meters of gas. Later it will be possible to increase the volume till
2.5 billion cubic meters.