Month: March 2007

14, Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan 0010, Armenia
Tel: +374 10 56 60 73 + 121
Mob: +374 91 43 63 12
Fax: +374 10 54 38 11
URL:

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Aramazd Ghalamkaryan
E-mail: [email protected]

UNDP and partners join resources to fill the gap between the current job
market requirements and lack of vocational skills among young people in
Armenia

/During her first official visit to the region, the newly appointed UNDP
regional director signs a memorandum with the Government of Armenia/*//*

February 26, 2007, Yerevan, Armenia – Today, in the framework of her
first official visit to Armenia and the region, Ms. Kori Udovicki, UN
assistant secretary-general, UN Development Programme (UNDP) director of
the regional bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) signed a memorandum with the Ministry of Education and
Science of Armenia and the Centre of Educational Projects executing
Armenia Education Quality and Relevance Project funded by the World Bank.

The parties to the memorandum agreed to support the ongoing reforms
aimed at integration of preliminary professional (vocational) education
into the high school system and in this regard to coordinate and
complement each other’s efforts. With their signatures, Minister Levon
Lazarian, Mrs. Udovicki and Mrs. Harutyunyan, Director of the Center of
Educational Projects launched a project that was the logical
continuation of UNDP’s continuous efforts in the field of education in
Armenia.

In 2006, a UNDP project on modernization of vocational education and
training sector started, funded by the Norwegian Government. There are
two basic components – provision of proper physical conditions for the
educational process and assurance of sustainability of vocational education.

Minister Lazarian noted that without reforms and without a highly
trained and skillful workforce, the country’s economic viability over
the medium and long term is jeopardised.

"We highly appreciate the current effective cooperation to modernize the
vocational education and training system in Armenia. This project is
fully in line with the country’s reform agenda and we are hopeful that
the fruitful collaboration with UNDP and the World Bank will continue in
future as well." – mentioned Mr. Lazarian.

Within the framework of this MOU, educational institutions will be
upgraded, necessary equipment for educational process will be purchased.
Importantly, basic normative regulations and educational standards will
be developed, competence-based qualification standards will be drafted,
new and modernized curricula and text books will be elaborated, and the
importance of vocational education will be promoted among youth in
particular.

In addition, college level faculty staff will undergo training on
pedagogy and new forms of college management; complementary adult
education will be introduced which will increase employability of the
currently unemployed people.

Currently UNDP Armenia is in the process of finalization of the national
human development report on education (2006-2007), which is another
important contribution of UNDP into this sector. The report is fully
focused on education issues as fundamental for human capital development
and integration into the developed world. The objective of the Report is
to initiate a nation-wide debate on education in Armenia and to promote
broad public participation and civic engagement in public policy making.

Ms. Consuelo Vidal, head of UN and UNDP in Armenia, noted in her
welcoming speech: "We strongly believe that building human capital,
particularly through education, is key for Armenia’s development. We are
confident that the 2006 national human development report fully
dedicated to education will become an important advocacy tool and
knowledge asset for both policy-makers and public to highlight and
address development needs in education, and will serve as basis for
public and expert debates on the crucial issues of education in Armenia." **

/Background information: /During her first mission to Armenia, Ms.
Udovicki got acquainted with UNDP activities in Armenia and discussed
UNDP strategy with senior government officials, international
organizations, diplomatic missions, private sector and the civil
society. She also met with the Prime Minister of Armenia and the
Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss national development priorities
and ongoing and future cooperation with UNDP. After completion of her
visit to Armenia on February 27, Ms. Udovicki will visit Georgia and
Azerbaijan.

Before joining UNDP as a Regional Bureau Director, Ms. Udovicki (Serbia)
has served as Governor of the National Bank of Serbia. Before that she
was the country’s Minister of Energy and Mines. She holds a PhD and a
Master’s Degree in Economics from Yale University as well as a
Bachelor’s Degree from Belgrade University. Ms. Udovicki speaks Serbian,
Spanish, French, Portuguese and English.

* * *

/For additional information please contact Mr. Aramazd Ghalamkaryan,
tel.: (+37410) 566 073 ext. 121, (+37491) 436 312, e-mail:
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>.///

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Government House # 2, Republic Square
Yerevan 0010, Republic of Armenia
Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

26-02-07

Meeting of Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian with Kori Udovicki, Assistant
Secretary-General and the Assistant Administrator of UNDP

On February 26, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskainan received Kori Udovicki,
Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator of UNDP and Director of
the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

During the meeting, Minister Oskanian expressed his gratitude for the
assistance provided by UN agencies to the Armenian government, particularly
in developing and carrying out government projects that aim at poverty
eradication, battling corruption, protection of women’s and children’s
rights and other social and development programs.

Assessing highly the level of cooperation with the Armenian Government, Mrs.
Kori Udovicki presented the priorities of the UNDP as well as the upcoming
projects in the region. She expressed her readiness to go on with the active
involvement of UNDP projects in Armenia.

NOTE: Kori Udovicki worked in the International Monetary Fund from 1999 to
2001. From 2003 to 2004, she worked as Governor of the National Bank of
Serbia. She was also a Founding Director of Economic Research Center in
Serbia. She knows English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Serbian languages.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Government House # 2, Republic Square
Yerevan 0010, Republic of Armenia
Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 565601
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

26-02-2007

Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian Meets With
Foreign Minister of Poland Anna Fotyga

On February, 26 Minister Oskanian welcomed the Foreign Minister of Poland
Anna Fotyga, who was in Armenia on the first leg of a regional visit.

Welcoming Polish Foreign Minister on her first official visit to Armenia,
Minister Oskanian expressed his hope that this visit would significantly
bolster relations between the two countries.

The Polish Foreign Minister expressed her confidence that as a result of her
visit friendly relations between the two countries will continue to deepen
and involve new spheres of cooperation.

The Foreign Ministers emphasized the high level of bilateral political
relations, which is greatly fostered by the absence of differences on most
international issues.

During the meeting, the two colleagues shared opinions on several issues of
mutual interest. Poland is among the countries with which there is close
cooperation in the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy of the
European Union. Minister Oskanian highlighted the possibility of sharing
Poland’s experience in the process of European integration and noted that
there were already steps being taken in this direction, among them those
within the framework of Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan.

The Foreign minister of Polland expressed the readiness of her country to
assist Armenia in all possible ways in choosing cooperation spheres within
the EU Action Plan and in their further realization.
The two also discussed regional issues, among them those of energy security;
they also touched upon the current status of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
resolution process.
The meeting was followed by the signing of a memorandum on "Cooperation
between the Foreign Ministries of Armenia and Poland on European
integration, 2007-2008" and a joint press conference.

Turkey’s Armenian dilemma

Tuesday, 27 February 2007, 07:24 GMT
BBC News

Turkey did not always deny the mass killing of Armenians. As the US
House of Representatives prepares to vote on recognising the 1915
massacres as genocide, journalist and historian Bruce Clark looks at
how and why Turkish attitudes have changed over the past 90 years.

German soldier Armin Wegner took photos of Armenian deportees

"The more foreign parliaments insist that our forebears committed
crimes against humanity, the less likely anybody in Turkey is to face
up to the hardest moments in history."
That, roughly speaking, is the message being delivered by Turkey’s
hard-pressed intelligentsia as the legislators in one country after
another vote for resolutions which insist that the killing of hundreds
of thousands of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 amounted to genocide.
Will the adoption [of a resolution] help to inform the Turkish
public… on the great tragedy which befell the Ottoman Armenians?
"No, it can hardly be expected to… broaden the debate on the history
of the Ottoman Empire’s final period."
So writes Sahin Alpay, a liberal-minded Turkish academic, in a recent
column in Zaman newspaper.
What such appeals reflect, of course, is an elementary fact of human
psychology: the phenomenon of individual and collective defensiveness.
When people feel completely secure, and among friends, they can be
very frank about misdeeds which they, or people close to them, have
committed.
But hackles will go up again as soon as they become insecure, because
they feel their accusers are acting in bad faith, or that accepting
their accusations will have bad consequences.
On the defensive
In recent years, liberal Turkish scholars have expressed the hope that
membership, or even prospective membership of the European Union, will
give the country enough confidence to discuss the Armenian tragedy
without threatening those who use the "g-word" with prosecution.

Wegner recorded scenes of refugee life such as a funeral rite in a camp

Sceptics may retort that in recent years, things have been moving in
the opposite direction: the revised Turkish penal code and its
preamble, adopted in 2005, make even more explicit the principle that
people may be prosecuted if they "insult Turkishness" – a crime which,
as the preamble makes clear, includes the assertion that the Ottoman
Armenians suffered genocide.
It is certainly true that Turkish defensiveness – the sort of
defensiveness which can treat open discussion as verging on treachery
– has been running high since the 1960s when the Armenians round the
world began lobbying for an explicit acceptance, by governments and
parliaments, that their people suffered genocide in 1915.
A campaign of violence launched by Armenian militants in the 1970s,
who mainly attacked Turkish diplomatic targets and claimed over 50
lives, raised hackles even higher.
All that raises a question: has there ever been a moment, since the
events of 1915, when the Turkish authorities might, conceivably, have
acknowledged or even freely discussed the view that almost every
Armenians regards as self-evident: the view that in addition to
relocating the entire ethnic Armenian population of eastern Anatolia,
the "Committee of Union and Progress" (CUP) which wielded effective
power in the Ottoman empire also gave secret orders to make sure that
as few as possible of the deportees survived the experience?
In fact, there was such a moment: the immediate aftermath of World War I.
Tried and executed
At that time the Ottoman government was intact but dependent for its
survival on the good graces of the victorious British Empire.
The sultan’s regime was desperately trying to distance itself from the
actions of the CUP, the "state within a state" which in 1915 had
masterminded the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Armenians –
and is alleged to have given secret "extermination" orders at the same
time.
During the early months of 1919, few people in Anatolia publicly
doubted that Armenians had suffered atrocities that were egregious
even by the standards of a terrible war.
The sultan and his foreign minister were at pains to reassure the
British of their determination to punish the perpetrators of these
atrocities, and they held four big and revealing trials whose
proceedings were published in the government gazette.
In April 1919 a local governor, Mehmed Kemal, was found guilty and
hanged for the mass killing of Armenians in the Ankara district.
But the climate shifted rapidly after May 1919, when Greek troops were
authorised by the victorious Entente powers to occupy the Aegean port
of Izmir and, in another part of Anatolia, Mustafa Kemal – later known
as Ataturk – began his campaign to make the Turks masters in their own
land.
Nationalist feeling
Turkish rage over the Greek landing lent fuel to the Kemalist cause,
and discredited the Ottoman government.
With every passing month, the British government’s leverage over the
Ottoman authorities waned, and so did British enthusiasm for the
conduct of war crimes trials.
In 1921, the British government made a pragmatic deal to release a
group of Turkish prisoners it had been holding in Malta on suspicion
(among other things) of crimes against the Armenians.
They were freed in exchange for Britons being held by the Turks.
In Turkish lore, this release is held up as proof that no serious
evidence against the captives existed.
What it certainly proves is that British zeal for investigating the
past was waning, even as the Kemalist cause gained strength and the
British-influenced Ottoman regime faded into oblivion.
In any case, the officially cherished version of the Turkish state’s
beginnings now insists since the empire’s British adversaries and
occupiers were the main promoters of war crimes trials, those trials
themselves must have been worthless or malicious.
A new state
But in the midst of all this nationalist discourse, something rather
important is often obscured, and there are just a few Turkish
historians who dare to point this out.
The atrocities against the Armenians were committed by an Ottoman
government, albeit a shadowy sub-section of that government.
There is no logical reason why a new republican administration,
established in October 1923 in an act of revolutionary defiance of
Ottoman power, should consider itself responsible for things done
under the previous regime.
In fact, when the nationalist movement was founded in 1919, the
climate of revulsion over the sufferings of the Armenians was so
general that even the neo-nationalists were keen to distinguish
themselves from the CUP.
Some see significance in the fact that the nationalist movement chose
to rally round an army officer, Mustafa Kemal, who had never been
anywhere near the places where the Armenians met their fate.
The very fact that the Turkish republic bears no formal responsibility
for eliminating the Armenian presence in eastern Anatolia (for the
simple reason that the republic did not exist when the atrocities
occurred) has given some Turkish historians a flicker of hope: one
day, the leaders of the republic will be able to face up to history’s
toughest questions about the Armenians, without feeling that to do so
would undermine the very existence of their state.
Fatma Muge Gocek, a Turkish-born sociologist who now works as
professor in America, has said there are – or will be – three phases
in her country’s attitude to the fate of the Armenians: a spirit of
"investigation" in the final Ottoman years, a spirit of defensiveness
under the Turkish republic, and a new, post-nationalist attitude to
history that will prevail if and when Turkey secures a places in
Europe.
That makes perfect psychological sense, even if the immediate
prospects for a move from phase two to phase three do not look very
bright.
Bruce Clark is international news editor of the Economist newspaper.

PRESS RELEASE
The Heritage Party
31 Moscovian Street
Yerevan 0002, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 27.00.03, 27.16.00 (temporary)
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46 (temporary)
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Website:

February 27, 2007

Heritage Finally Allowed to Remove Property

Yerevan–Today marshals from the Service for Mandatory Execution of Judicial
Acts (SMEJA) of the Ministry of Justice at long last reopened the locked and
sealed doors of Heritage Party headquarters, and allowed the office staff to
remove the property belonging to Heritage and its founder Raffi K.
Hovannisian. The property had been held captive for nearly one year inside
the premises which Hovannisian had lawfully leased from the Paronian State
Theater.

During the inspection of the main office, which took place in the company of
SMEJA officials, Heritage staff noticed that several pieces of equipment and
other items in Raffi Hovannisian’s bureau had been moved from their original
places. Despite the demands of the party representatives, the marshals did
not officially take note of this evident fact.

The opening of the office doors followed Heritage’s numerous formal
petitions–to SMEJA, the Minister of Justice, the Prosecutor General, and
the Republic’s ombudsman–which previously had not received the courtesy,
and legal imperative, of a reply. The sole response came on February 26,
three days after Raffi Hovannisian had reminded a Yerevan press conference
that Heritage was entering the registration cycle of the upcoming
parliamentary elections still locked out of its party headquarters and
deprived of its rightful access to its property and documentary resource
base, including the party’s original bylaws which are required for election
registration. Hovannisian had promised to secure his civil rights "in
emergency fashion" if the doors were not opened immediately.

As such, the yearlong saga of Heritage’s office lockdown and subsequent
break-in moved into its next phase.

Founded in 2002, Heritage has regional divisions throughout the land. As of
today, its central office is no longer located at 7 Vazgen Sargsian Street,
Yerevan 0010, Armenia. The new address is 31 Moscovian Street, Yerevan 0002,
Armenia, with email contact at [email protected] and website at

PRESS RELEASE

February 27, 2007

American University of Armenia Corporation
300 Lakeside Drive, 5th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Telephone: (510) 987-9452
Fax: (510) 208-3576
Contact: Gaiane Khchatrian
E-mail: [email protected]

AUA appoints Dr. Robert Bagramian Dean of College of Health Sciences

Oakland, CA – The Board of Trustees of the American University of Armenia
Corporation (AUAC) has approved the appointment of Dr. Robert Bagramian as
Dean of College of Health Sciences.

Dr. Bagramian is an accomplished scholar and the recipient of many awards in
the dental and public health spheres. He currently is a Professor in the
Schools of Dentistry and Public Health at the University of Michigan, where
he also served as a Professor and Chair in the Department of Community
Dentistry for seventeen years.

AUA President, Dr. Haroutune Armenian welcomed Dr. Bagramian in his new
position, "Dr. Bagramian is a highly respected academic with a distinguished
and international reputation. His teaching career spans over four decades at
major universities including the University of Michigan, University of
California, University of Berne, Switzerland and the National University of
Singapore. I am confident that Dr. Bagramian will have a significant impact
on the MPH program and AUA in general based on his academic and
administrative experiences, his ability to work with a variety of key
constituencies including governments, agencies and individuals, and his
successful development of training and health service programs both in the
United States and internationally."

Dr. Bagramian holds a Ph.D in Public Health from the University of Michigan,
School of Public Health, and a DDS Degree from the Temple University School
of Dentistry in Philadelphia. He provides consultancy services both
nationally and internationally, and serves as Chair of the Dental Health
Section of the American Public Health Association.

———————————— ——————–

The American University of Armenia Corporation (AUAC) is registered as a
non-profit educational organization in both Armenia and the United States
and is affiliated with the Regents of the University of California.
Receiving major support from the AGBU, AUA offers instruction leading to the
Masters Degree in eight graduate programs. For more information about AUA,
visit

February 27, 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: <;

WESTERN PRELACY SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ONE-DAY SEMINAR

The directors and teachers of Prelacy Sunday Schools gathered at
St. Mary’s Church in Glendale on Saturday, February 24, 2007, for a one-day
seminar that was held under the auspices of H.E. Archbishop Moushegh
Mardirossian, Prelate, and organized by the Sunday School Directorate.
Similar gatherings take place regularly with the directive of the Prelacy
Christian Education Department to provide supplementary information to our
Sunday Schools’ instructors on topics including church history, sacraments,
calendar, and various other subject matters. In addition to Christian
Education Department Co-Directors Very Rev. Fathers Muron Aznikian and
Barthev Gulumian, Rev. Gomidas Torossian, Pastor of St. Mary’s Church,
participated in the gathering along with about 40 teachers.

Following the opening prayer, the Prelate commended the
organizing of the gathering, stressing the need for further educational
seminars. The Prelate then advised the participants to be devoted in their
service, to live a selfless and God-pleasing life, and to perform good
deeds.

During the lecture portion of the seminar, in a lecture titled
"The Sundays of Great Lent", Hayr Muron presented in detail the eight
Sundays of Lent, from Paregentan to Easter Sunday, while Hayr Barthev
presented and taught hymns unique to the Sundays of Lent. A question and
answer session followed. Throughout the seminar, teachers were also offered
the opportunity to voice their concerns about issues relating to religious
education instruction. In turn, the directors were given guidelines and
examples of Sunday School curricula which were prepared by the Christian
Education Department,

The seminar concluded with a group picture, the singing of the
Sunday School anthem, and the closing prayer.

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
February 27, 2007

Contact: Haig Hovsepian

Tel: (818) 500-1918

ANCA-WR Hosts TOWN HALL MEETING WITH Washington Political Correspondent
Charles Mahtesian

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western
Region (ANCA-WR) welcomed Charles Mahtesian, Editor of the Almanac of
American Politics, at an ANCA Town Hall meeting this past Saturday at
the historic Tom Bradley room atop Los Angeles City Hall. In attendance
were a broad cross section of ANCA supporters and activists from across
southern California, including many young professionals interested in
learning more about the public policy environment in Washington, DC.

"Educating Armenian Americans on public policy issues is a vital
component of the ANCA’s core mission to empower the community," remarked
ANCA-WR Board member Zanku Armenian. "Our event today with Charles
Mahtesian provided a genuine political education for those present. Few
people in America understand the politics of Congress better than
Charles Mahtesian, and we were fortunate to have him share his insight
with us," Armenian added.

At the ANCA Town Hall meeting Mahtesian spoke to his audience about a
number of political issues ranging from the Democratic majority in both
the House of Representatives and Senate to an analysis of the various
candidates jockeying for power in the 2008 Presidential Election. With
the election of fifty-five new members to the House of Representatives,
forty-two of which are Democrats, Mahtesian noted that there has been a
decisive reversal of the "Republican Revolution" that began in 1994.
With the new Democratic majority in Congress and San Francisco Bay area
representative Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker, Mahtesian observed that
this shift in power will result in a louder voice for the
Armenian-American community. He observed that the shift in power in
Congress, from Texas-based politicians to those hailing from California,
may play a significant role in the fate of the Armenian Genocide
resolution pending before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mahtesian speculated that the Republican minority may find it difficult
to regain a majority in Congress in the near future, thereby allowing
Democrats to further strengthen and solidify their political gains. He
also noted that the Democrat’s strength in Congress could be further
bolstered by the fact a good number of Republican House members and
Senators are older and may opt for early retirement rather than face the
frustration they will experience as members of the minority party. In
addition to this frustration, Mahtesian pointed out that 21 Republican
Senators will be up for reelection in 2008, as opposed to only 12
Democratic Senators, making the open seats more available to Democrats.
Even with these built-in advantages for Democrats in Congress, Mahtesian
assured attendees at the ANCA Town Hall meeting that Republicans were
capable of bouncing back to power.

The final issue that Mahtesian addressed was the possibility of moving
up the schedule of the Presidential Primary in the State of California.
Moving the California Presidential Primary from June to February, as
Governor Schwarzenegger would like to do, would dramatically increase
the importance of the state in selecting the presidential nominees from
both parties. This new date would also mean that candidates will become
more sensitive to Armenian issues because California is home to an
enormous number of Armenian American voters.

During the question-answer period after his presentation, audience
members were given the opportunity to ask Mahtesian about the issues he
addressed as well as the current status of the Genocide resolution
(H.RES.106). Mahtesian greatly enjoyed his visit to Los Angeles, and
looks forward to visiting the region again in the near future. "I find
the dynamism and energy of the ANCA-WR to be really remarkable,"
commented Mahtesian following the event. "It’s that kind of passion and
energy that gets things accomplished in American politics."

In addition to his position as editor of the Almanac of American
Politics which is commonly referred to as "the bible of American
politics," Charles Mahtesian currently writes a monthly column on
politics for Government Executive magazine and is a contributing writer
and editor at National Journal magazine. Mahtesian has written for a
variety of newspapers, journals and magazines including The Weekly
Standard and Congress Daily, served as an election night analyst for
National Public Radio and appeared on numerous radio and television
programs including NPR’s All Things Considered, C-Span’s Washington
Journal, and on CNN and the BBC.

Armenian National Committee of America is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working
in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters
throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the
world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American
community on a broad range of issues.

###

PHOTO CAPTION: Charlie Mahtesian joins members of the ANCA-WR Board and
Staff after his lecture at Saturday’s Town Hall Meeting.

Tue, Feb 27 2007

DIVAN OF THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCHATE OF JERUSALEM
P.O. Box 14235
Jerusalem, Israel 91141
Tel: 9722-62282331; FAX: 6264861
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
21 February 2007

Patriarch asks for support on Holy Fire Ceremony
The following release was issued by the Divan of the Armenian Patriarchate
of Jerusalem. You can download PDF letter to send to officials regarding
the issue by clicking here.

The Holy Fire Ceremony

The Holy Fire Ceremony is a religious ceremony that takes place on the
Saturday of Holy Week, within the Tomb of Jesus Christ in the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Christians believe that, during the ceremony, the Holy Fire descends from
Heaven and lights up the lamp within the Tomb of Christ, thereby
symbolizing the Resurrection of Christ and his victory over death. The
descent of the fire from heaven is one of the greatest miracles of
Christianity, being the divine revelation of Jesus himself. For this
reason, the Holy Saturday ceremony is the holiest one for the Eastern
Churches. These churches include the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox,
Coptic Orthodox and Jacobite-Syrians; all participate in the Holy Saturday
ceremony.

The ceremony is conducted according to precise and clear rules and
arrangements, which have been in existence for hundreds of years. These
rules were anchored in the Ottoman-period Status Quo arrangement for the
Holy Places. The material part of the ceremony, acceptance of the holy
fire, is conducted within the edicule of the Holy Sepulchre; the edicule
is made up of two chambers – the Angels Chapel and the Holy Tomb Chapel.

According to the centuries-old practice, at the highlight of the ceremony,
the Greek Patriarch and the Armenian Patriarch, or his representative,
enter the Holy Tomb together, kneel down in front of the Tomb together,
and witness the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire together.

The Holy Fire is transferred by the Greek Patriarch and the Armenian
Patriarch, or his representative, to members of the Eastern Churches
through two windows located in the wall of the Angel’s Chapel.

During Easter of 2002, the newly elected Greek Patriarch, Irineos I, whose
first time it was participating in the abovementioned ceremony, incited a
conflict inside the Holy Tomb with the Armenian Patriarch’s
representative, by demanding a deviation from the Status Quo arrangements.
Since that time, the issue remains unresolved.

According to the Greek Patriarch’s statement regarding the ceremony in
2002, he said that the Armenian Bishop must not leave the Holy Tomb’s
Chapel first, and demanded that he leave first, contrary to the binding
order of the ceremony. It is notable to mention that the predecessors of
Irineos I have entered the Holy Tomb’s Chapel together with the Armenian
Patriarch, or his representative, for the Holy Fire Ceremony. The Greek
Metropolitan Archbishops Daniel and Cornelius have themselves been
witnesses to this.

Prior to the Holy Fire Ceremony of 2003, the Greek Patriarch altered his
previous statement and announced his objection in principle that the
Armenian Patriarch, or his representative, had no right to enter the Holy
Tomb’s Chapel during the ceremony. In essence, he said the Armenian
Patriarch, or his representative, had no right to enter the Holy Tomb’s
Chapel at all, witness the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, and
light his torch directly from the Holy Fire lamp.

Prior to the Easter celebrations of 2003, and after the Greek Patriarchate
refused every attempt at negotiation or compromise between the churches
within a forum of religious scholars, the State of Israel summoned both
parties around a table to solve the issue. Under Israeli Law, the
Government has the exclusive authority to attain an effective and fair
resolution of any dispute pertaining to the Holy Places in the Holy Land.

Instead of settling the issue immediately, and enforcing the Status Quo,
the Israeli government pretended to have a lack of knowledge regarding the
situation and requested that both churches present it with their evidence.
The government requested this evidence on what each side considered to be
the binding Status Quo arrangement, so that it could issue a decision
during the year preceding the 2004 ceremony. At the same time, the
churches and the Israeli police reached an interim confidential agreement
for the Holy Fire Ceremony of 2004 to ensure that peace and security
prevailed for the event. We believed that as soon as our evidence through
historic documents were presented, the Government would be able to decide
on the matter.

After the ceremony of 2004, we acted as agreed and conducted a thorough
investigation of not only our archives, but the archives of the Sharia
courts in Israel and abroad (including the Ottoman archives). We collected
the testimony of living witnesses who had conducted the Holy Fire Ceremony
as representatives of the Armenian Patriarch, and compiled various legal
documents and scientific books. We also hired the services of an expert,
Dr. Shmuel Berkovich, and furnished the Government with his expert opinion
to establish our position.

Dr. Berkovich concluded that the Armenian Patriarch, or his
representative, has had an exclusive right for hundreds of years to enter
the Holy Tomb on Holy Saturday together with the Greek Patriarch. He
continued to state that the Armenian Patriarch, or his representative, had
the right to kneel in front of the Holy Tomb together with the Greek
Patriarch, had the right to witness the miracle of the descent of the Holy
Fire together, had the right to light his candle directly from the Holy
Fire together, and had the right to exit the Holy Tomb holding their lit
candles, which they would then spread to their respective communities. Dr.
Berkovich emphasized that the Government of Israel must uphold these
specific rights of the Armenians Orthodox Church.

Dr. Berkovich’s expert opinion was presented to the Israeli Government,
who once again appointed the former Minister, N. Sharansky, to deal with
this issue. The Armenian Patriarchate was informed however, that the
Israeli Government would not be willing to decide the matter. Both
churches were once again asked to promise restraint during the ceremony
until a decision was issued by the Government. The ceremony of 2004 was
again held under a heavy police presence.

During these many months, the Greek Patriarchate has not honored its
agreement to present any evidence or documents. Prior to the Easter
celebrations of 2005, the Armenian Patriarchate petitioned the Israeli
Supreme Court of Justice, and requested the Court’s instructions to the
Israeli Government regarding the settlement of this sensitive and
most-important issue.

The Armenian Patriarchate felt compelled to petition the Court due to the
reluctance of the Israeli Government to resolve the conflict in a timely
manner, as well as the lack of an opinion emanating from the Greek
Patriarchate. The Armenian Patriarchate is looking to protect its rights
pursuant to the Status Quo arrangement.

In its response to the Supreme Court, the Greek Patriarchate declared that
the expert opinion on behalf of the Greek Church would not be submitted
until 1 September 2005. Once again, contrary to its promises to the
Supreme Court, the Greek Patriarchate did not submit an opinion until
2007.

In January of 2006, the Supreme Court decided to dismiss the petition of
the Armenian Church for several reasons including: the impracticality of
formulating a solution to the dispute during the short period remaining
until the 2006 Holy Fire Ceremony, the fact that national elections were
looming ahead, and that the Government that would have been required to
deliberate on the conflict would not be the same Government against which
the Armenian petition was filed. Although a new Government was elected
over 10 months ago, no steps have still been taken to address this
most-sensitive issue.
Following the Holy Saturday ceremony of 2005, the Armenian Patriarchate
once again appealed to the Greek Patriarchate in order for the parties to
discuss the issue between them in a peaceful manner, but to no avail.

It was not until January of 2007 that the Armenian Patriarchate and the
Israeli Government received copies of the study of the Greek
Patriarchate’s historian regarding the Holy Fire Ceremony. The Armenian
Patriarchate has studied their evidence and found nothing that overshadows
the undeniable right of the Armenian Church, and/or contradicts or refutes
Dr. S. Berkovich’s expert opinion.

For the last five years, the Armenian Patriarchate has been knocking on
the doors of the Israeli Prime Minister, the other Government Ministers,
the Knesset Members and the Attorney General, requesting that a decision
be issued. Five years on, only promises have been given without any
decisions. There is no argument that it is the duty and responsibility of
the Israeli Government to resolve issues and conflicts in the Holy Places
as set forth by established international law principles, as well as the
laws of the State of Israel.

We beseech you, collectively and individually, to petition the Israeli
Government to act with a sense of duty and responsibility, and to uphold
the centuries-old rights of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

We urge all of our Armenian brothers and sisters around the world to email
and fax the attached petition in your name, or the name of your
organization, to the important Ministers of the Israeli Government listed
below. In case you are unable to send the attached petition to the fax
numbers and email addresses listed below, you may send it to your local
Israeli Embassy or Consulate.

Please demand that this issue be resolved before the day of the Holy Fire
Ceremony on 7 April 2007, so that we may together celebrate and give
thanks and glory to the Risen Christ.

Mr. Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister
Fax – (+972) 2-6705475
E-mail – [email protected]

Ms. Zippi Livni, Foreign Minister
Fax – (+972) 6285438-2

Mr. Avi Dichter, Interior Security Minister
Fax – (+972) 5428039-2
Prof. Daniel Friedman, Minister of Justice
Fax – (+972) 2-6287757
E-mail – [email protected]

Mr. Menahem Mazuz, Attorney General
Fax – (+972) 6467001-2

Mr. Roni Baron, Minister of the Interior
Fax – (+972) 2-5666376
E-mail – [email protected]
27 Feb 2007 by Press Office
Read More ..=2E

©2004 Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada. All rights reserved=2E

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
Contact: Information Desk
Tel: (374-10) 52-35-31
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Visits Ireland

Armenia’s Foreign Minister, Vartan Oskanian, is in Dublin, for the
first-ever high-level visit of an Armenian official to Ireland.

Minister Oskanian met with Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern and the two
held a lengthy meeting focusing on many bilateral and multilateral issues.
The Ministers acknowledged that the two countries – small, with few
natural resources, and with large diasporas – have much in common and can
cooperate in a variety of areas. They specifically discussed
Armenia-Ireland cooperation within the European Union’s Neighborhood
Policy, citing the EUs huge potential role as a facilitator of bilateral
goal-oriented collaboration. They discussed the geopolitics of the
Caucasus region, including energy issues.

Minister Ahern spoke about Northern Ireland, and explained the progress
that has recently been made in resolving that situation. The Armenian
Foreign Minister discussed Armenia’s relations with its neighbors.
Minister Oskanian also briefed Minister Ahern on the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict resolution process.

Following the meeting at the Foreign Ministry, Minister Oskanian went to
Ireland’s Parliament, and met with the members of the Joint Committee on
European Affairs. He presented Armenia’s political and economic
development and responded to questions. Members of the Committee expressed
interest in exploring the possibilities of closer cooperation.

Earlier in the day, Minister Oskanian spoke at the Institute of European
Affairs, on `Armenia – Foreign Relations in a Difficult Region, at a
Difficult Time.’

He also visited the Chester Beatty Library, which houses nearly 150
medieval Armenian manuscripts.

Minister Oskanian met with the leadership of the Dublin Central Library in
anticipation of a photo exhibition to be opened in the Library in April on
the occasion of Armenia’s 15th anniversary of independence.