Month: March 2007

PanARMENIAN.Net

Senator Kennedy supports Armenian Genocide Resolution
27.03.2007 13:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Assembly Board of Trustees
Member Annie Totah and Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny thanked Senator Edward Kennedy for his support
of Armenian issues including the Armenian Genocide
Resolution (S. Res. 106). AAA informed the
PanARMENIAN.Net journalist that Senator Kennedy has
cosponsored previous legislation to reaffirm the
Armenian Genocide. Resolution 106 calls upon the U.S.
President to ensure that the foreign policy of the
United States reflects appropriate understanding and
sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights,
ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the
United States record relating to the Armenian
Genocide.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Continuation of Armenia-EU plan to depend on quality of elections in RA
27.03.2007 14:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The coming parliamentarian elections will become a
`litmus paper’ for determining further relations of the European Union
with Armenia, German Ambassador to Armenia Heike Renate Peitsch told
during a conference March 27 titled `Free and Fair Elections as a Base
for Democracy’. She said, the EU hopes voting in the country will be
held in accordance with the norms of OSCE’s ODIHR (Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights). `Armenia is the first
country where elections are held after signing the European
Neighborhood Policy program. We’ve fixed actions for the coming 5
years in the program, their continuation will depend on the quality of
electoral process,’ she noticed.

`The EU expects that during elections rights of citizens will be
protected, members of electoral committees will do their work on
professional level, and in case of falsifications infringers will be
punished in accordance with the law,’ the German Ambassador stressed
adding that Armenia has all chances for holding fair and transparent
elections, and in order to organize an exemplary election also
political will of authorities is needed.

Heike Renate Peitsch also noted that the international community
expects conduction of democratic elections in Armenia with positive
steps in this direction, IA Regnum reports.

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 26 2007

HAYASTAN" ALL-ARMENIAN FUND EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES BECAUSE OF PM’S
DECEASE

YEREVAN, March 26. /ARKA/. All-Armenian "Hayastan" Fund expressed
condolences because of decease of Armenian Prime Minister, Member of
Fund’s Council Andranik Margaryan.
"Hayastan" Fund’s press service reported that the leadership of the
Fund, in particular, expressed condolences to Margaryan’s family, his
relatives and party members.
"This is indeed a very big loss for the whole country," said the
condolences of the Fund.
Armenian Prime Minister, Chairman of the Republican Party Andranik
Margaryan died from heart attack at the age of 56 on Sunday morning.
Margaryan has led the Government since 2000. L.M. -0–

Panorama.am

17:57 26/03/2007

SERZH SARGSYAN TO REPLACE ANDRANIK MARGARYAN AS HHK CHAIRMAN

After the death of Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, Serzh
Sargsyan, Armenian Republican Party (HHK) board chairman, will take up
the post of HHK chairman. On March 26-29, the defense minister had to
make an official trip to China. Sargsyan returned back from his way to
China.

Source: Panorama.am

Assembly thanks Senator Kennedy for supporting Genocide resolution

ArmRadio.am
27.03.2007 10:19

Armenian Assembly Board of Trustees Member Annie Totah and Executive
Director Bryan Ardouny thanked Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) for his
support of Armenian issues including the Genocide resolution
(S. Res. 106).

Kennedy is a longtime supporter of Armenian issues and has cosponsored
previous legislation to reaffirm the Armenian Genocide. S. Res. 106,
which was introduced by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and John Ensign
(R-NV), calls upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of
the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity
concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and
genocide documented in the United States record relating to the
Armenian Genocide. The legislation has 25 cosponsors to date.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin will not participate in the opening of
the Akhtamar Church

ArmRadio.am
27.03.2007 11:26

Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the Catholicos of All
Armenians Garegin II received an invitation from the Governor of Van
Mehmet Niyaz Tanilir to participate in the opening ceremony of the
Church of the Holy Cross on Akhtamar Island on March 29.

Taking into consideration that the Church of the Holy Cross renovated
by the Turkish authorities will be turned into a museum and will not
operate as a church under the aegis of the Armenian Patriarchate of
Constantinople, and the opening ceremony will be held as a secular
procedure and not in compliance with the ritual of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin will not
participate in the opening ceremony.

This action of the Turkish authorities directed against the Christian
feelings of the Armenian people cannot be conceived as a positive step
on the way of rapprochement between the Armenian and Turkish peoples,
especially in the context of the common aspiration for a dialogue
between cultures and religions.

Panorama.am

18:00 26/03/2007

BAD NEWS DOES NOT COME ALONE

The Armenian nation is deeply affected by the death of Armenian Prime
Minister Andranik Margaryan. Following the old national proverb, `Bad
news does not come alone,’ rumors have been spreading about the deaths
of different renowned people since morning. Panorama.am is happy to
inform that the rumors of the deaths of world famous singer Charles
Aznavour and beloved actor Sos Sargsyan are not true.

Source: Panorama.am

Community Self-Help Fund Program sub-grants’ submission official event

ArmRadio.am
27.03.2007 10:45

On March 27, 2007 at 11 am the official submission of sub-grants to
the winners of the Community-Self-Help Fund Program’s (CSHF) 6th round
took place at the Save the Children office in Yerevan. Representatives
of the US Embassy, USAID, Save the Children, as well as 5 sub-grantee
organizations, participated in the event.

The Community Self-Help Fund program is sponsored by the United States
Embassy and USAID and implemented by Save the Children, which provides
expert technical assistance for program implementation. CSHF aims at
improvement of basic economic and social conditions of the communities
through provision of small grants to local communities’ ongoing
projects. Since November 2003, twice a year Save the Children has
announced calls for proposals inviting interested community
organizations to apply for small grants.

Round 6 was announced in October 2006 through national and local
media. Save the Children received 85 project proposals, of which 14
were short-listed and submitted to the U.S. Embassy for final
selection of the winners. The Embassy’s Assistance Coordination Group
selected 5 projects to be funded through the CSHF program: renovation
of kindergartens ## 2 and 3 in Martuni, Gegharkunik marz (USD 46,558);
renovation of state collage in Vardenis, Gegharkunik marz (USD
25,568); reconstruction of potable water system in Aygepar, Tavush
marz (USD 12,724); rehabilitation of irrigation water sypply system in
Myasnikyan, Armavir marz (USD 20,573); and reconstruction of potable
water pipeline in Dsegh, Lori marz (USD 38,611).

The total cost of these projects is USD 144,034. Community
contribution constitutes 42% of the total cost of the projects. The
overall number of the projects’ direct beneficiaries is 3,053.

During the first five rounds of the CSHF program, 47 projects in
Armenia have been funded, resulting in the renovation of
kindergartens, schools and other educational institutions, health
posts and hospitals, social and cultural infrastructures, and
irrigation and drinking water systems. The projects have played a
vital role for the residents of communities by helping overcome
community problems and encouraging self-help initiatives. More than
66,200 people directly benefited from the program throughout the five
rounds. Communities contributed the 38% of the total projects cost in
the form of money, materials and volunteer work. Another significant
impact of the projects was the creation of temporary and permanent job
opportunities for the vulnerable people of the communities: 630
short-term and 40 permanent jobs were created.

Armenian delegation off to Turkey

ArmRadio.am
27.03.2007 17:08

This morning the Armenian delegation headed by RA Deputy Minister of Culture
and Youth Affairs Gagik Gyurjyan left for Turkey to participate in the
official opening ceremony of the Church of the Holy Cross on Akhtamar Island.
Armenpress was told at RA Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs that the
delegation will enter Turkey through Georgian territory.

Let us remind that the delegation comprises Director of the Oriental Studies
Institute of RA Academy of Sciences Ruben Safrastyan, President of RA Union
of Architects Mkrtich Minasyan, Archeology Institute of RA National Academy
of Sciences Pavel Avetisyan, Head of the Culture Ministry Department on
Maintenance of Historic and Cultural Monuments Artyom Grigoryan, PhD in
Architecture Murad Hasratyan.

Delegations from Georgia, Lithuania, Greece, Canada and Belarus to attend
Adranik Margaryan’s funeral

ArmRadio.am
27.03.2007 16:07

Delegations from Georgia, Lithuania, Greece, Canada and Belarus will
participate in the funeral of RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan.

Acting Press Secretary of RA MFA Vladimir Karapetyan told Armenpress
that the funeral will be attended by Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli
of Georgia, Minister of Environmental Protection of Lithuania Arunos
Kungrotos and Lithuanian Ambassador to Armenia Limanras Shilauskos,
Deputy Ambassador of Canada John Morison, Chairman of the House of
Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Konoplyov
and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece.