Month: April 2007

ONLY 10% OF HIV POSITIVE PEOPLE WORLDWIDE ARE AWARE OF THEIR DISEASE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 18 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 18, NOYAN TAPAN. A three-day consultation on the subject
"Improvement of Accesibility of Medical and Social-Medical Aid and
High-Quality Services for AIDS/HIV Patients" started in Yerevan on
April 18 on the initiative of the European Regional Office of the
World Health Organization (WHO).

According to Director of the Republican Center of AIDS Prevention
Samvel Grigorian, representatives of legislative, governmental,
social organizations of CIS countries, as well as of international
organizations are participating in the consultation. He said that
during the consultation, in particular proposals aimed at improving
HIV-related research and advisory services will be worked out.

In the words of S. Grigorian, HIV-related research and provision
of high-quality advisory services continues to be one of the major
health care problems in CIS countries. He noted that only 10% of HIV
positive people worldwide are aware of their disease.

The center director said that the number of persons undergoing medical
examination with the aim of diagnosing AIDS/HIV (free of charge) is
increasing in Armenia with every passing year, which is conditioned
by measures taken within the framework of the national program on
fight against AIDS/HIV. S. Grigorian noted that the program enabled to
increase accesibility of medical services in the country. For example,
there were only 3 points for HIV diagnosing in Armenia 5 years ago,
whereas now their number reaches 150.

OSKANIAN AND MAMEDYAROV DISCUSSED THOSE PRINCIPLES OF KARABAKH PROCESS THAT ARE NOT AGREED YET

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2007 13:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the framework of BSECO (Black Sea Economic
Cooperation) Foreign Ministers’ session a meeting took place between
Armenian and Azeri FMs Vartan Oskanian and Elmar Mamedyarov. The OSCE
Minsk Group Co-Chairs were also present at the meeting, as well as
personal representatives of OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

The main accent was made on those principals of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, which are not agreed up to the present. In this connection
the OSCE MG Co-Chairs expressed opinions and offered the sides to
discuss them. In the result of the meeting an agreement was reached
to organize a visit for the Co-Chairs to the region. During the visit
mediators will familiarize themselves with the positions of conflicting
parties and discuss possibility of holding a meeting between Armenian
and Azeri presidents, the RA MFA Press Office reports.

COE SEC. GEN. CONDEMNED MURDER OF WORKERS OF CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING HOUSE IN TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2007 14:09 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "I was shocked with the news about brutal murder
of several workers in Malatia, Southeast of Turkey. As far as I can
judge, the motive of the crime was religious, since the dead worked
in a Christian publishing house. I am irritated with this crime
and those who are guilty in it, arouse deep aversion. I am sure the
Turkish authorities will make every efforts to bring the murderers
under justice," says Terry Davis in his statement.

On April 18 in Malatia, Southeast of Turkey, in the result of an armed
attack on a publishing house three people were killed, and two more
wounded. According to preliminary information unknown young men with
nationalistic views have committed the crime; they are protesting
against use of Bible on the Turkish territory.

FAON: IT’S ABSURD THAT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE LAW AGAINST DENIAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2007 14:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Federation of Armenian Organizations in the
Netherlands (FAON) has urgently requested the Dutch government
to not agree in Brussels with a directive criminalising denial and
trivializing of the genocide. The PanARMENIAN.Net journalist was told
in FAON that Federation’s call is grounded with the fact that the
Armenian Genocide is not included in the document. The FAON asks an
urgent consultation and requests meanwhile to not take irreversible
steps such as the approval of the European directives, if they would
imply such an exclusion. "The FAON finds it absurd and unacceptable,
that exactly this first great Genocide of the 20th century, which is
systematically denied by Turkey in line with the Turkish denialist
policy, would be excluded. Such a distinction between historical events
would mean a flagrant inequality and would be a big and unacceptable
contempt towards the destiny of the Armenians by Europe. Still
more than that, it shows Europe on its knees before the aggressive
denialist practices of Turkey and the umpteenth success by Turkey in
Europe for that denialist policy," says the FAON statement.

A KHACHKAR IN MEMORY OF NANSEN AND VICTIMS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO BE INSTALLED IN NORWAY

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2007 12:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On April 21 a khachkar monument will be placed in
Bergen, Norway, dedicated to Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian polar explorer,
scientist, diplomat and humanist, Nobel Peace Prize in 1922, and the
1915 Armenian Genocide victims. Independent French journalist Jean
Eckiyan told the PanARMENIAN.Net corespondent, in his book "Armenia
and the Near East" published in 1923, Fridtjof Nansen one wrote,
"The massacres that started in 1915 have nothing to compare with
the history of mankind. The massacres by Abdul Hamid are minor in
comparison to what today’s Turks have done. Woe to the Armenians,
that they were ever drawn into European politics! It would have been
better for them if the name of Armenia had never been uttered by any
European diplomatist." The initiative of placing the khachkar comes
from the Armenian Society of Kaunas, a District in Lithuania.

SUSPECTS OF MURDERING ARMENIAN IMMIGRANT UNDER ARREST

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2007 13:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On suspicion of murdering Armenian immigrant on April
16 in Moscow two students have been arrested, Moscow Prosecutors’
Office reports. "On suspicion of murdering Abramian by hooligan
motives two students from Moscow colleges – Arthur Ryno, a resident
from Khabarovsk born in 1989, and Pavel Skachevski, a Moscow resident
born in 1989, have been arrested," says the official statement of
the Prosecutor’s Office.

Karen Abramian died in hospital in the result of multiple knife wounds.

"On April 18 by Prosecutors’ Office application the Moscow
Cheryomushkinski District Court issued a warranty of taking into
custody the suspects as a preventive punishment," the press release
of Prosecutors; Office says.

UNITED STATES IN FAVOR OF KOSOVO’S INDEPENDENCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2007 14:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The United States together with other countries
plans to cosponsor a new resolution in the United Nations, which will
allow the Provisional Government of Kosovo to declare independence,"
U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns stated. "We
are now engaged in a period of intense diplomacy to bring about
Kosovo’s independence as soon as possible, on the basis of the United
Nations recommendations," Burns told speaking before the Foreign
Relations Committee of the House of Representatives April 17. Nicholas
Burns occupies the post of Undersecretary for Political Affairs –
the third in State Department hierarchy.

Some lawmakers argued that granting independence to Kosovo would be a
precedent for other regions aiming at separation. Serbia and Kosovar
Serbs are categorically against Kosovo’s independence. Russia too,
which enjoys a veto power in the UN, expressed his concerns.

"I think an outside imposed solution, if the conflicting parties have
not reached an agreement, will at the same time lead to a real war
problem," warned him House Representative democrat from California
Howard Berman.

Burns stressed the United States and his European allies consider
history of Kosovo’s oppression under the rule of late Slobodan
Milosevic a unique situation, which will not create a precedent for
other separatist movements. By Russia’s offer 15 Ambassadors of the
Security Council plan the next week to visit Belgrade and Pristina, as
well as Brussels. "We thought it would be useful for those countries
to meet with Serbian leadership in Belgrade and Albanian and Serbian
leadership in Pristina," Burns informed.

Ambassadors of the Security Council will also meet with NATO
Sec. Gen. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and EU High Representative Spanish
Javier Solana in Brussels.

"After the visit to the region the United States plans within the
coming weeks together with his European allies to introduce a new
resolution in the Security Council, which will replace the existing
1244 that currently states the status of Kosovo. We think after
the adoption of this draft resolution Kosovar leaders will declare
independence. Right after it the United States and other countries
will acknowledge that independence," Burns underlined, U.S. Department
of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs.

RA PUBLIC TELEVISION AND RADIO COMPANY AND ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN BROADCASTING SIGN AN EXECUTIVE PLAN

ArmRadio.am
19.04.2007 17:07

The President of the Council of Public Television and Radio Company of
Armenia Alexan Harutyunyan and the President of the Islamic Republic
of Iran Broadcasting Seyyed Ezattollah Zarghami signed an executive
plan ensuring the implementation of the memorandum of understanding
for media cooperation signed February 1st, 2006 in Tehran. In the
framework of the executive plan the Television and Radio Companies
of the two countries will exchange films and programs.

Alexan Harutyunyan mentioned during today’s press conference that
cooperation will help the two peoples to better know each other,
get acquainted with each other’s culture, life and country. "An
agreement was reached to exchange documentary and feature films and
programs. This is the best way to get to know each other, to get
familiar with the business atmosphere and investment opportunities,"
said Alexan Harutyunyan. An agreement was reached on mutual
support and defense of interests in the framework of international
cooperation. The Public Television of Armenia, which is a member of
the European Broadcasting Union, will do its best to ensure broader
representation of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting in
this organization. Armenian has been invited to participate in the
recurrent meeting of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union in Tehran,
to which the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting is a member.

According to Mr. Zarghami, large-scale economic programs have been
implemented between the two countries during the past two years. There
exist large opportunities for cooperation and this is what the efforts
of the leadership of the two countries are targeted at. "I can mention
also that the leaders of both countries view these relations from
the perspectives of strategic importance," he said.

According to Mr. Zarghami, joint films and programs will be shot about
Iran and Armenia as a result of cooperation between the two television
companies. " This is the best way to bring the two peoples closer,"
he said.

YEREVAN AMERICAN CORNER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH U.S. EMBASSY LAUNCHES WEBSITE

ARMENPRESS
Apr 19 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS: On April 19, the Yerevan American
Corner, in partnership with the U.S.

Embassy in Armenia, launched its website:
yerevan.americancorners.am. The bilingual English-Armenian webpage
provides information about the American Corner’s mission, services,
and upcoming events.

It also includes an electronic database of the resources available
at the American Corners in Armenia, allowing patrons to search for
materials on the web.

American Corners are small American-style libraries located throughout
the world that help increase mutual understanding between the United
States and the host country. A network of about 400 American Corners
is operating globally through partnerships between the U.S. Department
of State and local host organizations.

American Corners provide information about America in a variety
of formats, including reference books, works of fiction, journals,
and videos.

These resources focus on such topics as studying in the United States,
American society, U.S. history, conducting business in the United
States, and English as a Second Language. The Corners also provide
computers with Internet access, and offer a variety of public programs
including speakers and workshops. The American Corners are open to
the general public and access is free of charge.

There are currently two American Corners in Armenia–one in the Yerevan
City Central Library and the other in the Gyumri Branch of the Armenian
Center for Scientific and Technological Information. The U.S.

Embassy hopes to open additional Corners in Armenia in the
future. American Corner Yerevan officially opened on April 20,
2005. This Corner currently houses four computers with Internet access
and over 800 books.

Over 20,000 patrons visited the American Corner in Yerevan within
the last two years. The Corner also holds a variety of public events,
including movie showings, presentations by Armenians who have lived or
studied in the United States as part of the "Armenian at the American
Corner" series, and lectures by an American every third Saturday of
the month as part of the "American at the American Corner" series.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HILLARY CLINTON EXPRESSED HER SUPPORT FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2007 13:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Senator Harry Reid and U.S. presidential candidate
Hillary Clinton expressed their support for the H. Res. 106, which
recognizes the Armenian Genocide, the PanARMENIAN.Net journalist was
told in the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). "We’re
very gratified that two prominent national leaders – Hillary Clinton
and Harry Reid – agreed today to join with a growing number of
their Senate colleagues in supporting the passage of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution. As the growth in cosponsors demonstrates,
this anti-genocide measure clearly enjoys the support of a broad,
bipartisan majority in both houses of Congress," ANCA Executive
Director Aram Hamparian stated.

Last week another presidential candidate Senator Barak Obama stated
it necessary and important to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress