Month: April 2007

PRESS RELEASE
The Heritage Party
31 Moscovian Street
Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 53.69.13
Fax: (+374 – 10) 53.26.97
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Website:

April 19, 2007

Heritage Follows Through in Siunik, Receives Delegation From
OSCE Election Observation Mission

Yerevan–On Thursday, April 19, the Heritage Party’s campaign bus "Toward
Victory"–with candidates, party faithful, and volunteers on
board–continued its journey to the Siunik marz and surrounding cities and
villages. This time, the Heritage representatives were joined by former
Goris mayor, freedom fighter, and parliamentary candidate Samvel
Harutiunian. As of 5pm Armenian local time, the Heritage campaign had held
successful public meetings in Goris, Kapan, and several villages. The
campaign mission also plans to meet with residents of Kajaran, Meghri, and
Agarak.

Meanwhile, as volunteers continued to take the party’s message through
Yerevan’s streets, Heritage board member Anahit Bakhshian and Martiros
Boghikian, manager of Heritage’s Shengavit office, received Jeremy Franklin
and Alexander Lukashyk of the OSCE Election Observation Mission. They
discussed the pre-electoral campaign process and reaffirmed their commitment
to free and fair elections–not just on May 12, but throughout the entire
lection season.

At 12pm tomorrow, April 20, a press briefing will be held at Heritage
campaign headquarters in Yerevan.

Also tomorrow, at the Court of Appeals on Criminal Matters, a hearing is
scheduled regarding the "Armenian Watergate"–the theft of sensitive
information from the database of Heritage headquarters.

Founded in 2002, Heritage has regional divisions throughout the land. Its
central office is located at 31 Moscovian Street, Yerevan 0002, Armenia,
with telephone contact at (374-10) 536.913, fax at (374-10) 532.697, email
at [email protected] or [email protected], and website at

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 0033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 10) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:

World Public Rejects US Role as the World Leader

Majorities Still Want US to Do its Share in Multilateral Efforts,
Not Withdraw from International Affairs

Mixed Views on US Overseas Bases

April 18, 2007, 01:00 GMT
Contact, International Findings:
Steven Kull, 202-232-7500
Christopher Whitney, 312-451-1040

April 18, 2007, Yerevan, 06:00
Contact, Armenia Findings:
Stepan Safarian, 37410-528-780
Syuzanna Barseghian, 37410-274-818

Yerevan–The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS)
today convened a roundtable discussion to present the results of the fourth
in a series of reports based on a poll of worldwide opinion on key global
issues. The report was devoted to the role of the United States as a world
leader. The meeting brought together citizens, members of leading think
tanks, analysts, and media representatives.

ACNIS director of research Stepan Safarian delivered opening remarks. "The
attitudes in Armenia and the rest of the world with respect to US global
policy are mixed," he said. "For the most part, this is a reflection of the
double standards endorsed by the current US administration and ongoing
policies that often contradict the precepts of American democracy. The
study, nonetheless, has indirectly revealed the public need and desire for
improving US-Armenia relations." ACNIS analyst Syuzanna Barseghian then
presented survey results.

A multinational poll finds that publics around the world reject the idea
that the United States should continue to play the role of preeminent world
leader. Most publics say the United States plays the role of world policeman
more than it should and cannot be trusted to act responsibly.

But the survey also finds that majorities in most countries want the United
States to do its share in multilateral efforts to address world problems and
do not want it to withdraw from world affairs. Views are divided on whether
the United States should reduce the number of military bases it has overseas
and in some countries publics perceive an improvement in their bilateral
relations with the US.

Americans largely agree with the rest of the world: most do not think the
United States should remain the world’s preeminent leader and prefer that it
play a more cooperative role. They also believe United States plays the role
of world policeman more than it should.

This is the fourth in a series of reports based on a worldwide poll
conducted by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and
WorldPublicOpinion.org, in cooperation with polling organizations around the
world. The larger study includes polls in China , India, the United States,
Indonesia, Russia, France, Thailand, Ukraine, Poland, Iran, Mexico, South
Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Argentina, Peru, Israel and Armenia-plus
the Palestinian territories. The publics polled represent about 56 percent
of the world’s population. Not all questions were asked in all countries.

Steven Kull, editor of WorldPublicOpinion.org notes that this poll
reinforces the conclusions of other recent global surveys, which have found
that the United States’ image abroad is bad and growing worse. But he added
that this survey also explores what kind of role the international community
would like the United States to play in the world.

"This survey shows that despite the negative views of US foreign policy,
publics around the world do not want the United States to disengage from
international affairs, but rather to participate in a more cooperative and
multilateral fashion," Kull said.

Majorities in all 15 of the publics polled reject the idea that "the US
should continue to be the preeminent world leader in solving international
problems." However in only two of them (Argentina and the Palestinian
territories), do majorities say that the United States "should withdraw from
most efforts to solve international problems."

Publics in all of the countries surveyed tend to prefer that the United
States pursue a cooperative, multilateral approach by doing "its share in
efforts to solve international problems together with other countries."
This is true in South Korea (79%), the United States (75%), France (75%),
China (68%), Israel (62%), Peru (61%), Mexico (59%), Armenia (58%),
Philippines (55%), Ukraine (52%), Thailand (47%), India (42%) and Russia
(42%).

Just as they reject the idea that the United States should continue to be
the world’s preeminent leader, most believe the United States is "playing
the role of world policeman more than it should." Majorities in 13 out of
15 publics express this view, including large majorities in France (89%),
Australia (80%), China (77%), Russia (76%), Peru (76%), the Palestinian
territories (74%) and South Korea (73%). More than three out of four
Americans (76%) also agree. The only exceptions are the Filipinos, a
majority of whom (57%) disagree that the United States is playing world
policeman more than it should, and the Israelis, who are divided on the
issue.

This desire for a reduced American role may flow in part from a lack of
confidence that the United States can be trusted to "act responsibly in the
world." This lack of confidence was the most common view in 10 out of 15
countries. Two Latin American countries show the highest numbers
expressing this mistrust–Argentina (84%) and Peru (80%)–followed by
Russians (73%), the French (72%), and Indonesians (64%). But in four
countries, majorities or pluralities say the United States can be at least
"somewhat" trusted to act responsibly, led by the Filipinos (85%), Israelis
(81%), Poles (51%) and Ukrainians (49%).

Despite the widespread belief that the United States should be more
cooperative and less dominant, countries express mixed views about whether
the United States should reduce its military presence around the world. In
only five out of 12 publics polled does a majority favor decreasing the
number of overseas US military bases: Argentines (75%), Palestinians (70%),
the French (69%), Chinese (63%), and Ukrainians (62%). In four, majorities
favor either maintaining the current number or increasing it: Philippines
(78%), Americans (68%), Israelis (59%), and Poles (54%). Armenians and
Thais lean in favor of maintaining or reducing, while Indians are divided.
No country favors increases.

Also contrary to their negative views of the United States’ role in the
world is the perception in some publics that relations between their country
and the United States are getting better. Majorities in India (58%) and
China (53%) say relations with the United States are improving. Pluralities
think so in Australia (50%), Armenia (48%), Indonesia (46%) and Thailand
(37%). In the other countries polled, majorities or pluralities say
relations with the US are staying about the same: 60 percent in Poland, 56
percent in South Korea, 52 percent in Israel, 52 percent in the Ukraine, and
45 percent in Russia. In no country does a majority or plurality say
relations with the US are getting worse.

"The publics in many countries differentiate between their negative views of
the US international role and their perceptions of bilateral relations,
which are seen as improving in a significant number of countries, even some
that are highly critical of the United States," said Christopher Whitney,
executive director for studies at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

For details, please see or
WorldPublicOpinion.org is a publication of the
Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland.

For the Armenian version, visit Founded in 1994 by Armenia’s
first Minister of Foreign Affairs Raffi K. Hovannisian and supported by a
global network of contributors, ACNIS serves as a link between innovative
scholarship and the public policy challenges facing Armenia and the Armenian
people in the post-Soviet world. It also aspires to be a catalyst for
creative, strategic thinking and a wider understanding of the new global
environment. In 2007, the Center focuses primarily on civic education,
democratic development, conflict resolution, and applied research on
critical domestic and foreign policy issues for the state and the nation.

For further information on the Center call (37410) 52-87-80 or 27-48-18; fax
(37410) 52-48-46; email [email protected] or [email protected]; or visit

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

April 19, 2007

SPECIAL PRAYERS FOR VICTIMS OF VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY
THIS SUNDAY IN PRELACY CHURCHES
Archbishop Oshagan has instructed all parishes within the Eastern
Prelacy to offer special prayers for the victims of the tragic rampage that
took place on the campus of Virginia Tech this week. The Prelate expressed
sadness that such events could happen within the setting of a place of
higher learning cutting short the lives of so many gifted young people, as
well as several of their professors. "Let us pray for the families of the
victims and ask the Almighty to comfort them."

LITURGY AND REQUIEM SERVICE FOR THE MARTYRS OF APRIL
The Divine Liturgy and a solemn requiem service will be conducted on the
evening of April 24, at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, 221 E. 27th Street, New
York City, in memory of the million and a half Armenians who perished during
the Genocide of 1915.
Under the auspices of the Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, the
liturgy will be celebrated by Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of the
Cathedral, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Vicar General, Bishop Anoushavan
Tanielian, will deliver the sermon. A special memorial program dedicated to
the memory of Hrant Dink will follow the liturgy and requiem service, both
of which will be conducted at the Cathedral’s Martyrs’ Altar.

VICAR ATTENDS WCC MEETINGS
Bishop Anoushavan participated in the semi-annual Board of Directors’
meeting of the U.S. Conference of the World Council of Churches in New York
City on Monday and Tuesday, April 16 and 17. His Grace, who is the Vicar
General of the Eastern Prelacy, is also the ecumenical officer in the United
States on behalf of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

PRELATE AND VICAR WILL ATTEND GENOCIDE COMMEMORATIONS
Archbishop Oshagan and Bishop Anoushavan will represent the Eastern
Prelacy at genocide commemorations in New York and Washington, D.C.
Tomorrow evening, Friday, April 20, Bishop Anoushavan will attend the
commemoration at City Hall in New York City, organized by the Armenian
National Committee of New York. (See next item for more details about the
event).
On Sunday, April 22, Archbishop Oshagan will deliver the invocation at
the gathering at Times Square organized by the Knights and Daughters of
Vartan. (See next item for more details about this event).
On Tuesday, April 24, Archbishop Oshagan, will attend the genocide
commemoration on capitol hill in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the
bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. His Eminence will
deliver the invocation.

GENOCIDE COMMEMORATIONS
The Armenian National Committee of New York is hosting its annual City
Hall Armenian Genocide Commemoration on Friday, April 20th. It will take
place at the Surrogate’s Courthouse, north of City Hall, in Manhattan, at
6:30 pm. It is open to the public. Buses will depart from: The Armenian
Center in Woodside at 5:30 pm; St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, at 5:00 pm;
Holy Martyrs Church, Bayside, at 5:00 pm, Baruir’s Grocery, Sunnyside, at
5:30 pm; and from Brooklyn, at the corner of Coney Island and Brighton Beach
Ave., at 5:00 pm. For information: 718-651-1530.
The annual commemoration in Times Square will take place Sunday, April
22, beginning at 2 pm, at Times Square, 43rd Street and Broadway, New York
City. The event is sponsored by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan and
co-sponsored by the AGBU, Armenian Assembly, ArmenPac, and the ANCA.
Participants include the Diocese of the Armenian Church, the Prelacy of the
Armenian Church, the AMAA, the Armenian Presbyterian Church, the Armenian
Evangelical Church, and the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of the United States
and Canada. Bus transportation is being provided from all Armenian churches
in New York and New Jersey as well as from the Armenian Center in Woodside,
New York, Baruir’s Grocery, Sunnyside, New York, and the Hovnanian School,
New Milford, New Jersey.

PRELATE WILL TRAVEL TO WASHINGTON
Archbishop Oshagan will be in Washington, D.C., tomorrow where in the
evening Dr. and Mrs. Dertad Manguikian are hosting a reception and dinner in
honor of the Prelate’s 40th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.
A large number of friends are expected to attend this special event. Three
separate public celebrations will take place in May in various parts of the
eastern United States. See below for details.

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ORDINATION OF
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN CHOLOYAN
The 40th anniversary of the ordination of our Prelate, Archbishop
Oshagan Choloyan, will take place in three different regions as follows:
On Saturday, May 5, the first of the three celebrations will take place
at The Marriott in Providence, Rhode Island, with the participation of all
of the parishes in New England, Connecticut, and Troy, New York.
On Saturday, May 12, the second celebration will take place at the The
Marriott at Glenpointe, in Teaneck, New Jersey, with the participation of
all of the parishes in the Mid Atlantic, which includes New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC.
The final celebration will take place during the National Representative
Assembly (NRA) which is being hosted by St. Sarkis Church in Dearborn,
Michigan. This will take place on Friday, May 18, at Double Tree Hotel in
Dearborn, with the participation of the parishes in the Mid-West, as well as
the NRA delegates and guests.
For more information on all three events click
.html.

PRELATE WILL ATTEND DIVINE LITURGY AT ST. ILLUMINATOR CATHEDRAL THIS SUNDAY
Archbishop Oshagan will preside over the Divine Liturgy at St.
Illuminator’s Cathedral this Sunday, April 22. Immediately after the service
the Prelate will go to Times Square for the April 24th commemoration.

VICAR WILL WELCOME BAPTIST CONVENTION
Bishop Anoushavan will welcome the delegates to the National Baptist
Convention USA, on April 21, upon their arrival to New York on their journey
to Geneva, The Vatican, and Africa.

REPRESENTATIVE OF ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
VISITS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I
Bishop Anthony Boll, representing the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan
Williams, visited His Holiness Aram I in Antelias on April 12. He was
accompanied by Rev. Nabil Shehadi, Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative
to the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The aim of the visit was to consult with
His Holiness concerning a visit by the leader of the Anglican Church to the
Middle East. Also participating in the meeting was Bishop Nareg Alemezian,
the Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

2007 DATEV INSTITUTE SUMMER PROGRAM
The 21st annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Christian summer studies
program will take place July 1 to 8 in Elverson, Pennsylvania. For details
click

2007 NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY IN DEARBORN
The 2007 National Representative Assembly (NRA) will be hosted by St.
Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan. For details click

PLG MOTHERS DAY LUNCHEON MAY 7
The popular Mothers Day luncheon presented by the Prelacy Ladies Guild
will take place on Monday, May 7, at the St. Regis in New York City.
This year’s Mother of the Year is Mrs. Lalig Bayrakdarian, mother of six
children, including the famed Metropolitan Opera star, Isabel Bayrakdarian.
A special presentation of "Musical Sounds of Armenia" will be provided
by a quartet made up of graduates and current students of Juilliard and solo
dance presentation accompanied by kanon and piano. For more information
click

&quot ;INDYKIDS" FEATURES ARMENIAN HISTORY, CULTURE AND
GENOCIDE AWARENESS IN MAY/JUNE ISSUE
IndyKids, a bimonthly student newspaper and teaching tool, has produced
an eight page edition which spotlights Armenian history, culture, and
genocide awareness. IndyKids, for readers ages 9 to 12, is distributed to
schools, libraries, bookstores, and individuals in New York and elsewhere.
The May/June issue introduces readers to the Armenians, with news sections
that include: a "fast facts" section about Armenia; a profile of an Armenian
American child; an article about Turkish denial of the Armenian Genocide; an
item about Hrant Dink, a book review, and an Armenian recipe. Teacher/editor
Amanda Vender and journalist Lucine Kasbarian conceptualized the Armenian
themes in this issue. The May/June issue is downloadable at

IN CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE.
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has
designated 2007 as the Year of the Armenian Language. In celebration of this
year-long tribute, each week we will offer an interesting tidbit about the
Armenian language.
Armenian corresponds with other Indo-European languages in its
structure, but it shares distinctive sounds and features of its grammar with
neighboring languages of the Caucasus region. Grammatically, early forms of
Armenian had much in common with classical Greek and Latin, but the modern
language, like modern Greek, has undergone many transformations.
To read the message of His Holiness in Armenian click
.
To read the message of His Holiness in English click

DAIL Y BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for today, April 19, are: Luke 5:17-26; Acts 8:14-25;
James 5:12-20; John 1:43-51; Matthew 6:1-21; Mark 2:1-12.
On one of those days, as he was teaching, there were Pharisees and
teachers of the law sitting by, who had come from every village of Galilee
and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with him to
heal. And behold, men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and
they sought to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to
bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him
down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he
saw their faith he said, "Your sins are forgiven you." And the scribes and
the Pharisees began to question, saying, "Who is this that speaks
blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?" When Jesus perceived their
questionings, he answered them, "Why do you question in your hearts? Which
is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive
sins"-he said to the man who was paralyzed-"I say to you, rise, take up your
bed and go home." And immediately he rose before them, and took up that on
which he lay, and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all,
and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen
strange things today." Luke 5:17-26.
For listing of the entire week’s Bible readings click
.

SUNDAY OF THE WORLD CHURCH (GREEN SUNDAY)
This Sunday, April 22, is the third Sunday of Easter, known as Green
Sunday (Ganach Giragee) and Sunday of the World Church (Ashkharhamadoor).
The name "Green Sunday" most probably comes from an ancient folk holiday in
celebration of spring. Our forefathers, seeing mother earth bloom after long
winter months, glorified the Creator with an act of thanksgiving, and
celebrated by bedecking the Church and themselves with greenery. Green is
the color of life, freshness and promise. After a barren winter we are
filled with hope, life and love. It is also known as World Church Sunday in
the sense of the church belonging to the whole world beginning with Christ
and the Apostles who met regularly to pray and partake of the Holy Sacrament
of Communion. Perhaps it is an appropriate time for us to remember our
obligations to be good stewards of the earth and the gifts that have been
given to us by God.

APRIL IS THE CRUELEST MONTH
Tuesday is April 24-the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Let
us pause to pay our respects to the one and one half million who perished,
and pay tribute to the survivors who created new life under the harshest
conditions.

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots and spring rain.
(from The Waste Land: "The Burial of the Dead" by T. S. Eliot)

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April 20-City Hall Genocide Commemoration, hosted by the Armenian National
Committee of New York, at Surrogate’s Courthouse, north of City Hall in
Manhattan. The program will begin at 6:30. Open to the public.

May 5-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in the
New England area will take place in Providence, Rhode Island.

May 6-30th anniversary of St. Illuminator’s Armenian Day School, Terrace on
the Park, Corona, New York, at 5 pm.

May 7-Prelacy Ladies Guild Mothers’ Day Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., St. Regis
Hotel, Two East 55th Street (at Fifth Avenue), New York City. Special
entertainment, "Musical Sounds of Armenia."

May 12-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in Mid
Atlantic area will take place at the Marriott at Glenpointe, Teaneck, New
Jersey.

May 12-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, 50th anniversary concert
featuring Onnik Dinkjian and John Berberian.

May 12-Armenian Dance party, St. Gregory Church, Indian Orchard,
Massachusetts.

May 18-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in
Midwest will take place at the National Representative Assembly.

May 20-"Hello Ellis Island" and Reception, St. Stephen’s Church Hall,
Watertown, Massachusetts. $20 per person. Information, 617-924-7562.

July 1-8-St. Gregory of Datev Institute, 21st annual summer Christian
studies program for junior and senior high school students, at St. Mary of
Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania. For information click here.

July 21-Sts. Vartanantz Church Ladies Guild, Providence, Rhode Island, and
ARS Ani Chapter present "A Hye Summer Night 2." For information
401-286-8107.

August 7-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual golf
tournament at Blackstone Country Club.

August 19-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church picnic.

September 27-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, 5th Annual Golf
Outing at River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey. Registration
begins at 11 a.m. and tee time at 1 p.m. For information, 201-943-2950.

September 29-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, 50th
anniversary banquet at Pleasant Valley.

December 1-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church bazaar.

December 9-St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 50th anniversary
celebration. For information, (617) 924-7562.

Visit our website at

Armenian Cultural Foundation
104 N. Belmont Street, Suite 206
Glendale, CA 91206

PRESS RELEASE ~ April 19, 2007
Contact: Sanan Shirinian (818) 507-1933

ARMENIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY FESTIVAL SET TO TAKE PLACE IN LITTLE ARMENIA

Hollywood, CA- The Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF) is pleased to
announce that it will be hosting the second annual Armenian
Independence Day Festival on Sunday, May 27, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to
10:00 p.m. in Little Armenia, Hollywood. The 2007 Festival is
cosponsored by Los Angeles Council President Eric Garcetti, whose
district encompasses Little Armenia.

`We are excited to provide the Los Angeles community a venue through
which they can experience the Armenian culture and celebrate the first
independence of the Republic of Armenia,’ stated Saro Shirinian,
Festival Committee Chairperson.

Last year’s festival brought a variety of vendors, diverse
entertainment, performers, writers and organizations to Hollywood
Boulevard, where the street was blocked off between Alexandria and
Vermont. Thousands were entertained by a variety of musical and dance
performances. The highlight of the festival was a special visit by Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who joined the crowd by
participating in the traditional Armenian shoorch bar and sampling
Armenian cuisine.

The Annual Festival in Little Armenia is organized by the Armenian
Independence Day Festival Committee in celebration of Armenia’s first
independence and thousands of years of Armenian history and
culture. May 28, 1918 marks the first independence of the Armenian
republic after 600 years of Ottoman Turkish oppression. The republic
established on this date set the foundation for today’s independent
republic, which was born on September 21, 1991.

Those interested in becoming a sponsor of the 2007 Festival or
purchasing booths, please contact us by calling (818) 507-1933 or
visit our website at

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Federation of Armenian Organizations in The Netherlands
24 April Committee
For Recognition and Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide of 1915
Address: Weesperstraat 91
2574 VS The Hague, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31704490209
Website:
Email: [email protected]

Press Release
19 April 2007

Contact: M. Hakhverdian

Unacceptable Contempt Towards the Destiny of the Armenianrs by EU

The Federation of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON) today has
urgently requested the Dutch government to not agree in Brussels with a
directive criminalising denial and trivialising of the genocide. According
to the reports the formulation would be chosen in such a way to exclude the
Armenian Genocide from these provisions.

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 flagrante
inequality and would be a big and unacceptable contempt towards the destiny
of the Armenianrs 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.

Three killed at Turkish publisher

BBC News
April 18

Three people have been killed at a publishing house in Turkey that
produced bibles, in an apparent attack on the country’s Christian
minority. The victims were discovered at the Zirve publishing house
in the eastern city of Malatya.

They were bound hand and foot and their throats had been slit,
officials said.

Nationalists had protested at the publishing house in the past,
accusing it of involvement in missionary activities, local media
reported.

There is a rising wave of nationalist feeling in Turkey, the BBC’s
Sarah Rainsford reports, with Christian minorities complaining of
pressure and harassment.

In the most serious incident so far, a Catholic priest was killed last
year by a teenage nationalist gunman as he prayed in his church.

‘Brutal crime’

The general manager of the publishing house, Hamza Ozant, told local
media that his employees had been threatened in recent days.

A number of men had been detained in connection with the attack, local
officials said.

Television pictures showed police leading several young men from the
building.

One of those killed in the attack was German, the country’s ambassador
said.

"Even if the exact circumstances of the crime are not yet known, I
most strongly condemn this brutal crime," Eckart Cuntz said in a
statement.

Malatya is known here as a very nationalistic city, often with an
extreme religious undertone, our correspondent adds.

It is the hometown of Mehmet Ali Agca, who in 1981 shot Pope John Paul
II.

Turkey’s Christian community comprises less than 1% of its population.
More than 99% of the Turkish population is Muslim.

Story from BBC NEWS:
/6568911.stm

Published: 2007/04/18 16:00:15 GMT

100 STUDENTS TO CONDUCT EXIT-POLLS ON MAY 12

ArmRadio.am
18.04.2007 15:31

About 100 students will conduct exit-polls on May 12. Head of
the Center for Effective Policy and Research Suren Hovnanyan told
"Armenpress" that the confidentiality of the survey is guaranteed. "We
hope the results will be maximally close to the real outcome of the
elections," he said.

The Center for Effective Policy and Research is still the only
organization in Armenia, which has already conducted exit-polls during
nationwide elections, namely the constitutional referendum.

On May 12 one hundred students will work at the entrances of precincts
in different marzes of the republic from 8 a.m. to 19.p.m. Later
the results will be summed up before the end of the elections, and
minutes after 20 p.m. the Center will publicize the outcome.

RF AND CIS COUNTRIES ARE RECOGNIZED THE MOST DANGEROUS STATES AS REGARDS FLIGHTS SAFETY

Arminfo
2007-04-18 12:15:00

Upon results, 2006, RF and CIS countries are recognized the most
dangerous states from the viewpoint of flights safety, the data of
the report of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) say.

The level of air incidents in these states makes up 8,6 cases per 1
mln of flights, that exceeds the world level 13 times (0,65 cases per
1 mln of flights). At the same time, the IATA noted the improvement in
the area of air flights safety in the African countries, which take the
second place by the flights safety. The coefficient of air incidents
in 2006 in this region was fixed at the level of 4,31 cases per 1
mln of flights, having reduced more than twice against the similar
indicator, 2005 (9,2 cases per 1 mln of flights). On the whole, the
report notes, the number of major air incidents upon results, 2006,
reduced to 77 from 111 cases in 2005, that allowed the Association to
call the year, 2006, "the most safe year in the area of flights" over
the whole history of surveys. Bad weather conditions (the reason of
43% of air crashes), non- coordination of actions of the dispatcher
and the crew (38%), as well as the poor training of pilots (33%)
remain the basic reasons for air crashes.

THIS YEAR EUROTERM PLANS TO INCREASE SALES BY 20%

Arminfo
2007-04-17 16:40:00

This year the producer of Noyan juice, Euroterm, is going to increase
its sales by 20%.

The director general of Euroterm Vahe Kazaryan says that in 2006
the company’s trade turnover grew by 5% totalling 2.032bln AMD or
$5.2mln. The sales of Noyan grew by 15%.

The share of the export in the company’s trade turnover made up 42%,
the share of Noyan juice – 60%. Euroterm exports juices and canned
fruits and vegetables to Russia, the United States, Ukraine, France,
UAE, Sweden and Belgium and is going to enter the Georgian and Kazakh
markets. This year Euroterm is going to take part in a big exhibition
in Kazakhstan and to find a potential distributor in that country. The
company was going to enter the Kazakh market last year but was busy
with changing the design of Noyan Premium Segmentium.

On Apr 15 Noyan lunched a new Swedish filling line worth 700,000 EUR
with a capacity of 5,500 liters an hour. In May the company is planning
to borrow money from a European bank so as to buy more equipment and
to increase its production of canned vegetables and fruits.

Presently, the company cans 7 types of vegetables, 22 types of fruits
and 16 tastes of Noyan juice. Fruits and vegetables are bought mostly
in Armenia and nagorno-Karabakh, with exotic ones imported from Israel,
India and other countries. In 2006 the company bought 50 h in Armavir
region and planted apricot and peach over 30 h. Presently Euroterm is
negotiating with ecological inspectors with a view to have ecologically
clean harvest in three years. This year the company is not planning
any changes in its prices.

Kazaryan says that there are almost 40 brands on Armenia’s juice
market, 7-8 of whom are active importers and 6 are local companies. He
notes that one Armenian drinks 3-4 liters of natural juice a month. In
Germany this index makes 40 liters, in Russia 7-8 liters. So, it turns
out that the more developed the country the more juice it consumes. In
the next 5-6 years the per capita juice consumption in Armenia will
grow to 15-20 liters.

To note, Euroterm was set up in 1998 and started exporting its products
in 2000.

RULING PARTY CAMPAIGNS IN SOUTHERN ARMENIA

Arminfo
18 Apr 07

Yerevan, 18 April: The further development of the country for
the next 5-10 years depends on what the next parliament will
look like, Levon Lazarian, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutyun [ARFD] and minister of science and education,
told voters in the towns of Vayk, Yeghegnadzor and Jermuk of Vayots
Dzor Region.

He said that the ARFD has always stood by the people, shared their
hardships, and understood their problems. The party has always checked
its programmes with voters and paid attention to the development of
the country’s regions.

The role of parliament has increased after the amendments made to
the constitution [in 2005] since the cabinet is now formed by the
National Assembly [parliament]. The ARFD’s position has always been
extremely clear – it always gave special importance to social issues,
but all the spheres have been focus of attention since the party is
known in the world as a socialist party.

[Passage omitted: Lazarian praised his party, urged voters to vote
for it.]

ARFD member and Minister of Health Norayr Davidyan said that after he
had been appointed minister in 2003, the ministry started paying more
attention to equipping hospitals in regions. He said that beginning
June 2007, a 49m-dollar World Bank programme will be implemented. Under
the programme, hospitals will be reconstructed and provided with
equipment, as well as doctors will be retrained.

[Passage omitted: Davidyan praised government efforts, urged voters
to vote for the ARFD.]