Month: April 2007

2007 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY ESSAY CONTEST AWARDING CEREMONY TO TAKE PLACE ON APRIL 12

ArmRadio.am
11.04.2007 10:15

The 2007 International Women’s Day Essay Contest announcing and
awarding ceremony will take place on 12 April in Yerevan. The event is
organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan, the Centre for the Development
of Civil Society in co-operation with the US Peace Corps.

The competition commenced on March 8, the International Women’s Day,
and finished on April 7, Motherhood and Beauty Day in Armenia. The
high school students from 8 regions of Armenia participating in the
contest were to answer to the following questions:

1) What is the role of your mother at home, in the community, in
Armenia and her activities?

2) Do you want to change the role of a young Armenian woman in Armenia?

3) If you believe that the role of the woman will change, what changes
would you like to see (personally, at the community and governmental
level)?

Sven Holdar, Democratization Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan,
Patrick Hart, Country Director of the Peace Corps Armenia and Svetlana
Aslanyan, President of the Centre for the Development of Civil Society
will present awards and certificates to 3 national and 24 regional
winners of the competition.

Tamara Gevorgyan, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Issues and
Nora Hakobyan, President of the Women’s Republican Council, will also
welcome the participants.

REPUBLICAN PARTY TO BUILD ELECTION CAMPAIGN ON ITS ACHIEVEMENTS

ARMENPRESS
Apr 11 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 11, ARMENPRESS: Galust Sahakian, a top member of the
governing Republican Party, said today the party will be building
its election campaign on its achievements and on its vision of the
country’s future, backed up by clear-cut and well-calculated programs
and clear sources of financing.

Sahakian said the sudden death of the party’s former chairman and
prime minister Andranik Margarian has created a complicated situation
having also impact on the party’s political activity, but he said
the party’s strategy has not been changed.

Sahakian said he was happy to see that the war of words and smearing
campaigns started last year are being gradually replaced by what he
called ‘a civilized way of political competition."

Sahakian denied to say whom the party would like to see as new defense
minister of Armenia saying this is up to the country’s president.

TOURISM IS NOT FULLY DEVELOPED IN ARMENIA

A1+
[02:13 pm] 11 April, 2007

The number of tourists arriving in Armenia will exceed 400 thousand
by the turn of 2007, Ara Petrosyan, Deputy Minister of Trade and
Economic Development, told a press conference today.

"Tourism has a specific role all over the world. It has its
direct impact on numerous systems, among them poverty curtail,
provision of youth and women with job opportunities, maintenance of
historical-cultural values, etc," the deputy minister says. "Surely,
we still have much to do but we are already on the right way."

In Ara Petrosyan’s words, over 270 million AMD were earmarked to
tourism in 2006. 139 million of the sum was spent to advertise Armenia
via CNN.

250 million AMD will be allotted this year to promote the development
of tourism in the country.

Ara Petrosyan considers that the quality of services has considerably
improved in Armenia, which also enhances tourism.

According to the 2006 statistic data, the main visitors to Armenia
were from Georgia, Russia and the USA. By average calculations,
$52 was spent daily in Armenia.

Nina Hovnanian, Executive Director, Armenian Tourist Development Agency
(ATDA), finds the datum very important for Armenia. "Tourism brings
money to certain strata of the public; flower sellers, restaurants
and taxi drivers earn money via tourism.

It is noteworthy that in Nina Hovnanian claims that Armenian tourism
is not that developed yet but in five years’ time we shall better
the picture.

In reply to A1+’s question which factors the high prices of the hotels
are determined by, the deputy minister answered, "The employment in the
RA hotels annually increases by 20-25 %. Under the given conditions,
no hotel will cut the prices to keep abreast with the times; in case
the employment increases the high prices are justified."

Nina Hovnanyan disagreed with the deputy minister saying, "Provided
more tourists arrive in Armenia, the competition between the hotels
will become tense and the prices will logically decrease."

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE
April 11, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA AND GENOCIDE INTERVENTION NETWORK CALL ON U.N. TO
OVERRIDE TURKEY’S OBJECTIONS TO RWANDA GENOCIDE EXHIBIT

"It is incumbent on the U.N. to ensure that the
atrocities of Armenia and other past genocides are
exposed, not just for the memory of those dead but
for the safety of future generations."
— Mark Hanis, Genocide Intervention Network

WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
Chairman Ken Hachikian, in a letter sent today to the United
Nations, called upon the international body to reverse its recent
decision to close a major exhibit, organized by the Aegis Trust, on
the Rwanda Genocide due to the Turkish government’s objection over
a portion of the display that referenced the Armenian Genocide.

The ANCA letter, addressed to Kiyotaka Akasaka, Under-Secretary-
General for Communications and Public Information, expressed the
"Armenian American community’s profound disappointment over [the]
decision to allow the Turkish government to delay – and quite
possibly cancel – a United Nations exhibit intended to help ensure
that the lessons of the Rwanda Genocide are used to help prevent
future genocides."

Hachikian stressed that the dismantling of the exhibit represents
"a troubling retreat from the founding principles of the United
Nations," and added that, "in allowing Turkey’s protest over the
exhibit’s historically accurate mention of the Armenian Genocide to
delay its opening, you have, very unfortunately, undermined the
credibility of the United Nations on a central issue of our time –
ending forever the cycle of genocide. Rather than rightfully
standing up for the organization’s highest values, you permitted
the immoral objections of one member state, Turkey, to drag the
entire institution into complicity in that nation’s shameless
campaign of genocide denial."

Commenting on the U.N.’s decision, Mark Hanis, Executive Director
of the Genocide Intervention Network, said that, "Hitler felt
justified to carry out the Holocaust when he saw how little
resistance there was to the Armenian genocide of 1915. It is
incumbent on the U.N. to ensure that the atrocities of Armenia and
other past genocides are exposed, not just for the memory of those
dead but for the safety of future generations."

Commenting on the exhibit’s postponement, James Smith, the chief
executive of the British-based Aegis Trust, said, "If we can’t get
this right, it undermines all the values of the U.N. It undermines
everything the U.N. is meant to stand for in terms of preventing
(genocide). . . You can’t learn the lessons from history if you’re
going to sweep all of that history under the carpet. And what about
accountability? What about ending impunity if you’re going to hide
part of the truth? It makes a mockery of all of this."

Serj Tankian, songwriter, singer, poet, activist and lead singer of
Grammy Award-winning band System of a Down, and Carla Garapedian,
who directed the award-winning documentary "SCREAMERS" about the
band’s anti-genocide advocacy, issued a statement condemning the
U.N.’s decision: "We are very shocked by this decision by the
Secretary General to remove mention of a historical event which is
well-documented by thousands of official records of the United
States and nations around the world, including Turkey’s wartime
allies, Germany, Austria and Hungary; by Ottoman court martial
records; and by eyewitness accounts of missionaries, diplomats and
survivors; as well as decades of historical scholarship. In the
U.S., President Bush has called the events the "forced exile and
annihilation of approximately 1.5 million Armenians.’"

Tankian and Garapedian went on to stress that, "The reason why
genocides have continued in the last century – from the Armenian
genocide, to the Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda, to the
genocide going on now in Darfur – is because the international
community has not intervened to stop them. Sadly, the Secretary
General’s decision to stop any mention of the antecedents to the
Rwanda genocide is a blow to those who want to stop genocide now."

The New York Times, Associated Press, and other major news outlets
have reported extensively about the controversy surrounding
Turkey’s pressure to close down the Rwanda Genocide exhibit. The
New York Times, in an April 9th article, explained that, "the
panels of graphics, photos and statements had been installed in the
visitors lobby on Thursday by the British-based Aegis Trust. The
trust campaigns for the prevention of genocide and runs a center in
Kigali, the Rwandan capital, memorializing the 500,000 victims of
the massacres there 13 years ago. Hours after the show was
assembled, however, a Turkish diplomat spotted offending words in a
section entitled ‘What is genocide?’ and raised objections. The
passage said that, ‘following World War I, during which one million
Armenians were murdered in Turkey,’ Raphael Lemkin, a Polish lawyer
credited with coining the word genocide, ‘urged the League of
Nations to recognize crimes of barbarity as international crimes.’
[…]"

The full text of the ANCA letter is provided below.

#####

April 11, 2007

Kiyotaka Akasaka
Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information
United Nations
One United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017

Dear Under-Secretary Akasaka:

I am writing to voice the Armenian American community’s profound
disappointment over your decision to allow the Turkish government
to delay – and quite possibly cancel – a United Nations exhibit
intended to help ensure that the lessons of the Rwanda Genocide are
used to help prevent future genocides.

Your actions, as reported by the Associated Press and the New York
Times, represent a troubling retreat from the founding principles
of the United Nations. In allowing Turkey’s protest over the
exhibit’s historically accurate mention of the Armenian Genocide to
delay its opening, you have, very unfortunately, undermined the
credibility of the United Nations on a central issue of our time –
ending forever the cycle of genocide. Rather than rightfully
standing up for the organization’s highest values, you permitted
the immoral objections of one member state, Turkey, to drag the
entire institution into complicity in that nation’s shameless
campaign of genocide denial.

We join with Armenians worldwide, and with all people committed to
ending the cycle of genocide, in respectfully calling upon you to
reverse your decision, and to immediately facilitate the opening of
the Aegis Trust’s complete Rwanda Genocide exhibit.

Sincerely yours,

[signed]
Kenneth V. Hachikian
Chairman

APA
US supports South Caucasus gas pipeline
11 Apr 2007 14:45

Washington supports the construction of the South Caucasus gas pipeline, APA
reports quoting the US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher.
He said that the implementation of the important South Caucasus pipeline
project will strengthen energy security and contribute to the development of
the whole region.
"The United States is ready to assist the region countries for that", he
said.
The US senior official also said the US welcomes the negotiations between
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Turkmenistan’s President Gurbangulu
Berdimukhammedov.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES THE AMBASSADOR OF BULGARIA

His Holiness Aram I received the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Lebanon, His
Excellency Veneline Lazarov in Antelias on April 10. The first ever visit by
the ambassador to the Catholicos lasted for over an hour.

The Bulgarian diplomat and the Pontiff talked about the current situation
in Lebanon, the mission of international forces and the peace process in the
Middle East in general.

His Holiness explained to the Ambassador the structure of the Armenian
Church with its administrative divisions, diocesan units, its work in the
area of spiritual renewal through Christian education and specially through
the reassessment of religious-moral values in the lives of the youth.

##
View the photo here: #2
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

APA
US not to recognize ‘presidential elections’ in Nagorno Karabakh
11 Apr 2007 15:52
As usual, we do not recognize the results of elections, referendum, and such
events held in Nagorno Karabakh in the current situation, US Embassy public
affairs officer Jonathan Henick said when commenting on so-called
"presidential elections" to be held in Nagorno Karabakh by separatist regime
on July 19, APA reports.

The diplomat stated that the US has always remained in this position

PRESS RELEASE
Clark University
Angela M. Bazydlo
Associate Director of Media Relations
University Communications
ph: 508-793-7635
cell: 508-365-8736

March 27, 2007

New book examines Holocaust survivors in postwar America

WORCESTER, MA-As Holocaust survivors settled in the United States
following World War II, American media reported that Jewish refugees
found lives filled with opportunity and happiness in America. For most,
however, it was a much more complicated story. The gap between public
perception and the reality for survivors is the subject of Beth Cohen’s
new book, "Case Closed: Holocaust Survivors in Postwar America." Cohen,
a doctoral graduate of the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide
Studies at Clark University and lecturer at the University of
California, Northridge, will discuss the topic of her book in a free,
public lecture beginning at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 18, in Tilton
Hall, Higgins University Center, 950 Main St.
In "Case Closed: Holocaust Survivors in Postwar America," Cohen provides
a view through the eyes of those who lived it, challenging the
conventional narrative of postwar easy acculturation and illuminating
the complexity of the newcomers’ lives as "New Americans."
Cohen received her Ph.D. in Holocaust history from Clark in 2003, in the
first graduating class from this landmark program. After graduation, the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Center for Advanced Holocaust
Studies awarded her a "Life Reborn" Fellowship.
This event is supported by the Asher Family Foundation. A reception will
follow, and copies of "Case Closed: Holocaust Survivors in Postwar
America" will be available for purchase. For more information, call
508-793-8897.
Clark University is a private, co-educational liberal-arts research
university with 2,000
undergraduate and 800 graduate students. Since its founding in 1887 as
the first all-graduate school in the United States, Clark has challenged
convention with innovative programs such as the International Studies
Stream, the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
and the accelerated BA/MA programs with the fifth year tuition-free for
eligible students. The University is featured in Loren Pope’s book,
"Colleges That Change Lives."
–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Abovian Armenian Cultural Association
Address: Weesperstraat 91
2574 VS The Hague, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31704490209
Website:
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
12 April 2007
Contact: M. Hakhverdian

Dutch-Armenian chess star (19) plays simultaneous chess tournament

By Inge Drost

The Hague – Tomorrow Biaina Geragousian (19) will take part in an
international simultaneous chess-tournament at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in the Hague. Biaina is the daughter of Armenian parents, who
migrated to the Netherlands in the 1980s.

On 13 April 2007, International Grandmaster Jan Timman will play against 60
Opponents, among whom (former) Members of Parliament, members of the Corps
Diplomatique, talented young players (including Biaina) and journalists from
several countries. The tournament will be opened by Foreign Minister, Maxime
Verhagen, and former speaker of the Dutch Parliament, Dick Dolman.

After Biaina became Dutch chess champion in the age group up to 10 years,
she could not stop playing the game. She won many international rapid
titles, but had to wait until 2003 to be National champion in her age group
once again. She managed to do the same in 2004.

Biaina’s chess-successes brought her abroad many times. She played chess in
Armenia (Pan Armenian games, 2003) but also visited Montenegro (European
Championship, 2003), Kreta (Worlds championship) and Siberia (international
tournament for national teams, 2005).

At the moment, Biaina is in training for the Dutch championship, which will
be held in the beginning of May. The top two players will get a ticket to
Armenia, where the World Championships are held later this year. Biaina, who
is seeded in second place, naturally only has one goal!

On 13 April, the Armenian community will be present in The Hague, to cheer
for Biaina; her game will be one of the two games that will be projected
onto a large screen.

PRESS RELEASE
Glendale Public Library
222 East Harvard Street
Glendale CA
Tel: 818-548-2042

Yerevan-based HETQ.AM editor-in-chief, Edik Baghdasaryan, will speak
about freedom of the press in Armenia and present samples of his
investigative reports, as documented in two recent publications and
documentary films, Desert Nights, and Homeless in Armenia.

Both accounts document the social and economic challenges facing the
people of Armenia today.

National Library Week, Thursday, April 19, 7 pm
Glendale Public Library Auditorium
222 East Harvard Street, Glendale (818) 548-2042

FREE Lecture sponsored by the Friends of the Glendale Public Library.