Month: April 2007

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
April 4, 2007

Contact: Haig Hovsepian
Tel: (818) 500-1918

ANCA-WR Attends Town Hall Meeting Hosted by CA Senator Jack Scott

GLENDALE, CA – Representatives from the Armenian National Committee of
America-Western Region (ANCA-WR) and its local ANC affiliates attended a
town hall meeting hosted by California State Senator Jack Scott
(D-21-Pasadena). The meeting took place on the evening of March 16,
2007 at St. Mary’s Armenian Church in Glendale. The community forum was
attended by several ANCA-WR Board Members including Peter Musurlian and
Leonard Manoukian as well as current ANCA-WR interns Andre Arzoo and
Tina Avanessian. They were joined by Hollywood ANC Chairman Onnik
Keshishian.

Several local elected officials and community leaders also attended the
event, including Glendale City Clerk Ardashes Kasskhian and Glendale
Community College Board of Trustees Member Vahe Peroomian as well as
Deputy Consul of the Armenia in Los Angeles Harutyun Kojoyan. During
the evening Scott addressed several issues of concern for the residents
of the district including education legislation and the rising cost of
higher education.

Scott also discussed the California-Armenia Trade Office (CATO) which
was established through legislation he authored in 2002. CATO was
established to promote international trade and investment between
California and the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union,
particularly the Republic of Armenia in which it operates its overseas
office. The legislation, SB 1657, was the culmination of a three-year
grassroots effort by nearly a dozen local ANC chapters as part of its
efforts to promote greater and mutually beneficial relations between the
United States and Armenia.

The California Armenia Trade Office is operated by the Foundation for
Economic Development, a non-governmental, non-profit organization
contracted by the state. The FED’s newly appointed Executive Director
Johnny Nalbandian attended the event. He was joined by ANCA extern to
the FED, Hovik Harutyunyan. Harutyunyan has been working with the FED
as part of the 2007 Spring session of the ANCA-WR’s
Internship-Externship Program.

"We appreciate the fact that Senator Scott continues to reach out to his
constituents and the local Armenian American community to keep them
informed and to hear from us about important issues that affect us,"
said Manoukian.

The 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: California State Senator Jack Scott (D-21-Pasadena).

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 4, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

COALITION AGAINST ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION CONTINUES TO UNRAVEL

— Xerox, American Express, Altria, and FedEx are
the Latest to Distance themselves from Turkey’s
Efforts to Defeat Human Rights Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC – Major U.S. companies continue to distance
themselves from two corporate coalitions that are publicly backing
the Turkish government’s campaign against the Armenian Genocide
Resolution, according to documents released today by the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

The American Turkish Council (ATC) and the American Business Forum
in Turkey (ABFT), both coalitions claiming to represent U.S
corporations doing business in Turkey, have each publicly – and
aggressively – opposed the adoption by Congress of legislation
recognizing the Armenian Genocide (H.Res.106/S.Res.106.)

In response to these efforts, the ANCA sent formal letters last
month to each member of the two coalitions, requesting that they
clarify their position on the Armenian Genocide Resolution. To
date, the ANCA has received written confirmation from a number of
these companies that they are not opposed to the adoption of the
Armenian Genocide Resolution. Among these are several major
multinationals, such as Microsoft, Xerox, American Express, Altria,
Johnson & Johnson, FedEx, and Cargill.

Relevant excerpts from these letters are provided below:

* Leonard W. Condon, Vice President of Altria’s International
Business Relations, explained in a letter to the ANCA that: "Our
international tobacco company, Philip Morris International (PMI) is
a member of the Turkish American Council. However, neither PMI nor
Altria have taken a position – and neither company plans to take a
position – on the proposed Resolution." Altria is ranked 20th on
the Fortune 500 and had revenues last year of $101.4 billion.

* Thomas Schick, the Executive Vice President for American Express
Corporate Affairs and Communications, in a letter to ANCA, wrote:
"Please be assured that, as a matter of company policy, American
Express does not take a position on issues before any legislative
body that do not directly affect our company." American Express is
ranked 69th on the Fortune 500 and brought in revenues during 2006
of $30.08 billion.

* Ann S. Dickey, Staff Vice President of Government Affairs for
Federal Express, wrote to the ANCA that: "FedEx does not
participate in communications regarding information of this
nature." FedEx is ranked 70th on the Fortune 500 and generated
$32.3 billion in revenue last year.

* Anne M. Mulcahy, Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of
Xerox, wrote that, despite its listing on the ABFT website: "Xerox
is not a member of the ABFT. Therefore, Xerox did not participate
in any way in the decision of the ABFT to send a letter to the
United States Congress." Xerox is ranked 142nd on Fortune 500 and
had annual revenues last year of $15.9 billion.

* Clement R. Gagne III, Microsoft Central and Eastern Europe’s
Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs, in a letter addressed to
ANCA, wrote that: "Microsoft has not participated in any
discussions or decisions of ABFT, and was not involved with the
communication to which you referred in your letter." Microsoft is
ranked 48th on the 2006 Fortune 500 and had annual revenue last
year of $44.28 billion.

* Thomas M. Gorrie, Ph.D., Johnson & Johnson’s Corporate Vice
President for Government Affairs and Policy, wrote to the ANCA
that: "Johnson and Johnson in Turkey is not a board member and has
not been engaged in any role in the ABFT communication you have
mentioned in your letter. As [the] world’s largest and most
comprehensive and broadly based health care company, we would not
engage in political issues of this nature." Johnson & Johnson is
ranked 32nd on the Fortune 500 and had annual revenue last year of
$53.32 billion.

* Van Yeutter, Cargill’s Director of International Business
Development and Washington Operations, explained in writing that:
"We are a commercial enterprise focused on business matters rather
than on political or foreign policy matters. As such the company
does not have a position on the issue of your enquiry." Cargill, a
multinational corporation based in Minnesota, is the world’s second
largest privately held corporation. In 2006, it had revenue of
$75.2 billion.

The controversy surrounding this issue was the subject of a March
28, 2007 article by Kate Ackley in Roll Call, the Capitol Hill
newspaper. The article cites ATC President, Jim Holmes, listing
Philip Morris International as one of the companies he claims is
working through the council to stop the Armenian Genocide
Resolution. This point is clearly contradicted by the letter from
Altria, the parent company to Philip Morris, which states that
neither company opposes H.Res.106.

Copies of these letters can be obtained by writing to the ANCA at
[email protected].

#####

ATTACK IS WAGED UPON GYUMRI MAYOR AND PEOPLE ACCOMPANYING HIM

Noyan Tapan
Apr 03 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasian and people
accompanying him were waged an armed attack near the crossroads of
the village of Parpi, on the Yerevan-Gyumri main road, on late April
2. A burst of shoots was fired on the latters’ cars. As a result,
3 people died, 6 were injured.

Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasian (a Council member of the Republican Party
of Armenia) and Deputy Mayor Gagik Manukian are among the injured
people. As the Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed by RPA Press
Secretary Edvard Sharmazanov, the injured people are in the Yerevan
Gregory the Illuminator (Grigor Lusavorich) hospital at the moment,
Gagik Manukian’s operation passed successfully and the latters’
life is not in danger now. To recap, the Gyumri Mayor and people
accompanying him were leaving Yerevan for Gyumri. They participated
in the RPA Council sitting in Yerevan.

CONSTANTINOPLE ARMENIAN PATRIARCH HOPES THAT DIVINE SERVICE TO BE HELD IN AKHTAMAR SURB KHACH CHURCH AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 03 2007

ISTANBUL, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Constantinople
Armenian Patriarch Archbishop Mesrop Mutafian, Van Governor Cakacak
and Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Atilla Goc made speeches
at the March 29 ceremony of opening the Surb Khach (Saint Cross)
church of the Akhtamar Island of Lake Van as a museum. According to the
Istanbul Marmara daily, the Patriarch expressed his satisfaction with
the re-opening of the church the restoration of which was implemented
with the principle of remaining faithful to the original.

Expressing gratitude to the Turkish Ministry of Culture, Van Governor’s
Office and Gevash Governor, he mentioned that the fact of re-opening
of the church proves the government’s good faith torwads the monuments
of art, and that he is sure that this good faith will tomorrow sprout
with efforst of other well-wishing persons as well. "This building
is finally a church, and this church may be used as a holy place
of belief and tourism," the Patriarch said. He proposed to every
year organize a festival in Akhtamar with different people’s games,
exhibition of handicraft works and other events. In the Patriarch’s
words, such an initiative "will also help that the dialogue which
we still find difficult to create today will be created between the
peoples. I believe that the government will make a decision in future
that a divine service is held here at least once a year," Archbishop
Mesrop summed up his speech. After the Armenian Patriarch’s speech,
the Van Governor made a speech who mentioned that the state of Van
is a crandle of different civilizations. "It is not important to what
civilization the monument belongs, it is necessary that we care of it,"
Ozdemir Cakacak said and invited the whole world to see the natural
and historic beauties of Van. The Minister of Culture of Turkey made
a speech at the end. He reminded all the guests arrived in Van on
the occasion of opening the church that during the long period of
time of the history Eastern and Western values embraced here with
one another and that one of the richest heritages of the world is on
those lands. "The government considers one of its main obligations
to make live the heritages remained from different cultures and pass
them to the next generations. A building was saved and started living
for the next generations," Atilla Goc summed up.

"NOR ZHAMANAKNER" TO SUPPORT SAMVEL HAROUTIUNIAN’S CANDIDATURE AT ELECTORAL DISTRICT No37

Noyan Tapan
Apr 03 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The "Nor Zhamanakner" (New Times)
party will support in electoral district No37 candidature of
non-partisan Samvel Haroutiunian, nominated on the civil initiative
by the majoritarian electoral system at the May 12 elections and will
support him with its all efforts. Noyan Tapan was informed about it
by the Information Services of the "Nor Zhamanakner" party.

"LET’S ANI CATHEDRAL AND CHURCHES BE RESTORED, AND I’LL AGREE TO PARTICIPATE IN SIMILAR PR-ACTION," G. GYURJIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 03 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Turkey and Armenia need cultural
dialogue and mutual confidence. That dialogue is in embroy today and
started "from restoration of cultural monuments, very important for
us." G. Gyurjian, the RA Deputy Minister of Culture and Youth Issues
stated about it at the April 2 press conference. As the Deputy Minister
mentioned in 2001 they proposed the Turkish side to turn Ani into "a
cultural corridor." "They agreed then, but took no step. I reminded
the Turkish Minister of Culture about it this time." In G. Gyurjian’s
words, the Turkish government allocated 250 mln dollars for studying
and restoring Ani and the neighboring territories during 5 years. "I
find that Armenian specialists must participate in those works as
Nikoghayos Mar’s and Toros Toramanian’s archeological expeditions have
already digged out and studied those territories in the beginning of
the last century. That material is kept at the Agency for Protection
of Monuments of Armenia." The Deputy Minister mentioned that in this
case the cooperation is advantageous for Turkey as well as excavations
demand big financial investments. Responding the journalists’ question
of the re-opening of the church in Turkey was really a PR-action and
the Deputy Minister participated in it, G. Gyurjian said: "Let’s Ani
Cathedral and churches be restored, and I shall agree to participate in
such a PR-action." To also recap, the Deputy Minister disproved those
publications in the Turkish press as if he promised Turkish Minister
of Culture and Tourism Atilla Goc to build a mosque in Armenia as a
response of their restoring the Surb Khach (Saint Cross) church. In
G. Gyurjian’s words, they spoke about bilateral cultural initiatives,
and just then Atilla Goc asked: "We restored Surb Khach, are you ready
to restore a Turkish mosque in Armenia." In Gyurjian’s words it "was
a simple question" which he answered "yes." In Gyurjian’s words, there
is no Turkish mosque in Armenia for the issue of its restoration arise.

PROGRAMS OF FURNISHING OF SCHOOLS AND KINDERGARTENS ARE IMPLEMENTED IN ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH WITH ASSISTANCE OF "HAYASTAN" FUND LOCAL BODY OF FRANCE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 03 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Programs of furnishing of schools and
kindergartens are implemented in Armenia and Artsakh with assistance of
the "Hayastan" (Armenia) All-Armenian Fund local body of France. As
Noyan Tapan was informed by the Public Relations Department of
the fund, works of furnishing to a total value of 288 thousand
U.S. dollars were done in Armenia and Artsakh from 2004 till now. It
was also mentioned that after finishing the works of furnishing, the
fund benefactors often finance more fundamental works at the given
educational institutions, as for example, fundamental restoration
of the roof, construction of a boiler-house or new sewerage system,
placing of new doors and windows.

169 PEOPLE DIE IN WORLD FROM AVIAN INFLUENZA FROM 2003 TILL NOW

Noyan Tapan
Apr 03 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. 281 cases of people’s being taken ill
with avian influenza, including 169 ones ending with death, were fixed
in the world from 2003 till now. Elizabeth Krushinskie, the Senior
Specialist of the Avian Influenza and Pandemic Flu Prevetion Program
of the U.S. Agency for International Development stated about it at
the March 30 seminar on the theme "Avian Influenza and Information
Technologies." She also mentioned that according to foreseeings,
in the case of outbreak of an avian influenza epidemic in the world,
25% of the population will be infected, about 280 mln people will die.

In E. Krushinskie’s words, few types of vaccines against the avian
influenza are at the stage of experimentation at present. That’s
why, the only hopeful protection from the avian influenza is still
annihilation of all infected birds. She also mentioned that the yard
poultry farming’s being rather spread, high falls of birds from
other diseases particularly lay obstacles in the way of complete
struggle against the avian influenza in Armenia. Grigory Baghiyan,
the Chief of the Food Safety and Veterinary State Inspectorate of
the RA Ministry of Agriculture mentioned that the disease got wide
geographic spreading: cases of the avian influenza were fixed in
Russia, Hungary, Ukraine as well as in Turkey and other countries
neighboring with Armenia. In his words, if the situation becomes
uncontrollable, it will have destructive influence on the poultry
farming of the region and will increase the possibility of people’s
being infected. In G. Baghiyan’s words, attaching importance to the
exclusive economic and social danger of the avian influenza, the RA
Ministry of Agriculture implements corresponding events addressed to
finding out and prevention of the avian influenza.

RPA COUNCIL PUTS FORWARD SERGE SARGSIAN’S CANDIDATURE FOR PRIME MINISTER’S POST

Noyan Tapan
Apr 03 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The Coucil sitting of the Republican
Party of Armenia finished on late April 3 made a decision on
putting forward at present acting Defence Minister of the country,
Council Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia Serge Sargsian’s
candidature for the RA Prime Minister’s post. As the Noyan Tapan
correspondent was informed by the Press Service of the party, NA
Speaker Tigran Torosian put forward Serge Sargsian’s candidature.

There were no other nominations.

CRIMINAL ACTION IS BROUGHT AT RA PROSECUTOR’S GENERAL OFFICE ON FACT OF ENCROACHMENT UPON GYUMRI MAYOR

Noyan Tapan
Apr 03 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Fires were shot from a car with unknown
registration number in the stretch of road near the city of Ashtarak
on the Ashtarak-Gyumri highway, at about 22:20 on April 2, in the
direction of Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasian’s official Mercedes car
with the 051LL50 state registration number and the Gaz-3110 car with
the 770LL10 state registration number, accompanying him. From the
fire-arms injuries got in the consequence of the burst of fire, three
from the five passengers of the accompanying car, Artyom Samvel Adamian
(born in 1985), Sisak Aram Vardanian (born in 1981) and Hovhannes
Levon Mirzakhanian (born in 1970) died at the place. V. Ghukasian
and his Deputy Gagik Manukian were taken to the Saint Gregory the
Illuminator (Surb Grigor Lusavorich) medical center with fire-arms
injuries, and driver Varazdat Ghukasian was taken to the Armenia
medical center and underwent an operation.

Passenger of the Mercedes, Chief of the Urban Development Department of
the Gyumri Mayor’s Office Hovhannes Grkikian and Gaz-3110 driver Vachik
Gyughjoghlian and passenger Tigran Simonain did not get fire-arms
injuries and there was no need of medical interference. According
to the information of the RA Prosecutor’s General Office, a crminial
action was brought on the occasion of the case at the Investigation
Department of the RA Prosecutor’s General Office, based on Point 6
Part 2 Article 104, Point 6 Part 2 Article 34-104 and Article 235 of
the RA Criminal Code, An investigation-operative group was formed in
the staff of which experienced emloyees of the RA Prosecutor’s Office,
RA National Security Service and RA Police were involved, a pliminary
investigation is held. All the necessary measures are taken in the
direction of finding out circumstances of the case and identity of the
people committed the crime and finding them. According to the April
3 statement of the Republican Party of Armenia, the encroachment upon
Gyumri Mayor, RPA Council member Vardan Ghukasian was committed on the
way of returning Gyumri from the RPA Council sitting. "The RPA Council
condoles with families and relatives of victims of the brigand attack,
condemns the committed crime and decisively demands from the legal
bodies to quickly reveal the criminals and most seriously punish them,"
is said in the RPA Council statement.