CONFERENCE IN YEREVAN
Panorama.am
16:31 13/05/2008
Tomorrow "Joint bow, joint lance-bearer and brave lynx – 2008"
military exercises principles’ planning summit conference will be held
in Yerevan. The military exercises are conducted in the frame works
of the NATO special project. According to the Ministry of Defense of
Armenia the conference will last till May 16.
From: Baghdasarian
SHIRAK TOROSYAN: "GEORGIAN ARMENIANS MAY GROW IMPATIENT"
Panorama.am
16:32 13/05/2008
Shirak Torosyan the chairman of "Javakhq" union and the NA deputy
said that there are no serious reforms carried out in the social
and economic life of Georgian Armenians. "The problems which were
much talked about still exist," he said in a press conference,
today. According to the deputy the ongoing pre-election mood influences
on the social and political life of Georgian Armenians.
The main difference is that according to the new adopted law the
number of deputies in Georgian Parliament is cut from previous
235 to 150. Hence, not a single opposition or governmental
body has recommended a deputy protecting the rights of Georgian
Armenians. According to him minimum two and maximum four Armenian
deputies will enter Georgian Parliament.
Torosyan mentioned that Georgia has adopted Armenians banishment
policy. The road linking Armenia with Georgia is in furious
conditions. Sometimes the aids provided to Javakhq meet obstacles
while arriving.
There are problems at the border customs units every time. "I’m sure
that one day the Georgian Armenians may grow impatient, if serious
measures are taken to meet the problem," he said.
2-4 ARMENIAN MPS WILL BE ELECTED TO GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT, SHIRAK TOROSYAN PREDICTS
armradio.am
13.05.2008 17:25
Probably 2-4 Armenian Deputies will be elected to the Georgian
Parliament, Armenian MP, President of the "Javakhk" compatriotic union
Shirak Torosyan told a press conference today. According to him, having
more Deputies in the Georgian Parliament is now different because,
according o the new law, even the majoritarian candidates should be
nominated by some party. "In these conditions people concerned about
socio-economic issues of Javakh Armenians could not present their
candidacies because no political force agreed to nominate them,"
he said.
Shirak Torosyan also turned to the recent statement of the Georgian
Envoy in Armenia, characterizing it as non-diplomatic. According to
him, not going into details, the Georgian diplomat simply urges or,
to be more exact, demands from Armenia to vote for the document
Georgia presented at the UN, in which it demands to recognize the
territorial integrity of Georgia.
However, as the MP noted, just several days ago Georgia voted for a
similar resolution presented at the UN by Azerbaijan. Shirak Torosyan
hopes that those responsible for the foreign policy of Armenia will
make correct decisions and will vote deriving from Armenia’s interests.
HIS HOLINESS GAREGIN II CONCLUDES THE FRATERNAL VISIT TO VATICAN
armradio.am
13.05.2008 17:48
His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians concludes his one week fraternal visit to the Bishop of
Rome and Pope of the Catholic Church, His Holiness Benedict XVI,
Press Service of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin informed.
Accompanying His Holiness throughout the duration of the visit were
His Eminence Archbishop Nourhan Manoogian, Grand Sacristan of the
Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem; His Grace Bishop Aram Ateshian,
Grand Sacristan of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople; and
approximately 20 additional archbishops and bishops of the Armenian
Church – primates of Armenian Dioceses in North and South America,
Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
On Tuesday, May 6, the Pontiff of All Armenians and his delegation
arrived at Ciampino Airport in Rome. Also joining His Holiness were
more than 75 devoted laymen of the Armenian Church from throughout
the world who were invited by the Catholicos to participate in this
historic visit to the Holy See and Italy. This was His Holiness’
third visit to the Vatican since his election as Catholicos of All
Armenians in 1999.
The visit to Italy was composed of three parts: a four-day visit to
the Vatican, a one-day visit to the Armenian community of Milan and
a two-day visit to the Mekhitarian Congregation on the Island of San
Lazzaro in Venice.
On Wednesday morning, His Holiness Karekin II and the Armenian bishops
visited the tomb of Pope John Paul II of blessed memory, in the crypt
below Saint Peter’s Basilica, and offered a solemn prayer for the
repose of his soul. The Catholicos and the Armenian delegation also
visited the newly named St. Gregory the Illuminator plaza inside
St. Peter’s courtyard and viewed the statue of the patron saint of
the Armenian Church, placed there during the pontificate of John
Paul II. Immediately afterwards, the Armenian delegation of clergy
and laity participated in the general audience in St.
Peter’s Square, jointly held by Pope Benedict XVI and Catholicos
Karekin II. The two church heads exchanged messages of greeting, a
fraternal embrace and kiss of peace on the platform in front of the
mother cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church, before a crowd of more
than 35,000 faithful.
In his message to the Pope and the faithful, the Catholicos stated in
part, "Dear Brother in Christ, today, on the threshold of the Feast
of Pentecost, when we unite our prayers to those of Your Holiness
and of your faithful sons and daughters, we praise and glorify the
Holy Spirit, Who is the fountainhead of unity and transforms our
steps on the paths of brotherhood with grace – steps which are for
the glory of God and are born from the love of Christ, for the sake
of establishing peace in the world and a blessed life for mankind. In
spite of different historical experiences and paths we have traversed;
in spite of dogmatic and cultural divergences, we are all children of
the one God, and we are all brothers and sisters in His Holy love. For
in our diversity, it is our unity of love that is the genuine testimony
that we are children of God.
"Intolerance and confrontation must not be allowed within the
brotherhood and love of Christ. Mankind has suffered much as a
result. Today as well, the creation of God – the world that surrounds
us – is imperiled through interfaith disagreements, through wars
and terrorism, through the effects of poverty and neglect. Our
brothers and sisters are in distress in the Middle East and many
other regions of the world; where women and children, the elderly and
disabled are endangered by the blows of disagreement and division,
unjust competition and enmity. This is not the Will of God. This
is not our calling. We aspire to live a life in peace, of creation
and creativity, to use the graces given to us by the Holy Spirit,
to serve the establishment of unity and solidarity with the love of
Jesus Christ and the message of the Gospel, since ‘for those that
love God, all things work together unto good.’ (Romans 8:28)
"We Armenians are a people who have survived genocide, and we know
well the value of love, brotherhood, friendship, peace and a secure
life. Today, many countries of the world recognize and condemn the
Genocide committed against the Armenian people by Ottoman Turkey,
as did the Holy See, by His Holiness Pope John Paul II of blessed
memory during our fraternal visit to Rome in 2000. Offering prayers
to his luminous memory, we as Pontiff of the Armenians, appeal to
all nations and lands to universally condemn all genocides that
have occurred throughout history and those that continue through
the present day, so that those who yield power and authority realize
their responsibilities and results of those crimes which have been
and continue to be committed against the creation of God, and that
the denial of these crimes is an injustice that equals the commission
of the same."
That same afternoon, His Holiness Garegin II was presented with
an Honoris Causa doctorate degree from the Pontifical Salesian
University recognizing his fruitful work in Christian Education and
Youth Instruction. Attending the ceremony representing His Holiness
the Pope were His Eminence Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, Vatican State
Secretary and His Eminence Walter Cardinal Kasper, President of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
On Thursday, May 8, His Holiness Karekin II and his delegation visited
the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, and conveyed his blessings
and warm greetings to the participants of a symposium dedicated to the
study of the Armenian Divine Liturgy. The symposium was organized by
Fr. Robert Taft and included presentations by Armenian and Catholic
learned scholars from throughout Europe and North America. His
Eminence Leonardo Cardinal Sandri, Prefect for the Vatican’s Council
for Oriental Churches, also accompanied His Holiness to the symposium.
Friday morning, May 9, the delegation of 100 Armenian bishops and
faithful went to the Apostolic Palace of the Holy See, for a private
audience under the joint presidency of His Holiness Garegin II and His
Holiness Benedict XVI. The two pontiffs again exchanged warm messages
of greeting and brotherly love, embraced with a solemn kiss of peace
and spoke of the strong ties and increasing collaboration between
the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
His Holiness Garegin II, addressing the head of the Catholic Church
and the Armenian faithful gathered for the audience, stated in part,
"We offer gratitude to the Almighty in heaven, as successor to Saints
Thaddeus and Bartholomew, and the saint co-equal to the apostles,
Gregory the Illuminator, that we are enjoying the light of this good
day when we exchange the divinely ordained kiss of peace with Your
Holiness, worthy successor to the See of Saint Peter, seven years
after experiencing the joy of receiving your predecessor of blessed
memory under the gaze of biblical Mount Ararat. It is even more joyous
that this kiss of peace is exchanged on this day, the 9th of May,
when we are celebrating Victory and Peace Day in our homeland – the
day which commemorates the conclusion of World War II – the cause of
great human tragedy and misery; as well as the triumph of our people
in the national liberation struggle for Nagorno Karabakh.
A short prayer service was held under the presidency of both church
heads, following which, the faithful approached the Catholicos and the
Pope to kiss their right hands and receive their blessings. At the
conclusion of the audience, Catholicos Karekin II and Pope Benedict
XVI met privately during lunch to discuss issues of importance to
both Churches.
In the afternoon, His Holiness Karekin II, met with His Grace
Archbishop Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Vatican
Guest House for a private meeting. The head of the Church of England
and the Anglican Communion was coincidentally also in the Holy See
this week, and the two fondly recalled the Archbishop’s fraternal
visit to Holy Etchmiadzin in September 2007, as well as discussed
the upcoming Lambeth Conference for the Anglican Communion and the
current state of relations with sister Churches.
The final event at the Vatican was an Ecumenical Prayer Service,
offered at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, where the
grave of St. Paul the Apostle is located. His Holiness Karekin II
presided during the service, which included the participation of
Roman Catholic and Armenian Church bishops and clergy.
In addition to the official events throughout the course of the week,
His Holiness and the church hierarchs also visited a number of Armenian
and Catholic churches and shrines. His Holiness and the high-ranking
clergymen departed Rome for Milan on Saturday morning.
Upon the invitation of the Pope Benedict XVI His Holiness Karekin
II paid an official visit to Vatican from May 6-9, 2008 accompanied
by 18 Archbishops, Bishops of the Armenian Church. The fraternal
relations between the See of Rome and the See of Etchmiadzin have
further developed and deepened in recent years. The Armenian Church
and the Catholic Church share a long history of mutual respect,
considering their various theological, liturgical, and canonical
traditions as complementary.
RF FA ACCUSES BRYZA OF INCOMPETENCE AND INCONSISTENCY
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.05.2008 15:51 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Russian Foreign Ministry has sharply criticized
statements by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza
in Tbilisi and Sukhumi, describing them as erroneous.
The Foreign Ministry has slammed Bryza, for his statements concerning
Moscow’s "provocative moves" and accused him of bias in favor of
Tbilisi.
"There is an impression that Mr Bryza is not aware of the fact that
on April 29 and on May 3 the commander of the CIS peacekeeping forces
informed in details the Georgian Defense Minister [Davit Kezerashvili]
about the reasons of increasing the strength of peacekeeping troops,
including about the scheme of their dislocation. We have numerously
stated that there is no military motive in the lifting CIS sanctions
on Abkhazia," said Boris Malakhov, a spokesman for FR Foreign Ministry
spokesman.
"This is not the first time when Mr. Bryza demonstrates lack of
knowledge of a real situation and real events taking place in the
conflict region, as a result of which his judgments, saying the least
of it, are less in line of the reality," he said.
"In the light of "unilateral concentration of the Georgian troops at
the Abkhaz border and regular overflights of the Georgian unmanned
reconnaissance drones in the Abkhaz airspace, the U.S. diplomat all
of a sudden questions expediency of certain increase of the level of
CIS peacekeeping forces in the conflict zone."
"At the same time, besides the reconnaissance activities and fire
correction, the unmanned aerial vehicle can carry an air-to-air
missile," Malakhov said.
"The statements of the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
made in Tbilisi and Sokhumi [on May 9-12] are in the line of the
U.S. Administration’s efforts to cover up and to shield from criticism
those, whom they are actively dragging into NATO," the Russian Foreign
Ministry official said.
AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION ACTIVIST: AGENCY FOR CIS ESTABLISHED IN RUSSIA WILL NOT SAVE THE NONVIABLE BODY FROM ITS AGONY
Regnum
May 13 2008
Russia
The government formed by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin consists
of well-known in Russia professional and several people coming from
St. Petersburg, on whom he can always rely on, deputy leader of the
opposition People’s Front Party (Azerbaijan) Gasan Kerimov told a
REGNUM correspondent.
According to him, the reason for the reshuffle in the government was
that Vladimir Putin was and is a charismatic leader and therefore he
posed a wider range of tasks to himself than the previous premier,
Viktor Zubkov. Kerimov believes that the Russian ex-president is aware
that his new post is rather vulnerable and the ranks of his opponents
will increase. That was the range of the tasks and the necessity to
undertake some unpopular measures that made Putin change the staff
and abolish state committees by turning them into agencies or handing
over their functions to other bodies.
Speaking on the decision to establish an agency for CIS affairs, the
politician noted that the new agency would not save the nonviable body
from its agony, one member of which, Armenia, is silently allowed
to occupy territories of another one, Azerbaijan. "Just remember
the relations between the small Georgia and the big Russia. Can the
relations between them be called friendly and allied?" asked Kerimov.
In conclusion, he stressed that an attempt made by the Russian premier
to combat corruption was commendable, but said it had the same chance
for success as a similar intention of the Azeri prime minister. Kerimov
explained his skepticism about a possibility to eradicate corruption
both in Russia and in Azerbaijan by lack of democracy and rule of
law in society. Besides, he said, both Moscow and Baku have shown
increase in authoritarianism accompanied by passiveness of society.
As REGNUM reported earlier, Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
outlined three directions to combat corruption. He said it was
necessary to get rid of excessive functions in control and licensing,
improve the legislation and raise salaries of government officials.
TURKISH HISTORIANS’ STATEMENTS ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CAN’T BE TREATED SERIOUSLY
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.05.2008 16:40 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The statements by Turkish historians, specifically
by the President of the Turkish Association of Historians, about
"falsifications" of the fact of the Armenian Genocide can’t be treated
seriously, an Armenian expert said.
"Their allegations are nothing but a regular propagandistic trick,"
Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the RA Academy of
Sciences, Prof. Ruben Safrastyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.
"Academic circles do not question the fact of the Armenian
Genocide. Leading historians throughout the globe are convinced of
it. As to documents allegedly proving the opposite, the statements
on their existence have nothing to do with the truth. To understand
this, you can study German, British and U.S. archives. Actually,
Yusuf Halacoglu has specialized in the Ottoman period and he could
be useful for Turkey if he engaged in study of this period.
Earlier, 1news.az Azeri agency quoted Halacoglu as saying that "the
Turkish Association of Historians possesses 100 archive pages proving
that Armenians were not subjected to genocide during the WWI."
ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES MUST TAKE ESSENTIAL STEPS TO EXTEND ARMISTICE – DEFENCE MINISTER
Trend News Agency
May 13 2008
Azerbaijan
"The Armenian authorities must take all the necessary steps to continue
the armistice," Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Oganyan said at the
Armenian Parliament on 13 May, ArmInfo reported.
According to Oganyan, the authorities are doing their best to give
a logic end to this issue.
"The issue must be solved only in a peaceful manner," he said adding
that no aggravation at the troop contact line has been reported.
The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in
1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost the Nagorno-Karabakh, except of Shusha and Khojali, in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian Armed Forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and
Nagorno-Karabakh’s seven surrounding regions. In 1994, Azerbaijan
and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active
hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Russia,
France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful, but fruitless
negotiations.
OSCE regularly monitors the troops contact line for the protection
of ceasefire.
ALEXANDER ISKANDARYAN: KARABAKH CONFLICT CURRENT STAGE CAN BE DESCRIBED AS "PEACE"
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.05.2008 17:59 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It’s not the Bishkek protocol but the fact that the
sides has maintained armistice for 14 years is important, Director of
the Caucasus Media Institute, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.
The current stage of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict can be described as
"peace", according to him.
"I do not agree when people call it "neither war nor peace." If
soldiers do not fire, it means that a peaceful process is underway. The
Bishkek protocol was a document that fixed the situation at the
line of contact between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan in 1994,"
Iskandaryan said.
On May 12, 1994 Defense Minister Pavel Grachev of Russia and Serzh
Sargsyan of Armenia as well as commander of the NKR Defense Army
Samvel Babayan signed an agreement on armistice in the Karabakh
conflict zone. Afterwards, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Mamedrafi
Mammadov put his signature to the document which secured lasting
ceasefire in Nagorno Karabakh.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
ARMENIAN CITIZENS ABANDONING BEIRUT
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.05.2008 18:57 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On May 13, four Armenian citizens, who wanted
to leave Beirut, were driven in an Armenian Embassy’s car to the
Lebanese-Syrian border, RA MFA acting spokesman Tigran Balayan told
a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.
"The Armenian citizens will come back to Armenia by Yerevan-Aleppo
flight," he said, adding that the situation in Lebanon is normalizing.
From: Baghdasarian