Month: May 2008

Bosco Information Service, India
May 8 2008

Salesian University Confers PhD on Patriarch Karekin II

By C.M. Paul

Kolkata, May. 8. ROME, 8 May, SAR News – The Salesian Pontifical
University (UPS) conferred honoris causa doctorate in Youth Pastoral
Theology on Patriarch Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, at a
ceremony held at the university`s Paul VI Hall, 7 May. It marked the
patriarch`s official visit to the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI along
with his entourage of 18 bishops of the Catholicosate of all Armenians
and a group of 75 Armenian Apostolic faithful.

Present at the 90 minute function were three cardinals, several
bishops, civil and military representatives, as well as staff and
students from the six faculties of the Salesian University.

In his welcome words the Vatican Secretary of State and former UPS
Rector Salesian Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone recalled how Pope Benedict
XV stood by the persecuted Christians of Armenia denouncing the
genocide by Ottoman Turks in 1915. About one-and-a-half million
Armenian Christians were massacred over a period of six years.

The president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian
Unity Cardinal Walter Kasper praised the patriarch`s sincere and
sustained ecumenical efforts. The cardinal enumerated patriarch`s
outstanding contribution in rebuilding the Armenian Church over the
past 30 years and particularly in the post Communist era taking bold
initiatives to revive youth ministry as well as laity and clergy
formation.

The dean of the Theology Faculty Fr Giorgio Zevini read out the
doctoral decree in Latin. In his acceptance speech, the patriarch gave
a brief description of the 250 year persecution of the Armenian Church
evangelized by the Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus. Armenia was the
first Christian nation since the year 301 even before Christianity
became a state religion in the Roman Empire in 313.

The ceremony was interspersed with renditions by 40-member
Inter-university choir under the baton of director Salesian Fr Massimo
Palombella of the Rome Vicariate`s University Ministry Office. The
selections sung in Latin from 16th century composer Palestrina
included Exaltabo te, Credo (from the Mass of Pope Marcello) and Tu Es
Petrus.

This is the fifth honoris causa doctorate that the 70 year old
Theology Faculty has conferred to-date. Other degrees were conferred
on Nobel laureate Bishop Belo of Timor (Feb.1998); Governor of the
Italian Bank Dr Antonio Fazio (Dec 2003); Theology and Biblical
scholar Fr Sylvanus Sngi Lindogh of Shillong (August 2005) and
Theology and Biblical scholar Prof. Wolfgang Gruen of Belo Horizonte
Brazil (Feb 2006).

Born in Armenia in 1951, he was elected 132nd Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians in 1999. In November 2000 he visited Pope
John Paul II. During his visit, Pope and Catholicos Karekin II
presided over a liturgy of the Word in St. Peter`s Basilica, during
which the Holy Father has returned to Catholicos the relic of
St.Gregory the Illuminator (Krikor Loosavorich) Father and Patron
Saint of the Armenian Church. St Gregory was the most significant of
the 104 Armenian saints because in 301 A.D. he converted King
Tiridates III to Christianity and Christianity was declared the
national religion.

Pope John Paul II made a visit to Armenia in 2001 and was hosted by
the Catholicos in his residence at Etchmiadzin.

More than 90% of Armenian Christians are under the Armenian Apostolic
Patriarchate, which separated from Rome after the Council of Chalcedon
in 451. A key step toward overcoming this division was taken in 1996
when Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Karekin I signed a joint
declaration on the nature of Jesus.

Photo: His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch of
All Armenians.

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Today.Az, Azerbaijan
May 8 2008

Khaqani Huseynli: "No mobile operator has a right to strike roaming
agreements in the Azerbaijani lands, occupied by Armenia, without
Baku’s permission"

08 May 2008 [17:33] – Today.Az

"Undoubtedly, no mobile operator of Ukraine, or any other country (the
same steps were also undertaken by Russian mobile operator Beeline)
have a right to strike agreements on provision of roaming services in
the Azerbaijani lands, occupied by Armenia, without permission of
official Baku".

The due announcement was made by Khaqani Huseynli, editor-in-chief of
Voice of Azerbaijan newspaper, issued in Kiev and one of the leaders
of Ukraine Azerbaijanis Congress, commenting on the fact that three
largest mobile operators of Ukraine indicated Nagorno Karabakh as a
separate country on their websites.

"Therefore, the Azerbaijani embassy to Ukraine is working actively to
inform the management of all the three companies that their actions
are erroneous and is a fly in the ointment of really good, neighbor
and partner relations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

"By the recent information, changes are already being introduced to
the websites of all the three mobile operators of Ukraine", said
Huseynli.

/Day.Az/

URL:

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
May 8 2008

MAY 9 RA ARMED FORCES’ SUPREME COMMISSIONED STAFF TO VISIT YERABLOUR
PANTHEON

YEREVAN, 08.05.08. DE FACTO. On May 9 ` the Day of the current
anniversary of Shoushi’s liberation ` the supreme commissioned staff
of the RA Armed Forces will visit Yerablour Pantheon, where the
ceremony of putting wreaths on the tombs of the fallen soldiers will
take place.

Then the delegation will head for the Victory Park, where they will
put wreaths on the tombs of the Unknown Soldier, the RA MoD Press
Office reports.

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
May 8 2008

26 HOUSES FOR FAMILIES HAVING MANY CHILDREN TO BE BUILT IN KARABAKH

YEREVAN, 08.05.08. DE FACTO. 26 dwelling-houses will be built in the
capital city and regions of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic for families
having many children (6 and more). The decision was made in the course
of the sitting of the NKR State Committee for Coordination of Housing
Programs held in the Republic’s government presided over by the NKR PM
Ara Harutyunian.

Besides, according to the program of measures targeted at the
settlement of social issues of migrants and refugees, a decision on
the restoration of a tenement-house in Shoushi and completion of
construction of a tenement-house in the town of Martakert was made. 6
dwelling-houses in the village of Talysh and 10 new houses in the
village of Madagis, Martakert region, will be put into operation. It
has been decided to repair a building in the town of Berdzor. A
separate house will be built in the Hadrut region for the family of a
killed home guardsman.

All proposals to be made will be discussed at the forthcoming sittings
of the State Committee.

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
May 8 2008

MEETING OF RA AND NAGORNO-KARABAKH PRESIDENTS HELD

YEREVAN, 08.05.08. DE FACTO. A meeting of the RA and Nagorno-Karabakh
Presidents Serge Sargsian and Bako Sahakian was held in Stepanakert
today. According to the Central Department of Information under the
NKR President, in the course of the meeting the interlocutors
discussed a wide spectrum of issues referring to bilateral relations.

The RA President arrived in Stepanakert to participate in the
celebration of the Day of Shoushi’s liberation and the establishment
of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Defense Army.

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
May 8 2008

COMPOSITION OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH REPUBLIC SECURITY COUNCIL CONFIRMED

YEREVAN, 08.05.08. DE FACTO. According to a decree the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakian signed on May 7, the
head of the NKR President’s administration Marat Musaelian was
appointed Secretary of the NKR Security Council.

According to another decree of the state’s head, the composition of
the Republic Security Council has been confirmed, the Central
Department of Information under the NKR President reports.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Security Council includes:

1. The NKR President.
2. The NKR National Assembly Chair.
3. The NKR PM.
4. The Secretary of the NKR Security Council.
5. The NKR Defense Minister ` Commander of the NKR Defense Army.
6. The NKR FM.
7. The head of the NKR President’s administration.
8. The NKR Procurator General.
9. The Chair of the NKR Supreme Court.
10. The Director of the National Security Service under the NKR government.
11. The Chief of Police under the NKR government.
12. The first deputy Commander of the NKR Defense Army.
13. The first deputy Commander of the NKR Defense Army ` the head of
the headquarters.

Reuters
May 8 2008

Fairmont to sell Singapore’s Raffles Hotel

Thu May 8, 2008 3:21pm IST
(Updates with confirmation of sale from Fairmont)

SINGAPORE, May 8 (Reuters) – Fairmont Raffles Hotels International
said on Thursday that it will sell its stake in Singapore’s landmark
Raffles Hotel to a consortium led by ex-Credit Suisse banker Mark
Pawley.

Fairmont, which is controlled by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and
U.S. private equity firm Colony Capital, did not disclose the selling
price, although Singapore media said the figure was around S$650
million ($471.7 million).

Fairmont did not name the members of the consortium. Pawley is CEO of
Singapore-based private equity firm Oxley Capital that specializes in
real estate, though an executive at Oxley told Reuters the firm was
not the buyer.

Singapore’s Business Times cited unnamed sources as saying the
overseas buyer was linked to a European family.

Colony bought the 121-year-old hotel for about S$200 million in 2005
as part of a bigger S$1.7 billion acquisition of the Raffles Holdings
hotel chain, the Business Times said.

Raffles Hotel, a Singapore national monument, was founded in 1887 by
four Armenian brothers. In its colonial heyday, its guests included
luminaries such as authors Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling and Somerset
Maugham.

Fairmont, which operates 88 hotels globally under the Raffles,
Fairmont and Swissotel brands, said in a statement it will continue to
manage the Singapore hotel after the sale. (Reporting by Daryl Loo and
Kevin Lim, editing by Neil Chatterjee)

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 8 2008

Nizami Bahmanov: `We will liberate our territories by way of war’

[ 08 May 2008 13:58 ]

Baku. Ramil Mammadli `APA. `Azerbaijan has a right to wage a war based
on the international principles and documents.

These documents have already been collected from all international
organizations. We will liberate our territories by way of war’, Nizami
Bahmanov, head of Public Union of Nagrono Karabakh Azerbaijani
Community told journalists, APA reports. The community leader said EU
Special Representative for South Caucasus Peter Semneby suggested him
to visit Nagorno Karabakh. He said Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan had
also been informed about that. `We cannot realize this visit, because
it can be realized while progress being reached in the peace talks.
There is still no agreement even at the level of foreign ministers and
any visit to Nagorno Karabakh at this time has no matter’. The
community leader spoke about the impossibility of such visits. `We
cannot return to Karabakh taking by Semneby’s hand and there will not
be such return. If Armenians confirm their citizenship of Azerbaijan
and observe progresses in this direction, the visit can take place.

We cannot meet with the separatist forces’.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 8 2008

Russian Centre of Vexillology and Heraldry shows Nagorno Karabakh as a
territory of Armenia

[ 08 May 2008 13:38 ]

Baku. Zaur Nurmammadov`APA. Official website of Russian Centre of
Vexillology and Heraldry has posted information about Azerbaijan’s
Nagorno Karabakh in Armenian Department, APA reports.

Nagorno Karabakh territory is shown as ethnic Armenian state in the
website.

`UN considers Nagorno Karabakh as a territory of Azerbaijan. We have
decided to post information about Nagorno Karabakh in Armenian
Department taking into account of Nagrono Karabakh as an ethic state
of Armenia and symbols of Armenian origin’, the text says. Authors of
the website tried to relate the posting of information in `Armenia’
Department with Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh at present.

Christian Today, UK
May 8 2008

Armenian leader condemns ‘genocide’ before Pope

Posted: Thursday, May 8, 2008, 10:11 (BST)

Armenia’s Orthodox leader on Wednesday used the pulpit of the Vatican
to condemn the 1915 killing of 1.5 million ethnic Armenians by Ottoman
Turks, saying the whole world should recognise it as a genocide.

"We Armenians are a people who have survived genocide, and we know
well the value of love, brotherhood, friendship and a secure life,"
Karekin II said in a public address during Pope Benedict’s general
audience in St Peter’s Square.

"Today, many countries of the world recognise and condemn the genocide
committed against the Armenian people by Ottoman Turkey…" the head
of Armenia’s Apostolic Church added, speaking in English before tens
of thousands of people.

Karekin, who like the pope has the title "His Holiness," said he
wanted to "appeal to all nations and lands to universally condemn all
genocides that have occurred throughout history and those that
continue to the present day…"

Turkey strongly denies Armenian claims, saying that Muslim Turks also
died in inter-ethnic conflict as the Ottoman Empire crumbled during
World War One.

Western historians have backed Armenian claims that the killings
amounted to a genocide.

In his address to Karekin before the crowd, Pope Benedict spoke of
"the severe persecutions suffered by Armenian Christians, especially
during the last century", but did not use the word genocide.

Karekin, in his address broadcast live on many religious television
stations around the world, said "the denial of these crimes is an
injustice that equals the commission of the same".

France’s lower house of parliament infuriated Turkey in 2006 by
backing a bill that would make it a crime to deny that mass killings
of Armenians amounted to genocide. France’s Senate never ratified the
bill.

Last year legislators in the US House of Representatives proposed a
resolution to formally name the massacre a genocide but the move
faltered under stiff opposition by President George W Bush and Turkey,
a key NATO ally.

The word "genocide" appeared in a joint statement when Karekin visited
the late Pope John Paul in 2000. But the Vatican, which has diplomatic
relations with both Armenia and Turkey, has never formally recognised
the killings as such.

John Paul visited Armenia in 2001 and prayed at a monument to the dead
in the capital, Yerevan.