Month: October 2008

ANCA CHAIRMAN CHALLENGES STATE DEPARTMENT ATTACK ON NAGORNO KARABAKH

armradio.am
14.10.2008 10:37

Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken Hachikian,
in remarks delivered before more than 900 elected officials and
community leaders at the annual Western Region banquet, publicly and
forcefully challenged recent statements by senior State Department
official Matt Bryza that, as a precondition for peace, Armenia must
agree that Nagorno Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan.

Speaking before a capacity crowd at the Ronald Reagan Presidential
Library, Hachikian sharply condemned the "retreat from principle"
in U.S. policy toward the people and republic of Nagorno Karabakh –
who have strived, at the brutal cost of a generation of its best
sons and daughters – to live up to the fundamentally American ideal
that all people deserve to live free of foreign tyranny, under a
government of their own choosing." He added that, "just this past
week, we saw a senior State Department official, Matt Bryza, moving
farther from even the pretense of supporting democracy, by saying
that Armenia must accept the false proposition that Nagorno Karabakh
is part of Azerbaijan. He’s absolutely wrong. And we all know it –
and so does Baku and Ankara."

MINISTER NALBANDIAN LEAVING FOR MONACO

armradio.am
14.10.2008 11:02

The Foreign Minister of Armenia, Mr. Edward Nalbandian, is leaving
for Quebec today to participate in the ministerial meeting of the
International Organization of the Francophonie October 15-16.

October 17-19 the Foreign Minister will participate in the summit of
Heads of State and Government of the International Organization of
the Francophonie.

The issue of granting the status of an associate member of the
International Organization of the Francophonie to Armenia will be
discussed.

Minister Nalbandian will deliver speeches at the ministerial meeting
and the summit.

In Quebec Edward Nalbandian is expected to meet with the Foreign
Minister of Monaco. The Foreign Ministers of the two countries will
sign a protocol on establishment of diplomatic relations between the
Republic of Armenia and the Principality of Monaco.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN AMERICANS IN COLORADO BACK UDALL IN U.S. SENATE RACE

armradio.am
14.10.2008 11:21

Congressman Mark Udall’s bid to be elected to the U.S. Senate this
November has been endorsed by the Armenian National Committee –
Political Action Committee (ANC-PAC), the nation’s largest and most
active Armenian American political action committee. In endorsing
Udall, the ANC-PAC acknowledges Udall’s efforts as a powerful advocate
for his Armenian American constituents in Congress. The Congressman’s
District stretches across much of Denver’s northwestern suburban
communities, including Boulder, and is home to a vibrant community
of Armenian American families and voters.

"The Armenian American community has a great friend in Mark Udall,"
stated ANC-PAC supporter and Boulder resident Jirair Christianian. "I
urge all Armenian Americans in Colorado to vote on November 4th
for Mark Udall. I greatly look forward to working closely with the
Congressman after he is elected to the United States Senate where he
can continue to expand and broaden his already strong track record
on human rights," Christianian added.

Mark Udall has a proven and solid track record of supporting important
Armenian issues in the U.S. Congress. Udall is a member of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues and is an original cosponsor
of H.Res. 106, the resolution reaffirming the United States record
on the Armenian Genocide. He is also a supporter of H. Res. 102,
a resolution condemning the assassination of human rights advocate
and outspoken defender of freedom of the press, Turkish Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink. Udall has signed every letter to President Bush
urging him to recognize the Armenian Genocide since 2002 and signed
a letter to Secretary of State Rice defending Ambassador John Evans
for speaking truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and inquiring
about the involvement of the Turkish officials in his firing. He also
cosponsored the South Caucasus Integration and Open Railroads Act (H.R.

3361), which prohibited any U.S. financing of railroads in the region
which would exclude Armenia.

Congressman Mark Udall was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
in 1998 with the full support of the Armenian American community. He
presently serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House
Committee on Science and Technology and the House Natural Resources
Committee. Udall also serves as Chairman of the Committee on Science
Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee and as co-chairman of House
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus.

Udall is also a member of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.

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

PRESS RELEASE
October 13, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA CHAIRMAN CHALLENGES STATE DEPARTMENT
ATTACK ON NAGORNO KARABAGH

— Speaking before over 900 at Western Region Banquet
Ken Hachikian Confronts Anti-Karabagh Remarks by Matt Bryza

WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
Chairman Ken Hachikian, in remarks delivered yesterday before more
than 900 elected officials and community leaders at the annual
Western Region banquet, publicly and forcefully challenged recent
statements by senior State Department official Matt Bryza that, as
a precondition for peace, Armenia must agree that Nagorno Karabagh
is part of Azerbaijan.

Speaking before a capacity crowd at the the Ronald Reagan
Presidential Library, Hachikian sharply condemned the "retreat from
principle" in U.S. policy toward the people and republic of Nagorno
Karabagh – who have strived, at the brutal cost of a generation of
its best sons and daughters – to live up to the fundamentally
American ideal that all people deserve to live free of foreign
tyranny, under a government of their own choosing." He added that,
"just this past week, we saw a senior State Department official,
Matt Bryza, moving farther from even the pretense of supporting
democracy, by saying that Armenia must accept the false proposition
that Nagorno Karabagh is part of Azerbaijan. He’s absolutely
wrong. And we all know it – and so does Baku and Ankara."

In an October 9th interview with the British Broadcasting
Corporation Russian language service, Bryza, who serves as Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State and also the State Department’s
representative to the OSCE Minsk Group talks, stated that Armenia
must agree that Nagorno Karabagh is legally part of Azerbaijan.
His comments follow a series of statements, over the past several
weeks, in which Bryza has demonstrated a pro-Azerbaijani bias by
prioritizing the misapplication of the principle of territorial
integrity to the Nagorno Karabagh issue over the basic right of all
peoples to self-determination.

The full text of Hachikian’s remarks follow.

#####

Ken Hachikian’s Remarks at ANC-WR Banquet
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
October 13, 2008

Archbishop, honorees & friends.

Thank you for coming here tonight and for your ongoing support.

I’d like to share with you a thought today. A very simple20one:

And that’s… the future of the Armenian Cause lies within your
hands.

We are blessed to live in a great nation, a country in which our
voice truly counts.

A republic rich in democratic traditions that provides each and
every one of us the opportunity- in the words of our enduring
Constitution – to petition government for redress of our
grievances.

Because, even as we cherish the rights and gladly shoulder the
responsibilities of American citizenship – whether our families
arrived generations ago or within our own lifetimes – we certainly
do have our share of grievances.

Strong views – informed by our Armenian heritage and driven by our
fundamental American sense of right and wrong.

Views about where our government has taken the wrong path.

Where Washington has fallen so short; failed to meet the high
standard of the American ideal

Nowhere is this starker than in U.S. government’s ongoing
complicity in Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide.

It is painful to me as an Armenian, as it is shameful to all of us
as Americans, that our great nation has, for far too long, caved in
to the Turkish government’s threats and blackmail on this core
question of human rights.

We have let ourselves be bullied and have caved in to foreign
pressure. Allowed a gag rule to be imposed on America.

An indignity visited upon all of us – and all Americans. A moral
outrage.

All the more so in light of Turkey’s attempts to twist the recent
opening of dialogue into an outright attack on Armenian Genocide
recognition – here in the United States and abroad.

Now is the time to show our collective commitment, our rock-solid
devotion to not only the cause of truth, but the sacred cause of
justice for our ancient and proud nation.

For our past, to be sure, to honor our martyrs – but even more so
for our future.

We now see a retreat from principle again in our government’s
recent policy toward the people and republic of Nagorno Karabagh –
who have strived, at the brutal cost of a generation of its best
sons and daughters – to live up to the fundamentally American ideal
that all people deserve to live free of foreign tyranny, under a
government of their own choosing.

Just this past week, we saw a senior State Department official,
Matt Bryza -moving farther from even the pretense of supporting
democracy, by saying that Armenians must accept the false
proposition that Nagorno Karabagh is part of Azerbaijan.

He’s absolutely wrong. And we all know it – and so does Baku and
Ankara. Armenian soldiers – some still boys, others well beyond
their best years – answered forever the question of Karabagh’s
destiny on the battlefields of war.

Countless graves along the front lines of this struggle stand as
testimony to this fact, each silently calling upon us – each and
every one of us – to defend their heroic achievements in the
capitals of the world.

Let us, who are gathered here today, match their "last full measure
of devotion" with our own.

In closing:

Let us seize the freedoms and opportunities we are blessed with as
Americans

Let us build a brighter future for ourselves and generations to
come …

Each and every one of us has a moral obligation to ourselves and
our ancestors to become warriors in this struggle.

I know we will persevere and we will win these battles.

But only with our collective efforts.

In simple yet powerful ways – the Armenian Cause rests within your
hands.

Thank you.

#####

Photo Caption: ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian speaking at the Western
Region Banquet

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: nian.htm

ON THE OCCASION OF THE SEMINARY’S 79TH ANNIVERSARY

"THE SEMINARY IS A TREASURE BOX RICH IN SPIRITUAL AND INTELLECTUAL VALUES"

SAYS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I

The 79th academic year of the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s Seminary was
inaugurated this Sunday during an official ceremony in the Veharan following
the Holy Mass on the occasion of the Feast of the Holy Translators
(Tarkmantchats).

His Holiness Aram I presided over the Mass in the Cathedral. Bishop Shahe
Panossian, the Seminary Dean, officiated the Mass. In his sermon, Bishop
Panossian spoke about the Seminary’s mission in the service of the church
and the people.

Following the mass, the procession of the Cilician Brotherhood and Seminary
students was led by His Holiness Aram I to the Veharan, where the opening
ceremony was held. The Seminary’s Alma Mater and hymns on the Feast of
Translation were sung. Sections from the Holy Gospel and Nareg were read.

Speaking on behalf of the Seminary’s management, Bishop Shahe highlighted
the sacred work carried out by the Seminary in passing on a noble mission to
the new generation. "The responsibility for this task is placed on our
shoulders for the sake of our church’s and the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s
further growth," he said. Finally, the Bishop expressed his gratitude to the
Pontiff who closely follows life in the Seminary and the activities of its
management.

With his pontifical blessings His Holiness Aram I announced the new academic
year opened and stressed the need to preserve our church’s and nation’s
history and traditions. Looking at the legacy of our translating
forefathers, His Holiness spoke about the beginning of the new academic year
as an occasion that spreads hope in Armenian communities worldwide. The
Pontiff also spoke about certain phenomena that drive us away from our
roots. He called upon those present and particularly the Seminary students
to study the history of our church and the tradition of our forefathers very
well so that they can pass it on in its true form to the people.

His Holiness also spoke about the Seminary’s mission. The Pontiff depicted
the Seminary as an intellectual-spiritual establishment, where the Armenian
youth is formed and prepared to serve a mission. Portraying the Seminary as
a treasure box of spiritual and intellectual values, His Holiness called
upon new and old students to embrace those values, become enriched with them
and to serve our nation, church and Motherland with utmost dedication.

The Seminary students, their parents and the believers attending the
ceremony received the Pontiff’s blessings through Atchahampouyr while the
Catholicosate’s Seminary sung "Cilicia" and "I Veh Partsants". Following the
staff meeting on Monday, October 13, the classes will begin in the Seminary
in Bikfaya on October 14.

##
View the photos here:
tos/Photos317.htm
*****
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.

Venice Commission to deal with the limits to freedom of expression
during its 76th plenary session

Strasbourg, 14.10.2008 – The Council of Europe’s European Commission for
Democracy through Law ("Venice Commission") will be meeting in Venice on
17 and 18 October 2008 (Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista).

The Commission will adopt a report on blasphemy, religious insult and
incitement to religious hatred. In the report the Commission will take a
position on whether criminal sanctions are necessary to protect the
right of certain persons to respect for their religious beliefs or
whether there exist other ways of doing so without unduly restricting
freedom of expression.

At the request of the Parliamentary Assembly the Commission will start
to examine recently adopted constitutional amendments in Albania and the
Turkish rules on the prohibition of political parties. The respective
opinions will be adopted at the next session of the Commission in
December.

Other points submitted for adoption include:
* the amicus curiae brief for the European Court of Human Rights on the
compatibility of certain provisions of the Constitution of Bosnia and
Herzegovina with the European Convention of Human Rights;

* opinions on electoral legislation of Armenia and Moldova;
* joint opinions with OSCE-ODIHR on freedom of assembly and freedom of
religion in Kyrgyzstan;
* the opinion on the draft law on the Constitutional Court of
Montenegro;
* the report on constitutional issues related to the ratification of the
Statute of the International Criminal Court;
* the report on legislative initiative.

On the margins of the meeting a ceremony will be held to launch the
publication of the Liber Amicorum for Antonio La Pergola, the late
President of the Commission

For more information on the Venice Commission <;

PRESS RELEASE
Council of Europe Press Division
Ref: 725a08
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 60
Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 39 11
[email protected]
internet:

To receive our press releases by e-mail, contact :
[email protected]

A political organisation set up in 1949, the Council of Europe works to
promote democracy and human rights continent-wide. It also develops
common responses to social, cultural and legal challenges in its 47
member states.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE

October 14, 2008
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
REGIONAL COUNCIL

Los Angeles, CA- The Armenian Assembly of America’s (Assembly) Western
Region Office is proud to announce the formation of its Southern
California Regional Council (Council).

The Council consists of current Assembly Board Members Lisa Kalustian,
Joyce Stein and Peter Kezirian, Jr.; past Assembly Board Member Richard
Mushegain; 2007 Gala Co-Chairs Al and Diane Cabraloff; and former
Assembly intern and AGBU Committee Member of Hye Geen, Talin Yacoubian.

"The Council will play a pivotal role in working with the Western Region
Office and its Director in facilitating its grassroots operation and
community outreach initiatives," said Bryan Ardouny, Assembly Executive
Director.

At the inaugural meeting, the members reviewed issues for the remainder
of 2008, as well as upcoming priorities for 2009 – including the March
1-3 National Advocacy Conference in our Nation’s Capital and the passage
of the Armenian Genocide resolution.

"I look forward to working very closely with each and every member,"
stated Assembly Western Region Director, Yeghig Keshishian. "The key to
developing a strong and effective grassroots effort is to bring in
individuals that have left a positive imprint on the surrounding
Armenian communities. Working within this dynamic framework, I am
confident we will further strengthen and build on the Assembly’s
successes."

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

###

NR#2008-073

Editor’s Note: Photo can be viewed by following the link below.

Photo Caption: L-R: Yeghig Keshishian, Al & Diane Cabraloff, Talin
Yacoubian, Joyce & Joe Stein, Lisa Kalustian, Peter Kezirian, Jr., Bryan
Ardouny

images/PR_-_2008/Sept/L-R_YK__Al_Dian
e_Cabraloff_ Talin_Yacoubian__Joyce_Joe_Stein_Lisa_Kalustian_Pe ter_K_BA.J
PG

___________________________

Notice : The information contained in this electronic communication is
confidential, may be privileged and is intended only for the use of the
addressee. It is the property of the Armenian Assembly of America. You
are hereby notified that any unauthorized review, use, dissemination or
copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictly
prohibited, and may be unlawful. If you have received this
communication in error, please notify us immediately by facsimile (202)
638-4904 or by telephone at (202) 393-3434, and destroy this
communication and all copies thereof. Thank you.

Eurasia Daily Monitor

October 14, 2008 — Volume 5, Issue 196

RUSSIA TERMINATES "PEACEKEEPING" IN ABKHAZIA AS NO LONGER NECESSARY

by Vladimir Socor

At the CIS summit in Bishkek on October 9 and 10, Russia announced the
termination of the "CIS collective peacekeeping operation in the
Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone" after 14 years. Moscow describes its move as
a common decision of the assembled heads of state and government. It is a
final attempt to portray the now-discarded operation as having been approved
multi-nationally from its inception to its end (Interfax, Itar-Tass, October
9, 10).

Moscow has decided that it no longer needs "peacekeepers" in Abkhazia
after the August war against Georgia. In their stead, Russia is deploying
combat forces to be stationed in Abkhazia indefinitely, cement the Russian
hold, and — unlike the "peacekeepers" — to pose an offensive threat to
Georgia.

Despite its CIS cover, the "collective peacekeeping" in Abkhazia was
always purely Russian. After 2002 CIS meetings abandoned even the pretense
of examining this operation, let alone prolonging its "mandate." The CIS in
any case is not authorized to confer peacekeeping mandates, and Georgia has
in any case quit the CIS following the Russian invasion of the country’s
interior in August this year. Moscow’s move ends a 14-year-old
"peacekeeping" pretense that culminated in Russia’s full-scale military
seizure of Abkhazia from Georgia, rendering any peacekeeping redundant from
Moscow’s viewpoint. Those troops, who acted under a false CIS label and with
Georgian consent extracted under duress since 1994, are being replaced by
far larger Russian forces in "agreement" with the Abkhaz authorities, whom
Moscow installed in the first place and has now given "diplomatic
recognition."

Although Russia acted from the outset as a participant in the conflict
against Georgia on Georgia’s own territory, Western governments and
international organizations accepted Russia’s claim to be a neutral mediator
between Georgia and the Abkhaz. That international pretense continued
through the years, despite Russia’s military operations, economic embargos,
and political warfare relentlessly waged against Georgia. Admittedly, Russia
never received "special responsibility for peacekeeping in the CIS," a role
that Moscow sought in vain during the 1990s in international organizations.
It did, however, monopolize that role in practice, as the first stage in a
long-term empire-restoration strategy. Whether recognized officially or
conceded de facto, a peacekeeping monopoly is one key ingredient of
sphere-of-influence building.

The United States and West European governments have practically
conceded a "peacekeeping" monopoly to Moscow in post-Soviet conflicts —
Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and Tajikistan — from 1992 to the
present. The government of Azerbaijan, however, had the foresight to turn
down the offer of "third-country" peacekeeping by Russia through the OSCE in
the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

On the whole, the Euro-Atlantic community never displayed a sense of
urgency on this issue. It approached it in a spirit of benign neglect when
Russia was weak and later in a spirit of dependency on Russian "help" to
resolve various Western dilemmas, even before Russia grew stronger. The year
2002 could have marked a turning point toward Western hands-on involvement
at the U.S.-Russia and NATO-Russia summits, held near Rome in May of that
year. Those summits adopted decisions — as expressed in both communiques —
for joint U.S.-Russia and NATO-Russia peacekeeping and conflict-resolution
efforts on Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria, and Karabakh (with Russia
listed in second place throughout the joint communiques). This Western
initiative dissipated within months, however, as the United States and NATO
became distracted by Iraq, Afghanistan, and later a growing number of failed
policies.

It is a tribute to Russian strategy and Western disorientation that
Moscow initiated, conducted, and ended the Abkhazia "peacekeeping" operation
as it saw fit during all these years, without any serious international
challenge. Georgian and other appeals to multilateralize and civilianize the
peacekeeping format fell mostly on deaf, indifferent, or distracted ears in
the West during all this time. Down to the Russian invasion in August of
this year, Washington and European governments continually advised Georgia
to show patience and tone down or indefinitely postpone demands for
replacing the Russian operation. Now, however, Russia itself has ended its
operation in its own way and timing and on its own terms, which are worse
than ever from the West’s and Georgia’s perspective.

The United Nations Security Council had routinely applauded the
Russian "peacekeeping" in Abkhazia. While never officially authorizing that
operation, the UNSC paid it compliments each time when prolonging the
mandate of UNOMIG (UN Observer Mission in Georgia) at six-month intervals.
Moscow demanded and received this genuflection regularly as a condition for
not vetoing the symbolic UNOMIG. In all these years, the U.S. State
Department and other Western chancelleries went along with this semiannual
travesty.

The Russian operation, however, breached the UN’s fundamental rules of
peacekeeping operations. Such operations require consent by the sovereign
state on the territory on which they are deployed. The consent must involve
not only acceptance of the operation as such but also the parameters of its
implementation. Neighboring countries and countries with a direct interest
or stake in the given conflict are not acceptable as troop contributors to a
peacekeeping operation. Such operations are by definition international, not
a monopoly of any one country. Troop contributing nations must be impartial.
Peacekeeping operations abide by the principles of inviolability of borders
and non-interference in internal affairs of the country in which they are
deployed.

In yet another unprecedented breach of peacekeeping norms, the Russian
military backed the ethnic cleansing of Georgians from Abkhazia in 1994 and
has refused to this day to assist in their safe return. Russian
"peacekeepers" helped arm the Abkhaz forces and beefed up arms stockpiles
which they shared with their Abkhaz proxies. Yet no international authority
ever called for Russia’s disqualification from its self-appointed role as
peacekeeper and mediator.

Moscow now takes the position, as Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei
Lavrov has announced, that Russian troops in Abkhazia will "no longer be
peacekeepers. They will from now on be armed forces," to be stationed there
under a basing agreement with the Russian-recognized Abkhaz authorities
(Interfax, Itar-Tass, October 9, 10). Those forces are slated to include a
combat brigade-size ground force, to be supplemented by air and naval
elements, at reactivated Soviet-era bases and newly-built installations.

–Vladimir Socor

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

PRESS RELEASE
October 14, 2008
Contact: Serouj Aprahamian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

TAKING THE ANCA CAPITAL GATEWAY PROGRAM
ON THE ROAD TO COLLEGE CAMPUSES

— Program Director Serouj Aprahamian Urges University
Students to Explore Careers in the Nation’s Capital

WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian American students at Brown University,
Boston College, Boston University, Babson College, and Harvard
University learned about internship and career opportunities in
politics and the media during a series of Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA) Capital Gateway Program informational
sessions held at campuses throughout the northeastern United
States.

Capital Gateway Program Director Serouj Aprahamian coordinated with
Armenian Students Association leaders at each of the campuses to
arrange the events, as part of the ANCA’s ongoing efforts to inform
students about the unique opportunities offered by the program in
the nation’s capital.

"For over five years now, the ANCA Capital Gateway Program has been
providing young Armenians the keys to open doors to the Washington,
DC public policy job market," said Aprahamian. "Getting out into
the field – interacting in presentations to student groups and one-
on-ones with individuals – provides a great chance to share
information about the unparalleled advantages this program offers
for their future."

Beginning in 2003, the ANCA launched this innovative program to
serve as a professional platform for Armenian American college
students and recent graduates to secure meaningful policy positions
in the nation’s capital. Those accepted into the program receive
three months of free housing in addition to personalized job
training, access to the ANCA’s national headquarters, and
introductions to the vast network of professionals and resources
available in Washington, DC.

To date, several dozen fellows have gone through the program and
gained employment in a wide range of sectors including
Congressional offices, presidential campaigns, political journals,
government consultancies, federal agencies, public relations
companies, lobbying firms and international development
organizations.

In addition to explaining the main facets of the program and going
over the application process, Aprahamian also presented each of the
student groups with a short, ten-minute DVD video about the Capital
Gateway program titled, "Youth of a Nation." The clip features
testimonials from previous Capital Gateway fellows, as well as
interviews and remarks about the program from elected officials and
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

On each of his visits, Aprahamian also distributed information and
spoke about the ANCA’s other youth-oriented programs, such as the
Leo Sarkisian Summer Internship in DC and the recently unveiled
CampusCause.com () website. Both of these
initiatives are specifically geared toward fostering activism among
students devoted to advancing the Armenian Cause.

The presentations were all well received by each of the student
groups visited throughout the week. Several students expressed an
interest in public policy and, upon hearing about the program, made
clear their intent to apply as they moved closer to graduation.
Others took the opportunity to ask general questions about ANCA
advocacy.

Established through a generous donation from the Cafesjian Family
Foundation, the Capital Gateway Program, over the years, has
benefited tremendously from the generosity of donors committed to
creating public service opportunities for young Armenian Americans.
The leading financial contributor to the Program has been the
family of Hovig Apo Saghdejian, a 23-year old youth leader and
community activist from Fresno, California, who lost his life in
2004 in a tragic car accident. His family established the Hovig Apo
Saghdejian Memorial Fund in his memory. Substantial support has
also been provided by longtime ANCA benefactors Mr. and Mrs. Frank
and Barbara Hekimian and the Armenian American Veterans Post of
Milford, Massachusetts (AAVO).

For more information on the opportunities available through the
ANCA’s Capital Gateway Program or to download an application,
please visit and click on the "Capital Gateway" link.
You can also contact the Capital Gateway Program Director, Serouj
Aprahamian, directly at [email protected] or (202) 775-1918.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY TO "PRESENT THE ARMENIAN ISSUE" TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IN 9 LANGUAGES

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.10.2008 13:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish government published a Turkey 2008
collection dedicated to the country’s domestic affairs, including
the PKK and "the Armenian issue". The collection will be circulated
in English, French, Russia, German, Arabian, Japanese, Spanish and
Chinese. Translation into Portuguese is also envisaged.

According to Istanbul-based Normarmara newspaper, the events of 1915
are in focus.

A similar collection was recognized the best in Germany in 2001. This
year, the Turkish government decided to bring the total run to
85000. In addition, 4500 CDs will be annexed. The edition will be
circulated among diplomats, scientists and cultural workers to raise
awareness about Turkey.