Month: December 2008

HOLIDAY RAIDS IN FOOD MARKETS

Panorama.am
16:33 16/12/2008

In these pre-Christmas days the officers of Ministry of Agriculture
of Armenia will hold raids in food markets, said Grisha Baghyan of
the Ministry of Agriculture to Panorama.am.

According to the experts in these days the risk of purchasing home
made unlicensed food is high enough. This type of food is not safe
for the customers’ health.

The delicious and most popular dish that Armenians like to prepare
especially for the New Year holiday is ham of pork which is imported
from Brazil and Canada. Alexander Alexanyan of the Ministry of
Agriculture said to Panorama.am that local cattle-breeding firms also
purchase ham of pork.

FOOD PRICES ARE GETTING HIGHER

Panorama.am
17:08 16/12/2008

"During holidays the food prices are getting higher every year. People
call us and complain that things are getting expensive. I can add that
they will get even more expensive," said the President of "Protection
of Customers’ Rights" NGO Abgar Eghoyan to Panorama.am. He said that
the customers mainly complain that sweets, dairy products, eggs and
legume prices are getting higher.

To the question whether the NGO has applied to the State Committee
for Economic Competition, Mr. Eghoyan said that not yet. Generally
speaking the NGO applies to the Committee every year but their claims
are being shortened. Hence they don’t receive the result they want to.

The press secretary of State Committee for Economic Competition Armine
Udumyan said that they have organized monitoring in food markets
and have found out that sale system is working well enough. She has
just mentioned that the prices of egg and diary products have been
increased, as the firms buy milk with higher prices.

ECHR RULES AGAINST TURKEY IN ARMENIAN PROPERTY OWNERSHIP CASE

Hurriyet
Dec 16 2008
Turkey

The European Court on Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Tuesday that
Turkey violated the property rights of two Armenian foundations in
Istanbul. (UPDATED)

The Board of Governors of the Samatya Surp Kevork Armenian Church,
School and Cemetery and the Foundation for the Armenian Hospital in
Yedikule appealed to the Strasbourg-based court claiming the decision
taken by Turkish courts setting aside their title to property acquired
as a donation, violated their property rights under the European
Human Rights Convention.

The Turkish court’s rulings set aside the title of properties donated
to the two foundations on the grounds that their founding charter
did not give them the right to acquire immovable property. The two
Armenian foundations were established by Imperial Decree in 1832
under the Ottoman Empire and founded under modern Turkish law.

According to the ruling, Turkey must return the titles of all
properties to each foundation and pay compensation of 600,000 euro
to the Samatya Foundation and 275,000 euro to the Yedikule Foundation.

The charter of both foundations complies with the provisions of the
Lausanne Treaty affording protection to foundations that provide
public services for religious minorities.

The ECHR said Turkey had violated the protection of property rights
defined under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 of the convention.

Turkey has the right to appeal the ECHR decision in a higher
authority. No announcement has been made as yet.

OSCE MONITORING ON CONTACT FRONT LINE RECORDS NO INCIDENTS

Today.Az
ics/49610.html
Dec 16 2008
Azerbaijan

The monitoring on the contact front line of the armed forces
of Armenia and Azerbaijan, held on the basis of the mandate of
personal representative of OSCE chairman-in-office on December 16,
said spokesman for Azerbaijani Defense Ministry Eldar Sabiroghlu.

He noted that the monitoring was held near Ashaghy Veyselli village
of Khojavend, Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani side was represented by field assistants of the
representative of the OSCE chairman Imre Palatinus, Irchi Aberle and
Vladimir Chountulov.

Azerbaijani lands, occupied by Armenia, were represented by personal
representative of the OSCE chairman Anzhey Kasprshik and his field
assistants Peter Kie and Antal Herdich.

FORMER AMBASSADORS PROTEST THE APOLOGIZING CAMPAIGN TO ARMENIANS IN TURKEY

Azeri Press Agency
Dec 16 2008
Azerbaijan

Ankara – APA. An apologizing campaign to Armenians for 1915 events
started on Internet by a group of scientists, writers, journalists,
artists and representatives of the non-governmental organizations in
Turkey caused serious protest throughout the country.

Nearly 60 former ambassadors issued statement against the signature
campaign, APA quotes the Turkish newspapers. The diplomats, including
leaders of main oppositional party – Republican People’s Party (CHP)
Onur Oymen and Shukru Elekdagh, estimated the apologizing campaign as
a misplaced, wrong and anti-historical and anti-national action. "This
wrong and unilateral step is disrespect to our history and betrayal of
our people killed in massacres committed by the Armenian terrorist
organizations in the last period of Ottoman Empire. It is true
that Armenian migration caused some painful results under the war
conditions in 1915, but Turkish people suffered not less Armenians
as a result of Armenian rebel and terror. Armenians have taken the
side of our enemies since the second half of 19th century, then in
the World War I and early years of the Salvation War and committed
savageries against our people in Anatolia, which were described in
the local and foreign archive materials".

It was reminded in the statement that Armenians restarted their
terrorist activities in 1973, killed Turkish diplomats and then
occupied Azerbaijani lands expelling one million people from their
homelands. "It is interesting, are those people, who made so stupid
step like apologizing campaign, thinking about apologizing for
the victims of Armenian terror and oppression? They must achieve
apologizing from Armenians for killing of Turkish diplomats and
their families in the near past before initiating the apologizing
to Armenians and justifying their claims. These killers are still
alive and remain unpunished because they found refuge in Armenia or
other countries".

AZERBAIJAN-TURKEY CONTROVERSIES

The Messenger
Dec 16 2008
Georgia

Azeri newspaper Zerkalo commented recently on certain details in the
Azeri-Turkish relationship.

Until recently Turkish-Armenian relations were based on the issue of
the occupation by Armenia of Azeri territories including Karabakh. The
Azeri Foreign Ministry has recently made a statement saying that Turkey
has a complete right to regulate its relations with Armenia without
considering the Azeri position, but in reality Azerbaijan is very
sensitive towards this issue. Azeri public opinion will not accept
a warming of Turkish-Armenian relations without the precondition of
fairly regulating the conflict in Karabakh.

Executive Secretary of the ruling party Ali Akhmedov has several
times stated that Turkey should not take steps which would be against
Azeri interests, meaning that Turkey should not open its borders to
Armenia or establish diplomatic relations with it without resolving
the Karabakh knot.

MP Aidim Mizarzade has asked Turkey to inform Azeri society about
confidential Turkish-Armenian negotiations. Zerkalo thinks that these
might be influenced by the economic factors, in particular the price of
Azeri natural gas transported through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ezerum pipeline.

If Turkey will not consider Azeri interests whilst formulating
Turkey-Armenia relations Baku will forget the "brotherly ties" which
currently influence the price of natural gas. Of course Turkey does not
want to upset its neighbour and brother but all kinds of negotiations
are being conducted with Armenia in a confidential and suspicious mode,
even though on the surface the slogan of the eternal brotherhood of
Turkey and Azerbaijan remains unaltered.

PRESS RELEASE

Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) – Yerevan Office
53-55 Pavstos Buzand Street, 0010
Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Inessa Grigoryan
Tel: (+374 10) 522076; 562068
Fax: (+374 10) 522076
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

Children of Armenia Fund – New York Office
162 Fifth Avenue, Suite 900,
New York, NY 10010, USA
Contact: Samantha Wagar
Tel: 212 – 994 – 8234
Fax: 212 – 994 – 8299
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

Community of Lernagog Raises Public Awareness on HIV/AIDS

December 17, 2008 Lernagog, Armavir District ¾ Following World AIDS
Day celebrated worldwide on December 1, the community of Lernagog
recently hosted an event in the premises of a newly renovated village
school with the aim of raising public awareness and advocating HIV/AIDS
free behavior in the community and throughout the region. Lernagog is
one of six villages included in Comprehensive Rural Development Program,
initiated and implemented by the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) since
early 2006. Other communities constituting COAF’s Model Cluster include
Argina, Dalarik, Karakert, Miasnikian and Shenik.

The event was organized by the members of the local "YES" youth club on
healthy lifestyle established by Heifer International in close
cooperation with COAF. COAF health education team additionally supported
Lernagog club members in developing and elaborating the materials for
the event. Through the mentioned club, which makes part of a chain of 30
clubs operating in four villages of the Model Cluster and one
neighboring Hushakert, the local youth acquires knowledge and builds
capacity on disease prevention, healthy nutrition, physical activities
and healthy behavior. Other clubs focus on such areas of development as
agribusiness, civic education, ecology, logics and journalism/public
relations.

The participants and organizers built the event on question and answer
scheme, which was taking part among inhabitants of the Earth planet and
other planets of our Universe. The main character named Little Healthy
landed on the Earth planet from the Planet of the Healthy and knew very
little about HIV/AIDS. The members of Lernagog Youth Club on Healthy
Lifestyle invited Little Healthy to join their discussion and talk about
the difference between HIV-infected individuals and people suffering
from AIDS, the nature of HIV and ways of its transmission, the essence
of ‘risk group’ and its potential members. Through role play, the event
participants also considered HIV transmission through unprotected sex
and also presented some statistics on HIV/AIDS affected children and
adults throughout Armenia and abroad.

Of special importance were the stage decorations, divided into two
colors – white and black. The white part of the stage was totally
inhabited by healthy people, and the guests and the local community
could witness that this part was blossoming with flowers and flourishing
with sunshine, thus promising a bright future and prosperity for its
inhabitants. Meanwhile the opposite black camp symbolized diseases in
general, and AIDS in particular, with its grey and gloomy colors,
arousing sadness and bore among its residents.

For the past two years, apart from classes on healthy lifestyle
conducted in Lernagog and other five villages of the Model Cluster, COAF
community health education program additionally included trainings and
workshops on first aid, prevention of infectious diseases, management of
chronic health problems, prenatal care, child care, cervical and breast
cancer prevention, family planning, sexually transmitted diseases, and
family violence.

# # # #

Armenian Youth Federation of Australia
259 Penshurst Street, Willoughby NSW 2068
PO Box 238, Willoughby NSW 2068
E: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] | W:
<;

16 December 2008

HASG College Recruiting Vice-Principal

The Board of Directors of HASG College, in reaffirming its commitment to
academic excellence, announces that it has commenced recruitment, through
the Association of Independent Schools, for a Vice-Principal for the
College.

In its relatively short existence, HASG College has already recorded
outstanding academic achievements, while striving to provide our students
the best of both Australian and Armenian education, culture and traditions
in a caring, safe and nurturing environment.

In many ways 2008 has been a milestone year for HASG College. We are now
seeking to appoint an experienced Vice-Principal who, with Principal
Michaelian, will take our College to even higher levels of academic
achievement, in partnership with our College parents and Community
Organisations.

[end]

Nurturing individual excellence and community values
A K-12 co-educational, non-selective, bilingual Armenian and English
Christian College
5 Chiltern Road, Ingleside NSW 2101

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

THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA PARTICIPATES IN THE WCC INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE
ON CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM DIALOGUE IN TEHRAN

The Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation Programme of the World Council
of Churches (WCC) and the interfaith dialogue center of the Iranian
Organization of Culture and International Affairs, organized a
Christian-Muslim international conference in Tehran during December 13-14.

Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian (Primate of the Diocese of Tehran) headed the
delegation of the World Council of Churches.

The focus of the conference was coexistence between different religions.
Archbishop Sarkissian delivered a paper on this occasion, entitled the
"Armenians in Iran: an exemplary case of Christian-Muslim coexistence."

On the same day he also took part in another international conference on the
theme "City and dialogue".

The dialogue between WCC and the religious dialogue Department of the
Islamic Republic of Iran started upon the initiative of His Holiness Aram I
nearly ten years ago. The two bodies meet annually in Geneva or Tehran. In
this context the former President of Iran, Mohammed Khatami, visited the
Geneva headquarters of WCC four years ago and spoke to the staff and
ecumenical guests on inter-religious relations between Christianity and
Islam.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities 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.

PRESS RELEASE
PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212)-686-0710
Fax: (212)-689-1934

December 17, 2008

ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS SERVICES AT ST. VARTAN CATHEDRAL TO TAKE PLACE ON
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009

The Nativity and Baptism of Jesus Christ will be observed at New York’s St.
Vartan Armenian Cathedral on Monday and Tuesday, January 5 and 6, 2009. A
special liturgical schedule will be in effect for these "Armenian Christmas"
services; please make a note of the times.

On ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS EVE — Monday, January 5 — there will be an Evening
Service with Scripture Readings (by students from the Diocese’s Khrimian
Lyceum) at 6:30 p.m. The Divine Liturgy will immediately follow, beginning
at 7:30 p.m., celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian.

The St. Vartan Cathedral Choir — with the participation of students from
the Diocese’s Khrimian Lyceum, and from area Diocesan Armenian Saturday
schools — will sing the Divine Liturgy, under the direction of the Maestro
Khoren Mekanejian. A reception will take place following the services.

On ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS MORNING — Tuesday, January 6 — His Eminence
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church
of America (Eastern), will celebrate the Divine Liturgy. The Morning
Service begins at 9:30 a.m., and the Divine Liturgy follows at 10:30 a.m.

The sacred music will be sung by the St. Vartan Cathedral Choir, under the
direction of Maestro Mekanejian.

According to Armenian tradition, this feast day commemorates not only the
birth of Christ, but also His baptism by John the Baptist. The latter is
remembered through the "BLESSING OF WATER" ceremony, which will follow the
Divine Liturgy. Mr. Levon Temiz will serve as "godfather" of the Blessing
of Water service.

After the cathedral’s January 6 church services, a HOME BLESSING SERVICE AND
CHRISTMAS RECEPTION will take place in Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium.
The reception is open to all; admission is free.

Armenian Christmas will also be observed at local parishes across the
Eastern Diocese. Please contact your local parish to ascertain the date and
time of its celebration.

St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral is located at 630 Second Avenue (corner of
34th Street and Second Avenue), in New York City. Armenian Christmas Eve
services begin at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, January 5. The Armenian Christmas
Morning Service on Tuesday, January 6 will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the
celebration of the Divine Liturgy beginning at 10:30 a.m., followed by the
traditional Blessing of Water ceremony.

###