Month: December 2008

LEVON ARONIAN TO TAKE PART IN 21-ST CLASS INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT IN CHINA

Noyan Tapan

Dec 2, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, NOYAN TAPAN. An International Chess Tournament of
the highest, 21-class with the participation of 6 grand masters will be
held in the city of Nanjing, China on December 10-22. Vesselin Topalov
(Bulgaria), Vasily Ivanchuk (the Ukraine), Pyotr Svidler (Russia),
Bu Kianji (China), Sergei Movsisian (Slovakia), and Levon Aronian
(Armenia) will take part in the competitions to be held in two rounds.

PRESS RELAESE
Haigazian University
Mira Yardemian, Public Relations Director
Mexique Street, Kantari, Beirut
P.O.Box. 11-1748
Riad El Solh 1107 2090
Tel: 01-353010/1/2
01-349230/1

Dr. Al Akl Khoury on "Kerala: The Venice of India and Land of Tolerance"

Beirut, December 1, 2008- On November 28, 2008, Dr Loulou Al Akl Khoury,
delivered a lecture entitled "Kerala: The Venice of India and Land of
Tolerance" at the Cultural Hour in the Haigazian University Auditorium.

Dr. Al Akl Khoury who currently teaches English and Intercultural
Studies at Haigazian University, was introduced to the audience by Dr.
Arda Ekmekji, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

In her word of welcome, Dr. Ekmekji expressed her condolences and
sympathy to H.E. Lencha Lvoum, Ambassador of India to Lebanon, who was
present among the audience, for the tragic terrorist attacks on Indian
touristic sites, hoping that tonight’s lecture will focus more on the
forgiving and tolerance aspect of the Indian sub-continent.

Ekmekji added that "Kerala" is described in the Indian Ministry of
Tourism brochure as "God’s Own Country".

Dr. Al Akl Khoury shared with the audience her this year’s pilgrimage to
Kerala, and began her lecture by introducing the city of Kerala
geographically. "Kerala the land of coconut is one of the 28 states of
India, located its South West Coast, with a population of 29 million,
and a high literacy rate of 98%," said Al Akl Khoury.

Al Akl Khoury explained how Kerala is a blessed city, "it is blessed
with the harmonious entente of different religions: Jews, Christians,
Muslims, and Hindous,"

Besides Kerala being a land of tolerance, it is the Venice of India. Al
Akl Khoury explained how the Verbanadu Lake is formed by rain during the
2 monsoon periods, and as the area is bellow sea level, the water does
not flow towards the sea and remains on the land. Hence, the name
"backwaters" and the 900 km long canals.

Al Akl Khoury concluded her lecture by quoting a Hindu philosopher who
stated:

Rivers flow towards the bosom of the one great sea. Their names are
varied, likewise is diversity. A quote that mirrors exactly what Kerala
is.

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 DIOCESE OF CYPRUS OBSERVES WEEK OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

The Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, His Holiness Aram I has declared
2008 to be the year of Christian Education. Consequently, events dedicated
to Christian Education were organized throughout the week of 19-23 November
in the Diocese of Cyprus due to the collaborative efforts of the
Catholicosate’s Christian Education Department and the Religious Council of
the Diocese of Cyprus. The events were held under the auspices of the
Pontifical Vicar to the Diocese, Archbishop Varoujan Hergelian.

The director of the Catholicosate’s Christian Education Department, Father
Torkom Donoyan, delivered lectures in three cities in Cyprus- Nicosia,
Larnaca and Limasol- around the general theme "The Year of Christian
Education; An opportunity to connect to the Gospel." Father Donoyan also
held discussions with the youth on "The Gospel, The Armenian Church and
moral issues". He visited the "Nareg" school and talked with the students
about their Christian formation.

The "Week of Christian Education" concluded with the Sunday mass, which
collided with the feast of the Presentation to the Temple of the Holy Mother
of God.

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 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF BOOK EXHIBITION HELD IN ANTELIAS

The 30th annual book fare of the Catholicosate of Cilicia was launched this
Sunday in the Catholicosate’s headquarters in Antelias.

Following the Holy Mass in the Cathedral, the procession of Cilician
Brotherhood members and Seminary students headed by His Holiness Aram I
walked towards the Cilicia Museum’s surroundings, where the exhibition was
set up a in huge tent put up for this purpose.

Religious officials, intellectuals, students and book lovers, a large number
of believers and journalists attended the opening. The Catholicosate’s
Seminary and Sunday School students delivered a beautiful cultural program
venerating Armenian culture.

The exhibition includes several publications from Lebanese Armenian and
foreign publishing houses, as well as individual authors and publishing
houses within the Catholicosate.

In his opening remarks for the event, Lebanese Armenian poet, intellectual
and Seminary professor Sarkis Giragossian spoke about the Catholicosate of
Cilicia’s cultural mission of the past decades particularly in the field of
supporting the publication and promotion of Armenian books.

In his address on this occasion, His Holiness spoke about the commitment
Armenians should have towards their cultural values and particularly towards
Armenian books. His Holiness stressed that the absence of Armenians from
such cultural events is unacceptable and is a sign of their disengagement
from their Armenian roots. The Pontiff praised the growing scope of the
annual exhibition over time, adding that the preservation of Armenian
culture in the Diaspora is an indivisible part of the Catholicosate of
Cilicia’s mission. His Holiness remembered that Armenian book fare launched
for the first time by the late His Holiness Karekin II of Cilicia, who
enthusiastically supported the recurrence of the event year after year.

Referring to the spiritual and intellectual values of Armenians, His
Holiness considered the Armenian book to be our spiritual intellectual
bread. In a graphical comparison, he spoke about the long queues that used
form in front of bakeries, pointing out that the queues in front of the
"value" bakeries have started to recede. The number of individuals reading
Armenian books and concerned with the state of the Armenian book has
decreased.

The Pontiff commended all the organizations and individuals supporting the
Armenian book. He pledged that the Holy See of Cilicia will continue its
mission with the same commitment not only in Antelias but also in all the
dioceses, preserving Armenian cultural and spiritual values and the heritage
of our ancestors.

The exhibition showcases spiritual, philosophical, literary, pedagogical
books and books on the church, literary criticism, music and culture. The
exhibition will remain open until December 21, 2008, from 9 AM in the
morning till 7 PM in the evening.

##
View the photos here:
tos/Photos342.htm

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

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

INTERNATIONAL PRESS COVERAGE
ON HIS HOLINESS ARAM I’S VISIT TO THE VATICAN

His Holiness Aram I’s recent visit to the Vatican on November 23-27 received
a broad coverage both in the international and local press. Various news
agencies consistently reported on the issues His Holiness discussed in the
Vatican during his meeting with the Pope and other senior officials.

In addition to international media, the Turkish press also covered the
Pontiff’s visit, enticed clearly by his statements concerning the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

In further media coverage of the visit, the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s
Ecumenical and Communications officers, Bishop Nareg Alemezian and V. Rev.
Fr. Krikor Chiftjian appeared on the Roman "Telepace" TV on November 28
talking about the new potential for cooperation between the two churches and
particularly the Catholicosate of Cilicia and the Vatican that the Pontiff’s
official visit gave rise to. Despite the theological, ecclesiological, and
confessional differences, the need for unreserved cooperation between the
two churches was emphasized for the purpose of overcoming the challenges
faced by the present-day society.

Bishop Nareg and Father Chiftjian were also hosted by Radio Vatican’s news
service to make an assessment of His Holiness’s official visit.

— PRESS RELEASE
The Civilitas Foundation
One Northern Ave. Suite 30
Yerevan, Armenia
Telephones: +37494.800754; +37410.500119
email: [email protected]
web:

Vartan Oskanian, Founder of the Civilitas Foundation, submitted this article
to the European Voice newspaper on the eve of the annual OSCE Meeting of
Ministers in Helsinki, later this week.

Europe needs a new security structure
By Vartan Oskanian

01.12.2008

A former foreign minister argues that the French and Russian presidents are
right to advocate a summit on a new security arrangement for Europe.

Yerevan — Two events of great consequence – one throughout the globe and
the other in our region – rattled the world¹s assumptions in the second half
of this year.
The first – the global financial shake-up – was so broad and so deep that
already this week, the leaders of the world¹s 20 largest economies held an
unprecedented meeting in Washington to discuss cures. Even George Bush¹s
lame duck presidency was no obstacle.
Today, what started as a local loan crisis is hampering development
worldwide and already promises to lead to a global recession.
Now, everyone is already wondering whether the Bretton Woods 1940s-era
system of international institutions is indeed, as Gordon Brown observed,
incapable of handling the financial challenges of the 21st century.
No one foresaw the potential calamity when the glut of Middle Eastern oil
cash flowed into the US, although in the 1980s and mid-1990s such extra cash
had come to South America and Asia, and there, too, it led first to bubbles
and later, of course, an eruption. When a similar bubble and eruption shook
the US this summer, the response was lots of finger-pointing, even by those
who should have known better.
The response was the same when the other significant event – the
Russia-Georgia conflict – broke out in August. Although it was the Georgians
and South Ossetians who were most immediately and directly affected, the
repercussions have indeed spread beyond our region. The long-term effects of
this first of its kind clash, the first instance of use of force at this
scale, between states, will continue to reverberate. Although accumulated
tensions between Moscow and Tbilisi set off the explosion, the underlying
trigger was the issue of NATO expansion. Talk about bringing NATO¹s borders
to Russia¹s frontier, in a region with great strategic, historic and
economic significance for Russia, had raised alarm signals.
But just as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank were not equipped
to supervise, stop, mitigate international imbalances in revenue and cash
accumulation, so it seems the existing post-Cold War security institutions
are unable to override old security frontiers, or prevent the exercise of
prerogatives to prevent other clashes.
Over the past 400 years from the Peace of Westphalia, to the Concert of
Europe, World War I and World War II, the world went through at least four,
perhaps five significant transformations. After each major war and conflict,
a new system emerged, new mechanisms and new institutions were created to
regulate state relationships.
But at the end of the Cold War, the very institutions that contributed to
the defeat of the USSR remained the main pillars of the so-called new world
order. That situation was tolerated at the time of the collapse, when Russia
was weak, in shock and distracted. Insisting that those same institutions,
particularly those dealing with security, operate the way they used to is
neither realistic nor sustainable.
Because the long, expensive, casualty-ridden Cold War ended without a shot
being fired, we have been more complacent, less thoughtful, less strategic
and farsighted about the critical post-war period. That has meant an
expansion, almost by-default, of a security alliance which was born to
contain an assertive, expansionist, aggressive empire that no longer exists.
That has meant a Russian proposal to place missiles in Kaliningrad in
response to a US proposal for a missile shield based in the heart of Europe.
That has meant Russia suspending its participation in the Conventional
Forces in Europe treaty and with it suspending any promise of balance. This
is an untenable formula of a future that is only imagined in terms of a
divided past.
Nearly one hundred years ago, after the first European flare-up of the 20th
century, the Europeans wanted to continue to shape the world in its old
form, and it was the Americans who pioneered their own, new vision of old
geopolitical relationships of power. As a result, America¹s strength and
influence stretched throughout what has been called the American Century.
>From the League of Nations to the Helsinki Final Act, American idealism and
future vision shaped the world.
Today, America is renewing itself again, and reaffirming its commitment to
remaining strong and influential. At the same time, thankfully,
President-Elect Obama has indicated he will be attentive to what Europe is
saying and to forge an indispensable Europe-America partnership. We expect
that he will indeed go forward with a review of missile deployment, the
Iranian showdown, the Iraqi and Afghanistan engagements, and even NATO
expansion.
Presidents Sarkozy and Medvedev have even shown the way. Just as Europeans
convinced President Bush to host last week¹s precedent-setting gathering,
now Europe and Russia have proposed a Summit meeting of the member states of
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, this time on this
other far-reaching matter of global significance: security issues and
structures. When ministers from the OSCE meet in Helsinki on 4 December,
they should set the process in motion.
The change that candidate Obama promised the Americans is a change that can
include a vision of a truly new order for an interdependent world.

Vartan Oskanian, Armenia¹s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1998 until
April 2008, is the founder of the Yerevan-based Civilitas Foundation.

ARPA Institute
18106 Miranda St., tarzana, CA 91356
Tel/Fax:(818)586-0010
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:

Press Release: Waste Management Conference in Armenia:

On September 25 and 26, 2008, a conference on waste management
organized jointly by the ARPA Institute, the State Engineering
University of Armenia (SEUA, formerly the Polytechnic Institute), and
the Ministry of Nature protection of Armenia, was held at the Nuclear
Training Center of the SEUA. Waste management is an enormously
important issue in Armenia as it is embarking on a course of rapid
economic growth. Opening remarks were made by the Deputy Minister of
Education and Science of Armenia, Hon. Bakrat Yesayan and
Prof. Vostanik Maroukhyan, president of the SEUA. The conference was
held under the direction of Prof. Laert Hovhannissyan, Pro-rector of
the SEUA. The local media was also invited. There were over 60
attendees from the government, academia, public and private
organizations, and graduate students. Presentations were made by local
experts from the Yerevan State University, the SEUA and other
universities, the Ministry of Nature Protection, the Ministry of
Education and Science and the Yerevan Municipality. As Yerevan and Los
Angeles are formally `Sister Cities,’ representatives from the City of
Los Angeles in the persons of Dr. Ara Kasparian, Director of the
Environmental Management Program, Bureau of Engineering, Department of
Public Works and Mr. Varouj Abkian, Assistant Director of Bureau of
Sanitation, Department of Public Works, City of Los Angeles, made
presentations on the current methodologies used for dealing with waste
management issues in Los Angeles. Both domestic and industrial waste
management were adressed in detail. At the conclusion of the
conference there was a panel discussion with the participation of
experts from Los Angeles and various experts from Armenia. Dr. Anahit
Alexandryan, the deputy Minister of the Ministry of Nature Protection,
who is in charge of hazardous waste management in the country and who
has been our liaison with the Government of Armenia, also made a
presentation stressing the importance of cooperation with International
organizations. Commitments for further cooperation and interactions
for the benefit of both Armenia and Los Angeles were made by the
organizers and the participants. For information and/or involvement in
activities of ARPA Institute please contact the above mentioned.

ARPA Institute
18106 Miranda St., tarzana, CA 91356
Tel/Fax:(818)586-0010
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:

ARPA Institute Invention Competition: Press Release.

The ARPA Institute completed its first, very successful, annual
`Invention Competition’ in Armenia, in an award ceremony on October 1,
09, and handed out a $2,000 first prize, a $1,000 second prize, a $600
third prize and two fourth place prizes of $400 each. There were 16
participants with their advisors. Certificates of participation were
given to every student participant and the awards were given to the
winning students, in the presence of over 60 university students,
professors, Government officials and representatives of the
administrations from the State Engineering University of Armenia
(formerly the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute) and the Yerevan State
University. This contest amongst university students in Armenia is
designed to encourage those active in science, engineering,
mathematics, technology and creative invention, while enhancing their
problem-solving abilities. This prestigious challenge also provides an
opportunity to recognize the working relationship between students and
their advisor, who are involved in the projects by guiding the
potentially patentable inventions, and to stimulate excitement and
interest in technology and economic leadership in Armenia. The
Ministry of Education & Science of Armenia and the institutions of
higher learning all have shown great interest in this competition and
endorse it wholeheartedly.

The inventions are required to be a reduced-to-practice idea or
workable model and must be the work of a student or team of maximum
four students, or a team with their university advisor, who acts as a
guide to the project. The invention could be a machine that is
operable, a new chemical (complete with evidence of successful
application), a new plant or a new or original ornamental design for
an article of manufacture. It should be reproducible and should have
potential in becoming a viable product. The entry must be the original
idea and work/product of the student or student/advisor team, and may
not have been (1) made available to the public as a commercial product
or process or (2) been patented or published more than 1 year prior to
the date of submission to the competition. The entries may be
submitted in Armenian or English with detailed descriptions, drawings,
plots and data showing the results of experimentation of a prototype
to prove its viability, as well as data to show the new contribution
the invention claims to be making in the field.

All participating students must be enrolled, or have been enrolled,
full time in any university in Armenia, at least part of the twelve
month period prior to the date the entry is submitted. In the case of
a team, all students in the team must satisfy the full time student
requirement. Judges, selected from universities in Armenia and from
the ARPA Institute, study the projects to understand the presented
work and evaluate its merits, compare them with other similar
inventions and determine the winning entries.

Each entry includes a summary paragraph, with the title of the
invention, a specific description of what it is and how or what it
adds to the current technology of the field. A detailed description of
the project follows, explaining how it works, what it does, and how it
can become a commercially viable product, with discussions on its
technical merits. Experimental data from tests on a prototype is
provided that show the invention does what has been claimed in the
proposal. Comparison with similar devices is also presented that show
the advantages of the invention over the existing ones. Photos,
slides, disks, videotapes and even samples, are sometimes included in
the entry to help the judges understand the invention and how it
works. A literature and/or patent search is also an essential
component for determining originality of the idea presented.

To participate, each student (or student/advisor team) must fill out
and sign an application, which can be downloaded from the ARPA
Institute website at The entire should
be uploaded to the ARPA Institute website, or e-mailed to
[email protected], written in Microsoft Word and converted to
PDF format. The number of pages of each entry should not exceed 15
pages. The deadline for submission for the 2009 competition is
February 15, 09.

For more information please send an e-mail to the above mentioned
e-mail address.

ARPA Institute Board of Directors, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

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 2, 2008

Communiqué

In the early morning hours of November 30, a shooting incident took
place in the vicinity of Second Avenue and 35th Street in New York
City, directly in front of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral. The
incident was reported in local press reports which mentioned the
cathedral’s proximity; these subsequently initiated concerned
inquiries to the Diocesan Center. This communiqué is meant to address
those inquiries.

The shooting took place on the street outside the cathedral. A renter
with no affiliation to the cathedral or to the Armenian community had
rented the Diocesan Center’s auditorium for a private function, for
which all due security and permits had been secured. After 4:00 a.m.,
as the event ended and the guests dispersed to the street, a crowd
formed on Second Avenue. There, an unidentified gunman fired shots
into the crowd. Two of the three victims receiving minor injuries
were guests at the event; a third was a security guard, one of several
routinely hired by the Diocesan facilities manager for such occasions.

Contrary to some published reports, no staff members of the Diocesan
Center were injured in the episode.

The three shooting victims were taken to hospital and pronounced in
stable condition, and were subsequently discharged after receiving
basic care. We pray they will make a full recovery.

The New York City police have stated that they are still investigating
the matter, and have not determined whether the shooting was related
to the crowd, or was a random occurrence of street crime. Police have
announced no suspects, nor made any arrest in the incident.

DIVAN OF THE DIOCESE

###

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

PRESS RELEASE
December 1, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA WELCOMES CLINTON’S APPOINTMENT AS SECRETARY OF STATE

— Senator Clinton Supported Adoption of the
Armenian Genocide Resolution, Pledged as
Candidate to "Recognize the Armenian Genocide"

"I believe the horrible events perpetrated
by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians
constitute a clear case of genocide."
— Hillary Clinton, January 24, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC – President-elect Barack Obama’s choice of Senator
Hillary Clinton (D-NY) to serve as his Secretary of State was
welcomed today by the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA).

"We extend our thanks to President-elect Obama for this choice and
our congratulations to Senator Clinton on her appointment to our
nation’s top diplomatic post," said Aram Hamparian, Executive
Director of the ANCA. "We are certainly pleased to see that, for
the first time in recent memory, an individual with a strong record
in support of Armenian Genocide recognition will serve as America’s
Secretary of State."

During her tenure in the U.S. Senate, Hillary Clinton has both
called upon President Bush to honor his campaign pledge to
recognize the Armenian Genocide, and also cosponsored every
Armenian Genocide Resolution since coming into office in 2001.

On January 24th of this year Senator Clinton issued a campaign
statement outlining her views on U.S.-Armenia relations. The full
text is provided below.

#####

Statement of Senator Hillary Clinton
on the U.S.-Armenia Relationship

January 24, 2008

Alone among the Presidential candidates, I have been a longstanding
supporter of the Armenian Genocide Resolution. I have been a co-
sponsor of the Resolution since 2002, and I support adoption of
this legislation by both Houses of Congress.

I believe the horrible events perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire
against Armenians constitute a clear case of genocide. I have twice
written to President Bush calling on him to refer to the Armenian
Genocide in his annual commemorative statement and, as President, I
will recognize the Armenian Genocide. Our common morality and our
nation’s credibility as a voice for human rights challenge us to
ensure that the Armenian Genocide be recognized and remembered by
the Congress and the President of the United States.

If the mass atrocities of the 20th Century have taught us anything
it is that we must honestly look the facts of history in the face
in order to learn their lessons, and ensure they will not happen
again. It is not just about the past, but about our future. We must
close the gap between words and deeds to prevent mass atrocities.
That is why I am a supporter of the Responsibility to Protect. As
President, I will work to build and enhance U.S. and international
capacity to act early and effectively to prevent mass atrocities.
The Bush administration’s words of condemnation have not been
backed with leadership to stop the genocide in Darfur. I support a
no-fly-zone over Darfur. I have championed strong international
action to ensure that the government of Sudan can no longer act
with impunity, or interfere with the international peacekeeping
force, which is essential for the protection of the people of
Darfur.

I value my friendship with our nation’s vibrant Armenian-American
community. This is in keeping with my dedication to the causes of
the Armenian-American community over many years. I was privileged
as First Lady to speak at the first-ever White House gathering in
1994 for leaders from Armenia and the Armenian-American community
to celebrate the historic occasion of Armenia’s reborn
independence. I said at the time that America will stand with you
as you realize what the great Armenian poet, Puzant Granian, called
the Armenian’s dream "to be left in peace in his mountains, to
build, to dream, to create."

I will, as President, work to expand and improve U.S.-Armenia
relations in addressing the common issues facing our two nations:
increasing trade, fostering closer economic ties, fighting
terrorism, strengthening democratic institutions, pursuing our
military partnership and deepening cooperation with NATO, and
cooperating on regional concerns, among them a fair and democratic
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict. As President, I will
expand U.S. assistance programs to Armenia and to the people of
Nagorno-Karabagh.

I look forward, as President, to continuing to work with the
Armenian-American community on the many domestic and international
challenges we face together, and to build on the strong foundations
of shared values that have long brought together the American and
Armenian peoples.