THE SESSION OF THE HEADS OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE CIS COUNTRIES OPENED TODAY IN YALTA
ARMENPRESS
NOVEMBER 20, 2009
YALTA
YALTA, NOVEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS: The session of the heads of the
governments of the CIS countries opened today in Yalta. The narrow
meeting will last for an hour and will be followed by an extended
session. No press conference is planned for summing up the results
of meeting.
ARMENIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER RECEIVES MEMBERS OF THE AGO GROUP
ARMENPRESS
NOVEMBER 20, 2009
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS: Armenian National Assembly Speaker
Hovik Abrahamyan received today members of the Council of Europe’s
Ministers’ Committee’s Monitoring Commission (Ago group) headed
by the Romanian permanent representative in the Council of Europe,
Ambassador Stelian Stoyan.
NA public relations department told Armenpress that greeting the
guest, the NA speaker presented members of the group the developments
followed after the 2008 elections and steps undertaken to overcome
the consequences of the March 1-2 tragic events.
During the thorough discussion of the developments of the past one and
a half year, the sides agreed that there is a serious progress in the
sphere. They also noted that for its consolidation it is necessary
to continue the work, encouraging the trust of the people toward
state establishments.
The sides also referred to the issue on normalization of
Armenian-Turkish relations without pre-conditions.
THE SESSION OF THE HEADS OF CIS GOVERNMENTS OPENED TODAY IN THE UKRAINIAN TOWN OF YALTA
ARMENPRESS
NOVEMBER 20, 2009
YALTA
YALTA, NOVEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS: The session of the heads of CIS
governments opened today in the Ukrainian town of Yalta. The delegation
headed by the Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan also took part
in the meeting. The delegation of the prime minister consists of head
of the government’s staff David Sargsyan, deputy foreign minister
Shavarsh Kocharyan, Armenian ambassador to Belarus Oleg Yesayan,
Armenian ambassador to Ukraine Armen Khachatryan and others.
The narrow meeting of the heads of governments was followed by an
extended one in "1+5" format.
More than 20 draft documents aimed at activation of cooperation and
its deepening in economic and humanitarian spheres among the member
states, migration policy, security issues were discussed.
Within the framework of regular one-day meeting of the heads of
governments the particularly important project of discussion is the
decision on undertaking joint events for overcoming the consequences of
the global financial crisis. The program on overcoming the consequences
of the 2009-2010 global financial economic crisis has been formed on
the basis of suggestions of CIS member states and includes mechanisms
laid in the basis of the global policy carried out in the sphere.
The participants of the session also discussed the draft concept of
cooperation of the CIS member states in energy sphere, creation of
cooperation body in innovation, scientific-technical spheres.
A decision was made to conduct the next session of the council of
heads of CIS governments in Moscow May 21, 2010
ARMENIAN FM REJECTS AZERBAIJAN’S CLAIMS THAT ISSUE ON RETURNING OF REFUGEES TO NAGORNO KARABAKH DISCUSSED IN THE PROCESS OF NORMALIZATION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT
ARMENPRESS
NOVEMBER 20, 2009
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandyan rejects Azerbaijan’s claims that in the process of
normalization of Nagorno Karabakh conflict the issue on returning of
refugees to Nagorno Karabakh was discussed.
E. Nalbandyan said today at the meeting with the reporters that today
this issue is not included in the agenda, such issue may be discussed
after the final settlement of the conflict, when relevant security
guarantees will be ensured and the return of more than 400,000 Armenian
refugees will be taken into consideration.
Referring to the issue that the NKR authorities are stating that they
were not officially presented the Madrid principles, Nalbandyan said
that it is necessary to believe the NKR authorities. "Armenia has
presented the Madrid principles to NKR authorities or not is another
issue. Officially the NKR authorities have not been presented the
Madrid principles," he said.
As to the information in press that after the meeting of the Armenian
and Azerbaijani presidents the meeting of the foreign ministers of the
two countries is expected to take place, Edward Nalbandyan said that
it is possible that the meeting takes place during the conference of
the foreign ministers in Greece but there is no concrete arrangement
over it.
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN AND PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV WILL MEET NOVEMBER 22
ARMENPRESS
NOVEMBER 20, 2009
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will meet November 22 in
Munich within the framework of the negotiation process over the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict regulation.
Presidential press office told Armenpress that the Munich meeting will
be the sixth one between the presidents of the two countries this year.
FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway
The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief
========================================== =======
18 November 2009
UZBEKISTAN: REPRESSION OF MUSLIM AND CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY
CONTINUES
php?article_id=1376
Mekhrinisso Hamdamova, a Muslim holding a state appointment, has been
arrested for holding unauthorised religious meetings in her home, Forum 18
News Service has learned. She faces very serious charges, the authorities
claiming that she was attempting to overthrow the President and the
"constitutional order", and inciting religious hatred. Over 30 of her
family and others have been arrested, human rights defender Surat Ikramov
told Forum 18. The official overseeing religious issues in Hamdamova’s city
told Forum 18 "probably she did something unlawful so she was arrested." 11
Protestants have been fined because they were together for a meal in a
friend’s house, the fines ranging between 50 and 10 times the minimum
monthly wage. Similarly 17 Protestants have been fined for possessing
"illegal" religious literature. The judge in the latter case, asked why he
ordered a copy of the New Testament in Uzbek and other literature to be
destroyed, angrily told Forum 18 that "it was all kept illegally." Finally
an appeal following the conviction of Baptists for running a children’s
holiday camp is due on 4 December. A mysterious "burglary" of a relative of
one of the Baptists has also taken place.
19 November 2009
COMMENTARY: THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS – OUT OF STEP ON
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION
le_id=1377
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg (ECHR) has recently made
a very dangerous judgement for freedom of religion or belief in the
Bayatyan v. Armenia case which puts it out of step with the international
standards on conscientious objection to military service and with the
Council of Europe’s own human rights agenda, notes Derek Brett of
Conscience and Peace Tax International <; in a commentary
for Forum 18 News Service <;. The Court, apparently
unaware of the recent parallel jurisprudence under the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, found no violation of the freedom
of thought, conscience and religion in the imprisonment of a Jehovah’s
Witness for his refusal on grounds of conscientious objection to perform
military service, or the subsequent increase in the sentence, which had
been partly justified by his reasons for refusal. Brett argues that it is
vital that the Grand Chamber of the ECHR agrees to hear the appeal in the
Bayatyan case, as it alone can overturn the precedent which this will
otherwise set for future ECHR cases.
* See full article below. *
19 November 2009
COMMENTARY: THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS – OUT OF STEP ON
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION
cle_id=1377
By Derek Brett, Conscience and Peace Tax International
<;
Two recent Chamber judgements from the European Court of Human Rights in
Strasbourg (ECHR) have caused considerable disquiet to defenders of freedom
of religion or belief; those in the cases of Lautsi v. Italy and Bayatyan v
Armenia. Of the two, the 3 November Lautsi verdict (Application no.
30814/06) has attracted the most attention. By seeming to invent a right
not to be offended by other people’s religious symbols, it has been seen by
some commentators to pose a serious threat to the linked rights of freedom
of expression and freedom of religion or belief, in a way parallel to the
long-running debate about so-called "defamation of religions", because all
non-religious and religious beliefs, and their symbols, may cause offence
to some people.
However the present commentary focusses on the even more dangerous verdict
delivered a week earlier, on 27 October 2009, in Bayatyan v. Armenia
(Application no. 30814/06)
< /viewhbkm.asp?action=open&table=F69A27FD8FB861 42BF01C1166DEA398649&key=77093&sessionId=3 6257467&skin=hudoc-en&attachment=true>.
a verdict which, as Judge Ann Power observed in a dissenting opinion, is
"not just incompatible with current European standards on the question of
conscientious objection but (..) parts company with the Court itself in
terms of the overall direction of the jurisprudence as discernible in the
case law" .
In the Bayatyan verdict, the ECHR claimed that the imprisonment of a
Jehovah’s Witness for refusal on grounds of conscience to perform military
service did not constitute an unlawful interference with his right to
freedom of thought, conscience and religion. In this it "parts company" not
just with the European consensus but also with the global international
standards on this issue, and, unless it is swiftly overturned by the Grand
Chamber, sets a most unfortunate precedent.
In coming to its conclusion, the Chamber on the Bayatyan case chose to be
guided, not by Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms ("freedom of thought, conscience and religion"), but
by the wording of a sub-paragraph of Article 4, which deals with forced
labour. Overlooking clear evidence that the Armenian appeal court had
increased Bayatyan’s sentence precisely because of his conscientious
objection and religious convictions, the Chamber read this wording out of
context in order to address the issue of whether a state might choose not
to acknowledge the right of conscientious objection to military service –
even though the case arose only after Armenia had conceded such recognition
in its accession commitments to the Council of Europe. In its decision, the
Chamber felt itself bound by early admissibility decisions of the former
Commission, despite a clear lead from the Grand Chamber of the Court that
these deserved reconsideration. Worst of all, it deliberated in apparent
ignorance of the fact that any possible relevance of forced labour
provisions had now been definitively laid to rest in the jurisprudence on
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Article 4.3 of the European Convention states "For the purpose of this
article the term ‘forced or compulsory labour’ shall not include (..) b)any
service of a military character or, in cases of conscientious objectors, in
countries where they are recognised, service exacted instead of compulsory
military service[…]." The purpose of this stipulation is clear: to ensure
that arrangements excusing conscientious objectors from obligatory military
service on condition that they perform alternative non-military service,
are not outlawed as forced labour. In 1950, when the European Convention
was drafted, the concept of conscientious objection was not as widely known
as it is today, hence the words "in countries where they are recognised".
The spurious argument that the almost identical Article 8.3(c)( ii) of the
ICCPR – read in complete isolation even from the rest of the sentence – was
primarily intended to make freedom of conscience contingent on national
military recruitment legislation was dismissed by the Human Rights
Committee in a decision under the ICCPR on the linked cases of Mr. Yeo-Bum
Yoon and Mr. Myung-Jin Choi v. Republic of Korea
(CCPR/C/88/D/1321-1322/2004 of 23 January 2007). In its "View" on these
cases the Committee stated categorically that: "Article 8 of the Covenant
[the ICCPR] itself neither recognises nor excludes a right of conscientious
objection. Thus the present claim is to be assessed solely in the light of
Article 18 of the Covenant". Article 18 of the ICCPR is, it should be
noted, almost identical in wording to Article 9 of the European Convention.
The Committee went on to conclude that conscientious objection to military
service is "a protected form of manifestation of religious belief under
article 18, paragraph 1." This means that "the conviction and sentence [of
conscientious objectors] amounts to a restriction on their ability to
manifest their religion or belief". Also, that even where "under the laws
of the State party there is no procedure for recognition of conscientious
objections against military service", not only must the State demonstrate
that "in the [individual] case the restriction in question is necessary,
within the meaning of article 18, paragraph 3, of the Covenant." but "such
restriction must not impair the very essence of the right in question".
However the Chamber did not note this source in the "relevant
international documents" it identified in making the Bayatan decision.
These were only:
1. an opinion from 2000 by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
(PACE) on Armenia’s application for membership;
2. a PACE resolution from 2001 on conscientious objection; and
3. Article 10 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
(EU)
The third of these is completely irrelevant to Armenia, which is neither
an EU member nor a candidate country. Armenia is however a member of the
United Nations, has ratified the ICCPR, and is a participating State in the
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The list
should therefore at a minimum have included (as well as Recommendation
R(87)8, of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe which
encouraged all members to recognise the right of conscientious objection to
military service): the UN Human Rights Committee’s General Comment 22 on
Article 18 of the ICCPR, dealing with freedom of thought, conscience or
religion, and their above-mentioned "View" in the Korean cases; Resolution
1998/77 of the UN Commission on Human Rights; the relevant politically
binding human dimension commitments of the OSCE; and various Opinions of
the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention – especially Opinions 8/2008
and 16/2008, concerning conscientious objectors in Colombia and Turkey.
These Opinions, building on the decision in the Korean case, find that any
imprisonment of a conscientious objector could constitute arbitrary
detention because it resulted from the exercise of the freedom of thought,
conscience and religion.
The Bayatyan case is the first in which the direct applicability of
Article 9 to conscientious objection has been considered by the ECHR
itself. In the 2000 case of Thlimmenos v. Greece (Application no.
34369/97), the Grand Chamber of the ECHR found a breach of Article 14
(discrimination) in conjunction with Article 9, because a convicted
conscientious objector had not been distinguished from a common criminal.
It however noted that the question arose of "whether, notwithstanding the
wording of Article 4.3 (b), the imposition of (..) sanctions on
conscientious objectors to compulsory military service may in itself
infringe the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion
guaranteed by Article 9.1". This implied that the jurisprudence of the
Commission, all of which is much earlier, deserved to be reviewed. However,
the Chamber sitting on the Bayatyan case seemed to consider that Thlimmenos
and the 2006 decision in Ülke v. Turkey (Application no. 39437/98), where
repeated pressure on a conscientious objector to perform military service
was found to constitute inhuman and degrading treatment, somehow confirmed
the earlier jurisprudence. This was not so; in neither case did the freedom
of conscience question need to be addressed in order to find a violation of
the European Covenant.
Significantly, both cases were decided before the issue had been directly
addressed in the Korean case under the ICCPR. Significantly, too, Judge
Elisabet Fura, (who had also sat on the Chamber which decided Ülke)
indicated in a less than enthusiastic concurring opinion that she would
have preferred in the Bayatyan case " to relinquish and allow the Grand
Chamber to re-examine the issue /revisit the case-law/ and maybe to take a
step further and to state that to sentence someone who refuses to do
military service on grounds of conscience would be in violation of Article
9."
A very disturbing feature of the case is that Bayatyan’s sentence had been
increased by the Armenian Criminal and Military Court of Appeal on an
appeal by the Prosecutor. He based this appeal on the grounds that
Byayatyan "did not accept his guilt, explaining that he refused [military]
service having studied the Bible, and as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses his
faith did not permit him to serve in the armed forces". The Armenian Appeal
Court had agreed that as he not only did "not accept his guilt, nor did he
repent of having committed the crime (and) taking into account the nature,
motives and degree of social danger of the crime, (..) a harsher and
adequate punishment must be imposed."
In an admissibility decision of December 2006, which was even more
shocking than the final outcome, the European Court had noted that an offer
had been made to Bayatyan during this appeal hearing that all charges would
be dropped if he abandoned his conscientious objection and agreed to
perform military service, but found his claim that this was an attempt to
coerce him to change his beliefs to be "manifestly ill-founded"
< //tkp197/viewhbkm.asp?action=open&table=F69A27 FD8FB86142BF01C1166DEA398649&key=55801&ses sionId=37560251&skin=hudoc-en&attachment=t rue>.
The effect of the deal offered is comparable to the repeated trials of
conscientious objectors in Turkey and Israel. The UN Working Group on
Arbitrary Detention found this in Opinions 36/1999 and 24/2003 to "be
tantamount to compelling someone to change his/her mind for fear of being
deprived of liberty".
The fact that the prosecution was for Bayatyan’s motivation would appear
to be in direct conflict with the freedom of thought and conscience and
religion. General Comment 22 states that this "is far-reaching and
profound; it encompasses freedom of thought on all matters, personal
conviction and the commitment to religion or belief" and "protects
theistic, non-theistic and atheistic beliefs, as well as the right not to
profess any religion or belief."
Since a 1987 recommendation of the Council of Europe’s Committee of
Ministers, recognition of conscientious objection to military service has
been Council of Europe policy, implemented by all the founder members with
the glaring exception of Turkey. After 1989, such a commitment became a
routine part of the accession criteria for new members, although Armenia
and its neighbour Azerbaijan have been notable for their dilatoriness in
fulfilling this commitment.
Armenia undertook to introduce legislation by January 2004. The Council of
Europe is however still not satisfied that the resultant Law on Alternative
Service offers a genuinely civilian alternative to military service.
Conscientious objectors are supervised by the Military Police under
regulations laid down by the Defence Ministry, ordered to wear uniform
provided by the military, and fed by the military. All breaches of orders
or regulations are dealt with by the Military Prosecutor’s Office.
Meanwhile the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses imprisoned (on sentences of
between 24 and 36 months) for their conscientious objection has steadily
increased – 71 at the last count. This is by far the largest number of
conscientious objectors to military service imprisoned in any country which
nominally recognises the right, and the sentences too are among the longest
imposed on conscientious objectors anywhere (see also F18News 11 December
2008 < 1228>).
Azerbaijan has repeatedly assured the Council of Europe that it is
drafting legislation to implement the civilian alternative to military
service specified in its constitution, but this has still failed to
appeared; meanwhile it intermittently imprisons conscientious objectors.
Samir Huseynov, a Jehovah’s Witness, was freed in May 2008 after serving
seven months of a ten month sentence (see F18News 14 May 2008
< e_id=1129>. More recently,
Mushfiq Mammedov, also a Jehovah’s Witness, was fined in October 2009 after
refusing military service.
Recognition of the right of conscientious objection to military service is
now the global norm. There are countries with obligatory military service
where no conscientious objectors have come forward. But in very few
countries are conscientious objectors subject to imprisonment because there
is no legislation to enable them to be recognised. These are: Azerbaijan as
noted above, Belarus (see eg. F18News 11 November 2009
< e_id=1374>), Colombia (before an
October 2009 decision of the Constitutional Court), Eritrea, Israel, South
Korea, Singapore, Turkey (see eg. F18News 10 July 2007
< e_id=990>) and Turkmenistan (see
eg. F18News 1 July 2008
< e_id=1166>). There is also the
breakaway entity of Nagorno-Karabakh,(see eg. F18News 5 January 2009
< e_id=1236>).
Europe having once led the way towards international recognition of the
right of conscientious objection to military service, its regional
jurisprudence is now dangerously out of step with the current
interpretation of the ICCPR, (to which all Council of Europe members are
party) as well as with the attempts of the Council of Europe itself at the
political level to spread respect for the freedom of religion and belief to
its new members. It is therefore vital that the Grand Chamber of the ECHR
agrees to hear the appeal which Bayatyan’s legal representatives have
announced they will lodge; it alone can overturn the unfortunate precedent
which this will otherwise set for future ECHR cases. (END)
– Derek Brett, Conscience and Peace Tax International <;
Representative to the UN in Geneva, contributed this comment to Forum 18
News Service. Commentaries are personal views and do not necessarily
represent the views of F18News or Forum 18.
PDF and printer-friendly views of this article can be accessed from
< e_id=1377>. It may freely be
reproduced, redistributed or quoted from, with due acknowledgement to Forum
18 <;.
A compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments can be found at
< id=1351>.
(END)
© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855
You may reproduce or quote this article provided that credit is given to
F18News
Past and current Forum 18 information can be found at
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
SMC to hold 2-km heritage walk on November 22
Himanshu Bhatt, TNN 19 November 2009, 10:23pm IST
Surat Municipal Corporation
Heritage Week celebration
SURAT: Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) will hold its annual heritage
walk as part of Heritage Week celebration on November 22 from British
Cemetery to Katargam, in which people from all sections are expected
to take part.
"Our aim is to create awareness about city’s rich history and educate
people on the need to preserve monuments," assistant commissioner,
SMC, CY Bhatt said.
The two-km walk will cover monuments built by rulers of different
eras, which now have become landmark in the history of Surat. The
participants will visit monuments that have influence of Mughal,
British and Armenian architecture in their three-hour walk.
"Our plan is to involve all the elected councillors and eminent
citizens. We also would have students and teachers of architecture
from Sarvajanik College of Engineering and Technology (SCET)," Bhatt
said.
* British Cemetery: It came into existence in mid-17th century outside
Katargam Darwaja on Surat’s north. It has 14 graves with minarets and
other 80 other graves, including that of Sir George Oksanden and
Pristopher Oksenden.
* Dutch Cemetery: Built before the British arrived, it’s considered a
piece of architectural beauty and is located at Gulam Faliya near
Katargam Darwaja. The grave of Barren Henny Adrian Von Reid, director
Hind, of Dutch East India Company, exists here.
* Armenian Cemetery: Oldest of all, the writings on the grave are in
Hebrew, written in 1028. It’s located next to Dutch Cemetry and has
300 graves.
* Mirjan Sami Roja: Sculptured in Indo-Iranian style. Mirjan Shami was
a leader of Khudavan Khan’s army of Muslim rulers in Gujarat. It was
built in 1559-60.
* Chintamani Derasar: It was built during Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s
tenure. This Jain derasar has best pieces of woodwork and paintings of
the state. It’s believed to have been built in 1645. Some put its year
of construction at 1699.
* Muglisarai: It was built in 17th year of Mughal emperor Shahjahan’s
tenure in 1664. It was used as musafirkhana’ initially and as jail
during the 1857 Mutiny to keep prisoners. In 1867 it became the
official work quarters of the civic body, which it continues to be
even today.
* Andrews Library
* Sir JJ Training School: Built in 1842 , this educational institution
was an English school run by British government. The building is
located opposite Killa and was built from the charity of Seth Sorabji
Jamshedji Jijibhai in 1872. After closure of Sorabji’s school, the
state government started a primary teachers’ training college here.
* Killa: Khudavan Khan built this structure in 1540 to save the city
from attack by foreigners. It’s the oldest monument built in 16th
century. Walls are made of bricks, stones and chalk. Stones were
clasped in iron sheets and joints were filled with iron ore. The walls
are 4.06 metre wide. It had 16.25 metre high walls, but some are
destroyed and is built in one acre area. There also was a 20-feet-deep
canal in front of the fort once and it joined Hope Bridge towards the
river. The canal had folding bridge. It has a few government offices
functioning from there at present.
* SVPatel Museum
* Agam Temple
* Saraswati Mandir: It was the residence of poet Narmad at
Amliran. Born in 1833, Narmad revolutionized Gujarati poetry by his
fiery language. The house is maintained by SMC at present. Narmad left
the city in 1854 for Mumbai.
Classical Music
November 15, 2009
NAREH ARGHAMANYAN
(Sunday) A fine recording of the Liszt Sonata and Rachmaninoff’s
Sonata No. 2 shows this young, Armenian-born pianist to be a
thoughtful, technically polished player, and explains why she has won
prizes in several recent competitions, including the Montreal
International Music Competition in 2008. She makes her New York
recital debut with a program that includes Bach’s Partita No. 3,
Beethoven’s Sonata No. 31 in A flat (Op. 110), Liszt’s Ballade No. 2
and Schumann’s `Humoresque.’ At 5:00 p.m., Frick Collection, 1 East
70th Street, Manhattan , (212) 547-0715, frick.org. (Alan Kozinn)
PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Karine Abalyan
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
November 20, 2009
___________________________________________
PRIMATE WELCOMES NAGORNO-KARABAGH DELEGATION TO DIOCESAN CENTER
On Tuesday, November 17, a delegation from the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh
visited the Diocesan Center in New York, where they met with Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese; the Rev. Fr. Mardiros
Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral; Garnik Nanagoulian, executive
director of the Fund for Armenian Relief; Oscar Tatosian, chair of the
Diocesan Council; and Michael Haratunian, secretary of FAR’s Board of
Directors.
The delegation was led by Archbishop Barkev Martirossian, Primate of the
Artsakh Diocese, and NKR Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan.
The visit began at St. Vartan Cathedral, where Archbishop Barsamian greeted
Archbishop Martirossian, Prime Minister Haroutyunyan, and other guests –
including David Babayan, assistant to the NKR president; Robert Avetisyan,
NKR representative to the U.S.; Garen Nazarian, the Permanent Representative
of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations; and Irina Lazarian,
executive director of ArmeniaFund USA – and gave them a brief tour of the
Eastern Diocese’s spiritual center.
Representatives then met at the Diocesan Complex to discuss recent
developments in Nagorno-Karabagh, the diaspora’s contributions to Karabagh’s
growth, and the annual international ArmeniaFund Telethon, which will raise
money for the NKR city of Shushi. The delegation is visiting Armenian
communities across the U.S. to encourage participation in the telethon,
which is scheduled to be broadcast live on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday,
November 26.
Archbishop Martirossian said that Shushi is currently the focal point for
development in the mountainous republic. Plans are underway to rebuild homes
and schools, improve infrastructure, and relocate several government offices
from the republic’s capital in Stepanakert to Shushi. He added that the city
is expecting significant investment in the coming years.
Archbishop Martirossian and Prime Minister Haroutyunyan thanked the Eastern
Diocese and FAR for their continued support of projects in Nagorno-Karabagh.
The Eastern Diocese and FAR have shared a warm relationship with the Artsakh
Diocese and the local government since the region’s independence movement in
the late 1980s.
FAR has implemented a number of programs in Karabagh, including the
Humanitarian Assistance Program, which was completed last year. With a $15
million grant from the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID), FAR teams rebuilt houses, hospitals, and clinics throughout
Karabagh. The money was also used for the installation of new pipelines to
provide water for irrigation and drinking.
In the past, FAR has organized shipments of medicine and medical supplies
and equipment to Karabagh, and helped local doctors receive advanced
training in Yerevan as part of FAR’s Continuing Medical Education Program.
Archbishop Barsamian said NKR representatives should always feel at home at
St. Vartan Cathedral and the Diocesan Center, and added that he was pleased
with the signs of growth and progress in Karabagh. He said it is especially
encouraging that the two dioceses have fostered a strong partnership and a
spirit of collaboration in the past two decades.
This fall, the Artsakh Diocese marked the 20th anniversary of its
re-opening. His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
All Armenians, traveled to Karabagh to preside over the celebration. As the
region continues to cast off the burdens of its years of Soviet rule,
efforts go forward to restore ancient churches and erect new houses of
worship.
Prime Minister Haroutyunyan said that the upcoming ArmeniaFund Telethon is
important not only as a fundraiser for Shushi, but also as a way to raise
awareness in the diaspora about developments in Armenia and Karabagh, and to
help Armenian communities worldwide establish closer ties with each other,
and with their homeland.
The annual telethon, which is broadcast live for 12 hours, has helped raise
funds for Armenian and Karabagh for more than a decade. Archbishop Barsamian
serves on the Board of Trustees of ArmeniaFund USA.
###
Photos attached.
Photo 1: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, gives
a brief tour of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral to the delegation from the
Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh.
Photo 2: NKR Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan presents Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian with a book about the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh, during a visit
to the Diocesan Center in New York.
Photo 3: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese;
Archbishop Barkev Martirossian, Primate of the Artsakh Diocese; and NKR
Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan on the plaza of St. Vartan Armenian
Cathedral.
Photo 4: Members of the delegation from the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh and
representatives of the Eastern Diocese pose for a group photo on the steps
of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral.
November 20, 2009
Press Release
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
PRELATE AND EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS PARTICIPTED IN MEETINGS AT THE
CATHOLICOSATE
As reported last week, on Sunday, November 15th, 2009, H.E.
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian departed for Lebanon to participate in
meetings at the Catholicosate presided over by H.H. Catholicos Aram I. The
Prelates of the three North American Prelacies, along with Central Executive
and Executive Council representatives, participated in the meetings which
took place from November 18th to the 20th. The Western Prelacy delegation
included Central Executive Council members Mr. Khajag Dikijian and Mr. Vahe
Yacoubian, and Executive Council Chair and Vice-Chair Dr. Garo Agopian and
Mr. Garo Avakian.
During the three-day meetings, the Prelates reported on the
activities, endeavors, and challenges of their respective Prelacies and
received guidance and suggestions from His Holiness based on their
individual circumstances. The Prelates also participated in a joint meeting
to discuss and examine shared concerns and challenges.
During their stay in Lebanon the Prelacy representatives also had
the opportunity to visit the Aztag Daily offices where they met with the
staff and became familiarized with the workings of the newspaper.
LEBANESE INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
In celebration of the 66th anniversary of the independence of
Lebanon, the Lebanese Consulate General of Los Angeles has organized a
reception to take place on the evening of Sunday, November 22nd, at the
Biltmore Hotel.
Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian will represent the Prelate at the
reception.
ARMENIA FUND GALA BANQUET
On Sunday, November 22nd, the Armenia Fund Gala Banquet will take
place at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. The guests of honor are
H.E. Archbishop Barkev Mardirossian, Primate of the Diocese of Karabakh, and
NKR Prime Minister Araik Harutyunyan.
H.E. Archbishop Yeprem Tabakian will represent the Prelate at the
banquet. Executive Council members and Prelacy parishes’ representatives
will also be in attendance.