Author: admin

LAW ENFORCEMENT BODIES OF ARMENIA MANAGED TO STOP TRANSPORTATION OF
100 ARMENIAN WOMEN ABROAD FOR SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN 2004

YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. To effectively combat prostitution,
procurement and trafficking in persons, the corresponding legislation
must be toughened, Head of Armenian Police, Lt.General Hayk
Haroutiunyan says at parliamentary hearings “Activity of the
law-enforcement structures to prevent organized crime” today.

He says that in 2004 29 cases of procurement and 2 cases of
trafficking to the United Arab Emirates for sexual exploitation were
exposed. One case of trafficking was exposed due to operative measures
taken by the law- enforcement bodies of Armenia and Russia, he
says. As a result. A criminal grouping was detained in Russia, which
consisted of Armenia who tried to transport six Armenian women from
Russia to UAE. On the whole, in 2004 the law- enforcement bodies
managed to stop transportation of 100 Armenian women abroad for sexual
exploitation, with 730 prostitutes being brought administratively
responsible. -m-

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR] schedules election campaign

Arminfo, Yerevan
17 Mar 05

STEPANAKERT

The nomination of candidates to the National Assembly of the Nagornyy
Karabakh Republic [NKR], both on the proportional and
first-past-the-post systems, will start on 5 April and finish on 10
April, the NKR Central Election Commission decided at its session
yesterday.

The session approved the working plan, schedule, spending plan on
preparations for the 19 June 2005 elections to the NKR National
Assembly by the Central Election Commission, as well as precincts and
constituencies. Election lists of parties which will stand in the
elections on the proportional system and candidates to be nominated on
the first-past-the-post system will be registered from 10 to 15 May
2005.

The election campaign of candidates will be held between 16 May on 17
June.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CURRENT SITUATION IN SAMTSKHE JAVAKHETI NEEDS DEEP ANALYSIS

YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. The current situation in Samtskhe
Javakheti, the mostly Armenian region of Georgia, needs a deep and
thorough analysis, says the leader of the parliamentary faction of the
Republican Party of Armenia Galust Sahakyan.

One should not engage in impressive but empty talk. Here one should
act carefully not to cause harm to the region’s mostly Armenian
population, says Sahakyan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkish Armenians to talk to parliamentary committee about genocide issue

Anatolia news agency
17 Mar 05

ANKARA

Turkish Parliamentary EU Adjustment Committee will listen to the views
of members of Armenian community living in Turkey pertaining to
allegations of genocide.

Gunduz Aktan, a retired ambassador, and Etiyen Mahcupyan and Hrant
Dink, members of the Armenian community, will attend the meeting which
will be held in the parliament on April 5th.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE report: Settlement of Armenians in territories seized during
Nagorno-Karabakh war should stop

AP Worldstream
Mar 17, 2005

MIKE ECKEL

Armenia and authorities in the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh
should discourage any more Armenians from settling in territories
seized during a brutal war with Azerbaijan, top European security and
democracy organization said Thursday.

Azerbaijan has accused both Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh officials of
illegally resettling refugees and other Armenians displaced during the
bitter six-year war in the lands surrounding the mountainous enclave,
which is located within Azerbaijan.

The issue is one of several that have stoked already hostile tensions
between Armenia and Azerbaijan and complicated efforts by the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and others to
reach a final peace deal over the enclave’s status. A tense cease-fire
has held since 1994, despite frequent small-scale violations.

The report released Thursday by the heads of OSCE’s Minsk Group, which
is seeking to help resolve the conflict, said Armenians were indeed
settling in territories outside of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Minsk Group investigators who traveled to the region last month found
no deliberate policy by Armenia to settle refugees in the territories,
the report said, but noted that Nagorno-Karabakh authorities were
actively supporting the resettlement, particularly in the Lachin
region separating the enclave from Armenia.

The report did not call for removing the settlers, though it noted
that most were refugees who wanted to return to their homes.

Nearly 1 million Armenians and Azerbaijanis were displaced or driven
from their homes before the cease-fire deal was reached in 1994,
ending the fighting that killed more than 30,000 people and left the
enclave under the control of ethnic Armenians.

The mission heads “request that any further settlement of the occupied
territories of Azerbaijan should be discouraged,” the report said.

Both Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh authorities have said under no
condition would the Lachin region be returned to Azerbaijani control
since it would then cut the enclave off from Armenia proper.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s political status has not been determined, and
shooting breaks out frequently between the two sides, which face off
across a demilitarized buffer zone.

A statement from the Armenian Foreign Ministry welcomed the report and
called on the OSCE to send an identical fact-finding mission to
territory under control of Azerbaijani forces. There was no official
reaction from the Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, though Deputy Foreign
Minister Araz Azimov earlier this month claimed the mission had
“determined and confirmed the resettlements.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian official says arrest made in connection with U.S. smuggling case

AP Worldstream
Mar 17, 2005

Armenian authorities have made arrests in connection with a U.S.
investigation that resulted in charges against 18 people in an alleged
scheme to smuggle Russian military weapons into the United States, a
security official said Thursday.

Grach Arutyunian, first deputy director of Armenia’s National Security
Service, spoke two days after U.S. authorities charged the
suspects. Among those charged were several Armenians. He did not say
how many people have been arrested in Armenia, or when the arrests
took place.

The suspects are accused of trying to smuggle grenade launchers,
shoulder-fired missiles and other Russian military hardware into the
United States.

Arutyunian said one of the defendants in the United States, Artur
Solomonyan, has been living in the United States since 1998, when he
traveled there as an exchange student. The security service said
Wednesday that Solomonian has been wanted by police in Armenia since
2001 on suspicion of avoiding military service.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in
Manhattan, an informant met Solomonyan and another defendant on
several occasions in New York to discuss weapons deals.

The U.S. case featured photographs, apparently taken in Armenia,
showing weapons including anti-tank missiles, a Russian missile
launcher and an anti-tank rifle, according to U.S. law enforcement
officials. Arutyunian said that “there is no proof” that weapons meant
to be smuggled to the United States were brought out of Armenia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanArmenian News
March 17 2005

HOLOCAUST MIGHT HAVE NOT TAKEN PLACE IF WORLD HAD UNITED AGAINST
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, SAYS ADDRESS OF JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ARMENIA

17.03.2005 02:56

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Jewish community of Armenia urges Jewish
organizations of the world to express their civil position in the
issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The address of the
Jewish community of Armenia to Jewish organizations of the world
accentuates that monstrous outrage of Ottoman Turkey against its
citizens annihilated 1.5 million Armenians. The fact fell into
oblivion for many decades and was not denounced by the humanity.
Holocaust might have not happened if the world in its time united
against this atrocity, as it is fighting against terror now. No
political or economic interests should hamper recognition of human
tragedies, the document says. According to the report, the issue of
recognition of the Armenian Genocide is by no means directed against
the Turkish people. Quite the contrary – it will raise the opinion of
the civilized world about them, as it was in the case of Germany,
which had recognized the fact of the Nazi state annihilating 6
million Jews. `On the eve of the Commemoration Day of the Genocide
victims we address those, who are not indifferent towards recognition
of the historical truth and ask to pay homage to the memory of those
victims,’ the address says.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azerbaijan News Service
March 17 2005

OSCE FACT FINDING MISSION TO PRESENT REPORT TO PERMANENT COUNCIL
2005-03-17 09:54

OSCE fact finding mission monitored illegal settlement of Armenian
families in ocupied territories of Azerbaijan presented report to
Minsk group members in Vienna. Advisor of Azerbaijani embassy in
Vienna Parviz Shahbazov represented Azerbaijan at discussions held by
the permanent council of OSCE. Fact finding group monitored early
February the fact of illegal settlement of Armenians in Azerbaijan’s
7 occupied regions. Minsk group co-chairs mediating the conflict
settlement process and personal representative of OSCE chairman in
office Anzhey Kaspirshik was present at hearing of the report. Fact
finding groups monitoring proved illegal settlment of Armenains in
occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
March 16, 2005
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
Email: [email protected]

CONGRESS RETRACTS $1 BILLION GRANT OFFER TO TURKEY

Assembly Says Action Point to Further Strains Between Washington, Ankara

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly today noted the Bush
Administration’s withdrawal of a $1 billion aid offer to Turkey aimed at
compensating that country against the negative effects of the war in
neighboring Iraq. The funding, which Congress approved following the
onset of the war, was contingent on Turkish cooperation in Iraq.

At the request of President Bush, Congress rescinded the proposal since
Ankara gave no indication it was willing to comply with the terms of the
offer. The House of Representatives approved the Emergency Supplemental
Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror and Tsunami
Relief, which thereby retracts the offer.

Among the stipulations for the funding is that the Turkish parliament
agree not to deploy its country’s forces to the Kurdish region of
northern Iraq.

Ankara has expressed concerns about the growing influence of Kurds in
Iraq, fearing that a possible independent Kurdish state there could lead
to an uprising among ethnic Kurds within Turkey.

“We commend the Bush Administration for proposing, and Congress for
concurring, that this assistance package be dropped given Turkey’s
continued lack of support for the U.S. effort, starting with its refusal
in 2003 to allow coalition troops on its soil,” said Board of Directors
Chairman Anthony Barsamian.

As relations between Washington and Ankara continue to strain, Assembly
leaders noted that the U.S.-Armenia security relationship has in fact
strengthened in recent months. President Bush has described Armenia as
a “key partner with the United States” in the war against terrorism and
an Armenian task force, comprised of transportation and de-mining
personnel, was deployed to Iraq in December.

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

###

NR#2005-031

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UNITED ARMENIAN FUND
1101 N. Pacific Avenue # 301
Glendale, CA 91202
Tel: 818.241.8900
Fax: 818.241.6900

18 March 2005

UAF Shipped to Armenia
$24 Million of Aid in 2004

Glendale, CA -The United Armenian Fund contributed to Armenia during the
fiscal year 2004 over $24 million of humanitarian assistance, consisting
primarily of medicines and medical supplies, according to the latest audit
of its financial statements.

The UAF spent less than 1% of its total revenues on administrative expenses,
allocating the remaining 99% to assisting the people of Armenia and
Karabagh, according to the audit.

During its 15 years of operations, the UAF delivered to Armenia a grand
total of $400 million worth of relief supplies on board 132 airlifts and
1163 sea containers.

The U.A.F. is the collective effort of the Armenian Assembly of America, the
Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Armenian Missionary Association of
America, the Armenian Relief Society, the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America, the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, and the
Lincy Foundation.

For more information please contact the U.A.F. office at 1101 North Pacific
Avenue, Suite 301, Glendale, CA 91202 or call (818) 241- 8900.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress