Author: Andres-Papazian

HOUSE MAY SNUB OBAMA, LABEL KILLINGS AS GENOCIDE
by Desmond Butler (AP)

The Star-Ledger
STATE/ROP EDITION
December 19, 2010 Sunday
Newark, New Jersey

The House may vote next week on a measure that could damage U.S.

relations with critical ally Turkey: a resolution declaring the World
War I-era killings of Armenians a genocide.

The vote would be a blow to President Obama by his Democratic allies.

House Democratic leaders had long set aside consideration of the
draft resolution, and the measure was expected to expire as a new
Republican-led House takes office next month.

House aides, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to comment, said Friday that Democratic leaders have been
discussing a possible vote with lawmakers.

A spokesman for Speaker Nancy Pelosi had no immediate comment.

Turkey has said frequently that the resolution would drive a wedge
in its relations with the United States.

It sees the measure as a historical affront.

In March, after the House Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed the
proposed resolution, Turkey withdrew its ambassador from Washington.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has
been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

The issue is awkward for Obama, who pledged as a presidential candidate
to recognize the Armenian deaths as genocide. The administration
reversed course, as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
acknowledged Thursday.

Turkey, a NATO ally with a pivotal role for U.S. interests in the
Middle East and Afghanistan, has warned that the resolution’s approval
could jeopardize U.S-Turkish cooperation and set back negotiations
aimed at opening the border between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkey also currently holds one of the rotating seats in the United
Nations’ Security Council that will have to approve sanctions
against Iran.

Armenian-American groups have sought congressional affirmation of
the killings as genocide for decades.

“We continue to look to the House Democratic leadership to schedule a
vote allowing a bipartisan majority to vote for the Armenian Genocide
Resolution,” Aram Hamparian, the executive director of the Armenian
National Committee of America, said Friday in a statement.

Opponents of the treaty, including the Turkish government, have begun
ramping up their lobbying as it became clear that a vote might be in
the works shortly before Democrats hand over leadership of the House
to Republicans next month.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA WISHES FAIR SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT – PRESIDENT

Interfax
Dec 19 2010
Russia

Armenia wishes a fair settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
Serzh Sargsian, Armenian president and chairman of the Republican
Party, said at a meeting on the 20th anniversary of the party.

“It is our task not to win the war – we have done that – but to find
a fair solution to the problem,” he said.

He said the party is celebrating its 20th birthday realizing perfectly
well that a final, internationally recognized solution to the
problem of Nagorno Karabakh has not been found and Azerbaijan has not
recognized the right of the people of Karabakh to self-determination.

“Our approach is well-known. Azerbaijan is feeding the theory that the
Armenian side is weak and the Azerbaijani side is strong. It would seem
that this is not dangerous because it does not reflect the reality. But
we know that the war flared up again precisely then when the forces
of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh were underestimated,” Sargsian said.

He said that Armenia, countries involved in the settlement process
and various international organizations hold a common approach to
finding a fair solution to the conflict.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA GETS NEW MINISTERS OF ECONOMY, FINANCE AND JUSTICE

Interfax
Dec 19 2010
Russia

The Armenian presidential press service reported the appointment of
three new ministers Friday evening.

By a presidential decree Grair Tovmasian was appointed the minister of
justice, Tigran Davtian – the economy minister and Vache Gabrielian –
the finance minister.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S ACCESSION TO EU NOT ON THE AGENDA – PRESIDENT

Interfax
Dec 19 2010
Russia

Armenia does not intend to join the European Union, Serzh Sargsian,
Armenian president and chairman of the Republican Party, said at a
meeting on the 20th anniversary of the party.

“The issue of our accession to the European Union is not on the agenda
but European values and standards must be incorporated in the system
of government. This will guarantee the advancement and well-being of
our people,” he said.

He said that Armenia’s membership in the CSTO and CIS and its strategic
partnership with Russia will not damage this program.

“The exemplary cooperation with Russia cannot contradict European
values. Our Russian partners will only be glad about our achievements,”
he said.

From: A. Papazian

NKR DEFENSE ARMY REFUTES AZERBAIJANI DEFENSE MINISTRY’S MISINFORMATION

news.am
Dec 20 2010
Armenia

NKR Defense Army is committed to the ceasefire agreement. Official
Baku again spreads misinformation, Spokesman for NKR Defense Army
Senor Hasratyan told NEWS.am, commenting on the Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry’s information that on December 17, the Armenian side had
broken the truce on the frontline.

According to Azerbaijani media, Spokesman for Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry Eldar Sabiroglu said “the enemy launched artillery shell at
21:30 on Dec.17 and it created tensions on the front line.”

From: A. Papazian

OKHTA CENTER IN YEREVAN?

news.am
Dec 20 2010
Armenia

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller has presented the details of the Okhta Centre
construction project. “Our partners from Armrusgasprom proposed the
construction of the business center in Yerevan,” Miller said in an
interview with Itogi as he spoke of the Okhta Centre construction
project near Okhta Cape, which is not to be implemented.

Miller does not object top the construction of such centers in Omsk,
Vladivostok and Yerevan, as Gazprom has got propositions from the
cities.

Talking to NEWS.am, a source at Armrusgasprom confirmed the information
that an Okhta Center-like business center may be constructed in
Yerevan. The former Armrusgasprom Chairman Karen Karapetyan (now
Yerevan Mayor) and Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller reached a tentative
agreement on a business center construction project. The sides also
agreed on Russian investments in Yerevan.

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Watch our latest videos on YouTube here:

CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA PARTICIPATES IN THE TRAINING PROGRAMME OF THE WORLD
COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE (WCC)

During 14-16 December 2010, the Scholarships Committee of the WCC held its
annual meeitn. This year for the first time along with screening
applications, they held a youth training programme. The purpose was to teach
young representatives of member churches, how to write applications for
individual and group scholarships.

Rev. Mesrob Sarkissian, advisor to the Armenian Church University Students’
Association (ACUSA), represented the Catholicosate.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Watch our latest videos on YouTube here:

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES THE VISIT OF THE
AMBASSADOR OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

On Friday 17 December 2010, the Ambassador of the United Her Excellency
Moran Connally visited His Holiness Aram I in Antelias. The meeting lasted
for more than an hour and during which they discussed the situation in
Lebanon, in the Middle East, and the contribution of the Armenian
Catholicosate of Cilicia to peace-building and interreligious dialogue.

##
View the photo here:

*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

From: A. Papazian

Zhamanak: Karapetyan’s preconditions for accepting offer to become mayor

11:38 – 18.12.10

The paper claims it has learned that Karen Karapetyan had put forward
two preconditions before President Serzh Sargsyan to accept the offer
to become Yerevan mayor: he will report to the president only; and he
should be authorized to replace all the heads of district
administrations, except for one.

Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

LAW ON LAKE SEVAN IS NO AUTHORITY FOR NATURE PROTECTION MINISTRY OF ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2010-12-17

ArmInfo. The Nature Protection Ministry speculates whether to apply
RA Law “On Lake Sevan” to “Gegamet Plus” Company’s operation or not,
EcoLur NGO reports.

At the same time the Committee on Lake Sevan Issues under the President
of Armenia rejected twice the project on this very basis.

As Deputy Chairman Yuri Javadyan’s letter says, “Gegamet Plus” Company
applied twice to Committee on Lake Sevan Issues under the President
of Armenia with the project for crushing and sorting dunite-periodite
raw materials from Shorzha Mine. The first version of this project
was called as “ore processing enterprise”. Both times the Committee
rejected the project guiding by provisions of Article 10 of RA Law
“On Lake Sevan” which bans location of ore processing enterprises in
Sevan basin.

The Nature Protection Ministry represented by the Environmental Expert
Assessment Center also refused to consider the first version on the
same basis, i.e. making a reference Article 10 of RA Law “On Lake
Sevan”. In the second attempt the Environmental Expert Assessment
Center admitted this project for consideration.

Reminder: still in 2008 during the presentation of this project the
company founders Gagik Zakaryan, co-owner of “Unibank” and “Uniastrum
Bank”, and National Assembly Deputy Khachik Manukyan claimed an ore
processing combine would be set up around Lake Sevan to develop Shorzha
and Jil Mines, that will produce 20 million castables per year, 150
thousand tons of additives for cement, 50 thousand tons of chromium
concentrate and 20 thousand tons of ferrochromium.

It should also be noted that the list of founders include Mher
Bagratyan, the owner of Torront Holfigs Limited registered in the
offshore zone of the Virgin Islands and the Chairman of Board of
Directors Vladimir Gasparyan, the founder of Metta Group Company.

From: A. Papazian