Author: Andres-Papazian

SULTANATE & ARMENIA/ CONSULTATIONS SESSION

Oman News Agency

May 21 2012

Yerevan, May 21 (ONA) — A bilateral political consultations session
was held at the Armenian capital, Yerevan today between the Foreign
Ministries of the Sultanate and the Republic of Armenia.

During the session, the Omani side was chaired by Ahmed bin Yousef
al-Harthy, Foreign Ministry’s Undersecretary for Diplomatic Affairs
while the Armenian side was chaired by Sergey Manasaryan, Deputy
Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia.

The consultations session dealt with the cooperation relations between
the two friendly countries in various bilateral economic and trade
fields and means of promoting them, in addition to exchanging views
on a number of regional and international issues of common concern.

The session was attended by Sheikh Salim bin Abdullah Burham Ba’Omar,
Head of the East Europe Department and Mohammed bin Awadh al-Hassan,
Sultanate’s non-resident ambassador to Armenia while it was attended
from the Armenian side by Areg Hovhannissian, Director of the Middle
East Department at the Armenian Foreign Ministry and a number of
officials at the Foreign Ministries of the two friendly countries.

—– Ends/AH/FS

From: A. Papazian

SOLDIER DIED

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 10:09:41 – 21/05/2012

On May 20 in Gyumri the family living in cottage 140/008 of Noravan
district buried their 19-year-old son, conscript Armen Harutyunyan who
had been drafted on 28 December 2011, the Asparez Newspaper reported
yesterday. Levon Barseghyan, the author, notes that the boy died 3
days ago but there is no official press release.

The family told him that the soldier died in one of the military units
of NKR Hadrut region during an exercise with grenades. ~SIn the box
with training grenades there was a real one and the soldiers did not
know about it, and Armen was killed by this grenade.~T

The medical document certifying the death of the soldier states
that the soldier died of injuries caused by blast on the face, neck,
chest, abdomen, hands and legs. Hence, according to this document,
the cause of the death is uncertain.

In 2012, over twenty deaths have been reported in the army.

From: A. Papazian

LE PARTI HANRAPETUTYUN QUITTE LE BLOC DE L’OPPOSITION CONDUIT PAR LTP
Laetitia

armenews.com
lundi 21 mai 2012

Sur la base de ” differences de strategie et de tactique “, l’un des
principaux partis d’opposition a officiellement quitte, vendredi 18
mai, le bloc de l’opposition preside par l’ancien president Levon
Ter-Petrosian (HAK).

Le parti Hanrapetutyun (Republique) a pris cette decision, suite
a un meeting d’une heure de son conseil politique. Une declaration
issue de ce conseil n’a pas specifie quels etaient les desaccords
avec la direction du HAK. Le president du parti, Aram Sarkissian,
a refuse de parler aux journalistes après la reunion.

Les desaccords se sont renforces depuis que Sarkissian a renonce la
semaine dernière a son siège a l’Assemblee nationale. Il a affirme que
lui et son equipe politique sont en desaccord, entre autres choses,
avec la decision de Levon Ter-Petrosian qui souhaite cooperer avec
le parti au pouvoir, Armenie prospère (BHK). Il a egalement dit que
Hanrapetutyun a favorise des actions plus radicales que celles du HAK.

Levon Zurabian, qui coordonne les activites du HAK, a insiste vendredi
sur le fait que le parti Hanrapetutyun n’a jamais eu de grands
desaccords avec le HAK. ” Nous n’avons jamais ressenti de veritables
tensions. ” En tout cas, a ajoute Zurabian, le HAK, qui aura 7 sièges
au parlement sur 131, souhaite que le parti Hanrapetutyun fasse un
” bon voyage “.

Dans sa declaration ecrite, le conseil d’administration Hanrapetutyun
a vise la direction politique de l’Armenie et l’a decrite comme un ”
regime qui a usurpe le pouvoir ” et a declare qu’il est pret a cooperer
avec les forces politiques qui lutte pour entrainer sa chute et pour
conduire a des changements dans le pays.

” Nous pourrions mettre en place de nouveaux formats pour une
nouvelle cooperation “, a declare Artak Zeynalian, un membre du
conseil(Azatutyun.am). ” Mais pour le moment, nous decidons de
mettre fin notre alliance avec le HAK de notre propre chef, sans
avoir coordonne cette decision avec toute autre parti politique. ”
Lors d’une interview au sujet d’une eventuelle cooperation du
Hanrapetutyun avec le parti Zharangutyun (Heritage), un autre parti
d’opposition, Zeynalian a affirme : ” Nous avons discute de cette
question aujourd’hui. ”

Zeynalian a egalement refuse de preciser si son parti prevoit
d’organiser prochainement des manifestations antigouvernementales.

From: A. Papazian

OFFICE OF THE NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC IN THE USA
1334 G St. N.W., Washington, DC 20005
Tel: (202) 223-4330
Fax: (202) 223-4332
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site:

PRESS RELEASE
May 22, 2012

RHODE ISLAND CELEBRATES LIBERATION OF SHUSHI
Community and Dignitaries Join the Celebrations

Providence, RI – On May 20, 2012, The Armenian Community of the State of
Rhode Island organized a special reception to celebrate the 20th anniversary
of the liberation of Shushi. Open-air reception and a concert were organized
by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Eastern U.S. Central Committee,
the Armenian Cultural Association of Rhode Island and the Saints Vartanantz
Armenian Church of Providence. US Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI), Mayors
of Providence, Warwick and Cranston also attended the celebrations, and
offered their remarks to congratulate the people of Artsakh with the Triple
Holiday.

“We will support Karabakh economically, legislatively, and diplomatically to
ensure that it prospers”, said Dikran Kaligian, member of the ARF Eastern
Region’s Central Committee.

Addressing the gathering, Representative of Artsakh Robert Avetisyan talked
about the importance of the 1992 victory, and expressed hope for future
significant achievements. Avetisyan thanked the vibrant Armenian community
of Rhode Island for their continued involvement and support of Artsakh’s
aspirations to continue developing as a free and sovereign country.

On May 17, Rhode Island’s House of Representatives adopted a resolution
supporting independence of Artsakh, and calling upon the U.S. government to
recognize the sovereign NKR.

During the Artsakh Liberation War, on May 8-9, 1992 Artsakh self-defense
forces launched a military operation intended to lift the siege of
Stepanakert and end Azerbaijani bombardments of Karabakh’s capital. Shushi,
a historically Armenian town by then cleared of all its Armenian population,
became Azerbaijan’s military stronghold. After twenty-four hours of heavy
fighting, Artsakh forces liberated the town, and moved further to break the
blockade and open a corridor to Armenia. The corridor, which became known as
“Road of Life,” allowed for key supplies to enter Artsakh and make its
long-term defense possible.

* * *

The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States is based in
Washington, DC and works with the U.S. government, academia and the public
representing the official policies and interests of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic.

* * *

This material is distributed by the Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
in the USA on behalf of the Government of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. The
NKR Office is registered with the U.S. Government under the Foreign Agent
Registration Act. Additional information is available at the Department of
Justice, Washington, D.C.

From: A. Papazian

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Montevideo Chapter Looks Back on Decades of Work in Uruguay While
Celebrating AGBU’s 106th Anniversary

This April, in celebration of AGBU’s 106th anniversary, the AGBU
Montevideo Chapter brought together several distinguished guests to
its Center’s Cristal Hall. There, they looked back on decades of the
organization’s work in Uruguay, enjoying firsthand accounts of its
history as told by Verquine Bedikian, an Honorary Member and former
chapter chair, whose book, `Memories of AGBU in Uruguay: 1938-1998,’
was the central focus of the evening.

The event, which took place on Friday, April 20, 2012, was attended by
Lilian Kechichian, Uruguay’s Minister of Tourism and Sports; Ruben
Aprahamian, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia; Archbishop
Hagop Kelendjian, Primate of the Diocese of Uruguay; and Ruben
Kechichian, AGBU Central Board member and Chairman of the AGBU Buenos
Aires Chapter, who was in town for the occasion.

Guests were welcomed by AGBU Montevideo Chapter Chairman Haigazun
Moumdjian, who highlighted AGBU’s many successful programs both
worldwide and locally, before distributing grants from the AGBU
Scholarship Program to the local AGBU Alex Manoogian High School
alumni pursuing their college degrees. Following his remarks, Ruben
Kechichian addressed the audience of friends and supporters,
describing the warm relationship that the neighboring Chapters have
always shared.

Verquine Bedikian’s publication was the main attraction of the
event. In a special presentation, Cristina Takessian, the English
coordinator of the local AGBU Nubarian School and an active member of
both the AGBU Youth Committee and scouts program, spoke of Verquine
Bedikian’s various accomplishments, and roles she played in the
Armenian community as the daughter of immigrants, a mother, and a
working professional who contributed greatly to AGBU’s growth over the
years. Carlos Hergatacorzian, the former Chairman and Honorary Member
of the Montevideo Chapter, then spoke, praising Bedikian’s publication
for extensively documenting the history of the Chapter. His words were
echoed by Archbishop Kelendjian, who wrote the book’s prologue and
commended Bedikian for her commitment to AGBU.

Ruben Topalian, the Chapter’s Secretary, brought the event to a
close. He discussed the ways in which, since its founding, AGBU has
strengthened the Armenian diaspora, and how it continues to remain
flexible to meet the changing needs of its members today, while
anticipating changes it will experience in the years to come.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.

For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please
visit

From: A. Papazian

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

May 21, 2012
_______________________________________________

Following Christ to a More Dynamic Parish Ministry

At the 110th Diocesan Assembly, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian addressed the
delegates with a message outlining the qualities of Christ that we need to
follow. During the morning session on Friday, May 4, on the Diocesan theme
“Vocations: The Call to Serve-Ministry of the Faithful,” he emphasized the
importance of humility, outreach, forgiveness, compassion, sacrifice,
tolerance, and a sensitivity to the needs of others.

“Christ came to show us how to come back to God. He came to show us how to
restore God’s image in us. He taught us that if we follow his example,
practice his words as recorded in the Gospels, and learn from his parables,
we can restore God’s image in us,” Archbishop Barsamian said. “It is
important that each one of us, as a leader of the church, fully embraces
Christ’s life and follows his example.”

George Marootian, who moderated Friday morning’s discussion, drew on Bible
passages and lessons from Armenian history to illustrate the meaning of
following Christ. “God allows us to cross over at any time in our life’s
walk from eternal death to eternal life through belief in his son, Jesus
Christ,” he said.

In small groups, clergy and delegates discussed how they see the church as a
community of believers and how they make Jesus essential in their lives.
They also brainstormed ways to help others come closer to Christ through
parish programs.

Representatives from three parishes presented local models of ministry and
encouraged parish leaders to build personal relationships with parishioners.
Kary Valenziano of St. James Church of Evanston, Ill., told how her
community has been assisting immigrants from the Middle East by offering
them jobs and helping them become involved in community activities.

Ms. Valenziano also spoke about parish programs-such as the annual festival,
blood drive, and homeless outreach-that attract new members and expose the
parish to the non-Armenian community in Evanston.

Shannon Bagdigian of Holy Resurrection Church of New Britain, Conn.,
described a new organization she launched to provide spiritual nourishment
and to promote community involvement among parishioners. Titled “Hye
Angels,” the group volunteers in local soup kitchens, collects funds for
food drives, and engages in other service-oriented projects. Ms. Bagdigian
said that it has also given young people an opportunity to find a sense of
purpose and to give back to their community.

Nina Stapan of St. David Church of Boca Raton, Fla., spoke about the work of
parish organizations. She described the dedication of altar servers, as well
as the members of the choir, Women’s Guild, ACYOA, Sunday School, and other
groups. She also mentioned that the parish offers Christian education
courses to help adults learn about their faith.

The parish presentations were followed by staff testimonials from Jennifer
Morris, the Diocese’s youth outreach coordinator, and Christopher Zakian,
director of communications.

“We are all called to be disciples of Christ and to cultivate discipleship
in others,” Ms. Morris said. She went on to speak about how the programs of
the Department of Youth and Education serve as vehicles to bring the
faithful closer to Christ.

Mr. Zakian listed five ways in which the example of Jesus animates the work
of the Diocese’s Communications Department: spirituality, beauty and
elegance of expression, respect for the audience, humility before God, and
thanksgiving.

“To be able to spend your days communicating about Jesus, using the powerful
tools at our disposal to work creatively with the artifacts of our
heritage-that’s something for which to be grateful,” he said.

Before the Friday morning theme session closed, Archbishop Barsamian rose to
make a special presentation to three women who exemplified the spirit of lay
ministry. Tanya Bukucuyan, Lucy Murad, and Anne Terkanian were honored for
their leadership and devoted service to the Children of Armenia Sponsorship
Program (CASP). The program, a collaboration of the Women’s Guild Central
Council and the Fund for Armenian Relief, brings aid to Armenia’s needy
children.

“Reaching out to children in our homeland brings to life Christ’s message
about the special blessing of children,” the Primate said, “and I would like
to recognize these three women for sustaining the beautiful ministry CASP
represents.”

###

Photos attached.

Photo 1: In small groups, clergy and delegates discuss how they make Jesus
essential in their lives.
Photo 2: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian addresses delegates.

Photo 3: George Marootian moderates the discussion on lay ministry.

From: A. Papazian

TAKE TO PEOPLE
HAKOB BADALYAN

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 17:35:57 – 22/05/2012

The U.S. ambassador John Heffern met with the leader of the Heritage
Party Raffi Hovannisian and discussed the past election and the
post-election situation.

Most people certainly understood this event in the context of the
assumption that the Heritage is an “American project” and assumed,
for instance, that the ambassador wanted to comfort their “project”.

In reality, such primitive judgments are typical of the greater part of
the public and political environment of Armenia because it is easier
for the environment to imagine the world through such “projects” and
get the answers to all the questions at once and sneer at the smaller
number of people who ingenuously rack their brains to seek for and
find deeper and more serious answers to these questions and answers.

Hence, very few people wonder why Ambassador Heffern visited the leader
of the Heritage Party, whether the ambassador further plans to visit
the leader of the Armenian National Congress, for instance. Or whether
the ambassador thinks like Aram Zaven Sargsyan that only pro-Russian
forces are left in the Congress, and it is meaningless to discuss
the post-election situation with them.

However, it is possible that the visit of the ambassador has nothing
to do with the Russian or Western sentiment of this party. The problem
is other, which took John Heffern to Raffi Hovannisian first.

The point is that the Armenian National Congress seems to have closed
the chapter of mandates and announced on May 8 they will enter
parliament. Meanwhile, the Heritage has not published an official
decision yet. The representative of the Free Democrats Alik Arzumanyan
announced that they will accept the mandate but the official position
of the Heritage Party is not known yet.

It might be at this point that the U.S. ambassador sees some
unpredictability so he is interested in this party because the other
parties have stated clearly what they will be doing.

John Heffern wonders what Raffi Hovannisian will eventually do. Will
he accept his seat or the seats of the Heritage Party or not?

Since recently Raffi Hovannisian has distinguished himself by
unpredictable decisions, presumably his decision may be something
between entering and resigning from parliament.

Hovannisian may decide to enter the parliament but instead of
attending the meetings of parliament he may go to the Freedom Square,
for instance, since he thinks that the votes of the society were left
out, and the legitimate parliamentary seats are at the Freedom Square,
not in the parliament.

There Raffi Hovannisian can hold so-called alternative meetings of
parliament, form a people’s parliament, presidency, committees and
parliamentary groups.

Of course, this is one of the possible options because the Heritage
leader may think of a lot of other options, both with and without
the parliamentary seats. The question will be the reason why Raffi
will opt for that particular decision. It is only clear that it is
necessary to leave the mountains and take to people.

From: A. Papazian

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: NO PUBLIC INTEREST IN MARCH 1 CASE?

tert.am
22.05.12

The police no longer conduct monthly meetings with the journalists
interested in the investigation March 1, 2008 post-electoral turmoil
in Yerevan, the paper says, citing the police sources.

Vaghinak Zanazanyan, the chief of an investigative group dealing
with the criminal case, told the paper on Monday that they have had
no news since the publication of a recent report.

“As soon as there is something new we will initiate a meeting with
the media to tell them everything,” he was quoted as saying.

Zanazanyan also told the paper that the monthly meetings will resume
provided there is a public interest in the case.

From: A. Papazian

S. SARGSYAN SENT A LETTER OF CONDOLENCES TO ITALIAN PRESIDENT

22.05.12, 14:07

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan sent a letter of condolences to the
Italian President Giorgio Napoliatno on two tragedies which followed
each other in Italy. Press service of Armenian President informs
about this.

Serzh Sargsyan expressed his condolences towards the terrorist attack
near the college and the earthquake which took place in the North of
the country.

“I express my deep condolences about the deaths, wounded people and
the ruins.

I am sure that Italy will overcome this cruel trial. We are with you
in this hard moment for Italian nation”, the letter says.

From: A. Papazian

IRAK/DOSSIER HACHEMI : MANIFESTATION ET MENACE DE BOYCOTT CONTRE LA TURQUIE
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 22 mai 2012

Quelque 200 manifestants ont manifeste samedi devant le consulat turc
de Bassora (sud) contre le refus d’Ankara d’extrader le vice-president
irakien en fuite Tarek al-Hachemi, menacant de boycotter les interets
turcs en Irak.

Les protestataires ont incendie un drapeau turc et scande “Non a la
Turquie !” ou “Dehors les Turcs !”, alors que les relations entre
les deux pays sont tendues.

“Nous condamnons les actes et l’ingerence du gouvernement turc dans
les affaires irakiennes”, a explique Hassan Hamdi al-Izzi, chef du
Syndicat uni des travailleurs, qui organisait la manifestation.

“Ils tentent d’attiser un conflit confessionnel au sein du peuple
irakien et ils protègent le criminel Hachemi”, accuse d’avoir fomente
des meurtres et dont le procès par contumace est en cours a Bagdad,
s’est-il insurge.

“Nous donnons 15 jours a la Turquie pour repondre a nos exigences. Si
ce n’est pas le cas, nous viserons les interets de la Turquie
representes par les entreprises turques”, pouvait-on lire sur un
tract distribue lors de la manifestation.

Selon M. Izzi, il s’agirait de boycotter ces groupes et d’obtenir
leur expulsion de Bassora, grande ville portuaire du sud du pays. Le
ton est nettement monte ces derniers mois entre la Turquie et l’Irak,
qui au-dela du cas de M. Hachemi, s’opposent aussi sur des questions
politiques.

Le ministère des Affaires etrangères irakien a indique jeudi avoir
convoque l’ambassadeur de Turquie a Bagdad pour protester contre les
“activites” des consuls turcs a Bassora (sud) et Mossoul (nord). Il
s’agissait de la deuxième convocation du diplomate en moins d’un mois.

La Turquie a reproche en avril au Premier ministre irakien Nouri
al-Maliki de monopoliser le pouvoir, d'”egocentrisme” politique et de
discriminations a l’egard des groupes sunnites dans son gouvernement.

Ce dernier avait replique en accusant la Turquie, sunnite, d’etre en
train de devenir un ennemi dans la region en cherchant a la dominer
et a s’ingerer dans les affaires internes de ses voisins.

From: A. Papazian