Author: Antonian Lara

Armenian National Committee of Canada
130 Albert St., Suite 1007
Ottawa, ON
KIP 5G4
Tel. (613) 235-2622 Fax (613) 238-2622
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
June 07, 2006

Contact: Roupen Kouyoumjian
Tel. (613) 235-2622

World Premiere of “Aram’s Choice” in Ottawa

Ottawa – A novel about a group of young Armenian orphans, who were
rescued from the Armenian Genocide and brought to Canada in 1923 and
settled in Georgetown, Ont., was launched at the embassy of the Republic
of Armenia on June 7. Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, the author of “Aram’s
Choice” attended the book’s premiere.

The main character of the novel is based on Kevork Kevorkian, one of the
original “Georgetown Boys”-a group of 50 orphans who were settled in a
southern Ontario farm in the early ’20s. The novel is richly illustrated
in colour by Muriel Wood.

Victoria Cop, master of ceremony and president of the Armenian Students
Association of Ottawa, introduced Armand Hagopian, the charge d’
affaires of the embassy. The Armenian diplomat said Skrypuch’s writings
are an important tool to educate school children-the future leaders of
Canada-about the Armenian Genocide.

Aris Babikian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of
Canada (ANCC), introduce the author of “Aram’s Choice.” Babikian
recalled that he had first met Skrypuch 16 years ago, and had
collaborated with Marsha on many projects. He also acknowledged the
author’s assistance to Aram Ayvezian when the latter was writing his
memoirs as a survivor of the Armenian Genocide and his pioneering work
on Hai Tad.

Skrypuch talked about the circumstances which introduced her to the
Armenian Genocide and compelled her to write about the ethnic cleansing
of Armenians from Ottoman Turkey from 1915 to 1923. She recalled that
at the beginning the Georgetown Boys and other survivors had been
cautious about talking to her. But once she had gained their trust she
was welcomed and treated as one of the family. She also talked about her
arduous early efforts to gather data on the Georgetown Boys and the
Armenian Genocide and about the difficulties she faced in her efforts to
publish her book before the breakthrough in 1999 of “The Hunger”-her
first book on the Armenian Genocide. Since then she has published two
more books “Nobody’s Child” (2003), and “Aram’s Choice” (2006).

The author was overcome with emotion when she read short passages from
her three books. The passages encapsulated the suffering, the heroism
and survival instincts of her characters.

During Q & A, Skrypuch said she limited her research to the testimonies
of the survivors, missionaries, diplomats and other eye witnesses
accounts and reports. She also stressed that although her books are
fictions, they are based on real people and events.

At the end of reading, she presented Babikian a specially-printed poster
of “Aram’s Choice”s cover jacket as a token of appreciation for the
latter’s long-time support and friendship.

In appreciation of Skrypuch’s efforts, Armand Hagopian, charge d’
affaires of the embassy, presented the writer with a DVD of
Canadian-Armenian opera singer Isabel Bayrakdaryan’s “Long Journey Home”
and Dr. Garabed Khacherian survivor diary.

In addition to her published works, Skrypuch has two more books due for
publication in 2007. “Call me Aram” will be a sequel to “Aram’s Choice”
while “Daughter of War” a sequel to “Nobody’s Child.”

In sales, “Nobody’s Child” has been her most successful book. It was
nominated for the 2005 Red Maple Award, the 2005 Alberta Rocky Mountain
Book Award, the 2006 BC Stellar Award, and was listed by Resource Links
as one of the best books of 2004.

-30-

The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and
affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances
the concerns of the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of
issues.

Regional Chapters

Montréal – Laval – Ottawa – Toronto – Hamilton – Cambridge – St.
Catharines – Windsor – Vancouver

MAJORITY OF WELSH MEMBERS OF UK PARLIAMENT RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN AND ASSYRIAN GENOCIDES

Assyria Times, CA
June 7 2006

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Following intensive lobbying from the above
organization, over half the eligible Welsh Representatives of the UK
Parliament have signed a motion recognizing the Armenian and Assyrian
Genocide of 1915.

“This is a historic day for Wales. “There can no longer be any doubt
that Wales has recognized the Armenian and Assyrian Genocides. We will
continue to expose this government denial of the genocide in order to
protect British investment in Turkey and to further Britain’s strategic
interests in the region. Our priority will be to put the issue of
restitution and reparations for the genocide on the political agenda.

The reunification of Armenia must no longer be a taboo subject during
Turkey’s accession talks. We in Wales can raise our voice to insist
that Turkey should yield back land to the Armenian nation if she is
to accede to the European Union,” said a spokesman for Wales-Armenia
Solidarity.

SERZH SARGSYAN: NK BY ITSELF IS ALREADY A PRECEDENT

Regnum, Russia
June 8 2006

“Nagorno Karabakh by itself is already a precedent for others,” a
REGNUM correspondent reports Armenian Defense Minister and Security
Secretary Serzh Sargsyan to say to journalists after the unveiling
of a monument to the 9th world chess champion Tigran Petrossyan,
when asked if Montenegro may become a precedent.

He said that there were many precedents before Montenegro. “In
Karabakh people have held a normal referendum and have a republic
with all necessary attributes,” Sargsyan said.

To remind, on May 21 Montenegro held a referendum: 55.4% of 88%
voting Montenegrins opted for independence. On June 3 the Montenegrin
Parliament – Skupstina passed a declaration on independence. Karabakh
held an independence referendum on December 20 1991 – 99.8% of voters
said they wanted to be independent.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/07/2006
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM

1) Azerbaijan’s Refusal to Recognize MKR’s Right to Referendum renders Talks
Fruitless
2) Results Announced for CA Primaries; Krekorian Wins Democratic Primary
3) MKR Foreign Minister Meets with President of Lebanon
4) Karabagh to Hold Constitutional Referendum in December
5) Turkish Court of Appeals Overturns Dink’s Verdict
6) Federer to Face Nalbandian in Men’s Semi-Finals
7) Armenian Parliament Hosts BSEC Meeting

1) Azerbaijan’s Refusal to Recognize MKR’s Right to Referendum renders Talks
Fruitless

YEREVAN (Yerkir)–Talks aimed at resolving the Karabagh conflict do not
produce
results because Azerbaijan refuses to recognize the right of Karabagh’s people
to hold a referendum, said Vice-speaker of the Armenian parliament and
Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Bureau member Vahan Hovhannisian.
He said that people exercise their right to self-determination and express
their will via referendum.
`The point is that Nagorno Karabagh was the first to do it during the post
Soviet age, when the international community was not ready for separation from
metropolises,’ said Hovhannisian.
`When independence was proclaimed in East Timor, Eritrea, Montenegro it was
perceived as a normal phenomenon,’ said Hovhannisian, adding that it seems
`the
same variant’ will be proposed for Kosovo.

2) Results Announced for CA Primaries; Krekorian Wins Democratic Primary

Several candidates supported by the Armenian National Committee Political
Action Committee won Tuesday their respective Primary Races
One of the most important primaries took place in California’s 43rd State
Assembly District, where the main contenders were Frank Quintero and Paul
Krekorian, who had the backing of the Armenian National Committee as well as
many other Armenian community leaders.
Krekorian won the Democratic Primary with 56% of the vote and will face his
Republican challenger this November in the general election. An overwhelming
majority of Armenian American voters residing the 43rd district voted for
Krekorian.
The race for the seat turned ugly during its last few days when Quintero and
his supporters resorted to a negative campaign aimed at dividing and insulting
the Armenian electorate, creating outrage in the community.
Other winners Tuesday included: Adam Schiff with 82% of the vote in the 29th
Congress District; Dianne Feinstein with 87% of the vote for Senator; Anthony
Portantino with 43% of the vote in the 44th State Assembly District; and John
Chiang with 53% for State Controller.
In the primary race for Lieutenant Governor, Jackie Kanchelian-Speier, with
38% of the vote, lost to John Garamendi who had 43%. Marty Simonoff also lost
the Republican Primary in the 72nd State Assembly District.

3) MKR Foreign Minister Meets with President of Lebanon

The Foreign Minister of the Mountainous Karabagh Republic Georgi Petrossian
met
Tuesday with the President of Lebanon, General Emile Lahoud. Accompanying him
were, a delegation from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Lebanon
Central Committee Armenian, Armenian Ambassador to Lebanon, Vahan
Der-Ghevontian, and MKR Resettlement Coordinator, Serge Amirkhanian.
During the meeting, Petrossian and Lahoud discussed the current situation in
Karabagh and discussed ongoing efforts to help resettle Armenian refugees from
Azerbaijan.
Petrossian and Lebanese Parliament Member Hagop Pakradouni, along with the
ARF
Lebanon Central Committee delegation, also paid a visit to the Foreign
Minister
of Lebanon Faouzy Salloukh. This meeting also focused on the Karabagh
conflict.
During his visit to Lebanon, Petrossian also visited His Holiness Catholicos
Aram I and other spiritual leaders, the Aztag Daily Newspaper editorial
offices, and the families of Vicken Zakarian and Mher Choulhajian, who were
martyred during the war in Artsakh.

4) Karabagh to Hold Constitutional Referendum in December

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–The leadership of Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) will
hold a referendum next December on its draft constitution that declares
Karabagh an `independent and sovereign state,’ a senior official in
Stepanakert
said on Wednesday.
Rudik Hyusnunts, deputy speaker of the Karabagh parliament, said that the
decision was made on Monday at a meeting of a government commission that has
for years been working on the text of a first-ever Karabagh constitution. The
commission is headed by Arkady Ghoukassian, President of MKR.
`The MKR President will sign a decree to hold a referendum on the
constitutional draft on December 10,’ said Hyusnunts.
The decree can be signed only after the MKR Parliament debates and endorses
the commission’s constitutional draft. According to Hyusnunts, Parliament will
receive the draft on June 15 and open debates on it in September.
Parliament is
dominated by members of Ghoukassian’s Democratic Artsakh Party and its junior
coalition partner, the Azat Hayrenik Party.
`On December 10 we will try to reaffirm the results of our independence
referendum,’ said Hyusnunts.

5) Turkish Court of Appeals Overturns Dink’s Verdict

ISTANBUL (Armenpress)–Turkey’s National Court of Appeals overturned a ruling
of a lower court that gave a six month suspended sentence to Hrant Dink,
editor
of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos for `denigrating the
Turkishness.’
The Court of Appeals ruled that `the accusations brought against the defender
do not contain material or moral elements,’ reported Turkish daily Zaman.

6) Federer to Face Nalbandian in Men’s Semi-Finals

YEREVAN (Armenpress)The World’s top-ranked tennis player Roger Federer will
take on third-ranked David Nalbandian, an Argentinean of Armenian descent, in
Friday’s semifinals after both players posted quarterfinal victories
Tuesday at
the 2006 French Open.
David Nalbandian ousted sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in four
sets to
progress to the French Open semi-finals for the second time in three years.
Nalbandian, 24, beat Federer before, when he won the 2005 Masters Series
event
in Shanghai in 2005.
The 24 year old Federer needs the French Open to complete a career Grand
Slam.
The seven-time major titlist currently holds the Wimbledon, US Open, and
Australian Open crowns and is trying to become the first man to hold all four
Slams since Rod Laver in 1969. Only five men have won all four majors (Don
Budge, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson, Laver, and Andre Agassi).

7) Armenian Parliament Hosts BSEC Meeting

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–The 27th meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC) is underway in the Armenian Parliament building, chaired by the new
Speaker of Armenian Parliament Tigran Torosian.
The agenda at the two day meeting includes discussions on such issues as
energy security, nature protection, trade, transport and communications,
cooperation of law-enforcers, culture, and science.
Around 100 officials from 11 members of the BSEC are taking part in the
meeting, including delegates from Turkey and Azerbaijan.

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JEWISH STUDENTS CONDEMN FRENCH PARLIAMENTARIANS

AZG Armenian Daily
07/06/2006

According to “Paris Updated” website, the Union of Jewish Students of
France strongly condemned the French parliamentarians for their May
18 decision to postpone the discussion of the draft law that punishes
the genocide denials by criminal prosecution. “The excuse for the
probable consequences of Turkey’s political and economic sanctions
hurts the memory of the 1,5 million of Armenians massacred in the
Armenian Genocide in 1915,” stated the representatives of the union
at the press conference. They added that “registering the truth and
moral duty are no primary issues for the country’s political leaders.”

The French branches of other Jewish organizations, particularly,
“Crifi” and “Bney Briti” demanded that the Armenian Genocide and the
genocide in Rwanda should be acknowledged as crimes equal to Holocaust.

“Certainly, this is a very complicated issue, as it concerns the
relations of Turkey with France and Israel. But we will remain by
the side of the Armenian people until the full recognition of the
Armenian Genocide,” the “Bney Briti” representatives stated.

RAMBOUILLET REPLACED BY BUCHAREST WITH SAME UNSETTLED ISSUE, SAME EXPECTATIONS AND NO CHANGES
By Aghavni Harutyunian

AZG Armenian Daily
07/06/2006

RA president Robert Kocharian met with Ilham Aliyev, president
of Azerbaijan on June 4- 5 within the framework of Dialogue and
Cooperation Black Sea Summit. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs,
Karel de Gucht, OSCE chairman in office, Andrzej Kasprzyk, personal
representative of the OSCE chairman in office, as well as the foreign
ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were preset at the June 5 meeting.

Steven Mann, US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, stated that the June
4 Kocharian-Aliyev meeting was held “in friendly atmosphere.” Yuri
Merzliakov, Russian co-chair, said that as compared with the
negotiations in Rambouillet, the meeting in Romania was quite a
different one, “and the atmosphere was always good.” After the meeting,
Mr. Kocharian refused to make any comments on the negotiations,
as there had been no agreement on talking to the journalists.

Aliyev didn’t say anything at all. While Vartan Oskanian, RA foreign
minister, said that the sides failed to agree only about the issue that
remained unsettled at the Rambouillet meeting, though new approaches
were suggested for the settlement of that issue. According to unchecked
data, the issue concerns Kelbajar region.

Meanwhile, according to “Novosti Armenii,” Mr. Kocharian stated
in Bucharest that the militant statements of Azerbaijan that almost
aren’t connected with the discussed theme make the impression that the
other side isn’t that interested in taking serious decisions for the
settlement of Nagorno Karabakh issue. “We discuss a variant that will
help achieve long-lasting and peaceful settlement. But I don’t have
big expectations from the meeting with the president of Azerbaijan,”
Kocharian said. He also expressed surprise concerning the Azeris’
statements, according to which the issue should be settled within
the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and giving some
autonomy to Nagorno Karabakh.

Mr. Kocharian said that from the very first day of the establishment of
UN there has not been any nation that de facto achieved independence
due to its right for self-determination would change its mind and
return to the state they separated from. He added that the Armenian
people gave no grounds to think that they can act so.

The sides met at the Polish embassy in Bucharest. None makes any
comments on the place or the details of the negotiations. Daniel
Fried, US deputy State Secretary for European and Eurasian affairs,
said that the Nagorno Karabakh issue can and may have solely peaceful
settlement. Besides, Fried stated that the settlement depends on the
presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

At the same time, Peter Samneby, EU Special Representative to the
South Caucasus, refused to make comments on the current negotiations,
adding that at present, the sides have unique opportunity to settle
the conflict.

FORMAL PRESS CONFERENCE AT FOREIGN MINISTRY OF ARMENIA

Panorama.am
19:59 06/06/06

Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Parliamentary Assembly general
session will take place on June 7-8 in the National Assembly of Armenia
with the attendance of Leonidas Chrizantopulos, Secretary General of
the organization.

Taking chance of his visit, the Secretary General has come one day
earlier to discuss reforms proposed by BSEC with the newly elected
speaker of the parliament and the foreign minister of Armenia.

According to him, he has held similar meetings in Russian, the Ukraine,
Albania, Turkey. Chrizantopulos also met with A. Kirakosyan, Armenian
deputy foreign minister with who he held a joint press conference
today.

According to the speakers, BSEC aims economic cooperation one and
does not engage in political affairs. The organization is divided
into 17 fields with working groups established in each field. The
deputy minister of foreign affairs said that they are planning to
build a highway running among all BSEC member states around the
Black Sea. The scheme will be detailed in a working group composed
of transport ministers of the countries.

Since BSEC does not engage in political affairs, Chrizantopulos
declined from the answer on political processes, particularly on
Iran.

PEDAGOGUES LEFT?

A1+
[03:30 pm] 05 June, 2006

Today a statement was made according to which the members of “Amiryan”
regional pedagogic union are leaving the Orinats Yerkir party. And
as far as the pedagogues do not want to leave the political field
they have found the political power which together with which they
can “help the political-social development of the country”. That
power according to the pedagogues who left the OYP is the Armenian
Progressive Party headed by Tigran Urikhanyan.

We tried to find out from Ruzanna Babayan who had signed the statement
how many pedagogues have left the OYP for the APU. But the voicemail
of ArmenTel informed us that the telephone number mentioned in the
statement does not exist. We tried to apply to the OYP where we
were informed that the party has never had a pedagogic union named
“Amiryan”.

In the Armenian Progressive Union we were informed that the Party
accepted pedagogues long ago. As for the number, they did not go into
details but promised to give the information later.

IT WOULD BE BETTER TO REACH AGREEMENT IMMEDIATELY AFTER MAY 12 1994,
VLADIMIR KAZIMIROV SAYS

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “Undoubtedly, after
Nagorno Karabakh ceased to take part in the negotiations process, a
step back was done,” Ambassador Vladimir Kazimirov, former
Plenipotentiary of RF President on Nagorno Karabakh, Co-chairman of
OSCE Minsk Group from Russia (1992-1996), declared to Noyan Tapan
correspondent. According to him, in the decisions of OSCE Budapest
summit of 1994 at the level of the heads of the states, as well as in
the mandate of the Minsk conference Co-chairmen it was written that
the negotiations should be conducted between the conflict sides: “No
word “state” is mentioned there, there is no clause mentioning that
the negotiations should be conducted by sovereign states. Whereas, the
decisions of the Budapest summit of 1994 are the highest ones, as
summits at the level of foreign ministers were conducted only after
this,” Ambassador Kazimirov declared. He reminded that in the first
half of the 90-s the western powers did not like Russia’s active role.

In particular, according to him, nothing about the already established
ceasefire was said in the resolution of the OSCE Permanent Council of
May 19 1994 that met in Vienna. “The things even reached the point
that representatives of some western countries demanded that the
agreement be signed in another city but not only in Moscow. Whereas,
the agreement prepared with Moscow’s active participation worked while
all the previous agreements were failing,” V.Kazimirov declared. (NT:
the agreement “On Ceasefire” was signed among Armenia, Nagorno
Karabakh and Azerbaijan with Russia’s mediation on May 12 1994 in
Moscow). According to him, no terms of action were specially mentioned
in the text of this document for the agreement to work termlessly. ”

One more useful resolution was found in July 1994, which was accepted
by all sides and figured in public statements, including the highest
level, according to which ceasefire will be observed by the sides
until concluding an agreement on ceasing the armed conflict.” However,
in Vladimir Kazimirov’s opinion, “it would be better to reach
agreement immediately after the agreement “On Ceasefire” signed on May
12 1994, as the inertia of the agreement on truce permitted to move
forward,” whereas, the moment was missed.

The Anatolian Times, Turkey
June 2 2006

A Resolution Submitted To British Parliament About Genocide Committed
By Belgium In Congo

ANKARA – A resolution was submitted to the British parliament for
recognition of genocide committed by Belgium in Congo.
The resolution submitted to the parliament upon initiatives of the
British-Turkish Dialogue Committee calls on Belgium to acknowledge
the massacres it committed in today’s Democratic Republic of Congo
(formerly known as Belgian Congo and Zaire) between the years of 1885
and 1908, and to apologize from Congolese people.

Members of the British-Turkish Dialogue Committee held a series of
talks with British MPs after a resolution was submitted to the
Belgian parliament with the aim of punishing individuals who deny the
so-called Armenian genocide.

They also met Andrew Dismore, one of the architects of the resolution
on Armenian claims.

Committee members told Dismore that Turkish-Armenian war tragedy was
a reciprocal tragedy, it could not be defined as a genocide, and
asked his support for a resolution about the massacres committed by
Belgium in Congo.

A detailed study was carried out on basis of the official library
records of the British parliament and Dismore submitted the
resolution to the parliament on May 24th.

A total of 13 British MPs have signed the resolution so far.
Signature of at least 50 MPs is required for the resolution for its
inclusion in the parliamentary agenda.

In 1998, Belgian parliament made a decision, recognizing the
so-called Armenian genocide and calling on Turkey to accept it.

Committee members said that Belgium did not have the right to make
such a call, and should deal with its history first.