Author: Antonian Lara

BBC MONITORING QUOTES FROM THE TURKISH PRESS 27 AUGUST 2007

BBC
Aug 27 2007

The following is a selection of quotes from articles and commentaries
published in the 27 August 07 editions of Turkish newspapers:

Presidential election

Hurriyet (centre-right)

"Wheter we accept it or not, Abdullah Gul will tomorrow be chosen
as the 11th President of The Republic of Turkey… Thus, thanks to
Hayrunnisa Gul [Gul’s wife], the politicized version of the headscarf
will enter Cankaya (the presidential residence)… We are worried that
the whole world will misunderstand the event and see Turkey as an
‘underdeveloped Middle Eastern country’. What can we do? Our people
and distinguished statesmen wanted it so." (Commentary by Rahmi Turan)

Cumhuriyet (secular, Kemalist)

"Elections are just one of the preconditions of democracy. However, one
cannot achieve democracy just by elections. It is also a condition of
democracy to criticize the elections that ignored the basic democratic
principles… As Mr Gul, who will be chosen president in the elections
that will be held tomorrow, does not symbolize a compromise in Turkey,
he is not a choice for peace and trust but for discontent." (Editorial)

Yeni Safak (liberal, pro-Islamic)

"The discussions on the ‘new [government] term’, which have been given
secondary importance because of the presidential election crisis,
will begin with the formation of a government, the establishment of a
government programme and putting urgent subjects on the agenda… [This
time], the AKP [ruling Justice and Development Party] will not face
many of the problems it faced in the past. The guarantees of this
are the powerful support of the people, the parliamentary majority
and the president who will be chosen by majority." (Commentary by
Koray Duzgoren)

Iraq

Hurriyet

"The real question is not the ability of [Iraqi Prime Minister] Maliki
or the level of influence of the neighbouring countries of Iraq. The
real problem is to what extent the US Administration wants to share
the destiny of Iraq with Iraq’s neighbours and the international
community. Similar to the fact that the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party]
settling in northern Iraq is actually the USA’s responsibility, it
is again the US Administration who is responsible for the failure of
the Maliki government." (Commentary by Ferai Tinc)

Armenian issue

Radikal (centre-left)

"It is obvious that the Jewish lobby did not like Hamas leader Halid
Mashal’s having been received in Ankara, and Ankara almost reaching
a deal on natural gas with Iran. However, for now it is impossible
to know whether a feeling of punishing Ankara has played a role in
all that have been experienced [last week when two Jewish lobbies in
Washington declaring that they would support Armenia]. What is known
is that the Anti-Defamation League [one of these two Jewish lobbies]
has opened Pandora’s box. A very painful process will start if the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide gains strength through support
for a bill in the US Congress." (Commentary by Ceyda Karan)

Milliyet (centrist)

"If the ‘Armenian Genocide bill’, which has received sufficient
support, is put on the agenda by the US Congress Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
it will pass. It is said that Pelosi stopped because of the events
in Iraq now… The countries like the UK and Israel do not recognize
the Armenian Genocide not because they do not believe in this but
because of their national interests." (Commentary by Semih Idiz)

RA PRIME MINISTER VISITS LORI AND ARMAVIR

armradio.am
27.08.2007 12:12

RA Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan has left for Lori Marz to take part
in the ceremony of burial of Marz Prosecutor Albert Ghazaryan.

Later in the evening, the Prime Minister will travel to Armavir Marz
to attend the opening ceremony for Lernagog village secondary school
which has been refurbished by Armenia’s Children Foundation.

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Aug 25 2007

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry: Armenian Armed Forces Violate Ceasefire
Agreement in Different direction

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend E.Huseynli / On 24 and 25 August
divisions of the Armenian Armed Forces fired at the National Army of
Azerbaijan using machine and sub-machine guns from their positions
located in 1.6km northeast of Tahirbeyli villages of Azerbaijan’s
district of Agdam from 23.10 to 23.30 and in 2km of northeast of
Garashli village of Agdam from 04.35 to 05.00, according to the
Azerbaijani Defence Ministry.

The National Army of Azerbaijan retaliated and no casualties were
reported.

Over the past three months, several soldiers of the Azerbaijani
National Army have been killed as a result of frequent violation of
the ceasefire agreement by the Armenian Armed Forces in the
directions of Agdam, Terter and Goranboy districts.

Adgam is located in 375km of Baku, Terter in 350km and Goranboy in
320km.

Washington Post
Aug 26 2007

War-torn region gets a lift from Armenian exiles

By Hasmik Lazarian
Reuters
Sunday, August 26, 2007; 7:38 PM

STEPANAKERT, Azerbaijan (Reuters) – The unrecognized Caucasian
statelet of Nagorno-Karabakh, almost completely penned in by a
military and economic blockade, is enjoying an unlikely boom thanks
to the patriotism of Armenia’s foreign diaspora.

Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave inside Azerbaijan with a majority ethnic
Armenian population, declared independence in 1991 as the Soviet
Union fell apart. It drove out Azerbaijan’s troops in a war that
claimed 35,000 lives over six years.

Today, it runs its own affairs but has no international recognition.
Under blockade from Azerbaijan, with which it is still technically at
war, its only practical connection with the outside world is through
the Lachin Corridor — a strip of a land with a single major road
linking it to Armenia.

But its situation has struck a chord with the millions of ethnic
Armenians in France, the United States and Australia, who feel it is
their vocation to help.

"I swore an oath to help my motherland and my conscience is clear
because I am doing my duty," said Jack Abolakian, a 74-year-old from
Australia, who first came to Nagorno-Karabakh seven years ago on a
four-day holiday with his wife.

He struggled to find anywhere to stay, and when he did, conditions
were primitive. He decided to open a hotel in the capital,
Stepanakert.

A few months later, the Hotel Nairi opened on the site of a
kindergarten destroyed in the war. With 46 rooms offering Internet
access and satellite television, and a tennis court, it provided a
level of luxury unheard of in Stepanakert.

Abolakian, who divides his time between Nagorno-Karabakh and his
construction firm in Australia, is now planning to build a housing
development in the city.

"We’re happy with our business. If you compare it with the amount of
money we put in, it’s a success," said Abolakian, who was born in
Syria after his family fled what is now Turkey.

BROADER STRUGGLE

But most of the investors who come to Nagorno-Karabakh are seeking
more than just financial gain.

The region has a powerful pull for the Armenian diaspora because many
see it as part of a broader struggle for survival by a tiny, ancient
Christian nation surrounded by Muslim neighbors.

Among those tying their lives to the region is Vardeks Anivyan, from
San Francisco, who has opened a dairy plant.

An entrepreneur from Russia has opened a wood processing factory
while Armond Tahmazyan, a 41-year-old ethnic Armenian born in Iran,
has set up a chain of gift shops.

Investors such as these have helped Nagorno-Karabakh notch up annual
economic growth averaging 15 percent in the past five years.

Because of its isolation and precarious legal status, the region of
about 140,000 people is unlikely to become a major business magnet in
the near future. It depends on an annual loan of about $60 million
from Armenia to stay afloat.

About 1.5 million Armenians were killed in Ottoman Turkey early last
century in what Armenians call a genocide, although Turkey rejects
the term.

Most of the Armenian diaspora around the world can trace their
origins to ancestors who fled the killings.

Many of them saw the war over Nagorno-Karabakh, known in Armenian as
"Artsakh," as a continuation of that conflict: an Armenian community
fighting for survival against Azeris, who have close linguistic and
cultural ties to the Turks.

Azerbaijan denies the region was historically Armenian. It says the
fighting drove out about a million Azeris from Nagorno-Karabakh and
surrounding districts. Many still live in refugee camps.

"Any actions by any companies or organizations on the territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh have no legal force," said Hazar Ibrahim, press
secretary in Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry.

"Their work in the occupied territories contradicts the norms and
principles both of international law and Azerbaijan’s legislation."

That has not dissuaded diaspora Armenians. A handful of them fought
with the separatists in the war. Since a 1994 ceasefire, the region
has become a place of pilgrimage for Armenians from around the world.

A telethon last year in Los Angeles raised $13.7 million for
development and infrastructure projects in Nagorno-Karabakh from
communities across the United States and elsewhere.

Tahmazyan, the Iranian-Armenian businessman, moved to Stepanakert
eight years ago. Married to an Australian woman, he now runs the
successful Nreni chain of souvenir shops, and has no plans to leave:

"We are staying here … God willing."

(Additional reporting by Lada Yevgrashina in Baku)

t/article/2007/08/26/AR2007082601042.html

ARMENIAN EX-LEADER TO ANNOUNCE PLANS TO BID FOR PRESIDENCY

Mediamax news agency
23 Aug 07
Yerevan

A member of the Armenian Pan-National Movement board has said that
former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan will announce his intention to
run for presidency at a party congress in late September.

"Ter-Petrosyan is capable of ensuring the people’s unity and
counteracting present-day challenges and increasing threats to
Armenia’s independence," Aram Manukyan told Arminfo news agency.

Manukyan added that political consultations are under way to discuss
the possibility of nominating Per-Petrosyan as the opposition’s single
candidate, the agency said.

The next presidential election in Armenia will be held in 2008. Levon
Ter-Petrosyan was Armenian president in 1991-98.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
August 23, 2007
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
Email: [email protected]

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY CELEBRATES OPENING OF WESTERN REGION OFFICE IN
PASADENA, CA

Pasadena, CA – Armenian-American community leaders and supporters joined
the Armenian Assembly of America in celebrating the official opening of
its new Western Region Office in Pasadena, California, home to more than
25,000 Armenian-Americans and represented by Congressman Adam Schiff
(D-CA).

The Assembly hosted an open house on August 11th to welcome members of
the community to the new office, located in a 1930’s historic building
in Old Town Pasadena. Special guests included Armenian Consul General
Armen Liloyan and Reverend Khoren Babouchian, representing Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian
Apostolic Church. The offices of Congressmen Schiff and Brad Sherman
(D-CA), California State Senator Jack Scott (D-Pasadena) and California
State Assembly Member Paul Krekorian (D-Glendale) were also represented.

Representatives from the following organizations were also on hand:
Armenian Council of America, Armenian Democratic Liberal Organization,
California Armenia Trade Office and Social Democratic Hnchakian Party.

"We wish you continued success in your new location," Liloyan told
guests. "We are sure that this will enable the Armenian Assembly to
accomplish even more for Armenian-Americans and Armenia. On behalf of
the Armenian Government, we appreciate the work of the Armenian Assembly
and we look forward to continued cooperation."

"We look forward to continuing to serve the Armenian community in the
Western United States and the Republic of Armenia from our base in
Pasadena," said Richard Mushegain, chairman of the Assembly’s Western
Region Office and a member of the Board of Trustees.

The Assembly’s Western Office was previously located in Beverly Hills.
The new office is located at 16 N. Marengo Avenue, Suite 305, Pasadena,
CA 91101. To contact the office, please call 626-577-0025.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly 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#2007-095

Editor’s Note: Photograph available on the Assembly’s Web site at the
following links:

ges/PRESS_RELEASES_2007/Aug_23
__2007-095.jpg

Caption: L to R: Assembly Western Office Director Lena Kaimian,
Armenian Consul General Armen Liloyan, Assembly Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny, Assembly Board of Directors Member Richard Mushegain and
Reverend Khoren Babouchian, who represented Archbishop Moushegh
Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
August 22, 2007
Phone: (202) 393-3434
Web:
E-mail: [email protected]

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY WELCOMES CONGRESSMAN BISHOP’S PLEDGE TO JOIN THE
ARMENIAN CAUCUS

Salt Lake City, Utah – At the urging of the Armenian Assembly of
America, Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT) has pledged to join the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, making him the first
Representative from the state of Utah to join this 155-member body.

"I’m proud to join the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues," Bishop
told the Assembly. "I look forward to working with my Caucus colleagues
to help ensure that Armenian-American issues are represented in
Washington."

Assembly Western Office Director Lena Kaimian and ARAMAC activist Berge
Depoyan met with Bishop at his district office in Ogden, Utah to discuss
issues facing the Armenian community and to encourage the lawmaker’s
membership to the Caucus. During their August 7th meeting, Kaimian and
Depoyan discussed the importance of U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian
Genocide and briefed the Congressman on the status of H. Res. 106, the
Armenian Genocide resolution pending in the House of Representatives.

"We welcome Congressman Bishop’s decision to join the Caucus as a result
of direct meetings with the Assembly," said Kaimian. "The Congressman
has been highly receptive to our issues. We look forward to working with
him and his colleagues on issues critical to Armenian-Americans and
Armenia."

Bishop serves on the House Armed Services, Education and Labor, and
Natural Resources Committees.

While in Utah, Kaimian also met with the office of Congressman Chris
Cannon (R-UT) to discuss Armenian legislative issues pending before
Congress, including the Armenian Genocide resolution.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly 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#2007-094

ARMENIA IS NOT A "NOSTALGIC, ROMANTIC" HOMELAND

Panorama.am
18:57 21/08/2007

"For years, the Genocide has been the only motivator for Diaspora
Armenians," Lebanese Armenian Asbed Koochigian stated at the "Friday
Club." He added that for the new generation of Armenians, Armenia isn’t
merely a place of nostalgia, as it was for their parents’ generation.

"We don’t have the pretension that all Armenians need to look at
Armenia as a homeland. This is fine, let everyone look at things
their own way. But let them look at Armenia as a real place, with a
government, not as a place for nostalgia," he said, adding "the idea of
homeland has a different meaning for different people. For the third
or fourth generation American-Armenian the homeland is, for example,
Kharberd, but when they see Armenia as a state, an organic state,
their ideas will change, and they will say ‘this is my Armenia.’"

3325 North Glenoaks Blvd. Burbank, CA 91504
Tel: (818) 558-7474 Fax: (818) 558-6333
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

======================== ====
WESTERN DIOCESE E-NEWSLETTER
===========================
Diocesan News
—————–

PRIMATE VISITS SUMMER CAMP

On July 30th, 2007 His Eminence Abp. Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the
Western Diocese, visited the second week session of the Diocesan
Summer Camp.
( php?id=549)

THE PRIMATE AND MR. ARMEN HAMPAR ATTEND LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERVISORS MEETING

On the morning of July 31st, the Diocesan Mother Cathedral Building
Committee Chairperson, Mr. Armen Hampar and His Eminence Abp. Hovnan
Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese attended the meeting of the
Los Angeles Board of Supervisors.
( /story.php?id=550)

ABP. SUREN KATAROYAN VISITS THE DIOCESE

Abp. Suren Kataroyan visited the Headquarters of the Western Diocese
on July 31st, and met with his Eminence Abp. Hovnan Derderian.
( tory.php?id=551)

ST. SARKIS ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH PARISH COUNCIL MEETS WITH THE PRIMATE

St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church’s newly appointed Parish
Council along with Archpriest Fr. Nareg Matarian, pastor, met with
Diocesan Primate Abp. Hovnan Derderian on Tuesday, July 31st at the
Diocesan Headquarters.
( s/story.php?id=552)

MEETINGS AT THE DIOCESE

On July 30th – August 4th, 2007 the Primate presided over
several meetings at the Diocesan Headquarters.
( s/story.php?id=553)

PILGRIMAGE TO THE DIOCESE

On August 2nd, a group of pilgrims from St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic
Church of Fowler visited the Diocesan Headquarters led by Parish
Priest Fr. Yeghia Hairabedian.
( /story.php?id=554)

THE PRIMATE MEETS WITH PASADENA HOVSEPIAN SCHOOL BOARD

We are happy to announce that the Primate has remained focused on
St. Gregory Armenian Church of Pasadena’s Alfred and Margret
Hovsepian School.
( y.php?id=555)

JOINT CHOIR MEETING

On Saturday morning, August 4th, at the Diocesa Headquarters, the
Primate held a meeting with the Central Council of the Choir
Association of the Western Diocese.
( ry.php?id=556)

MASIS WEEKLY 27TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

On the afternoon of Sunday August 5th, Masis Weekly’s 27th
Anniversary was celebrated during a private reception.
( tory.php?id=558)

BONE MARROW FUNDRAISING

On Sunday, August 5th, a special event was organized to raise funds
for the Bone Marrow Foundation where Fr. Zaven Markosyan and
Dn. Dickran Gharibjanian attended on behalf of the Primate.
( ry.php?id=559)

Upcoming Events
—————–

8/26: Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles Celebrates the 80th
Anniversary of the Western Diocese
( detail.php?id=61)
9/15: Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles Celebrates the 80th Anniversary
of the Western Diocese
( detail.php?id=62)

============================
Th e Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, providing
spiritual guidance and leadership to the Armenian Apostolic community,
is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization comprised of 47
churches in 16 western states. It was established in 1898 as the
Diocese of the Armenian Church encompassing the entire United States
and Canada. In 1927 the Western Diocese was formed to exclusivly serve
the western United States.

ARMRоSGASPROM: RUSSIAN GAS FLOW TO ARMENIA TO BE CEASED BECAUSE OF KAVKAZ-ZAKAVKAZIE PIPELINE REPAIR

ARKA
Aug 20, 2007

YEREVAN, August 20. /ARKA/. Russian gas flow to Armenia will be ceased
because of Kavkaz-Zakavkazie pipeline repair, Shushan Sardaryan,
press secretary of Armenian-Russian ArmRosgaspeom CJSC, said on Monday.

She told ARKA News Agency that the gas supply was ceased on Monday
and will be resumed in six days.

Armenian consumers will have their gas supply uninterrupted – they
will receive gas from Abovyan underground depot.

Sardaryan said that on Monday from 9:00 a.m. to 23:00 p.m., Yerevan’s
some districts and two villages in Kotayk will do without gas. But
cutoff here is due to the work on gas-conveying network enlargement,
not Russian gas supply.

"This is a mere coincidence, and is not caused by gas pipeline
breakdown", the press secretary said.

ArmRosgasprom CJSC enjoys monopoly on importing and distributing
Russian gas in Armenia.

Russian gas comes to Armenia through Georgia. The company was
established in 1997. Its capital totals $398.8mln.

The company’s shares belong to Russian Gasprom (57.59%),
Armenian Energy Ministry (34.7%) and Itera Oil and Gas Company
(7.71%).

–Boundary_(ID_76nRxXnkBIS+sGkrK rp6iw)–