Author: Antonian Lara

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
MARCH 30, 2006
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN ATTENDS
MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CEREMONY
On Monday (March 27) His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan attended the
ceremony of the signing of a five-year, $235.65 million Compact between the
Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Republic of Armenia.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation was established in 2004 following
President Bush’s call for a “new compact for global development.” With
funds provided by Congress, the Corporation provides aid to those countries
that “rule justly, invest in their people, and encourage economic
freedom.”
Attending and addressing the gathering were Ambassador John J.
Danilovich, Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation
(MCC) and Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State and chair of the MCC Board.
The Compact was signed by Ambassador Danilovich and His Excellency Vardan
Khachatryan, Minister of Finance and Economy of the Republic of Armenia.
Also attending were Ambassador John Evans, U.S. Ambassador to the
Republic of Armenia; His Excellency Tatoul Markarian, Ambassador to the
United States from the Republic of Armenia; His Excellency Vardan Oskanian,
Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia; Mr. Vahran Nercissiantz,
Economic Advisor to the President of Armenia; and Mr. Kenneth Hackett, MCC
Board member.
The main goal of the Compact-a five-year program-is to reduce rural
poverty in Armenia. About 750,000 people, or 75% of the rural population,
are expected to benefit from the economic advances achieved through the
Compact.
“GENOCIDE THEN AND NOW” AT UNITED NATIONS
Archbishop Oshagan and V. Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian attended a forum,
“Genocide Then and Now: Lessons Learned for the 21st Century,” at the
United Nations this afternoon, Thursday, March 30. Speakers included:
Ibrahim Gambari, Under Secretary General, Special Advisor on Africa at the
UN; Vahakn Dadrian, Director of Genocide Research, Zoryan Institute; and
Juan Mendez, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on the Prevention
of Genocide. Ms. Andrea Kanapell, Assistant Foreign Editor of the New York
Times, moderated the discussion. The forum discussed the first and last
genocides of the 20th century with respect to lessons learned for the 21st
century and for United Nations reforms.
PRELATE AND VICAR VISIT THE ELDERLY
Yesterday morning, Wednesday, March 29, Archbishop Oshagan and V. Rev.
Fr. Anoushavan, paid a visit to the Old Age Home in Flushing, New York,
where they conducted a Lenten Arevakal (Sunrise) service for the residents,
followed by personal visits.
In the afternoon the Prelate and the Vicar went to St. Sarkis Church in
Douglaston, New York, where they shared lunch and fellowship with the
church’s seniors group.
VICAR TO ATTEND PREVIEW OF PBS DOCUMENTARY
V. Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar General, will attend a preview of
the PBS documentary on the Armenian Genocide, produced by Andrew Goldberg,
on Monday, April 3. The documentary (without the controversial panel
discussion) is scheduled to be shown on the PBS station in the New York area
(channel 13) on Monday, April 17, at 10 pm. Contact your local PBS station
for scheduled viewings in your area.
PRELATE WILL ATTEND SERVICES AT ST. ILLUMINATOR CATHEDRAL
Archbishop Oshagan will attend and preside over the Divine Liturgy at St.
Illuminator’s Cathedral, 221 East 27th Street, New York City, this Sunday,
April 2.
LENTEN SERIES CONCLUDES NEXT WEEK
The final Lenten meditation will take place next Wednesday, April 5. V.
Rev. Fr. Daniel Garabedian will conclude this year’s Lenten series on the
popular prayer by St. Nerses Shnorhali, “In Faith I Confess” (Havadov
Khosdovanim), focusing on the final three stanzas (22 to 24) of the prayer.
The Lenten programs take place Wednesdays during Lent at St.
Illuminator’s Cathedral, 221 East 27th Street, New York City. Husgoom
Service begins at 7:30 pm, followed by a short mediation at 8 pm. The
evening concludes with a light Lenten dinner and fellowship. The annual
Lenten program is sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council
(AREC) and the Prelacy Ladies Guild.
BIBLE STUDY CONTINUES AT PRELACY
The 8-session Bible study, based on the Book of Revelation, continues at
the Prelacy, 138 E. 39th Street, New York City, this Monday, April 3.
Sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the classes
are conducted by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, executive director of AREC. The
sessions take place on the first and third Mondays. For information,
[email protected] or 212-689-7810.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
CULTURE OF CILICIAN ARMENIA
An International Conference on the “Culture of Cilician Armenia” will
take place next year through the initiative and patronage of His Holiness
Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, in cooperation with the
Mashtots Matenadaran of Yerevan.
The conference is scheduled to take place January 18 to 20, 2007, in
Antelias, Lebanon. The conference will cover many aspects of Cilician
Armenia including history, education, law, art, economics, and ethnography.
For more information visit the following two web sites:
and
ARMENIAN FESTIVAL AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
The Armenian Club at Columbia University is hosting an outdoor Armenian
Festival this Sunday, April 2, 1 to 5 pm. The Festival which will feature
food and entertainment will take place on the campus at Low Plaza, 116th
Street and Broadway, New York City. Admission is free.
ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR COMMITMENT TO THE PIT
This Saturday, April 1, the Armenian Church commemorates one of three
days in the Armenian liturgical calendar in memory of St. Gregory the
Illuminator, the founder of the Armenian Church. The three days are:
Entrance into the Pit; Emergence from the Pit, and Discovery of his remains.
This Saturday is the commemoration of his commitment to the pit, or deep
dungeon (Khor Virap).
Gregory stood steadfast to his faith and refused to renounce Christ. He
endured many tortures and his final punishment was banishment into a deep
pit (Khor Virap), where he remained for 14 years. Miraculously he survived
the ordeal, thanks in large part to a woman (whose identity is not known)
who secretly lowered food into the pit.
Khor Virap is now a popular pilgrimage site. The church of St.
Asdvatsatsin built on the site dates to the 17th century. The area is one of
the most beautiful in Armenia.
SUNDAY OF ADVENT
This Sunday, April 2, is the Sunday of the Advent (Galstyan Kiraki), the
last Sunday of Lent. On Advent Sunday we are asked to ponder on the mystery
of the first coming of Christ and especially His second coming, which is
mentioned in the prayers read this Sunday. Christ came to the world for the
salvation of humankind. He will come again for the judgment of sinners, and
when the righteous will become worthy of entering the Kingdom of God.
Advent Sunday has its own special hymn, which proclaims that the apostles
knew the mystery of the advent of Christ. The story of the expulsion from
paradise is repeated and an appeal is made to Christ to ask the Heavenly
Father to establish peace on earth.
SPRING FORWARD….
Yes, it is that time of the year again. Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins
2 a.m. Sunday, April 2. So, turn your clocks one hour ahead. The main
purpose of DST is to make better use of daylight. Supposedly it also saves
energy. Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii and the
territories of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa are the
only places in the United States that do not observe DST but instead stay on
“standard time” all year long. Perhaps those areas just don’t need
another hour of sunlight!
For the past twenty years the dates of clock changes have been the first
Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October. This will change in 2007 to
the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November, thus adding
about a month to daylight saving time.
Don’t forget to set your clocks one hour ahead this Sunday.
WINTER PLANNING TURNS INTO SPRING PLANTING
Winter in the garden is a great time. While the snow covers the ground
and sub-freezing temperatures harden the soil, a diehard gardener’s mind
turns to catalogs and paper grids marking all the hoped for crops with the
coming of spring. Like most things, it looks so easy on paper. Then the
reality of spring brings expectations down a notch or two once you are
outdoors tools in hand. But still, those winter dreams are so vital to the
overall success of a garden and to the human spirit. My father used to live
from planting season to planting season. The winter months were filled with
anticipation, as he instructed my sisters to order this and that from the
various catalogs he loved to peruse until his eyesight gave way. The year he
stopped talking about the approaching spring and the planting that needed to
be done, I knew he would not see another spring. He died in early March of
2001, at age 96, and that year for the first time in memory his abundant
garden remained unplanted and dormant.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
April 2-Annual Ladies Guild Lenten Luncheon, Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church,
Whitinsville, Massachusetts. Immediately following church services.
April 2-Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, 635 Grove Street,
Worcester, Massachusetts, traditional Lenten Dinner in Danielian Hall
immediately following church services. For additional information,
508-852-2414.
April 8-Ladies Guild Annual Bake Sale, 10 a.m., Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church,
Whitinsville, Massachusetts.
April 17-“The Armenian Genocide,” a new documentary will be shown on most
PBS stations. Please check your local listings.
April 23-Commemoration of the 91st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at
Times Square-the crossroads of the world. Organized by the Mid-Atlantic
Knights and Daughters of Vartan, co-sponsored by ArmenPac and with
participation of area Armenian organizations. Featuring Prof. Israel W.
Charny, Andrew Goldberg, Edward Korkoian, Asien Surmeian, Annie Totah, Aram
Hamparian, Curtis Sliwa, and more. More details to follow.
April 29-Presentation by comedian Vahe Berberian at St. Sarkis Church,
Douglaston, New York. For details 718-224-2275.
May 5-Reunion of all students beginning from the 1930s who attended St.
Illuminator Armenian School in New York. Dinner Dance at Terrace on the
Park, Corona, NY. For reservations or information contact the St.
Illuminator’s Day School, 718-478-4073.
May 7-Mothers’ Day celebration at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York.
May 8-Mothers’ Day Luncheon by Prelacy Ladies Guild, St. Regis, New York
City.
May 12-Exhibition of the works of artist Emma Gregoryan at the Prelacy, 138
E. 39th Street, New York City.
May 13-Dinner-Dance organized by the St. Sarkis Church Ping-Pong Club. For
details 718-224-2275.
May 17-19-National Representative Assembly (NRA), hosted by Sts. Vartanantz
Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey.
May 16 and 17-Conference of Yeretzgeens in conjunction with the National
Representative Assembly, hosted by Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New
Jersey.
May 20-Saturday School year end Hantes, St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New
York.
May 21-Sunday School year end Hantes, St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New
York.
Visit our website at

NEW TENSIONS COMPLICATE RELATIONS BETWEEN BAKU AND TEHRAN
By Fariz Ismailzade
Regnum, Russia
March 30 2006
More than 600 representatives of Azerbaijani diaspora organizations
in 49 countries assembled in Baku on March 16 for the second World
Azerbaijani Congress. The event was organized by the State Committee
on the Affairs of Azerbaijanis Living Abroad, which was established
in 2003 by a decree from then-President Heydar Aliyev to help unite
all Azerbaijanis abroad.
The event was grandiose both in scale and impact. The goal of showing
the unity of millions of Azerbaijanis around the world for the sake
of an independent, strong, and prosperous Azerbaijan was achieved.
The Congress discussed issues regarding coordination among the
Azerbaijani diaspora organizations, strengthening relations with other
nations’ diaspora organizations, promoting information about Azerbaijan
around the world, and building relations with foreign governments.
As a result of the Congress’ work, a new strategy was developed
regarding the activities of the Azerbaijani diaspora in other countries
and the joint activities of the Azerbaijani and Turkish diaspora
organizations. Moreover, Congress participants adopted a resolution
addressed to Azerbaijanis around the world, foreign governments,
and international organizations regarding Armenian aggression toward
Azerbaijan.
Yet, the Congress made news not so much for its work, but for a row
that erupted between Azerbaijan and Iran after the Congress. The
Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Afshar Suleymani, reacted
very angrily and emotionally to the speeches given at the World
Azerbaijani Congress by some representatives of Azerbaijani diaspora
organizations in Europe. These delegates called for the unification
of North Azerbaijan (the independent Republic of Azerbaijan) and South
Azerbaijan (in northern Iran, populated by Azerbaijanis and considered
by Azerbaijanis as part of a once-unified Azerbaijani state). The
speech by Javad Derekhti, an Azerbaijani from the Iranian Azerbaijan,
was particularly provocative, because he talked about human rights
violations suffered by ethnic Azerbaijanis in Iran (Trend News Agency,
March 16).
The Treaty of Turkmanchai in 1828, which ended the three-decade
Russian-Iranian War eventually divided Azerbaijan into two parts
along the banks of the Araz River. It is estimated that more than 25
million ethnic Azerbaijanis currently live in Iran, but they have no
rights to be educated in their native language and any attempts to
organize movements for cultural autonomy are strongly repressed by
the authorities in Tehran. Iran is extremely touchy about this issue
and has kept its distance from official Baku for most of the 1990s
exactly because of the issue of Azerbaijani separatism in Iran.
Suleymani tore into these speeches in a press release from the Iranian
embassy on March 17. “Iran is deeply upset about the participation
of some anti-Iranian elements in the Congress and their provocative
statements on the issues of Iran’s domestic affairs,” it read. “The
Embassy considers these steps to contradict the friendly relations
between the brotherly nations and those commitments taken by the
Azerbaijani government in the treaty of 2002, sighed in Tehran. The
Embassy is very surprised about the references at the Congress
to the Turkmanchai Treaty of 1828 and mentioning Azerbaijan as a
divided country.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry also sent a protest note to the
Azerbaijani ambassador in Iran. The row intensified after remarks
by the Iranian ambassador regarding Azerbaijani poets Nizami and
Shahriyar, whom he called “Iranian poets.” This caused an immediate
protest from the Azerbaijani Writers Union, saying, “The Union deeply
regrets and is surprised that the ambassador made such remarks and
demands an immediate end to such uneducated discoveries” (APA News
Agency, March 24).
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to the Iranian
ambassador’s complaints by asking him to calm his emotions. Speaking
at a press conference the next day, Tahir Tagi-zadeh, the head of
the informational department of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign
Affairs said, “The speeches made at the World Azerbaijani Congress
by representative of the public organizations are their personal
opinions. The emotional speeches of the ambassadors might spoil
the cooperation based on the principles of friendship and good
neighborliness” (day.az, March 17).
Nazim Ibrahimov, head of the State Committee on the Affairs of
Azerbaijanis Living Abroad, also downplayed the significance of
speeches, saying they were private opinions of Congress participants.
“The State Committee has functioned for three years already, and we
have never interfered in the internal issues of Iran” he explained
(AzTV, March 20).
The issue continues to be a hot topic of discussion in the local
press, with a majority of Azerbaijani politicians and intelligentsia
condemning the actions of the Iranian ambassador and calling for a
renewed discussion of the human rights situation of Azerbaijanis in
Iran. Yet some diplomats and experts in the country believe that the
Iranian ambassador’s remarks were intentionally aggressive, meant to
scare off the United States from using the ethnic card to weaken the
regime in Tehran.

POINT OF VIEW: THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Florida Baptist Witness, FL
March 30 2006
If you are a Southern Baptist, what do you need to know about the
Cooperative Program? Is it merely a way to support the denomination,
or is it a relevant, viable process that makes a difference in people’s
lives beginning where you live and extending around the world?
The Cooperative Program has the potential, when rightly employed,
for moving Southern Baptist missions and ministries from the ordinary,
the average, the good – to superlative, outstanding, great fruitfulness
for the Kingdom of God.
YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GREAT RESULTS
Only our Lord knows all the eternal good that has been done because
of Cooperative Program missions and ministries. Too many Baptists are
not hearing about the great results flowing directly from Cooperative
Program-supported endeavors. We need to tell our stories better. You
need to know about the great results.
You need to know about a Yezidi Kurd we will call Milo (not his real
name). Soviet schools taught him, growing up in Armenia, that God
was not real. But as an adult, Milo grew desperate. Milo knew that
Yezidi priests teach Yezidis to kill other Yezidis who embrace a
different faith. For two months Milo went to church, listening to
preaching about Jesus Christ. Milo also thought about killing the
Yezidi Christians. After a personal encounter with Jesus, Milo became a
believer. Despite persecutions, he is a light among Yezidis. He heads
a church of Armenian and Yezidi believers. He wrote and compiled a
Kurmanji Christian songbook. And because Yezidis love stories, he
has written and published parables that flow from biblical principles.
Your love for the Lord and commitment to reaching people through
Cooperative Program missions supports churches such as the one where
Milo met Christ.
You need to know about Carlos and Cristina De La Barra who, 14 years
ago, sold their computer business and left a financially secure life in
their native Santiago, Chile, to help start Spanish-speaking churches
in Hispanic areas in South Carolina, Indiana, and now Kentucky. “I
am a product of Southern Baptist missions,” says Carlos.
“I am a Christian and a missionary because a missionary couple answered
God’s call to Chile many years ago.”
You need to know about our disaster relief work. Recent hurricanes
have shown the country and the world the heart of Southern Baptists.
We were among the first to respond and we are still on the job. Yet,
in spite of responding to the greatest natural disaster in our
nation’s history, not one missionary had to be recalled due to lack
of resources.
You need to know about the university students and campuses that are
being reached by the nearly 700 collegiate ministers supported by
Baptist state conventions. Student ministry researcher Steve Shadrach
identified Southern Baptist collegiate ministry as one of the top ten
in the nation and the one that reached the most students. The next
largest ministry, the very fine Campus Crusade for Christ organization,
has many more campus ministers (2,500+) but reaches only about 43,000
students.
You need to know about the revival taking place in the Louisiana
Penitentiary at Angola because of the New Orleans Baptist Theological
Seminary extension courses being taught there and the scores of
Baptist volunteers coordinated by the evangelism division of the
state convention who conduct Bible studies and evangelistic events.
In May of 2005, 94 inmates and 30 prison employees’ family members
prayed to receive Christ, and nearly 50 Christian inmates received
Bible degrees from New Orleans Seminary. These graduates are leading
the “church” inside the prison walls. The Cooperative Program is
changing lives.
The Cooperative Program supports thousands of missionaries, thousands
of seminary students, and hundreds of workers in children’s homes
and other helping ministries. All of them have inspirational stories
of how God is changing lives. By God’s grace, Southern Baptists are
caring people and together we are touching the world.
This column is the third of four adapted from “One Sacred Effort”
by Chad Brand and David Hankins. Copyright 2005. Used with permission.
All rights reserved.

ARMENIANS FIRE ON AZERBAIJAN’S POSITIONS IN TERTER AND JEBRAIL
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 29 2006
Armenian armed forces violated the cease-fire again. Azerbaijani
Defense Ministry press service told APA that Armenians fired on
Azerbaijani Armed Forces’ positions from their positions located in the
occupied Goyakh village of Azerbaijan’s region of Terter from 20.35
to 20.45 on March 28, they also fired on Azerbaijani armed forces’
positions located near Jojug Marjanli village from their positions
located in occupied Mehdili village of Jebrail from 23.10 to 23.40.
On March 29 Armenians fired on Azerbaijani Armed Forces’ positions
from their positions located in occupied Gerabert village of Terter
from 4.00a.m till 5.00a.m with submachine and machine guns.
The enemy was silenced by response fire, no casualties were reported.

AMBASSADOR OF ARMENIA TO GEORGIA HRACH SILVANIAN HANDS HIS CREDENTIALS TO PRESIDENT MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 29 2006
TBILISI, MARCH 29, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Hrach Silvanian, the
Ambassador of Armenia to Georgia handed his credentials to President of
Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili on March 28. As Noyan Tapan was informed
by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information Department, during
the conversation followed the ceremony, prospects of development and
deepening of bilateral relations were discussed. The meeting took
place in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

ALIYEV: CHANCES FOR PEACE REMAIN DESPITE ARMENIA’S STANCE
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 28 2006
Baku, March 27, AssA-Irada
President Ilham Aliyev has said the potential for peace has not
been exhausted despite Armenia’s non-constructive position on the
long-standing Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.
“At the same time, Armenia has not be aware that Azerbaijan can
re-gain its territories through military action any time,” Aliyev
told the opening ceremony of the Heydar Aliyev history museum at the
National Security Ministry’s academy.
“I believe the potential for peace has not run out yet. But we have
to be prepared for any alternative. The Garabagh conflict resolution
will be stipulated both by diplomatic and political-economic, as well
as military factors. They have to know that Azerbaijan is ready to
restore its territorial integrity any time.”
The latest discussions held by the Azeri and Armenian leaders in
France in February turned out fruitless, as the parties failed to
iron out issues of principle.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WARNS ARMENIA OVER DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT AZERI SITES
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 28 2006
Baku, March 27, AssA-Irada
The European Parliament has warned Armenia not to destroy Azerbaijani
historic and cultural sites, officials say.
“The demand was laid out in a letter sent by the foreign relations
committee chairman Elmar Brok to the Azeri representation in the EU,”
an official from Azerbaijan’s embassy in Belgium, Huseyn Huseynov,
told local ANS TV channel.
With regard to the recent resolution of the European Parliament
concerning the alleged destruction of ancient Armenian graves in
Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhchivan, which drew fire from Azeri
officials, the letter said this does not mean the legislative body
adheres to a position against Azerbaijan. The document unequivocally
stated that the adoption of the resolution was a result of the Armenian
Diaspora’s activity, Huseynov said.
“The overall environment suggests that the resolution does not
reflect the European Parliament’s stance and is strictly a position
of staunch Christians.”
The diplomat said the committee chairman also pledged that the European
Parliament will not pass any one-sided decisions any more.
The Azeri government should step up its activity to prevent this from
happening in the future, he added.

EX INTERIOR MINISTER OF ARMENIA WANTED BY INTERPOL MAY RETURN ONLY
WHEN THE SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY CHANGES
YEREVAN, MARCH 25. ARMINFO. Ex minister of the interior of Armenia,
Vano Siradeghyan, pins hopes for return to Armenia with a change of
the situation in Armenia. To recap, the ex minister is wanted by
International Police.
In an interview to the newspaper “Hakakan Zhamanak” (March 25 issue),
V. Siradeghyan says he would return to the country if the trial
against him is in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure of
Armenia, but “the authorities will not allow it.” The ex minister says
it is his second “forced exile,” the first time he returned and
underwent a trial for 6 months. However, “those who initiated all this
were not interested in the logic competition of the trial as they
wanted to hold me from participation in presidential and parliamentary
elections. It was not accidentally that I was chosen as a
target. Thus, the most vulnerable political figure in all the
countries of the post-Soviet area is the interior minister. And in all
the three countries of the South Caucasus, the first ministers of the
interior were subjected to persecutions,” Vano Siradeghyan believes.

Tree Planting of Unity started in Yerevan

ArmRadio.am
25.03.2006 13:16
The Tree planting of Unity to be held all over the territory of Armenia
continued today in Yerevan. About 300 thousand trees were planted in
Kanaker-Zeitun community of Yerevan.

President of the `Nig Aparan’ Patriotic Union, Prosecutor General Aghvan
Vardanyan, Mayor of Yerevan Yervand Zakharyan and Head of Community Arayik
Kotanjyan participated in the tree planting.
The tree planting started from the `Victory’ Park. A wreath of flowers was
laid at the memorial to the Unknown Soldier.

A1+
AN OFFER TO ARTHUR BAGHDASARYAN
12:54 pm 22 March, 2006
`The approaches of the RA NA Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan towards the
organization of the Constitutional Referendum and the evaluation of
the results are dangerous’, the Public Committee controlling the
lawfulness of the referendum warns.
The announcement of the NA Speaker that the Prosecutor’s Office has
initiated four cases about the law violations during the Referendum
became the reason for the Committee to make offers. The letter to
Arthur Baghdasaryan says:
«On purpose or not, you try to forget the following violations
(crimes) which had an enormous impact on the results of the
Referendum:
– Not the draft amendments, but the amended draft Constitution was put
to Referendum;
– The court system did not discuss any complaints about the idleness
of the Referendum Central Committee;
– The Referendum Central Committee did not establish any order to
realize agitation;
– The RA President violated the principle of secrecy of vote and
carried out an open vote;
– The Referendum Central Committee summed up the results of the
Referendum without taking into account the complaints which were in
the courts».
Public Committee controlling the lawfulness of the referendum also
reminds that the RA Foreign Minister mislead the international
community not representing the real image of the Referendum.
`The NA carries out formal amendments to the Electoral Code without
referring to the law violations in the courts today about the
Referendum processes’, the letter says offering to discuss these
issues.