Author: Babken Chilingarian

FLOWERS DEPOSED AT THE ETERNAL FLAME OF THE GENOCIDE MEMORIAL TO BE USED FOR SPECIAL PURPOSE

Panorama.am
17:24 27/04/2010

Society

April 24th is a memory day for all Armenians all over the world.

Thousands of Armenians from Diaspora and Armenia as well as numerous
foreigners honor the memory of 1915 Armenian Genocide by deposing
hundreds and thousands of flowers at the eternal flame thus
commemorating the memory of innocent victims of that terrifying
massacre. Those flowers symbolize the sorrow about irreparable losses.

This year FPWC in cooperation with its general partner VivaCell-MTS
implemented a number of joint projects. In the frame of Earth Day
celebrations on April 22nd the Foundation embellished Memory Park in
Tsitsernakaberd with 95 seedlings brought from Western Armenia.

To conclude the series of events on the occasion of Armenian Genocide
95th commemoration FPWC has come up with a symbolic initiative which
will take place on the 27th of April. For the first time the flowers
deposed at the eternal flame of the Genocide Memorial will "revive".

Sunchild Eco-club children, volunteers, FPWC staff, a number
of organizations and individuals will first carefully remove the
pedicles of the flowers which will later be used in compost for the
park of Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. The flower petals dried
in special conditions and used in recycled paper will turn into nice
thank you cards and memos for the Genocide Museum-Institute. The
cooperation of FPWC with Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute does
not only imply participation in the care of the Museum Park but also
demonstration of special approach to those people who brought flowers
to the eternal flame overwhelmed with deep, unutterable emotions. The
flowers disguised in thank you cards and memos will symbolize our
eternal struggle and creative existence to the visitors and guests
of the Museum.

It’s worth to mention that a few organizations like VivaCell-MTS,
Star supermarket, Yerevan State University (YSU), Gavar branch of YSU,
"To Hayq" benevolent foundation, "Youth achievements" NGO will join
this initiative of FPWC. Many popular artists will also take part in
this event.

There will be a shift work day starting from early morning till
late evening.

This event is implemented in the frame of "Green Generation 2010’~R
campaign in partnership with VivaCell-MTS.

Conference on Karabakh conflict issue taken place in France

SEN-SHAMON, APRIL 24, NOYAN TAPAN. A conference "The Karabakh Conflict
and Programs on Karabakh Restoration" took place on April 22 in the
French city of Sen-Shamon.

According to the information of the NKR Permanent Mission to France,
the city’s Mayor Philip Kiziryan, Chairman of the French-Armenian
Friendship Group, Deputy Francis Roshbluan, representatives of the
local self-government bodies and local Armenian community attended the
conference.

In his speech, NKR Permanent Representative to France Hovhannes
Gevorgian introduced the pre-history of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh
conflict and the current stage of its settlement. He touched upon the
forthcoming, May 23, elections to the NKR 5th convocation National
Assembly, noting: "Electing representatives of the legislative power,
the Karabakh people once again reminds the world that it is the
determiner of its own fate and is firm to create it in a peaceful way
and in accordance with the democratic principles".

Hovhannes Gevorgian also met with representatives of Club GIER
Enterprises entrepreneurs’ association of the Luar region, introducing
the current economic situation in Artsakh and the possibilities of
investment. The NKR Permanent Representative to France invited the
entrepreneurs to Artsakh for establishing cooperation with the local
entrepreneurs.

RUBEN SAFRASTIAN: NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH INTERSTATE RELATIONS HAS NO ALTERNATIVE

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 14, 2010
YEREVAN

During the Washington meeting between Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the sides declared
that they would continue the negotiations over Armenian-Turkish
interstate relations, but it was clear that they maintained their
positions. Ruben Safrastian, a Turkologist, Director of the Institute
of Oriental Studies, expressed this opinion at the April 14 press
conference. According to him, the statements of the Turkish side
show that this country continues to speak to Armenia in a language
of preconditions.

In the opinion of R. Safrastian, the statements that the Armenian
president made in the U.S. clearly demonstrate that Armenia will not
make any concessions over the Armenian Genocide recognition and the
Karabakh problem. "All attempts of the Turkish side to put pressure
on Armenia in this direction have been futile so far and will remain
as such," he said.

In his words, the second important conclusion to be drawn from S.

Sargsyan’s statements is that Armenia and the Diaspora have acted
and will act jointly regarding the problems of the Armenians all over
the world, including the Genocide recognition.

Speaking about the ratification process of Armenia-Turkey protocols,
R. Safrastian noted that it is still at a deadlock or is frozen.

According to him, even the Turkish press said that "Turkey is
not prepared to ratify the protocols in the parliament now". Yet
R. Safrastian expressed confidence that the normalization of
Armenian-Turkish interstate relations has no alternative and sooner
or later the deadlock will be overcome.

IF AZERBAIJAN READY TO WAR, IT WOULD HAVE STARTED IT

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.02.2010 18:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ If Azerbaijan was really ready for war, it would
have started the war, Galust Sahakyan head of the Republican Party
of Armenia’s parliamentary group told a press conference in Yerevan.

According to him, there is a clear position of the OSCE Minsk Group,
stated that in case of war, the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
will no longer be discussed and only the issue of self-determination
of Nagorno Karabakh would be regarded.

Galust Sahakyan reminded, that Armenia has repeatedly stated that in
the Karabakh conflict settlement the status of Nagorno Karabakh is
the priority issue for Armenia. "You must first decide the Karabakh’s
status and only after that to turn to other questions," Sahakian said,
adding that Armenia guarantees the security of NKR and the rest should
be decided by the Karabakh people, whether they want to join Armenia
or not.

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out in
1988 as result of the ethnic cleansing the latter launched in the
final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from
1991 to 1994. Since the ceasefire in 1994, sealed by Armenia, Nagorno
Karabakh and Azerbaijan, most of Nagorno Karabakh and several regions
of Azerbaijan around it (the security zone) remain under the control
of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks
mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.

PACE CO-RAPPORTEURS: ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES NEED TO IMPLEMENT RECOMMENDED REFORMS WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY

Noyan Tapan
Feb 5, 2010

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. "The Armenian authorities need
to implement the reforms recommended by the ad hoc Committee of
the National Assembly of Armenia on the events of 1 and 2 March
2008, without further delay," concluded the co-rapporteurs of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), John Prescott
(United Kingdom, SOC) and Georges Colombier (France, EPP/CD), following
an exchange of views in the PACE Monitoring Committee last week.

"The reforms recommended by the ad hoc Committee, in combination with
those contained in the relevant PACE resolutions, if implemented in
good faith, could comprehensively address the circumstances that led
to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008," the co-rapporteurs said.

According to a report of the Council of Europe Information Office in
Armenia, they stressed that these recommendations therefore needed to
be implemented without further delay, especially those related to the
reform of the police – including the establishment of an independent
oversight and complaints body – and the long overdue reform of the
electoral code.

The co-rapporteurs announced that they would send a letter to the
Armenian Parliament asking it to provide the Monitoring Committee,
before its meeting on 17 March 2010 in Paris, with a clear timetable
for these reforms. "On the basis of the discussions in the Monitoring
Committee we will then visit Yerevan this spring to discuss the
establishment of a clear roadmap for the implementation of these
reforms," the co-rapporteurs said.

In addition to the roadmap, the co-rapporteurs also intend to raise
the issue of the sentencing of Nikol Pashinian as well as other cases
where they have sought clarification from the authorities. "A number of
issues following the events of 1 and 2 March still need to be clarified
and addressed", the co-rapporteurs said, stressing the continuing
importance and need for the monitoring of political developments by
the Assembly and other relevant bodies of the Council of Europe.

AGBU Press Office
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Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
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PRESS RELEASE

Friday, January 8, 2010

AGBU Brazil Celebrates Its 45th Anniversary

On Sunday, October 25, 2009, AGBU Brazil celebrated its 45th
anniversary at Buffet Maison du France in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Close to
500 guests of all ages came out to celebrate the milestone event,
which was notable for the large presence from the emerging generation
of Brazilian Armenians.

The event was attended by numerous guests, including His Excellency
Valery Mkrtumian, General Consul of the Republic of Armenia, His
Excellency Anatoly Kapko, General Consul of Russia, Reverend Yesnig
Guzelian, representing Archbishop Datev Karibian, Reverend Boghos
Baronian, and Reverend Roy Abrahamian of the Armenian Protestant
Church. Also in attendance were Ruben Kechichian, chairman of AGBU
Buenos Aires and member of AGBU Central Board of Directors, and his
wife, Elsa.

The event honored three distinguished AGBU Brazil members for their
invaluable work and commitment to the organization and its work:
former AGBU Brazil chairman Carlos Matheus Der Haroutiounian, former
AGBU Brazil board member Hampartsum Moumdjian, and Manuel Kherlakian
Neto, an AGBU member and generous supporter of AGBU Brazil’s many
programs. Der Haroutiounian and Moumdjian received AGBU Honor Member
diplomas, granted by AGBU Central Board of Directors, while Neto was
given the chapter’s annual Personality of the Year award.

AGBU Brazil chairman Krikor Manukian congratulated the honorees during
his speech and thanked everyone for the success of the event. He also
enthusiastically mentioned the youth who participated in the South
American Olympic Games, organized by Córdoba. Ruben Kechichian passed
along a message of congratulations from AGBU President Berge
Setrakian, and expressed his happiness and pride in participating in
the 45th-anniversary celebration. The evening’s guests were treated to
a special live music performance by the band Yerevan 50 of Montevideo,
Uruguay.

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 program, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.

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

KARABAKH ISSUE JUST ONE OF SUBTOPICS OF COMPLEX ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS
Leyla Tagiyeva

news.az
Dec 22 2009
Azerbaijan

Alexander Rusetsky News.Az interviews Alexander Rusetsky, director
of the Tbilisi-based South Caucasus Regional Security Institute.

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan assured the press that during the
negotiations with President Obama he said Turkey will not normalize
relations with Armenia before the latter withdraws its troops from
the occupied Azerbaijani land. Do you think this is true, and will
the United States accept this position?

The truth is that the Armenians were forced to flee the land on which
they had been dwelling and forming their culture for many centuries.

On one side of the border is Ararat which they consider their national
symbol and the ruins of Ani, one of the first capital cities of
Armenia. This prompts a reaction from the Armenians including the
occupation of part of Azerbaijan and provocative action in Georgia.

The Karabakh issue is just one sub-topics in the complex
Armenian-Turkish relations and unless the issue of their legal and
worthy return to these territories of the present-day Turkey, the
insinuations of improvement of relations will be just a lie- this
international quasi-peacekeeping actions will do not any good.

Will Georgia benefit or lose under such consequence: "resolution
of the Karabakh conflict-opening of the Armenian-Turkish relations"
and in case of changes in this consequence?

Georgia will benefit from the good neighbor relations between
its neighbors not contradicting to its strategic interests. I do
not recommend settling these regional issues without Georgia’s
participation. Neighbor countries should also take a more active
and open part in the settlement of Georgia’s conflict. On the whole,
the countries should reach a permanent regional format which plays
consultative functions.

This will promote creation of a general security system in the South
Caucasus.

How do you assess the overall diplomatic activeness of Turkey on
stabilizing situation in the South Caucasus?

This is the activeness which has a great importance for international
security and this is a constructive policy. This is how I evaluate
the resulting vector. Yet, we should take into account that all
these activities primarily come from all the threats that Turkey
feels especially after summer 2008.

What do you think is the cause of this activeness of Ankara?

This is connected with many aspects including the opportunity to curb
Russia’s aggression and the US access. These are preventive measures.

But they are not sufficient to preserve balance of powers in Turkey’s
favor. Here one can single out the process of strengthening of ties
between Turkey and Iran including on limited presence of off-region
actors.

What is the reason of the current readiness of Armenians to contact
with Turkey which is perceived by Armenia as one of the main enemies
in the region?

The reasons are speculative intrigues of the global concern that
have no real opportunities to bring the case to a positive result. I
do not think that the real interests of Armenia and Turkey or their
ordinary citizens are quite taken into consideration in this game.

Do you think Turkey that also has problems with Armenia will be able
to attain normalization of the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations?

Certainly, it will. Turkey can create an opportunity for Armenians to
return the territories from which they were forcedly driven away. They
should return there not as tourists. We should not forget that not only
ethnic Turks took an active part in the mass termination of Armenians
which is very important. Not Turks should bear responsibility like
victim Armenian mentality considers. This is Turkey and, perhaps,
not only Turkey that must bear responsibility as a state.

In this case Armenians will be obliged to return Karabakh Azerbaijanis
to their homelands and to surrender the occupied lands and the conflict
will finally be oriented to resolution.

This will not weaken Turkey, but on the contrary, it will strengthen
this country in Europe and Asia. The important is that the decision
was reached by not the left-wing but the right wing parties. Then
this decision will be worthy and full of sense.

Interfax, Russia
Dec 4 2009

Washington backs Karabakh peaceful settlement process

YEREVAN Dec 4

The United States supports the efforts by the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group to settle the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense Celeste Wallander at a meeting with Armenian leaders.

Wallander said that the Obama administration supports the process of a
peaceful resolution to the Karabakh conflict, based on the principles
of the renouncement of the use or threat of force, territorial
integrity, the equality of peoples and the right of nations to
self-determination, the U.S. Embassy in Armenia told Interfax.

While in Yerevan, Wallander met with Armenia’s President Serzh
Sargsian, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian and other officials.

POLITICAL SCIENTIST: ARMENIANS HAVE MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE

news.az
Nov 25 2009
Azerbaijan

Araz Alizade "Armenians’ thesis of ‘long-suffering’ does not work
anymore.

Everyone is sick and tired with their constant complaints and the
West seems to have decided that it is time to show them their place",
political scientist Araz Alizade has said commenting on the statements
of Liberty radio that called Armenia an aggressor.

"No president or the head of state will enjoy being blackmailed while
the presidents of the United States, France and other countries are
under constant blackmail of Armenians. Certainly, they do not like
this state and they have found a way to keep Armenians under pressure,

By using occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia, these western
leaders will hold this argument as the sword of Damocles. On the whole,
by continuing occupation of Azerbaijani lands, Armenians have made
the greatest mistake as it has become a punishment for them and they
will always be reminded about it", Alizade said.

He predicts growing pressure on Armenia in case it continues
protracting the Karabakh conflict settlement. "But cheer us: the
worst is to come yet. The West and Russia seem to be fed up and to
have decided that it is time to end the Karabakh conflict that is
just a headache".

MAN BEHIND ‘VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR’ IS RAGLAN STALWART
By Alison Sanders

South Wales Argus
2.Man_behind__Video_Killed_the_Radio_Star__is_Ragl an_stalwart/
Nov 4 2009
UK

ALMOST 30 years ago, Geoff Downes scoring a number one hit with ‘Video
Killed the Radio Star’ as one half of the 1970s group The Buggles.

Now, as fellow Buggles member Trevor Horn produces the new Robbie
Williams album and the former Take That singer performed "Video
Killed The Radio Star" at the Electric Proms, Mr Downes is helping
out with the annual Raglan music festival in his home village of the
past 12 years.

He said: "The countryside is absolutely beautiful. I’ve got know a
lot of people here and it’s become home. I don’t envisage leaving.

"The air is fresh, there’s nice people and it’s easy to get to places."

Mr Downes hasn’t turned his back on the rock and roll lifestyle –
he is currently touring with the rock band Asia.

Since reforming the original Asia line-up three years ago, Mr Downes
has toured with Asia non-stop.

He is currently working on a new album with Asia and has his own
recording studio in Monmouthshire.

The musician was last month given the Order of Honour decoration by
the President of Armenia.

Along with the likes of Brian May and members of Pink Floyd and Deep
Purple, he was given the medal as part of the 20th anniversary of
the Rock Aid Armenia project.

This was for their involvement in the 1989 remake of Deep Purple’s
"Smoke On The Water" which raised thousands of pounds for the victims
of the Spitak earthquake in 1988.

Mr Downes said he came from a musical family with his father being
a church organist.

After setting up The Buggles with Trevor Horn, Mr Downes said they
had to "fight tooth and nail" to keep the name.

The Buggles took a rough demo of "Video Killed The Radio Star" to 20
different record companies before one eventually took them on.

Nearly 30 years on, the hit is still gracing the airwaves with Robbie
Williams recently playing the track at the Electronic Proms.

Mr Downes said: "All of the audience were singing along and some of
them weren’t old enough to hear it first time round."

He said he hopes the former Take That star releases it as a single.

Mr Downes is still in contact with Mr Horn and they are considering
reforming The Buggles.

The music business is very different now thanks to shows such as
the X Factor which Mr Downes said are entertaining but a form of
"televised karaoke".

He added: "It is a shame when you hear kids say they want to be on the
X Factor rather than wanting to play the guitar like Jimmy Hendrix."