Author: Badalian Vardan

A UNION OF ‘SECLUDED’?
By Ruben Hayrapetian

AZG Armenian Daily
24/04/2007

There has been more information about Armenia and Armenians in the
Russian Media recently. It is connected not only with the death of
Andranik Margarian, or the parliamentary elections, but it seems that
Russia wants to correct its mistake and change its behavior to its
strategic co-worker.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the first vice-prime
minister Sergey Ivanov didn’t come only for bettering the bilateral
relations. Iran was the basic theme of this meeting.

The non-governmental approach to the Armenian-Iranian relations is very
interesting. The other countries, especially countries in the region,
don’t like the warm relations between Iran and Armenia and because of
it some of them call these bilateral relations – the union of secluded
countries. Both of these countries are blockaded and because of that
they come together.

Iran ignores the Formula of forbidding the nuclear weapon and Armenia
continues its ‘occupation’ of Karabagh. Tehran, under political,
economic and military pressure, tries to get allied powers, and
Armenia is one of them. Some countries conclude that Armenia can
become a playing card (a tool of pressure) at the hand of Iran.

ARMENIANS MARK 92nd GENOCIDE ANNIVERSARY

ARMENPRESS
Apr 24 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS: Hundreds of thousands of Armenians
from Armenia proper and its vast Diaspora struggled today against an
unexpected snowfall to go uphill to the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan
to remember 1.5 million of their ancestors killed brutally at the
orders of the government of Turkey from 1915-1923.

President Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, Parliament
Chairman Tigran Torosian, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and
other top government officials and senior clergy were the first to
remember the victims by visiting the Memorial and laying flowers to
it. The heads of foreign diplomatic missions in Yerevan were the next
to lay wreathes at the Memorial.

On Aril 23 evening thousands of young Armenians marched across the
central Yerevan to the Genocide Memorial in the traditional torchlight
procession to remember the Genocide victims. The torchlight procession
was organized by the Armenian Youth Federation and the Nikol Aghbalian
Student Union, an affiliation of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.

The young people carried national flags singing patriotic songs and
chanting "recognition."

"Turkey has begun to realize that the time is coming for it to
recognize the crime its government committed against Armenians in 1915
and is trying to veil its fears by display of extreme nationalism
and radicalism. We shall continue pressing not only for Turkey’s
acknowledgment of this horrific crime, but also for compensating the
damages Armenians suffered in those years," Kiro Manoyan head of the
Armenian Cause Office said to thousands of young men.

In Georgia the Armenian Cooperation Center organized a peaceful torch
protest April 23 evening outside the Turkish Embassy in Tbilisi to
demand that its government acknowledge the genocide of Armenians in
the last years of the Ottoman empire.

Thousands of Armenians in Athens and Saloniki, the two biggest cities
of Greece, rallied yesterday to remember the genocide victims and
raise their voice of protest against the ongoing Turkish denial of
this crime.

Robert Atarian from the Council of Armenians in Italy, said to
Armenpress a liturgy will be conducted today in memory of the genocide
victims in Saint Nicolaus Armenian Church in Rome and later flowers
will be laid at a cross-stone monument erected in its yard last year
with the permission of the Rome municipality in commemoration of the
Armenian genocide victims.

A special ceremony of repose of souls of the victims will be held by
Father Mikael Muradian in Vatican in front of a cross-stone that was
placed in it as a gift of Catholicos Karekin II, head of the Armenian
Church, to Pope John Paul II.

Armenian foreign ministry said various events will be held in German
cities to pay tribute to the genocide victims.

In Moscow, Russia, the Russian Eparchy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, the Union of Armenians in Russia and the World Armenian
Congress laid wreaths at the cross-stone erected in front of the Holy
Cross Cathedral and a liturgy in the Holy Cross Church was served
in memory of the Armenian Genocide victims, and a little later the
youth branch of the Union of Armenians in Russia rallied outside the
Turkish Embassy in Moscow demanding that its government recognizes
the genocide.

Extensive events to commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian
genocide began Monday in California, USA that hosts the biggest
Armenian community worldwide, after Russia, with a flag-raising
ceremony in Fresno. Commemorations also include church and cemetery
services, vigils and a poetry reading.

Despite vast academic recognition of the Armenian Genocide, this has
not always been followed by governments and media. Many governments,
including the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Ukraine, and
Georgia, do not officially use the word genocide to describe these
events. Although there is no federal recognition of the Armenian
Genocide, 40 of the 50 U.S. states recognize the events as genocide.

In recent years, parliaments of a number of countries where Armenian
Diaspora has a strong presence have officially recognized the event
as genocide. Two recent examples are France and Switzerland.

The French lower house decided on October 12, 2006 to make it illegal
to deny the Armenian genocide. The bill has yet to be ratified by
the French Senate in order to become law.

Countries officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide include
Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy,
Lebanon, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden,
Switzerland, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela.

Although part of the United Kingdom, Wales also officially recognizes
the Armenian Genocide. The Parliament of the State of New South Wales,
Australia passed a resolution acknowledging and condemning the Armenian
Genocide in 1997.

Many newspapers for a long time would not use the word genocide
without disclaimers such as "alleged" and many continue to do so. A
number of those policies have now been reversed so that even casting
doubt on the term is against editorial policy, as is the case with
the New York Times.

On June 15, 2005, the German Bundestag passed a resolution that "honors
and commemorates the victims of violence, murder and expulsion among
the Armenian people before and during the First World War". The German
resolution mentions that "many independent historians, parliaments and
international organizations describe the expulsion and annihilation
of the Armenians as genocide", but stops short of doing so itself. It
also contains an apology for any German responsibility.

On 10th May 2006, the Bulgarian Government rejected a bill on
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. This came after Emel Etem
Toskova, the Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria and one of the leaders
of the MRF, the main Turkish party in Bulgaria, declared that her party
would walk out of the coalition government if the bill was passed. The
bill itself was brought forward by the nationalist Ataka party.

International bodies that recognize the Armenian genocide include
the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the United Nations
Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of
Minorities, the International Center for Transitional Justice, the
International Association of Genocide Scholars, the Union of American
Hebrew Congregations, the World Council of Churches and the Permanent
Peoples’ Tribunal.

On 4 September 2006, Members of the European Parliament voted for the
inclusion of a clause prompting Turkey "to recognize the Armenian
genocide as a condition for its EU accession" in a highly critical
report, which was adopted by a broad majority in the foreign relations
committee of the Strasbourg Parliament. This requirement was later
dropped on 27 September 2006 by the general assembly of the European
Parliament by 429 votes in favor to 71 against, with 125 abstentions.

On September 26, 2006, the two largest political parties in the
Netherlands, Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the Labor Party
(PvdA), removed three Turkish-Dutch candidates for the 2006 general
election, because they either denied or refused to publicly declare
that the Armenian Genocide had happened.

On November 29, 2006, the lower house of Argentina’s parliament
adopted a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The bill
was overwhelmingly adopted by the assembly and declared April 24th,
the international day of remembrance for the Armenian genocide as an
official "day of mutual tolerance and respect" among peoples around
the world.

On July 17, 2006, the Brazilian state of Ceara became the second state
after Sao Paulo to ratify a bill recognizing the Armenian Genocide. On
March 8, 2007, Turkish nationalist Dogu Perincek became the first
person convicted by a court of law for denying the Armenian Genocide,
found guilty by a Swiss district court in Lausanne.

EU declares trivialising genocide a crime
by David Charter, Luxembourg

Weekend Australian
April 21, 2007 Saturday
NSW Country Edition

CONDONING or "grossly trivialising" genocide will become a crime
punishable by up to three years’ prison across Europe after justice
ministers agreed on a new law yesterday.

But they failed to agree on a specific ban on denying the Holocaust.

Germany used its presidency of the European Union to push through the
first Europe-wide race hate laws, seen by Berlin as a historic
obligation in the 50th anniversary year of the union, created to
preserve peace and prosperity after World War II.

Under pressure from nations worried about freedom of speech, led by
Britain, Germany scaled back ambitions to replicate its strict laws
of Holocaust denial and dropped plans to outlaw the display of Nazi
symbols at an EU level. Holocaust denial was outlawed in Germany in
1985 and Nazi insignia are forbidden.

All 27 EU nations will be obliged to criminalise "publicly
condoning, denying or grossly trivialising crimes of genocide, crimes
against humanity and war crimes" but the test for prosecution was
set deliberately high to secure agreement in Luxembourg. Cases will
succeed only where "the conduct is carried out in a manner likely to
incite violence or hatred".

German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries hailed the decision as "an
important political signal" following failures in 2003 and 2005 to
reach such a deal.

The definition of genocide will be that set at the Nuremberg trials
and by the International Criminal Court, meaning it will include Nazi
crimes and those in Rwanda and Yugoslavia but not the Armenian
genocide — a definition disputed by Turkey.

Poland, Slovenia and the Baltic states lobbied hard for — but failed
to win — the inclusion of a crime of denying, condoning or
trivialising atrocities committed in the name of Joseph Stalin.

But they secured a pledge that the commission would prepare a green
paper on 20th-century genocidal crimes and carry out a review within
two years on whether denying these should come under the race hate
law.

Britain pushed successfully to ensure religious attacks would be
covered only if they were of a racist or xenophobic nature, so that
criticism of Islam or other faiths would not automatically fall under
the new measures.

ARMENIAN AND LATVIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS POINT TO NECESSITY TO ACTIVIZE COOPERATION BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES

Noyan Tapan
Apr 20 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, NOYAN TAPAN. "There are absolutely no problems
between our countries and we need to activize our cooperation for even
more." Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabrik stated at the April 20
joint press conference with RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian.

In his words, Latvia is very much interested in development of contacts
with Armenia and providing assistance to it in cooperation with the
European Union and NATO. "Latvia has always been disposed in a friendly
way towards the Caucasian region and Armenia: we lived together in
the same system. Today we can start implementing small projects, we
should just specify the spheres of mutual interests," A. Pabrik stated.

V. Oskanian, in his turn, highly estimated Armenian-Latvian relations
and pointed to the necessity to activize cooperation in all directions,
including spheres of politics, economy and culture. He also emphasized
that Latvia’s experience on integration to EU and NATO is very useful
for Armenia.

It was reported at the press conference that a Memorandum on
Cooperation was signed between the Foreign Ministries of Armenia
and Latvia.

FOUR-DAY COURSES DEDICATED TO ISSUES OF COOPERATION OF ARMED FORCES AND MASS MEDIA TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN IN JUNE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 20 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, NOYAN TAPAN. Within the framework of implementation
of the goals of the Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Actions
Plan, the RA Foreign Ministry and the U.S. Center for Civil-Military
Relations will jointly organize in Yerevan on June 12-15 four-day
courses dedicated to mutual relations and cooperation of the Armed
Forces and mass media in the democratic social system. Noyan Tapan was
informed about it by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department.

The courses are envisaged for departments responsible for press and
public relations of the force ministries and departments as well
as for officials of middle and high cicles having a right of direct
contact with mass media and for media representatives.

SIX ARMENIAN INSURANCE COMPANIES ALREADY OPERATE BY TARIFFS CALCULATED BY ACTUARIAL ANALYSIS OFFICE OF NORK COMPANY

Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The Actuarial Analysis Office of Nork
CJSC calculated insurance tariffs for 6 Armenian insurance companies,
made analyses for introduction of the compulsory medical insurance
system and reforms of the pension system in Armenia, as well as made
analysis of various informational bases of the RA Ministry of Labor
and Social Security. The office head Hrachia Petrosian informed NT
corresondent about it.

According to him, very often the prices of insurance policies of
the same risks related to services of various insurance companies
are quite different due to the fact that insurance companies provide
their services by tariffs not substantiated by an actuarial analysis.

H. Petrosian said that in addition to the insurance sector, the
system of social security also needs forecasts based on analysis. In
general, actuarial analyses may be related to time forecasts on
changes to occur in commodity markets under the influence of one or
another factor. "However, such forecasts are made difficult by the
circumstance that the overwhelming majority of natural and juridical
persons do not have a financial history," he noted.

In the words of H. Petrosian, there is also the problem of ensuring
secrecy of the initial financial data, which has to do with ethics
of a statistician, regardless of the fact which sector of statistics
he/she works in – official, administrative or private. The expert of
Nork company said that the code of employees of national and community
statistical services is already in effect in the European Union. In
accordance with this document, at the stages of data collection,
processing and summarizing, the statistician must be guided by such
principles and use such methodology that will allow to receive
objective final statistical data and will not be in favor of or
against some interested party. "Personal" initial statistical data
may be transferred to a third person only in case of consent of the
person who provides this data.

MEETING OF HEADS OF "UNION OF FRIENDS OF ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH" WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF GREEK ARMENIAN ORGANIZATIONS IS ORGANIZED IN ATHENS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2007

ATHENS, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. A meeting of heads of the "Union
of Friends of Armenia and Artsakh" charity organization with
representatives of Greek Armenian public, political, charity and
cultural organizations was organized on April 16, with the assistance
of the RA Embassy to Greece.

RA Ambassador Vahram Kazhoyan welcame those present and expressed
gratitude to the "Union of Friends of Armenia and Artsakh" charity
organization.

Union head Hrant-Mikayel Basmachian informed those present about the
foundation, mission and done works of the organization. In his words,
the Union has pledged itself from 2000 till today to assist as much
as possible to the village of Jiliza, the marz of Lori, situated on
the northern border of Armenia.

It became possible owing to the Union to hold a water pipe line in
the village, restore the school, give assitance of different types
to needy families.

A video material telling about the Union’s activity was shown at
the meeting.

NON-TERM GUEST OF PRIME MINISTER

A1+
[03:23 pm] 19 April, 2007

Today, 69-year-old homeless refugee Rudolf Stepanyan went on a non-term
strike in front of RA Government.

Even the weather was not an obstacle for him as the open air has served
his roof for 10 months. The former resident of hotel ‘ Erebuni’ was
taken away his only shelter on June 19, 2006 and since then he has
been living in a track, the owner of which wants to sell it.

‘ Before this, I had to live on without water and electricity. All
of sudden, the hotel guards barred the entry into my shelter. I left
all my stuff there.

I begged them to let me take my documents at least, but they
didn’t.’ he complains.

Today, Rudolf Stepanyan sent a letter to Prime Minister which says,

‘ It’s not my fault to live the year of 1989.I ask very little: just
give me the chance of living the last years of my life under my own
roof. Thank you in advance.

Homeless Refugee.’

As a matter of fact, several NGO leaders came to support him.

TURKEY DETAINS 5 MORE IN CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY SLAYING
By Amberin Zaman

Voice of America
April 19 2007

Police in Turkey have detained five more suspects in connection with
an attack against a Christian publishing house in the conservative
eastern city of Malatya. Three employees were killed Wednesday by
knife-wielding assailants, who reportedly said they were acting to
protect Islam. From Istanbul, Amberin Zaman reports for the VOA.

Malatya Governor Halil Ibrahim Dasoz, 19 Apr 2007 Governor Halil
Ibrahim Dasoz says police have arrested five more suspects, doubling
the number of people detained in connection with the attack on the
Zirve publishing house. The publisher distributes bibles and publishes
Christian material.

Dasoz told reporters that no links have been established between
the alleged killers and illegal Islamic groups. The three victims,
two Turkish citizens who were converts to Christianity and a German
Protestant, were found bound to chairs with their throats slit.

Turkish police officers detain a suspect following attack on a
publishing house in Malatya, southeastern Turkey, 18 Apr 2007 Turkish
media said the suspects were mainly students who lived at a hostel
run by an Islamic foundation.

Wednesday’s killings drew sharp protests from EU governments that
have long criticized Turkey over discrimination against non-Muslim
and non-Turkish minorities.

Last year, an Italian Catholic priest was shot dead by an
ultra-nationalist teenager in the Black Sea city of Trabzon. In
January, an ethnic-Armenian news editor, Hrant Dink, was gunned down
by a teenager in Istanbul, raising fears of a concerted campaign
against the country’s tiny Christian community.

The Chairman of Turkey’s Protestant Churches’ Union, Bedri Peker,
told a news conference anti-Christian sentiment has been fostered by
Turkey’s nationalist education system and encouraged by politicians
and the media.

Peker added that Turkey’s Christians have the right to worship freely
and spread their faith through peaceful means, but they are regarded
as what he called "spies and enemies of the state."

Ihsan Ozbek, the pastor of the Ankara-based Kurtulus Church that has
received many anonymous threats, told VOA in a telephone interview
that he blames the murders on a climate of intolerance towards
Christians. He added that no government official outside Malatya has
contacted church officials to offer condolences.

Turkey’s government, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a
former Islamist, has expressed concern over the spread of Christian
missionary activity in Turkey. Mehmet Aydin, minister of state in
charge of religious affairs, has called missionaries "separatist
and destructive."

There are mounting worries among pro-secular Turks that Mr. Erdogan
will make a bid for the presidency when the incumbent Ahmet Necdet
Sezer steps down in May. Throughout his seven-year term, Mr Sezer,
a former judge, blocked government moves he viewed as a threat to
the secular tenets laid down by the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk.

Mr. Erdogan has not yet announced his intentions, but he has pledged
to remain faithful to Ataturk’s legacy.

RULING PARTY CAMPAIGNS IN SOUTHERN ARMENIA

Arminfo
18 Apr 07

Yerevan, 18 April: The further development of the country for
the next 5-10 years depends on what the next parliament will
look like, Levon Lazarian, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutyun [ARFD] and minister of science and education,
told voters in the towns of Vayk, Yeghegnadzor and Jermuk of Vayots
Dzor Region.

He said that the ARFD has always stood by the people, shared their
hardships, and understood their problems. The party has always checked
its programmes with voters and paid attention to the development of
the country’s regions.

The role of parliament has increased after the amendments made to
the constitution [in 2005] since the cabinet is now formed by the
National Assembly [parliament]. The ARFD’s position has always been
extremely clear – it always gave special importance to social issues,
but all the spheres have been focus of attention since the party is
known in the world as a socialist party.

[Passage omitted: Lazarian praised his party, urged voters to vote
for it.]

ARFD member and Minister of Health Norayr Davidyan said that after he
had been appointed minister in 2003, the ministry started paying more
attention to equipping hospitals in regions. He said that beginning
June 2007, a 49m-dollar World Bank programme will be implemented. Under
the programme, hospitals will be reconstructed and provided with
equipment, as well as doctors will be retrained.

[Passage omitted: Davidyan praised government efforts, urged voters
to vote for the ARFD.]