Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM ORGANIZES MEMORY-EVENING DEDICATED TO 91ST ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 13 2006
JERUSALEM, APRIL 13, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A memory-evening
dedicated to the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will
be held by the Armenology Department of the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem on April 26. According to the information submitted to
Noyan Tapan by the Armenology Department of the Hebrew University,
Archbishop Torgom Manukian, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem will
participate in this event of painful memories and self-examination,
but aimed to beleif and optimism. Yossi Sarid, a member of the
Israel Knesset, and Professor Abraham Terian, a famous Armenologist
awarded the “Fullbright” grant will make the main speeches during
the evening. Tsolak Momjian, the Honourary Consul of the Republic of
Armenia and Professor Michael E.Stone, the Chief of the Armenology
Department of the Hebrew University, the organizer of the evening
will aslo make speeches. The reception that will start at 18:30,
and the official event following it at 19:00, will take place in the
“Beit Belgia” subsidiary building of the Givat Ram campus of the
Hebrew University.

ARMENIA PARTICIPATES IN TOURISM FAIR IN BUCHAREST
Noyan Tapan
Apr 12 2006
BUCHAREST, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. A tourism fair was organized for
the first time in Bucharest on April 6-9 within the framework of the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), and a meeting
of the working group on cooperation in the BSEC tourims sector took
place on April 7-8. The fair was held in the Romexpo complex hall,
where a National Torism Fair with the participation of nearly 400
companies took place in the same period. According to the RA MFA Press
and Information Department, Armenia was presented at the fair by the
Armenian embassy in Romania based on tourism posters, brochures, video
films and books provided by several Armenian tourism organizations.

COOPERATION TO DEVELOP THROUGH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES ARMENIAN OFFICE IN EUROPE
Noyan Tapan
Apr 12 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The primary task of the Information
Technologies (IT) Armenian Office in Europe, which has been functioning
since February 16, 2006, is to sign agreements of a total of 200-300
thousand dollars between the Armenian and European companies in the
intitial period. Director of the Enterprise Incubator Foundation
(EIF) Bagrat Engibarian stated this on April 11 during a joint press
conference with Robert Trausnig, Representative of Armenian IT in
Europe. B. Engibarian said that 10% of Armenian IT enterprises is
currently cooperating with European companies, while 70% of the
sector’s production is exported to the US. According to him, the
IT Armenian Office in Europe will assist Armenian IT companies with
participation in international exhibitions and forums. Some Armenian
companies have already been provided assistance in taking part in the
CeBIT exhibition (Hannover). The Office also aims to hold discussions
with the participation of representatives of the Armenian and European
companies of the IT sector, as well as government representatives for
the purpose of clarifying long-term cooperation problems. R. Trausnig
noted that the Office may be useful both in terms of setting up
joint ventures and selling production of Armenian IT companies in
Europe. The Office will organize business trips of Armenian IT experts
to Europe and assist the Armenian companies with introduction of CMMI
international programming procedure management standards. He pointed
out good prospects of selling in Europe Armenian softwares developed
for such spheres as health, communication and telecommunication,
and map-based information systems. B. Engibarian attached importance
to activities of the IT Armenian offices in other countries from
the viewpoint of enhancing the opportunities for selling softwares
and software-related services abroad. It is envisaged to open an IT
Armenian Office in the US in the near future.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIR DISCUSSES KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT
ITAR-TASS, Russia
April 11 2006
BAKU, April 11 (Itar-Tass) – French co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group
(MG) for Nagorno Karabakh Bernard Fassier said at a press conference
here on Tuesday that consultations held with the leadership of
Azerbaijan and Armenia on the Karabakh conflict settlement should
“help form the basic principles of the future peace agreement.”
The diplomat stressed that the work of international mediators will be
very intensive in the short run and said that after him the American
and Russian co-chairmen of the MG – Steven Mann and Yuri Merzlyakov
will visit the region. Fassier also did not rule out that he might
visit Baku and Yerevan again in late April.
“In May the co-chairmen will again visit the region in order to
prepare a meeting between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia,”
said Fassier. “The dates of the meeting between the two countries’
leaders have not been coordinated yet, but I hope that they will agree
to hold them. New principles of the settlement are to be presented
to the heads of Azerbaijan and Armenia this week,” Fassier pointed out.
According to the official, these principles “contain variants that are
50 or even 80 percent meeting the interests of the sides.” He said
the current stage is a “continuation and modification of the Prague
process” that had been launched in the Czech capital two years ago
by the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers with the mediation
of the MG co-chairmen.
Fassier expressed regret over the fact that the work carried out by
the MG co-chairmen in 2005 has failed to bring the desired results,
although the settlements principles were determined. “In Rambouillet
(a Paris suburb where the last meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian
Presidents Ilkham Aliyev and Robert Kocharyan was held on February
10-11, 2006) we tried to increase the results but unfortunately the
sides failed to reach agreement. However, we are glad that this did
not disrupted the negotiations and they are continuing,” the MG French
co-chairman said.
Fassier expressed concern over the aggravation of the situation
regarding the sides’ standoff recently saying that “the resumption
of the war will only aggravate it (the situation) and may result in
a crisis.”
After Baku Fassier is planning to visit Yerevan.
According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, issues related to the
Karabakh problem settlement will be high on the agenda of consultations
of the American co-chairman of the Minsk Group, Steven Mann in Baku on
April 18. Mann is expected to discuss with the Azerbaijani leadership
certain proposals of the American side on the conflict settlement.
“These proposals are very interesting. Official Baku will study them
and express its view during Mann’s visit,” the Azerbaijani foreign
minister said in an interview to the AzerTaj state news agency. In his
view, the Karabakh conflict is the “largest obstacle to the political
and economic development of Azerbaijan and it is necessary to intensify
efforts in this sphere.”

COMMITTEE TO PROTECT SAFAROV’S RIGHTS DEMANDS DELAY OF HIS TRIAL
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 11 2006
The Committee to Protect Ramil Safarov’s rights held a press conference
today (APA).
Head of the Committee Akif Naghi said that the court proceedings
against Azerbaijani Army officer Ramil Safarov is going to be over
in Budapest and expressed his dissatisfaction of the unpleasant trial.
He thinks the Budapest city court is influenced by Armenian lobby
and therefore will not pass a fair verdict on the Azerbaijani officer.
So, the Committee demands postponement of the trial fixed to 13 April
and replacement of the court staff.
The Committee also considers that Azerbaijan’s parliament should
contact the Hungary’s parliament and leave for Budapest as soon
as possible. In addition, the Azerbaijani parliament should hold
a debate on Safarov’s case at Hungarian parliament, a large media
group should be departed to Budapest, and his extradition should be
achieved irrespective of the verdict on him.

DEFENSE MINISTER WILL SAY WHEN HE WANTS
Lragir.am
12 April 06
Defense minister declines to say anything concerning the parliamentary
election and the political force that he will support.
Whereas, in late January Serge Sargsyan stated that he needed two
more weeks to make a decision. Several months have passed since late
January but the defense minister still declines to speak about his
decision. “I think this is not a burning topic. Political processes
are going on normally and correspond to my plans,” said Serge Sargsyan
April 11. The defense minister did not tell news reporters, however,
when he would announce about his decision.
“When I think it is time,” says Serge Sargsyan. With regard to his
presidential aspirations he again resorts to convenience.
“We will see what the situation will be. It is early to speak about
this. We will see what will happen after the parliamentary election,”
announced the minister of defense of Armenia.

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
APRIL 11, 2006
Prelate’s 2006 Easter Message – Listen, Break Bread, Proclaim
“The Lord has risen indeed.”
(Luke 24:34)
Can you imagine the joy of the apostles when they confirmed the
Resurrection of their Lord? Their joy became deeper and ingrained when they
heard the testimony of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus who met a
“stranger,” heard the prophetic words from his lips, broke bread on the
modest table, and then suddenly the “stranger” was gone, leaving behind
amazement, regret and thankfulness for becoming the first witnesses, seeing
Christ with their own eyes, and as the first bearers of good news announcing
the Resurrection of the Son of God.
The two travelers to Emmaus are the models for the world’s inhabitants.
We too are travelers in this world and during our journey throughout our
lives, from our student days to our various positions of employment through
adulthood and old age; we are listeners to God’s word. The “stranger” always
speaks to us by and through the Bible. Therefore it is necessary to:
1. Listen to the Prophetic Words. Listening is not a passive activity. In
Biblical and Christian understanding listening to the Gospel and Christ
symbolizes not only understanding God’s word and commandments, but also
practicing them, bearing witness to those truths and demonstrating their
validity by the way we live. When God’s words resonate in our ears and do
not find fertile ground, when the words fall amidst thorns and rocks, they
dry up and wither (Mt 13:6-7), thus drying in us the breath of God,
corrupting the image of God in us, and turning us into beings without
foundation and persons without principles, scattered by the wind. In our
lives, listening represents the seed that falls into healthy soil and blooms
with God’s nurturing. With our Christian faith and life it becomes the flour
in the heavenly bread, which gives life to the world. Whether we are
students, employees, entrepreneurs, employers, or retirees, we are called to
open our souls to God’s word so that we can live the desirable life of a
true and faithful Christian, enriched with His words.
2. Breaking Bread with Christ. “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me
shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.” (John
6:35)
The bread of life is distributed to us during every Divine Liturgy. Are we,
therefore, participants with Christ, who as resurrected God sits at the
banquet with all those who want to share His joy with His living presence?
Thus, we are in communion with the resurrected Savior, creating the family
which belongs to Christ that we call Church. The Church becomes one with
Christ when the faithful worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) and
become communicants to each other and to God. The same unity that the
persons of the Trinity have to each other is created in the faithful during
the Divine Liturgy, and Christ with his bread and body lives and makes us
live. We are a part of Christ’s Church by our participation-our working
participation-when we are joined in prayer, when our love to God and to each
other become the consecrated bread and wine of our soul as sacrifice and
offering.
By sharing our bread with Christ we become a living Church (I Cor. 3:16)
where the Holy Spirit joins us to each other and guides us to an everlasting
true life, in order to enjoy God’s Kingdom.
3. Proclaim the Resurrection of Christ. It was with great trust that the
travelers on the road to Emmaus proclaimed they had seen the Lord. Was not
the encounter with Christ the strength that armed the apostles, who became
the evangelizers and witnesses of Christ’s Resurrection? God’s miraculous
influence was necessary to transform fishermen into fishers of men (Luke
5:11) so that we would all be invited to a resurrected and new life. On the
one hand our life on earth is God’s gift to us, and on the one hand the
resurrected and new life is a blessing, like God’s Holy Oil (Muron) that
descends on every faithful who believes in the salvation and resurrection of
Christ. The travelers on the road to Emmaus saw the Lord and believed.
Blessed are we who have not seen and yet have come to believe (John 20:29),
in the same way that our forefathers accepted Christ and sacrificed their
lives to bear witness.
During these days when we live with the mystery of Christ’s Resurrection,
let us all become travelers to Emmaus, meet Christ through our faith, listen
and follow His teachings, and together become communicants to His sacrifice
and be witnesses and preachers to his miraculous resurrection.
Then our Lord will come to us, just the way He came to the disciples right
after the proclamation of the travelers to Emmaus. He will strengthen us by
banishing our weaknesses, doubts, fears and troubles, saying to us:
“It is I, do not be afraid.” (Luke 24:36)
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
Prelate
Armenian Apostolic Church of America
Eastern United States of America
Easter 2006

US ENVOY PREDICTS AZERI-ARMENIAN ACCORD IN 2006
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
posted on April 10 2006
Baku, April 7, AssA-Irada
The US ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish has said an agreement
may be signed in 2006 to settle the long-standing Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh. He reiterated that the United
States is doing everything in its power to achieve a solution.
Harnish said this year is suitable to reach peace for two reasons.
“We have carried out the needed talks both with the two countries’
presidents and foreign ministers and the co-chairs, and worked hard
to achieve sustainable and fair peace. On the other hand, 2006 is
essential to strike such an accord since no political developments
will take place this year,” the ambassador said.
The diplomat stressed that the co-chairs of the mediating OSCE Minsk
Group have paid frequent visits to the region of late.

PRESS RELEASE
Eurasia Foundation Representative Office in Armenia
4 Demirchyan Street, Yerevan, Armenia
Contact: Alisa Alaverdyan
Tel/Fax: 374 10-58-60-59, 58-61-59
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: <; Fighting Corruption in Armenia: Strengthening Cooperation between the National Assembly, Civil Society and the Media Yerevan, Armenia - More than 130 representatives of Armenia's National Assembly, media and civil society, and 30 representatives of international organizations and experts, came together on April 6-7th for a conference to discuss the cooperation between the National Assembly, civil society and the media in the fight against corruption. The conference was organized by the National Assembly of Armenia (NA), the Eurasia Foundation (EF), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Arthur Baghdasaryan, Speaker of Armenia's NA, opened the event by stating that "the consistent fight against corruption is a political necessity for Armenia. The successful fight against corruption depends on the progress of democracy, because democracy means transparency, supervision and public monitoring; that is to say everything, which is necessary for achieving success in this difficult struggle." He especially emphasized that "the role of an independent press and mass media is pivotal in the fight against corruption." U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans; UNDP Resident Representative, Consuelo Vidal; OSCE Ambassador, Vladimir Pryakhin; and EF Regional Vice President, Andrea Harris, also made opening remarks. During the first day, participants heard presentations on the role of the media; of public monitoring institutions including the Chamber of Control; and on cooperation between the NA and civil society in the fight against corruption. In each session, the experience of international experts and representatives of governments in other countries of the CIS, Eastern Europe and Armenia served as a basis for sharing lessons learned and best practices. During break-out sessions on day two, participants discussed each of these issues in smaller groups and developed recommendations for future cooperation between the NA, civil society and the media. For example, the working group on public monitoring institutions suggested that current legislation must explicitly state the functional separation between internal and external auditing of government activities; and it must also clarify what kind of auditing information can be made available to the public and the media. The conference concluded with an announcement of the formation of an Armenian chapter of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians against Corruption (GOPAC), an international network of parliamentarians dedicated to good governance and combating corruption through improved legislation and active citizen oversight. "The Eurasia Foundation is heartened by the fact that the leader of the country's Parliament is so willing to engage non-governmental organizations and the media as equal partners in the fight against corruption. In the coming years, EF intends to continue its work for increased cooperation between these sectors." stated Ms. Harris. In a recent workshop on anti-corruption, the OSCE demonstrated that the engagement of the country's government, non-government and media structures are all necessary for fighting corruption. Ms. Vidal from the UNDP agreed: "we believe that public participation in the fight against corruption is essential and we will continue to actively support national actors in reducing corruption in Armenia - in order to alleviate poverty, to improve the social structure of the country, to promote economic development, and to enhance Armenia's democratic development overall." The two-day Conference was closed with a reception at the Government Reception Hall, which was attended by the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, as well as representatives of government, civil society and the media. # # # The Eurasia Foundation is a privately managed non-profit organization supported by the U.S. government and other public and private donors. Since 1992, the Eurasia Foundation has invested more than $335 million through more than 7,700 grants and technical assistance projects in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. _____ This press release is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of the Eurasia Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

RADZIKHOVSKI: “RUSSIA HAS TO PLAY PEACEFUL ROLE, NOT JUST TO BE CATALYST REGARDING NK CONFLICT”
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 5 2006
“Azerbaijan is one the former Soviet countries having real political
interests not just a psychopathic one,” Russian prominent political
scientist Leonid Radzikhovski told. He stressed that the oil-rich
Azerbaijan is having serious talks with Russia regarding the settlement
of legal status of the Caspian Sea.
“If Turkmenistan, main rival to Russia in gas sector, tries to
construct a new gas pipeline by breaking relations with Kremlin,
Azerbaijan will turn out to play a key role in the sale of Turkmen
gas,” the political scientist said. “Only Armenia in the South
Caucasus unconditionally supports Russia. All are aware of the
relations between Yerevan and Baku. Bearing in mind that Russia has
regularly supplied Armenia with guns due to some reasons, this fact
always instigated the conflict between the two countries. In practice,
those reconciling two parties benefit form it,” he emphasized.
Radzikhovski also said that the official Kremlin has recently had
tendencies towards Azerbaijan.
“This tendency is based on Russia becoming gas and oil empire, and
this factor is more obvious than other ones. Russian authorities try
to expand relations with Azerbaijan which caused dissatisfaction of
Armenian side several times. However, the Kremlin does not intend to
argue with Armenia as this country is historical strategic ally of
Russia. Nowadays, Russia takes interest in instigating the conflicts in
Trans-Dnestrovia, Abkhazia, South Osetia. However, Russia has not such
an interest regarding the Nagorno Garabagh conflict. Because, tense
situation in Garabagh and outbreak of active military operations can
lead Russia to foolish situation. If the war breaks out, Russia will
defend Armenia which will lead to worsened relations with influential
and very important Azerbaijan. Let’s consider the opposite variant:
to ruin the relations with Armenia and dissatisfy Armenian lobby which
as enough influence in Moscow. So, this variant is not advisable
either. Therefore, Russia has to play a peaceful role, not just to
be a catalyst with regard to the Nagorno Garabagh conflict,” the
political scientist concluded.