Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

SINGLE SHOT FROM AZERI PARTY RECORDED DURING MONITORING OF NKR AND
AZERI ARMED FORCES CONTACT LINE

STEPANAKERT, June 22. /ARKA/. OSCE Mission has held a scheduled
monitoring of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan Armed Forces contact
line to the north-west of Kuropatkino populated area of the NKR
Martuni region.

As the Press Service of NKR Foreign Ministry told ARKA News Agency
today, on NKR Defense Army positions, the monitoring was carried out
by the field assistants of the Personal Representative of OSCE CIO
Miroslav Vymetal (Czech Republic), Peter Kii (Great Britain) and
Torsten Aren (Sweden).

The group was headed by Ambassador Andrzei Kasprzyk, the Personal
Representative of the OSCE CIO.

Azerbaijan did not lead the members of the monitoring mission to their
front line, unlike NKR party. A single shot from Azeri party was
recorded during the monitoring at a distance of a kilometer from the
monitoring spot.

On the part of NKR, the monitoring mission was accompanied by the
representative of NKR Defense and Foreign Ministries. L.V.-0–
From: Baghdasarian

ITAR-TASS, Russia
June 22 2005

Putin calls for discussing EurAsEC development, relations

MOSCOW, June 22 (Itar-Tass) – President Vladimir Putin called for
discussing the EurAsEC development and relations between
member-countries.

Opening the EurAsEC summit on Wednesday, Putin said, `We’ll begin our
work in a narrow format. We’ll have an opportunity to hold
discussions on the agenda and the issues, in which we show interest –
the development of the organisation and bilateral relations.’

Putin welcomed President Robert Kocharyan of Armenia, which is not a
EurAsEC member. Armenia is taking part in the summit as an observer.
From: Baghdasarian

Armenian defence minister to set up party in bid for presidency – paper

Iravunk, Yerevan
17 Jun 05

Text of unattributed report by Armenian newspaper Iravunk on 17 June
headlined “New support for Serzh Sarkisyan”

According to a source close to Armenian Defence Minister Serzh
Sarkisyan, he is going to form a new party on the basis of the People’s
Deputy parliamentary faction with the aim of using the party as a
means of political support.

The source said that in doing so, Sarkisyan intends to secure massive
representation in the parliament during the parliamentary elections
of 2007. He hopes that the party will win a great number of seats
in first-past-the-post constituencies and become the biggest faction
in the National Assembly. In turn, the faction will back Sarkisyan’s
candidacy in the presidential elections of 2008.
From: Baghdasarian

Karabakh leader calls for meeting European standards in elections

Interfax
June 18 2005

STEPANAKERT. June 18 (Interfax) – President Arkady Gukasian of
the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh has called on
its residents to observe European democratic standards during the
elections to the local parliament on June 19, which, he said, could
promote international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The upcoming elections are of great international importance for
Nagorno-Karabakh,” Gukasian said in an address circulated on Saturday.

The people should demonstrate to the world that democratic reforms
in Nagorno-Karabakh are irreversible, Gukasian said.

“If the upcoming parliamentary elections fail to meet European
standards, the image of our state and its authority on the
international arena will be seriously damaged, which could negatively
influence the process of settlement of our conflict with Azerbaijan,”
he said.

The Nagorno-Karabakh leader regretted that certain actions taken during
the election campaign could split society and deal an irreparable
blow to Nagorno-Karabakh’s security.

“I am calling on all political forces and candidates to respect the
people’s choice and work together to build the state and seek its
international recognition,” Gukasian said.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN DEMONSTRATORS BURNT TURKISH FLAG IN BEIRUT

Pan Armenian News
16.06.2005 08:34

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Protesting against the arrival of Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Lebanon on an official call over 1500
Armenian demonstrators burned the Turkish flag, reported the Yerkir
newspaper. Shops closed for an hour Burch Hamut Armenian residential
area as a sign of protest.
From: Baghdasarian

HOOVER STILL IMPRESSING

By Hamlet Nalbandyan, Glendale News-Press and Leader
June 15, 2005

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — Yes, it’s only the summer, and Vigen Jilizian
is fully aware of that.

Still, even he admits his Hoover High boys’ basketball team is
capable of doing some special things next winter.

“Nobody’s going to give us a CIF ring for this,” said Jilizian after
his Tornadoes defeated archrival Glendale, 44-30, in Tuesday’s Hoover
High Summer League contest at the Tornado gym, which improved Hoover
to 3-1 in the summer.

“But our kids are working hard. I just want them to keep improving,
and we’ll see what happens.”

What’s happened so far should bring smiles to the faces of Tornado
fans. The Tornadoes competed over the weekend in the Southern
California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Assn. Summer Classic at
Glendale Community College.

There, they defeated Pasadena Marshall handily, 59-37, in the opener
before pulling off an upset victory against powerhouse
Harvard-Westlake, 46-37.

The Wolverines won the CIF Southern Section Division IIIA title last
season and return 10 of their 14 players from that group. Jilizian
said Harvard-Westlake had a vast majority of its roster at Saturday’s
game.

After beating Harvard-Westlake, the Tornadoes then faced small-school
power Campbell Hall later that day and just lost, 50-46. Campbell
Hall went 32-0 last season and won the Division IV state title.

“I think Hoover’s going to be outstanding next year,” Nitro Coach
Steve Snodgress said. “They’ve got a lot of pieces. They have a very
strong big guy and a really good young guard.”

Indeed, the Tornadoes have talent.

The big guy Snodgress was talking about is junior-to-be Zare
Zargaryan, who finished with 11 points and eight rebounds Tuesday.

Zargaryan looked stronger and faster than last season, as did
sophomore-to-be point guard Shara Babakhanians, who finished with
nine points.

The Tornadoes also added 6-foot-4 power forward Ray Beginyan, who
finished with seven points and six rebounds, and they’ve got good
role players in Razmik Hossepians (six points) and Artash Davtyan
(five points). And best of all, all of the aforementioned key players
are all underclassmen.

“We’re only going to have three seniors next year, so eight of these
guys have at least one more year after next year,” Jilizian said.

While the Tornadoes — who finished last in the Pacific League but
still won 11 games a season ago — have the pieces to their puzzle
pretty much set, the Nitros (0-1) are still in the searching stages.

Glendale graduated its top two scorers from last season in Raymond
Dagher (14.2 points per game) and Leonard Khechumyan (12.0), which
means Snodgress is looking for a go-to player.

“We return a lot of our support group, but someone from that group
has to emerge and lead us,” Snodgress said. “We’re going to rely on
guys like David [Lee], Hamlet [Hovhanesian] and Theo [Minassian], and
two of those three have to step up in every game.”

In Tuesday’s game, there were stretches where that trio played well.

Glendale grabbed an 8-6 lead with 15 minutes left in the first half,
but then got outscored 12-0 in the next 10 minutes.

The Nitros pulled head, 24-23, three minutes into the second half,
then got outscored, 21-2, during the next 15 minutes Lee led Glendale
with 10 points and Hovhanesian added nine, all on three-pointers.
Minassian finished with five off the bench and junior-to-be center
Haig Darakjian added four.

* HAMLET NALBANDYAN covers sports. He can be reached at (818)
637-3226 or by e-mail at [email protected].
From: Baghdasarian

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Cannata
June 14, 2006

Andrew Souvall (202) 225-4671

PALLONE EXPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT WITH DECISION TO WITHDRAWAL AWARD
FOR AMBASSADOR EVANS

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), co-chairman
of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, gave the following
speech on the House floor last night expressing his disappointment
with the American Foreign Service Association’s (AFSA) decision to
withdraw awarding a “Constructive Dissent” award to U.S. Armenian
Ambassador John Evans.

AFSA, a professional association made up of 13,000 members of the
U.S. Foreign Service, initially announced the award to recognize
Ambassador Evans’ use of the word “genocide” in describing the
atrocities committed against the Armenian people, but the award was
later withdrawn. Pallone believes the association had second thoughts
after receiving pressure from the Bush Administration.

“Ambassador Evans was due to receive the Christian A. Heter Award for
intellectual courage, initiative, and integrity later this week. The
award was a result of courageous statements he made regarding the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

“In a series of public statements, Ambassador Evans, who has
studied Russian history at Yale and Columbia and Ottoman history
at the Kennan Institute, stated, ‘I will today call it the Armenian
Genocide.’ Mr. Speaker, Ambassador Evans has studied the history of
Armenia, and based on his substantial studies of the issue, he was
willing to go on the record and define the actions taken against
Armenians as genocide.

“The Armenian Genocide was the systematic extermination— the
murder— of one-and-one-half million Armenian men, women and children.

“To this day, the Republic of Turkey refuses to acknowledge the fact
that this massive crime against humanity took place on soil under
its control, and in the name of Turkish nationalism.

“Unfortunately, some 90 years later, the U.S. State Department
continues to support Turkey’s denials despite all evidence to the
contrary. It’s not likely that the State Department was happy their
Ambassador to Armenia acknowledging the Armenian Genocide.

Therefore, Evans retracted his remarks after receiving substantial
pressure from the State Department.

“Well, now the selection committee at the American Foreign Service
Association has decided to withdraw the award with no reason
for its actions. I find the timing of the decision peculiar. The
sharp turnaround came right before Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Washington for a meeting with President
Bush. Based on past history, it’s clear that the State Department,
the Bush Administration, and the powerful pro-Turkish lobby pressured
A-F-S-A to withdraw Ambassador Evans Award.

“It is simply unacceptable for this administration to continue to
penalize the ambassador for his comments. Ambassador Evans did a
courageous thing; his statements did not contradict U.S. policy,
but rather articulated the same message that this Administration
has sent to the public. The only difference in this case is that
Ambassador Evans assigned a word to define the actions taken against
the Armenians.

“This was a refreshing break from a pattern on the part of the State
Department of using evasive and euphemistic terminology to obscure the
full reality of the Armenian Genocide, Ambassador Evans pointed out
that, “No American official has ever denied it,” and went on to say
that, “I think we, the U.S. government, owe you, our fellow citizens
a more frank and honest way of discussing this problem.”

“Ambassador Evans was merely recounting the historical record, which
has been attested to by over 120 Holocaust and genocide scholars from
around the world. By doing this, he earned a prestigious award that
was taken from him because of politics and denial.

“I want to add my voice to all those who, in Ambassador Evans’ own
words, ‘think it is unbecoming of us as Americans to play word games
here. I believe in calling things by their name.’ Evans was right,
and the American Foreign Services Association was correct in awarding
him the Christian A. Heter Award. We should encourage our Ambassadors
to speak the truth, and, more broadly, end, once and for all, our
complicity in Turkey’s campaign of genocide denial.

“Mr. Speaker, Ambassador Evans has been penalized for telling the
truth. The American Foreign Service Association has set a terrible
example by retracted Ambassador Evans’ award. I guess even in America
the Turkish Government is able to stifle debate.”

-30-

Jennifer Karch Cannata
Press Secretary
Office of U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr.
420 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4671 office
(202) 225-9665 fax
From: Baghdasarian

RA PRESIDENT VISITS RF EMBASSY IN ARMENIA ON OCCASION OF NATIONAL
HOLIDAY OF RUSSIA

YEREVAN, JUNE 9, NOYAN TAPAN. On the occasion of the national holiday
of Russia, the day of the State Sovereignty Declaration’s adoption, RA
Robert Kocharian visited the RF Embassy in Armenia on June 9. As Noyan
Tapan was informed from the RA President’s Press Office, in his
congratulating address, Robert Kocharian expressed a confidence that
the strong ties having been formed between the two countries and the
two peoples for centuries will more strenghten.
From: Baghdasarian

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

June 9, 2005
___________________

DIOCESE PLAYS LEADERSHIP ROLE IN NEW CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION

During a closed-doors meeting in the first week of June, the new
ecumenical organization — called Christian Churches Together — took
its first formal steps towards organizing. The new group seeks to bring
together the “five families” of Christian churches: mainline Protestant,
Catholic, Orthodox, racial/ethnic and evangelical/Pentecostal churches.

The Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), through its
legate, is deeply involved in this effort, which is making historic
inroads in the Catholic and evangelical churches, which have
traditionally not been associated with national ecumenical groups such
as the National Council of Churches. While the new Christian Churches
Together has been well received by leaders of the Catholic and
evangelical churches, no official endorsement from world-wide leaders
has come yet.

“This is going to be the first time in the history of United States that
the ‘five families’ of churches are coming together to jointly create
such an organization,” said Bishop Vicken Aykazian, diocesan legate and
ecumenical officer, who has served on the group’s steering committee
since it was proposed in 2001. “We have to express ourselves with the
same voice about the social problems, political problems, and
theological problems.”

About two dozen church leaders attended the steering committee gathering
from June 1 to 3 in Los Altos Hills, CA, during which they talked about
the final shape of the organization, and the goal to officially launch
the new effort in 2006.

Participants in the group’s initial meetings the past few years have
spent much of their time praying together and getting acquainted with
one another’s traditions. Organizers of the group say such
trust-building sessions are critical to building consensus between
churches during future discussions of moral and social issues.

During the most recent meeting, Bishop Aykazian shared an Orthodox view
of ecumenicalism with the participants by reading remarks written by
Chris Zakian, coordinator of public relations at the Diocese.

“What we regard today as the modern ecumenical movement saw its birth in
the middle years of the 20th century. For most of the ensuing period,
the Armenian Church has played a role in ecumenical gatherings on the
world and various national stages, under the support and blessing of
three catholicoi of the worldwide Armenian Church, centered at our
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, in today’s Republic of Armenia,” the
remarks read.

“The idea of an ‘ecumenical’ Christianity — that is, a Christianity
that encompasses all the world’s human habitations — is much older, of
course, having received its most elaborate expression in the 4th
century, under the Council of Nicaea. Astonishingly, all of us gathered
here today still live in the shadow of that great gathering — and not
simply those of us who explicitly adhere to the Nicene Creed. By the
very fact of our coming together, we are in some measure seeking to
continue, or perhaps complete, the project begun 1,680 years ago.”

— 6/9/05
From: Baghdasarian

AZG Armenian Daily #105, 09/06/2005

Diaspora

AN ATTEMPT TO DENATIONALIZE ARMENIAN SCHOOL OF AKHALTSKHA?

‘Police’ Beat Pupils While Quelling the Rally

On June7, the police of Samtskhe-Javakhk region of Georgia headed by
coordinator of the region’s law enforcement forces Aram Poghosian crushed
down the rally of Armenian pupils of Akhaltskha secondary school after
Hovhannes Tumanian. According to a source in Akhaltskha, Armenian and
Georgian policemen beat several students while making their way to the
school. Two of them were admitted to the hospital; one of the children got
his clavicle broken.

The events a few days back stand for the local Armenians’ protest rally. The
education minister of Georgia signed a decree on May 24 sacking the
headmaster of the school Lyuba Matevosian. She was replaced by
Russian-speaking Robert Muradian. Mrs. Matevosian was informed about her
dismissal on June 2.

Though Mrs. Matevosian was going to resign at the end of the academic year
(by the end of June) and terminate the teacher’s 45-year-old career, she
claims she was sacked unlawfully. In a phone conversation with daily Azg
Mrs. Matevosian said that the new legislation forces all headmasters of
Georgia’s secondary schools resign by the end of each academic year and to
elect a new one.

Lyuba Matevosian notes that the school’s staff, pupils and the alumni were
going to organize a farewell party for her. “The teaching staff is against
the new candidate for headmaster, the pupils and people are against it,
too”, she explains.

A member of Akhaltskha’s Armenian community (name withheld for safety
reasons) told daily Azg that there is political calculation in dismissing
the honored teacher as Lyuba Matevosian. He claims that the new headmaster
has no connection with the school, moreover, he is Russian-speaking. “We
think that the 175-year-old Armenian school will get ruined with him as a
headmaster”, he says.

Reportedly the newly appointed headmaster was introduced to the staff. The
teachers refused to work with Robert Muradian and left the school compound.
The wife of the headmaster, teacher of the school, failed to enter the
school yesterday as a few students blocked her way. According to news from
Akhaltskha, the situation between local Armenians and the region’s law
enforcement bodies is tense. The regional administration announced that the
police will arrest several Armenian “nationalists”.

Georgian education minister Kakha Lomaya is resolute to defend his candidate
to the end.

The situation over the school in Akhaltskha should be viewed in a wider
context. International organizations such as the International Federation of
Human Rights and NATO Parliamentary Assembly point out in a report issued
lately that the minority rights, including national, religious and cultural
rights of the Armenians, in “rose Georgia” are violated.

In an interview to daily Azg in early May Lyuba Matevosian told with pain
that the school after Tumanian remains the only cultural center in
Akhaltskha. “There was a time when Akhaltskha was almost an Armenian town.
60-70 percent of the population was Armenian before the 1950s, now hardly 30
percent is Armenian. There are almost no Armenian officials. People have
changed a great deal. Everybody used to speak Armenian in past days, we felt
as though at home”.

World famous French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour, whose parents
originate from Akhaltskha, visited the town on May 29 on invitation of
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and met local Armenians in that very
school. In case the last cultural fortress — Tumanian school — gets
denationalized, tens of thousands Armenians can do nothing but leave their
birthplace.

By Tatoul Hakobian
From: Baghdasarian