Author: Boshkezenian Garik

ARMENIA’S TRANSPORT MINISTRY NOT PARTICIPATE IN NEGOTIATIONS OVER "KAZBEGI – UPPER LARS" CHECK POINT OPENING

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.11.2009 15:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA Transport and Communications Minister Gurgen
Sargsyan declined to comment on the opening of the "Kazbegi – Upper
Lars" check point and the lack of diplomatic relations between Russia
and Georgia.

"I cannot give any official information or any comments on this issue,
because it must be resolved between Russia and Georgia", he said,
speaking at a press conference in Yerevan.

In this regard, the minister added that Agency to conduct negotiations
over this issue has not been created at the ministry level.

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA TO TAKE PART IN OFFICIAL OPENING OF ARMENIAN CULTURAL CENTER IN KALININGRAD

ArmInfo
2009-11-11 11:57:00

ArmInfo. The issue of preservation of the Armenian identity is the
major problem of the Armenian community of Russia’s Kaliningrad
region, Chairman of the Armenian Regional National-Cultural Autonomy
of Kaliningrad region Felix Gevorgyan said during the meeting of
representatives of the Armenian community with Armenia’s Minister of
Culture Hasmik Poghosyan and Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakopyan,
ArmInfo correspondent reports from Kaliningrad. To note, Mayor of
Yerevan Gagik Beglaryan also took part in the meeting. The ministers’
meeting was organized within the frames of Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan’s visit to Kaliningrad region.

According to F. Gevorgyan, this is a historical event, when president
of Armenia personally visits a region where 15,000 Armenians live. F.

Gevorgyan emphasized the importance of the Armenian Cultural Center
in Kaliningrad, in the opening ceremony of which S. Sargsyan will
take part. Gevorgyan thanked the Ministry of Culture, as well as the
Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia for the assistance.

In her turn, Minister of Culture of Armenia H. Poghosyan emphasized
that the Ministry activated the cooperation with the Armenian
communities of Russia’s regions in 2009. She urged the community
representatives to be more active and present their proposals and
initiatives to the Ministry. ‘We are always ready to assist you’, she
said. Moreover, H. Poghosyan said that an agreement of cooperation on
specific directions will be signed between the Armenian and Russian
Culture Ministries in Moscow on November 11.

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA MEETS PRIME MINISTER OF HUNGARY

ArmInfo
2009-11-10 16:36:00

ArmInfo. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, staying with a state
visit in Hungary met today Prime Minister of Hungary Gordon Bajnai.

As ArmInfo correspondent reported from Budapest, today Serzh Sargsyan
is also going to meet Cardinal Peter Erda and participants in the
Armenian-Hungarian business forum. Together with the president of
Hungary, Serzh Sargsyan is also going to visit the museum of the
military institute of Budapest.

Today the leader of Armenia is leaving for Kaliningrad with a
short-term working visit to meet Kaliningrad region governor Georgi
Boss and to take part in some events.

‘ARMENIA’S ECONOMY ON BRINK OF COLLAPSE,’ SAYS OPPOSITION

Tert
Nov 10 2009
Armenia

"Armenia’s economy is standing on the brink of collapse," said Armenian
National Congress (ANC) coordinator Levon Zurabyan at today’s press
conference, adding that an increase in prices is conditioned by an
economic collapse.

Also participating in the press conference were representatives from
ANC’s committee on economic issues, Vahagn Khachatryan and Bagrat
Asatryan, who shared with journalists their opinions on the country’s
current economic situation.

Zurabyan considered the 18% economic decline registered in the country
alarming and unprecedented, adding that the current situation is a
result of the flawed system created in Armenia over the last 11 years.

According to Zurabyan, "thanks to" that system, the business elite
have retreated from the country, competition has all but ceased, and
the only movement in the economy is connected with money transfers
(from those outside the country), which, because of the global economic
slowdown, have drastically declined.

For his part, Asatryan, the former chair of Armenia’s Central Bank,
noted that it’s possible there won’t be any positive developments
in the economy till the end of this year. According to Asatryan,
if there was hope that there would be positive developments in the
fourth quarter, such forecasts, such as the country’s economic decline
will be around 15% by the end of this year, wouldn’t be announced.

In Khachatryan’s opinion, the government’s plan to combat the economic
crisis is ill-conceived, and that perhaps the government doesn’t
understand what situation it has created. He explained it this way:
"The crisis has not affected their personal lives, and perhaps that is
why they don’t understand what situation it [the crisis] has created."

Zurabyan noted that, in order to correct the situation, a "democratic
people’s force" has to confront the country’s governing authorities.

But until then, the Armenian National Congress will prepare and,
in the near future, present to the public an alternative list of
measures in dealing with the global economic crisis.

GAGIK MINASYAN: 1.2% ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 2010 QUITE POSSIBLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.11.2009 14:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 1.2% economic growth envisaged by the 2010 national
budget is conditioned by the 2009 index, head of the fiscal committee
at the RA National Assembly said.

"The republic’s economy tends to stabilize. The 2009 national budget
envisaged a 9.2% economic growth, however, the crises resulted
in a 18% slump," Gagik Minasyan said. "The crisis was deep and
unpredictable. International structures revise their forecasts twice
a month. However, greater slump is not expected."

"The government’s anti-crisis program will produce result in early
2010," Minasyan said.

ARMENIA: EDUCATION AND SCIENCE BUDGETS REACH 95 BILLION AMD IN 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.11.2009 16:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Next year the education budget will reach 95
billion AMD, 13 billion AMD less than in the current year. However,
this will not prevent us from continuing all development programs. We
will also need extra budgetary money to use effectively in all spheres
of education," RA Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan
told a press conference on November 10.

Saying that the World Bank and the EU will give Armenia 4 billion AMD
for educational programs, the minister stressed that next year’s 12
per cent cut of budgetary spending for education sphere is conditioned
not only by the global crisis, but rather demographic problems. The
number of secondary school students is expected to reduce by 20
thousand next year, which will result in 1 billion AMD cut of the
state expenditure for education sphere. The rest 12 billion AMD cut
will be made at the expense of education support services, such as
renovation of the school buildings," the minister said.

The minister also informed, that next year 48 schools will receive
the status of high schools.

KOCHARYAN’S LETTER TO JOHN DANILOVICH DOES NOT CONFORM TO LAW "ON FREEDOM OF INFORMATION"

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.11.2009 18:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 9, RA Administrative Court rejected
"Asparez" club journalist Levon Barseghyan’s claim vs. RA president’s
staff. Plaintiff claimed that court oblige presidential staff to
provide him with ex-President Robert Kocharyan’s letter to Millennium
Challenges director John Danilovich. The letter was a response to
warning-notice dated March 11, 2008.

Administrative Court argued that ex-President’s letter to Millennium
Challenges Director could not be considered satisfactory under RA law
"On Freedom of Information". According to court verdict, "the letter,
as well as parties’ notes on bilateral negotiation process, cannot
be considered information." Only agreements or decisions can apply
to the category.

Immediately following March 1, 2008 developments, Millennium Challenges
General Director John Danilovich addressed a letter to RA Presdient
Robert Kocharyan, expressing his concerns. In his letter Danilovich
also said that incident would not affect Millennium Challenges funding
program, Asparez club NGO’s press service reports.

TURKISH MP CALLS ON AZERBAIJAN TO FIGHT AGAINST ARMENIA
Written by Armen Hareyan

HULIQ
h-mp-calls-azerbaijan-fight-against-armenia
Nov 9 2009
SC

In a time when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton goes to
great length with French, Swiss and Russian mediators to bring about
the reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia and when OSCE Minsk
group reports positive movements on the front of Azerbaijan Armenia
negotiations for Nagorno Karabakh, one influential Turkish member of
the parliament calls on Azerbaijan to "fight," saying the lands were
taken away by blood.

Aladdin Buyukkaya, in an interview to Azerbaijan based Day.az makes
an outright call to Azerbaijan to fight for Nagorno Karabakh. In
other words, he makes a call for war while the entire international
community, superpowers and the mediators work very hard for peace.

Buyukkaya is not an average Turkish Parliamentarian.

The Turkish delegation to OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and member
of Turkish parliament from ruling Justice and Development Aladdin
Buyukkaya literally says the following to the Azerbaijani newspaper,
which should not miss from the eyes of the OSCE mediators and all
the parties involved in this conflict resolution, particularly French
and Russian foreign ministers Bernard Cushner and Sergei Lavrov and
the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

While speaking of Turkish role in region and the efforts of Turkey to
become a mediator in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan
and Armenia (aren’t the mediators supposed to be totally impartial?)
Mr. Buyukkaya says "Turkey will fight for restoration of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity to the end. Azerbaijan should also take real
steps. It is impossible to achieve a just solution to the conflict
waiting for help from Turkey and from other third parties. This
problem will not be solved only by will of co-chairs. We call on our
Azerbaijani brothers to fight. These lands were taken away by blood.

"We are not saying that the military way is the only solution to the
conflict. Azerbaijan’s increased military power will have a positive
effect on the process. Azerbaijan must be strong in all spheres,
as well as to demonstrate its military power to Armenia. I think
the military men also face great challenges. Azerbaijan may follow
example Turkey’s Armed Forces. Turkey is not at war with its neighbors,
but neighbors admit and agree with its military might."

How constructive is this when all involved parties are working for
peace? In fact, these types of statements will not only diminish,
but totally remove any grains of trust that the Turkish Armenian
protocols may have been risen in the Armenian people against Turkey.

Aladdin Buyukkaya, according to Etkiforum, entered the Turkish politics
in 2001 and is one of the founders of the ruling AK Justice and
Development Party. He is currently the Chairman of Itabariyle Istanbul.

If peace is to be restored in the region of South Caucasus any call
to war or showing of military might should be condemned. Those who
call for war, their children will not go and die in the war. In fact
the history has repeatedly shown that their children were hidden
behind the big packets of their daddies. In fact, if peace is to
be restored in the region Buyukkaya is right on one aspect, that
"Azerbaijan should also take real steps."

The time has come for Azerbaijan to understand that Nagorno Karabakh
is not in its control These are nearly 200,000 Christian people who
have voted to leave free from Azerbaijan’s oppression, when Armenian
schools, universities and churches were closing in Nagorno Karabakh
and cultural monuments destroying. We have seen this happening in
Nakhichevan.

There is even more to this. In Armenia and Azerbaijan there is already
an entire new generation of people who do not know what it means for
Karabakh to be under Azerbaijan’s rule. This fact has to be taken
into consideration as well.

Also, while speaking about Armenia’s freeing of what Azerbaijan and
Turkey say "occupied lands" it is just to remember the days between
1988 and 1992 when Azerbaijan was using those lands around Nagorno
Karabakh to launch military attacks on the civilian population
of Nagorno Karabakh. The state directly went to war with its own
Armenian minority. How could one expect the Armenian people going
back to Azerbaijan’s rule?

How could one expect Kosovo going back to being under Serbia’s rule?

If the peace is to be restored between Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan,
the time has come for the matters being resolved based on justice, not
on "military might" as Mr. Aladdin Buyukkaya suggest to his brothers
in Azerbaijan. Only peace, based on justice, is sustainable. Then no
young soldier will cry because of the pain of a bullet, no parent in
Azerbaijan or Armenia will fear for the loss of his or her child and
the region will be developed based on peace and justice.

This is the time to build peace, not war. The challenge is to come
up with constructive ways of bringing the two societies and neighbors
together to to further alienate them by calls to fight.

TCA Arshag Dickranian Armenian School
1200 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Tel: 323-461-4377
Fax: 323-323-461-4247
Contact: [email protected]

TCA Arshag Dickranian School To Hold
A Festive Annual Thanksgiving Dinner

Los Angeles, November 8, 2009 – The Parent-Teacher Organization of TCA
Arshag Dickranian School will be hosting its Annual Thanksgiving Dinner
Dance at the plush Walter and Laurel Karabian Hall on Saturday, November
21, at 6:00 pm. The event will gather the large circle of parents,
teachers and friends dedicated to the success and progress of the school.

As in previous years, the event will include a festive Thanksgiving menu,
dance music and various entertainment programs performed by students of
the school.

Chaired by Mrs. Ophelia Garibyan, the members of the PTO have been working
diligently to make this year’s Thanksgiving Dinner Dance a memorable
event. The PTO has always been active over the years in providing the
daily lunches for the students and various social functions designed for
the welfare of the school.

For more information about the event please contact the following PTO
members: Houri Kourouyan at (818) 317 -8189, Zarouhi Sulian at (323) 953 –
0477, Armen Mkhsian at (323) 791 – 5239 and Ophelia Garibyan at (818) 324
– 1565.

Located at 1200 North Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, the TCA Arshag
Dickranian Armenian School is a federally tax exempt, Pre-K to 12th grade
private educational institution. For more information visit

OSCE MEDIATORS COORDINATING BASIC PRINCIPLES OF A KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

news.az
Nov 6 2009
Azerbaijan

Bernard Fassier The co-chairmen of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation’s Minsk Group, the main international body negotiating
a settlement to the Karabakh conflict, are holding the latest round
of talks in Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"We continue work on coordinating the basic principles. I hope that
after the visit to Yerevan we will be able to specify the date and
venue of the next meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents,"
the Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov,
told ATV after meetings with the Azerbaijani leadership on Thursday.

"As for new proposals on the basis of the Madrid principles, they
are not written once and for all time but change in the process of
negotiations and new proposals may also emerge," Merzlyakov said.

He said the co-chairs would not have time to visit Nagorno-Karabakh
on this occasion.

In turn, French mediator Bernard Fassier said the co-chairs are
working on strengthening the basic principles.

"We have been working with the parties on the proposals that are
called the ‘basic principles’ for two years now and we try to achieve
progress. We want to strengthen these principles and make additions to
them if needed. We will continue this work until we make the presidents
agree on the documents or until they empower us to prepare the text
of the agreement," Fassier said.

The Minsk Group co-chairmen are having meetings in Yerevan on Friday
and will return to Baku in the evening