Author: Boshkezenian Garik

ARTSAKH CELEBRATES ITS INDEPENDENCE DAY
By Kim Gabrielian

AZG Armenian Daily #159
04/09/2007

Nagorno-Karabakh

The 16th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Nagorno
Karabakh, as it is the custom, was celebrated with a series of culture
and sports events in Stepanakert. The most remarkable event in the
celebration of Artsakh’s Independence Day in 2007 was the inauguration
of the new house of Parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh. Speaker of the
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Torosian, who
was present to the opening ceremony, confessed that the he liked the
house of the Parliament of Karabakh much more than that of RA. In
his turn Speaker of the National Assembly of NKR noted that 16 years
ago Artsakh had neither the modern life conditions nor the powerful
army. The inauguration ceremony ended with an exhibition of Baze
Hrayr’s photographs.

On that day an exhibition was also organized by the painters of
Karabakh, who were representing their canvases devoted to the themes
of freedom and independence. Another exhibition in Stepanakert
was dedicated to historic and cultural researches on the liberated
territories throughout 1990-2005.

Another noteworthy event was the opening of a new village in Karabakh,
Vardout, which was constructed from very zero in the wilderness,
and not rebuilt on a place of an older one. The village is provided
with all infrastructures and all communal facilities.

Deputy of the RA National Assembly and head of the "Heritage" party
Raffi Hovannissian represented his legislation project on recognition
of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. He stated that the people of
Artsakh have earned that right long ago and the Republic of Armenia
has to adopt that fact de jure.

Speaker Tigran Torosian objected that the recognition of the
independence of Karabakh mustn’t be declarative. He said that each year
the National Assembly and the Government of Armenia, elaborating the
state budget, are always providing for an intergovernmental credit
to Karabakh. Moreover, Armenia is engaged in negotiations and is
defending the common interests of both the countries. He added that
the official recognition of the independence of Karabakh shall take
place "only when the time comes".

YSU: TWO-FOLD HOLIDAY

Panorama.am
20:41 30/08/2007

Not all students, including first-year students, will have the
opportunity to participate in the "day of knowledge" at Yerevan
State University. Karen Grigoryan, who head the university’s press
department, told panorama.am that "This year, the university will greet
its first-year students on September 3, at 8:30 AM. This concerns all
departments, except for law and economics. These will begin according
to tradition. I think this decision by the university is a surprise
to students, but in reality there is nothing out of the ordinary in
the decision."

The reason, he said, is that in an institution of higher learning all
departments, excepting the above-mentioned two, classes are not held
on Saturdays, meaning the doors for them will open on Monday.

Grigoryan added that "The departments of Roman-German languages and
sociology are scheduled second, therefore these faculties will greet
their first-year students on September 3 at 1:30 PM.

The university news service stated that on the first day of learning a
package will be distributed to first-year students, which will include
a map of the university, notebooks, pens, and general instructions.

TAB EDITORIAL: THUMBS UP, THUMBS DOWN

Newton TAB, MA
GateHouse News Service
Aug 29 2007

Thumbs up

To David Boyajian for demonstrating that one person really can make
a difference. The Newton resident sent a letter to the editor of the
TAB’s sister publication, the Watertown TAB and Press, berating the
Anti-Defamation League for failing to recognize the Armenian Genocide
of the early 20th century. Boyajian’s letter caught the attention
of many in the Armenian-rich community who, in turn, called upon
the ADL to change its position, which it has done to some extent. As
long as the ADL’s national office does not also support congressional
legislation that would officially recognize the genocide, the issue
remains unresolved. But with just 215 words, Boyajian set into motion
a chain of events that has had positive national, if not international,
impact.

Thumbs down

To Jeremy Solomon, Mayor David Cohen’s director of policy and
communications, for neglecting to tell the public right away that
the city had signed a legal agreement with Newton South contractor
Peabody Construction’s insurance company. Peabody was fired last
year because of shoddy and incomplete work, and the city withheld
$1.2 million in payment.

On July 27, the two parties signed an agreement listing the outstanding
items that will be addressed by Vertex Engineering Systems, at a cost
of $700,000 for the city.

When questioned why the mayor hadn’t announced the settlement in a
statement or at a press conference, Solomon said, "I don’t have a
good answer for you on that yet."

After looking into it, he told the TAB, "This document is public
record and has been available since it was executed." He wouldn’t
elaborate further.

Solomon insists the settlement is good news, which leaves the
TAB wondering: If the mayor’s director of communications doesn’t
communicate good news, what does he communicate?

To the Parks & Recreation Department for closing Crystal Lake two
weeks before Labor Day and just days before last weekend’s crushing
heat. We understand that it’s hard finding lifeguards once many college
kids leave town but, given the predictability of the summer schedule,
there really ought to be an alternative.

Thumbs sideways To Aldermen Ted Hess-Mahan and Verne Vance for
endeavoring to find a quick solution to the unwieldy electoral process
that has Newton voters casting ballots in 17 aldermanic contests
every other year.

Their proposed legislation would stagger terms and could increase
the frequency of head-to-head races. Terms would last three years
instead of two, but, theoretically, candidates and incumbents would
have to work harder to earn their seats.

The TAB still supports reducing the size of the board, as do Hess-Mahan
and Vance, supposedly, and we question why this quick fix works for
these two aldermen while a reduction in board size seemingly requires
years of debate. This discussion is still new, and while we think it
sounds like a step in the right direction, our thumbs can’t reach an
upwards or downwards position until we hear more debate.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER PARTICIPATES IN BLED STRATEGIC FORUM

AZG Armenian Daily
29/08/2007

Minister Oskanian participated in the Bled Strategic Forum, held
in Bled Slovenia, at the invitation of Slovenian Foreign Minister
Dimitrij Rupel. The Forum, held on August 26 and 27, featured speakers
and panelists from the European Union structures, as well as government
officials from Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Minister Oskanian
addressed a Round Table Discussion entitled "Economic and Political
Trends in the South Caucasus and Central Asia: the Role of the EU and
the OSCE." He spoke about the generally positive economic trends and
the importance of continuing efforts to ensure that political trends,
too, continue to be positive. He stressed the need for focusing on
deep and lasting economic development.

Minister Oskanian called on the international community to see the
region beyond its capacity to produce oil and gas, and instead to
view human capital as the major resource to utilize and enhance.

ERDOGAN URGES ISRAELI PRESIDENT NOT TO SUPPORT ARMENIAN ALLEGATIONS

Turkish Press
Aug 27 2007

In the wake of the decision by a prominent US Jewish group, the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL), to recognize the so-called Armenian
genocide, Turkey has called on Israel to work to convince similar
groups not to follow suit. In a telephone conversation yesterday,
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly urged Israeli President
Shimon Peres to deal with the issue at the highest level.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul conveyed Turkey’s
disappointment and concern over the ADL’s decision to Pinhas Avivi,
Israel’s ambassador in Ankara. "It is a great disappointment for us,
who for centuries have given support to the Jews," Gul reportedly
said. "This decision contradicts the main argument of Jews, which
says that the Holocaust was a singular evil. Our bilateral relations
will suffer from this decision."

ABOUT 15 EVENTS ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTOR TO BE ORGANIZED IN ARMENIA IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Aug 27 2007

YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, NOYAN TAPAN. About 15 big events related to IT
sector will be organized in Armenia in September and October of this
year, NT correspondent was informed by Bagrat Yengibarian, director
of the Enterprise Incubator Foundation (IEF).

According to him, the international microelectronics symposium "IEEE
EWDTS 2007 – East-West. Design and Test" will be held in Yerevan on
September 7-10, while the international conference "InnovationECA 2007"
will take place on September 17-20. It is also envisaged to hold the
second world youth IT congress.

In September-October, the EIF together with Microsoft’s Armenian Office
will hold a contest of young programmers "ImagineCup", as well as a
regular olympiad of microelectronics. Besides, some agreements will
be signed with big foreign companies in the indicated months, with
the official opening ceremonies of their Armenian centers being held.

This series of IT events will finish with the traditional exhibition
Digitec 2007 to start on October 26, during which a number of
conferences are envisaged. B. Yengibarian said that the holding of
this exhibition on a later date than in previous years is due to the
fact the exhibition’s area, K. Demirchian Sport and Cultural Complex
is undergoing repair.

An investigation team is working at the place where the Prosecutor of
Armenia’s Lori region was murdered. The team includes employees of the
Prosecutor General’s office, Police and National Security Service

arminfo
2007-08-25 12:56:00

The Prosecutor of Lori region, third rank State Counselor of Justice
Albert Ghazarian was murdered near his house in Vanadzor, at 0:20am on
August 25, when returning from work, Armenian Prosecutor General’s
press secretary Sona Truzian told ArmInfo. A.Ghazaryan was shot four
times. He died of one blunt and three perforating wounds in the region
of his back, shoulders and neck. The operational investigative group of
the Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office, headed by acting Prosecutor
General Mnatsakan Sargsyan, arrived at the place of the murder. The
group found four bullets of Makarov handgun there.

The investigation department of the Armenian Prosecutor General’s
Office instituted a criminal case under Article 104 of RA Criminal
Code, an investigative group was set up, which includes experienced
employees of the Prosecutor General’s Office, Police and National
Security Service. All the necessary measures are being taken to
disclose the crime as soon as possible.

Albert Ghazaryan graduated from the Law Faculty of the Yerevan State
University in 1974. He has held the post of Prosecutor of Lori region
of Armenia since March 28, 2006.

Los Angeles Daily News, CA
Aug 23 2007

Former fugitive pleads in North Hollywood murder

BY JASON KANDEL Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 08/23/2007 11:08:38 AM PDT

NORTH HOLLYWOOD – A 32-year-old fugitive who was brought to the
United States from his native Armenia to face charges in a 2000
murder has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in exchange for a lighter
sentence.

Akop Akopyan, 32, was charged with the September 2000 murder of
Garnik Madoyan but took the prosecution’s offer of a plea bargain
just as a jury was being picked this week in Van Nuys Superior Court.

He was facing 50 years to life in prison, but now will face 21 years
when he is expected to be sentenced Sept. 26. He will likely serve up
to 15 years with credit for time that he’s already served, said his
attorney Jim Blatt. He also faces deportation.

Akopyan had been arguing with Madoyan, whom he knew, before shooting
him several times and then fleeing in a Jeep driven by someone else.
Blatt said the victim was also armed, that the two men had a
long-running beef, and it was a case of self defense.

"It developed into a personal confrontation and eventually resulted
in a homicide, unfortunately," said Akopyan’s lawyer Jim Blatt.

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Paul Nunez did not return a call
seeking comment.

In 2001 Akopyan, a reputed member of the Armenian Power Street gang,
with a tattoo of "My Crazy Life," was listed among the San Fernando
Valley’s 10 most wanted killers. Authorities tracked Akopyan to his
native Armenia where he was arrested in 2005.

AZG Armenian Daily #153, 25/08/2007

Armenia-Russia relations

PUTIN PROMISES $1,5 BILLION INVESTMENTS

On August 23, Russian and Armenian presidents Vladimir Putin and
Robert Kocharian met in Sochi (Russia). Vladimir Putin expressed his
content with development of Armenian-Russian bilateral relations:
increase in commodity turnover and allied cooperation in political
sphere, "Novosti Armenia" agency informed.

Russian President V. Putin assured of $1,5 billion Russian investments
in the Armenian economy in 2007.

In his turn, Robert Kocharian mentioned that Armenian-Russian
relations develop in all directions: there is evident increase in
investments, commodity turnover, military-technical and political
cooperation.

There is an evident development process of mutual relations, according
to the Armenian president, and the Armenian side expresses its perfect
willingness to contribute to that process.

It’s worth to mention that this kind of meetings between the Russian
and Armenian presidents at the Russian president’s residence "Bocharov
Ruchey" in Sochi have become a tradition for the two presidents. As
many politicians mention, those meetings aim to regulate bilateral
relations of the two states: to give a new impetus and quality to
them.

It’s the forth meeting of the presidents Putin and Kocharian this
year; the second in Sochi.

It’s worth to mention, that if before we could say that the political
issues were preliminary in the Armenian-Russian relations, today the
situation has changed. The economic factor is a dominant issue in
Armenia-Russia bilateral relations: over the first six months of 2007
the trade turnover between the two countries increased by 70% and at
the end of the year it will probably exceed $500 mln.

Russia has become the Number One country with its investments in the
Armenian economy ("Gasprom", "Vimpelcom", "Rusal" and other giant
organizations).

On the other hand, there are serious problems in political relations
of these two states: the mass media of the two countries write about
it from time to time.

If the Russian politicians and experts do not hide their
dissatisfaction at the Armenia-NATO developing relations, then we are
not satisfied with the military relations of our military ally with
Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Anyway, according to the Russian media one of the main issues of the
Kocharian-Putin meeting is the military-political relations between
the two states. According to the analysts, being a member of
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Armenia wants to
deepen the mutual military relations with Russia. It means that these
meeting will take place with the motto "Deepening of bilateral
military relations".

In the background of the new developments in the region, the
Armenian-Russian bilateral military relations have gained a new
meaning and come from the interests of our country’s national
security.

In this context, we can perceive the logic of the Armenia-NATO
deepening relations.

The meeting of the two presidents has also a symbolic meaning, as it
takes place close to the date of the 10th anniversary of the
Armenian-Russian friendship and cooperation strategic agreement (on
August 29, 1997). This agreement became the basis of the
Armenian-Russian wide-ranging military cooperation.

By Armen Manvelian

JEWISH GROUP CHIEF REVERSES POSITION, CALLS ARMENIAN MASSACRE A GENOCIDE

European Jewish Press

Aug 22 2007
Belgium

Abraham Foxman, ADL’s national director:"Because of our concern for the
unity of the Jewish community at a time of increased threats against
the the Jewish people, ADL has decided to revisit the tragedy that
befell the Armenians."

NEW YORK (EJP)—The Anti-Defamation League has called a World War
I-era massacre of Armenians a genocide, a change that comes days after
the organisation fired a regional director for taking the same stance.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the New-York based ADL’s director
Abraham Foxman said that the killings of Armenians by the Turks
"were indeed tantamount to genocide."

The statement came after weeks of controversy in which critics
questioned whether an organization dedicated to fighting anti-Ssemitism
in the world and remembering Holocaust victims could remain credible
without acknowledging the Armenian killings as genocide.

Foxman said: "In light of the heated controversy that has surrounded
the Turkish-Armenian issue in recent weeks, and because of our concern
for the unity of the Jewish community at a time of increased threats
against the Jewish people, ADL has decided to revisit the tragedy that
befell the Armenians." Related story US Jewish group fires official
over ‘genocide’ of Armenians stance

He added:" We have never negated but have always described the painful
events of 1915-1918 perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the
Armenians as massacres and atrocities. On reflection, we have come
to share the view of Henry Morgenthau, Sr. that the consequences of
those actions were indeed tantamount to genocide. If the word genocide
had existed then, they would have called it genocide."

The ADL director said he consulted with his friend Nobel Laureate Elie
Wiesel and other respected historians "who acknowledge this consensus."

He expressed the hope "that Turkey will understand that it is Turkey’s
friends who urge that nation to confront its past and work to reconcile
with Armenians over this dark chapter in history."

Congress resolution

However, Foxman stopped short of saying that the ADL would support
a resolution pending in the US Congress to formally acknowledge the
Armenian genocide.

"We continue to firmly believe that a Congressional resolution on
such matters is a counterproductive diversion and will not foster
reconciliation between Turks and Armenians and may put at risk the
Turkish Jewish community and the important multilateral relationship
between Turkey, Israel and the United States," he said.

Both Jewish and Armenian-American leaders applauded Foxman for his
policy shift.

Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee
of America, said he believed that the ADL’s policy change and the
attention the debate has attracted would boost the profile of the
resolution in Congress this fall.

"I think it only helps the legislation," Hamparian said. "I think
it shows that even long-standing reservations about the genocide
itself are crumbling in the face of community pressure and facts. The
opposition is falling apart."