Author: Boshkezenian Garik

ARMENIAN PREMIER REPRIMANDS AGRICULTURE MINISTER FOR MISMANAGEMENT

ARKA
March 5, 2010

YEREVAN, March 5. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan has
voiced a stern reprimand to Agriculture Minister Gerasim Alaverdyan
for improper fulfillment of his duties.

On Thursday, speaking at the cabinet’s meeting, he said that the
government has singled out agriculture as one of its top-priority
focuses in 2010.

Sargsyan said the government intended to ensure a five-percent growth
in this sector.

It means all the limited state budget funds earmarked for this purpose
must be utilized very effectively.

"Armenian Control Chamber scrutinized the purchasing process in the
agriculture ministry in 2008 and 2009 and found out grave faults,
which we had to correct. The minister must pay a special attention
to this problem," the premier said.

He said that vaccines against foot-and-mouth disease are bought at
a price twice higher than a real price.

The Control Chamber attracted the ministry’s attention to this fact,
but things haven’t been put right, and the situation even worsened
in 2010.

The PM-affiliated control service, after receiving this information
from the Control Chamber, carried out own scrutiny and found out
that Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, chief of the agriculture ministry’s
financial and economic accounting division, and Gevork Tovmasyan,
an official in change of purchases in 2010, have done nothing to
organize purchases properly.

"More than that – the tender conditions gave a chance to win the
tender only to one company. Calculations showed that there was room
for lowering prices at least by 50%. If the Control Chamber didn’t
interfere, we would sustain immense losses," Sargsyan said.

The prime minister instructed the agriculture minister to file a
motion to the Civil Service Council for launching an investigation
into the matter to dismiss the mentioned officials.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO VISIT UKRAINE IN 2010

ArmInfo
2010-03-04 17:20:00

ArmInfo. "This year we expect Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to
pay a visit to Ukraine. The previous leader Yuschenko invited the
Armenian president to visit our country, and I am sure that the new
president Viktor Yanukovich will confirm this invitation",- said
Ukrainian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia
Alexander Bozhko at today’s press-conference.

He also stressed that the Ukrainian party attaches much significance
to the fact that the president of Armenia visited Kiev and participated
in the newly-elected Ukrainian president’s inauguration.

Bozhko added that the two countries pay much attention to their
inter-parliamentary ties. He recalled that Artur Baghdasaryan
visited Ukraine during his term in office of Speaker of the Armenian
parliament, and expressed hope that Head of the Ukrainian Rada will
visit Yerevan. "Thus, the Armenian-Ukrainian relations are developing
quite dynamically. Certainly, there are some problems, but we are
working at their settlement for the welfare of both Armenian and
Ukrainian people",- concluded Bozhko.

NERSES BEDROS XIX READY TO SUPPORT ARMENIAN DIPLOMATS IN ITALY

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.03.2010 20:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church Nerses
Bedros XIX, escorted by bishops, visited Armenian Embassy in Italy
Monday, March 1.

Nerses Bedros XIX and Armenian Ambassador to Italy Ruben Karapetyan
discussed collaboration between Armenian Embassy and Italy~Rs Armenian
community, RA-Diaspora relations and normalisation of ties with Turkey.

RA Ambassador to Italy emphasized the importance of the unity of
Italy~Rs Armenian community.

Nerses Bedros XIX, in turn, expressed readiness to support Armenian
diplomats in Italy, RA Foreign Ministry press service reported.

MEETING IN THE NA STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

National Assembly of RA
March 2 2010
Armenia

On March 1 the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign
Relations received the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Republic
of Armenia Ivan Yestrab.

In the course of the meeting the sides discussed issues regarding
the details of the upcoming visit of the delegation led by the Vice
Chairperson of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech
Republic Mr. Voytech Filip to Armenia .

Welcoming the guest, Armen Rustamyan highlighted the visit the
delegation led by Mr. Filip to Armenia , expressing conviction that
such visits will promote the development of the Armenian-Czech
inter-parliamentary relations. In this context the parliamentary
cooperation at the level of the committees was also emphasized. The
Ambassador Ivan Yestrab noted the interest of his country in
deepening the relations with the states of the South Caucasus states,
in particular, with Armenia. In the interlocutors’ conviction, the
parliamentary diplomacy is more flexible and promotes the effective
solution of scores of issues.

At the meeting the sides discussed the process of ratification of
the Armenian-Turkish protocols, which was signed in Zurich and issues
concerning the NK problem.

SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS ARMENIA

Armradio.am
02.03.2010 10:21

The EU delegation headed by the Foreign Minister of Spain, Miguel
Angel Moratinos, has arrived in Armenia today.

Within the framework of the visit the delegation is expected to
meet Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian.

Minister Moratinos is visiting the region on behalf of the EU High
Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine
Ashton, for the purpose of transmitting to all three republics the
message that, for the EU, they are priority countries within its
neighbourhood policy in the context of the Eastern Partnership.

SOUTH KOREAN MUSICIANS TO PERFORM IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.03.2010 11:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra will give a
concert in Yerevan on March 12 under the guidance of South Korean
conductor Youngmin Park. The program includes Beethoven’s "The creation
of Prometheus" overture, Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.1 and Tchaikovsky’s
Symphony no.5. The soloist will be Hyo-Joo Lee, piano (South Korea).

The event is organized with the assistance of the RA Ministry of
Culture and sponsored by the Armenian General Benevolent Union and
VivaCell-MTS.

TURKS TO LOBBY AGAINST ARMENIAN DRAFT RESOLUTION

news.az
March 1 2010
Azerbaijan

Turkish lawmakers in Washington to lobby against Armenian draft
resolution.

Two separate groups of Turkish lawmakers are to hold a series of
contacts in a bid to head off an Armenian draft resolution which is
scheduled to be put to vote at the foreign relations committee of
the US House of Representatives.

The Turkish lawmakers, led by Murat Mercan, chairman of the
parliament’s foreign relations committee, and Suat Kinikoglu, head
of a Turkish-US parliamentary friendship group, are set to meet US
Congress members and representatives from a number of Washington-based
think-tanks.

The House Foreign Relations Committee is set to vote Thursday the
Armenian draft resolution on the incidents of 1915 in the Ottoman
Empire.

In 2007, the committee approved a similar resolution 27-21, even
though the former U.S. president and other key figures from the US
administration lobbied against it.

16:43 27/02/2010 » Society
Films unveiling truth: `Baku, January 1990: Ordinary Genocide’ and
`Sumgait, February 1988′

On the eve of paying tribute to Sumgait massacre `Ordinary Genocide’
film series – `Baku, January 1990, ordinary genocide’ and `Sumgait,
February 1988′ documentaries have been demonstrated in
Armenian-Slavonic University.

The film was produced by `Center of Public Relations and Information’
department of Armenian President’s Administration and is dedicated to
20th tribute of genocide victims.

Journalist Marina Grigoryan, the project manager of `Ordinary
Genocide’ told the reporters that an attempt has been made to unveil
the truth of Azerbaijan in 1988-1992. `That is a series of genocide
acts started in Sumgait, continues in Gandzak, Baku, Maraga. And we
have its final expression in Budapest the murder of Armenian officer,’
she said.

The reporter said many may think that Sumgait had been a sort of
response given to Nagorno-Karabakh Febrary 20 decision but they are
mistaken as they started yet in 1987 from Chardaglu attacks. The film
demonstrates that Azerbaijan had been long planning those brutalities.

Arman Saghatelyan, the vice president of `Armenian association of
public relations’ told that those two documentaries are just part of
`Ordinary Genocide’ project. `Yet we don’t have any legal or political
assessment of those events. Such crimes can’t remain unpunished
because they may give birth to other crimes,’ he said.

Source: Panorama.am

SW Florida Armenian church invites new parishioners and visitors

Published: Tuesday February 23, 2010
sw-florida-armenian-church-invites-new-parishioner s-and-visitors

The Mission Parish of Southwest Florida looks forward to meeting all
visitors and newcomers to the Southwest area. Services are held at St.
Mary’s Episcopal Church in Bonita Springs, Florida. The following are
some of our past and present Divine Liturgy services and events.

After Divine Liturgy services on January 17, 2010, the Mission Parish
of the Armenian Church of Southwest Florida held its first bake sale.
The Parish Action Committee (PAC) Ladies offered their time and talent
by baking a delicious assortment of Armenian and non-Armenian breads
and pastries.

Divine Liturgy services were held on February 14, 2010 with the Most
Rev. Fr. Haigazoun Najarian, Diocesan Vicar General. A Poon Paregentan
(Trndez or Armenian Mardi Gras) party was attended by seventy five
guests with music for listening and dancing. A 50/50 raffle and Silent
Auction were also held.

The second annual Lenten Luncheon will take place on March 18, 2010 in
the Parish Life Center at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. The PAC Ladies
will once again display their culinary talents with their delicious
Lenten menu. Last year, the Lenten Luncheon was the church’s most
popular event.

On Palm Sunday, March 28th, we will welcome Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
of Washington, DC to celebrate Divine Liturgy. Fellowship will follow
in the Parish Life Center. For further information, please contact
Carole Meghreblian, Parish Council Chairperson at (239) 348-3804 or
email: [email protected]

Armenian youth organizations in LA commemorate Sumgait pogroms

27.02.2010 14:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Unified Young Armenians organized a protest in front
of the Azerbaijani Consulate in Los Angeles, CA, dated to the 22nd
anniversary of Sumgait massacre. The young Armenians gathered in front
of the CNN premises to make their voices heard and let the world know
about the genocidal campaigns committed by the Azeri government.

The massacre of Armenians in Sumgait (a town located a half an hour
drive away from Baku) took place on February 27-29, 1988. The events
were preceded by a wave of anti-Armenian statements and rallies that
swept over Azerbaijan. Almost the entire area of the town with
population of 250 thousand became a site of unhindered mass pogroms.
Armed with iron rods, stones, axes, knives, bottles and canisters full
of petrol, the perpetrators broke in Armenian houses. There were
dozens of casualties, mostly burnt alive after assaults and torture.
Hundreds of innocent people were wounded and disabled. The story of
Sumgait marked the first entry in a long list of crimes against
humanity and ethnic cleansings of the end of the 20th century.