Author: Chakrian Hovsep

NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT: FINAL STRETCH AT RACE FOR PRIZE OF PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA?

Trend
July 14 2009
Azerbaijan

The last visit of the OSCE Minsk Group to the region was marked
by their statement that the process of negotiations on the
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement came to the final stretch. And the next
breakthrough in the talks is expected at the next meeting of the
Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia to be held in Moscow on July 17
within the traditional race for the prize of the President of Russia.

"The Moscow meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia
will help reach the finish line on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
settlement," Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri
Merzlyakov said to press conference on July 10 after his visit to Baku.

It is impossible to deny significant advancements in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement over the last year. The fact
that the presidents of the conflicting sides meet regularly already
gives hopes for efficient result of negotiations. But the question
on what conditions a framework agreement must be signed between the
conflicting sides remains open.

During their last visit to the region, the co-chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group did not detail the items of the next negotiations,
but advised to pay attention to recent statements by Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev. MG co-chairmen noted that precisely they
can make a conclusion on two items on which the mediators hope to
conclude the negotiations "and then open a new debate on the topic,
which up to now, has been discussed only in general terms," said
French co-chairman Bernard Fassier.

Apparently, the talks in Moscow will focus on the issues that President
Ilham Aliyev spoke in an interview with ITAR-TASS news agency and
presenter of News Sunday telecast Sergey Brilev regarding the results
of Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Baku.

During interview, President Aliyev said that it needs to resolve the
conflict based on international law, OSCE decisions and resolutions
of the UN Security Council. "And, of course, this legal framework
envisages restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,
withdrawal of Armenian occupying forces from Azerbaijan’s territory
and the return of refugees to their homeland," he said.

Reading the interview, it becomes clear that the Azerbaijani side
really constructively approaches the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
settlement. "Our proposal reflects the safety of those people who
are there, in the Nagorno-Karabakh, now live and will live; reflect
the issues of local self-government of Nagorno-Karabakh; reflect
the restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," said
President Aliyev.

In the same interview were also noted those items that are of greatest
disagreement between the sides. One of the most pressing issues is the
status of Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the President of Azerbaijan,
this issue could be postponed indefinitely.

However, the Azerbaijani side has made some concessions to Armenia. In
this case, Baku supports the proposal of the OSCE Minsk Group and tries
to achieve withdrawal of Armenian occupying forces from the territories
which are located around the administrative border of Nagorno-Karabakh.

However, in one of the main issues of concern for Armenia, President
Aliyev demonstrated enough tolerance, saying that knowing the
importance for the Armenian side to have a ground link between Armenia
and Nagorno-Karabakh, considers that "the issues related to the Lachin
corridor can be effectively addressed so that there was no concern
for those who live in Nagorno-Karabakh today and the Azerbaijani
population who will return there after the settlement of the conflict."

If the Armenian side is ready for constructive dialogue at the upcoming
meeting in Moscow, the "final stretch" of negotiations is indeed quite
possible outcome from a protracted territorial dispute. Of course,
this does not mean that the conflict between neighboring countries
will be completely exhausted this year. But even some convergence of
views gives hope for a reasonable approach to future work of sides
on solution of this problem in future.

DINAMO ZAGREB EXPECTS VICTORY AGAINST ARMENIAN PJUNIK

Croatian Times
9-07-13/4863/Dinamo_Zagreb_expects_victory_against _Armenian_Pjunik
July 13 2009
Croatia

Croatian football champions Dinamo Zagreb will play Armenian Pjunik
in a Champions League qualification game tomorrow (Tues) in Yerevan.

Dinamo coach Krunoslav Jurcic has made it clear he expects his team
to win the match.

"The best thing would be to defeat them at their stadium tomorrow. We
are preparing to win the match and will then prepare for the second
match in Zagreb," Jurcic commented to the daily Jutarnji List.

Independent.co.uk

Robert Fisk’s World: You won’t find any lessons in unity in the Dead
Sea Scrolls

I looked at the texts in Toronto ` a tale that was bound to pose a
series of questions

Saturday, 11 July 2009

At last, I have seen the Dead Sea Scrolls. There they were, under
their protective, cool-heated screens, the very words penned on to
leather and papyrus 2,000 years ago, the world’s most significant
record of the Old Testament.

I guess you’ve got to see it to believe it. I can’t read Hebrew ` let
alone ancient Hebrew (or Greek or Aramaic, the other languages of the
scrolls) ` but some of the letters are familiar to me from Arabic. The
"seen" (s) of Arabic, and the "meem" (m) are almost the same as Hebrew
and there they were, set down by some ancient who knew, as we do, only
the past and nothing of the future. Most of the texts are in the
Bible; several are not. "May God most high bless you, may he show you
his face and may he open for you," it is written on the
parchments. "For he will honour the pious upon the throne of an
eternal kingdom."

The story of the discovery of the scrolls is, of course, well
known. An Arab Bedouin boy, Mohamed el-Dib, found them at Khirbet
Qumran in a cave in what is now the occupied West Bank of Palestine in
1947, and handed them over to a cobbler turned antiquities dealer
called Khalil Eskander Shahin in Jerusalem; they eventually ended up
in the hands of scholars ` mostly American ` in the Jordanian side of
Jerusalem. Then came the 1967 war and the arrival of the Israeli army
in East Jerusalem and… well, you can imagine the rest.

Now, I have to say that I looked at these original texts in the Royal
Ontario Museum in Toronto, a tale that was bound to engender a whole
series of questions, not least of which is Canada’s softly-softly
approach to anything approaching controversy. At no point in the
exhibition, jointly arranged with the professional (and brilliant)
assistance of the Israel Antiquities Authority, is there any mention,
hem hem, of the West Bank or occupation. Or how the documents found
there came to be in the hands of the Israelis.

So cautious are the dear old Canadians ` who should by now have
learned that concealing unhappy truths will only create fire and pain
` that they do not even mention that "Kando", the first recipient of
the scrolls, was Armenian. Of course not. Because then they would have
to explain why an Armenian was in Jerusalem, not in western
Turkey. Which would mean that they would have to mention the Armenian
Holocaust of 1915 (one and a half million Armenian civilians murdered
by Ottoman Turks).

This would anger Canada’s Turkish community, who are holocaust
deniers. And in turn, it would anger the Israel Antiquities Authority,
who do not acknowledge that the Armenian Holocaust ever happened,
there being only one True Holocaust, which is that of the Jews of
Europe. The Jewish Holocaust is a fact, but the Armenian variety ` a
trial run for Hitler’s destruction of six million Jews ` cannot be
discussed in Canada. Nor indeed in America, where Obama gutlessly
failed even to use the word "genocide" last April.

Then we come down to the exhibition itself. Poor old Canadians, they
had to publicise the whole fandango as a form of "unity" ` there being
three monotheistic religions, Jewish, Christian and Muslim, geddit? `
but alas, the scrolls are not written in Arabic and the sole gesture
to the Islamic faith is a single 200-year-old illuminated Koran. The
museum bookshop also devotes a small heap of books on Islam to bolster
their claim to "unity". The exhibition, according to the museum’s
director, William Thorsell ` in a lamentable piece of pseudo prose `
"will launch provocative enlightening inter-faith discussions". Here I
reach for my sick bag.

Because the message of most of the videos showing around the
exhibition (this being the age of multitechnical as well as
multicultural wellbeing) make it clear that Judea and Samaria (the
West Bank to the rest of us) is originally Jewish. And so it was, by
God. The poor old Philistines lived on the sea coast. But when I
suggested a swap to a bunch of Israeli settlers some years ago ` to be
fair, they roared in good-humoured laughter at my horrible suggestion
that Israel might be given to the Palestinians in return for the
occupied West Bank ` the idea did not commend itself to them. They
wanted Tel Aviv and all of internationally recognised Israel plus the
West Bank. (At the time, they also wanted to keep Gaza, partly on the
grounds ` according to one of them ` that this was where Jonah was
puked up by the whale.)

No such claims soil the Ontario exhibition. "Words that Changed the
World" is how the organisers coyly entitle their exhibition, "a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these historical treasures". But
up come the spoilsports, namely the Canadian "Coalition Against
Israeli Apartheid", to suggest that the scrolls, originally in the
hands of the Jordanian Department of Antiquities and the Ecole
Biblique Française, were "confiscated and illegally removed by
Israel" in 1967. The Royal Ontario Museum, the protesters say, is
showing "looted" property which it has no right to exhibit. The
Palestinian Authority itself has intervened, arguing that the museum
is "displaying artefacts removed from the Palestinian
territories". (Let us not, O Reader, mention the Elgin marbles, albeit
that the Brits don’t occupy Greece.)

So the museum has started to clam up. "We’re not granting any
interviews," according to a snotty spokeswoman for this esteemed
institution. I can well see why. The museum claims it has documents to
prove the legality of the exhibition. But it won’t show them. Nor will
it consult Unesco for its opinion. Plenty of unity there, of course.

Needless to say, if the Saudi government were to exhibit its Islamic
treasures in Toronto, I doubt very much if it would mention the large
Jewish community that once lived in Arabia. Any more than a recent
Turkish cultural exhibition at the Royal Academy mentioned the ` ahem,
ahem again ` contribution of the Armenians to Turkish history. Mind
you, given the fact that the photographs of the Dead Sea Scrolls are
infinitely clearer and more decipherable than the originals stared at
by The Independent’s Middle East correspondent, I do wonder if these
precious documents really need to be flown around the world.

But I guess it’s the same old story: seeing is believing. Providing
you’re not a Palestinian or an Armenian or anyone interested in
property rights.

The National, UAE
July 12 2009

Armenia diaspora comes home

Daniel Bardsley, Correspondent

Last Updated: July 11. 2009 7:17PM UAE / July 11. 2009 3:17PM GMT

YEREVAN // Charles Masraff does not mince his words when he describes
what he wants to achieve in Armenia.

The 59-year-old restaurateur says he was attracted to the country `by
the possibility of giving Armenia a future’.

Although he was born and brought up in London, Mr Masraff’s paternal
grandparents came from what used to be Western Armenia, and is now
eastern Turkey.

He is one of what is thought to be a growing band of western-raised
diasporan Armenians moving to their ancestral home country.

In the decade after it became independent in 1991, Armenia lost as
much as one-fifth of its population as the economy declined in the
early 1990s, with most emigrants going to Russia.

Since the mid-1990s, the economy showed strong annual growth until the
recent financial crisis, and the parallel modernisation has attracted
many of Armenia’s huge diaspora, which is over twice the size of the
country’s 3.2 million population, to live in the country for the first
time.

While Armenia has achieved significant economic growth, Mr Masraff
believes the country remains stifled by a culture of corruption, which
he describes as `a way of life here’.

`Armenia desperately needs people with outside experience,’ he
said. `There’s a culture among Armenians living in Armenia that makes
progress difficult ` corruption, the sense that the present is all
there is.

`But if you look at the Armenian diaspora and the success they’ve
enjoyed in different societies, compared to the inability of this
society to achieve very much ` why did we get this huge contrast? The
post-Soviet hangover has a lot to answer for.’

Mr Masraff spent most of his career in Scotland in hotel management,
but for the past three months has been running a restaurant in
Yerevan.
`I came here to try to achieve something,’ he said. `I’m not just an
observer. By running a business, I feel I have a greater chance to
achieve something.’

Among the analysts who believe a growing number of diasporan Armenians
are moving to Armenia is Arpi Vartanian, country director for the
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh offices of the Armenian Assembly of
America, a lobbying group.
Born and raised in Detroit to two diasporan Armenians, including an
Iranian-Armenian father, Ms Vartanian moved to Yerevan in 1993.
`I’ve seen families come and go, I’ve seen people get frustrated they
weren’t able to succeed but I see more and more people coming or
expressing the desire to come. They want to live in their homeland,’
she said of the `repatriates’ moving to the country.

`That’s not to say everyone is coming with rose-tinted
glasses. They’re coming with the hope that Armenia will change them,
but [also] that they can use their experience or knowledge to change
Armenia.

`Every encounter impacts people. I’ve had people say: `You’ve taught
me.’ They told me later they watched how I worked and my work ethic
and that taught them. They were able to use that later.’

For diasporans brought up in the West, Ms Vartanian said Armenia was
now a much easier place to live than when she arrived, when there were
few cafes or nightclubs.

`There are still some things I miss and crave,’ she said. `It drives
me nuts when people don’t stand in line. But people have been so open
and interested in who I am.’

Rudolf, a 27-year-old born in Bahrain and brought up in France, London
and Lebanon, and who declined to give his full name, admitted however
that diasporan Armenians often tended to socialise with their own kind
rather than locals.

`My friends are diasporan friends from Syria, Beirut, the United
States,’ said Rudolf, who has a `pagan Armenian metal’ rock band and
has lived in Armenia for the past 18 months.

Even if his social circle is largely made up of fellow diasporans, he
hopes he can effect change.

`We’re coming here to do something good,’ he said. `We have done stuff
that there wasn’t here five or six years ago ` the first rock band in
the Caucasus. We come with new ideas. We’re trying to relate it more
to Europe. I’m against the Soviet mentality. I think it’s ruined the
country.’

His friend, Zak Valladian, born and brought up in Dubai, is a member
of a group called Tebi Hayrenik or `back to the motherland’ that
encourages diasporans to relocate to Armenia. He believes `absolutely’
more of them are doing what he did four months ago, and moving to the
country.

`Change comes from within,’ said the 30-year-old, who runs a special
effects business. `I do believe for Armenia’s sake, the only thing
they can do is to encourage the diaspora to come and invest. It’s home
from home for us.’

OREIGN/707119958/1013/NEWS

IN THE FIRST HALF YEAR 2009 ARMECONOMBANK INCREASED NUMBER OF ACTIVE CARDS BY 26.4% TO ALMOST 70 THSD

ArmInfo
2009-07-10 19:28:00

ArmInfo. In the first half year 2009 Armeconombank increased the
number of active cards by 26.4% to 69802 as compared with the same
period of 2008.

Head of Plastic Card Operations Management Division of Armeconombank
Vardan Yeghiazaryan told ArmInfo correspondent that in the second
quarter 2009 the bank increased the number of active cards by 4.4%.

According to him, the share of MasterCards made up 6666, or 9,5% of the
total number of cards, having increased by 16% in the second quarter ,
ArCa – 90,5%, or 63136, having increased by 3,7% in II qt. Yeghiazaryan
stressed that in II qt tendency of monthly growth in transactions with
Armeconombank was observed. Thus, if in May the volume of transactions
with Armeconombank cards via bancomats, POS- terminals amounted to
3.3 bln AMD (number of transactions – 165 thsd), in June this index
grew to 3.5 bln AMD (number of transactions – 170 thsd).

He said that as of July 1, 2009, Armeconombank had 48 bancomats (4 of
them having cash-in function), the annual growth being 26%, and the
growth for II qt being 4.4%. By 1 July the number of Armeconombank
POS-terminals amounted to 203, the annual growth being 15.3%.

Yeghiazaryan pointed out that under card projects Armeconombank works
with 570 enterprises in Armenia, this index is expected to considerably
grow since September. "Under salary projects, we are going to start
active cooperation with numerous schools of both Yerevan and regions
since autumn",- he said.

To note, the Sukiasyan family of entrepreneurs owns 53,4% of
Armeconombank shares, and 25%+1 share is controlled by the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

ARMENIA ELABORATES NATIONAL STRATEGY ON REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF HARMFUL SUBSTANCES

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.07.2009 21:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA National Security Council (NSC) has today
convened the first session of the working group elaborating a
national strategy aimed at reducing the environmental impact of
harmful substances. Presiding over the session was Council Chair
Arthur Baghdasaryan.

The Council adopted decision to elaborate, within shortest time
limits, relevant concept and legal acts emanating thereof, RA NSC
press service reports.

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apost. Church of America and Canada
H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
Prelate, Easter Prelacy and Canada
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
Web:
Email: [email protected]

July 9, 2009

ST. GREGORY OF DATEV INSTITUTE SUMMER PROGRAM
CONCLUDES
Another successful St. Gregory of Datev Summer Program for teens came
to a conclusion last
Sunday. Sponsored by the Prelacys Armenian Religious Education Council
(AREC), the Institutes director is Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian.
It takes place in the serene atmosphere of St. Mary of Providence
Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania. More details will be forthcoming
next
week.

Photos: Archbishop Oshagan speaks with the students during his visit;
Early morning to
lunch time is a time of intensive study; After lunch students enjoy a
variety of outdoor activities; 2009 Datev students with the Prelate
and clergy
and lay staff members.

PASSING OF DIRAMAYR ISGOUHI LAKISSIAN
We
note with sorrow the passing of Diramayr Isgouhi Lakissian, mother of
Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminators Cathedral. She
died in Anjar, Lebanon, on June 27 at the age of 76. Funeral services
took place on June 28 at Sourp Boghos Church in
Anjar.
Diramayr came to the United States in November 2005 to attend the
ordination of her son Der Mesrob.
Several months later she suffered a stroke and after four months of
care in New York she was taken back to Lebanon. She is survived by her
children,
Harout and Rita Lakissian, Sima and Seto Papisian, Maral and Raffi
Keosheyan, Rev. Fr. Mesrob and Yn. Ojen Lakissian, Tamar Lakissian,
and ten
grandchildren.
The 40th day memorial service will take place on Sunday, August 9 in
Anjar and in New York at
the temporary home of St. Illuminators Cathedral at the Armenian
Center, Woodside, New York. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Der
Mesrob
and his entire family.

A TREE GROWS IN GRANITE
CITY
The St. Gregory the Illuminator Church community of Granite City,
Illinois, erected a living
memorial to its beloved former pastor, Rev. Fr. Vartan Kassabian, who
died suddenly this past March. A red leaf maple tree was planted in
the yard
adjacent to the church edifice that was built thirteen years ago under
Der Vartans guidance and leadership. Donated by the Kassabian family,
the tree will stand as a living memorial to this outstanding
clergyman, whose untimely death has left this community, and indeed
the entire Prelacy
family, in shock.
The dedication and blessing of the tree was presided over by
Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian,
pastor of the church. During the ceremony, Der Hayr said a few words
acknowledging the sadness of the event, yet recognizing the poignancy
of planting
a tree in the very shadow of the church that Der Vartan served so
lovingly and dutifully.
The St. Gregory the
Illuminator parish community is thankful to the Kassabian family for
Der Hayrs and Yeretsgins years of devotion and service, as well
as for graciously donating the tree to the community. Special thanks
are also extended to the Asadorian and Keeney families, who following
the
dedication ceremony sponsored a traditional hokejash (memorial meal),
of which the entire community partook. May his memory be ever
blessed.
Photos: A red-leaf maple tree is planted and blessed in memory of Der
Vartan; Rev. Fr. Stephan and Yn. Alice Baljian with Yn.
Pauline Kassabian and son Scott.

2009 PRELACY LINKED IN WEEKEND
The 2009
Prelacy LINKED IN weekend for young adults will take place September
25-27, at the Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual Vineyard, Charlton,
Massachusetts.
For more information click here (
4882/goto: 9.htm
).

YEAR OF THE YOUTH
His Holiness Aram I,
Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has designated the year 2009
as the Year of The Youth.
To read His Holiness message in Armenian click here (
4882/goto: 4/doc/Pontifical%20Messages/messages68.htm
).
To
read His Holiness message in English click
here (
4882/goto: lical.pdf
).

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for
today, Thursday, July 9, are: 2 Kings 13:14-21; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10;
Luke 4:25-30
Now when Elisha
had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, King Joash of
Israel went down to him, and wept before him, crying, My father, my
father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen! Elisha said to him,
Take a bow and arrows; so he took a bow and arrows. Then
he said to the king of Israel, Draw the bow; and he drew it. Elisha
laid his hands on the kings hands. Then he said,
Open the window eastward; and he opened it. Elisha said, Shoot; and he
shot. Then he said, The Lords
arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram! For you shall fight
the Arameans in Aphek until you have made an end of them. He
continued,
Take the arrows; and he took them. He said to the king of Israel,
Strike the ground with them; he struck three times,
and stopped. Then the man of God was angry with him, and said, You
should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down
Aram
until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Aram
only three
times.
So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to
invade the land in the spring of the year. As a man was being buried,
a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of
Elisha; as
soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he came to life and stood
on his feet. (2 Kings 13:14-21)
For listing of the coming
weeks Bible readings click here
( ).

TWELVE APOSTLES OF CHRIST AND SAINT PAUL, THE THIRTEENTH
APOSTLE
This Saturday, July 11, the Armenian Church remembers the twelve
apostles of Christ and Saint
Paul, who is considered to be the thirteenth apostle.
Christ selected twelve apostles to carry on His work and
instructed them to preach and to baptize converts all over the world
(Mt. 28:19-20). Christ himself gave the title apostle to the
twelve (Luke 6:13; Mark 3:14). The word apostle derives from the Greek
word apostellein, meaning to send, (Arakyal
in Armenian). The apostles dedicated their lives to spread the Word
and fulfill the sacred mission entrusted to them. Their mission was
not just
to transmit the message, but to put it into practice.
Paul, the thirteenth apostle, was initially an enemy of
Christians, but he had a vision on the road to Damascus and became a
fervent Christian convert and was subsequently responsible in large
measure for
the rapid spread of the new religion. Most of the New Testament (aside
from the four Gospels) is from the writings of
Paul.
The Armenian Church has its roots in the apostolic ministry and
succession (Thaddeus and Bartholomew)
and is therefore known as apostolic. The Apostles and their immediate
successors (including the Armenian Church) defended the
Orthodox faith and kept it pure.

BAREKENTAN OF THE FAST OF TRANSFIGURATION

This Sunday, July 12, the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, is the
barekentan of the Fast of the Transfigurationthe five-day period of
fasting prior to the Feast of the Transfiguration (Vartavar) which is
next Sunday, July 19.

ECUMENICAL CELEBRATION IN LEBANON CONCLUDES PAULINE
YEAR
An ecumenical celebration last week concluded the Pauline Year
inaugurated by Pope Benedict XVI. The ceremony took place at the
Melkite Greek Catholic Basilica of St. Paul in Harissa, where His
Eminence Archbishop
Komitas Ohanian represented His Holiness Catholicos Aram I.
His Eminence Cardinal Andre Vingt-Troit, the Papal
representative, presided at the celebration. Lebanon is considered to
be one of the seven places associated with St. Paul. All of the
speakers focused
on the ministry of Paul through his message and writings. He is
considered to be a role model for the church and for
priests.
The Pauline Year encouraged many ecumenical activities in Lebanon
throughout the year
in which the Armenian Church participated. The choir of the Armenian
diocese of Lebanon sang Armenian Church hymns during the closing
ceremony.

OLDEST BIBLE TOGETHER AGAIN
The wonders of
the digital age and the internet have united the worlds oldest Bible
on line. The Codex Sanaiticus was hand-written by four scribes in
Greek
on vellum (made of animal skin), in the fourth century about the time
of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, who became a
Christian. Not all of
the parts of this Bible have withstood the ravages of time. However,
the parts that have survived include the entire New Testament, and
about
half of the Old Testament. The surviving pages total about 800 (the
original is believed to have been 1,400 pages.) The surviving pages
are held by
the British Library in London, the Monastery of St. Catherine in
Sinai, Egypt, the National Library of Russia, and Leipzig University
Library in
Germany. The British Library began digitizing all of the surviving
parts in 2005 in a joint project with the other
institutions.
The 1,600-year-old manuscript is important for scholars who say that
it is a view of the
development of early Christianity and first-hand evidence of how the
text of the Bible was transmitted from generation to generation.
The Bible can be viewed online free at (
4882/goto:
). The site
offers modern Greek translations and some English translations.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

July 18Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode
Island, Ladies Guild/ARS Chapter present a Hye Summer Night 4 Dance at
The Annunciation Greek Church, Cranston, Rhode Island. For information
401-434-4467.

July 22Gathering of North American youth in Los
Angeles, organized by the Western Prelacy with the participation of
the Eastern and Canadian Prelacies.

August 2Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode
Island, Annual Picnic and Blessing of Madagh and Grapes at Camp
Haiastan, Franklin, Massachusetts, 12 noon to 6 pm, rain or
shine. Music by John
Berberian and Ensemble.

August 8National Association of Ladies Guilds (NALG)
religious seminary hosted by the Ladies Guild of St. Gregory Churchy
of Merrimack Valley, North Andover, Massachusetts. For information:
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or 781-762-4253.

August 9St. Stephens Church, Watertown,
Massachusetts, annual picnic and blessing of madagh and grapes at Camp
Haiastan, Franklin, Massachusetts. Starts at 12 noon, rain or
shine. Live
music.

August 9Holy Trinity Church, Worcester, Massachusetts,
annual picnic and blessing of the grapes.

August 9Annual Blessing of the Grapes picnic by Holy
Cross Armenian Church, 101 Spring Avenue, Troy, New York, noon to 4
pm, on the church grounds. Full course kebab dinner, Armenian pastries
and
lehmajune will be available.

August 16Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New
Jersey, annual picnic and Blessing of the Grapes.

August 16St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville,
Massachusetts, picnic and Blessing of the Grapes.

September 13Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church,
Worcester, Massachusetts, 75th anniversary Holy Mass and banquet,
under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan.

September 13Annual picnic of St. Stephens
Armenian Church of New Britain and Hartford at the Quartette Club, 225
Wooster Street, New Britain, Connecticut, beginning at noon, rain or
shine.
Live music. Armenian food. Free admission.

September 19-20Re-consecration of the altar and the
newly renovated St. Illuminators Cathedral in New York City on
Saturday. Episcopal Divine Liturgy and Madagh on Sunday..

September 21St. Stephens (Watertown, MA)
Armenian School/ACEC 14th annual Golf Outing at Framingham Country
Club. $165 includes golf, lunch, dinner, and contests. For information
contact
Astor at 781-326-5764.

September 25-26-27Prelacy Linked In, gathering of the
youth. For details click here.

October 1Sts. Vartanantz Church (New Jersey), presents
7th annual Golf Outing at River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New
Jersey. $175 includes lunch, dinner, golf and contests. Come out and
enjoy a great
day and support the church. For information contact Mark,
201-483-3200.

October 17National Association of Ladies Guilds (NALG)
annual conference at the Prelacy offices in New York City. Details
will follow.

Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacys web
site.

To ensure the timely arrival of Crossroads in your electronic mailbox,
add [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) to
your address book.

Items in Crossroads can be reproduced without permission. Please
credit Crossroads as the
source.

Parishes of the Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about
their major events to be
included in the calendar. Send to: [email protected]
(mailto:info@armenianprel acy.org)

ARMENIANS, AZERBAIJANIS WILL NEVER LIVE IN KARABAKH TOGETHER

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
08.07.2009 15:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE Minsk Group hold a pro-Azerbaijani position,
according to Grigory Ayvazyan, leader of the Assembly of Azerbaijani
Armenians.

"The Minsk Group does not act is own interests," he said, slamming
the Co-chairs’ idea about co-existence of Armenians and Azeris in
Nagorno Karabakh.

"If Armenians and Azeris once live together, it will not be in Karabakh
but in Baku," he said.

Commenting on the recent visit of Israeli President Shimon Peres and
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Baku, where they spoke about
"occupied territories" and "Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity",
Ayvazyan said, "I would like these people to study history if they
are not aware that Azerbaijan was founded on Armenian lands."

MEMORANDUM OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING SINGED BETWEEN PARLIAMENT OF ARMENIA AND UNICEF

NOYAN TAPAN
JULY 8, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues relating to activation of the
cooperation between the NA and UN Armenian Office and to protection
of the children’s rights were discussed at the July 7 meeting of
Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Arevik Petrosian
and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director for Central and
Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States Steven Allen.

A. Petrosian mentioned that the cooperation with the UN Children’s
Fund Armenian Office has been effective and expressed a hope that it
will be permanent. She familiarized the guest with the legislative
steps of the Armenian parliament in the sphere of children’s rights,
stated that the RA National Assembly pays much attention to children’s
problems, protection of their rights, by organizing parliamentary
hearings, discussions, receptions for children from different regions,
various cultural and sports events.

S. Allen expressed satisfaction with the Memorandum of Mutual
Understanding to be signed which is aimed at the effective cooperation
of the RA NA and UN Children’s Fund and its making permanent. He
expressed a hope that Armenia will present a report at the Committee
on the Rights of the Child, in 2010 January. The report will relate
to the progress recorded in the sphere of the children’s protection.

According to the RA NA Public Relations Department, A. Petrosian and
UNICEF Representative in Armenia Laylee Moshiri signed the Memorandum
on Mutual Understanding at the end of the meeting.

In A. Petrosian’s words, the memorandum involves concrete provisions
aimed at cooperation: expert assistance, analysis, exchange of
experience, development of abilities, etc. She expressed a hope that
it will be an effective document.

Grigor Arakelyan appointed a new Armenian Ambassador in Iran
08.07.2009 11:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ By RA president’s decree Karen Nazaryan is dismissed
from the position of the Armenian Ambassador to Iran. By another
decree the president of Armenia appointed Grigor Arakelyan to serve at
the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to
Iran, press office of the Ra president reports.