Author: Chakrian Hovsep

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]

May 27, 2009

91ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FIRST ARMENIAN
REPUBLIC
Tomorrow, Thursday, May 28, is the 91st anniversary of the establishment of the first
Armenian Republic.
After defeating Turkish forces at Sardarabad, Bashabaran and Karakilise, on May 28, 1918,
the Armenians proclaimed an independent democratic Armenian Republic, on what was left of the Armenian homeland. Throughout these critical days,
Catholicos Kevork IV remained in Etchmiadzin against the advice and urging of authorities, maintaining that he would rather die in Etchmiadzin. The
battle of Sardarabad is recognized today as not only stopping the Turkish advance, but also preventing the complete destruction of the Armenian
nation.
The fledgling republic faced unbelievable hardships, including an influx of refugeessurvivors
of the Genocide of 1915. Yet, even today, its very existence seems miraculous. We pause to remember and to celebrate the resilience of the Armenian
nation.

FLAG BLESSING AND PRAYERS FOR THE
REPUBLIC
This Sunday, May 31, all Prelacy churches will offer prayers and bless the flag on the
occasion of the 91st anniversary of the first Armenian Republic and the 18th anniversary of the second Armenian Republic Requiem service will be
held for the souls of the fallen heroes of Sardarabad, Bashabaran, Karakilise, and the new martyrs of the struggle for Artsakh.

PRELATE WILL TRAVEL TO LEBANON ON FRIDAY

Archbishop Oshagan will travel to Antelias, Lebanon, on Friday, May 29, where he will attend meetings of the Central Religious and Lay Councils, as
well as a meeting of all of the Prelates in the Cilician See.
ST. ASDVADZADZIN CHURCH (WHITINSVILLE) MARKS 52ND
ANNIVERSARY;
REV. FR. ARAM STEPANIAN RECEIVES HONORS FROM CATHOLICOS
Archbishop
Oshagan presided over the 52nd anniversary banquet celebration of St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, last Saturday. On Sunday His
Eminence celebrated the Divine Liturgy and delivered the Sermon.
On this occasion the Prelate announced that
by order of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, Rev. Fr. Aram is hereby given the honor of wearing the Floral Philonion
(Dzaghgia Pilon) during religious services on holidays and official ceremonies and bestowed with the honorific title, Archpriest (Avak
Kahana).
We extend our congratulations to Archpriest Aram Stepanian, pastor of Sts. Asdvadzadzin Church,
and chairman of the Prelacys Religious Council.

PLG MOTHERS DAY LUNCHEON GREAT SUCCESS
The
Prelacy Ladies Guild Mothers Day luncheon was a great success. With the blessing of sunny skies, the beautiful home of Rene and Linda Chirinian in New
Canaan, Connecticut, was filled to capacity last Thursday. His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan attended and expressed his gratitude to the
Chirinians for opening their beautiful home for this years Mothers Day luncheon. He praised the PLG for the dedication they have shown
to the Prelacy and the Church.

KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION OF ST. ILLUMINATORS SCHOOL
The Kindergarten graduation of St. Illuminators Day School will take place tomorrow
evening, at the school in Woodside, New York.

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 ( 82/goto: doc/Pontifical%20Messages/messages68.htm ).
To
read His Holiness message in English click
here ( 82/goto: cal.pdf ).

DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM
The 23rd annual St.
Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program, for youth ages 13-18, is rapidly approaching. As in previous years it will take place at the St. Mary of
Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, from June 28 to July 5, 2009, preceded by a weekend retreat (optional) from June 26-28, 2009. The Program
is sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC).
For more information click here ( 82/goto: ).

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for
today, Wednesday, May 27, are: Luke 20:20-26; Acts 25:13-22; Jude 1:1-7; John 12:44-50; Matthew 22:1-14; Mark
12:18-34.
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, who are
beloved in God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance. Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write
to you about the salvation we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to
the saints., For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who
pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I desire to remind you, though you are fully
informed, that the Lord, who once for all saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who
did not keep their own position, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deepest darkness for the judgment of the great day.
Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust,
serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1:1-7)

For listing of the coming weeks Bible readings click
here ().

S UNDAY IS PENTECOST
This Sunday, May 31, is
Pentecost (Hogegaloust), which is celebrated fifty days after Easter.
Jesus had commanded the
apostles to Go therefore to all nations and make them my disciples, (Matthew 28:19). Christ recognized the difficulty of this great
responsibility and had advised them not to begin their teaching mission until after the Descent of the Holy Spirit. In the Acts of the
Apostles, we read that on the day of Pentecost the apostles gathered in one place, and that suddenly a strong wind seemed to fill the house in which
they were assembled. And there appeared to them flames like tongues of fire distributed among them and coming to rest on each one. They were
all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them power of utterance, (Acts 2:2-4). Many of the
people in Jerusalem were from foreign lands. They marveled at the fact that each one of them could understand the Apostles words in his own
language. The first gift of the Holy Spirit given to the Apostles was the ability to speak and be understood by people who came from many different
nations.

Life-creating God, Spirit and lover of mankind, with tongues of fire you enlightened those
united with one accord in love; therefore we also celebrate today your holy descent. Filled with joy by your coming the holy apostles began in
different-sounding tongues to call into unity them that had been divided from each other: therefore we also celebrate today your holy descent. By
spiritual and holy baptism through them you have adorned the universe in a new and radiant garment, therefore we also celebrate your holy
descent.
>From the Canon for Pentecost according to the liturgical calendar of the Armenian Church

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

May 28St. Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church,
Whitinsville, Massachusetts, is offering a short film series and discussions on 40 days of Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. The series will begin
May 28 at 7 pm at the church, 315 Church Street, Whitinsville. The public is invited and refreshments will be served. Come and bring friends and enjoy
this uplifting series.

May 31St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville,
Massachusetts, Special meeting for Parish building project.

June 20Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian and the Young Adults
Bible Study Group of St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, invite you to attend a Seminar on Marriage and Family from 10 am to 4 pm. Presentations
by Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian and Professor Joann C. Heaney-Hunter from St. Johns University. Group discussions on topics of interest for young
Armenian couples and families. Lunch and refreshments will be served. Registration fee: $25 per couple. Contact church office, 718-224-2275.

June 28Annual Madagh Picnic, St. Hagop Church (Racine),
at Johnson Park Picnic Grounds, 6200 Northwestern Ave., Racine, Wisconsin, 10:30 to 7 pm.

June 29 July 5St. Gregory of Datev Summer
Institute, St. Mary of Providence Center, Elverson, Pennsylvania.

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 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 Armenian Apostolic Church,
Worcester, Massachusetts, annual picnic and blessing of the grapes.

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 25-26-27Prelacy Linked In, gathering of the
youth. 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:[email protected])

VOTE FOR THE "DOGS" AND NOT THE "WOLVES"

A1+
05:45 pm | May 26, 2009

Politics

"I want to become mayor of Yerevan because I don’t want to be the
mayor of any other city," told "A1+" leader of the People’s Party,
mayor candidate Tigran Karapetyan. He says that he has that right
because he was born in Yerevan and loves Yerevan very much.

According to Karapetyan, a mayor must be honest, caring, clean and
must be with the people and not democratic, which doesn’t exist at all.

Tigran Karapetyan shares the views of the opposition and loves the
opposition out of all the political parties because "the opposition is
more moral in terms of morality." He sees black PR by the opposition
and the authorities. For example, ANC member Ruben Torosyan has
appealed to the Central Electoral Commission declaring that Tigran
Karapetyan has been on air for three hours, yet Karapetyan claims
that he couldn’t have been on air for three hours in a row because
the program lasts 1.5 hours.

Tigran Karapetyan considers his honesty as his own self-esteem. "I
am ready to share my personal means with the people. There are state
officials who don’t share with the people, but I do. If I get a hold
of the state levers, I will do more for the people and that is a
great advantage," said Karapetyan. The leader of the party believes
that the first thing to think about is the people.

Rumor has it that Karapetyan is stealing votes from the
opposition. In response to this Karapetyan said: "I am not doing it
intentionally. When Levon Ter-Petrosyan was taking decisive steps,
I did not get a lot of votes during the presidential elections. In
other words, my votes went to Levon Ter-Petrosyan. Now when he is
running for mayor, my votes may come back to me because the people
who were expecting drastic steps don’t see that now…"

Tigran Karapetyan doesn’t have high hopes in today’s political
format. "But we are going to fight until the end and we will not
let them steal our votes and reach the top." The People’s Party is
confident that it has already overcome the 10%. As for the latest
conflicts between the Republicans and "Prosperous Armenia" party
members, Tigran Karapetyan considers that normal. "They are playing
in the field where they are going to steal votes from one another
and where nothing is regulated and they see a danger when anyone else
enters that field."

In closing we asked Tigran Karapetyan to give his advice to citizens
of Yerevan who will go to the polls on May 31 to determine the future
of Yerevan.

"Don’t give your voices to the wolves, but the loyal dogs. By that
I mean me, who will fight for you, but not the wolves."

WITNESS FINALLY QUESTIONED IN HAKOB HAKOBYAN CASE
Ararat Davtyan

-3/
2009/05/26 | 16:11

Court

In the case of National Assembly MP Hakob Hakobyan, Judge Gagik
Avetisyan had previously issued orders for two witnesses, Moushegh
Antonyan and Ashot Melkonyan, who had been previously subpoenaed but
not questioned, to be brought to the court.

Mr. Antonyan had showed up voluntarily but was not questioned at the
time. Prosecutor Hovsep Sargsyan left the court and never returned. The
witness, due to the fact that he was being pursued, spent the night
at the offices of the newspaper "Chorrord Ishkhanutyun" and came to
the court from the office today.

Prosecutor Sargsyan today explained that his blood pressure had risen
and that was the reason why he left the courtroom yesterday.

Aram Karapetyan, who heads the New Times Party in Armenia, refuted a
court report that he had interfered with the police who had spotted
witness Antonyan outside the Kentron and Nork-Marash Court and tried
to take him into custody.

"First, those people weren’t in uniform and should no identification
that they were police. Neither did they show any court document
to detain Antonyan. Thus, any person, even criminals, could have
kidnapped Mr. Antonyan," stated Mr. Karapetyan, adding that his
actions were fully justified.

Mr. Antonyan stated today that court papers addressed to him to
appear for questioning were delivered to his neighbor and that he
was never given them. "I’m really confused. When I found out that
orders for my appearance in court had been delivered I came here,"
explained Mr. Antonyan.

A letter had been sent to the court on behalf of Mr. Antonyan stating
that he was now in Georgia and couldn’t make the trial and thus
requested that his earlier testimony be admitted as evidence. Today,
Mr. Antonyan was told about the letter in question and stated that
he couldn’t remember if he wrote such a letter or not.

His passport shows that while he travelled to Bagratashen on May 18,
he never made it to Georgia. "I quarreled with the Georgian border
guards and they refused me entrance," Mr. Antonyan explained.

Today, the witness was finally questioned. His statements contradicted
his earlier testimony.

RUSSIAN GENERAL: IN CASE ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER IS DEBLOCKED, RUSSIAN FRONTIERS READY TO FULFILL THEIR TASKS ALSO IN NEW CONDITIONS

ArmInfo
2009-05-27 16:02:00

In case the Armenian-Turkish border is deblocked, Russian frontiers are
ready to fulfill their tasks also in new conditions, Sergey Bondarev,
Lt. General, Head of the Russian Federal Security Service Frontier
Department in Armenia told media Wednesday.

‘Opening the Armenian-Turkish border is the internal affair of Armenia
and Turkey. We should obey to the Command and we will act in accordance
with the orders and the Armenian-Russian treaty dated 1992 regulating
the sphere,’ he said.

As regards the reports by Turkish media, Lt. General Bondarev said
Russian frontiers do not prepare check- points and frontier posts
for possible deblocking of the Armenian-Turkish border.

‘As regards the railroad groundwork from Gyumri to the Armenian-Turkish
border, it was carried out yet last year by the South Caucasian Railway
and our department bears no relation to that’, Bondarev said. Russian
frontiers serve in Armenia on the basis of a bilateral inter-state
treaty between Russia and Armenia concluded in 1992.

11 WITNESSES OF OPPRESSION SPOKE AT ISTANBUL GATHERING

BIA Magazine
May 26 2009
Turkey

At the sixth Istanbul Gathering, rights activists from Turkey and
other countries discussed freedom of expression.

Erol ONDEROÄ~^LU [email protected] Istanbul – BÄ°A News Center26 May
2009, Tuesday The Initiative against Crimes of Thought held the sixth
"Gathering in Istanbul" from 22 to 24 May. Panels at the Dolapdere
campus of Istanbul’s Bilgi University discussed freedom of expression
in Turkey and other countries bordering the Black Sea.

Prof. Turgut Tarhanlı, law faculty dean at Bilgi University, said that
especially September 11 had caused a debate of freedom of expression
in terms of security issues.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), so Tarhanlı, had made
less liberal decisions in the areas of art and culture than in the
area of political dissent. He argued that human rights activists
should be able to question ECHR decrees.

Alınak: "Praising criminals" During a part of the gathering dedicated
to "witness statements from Turkey", former MP Mahmut Alınak, who
had wanted streets to be named after student revolutionary Deniz
GezmiÅ~_, murdered Kurdish intellectual Musa Anter and murdered
Kurdish politician Vedat Aydın. Alınak was then convicted of
"praising criminals." He said, "In 1973, a prosecutor said to me,
‘Our democracy is still very young, don’t force the issue.’ I waited
for our democracy to grow up, but it never did. We grew up with our
Kurdish identity and our language in shackles."

Seropyan: Agos singled out Serkis Seropyan, former licence holder
of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos newspaper, told the audience how
their newspaper was tried for citing a sentence that journalist Hrant
Dink had said to the Reuters agency, although all the mainstream
newspapers had reported it. Dink had said, "A people who lived on
this soil for 4,000 years disappeared."

Demirer: Not the language of the state Writer Temel Demirer said that
he still faced a trial under Article 301 for saying that Hrant Dink
was murdered because he acknowledged the genocide of Armenians. Demirer
said, "My crime has been not to speak the language of the state."

Article 301 applied at Ministry’s discretion Writer Abdurrahman
Dilipak, who faced a trial for "denigrating the armed forces" in an
article entitled "Turban and gown", said that the Ministry of Justice
had not given permission for his trial. He pointed out however,
that the dependence on the Ministry was dangerous.

Ceren Baykal, law student at Istanbul’s Marmara University, took
up this point, saying that the condition of ministerial assent
to investigations and prosecutions under Article 301 violated the
separation of powers which they had been taught about for years.

Pacifists, caricaturists, victims of police violence…

Dogan Ozkan, a conscientious objector, summarised his court case,
which ended with a prison sentence converted to a fine.

Caricaturist Halil Ä°brahim Ozdabak, who had been tried and then
acquitted for a caricature entitled "Guguk", said that he had had a
"close shave". He said that his daily work had been overshadowed by
the fear of being tried again.

Mehmet Tursun, whose son Baran Tursun was killed by a police officer
in Izmir, recounted that he himself was facing a prison sentence for
his opinions and reactions to the trial of the police officer. He
called on people to mobilise against police violence.

…journalists, homosexuals, academics…

Mehmet Baransu, reporter for the daily Taraf newspaper, said that he
faced seven investigations and 22 court cases.

Bora Bengisu, a representative of the LGBTT LambdaIstanbul Association,
recounted the attempts to close down the association. Even when
the court decreed that the association would remain open, it did
so with the proviso that no attempts would be made to "encourage
homosexuality." Otherwise, the association would be closed.

Alp Selek, a lawyer and father of sociologist Pınar Selek, who
faces a life sentence in prison for allegedly planting a bomb in
the Egyptian Spice Bazaar in Istanbul, said, "This happened to her
because she refused to act as a spy." (EO/AG)

Moscow not to ratify Energy Charter Treaty
22.05.2009 23:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A tense summit meeting between Russia and the
European Union has failed to provide assurances Europe will not face
another mid-winter gas cutoff. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has
also warned that stronger European ties with former Soviet republics
should not turn into an anti-Russian coalition.
Meeting in the city of Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East, Russian and
EU leaders failed to bridge differences that block assurances of
reliable gas supplies to Europe. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev
said his country has no problem supplying the fuel or honoring its
delivery commitments to Europe. He blamed the continent’s recent
energy disruptions on the inability of Ukraine to pay for its own
supplies. About 20 percent of Europe’s supply of natural gas comes
from Russia through Ukrainian pipelines.
Mr. Medvedev said assurances should be provided by those who pay for
the gas, and there is room here for cooperation.
The Russian leader noted that if Ukraine has the money, fine, though
he expresses doubt that it does.
He said partners in such circumstances help their partners. President
Medvedev said Russia is prepared to help Ukraine, but wants a
considerable part of this work to be assumed by the European Union and
countries interested in reliable and secure energy cooperation.
Russia is also seeking to replace the so-called Energy Charter Treaty,
a 1990’s agreement on integration of European and former Soviet energy
sectors. Moscow signed, but did not ratify the treaty, which would
provide foreign commercial access to Russian pipelines. The European
Union does not want the Charter scrapped, but EU Commission President
Jose Manuel Barroso said Russia has put forth interesting suggestions.
"We could consider those proposals in the process of revision of the
Energy Charter Treaty," he said, VOA News reported.

CHRISTIAN MONASTERY IN TURKEY WINS BACK LAND

Reuters
May 22 2009
UK

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – One of the world’s oldest functioning Christian
monasteries has won a legal battle to have land it had owned for
centuries restored to it, after a Turkish court ruled on Friday it
could not be claimed by the state.

The dispute over the boundaries of Mor Gabriel, a fifth-century Syriac
Orthodox monastery in eastern Turkey, had raised concerns over freedom
of religion and human rights for non-Muslim minorities in Turkey,
a predominantly Muslim country and European Union aspirant.

In a statement, the Syriac Universal Alliance (SUA), a leading Syriac
group based in Sweden, said a Turkish court in Midyat had reversed
an initial decision by the land registry court to grant villages some
110 hectares (272 acres) of monastery land.

But it added another three cases relating to the monastery’s former
land remained open, two of which had been postponed.

The row began when Turkish government land officials redrew the
boundaries around Mor Gabriel and the surrounding villages in 2008
to update a national land registry.

The Syriac Orthodox monks said the new boundaries turned over to
the villages large plots of monastery land and some designated as
public forest.

The case became a rallying cry for Christian church groups across
Europe, and had been postponed several times.

Syriacs are one of the oldest communities in Turkey and still speak
Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ. But they are not officially
designated a minority in Turkey like the Greeks or Armenians, so have
no special protection under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne’s provisions
for non-Muslim minorities.

The ruling AK Party government has said it has expanded the rights
of minorities. But the EU and U.S. President Barack Obama, during
a trip to Turkey in April, have urged Ankara to do more to promote
religious freedom.

AZERBAIJANI RULING PARTY’S DEPUTY CHAIRMAN CONDEMNS CO-CHAIRS

APA
May 22 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Elbrus Seyfullayev – APA. Members of the parliament discussed the
current issues at the Milli Mejlis spring session meeting on Friday,
APA reports. MP Igbal Aghazadeh called the closing of the mosques
a suspicious process. "It can’t be done secretly because the secret
work creates agiotage", said Aghazadeh.

Vice Speaker of the parliament Bahar Muradova said the believers
are in the focus of attention and the mosques are restored in
Azerbaijan. "Indeed the parliament tribune can’t be used for creating
the agiotage. There is no need to make this issue a subject of
discussion at the parliament". Muradova said if the parliamentarians
concerned over any issue, they can address the concrete instances".

Speaker Ogtay Asadov said if some mosques were temporarily closed for
the restoration, it can’t be resounded. "The government supports the
reconstruction and restoration of the mosques. We spent four years
in the parliament and have only a year ahead. Try to raise topical
issues", said Asadov.

Member of the parliament Ali Ahmadov touched upon the activity of the
OSCE Minsk Group and called it dissatisfactory. "The president said
it for many times. The last statement by OSCE Minsk Group French
co-chair Bernard Fassier is not in accordance with the activity
of mediator. It was stated for many times that the opening of the
Turkey-Armenia borders depends on the solution to the conflict,
but he said that those are different processes".

Ahmadov said the mediator made statement contrary to the position of
Azerbaijan and in accordance with the position of Armenia.

MP Jamil Hasanli reminded about the death of People’s Writer Sabir
Ahmadli and said there was indifference to this event.

AZERI PARLIAMENT IS PROTESTING AGAINST MG OSCE STATEMENT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
22.05.2009 15:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijani members of parliament protested against
recent statements by the OSCE Minsk Group.

"French co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier’s statement
claiming that NKR conflict settlement has noting to do with opening
of the Armenia-Turkey border are unreasonable," New Azerbaijan Party
Deputy Chairman and member of parliament Ali Ahmadov said. French
co-chair made this statement very recently.

Ahmadov said Azerbaijani president and society say these two issues
are interrelated. "This statement by the Minsk Group representative
contradicts mediation mission," he said.

Ahmadov said Azerbaijani parliament must protest against such
statements by the Minsk Group, TrendNews reported.

NEW FIRE IN NAIRIT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
21.05.2009 18:51 GMT+04:00

Fire erupted in Nairit-2 enterprise, situated in the neighborhood of
Nairit chemical plant. According to Nikolay Grigoryan, Advisor to Head
of RA Emergency Situations Ministry’s Rescue Service, an engineering
tool burnt on a total area of 140 sq. m.

As reported by Nairit rubber plant’s Press Secretary Anoush
Harutyunyan, fire in Nairit-2 bears no relationship to Nairit Plant
CJSC.

On May 14 around 6:40 p.m. two explosions occurred at the Nairit
rubber plant. Later fire erupted. Within 15 minutes, 9 fire-brigades
and ambulance arrived at the site.

One absorption tower burned down as a result of breakage at chloroprene
section. Thanks to fire brigade and rescue services the fire was fully
extinguished by 11:00. Fire in Nairit left 4 people dead and 8 injured.