Author: Chakrian Hovsep

Eshoo: Time for Passing Genocide Resolution Never More Right

By Khatchig Mouradian – on March 29, 2009
The Armenian Weekly

Will bring issue up with Obama on March 30

NEW YORK (A.W.) – `The time for passing the Genocide Resolution has
never been more right,’ said Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) on March 28.

Eshoo was delivering her keynote address at the Armenian Relief
Society (ARS) Eastern USA’s Centennial Gala Banquet at the Yale Club
in New York.

`I will be meeting with the president on Monday [March 30] evening and
I am going to again raise this issue [of Armenian Genocide
recognition] with him,’ she noted.

`The denial continues every minute Congress does not recognize it,’
Eshoo said, stressing that `when you deny the truth, you sanction a
lie.’

Although `it’s tempting to say the time is right for the governments
of the U.S. and Turkey to put the lie aside,’ the Congresswoman noted
that it is always the right time to speak the truth. She called on the
U.S. to live out – in the words of Lincoln – `the better angels of our
nature’ and to recognize the truth. The Armenian Weekly will provide
in-depth coverage of the ARS Gala Banquet later this week.

K-TELECOM AND ARMENTEL DISCUSS PROBLEM OF REVIEWING CONDITIONS OF CONNECTING EACH OTHER’S CHANNELS AND SERVICES

Noyan Tapan
March 26, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The two biggest operators in Armenia’s
communication sector – K-Telecom and ArmenTel companies discuss
the problem of reviewing the conditions of connecting each other’s
channels and services, Director General of K-Telecom Ralph Yirikian
stated at the March 25 press conference.

According to the Head of PR Service of ArmenTel company Anush
Beghloyan, active negotiations are being conducted on reviewing these
conditions. Like R. Yirikian, she did not mention when the negotiations
will end.

R. Yirikian did not share the opinion of a reporter that the fact that
K-Telecom and ArmenTel are participating in one event for the first
time means that the companies have reached an internal agreement
to unite for struggling against the 3rd operator. "We believe in
healthy competition. We have already seen how a market can have
healthy competition. When the third operator enters the market,
we will see healthy competition again," he said.

He explained that there is healthy competition among big and small
operators in the Russian market, expressing an opinion that the same
will take place in Armenia.

A. Beghloyan also exprssed her support for healthy competition,
noting that partners rather than rivals should operate in a market.

To recap, satrting from the autumn of 2009 Orange Armenia company
(France Telecom group) plans to provide services in Armenia.

It should be mentioned that it was for the first time on March 25 that
the representatives of K-Telecom and ArmenTel took part in one event –
the presentation of itel.am website.

3RD ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI PUBLIC PEACE FORUM IS BEING HELD IN VIENNA

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.03.2009 21:09 GMT+04:00

3rd Armenian-Azerbaijani Public Peace Forum, initiated International
Alert Organization is being held in Vienna.

Today, at the beginning of the second day of the Forum the OSCE
Chairperson-in-Office’s Special Envoy for Protracted Conflicts,
Ambassador Charalampos Christopoulos gave a special address to the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Public Peace Forum.

He stressed several times that "OSCE and the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office
(this year it is the Government of Greece) considers the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Public Peace Forum a very important
initiative. This is one of those initiatives that could help build
confidence between the Armenians and Azerbaijanis," International
Alert representative Desislava Ruslanova reported to PanARMENIAN.Net.

OBAMA EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS FORUM

Today’s Zaman
March 24 2009
Turkey

US President Barack Obama, who is due to arrive in the Turkish
capital on the evening of April 5, is expected to participate in the
UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) forum scheduled for April 6 and
7 in Istanbul.

US officials in Ankara were not immediately available to confirm or
deny Obama’s participation at the second day of the UNAOC forum on
April 7, since they were not able to make any confirmation on items
on the agenda of Obama’s trip to Turkey. However, they noted that
the US president has expressed a desire to attend the event.

Obama’s visit to Turkey will include time in both Ankara and
Istanbul. Obama is to meet with President Abdullah Gul and Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 6, and Obama and Erdogan are
expected to fly to Istanbul together to attend the meeting of the
UNAOC initiative on April 7.

The second forum of the UNAOC will see the participation of Erdogan,
in addition to Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio,
who is the high representative for the Alliance of Civilizations. The
forum will be attended by heads of government and more than 50
ministers.

The Istanbul forum follows the success of the inaugural gathering,
which was held in Madrid in January 2008. Officials said the Istanbul
forum will be action oriented, with an emphasis on delivering concrete
projects and practical outcomes. A number of high-profile initiatives
will be presented, including Euro-Mediterranean projects aimed at
restoring trust and rebuilding bridges in the region in the wake of
the Gaza crisis.

There is also a project called the Alliance Fellowship Program that
aims to facilitate the exchange of young leaders between a number of
countries and establish working relationships between them.

The Global Model United Nations (GMUN) 2010, a world-class student
diplomacy training program on the theme of the UNAOC, will take place
in addition to a presentation of "Doing Business in a Multicultural
World — Challenges and Opportunities," a joint report of the UNAOC
and the UN Global Compact showcasing a range of best practices and
case studies for companies to use in responding to the diversity of
today’s business environments.

The forum will also see the launch of "Mapping Media Education
Policies Around the World," a joint publication by the UNAOC and
UNESCO on media education policies.

Obama expected to address Islamic world from Turkey

Obama’s visit is seen as a sign of the Obama administration’s
willingness to work with Turkey on a number of key foreign policy
issues, including the stabilization of Afghanistan and Iraq, and
Iran’s controversial nuclear program.

The Turkish government is likely to raise the issues of Armenian
allegations of genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks during World War
I and cooperation in the fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK).

Obama is also expected to address the Islamic world with a speech
from Turkey.

The Financial Times, a daily in the United Kingdom, reported on Monday,
"After that is the NATO summit in Strasbourg, where Mr. Obama will try
and probably fail to get big European assistance for his 17,000 troop
surge in Afghanistan, a stop in Prague for a meeting with European
leaders and then a big speech to the Islamic world from Turkey —
Mr. Obama’s first, much-awaited visit to a Muslim country."

DEFLATION RATE IN ARMENIA – 0,7%

Panorama.am
12:37 24/03/2009

In January and February deflation rate in Armenia formed 0,7% and
price reduce – 1,8%. During the same period the deflation rate in
Azerbaijan formed 1,4%, in Moldova – 1,1%, in Estonia – 0,9%.

Regarding the inflation rate Russia (1,7%) is in the first horizontal,
Ukraine follows Russia – 1,5%, Belarus – 1,2%. Inflation rate in
Lithuania formed 1,1%, in Kazakhstan – 0,8%, Kyrgyzstan, Litva and
Tajikistan – 0,3% and in Russia 4,1%.

MARXIST LEADER VOWS TO BE THE BEST

A1+
05:11 pm | March 23, 2009

Politics

The Leader of Armenia’s Marxist Party, Davit Hakobyan, today told an
"extraordinary" press conference. He expressed his anger over the
mayoral ticket of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) where he takes
the 22nd place. He is displeased that he learnt about the HAK decision
and electoral list only yesterday.

Davit Hakobyan says he was to be informed about the HAK ticket and
its sequence a week before as it would enable the Marxist Party to
run for the Council of Elders on its own.

He says that the 20 candidates preceding him on the HAK ticket are
minor figures who have had no considerable participation in political
processes.

Remind that the HAK’s list is topped by Levon Ter-Petrosyan and
Stepan Demirtchyan.

Davit Hakobyan says he is most displeased with the deterioration
of political norms. "The ticket should be formulated by brains,
ideology and not by protectionism and graft. In other words, who is
the best person to appear at the front lines? And this derives from
our national interests," says the Marxist Leader and adds: "Levon
Ter-Petrosyan is an organizational leader. The list was formulated
through bribery and I accuse Ter-Petrosyan of treachery."

Nevertheless, Davit Hakobyan still isn’t ready to leave the HAK
ranks. He simply wants to call the attention of the Central Electoral
Commission, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Constitutional Court
and the president to the HAK ticket regarding the "corrupt principles"
on which it was formulated. He is also going to appeal the HAK decision
in relevant bodies.

Turkey to ‘Realize’ Nabucco Project Despite Tanking EU Support
Published: Wednesday March 18, 2009
Source: Asbarez.com

BRUSSELS (Combined Sources)–Turkey will `realize’ the Nabucco
Pipeline project despite a recent confirmation by EU officials that
the project, considered a flagship Union venture, had disappeared from
the list of energy projects the EU’s economic stimulus plan will
finance.

Nabucco– a 3,300km pipeline designed to carry Caspian gas to Europe
via Turkey and the Balkans in order to limit EU’s dependence on
Russian gas — fell off the list of energy and broadband projects that
an EU stimulus plan would finance, Brussels-based EurActiv reported on
Tuesday (March 17th).

EU foreign ministers discussed the 5 billion euro plan during a
meeting Monday, but failed to reach an agreement over the list of
energy and broadband projects. The EU leaders are expected to decide
on the list in Brussels on Thursday.

Turkey, which has sought to use Nabucco to leverage its value as a
transit hub for energy to Europe, said Tuesday it would `realize’ the
Nabucco project itself. `Small obstacles in big projects never prevent
their realization,’ Turkey’s Energy Minister Hilmi Guler was quoted by
RIA Novosti as saying.

"We set the aim of completing Nabucco. If necessary, this should be
done regardless of where the energy sources are located,’ he added.

Czech Deputy Prime Minister for EU Affairs Alexander Vondra, whose
country currently hold the rotating EU presidency, expressed hope
Monday that EU members could reach an agreement. If so, the European
Parliament can approve the stimulus plan before the end of its
mandate. If not, everybody’s credibility will come into question, said
Vondra.

The European Commission (EC) initially proposed providing 250 million
euros to share the risk and help secure bank loans for Nabucco. That
amount later shrank to 200 million euros.

In the latest version of the project list, a broader term, "Southern
corridor," appears instead of Nabucco. It includes different projects
in southern Europe, including a new Interconnector Turkey-Greece-Italy
(ITGI) pipeline between the Greek Ionian coast and Italy.

Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu has warned that his
country will not vote for the stimulus package if it excludes
Nabucco. Romania’s position has support from Austria, Poland and
Slovakia, he said.

Similarly, Polish Minister for European Affairs Mikolaj Dowgielewicz
said that Prime Minister Donald Tusk would try to convince EU leaders
to back Nabucco to reduce the bloc’s dependence on Russian gas
supplies.

The agreement on the Nabucco pipeline was signed in 2002. Planners
expect completion of its first phase in 2014. Once fully operational,
Nabucco will ship up to 31 billion cubic meters of gas per year to
Europe via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary.

Observers expect Azerbaijan to become the project’s first gas
supplier. Middle East countries may possibly join as suppliers later.

Germany, whose RWE has joined five other energy companies in the
Nabucco consortium–OMV of Austria, MOL of Hungary, Bulgargaz of
Bulgaria, Transgaz of Romania and Botas of Turkey–is one of the
strongest opponents of providing European money for the project.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently said that the biggest problem
Nabucco faced was not financing but finding gas to feed the pipeline.

SOUTH CAUCASUS RAILWAYS SLAMS ARMENIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.03.2009 14:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ South Caucasus Railways Director General Shevket
Shaydullin criticized Armenian Transport Minister Gurgen Sargsyan for
his statements, which "undermine the company’s international image."

"Armenian Transport Minister Gurgen Sargsyan’s statement that the
company management has failed to fulfill some provisions of the
concession agreement and made 28% of presumed investments is untrue,"
Shaydullin said in an open letter.

"The SCR investments totaled 2.5 billion rubles of cash flow in
2008. The fixed capital stock amounted to 612 million rubles, what
comprises 61% of the concessionaire’s obligation."

Mr. Shaydullin said that a commission for monitoring of fulfillment of
concession agreement was formed early this year. "Three meetings have
been already held to work out measures to settle existing problems,"
he said.

LILIT MKRTCHIAN WITH 7.5 POINTS SHARES 2ND-8TH POSITIONS AFTER 10TH ROUND OF EUROPEAN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

Noyan Tapan
March 19, 2009

SAINT PETERSBURG, MARCH 19, NOYAN TAPAN. After the 10th round of
European Women Chess Championship in Saint Petersburg, Lilit Mkrtchian
with 7.5 points shares 2nd-8th positions. Yekaterina Kovalevskaya of
Russia earned 8 points and is in 1st position.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE

March 17, 2009
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434

NEW ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS

Armenian Assembly releases new video urging Congressional action

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) welcomes
the introduction of H. Res. 252, a congressional resolution to reaffirm
the historic record of the United States on the Armenian Genocide. The
legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by longtime
Armenian issues supporters Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), George Radanovich
(R-CA) and Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chairmen Frank
Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL).

The resolution has already garnered strong bipartisan support, with 77
Members of Congress signed on as original co-sponsors. It is modeled
after H. Res. 106, which overwhelmingly passed the House Committee on
Foreign Affairs during the 110th Congress.

"The Assembly commends Congressmen Schiff, Radanovich, Pallone and Kirk
for their leadership and commitment to reaffirm the historical fact of
the Armenian Genocide," said Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.
"This legislation is an opportunity for the United States to assume a
leadership role in genocide affirmation and genocide prevention."

Last month, the Assembly launched a new website dedicated to U.S.
affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. In tandem with the introduction of
the Armenian Genocide Resolution, today the Assembly released a new
video entitled "Break the Chain of Denial," which encourages activists
and all people of goodwill to take action to ensure that their
Representative also cosponsors this important human rights measure.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c) (3)
tax-exempt membership organization.

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