Author: Chalian Meline

PRESS RELEASE
Date: March 18, 2008
Armenian National Committee of America
Eastern Region
122 W. 27th St, Floor 12, New York, NY 10001
Contact: Karine Birazian
Tel: 917-428-1918
Email: [email protected]

Eastern Region Anti-Genocide Activists Visit Hundreds of
Congressional Offices During Advocacy Days in Washington, DC

–ANCA and GI-Net Team up for Second "End the Cycle of Genocide"
Grassroots Lobbying Campaign

Washington, DC- Over 100 anti-genocide activists from across the
nation joined the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and
the Genocide Intervention Network (Gi-Net) for their second annual
"End the Cycle of Genocide" campaign held in Washington, DC from
March 12-14th.

The three day program, hosted for the second year in a row by the
ANCA and the GI-Net, puts community human rights advocates directly
in touch with dozens of legislators and every single Senate and
House office in support of practical legislative initiatives to
stop the genocide in Darfur and end Turkey’s ongoing denial of the
Armenian Genocide.
.
"It was so wonderful to participate with the Genocide Intervention
Network once again this month to advocate on these important human
rights issues," commented ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director,
Karine Birazian. "It was exciting to see new and familiar faces
throughout the region participate. We will continue to work to
build momentum and push genocide legislation forward in Congress."

Birazian, along with activists from the Eastern Region, spent three
days on Capitol Hill meeting with various members of Congress as
well as distributing informational folders on the Armenian Genocide
and the genocide taking place in Darfur, and highlighting
legislation pertaining to these matters. Eastern Region activists
including those from Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and
Virginia visited close to 300 offices in the House of
Representatives and over 60 offices in the Senate.

First time participants of the "End the Cycle of Genocide" Advocacy
Days included several youth activists and professionals. Arin
Vartanian, an Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) member from the New
Jersey Arsen Chapter commented: "Participating in this past week’s
Advocacy Days has definitely left me with a greater understanding
of what it means to fight for genocide recognition. After making
countless phone calls to my senators and representatives over the
years, it was unbelievable to have the opportunity to speak to my
congressmen in person rather than over a receiver. Lobbying on
Capitol Hill with the ANCA, GI-Net, and my fellow AYF members was
an amazing and unforgettable experience and I would like to
participate again." Vartanian, a constituent of Cong. Gary
Ackerman (D-NY-5) also had a chance to meet with the office to
thank the Congressman for his support on human rights issues and
his leadership during the October 10, 2007 markup of H. Res. 106,
the Armenian Genocide Resolution, in the House Foreign Affairs
Committee.

Eastern Region activists met with over 50 congressional offices,
including Members of the House Committees on Foreign Affairs,
Intelligence, and Homeland Security many of whom are cosponsors of
H. Res. 106.

Those in attendance took part in a reception on Wednesday evening
during which several representatives spoke out on this important
issue and stressed the need to continue to lobby and push forward
for genocide recognition. At the close of the Advocacy Days,
activists were invited to tour the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum in Washington, DC.

####

Photo Captions:

Photo Caption #1: Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) with MA activist Tina
Sajonian, ANCA Government Affairs Director Kate Nahapetian, and ANC
of RI member Steve Mesrobian

Photo Caption #2: Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ-4) surrounded by ANC of
New Jersey activists, Razmig Tchaghlasian, ANCA Legislative
Director Raffi Karakashian, ANCA ER Executive Director Karine
Birazian, and Arin Vartanian

Photo Caption #3: Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI-5) with ANC of PA
activists Mikael Garabedian and John Gulezian

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS IN ARMENIA

AZG Armenian Daily
18/03/2008

Culture

Several international festivals will be held in Armenia this
year. Italian films, 4th Musical in National Gallery, Arno Babajanian’s
song and "21’s prospects" of classical music festivals will be held,
according to "Armenpress" agency.

"Armmono", "Hay fest", and Pantomime International Festival in
Tsaghkadzor, 4th International Puppet Festival "Day of Tumanian’s
fairy tales" in Dsegh (Lori province) will be held as well.

Armenian culture groups in their turn will participate in international
festivals abroad, mainly, St. Geghard Monastery Choir will perform
in Strasbourg in the framework of "Romanic voices and way" festival.

U.S. EXPERTS: "IT WOULD BE COMPLICATED FOR ARMENIA TO SIGN ANY DOCUMENT ON THE SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH"

Azeri Press Agency
March 14 2008
Azerbaijan

Washington -APA. "It would be complicated for Armenia to sign
any document on the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh," U.S "Jane’s"
Investigation Center’s experts came to such conclusion, APA reports
quoting "Regnum".

Experts consider taking into account promise of Levon Ter-Petrosyan
that after lifting of state of emergency, Armenia can face bigger
protest actions.

"The government can take a step toward totalitarianism to prevent
protest actions arresting former President. It would be complicated
for Armenia to sign any document on the settlement of Nagorno
Karabakh. Domestic stability is more important than negotiations and
chauvinist rhetoric is used to gain public support," said experts.

MINISTER OSKANIAN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BRUSSELS FORUM 2008

armradio.am
13.03.2008 13:45

On March 14 RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian will leave for Vienna
to meet with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Press and Information
Department of RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

The same day the Minister will leave for Brussels, where he will
participate in the "Brussels Forum 2008." In the framework of the
Forum the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Georgia Vartan Oskanian
and David Backradze will participate in the discussion titled "Does
the Path to Europe extend to the Caucasus?" as main speakers.

The Forum will feature the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Sweden,
Bulgaria, France, Slovenia and Poland, the Prime Ministers of
Belgium and Denmark, the Secretary General of NATO, the Special
Representative of the European Union for the South Caucasus and other
senior officials.

Vartan Oskanian will have a number of bilateral meetings on the
sidelines of the Forum.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH PARLIAMENT’S FACTIONS ADOPTED STATEMENT IN CONNECTION WITH KOSOVO’S INDEPENDENCE

DeFacto Agency
March 13 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, 13.03.08. DE FACTO. March 12 the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
National Assembly’s deputy factions adopted a statement in connection
with the Declaration of Independence adopted by the Kosovo Parliament
on February 17, 2008.

IAA DE FACTO quotes the statement’s full text: "The factions of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic National Assembly, -supporting the right to
self-determination, -welcoming the international community’s stand in
the issue referring to the respect of human rights and civil rights of
the majority of Kosovo’s population, -ascertaining that for decades
Azerbaijan’s authorities consecutively pursued discrimination policy
against the Nagorno-Karabakh’s native Armenian population, restricted
its civil rights, carried out ethnic cleansings and forced deportation,
the tragic consequences of which could be prevented exclusively via
well-organized self-defense, -considering that thus Azerbaijan,
since the moment of juridical registration of the Soviet Union’s
disintegration, has lost all legal and moral grounds to exercise state
power in respect of Nagorno-Karabakh, -expressing regret over human
losses and hardship in the course of the conflict and especially during
the stage of armed confrontation, -hoping that mutually acceptable
decision, which guarantees international recognition of the fact
of Nagorno-Karabakh’s free self-determination, can be achieved via
talks, urge the world parliaments to be consistent in the issue of
recognition of the states formed on the basis of the nations’ right
to self-determination and to refrain from double standards".

The statement was signed: on behalf of the Democracy faction – by
Vahram Atanesian, on behalf of the Motherland faction – by Arthur
Tovmasian, on behalf of the ARFD-Movement-88 – by Armen Sargsian.

A. ZURABYAN AND A. ARZUMANYAN ARRESTED

Hayots Ashkhar
March 12, 2008

Due to the operative searching activity of the National Security
Service Ararat Anushavan Zurabyan and Alexander Robert Arzumanyan
have been arrested in the rented flat in Saryan 16, apt. 3, in Yerevan.

They were arrested by the special investigation service and are
suspected in organizing mass disorder, followed by murders (Criminal
Code, article 225, part 3) and attempts to take power by force,
breaching constitutional order (Criminal Code, article 300).

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS MET IN VIENNA AND AGREED TO HAVE ANOTHER MEETING THE NEXT DAY

Azeri Press Agency
March 12 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Tamara Grigoryeva-APA. OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have held a
meeting in Vienna. Personal representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office
Andrzej Kasprzyk also attended the meeting.

French Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier told APA that
Andrzej Kasprzyk briefed the co-chairs about the overall results
of OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ilkka Kanerva’s visit to the region and
results of negotiations between Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents.

They also discussed the long-term violation of ceasefire on the
frontline. According to Bernard Fassier, the co-chairs plan to have
another meeting with the participation of Andrzej Kasprzyk tomorrow.

Bernard Fassier, Yuri Merzlyakov and head of Matthew Bryza’s office
Michael Carpenter attended the meting. American Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk
Group Matthew Bryza told APA that he could not attend the meeting
and therefore sent Michael Carpenter to the meeting. He also said
the co-chairs’ next visit to the region had not been scheduled.

ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT ALTERS STATE OF EMERGENCY IN YEREVAN

ARKA
March 12, 2008

YEREVAN, March 12. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharian plans to
lift certain items of the emergency situation in Yerevan. "Tonight
or tomorrow morning I will sign a decree on altering the state of
emergency," the President said. "The current decree specifies what
is permissible, while the new one will specify what is banned."

Kocharian said the restrictions will be minor ones and will mainly
concern provocative activities and misinformation.

The President assured that journalists that mass media will be free
to express their opinion. "They should just be more careful and give
only reliable information," Kocharian said. The President called on
mass media to have a sense of responsibility and avoid threatening
the country’s stability.

Since February 20 rallies, sit-ins and student walkouts had been
held by the opposition leader RA ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosian in
the center of Yerevan. The protesters accused Kocharian’s ally and
Prime Minister Serge Sargsian of rigging the presidential election
last month.

Armenian President Robert Kocharian declared a state of emergency on
March 1 after a day of clashes between police and protesters.

According to the decree, publications of mass media concerning state
and internal political issues can be implemented solely within the
limits of the official information of state bodies.

EU: RUSSIA MAY BE PREPARING TO RECOGNIZE ABKHAZIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.03.2008 13:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia may be preparing to recognize Georgia’s
breakaway republic of Abkhazia, weeks after Kosovo’s Western-backed
secession from Serbia, a senior EU official said on Monday.

Russia dropped formal trade restrictions on the rebel region on
Thursday, prompting the pro-Western Georgian government to accuse
Moscow of trying to destabilize the Caucasus region.

"There is a growing preoccupation and anxiety that Russia may be
paving the way for recognition of Abkhazia," EU External Relations
Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said while reaffirming EU support
for Georgia’s borders.

"Georgia’s territorial integrity has always been clearly supported
by the EU…this is absolutely clear," she told a news conference
before EU foreign ministers were due to discuss Georgia at their
monthly meeting in Brussels.

"We will be discussing Georgia and…what can we do in order to
support more strongly Georgia in a difficult situation."

She said two EU states, Sweden and Poland, had written to the EU
to call for the bloc to do more to stabilize Georgia ahead of the
country’s parliamentary election in May. Ferrero-Waldner said EU help
could include easier visas and a trade pact.

Some analysts have linked Moscow’s move to Kosovo’s declaration of
independence from Serbia last month, which was backed by the West
but strongly opposed by Russia.

Russia has long argued that Western recognition of Kosovo’s secession
sets a precedent that will cause chaos by pushing other regions of
the world to seek independence. The European Union argues that Kosovo
is a one-off case.

Moscow had maintained a formal ban on trade with Abkhazia from 1996,
though Georgia says Russia had for years also provided financial aid
to prop up the rebels.

Georgian politicians have said the lifting of Russia’s formal sanctions
on Abkhazia relieves Moscow of obligations not to send weapons,
military equipment or Russian mercenaries there.

Abkhazia has repeatedly pressed for international recognition and
followed up Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence with a
renewed diplomatic campaign over the past three weeks, Reuters reports

YEREVAN MUNICIPALITY DAMAGES IN MARCH 1-2 RIOT AMOUNT TO $223,000

ARMENPRESS
March 10, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS: Authorities in Yerevan have calculated
the volume of damage to public-owned buildings, property and other
assets in March 1-2 unrest at 69 million Drams ($222,500).

A deputy Yerevan mayor, Kamo Areyan, said today the municipality has
ordered swift repair of six trolley-buses that were burnt during the
March 1-2 unrest. According to him, the damages sustained to police
cars will be assessed by the latter.

The deputy mayor said the repair and reconstruction will be funded
by the Yerevan municipality and part of funds will come from Kentron
district’s coffers. He said this will be carried out concurrently
with routine spring clean-up and improvement works and is supposed
to be over by mid-April.

He said damages to the musicality building were completely recovered.