Author: Chmshkian Vicken

"CATS" BAND LED BY VAHAGN HAYRAPETIAN RECORDS ITS FIRST DISC

Noyan Tapan
Feb 28 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, NOYAN TAPAN. First disc "The Norevan" of
the avant-garde and folk band "Cats" has been released. The band’s
founder, famous jazz performer and pianist Vahagn Hayrapetian said
on February 28 that "the disc’s songs are our life, our yesterday,
today and tomorrow".

According to him, seven members of the band create all songs they
perform.

"We all have passed different ways and each has creative peculiarities,
which makes our cooperation interesting. Each song written by a member
of "Cats" has its own history," he said. For example, song "Good
Return" is dedicated to Mister Avant-Garde Folk – Arto Tunjboyajian,
while "The Norevan" – to today’s Yerevan.

V, Hayrapetian said that for a long time he was creating in swing and
pop style but in late 2004 he suddenly changed his musical image and
formed a new band – "Cats". "We decided to call the band "Cats" because
musicians use this word – "cats" when addressing each other." he noted.

The septet has perfomed at various annual jazz festivals in Armenia
and abroad. In 2006 "Cats" participated in the Caucasian musical
forum in Tbilisi.

"The Norevan" is the first album of the band. It was released by
Ararat pro Digital studio in 1,000 copies and will be sold not only
in Armenia but also in Europe, the US and Japan. The studio director
Tigran Arshakian stated that they will struggle against those who
infringe copyright in Armenia.

EVENTS DEVOTED TO THE 19TH ANNIVERSARY OF SUMGAIT POGROMS WILL B HELD TODAY IN ARMENIA

arminfo
2007-02-28 10:59:00

A press-conference of the leader of an Initiative group for protection
of Sumgait Armenians’ rights will be held in the "Urbat" club with
participation of the witness of tragic events Roman Hambaryan. By the
initiative of the ARF Dashnaktsutiun, a procession will be conducted
to the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial of the Armenian Genocide victims
in Ottoman Turkey, in the neighborhood of which a monument to the
victims of Sumgait events is raised. The ARFD has also organized a
Round Table on the subject "Armenian Response to Propaganda of Turkey
and Azerbaijan".

RIGHTS GROUP SAYS TURKEY’S STRUGGLE AGAINST TORTURE FAILING

Agence France Presse — English
February 27, 2007 Tuesday

Turkey’s main human rights group charged Tuesday that the government’s
bid to curb torture is failing, with no significant progress recorded
in 2006.

The Human Rights Association (IHD) said in a report on countrywide
rights violations last year that the number of incidents of torture
and maltreatment fell only to 708 from 825 in 2005.

"This figure shows that there is no real effort to eradicate torture,"
IHD chairman Yusuf Alatas said. "If about 700 cases are still recorded
in a country whose government pledges zero tolerance to torture,
then something is wrong."

"If the struggle is genuine, then it is insufficient," he said.

The report alleged an increase in rights violations in several
categories, including arrests at demonstrations, police searches at
non-governmental organisations and the banning of publications.

The IHD also highlighted restrictions on free speech and the
prosecution of intellectuals, one of the most contentious issues
on Ankara’s political agenda since the January 19 killing of ethnic
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

The report said 513 people were taken to court and 226 convicted last
year in cases which the IHD said breached the freedom of thought,
expression and conscience.

Alatas said the main reason behind the increases was the rekindled
Kurdish insurgency in the southeast, which had resulted in heavy-handed
responses by the local authorities.

Torture has long been a black mark on Turkey’s rights record and the
government has pledged a policy of "zero tolerance" to the practice.

The European Union, which Turkey is seeking to join, said in a
report in November that cases of torture and ill-treatment were on
the decline, but said cases of torture outside detention centres and
the impunity of accused officials remained a concern.

Alatas said the figures in the IHD report were compiled from the
association’s own investigations, complaints filed to the group and
media reports.

PERSONS WITH DUAL CITIZENSHIP MUST HAVE REGISTRATION TO PARTICIPATE IN ELECTIONS ON MAJORITY LIST

Panorama.am
21:17 26/02/2007

Davit Harutunyan, minister of justice, said the restrictions suggested
earlier for persons with dual citizenship to participate on majority
list were based on the consideration that artificial imbalance
could take place. The new amendments suggest that only persons with
registration in concrete communities may have the right to participate
in elections, including on majority list.

Asked if people may participate in diplomatic representations, the
minister said, "That is a question for the Central Electoral Committee
to answer."

Harutunyan believes it is expedient that only diplomats have the
right to participate in election.

POLAND READY TO ACT AS MEDIATOR

ArmRadio.am
26.02.2007 15:15

The Foreign Minister of Poland Anna Fatyga said during today’s joint
press conference with RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian that her
country is ready to act as a mediator in the normalization of relations
between Armenia and Turkey in case both sides express such will.

Anna Fotyga noted that Poland ha good historic ties with Turkey and
Armenia, that is why it is interested in promoting the normalization
of Armenian-Turkish relations.

Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said he introduced his
Polish counterpart to the position of Yerevan to establish diplomatic
relations with Ankara without preconditions.

As for the initiative of Poland, in Vartan Oskanian’s words "it can
only be welcomed; it remains on the agenda, and it’s not ruled out
that we shall once use it."

Vartan Oskanian mentioned that such initiative "should not be an end
in itself." "All the parties must be confident that the mediation
will help achieve results," Vartan Oskanian clarified.

Arminfo
2007-02-24 21:49:00

Armenian Genocide continues: former ombudsman of Armenia

The mass murders of Armenians in Sumgait in February 1998 shouldn’t be
considered separately from the Armenian Genocide in 1915, Larisa
Alaverdyan, the Director of the "Against Legal Violence" public
organization and the former ombudsman of Armenia, said during a
press-conference, Saturday.

According to L.Alaverdyan, the events in Sumgait are the consequence
of disregarding the ethnic ground murders committed by the Young Turks
government in the Ottoman Empire. Armenians face ethnic cleansing even
in time of peace because they haven’t determined their policy of
recognizing the Armenian Genocide so far, she noted. In this context,
she pointed out that the lack of Armenian community in Azerbaijan
proves that it is dangerous for Armenians to live on the territory of
Azerbaijan. She added that the destruction of the Armenian cultural
heritage on the Azeri territory is not accidental either. While the
Azeri government announces that no ethnic ground murders were ever
committed in their country, even the life of cultural monuments in
Azerbaijan depends on their "nationality", L.Alaverdyan said. She
emphasized that bringing Azerbaijan to responsibility for propaganda
of xenophobia, racism and violence against the Armenian nation, and
resuming the judicial investigation concerning the organizers and
performers of the Armenian pogroms in Sumgait and Baku are still
issues of current importance. The Armenian Genocide has lasted for 90
years, she noted.

To remind, the ethnic cleansing policy conducted in Azerbaijan against
the Armenian minority since February 1988 forced 360 thsd people to
escape from the Azeri cities of Sumgait. Gyanja, Baku and 311 other
populated areas, and find refuge in Armenia. To note, February 28 is
the Day of memory of the Sumgait tragedy’s victims.

Panorama.am

19:11 23/02/2007

DOORS OF HERITAGE STILL CLOSED

The parties are obliged to submit their charters to the Central
Electoral Committee in order to get registered and participate in
elections. `Heritage’ (Jarangutiun) party cannot do that because the
doors of the party office have been closed for already a year and the
charter is in the office.

`We have applied to the minister of justice, Judicial Acts Compulsory
Execution service head many times but did not receive any reply. The
prime minister promised to solve the problem of the office but the
problem is that he cannot solve a problem of even one office,’ Raffi
Hovannisian, chairman of Heritage party said.

`Everybody is talking about free and fair elections. You decide if
the election process is free and transparent,’ the speaker addressed
the reporters and answered himself, `Of coarse, not.’

Source: Panorama.am

Massis Weekly Online

VOLUME 27, NO. 5 (1305)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2007

—————–

– Turkey Warns US on Armenian Genocide Bill
– French Bill on Armenian Genocide Diminishes
– S.D. Hunchakian Party Participates In 19th Anniversary of the
Artsakh Movement
– SDHP "Sarkis Dkhrouni" Association Forum
– Canadian Armenian Community To Aid Villages In Armenia
– ACNIS Examines International Views on Upcoming Parliamentary
Elections in Armenia
– Simeon of Poland’s Travel Accounts Translated Into English by George
Bournoutian
-8th Annual Armenian Film Festival at Fresno State
– CSUN Armenian Studies Program to Host Armenia Travelogue & Slide Show

—————-

-Turkey Warns US on Armenian Genocide Bill

ANKARA –Turkey’s prime minister said the US Congress would harm
bilateral ties if it backs a resolution recognising the 1915 mass
killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as a genocide. The
Democratic-controlled Congress is widely expected to back such a
resolution in April, but the Bush administration is opposed to it,
fearing the impact on relations its NATO ally.
‘We do not expect Congress to make such a decision. But if it
surprises us, I am worried this would cast a shadow over our strategic
partnership in the future,’ Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was quoted
as telling American businessmen. He did not say what Turkey might do
in such a case. In the past, it has temporarily frozen trade and other
ties with countries that backed the genocide claims.
Ankara was particularly incensed last year when France’s parliament
approved a bill that made it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide.
The bill did not become law. Erdogan accused the Armenian
diaspora-especially strong in the United States and France-of
exploiting the genocide issue to hurt Turkey.
Erdogan also insisted Turkey’s small Armenian community was safe
despite the murder last month of a prominent Turkish Armenian editor
Hrant Dink by a Turkish nationalist gunman. Dink had urged Turkey to
own up to its role in the 1915 killings.
Every spring Congress considers a resolution on the Armenian genocide
issue but the White House always blocks it. This year it has become
more worrisome for Turkey because the Armenian lobby has vocal
supporters among the newly dominant Democrats. Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul and General Yasar Buyukanit, head of the army General
Staff, have both lobbied members of Congress and the Bush
administration on the Armenian issue during separate visits to
Washington in the past two weeks.

-French Bill on Armenian Genocide Diminishes

PARIS — A French bill criminalizing the denial of Armenian genocide
in Turkey has failed to become law. France’s National Assembly last
October approved a socialist drafted proposal which stated that those
denying the genocide should be punished by one year in prison and pay
a fine of 45,000euros.
In order to come into force, the bill would have had to be approved by
the country’s senate where the current centre-right government of
Dominique de Villepin and President Jacques Chirac – both opposing the
bill – holds a majority.
The bill was introduced and passed the same time as an EU deadline for
Ankara to fulfill prerequisite diplomatic obligations or face a freeze
of its EU membership talks and was seen in Turkey as yet another
negative political message against its European aspirations.
At the same point the bill was heralded by many ethnic Armenians
living in France as a tool against those who wished to distort
historical truth and deny the genocide conducted by the Turkish
Ottoman empire against its ethnic Armenian citizens.
French diplomats confirmed the bill has not been put on the upper
house’s agenda due to political pressure and that the parliamentary
session is now almost over ahead of the electoral campaign for the
presidential and legislative poll to be held in April, May and June.
For the legislation to be put into effect the authors of the bill
would have to start the process all over and the bill must gain a
majority vote again by the new National Assembly.

-S.D. Hunchakian Party Participates In 19th Anniversary of the Artsakh
Movement

YEREVAN — Commemorating the 19th anniversary of the Artsakh movement
over 5,000 attend rally for independence and freedom on February 20 in
Freedom Square.19 years ago Freedom Square was the gathering place for
the Armenian populace to voice their concern and demand justice for
their Artsakh brethren from the Soviet regime.
The rally was organized by "Alternative" public-political initiative,
contained the same concept as 19 years ago; to advance the voices of
the populace and demand to be heard by authorities for their betterment.
Attended by the young and elderly alike, rally participants voiced
their concern over the helplessness that many Armenian citizens feel
towards their government. Many stated the everyday grind that has
encompassed the lives of the average Armenian citizen is not being
helped by the current oligarchical regime of the Republic of Armenia.
In a statement the Social Democrat Hunchakian party acknowledged that
a great deal of apathy exists within today’s Armenian masses. This
indifference is due to continued corruption that exists within the
current regime. Yet as the rally organizers declared the only way to
enable a truly free and independent Armenia is to awaken the masses
and insure that their voices are heard. That is the reasoning of the
S.D. Hunchakian party’s solidarity with the organizers of today’s rally.

-SDHP "Sarkis Dkhrouni" Association Forum

The Social Democrat Hunchakian "Sarkis Dkhrouni" youth and student
association on February 17 continued its series of round table youth
forums featuring Aram Sargsyan as the panelist this week.
In 1991, Sargsyan initiated the establishment of the New Democratic
Party (NDP). Since then, he has been the Chairman of NDP and has
served as adviser of international trade to the President of Armenia
from 1998 to 1999. Currently, he is a member of the Armenian parliament.
This topic of discussion this week included the oppositional stance
toward the Artsakh negotiations with Azerbaijan, the positive and
negative impacts from the establishment of the Baku/Ceyan pipeline, an
open border with Turkey and the currently proposed legislation within
the Armenian Parliament granting dual citizenship in order to grant
Diaspora Armenians Armenian citizenship. In terms of the Artsakh
negotiations with Azerbaijan, Sargsyan said the talks are at a dead
end in light of the present geo-political situation. In order for
there to be progress towards the negotiation the geo-political
situations would need to altered. Yet Armenians must be cautious, for
the betterment of the Armenian people some of the hypothetical
alterations being discussed internationally as well as locally must
not be accepted. Agreements disguised as progress might in the long
run hurt Artsakh as well as the Republic of Armenia.
As for the proposed legislation granting dual citizenship in
parliament, Sargsyan states he is supportive of the concept of dual
citizenship, it is the right of all Armenians to become citizens of
their homeland, however the implementation factors contained by the
legislation are not acceptable, and must be addressed. Sargsyan
commended the SDHP "Sarkis Dkhrouni" youth and student association for
organizing the forum.

-Canadian Armenian Community To Aid Villages In Armenia

MONTREAL — The Congress of Canadian Armenians has announced that,
working jointly with the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada, it
will be actively supporting the Hayastan Foundation Canada to achieve
the commitment it has made to collect funds for the reconstruction and
economic development of two border villages in Armenia. The goal over
the next five years is to provide from Canadian donors all of the
required funds for these two villages. These funds will be channeled
through Hayastan Foundation Canada in accordance with its mission.
These two villages are part of fifty that have already been designated
by the Government of Armenia to be part of their newly announced Rural
Poverty Eradication Program. As the program gets underway this year,
fifty more villages will be designated.At the invitation of Vartan
Oskanian, Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, an important meeting
of donors for the Rural Poverty Eradication Program was held in Paris
on February 16, 2007. Arshavir Gundjian attended as the representative
of the Canadian Diocese and the Congress of Canadian Armenians.
At this meeting, the wishes of the Government of Armenia and all
aspects of the implementation of the program were reviewed in detail
and agreed upon. "We are pleased with the commitment made on behalf of
the Armenian community in Canada, and we thank the Canadian Diocese
and the Congress of Canadian Armenians for their active support", said
Vartan Oskanian. "Working together, we will give our rural people
hope, dignity and confidence in their future. Let’s build Armenia –
one village at a time."
Significant development disparities exist today between Armenia’s
cities and rural areas. Its three largest cities, led by Yerevan, have
experienced impressive economic growth during the past few years.
However, its rural communities continue to suffer.
Infrastructure remains devastated, economic and social activity is at
very low levels, and there is widespread poverty. This has resulted in
migration from these villages, many of which are on the country’s
Eastern and Western borders threatening their stability.
The Government of Armenia has therefore recently initiated an
important poverty reduction strategy, the main thrust of which is the
Rural Poverty Eradication Program. It has called on the Diaspora for
financial assistance, which together with funds from the national
budget will be used to improve the infrastructure of rural villages,
and to provide fair opportunities for the inhabitants to properly
develop their future. Roads, schools, water, telephone and health care
services will be the priorities of the program,together with training
and development of skills for increased employment.
The member organizations of the Congress of Canadian Armenians include
(in alphabetical order): AGBU Alex Manoogian School, AGBU Montreal
Chapter, Armenian Democratic Liberal Party, Holy Cross Church of
Laval, St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Montreal, S.D. Hunchakian
Party, Society of Armenians from Istanbul, Tekeyan Cultural Association.

-ACNIS Examines International Views on Upcoming Parliamentary
Elections in Armenia

YEREVAN — The Armenian Center for National and International Studies
(ACNIS) has commenced its 2007 seminar series with a policy roundtable
entitled "Armenia’s Parliamentary Elections and the Statements of the
International Community." The meeting brought together members of
Armenia’s political establishment, leading analysts, policy
specialists, political scientists, and media representatives.
ACNIS senior analyst Hovsep Khurshudian greeted the audience with
opening remarks. "The international press has been paying considerable
attention to Armenia in the recent months," he said. "It behooves us
to evaluate its message in light of domestic political developments."
In his address, ACNIS director of research Stepan Safarian reflected
on this message. He noted that the international community, having
resolved to settle various geopolitical matters, would pay special
attention to Armenia’s preelection processes. After reading out some
of the international community’s pronouncements to the Armenian
political arena, Safarian proceeded to separate them into three
categories: those relating to the Karabagh conflict, those relating to
Armenia-Turkey relations, and those relating to Armenia-NATO
relations. In his view, these messages are addressed primarily to the
authorities of Armenia with the goal of soliciting their positions and
gauging Armenia’s policy on the eve of republic-wide elections.
"The purpose of the message, delivered internationally in the form of
diplomatic announcements and publications by influential news media,
is to bridge the gap between the international community and those who
are preparing to form a government in Armenia," Safarian argued.
Boris Navasardian, chairman of the Yerevan Press Club, spoke next,
focusing on the projected reactions of international bodies to the
forthcoming elections. It is highly unlikely, he asserted, that the
West and its many institutions will intervene in a potentially
fraudulent election process in Armenia.
According to Navasardian, the world’s four major power
centers–regional intergovernmental organizations, the European Union,
the United States, and international NGOs–are disposed neither to
interfere in the electoral processes in the country nor to prevent or
condemn election fraud. "Placing our hopes on the outside world,
therefore, is pointless," Navasardian said. "Instead, we ought to dig
deep into our internal resources." He added that beyond its hope for a
stable and predictable Armenia, Europe is unconcerned with the
nation’s politics.
Participants in the ensuing discussion included Felix Khachatrian of
the Central Election Commission; Yerevan State University lecturer
Sasun Saribekian; political analyst Gevorg Altunian of the Armenia
Television Company; analyst Vakhtang Siradeghian of the Center for
Regional Development; Edward Antinian, deputy chairman of the Liberal
Progressive Party; ACNIS director of administration Karapet
Kalenchian; analyst Marine Karapetian of the Concord Center for Legal
and Political Studies; and Zhanna Aleksanian of Human Rights Watch.

-Simeon of Poland’s Travel Accounts Translated Into English by George
Bournoutian

European Travelers have left numerous accounts of the various
provinces of the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century. A rare and
important travelogue by Simeon, an Armenian acolyte from Lvov, Poland,
differs from all of these. His travels not only span a period of
twelve years, but his accounts are also the most detailed on both the
places he visited and the peoples he met.
The book reads like a travel guide to the Armenian, Coptic, Syrian,
Jewish, and Muslim communities in the European, Anatolian, and Arab
provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Moreover, his information on the
Armenian of Poland is extremely valuable, while his religious
background provides him with a very different perspective on his long
sojourn in Rome and Venice.
His information on the devastation caused by the Celali (Jalali)
bandits in Armenian Anatolia is a major source for scholars of that
period. Simeon has left a meticulous description of the cities he
visited, including Constantinople, Alexandria, Cairo, Jerusalem, Mush,
Diarbekir, Kharpert, Tokat, Kayseri, Malatya, Sebastia, Izmir, Angora
(Ankara), Damascus, Aleppo, Lvov, Rome, and Venice. He provides
practical information such as distances between towns, types of
terrain, tolls, and detailed descriptions of Armenian and non-Armenian
holy sites. He depicts the people, places, and buildings, as well as
local customs and traditions.
Simeon’s Travel Accounts is certainly an important source on the
history and geography of the Ottoman Empire, Poland, the Papal States,
Venice, and historic Armenia in the 17th century. The book, which
contains some 400 pages and seven specially-prepared maps will be
available shortly and may be obtained from Mazdapub.com, Barnes and
Noble, Amazon, or Armenian bookstores in the US.

-8th Annual Armenian Film Festival at Fresno State

The Armenian Students Organization and Armenian Studies Program of
California State University, Fresno are co-sponsoring the 8th Annual
Armenian Film Festival, from 7:00-10:00 PM on Friday, March 2, 2007.
The Festival will take place in the Leon S. and Pete P. Peters
Educational Center (in the Student Recreation Center) on the Fresno
State campus.
One of the featured films for the Festival is The Story of My Name: An
Armenian Tale (The Netherlands), directed by Dorothée Forma. The Story
of My Name is the story of Alex Luijten, who discovers that his
biological father is Armenian. At the age of 44, Luijten decides to
take on his father’s name, Alex Peltekian, and to find out the story
behind the name.
The Long Journey from the NFL to Armenia (California), produced by
Peter Musurlian and Dr. Arbi Ohanian, is the story of Tennessee Titans
football player Rien Vartan Long, as he travels to Armenia on a
twelve-day trip with his mother and grandmother.
Admission to the 8th Annual Armenian Film Festival is free and
filmgoers will have the opportunity to discuss films after the
screening of each film. The films, in English or Armenian, are all
directed and produced by a new generation of Armenian film-makers.
This program is supported, in part, by funds of the Fresno State
University Student Union Diversity Awareness Program. The 8th Annual
Armenian Film Festival is open to the public and admission
is free. Parking restrictions in Lot V will be relaxed after 6:30 PM.
For more information about the Film Festival, call the Armenian
Studies Program office at 559-278-2669.

-CSUN Armenian Studies Program to Host Armenia Travelogue & Slide Show

NORTHRIDGE — The Armenian Studies Program of California State
University, Northridge, will host a travelogue and slide show by the
author photographers Robert Kurkjian and Matthew Karanian.
The event is free and open to the public, and will be held at 7:30 pm
on Tuesday, March 6 in Room 451 of Sierra Hall on the CSUN campus.
Kurkjian and Karanian are authors of the newly released travel guide
"The Stone Garden Guide: Armenia and Karabagh." The presentation will
feature images from this new book, as well as photographs from their
earlier publications.
The travelogue–a 35-minute slide show–will depict scenes from
Armenia and Karabagh, and will illustrate both the historic beauty of
Armenia as well as its modernity. "Armenia and Karabagh" was published
September 1, 2006 and it has been the best-selling English language
book about Armenia for the past five months.
The First Edition of the book was Award Finalist for Best Travel Guide
by the Independent Publishers Association in 2005.CNN Traveller calls
the current edition "excellent." The book was featured on National
Public Radio in September.
For directions or other information, please call the office of the
CSUN Armenian Studies Program, 818-677-3456 or e-mail Prof.
Shemmassian [email protected]

FRANCE TO ISSUE STAMPS FEATURING HRANT DINK

NTV MSNBC, Turkey
Feb 22 2007

French collection maker Christian Genevier had printed stamps in the
memory of the so-called "Armenian genocide" last year.

Guncelleme: 17:29 TSÝ 22 Þubat 2007 Perþembe

PARIS – France is to issue a stamp commemorating slain Turkish Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink.

Christian Genevier told Turkish television station NTV that he
had decided to design Dink stamp after he observed the shock among
Armenians in Turkey and France at the journalist’s murder. He added
that stamps were ready to go to print and that he already received
orders.

In a question whether he sought the permission of the Dink family to
issue the stamp Genevier responded saying, ‘I did not find the need
to do. I found the photograph on the internet and used it.’

He added that he did not think that there should be a problem and
said that had he printed stamps of murdered Russian journalist Anna
Politovskaya without her family’s permission.

The stamps designed by Genevier are being printed by the French Post
authority and in comparison with the standard stamp price of 0.5 Euro
the Dink stamps would be sold for 2.5 Euro.

–Boundary_(ID_f6Wm66+GHaYWySecSAUqeA)–

PRESS OFFICE
Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

February 22, 2007
___________________

ARMENIAN SCHOLARS AIDED BY GRANT PROGRAM

The Armenian National Science and Education Fund (ANSEF), under the auspices
of the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), awarded 20 research grants to
Armenian scholars and scientists in its 2007 round of funding.

For the 2007 round of funding, ANSEF received more than 180 proposals for
funding, which were screened by internationally-recognized experts,
including Nobel Prize winners, in the United States and Europe to narrow the
field down to 20, the number of grants available with ANSEF’s limited
funding. In fact, ANSEF organizers said at least 80 of the grants were of
high-quality and merited support from ANSEF.

"Each of these proposals was a solid request, but we had to narrow the list
to match the available funds," said Dr. Yervant Terzian, an astrophysicist
at Cornell University and one of the original founders of ANSEF who heads
the examination of the proposals. "Armenian scientists and researchers are
clearly top-notch and the fact that so many wish to stay and work in Armenia
is a sign of our prosperous future."

ANSEF aims to keep the brightest minds in the Republic of Armenia by
providing funding for equipment, facilities, and salaries for research
scientists and scholars. The project also encourages Armenian researchers
to adhere to international norms by requiring all projects to be evaluated
by international experts for merit, as opposed to the Soviet system or
awarding grants based on status or personal connections.

Since its founding in 2001, ANSEF has supported more than 160 research
projects in the physical sciences, engineering, natural sciences, and
humanities. With average grants of more $5,000, ANSEF has allowed roughly
500 senior and junior researchers to stay and work in Armenia. More than
235 articles have been published in prestigious international academic
journals, boosting the image of Armenia’s research community, thanks to work
supported by this unique program.

2007 GRANTS

The list of projects funded by the 2007 ANSEF grants includes projects in
fields ranging from history to biology to physics. Recipients are
affiliated with 11 institutions, including the National Academy of Sciences,
the Yerevan State University, the Byurakan Observatory, and the State
Engineering University of Armenia.

"It is great to see so many researchers in so many different fields doing
top-quality work in Armenia," Dr. Terzian said. "By supporting their
efforts, we are making a brighter future for Armenia. We are keeping the
brightest thinkers in the nation, giving the people there new ideas, new
technologies, to build their own future of hope and opportunity."

The selected academics received their grants during a ceremony on January
31, 2007, in FAR’s Yerevan office. The Armenian country director of FAR,
Bagrat Sargsyan warmly congratulated the scientists who were granted ANSEF
support and encouraged them to continue their accomplishments.

One of the accomplished scientists receiving an ANSEF grant this year was
physicist David Sargsyan, who oversees the laboratory of the Ashtarak
Physics Research Institute. This is the fourth time he has received support
from an ANSEF grant for his project involving nanotechnology.

Armenian scientists have developed unique optical cells, by manipulating the
atoms in the cells to create different qualities in the cells. The cells –
called "Sargcells" in honor of Dr. Sargsyan — are being developed and
created only in Armenia by Dr. Sargsyan and his team. Researchers in other
countries have yet to develop them.

Why does he seek out ANSEF support for the development of these "Sargcells"?
The salary from his laboratory position only brings in $80 a month, far too
little for Dr. Sargsyan, who has three young children, to devote the amount
of time or resources needed for such an in-depth research project. His only
hope is international support, such as the ANSEF grant.

But the grant does more than help him, it helps the future of Armenia. Of
the eight scientists involved in his research, six are young, gifted
academics. With the experience they gain working on this ANSEF-supported
project, many of the young scientists have started gaining international
recognition.

"We have to do our best to keep our young scientists in the homeland," Dr.
Sargsyan said, noting that when he started many young students went into
science; but today’s youth do not because of the lack of financial support
given to researchers.

FINDING FUNDING

ANSEF is limited in the number of grants it can award each year by the
amount of funding it has available. Most of the money comes from individual
donors’ annual gifts.

To secure a stable financial platform, ANSEF recently launched a campaign
asking donors to establish named endowment funds which would provide
continual funding for grants in fields specified by the donors.

By raising $125,000 today, ANSEF supporters, either individuals or groups,
can establish an endowment fund to provide an annual ANSEF grant in any
chosen research field. The principle will never be touched, with ANSEF
using just the interest earned to provide direct financial support to
Armenian researchers.

"While we continue to need and appreciate one-time gifts of any size,
establishing endowment funds will allow us to know from year-to-year how
many grants we can award," Dr. Terzian said. "It will also allow colleagues
and families to memorialize the work of a loved one, by establishing a named
fund that will recognize someone’s support for Armenia in perpetuity." The
only ANSEF partial endowment at present is the William S. Mesrobian Memorial
Award in astronomy.

* * *

The 2007 ANSEF grants were awarded in the following fields:

History
Hamlet Martirosyan, Alikhanyan Physics Institute, Relationship of the
Sumerian and Egyptian Writing Signs with the Armenain Pictography

Biotechnology
Grigor Gyulkhandanyan, Institute of Biotechnology, New Porphyrins Usage
Against Fungal and Other Diseases of Tomato and Pepper

Karine Grigoryan, Yerevan State University, Tart Cherries as a Possible High
Source of Antioxidants

Armen Aghajanyan, Institute of Biotechnology, Improvement of Citric Acid and
Its Salts Production Technologies

Flora Tkhruni, Institute of Biotechnology, A New Antibacterial Preparation
Against Infectious Diseases in Birds and Its Application

Human Biology
Tigran Davtyan, Buniatian Institute of Biochemistry, NAS, Macrophage
Activation as an Asset for the Resolution of Inflammation During Familial
Mediterranean Fever

Electrical Engineering
Gagik Kirakosyan, Engineering Center of Armenia, NAS, Modeling, Simulation
and Optimization of Pv Pumping Systems

Tamara Knyazyan, State Engineering University of Armenia, Comprehensive
Electrodynamical Simulation of Optical Properties of Metamaterial Slab with
Complex Permittivity and Permeability

Material Science
Armen Poghosyan, Institute for Physical Research, NAS, P-type Transparent
Conducting Zinc Oxide Thin Films and P-n Homojunctions Preparation by Solgel
Method

Khachatur Manukyan, Yerevan State University, New Zirconium-based
Biomaterials

Organic Chemistry
Ashot Martirosyan, Institute of Organic Chemistry, NAS, Molecular Modeling
and Synthesis of Hiv-1 RT inhibitors on the Basis of 2-aryl or 2-heteryl
Prolins

Experimental Condensed Matter
Aram Manukyan, Institute for Physical Research, NAS, High-temperature
Molecular Ferromagnetism and Strongly Correlated Superconductivity in
Alkaline Doped Zinc and Magnesium Phthalocyanines

Natella Aghamalyan, Institute for Physical Research, NAS, Thermal- and
Irradiational-induced Effects in Zon-based Transparent Conductive Films for
Optoelectronic Device Applications

Theoretical Condensed Matter
Nerses Ananikyan, Yerevan Physics Institute, Yang-lee Zeroes and
Magnetization Plateaus on Zigzag Ladder with Multi-site interactions

Optics
Gagik Kryuchkyan, Yerevan State University, Quantum Cryptography Based on
Optical Parametric Devices

Suren Manvelyan, Institute for Physical Research, NAS, Quantum Superposition
States in Controlling Dissipative Dynamics

Nanophysics
David Sargsyan, Institute for Physical Research, NAS, Development and
Implementation of a New "l=lambda Zeeman Technique" for Atomic Laser
Spectroscopy

Mathematics
Vahan Lazarian, Yerevan State University, On Pairs of Disjoint Matchings of
a Graph

Experimental Astrophysics
Areg Mickaelian, Byurakan Observatory, Science with the Armenian Virtual
Observatory

Smbat Balayan, Byurakan Observatory, Reconstruction of the BAO 1m Schmidt
Type Telescope

E-mail photos available upon request to [email protected].

PHOTO CAPTION (1): ANSEF grants are helping physicist David Sargsyan, who
oversees the laboratory of the Ashtarak Physics Research Institute, and
keeping him in Armenia to do his research on nanotechnology.

PHOTO CAPTION (2): The Armenian National Science and Education Fund
(ANSEF), under the auspices of the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), awarded
20 research grants to Armenian scholars and scientists in its 2007 round of
funding.

— 1/22/07