Author: Dabaghian Diana

BAGHDASARIAN DEFIANT AFTER WIRETAP SCANDAL
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
May 1 2007

Opposition leader Artur Baghdasarian received an enthusiastic reception
by more than a thousand supporters in Yerevan on Tuesday, saying that
his Orinats Yerkir Party will win the May 12 elections despite being
"slandered" by the Armenian authorities.

Baghdasarian pledged to strive for "an Armenia of law and justice"
and accused the government of corruption in a fiery speech at a
campaign rally held in the city’s southern Shengavit district.

"The victory which we will score together with you in a week from
now will change this country," he said. "By voting for the Orinats
Yerkir Party every Armenian, regardless of their political views,
will vote for their children, for their future."

"No lies, no slander can stop us. We must go forward, we must win,
we must change our country," said the 38-year-old former speaker of
the Armenian parliament.

It was a clear reference to accusations of high treason leveled by
President Robert Kocharian against Baghdasarian in connection with a
scandal caused by the latter’s secretly recorded conversation with a
Yerevan-based British diplomat. In a series of reports published by
a pro-Kocharian newspaper late last month, he was quoted as urging
the European Union to condemn the Armenian government’s handling of
the upcoming election before voting day. Baghdasarian reportedly told
the diplomat that the vote can already be deemed undemocratic.

Baghdasarian promptly condemned the secret recording of the
conversation and rejected Kocharian’s accusations. But he made no
mention of the scandal in his Shengavit speech. "I strongly condemn
that," Baghdasarian told RFE/RL as he left a local square. "Everybody
knows who is who."

Other Orinats Yerkir leaders sounded confident that the affair will
not lose their party votes. One of them, Mher Shahgeldian, claimed
in his speech that the government’s "dirty propaganda" is backfiring.

"Orinats Yerkir’s popularity is rising day by day," he said.

Many in the female-dominated crowd were furious with what they see
as a government-orchestrated effort to discredit the leader of one of
the main opposition election contenders. "It’s a lie," said Kristina
Khachaturova, a young party member. "He’s so strong that they can’t
fight him with honest methods."

Criticism of the government was the main theme of the rally speeches,
with Baghdasarian saying that he resigned as parliament speaker and
took his party out of Kocharian’s governing coalition in May 2006
because he was "fighting against injustice and illegalities."

"Orinats Yerkir too could have kept silent," he said. "We too could
have said that we live in a wonderland. But we did not keep silent.

There has not been a single parliament session without Orinats Yerkir
deputies raising pressing problems and seeking solutions to them."

Heghine Bisharian, the number two party figure who is running for
parliament in a single-mandate Shengavit constituency, went farther,
saying that the country’s rulers have "betrayed" Armenians and are
"doing nothing except enriching themselves."

Orinats Yerkir was forced out of the ruling coalition over its growing
criticism of government policies, which other major Armenian parties
found populist. Its ouster seems to have been precipitated by a
newspaper interview in which Baghdasarian implicitly questioned the
legitimacy of Kocharian’s 2003 reelection and called for Armenia’s
eventual membership in NATO.

Risking further accusation of populism, the ambitious ex-speaker
promised to triple modest pensions and double public sector salaries
if he returns to power. He said he would do that by cracking down on
government corruption and tax evasion.

OMX TO BUY ARMENIAN STOCK EXCHANGE AND CENTRAL DEPOSITARY

Panorama.am
20:21 27/04/2007

OMX, leading expert in exchange industry, Armenian Central bank
and the government of Armenia signed an memorandum of intention
on purchase of the Armenian stock exchange and central depositary,
CB press services report.

According to the source, Magnus Bioker, chief general director of
OMX, said the purchase will enable OMX to apply its experience in
developing markets in other markets as well. "OMX will help Armenian
stock market to achieve effectiveness," he said.

Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan welcomed the cooperation with
OMX saying "we will do everything to help OMX implement mutually
set objectives."

Source: Panorama.am

OVERHEARING PEOPLE IS MANIFESTATION OF MEANNESS, HRANT KHACHATRIAN CONSIDERS

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. Before the shorthand report of
overheard talk of OYP leader Artur Baghdasarian with the British
diplomat was published in the Golos Armenii newspaper, the disk with
the recording of that talk appeared in the editorial office of Iravunk
newspaper on March 20. Hrant Khachatrian, Chairman of Constitutional
Law Union, reported at the April 28 press conference.

In his words, unknown persons taking into consideration aggravated
relations between CLU and A. Baghdasarian supposed that the Iravunk
will publish that material to discredit OYP leader. However,
as H. Khachatrian mentioned, the editorial staff did not take
that step, as the phenomenon of overhearing people, in his words,
"is manifestation of meanness." And the President, according to CLU
Chairman’s observations, "should have examined that issue and not
had qualified this act."

He said that he was among the first persons to greet A. Baghdasarian’s
resignation and his passing to the opposition camp. OYP headed by him,
in H. Khachatrian’s words, "cooperated with CLU’s conspirators" and
even supported Hayk Babukhanian’s candidature in the parliamentary
elections.
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Subject: OVERHEARING PEOPLE IS MANIFESTATION OF MEANNESS,
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OVERHEARING PEOPLE IS MANIFESTATION OF MEANNESS, HRANT KHACHATRIAN CONSIDERS

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. Before the shorthand report of overheard
talk of OYP leader Artur Baghdasarian with the British diplomat was published in
the Golos Armenii newspaper, the disk with the recording of that talk
appeared in the editorial office of Iravunk newspaper on March 20. Hrant
Khachatrian, Chairman of Constitutional Law Union, reported at the April 28 press
conference.

In his words, unknown persons taking into consideration aggravated relations
between CLU and A. Baghdasarian supposed that the Iravunk will publish that
material to discredit OYP leader. However, as H. Khachatrian mentioned, the
editorial staff did not take that step, as the phenomenon of overhearing
people, in his words, "is manifestation of meanness." And the President, according
to CLU Chairman’s observations, "should have examined that issue and not had
qualified this act."

He said that he was among the first persons to greet A. Baghdasarian’s
resignation and his passing to the opposition camp. OYP headed by him, in H.
Khachatrian’s words, "cooperated with CLU’s conspirators" and even supported Hayk
Babukhanian’s candidature in the parliamentary elections.

–Boundary_(ID_zBlnoyEXxW+d6ytDnjdbSg)–

JEWISH GROUPS LOBBY AGAINST ‘ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’ RESOLUTION IN US CONGRESS

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
April 26 2007

In a letter addressing influential members of US Congress, including
head of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Relations Committee Tom
Lantos, US-based Jewish groups demanded that voting on congressional
resolutions urging the US administration to recognize an alleged
genocide of Armenians be delayed.

The letter was jointly signed by B’nai B’rith International, the
Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish
Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA). The letter included
an annex — a letter signed by the Turkish Jewish Community —
which said maintenance of good relations between Turkey and Israel
and among Turkey, the US and Israel were crucial at a time when the
US faces troubles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Two separate resolutions are pending at the US Senate and the House
of Representatives, urging the administration to recognize the World
war I era killings of Anatolian Armenians as genocide. Turkey has
warned that passage of the resolutions in the US Congress would
seriously harm relations with Washington and impair cooperation in
Iraq and Afghanistan. The US administration has said it was opposed
to the resolution, yet the congressional process is an independent
one. In his message for April 24, which Armenians claim marks the
anniversary of the beginning of a systematic genocide campaign at
the hands of the late Ottoman Empire, US President George W. Bush
remained adhered to the administration policy of not referring to
the incidents as genocide.

"Each year on this day, we pause to remember the victims of one
of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century, when as many as 1.5
million Armenians lost their lives in the final years of the Ottoman
Empire, many of them victims of mass killings and forced exile,"
Bush said. Turkey categorically rejects the claims of genocide and
says as many Turks were killed when the Armenians took up arms against
the Ottoman Empire in collaboration with the invading Russian army.

Bush, in his message, also called for the normalization of ties
between Turkey and Armenia: "Today, we remember the past and also
look forward to a brighter future. We commend the individuals in
Armenia and Turkey who are working to normalize the relationship
between their two countries. A sincere and open examination of the
historic events of the late-Ottoman period is an essential part of
this process. The United States supports and encourages those in both
countries who are working to build a shared understanding of history
as a basis for a more hopeful future," he said.

The Bush administration dismissed its former ambassador in Yerevan
last year after he violated the US policy and called the events
"genocide." Ambassador John Evans was insistent on his stance when
he spoke at the National Press Club in Washington and said Turkey
should accept "historical facts." He also claimed that Turkey’s
efforts had played a role in the abrupt termination of his duty as
the US ambassador in Yerevan.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: CANADIAN PREMIER DOES NOT CAVE IN TURKEY’S BLACKMAIL

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.04.2007 14:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "We are well aware of the pressure and the threats
by Turkey in the Armenian Genocide issue," Executive Director of the
Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) Aris Babikian stated to
the PanARMENIAN.Net journalist. "Fortunately Prime Minister of Canada
does not cave in Turkey’s blackmail. He stood firm to his principled
stand vis-a-vis the Armenian Genocide issue," Babikian underlined. In
his annual address in connection with the 92nd anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide Harper reminded the both chambers of the Canadian
Parliament have adopted a resolution that recognizes the first genocide
of the 20th century.

Canadian Prime Minister Harper was warned through diplomatic channels
last week that "repeating these claims annually will not help in
normalizing Turkey-Armenia relations and will harm Turkish-Canadian
bilateral relations as well." "We hope that the Canadian PM will not
repeat this year what he did last year," a high-level Turkish Foreign
Ministry official said, the Turkish Daily News reports.

COMMUNIST SAYS HHK MAKES OBSTACLES FOR HIS ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Panorama.am
15:18 26/04/2007

Khoren Sargsyan, a member of communist party who is nominated at
election community 24 by National Unity, has met obstacles in the
course of his election campaign. "The village administration head
of Zolakar has turned his office into a election headquarters of the
Armenian Republican Party (HHK), which is a rude violation of law,"
Sargsyan said.

In his words, during his meeting at the same village, electricity
was cut.

The communist said the people of the village administration head
called his trustees and beat him. The incident took place on April 23.

The candidate has applied to law enforcement bodies but has no hope
that case will be instituted because "the investigator is the cousin
of the village administration head." Sargsyan has also applied to
the prime minister of Armenia, who said "the transgressors will
be punished."

SCHOOL PROGRAM FOCUSES ON GENOCIDE
By Rachel Kane

Burbank Leader, CA
April 25 2007

Students learn more about Armenian deaths, express concern over
carnage in Darfur.

Photo: Suzanna Douzmanian calls for a question as she speaks to
eighth-grade students during a program on the Armenian genocide that
was presented at John Muir Middle School on Tuesday.

BURBANK – Most of the nearly 500 Armenian students at John Muir Middle
School were absent on Tuesday, but not because of some mass illness
or fun-filled field trip.

They were at home with their parents or at their churches, attending
events to remember and reflect on the anniversary of the Armenian
genocide.

"We have 1,532 kids and probably a third of them will be gone [today],"
said Principal Dan Hacking of this year’s Armenian Genocide Remembrance
Day on Tuesday.

In the late morning, Suzanne Douzmanian, a regional coordinator for
the Genocide Education Project and the descendant of Armenian genocide
survivors, spoke to about 450 students in the school’s auditorium
about remembering and recognizing all genocide.

Douzmanian urged students to be proactive in the fight against
reoccurring and current genocides as she shared the story of her
family’s survival through the massacre of her people.

Ottoman Turks killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians between 1915
and 1918. The Turkish government denies the killings were genocide.

Students said they were riveted by Douzmanian’s presentation.

"She was wonderful," Isabel Navarro, 14, said.

"I think she said everything that needed to be said. Not only that
we remember how terrible it was, but that we need to put a stop to
it now."

Isabel and Hannah Kolus, 13, combined their efforts this week to
raise awareness on their campus of genocide in general, particularly
in Darfur, Africa.

They watched Douzmanian intently and said they took her message of
action, information, vigilance and remembrance to heart.

"We think it’s important that we promote awareness," Isabel said.

"I didn’t even know Darfur was happening until half a year ago."

Through the sale of Darfur genocide awareness wristbands, a
demonstration on cooking alternatives for women in Darfur and a
postcard-writing campaign to the president, the girls hope to make
a difference in stopping genocide worldwide, they said.

"It’s our responsibility as part of the world to stop situations like
this," Hannah said.

The students worked throughout the week on raising awareness for Darfur
as part of Global Days for Darfur Week, but said that all genocides
are equally evil in their eyes, echoing Douzmanian’s sentiment that
the world should never forget or allow those instances.

For more information on the Armenian and Darfur genocides, visit The
Genocide Education Project at

TURKEY’S RESPONSIBILITY SHOULD BE FOCUSED

Yerkir
23.04.2007 16:11

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Kiro Manoyan, the director of the ARF Bureau’s
Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office, presents the international
situation on the Armenian Genocide on the eve of April 24.

Among the recent developments, Kiro Manoyan mentioned the letter to
the Armenian and Turkish people signed by 50 Nobel Prize winners,
which, according to him, is more against the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide.

The letter urged both people to pressure their governments to
establish relations. Manoyan said that the letter had shortcomings,
one of which is that Armenian and Turkey are equally held responsible
for not having relations.

Another shortcoming is that the letter speaks of the Armenian elections
making an impression that Turkey is more democratic.

This is not only incorrect but it has nothing to do with the Armenian
Genocide. The only positive thing is that the authors of the letter
call on Turkey to review its own history and recognize that the events
constitute genocide.

Besides, the American media continues to cover the Genocide and the
resolutions in the Congress.

When asked what would be the next step if the US recognizes the
Armenian Genocide, Manoyan said that the US has already recognized
the Genocide in 1973, 1984 and 1992.

The resolution that is in circulation since 2000, urges to reaffirm the
recognition by the US and call on the president so that he would call
the events of 1915 genocide in his annual speeches. So the resolution
is not for recognition but for reaffirmation.

FAMILY SEND LETTER TO AZERBAIJANI CAPTIVE

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
April 23 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr. Trend K.Zarbaliyeva / The family of the
Azerbaijan National Army soldier, Samir Mammadov, who was taken
prisoner by the Armenians on 24 December 2006, has sent another letter
to Mammadov.

Mammadov’s mother, who has not received a letter from her son, has
asked that he write. Mammadov’s last letter was written on 3 March.

His parents believed he was pressurized by the Armenians.

Samir Mammadov had been called up for military service from Barda
district of Azerbaijan last year and was taken prisoner by the
Armenians on the Gazakh-Ijevan border.

***PRESS RELEASE***

April 17, 2007

The Genocide Education Project
51 Commonwealth Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 264-4203
[email protected]
www.GenocideEd ucation.org

Contact: Raffi Momjian – [email protected]

LINCY FOUNDATION AWARDS GRANT TO THE GENOCIDE EDUCATION PROJECT
4_17_2007.htm

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Lincy Foundation has awarded a grant to
The Genocide Education Project to support The Genocide Education
Project’s teacher training, outreach and educational resource
development projects.

"The Lincy Foundation’s support is a vote of confidence for our
rapidly developing organization and expands our ability to reach more
teachers and schools to teach about the Armenian Genocide," stated
Raffi Momjian, Executive Director of the Genocide Education Project.

In addition to reaching out to public school districts about
the importance of genocide and human rights education, organizing
workshops for teachers, distributing resources and lesson plans to be
used in the classroom, The Genocide Education Project also maintains
a cyber-resource library site at This website
offers teachers resources for classroom use about the Armenian Genocide
and other gross human rights violations. Lesson plans and training
opportunities are regularly posted on the site.

The Genocide Education Project recently launched a new site,
, which serves as an online classroom for
students to learn about the Armenian Genocide through a series of
interactive activities. The Genocide Education Project also provides
a comprehensive binder for educators, Human Rights and Genocide:
A Case Study of the First Modern Genocide of the 20th Century, that
includes several step-by-step lesson plans enabling teachers to give
Armenian Genocide courses ranging from one to ten days.

Collaborating with organizations such as The National Council for
the Social Studies, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the
Choices Program at Brown University, and Facing History and Ourselves,
The Genocide Education Project has been able to successfully reach
out to non-Armenian communities through out the country.

Other ground-breaking work of The Genocide Education Project includes
launching the first curriculum-based competition for educators who
teach about the Armenian Case. The Aharonian Award challenges teachers
to develop innovative and effective lesson plans about the Armenian
Genocide, rewarding an educator each year whose efforts in this field
are exemplary.

"The workshops we conduct for educators at both national conferences
and at the district level are one of this organization’s most
meaningful activities," said Sara Cohan, Education Director of The
Genocide Education Project. "This year we are preparing to launch a
series of online workshops to reach individual educators in districts
that cannot afford face to face training sessions," she explained. "Our
ultimate goal is to ensure that every teacher in the United States who
wants to teach about the Armenian Genocide has the resources to do so."

For more information about the work of The Genocide Education Project,
please visit

###

The Genocide Education Project is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3)
organization that assists educators in teaching about human rights
and genocide, particularly the Armenian Genocide, by developing and
distributing instructional materials, providing access to teaching
resources and organizing educational workshops.