Author: Ekmekjian Janet

ARMENIAN POLITICIAN CLAIMS US MEDIATORS PRO-AZERI STANCE
AssA-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 4, 2006 Tuesday
The latest statements by the US mediator brokering settlement to the
Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict openly revealed
his slant toward Azerbaijan, an Armenian parliament member maintains.
The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and the new co-chair
of the OSCE Minsk Group (MG), Matthew Bryza, has told the press
that the mediators submitted a framework accord to the conflicting
sides and outlined its key principles, but added t hat the latter
have yet to accept it. Armen Ashotian, who represents the Armenian
Republican Party, said the first part of the statement did not cover
determination of the Upper Garabaghs status and the issue concerning
the Lachin and Kalbajar districts. There is a considerable difference
between the statements of Bryza and those of other MG co-chairs,
the MP said. He went on to say that the United States binds great
hopes with its new intermediary. He said international experience
in the area of settling conflicts over Georgias breakaway republics
of Abkhazia and South Ossetia enables a conclusion that these hopes
are not groundless. Commenting on Bryzas position on other issues,
Ashotian said the American mediator places a particular emphasis
on launching dialogue between Armenia and Turkey after the Garabagh
dispute is settled and normalizing relations between the two countries
in the future.

Israel Aims to Annihilate Lebanon
PanARMENIAN.Net
04.08.2006 21:15 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Israel’s aim is to annihilate Lebanon. Civic
constructions and state infrastructure are being demolished, Lebanese
Ambassador to Armenia Gebrail Jaaray said. In his words, last night
3 bridges were destroyed in the north of Lebanon and restoration of
each will demand $50 million. “During 22 days of Israel’s operation the
damage caused to Lebanon reached $5 billion this figure increases day
by day. 15 thousand of flats were completely destructed, the number
of displaced persons reached a million. Numerous visits of high rank
officials have been fruitless so far. The war is going on,” he said.
The Ambassador also remarked that 8 Lebanese and some 10 thousand
Palestinians are kept in hostage in Israeli jails. “The Near East is an
explosive and conflict zone. It’s a long way for peace here,” he said.
The Ambassador presented the decision of the Lebanese government
consisting of seven items that should be fulfilled to stop the
war. These are the exchange of war prisoners and hostages, withdrawal
of the Israeli troops beyond the Lebanese border, deployment of
Lebanese army throughout the country, deployment of U.N. peacekeepers
in the south Lebanon, observation of the agreement of 1949 on ceasefire
between Israel and Lebanon, proclamation of Lebanon a calamity zone
and rendering humanitarian assistance to it. “Lebanon receives major
part of assistance from Saudi Arabia and France. We also highly
appreciate the aid rendered by the Armenian government. This proves
that our nations are bound with fraternal friendship ties,” he said.
The Chief of Mission also remarked that two days ago the spiritual
leaders of all the confessions in Lebanon including His Holiness Aram I
of Cilicia issued a statement in support of the government’s decision.

WILL GALUST’S DREAM COME TRUE?
Lragir.am
03 Aug 06
Already the former deputy mayor of Yerevan Arman Sahakyan said
the reason for his resignation is the election to the head of the
community of Ajapnyak in fall. Arman Sahakyan said he is likely to
run in the local election. Therefore, he submitted his resignation,
which was accepted by Arman Sahakyan’s party leader, Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan. The factor of the political party was not secondary
because the system of governance is concerned. The Republicans will
now be deployed in the community of Ajapnyak. Arman Sahakyan was
first nominated head of the community of Ajapnyak in 2003. However,
Arman, the son of Galust Sahakyan, was defeated by the encumbant
candidate Artsrun Khachatryan. Khachatryan is the representative of
the so-called clan of Aparan, the protege of Nig Aparan, the honorary
chair of which is Attorney General Aghvan Hovsepyan.
At that time the Republican Party failed to have its candidate win.
In fact, the Republican Party did not take pains to win and came
to an agreement with Nig Aparan. Naturally, it happened under the
“godfatherhood” of the president administration. There is information
that Galust Sahakyan, Arman Sahakyan’s father, had a grudge on the
leader of the Republican Party because they did not go all the way
to defend his son and make him head of the community. And now Arman
Sahakyan is going to try again, in fact. And though the attempt and
the trier are the same, the situation has changed considerably. The
Republican Party is not the same, and the Attorney General is not
the same either. Of course, it is not known whether Nig Aparan and
Artsrun Khachatryan are also going to try. However, the fact that some
time before the election of the head of the community Arman Sahakyan
resigns from the post of the deputy mayor of Yerevan proves that he
has certain guarantees, nevertheless. And these guarantees are thanks
to this change of the situation. Three years ago the interests and
goals of the government were somewhere else, and fitted into the
principle of “one for all and all for one”.
Now this logic does not work any longer. The Attorney General, who
had just made a bid for becoming a serious political factor three
years ago, is now announcing that he is not going to became engaged
in politics. In other words, Aghvan Hovsepyan announces that he will
not join the Republican conglomerate led by Serge Sargsyan. In this
case, the Republican Party and the wealth of this party, i.e. the
administrative criminal, cannot make a compromise with the Attorney
General if he once again struggles for the office of the head of
the community of Ajapnyak. And this office, as well as the office of
the head of community in general, is a vital need for the Republican
Party which is now working in the reproduction mode. Consequently,
this time the Republican Party will go all the way. Or most probably
there will be no struggle if Arman Sahakyan confidently resigns from
the office of deputy mayor. After all, he failed once and he would
be more cautious not to lose what he already has. Even if he did
not think about it, his experiened father would give him advice,
who has already become convinced that it is not so “profitable”
to rely on the almightiness of the Republican Party.
But it should be noted that the situation has changed. Everybody
knows this, especially Galust Sahakyan and his son. If three years
ago Serge Sargsyan supported the Republican Party, three years later
he is already the chair of the Council of the Republican Party. In
other words, at present Serge Sargsyan is simply for, in other words,
he has a clear and determined interest. Moreover, the Attorney General
failed “to do politics”, he did not join Serge.
Consequently, it should be supposed that Serge Sargsyan “solved
the question” of Arman Sahakyan to become head of the community of
Ajapnyak. In fact, Sargsyan did what Margaryan failed three years
ago. Whereas, it was a simple wish of the brother-in-arms to make his
son head of the community. If the leader of the party cannot fulfill
such simple wishes, and fulfilled only his similar wish to make his
son head of community, the Republicans may naturally come to think
that he is unable to solve more complicated problems, consequently
a more able leader is needed.
After all Galust Sahakyan is not the only Republican who has wishes.
On the other hand, he may not be the only one whose wish came true.
After all, there is a lot of time until the local election, and
if we assume that Serge Sargsyan guaranteed the election of Arman
Sahakyan, it is a question whether someone gave this guarantee to
Serge Sargsyan. And the disappointment with the new leader will be big.
HAKOB BADALYAN

RIFAT HISARCHIGOGLU: “WE WON’T CHANGE OUR STANCE UNTIL ARMENIA
PULLS OUT ITS TROOPS FROM AZERBAIJANI LANDS”
Today, Azerbaijan
Aug 3, 2006
“Why should we change our position while Armenia have not pulled out
its troops from the Azerbaijani territories and give up it claims
against Turkey?” Rifat Hisarchigoglu, president of Chambers and
Exchanges Union of Turkey told.
Half a year ago he said the Union Turkish member companies would not
establish trade relations with Armenia, APA reports.
“Why change our position? Did Armenia give up its groundless
territorial claims against Turkey? Since Armenia has not made any
changes to its stances regarding such urgent problems, why should
we change ours? First of all, they should unconditionally pull
out their troops from the occupied Azerbaijani regions in order to
provide internally displaced persons return their native lands,”
Mr.Hisarchigoglu said.
The Chambers and Exchanges Union of Turkey is the biggest NGO in the
country, which unites 1 million companies. It has a strong influence
on the government’s domestic and foreign policy and remarked for its
active lobbying efforts for Turkey’s EU membership.
URL:

SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST THE VISION OF PERSONAL HAPPINESS
Lragir.am
01 Aug 06
Perhaps the Republican Party has not realized yet what favor it did
to the public by holding an early conference on July 22. Not only did
the Republican Party display its face, but it also revealed the faces
of others. Perhaps this premonition made some political parties reveal
their own faces long before the conference, although it would be more
precise to tell that they hurried to take the step of covering their
own face more safely. Dashnak Alvard Petrosyan announced that over
70 percent of the intellect in the political sphere of Armenia is in
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The answer of the Republicans
did not make wait long. Certainly, they did not announce that the
godfather of the most intellectual victory of Armenia, the “king of
Torino” Serge Sargsyan is a Republican.
But young Republican Armen Ashotyan announced before the conference of
the Republican Party that let Dashnaktsutiun mind their own business
until the parliamentary election.
It is difficult to tell what business Armen Ashotyan hinted at, but
he is a rather smart young man and he must have known something when
he spoke or at least he had been told what to say. It goes without
saying that responsibility for 70 percent of the intellect is really a
hard job. They require care. Intellect does not grow in the field to
go and pick up. They have hardly come, so one needs to take care of
them. And perhaps the Republican Party knows how difficult it is for
Dashnaktsutiun to take care for its intellectuals, therefore it advises
to mind their own business instead of one aspiration or another. In
order to sponsor intellect one needs to be at least a defense minister,
whereas the only defense minister is in the Republican Party. And to
become convinced of this, the Republicans had invited representatives
of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun) to come
and see and get down to minding their own business.
And the Dashnaks went and saw. It is not clear, however, what they
thought. Other’s “good luck” makes remember one’s own problems but
everything is different when this other implies by their behavior
at several ways of getting over problems. For instance, how Dashnaks
can get rid of problems. It is clear: one gets rid of Dashnaktsutiun
and one is free from the problem of the ARF. However, such a simple
solution would not occur to everyone, of course. The intellect is
not good at simple solutions. For this, one needs to be a genius or
lack intellect, at least a little. Certainly, Dashnaktsutiun would
not have a problem of genius if there was at least one genius in our
political sphere. Therefore, the most simple solution of getting rid
of problems would occur to those whom others would prompt.
And it is not accidental that the Republicans prompted Dashnaks about
the problems before the early conference and invited them to the
conference to prompt the simple way of getting rid of problems. They
pointed to the “happiness of the criminal” and forgot about the
“problem of the intellect”. Certainly, only for those who saw
the happiness of the criminal. And among Dashnaks the members of
parliament Armen Rustamyan and Spartak Seyranyan were “lucky” to see
the “happiness of the criminal”. And they even say that witnessing did
its “evil job” and it even occurred to Armen Rustamyan to tell his
party friends and persuade them that the percentage of intellect is
not as important in life as the percentage of votes, which guarantees
seats in the parliament and the government.
And they even say that Rustamyan has already acquired supporters
inside the political party. In other words, he managed to persuade
some people. In case of failure they have the vision of “personal
happiness”, however. In other words, the simplest way of getting rid
of the problem of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.
HAKOB BADALYAN

Press Release
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
CHRI STIAN EDUCATION
ANTELIAS PUBLISHES NEW RELIGION TEXTBOOKS
The Catholicosate of Cilicia recently published new textbooks in religion
and the history of the Armenian Church, fulfilling the long standing need of
Armenian schools in this respect.
The need for modern and contemporary religion textbooks has always been an
important issue on the agenda of the Religious Council. An initiative for
special courses in the history of the Armenian Church for more senior
students has also featured with high importance during the Council’s
discussions.
As such, the Christian Education Department of the Catholicosate of Cilicia
worked on publishing these textbooks under the high sponsorship of His
Holiness Aram I.
The first two volumes of modern religion textbooks for Armenian schools have
already been published. Prepared specially for the students of fifth and
sixth classes, these textbooks include pictures, activities, exercises and
detailed explanations on the Armenian Church’s traditions.
Although these books are considered for the students of the fifth and sixth
classes, they can be used for students of lower or higher classes according
to the corresponding literacy in Armenian language in the schools of various
dioceses.
Each pair of textbooks also has a teacher’s guidebook, which explains the
teacher’s room in the classroom and the lively method by which these topics
should be taught. The textbooks of the seventh and eighth classes and their
teacher’s guidebooks are also in the course of preparation and will be
published soon in the Antelias headquarters of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.
A brief record of the history of the Armenian Church, its rites and rituals,
its traditions and its differences in principle and ritual from other
churches, has been prepared by the late Ms. Manoushag Boyadjian, with the
aim of introducing the senior students of Armenian Schools to the history of
their church.
This volume is published today following the decision of the Armenian
Pontiff and with the funding of the Department of Armenian Affairs of the
Gulbenkian Foundation, both as an appreciation of Ms. Boyadjian’s dedication
to the Holy See of Cilicia and as a fulfillment of the need for such
textbooks in Armenian schools.
In addition to these projects, a special Bible for teenagers is underway in
cooperation with the Bible Society. The Bible will be published soon,
filling yet another need in the Christian education of the new Armenian
generation. A special Bible for kindergarten students is also being prepared
to encourage the students of Sunday schools.
The Catholicosate’s Christian Education Department has formed a special
committee to embark on publishing, educational and musical activities to
achieve the projects of Sunday Schools and their corresponding bodies.
##
View the book covers here:
es88.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the
jurisdiction and the Christian Education activities in both the
Catholicosate and the dioceses, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

LEVEL OF INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES OF ARMENIAN COMMERCIAL BANKS GROWS BY
10% AND MAKES 83,12% AS OF JUNE 30
Yerevan, July 29. ArmInfo. The level of investment activities grew by
5,6% in the first half of 2006, by 10% in a year and made 83,12% as
of June 30.
According to ArmInfo ranking of the Armenian commercial banks, this
indicator grew by 12,89 % in the course of the last three years.
In the period under review, the volume of the sources attracted by the
commercial banks made AMD 267.9 billion. Besides, taking into account
the total obligations of the commercial banks, the sources they
allocated made 70,9% and the grater part of these sources were
directed to crediting the physical entities. According to the experts,
in fact, the commercial banks finance the development of the Armenian
economy, including the agricultural spheres.
According to the level of investment activities, ACBA Bank occupies
the leading position securing 194,21% or AMD 13.8 billion as of June
30, 2006. The bank made AMD 26.9 billion of crediting investments,
including 63,2% for crediting the economy and 36,1% for crediting
physical entities. ACBA Bank manages to effectively allocate the
sources in the given spheres, securing profits for many years
already. According to the level of investment activities, the five
leading Armenian commercial banks are as follows: ArmSwissBank(174,7%
or AMD 1.5 billion), “Ararat” Bank(173,5% or AMD 1.5 and 2.7 billion),
Artsakhbank(165,1% or AMD 9.8 and 16.1 billion) and “Prometey” Bank
(122,3% or AMD 2.7 and 3.3 billion). BTA Investbank secured the
highest level of investment activities that made 982,6%. This great
difference is conditioned by the fact that “BTA Investbank” entered
the Armenian commercial bank in the second quarter of 2005 by
purchasing the 48,9% of the Mezhinvestbank shares. The lowest level of
investment activities was secured by “HSBC Bank Armenia” (39,0% or AMD
23 billion).

Boston Herald, MA
July 28, 2006
One chapter ends as another begins
By Boston Herald editorial staff
Friday, July 28, 2006
Had Matt Amorello resigned from the Turnpike Authority on July 11 he
might have been seen as a martyr – willing to quit for the simple
reason that a woman died in a tunnel he was charged with ensuring was
safe. He wouldn’t have emerged unscathed, but after the requisite
apology tour he might have stitched together his tattered reputation.
With Amorello, though, it was never about doing the right or
obvious thing. It was about lawyers and liability, politics and yes,
paychecks. It took two weeks and careful negotiations but he finally
agreed to step aside, and we can’t say we’ve shed a tear. The focus
now is rightly and solely on the investigation into the ceiling
collapse that killed Milena Del Valle and the safety of the entire
tunnel system.

But as the saying goes, when the door slams shut on Amorello’s
rear end, a window opens – an opportunity to view both the bricks and
mortar of the Big Dig infrastructure and the stalled `development’
along the Rose Kennedy Greenway with a whole new perspective.

The Greenway was supposed to be our reward for putting up with
nearly two decades of inconvenience. Among Amorello’s greatest
contributions – planting trees and doing the bidding of friends in
the Legislature by granting one of the precious few parcels to a
group that plans a memorial to victims of the Armenian genocide.
Let’s just say Amorello never quite got the `vision thing.’

It’s a little late, but Amorello’s departure still presents an
opportunity to shake the old-school politics plaguing this project
and to ensure that the promise of the Greenway is fulfilled. Gov.
Mitt Romney will select a third new board member to replace Amorello
and the new MTA board will have its first meeting on Aug. 16. Their
work is cut out for them.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Government House # 2, Republic Square
Yerevan 0010, Republic of Armenia
Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
28-07-2006
Acting Press Secretary Vladimir Karapetian Replies to
Question by Panorama.am Electronic Newspaper
Question: What is the situation with the Armenian citizens gathered at the
Ergnet border crossing point in Georgia? What news do you have?
Mr. Karapetian: We were informed tonight that the Georgian authorities have
decided as an exception to allow the citizens of Armenia to pass the border
crossing point near Egnet. We would like to reiterate our gratitude for this
step taken by a good neighbour.
During the coming hours, a string of cars accompanied by the representatives
of the Armenian Embassy in Tbilisi and the OSCE office in Georgia will be
headed for Armenia.
I take this opportunity to once again appeal to those citizens of the
Republic of Armenia who travel from Russia to Armenia via Georgia not to
take the road passing through South Ossetia. Georgia. The South Ossetia
administrative border crossing point is not functioning. The only possible
way to reach Armenia from Russia today is by means of the Poti –
Novorossiysk ferry.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARY FORCES DISCUSS AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED BY OPPOSITION PARTIES
AZG Armenian Daily #140, 27/07/2006
Speaker of the National Assembly Tigran Torosian and the leaders of
Parliament factions discussed the amendments to the Electoral Code
suggested by the opposition. The opposition suggests adoption of 100%
proportional electoral system and forming of electoral committees
exclusively from members of political parties. The participants of
the meeting did not come to consensus on these questions. Before late
august a parliamentary workgroup is to be created in order to consider
the notes by the Venice Commission and the opposition suggestions.