Author: Emil Lazarian

The proposal of the Turkish historian declined

ArmRadio.am
10.03.2007 14:45

President of the Turkish History Association, Professor Yusuf
HalaçoÄ?lu, said on Friday that British historian of
Armenian origin Ara Sarafyan had backed away from a planned initiative
for joint studies on the Armenian Genocide.

At a press conference yesterday, HalaçoÄ?lu said the
British historian had informed him via e-mail that Sarafyan would not
participate in the joint studies. `I am watching the developments from
the Turkish media; I am sorry that we’ll not be able to move ahead
with the joint project,’ Sarafyan said in his message to the Turkish
historian.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Two fined for offending Patriarch Mesrop Mutafyan

ArmRadio.am
10.03.2007 15:00

Turkish Court has fined two persons for offending and threatening to
the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Mestop Mutafyan in letters
sent via e-mail.

Turkish `Zaman’ informs that for offending the Patriarch Gyukme Ackman
was fined $910, Hasen Ezer was fined $55. According to the verdict,
offensive and threatening letters have been sent to the Armenian
Patriarch of Constantinople ever since October 2004.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agence France Presse — English
March 8, 2007 Thursday 6:30 PM GMT

Prosecutor demands suspended sentence for Turkish nationalist

GENEVA, March 8 2007

A local prosecutor in Switzerland on Thursday asked a court to hand
down a suspended sentence and a 3,000 Swiss franc fine against a
Turkish nationalist on racism charges related to the massacre of
Armenians in 1915.

Dogu Perincek, 65, went on trial in the western city of Lausanne this
week for calling the "genocide" of Armenians during World War I an
"international lie" during a Turkish rally in the city two years ago.

The chief prosecutor for the canton Vaud, Eric Cottier, called for a
suspended jail sentence of 90 days or an equivalent fine, as well as
a firm fine of 3,000 Swiss francs (1,900 euros, 2,500 dollars) the
Swiss news agency ATS reported.

A verdict is due on Friday at 11.00 am (1000 GMT).

If found guilty, Perincek would be the first person sentenced under
Switzerland’s anti-racism law for denying an Armenian genocide. In
2001, a court in the capital Bern acquitted 12 Turks facing similar
charges.

However, two years later the Swiss lower house of parliament
recognised the massacre of Armenians during World War I as genocide.

Turkey fiercely rejects the genocide label to describe the massacres
under the Ottoman Empire.

The issue has sporadically sparked tensions in Turkish-Swiss
relations.

A lawyer for the prosecution’s side told the court Thursday that
Perincek came to Switzerland in 2005 in the full knowledge that he
would be breaking the law.

"Provocation has a price that must be paid," said the lawyer,
Philippe Nordmann.

Perincek argued in court that he had not committed an offence with
his statements during the rally, insisting there had been no genocide
in 1915, ATS reported.

He said Switzerland’s anti-racism law was not applicable in the
Armenian case while it was fully justified for the Holocaust in World
War II.

He dreams to find medals he left behind in Sumgait

28-02-2007 13:28:24 – KarabakhOpen

Armen Abrahamyan, 84, was born on February 20. He is one of the
refugees who escaped from Baku to Stepanakert in 1988. Since then he
has been living with his wife at the dormitory of Artsakh State
University. He comes from the village of Dashushen, Karabakh.
Therefore, when he escaped from the pogroms in Sumgait, he preferred
his native Karabakh, hoping to live a happy old age here. `I was
mistaken. And I am sorry to say so. They promised an apartment to us
19 years ago, I am still waiting. I have worked all my life, I fought
World War II, now I can hardly make both ends meet on the pension I
get.

I have turned to all the bosses ` the prime minister, the speaker of
parliament, all they do is make promises. Once I saw the president in
front of our dormitory. I went up to him through the crowd and told
him that I haven’t got an apartment yet. He only gave me a smile. Now
after so many years they seem to keep their promises. They built
houses for refugees from Sumgait. For me too. But these houses are on
the edge of the city. How can Armen in his 80s move to live on the
edge of the world? I wouldn’t demand if I did not deserve. I even
decided to write to Putin and told him about my problems. Why Putin?
Because I have heard that he takes care about his veterans of war.’

You can read a novel about the life of Armen Abrahamyan from his
numerous decorations he cherishes like the pupil of his eye. He says
he left some medals behind when he escaped from Sumgait. He dreams of
finding these medals although he is sure that at best someone found
them and pinned them on his ragged jeans as homage to youth fashion.

Sabah Newspaper English Edition

Upsurge in ultra-nationalist feeling has become lethal in Turkey

The Economist magazine has published an article focused on the uprising of
nationalist movement in Turkey.

Extract from the Economist article:

"The upsurge threatens to undo the good of four years of reforms by the
mildly Islamist government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Indeed, it is partly
in response to these reforms-more freedom for the Kurds, a trimming of the
army’s powers, concessions on Cyprus-that nationalist passions have been
roused. The knowledge that many members of the European Union do not want
Turkey to join has inflamed them further (the EU partially suspended
membership talks with Turkey in December because of its refusal to open its
ports and airspace to Greek-Cypriots).

Another factor is America’s refusal to move against separatist PKK
guerrillas who are based in northern Iraq. If the United States Congress
delivers its pledge to adopt a resolution calling the mass slaughter of the
Ottoman Armenians in 1915 genocide, Turkey’s relationship with its ally
would suffer "lasting damage", says the foreign minister, Abdullah Gul.

Murat Belge, a leftist intellectual who is being hounded by Mr Kerincsiz,
sees disturbing similarities between the racist nationalism espoused by the
"Young Turks" in the dying days of the Ottoman empire (who ordered the mass
slaughter of its Armenian subjects), and the siege mentality gripping Turkey
today. The perception, now as then, is that Western powers are pressing for
changes to empower their local collaborators (ie, Kurds and non-Muslims),
with the aim of breaking up the country. "This social Darwinist mindset that
implies it’s OK to kill your enemies in order to survive" has been
perpetuated through an education system that tells young Turks that "they
have no other friend than the Turks," says Mr Belge. And it has been
cynically exploited by politicians and generals alike.

Mr Erdogan and Deniz Baykal, the leader of the opposition Republican
People’s Party, have proved no exception. When more than 100,000 Turks
gathered at Mr Dink’s funeral chanting "We are all Armenians", Mr Erdogan
opined that they had gone "too far". Both he and Mr Baykal have resisted
calls to scrap article 301, though there have been hints that it will be
amended.

The politicians are keen to court nationalist votes in the run-up to
November’s parliamentary election. Mr Erdogan also hopes that burnishing his
nationalist credentials will help him to coax a blessing from Turkey’s
hawkish generals for his hopes of succeeding the fiercely secular Ahmet
Necdet Sezer as president in May.

Yet a recent outburst by the chief of the general staff, Yasar Buyukanit,
suggests otherwise. He declared that Turkey faced more threats to its
national security than at any time in its modern history and added that only
its "dynamic forces" [ie, the army] could prevent efforts to "partition the
country". These words, uttered during an official trip to America, were
widely seen as a direct warning to Mr Erdogan to shelve his presidential
ambitions."

Publish Date: 09.03.2007
Link: 47712EB420.html
Copyright © 2003-2006 All rights reserved.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  +374-10-517163
Fax:  +374-10-517301
E-Mail:  [email protected]
Website: 
March 10, 2007

Pontifical Visit to St. John the Baptist Church of Chinsurah

On Thursday morning, March 1, the Catholicos of All Armenians and his
delegation traveled from Calcutta to Chinsurah, one of the earliest Armenian
settlements of West Bengal.

The local Armenian community has long since disappeared from the agrarian
city of Chinsurah, however, the beautiful church they built in 1697 still
stands as testimony to their eternal faith and devotion to the Holy
Apostolic Armenian Church.  The Armenian Church of Saint John the Baptist,
well preserved and maintained by the Armenian Church Committee, is the
second oldest Christian house of worship in all of West Bengal, as well as
the oldest Armenian church in India still being used by the Armenians.

Accompanying His Holiness Karekin II during the visit were His Eminence
Archbishop Aghan Baliozian, His Excellency Ambassador Ashot Kocharian, Very
Rev. Fr. Oshagan Gulgulian, Chairman Haik Sookias Jr., and members of the
Armenian Church Committee of Calcutta and Chinsurah, and the other members
of the pontifical entourage.

In the afternoon, the Pontiff of All Armenians returned to Calcutta and
visited the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy once more, spending
time with the students and offering them his fatherly love, advice and
encouragement.  On Thursday evening, His Holiness and the delegation
departed Calcutta for Chennai (Madras).

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Mineral Water `Jermuk is Not Dangerous for Health of Americans:
Producers

Arminfo
2007-03-09 12:01:00

The Armenian producers of the mineral water dispute the statement of
the US Food and Drug Administration about the content of an
intolerable quantity of arsenic in the Armenian mineral water "Jermuk"
that is dangerous for heath.

As the Commercial Director of "Jermuk Group" Company Samvel Arsenyan
told ArmInfo, it is not a question of displacement of "Jermuk" as a
"poison" from the American market but a question of the acceptable
proportions of arsenic in the mineral water. According to the
Commercial Director, earlier the FDA standards allowed a presence of
arsenic in one liter of mineral water to 0,05 mg. Now the American
standards are revised and require to reduce the content of arsenic to
0,01 mg per one liter. "The point is that there is no difference
between a simple aerated – bottled water and a health-improving
mineral water. The "anti-advertisers" may use this fact and announce
the natural chemical admixtures, available in any mineral water, as
dangerous for health, while just these chemical compounds are
health-improving in case of one or another disease", the interlocutor
noted, having added that up to 130,000 liters of "Jermuk" mineral
water from the "Jermuk Group" plant are monthly supplied to the
American market.

The deputy Director of another enterprise for the mineral water
production, the "Jermuk" CJSC "Mair Gortsaran, Hovhannes Zepilyan, is
of the same opinion. He told ArmInfo correspondent that the supplies
of the mineral water to the USA, having been carried out since 2000,
were stopped this year. "We had annually supplied up to 300,000 liters
of mineral water "Jermuk" until we received an official address from
the American Standardization Commission with a request to reduce the
content of arsenic, and we have agreed to do that", H. Zepilyan said,
having underlined that it s not a question of 500-600-mcg content in
one liter but of 0,05 mg, as it was mentioned.

The both mineral water producers noted that a safe content of arsenic
in the mineral water may reach 0,07 mg in one liter per the GOST
Armenian standards.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

`Improvement of Risk Control Processes’ Program Launched in Unibank

Arminfo
2007-03-09 12:48:00

"Improvement of Risk Control Processes" Program has been launched in
the Unibank, being implemented by a special group, headed by the
Chairman of Unibank’s Board of Directors Vardan Atayan. The
representatives of ABN AMRO International Bank had arrived in Armenia
in February, 2007, wit a working visit to implement this Program in
the Unibank. As the Unibank’s press-service told ArmInfo, the Unibank
was authorized to fulfill this Program on a competitive basis in
2006. According to the source, the first deputy Chairman of ABN AMRO
and the person in charge of the Program Lloyd Rollston noted that the
main purpose of the Program is to implement the international
experience of risk control in the Armenian bank that will make it more
competitive both in the local and in the international arena.

In his turn, V. Atayan noted that the Program with a 14-month term
envisages to carry out a number of complex measures that will allow
the Unibank to implement and improve the available ones. In
particular, it is expected to open a Department for risk control
within the Program in the Unibank. Moreover, it is envisaged to create
a Department of credit administration in the Unibank’s Credit
Department that will deal with the receipt of credit applications,
complete check-up of the package of credit agreements. V. Atayan
underlined that upon the Program completion, the Unibank intends to
carry out relevant measures to get the international rating. For this
purpose, it is scheduled to address such well-known agencies as Fitch,
Moody’s and Standart & Poors. V. Atayan also noted that in parallel
with the Program implementation, it is scheduled to carry out works to
implement the principles of Basel II agreement in the
Unibank. Moreover, it is expected to develop and implement a concept
for risk control, a long-term control strategy in the Unibank in 2007
and to change the inner structure of the Bank. Along with it, special
attention during the Program fulfillment will be paid to the
implementation of the system of "culture of risks" that supposes the
estimation of the risk factor.

The ABN AMRO Bank is one of the biggest world banks that has 4.5 thsd
branches in 53 countries of the world. As of December 31, 2006, the
Bank has taken the 8th place in Europe and the 13th place in the world
by the size of assets (987 bln Euro).

According to the analysis of the banking system of Armenia, carried
out by the Agency of Rating Marketing Information (ArmInfo), the
Unibank enters the 10 of the leading Armenian commercial banks by the
main balance indicators. Thus, the Unibank’s assets as of Jan 1,
2007, made up $85.2 mln (the 7th place), the credit investments – $8.2
mln (the 2nd place), the deposits of physical persons – $42 mln (the
2nd place). The Bank has completed the year 2006 with a profit of $1.2
mln.

ARMENIAN CHILDREN’S CINEMATOGRAPHY ENTERS NEW STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. A program of long-term cooperation was
signed between the Rolan Bykov fund Armenian representation and
Italian Giffoni international film festival for children. Karine
Khodikian, the RA Deputy Minister of Culture and Youth Issues stated
about it at the March 7 press conference. The Deputy Minister is sure
that this cooperation will give wide possibilities for development and
spreading children’s film in Armenia. K.Khodikian emphasized that the
international film festival for children held in Yerevan already for
the second time became the main reason for cooperation. Besides, the
Cinematography and Television Development Fund has cooperated with the
Giffoni Italian festival already for 3 years. Armenian young creaters
shot some documentary and fiction films and reportings and most active
among them were involved in the children’s jury staff of that
festival. Claudio Gubitosi, the Director of the Giffoni international
children’s film festival, who was present at the press conference,
stated that Armenian children and juveniles will also take part in
2007 in the Giffoni international children’s film festival founded 37
years ago. He also stated that it is envisaged to organize this year
one-month master courses in Italy for a group of Armenian juveniles
and young people. During his visit to Yerevan Gubitosi met with
students of the Yerevan State Institute of Cinematography and
Theater. In his words, the meeting was held in a too interesting and
active atmosphere: "I left them with great impressions and I am sure
that some of them will cooperate with us." The Giffoni international
children’s film festival director stated that he will present two
video cameras to two groups of young creators who must shoot 10 films
about monasteries till June of this year, embelishing them with
imaginary modern stories, and if the films are ready in time, they
will be presented at the Giffoni film festival.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agence France Presse — English
March 8, 2007 Thursday 11:23 AM GMT

Turkish Nobel laureate to tour Germany after cancellation

BERLIN, March 8 2007

Turkish Nobel literature laureate Orhan Pamuk’s German publisher said
on Thursday he would visit Germany in May for a reading tour which
was planned for February but reportedly cancelled for security
reasons.

"We are delighted that Orhan Pamuk is prepared so soon already to
carry out the visit cancelled on short notice in February," Carl
Hanser Publishing said.

German newspapers had said the writer called off the trip because he
feared for his life after the murder in January of ethnic Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul, but Pamuk did not confirm the
reports.

Dink is believed to have been killed by ultra-nationalists in revenge
for remarks he made about the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman
empire.

Pamuk, the author of "Snow" and other novels mulling Turkey’s clash
between Muslim and Western culture, has angered Turkish authorities
with similar remarks.

He was prosecuted for telling a Swiss magazine that 30,000 Kurds and
a million Armenians had been killed during World War I under the
Ottoman Turks, but the case was dropped on a technicality.

Pamuk’s tour of Germany will begin in Hamburg on May 2 and will also
take in Berlin, Cologne, Munich and Stuttgart. He will receive an
honorary doctorate from Berlin’s Free University on May 4.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress