Author: Emil Lazarian

Press Release
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Father Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I IS INVITED TO HAVE LUNCH
WITH THE GERMAN AMBASSADOR
The German Ambassador to Lebanon, Dr. Marius Haas, held an official
dinner in honour of His Holiness Aram I on November 8. The European
Union Commissioner for the Middle East was also invited.
The event provided a good opportunity for the Pontiff to discuss with
the EU official issues related to the Armenian Community’s role in
Lebanon and the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s multi-faceted field of work.
Ambassador Haas praised the Armenians Catholicos’ international
efficacy, particularly his role in ecumenical affairs.
The Ambassador had visited Antelias last month with the spiritual
leader of German Churches, Bishop Huber.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates
of the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the
history and mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer
to the web page of the Catholicosate, The
Cilician Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is
located in Antelias, Lebanon.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Press Release
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Father Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I CONGRATULATES THE NEW ARCHBISHOP OF CYPRUS ON
HIS ELECTION
His Holiness Aram I has congratulated the newly elected Archbishop
of Cyprus, Chrysostomos II after receiving an official letter from
the Archbishop about his recent election.
In his congratulatory letter, His Holiness Aram I highlights the
warm historical ties between the Cypriot and Cilician kingdoms and
their continuation through the Catholicosate of Cilicia. He talks
about the active contribution of the Armenian Diocese of Cyprus
and its structures to the progress of the country. The Catholicos
concludes his letter, expressing hope that cooperation between the
Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus and the Catholicosate of Cilicia
continues in all fields for the benefit of both nations.
The new Archbishop will be enthroned on November 12. Archbishop
Varoujan Hergelian, Catholicosal Vicar for the Diocese of Cyprus will
attend the ceremony on behalf of His Holiness Aram I.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates
of the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the
Ecumenical activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer
to the web page of the Catholicosate, The
Cilician Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is
located in Antelias, Lebanon.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FRENCH AMBASSADOR READY TO PROMOTE ARMENIA-FRANCE COOPERATION
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 14 2006
The newly appointed Ambassador of France Serge Smessov handed his
credentials to President Robert Kocharyan.
Congratulating the Ambassador, the President wished him success in
carrying out his high mission. Positively assessing the relations
between the two countries, the parties said that good evidences of it
were French President Jacques Chirac’s state visit to Armenia, conduct
of the Year of Armenia in France and President Robert Kocharyan’s
visit to France scheduled next year.
In the President’s words, the high level of the political dialogue
between the two countries finds its expression in economic, cultural
and political spheres.
According to Robert Kocharyan, the economic component of bilateral
relations has greatly advanced, French companies are represented in
Armenian infrastructures. Speaking of the Year of Armenia in France,
the President said our country is seriously preparing for it. He
is assured that more than 500 events to be held in different cities
of France will properly present Armenia and will enable the French
to familiarize themselves with the Armenian people and its cultural
legacy.
Turning to the broad agenda of bilateral cooperation, Ambassador
Smessov emphasized his readiness to promote the deepening of
cooperation between Armenia and France in all fields.

SERGE SARGSAYN TO MEET WITH HIS IRAQI COUNTERPART
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 14 2006
Today RA Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan will visit the place of
deployment of Armenian peacekeepers in Iraq, Deputy Defense Minister,
Lieutenant-General Arthur Aghabekyan told the journalists.
According to the General, the Minister will familiarize himself
with the work and everyday life of the peacekeepers. Yesterday Serge
Sargsyan visited the multinational corps to get to know how the work
is organized. Today the Defense Minister is due to have meetings with
the leadership of the corps and his Iraqi counterpart. Tomorrow the
Minister will return to Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DID THE PRIME MINISTER READ THE CONSTITUTION?
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 14 2006
One had a deja vue before the November 14 meeting of the National
Assembly. The members of parliament entered the National Assembly
traversing the lines of policemen. The people, who have become
homeless as a result of expropriation, gathered several meters from
the gate of the parliament building and the members of parliament. On
the eve these demonstrators had tried to talk to some members of
parliament for a couple of minutes, which was considered an attempt
of take hostages, and today the police simply did not allow them to
approach the gate of the National Assembly for the free movement of
the members of parliament. And they moved on. Without taking a look
at the people gathered over there. The demonstrators were amazed by
this attitude? “Who do these members of parliament fear? It’s them
who shoot one another, not us.”
It is not the first time these people protested. And this is not the
first day they came to the National Assembly. They come to demand that
the members of parliament elected by people vote against the bill on
expropration. So it is natural that they shouted abuse when they saw
the Republicans. Republican Member of Parliament Hermine Naghdalyan
was reproached most of all because on the eve she had promised to
the victims of expropriation to vote against the bill but then she
announced she would vote like her party, i.e. for the bill.
Instead, Khachatur Sukiasyan and Alvard Petrosyan got applause because
at least they are not for the bill. Member of Parliament Khachatur
Sukiasyan even made some proposals to improve the bill. His proposals,
as well as the proposals of other members of parliament and the NGOs
were rejected. In an interview with the Lragir the chair of Victims
of Expropriation Sedrak Baghdasaryan stated that we do not have a
parliament or a government but “a gang who have usurped government
offices and are making money ignoring the interests of people. We
have a minister of justice who does not think about justice and the
rights of people.”
The demonstrators demand the resignation of the prime minister,
and in answer to this the prime minister asks to show him the point
in the constitution which enables the demonstrators to demand the
resignation of the government. “According to the representative of
the political party of the prime minister Rafik Petrosyan, the prime
minister does not read the laws. Meanwhile, he is ashamed of referring
to the Constitution? Did he read the Constitution. I remind Article
1 of the Constitution especially for the prime minister: the Republic
of Armenia is a democratic republic. In other words, people can elect
and demand the resignation of anyone and at any time they want. Let the
prime minister know that he will not remain in this office forever. He
may have read the Constitution of an African state and since 2001
he has been robbing the people’s property. The Constitutional Court
barred expropriation in 1998. They do not care for the decision of
the Constitutional Court,” stated Sedrak Baghdasaryan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REPUBLICAN YOUTH FESTIVAL TAKES PLACE
Panorama.am
15:19 13/11/06
Chamber Music House hosted today young representatives from the
Armenian regions who showcased dozens of dresses. The representatives
won a contest in the regions. This fashion show took place within
the republican youth festival “Armenia is my motherland” organized by
the ministry of culture and youth affairs. The festival has sections
on photography, applied art, song and drawing. Deputy minister,
Arthur Poghosyan, said the state released 8 million Armenian drams
for the festival.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANOTHER SHIFT OF ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS TO GO TO KOSOVO
Armenpress
Nov 13 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: Thirty-four Armenian peacekeepers
are flying November 14 to Kosovo to replace their colleagues who have
served six months there. This will be the sixth shift of Armenian
peacekeepers in the volatile Yugoslav region.
Seyran Shahsuvarian, a spokesman for Armenian defense ministry, said
the Armenian platoon is stationed near Pristina under the command of
the Greek peace-keeping battalion. Some 170 Armenian servicemen have
already served in Kosovo as peacekeepers. The sixth shift will raise
their number to 204.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

COMMON ENDEAVOR EXERCISE LAUNCHES IN ARMENIA
Armenpress
Nov 14 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS: Some 270 representatives from 38
countries, as well as from NATO and a brigade implementing peacekeeping
mission in the southeastern Europe, have come to Armenia to participate
in an annual Combined Endeavor exercise sponsored by the US European
Command (USEUCOM).
The exercise held in the spirit of Partnership for Peace (PfP)
integration and interoperability consists of four planning conferences
and a multi-side workshop. Colonel Samvel Atoyan, a senior military
officer of the Armenian armed forces’ department for communications
and automated systems, said the ultimate goal of the exercise is to
have a document setting clearly out interoperability principles.
He said the Common Endeavor military exercise, scheduled for
April 26 to May 13 of 2007 is planned to be held in Germany and
Armenia. Armenian troops have been participating in this exercise
since 2002. The exercise will run through November 17. Azerbaijan
and Turkey were expected originally to send their representatives to
Armenia, but later they refused.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PROSECUTOR GENERAL ORDERS FURTHER INQUIRY INTO HERITAGE BREAK-IN CASE
A1+
[07:34 pm] 14 November, 2006
Yerevan-Heritage founder Raffi K. Hovannisian, the party’s executive
board members, and fellow citizens gathered today in front of the
Armenian prosecutor general’s office. They demanded an official
response from the prosecutor general with respect to bringing
criminal charges for the unlawful March break-in to the party’s
central headquarters and the ensuing theft of information from its
computer system.
Two hours into the assembly, held under the banner of “Truth and
Right,” Heritage board chairman Vardan Khachatrian and attorney Zaruhi
Postanjian received a formal letter from prosecutor Karapet Karapetyan
of the Department for the Protection of State Interests.
The letter confirmed that all decisions of the Yerevan city police
department and prosecutor’s office, which had previously refused to
institute a criminal case against the “mysterious” computer bandits,
have now been revoked, and an additional inquiry has been launched
by the prosecutor general’s office.
“All the details of this ‘presidential’ parade of criminal acts, which
together form a single web among the White House, the Service for
Mandatory Execution of Judicial Acts, the management of the Paronian
State Theater and the nation’s judicial system, must be revealed
through a courageous determination to file criminal charges and to
carry out a full investigation,” Raffi Hovannisian said.
“Notwithstanding the ‘instructions from above’ to cover up this
scandalous reproduction of the Watergate precedent in Armenia, we
expect that the Republic’s prosecutor general will finally step in
to defend the constitutional rights of its citizens.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MINISTER OSKANIAN IN BRUSSELS FOR COOPERATION COUNCIL MEETING
Panorama.am
12:46 14/11/06
Minister Oskanian is in Brussels to participate in the 7th session
of the Armenia-EU Cooperation Council.
Together with the foreign ministers of Georgia and Azerbaijan,
Minister Oskanian met with the EU leadership — the Foreign Minister
of Finland, which holds the EU Presidency, the Secretary of State of
Germany which will hold the Presidency in the first half of 2007 as
well as EU High Representative, Javier Solana, and External Relations
Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
During the first day’s dinner meeting, the participants discussed
developments in the region, including Caucasus states’ relations
with neighbors, and also prospects for regional cooperation. Regional
conflicts, especially Nagorno Karabakh, were the focus of much of the
discussion, particularly in light of the upcoming meeting between the
foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The dinner meeting was
followed by a press conference, during which Minister Oskanian thanked
the EU for its persistence in concluding the Action Plan process.
He also noted that “this year’s meeting of the Cooperation Council
will be particularly memorable because it represents the beginning of
a new chapter – for each of us individually, for our relations with
the EU, and for the EU itself.” The meeting was followed by a Press
Conference. On November 14, during the formal Council meeting the
European Neighborhood Policy Action Plan will be adopted. Press and
information department of Ministry of foreign affairs of the Republic
of Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress