Author: Emil Lazarian

TURKIC STATES GOING TO UNITE AGAINST ARMENIA?
PanARMENIAN.Net
22.09.2006 13:47 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The 10th congress of Turkic states, which completed
its work in Antalya today, has passed a decision on the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. The document says that the position of all the
Turkic states in unanimous – Armenia should “quit the seized Azeri
lands without any preconditions.” “The Turkic states will exert
every effort for the return of million of Azeris to their homes,” it
says. The resolution also notes that “if Armenia doesn’t abandon the
territories the whole Turkic world will join efforts for the purpose.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZG Armenian Daily #180, 21/09/2006
Foreign Developments
TURKEY OBJECTS PUBLISHING LAND RECORD DOCUMENTS OF
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
The Internet version of “Huriet” touched upon the limitations
for the publications of the land record documents of the Ottoman
Empire. In particular, Turkey’s National Security council objects the
translation of the abovementioned documents from the Ottoman Turkish
into the modern Turkish language. They condition their position by
the concern that the documents may be used for political or ethnic
goals, including the claims concerning the Armenian genocide.
Turkey’s National Security Council sent a special letter to the
relevant land administration bodies of the country urging them to
keep them the documents in secret without letting anyone publish them.
By Aghavni Haroutiunian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Trend
Today 21.09.2006
Conference of Turkic-speaking Countries Calls on
Armenia to Immediate Withdrawal of Its Troops from
Occupied Territory of Azerbaijan
Source: Trend
Author: M.Tagiyev
21.09.2006
The 10th Conference of the Turkic-speaking counties, which concluded
its work in Antalia on 21 September, adopted a resolution on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
Trend reports.
All Turkic speaking countries hold a unified position on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict – Armenia must leave the occupied
territory of Azerbaijan without any condition.
“Turkic speaking countries will put maximal efforts for repatriation
of 1 million Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced people,”
the document underscored.
In case Armenia refuses from withdrawing its troops from the occupied
territory of Azerbaijan, the Turkic world will unify the efforts in
this direction.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN YOUTH UNITES WITHIN STRUCTURE OF WORLD ARMENIAN CONGRESS
AZG Armenian Daily #180, 21/09/2006
Armenia’s Future
The Armenian youth expresses readiness to unite and settle the current
problems of their motherland with joint efforts. The representatives
of a number of Armenia based and Diaspora youth organizations have
many interesting programs to unite and found the Association of Youth
Organizations. The Association of Youth Organizations will join the
World Armenian Congress and shape the youth branch of the organization.
Ara Abrahamian, Chairman of the World Armenian Congress, emphasized
the importance of the fact that 12 Armenian youth organizations
have already joined the WAC. He welcomed their initiative and stated
that the youth plays an important part preserving the stability and
development of our country.
In their turn, the representatives of the youth organizations,
touched upon their concerns, spoke of the new technologies and their
future activities. The youth organizations elected a governing body
and adopted the manifest for the Armenian youth of the world. As the
regulation of the Association of Youth Organizations at WAC had already
been adopted, the abovementioned structure began its activities with
participation of 12 members.
Ara Abrahamian, Chairman of WAC, offered them to open their own
informational body, a center and computer network to begin the
preparation works for a youth festival by the next year.
By Aghavni Haroutiunian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Monument to General Gurgen Dalibaltyan to Be Erected in Javakhk
PanARMENIAN.Net
21.09.2006 15:09 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A monument to Soviet Army General, Armenian
President’s Advisor Gurgen Dalibaltyan will be inaugurated in the
Armenian-inhabited Samtskhe Javakheti region of Georgia. Native of
Akhalkalaki region, Gurgen Dalibaltyan will mark his 80th birthday
in 2006. According to the source, the monument was designed by Levon
Lazarian. The monument will be 8 meters high and face Western Armenia,
reported Georgia Online.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russia, Kyrgyzstan set to conduct antiterrorism exercise
RIA Novosti
Russia
13:38 | 21/ 09/ 2006
BISHKEK, September 21 (RIA Novosti) – Russia and Kyrgyzstan will hold
a joint antiterrorism exercise in the Central Asian republic in early
October, the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry said Thursday.
Kyrgyz police said in August that radical Islamic groups banned in
many countries across the globe, including Hizb-ut-Tahrir (Party of
Liberation), have stepped up their activities in the country.
Russia and Kyrgyzstan are both members of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO), a post-Soviet security grouping, which
also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan and the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional security body in Central
Asia that includes China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.
The ministry said the exercise will begin October 2 and end October
5 with the firing of live ammunition at the Osh training grounds,
in the south of the country.
The main aim of the exercise is to plan and practice the coordination
of combat units in a joint antiterrorism operation, and to improve the
combat skills of military personnel during operations in mountainous
areas, it said.
The defense ministers of the two countries, foreign military attaches
and media are scheduled to attend the final phase of the exercise.
Russia maintains the Kant airbase, located about 20 miles west of the
Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. The base was established in October 2003 to
enable Russian combat aircraft to provide close air support for the
ground units of CSTO member states.
So far, Russia has provided military equipment worth 15 million rubles
($554,006) to the Central Asian nation as part of their military
cooperation agreements.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

As Elif Safak trial begins, Erdogan warns police
Hurriyet, Turkey
September 21, 2006
As internationally-known Turkish author Elif Safak goes to court today
to face charges brought against her that she “insulted Turkishness”
in one of her most recent novels, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
has reportedly given orders to the Istanbul police headquarters that
street demonstrations in support of convicting Safak by nationalist
citizens are not to be tolerated.
The case against Safak was brought about by well-known nationalist
lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, who heads up a conservative group of lawyers
based in Istanbul.
Kerincsiz, who gained notoriety for his attempts to stop the Armenian
conferences held earlier this year in Istanbul, has based his case
against Safak on the 301st article of the Turkish Penal Code, which
calls for prison terms for people convicted by the court of insulting
“Turkishness, the Turkish Republic, or the Turkish Parliament.”
In preparation for the Safak hearing, lawyer Kerincsiz has reportedly
sent an announcement entitled “National Duty” to supporters and members
of his legal group, telling them to come and demonstrate in front of
the Beyoglu courthouse where the trial is to take place.
In the group’s web site, a passage reading “Elif Safak is the
newly crowned princess of the neo-liberals, the ethnic minorities,
the separationists, the EU and US supporters, and the so-called
intellectuals” has been up all week.
Prime Minister Erdogan told Istanbul Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah
yesterday “I do not want to see the Kerincsiz supporters on the
street.” Previous trials of famous authors such as Orhan Pamuk and
Perihan Magden have put Turkey in an uncomfortable international
spotlight, just as the Elif Safak trial, before it has even begun,
has managed to do. Whether or not the Turkish Parliament in Ankara
is going to move to alter the 301st article of the penal code is a
question many are now asking throughout Turkey and abroad.

Adventist Press Service APD, Switzerland
Adventist Pastors of Euro-Asia Region Meet In
First-Ever Theological Pastoral Congress
Zaokski, Tula Region, Russia, 20.09.2006 / ANN/APD
Headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Euro-Asia Division in
Moscow/Russia An estimated 1,500 Seventh-day Adventist pastors from all
over the church’s Euro-Asia region gathered for a four-day congress in
Zaokski – about two hours outside of Moscow – where they were educated
and challenged, church leaders say. It is believed to be the first time
that such an event has been held for field pastors, many of whom are
serving in remote locations across a region that spans 11 time zones.
“This wasn’t only fellowship, but we all gained a lot of insight,”
said Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson, a general vice president of the world
church who was among a number of speakers at the event.
“I was overjoyed to see the maturing and nurturing that is taking
place in this [region],” Wilson, who was president of the Euro-Asia
Adventist Church region from 1992 to 1996, remarked.
Added Pastor James A. Cress, world church ministerial association
secretary, “this region of the Adventist church has really come
into its own. They have addressed the professional growth, spiritual
development and motivational encouragement of the local pastors with
these meetings.”
Cress added, “It augurs well for the local church because their
leaders have been given hands-on training to develop local leaders,
prayer ministries and to reach out to families in need.”
Congress presenters and pastors Ted N.C. Wilson, Artur Stele, and
D. Ronald Watts receive memorial gifts. Photo: Valery Ivanov During
the five-day session, Adventist pastors from all over the territory
of the former Soviet Union shared experiences, met old friends,
listened to a number of seminars, held roundtable discussions, and
began preparations for a 2007 satellite program, which will take
place in March 2007 in Kiev, Ukraine. Peter Kulakov, senior pastor
of Lakeview Seventh-day Adventist church in Atlanta, Georgia (USA),
will be the speaker for that evangelistic programm.
One goal in the church region for the next five years is to help
launch 10,000 small Bible study groups with an aim toward introducing
50,000 people to Jesus Christ, and the pastors in attendance shared
their insights and observations about the program during days that,
according to Wilson, were filled with activity. Every evening, two
church areas, as well as attached “fields,” gave reports on Adventist
work in their areas.
Some pastors travelled as many as six days to reach the event and
were thus highly motivated to utilize the seminar information.
Pastor D. Ronald Watts, president of the church’s Southern Asia region,
gave three seminars and shared experiences from Adventism’s fastest
growing area.
Pastor Mark Finley, a general vice president of the world church,
revealed his vision of evangelism and called all those present to
unite their efforts in soul winning and prepare for the upcoming
satellite series.
While listening to the reports from various church areas, Finley said:
“Seeing you and listening to you, it remind[s] me again and again
that we are part of [a] world church, we are brothers and sisters,
united by one church.”
Also participating in the events were Adventist pastors Lucial
Cristesku, ministerial secretary and evangelism coordinator of the
Adventist Church in Romania; Paul I. Khiminets, church growth and
development leader for Adventists in North Rhine-Westfalia, Germany;
and Michael P. Kulakov, the first president of the Adventist church
in Euro-Asia.
An estimated 144,500 Seventh-day Adventist members worship in nearly
2,000 churches in the Euro-Asia region, including the states of
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,
Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. [Editors:
Valery Ivanov, Mark A. Kellner and Christian B. Schaffler for ANN/APD]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
September 20, 2006
___________________
SEMINARY GRADUATE HEARS CALL TO SERVE ARMENIAN CHURCH
By Jake Goshert
It’s a new term for college students, and this year they’ll be greeted by a
new face at the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).
Julie Hoplamazian has joined the Diocesan staff as its college ministry
facilitator, taking over for Jason Demerjian, who established the program
over the past two years and is now furthering his studies at St. Nersess
Seminary.
“Julie brings broad experience in teaching, youth ministry, music, and
religious education to our effort to reach our college students,” said
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate. “She has a deep love for the Armenian
Church. That devotion, combined with her God-given talents, will help her
expand and strengthen this vital ministry of the Diocese.
A Philadelphia native, Hoplamazian has a bachelor’s degree in music
education from Gettysburg College and has taught music at various levels.
This past May she received a master’s of divinity degree from Princeton
Theological Seminary.
“Ever since I was little, I always wanted to devote my life to God in some
way,” she said. “And after a series of twists and turns, He has led me this
way.”
As college ministry facilitator she will work with priests and parish
leaders to reach out to Armenian American college students throughout the
Diocese. She will visit campuses and organize events for students.
Reaching directly to students she will oversee the Diocese’s college
ministry website — — and manage the monthly
e-newsletter, “Eh-mail.”
LIFE OF DEVOTION
Even in elementary school, Hoplamazian felt a strong connection to God.
“When I was young, I’d have friends or cousins who would do things I knew
were wrong, and my response always was ‘Jesus wouldn’t want you to do
that,'” she said. “I had no problem reprimanding them. I always thought
Jesus was my special friend.”
She said seeing her mother and grandmother devote their time and resources
to the church made her feel strongly connected to God. It is a relationship
that has only grown and deepened as she matured.
“It is still changing. There are times my relationship with Jesus is that
of a friend. Sometimes my relationship with God is that of a child to a
parent,” she said. “But overall, it is a deeper sense of identity. As my
relationship with God grows, my identity becomes more and more inseparable
from being a child of God.”
While she knows her strong relationship with God might be unique among young
people in today’s more secular society, she believes she can talk to
students about the importance of their faith because it has a universal
appeal. She says people sometimes tell her being religious is a good choice
for her, but not for them. However, her belief in the truth of Christ means
she sees His teachings as universal, not something that only works for some
people.
“We’re encouraged think that God is a novel idea, a relative reality, as
opposed to an absolute truth. It is hard to have a Christian life with
integrity where you can say ‘I believe this is true,’ as opposed to ‘This is
true just for me,'” she said. “But deep down the core of our faith is right
for everybody — your deepest meaning is found in God.”
Hoplamazian hopes to bring more programs and activities to the Diocese’s
college ministry program. By encouraging the students to take part in fun
and meaningful activities, she believes they will look for opportunities to
take part in the life of the Armenian Church.
However, she knows she can’t do it on her own. She will be working with
parishes to identify students, invite them to services and events when
they’re away from home, and provide an Armenian Christian “support system”
for them.
“I can’t reach out to every Armenian student. If parishioners know of
students in their area, they should try to be their parents away from home.
Otherwise, their parents away from home will be partying, drinking, other
bad influences,” she said. “The college kids I’ve met love their Armenian
heritage and Christian roots and want to be a part of the community. We
just have to make sure to invite and welcome them into our parishes.”
If you know an Armenian-American college student, contact Hoplamazian via
e-mail at [email protected] or by calling (212) 686-0710.
— 9/20/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Julie Hoplamazian is the new college ministry
facilitator for the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).
# # #
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Serge Sargsyan: Each Nation Passes Own Way to Independence
PanARMENIAN.Net
20.09.2006 16:29 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 15 years of independence were the years of
real struggle. Unfortunately there is no struggle without losses,
Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan told reported today. In
his words, these years were full not only of joy and success but
also of bitterness and faults. “Those lying in the Yerablur Pantheon
sacrificed their lives for the independence of their homeland. Our
duty is to remember these people because thanks to them we have the
possibility to hold festivities,” Serge Sargsyan remarked.
The RA Defense Minister also underscored that 15 years taught to
make decisions meeting the interests of the state and people. “Each
nation passes its own way to independence. Unfortunately, there
were faults but there were also real achievements,” Sargsyan said,
reported IA Regnum.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress