Author: Emil Lazarian

AN ORDEAL FOR THE DIASPORA REPRESENTATIVES DURING THE FESTIVAL

A1+
[02:35 pm] 27 June, 2006

The PanArmenian second festival "One nation, one culture" initiated in
the sports-concert complex after Karen Demirchyan with the belief that
only the complex hall may hold all the participants of the festival
that have arrived with large delegations this year.

But many Diaspora representatives had to vacate their seats as they
were "occupied in advance" (though the entrance was free) and they
either took seats on the stairs or being offended missed the opening
ceremony.

As for the festival program the concert was over late at night with
firework. Then the fire brigades had to extinguish the burning electric
lamps which were set on fire as a result of the firework.

The festival continued in other regions of the republic the following
days as well. The most striking were the scenes in Tsaghkadzor and
in Sevan where all the participants were to be present and a fire of
union was to be lit. But the fire was not lit.

Besides, the concert ended just before it began because of the lack
of organization, sudden unexpected rain and severe cold.

As for the food they were certain problems on this score as well. The
participants got sandwiches with cheese and sausage only on the buses
on their return way. Prior to that, "Each person was to feed himself
the way he could," says one of the participants from Lebanon.

The same can be said about the hygienic state. Many people found the
existence of the lake even in such conditions great happiness. Three
members of the Russian chorus couldn’t get on busses and missed the
Tsaghkadzor concert and had to go to Sevan immediately.

By the way, each participant of the Russian delegation which is the
largest group this year took 2 – 3 friends or acquaintances with him
as a result of which the busses became overcrowded and this caused
extra problems for the initiators.

Nevertheless, the Diaspora representatives try to conceal their
displeasure and the drawbacks of the festival enjoying every ounce
of their stay in their homelands especially those who were in Armenia
for the first time.

They even put candles during their Echmiadzin visit wishing to return
to their homeland more frequently.

"We are very delighted to meet and get acquainted with our compatriots
from all angles of the world. This is an exclusive chance for us,"
says Eran Zeytuntsyan, an actress from Syria.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Church Endowment Fund (ACEF)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Berjouhi Saladin
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 94; Fax: (212) 683-2609
E-mail: [email protected]

June 26, 2006
___________________

WHITE PLAINS CHURCH USES CHALLENGE TO PROMOTE GIVING TO ARMENIAN CHURCH
ENDOWMENT FUND (ACEF)

Last year the parishioners of the St. Gregory the Enlightener Church of
White Plains, NY, were challenged to create a secure financial footing for
future generations of that parish.

Harry Keleshian, a member of the board of directors of the Armenian Church
Endowment Fund (ACEF), stood up during the parish assembly and spoke about
the importance of creating endowment funds to benefit the parish.

"I told them how enthusiastic I am about the endowment fund. I feel the
endowment fund dictates the future of our church," Keleshian said.

At that time, the parish benefited from about $650,000 in endowment funds.
Keleshian thought the parish should have $1 million. So he and his wife
Edna challenged parishioners to establish endowment funds to benefit the
parish or put more principle into existing funds. Over the next five years
he would match any new $1,000 endowment funds benefiting the parish or
$1,000 added to existing funds.

"The idea is to get us up to $1 million over the next couple of years," he
said. "And I made it clear that you don’t have to be creating new
endowments. The people who gave before, if they give again I will match
that as well."

Last year, six new funds were started with $1,000, and Keleshian made a
matching $6,000 donation. So far this year, five new funds were started
with $1,000 and $4,000 was added to an existing fund.

CREATING A FUTURE

Keleshian said building the endowment funds which benefit his parish allows
the church to do more ministry, outreach, and children’s programming, today
and well into the future.

"I believe so much in endowment funds and what they stand for: creating a
perpetual income for our parish," he said. "I really don’t want to see our
parish dependent upon our children. I want us to be able to minister to and
educate them, and the next generation and the next."

If his goal of building the endowment fund to $1 million is successful, the
St. Gregory the Enlightener Church would receive approximately $45,000 a
year in income in perpetuity. "That is a very good piece of change,"
Keleshian said.

The Armenian Church Endowment Fund (ACEF) is an independently chartered
organization which manages investments for endowment funds earmarked for
parishes, Diocesan ministries, organizations such as St. Nersess Armenian
Seminary, and the operations of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

"I think the endowment fund is probably not fully understood, but with
gestures like this it will be much more understandable to the lay people in
the parish," Keleshian said. "The endowment fund is looked upon as
something for only those who have greater means. I don’t think people
understood that even $1,000 is valuable because the $1,000 is not spent and
instead generates income for generations."

PERPETUAL INCOME

The principle of the funds is never touched, only the interest made from the
investments is used to provide income to the designated beneficiaries.
ACEF’s policy is to provide beneficiaries with annual payments worth
approximately 4.5% of the invested principle, which allows organizations to
more accurately plan their budgets.

If the ACEF investments generate more than the guaranteed 4.5% needed, the
balance, minus expenses, is attached to the original principle as
undistributed appreciation. That undistributed appreciation generates more
interest in the future. It is also used to provide beneficiaries with 4.5%
distribution in years when the financial markets are not doing well.

"Endowment funds are very important, not only for the church in general, but
also for our parish," said Fr. Karekin Kasparian, pastor of the St. Gregory
the Enlightener Church of White Plains, NY. "It is especially important
because our endowment funds give some sort of guarantee that in the future
we will be able to meet our demanding and challenging expenses."

"If we reach the goal which Harry has set for us, which we will, that will
give us a substantial amount of revenue annually; that will be a great
help," Fr. Karekin added. "It certainly helps us a great deal, especially
with our education and youth work and the various liturgical programs we
have here."

Currently there are several endowment funds benefiting St. Gregory, with a
total principle of $817,038. Adding the attached undistributed
appreciation, the value of the funds increases to $980,449. That translates
into annual income of approximately $44,120 for the parish.

"Down the road, what’s happening with the cost of living, especially in our
neighborhood, the burden on the next generation will be very heavy just to
cope with their own mortgages," said former St. Gregory parish council chair
Zaven Tachdjian, who has created an endowment fund benefiting the parish.
"But we, the present generation, are working hard to leave a big chunk of
money in ACEF, so there will be money in perpetuity to help the next
generation balance budgets. For the sake of our children and their children
we’re trying to foresee potential issues that might come up and provide
funds to help."

EXCELLENT RETURN

ACEF is able to provide a steady income stream because its highly skilled
board makes decisions with the advice of talented consultants. Also, with a
portfolio of $73 million, ACEF can access investment tools individuals
cannot approach.

Those advantages have lead ACEF to generally outperform the market. In
2005, the S&P 500 saw a return of 4.9%, while the portfolio managed by ACEF
provided an annual return of approximately 7.5%.

The security of ACEF investments is making it easier to promote Keleshian’s
challenge, Tachdjian said.

"Parishioners are eager to participate knowing that this is secure money and
that it is an income stream to the parish and its budget," he said. "Any
parish has good years and bad years, and to be able to cover up any
potential deficits with this steady income is welcome. ACEF is such a great
tool, I think all parishes should push it."

LIVING LEGACY

Establishing an endowment fund is a way to leave a living legacy. Not only
does it provide future income, donors are also remembered by having their
names live on through their endowment fund.

"One good aspect of endowment funds is that once you give, your name is up
there with the endowment. Your name is there forever and you won’t
disappear," Keleshian said.

He was introduced to the idea of endowment funds by fellow parishioner Suren
Fesjian, one of ACEF’s original leaders, who himself lives on through his
endowment funds benefiting St. Gregory the Enlightener.

"I think that it is very important that people know when they give their
hard earned dollars, they will not be forgotten," Keleshian said. "I hope
that people understand the importance of having an endowment fund for any
parish or for the Diocese. It is important for us to maintain our identity
and our spiritual leadership, so we don’t lose the spirit of Armenia we were
brought up with."

ESTABLISH YOUR FUND TODAY

With as little as $1,000, ACEF endowment funds can be established to benefit
any parish, Diocese, or Armenian Church related non-profit organization.
For more information on establishing an endowment fund, contact Berjouhi
Saladin by e-mailing [email protected] or by calling
(212) 686-0170 ext. 34.

* * *

Over the past two years, the following members of the St. Gregory the
Enlightener Church of White Plains, NY, have answered Harry Keleshian’s
challenge to increase the parish’s endowments by establishing or adding to
funds held by the Armenian Church Endowment Fund (ACEF):

Leon Chutjian
Thomas Daw
John and Laura Damboragian Jr.
Anahid Anita Essayan
Shahen and Sally Guiragossian
Lisa and Lenna Kouzoujian
George and Catherine Papalian
Avadis and Alice Sakalian
Irene Shadoian
Zaven and Gladys Tachdjian
John and Anita Wolohojian

— 6/26/06

E-mail photos available on request.

PHOTO CAPTION (1): Harry Keleshian, a member of the board of directors of
the Armenian Church Endowment Fund (ACEF), is personally matching endowment
funds created by his fellow parishioners to benefit his parish, the St.
Gregory the Enlightener Church of White Plains, NY.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

STEPAN HAKOBYAN SUSPECTED OF MURDERING SEDRAK ZATIKYAN

ArmRadio.am
26.06.2006 15:43

The police have arrested Stepan Hakobyan, who is suspected of murdering
Sedrak Zatikyan, son of the former head of Malatsia-Sebastia community
and MP Sedrak Zatikyan.

In the framework of investigation of the case Stepan Hakobyan’s
apartment was searched and illegal weapon was found, Press Secretary
of RA [prosecutor General Sona Truzyan told our correspondent.

According to our information, the deferred is the cousin of Hakob
Hakobyan, an MP elected from Malatsia-Sebastia community.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DUAL CITIZENSHIP ISSUES

Yerkir.am
June 23, 2006

National Assembly is set to hold hearings titled "Dual Citizenship:
International Law and Experience," initiated by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation’ s parliamentary faction.

Interested organizations, political parties, non-governmental
organizations and experts have been invited to participate.

For the Armenian people, who found itself in a unique situation spread
around the globe after it was subjected to genocide in its homeland
in the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the
dual citizenship is a special issue.

The Armenian Diaspora is a unique phenomenon of the history,
and Armenians have for decades preserved their ethnic culture and
awareness due to their quest to return to their independent homeland.

The uniqueness of our situation makes us create a united sphere of
national identity that would form a united responsibility for the
homeland and future of the Armenians.

Our wish is to make Armenia the homeland of all Armenians and at least
partially soothe the consequences of the history under the norms of
the international law.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VIABLE INSTITUTES AS GUARANTEE FOR DEVELOPMENT

Yerkir.am
June 23, 2006

Only 15 years after Armenia launched market reforms Europe is mulling
granting Armenia a status of a country with market economy. It is
said that the issue could be solved by the end of the year.

How serious are these discussions and what actually a ‘country with
market economy’ means?

The experience of leading countries

The fact is that only 10 percent or 20-25 countries out of 200 have
developed market economies. While other have some infrastructures
typical for market economies, market stagnates in those countries
without ensuring a glut for society’s prosperity.

International donors spend billions of dollars to reform the economies
of those countries but the expected results are not reached. The gap
between the rich and poor is gradually widening.

The experience of developed countries indicates that the first
precondition for a developed market economy is an efficient formulation
of property rights. Only then we can expect that the property rights
could become permanently available, standardized and subject to
exchanges that could be centrally registered, legally formulated and
guarantee that their owners would not be deprived form their rights,
or nationalized or uncertainty.

The situation in other countries

Apparently, in countries with underdeveloped market economies not only
are the property rights weak and unclear but also their registration
and protection mechanisms are inefficient.

This means that institutional weakness and underdeveloped
infrastructures are obstacles for implementing efficient market
economy. And fist of all this applies to underdeveloped government
institutions.

In theory, government can both contribute to establishment of
efficient and viable market institutions and block its development
through beneficent institutions.

Statements of politicians on political goals and necessity of reforms
often do not correspond to the institutional mechanisms capacities
for implementing such reforms since the price a society is to pay is
not clearly defined.

In this regard, a choice for an institutional structure of a country
is a result of proactive measures to better implement reforms. Western
countries posses more developed institutions that are in line with
dominating method of economic coordination.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VISITING ISTANBUL, ARMENIAN ORTHODOX LEADER SAYS TURKS COMMITTED GENOCIDE AGAINST ARMENIANS

AP Worldstream
Jun 25, 2006

Armenian Orthodox leader Karekin II said in Istanbul Sunday that Turks
committed genocide against Armenians, a statement that is likely to
increase tensions during the last two days of his weeklong visit here.

Karekin II, whose official title is Catholicos of All Armenians, has
been facing protests since his plane landed at the Istanbul airport
on Tuesday.

The protesters included prominent lawyers from the Turkish Lawyers’
Union, who previously pushed for the prosecution of novelist Orhan
Pamuk after he said that Turks had killed 1 million Armenians.

Turkey vehemently denies that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks around the time of World War I was genocide, and several cases
have been brought against those who say otherwise. The cases have
been opened under a law making it a crime to "insult Turkishness."

Armenians say that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
killing in an organized genocidal campaign by Ottoman Turks, and have
pushed for recognition of the killings as genocide around the world.

Karekin II was unreceptive Sunday to Turkey’s requests that Turkey and
Armenia, which are neighbors but have no diplomatic relations, open
their historical archives to researchers from both countries to try
to ease tensions and reach an objective conclusion about the killings.

"For our people research is not an issue. This is something that
happened and it needs to be recognized," the Dogan news agency quoted
Karekin II as saying. "The genocide issue has been researched for 90
years by academics."

Karekin II said the protests hadn’t affected him.

"They didn’t break my spirit and they don’t reflect my visit," he
said. "But if these kinds of protests continue, it shows that we have
a lot of work so that these two societies can live together."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NKR FOREIGN MINISTER PETROSSIAN’S STATEMENT

Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
26 June 2006

Recently the foreign minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammedyarov has
announced about their willingness to grant the highest degree of
sovereignty to Nagorno Karabakh, applying the model of Tatarstan
to Karabakh. With regard to this the foreign minister of NKR Georgy
Petrossian made a statement: "This statement, if it is not another
propaganda device, means, in fact, that the Azerbaijani government
is likely to transform into a federation. Hence, hopefully, the same
status will be granted to the Lezgis, the Talish and other peoples
living in Azerbaijan. For NKR, the Azerbaijani government avoids
contact with NKR, and it should be emphasized that official Baku
cannot grant a status to Nagorno Karabakh, because this is beyond its
jurisdiction. The people living here decided the status of Nagorno
Karabakh Republic in conformity with the law.

The essence of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict is that the
Azerbaijani party was unable to solve these problems in a civilized way
and resorted to an armed aggression. Official Baku ignores the reality
that the independence of NKR is the highest value of the people of the
republic, which was established by the universal referendum, held on
December 10, 1991. The people of NKR defended their right to decide
their fate. Moreover, for over 7 times in the past 15 years restated
their will through democratic presidential and parliamentary elections
in NKR, when the voters voted for the programs of separate candidates
and political parties, upholding the independence of the republic."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRIME MINISTER MET WITH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SHUSHI FOUNDATION
Press Service Of NKR Government

Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
26 June 2006

The reconstruction and development of Shushi remains urgent, not
only for the NKR government but governmental and non-governmental
organizations, as well as all the Armenians, who are worried about
the fate of the ancient Armenian fortress. In order to bring into
being the ideas of reconstruction of the city and coordinate programs,
as well as deal with fundraising, two foundations were set up, which
is reassuring, but their activities are extremely slow.

During his recent visit to Armenia Prime Minister Danielian met
with the mayor of Yerevan Yervand Zakharian and gladly accepted
his willingness to assist in the reconstruction of Shushi. Soon it
became known that Mr. Zakharian has established the Shushi Revival
Foundation. The board of the fund will include representatives
of relevant organizations, as well as specialists from Armenia and
Artsakh. On June 22 the Prime Minister met with the executive director
of the foundation Grigor Hovanissian, and commending this initiative,
expressed hope that this new organization will manage to work out
realistic programs and fulfill their honorable mission. At the same
time, the prime minister expressed the commitment of the government
to assist in the activities of the foundation. Deputy Prime Minister
Anoushavan Danielian was also present at the meeting.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE BIG RED ONE: POMEGRANATE JUICEIT’S ANTIOXIDANT-RICH. IT’S ALSO HYPE- AND CALORIE-RICH.
By Erika Engelhaupt
For The Inquirer

Philadelphia Inquirer, PA
June 25 2006

First it was red wine. Then green tea. Now pomegranate juice is making
the rounds as the latest good-for-you drink.

Experts say it may help lower blood pressure and even fight certain
cancers, although the research is still preliminary. But beware those
extra calories if you’re swilling a daily dose.

The near blood-red drink is cropping up all over, from chic cocktail
lounges to humble neighborhood delis.

Sales of refrigerated pomegranate juice soared from zero in 2001 to
more than $63 million in 2005, according to A.C. Nielsen, the market
research firm.

Moving beyond the martinis that appeared a few years back, the tart
juice is now sold in blends, combined with everything from mango to
lychee green tea.

At the Latimer Delicatessen near Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia,
four pomegranate blends rub bottles with lowbrow colas and sports
drinks.

Running from $2 to $4 a bottle, the pom is not cheap.

The mover behind the juicy surge is Pom Wonderful, which helped create
the U.S. market for the drink when its 6,000 acres of pomegranates
started bearing fruit in 2002. Stewart and Lynda Resnick, owners
of the Philadelphia area’s Franklin Mint, also manage Pom Wonderful
through their parent company, Roll International, based in Los Angeles.

Apparently, everyone already knows about antioxidants and wants to
imbibe as much as possible, or at least Pom Wonderful’s ad campaign
makes it seem that way.

For those feeling left out, antioxidants are natural substances in
plants and foods that protect cells from marauding oxygen molecules
called free radicals.

Antioxidants stop free radicals from attacking LDL, or "bad"
cholesterol, and combining with cells to form plaque that hardens
arteries.

Research has shown that people whose diets are rich in fruits and
vegetables have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and
certain cancers.

A small, 19-person study by scientists at Israel’s Rambam Medical
Center in Haifa showed that pomegranate juice lowered systolic blood
pressure, the upper reading, by 21 percent and prevented thickening
of the arteries for the 10 subjects who drank about two ounces of
pomegranate juice daily for up to three years.

At least half a dozen other studies by the Israeli group and others
show similar effects in mice and humans. Some were funded by a
foundation run by the Resnicks, owners of Pom Wonderful.

Several studies also show that antioxidants in food may help prevent
prostate cancer. One study of pomegranate juice, published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2005, found that
it reduced tumor size by as much as half in mice. More research is
needed to gauge the effects on humans.

Pomegranates pack more than five times the antioxidants of green tea,
and are especially loaded with a potent type called polyphenols.

Long-term studies of antioxidants also suggest that taking antioxidants
in pill form is less effective than eating them in whole foods.

"It’s worth incorporating pomegranate juice into the diet on a regular
basis as part of your armament to prevent chronic disease, and it’s
good for both men and women," said Lisa Hark, director of nutrition
education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Hark said pomegranate juice and other antioxidant-rich foods should
be part of a prevention arsenal, but they’re not a cure. "I can’t see
pomegranate juice reversing heart disease – it’s not going to break
up plaque."

And not all pom drinks pack the same antioxidant punch. For the
biggest wallop, look for pomegranate high in the ingredient list or
mixed with other antioxidant brews, such as green tea.

Hark also cautions that consumers should balance the healthful benefits
of pomegranate juice against the calories it contains. One 16-ounce
bottle of Pom Wonderful contains 320 calories – more than a Hershey’s
bar. Hark said drinking one bottle gives you the same calories you
would get in more than five servings of fresh fruit.

She recommends diluting the pure juice and drinking four ounces a
day to save on cost and calories. Sparkling water makes a refreshing
spritzer and won’t add calories.

Pomegranates have a fabled history. In Greek mythology, when Persephone
was tricked into eating six pomegranate seeds during a stint in Hades,
she condemned Earth to six months of infertility each year, explaining
the seasons.

Many ancient foods now are getting reviewed. "We’ve rediscovered that
food has medicinal qualities," said Ara DerMarderosian, a professor of
medicinal chemistry at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
who has studied folk remedies for nearly half a century.

His group has studied medicinal effects of cranberries and
blueberries and has turned to pomegranate juice. The scientist, who
is first-generation Armenian, said he had been eating pomegranates
for years and recommended eating the seeds whole from fresh fruit.

"My mother would labor over these for a long time when I was a kid,
and then we kids would devour them in a minute," DerMarderosian said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

JUNE 27 OSKANIAN TO LEAVE FOR WORKING VISIT TO GEORGIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.06.2006 16:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ June 27 Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian will leave
for Georgia on a working visit, reports the Armenian MFA Press
Service. During his visit the head of the Armenian MFA will met with
Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili, FM Gela Bezhuashvili and Speaker
Nino Burjanadze. June 28 the Armenian FM will make a statement on
regional policy issues at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and
International Research.

The same day the delegation led by the Minister will return to Yerevan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress