Author: Emil Lazarian

ARMENIA UNDERSTANDS ITS LOSS IN WAR – AZERI MP
Author: J.Shahvediyev

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
June 14 2006

The Azerbaijani delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) have drafted 8 documents in connection with
the Armenian damage on the nature of occupied territory of Azerbaijan,
MP Rafael Huseynov, the Azerbaijani parliamentary representative to
the PACE, told Trend.

He noted the poisoning of water, burning and cut of forests, burial
of nuclear wastes, as well as establishment of dangerous laboratories
in the Azerbaijani areas occupied 15 years. "Along with the military
aggression Armenia still pursues policy directed at damaging the
genetic fond of Azerbaijan," he stressed.

Armenians well understand that hey have lost the war though they
still keep under control the occupied areas with the help of foreign
forces. "Realizing their loss, they allow such cases of vandalism and
through committing provocation hinder the talks. But it is senseless,"
he emphasized.

Huseynov said that in case the vandalism acts continue it will be
necessary to take reply steps. "In time consideration of the issue
at the Council of Europe and support by this organization will make
Armenians to step back from taking muddy steps," Huseynov underlined.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MPS DENY CONGRATULATING ARMENIAN SPEAKER

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
June 14 2006

The reports suggesting that the Azeri parliament speaker Ogtay Asadov
has congratulated his Armenian counterpart Tigran Torasian on being
elected to the post are wide of the mark, says an Azerbaijani MP who
attended a meeting of the regional organization in Yerevan last week.

Armenian media reported on Thursday that the Azeri speaker’s message of
congratulation was read out by a member of the Azerbaijani delegation
at the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) Parliamentary
Assembly, Asaf Hajiyev, at a plenary session in the Armenian capital.

Hajiyev called these reports a "flagrant lie" and yet another
provocation by Armenians, saying that such a letter was never
presented.

"The speaker’s father, Sabir Asadov, struggled against Armenian
atrocities all his life and wrote several books on Armenian
vandalism. In such case, what congratulatory letter by Asadov can we
talk about?" he enquired.

The MP dismissed speculations that the Armenian delegation had been
individually invited to the next meeting of BSEC PA due in Baku on
November 22-23.

"After Azerbaijan assumed chairmanship in the organization, I invited
all members of the Assembly to the gathering, but no special invitation
was forwarded to Armenians."

Another MP who attended the session, Musa Guliyev, dismissed the
Armenian media reports alleging that he spoke of possible economic
cooperation between the two countries in his interviews. "I said such
collaboration could be possible only after the sides sign a peace
accord," he stressed.

Guliyev added that he had underscored that if the Garabagh conflict
is not resolved in peace, Azerbaijan will free its territories from
Armenian occupation through military action.

Following the statement, the Armenian speaker warned that Azeri MPs
should not resort to belligerent rhetoric.

"He told us that this could create problems to our security,"
Guliyev said.

ANNUAL CAMP OF “YOUTH FOR ACHIEVEMENTS” ARMENIAN NGO TO BE HELD IN TSAGHKADZOR FROM JULY 17 TO AUGUST 1ST

Noyan Tapan
Jun 13 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 13, NOYAN TAPAN. About 600 pupils of comprehensive
schools of Armenia will participare in the camp to be organized by the
“Youth For Achievement” Armenian NGO which will be held this year from
July 17 to August 1 in Tsaghkadzor. As Susanna Manukian, the Press
Secretary of the organization informed the Noyan Tapan correspondent,
this program has been implemented since 1995.

The “Youth For Achievement” Armenian NGO is an organization
implementing educational programs which has functioned since
1992. On the initiative of Armenuhi Hovhannisian, the Executive
Director of the organization, “Human Rights,” “Civil Education,”
“State and Right” subjects were involved in the education programs of
the comprehensive schools of the republic. According to S.Manukian,
children will deepen in the camp theoretical knowledge got on those
subjects by educational games.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

U.S.DEPT OF STATE
12 Jun 2006
U.S. Plans “Significant” Contribution to New Black Sea Fund
Public-private grant-making trust will promote democracy, regional cooperation

By Vince Crawley
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington — The United States plans to make a substantial
contribution to the Black Sea Trust, a new multimillion-dollar fund
promoting democracy and cooperation among nine countries in southeast
Europe, President Bush’s deputy national security adviser says.

The trust will provide grants to focus on enhancing economic and
security cooperation, crisis management and democracy in Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey
and Ukraine.

In remarks at the Black Sea Forum June 5 in Bucharest, Romania,
Deputy National Security Advisor J. D. Crouch said the United States
would participate in and make a significant financial contribution to
the trust in partnership with the German Marshall Fund, the Romanian
government and other donors.

Crouch said the United States is supporting other initiatives such
as the Black Sea Economic Cooperation initiative and the Southeast
European Cooperative Initiative. “We want to hear your ideas on how
to cooperate more effectively to address a broader range of issues,”
Crouch added.

“For centuries, these lands have been a cultural crossroads —
connecting Europe to the Middle East and Central Asia,” Crouch
said. The flow of communication through the region was stifled during
the Cold War, he added, “but today your nations have a new opportunity
to build stronger links with each other — and thereby reclaim your
historic position as a region of connections between East and West.”

The German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States announced
the creation of the trust on June 5 during the Black Sea Forum in
Bucharest, Romania. The GMF said it anticipates launching operations
of the Black Sea Trust in the fall, with initial contributions
of more than $20 million, climbing to more than $40 million as the
trust matures. Contributors include the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID), the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Romanian
government and other private and public donors from the United States
and Europe.

The trust is expected to provide grants to local organizations —
including civic groups and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),
local and regional governments, educational institutions and media,
according to a news release by the German Marshall Fund. Grants will
be awarded for civic-participation programs as well as projects that
promote cross-border cooperation in the region.

“Approximately $2 million in rolling grants will be given out each
year,” said the GMF, which will staff the trust. “Individual grants
would range from $1,000 to $75,000 with an average size around $15,000
or $20,000, and will be approved monthly by a grant-making committee
that will include GMF representatives and one representative from
each of the donors to the Trust.”

The German Marshall Fund is also in negotiations with the Romanian
government to base the trust’s operations in Bucharest. (See related
article.) The U.S. State Department recently signed agreements with
Bulgaria and Romania to share military bases near the Black Sea
coast. (See related article.) The GMF, USAID, and the Mott Foundation
previously joined forces in 2003 to create the Balkan Trust for
Democracy, a $30 million fund that has given out millions in grant
money toward promoting regional cooperation and reconciliation,
civil society development, and democracy-building ideas and
institutions throughout the Balkans. The Balkan Trust for Democracy
“has successfully grown and added new partners after its founding,
a process the Black Sea Trust will emulate,” the GMF said. (See
related article.) In March, the German Marshall Fund co-sponsored a
conference aimed at promoting cross-border cooperation, particularly
in disaster response planning, and some of the same countries attended
that were represented at the Black Sea Forum. (See related article.)
The U.S. Embassy in Bucharest has posted the full text of Crouch’s
remarks on its Web site. The Black Sea Trust press release is posted
on the Web site of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

The Southeastern Europe Cooperative Initiative (SECI) is a law
enforcement consortium that allows authorities to share intelligence
and coordinate activities in the pursuit of criminals across
jurisdictional lines.

Information on SECI’s work against human trafficking is available in
a USINFO Electronic Journal article “European Alliance Combats Human
Trafficking” and the Web site of the SECI Center in Bucharest.

Additional information is available on the Web site of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation, to which the United States was recently granted
observer status.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HRANT DINK TO VISIT KRASNODAR REGION IN SEPTEMBER

ArmRadio.am
14.06.2006 18:05

In September 2006 Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of the Ankara based
Armenian Agos newspaper will visit the Krasnodar region of Russia. As
reported by the Yerkramas, the newspaper of Armenians of Russia,
Dink’s visit is private, however he is expected to hold meetings with
the representatives of the local Armenian Diaspora.

As it was reported earlier, the Turkish court of first instance
sentenced the editor-in-chief to 6 months of imprisonment for
"outrage of Turkish national dignity" in February 2006, since in one
of his articles he wrote that " Turks’ hostility poisons the blood of
Armenians." At that time the judges decreed that the journalist called
Turkish blood poisonous. However the Court of Appeal concluded that the
accusation against Dink was brought through misunderstanding. Recently
the General Prosecutor’s Office of Turkey fully acquitted Hrant Dink.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT, MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DISCUSS URGENT ISSUES ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND NATURE MANAGEMENT

Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 14 2006

YEREVAN, June 14. /ARKA/. Armenian President Robert Kocharian and
Minister of Environmental Protection Vardan Aivazyan discussed the
urgent issues on environmental protection and nature management. The
press service of the Armenian president reported that the discussion
covered the issues of the level of Sevan Lake, management of deposits
and protection of national parks.

According to Aivazyan, the rise of water level of Sevan Lake today
totals 2.38 meters. At the same time, he informed the president of
the ongoing cleaning works along the lakeside.

Kocharian assigned him to arrange the work on approving nature
management payments and detecting their hidden amounts, and also
ensure transparency of tenders for rights for geological exploration
and toughen control over these processes.

They also discussed a concept on inculcation of mechanisms of
ecotourism in Sevan National Park, Dilijan and Khosrov Park.

The Armenian president and the minister also touched upon the issues
related to air pollution, control over forests, and biodiversity.

IRAN TO START GAS SUPPLY TO ARMENIA

United Press International
June 14 2006

TEHRAN, June 14 (UPI) — Iran will begin supplying natural gas to
Armenia starting in 2007, Iranian Deputy Ambassador to Armenia Ali
Akbar Jowkar said Tuesday.

"Iran has committed itself to providing Armenia with gas and will do
so," Arminfo quoted Jowkar as saying at a news conference.

An agreement between Iran and Armenia was signed earlier this year
to allow for natural gas supply.

The two countries have been working to complete the construction of
the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline that will be put into operation later
this year. The agreement, according to Jowkar, has not undergone
any changes.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LOCALS INTERESTED INTO ANYTHING BUT POLITICS SUCH AS ANDRE’S SUCCESS IN EUROVISION
Fotis Konstantopoulos reporting from Athens (Greece)

oikotimes.org, Greece
June 14 2006

source: Armenian News Network – photo: oikotimes resources

If you think that the Armenians worry about the NA chairman’s
resignation, the current failure of Karabakh negotiations in Bucharest
or Dollar inflation, you are mistaken. Anyway, according to the APR
Group phone polling /from 7-9 of June among 652 Yerevan citizens/
our citizens aren’t interested in it. The sociologists have asked the
citizens to mention the most important events of last period and 37%
of them first of all mentioned the victory of Armenian chess players
in the Chess Olympiad in Turin, 24,8% mentioned the crash of A320
airbus, 22,9% mentioned Andre’s success in Eurovision.

The above-mentioned political events have gathered less than 5 %. And
even the violence used against Armenians in Russia are in the first
place for 5,4%. I wouldn’t hurry to accuse people of being "heartless"
or "lumpened".

Maybe the reason is that people became sure during 15 years that
they don’t have any lever for having influence on the policy and
being interested in a thing which has no connection with you, isn’t
reasonable at least. By the way mentioning the reason of considering
important the chess players and Andre 54,8% and 19, 5% of citizens
said that it was the proud and honor of the Armenian nation. It is
also important that 92,5% of citizens who consider important Andre
belong to feminine gentle. We asked APR Group tube interested what
Yerevan citizens think of violence used against Armenians in Russia.

First of all we should mention that 35% wasn’ t informed about it or
wasn’t engaged in that problem. And the opinions of the reasons of that
violence were different. 27,8% citizens think that it is a policy which
Russia carries out, 19,8% is sure that those are accidental cases, 16%
refer it to Russian chauvinism and 15,1% think that it is a slander
addressed by other countries against Armenian-Russian relations.

Some citizens being very sorry for those incidents anyway suppose
that it will help repatriation and some part of the eldest generation
remembered that they had met Russian chauvinism since the Soviet
period. And indeed, I myself living first 30 years of my life in Soviet
"international" period heard " Armyashka" word at that time.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IRAN: PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD TELLS WORLD CUP TEAM: ‘BRING GLORY TO THE NATION’

Monday Morning, Lebanon
June 12 2006

The Iranian team arrived at their World Cup base at Friedrichshafen,
Germany, under instructions from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to
"bring glory" to their country.

Iranian football supporters braved the rain to welcome their national
side amid expectations of protests about Teheran’s policies.

The German authorities have promised strong police protection for
the Iranian team.

The team were surrounded by children asking for autographs as they
made their way through the terminal before leaving by bus for a luxury
hotel in Schnetzenhausen, a small town northwest of Friedrichsafen
on the shores of Lake Constance, in South Germany.

They had left Teheran optimistic they could create a surprise at the
World Cup, where they were drawn in Group D against Angola, Mexico
and Portugal.

Team Captain Ali Daie said the controversy surrounding the Iranian
president, who has called for Israel to be wiped off the map and
has repeatedly denied the Holocaust, had only served to spur on the
squad. The Iranian team contains one surprise — Andranik Teymourian,
an Armenian and the only Christian in the side.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN FUNDRAISER FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Reuters AlertNet, UK
June 14 2006

Source: World Vision Middle East/Eastern Europe office (MEERO)

Essential operations give children a chance to live a healthier
and happier life World Vision MEERO,
‘Giving your whole heart to the whole world’ was the slogan of a
fundraising reception for essential surgery of children with special
needs hosted by World Vision Armenia’s Child Protection Programmes
(CPP), in the Armenian capital Yerevan last month.

During the event special catalogues with photos and data of eight
children needing urgent medical intervention were distributed among
the guests. Participants also watched a video depicting past problems
and the new life of children who have undergone surgery with World
Vision support.

‘I am a musician and my only dream was to learn music professionally
and perform on the stage. But with my heavy limb I was ashamed to
socialize even with neighbors. Now I can walk properly, I gained
self-confident, and I attend musical school. Now I WILL go on stage’,
says Edik Manucharyan, 16 in the video.

The reception brought together members of the National Assembly,
representatives of charity organizations, NGOs, the Armenian Apostolic
Church and the private sector.

‘Helping children in need is a very noble cause, and I am grateful
to World Vision for bringing us all together to help children with
special needs’, said in her speech Chairwoman of the Association of
Diplomats’ Wives Nani Oskanian.

Kind participation of donors will help to provide for the surgery of
two of these children. All participants of the reception are provided
with details of World Vision’s bank account for transfers.

‘We are trying to encourage and promote the tradition of practicing
good will towards children who need it most. There are so many children
that need help, and events like this allow more to be assisted than
would otherwise be possible’, explains World Vision representative
Marina Hovhannisyan.

Often in Armenia children with special needs, especially with
visible facial and orthopedic disorders, suffer discrimination and
harassment. Many of them end up in special institutions deprived of
parental care. They have no future and no hope.

‘To assist such children, World Vision started its project in 2002
with funding from the UK and Germany, providing essential surgery
to nine children with severe facial disfiguration and orthopedic
disorders. Several other children received surgery with funds raised
through performances played at the National Puppet Theatre and
the National Academic Theatre. After the surgery and post-surgical
treatment these children were able to attend public school and live
a healthy life.

World Vision plans to continue initiation of such fundraising actions,
which will create financial means for continuing to provide surgery
to children, and at the same time, will promote public awareness and
participation in helping children with special needs.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress