Author: Emil Lazarian

SENATOR SAM BROWNBACK: “US SHOULD SEEK NEGOTIATED NK SETTLEMENT”

Today, Azerbaijan
May 23 2006

The Bush administration’s new strategy on the Caspian region is known,
said US Senator Sam Brownback, who authored the draft law on supporting
the South Caucasus and Central Asian states in the US Senate.

Brownback said pipelines of critical importance for the transit of oil
and gas pass through these countries. “The United States should also
beat Iran to its nuclear ambitions as well as station new military
bases in the region.”

The bill also cited the US aspiration to forge closer relations with
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, AssA-Irada informs.

As for the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, the
Senator said the USA should work to achieve a solution through peace
talks. It should also counter what he called Russia’s geo-political
ambitions in the region.

URL:

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ROBERT KOCHARIAN NOT TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT POST IN 2007

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 23 2006

Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian will not nominate his candidacy
for presidential elections in 2007, President’s councilor for national
security affairs Garnik Isagulyan stated (APA). He said that Robert
Kocharian’s being a presidential nominee again is an exception.

“A person, who has been dealing with serious state problems for
20 years, including settlement of the Nagorno Garabagh conflict,
cannot possibly take such a step which can cause reproach,” the
councilor stressed.

Isagulyan ruled out that President Kocharian might be Prime Minister.

“I think Robert Kocharian will have stronger influence on state
processes even if he is not a President. I do not mean he will hold
any other state post,” he said.

The President’s councilor also said that he sees Defense Minister
Serj Sarkisyan as possible successor of Kocharian, “Serj Sarkisyan
can continue the current state course worthily. However, he has not
yet announced that he will be a presidential nominee.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KARABAKH CONFLICT: RESOURCES OF TALKS NOT EXHAUSTED YET

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.05.2006 17:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Talks over settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict with active mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group continue,
Armenian Premier Andranik Margaryan stated in an online interview with
the Azg newspaper. In his words, bilateral meetings of Presidents and
FMs of Armenia and Azerbaijan. “The solution of the Karabakh issue –
is a hard and intense process and we should understand that any point
of the talks directly concerns our people, Armenia and NKR security,”
he remarked, adding resources of talks are not exhausted yet and one
should not be disappointed or draw any conclusions, if the positions
of one of the parties or the other becomes firmer. “Of course, when
there is no peace, and the cease-fire is not peace, the time is
against us and against Azerbaijan.

Apparently, establishment of peace and stability in the region is in
the interests of all the parties,” Margaryan remarked.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KOCHARIAN-ALIYEV MEETING LIKELY TO TAKE PLACE IN BUCHAREST JUNE 4-6

AZG Armenian Daily
24/05/2006

“We have been discussing the Nagorno Karabakh conflict for many times
in the course of Romania’s chairmanship in the Ministerial Cabinet
of the Council of Europe and the steps taken by the governments of
Azerbaijan and Armenia in that direction,” Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu,
foreign minister of Romania, told the European Bureau of APA.

He said that at present, it became more possible that some
positive results will be achieved that will satisfy both sides in
conflict. Mr. Ungureanu added that there is a good opportunity for
organizing the meeting of presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. “The
meeting may take place within the framework of the summit that
will be held on June 4-6 in Bucharest on the topic “The Black Sea
for Partnership and Dialogue.” I hope that all conditions will be
created in the summit for holding the meeting of the leaders of both
countries. This is very important from the viewpoint of organizing
the political dialogue in the current stage. This meeting may play a
big part in averting the tension and will prove that another political
dialogue may be held,” he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NATO NOT GOING TO SOLVE POLITICAL PROBLEMS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.05.2006 19:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey is a full NATO member and it agreed for
the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with Armenia, Special
Representative of the NATO Secretary General for the South Caucasus
Robert Simmons stated at a news conference in Yerevan. In his words,
the NATO is not going to solve political problems between countries,
which are both Alliance members and those involved in partnership
programs.

“Armenia and Turkey should settle issues of normalization of relations
and opening the Armenian-Turkish border themselves,” he emphasized.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE SECOND BLACK BOX OF THE CRASHED A-320 LIFTED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA

ArmRadio.am
24.05.2006 10:40

“ITAR-TASS” Agency informs that the second black box of the crashed
A-320 was extracted from the bottom of the Black Sea, representative
of RF Ministry of Transport Svetlana Krishtanovskaya said. According
to her, the second box was located 16 meters away from the first
one. Krishtanovskaya said that the works were not suspended despite
the bad weather conditions.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian National Committee of Illinois
1701 North Greenwood Road, Glenview, IL 60026

PRESS RELEASE
DATE: May 22, 2006
CONTACT: Greg Bedian
E-MAIL: [email protected]

Illinois Community Rallies for ANCA Telethon

Glenview, IL – A group of Armenian American activists and their
supporters gathered in Shahnasarian Hall at the All Saints Armenian
Community Center to watch the live telecast of the Armenian National
Committee of America’s (ANCA) telethon on Sunday, May 22. The
telethon, which was broadcast from Glendale, California, raised over
$2.7 million in six hours.

The local gathering was organized by the Armenian National Committee
of Illinois, the ANCA’s local affiliate. Viewers followed the
telethon’s progress on a large projection screen, listening to
messages from Congressmen and state and local government
representatives from across the nation, as well as special segments
highlighting the ANCA’s advocacy work.

Local ANC volunteers manned phone banks in Glenview to remind Chicago
area Armenians watch the telethon and to solicit donations. Early
reports indicated that over $85,000 was pledged by Armenian-Americans
from the greater Chicago area during the telethon. The crowd reacted
with applause with each update of the tally, and often sang along with
the performers on the TV, creating a festive atmosphere while enjoying
pizza and refreshments.

`We are simply overwhelmed by the tremendous outpouring of support,’
stated Greg Bedian, spokesperson for the ANC of Illinois. `Along with
the donations, we received many words of encouragement regarding our
activities both here locally and across the country,’ he continued.

Earlier this year, the local ANC launched a genocide education
initiative to provide Illinois educators with access to materials,
tools and techniques to teach about genocide while promoting
collaborative efforts to develop new genocide education materials and
methods.

The telethon was broadcast locally on Channel 38 and was also
televised in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Boston, Detroit,
Philadelphia, San Francisco and other major markets. It was also
viewable via satellite and on the internet. However, only the first 3
hours of the telethon were broadcast in the Chicago area.

The Armenian National Committee of Illinois is a grassroots public
affairs organization serving to inform, educate, and act on a wide
range of issues concerning Armenian Americans throughout the state of
Illinois.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE LONG PATHS BROUGHT RUBEN KOCHAR’S “PATH” FILM TO ARMENIA

ArmRadio.am
23.05.2006 18:00

The long paths brought Ruben Kochar’s Armenian-American “Path” film to
Armenia. May 25, 26 and 27 the film will be screened in Yerevan. The
film tells about an Armenian young man, to be more exact about one
of the most painful issues in Armenia – emigration.

The film has already been presented at a festival. On February 14
the international festival in San Francisco started with the “Path”
film. October 30 it will be presented at a festival in Brazil. It
will certainly participate also in the Armenian “Golden Apricot.”

The director of the film noted, however, that the festivals are not the
most important. People’s reception and evaluation is more important.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIA FINDS AIRBUS ‘BLACK BOX’

BBC NEWS:
europe/5007700.stm
2006/05/23 09:48:25 GMT

A Russian search team has recovered the cockpit voice recorder from an
Armenian airliner that crashed into the Black Sea on 3 May, killing
113 people.

The “black box” had been lying in a thick layer of silt on the seabed,
at a depth of about 500m (1,640ft).

Investigators hope it will help explain why the Armavia Airbus A320
plunged into the sea. The crash happened in bad weather as the jet
approached Sochi.

The “black box” was damaged by the impact, Russian officials said.

A search continues for the flight data recorder. A signal has been
received from it and there are hopes it will be recovered in the
coming hours.

The A320 crashed at about 0215 (2215 GMT) on 3 May as it made a second
attempt to land at an airport near Sochi, a Russian resort town.

It was initially refused permission to land because of poor weather.

Most of the passengers were Armenian, but there were also 26 Russian
nationals. Among those on board were eight crew and six children.

Armavia, the airline which owned the plane, says that it was in good
condition and that the crew were experienced.

The Airbus was manufactured in 1995 and underwent checks last month.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.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 WELCOMES THE ELECTION OF A NEW REPRESENTATIVE
FOR THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF CYPRUS

Parliamentary elections in Cyprus on May 21 led to the election of a new
representative of the Cypriot Armenian community in the country’s
parliament.

Archbishop Varoujan Hergelian, Catholicosal Vicar to Cyprus, held a phone
conversation with the Pontiff on the evening of May 21 and informed him that
Vartkes Mahdessian has been elected as the new representative of the
Armenian community in the Cypriot parliament. The newly elected MP then
called the Catholicos himself, assuring him of his readiness to serve the
Armenian community of Cyprus.

His Holiness welcomed the election of Mahdessian, granted his pontifical
blessings and advice to the MP. Aram I stressed the importance of
strengthening the integrity and unity of the Armenian community of Cyprus,
encouraging cooperation between its structures, gathering Armenians around
the church and pursuing the interests of the community with the government.

##
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