Author: Emil Lazarian

PRESS RELEASE
Hamazkaine Armenian Educational
& Cultural Society- ‘Sevan’ Chapter
682 Cabramatta Road Bonnyrigg,
NSW, AUSTRALIA 2177
Contact: Giragos Bakalian
Tel: 61 414 951 301
Fax: 61 2 9837 7379
Email: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
Australia to Send 42 Dancers to Armenia
Sydney, Australia – The Hamazkaine Armenian Sevan Dance Ensemble will
be sending 42 of its senior dancers from Australia on the 20th June
2006 in an unprecedented tri-nations tour to participate in the
official Armenian Cultural Festival performances in Armenia and
Artsakh between the 25th and 30th of June 2006 and on return will go
on to perform at dedicated concerts in Lebanon and Syria.
This is a momentous occasion for all Australian-Armenians primarily
because an Australian Armenian group has never before performed in
Armenia, Lebanon or Syria. Being the first Australian group to do so
will no doubt pave the way for more Australian-Armenian cultural
groups to follow suit – strengthening the growing bond between the
Armenian Diaspora and their Motherland. The 42 dancers eager and
enthused to perform in front of fellow compatriots in Armenia, Lebanon
and Syria will be accompanied by 7 officials, including organisers and
their dance instructor, and 24 supporters during their 3 week long
tour.
The Sevan Dance Ensemble, established in 2003 has come a long way in
the past three years, staging numerous performances including guest
appearances at several Australian cultural dance festivals, two
devoted annual concerts and performing at Ara Gevorgian’s – ‘Meg Azk,
Meg Joghovoort, Meg Hayrenik’ April 2006 concert organised by the
Hamazkaine ‘Sevan’ Chapter of Western Sydney- which happened to be the
largest Armenian concert ever held in the Asia Pacific.
The Australian-Armenian community is very proud of its youth, its
energetic organisations and the support of each and every Armenian in
Australia. The Hamazkaine Sevan Dance Ensemble’s tri-nations
performance tour is just proof of the promising future the blossoming
Armenian community in Australia.
Hamazkaine ‘Sevan’ Chapter
Sydney, Australia
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, June 8, 2006
Contact: Maral Habeshian
ANCA-WR among Exclusive California Leadership Honoring Mexican
President
LOS ANGELES, California–The Armenian National Committee of America –
Western Region (ANCA – WR) was among a select group of civic and
business leaders at a dinner hosted by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa to honor Mexican President Vicente Fox.
ANCA – WR Chairman Steven Dadaian attended the May 26 event at the
Getty Center Museum, and had a chance to brief President Fox about
Armenian Genocide recognition efforts, and urge the President to
consider passing such legislation in Mexico.
President Fox, who was on a four-day trip through Utah, Washington and
California, repeatedly said that Mexico must regulate the migration of
its citizens to the U.S. and must bolster its economy so would-be
migrants no longer see leaving as an economic necessity.
In his remarks during the dinner, Mayor Villaraigosa lamented what he
called `so much heat and so little light illuminating the debate over
the relationship between our two countries.’ Addressing the economic
ties between the two countries, the mayor said, `Our economy is driven
by the labor of Mexican immigrants.’
The ANCA is the largest and most influential Armenian American
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United
States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA
actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a
broad range of issues.

BRYZA: “TRANS CASPIAN GAS TRANSPORTATION BY COMPETITION IS REMARKABLE”
Today, Azerbaijan
June 7 2006
“Trans Caspian gas transportation by competition is possible and
remarkable,” Matthew Bryza, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for European
and Eurasian Affairs, has told in his speech to the media.
According to APA, Mr. Bryza has stated that Azerbaijan must reach
maximum gas production by 2012 to have the share in the market. As
to intention of Caspian countries to construction of Trans Caspian
pipeline, the US diplomat has stated that it is up to countries in
the region.
“Countries decide what they should do through negotiations. We
believe that if Caspian countries decide to have common pipeline,
they may do it.”
Touching Nagorno Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan,
Mr. Bryza expressed he was opposing talks to be delayed for next year.
“Political situation in Armenia is going to be complicated next year.
Robert Kocharyan and Ilham Aliyev have done great at the table of
negotiations” he said.
URL:

RECURRENT ECHELON WITH RUSSIAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT TO HEAD FOR ARMENIA TOMORROW
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 16:18 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On Thursday an autocade of 20 units of
wheeled equipment will leave Akhalkalaki (Georgia) to Gyumri
(Armenia). Besides, 40 units of wheeled equipment will be sent to
Gyumri in a railway echelon from Batumi, informed deputy commander of
the Russian troops in the Transcaucasus, Colonel Kuparadze, reported
Russian Peacekeeper online edition.

AREN’T MOSCOW LAW ENFORCEMENT BODIES UNAWARE OF ATTACK OF ARMENIAN FAMILY?
By Aghavni Harutyunian
AZG Armenian Daily
08/06/2006
Azg informed in its June 6 issue that several dozens of scoundrels
attacked the family of rector Ernest Grigorian, professor of social
sciences, in one of Moscow boroughs. We stated that the city police
was informed about the case, while the Grigorian family was going to
apply to the court.
Yesterday, Regnum agency stated that the information departments of
the Moscow Region’s Police and he Moscow Municipal Police informed
that there are no facts grounding the above information and not a
single complaint on the case was submitted to the police departments.
It’s worth mentioning that at the request of daily Azg the Union of
Armenians of Russia confirmed that the incident really took place,
adding that the Union controls the situation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

‘ONE NATION, ONE CULTURE’ FESTIVAL TO LAUNCH WITH A GREATER GEOGRAPHY
By Gohar Gevorgian
AZG Armenian Daily
08/06/2006
“One Nation, One Culture” festival of the Culture and Youth Affairs
Ministry and One Nation and One Culture Fund will open at the Sport and
Concert Complex on June 23 and will last till June 30. The government
has assigned 117 million AMD for this year’s festival, executive
director of One Nation, One Culture Fund Tamar Poghosian said.
Members of festivals preparatory committee told yesterday’s press
conference that geography of the festival has widened and also the
number of participants has increased. According to RA president’s
aide Vigen Sargsian, last year’s festival drew 1.500 participants
from Armenia and Artsakh but this year the number of participants
from foreign countries alone is one thousand. There will be guest from
Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Syria, Lebanon, Bulgaria and France. The state
will cover travel expenses only of guests from Artsakh and Javakhk,
Mrs. Poghosian.
The program of the festival uniting Armenia and the Diaspora as well as
diverse Armenian communities with each other will include such spheres
of culture as theatre, fine arts, dancing, literature and folk art.
Armen Manukian is the art director of the festival and Hrachya
Ashughian and Lusine Martirosian are the stage directors of the
opening and closing ceremonies.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AIRPORT “ZVARTNOTS” WILL WORK ROUND-THE-CLOCK
A1+
[07:29 pm] 07 June, 2006
Since July 2 the runway of airport “Zvartnots” will work
round-the-clock. Because of the reconstruction work on the runway all
the flights used to be carried out in the evening. The management of
the airport informed today that 27.000 tons of asphalt has been used
in order to change the asphalt layer of the runway.
Director of “International Airport ‘Armenia'” CJSC Juan Pablo Gechijyan
himself briefed the journalists on the course of the works carried
out in the airport.
“The opening of the departure room of the new complex will take place
in September of the current year, and the waiting room will be opened
in about a year,” he informed.
Juan Pablo Gechijyan refused to say how much money had been invested
into the construction of the new complex and reminded, “According to
the agreement we are not supposed to make large investments. The only
thing we have to do is to have an airport meeting all the international
standards”. According to him, the new complex will be able to serve
2 million people annually instead of 1.2 million.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA TO BECOME 17th COUNTRY TO JOIN INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS AND PARLIAMENT
Noyan Tapan
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The opening ceremony of the Armenian
Office of the International Association of Business and Parliament
(IABP) will take place at the Golden Tulip Hotel (the Yerevan Hotel)
late June 7. The association was founded in Great Britain in the
late 1970s and later became an international organization. Armenia is
the 17th country to join it. A coordination board has been set up in
Armenia by a group of former businessmen, currently National Assembly
deputies representing all political forces. The Europarliament’s Vice
Chairman for Relations with National Parliaments Edward McMillan-Scott,
the Secretary General of the International Association of Business
and Parliament Frederick Hyde-Chambers, and the RA NA Vice Speaker,
ARF Bureau member Vahan Hovhannisian who has initiated Armenia’s
joining the IABP met with reporters in the NA earlier on the same day.
According to V. Hovhannisian, the association aims to build a strong
bridge connecting various parliaments and the business world so that
all legislative reforms can serve the purpose of economic development
of a country. He said the association will seek to promote development
of small and medium business in Armenia. The IABP is not a lobbyist
organization, it will work out programs and provide appropriate
information to any deputy not included in the coordination board. The
deputies to participate in the development of programs “will not have
the right to use the information available to them for an improper
purpose, but this information will allow them to understand the laws
prepared by the government, to improve these laws and make useful
proposals.”
The European officials in their turn welcomed the fact of Armenia’s
joining the association, attaching special importance to it in terms
of developing the appropriate legislation to form the basis of the
country’s economic progress. The IABP Secretary General expressed
a wilingness to provide the Armenian Office staff with the maximum
possible assistance. In his words, it is his 6th visit to Armenia, and
he was pleasantly surprised by the knowledge, skills and capabilities
of the Armenians, so he can state confidently that Armenia will
successfully overcome the transitional period.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PLENARY SESSION OF BSEC PA STARTS IN YEREVAN
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The plenary session
of 27th convention of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (BSEC PA) started at the Parliament of Armenia
on June 7. As Tigran Torosian, the newly elected Chairman presiding
at the session informed, parliamentary delegations from all the BSEC
member-states, excluding recently separated Serbia and Chernogoria,
participate in work of the plenary session in Yerevan.
Parliamentarians from 12 countries, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine,
Serbia and Chernogoria, were involved in the BSEC PA up to the recent
times. As a result of separation of Serbia amd Chernogoria the number
of BSEC PA member-countries reached 13. Armenia, which has presided
at the organization during the last half year, will pass at the end
of the sitting its commission to the country next by alphabit order,
Azerbaijan, representatives of the Parliament of which also participate
in the Yerevan sitting.
As Tigran Torosian mentioned in his speech, the BSEC PA widens
its activity year by year, becoming a most important factor for the
political and economic stability in the region. “I’m sure that economic
cooperation among countries of the region, openness and accesability
of transport communications may create an atmosphere of trust, such
necessary for solution of the most important problems of the region,”
Torosian mentioned.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THIS YEAR GOVERNMENT ALLOCATES ABOUT 120 THOUSAND USD FOR GOLDEN APRICOT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “The Golden Apricot
(Voske Tsiran) international film festival has already become the
component of the Armenian culture. It is not important at all who is
the festival’s founder, the state or an individual. The only thing
which is important is that the festival exists and moves forward
with proud steps,” Karine Khodikian, RA Deputy Minister of Culture
and Youth Affairs, declared at the June 7 press conference.
According to her, RA government and Ministry of Culture estimate and
attach importance to this festival exending year by year.
According to K.Khodikian, in this circumstance the state is only a
financial partner. “The best assistance of the Ministry of Culture
is financial, the amount of which increases year by year.” The Deputy
Minister informed that in the first year the state had allocated only
3 mln drams for the festival, in the second year it became 25 mln
and in 2006 doubled and became 50 mln drams (about 118 thousand USD).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress