Author: Emil Lazarian

POWERLESS PROCLAMATIONS GET ATTENTION, TOO
By David Abrams, Staff Writer

Annapolis Capital, MD
April 5 2006

Macedonia might be independent, but it’s still Greek. The Lewis and
Clark Trail should be expanded. And Maryland should have a Coretta
Scott King Day.

Such are the proclamations sought by lawmakers in Annapolis. With
just five days remaining in this year’s legislative session, the
General Assembly is considering 26 joint resolutions that weigh in
on all kinds of national and international topics spanning thousands
of miles and several decades.

Del. David Boschert, R-Crownsville, who withdrew a proposed resolution
calling for docking the USS Forrestal CVA-59 World Super Aircraft
Carrier in Dundalk as a museum, said the measures are a show of
support – like writing a letter.

“It kind of says, ‘What we think you’re trying to do is right, and
we’re behind you,'” Mr. Boschert said. He withdrew his measure while
boosters of the carrier project look for a suitable site to keep the
1,000-foot-plus vessel.

Fully loaded, the carrier weighs about 80,000 tons, has a nearly
4-acre flight deck and has three 45-ton rudders. City Dock in Annapolis
would probably be a tight squeeze.

All of these resolutions are a way for lawmakers to show they are in
touch with things their constituents hold dear, said Dan

Nataf, director of Anne Arundel Community College’s Center for the
Study of Local Issues.

“They are kind of amusing,” he said when read some of the
resolutions. “Some things seem to be just pandering to a constituency,
but they seem innocuous.”

House Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Annapolis, said some resolutions
are appropriate, but others are a bit questionable. For instance, he
supports a resolution pending this year calling for federal funding
of Chesapeake Bay cleanup, but remembers one in 2001 commemorating
Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide that got a little bit
out of control.

“It was almost hand-to-hand combat at a hearing over a matter we had
no bearing on,” he said.

“It was conducting foreign policy from the State House,” remembered
House Minority Whip Anthony J. O’Donnell, R-Calvert.

Of course, the General Assembly hasn’t cornered the market on issuing
such edicts. City and county councils have been known to weigh in on
matters of national security and war and peace.

But the legislature does have to deal with very serious issues like
Medicaid, taxes, electricity rates and abortion as well.

“The only question is, would they be doing themselves a favor by
concentrating on other things?” Mr. Nataf said.

Senate Republicans withdrew a resolution calling on Congress to
quickly confirm Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., because
he was confirmed before the resolution made it out of committee.

Lawmakers said the resolutions don’t take up much time.

Del. Ted Sophocleus, D-Linthicum, sponsored the resolution saying that
Macedonians are still Greek. The “Republic of Macedonia” declared
independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, and Greece protested its name
because a word intrinsically Greek shouldn’t be used for a foreign
country.

Unfortunately, the international dispute will have to remain
unresolved in Annapolis. The bill died in the House Rules Committee,
and Mr. Sophocleus, who is of Greek extraction, said he’ll be back
next year with the resolution.

The bill making April 27 Coretta Scott King Day passed the Senate
unanimously, and is in the House. It has to pass by Tuesday to go to
the governor’s desk. It honors the widow of the famous civil rights
leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“In her own right, she’s done a lot,” said Sen. John C. Astle,
D-Annapolis.

The resolution supporting expansion of the Lewis and Clark Trail all
the way to the East Coast has also passed the Senate.

The 3,700-mile trail extends from the West Coast through 11 states,
including Oregon, all the way to Hartford, Ill. There are only four
more states to go for the trail to reach the Atlantic.

There is a faint connection between Maryland and the trail. In 1803,
Lewis started out from Washington, D.C. Clark later joined him
in Indiana.

Mr. Nataf was a little baffled by that resolution.

“I don’t even know where to find it,” he said. “Maybe it’s out in
Oregon somewhere.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GAS PRICE CAUSED FERTILIZER INCREASE

A1+
[04:45 pm] 06 April, 2006

The impact of the gas price increase on the RA agriculture is already
evident. The price of the necessary fertilizer improved mainly from
Georgia, Russia and Ukraine has gone up.

“The increase is unprecedented,” the Chief of the Plant Cultivation,
Forest and Plant Protection Board of the RA Ministry of Agriculture
Garnik Petrosyan announced while speaking of the nitrogen fertilizer
high price. As a result of this increase the price of one fertilizer
bag may become from 5000 – 5200 AMD and even more. Taking into account
the financial state of the Armenian peasants the Government decided to
subsidize the fertilizer importers so that the imported and increased
fertilizer is sold in the Armenian market with the prices of last
year. The process of subsidization was realized at the expense of 294
million AMD. As a result, the fertilizer will be sold to the farmers
with the former price – 74 thousand AMD per a ton.

The observations of the Agricultural Ministry revealed that
the-quantity of autumn sowing in 2005 decreased about 20 – 24 thousand
acres in comparison with the previous year. This is determined by the
vacillation of grain prices as a result of which the peasant either
had a little income from the cultivated land or a loss at the end of
the year.

“There seems to be certain stabilization in the market,” says
Mr. Petrosyan who foresees that, willingly or unwillingly, there will
be procurement price increases by Russia and Ukraine. In order to
soften the effects of the increase the works of spring sowing have
already started in the Republic. The survey of the Ministry revealed
that the lands of spring grain cultivation will increase by 15 thousand
acres in comparison with the previous year.

The lands of corn cultivation outnumber the quantity of the previous
year in all marzes of the country. By the way, yesterday many lands
lay under snow because of the snowstorm, but according to the Ministry
there aren’t cases of freezing so far. The Ministry is concerned with
the coming overflowing which is foreseen in April and May. But the
Ministry takes measures to combat it.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA WILL BE GIVEN TENDENCIES

A1+
[07:11 pm] 06 April, 2006

“There is not a free tendency,” this answer can be given without
turning to the National Commission on TV and Radio and the Minister
of Transportation and Communication. “According to the frequency of
program broadcast foreseen in the RA the 63rd decimetre tendency is
given to the National Commission on TV and Radio and it is within
its liabilities to give further TV tendency licences,” this is a
quotation from the Prime Minister’s letter to the answer of “Melteks”
LTD president’s application. The letter was written on April 14,
2004, but the National Commission on TV and Radio President Grigor
Amalyan declared for a few times that the broadcasting licence is to
be given by the Ministry of Transportation and Communication.

Today the 33rd, 43rd, 53rd and 54th tendencies are free. Mr. Amalyan
may be unaware of this? “By the way, the National Commission on
TV and Radio annually makes the whole list of TV tendencies public
if necessary.”

Does anybody remember when they last did it? The National Commission
on TV and Radio published only the current TV channels tendency list.

There is no free tendency. But they could simply say that the
tendencies from 64 to 69 are free. Maybe they leave them for themselves
and will declare a contest if necessary. The tendency distribution is
implemented by the International Union of Telecommunication. It is also
mentioned in the Prime Minister’s letter that “We foresee to work out a
project of regional decimetre broadcasts in the tendencies of 174 – 230
MHz and 470 – 862 MHz in May 2004.” Decimal broadcast will allow a few
TV channels to work in the same tendency without hindering one another.

Those tendencies will be distributed in the Regional Radio
Communication Conference which will be held on May 15. “A1+” was
informed about it by the Head of the Radio Communication Office of the
International Union of Telecommunication Valeri Timofejev. “Armenia
will participate in the conference.” We wonder what the Ministry of
Transportation and Communication will say after the Regional Conference
when the fact that Armenia is given tendencies will become apparent.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

100 MILLION USD FOR THE ORGANISATION FAIR ELECTIONS

A1+
[07:32 pm] 06 April, 2006

The assistant of the police station head Ararat Mahtesyan brought
examples from the new Government resolution trying to prove that the
coming elections will be fair in Armenia due to their institution. By
using the word “fair” Mr. Mahtesyan meant only one thing; the lists of
electorals will be checked and corrected, the names of dead, prisoners
and people without registration won’t be included. The law violators
cannot vote instead of them.

The precedent of fair elections was as follows. The police will arm
all the passport and visa departments, will create a mechanism of
information exchange by means of computer and will make an accurate
list of residents. Then they will type the lists of electorals.

According to the new decision the police already know the addresses
of all responsible people who will be punished for not informing them
the data of dead, prisoners and absentees in time.

The program is worked out with the Ministry of Transportation and
Communication. Mahtesyan promised to invite the parties and journalists
to get acquainted with program in 3 months’ time. Mahtesyan said
that the project was valued 100 million AMD by the Executive Body
and concluded, “The Government intends to hold fair elections.”

Ararat Mahtesyan did not spoke about the tense criminal situation in
the country and the recent assaults. He only said, “Your question must
be answered by the person promising to divulge them within a month.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DEPUTY OF OPPOSITIONAL BLOC CHARGED CUSTOM SERVICE OF RA WITH LARGE-SCALE EMBEZZLEMENT AND EXTORTION

Yerevan, April 6. ArmInfo. At today’s press-conference in the
Armenia’s Parliament, the deputy of the “Justice” oppositional bloc
Tatul Manaseryan charged the country’s Custom Service with large-scale
embezzlement and extortion.

He mentioned, particularly, that according to the Custom Service data,
the volumes of petrol import to Armenia have reduced twice since 1998,
while a number automobiles in the republic increased twice and petrol
limits for state officers – 2,5 times for the same period. Manaseryan
assured that the state budget did not count up about $55 mln as
a result of machinations of custom officials in the sphere petrol
import. However, Manaseryan did not indicated the dynamics in the
import of a liquefied gas which has lately become too popular at the
Armenian drivers.

Tatul Manaseryan especially noted the custom officials actions related
to the coffee importers, having characterized it as a demonstration of
the officials’ arbitrariness. According to him, the “Royal Armenia”
Company had to pay dues which double exceed the custom fees from the
Company’s competitors for the same product, as a result of refusal
to pay bribe to the Custom Service. Manaseryan called illegal the
preliminary confinement of the director of “Royal Armenia” Gagik
Akopyan and the deputy director Aram Kazaryan in the National Security
Service (NSS), having emphasized that groundlessness of accusations
of A. Kazaryan in organizing attempts at the Custom Service Head was
proved. Manaseryan addressed to the Armenia’s Prosecutor General, the
Service of Presidential Control and the Parliament’s Control Palace
with a letter of inquiry. “If no answer follows, I intend to address
to the National Security Service with a letter”, Manaseryan said.

According to the deputy, the “Transparency International” fixed
growth of bribes in Armenia, especially among custom officers, tax
officers and the judicial authority representatives. Calculations
of the World Bank experts certify that 46 drams from each 100 drams,
paid to the custom Service by the Armenian importers and exporters,
are a bribe. As a whole, the damage from the Custom Service abuses
is estimated of 1,5% of GDP in Armenia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA CEDES CONTROL OF PIPELINE TO GAZPROM

Bloomberg News, The Associated Press
Thursday, April 6, 2006

MOSCOW Gazprom said Thursday that it had signed a 25-year agreement
with the former Soviet republic of Armenia that includes provisions
granting the Russian natural gas giant control of part of an
Armenian-Iranian natural gas pipeline and a power-generating unit at
the Razdan-5 electric plant.

The agreement also obliges Armenia to give Gazprom’s Armenian joint
venture ownership rights to the 197-kilometer, or 122-mile, stretch
of the pipeline to Iran, which has yet to be built, as well as the
right to export electricity produced at the Razdan-5 power plant.

The agreement sets a price for Armenia of $110 per 1,000 cubic meters
of natural gas until Jan. 1, 2009, according to a Gazprom statement.

Opposition politicians in Armenia have already expressed concern
over Russia’s control of the small country’s energy infrastructure,
an impact that the new deal will magnify.

Gazprom has sharply raised prices recently for Ukraine, Georgia
and Moldova.

It argues that it is merely ending subsidies to former Soviet republics
and bringing the rates closer to market prices, but critics say the
Kremlin is using Russia’s energy wealth as a political weapon.

A top Gazprom executive this week called for the tripling of prices
in Belarus, the last former Soviet republic to pay significantly
below-market prices for Russian natural gas.

Armenia is Russia’s chief ally in the strategic Caucasus Mountain
region, partly because it is host to a Russian military base. Moscow
already largely controls the Razdan-5 plant, the country’s main
electricity producer, which it received in 2003 as a debt payment,
and Armenia is wholly dependent on Russia for natural gas supplies. $@

Norwegians lift U.K. supply

Statoil and Norsk Hydro, the two largest oil companies in Norway,
booked more space on a new pipeline from Norway that could meet about
20 percent of Britain’s demand for natural gas, a top executive at
the pipeline’s operator said, Bloomberg News reported from London.

The pipeline will connect North Sea gas fields to Easington on
England’s eastern coast. It is to start delivering gas from existing
fields in October and a year later connect to Ormen Lange, a new gas
field operated by Norsk Hydro.

“The owners of the pipeline have booked the capacity for a good many
years in a way that there will be good utilization of capacity,” said
Thor Otto Lohne, a senior vice president at the Norwegian pipeline
operator Gasso.

At 1,200 kilometers, Ormen Lange will be the world’s largest undersea
pipeline, capable of shipping 70 million cubic meters of natural gas
a day. The entire Ormen Lange project, named after a ship owned by
the Viking king Olav Tryggvason, includes an onshore processing plant.

Britain, the European Union’s biggest user of natural gas, is
increasingly dependent on imports and stored supplies as supplies in
the North Sea dwindle.

MOSCOW Gazprom said Thursday that it had signed a 25-year agreement
with the former Soviet republic of Armenia that includes provisions
granting the Russian natural gas giant control of part of an
Armenian-Iranian natural gas pipeline and a power-generating unit at
the Razdan-5 electric plant.

The agreement also obliges Armenia to give Gazprom’s Armenian joint
venture ownership rights to the 197-kilometer, or 122-mile, stretch
of the pipeline to Iran, which has yet to be built, as well as the
right to export electricity produced at the Razdan-5 power plant.

The agreement sets a price for Armenia of $110 per 1,000 cubic meters
of natural gas until Jan. 1, 2009, according to a Gazprom statement.

Opposition politicians in Armenia have already expressed concern
over Russia’s control of the small country’s energy infrastructure,
an impact that the new deal will magnify.

Gazprom has sharply raised prices recently for Ukraine, Georgia
and Moldova.

It argues that it is merely ending subsidies to former Soviet republics
and bringing the rates closer to market prices, but critics say the
Kremlin is using Russia’s energy wealth as a political weapon.

A top Gazprom executive this week called for the tripling of prices
in Belarus, the last former Soviet republic to pay significantly
below-market prices for Russian natural gas.

Armenia is Russia’s chief ally in the strategic Caucasus Mountain
region, partly because it is host to a Russian military base. Moscow
already largely controls the Razdan-5 plant, the country’s main
electricity producer, which it received in 2003 as a debt payment,
and Armenia is wholly dependent on Russia for natural gas supplies. $@

Norwegians lift U.K. supply

Statoil and Norsk Hydro, the two largest oil companies in Norway,
booked more space on a new pipeline from Norway that could meet about
20 percent of Britain’s demand for natural gas, a top executive at
the pipeline’s operator said, Bloomberg News reported from London.

The pipeline will connect North Sea gas fields to Easington on
England’s eastern coast. It is to start delivering gas from existing
fields in October and a year later connect to Ormen Lange, a new gas
field operated by Norsk Hydro.

“The owners of the pipeline have booked the capacity for a good many
years in a way that there will be good utilization of capacity,” said
Thor Otto Lohne, a senior vice president at the Norwegian pipeline
operator Gasso.

At 1,200 kilometers, Ormen Lange will be the world’s largest undersea
pipeline, capable of shipping 70 million cubic meters of natural gas
a day. The entire Ormen Lange project, named after a ship owned by
the Viking king Olav Tryggvason, includes an onshore processing plant.

Britain, the European Union’s biggest user of natural gas, is
increasingly dependent on imports and stored supplies as supplies in
the North Sea dwindle.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Thirty U.S. Representatives Urge PBS Not To Provide Platform For Armenian Genocide Deniers

Yerkir
06.04.2006 18:06

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) was joined by Rep. George
Radanovich (R-CA), Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank
Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), and a bipartisan group of
twenty-six U.S.

Representatives in urging the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) not
to provide a broadcast platform for deniers of the Armenian Genocide,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In an April 3rd letter, addressed to PBS Chief Operating Officer Wayne
Godwin, the House Members addressed the growing controversy surrounding
plans by PBS to broadcast a panel discussion including known Armenian
Genocide deniers Justin McCarthy and Omer Turan following the airing
this April of the documentary “The Armenian Genocide,” produced by
Andrew Goldberg. The ANCA has formally protested PBS’s decision, and
established an online WebFax program through which close to 10,000
individuals have already registered their protests.

“We want to thank Representatives Schiff, Radanovich, Pallone,
and Knollenberg for their leadership in giving voice to the growing
Congressional opposition to PBS’s deeply flawed decision to provide
public airtime to deniers of the Armenian Genocide,” said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA PUTS PRISONERS TO WORK PRODUCING CRAFTS FOR SALE
Avet Demourian

AP Worldstream
Apr 06, 2006

The men in simple black turtlenecks bend low over the workshop tables,
intently carving key chains, model ships, even an elaborate walnut
backgammon set in the pale light of an Armenian prison workshop.

These and other handicrafts will go on sale at the Prison Arts kiosk
at a weekend market in the center of the capital, Yerevan _ part of
a new program to occupy inmates’ time.

“Earlier it was their cellmates who ordered them around and forced them
to make this or that object,” said Tigran Navarsardian, the director
of the Erebuni prison in Yerevan. “Now they work for themselves and
are legally protected.”

The program is the brainchild of Justice Minister David Arutyunian
and the director of the ministry’s prison reform program, Nikolai
Arustamian.

“(The inmate) is occupied, he creates and gets satisfaction from this,”
Arutyunian said. “For many the financial aspect is secondary.”

The prisoners craft watches, religious medallions, woven wall hangings,
slippers and leather cases for mobile phones or keys, all of which are
affixed with labels in Armenian and English identifying the craftsman
and describing what materials were used. The label does not indicate
the sentence the artisan is serving and for what crime.

_ but the inmates eagerly volunteer that information.

“I’ve been ‘inside’ since I was 16,” said 34-year-old Fyodor
Matriashin, serving his sixth sentence for robbery. “I began making
wooden boxes when I first arrived, but if I used to give them away,
now I’m paid for them.”

Armenia’s 13 penitentiaries, home to some 3,000 inmates, had some
sort of manufacturing department during Soviet times, but over the
past decade and a half they have closed production and most of their
equipment has been carted away.

Today, a prisoners’ advocacy group called the Assistance to the
Prisoner Fund is trying to revive the manufacture of ceramics
and bricks at Erebuni, a special prison for repeat offenders. It
already has provided clothing for prisoners, cut and sewn in the
penitentiaries.

But it is the small craft workshops _ which at least in the case
of Erebuni, had no guards supervising inmates _ that seem to give
prisoners the greatest satisfaction.

“Just about everyone in the prison uses my cigarette-holders,” said
Abel Pogosian, a 32-year-old serving his five sentence for assault
who spends his days carving bone-and-metal cylinders.

“Now maybe someone on the outside will like them, too.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

APRIL 6, 2006

PRELATE’S EASTER MESSAGE ASKS THE FAITHFUL TO
“LISTEN, BREAK BREAD, PROCLAIM”
In his annual Easter Message to the Faithful, His Eminence Archbishop
Oshagan, advises the Faithful to “Listen, Break Bread, Proclaim.”
His Eminence describes the journey of the two disciples on the road to
Emmaus who meet a “stranger” and thus become the first witnesses to see the
resurrected Christ and the first bearers of good news announcing the
Resurrection of the Son of God.
The Prelate describes our duty to “Listen to the Prophetic Words,” to
“Break Bread with Christ,” and “Proclaim the Resurrection of Christ.”
“During these days when we live with the mystery of Christ’s
Resurrection, let us all become travelers to Emmaus, meet Christ through our
faith, listen and follow his teachings, and together become communicants to
His sacrifice and be witnesses and preachers to His miraculous
resurrection.”
To read the entire message in English click

To read the entire message in Armenian click
MessageArm.pdf

FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE HOLY VIRGIN MARY
Tomorrow, April 7 is the Feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary,
which is the celebration of the announcement of the archangel Gabriel to the
Virgin Mary that she will bear the Son of God, as recorded in the Gospel
according to Luke (Chapter 1, verses 26 to 38).

HOLY WEEK BEGINS
In a few days we will be entering the most solemn period of Christendom,
Holy Week, leading up to Christianity’s most joyous period-Easter and the
celebration of the Resurrection.
The week before Easter marks a series of events in the life of Jesus
that were ordained or prophesied. These events include the resurrection of
Lazarus and the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, which we
commemorate on Palm Sunday (Tzaghkazard). Jesus entered Jerusalem on a
donkey, as described centuries earlier by the prophet Zechariah. A large
enthusiastic crowd greeted him with olive and palm branches and with the
words, “Hosanna! Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.” (John
12:13)
On Palm Sunday the altar curtain, which was closed at the beginning of
Lent, is opened. The palms are blessed and distributed to the faithful. The
traditional procession of young boys and girls carrying decorated candles is
an impressive sight as the long procession of happy children in their best
clothing parade around the church.
On the evening of Palm Sunday the faithful gather at the door for the
Service of the Opening of the Doors (Drnbatsek), symbolizing the opening of
the doors to the kingdom of God. The priest kneels before the doors and
says, “Open to us Lord, the door of mercy.” This service is now held
immediately after the Divine Liturgy on Palm Sunday, rather than in the
evening.
Each day of Holy Week (Avak Shabat) is a holy day. Monday commemorates
the barren fig tree (Matthew 21:18-20). Tuesday commemorates the Ten Virgins
(Matthew 25:13). Wednesday commemorates the Anointment and Betrayal of
Christ. Thursday is Maundy Thursday, which originates from the command of
Christ that His disciples love one another (John 13:34). In the evening the
Washing of the Feet (Votunlva) ceremony takes place in remembrance of the
events of the Last Supper. In late evening the betrayal and torment of
Christ, Tenebrae (Khavaroom), is commemorated. Twelve small candles and one
large candle are placed before the closed altar. Seven chapters are read
from the Gospel, depicting Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal
of Judas, and denial by Peter. Interspersed with the readings, hymns
composed by Nerses Shnorhali are sung. After each reading a candle from each
side is extinguished in the darkened sanctuary.
Good Friday commemorates the death and burial of Jesus and is the most
solemn and sacred day in the Christian calendar. In the Armenian Church
tradition, during evening Vespers a tomb is prepared and decorated with
flowers and candles. It is also a tradition for the faithful to bring
flowers and decorate the tomb throughout the service.

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE
This Sunday, Palm Sunday, Archbishop Oshagan will officiate over
services at St. Stephen Church in Watertown, Massachusetts.
On Holy Thursday, for the Washing of the Feet service and the Vigil, the
Prelate will travel to All Saints Church in Glenview, Illinois.
On Good Friday he will officiate over the burial service at Sourp Hagop
Church, Racine, Wisconsin.
On Easter Eve, His Eminence will officiate at services at Sts.
Vartanantz Church in Ridgefield, New Jersey.
On Easter Sunday the Prelate will officiate at services at St.
Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City.

RETIREMENT LUNCHEON FOR PRELACY STAFF MEMBER
Last Friday, March 31, a retirement luncheon took place at the Prelacy
in honor of Mardirous Minas-Haftvani, who has served as the Prelacy’s
bookkeeper for the past twenty years. The Prelate, the Vicar, and staff
members joined in expressions of thanks and appreciation. In a convivial and
merry atmosphere staff members shared memories while expressing their best
wishes to Mardirous.

LENTEN SERIES CONCLUDES
The final Lenten meditation took place last night, with V. Rev. Fr.
Daniel Garabedian’s focus on the final three stanzas (22 to 24) of St.
Nerses Shnorhali’s, “In Faith I Confess” (Havadov Khosdovanim).
The Lenten programs took place Wednesdays during Lent at St. Illuminator’s
Cathedral, 221 East 27th Street, New York City. The annual Lenten program is
sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) and the Prelacy
Ladies Guild.

PASSING OF DIRAMAYR ROSE VARTOUHY KASSABIAN
We note with sadness the death of Diramayr Rose Vartouhy Kassabian,
mother of Der Vartan Kassabian, pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church
in North Andover, Massachusetts. She was 82 years old, and is survived by
Der Vartan, and a daughter, Ovsanna Kassabian.
Funeral Services took place on Monday, April 3, at Sts. Vartanantz
Church in Providence, Rhode Island, with V. Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian,
Vicar General of the Prelacy, officiating, with the participation of the
clergy from the New England and New York metro areas.
We express our sincere words of condolence to the Kassabian family.

THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE WILL BE SHOWN ON PBS ON APRIL 17
The new PBS documentary, “The Armenian Genocide,” will be shown
nationwide on PBS stations, Monday, April 17, from 10 to 11 pm. Check loyal
listings, as the date and time may vary in some locations.
The powerful documentary was written, directed and produced by Emmy
Award-winner producer Andrew Goldberg of Two Cats Productions, in
association with Oregon Public Broadcasting.
The documentary features interviews with leading experts including
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Samantha Power and New York Times best-selling
author, Peter Balakian. This one-hour documentary includes historical
footage that has not been seen before. The documentary is narrated by
Julianna Margulies and includes narrations by Ed Harris, Natalie Portman,
Laura Linney, and Orlando Bloom, among others.
Filmed in the United States, France, Germany, Belgium, Turkey and Syria,
the program includes discussions with Kurdish and Turkish citizens in
modern-day Turkey who speak openly about the stories told to them by their
parents and grandparents.

2006 GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION AT CITY HALL IN NEW YORK CITY
The City Council of New York together with the Armenian National
Committee of New York, and the Friends of ANC will host the 2006 Genocide
Commemoration at City Hall, on Friday, April 21, 6 to 9 pm. The
commemoration is sponsored by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and City
Council members Melinda Katz and Peter Vallone, Jr. In addition to speakers
there will be a musical presentation and an Armenian Genocide photo and
video exhibit. For details contact the ANC of New York, 718-651-1530.

GATHERING AT TIMES SQUARE
And don’t forget the commemoration at Times Square organized by the
Mid-Atlantic Knights and Daughters of Vartan and co-sponsored by ArmenPac
and with the participation of area Armenian churches and organizations,
Sunday, April 23, beginning at 2 pm. The event is supported by 155 members
of the U.S. Congressional Caucus on Armenian issues. National, state and
local dignitaries will participate as well as scholars and artists. For bus
information: 516-627-6687, 718-777-7765, 201-265-1275.

THE INSPIRING MUSIC OF HOLY WEEK
A very wise person once said, “Those who sing, pray twice.”
The Armenian Church’s hymns of Holy Week, from Christ’s triumphant entry
into Jerusalem to his passion and crucifixion, to his burial and
resurrection, comprise some of the most beautiful and inspiring music ever
created!
Palm Sunday is the first outburst of joy after forty days of Lent and
the hymn “Rejoice, O Holy Church” (Oorakh Ler) expresses the joy of Palm
Sunday. “Rejoice, O Holy Church, at the advent of the Holy Only-begotten,
rejoice and delight with all the saints. Blessed are You, You who came, King
of the universe.”
During the Opening of the Doors ceremony the beautiful hymn “Open for
us, Lord” (Pats Mez Der) is sung at the door of the church or before the
closed altar. “We beseech You, O Lord, open for us, open for us, Lord, the
gate of Your mercy, we beseech You imploringly, O Lord.”
During the Vigil on Maundy Thursday some of most melodious and memorable
hymns are sung including, “My Heart Trembles” (Sird im Sasani); “Seized by
the Love of Money,” (Ardzatsirootyampun Molyal), and the truly beautiful and
haunting “Where Are You, O Mother?” (Oor Es Mayr Im). “Where are you, most
sweet mother? I fervently seek your motherly love. My eyes are filled with
bitter tears; I have no one to wipe them away. Where are you, my mother?”
The Resurrection is musically proclaimed with, “Praise the Lord, O
Jerusalem!” (Kovya Yeroosaghem Uzder). “Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Christ
is risen from the dead, alleluia! Come, O you people, sing unto the Lord,
alleluia! To Him who is risen from the dead, alleluia! To Him that
enlightened the world, alleluia!”

Calendar of Events

April 8-Ladies Guild Annual Bake Sale, 10 a.m., Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church,
Whitinsville, Massachusetts.

April 17-“The Armenian Genocide,” a new documentary will be shown on most
PBS stations. Please check your local listings.

April 21-2006 Genocide commemoration at City Hall, New York City, sponsored
by the New York City Council and the Armenian National Committee of New York
and Friends of ANC. For details, 718-651-1530.

April 23-Commemoration of the 91st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at
Times Square-the crossroads of the world. Organized by the Mid-Atlantic
Knights and Daughters of Vartan, co-sponsored by ArmenPac and with
participation of area Armenian organizations. Featuring Prof. Israel W.
Charny, Andrew Goldberg, Edward Korkoian, Asien Surmeian, Annie Totah, Aram
Hamparian, Curtis Sliwa, and more. More details to follow.

April 29-Presentation by comedian Vahe Berberian at St. Sarkis Church,
Douglaston, New York. For details 718-224-2275.

May 5-Reunion of all students beginning from the 1930s who attended St.
Illuminator Armenian School in New York. Dinner Dance at Terrace on the
Park, Corona, NY. For reservations or information contact the St.
Illuminator’s Day School, 718-478-4073.

May 7-Mothers’ Day celebration at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York.

May 8-Mothers’ Day Luncheon by Prelacy Ladies Guild, St. Regis, New York
City.

May 12-Exhibition of the works of artist Emma Gregoryan at the Prelacy, 138
E. 39th Street, New York City.

May 13-Dinner-Dance organized by the St. Sarkis Church Ping-Pong Club. For
details 718-224-2275.

May 17-19-National Representative Assembly (NRA), hosted by Sts. Vartanantz
Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey.

May 16 and 17-Conference of Yeretzgeens in conjunction with the National
Representative Assembly, hosted by Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New
Jersey.

May 20-Saturday School year end Hantes, St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New
York.

May 21-Sunday School year end Hantes, St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New
York.

Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacy’s web site.

Visit our website at

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia Fund USA, Inc.
152 Madison Avenue, Suite 803
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-5307
Fax: 212-689-5317
E-mail: [email protected]

Charles Aznavour and Baroness Carolyn Cox Support
Armenia Fund USA’s Phonathon 2006, April 27-30, 2006
~A message in your homes from
two great philanthropists and supporters of Armenia~

NEW YORK, New York – Armenia Fund USA (Fund), East Coast Affiliate of
Hayastan Himnadram All-Armenian Fund, is pleased to announce that France’s
most famed singer Charles Aznavour and Baroness Carolyn Cox of the British
House of Lords have given their support to the Fund’s Phonathon 2006 that
will be conducted on April 27th through 30th, 2006. With their messages of
appeal delivered straight to many home phones, the fundraising campaign will
benefit the Agricultural Initiative for Haterk farmers in Mardakert region
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Fund has taken the lead among the 18 worldwide affiliates of Hayastan
Himnadram in the implementation of the Agricultural Initiative of the
larger, more comprehensive “Rebirth of Artsakh” Regional Development
Program. (The other components of the larger program include medical
facilities, auxiliary roads, water distribution projects, education and
housing).

As part of the Fund’s awareness and fundraising campaign, French-Armenian
singer Charles Aznavour and Baroness Caroline Cox of Queensbury, Deputy
Speaker of the British House of Lords, and have given their encouraging
support and endorsement to the recently launched Agricultural Initiative.
The initiative is a three-year, three region development plan designed to
help farmers in Nagorno-Karabakh move from subsistence farming to export
production in order to economically strengthen both themselves as well as to
stabilize the region economically. With these changes, they will move beyond
producing only enough to feed their families – thereby improving their
families’ health; providing for their families’ educational and day-to-day
needs; and increasing their production of quality agricultural goods.

Charles Aznavour, one of France’s most popular singers, songwriters and
actors, is a philanthropist and a well-known supporter of Armenian causes.
He has stood beside the Armenian people since the disastrous earthquake of
1988 and delivered humanitarian aid to the devastated towns and villages in
Armenia. Charles Aznavour has been honored with a statue in Gyumri, Armenia
in recognition of his outstanding humanitarianism towards people of Armenia.
What makes this honor even greater is that it was the first time in Armenia
a statue was erected for an honoree while that person was still alive!

Baroness Caroline Cox – member of the British House of Lords, human rights
advocate, head of Christian Solidarity Worldwide- is also a staunch
supporter of Armenia and Karabakh, having made more than 60 trips there
since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.

The Fund, in cooperation with Hayastan Himnadram’s Yerevan affiliate and the
Nagorno-Karabakh government, will establish Agricultural Development
Associations (ADAs). Starting with Haterk, the ADAs will provide
modern agricultural equipment and technology to farmers who, by becoming
members of the ADA, will have access to discount rates for fertilizers,
seeds, tractors, etc. in order to work the land at affordable rates. The
program’s initial goal is to substantially improve the overall agricultural
productivity of Karabakh farmers; and the ultimate goal is to reduce rural
poverty in the region

During April 27th-30th, Armenia Fund USA with the help of its enthusiastic
group of volunteers – eager to make a difference- will conduct follow-up
calls and take pledges from donors wishing to help the Fund in its efforts
to combat rural poverty in Nagorno-Karabakh. The volunteers will answer
their questions and spread the word about the Agricultural Initiative.
Volunteers participating in Phonathon 2006, especially those who have
visited Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, are very passionate about donating
their time during those 4 days to support the campaign.

If you would like to be part of Phonathon 2006, please call us at
212-689-5307, or e-mail: [email protected]. We need your help!

ABOUT ARMENIA FUND USA: ARMENIA FUND USA, founded in 1992, was one of the
first of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s 18 international affiliates and serves
constituents in all states east of the Mississippi. As a non-profit,
non-governmental, nonsectarian organization, the Fund represents all
Armenian constituents.

Armenia Fund USA is the largest contributor among the 18 international
affiliates – supporting strategic infrastructure projects in Armenia and
Karabakh, and having helped build 138 miles of roads, 100 miles of
waterways, 36 schools, 3 electric transmission networks, 210 residential
buildings and 15 healthcare institutions.

Armenia Fund USA’s Mission is the development of strategic socio-economic
infrastructure in Armenia and Karabakh, focusing on major projects such as
major highways, schools, drinking water to communities and humanitarian
programs in education, training and medical facilities. The Fund has adopted
a policy to go “Beyond Bricks and Mortar” to provide sustainability for
projects it sponsors.

To learn more about Armenia Fund USA, please go to our website at
or call us at 212-689-5307.
Armenia Fund USA, 152 Madison Ave., Suite 803, New York, NY 10016

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress