Author: Emil Lazarian

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

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:
THE AMBASSADOR OF NORWAY VISITS ANTELIAS
His Holiness Aram I received the Ambassador of Norway to Lebanon and Syria
in his office in Antelias on May 22. The Catholicos and the Ambassador
discussed the situation in the Middle East, the Syrian-Lebanese relations
and the Christian-Muslim dialogue. The Pontiff in particular expressed some
concerns related to the dialogue.
The talks also included discussions on Turkey’s accession to the EU and the
current efforts in the pursuit of the Armenian Cause.
The Ambassador has been appointed by his government as a representative of
Norway in issues related to the Middle East and the peace process in
particular.
##
View the photo here: tm#2
****
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.

RA PRESIDENT CONSIDERS RELATIONS WITH NATO WITHIN FRAMEWORK OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION POLICY OF ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 23 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 23, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Issues relating
to NATO-Armenia cooperation were discussed at RA President Robert
Kocharian’s May 23 meeting with Special Representative of NATO
Secretary General on South Caucasian Issues Robert Simmons. Positively
estimating the process of the Armenian Individual Partnership
Actions Plan with NATO, Robert Simmons mentioned that considerable
progress was registered in the issue of fulfilment of the program’s
provisions in a short time. In this context they attached importance
to implementation of the respective reforms in the country’s defence
system and to strengthening of democracy. Considering relations with
NATO within the framework of Armenia’s European integration policy,
the President said that an interdepartmental commission has been formed
lately for the purpose of confronting the work with different European
structures and for moving forward in a more systematized way. The
commission will periodically inform the President of the process of
actions in this direction. “Our goal is not to lag behind the planned
work, on the contrary, to move forward at quicker rates and to fully
implement the joint programs,” Robert Kocharian stressed. As Noyan
Tapan was informed from RA President’s Press Service, Robert Kocharian
in general outline also touched upon the recent developments in the
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ACCORDING TO SHAVARSH KOCHARIAN, NA REGULATIONS NOT CORRESPOND WITH INNERPOLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
Noyan Tapan
May 23 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The regulations of the Parliament of
Armenia do not correspond with those situations which may be created
in Armenia.
Shavarsh Kocharian, the Chairman of the National Democratic Party
made such a statement at the May 22 sitting of the Parliament. The
Deputy considered natural the circumstance that the NA Speaker’s
resignation but not the agenda of the sitting was being discussed
at the Parliament. “If the second figure of the country resigns,
presenting very serious accusations to the NA in the sense that
anti-democratic laws were adopted, then in this case not to have
an opportunity to discuss means that the regulations have only one
function: not to allow that political forces are able to hold a normal
discussion in similar situations,” Shavarsh Kocharian emphasized. To
recap, the NA regulations do not envisage discussion of the Parliament
Speaker’s resignation, and the resignation is adopted if the NA Speaker
insists on it in five days after presenting it for the first time.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress