Author: Emil Lazarian

PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenia Did Much to Solve Karabakh Issue and Expects Corresponding
Steps from Baku

23.03.2006 18:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ After the Istanbul meeting on March 20 co-chairs of
the OSCE Minsk Group have not informed on their coming steps yet,
Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian said yesterday. In his words, there are
two possible options – either the co-chairs will visit the region
themselves, or they will organize a meeting of the FMs of Armenia and
Azerbaijan. The Armenian Minister also added that Armenia has done
much on its part to promote peaceful settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict and now expects corresponding steps from
Baku. Oskanian remarked that Opportunities to solve Karabakh conflict
reduced in 2006 a bit.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net

Mesrob Mutafyan: Hrant Dink Tries to Compromise
Armenian Community of Turkey

23.03.2006 20:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ I supported and I will support any
step of the Armenian and Turkish governments, aimed at
normalizing relations, Constantinople Patriarch Mesrob
Mutafyan stated in an interview with the Hurriyet. He
called the conference at Istanbul University, where
Turkey’s official and unofficial stances over the
Armenian Genocide can be voiced, very important.
Touching upon Agos newspaper editor Hrant Dink’s
article, in which the latter accuses the Patriarch in
efforts to subordinate the Armenian community,
Mutafyan said, «Hrant Dink compared me with a member
of a sect, who blindly attaches community members to
himself. He tries to compromise the community and me.
Of course, I will work to unite the community based on
the Bible. It is normal,» Istanbul-based Marmara
newspaper reports.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Today is the professional day of meteorologists

ArmRadio
23.03.2006 15:20

This year the professional day of meteorologists is celebrated under
the `Alleviation of the results of natural disasters and danger
prevention’ slogan. 90 percent of the natural disasters are
conditioned with weather changes.

2005 was full of such disasters. Today the issue of global warming is
in the center of the scientists’ attention. Some scientists predict
that starting from 2030 the opposite process, i.e. global freezing, is
possible.

The meteorological service in Armenia faces a number of problems
ranging from low salaries to training of high-level
specialists. However, the employees of the service hope that these
will be resolved in course of time.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

$300 000 for founding an Armenian radio station in Turkey

ArmRadio
23.03.2006 15:35

This year the Armenian Diaspora of Turkey intends to air radio
programs in Armenian, the Turkish `Zaman’ notes according to `Regnum’
Agency.

According to the editor-in-chief of the Armenian `Agos’ newspaper
Hrant Dink, the Armenian Diaspora has already collected $300 000 for
that purpose.

`The Armenian Diaspora has its schools and newspapers. Currently we
are trying to found an Armenian radio in the country. A corresponding
application has been already sent to the Chief Council of Radio and
Television of Turkey,’ Hrant Dink noted.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Row over US ambassador’s Armenia genocide remark

The Independent – United Kingdom; Mar 23, 2006
Rupert Cornwell in Washington

Protests are growing over the possible recall of the US ambassador in
Armenia after he described the 1915 massacres of Armenians by the
Ottoman Turks as genocide. If he is recalled, it would be seen as
giving in to Turkish pressure.

Officially, John Marshall Evans remains – for the time being at least
– Washington’s man in Erevan. “Ambassador Evans is our ambassador, and
he continues … to exercise that honour and privilege,” a State
Department official said last week.

But that assurance has satisfied neither the ethnic Armenian community
in the US, nor members of Congress from southern California where the
community is centred. Their suspicion is that a successor for Mr Evans
has al ready been lined up, and he will be ordered home. Adam Schiff
and Grace Napolitano, representing districts in the Los Angeles area,
have taken up the matter with the State Department. “I expressed my
opposition to any disciplinary action being taken against the
ambassador for speaking the truth,” Mr Schiff said.

Mr Evans caused a diplomatic sensation in February 2005 when he flatly
called the massacres a genocide, during an appearance at the
University of California at Berkeley. It was “unbecoming of us as
Americans to play word games here,” he declared. “I will today call it
the Armenian genocide.”

By doing so, he became the first US official to use the loaded word in
an Armenian context. Like the Clinton administration before it, the
Bush administration has always referred to the slaughter as a massacre
or a tragedy, but not as a genocide. The circumspection is widely seen
as an effort not to upset Turkey, an important US ally in the Middle
East that shares borders with Iraq and Iran.

The stand-off follows successive efforts by Mr Schiff to introduce a
bill specifically recognising the events of 1915 as an act of genocide
– efforts that have been blocked at the White House’s behest.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESIDENT OF CENTRAL BANK ASKS NOT TO WORRY

Lragir/am
23 March 06

It is extremely important to evaluate duly the consequences of the
growing price of gas and to avoid fuss, which gives more trouble to
the Central Bank in sustaining prices in 2006, stated the president of
the Central Bank of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan. According to him, the
peculiarity of estimated inflation is the expected growth of the price
of gas. With regard to this it is extremely important to focus
attention on the environment in Armenia, `that may spur inflation,
sometimes artificially.’

The president of the Central Bank says although the new price has not
been applied yet, already there are expectations and `businesses are
naturally working out their price policy for 2006 and 2007 according
to these estimates, and are already forecasting soaring prices that
will bring about inflation.’ The Central Bank estimated the possible
inflation awaiting the consumer basket under different tariffs. `We
think the concerns are bigger than our estimates. The role of the
National Assembly and the members of parliament is also big, it is
important what they signal to people, what expectations they
instill. By our estimates if the tariffs set by the commission are
applied, by the end of the year the rate of inflation in the consumer
basket will go up by 1 per cent,’ assures Tigran Sargsyan. This
monitoring included the impact of these changes on the prices of
bread, fish, sugar, and other products of the consumer basket.

The president of the Central Bank points out the measures taken by the
government to prevent the fuss. `The co-chair of the Commission for
Russian-Armenian Economic Cooperation stated that the negotiations are
successful, which means that the government will have additional
opportunities to manage all the negative consequences of the increased
price of gas. It will be directed at pushing down the inflation,’
hopes Tigran Sargsyan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REAL PICTURE OF UNEMPLOYMENT IS DIFFERENT

Lragir/am
23 March 06

According to the information of the Department of Employment of the Ministry of Social Security of Armenia, about 116 thousand people are currently looking for jobs, 85 thousand of which are unemployed. On March 23 the head of the department Sona Harutiunyan told news reporters that due to the enlargement of social programs more unemployed people wish to get registered and receive benefits.
Sona Harutiunyan says over 70 per cent of the unemployed in Armenia are women, whereas the bulk of the offered employment requires manual workers. Besides, Sona Harutiunyan says the official index of unemployment is not real, since not all the unemployed people are registered. Besides, the representative of the Ministry of Social Security said the rate of unemployment would go extremely high if everyone working abroad returned.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN-GERMAN BODY SIGNS STATEMENT ON FINANCIAL, ENERGY PROGRAMMES

Mediamax news agency
22 Mar 06

Yerevan, 22 March: A session of the Armenian-German intergovernmental
commission on financial and technical cooperation ended in Yerevan
today.

The session resulted in the signing of a protocol envisaging the
implementation of a number of programmes in the financial and energy
sectors, Mediamax reports.

Armenian Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatryan said today
that during the two-day session, the sides discussed the implementation
of programmes relating to, in particular, the establishment of a system
of guaranteeing bank deposits, assistance to the development of small
and medium-seized businesses, restoration of power substations Kamo
and Vanadzor, etc.

Rolf Baldus of the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and
Development, said that Germany is Armenia’s second largest donor.

Germany has provided 195m euros in aid to Armenia since 1993, 25m of
which in 2005.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIA WILL REMAIN WITHIN THE BORDERS OF ARMENIA

Lragir/am
22 March 06

On March 22 Lieutenant-General Sergey Bondarev, the chief of the
Frontier Department of the RF Federal Security Service in Armenia,
announced that the question of placing Russian border installations
at the Georgian-Armenian border is not on the agenda, informs the
news agency ARKA. According to Bondarev, the defense of this section
of the border is guaranteed by the Armenian frontier troops, so the
question of Russian border installations is unlikely in the nearest
future. Armenia is the only country of the CIS, whose borders are
partly defended by the Russian troops. It is 59 frontier posts and
4500 soldiers. By the way, 50 per cent of these 4500 are nationals of
Armenia. The Russian troops are stationed along 375 km of the border,
330 km is the border with Turkey, 45 km is the border with Iran.

In 2005 the frontier guards arrested 187 people who attempted to
cross the border illegally, 90 per cent were detained at Zvartnots
Airport of Yerevan.

Although in accordance with the Russian-Armenian agreement the Russian
frontier troops will be gradually replaced by the Armenian troops,
Sergey Bondarev said this question is not raised currently. But the
Russian Federation assists in training. Annually 10 Armenians are
trained in Moscow.

“Defense of frontiers is a major problem for Armenia. The defense
of the 900 km Armenian-Azerbaijani frontier requires considerable
resources. We have assumed the defense of the Turkish-Armenian and
Iran-Armenian borders. It is of considerable aid for the country,”
stated Sergey Bondarev.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/22/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM

1) New Training Center for Border Troops Opens in Yerevan
2) International Association of Genocide Scholars Urge PBS to Air Genocide
Documentary
3) Turkish Human Rights Activist Sentenced to Prison
4) Azerbaijan Dedicates Monument in Nakhichevan to Turkish Soldiers

1) New Training Center for Border Troops Opens in Yerevan

YEREVAN (Armenpress/Yerkir)–Increasing the efficiency of the Armenian border
defense is in the interest of the entire international community, US
Ambassador
John Evans said during the opening ceremony of a new training center for
Armenian border troops.
John Evans said the US government is happy to help Armenia train its border
guards and strengthen its national borders.
“The whole world should be interested in non-proliferation. For a sovereign
state like Armenia the border defense becomes a priority issue and we are glad
to render assistance in such an important matter,” said Evans.
Chief of Armenia’s national security service Gorik Hakobian said that since
2001 the US government has provided significant support to Armenian border
troops in the form of vehicles, surveillance and radio-communication devices,
and computers.

2) International Association of Genocide Scholars Urge PBS to Air Genocide
Documentary

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) wrote a letter
Friday
to PBS Stations across the US, urging them to air Andrew Goldberg’s
documentary
[The Armenian Genocide] on April 17, but not the PBS-sanctioned panel
discussion featuring Genocide deniers.
Israel Charney and Gregory H. Stanton, President and Vice President of IAGS,
describe the widely-praised film as “accurate and well done.”
The letter points out that virtually all major PBS affiliates and networks in
several other countries will air the documentary that “so clearly describes
and
addresses the issue of Armenian genocide denial.”
The film deals with denial, which “is of paramount importance since
denial–which we know today is the very last stage of genocide–not only hurts
the victims and descendants of victims of the genocide, but invites future
perpetrators to commit genocide again and again.”
For this reason, the letter urges PBS stations to opt out of airing the panel
discussion about the genocide featuring known deniers Omer Turan and Justin
McCarthy.
“It would be openly disrespectful of a survivor-community’s sensibilities to
bring on genocide deniers in a panel immediately following a documentary about
the reality of the Armenian Genocide–though we have only the highest regard
and trust in the scholars whom PBS chose to answer the deniers, Professors
Taner Akcam and Peter Balakian.”
According to the IAGS, [The Armenian Genocide] is “the best film ever made
about the Armenian Genocide.”
The Orange County affiliate of PBS, KOCE, will air [The Armenian Genocide]
Wednesday, April 26, at 9:00 PM.

3) Turkish Human Rights Activist Sentenced to Prison

(Combined Sources)–Eren Keskin, head of the Istanbul branch of the Human
Rights Association (IHD) and one of the founders of the Legal Aid Project for
sexually tortured women, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison by a
Turkish
Court for insulting the Turkish armed forces.
Keskin is being charged–under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code–for
statements she made about rape and other sexual assaults suffered by female
inmates at a public meeting in Cologne, Germany in March of 2002. Her crime
was
to publicize the sexual torture that some of her women clients reported they
had suffered in custody.
Keskin’s ten month sentence was reduced to a fine of 6000 Turkish Liras, but
the lawyer refused to pay bail, preferring instead to serve out her sentence.
According to the Istanbul branch of IHD, Keskin and her lawyers have already
taken her case to the court of appeals and are demanding that the sentence be
dropped.
Keskin has become the target of a major smear campaign in the Turkish
media. A
male journalist publicly threatened her with sexual harassment in a radio
program. After international pressure, the Turkish Press Council finally
issued
a warning in July 2002 to the journalist concerned.
Keskin has faced 86 lawsuits in relation to her human rights activities. In
one trial she is charged under Article 8 of the Anti-Terror Law for having
disseminated “separatist propaganda” in statements made during a panel
discussion on “Violence against Women” held in November 2001.
In another trial she is accused for press statements and bulletins on the
subject of Kurdish language and culture which were issued by the IHD between
January and March 2002. She is charged under Article 169 of the Turkish Penal
Code with support for the illegal armed opposition Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK) through these publications. The prosecutor alleges that the statements
were prepared according to decisions taken by the PKK.
Keskin had been receiving death threats over the telephone for many years.
Harassment against her has included telephone death threats, being shot at,
physical assault by a police officer and arbitrary detention and
ill-treatment.

4) Azerbaijan Dedicates Monument in Nakhichevan to Turkish Soldiers

A monument dedicated “to the memory of Turks who defended Nakhichevan against
Armenian invaders during World War I” was recently opened in the Ordubad
region
of Nakhichevan. The monument will be located not too far from the
centuries-old
Armenian cemetery in Old Julfa, which was destroyed by Azeri forces in late
2005.
During the opening ceremony, Turkish Army commander Jelaled Bacanli said that
the Turkish army will always stand beside their Azeri brothers, just as they
have in the past.
“The Turkish people and the Turkish Armed Forces will always stand by
Azerbaijan’s side,” said Bacanli.
“Azerbaijan’s problems are our problems, their joy, our joy,” he said,
borrowing a saying from Kemal Ataturk.

All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier
and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
subscription requests.
(c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved.

ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for
academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through
mass media outlets.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress