Author: Emma Nadirian

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY DOES NOT COMMENT ON TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT ON ALLEGED SKIRMISH IN DIRECTION OF AGHDAM

ArmInfo
2009-09-11 13:28:00

ArmInfo. The Armenian Foreign Ministry does not comment on the Turkish
Foreign Ministry’s statement on alleged skirmish in direction of
Aghdam and death of five Armenian soldiers. Anatolian agency quotes
Turkish Foreign Ministry representative Burak Ozurgergin as saying:
"We are concerned about the occurrence of such incidents in days when
we are trying to ensure peace, stability and welfare in the Caucasus."

By unofficial data of the Azerbaijani press, the skirmish allegedly
took place approximately at 9:23am in the direction of Aghdam. Besides
the "killed" and "wounded" on the Armenian party, the Azerbaijani
party reports on wounding a Parviz Usubovm a soldier of the Azerbaijan
Armed Forces.

The NKR Defense Ministry Spokesman, Lt. Colonel Senor Asratyan told
ArmInfo called the above reports by Azerbaijani media misinformation
and provocation. The NKR Defense Ministry is devoted to ceasefire
regime, S.

Asratyan said. He also added that no emergency situations were
registered overnight either in direction of Aghdam or in any other
directions. He said that the reports by Azerbaijani media probably
aimed to lay the guilt for wounding of an Azerbaijani soldier in the
Azerbaijani army on the Armenian party.

Later today Armenian Defense Ministry made a statement the Azerbaijani
party presents the picture of a solider killed in the last year’s
Russian- Georgian war as the picture of the solider "killed"
on Thursday.

CMU-Q STUDENT WINS GOOGLE SCHOLARSHIP
By Raynald Rivera

Peninsula On-line
ews.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+Ne ws&month=August2009&file=Local_News2009080 522055.xml
Aug 5 2009
Qatar

DOHA: The student of Carnegie Mellon University-Qatar (CMU-Q) who
was declared one of the winners of the prestigious Google Anita Borg
Memorial Scholarship said women have a very important role to play
in the advancement of technology in today’s society.

"I don’t believe that women can do better than men or otherwise but
I think having a diverse group generally makes every team better
because of the different ideas generated that people look for,"
Keghani Kristelle Kouzoujian, who will enter her senior year under
the CMU-Q Computer Science programme, told The Peninsula yesterday.

Founded in 2003, the Google scholarship was designed for women studying
Computer Science in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
who are either Master’s or PhD students or Bachelor’s students about
to step into their final year.

Kouzoujian is the only student from Qatar who was chosen as one of
the 21 winners out of hundreds who applied for the scholarship coming
from 37 universities in 19 countries.

"Having women would bring out a different perspective in any team
working in a project. Both men and women from different backgrounds
can generate a wealth of ideas," she said, adding that at CMU-Q more
women are enrolled in Computer Science which is "quite unusual in a
technical field".

A dean’s lister who traces her roots to Armenia, Kouzoujian said much
of the motivation for her to apply for the scholarship came mostly
from the encouragement of her professors, but she never thought
about winning.

"I did not expect to win, I just did what I was supposed to do
submitting all the requirements especially my proposal which was
about music enhancer," she said.

"Apart from getting the Google scholarship known in the computer
science community, the grant also aims to encourage women and other
minorities to engage in the field of computer science," she observed.

With the belief that technology affects all aspects of life,
Dr. Anita Borg (1949-2003), after whom the scholarship was named,
fought to ensure positive impact of technology to the world and
was responsible for involving women as active participants in the
technological revolution.

"I hope to get another scholarship in Pittsburgh for further studies
and take up Music as minor," Kouzoujian said of her plans after
graduation.

CSTO DEFENSE MINISTERS TO MEET IN MOSCOW ON JUNE 3

ArmInfo
2009-05-27 12:29:00

ArmInfo. Collective Security Treaty Organization Council of Defense
Ministers will meet in Moscow on June 3, CSTO International Public
Information Support Center (IPISC) national office in Yerevan told
ArmInfo.

Draft agenda of the meeting contains nearly 20 issues. The defense
ministers will study the fulfillment of the decision by the CSTO
National Security Council Extraordinary Summit on formation of
Collective Rapid Deployment Force and the legal basis prepared for
this purpose.

Chairman of the Council of Defense Ministers will report on the
measures taken as Part of the CSTO Coalition Ministry Building for 2010
and further prospects. The ministers will consider draft agreements
on basic principles of the system of secret management of forces and
system of collective security means, on material reserves to form
forces and means of this system etc.

The ministers are expected to study the Plan of Joint Actions
to contribute to stabilization of the situation in Aghanistan and
counteract challenges and threats from Afghanistan as well as the Plan
of Consultation of CSTO representative for foreign policy, security
and defense for second half of 2009 – first half of 2010. Armenia
assumed CSTO chairmanship from Kyrghyzstan in 2008.

Year of Bulgarian culture will be held in Armenia
23.05.2009 17:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the framework of the Year of Bulgarian Culture a
number of concerts will be organized between May 29 and June 4 in
Armenia. Culture ministries of the two countries, Armenia and
Bulgaria, implement a cultural program involving well-known folk and
classic dance groups of Bulgaria.
Gala concert will be held on May 30 at the National Theater of Opera
and Ballet after Spendiaryan. The photo exhibition `Monasteries and
Shrines of Bulgaria’ will be opened at the House of Architectures of
Armenia the same day.
On May 31 the Arabesque ballet group, `Soloists of Sofia’ Chamber
Orchestra, `Bistritsi Grannies’ national ensemble and the `Nayden
Kirov’ folk dance theatre will perform in Dilijan and Vanadzor.
On June 1 Gyumri and Armavir dwellers will watch Bulgarian
performances, and a day later Yerevan audience will applaud them at
the State Theater of Comedy after Paronyan.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE

May 14, 2009
Contact: Michael A. Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434

CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON U.S.-TURKEY RELATIONS

Expert Urges No Linkage between Armenia-Turkey relations and Genocide
Recognition or NKR

Washington, DC – Turkish Caucus Co-Chair and Chairman of the House
Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Congressman Robert Wexler
(D-FL), held a hearing today on U.S.-Turkey relations reported the
Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). The panel included Dr. Ian O.
Lesser with the German Marshall Fund of the United States, Dr. Stephen
J. Flanagan, Ph.D. with the Center for Strategic and International
Studies and David L. Phillips with the Atlantic Council of the United
States.

Testifying specifically about Armenia-Turkey relations, Phillips stated
that there should be no linkage with respect to normalization of
relations between Armenia and Turkey and affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide. Phillips also indicated that there should be no linkage
between Turkish-Armenian relations and the Nagorno Karabakh peace
process.

"The Armenian government has consistently and repeatedly offered to
normalize relations with Turkey without preconditions only to see such
offers rejected by Turkey," stated Assembly Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny. "Affirmation of the Armenian Genocide and combating its denial
is a fundamental human rights issue and in no uncertain terms should be
linked to normalization of relations. In addition, there should be no
linkage to Armenia-Turkey relations and the Nagorno Karabakh peace
process," added Ardouny.

Phillips noted that progress in relations will be measured by "actions
and not words" and raised concerns about contradictory statements made
by Turkish leaders. Phillips pointed to the inconsistent statements of
Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
in which Gul said that normalization would proceed "without
preconditions," while Erdogan linked it to Nagorno Karabakh.

As reported in Todays Zaman, Erdogan reassured Azerbaijan’s President
stating that "some reports said Turkey gave up on Nagorno-Karabakh in
order to normalize relations with Armenia. This is an outright lie. I
dismiss it…." Erdogan also said Turkey and Azerbaijan were "one nation
with two states" and added that their stance on Nagorno Karabakh has
never changed.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan criticized Erdogan for linking
Turkey’s lifting of its blockade and establishing diplomatic relations
to the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. "Any Turkish attempt
to interfere in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh problem can only
harm that process," the President’s office said in a statement today.

Phillips, who also served as Chairman of the Turkish Armenian
Reconciliation Commission from 2001 to 2004, recalled the tragic
assassination of Hrant Dink, who was prosecuted under Article 301 of the
Turkish Penal Code for speaking about the Armenian Genocide. Phillips
indicated that one way to honor the memory and legacy of Hrant Dink
would be to expand track two activities. Phillips recounted the track
two recommendations of TARC, and noted that a legal opinion by the
International Transitional Center for Justice (ICTJ) concluded that the
Armenian Genocide met the United Nations definition of genocide.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

###

NR#2009-048

Editor’s Note: Witness Testimony Attached

David L. Phillips Testimony
df_1/Q2_2009/Phillipstestimony5_
14_09.pdf

Dr. Stephen J. Flanagan, Ph.D
Q2_2009/Flanagantestimony5_
14_09.pdf

Dr. Ian O. Lesser
1/Q2_2009/lessertestimony5_14
_09.pdf

WORKING MEETING OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

National Assembly
May 7 2009
Armenia

On May 5, the working meeting of the Ad-Hoc Inquiry Committee into the
events occurred on March 1-2, 2008 in Yerevan and their reasons with
a view of submitting its conclusion to the National Assembly was held,
presided over by Mr. Samvel Nikoyan.

Mr. Nikoyan said that two issues will be examined, debated during
the previous meeting of the Ad-Hoc committee.

Related to the first issue Mr. Nikoyan said that some media
intentionally distorted the questions and answers, expressed in
the meeting. In particular it is related to Mr. Aram Karapetyan’s
question and Mr. Hayk Harutyunyan’s, ex Police Chief of the Republic
of Armenia, answer. Mr. Nikoyan said he used the record of the meeting
and presented Mr. Aram Karapetyan’s question. "Was the issue of the
emergency situation discussed with Mr. Robert Kocharyan, Mr. Serzh
Sargsyan and with all the other government officials of that time? Was
there headquarters set up? Were there any instructions? Did you
regularly report on the situation?"

Mr. Hayk Harutyunyan, ex Police Chief of the Republic of Armenia,
answered: "Regarding the state of emergency let me say,’ Yes, the
issue was discussed, and I am one of those, who put the proposal to
the president to run the state of emergency, in order to avoid the
unpredictable serious consequences." Mr. Aram Karapetyan asked another
question: "I gave two questions: Was there set up headquarters, and who
were the members of it?" To this question Mr. Hayk Harutyunyan gave the
following answer: "I said the issue was discussed with the President. I
was present there, participated in it and I was one of those, who made
the proposal. A headquarters was immediately created. It is a working
process. At this moment I cannot name the members of the headquarters,
but there are relevant documents, related to it."

Presenting the questions and answers, the chairman said that
Mr. Hayk Harutyunyan’s speech referred the state of emergency and
not establishing headquarters.

During the debates, the members of the committee proposed to apply in
written form to Mr. Hayk Harutyunyan, ex Police Chief of the Republic
of Armenia, to get clarification of a number of issues.

The second agenda issue, as the chairman of the committee said, was
related to the leakage of information. He said that the issue was
related to the document on the results of the examination of facts,
related the circumstances of Hamlet Tadevosyan’s death.

Without going into details of the material published by the
fact collecting group, Mr. Nikoyan said that the document and
the clarification of the preliminary investigation, related the
circumstances of Hamlet Tadevosyan’s death contradict each other. A
number of members of the committee proposed to invite Mr. Vahagn
Harytyunyan for clarifying the above-mentioned issue.

WHY DOESN’T THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF ARMENIA RUN FOR YEREVAN CITY COUNCIL?
Siranush Muradyan

"Radiolur"
24.03.2009 18:20

Why doesn’t the Democratic Party of Armenia participate in the
elections to the Yerevan City Council? Leader of the Party Aram
G. Sargsyan told a press conference today that the reason is the
imperfectness of the legislative field. Moreover, Sargsyan said that
members of his Party may even refrain from voting.

Under the conditions of the crisis in the world and Armenia,
it’s necessary to raise the regulating role of the state, sine in
this situation it will be wrong and dangerous to remain carriers
of exceptionally liberal ideas, leader of the Democratic Party of
Armenia Aram G. Sargsyan told a press conference today

Aram Sargsyan attached importance to President Serzh Sargsyan’s meeting
with party leaders on March 20 to discuss the ways of mitigating
the influence of the global crisis. In his words, such meetings are
important because thus it is possible to present the existing ideas
to the President and the Prime Minister.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Turkish radio broadcasting in Armenian merely political step
21.03.2009 15:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The beginning of radio transmission in the Armenian
language in Turkey is merely political step, an Armenian expert said.

"Turkish authorities signal Yerevan that they are ready to continue
the process of normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations," Alexander
Iskandaryan, director of the Caucasus Institute, told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Assurances of fulfilling commitments to the European Union on national
minorities’ rights protection are meaningless words, according to him.

"There are many national minorities in Turkey but neither of them has
a radio channel in native language. Kurds are an exception, as there
are millions of Kurds in the country and this problem is pressing,"
Iskandaryan said, adding that this initiative might be linked to the
impending visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to Turkey.

According to Anatolian Agency, the first program will be broadcasted
on April 24 when Armenians all over the world commemorate victims of
the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

ARKADY GHUKASIAN APPOINTED ARMENIA’S AMBASSADOR AT LARGE

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.03.2009 13:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed an edict
on appointment of Arkady Ghukasian as Armenia’s ambassador at large
and conferred a diplomatic rank of ambassador extraordinary and
plenipotentiary on him.

Arkady Ghukasian was the President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
from 1997 to 2007.

ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF HOVHANNES TUMANYAN’S TBILISI HOUSE

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.02.2009 16:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Hovhannes Tumanyan’s Museum in Yerevan doesn’t have
owner rights for the writer’s house in Tbilisi, Voznesenskaya 18,
Director of Hovhannes Tumanyan’s Museum in Yerevan, Narine Toukhikyan
told a news conference Thursday.

"Being an Armenian and great writer’s museum director, I’m very sorry
we’re facing this problem today," she noted.

The apartment located at Voznesenskaya street has belonged to Tumanyan
family since 1921, when Georgian authorities presented it to the
Armenian writer.

The apartment was Tumanyan’s family property and no one had a right
to confiscate it. In 1950s part of the apartment was turned into
library and carried Tumanyan’s name till its closure in 2008. Last
year Georgian authorities paid off their credit to private individuals
with a part of the house. Tumanyan’s great-grandson still lives in
another part of the house.

Armenian media published information that this story refers Vernatun
that served as a literary salon.

"For many years Hovhannes Tumanyan occupied this apartment located at
Asatryan Street, yet it did not belong to him. Today it’s the writer’s
house, and not Vernatun, that we’re speaking about," specified Narine
Tukhikyan.

"Several years ago Armenian authorities were negotiating library
territory purchase with Tbilisi, yet negotiations were suspended. At
my last year’s visit to Tbilisi I failed to find library transmittal
documents. Conflicts around the issue intensified, yet Armenian
authorities have to approach the matter seriously till it’s too late,"
emphasized the Museum Director.