Author: Frangulian Shushan

SOFIA RECOGNIZED THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

AZG Armenian Daily
29/04/2008

Armenian Genocide

Council of the capital of Bulgaria recognized the fact of the Armenian
Genocide. Sofia became the 5th Bulgarian city after Burgas, Plovdiv,
Stara Zagora and Ruse that recognized the Armenian Genocide.

To recall, last month the adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution
was postponed in Sofia city council.

According to Turkish press, the discussions of the Armenian Genocide
draft resolution were hampered by the efforts of the Bulgarian
government during the official visit of Turkish Prime Minister Regep
Tayip Erdogan to Bulgaria.

According to the Bulgarian government, adoption of the resolution
would damage Turkish-Bulgarian relations.

PROBLEMS WON’T BE SOLVED VIA EXTRAORDINARY ELECTIONS
Lilit Poghosyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on April 29, 2008
Armenia

Speaker of the National Assembly Tigran Torosyan convened a press
conference yesterday, to clarify certain false accentuations circulated
in the press about him.

The speaker firstly refuted the rumors saying that allegedly he is the
author of the amendments in the law on "Meetings, Rallies, Marches,
and Demonstrations". Moreover, that allegedly he did his best to have
this legislative initiative adopted. Whereas, from the beginning,
Tigran Torosyan has pointed out two fundamental issues linked with
point 6 partially restricting the freedom of the massive events, and
"spontaneous rallies".

Eventually those reservations were the bases of the memorandum signed
as a result of the April discussions with the experts of Venice
Commission and OSCE/ODIHR and "later they turned into the key topic
for the new amendments. In essence the amendments once proposed by me,
will be implemented.

That is why the "ugly and futile attempts" to represent the Speaker
of the Parliament as the champion of the draft law is simply pointless.

Moreover because still before the draft law was put to discussion, he
emphasized the importance of submitting the law to the consideration
of Venice Commission and in case of need review it and bring in
compliance with the European standards.

As regards the willful commentaries regarding his response to PACE
resolution 1609, "you shouldn’t consider it arrogant, but I’m not the
last person in Armenia who has made efforts to bring our legislation
in compliance with the European standards. A huge work has been done,
there are different proofs – like laws, constitutional amendments,
etc," the Speaker said and added that he considers the speculations
saying that according to T. Torosyan PACE resolutions are "not
important" as absurd, "pointless and vain". Which means they are of
mere consultative nature, not biding and will be put into operation
inasmuch as they derive from the interests of our country.

Touching upon the attempts to represent extraordinary parliamentary
elections as a key to dialogue, the speaker said: " What we really
need, to solve our problems, is a clear formation of the issues,
complete discussion of those issues and combination of powers. By
extraordinary elections neither the parties will be accomplished,
nor can we form the structures of civil society, and we will also
not manage to shift government-opposition relations on a proper plane
and solve the existing problems. This is my standpoint.

If we think that by speaking and holding elections we will solve or
propose solutions to those problems, then I must say that it will lead
us to a worst situation, because it is impossible to solve profound
issues via elections."

Besides that: "It was only 10 months back that we hold parliamentary
elections in Armenia. Those who had desire participated in the
elections.

Those who have been elected by the society are represented in the
parliament. If some people think that we must hold parliamentary
elections every year only because this or that political power is
not represented in the parliament then I must say that there is no
logic in it. It is not only the political powers represented in the
parliament that must work, extra-parliamentary powers should also
work. There is no other way. Holding new parliamentary elections is
not the right way."

What is the attitude of NA Speaker towards the idea to set an
independent "investigating" committee under the patronage of the
Human Rights’ Defender or the Parliament?

According to the speaker: "Armen Harutyunyan’s extraordinary speech
dotted the discussions on setting a committee headed by the Human
Rights’ Defender or his office, because the Defender clearly introduced
his viewpoints regarding the before mentioned issue. So there is no
need to do something new.

But he said it is possible to discuss the proposal on establishing
a temporary parliamentary committee, in case the future members and
the head of the committee "treat the work with great responsibility."

GENDARMERIE OFFICERS APPEAR AT HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE, REJECT TALKING OVER CASE ON SLAIN JOURNALIST

Turkish Press
April 28 2008

ANKARA – Two Turkish gendarmerie officers were summoned Thursday at
a human rights committee of Turkish parliament over the killing of
Turkish-Armenian journalist, but they refused to give information
about the case until after being heard by a court of law, committee
sources said.

Col. Ali Oz, former gendarmerie commander of the Black Sea province
of Trabzon, and Capt. Metin Yildiz, Trabzon`s former gendarmerie
intelligence chief, also failed to attend to an earlier call by the
committee early in April.

"We are here today out of our respect for the parliament but we
will not make any statements before our testimonies are heard by the
court. We can brief the committee in detail after the court hearing,"
Col. Oz was quoted as saying.

Hrant Dink was shot dead outside the offices of his Agos newspaper in
Istanbul in January 2007. Police arrested the gunman and a suspected
associate who was identified as Yasin Hayal.

Acting on the testimonies of two other gendarmerie officers who were
arrested on the charges of "neglect of duty," a Trabzon court ordered
a probe against 10 gendarmerie officers, including Oz and Yildiz.

Lawyers of Dink`s family have said in a petition that "the probed
gendarmerie officers had known that Hayal and his friends had been
making plans to kill Dink as early as July 2006, but they had failed
to take necessary measures in an open neglect of duty."

Armenian Genocide Museum of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone: 202-383-9009; E-mail: [email protected];
Web:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2008
Web:

CONTACT: Rouben Adalian
Phone: (202) 383-9009
E-mail: [email protected]

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM OF AMERICA AND ARMENIA
ENTER INTO PERMANENT COOPERATION AGREEMENT

Washington, April 28-The Armenian Genocide Museum of America (AGMA) and
the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) at the Tsitsernakaberd
Memorial Complex in Yerevan, Armenia, announced the signing in Yerevan
of a permanent agreement based upon their common goals. The agreement
anticipates the sharing of resources and expertise, the integration of
museum activities, and the promotion of each other’s programs and
projects.

The agreement reached between Dr. Hayk Demoyan, AGMI Director, Hirair
Hovnanian, AGMA Board of Trustees chairman, and Van Z. Krikorian, AGMA
Trustee and Building and Operations Committee chairman, envisions a
permanent association to allow both museums to coordinate plans and to
learn from each other’s experience in developing exhibits and other
presentations on the Armenian Genocide.

Since AGMI’s opening in 1995, the museum and the adjoining institute at
the Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex in Armenia have emerged as the
principal repository of resources and information about the Armenian
Genocide. The memorial is of international significance as the site
visited by foreign dignitaries who come to pay tribute to the victims of
the Armenian Genocide. The laying of a wreath at the memorial and a
tour of the museum are a customary part of official visits to Armenia.
Many heads of state and their delegations have walked through the
memorial complex and have taken occasion to speak about the importance
of remembrance and the commitment to tolerance.

Part of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia,
AGMI, which functions as a research center, is also dedicated to the
objective of collecting the visual, textual, and artifactual evidence on
the life of the Armenian people once living in the Ottoman Empire. In
addition to managing the museum facility and maintaining the memorial
complex in the heart of Yerevan, AGMI also organizes international
conferences, publishes documentation and studies on the Armenian
Genocide, and runs a major Website that posts news on developments in
the international affirmation of the Armenian Genocide, announces
publications in the field of genocide studies, and releases newly
uncovered documentation through its research programs. The Websites of
the two museums will be linked, as well as oral history projects and
resources.

The Armenian Genocide Museum of America is an outgrowth of the Armenian
Assembly of America and the Armenian National Institute (ANI), catalyzed
by a foundational grant from Anoush Mathevosian for the purpose of
establishing an Armenian Genocide museum in Washington, D.C. The
Armenian Assembly has championed the cause of affirmation with
legislative and executive branches of the American government, while ANI
has served as a research facility documenting the Armenian Genocide on
the basis of the United States archives and other records. ANI is
presently also providing coordination for AGMA planning and exhibit
designing.

The cooperative agreement was reached in the framework of the AGMI’s
mission, which is shared by the Armenian Genocide Museum of America, to
educate a wider public about the extent of the crimes committed against
the Armenian people during the First World War and the long-lasting
effects and consequences of the gross human rights violations of that
era. The agreement was finalized after months of discussions and
informal cooperation and assistance from AGMI to AGMA as it progresses
toward opening. AGMA publicly thanks AGMI and Dr. Hayk Demoyan for the
help he has provided these past months.

As the first major institution in the Armenian diaspora dedicated to
preserving and honoring the memory of the victims and survivors of the
Armenian Genocide, AGMA will offer interactive exhibits and educational
programs incorporating the latest scholarship with state-of-the art
technology. AGMA will be a place for reflection, where memories and
emotions can be confronted in an environment filled with hope,
inspiration and a commitment to eradicate the scourge of genocide and
stopping other atrocities against humankind.

The museum in Washington has already been granted project approval and
planners have completed the schematic design phase of the exhibits. The
endorsement by a District of Columbia preservation review board of
restoration plans for the historically-designated building, which will
house the museum, and the completion of exhibit schematic designs,
concluded the second phase of the museum planning, which was inaugurated
in November 2007. Phase one planning began in August 2007. AGMA is now
entering the third phase of development and the museum is scheduled to
open in 2010.

The links to the Websites of the two museums are
and

NR#2008-03

April 24, 2008
Gas Produced to Surface in Karlavskoye 101 Well in Ukraine

Vancouver, Canada: – Transeuro Energy Corp. ("Transeuro" or the "Company")
provides an update of operations at the Karlavskoye 101 well.

While completing a downhole surge test of the upper sections of the
reservoir, Transeuro has produced the first gas to surface from the
Karlavskoye 101 well. The test is a requirement of the Ukraine
government regulations and the result physically confirms the presence
of gas in the well. Reservoir fluids were allowed to flow into the
drillpipe for a short period so that a sample could be captured in a
downhole chamber. The plans did not require the well to flow
continuously to surface. Once the downhole sample was captured, the
well was shut in and the remaining gas was removed from the
drill-string and flared. Photos of the current operations in Ukraine
are available at

Operations are now continuing to drill the remaining 240 m to the
bottom of the target zones at 3,550 meters at the base of the C16
reservoir interval. The Company intends to log and run casing before
commencing full testing operations. As reported earlier, repeated gas
kicks and oil shows were seen in the upper reservoirs and it is
anticipated the well will be completed in the second quarter.

The ‘discovered resources’ attributed to the Karlavskoye field by
Fekete Associates Inc. under the Canadian 51-101 reserves reporting
standards has increased to a mean estimate of 474 billion cubic feet of
gas (85.32 million barrel of oil equivalent). Under the terms of the
Joint Activity Agreement with the local government partner
‘Crymgeologiya’, Transeuro has 72% of the profits derived from the
development of the Karlavskoye field. Upon closing of the JVA with RAG
() of Austria and Transeuro will hold 36% and RAG 36% of
the profits.

Discovered resources are defined in the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation
Handbook, "Discovered resources are those quantities of oil and gas
estimated on a given date to be remaining in, plus those quantities
already produced from, known accumulations. Discovered resources are
divided into economic and uneconomic categories, with the estimated
future recoverable portion classified as reserves and contingent
resources, respectively. There is no certainty that it will be
commercially viable to produce any portion of the resources."

Transeuro Energy Corp. is involved in the acquisition of petroleum and
natural gas rights, the exploration for, and development and production
of crude oil, condensate and natural gas. The Company’s properties are
located in Canada, Ukraine and Armenia, and through majority ownership
in Eaglewood Energy Inc, in Papua New Guinea.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Harold Hemmerich" President and CEO

For further information contact:

David Parry – Vancouver, Canada
+1 (604) 681 3939 Phone
[email protected]
uroenergy.com

Karen O. Jenssen – Oslo, Norway
+ 47 917 29 787 Phone
[email protected]

"OUR DEAD HAVE NAMES" CAMPAIGN GOING ON

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.04.2008 16:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In connection with the 93rd anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide, proceeds with "Our Dead Have
Names" campaign, independent French journalist Jean Eckian told
PanARMENIAN.Net. Visiting the website you can write in the name of
the person who gave his life for our homeland. It will be a unique
monument to the martyrs.

By 2015 the campaign initiators hope to have registered one million
names of the Genocide victims

AMBASSDOR LEVON SARGSIAN VISITS EDITORIAL OFFICE OF AZDAK NEWSPAPER

Noyan Tapan
April 23, 2008

BEIRUT, APRIL 23, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian
ambassador to Tunisia and Algeria Levon Sargsian accompanied by the
national benefactor Suren Vardanian visited the editorial office of
the Armenian newspaper "Azdak" in Lebanon.

During a talk, Ambassador Sargsian and the director of "Azdak"
discussed issues of educational, cultural and information spheres
in the light of Armenia-Diaspora cooperation. In his interview
with the newspaper, the ambassador in particular spoke about the
internal political situation in Armenia, Armenia-Diaspora relations,
the activities of Theological Faculty of Yerevan State University,
and the program of pilgrimage to Der Dzor.

ARMIMPEXBANK IS ANNOUNCING ABOUT A NEW SPECIAL SUMMER PROMOTION

Panorama.am
14:24 23/04/2008

Armimpexbank is announcing about a new special summer promotion,
for Toyota Yaris vehicle brand:

To all individuals willing to purchase vehicle brand Toyota Yaris:

Armimpexbank CJSC together with "Toyota Yerevan" LLC (Official
importer of Toyota vehicles to Armenia) are announcing about new
summer promotion:

Buy Toyota Yaris with the most favorable (or preferential) terms of
car loan:

Downpayment – 5% of the total cost of the purchased vehicle.

Loan repayment period -up to 5 years.

Annual interest rate – 12%.

The promotion is available until September 1st, 2008.

Armimpexbank is one of the oldest banks in Armenia established back
in 1910. In August 2007 the shares of the bank were purchased by TDA
Holdings – a company affiliated with the largest Russian investment
bank Troika Dialog. The Chairman of the Board is Mr. Ruben Vardanyan
and the CEO is Mr. Artak Hanesyan.

ARMENIAN AND GREEK CLERGYMEN SCUFFLE IN JERUSALEM

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.04.2008 13:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian clergymen and laymen engaged in a scuffle
with Greek Orthodox clergymen during the Holy Palm Sunday ceremony
in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on April 20.

According to participants of the ceremony, a Greek clergyman, who,
according to the status-quo, has no right to be present in the site
of the Holy Sepulchre during the Armenian procession, was present
there and as a result was forced out.

The Israeli Police was quick to respond by calling tens of their
men in order to allow the Greek clergyman to return to his post,
an action which led to deterioration of the situation.

Two Armenians were arrested once the procession was over, which led
to a protest by the Armenians in front of the police station (next
to the Armenian Convent of St. James) till the two were released.

Meanwhile, one of participants of the ceremony, Apo Sahagian told
PanARMENIAN.Net that "when the Armenian priests entered Christ’s grave
(which is part of the sermon) they were surprised to see an Israeli
cop and a Greek priest."

"While the Greek priest left the grave, a struggle broke out
between the cop (whom called backup) and the Armenian clergyman and
civilians. The police did use violence against the clergyman, and did
threaten many civilians during the scuffle. Many Armenian clergymen
and civilians intervened to end the fight, which they successfully
did. However, the police still threatened to arrest the Armenians,
especially many young men," Apo Sahagian said in his message.

He said he and his father Serop Sahagian "were taken into custody
and were released after one and a half hours of interrogation."

RENOVATION OF EDUCATION

KarabakhOpen
18-04-2008 10:46:19

Why does Karabakh pay for the education of young lawyers at Armenian
universities if annually several dozens of lawyers graduate from
Artsakh State University? The chair of the NKR National Assembly
Committee of Social Affairs Arpat Avanesyan asked this question to
the minister of education.

The question is logical but does not presuppose a logical answer
from the minister of education. The higher education policy was not
developed by the current minister, who works, in fact, and cares for
his work.

Therefore, Prime Minister Ara Harutiunyan answered this question who
said they have invited the minister of education of Armenia (he did
not say who exactly) and they are going to discuss where to lead the
system of education.

"Otherwise, in a few years Armenia may not accept the diploma of
Karabakh," said Member of Parliament Arthur Tovmasyan, the dean
of one of the departments of Artsakh State University. He advised
to introduce the credit system but first to hold training for the
university teachers. The minister of education said in the next meeting
of government the draft decision of the government on introduction
of the credit system from September 1 will be discussed.

Member of Parliament Romella Dadayan, director of School N 1 of
Stepanakert, reminded that a university cannot be good unless the
school is good. She proposed setting up boards of trustees at schools,
a non-profit body which would maintain the relation between the
school and parents and seek assistance for the school. The minister
announced that in Armenia the process of reorganizing schools into
state non-profit organizations has already begun, and soon we will
also launch this process which involves setting up boards of trustees.

The issue of education is apparently becoming the most urgent issue
in Karabakh. The day before the question and answer session of the
parliament the issue was discussed at the government, in parliament
most questions were asked to the minister of education. Renovation
of this sphere has started but since everything is done for
the first time, almost blindly, the renovation may end up with
demolition. Especially that we are used to sudden movements and
forcible methods of solution of problems.