Author: Hunanian Jack

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN CONGRATULATES "AZTAG" ON 80TH JUBILEE

armradio.am
14.11.2008 14:03

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan issued a congratulatory message
on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Lebanon based "Aztag"
Armenian daily, President’s Press Office reported. The message states:

"I warmly congratulate the editorial staff of "Aztag," the reporters
and readers on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of establishment
of the newspaper.

During eight decades "Aztag" has properly followed its vocation,
i.e. preservation of national identity, Armenian schooling and culture,
special attention towards news from Motherland.

"Aztag" has been and remains an important rostrum for Armenia-Diaspora
unity and for raising the important pan-Armenian issues.

Once again congratulating "Aztag" on its jubilee, I wish eternity and
a growing army of readers. I’m sure that "Aztag," which has already
occupied its deserved place in the history of Armenian press, still
has an important mission to carry out during the decades to come."

RELIGION COORDINATING COUNCIL CONSIDERS ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI CONFLICT’S TACKLING: CAUCASUS MUSLIMS CLERICAL LEADER

Trend
Nov 12 2008
Azerbaijan

Russia, Moscow, 12 November/Trend News, corr. R.Agayev / UNESCO
will give commission to Religion Coordinating Council (RCC) to
consider the current conflicts in the world, like in the Middle
East and others, after specifying of organization issues beginning
from January 2009. The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and ways to
tackle the conflict will likely be considered, Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji
Allahshukur Pashazadeh, the chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Office
(CMO), told Trend News in Moscow.

According to Pashazadeh, one of the main objectives of CMO is the
use of every possible forum, including international organizations
in order to inform the world public about the Armenian aggression
against Azerbaijan, destruction of religious and cultural monuments
of the Azerbaijani people in the occupied territories of the country,
numerous acts of vandalism against religious monuments, culture,
architecture and history, not only Muslims but also representatives
of other faiths, including temples and churches, etc.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group (Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

Pashazadeh noted that the target of today’s meeting of representatives
of world religions in Moscow is to make the voice of religious
people and leaders to be heard including from the rostrum of the
UN. "Sometimes religious leaders and activists stay apart of tackling
of political issues, and therefore, the establishment of the Religions
Consulting Council in UN is our common effort," Pashazadeh said.

According to Pashazadeh, the establishment of the CMO also means that
religious leaders will be involved to discuss and solve current urgent
problems, including political issues. "However, the establishment of
such an organization will take time. This issue has been discussed at
meetings with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Therefore, the results
of the Moscow meeting was agreed to take steps within the framework
of UNESCO. We have sent a letter to the leadership of UNESCO, which
expressed a desire to work temporarily with the organization. Since 20
January, we will hold a meeting in Paris with the leadership of UNESCO,
where the aforesaid and other issues will find their final solution,"
Pashazadeh added.

Pashazadeh will represent Azerbaijan and Muslims of the Caucasus in
CMO. This, according to Pashazadeh, is in itself a sign of respect to
Azerbaijan; praise his place and role in the world. "It is a kind of
support of course, which Azerbaijan carries out in the world. We are
very pleased that CMO, in particular Metropolitan Kirill and other
figures, based precisely on those recommendations which were sent to
the Office of Caucasian Muslims," Pashazadeh added.

CMO will actively advise political leaders that they were guided by
correct criteria in resolving various issues and resolving urgent
problems.

ARMENIAN PARTY RECEIVED NO PROPOSAL ON HOLDING ARMENIAN AND TURKISH PRESIDENTS’ MEETING

DE FACTO
Nov 13, 2008

YEREVAN, 13.11.08. DE FACTO. The Armenian party did not receive a
proposal on holding a meeting of Armenian and Turkish presidents in
the near future.

According to the information DE FACTO received at the RA MFA Press
Office, commenting information disseminated by Turkish mass media on
RA FM’s forthcoming visit to Ankara and a meeting of Armenian and
Turkish Presidents, Tigran Balayan, Head of RA MFA Media Relations
Division, stated, "Edvard Nalbandian, as the Foreign Minister of the
BSEC presiding country, will be in Istanbul on a one-day visit on
November 24 to present the Organization’s 6-month Activity Program
and priorities of RA chairmanship within the frames of works of the
Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation.

As for the possibility of Turkish and Armenian Presidents’ forthcoming
meeting Armenian party has not received such a proposal".

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER TO PARTICIPATE IN SITTING OF COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT HEADS OF CIS MEMBER STATES TO BE HELD IN KISHINEV

Noyan Tapan

Nov 13, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The delegation headed by the
Armenian prime minister Tigran Sargsyan is leaving for Kishinev, the
capital city of Moldova, late November 13 in order to participate in
a sitting of the Council of the Government Heads of the CIS Member
States, NT was informed by the RA Government Information and PR
Department.

DELEGATION HEADED BY S. OHANYAN LEFT FOR GEORGIA

p;p=0&id=665&y=2008&m=11&d=12
11.1 1.08

On November 11, 2008 the delegation headed by the Minister of Defense
of the Republic of Armenia Mr. Seyran Ohanyan left for Georgia for a
two-day official visit at the invitation of the Defense Minister of
Georgia David Kezerashvili.

During the visit Armenian delegation intending to have meetings with
the Prime Minister of Georgia Grigol Mgaloblishvili, Defense Minister
David Kezerashvili, Foreign Minister Ekaterina Tkeshelashvili,
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense and
Security Georgy Targamadze.

The delegation headed by Seyran Ohanyan will visit the Heroes’ Square
to lay a wreath at the memorial to the heroes that fell for the sake
of Georgia’s independence, territorial integrity and unity.

At the Armenian Embassy in Georgia the Armenian delegation will meet
with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to
Georgia Hrach Silvanyan.

The delegation headed by Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan will return
to Yerevan on November 13.

Armenian National Committee of Australia
259 Penshurst Street, Willoughby NSW 2068
PO Box 768, Willoughby NSW 2068
T: (02) 9419 8264 | F: (02) 9411 8898
E: [email protected] | W:

BREAKING NEWS

ANC AUSTRALIA ADVOCACY WEEK

Ellison Discusses Armenian Genocide In Australian Senate

CANBERRA: Following meetings with the Armenian National Committee of
Australia (ANC Australia) in Canberra, Senator for Western Australia
Chris Ellison called on the national Senate to formally recognise the
Armenian Genocide.

In what is a major development, the Armenian Genocide has been
discussed in both houses of Australia’s Parliament within three
weeks. Senator Ellison’s remarks on 11 November follow the Hon. Joe
Hockey’s on 20 October, when he called for the Australian House of
Representatives to formally recognise the Armenian Genocide.

Senator Ellison told the Senate: `A number of senators and members
would no doubt have met representatives from the [Armenian] community
who visited the parliament this week… [and] …the issue of the
Armenian genocide in 1915 is a matter which weighs heavily with them.’

He added: `…this is a very important issue and one which needs to be
recognised by Australia.’

In addition, Senator Ellison brought to the attention of the Upper
House recently-uncovered information of Australia’s significant relief
effort aiding victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Senator Ellison said: `…what is important is Australia’s role, and
in fact there was a thing called the Armenian Relief Fund of
Australia, which operated from 1915 to 1929.

`This relief fund of Australia provided humanitarian assistance to
victims of the Armenian genocide. These relief efforts became known as
the first major international humanitarian project provided by
Australia and set a precedent for continued support for areas and
people in need throughout the world, and that is quite extraordinary
when one looks at the history…’

The Senator, who is also a member of the `Australia Armenia
Parliamentary Friendship Group’, urged his colleagues to `acknowledge
this as a matter of history’, because `bad things happen when good men
and women do nothing’.

ANC Australia President Mr. Varant Meguerditchian, who led a
delegation of colleagues along with visiting guest Raffi Hamparian of
ANC America, welcomed Senator Ellison’s advocacy and said it proves
his organisation’s inaugural Advocacy Week was delivering fruitful
results.

`ANC Australia Advocacy Week is all about educating legislators about
the reality of the Armenian Genocide and the importance of its
recognition internationally,’ he said.

`Senator Ellison’s statement in the Upper House is the start of what
we expect will be his integral involvement in our efforts to have
Australia recognise the Armenian Genocide.’

NKR PRESIDENT APPOINTED MEMBERS OF STATE COUNCIL ON STATISTICS

De Facto
Nov 11, 2008

STEPANAKERT, 11.11.08. DE FACTO. On November 9 NKR President Bako
Sahakian signed a decree appointing members of the State Council on
Statistics of the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic.

According to the Central Department of Information of the Office of
NKR President, in accordance with the decree Irina Avanesian and Ella
Babourian were appointed members of the council with a six year term
in office.

ARMENIA: INVESTIGATION INTO ABUSE OF MONOPOLY BY SCR

Railway Market
November 7, 2008 Friday

An investigation is being carried out by a state regulatory body into
the legality of the sudden sharp rise in the price of transporting
freight in the country, which was introduced at the beginning of July
2008. The railway network was recently renamed the South Caucasus
Railway (SCR), following the takeover by Russian state railway
operator RZD of its operations at the beginning of 2008. One of the
many companies affected by the rise in freight fees submitted an appeal
to the State Commission on the Protection of Economic Competition, and
an investigation is now taking place into a suspected abuse of SCR’s
monopoly. A representative of one company affected by the increase
stated that since the increase in fees, the cost of re-directing
a rail car at a station in the country had gone up from between AMD
2,500 (EUR 6.5 USD 8.24) and AMD 3,000, to AMD 18,000.

TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN DISCUSS ‘NEW ERA’ FOR CAUCASUS

Agence France Presse
November 5, 2008 Wednesday

The leaders of Turkey and Azerbaijan revived efforts Wednesday to
resolve entangled conflicts in the volatile Caucasus region also
involving Armenia.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul hailed Azeri-Armenian talks in Russia
last week as "the beginning of a new era", boosting hopes of securing
peace and stability in the region.

"Turkey supports this process and hopes that it will continue," Gul
said after talks with Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev. "We have begun
to handle the problems in the Caucasus together and with courage."

Hosted by Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev, Aliyev and Armenian President
Serzh Sarkisian met near Moscow Sunday and signed a joint declaration
asserting their desire to find a political settlement to the Nagorny
Karabakh conflict.

An enclave of Azerbaijan with a largely ethnic Armenian population,
Nagorny Karabakh broke free of Baku’s control in the early 1990s in
a war that killed nearly 30,000 people and forced two million to flee
their homes.

A ceasefire was signed in 1994 but the dispute remains unresolved.

Aliyev voiced hope the talks with Armenia would result in a settlement
"through gradual ways" and thanked Turkey for its peace efforts in
the Caucasus, which Ankara wants to crown with a regional cooperation
pact, involving also Georgia and Russia.

Turkey is eager for progress on the Nagorny Karabakh conflict in the
hope of advancing its own reconciliation bid with Armenia, its eastern
neighbour with which it has refused to establish diplomatic ties.

In a show of support for Azerbaijan, a close ally with which it
shares ethnic roots, Turkey shut its border with Armenia in 1993,
dealing a heavy economic blow to the impoverished ex-Soviet nation.

Turkish-Armenian ties have been further poisoned by Yerevan’s
international campaign for the recognition of the mass killings of
Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people were systematically
killed by Ottoman Turks in an act of genocide between 1915 and 1917
as their empire fell apart — a claim supported by several other
countries.

Turkey rejects the genocide label, arguing that 300,000-500,000
Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when
Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided
with invading Russian troops.

Gul became the first Turkish head of state to visit Armenia when he
travelled to Yerevan in September to watch a World Cup qualifying
football match between the two countries on the invitation of
Sarkisian.

Turkish officials have said the reconciliation process with Armenia
would be advanced mostly through "silent" diplomacy.

TURKEY TO CAREFULLY WATCH NEW U.S. ADMINISTRATION AFTER OBAMA’S WIN

Hurriyet
Nov 6 2008
Turkey

Turkish leaders Wednesday welcomed the election of America’s first
African-American president, as a source of hope for peace in the
world. But the new administration’s uncertain policies on a wide range
of issues, from the alleged "genocide" of Armenians to Iran and Iraq,
are a matter of curiosity for Ankara.

"Your message of change and hope meets today’s expectations. Turkey
embraces this message," Turkish President Abdullah Gul said in a
letter of congratulations he sent to U.S. President- elect Barack
Obama. The original version of the letter was aired on the web site
of the presidency on Wednesday.

The president highlighted the importance of Turkish-U.S. friendship,
based upon such universally accepted values as freedom, democracy and
human rights, and reiterated Turkey’s resolve to improve the strategic
partnership with Washington, especially in the fight on terrorism.

The outgoing U.S. ambassador to Turkey praised the election as a,
"miracle of American democracy that a poor African-American, from a
broken family, could rise to become the leader of our country."

"That he could do so, less than 40 years after the great civil rights
struggle of America, is especially remarkable and it is a source of
great pride," said Ambassador Ross Wilson in brief remarks.

UNKNOWN FUTURE On Turkish-American relations, he underlined that
there were always changes from president to president, but also
great continuity.

"President after president has understood the importance of Turkey
to the United States and of the United States to Turkey. President
after president has engaged seriously and in a very sustained way
with Turkish leaders for decades," Wilson said.

But he added that he did not know what the future held.

"Like all of you, I look forward to seeing the movie that we will be
watching over the four years of the Obama administration. But I am
sure that we will remain friends and remain engaged and the close
bonds between our two countries will endure in many presidential
terms to follow."

The desire to reach the stars is ambitious but the desire to reach
hearts is wise. The election campaign in the United States has shown
that this is Obama’s wisdom, said a member of a panel at the beginning
of a long night Tuesday in the Turkish capital.

The event was part of a traditional over-night election-watch at
the Turkish-American Association in Ankara. The morning heralded the
winner, the first black American leader in U.S. history.

"The American people have expressed their desire for change," said
Ambassador Wilson. Defeating his Republican rival, John McCain,
Democrat candidate, Obama, was elected as the 44th president of the
United States.

"The election result shows there is no longer a black-white problem
in the United States," said Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, describing
it as a turning point in American history.

But Obama-led policies, especially on the 1915 incidents, remain to
be seen.

Erdogan expressed belief that the statement Obama made during the
election campaign would remain election rhetoric. If elected president,
Obama had pledged to recognize the 1915 incidents.

The Turkish premier also said foreign ministry diplomats would seek
an opportunity to meet Obama during a visit to the United States next
week. Erdogan will attend an economic summit in Washington on Nov. 15,
when the current financial crisis, its causes and efforts to resolve
it will be discussed.

NEW LOBBY COMPANY Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader
Deniz Baykal sent a letter of congratulation to Obama via the
U.S. Embassy in Ankara, said press reports.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Turkey changed its lobbying
company in the United States seven months ago, giving it to the
Democrats. The government refused to renew the contract with Republican
Bob Livingston last April, whose company had been lobbying against
Armenian "genocide" resolutions.

Analysts predicted Obama-led policies, especially on the Armenian
issue, could be risky for the future of Turkish-American ties but
admitted there was also room for optimism.

"Obama could inspire hope and confidence among Turks who turned
out to be one of the most anti-American nations during the Bush
administration," Sanli Bahadir Koc, expert at the Center for Eurasia
Studies, told the Hurriyet Daily News.

"Obama is a leader who deserves credit, but a crisis over the alleged
"genocide" could open deeper and irreparable wounds in bilateral ties,"
he warned. "Obama is a wise and realist leader but history is full
of mistakes made by such leaders."

Kamer Kasim of the International Strategic Research Organization said
he believed an Obama-led administration would engage in efforts to
repair the deteriorated image of the United States especially in the
Muslim world, following the Iraq war.