Author: Jagharian Tania

ITALIAN OPPOSITION DEMANDS SENATE RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Tert.am
22.04.10

An Italian Senator from the Democratic Party has demanded the Senate
to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

At an April 21 speech at the Senate Albertina Soliani, recalling
that April 24 is commemorated in Armenia as the day of the Armenian
Genocide, said the following.

"We call on all our colleagues to commemorate the remembrance of
the victims together with the Armenian community in Italy and in
the Republic of Armenia. We do believe that the recognition and
acknowledgment of that atrocity will establish a new and stable basis
for cooperation between Armenia and Turkey," said Senator Soliani,
adding that Italy’s Senate should recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Armenian President To Address The Nation April 22

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 22, 2010 – 12:19 AMT 07:19 GMT

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan briefed on the outcomes of his
visits to Washington and Moscow during the April 21 meeting of the
RA National Security Council.

President Sargsyan said he held a series of consultations with the
leaders of parties forming the political coalition.

On April 22, he will address the nation to inform of the decision
taken as a result of the above mentioned discussions, the presidential
press office reported.

GOVERNMENT RELEASES ADDITIONAL 3.3 BILLION DRAMS FOR EARTHQUAKE ZONE

/ARKA/
April 20, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, April 20, /ARKA/. The Armenian government has released
additional 3.3 billion Drams to finance construction of residential
compounds in Armenia’s second largest town of Gyumri and other towns
and villages in the so-called disaster zone that was razed to ground
by a 1988 earthquake, urban planning minister Vardan Vardanian told
a news conference today.

He said initially 1056 apartments had been planned to be build by
May, but the date was postponed until June after president Serzh
Sargsyan recently visited the area, instructing the ministry to pay a
greater attention to connecting new homes to the natural gas network,
installing heating systems and so on.

The 2010 budget earmarks 24 billion Drams for the disaster zone. The
minister said the extra release of 3.3 billion Drams will be spent to
eliminate the shortcomings found by the president. Vardan Vardanian
said also construction of schools will be launched in the area from
mid-May.

‘We are planning to complete construction of housing for homeless
people in 2013. Currently we have a list of 7,000 such families,’
he said.

The 1998 December 7 earthquake razed to ground Gyumri and Spitak, and
over 100 rural communities, killing, according to government figures,
25,000 people and injuring 140,000. Half a million people lost their
homes. ($1- 394.24 Drams).

EVENT DATED TO 95TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE HELD IN MOSCOW

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 20, 2010 – 10:16 AMT 05:16 GMT

An event dated to the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in
the Ottoman Empire was held in Nekrasov central town library of Moscow.

The event was organized by Ararat Cultural Union and Culture Department
of Moscow.

Senior official of the Armenian Embassy to Russia Robert Ananyan
emphasized in his remarks that recognition and condemnation of the
Genocide will make it possible to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Political Science Ph.D. Alexander Svarants, Chairman of the
Russian-Armenian Cooperation NGO Yuri Navoyan and Deputy Chairman of
the Russian Union of Cooperation and Friendship with Armenia Vladimir
Osipov also delivered speeches.

Prominent Armenian and Russian politicians, science, art and culture
workers attended the event, RA MFA press service reported.

ARMENIAN DIASPORA MINISTER CALLS ON NATIONAL HOKEY TEAM TO VISIT MOTHERLAND OFTEN

ArmInfo
2010-04-19 21:48:00

Arminfo. Armenian Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakopyan received today
members of Armenian national hokey team

As press-service of the Ministry reported, having congratulated members
of the team on victories, the minister advised hokey-players to draw
mote attention to their education and called them to unite in order
to fight challenges of the XXI century. Hakopyan also presented the
programme "Ari tun" (come home) to the guests and advised them to
visit Motherland as often as possible.

ARMENIANS, GREEKS TO JOINTLY ATTEND GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION EVENTS

news.am
April 19 2010
Armenia

April 15, Greek Parliament Speaker Philippos Petsalnikos met with RA
Ambassador to Greece Gagik Ghalachyan.

The sides discussed further expansion of Armenian-Greek cooperation,
RA Foreign Ministry press service informed NEWS.am. It was noted that
formation of Armenia-Greece parliamentary friendship group in the
Greek parliament, as well as RA Speaker’s scheduled visit to Greece
in the second half of this year will give an impetus to the extension
of bilateral cooperation.

The officials also touched upon the current stage of Armenia-Turkey
reconciliation process.

Ghalachyan expressed gratitude for the Armenian Genocide resolution
approval by Greek Parliament 14 years ago, adding that this year
Armenians and Greeks will jointly participate in the events dedicated
to the 95th commemoration of Genocide.

LE JOURNALISTE ERNEST VARDANYAN DETENU POUR "TRAHISON" EN TRANSNISTRIE
Jean Eckian

armenews
lundi19 avril 2010

Droits de l’Homme

Le 7 Avril, le journaliste Ernest Vardanyan, un observateur
international independant travaillant pour l’Agence russe Novuy
Region (Nouvelle Region), a ete arrete en Transnistrie sous le chef
d’inculpation d’"Espionnage et Haute Trahison". Selon l’article
271 du Code penal de Transnistrie, la peine encourue est de 20 ans
d’emprisonnement.

Le journaliste, egalement pigiste pour le journal Pulse, a ete arrete
devant son domicile a Tiraspol par des hommes qui se sont identifies
comme des agents des services secrets de la region de Transnistrie
de Moldavie. Il a deux enfants.

Un Comite de soutien s’est immediatement mis en place a Yerevan qui
a deja alerte diverses ONG, dont :

Le Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les droits de l’homme
(HCDH)

Amnesty International en Moldavie

Human Rights Watch

Reporters sans frontières et le Comite pour la protection des
journalistes (CPJ)

La Transnistrie est une region (4000 km²) de la Moldavie, republique
autoproclamee depuis 1991, non reconnue internationalement. Sa
frontière est protegee par tanks et soldats armes.

L’Irak, le Caucase, l’Afrique noire… Ces regions en conflit ont au
moins un point commun : une partie des armes en circulation provient
de Transnistrie.

Depuis l’eclatement de l’URSS, la Transnistrie, region separatiste
de Moldavie et dictature neo-communiste, est devenue un " trou noir
", aux portes de l’Europe.

Cette zone de " conflit gele " est devenue un espace de passe-droit,
dirige par une clique corrompue.

Presque aussi hermetique que la Coree du Nord, a trois heures de vol de
Paris, la PMR n’a jamais fait l’objet d’aucune investigation serieuse,
tant il est difficile de penetrer son territoire.

Et pour cause ! La petite Transnistrie a tout a gagner a se faire
oublier : elle cache certains des plus grands entrepôts d’armement du
monde ! Elle est devenue une importante plaque tournante du trafic
de cigarettes, d’alcool et surtout d’armes, grâce a l’ouverture de
l’aeroport militaire de Tiraspol et l’accès au port d’Odessa.

Soupconnee d’etre impliquee dans le terrorisme international, base
arrière des marchands de canons, la Transnistrie inquiète desormais
la communaute internationale.

Le Guide du Routard deconseille vivement cette etape

International Press Institut , emu par le cas d’Ernest Vardanyan,
a publie jeudi dernier le communique de sa filiale South East Europe
Media Organisation (SEEMO), laquelle condamne fermement l’arrestation
arbitraire de ce journaliste très connu en Moldavie pour ses reportages
souvent critiques sur les fonctionnaires de l’Etat et des questions
d’interet public.

En outre, SEEMO exhorte le Ministère de la securite de Tiraspol
de retirer les accusations et les peines de prison. SEEMO tiens
egalement a rappeler au ministère de la Securite de Tiraspol que la
libre circulation de l’information est un principe fondamental de
toute societe democratique. ". Son Secretaire general Oliver Vujovic,
a declare : "Les accusations de haute trahison contre Vardanyan en
raison de ses critiques sont inacceptables."

Pushkin school in Yerevan and Pushkin schools in Russia are connected
with satellite communication

2010-04-17 17:56:00

ArmInfo. The Yerevan secondary school No 8 named after Pushkin is now
connected with Pushkin schools in Russia by means of satellite
communication. According to Viktor Krivopuskov, Head of the Armenian
Office of Rossotrudnichestvo (Federal Agency for CIS Affairs,
Compatriots Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation), for
the first time the satellite communication system has connected the
Russian and Armenian schools.

"Such systems will be installed at the schools of other CIS countries
no earlier than in a year or two. In Russia itself, where there are
around 60 thsd schools, approximately 1 thsd can use this
communication today. The fact that Armenia was the first once again
proves the reliability and high quality of the two countries’
relations",- said Krivopuskov. The "Yamal" facilities of the "Gazsprom
Space Systems" OJSC that have been installed at the Pushkin school in
Yerevan will allow delivering video-lessons with Russian schools, as
well as retraining the Russian language teachers in Armenia.

"The latter may also become very useful for Armenia as very few people
can afford going to Russia for retraining",- he said. Krivopuskov
added that the installed equipment costs about 1 mln RUR. "But
everybody knows that one should not save money on education. These
expenditures should be the priority, and this is not only our
obligation, but also call of the time",- he said.

Historical and cultural monuments are destroyed in Armenia annually,
an expert says

2010-04-17 17:48:00

ArmInfo. The historical and cultural monuments are destroyed in
Armenia annually, Director of the Institute of Archaeology and
Ethnography of the Armenian National Academy of Science Pavel
Avetisyan said at today’s press conference.

According to him, very often the monuments are destroyed as a
consequence of economic activity. Avetisyan pointed out that according
to the law, if historical and cultural monuments are found in the
place of construction, relevant specialists should be informed of this
to carry out the further exploration. "They strictly adhered to this
order in Soviet times, however, now the situation has changed a
little. Sometimes we cannot hinder the construction or learn about the
existence of a new historic monument too late",- said Avetisyan. He
pointed out the stone-quarry in Sisian. Though archaeologic layers
dated back to the first half of the 4th millennium B.C. have been
discovered in this place, the work in the quarry is still underway –
though aside from the excavations, nevertheless, in the territory of
the monument. The exploration work near the Teghut copper-molybdenum
deposit is an exception. This exploration is carried with the full
support of Teghut CJSC. A total of 12 complexes of monuments have been
discovered in the given area. "Their territory is specified and
passports have been provided to all the monuments. When researching 3
complexes of monuments in 2009, we discovered ancient repositories and
spinners in a perfect state",- he said.

Peace Breaks Out in Georgia

Why Russia is extending an olive branch to Tbilisi and other restive
regions.

By Owen Matthews | Newsweek Web Exclusive

Apr 15, 2010

Moscow and Tbilisi are still officially at war a year and a half after
Russian troops rolled into the breakaway Georgian republics of South Ossetia
and Abkhazia and declared them independent. But quietly, with minimal
fanfare on both sides, peace is breaking out. A crucial border crossing
reopened last month, direct flights have recommenced, and Russians have
begun issuing more visas to Georgian nationals.

The reason for this sudden warming of relations? In large part, the Olympic
spirit of peace-or at least Russia’s fervent desire to make the 2014 Winter
Olympics in Sochi a trouble-free success. With the Olympic banner now passed
from Canada to Russia, the Kremlin wants to do everything possible to ensure
that there won’t be any more flare-ups over Abkhazia, just 25 miles away
from Sochi.

That means soothing differences with Georgia and giving Tbilisi an economic
stake in keeping the peace by allowing cross-border trade, once a mainstay
of the Georgian economy. Opening the border also helps Russia’s main
Caucasian ally, Armenia, whose only road access to Russia is via Georgia and
which found itself also blockaded by default.

Yerevan has been begging Moscow to open the Georgian road, as the prospects
of an opening of the Armenian-Turkish border are receding despite an
agreement reached last year. At present, landlocked Armenia can trade only
with two of its four neighbors, Iran and Georgia, with the borders closed to
Turkey and Azerbaijan since 1992. Turkey has dialed back on its commitment
to open the border in part because of a U.S. congressional Foreign Affairs
Committee resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide, as well as pressure
from Azerbaijan, which wants an Armenian withdrawal from the enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh.

But of more immediate concern to Moscow is the prospect of terror attacks
from the North Caucasus, which is also in Sochi’s neighborhood. Last week
the International Olympic Committee expressed confidence that Russia would
be able to make the games secure, and on Monday Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin formed a security committee to oversee preparations for Sochi’s
Olympics. This week the chief of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB)
announced that it had arrested or killed 170 militants in the region this
year, and had identified the masterminds of the recent suicide bombings on
the Moscow metro and in Dagestan.

But to really ensure a peaceful Olympics, President Dmitry Medvedev will
have to do a lot more than let Russian security forces continue business as
usual in the Moscow-controlled North Caucasus, arresting and murdering
suspects at will. Medvedev’s challenge is not only to pacify his empire’s
most restive corner but the whole explosive neighborhood as well. Making a
quiet peace with Georgia is one important step toward that goal.

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© 2010