Author: Jalatian Sonya

NAGORNO-KARABAKH CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION REGISTERS FIVE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 14 2007

STEPANAKERT, June 14. /ARKA/. Nagorno-Karabakh Central Election
Commission decided Thursday to register five presidential candidates
– Bako Saakyan, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic National Security chief;
Masis Mailyan, deputy foreign minister; MP Armen Abgaryan; Vanya
Avanesyan, professor at Artsakh – Bako Saakyan, Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic National Security chief; Masis Mailyan, deputy foreign
minister; MP Armen Abgaryan; Vanya Avanesyan, professor at Artsakh
State University, and Hrant Melkumyan, Karabakh Communist Party leader.

Date for launching election campaigns is already set. The Candidates
can start campaigning on June 20.

The presidential elections are scheduled for July 19, 2007.

EX-PRIME MINISTER SAYS FOREIGN INVESTMENT PREVENTS IMPUDENT ELITES

Panorama.am
18:15 14/06/2007

"No country was able to get prepared for the privatization. It means,
it was impossible," Hrant Bagratyan, ex-prime minister of Armenia, said
at Congress Hotel today during the presentation of his book. Bagratyan
said those countries that managed to implement swift privatization
were the ones to win. He also said foreign investment does not permit
the economic and political elites to become "impudent."

SOUTH CAUCASUS PARLIAMENTARY INITIATIVE GROUP TO MEET IN LONDON

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
June 13 2007

The following meeting of the South Caucasus parliamentary initiative
group will be held in London next month, MP, member of South Caucasus
Parliamnet’s Initiative group Siyavush Novruzov told APA. Siyavush
Novruzov said the meetings of the South Caucasus Parliament were not
held within a year because of parliamentary elections in Armenia.

"Parliament elections in Armenia have already ended. New MPs will
be represented in the Initiative Group. The urgent issue of the
parliament’s agenda will be formation of presidium. After this other
issues of the agenda will be set".

Siyavush Novruzov said the parliament has not worked in the last one
year Azerbaijan’s chairmanship will be delayed. "The chairmanship
will be delayed as the parliament has not worked the last year.

African swine fever breaks out in Georgia, UN warns of ‘catastrophic’
economic impact
AP Worldstream
Published: Jun 08, 2007

The United Nations said Friday that an outbreak in Georgia of African
swine fever, a contagious viral disease in pigs, could have a
"catastrophic" economic impact unless its spread is halted.

The disease, which causes fever and death in pigs, does not affect
humans.

But it has the potential for wide international spread, and the U.N.
Food and Agriculture Organization warned that neighboring Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Russia should be on high alert.

In a statement, it said the disease "has a catastrophic effect on
commercial and smallholder pig production."

Georgia reported that outbreaks began at the end of April in 10 regions
across the country, and that 20,000 pigs had already been slaughtered.
Georgia only has about a half-million pigs.

Jan Slingenbergh, a senior animal health officer at the Rome-based
agency, said the outbreak was particularly of concern since African
swine fever had been nearly confined to sub-Saharan Africa since 1990.

"Delayed detection of the virus has resulted in a long danger period
where the disease has been unrecognized and the virus could have moved
to neighboring countries," Slingenbergh said in a statement. "Armenia,
Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation should be on high alert."

FAO said the virus probably entered Georgia through imported frozen or
processed pig meat. Pigs can get it by eating infected meat or tissues
or by contact with infected animals or contaminated equipment.

Experts from the European Union, FAO and the World Organization for
Animal Health were heading for Georgia to assess the situation and
advise the government on immediate control measures, the statement said.

Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 9 2007

NEW ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT FORMED

YEREVAN, June 8. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharyan has singed a
decree appointing Government members.
Under the decree, Harutyun Kushkyan (Prosperous Armenia Party) has
been appointed Minister of Health, Nerses Yeritsyan Minister of Trade
and Economic Development, Gevorg Danielyan Minister of Justice, Aram
Harutyunyan Minister of Nature Protection, Vardan Vardanyan
(Prosperous Armenia) Minister of Urban Development, Armen Grigoryan
(Prosperous Armenia) Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs.
The following Government members retained their posts: Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan, Minister of Agriculture David Lokyan (ARF
Dashnaktsutyun), Minister of Energy Armen Movsisyan (Republican Party
of Armenia), Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtichyan,
Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan, Minister of Defense Mikael
Harutyunyan, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Aghvan Vardanyan
(Dashnaktsutyun), Minister of Transport and Communication Andranik
Manukyan, Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatryan
(Republican Party of Armenia), Minister of Territorial Administration
Hovik Abrahamyan (Republican Party of Armenia), and Minister, Head of
the RA Government staff Manuk Topuzyan (Republican party of Armenia).

RA President Robert Kocharyan also signed decree appointing Ra
minister of Territorial Administration Hovik Abrahamyan RA
Vice-Premier, and relieving Gevorg Danielyan of the post of RA Deputy
Prosecutor General.
The RA President also signed decrees renaming RA Ministry of Culture
and Youth Affairs RA Ministry of Culture, and RA State Committee for
Physical Culture and Sport RA Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs.
In conformity with the RA Constitution, on Thursday, when the newly
elected Armenian Parliament held its first sitting, the RA president
accepted the RA Government’s resignation and signed a decree
appointing Serge Sargsyan RA Prime Minister.
In conformity with Article 74 of the RA Constitution, the RA
Government is to submit its program to the RA Parliament within 20
days. The RA Parliament is to vote on the program within five days
after it is submitted for approval. The RA Parliament approves the
Government’s program by a majority of votes.
On June 6, 2007, at the residence of the RA President, an agreement
on a political coalition was signed between the Republican Party of
Armenia (RPA) and the Prosperous Armenia Party. In its turn, the
coalition signed a cooperation agreement with the ARF Dashnaktsutyun.
P.T. -0–

STATE CONCEPT IS NEEDED FOR RESETTLEMENT OF LIBERATED TERRITORIES, EDITOR OF "FLAG" SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Jun 07 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Since 2001, the population has decreased
in the liberated regions adjacent to Nagorno Karabakh, particularly
in Kashatagh. Editor of "Hetk" electronic newspaper Edik Baghdasarian
said this at the June 7 press conference. According to him, in 1999,
favorable living conditions were created in these regions: municipal
service traiffs were reduced, family benefits were provided, etc,
thanks to which the number of resettlers reached 17 thousand in
Kashatagh. However, in the words of E. Baghdasarian, the living
conditions sharply became worse after appointment of Hamlet Khachatrian
as head of the Kashatagh administration which forced people to leave
this settlement. The editor said that the situation has improved a bit
in the last two months after a wave of protest rose in the Diaspora
in connection with the state in Kashatagh.

Editor of ARF’s official newspaper "Droshak" ("Flag") Karen Khanlarian
in his turn noted that the Diaspora certainly takes an interest in
problems of residents of the liberated territories but it is necessary
to develop a state concept for successful solution of the resettlement
problem. No such concept exists. "After all, a smart person will not go
to live in the area, which, according to information reaching him/her,
will be abandoned some time," K. Khanlarian stated.

E. Baghdasarian added that he does not know a country to have handed
over the territories liberated in war to the other side at the
negotiation table.

Besides, as the journalist pointed out, a new generation has grown
up in the liberated territories and these children don’t know that
somewhere some uncles are disputing the issue of abandoning their
birthplace.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Friday, June 8, 2007

Presentation by Ara Tekian on Climbing Mt. Ararat Tops Busy Calendar of
Events for AGBU Chicago

Calling his climbing of Mt. Ararat "the journey of a lifetime," Ara
Tekian, a medical education specialist and professor at the University
of Illinois-Chicago, delivered a riveting presentation of his
experience, illustrated by more than 300 images, at the AGBU Chicago
Center on March 4, 2007. He had made this pilgrimage last August with
the president of the American University of Armenia (AUA), Haroutune
Armenian, and accompanied by Dr. Armenian’s wife Sona, assistant
professor of public health at AUA, Varduhi Petrosyan, and her husband
Arsen Krikoryan, as well as a former professor of public health at AUA,
Dr. Arthur Melkonyan.
=09
As Tekian and Armenian prepared for this once-in-a-lifetime trip, they
decided the best way to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Armenian
independence and the founding of AUA was "to raise the Armenian flag on
Mt. Ararat." Once the group reached the summit, Tekian said, "The sense
of achievement and pride was overwhelming…" Due to a temperature of
minus 30 Fahrenheit (-34 Celsius) and fingers freezing in the wind, they
stayed only twenty minutes at the peak, forgoing plans to dance an
Armenian folk dance and drink Armenian cognac.

Commenting on the journey, which also included visits to Ani, the
monastery of Varag, the Holy Cross Church of Aghtamar, and the city of
Kars, Dr. Tekian said, "This trip was a spiritual journey, climbing a
sacred mountain and visiting some of the most important religious
centers in Western Armenia. It was a pilgrimage for me to trace my
roots. Dreams do come true! Finally I climbed Mt. Ararat, and when the
journey was over, I was a different person. I acquired such strength
that gave me confidence, courage, and determination that there is
nothing impossible in life. I now believe you can conquer any height and
overcome any difficulty in life if you have the determination."

Enthused by Dr. Tekian’s presentation, AGBU Chicago is considering the
possibility of arranging a group tour to climb Mt. Ararat in the summer
of 2008. Those interested in joining the group should contact AGBU
Chicago Board chair Leona Mirza at [email protected] or call (773)
588-2844.

A FULL YEAR OF EVENTS

Chicago AGBU began this year’s calendar of noteworthy events on January
22 and 23, by hosting five prominent Armenian government press
secretaries and journalists visiting the United States from Yerevan on a
US State Department exchange program. The visiting media professionals
were: Ruzanna Azroyan, Assistant to the Press Secretary, President’s
Office, Government of Armenia; Sarmen Baghdasaryan, Head, Policy
Planning Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Lusine Harutyunyan,
Press Secretary, Ministry of Energy; Meri Harutyunyan, Head, Information
and Public Relations Department, Government of Armenia; Nelli
Manucharyan, Press Secretary, Customs State Committee, Government of
Armenia; and Lusik Tovmasyan, Second Secretary and Head, Press Division,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Following a lively discussion on continuing developments in the Armenian
economy and a community reception at the AGBU/Chicago Center, the guests
were hosted at the renowned Sayat Nova Armenian restaurant in downtown
Chicago. While in Chicago, the group toured the prestigious Medill
School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, and
discussed American journalism education with a faculty member, who had
once covered Armenia as a foreign correspondent. Their American tour
also included stops in Washington, DC, Portland, OR, Tampa, FL, and New
York.

On February 3, Harvard University doctoral candidate Rachel Goshgarian
gave a compelling talk sponsored by the Knights of Vartan on the history
of the Armenians and Turks as a bridge and obstacle to reconciliation.

On February 11, Chicago AGBU co-promoted Music in the Loft Valentine’s
concert featuring Ani and Marta Aznavoorian and Stefan Milenkovich, with
a special piece composed by Eric Hachikian. Marta Aznavoorian is a
member of the Lincoln Trio, ensemble in residence at the highly regarded
Music Institute of Chicago, where she is also an instructor of piano.
Her sister Ani is a world-renowned concert cellist, and is married to
Mr. Milenkovich. Eric Hachikian is a rising-star composer and the son of
Gloria and Ken Hachikian, chair of the Armenian National Committee of
America.

On February 24, George Shirinian, a featured speaker at North Park
University’s all-day Conference on Genocide, gave a special presentation
that same evening at AGBU/Chicago Center on the topic of "New Trends in
Armenian Genocide Studies." Due to a severe ice storm, only ten brave
souls were in attendance yet this turned out to be a blessing in
disguise, as the small audience engaged in a lively question-and-answer
session with Dr. Shirinian.

AGBU/Chicago concluded its spring calendar with a weekend of theatre: on
April 14 the chapter hosted a presentation of the well-known cartoonist
Alexander Saroukhan’s satiric play, "Menk Hayeren Chenk Kider" (We Don’t
Know Armenian), by the "Pokr Tem" (Little Stage) Troupe of Toronto’s
Holy Trinity Church in AGBU/Chicago Center’s Terzian Hall. Staged by the
celebrated director Sirarpi Adjemian, the play attracted an audience of
over 200. The evening’s proceeds benefited "Parev Monthly," Chicago’s
sole Armenian-language newspaper, whose editor Missak Kharmanjian gave
welcoming remarks and expressed his gratitude to the organizers and
sponsors prior to the presentation. On Sunday afternoon, April 15, AGBU
Chicago was honored to host a community benefit performance of Richard
Kalinoski’s highly acclaimed "Beast On The Moon," the stirring drama
about two Genocide survivors which recently ran off Broadway. The
production–Chicago’s fourth–was staged by Provision Theater Co., which
generously donated half of the benefit performance’s ticket sales for
the day to the AGBU Children’s Centers in Armenia.

For more information on AGBU Chicago and upcoming events, please email
[email protected] or visit

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City with an
annual budget of $36 million, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian
identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian
programs, annually serving some 400,000 Armenians in 35 countries.

ARMENIANS OF ISTANBUL ARE THE HOSTAGES OF THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.06.2007 GMT+04:00

Archbishop Mutafian gives publicity to Turkish official viewpoint
regarding the issue of the Armenian Genocide, and doesn’t forget to
mention about "the Armenian armed revolt against the government".

Since January, 2007 as the Resolution N 106 about the Armenian
Genocide was passed in the US Congress, different opinions about the
Patriarch of Constantinople Mesrop Mutafian (Mesrop II), speaking
against the above mentioned Resolution, have started to appear in
Turkish press. The Patriarch’s viewpoint, which gave rise to severe
criticism both in Diaspora and Armenia, is quite explicable; Mesrop
II wants to maintain the fragile but peaceful relations both with
Turkish authorities and with the country’s population.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to the Constitution Armenians, Greeks and
Jews are considered to be the only national minorities in Turkey. And
if the Turkish Government is more loyal towards the Jews, based on
the fact that Israel is in friendly relations with Ankara, it is not
at all loyal and moreover carries out rather harsh policy towards the
Armenians and Greeks. The spiritual leader of the community should
by all means be a citizen of Turkey. The truth is that he is elected
by the community itself, yet the candidacy must be confirmed by the
government first.

In fact the Armenian and Greek Patriarchs are functionaries, called to
perform their duties and not to permit any announcements contradicting
the policy carried out by the Turkish Government. In fact the Patriarch
and the Armenian Community of Istanbul have become the hostages of
the Turkish Government and this is why the announcement shattering
every Armenian in any part of the world should be regarded from a
different point of view.

Recently official meetings of the Members of the US Congress
Delegation with Turkey’s initiative have been held in Ankara, after
which the Congressmen headed to Istanbul, where they visited the
Armenian Patriarchate in Constantinople. During the meeting of the
Congressmen with Mesrop Mutafian issues concerning Resolution on the
Armenian Genocide, Hrant Dink’s murder, as well as the murders of the
Catholic Priest Santoro in Trabzon and three evangelical believers
in Malatya were discussed. "Lraber" quotes the Patriarch’s words,
"Based upon both the intergovernmental relations of Turkey and Armenia
and the relations of the local Armenians with the Turkish Nation, we
are not positively disposed towards the Resolution about the Armenian
Genocide submitted to the US Congress. But at the same time we cannot
deny the tragic events of the past. The history will never forgive
the Ittihad ve Teraki’s (Unity and Progress) act aimed at not only
the punishment of the Armenian armed revolt against the government,
but also all the Armenians living in Turkey. 1,5 million people of
Armenian origin were killed in the Syrian deserts.

Today there are 70.000 Armenians living in our country. The Armenians
who adopted Islam to avoid deportation shouldn’t be forgotten
either. Since they continue speaking Armenian, they remain faithful
to the Armenian Culture, and regardless their religion we consider
them one of us. And we never consider the Armenian Diaspora being
an object of dispute. We are Armenians from Turkey and together with
our Muslim neighbors we try to maintain healthy social and commercial
relations. The time to develop the politics of tomorrow has come. The
Republic of Armenia boarders on Turkey, and since it is out of question
to change the border lines between the two countries, it is of great
benefit to the Armenians of Turkey for two neighboring countries to
be in better relations with each other. What we have in common with
the Turkish Republic is of political character, with Armenia we are
connected with religious and cultural ties. We, the Armenians of
Turkey, want nothing but peace".

In fact the Archbishop Mutafian gave publicity to Turkish official
viewpoint regarding the issue of the Armenian Genocide, and didn’t
forget to mention about "the Armenian armed revolt against the
government".

One should really have some very serious reasons to fear for his
life and the future of the Armenian Community in Istanbul to call
the heroic defense of Van and Sasun an "armed revolt against the
government". Another truth is that it is always easier to judge. Yet
the thousands of the Armenian priests, who didn’t leave their posts
and had their share of sufferings shouldn’t be left unmentioned. By
the way in Istanbul there had already been a Patriarch, Maghakia
Ormanyan who carried out prudent and constructive politics, which
aroused frustration among the Armenian intellectuals and political
parties. In July 1908 the participants of the mass demonstration in
Constantinople broke into the Patriarch’s residence and deposed him.

ARSHAK SADOYAN: NEW MPs WILL NOT HAVE POSSIBILITY OF EVEN SPEAKING, AS ALL ISSUES ARE SOLVED IN RPA "KITCHEN"

Noyan Tapan
Jun 06 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The changes made in the staff
of the current parliament cannot be named a political change
of generations. Deputy of National Assemblies of all previous
convocations, Chairman of Union of National Democrats Party Arshak
Sadoyan and political scientist Aghasi Yenokian expressed such opinion
at the June 6 meeting with journalists.

In A. Yenokian’s words, for the purpose of self-reproduction
the authorities once more falsified the elections. As a result,
opposition’s staff in the parliament changed, Bargavach Hayastan
artificially created by the President appeared and the main actors
from power camp remained in the parliament as before.

According to A. Yenokian’s observation, a great number of deputies
have appeared in the parliament and persons having been deputies
for a long time have been left out of the parliament. In particular,
for the first time no member of Karabakh committee is included in the
parliament. In political scientist’s opinion, under Robert Kocharian
no elections have been ever held in the parliament and the parliament
has been formed according to Soviet traditions, by proportions from
above. According to this, less political figures and more oligarches
or representatives of crime have appeared in the current parliament
as compared with the previous one. As A. Yenokian affirmed, in spite
of the amended Constitution, the new parliament cannot introduce
freshness to political life.

In A. Sadoyan’s words, this parliament is much worse than the previous
one, as today all issues are decided not at NA, but in the kitchen
of RPA. Under these conditions the parliament’s role has abruptly
reduced and the new deputies even will not have a possibility of
speaking. In Sadoyan’s words, the opposition has its share of guilt
in it, as after the boycott of 2004 the power forces understood that
they can do without the opposition.

For the purpose of solving the problem of change of generations in the
political sphere A. Sadoyan is going to create a school of exchange of
political experience and he invites to take part in it representatives
of youth wings irrespective of their party belonging. He called the
youth for taking the chance for being involved in active politics
saying that politics is not only an interesting, but also a profitable
business. Sadoyan himself, in his words, will continue his political
activity he started as early as in the 70-s of the previous century.

ARMENIAN PATRIARCH MESROB II PLANS TO MEET WITH CHIEF OF TURKISH MILITARY

ArmRadio.am
06.06.2007 14:51

The leader of the Armenian Orthodox community in Turkey, Patriarch
Mesrob II, has said that the initial societal support shown in the
wake of journalist Hrant Dink’s murder has lessened as a result of
nationalist pressure, and that the figures behind the murder of Dink
in Istanbul are still being protected.

Mesrob II noted in his comments, which were published on the German
magazine Der Spiegel’s website, that he planned to meet soon with
the leader of the Turkish military, General Yasar Buyukanit, on
this matter.

Notably, Mesrob II also used his comments to express support for the
current AKP administration, asserting that the AKP demonstrated a more
tolerant attitude towards religious minorities than the opposition CHP.