Author: Jhanna Virabian

PanARMENIAN.Net

Serzh Sargsyan does not believe that Turkey’s membership in NATO makes
him more predictable
07.07.2007 14:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `NATO and the European Union are turning a blind eye
to Turkey’s long-running blockade of our borders. Ankara’s refusal to
open land routes is costing the small, landlocked state a third of its
Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Europeans are shy over these
issues. They love to talk about human rights, about democratic values
but it’s much easier to talk rather than to implement anything,’ Prime
Minister Serzh Sargsyan stated in an interview to Reuters.

Reuters reminds that `Turkey shut its borders to Christian Armenia in
1993 to protest against the capture by Armenian forces of territory
inside Azerbaijan, Ankara’s historic Muslim ally, during fighting over
the Nagorno Karabakh region. Ankara says it will not reopen its
frontier until Armenia reaches a peace agreement with Azerbaijan’.

The blockade, coupled with similar measures by Azerbaijan, means
Armenia has to route its trade through its land border with Georgia,
or over treacherous mountain passes that link it to Iran. Those
difficulties greatly increase costs.

S. Sargsyan said Armenia wants to resume relations with Turkey without
preconditions and would not obstruct Turkey’s desire to join the EU
because this might make Ankara `more predictable’.

`Although NATO officials tell us that Turkey is predictable as it’s a
member of NATO, I don’t believe it because even before our blockade
Turkey was a member of NATO when it occupied Cyprus,’ the Prime
Minister of Armenia added.

Reuters also underlines that Armenia and Turkey have a long history of
enmity, arising from the killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians under
the Ottoman empire in 1915-17.

`Armenians and some European nations describe the deaths as
genocide. Turkey says they were part of a partisan conflict during
World War One. It is a crime in Turkey to refer to the killings as a
genocide,’ Reuters reports.

The Washington Post

The House’s Ottoman Agenda

By Jackson Diehl
Monday, March 5, 2007; A15

article/2007/03/04/AR2007030401047.html

Can a nonbinding congressional resolution really matter? Most are ignored by
everyone except the special interests they are usually directed at. Even the
House’s recent resolution on Iraq was dismissed by both President Bush and
Democratic antiwar leader John Murtha. Yet a vote expected next month on a
nonbinding House resolution describing a "genocide" in the Ottoman Empire
beginning in 1915 has the potential to explode U.S. relations with Turkey,
sway the outcome of upcoming Turkish elections and spill over into several
other strategic American interests, including Iraq and Iran.
So, yes: The Armenian Genocide Resolution sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff does
matter, logically or not. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul spent
several days in Washington last month lobbying against it, though the
Turkish-American agenda is chockablock with seemingly more important issues.
Friends of Turkey in Washington, from American Jewish organizations to
foreign policy satraps, are working the Hill; so is the Bush team. On the
other side is the well-organized and affluent Armenian American community,
1.4 million strong, and some powerful friends — including the new House
speaker, Nancy Pelosi.
Here is a debate that could occur only in Washington — a bizarre mix of
frivolity and moral seriousness, of constituent pandering, far-flung history
and front-line foreign policy. And that’s just on the American side; in
Turkey there is the painful struggle of a deeply nationalist society to come
to terms with its past, and in the process become more of the Western
democracy it wants to be.
Start with the pandering: Schiff, a Democrat from Los Angeles, cheerfully
concedes that there are 70,000 to 80,000 ethnic Armenians in his district,
for whom the slaughter of Armenians by the Young Turk regime during World
War I is "anything but ancient history." Local politics also explains why a
resolution that has failed numerous times in the past 20 years is suddenly
looking like a juggernaut: Pelosi, of San Francisco, also has many Armenian
supporters.
"There’s a sense of momentum now about the resolution that we haven’t had
before," Schiff told me. "The votes are there in the committee. The votes
are there on the floor." If Pelosi allows the resolution to be brought up,
as she has reportedly pledged to do, it will probably pass. Its language is
almost comically heavy-handed: It begins by declaring that the House "finds"
a series of 30 paragraphs of facts about the genocide, ranging from the
number killed (1.5 million) to the assertion that "the failure . . . to
punish those responsible" helps explain subsequent atrocities, including the
Holocaust.
Imagine the 435 members of the House, many of whom still don’t know the
difference between Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis, solemnly weighing whether
Schiff’s version of events 92 years ago in northeastern Turkey deserves
congressional endorsement. But the consequences of passage could be deadly
serious: To begin with, Turkey’s powerful military has been hinting that
U.S. access to the Incirlik air base, which plays a key role in the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan, could be restricted. Gul warned that a nationalist
tidal wave could sweep Turkey and force the government to downgrade its
cooperation with the United States, which needs Turkey’s help this year to
stabilize Iraq and contain Iran. Candidates in upcoming presidential and
parliamentary elections could compete in their anti-American reactions.
No wonder the Bush administration as well as even Democratic-leaning foreign
policy experts, such as Clinton-era ambassador Mark Parris, are trying to
stop the resolution. Yet theirs, too, is a contorted campaign. After all,
historians outside of Turkey are pretty much unanimous in agreeing that
atrocities against Armenians worthy of the term genocide did occur. Though
Congress may look silly with its "findings," the continuing inability of the
Turkish political class to come to terms with history, and temper its
nationalism, may be the country’s single most serious political problem.
Prominent Turkish intellectuals, including a Nobel Prize winner, have been
prosecuted in recent years under laws criminalizing "insults" to Turkey —
such as accurate accounts of the genocide. In January a prominent ethnic
Armenian journalist was murdered by an ultranationalist teenager.
Maybe Congress has no business debating Turkish history, maybe it is doing
so for the wrong reasons. Yet if Turkey is to become the stable,
Western-oriented democracy that it aspires to be, its politicians will have
to learn, at least, to react the way everyone else does to nonbinding House
resolutions: that is, with a shrug.

UKRAINE HOPES TO COMPLETE ALL WTO TALKS BY END OF JULY – MINISTER
Inter TV, Kiev
7 Mar 06
[Presenter] Ukraine and the United States have signed a bilateral
protocol on mutual access to markets of goods and services in the
framework of Ukraine’s preparation to the WTO accession.
The document was signed by Ukrainian Economics Minister Arseniy
Yatsenyuk and US trade representative Rob Portman.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov believes that this step
improves Ukraine’s chance of joining the World Trade Organization
by the end of this year. The talks with the remaining five of 49
members of [WTO’s] working group – Australia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan,
Panama and Taiwan – are under way.
Ukraine has plans to complete the talks by the end of March so it
can finish the [accession] process by the end of July.
[Yatsenyuk] Ukraine has been granted a five-year transition period.
Under this condition, domestic investors will have a chance to create
a relevant financial sector. Foreigners will come to our market only
in five years’ time after we join the World Trade Organization.
Ukraine is interested in Russia’s accession to the WTO as soon as
possible. Why? Because as WTO members, Ukraine, the United States
and Russia will be able to resolve their issues in line with WTO
regulations and requirements. Nowadays, we do not have a clear legal
basis for our bilateral relations. Exactly because of this we see all
kinds of attempts to close markets and failures to resolve various
trade disputes.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANCA CALLS ON SECRETARY RICE TO EXPLAIN REPORTS OF AMB. EVANS’ RECALL
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 09 2006
WASHINGTON, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken Hachikian called
upon Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to address reports that the
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall Evans, is being forced from
office based upon truthful and forthright statements about the Armenian
Genocide. In a March 8th letter, Hachikian asked Secretary Rice to
comment on published accounts (California Courier, March 9,2006) that
the Ambassador is being recalled, well before the normal end of his
term of office, due to remarks during a series of presentations to
Armenian American communities across the country. Speaking last year
to an Armenian American gathering at the University of California
at Berkeley, Amb. Evans said, “I will today call it the Armenian
Genocide… I informed myself in depth about it. I think we, the
U.S. government, owe you, our fellow citizens, a more frank and honest
way of discussing this problem. Today, as someone who has studied
it . . . there’s no doubt in my mind [as to] what happened . . . I
think it is unbecoming of us, as Americans, to play word games here. I
believe in calling things by their name.” Referring to the Armenian
Genocide as “the first genocide of the 20th century,” he said:
“I pledge to you, we are going to do a better job at addressing
this issue.” Amb. Evans also disclosed that he had consulted with
a legal advisor at the State Department who had confirmed that the
events of 1915 were “genocide by definition.” Within days after his
remarks and the conclusion of a speaking tour of Armenian American
communities, Ambassador Evans was apparently forced to issue a
statement clarifying that his references to the Armenian Genocide were
his personal views and did not represent a change in U.S. policy. He
subsequently issued a correction to this statement, replacing a
reference to the Genocide with the word “tragedy.” Later last year,
the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), in recognition of
his honesty and commitment to principle, decided to honor Ambassador
Evans with the “Christian A. Herter Award,” recognizing creative
thinking and intellectual courage within the Foreign Service. Sadly,
as Washington Post staff writer Glenn Kessler revealed on June 9th,
AFSA withdrew its award following pressure from “very serious people
from the State Department.”
In his letter, Hachikian wrote that, “the prospect that a U.S. envoy’s
posting – and possibly his career – has been cut short due to his
honest and accurate description of a genocide is profoundly offensive
to American values and U.S. standing abroad – particularly in light
of President Bush’s call for moral clarity in the conduct of our
international affairs.” He added that, “if, in fact, punitive measures
are being taken against Ambassador Evans, this would represent a
tragic retreat from our nation’s core values. It would also represent
a new low in our government’s shameful complicity in the Turkish
government’s campaign of denial. Not only does the State Department
continue to be publicly silent as Turkey criminally prosecutes its
writers and citizens for speaking about the Armenian Genocide, it
appears the State Department is following Turkey’s lead by muzzling and
punishing an American diplomat for his speech and his acknowledgement
of a genocide that is extensively documented in the State Department’s
own archives.” The ANCA letter also urged Secretary Rice to respond
in a timely manner to the series of written questions on this matter
submitted on February 16th by Congressman Adam Schiff during her
testimony before the House International Relations Committee. Among
these questions was a specific request that the Secretary assure the
Committee that the Department of State has not taken – and will not
take – any punitive action against Ambassador Evans for speaking out
about the Armenian Genocide. On the other hand, Congresswoman Grace
Napolitano (D-CA) submitted a series of questions to a senior State
Department official during his testimony before the U.S.
House International Relations Committee – including a pointed question
about reports that the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia is being recalled
due to his public acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide. As a follow
up question, addressed to Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried, the
California Congresswoman asked for a clarification of any restrictions
placed on State Department officials concerning the use of the word
“genocide” when discussing the extermination of 1.5 million Armenians
starting in 1915. She also inquired about U.S.
policy on the Turkish blockade of Armenia and the proposed Caucasus
railroad line circumventing Armenia. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice has yet to respond to an earlier written inquiry regarding
Ambassador Evans from Congressman Adam Schiff during her February
16th testimony before the same panel.
Responding to a reporter’s question at today’s State Department
briefing, spokesperson Sean McCormack said, “I’m not aware that
we have recalled anybody. . . I believe that he’s still serving as
ambassador in Armenia.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agence France Presse
10 mars 2006 vendredi 5:13 PM GMT
Conflit entre Eglises orthodoxes arménienne et géorgienne
EREVAN 10 mars 2006
L’Eglise apostolique arménienne a protesté officiellement vendredi
contre la création d’une éparchie (diocèse) orthodoxe géorgienne dans
le nord de l’Arménie.
“Le conseil spirituel suprême de l’Eglise apostolique arménienne
exprime son étonnement au sujet de la décision prise le 6 février par
l’Eglise orthodoxe géorgienne de créer une éparchie dans les régions
nord de l’Arménie et de ne pas en informer la partie arménienne”,
indique un communiqué de l’Etchmiadzine, le siège du chef des
orthodoxes arméniens.
“Cette décision est d’autant plus étonnante que la nouvelle éparchie
est proclamée sur un territoire où l’Eglise géorgienne n’a pas de
fidèles”, ajoute le communiqué.
Le porte-parole de l’Eglise arménienne Vagram Melikian a rappelé par
la même occasion que la Géorgie refusait de rendre aux Arméniens 6
églises arméniennes existant sur son territoire et d’enregistrer une
éparchie arménienne, “proposant d’enregistrer les églises arméniennes
comme sociétés par actions”.
La minorité arménienne en Géorgie est estimée par Erevan à quelque
400.000 personnes, groupées surtout dans la région de Javakheti.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BOOK “VAZGEN I CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS” RELEASED
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 17 2005
YEREVAN, October 17. /ARKA/. The book entitled “Vazgen I Catholicos of
All Armenians” has been released at the Holy Echmiadzin on the occasion
of the 10th anniversary of his death. The book was released by the
Department for Interchurch Relations with the blessing of Catholicos
of All Armenians Garegin II with the sponsorship of the USA-based
Armenians Ruth and Nshan Terteryan. The book contains all information
on Vazgen I’s life and activities. The edition contains numerous
pictures. The book also includes RA President Robert Kocharyan’s
address to the participants in last year’s commemoration meeting on
the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Vazgen I’s.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Anatolia news agency, Ankara, in English
24 Sep 05
TURKISH MINISTER HOPES ARMENIAN CONFERENCE TO RAISE AWARENESS OF
COMMON PAST
Istanbul, 24 September: “The Turkish people are at peace with
themselves and with their history,” said Turkish Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul.
Sending a message to the opening session of the conference entitled
“The Armenians during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire”, Gul said:
“The approaches of our government and our people towards our past,
including Turkish-Armenian relations, constitute an indication of our
confidence in ourselves and our future.”
In his message, Gul said: “The last era of the Ottoman Empire is
subject to discussion and research in academic circles, with
increased interest. Nearly every day new documents from the era
emerge and new books, articles and research papers are published.
Yet, it is not possible to say that all data and documents related to
those times have been properly analysed. With an aim to help redress
this shortcoming, our government is in the process of taking
important steps to enable the Ottoman Archives to serve researchers,
in modern conditions. Our archives have begun to serve scientists
through documents converted to a digital medium since 2003. Within
this context, many researchers, coming from 75 different countries
have completed their research on the Ottoman Archives. These
activities are ongoing.”
“We want not only our own archives but at the same time all other
archives that will shed light on the history of the day to be opened
in an organized fashion, that will serve all researchers. We believe
that deeper research into that era will bring new historical facts to
light and serve an improvement in relations between countries and
peoples. Thus, we have proposed to the government of Armenia to
establish a historical commission between our two countries, which
will research the joint Turkish-American history and which will make
its findings public. We hope to reach a conclusion on this subject,”
Gul indicated.
Gul also said: “The history of Turkish-Armenian relations is one of
coexistence and common life of almost 1,000 years. During the course
of this period, the Turkish and Armenian peoples have contributed to
each other’s culture, prosperity and security. We should not ignore
this reality when we examine the tragic period when the Ottoman
Empire was crumbling and the Turks and Armenians were deeply
suffering, like all other peoples of the empire.”
“It is a fact that in some chapters of history, or even today, some
societies cannot tolerate one other’s language, religion, identity or
even very existence. It is an unfortunate reality that such
intolerance can turn into a deep-rooted and destructive ideology,
which gets ingrained in the social subconscious. Some serious and
very dangerous trends, from xenophobia to racism and from
anti-Semitism to attitudes against Muslims are present and are on the
rise today, even in societies which represent the highest level of
contemporary civilization,” underlined Gul.
Gul stressed: “It is a source of pleasure that such a psychology does
not exist between the Turks and Armenians. This also constitutes a
major advantage for the future of relations between the two peoples.”
“Another issue I want to draw your attention to is that, many studies
so far held on the theme of the conference, particularly outside
Turkey, have been conducted with political motivations, in a manner
inconsistent with scientific ethics and objectivity. Regretfully,
humanitarian issues have been sacrificed to political designs, and
double standards have been applied in determining and presenting
human suffering. There were attempts to impose subjective, non-legal
and artificial claims upon Turkey and the Turkish people, with
political motivations. Furthermore, there have been situations in
which some foreign circles could not even tolerate scientific
scepticism,” said Gul.
Gul concluded: “Young generations from all nations must know and draw
lessons from the facts that during the last era of the Ottoman Empire
the imperialist-colonial powers ruthlessly exploited peoples’
ethno-religious sensitivities for their own gains and that some
elements, knowingly or unknowingly, became instruments to these
provocations. I hope that your conference will be a contribution to
raise awareness on this issue. The Turkish people are at peace with
themselves and with their history. The approaches of our government
and our people towards our past, including Turkish-Armenian
relations, constitute an indication of our confidence in ourselves
and our future. I convey my best wishes to all participants and hope
that the conference will be a success.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
September 22, 2005
CATHOLICOS ARAM I BEGINS HIS VISITS
TO CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, began his
pontifical visits to Canada and the United States. His Holiness arrived in
Canada today, September 22, where he will visit Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto,
and St. Catharines.
From Canada the Catholicos will travel to California where he will
arrive in Los Angeles on October 5. In addition to the Los Angeles area, His
Holiness will visit Fresno and San Francisco.
From California His Holiness will travel eastward to New York where he
will arrive in the evening of October 19 to begin his visit to the Eastern
Prelacy through to November 1. His Holiness will make a number of visits in
the greater New York metropolitan area, as well as visits to Washington,
D.C., Boston, and Chicago.
The main focus of the visit is the 75th anniversary of the establishment
of the Theological Seminary at Antelias, Lebanon, and the 10th anniversary
of His Holiness’s enthronement.
The Prelacy’s web site has detailed information about the Pontiff’s
visit to the Eastern Prelacy.
PRELATE WILL BE IN NORTH ANDOVER THIS SUNDAY
FOR 35TH ANNIVERSARY OF MERRIMACK VALLEY CHURCH
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan will travel to Massachusetts this weekend
where on Sunday he will be at St. Gregory Church of Merrimack Valley in
North Andover. His Eminence will preside over the Divine Liturgy on Sunday
beginning at 9:30 a.m. and will ordain Stole Bearers (Ouraragirs). A banquet
and program will follow in the afternoon at the Wyndham Andover in
celebration of the 35th anniversary of the parish. The Prelate will preside
over the anniversary banquet and be the main speaker during the program
which will include a musical interlude and recognition of parishioners.
ST. STEPHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
COLLECT FUNDS FOR GULF COAST RELIEF
The Eastern Prelacy has been collecting money to help the victims of
Hurricane Katrina. This week a check for $135.00 was forwarded to the
Prelate from St. Stephen Elementary School, Watertown, Massachusetts. The
money was collected by the students of the elementary day school. Archbishop
Oshagan received the donation with gratitude and praised the students for
reaching out and helping those who need help. “The amount is not as
important as the thought these students have put into this effort,” the
Prelate said. “It is a lesson about the responsibilities we all share for
each other.”
The Prelacy is continuing to accept donations for hurricane relief.
Donations may be sent to the Prelacy, 138 E. 39th Street, New York, NY
10016.
CATHOLICOS ARAM I PRESIDES OVER WCC MEETINGS
His Holiness Aram I presided over the meetings of the Executive
Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) held in Switzerland last
week, in preparation for the WCC’s 9th Assembly, which will take place in
Brazil in February 2006. As moderator of the WCC’s Executive and Central
Committees, His Holiness stressed the importance of keeping up with the
modern world and introducing drastic changes to the WCC’s structures and
projects.
The 25-member Executive Committee met at the Bossey Ecumenical
Institute, near Geneva. Some of the topics discussed besides the upcoming
assembly included: Gun violence, situation in Haiti, hurricane Katrina, new
membership, and new global ecumenical platform for development.
At the conclusion of the four-day meeting, the WCC General Secretary,
Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, expressed his thanks to the officers and members of
the executive committee and especially to the moderator, Catholicos Aram I,
for his “wise counsel, theological depth and grasp of global issues,” which
have guided the WCC over the last seven years.
SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES WILL BEGIN
AT ST. ILLUMINATOR’S CATHEDRAL THIS SUNDAY
The 2005-2006 Sunday School term will begin this Sunday, September 25,
at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, 221 East 27th Street, New York City.
Classes, with age appropriate instruction and activities, are available for
children ages 3 to 13. Classes begin each Sunday at 11 a.m. and continue to
12 noon. For information: 212-689-7810, Ext. 21.
ST. GEORGE THE COMMANDER AND
HOLY CROSS OF VARAG
This weekend the Armenian Church commemorates St. George (Kevork) and
the feast of the Holy Cross of Varag.
On Saturday, September 24, we remember St. George the Commander.
Although we do not have extant records about St. George, he remains a
popular hero among all Christian people. He is considered to be the patron
saint of soldiers and boy scouts. As in so many other instances, the
Armenian people have given St. George an Armenian national character. The
name George (Kevork) became popular beginning in the 5th century. There are
many large churches named in his honor. Perhaps the one best known to us
here at the Eastern Prelacy is Sourp Kevork of Moughni, the monastery in
Armenia that the late Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian adopted and restored with
the help of his generous friends in the United States and Canada. The
monastery was founded in the 13th century by the brotherhood at
Hovhannavank, bringing with them the relics of St. George, a third century
Roman general who defied the policy of persecuting Christians and urged
others to follow his example. The dome is visible at a distance because of
its black and orange stripes and the interior murals date back to the 17th
century. It was at this monastery that Simeon the Elder produced a
beautifully decorated Gospel in 1280 that is known as the Moughni Gospel.
Each year on this day the Gospel is brought from the Matenadaran (Manuscript
Museum) to Moughni for a special service. The entire Moughni complex stands
today in tribute to our ancestors and as a living testimony to the
dedication and patronage of the late Archbishop Ashjian.
On Sunday, September 24, we observe the Holy Cross of Varak, a feast
unique to the Armenian Church. The Hripsimiantz Virgins, after coming to
Armenia, lived near Mount Varag. Hripsime always carried a small wooden
cross, believed to be made from a piece of the true cross. One day, in order
to escape persecution, she found refuge on the mountain where she hid the
cross among the rocks before fleeing to Vagharshapat. According to
tradition, in the year 653, a hermit named Todik found the hidden cross. He
followed a brilliant light that illuminated the mountain that guided him
inside the church to the altar where he found a fragment of the cross. The
guiding light shone for twelve days. In memory of this event, Nerses
Catholicos established the Feast of the Cross of Varag.
Mount Varag is located in the southeastern region of Van in historic
Armenia. There, in honor of the Cross, the monastery of Saint Nishan was
built on the site where Hripsime hid her cross. It was a popular destination
for pilgrims. Some of us have been fortunate enough to make that pilgrimage
to Varaga Vank. It is a moving experience regardless of the fact (or perhaps
because of it) that the once thriving monastery today is ruins and stones. A
small stone retrieved from the rubble sits on our desk as a constant
reminder of the faith of our ancestors.
AUTUMN BEGINS TONIGHT
The official beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere is ushered
in tonight, September 22, with the autumnal equinox at 6:23 p.m. (Eastern
daylight time). Today the Sun rose due east and will set due west, with an
equal number of daylight and nighttime hours. Hereafter, our daylight hours
will become increasingly shorter until the winter solstice in December.
‘Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone.
The Last Rose of Summer
by Thomas Moore, 1830
Calendar of Events
September 25-35th anniversary of St. Gregory Armenian Church of North
Andover, Massachusetts, presided over by His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan.
For more information, 978-685-5038.
September 26-Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, Worcester,
Massachusetts, will host its second annual golf tournament at the Raceway
Golf Club in Thompson, Connecticut, to benefit the church’s Capital Fund.
For information: 508-872-9629.
October 19-November 1-Visit of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great
House of Cilicia, to the Eastern Prelacy, commemorating the 75th anniversary
of the establishment of the Cilician Seminary in Antelias, Lebanon.
October 28-29-Mashtots Conference celebrating the 1600th anniversary of the
founding of the Armenian alphabet, at Harvard University. Jointly sponsored
by the Eastern Prelacy and Harvard University Mashtots Chair, Department of
Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.
November 6-St. Stephen Armenian Apostolic Church of Hartford-New Britain,
Connecticut, will celebrate its 80th anniversary. Archbishop Oshagan
Choloyan will be the keynote speaker. The program will include a slide show
presentation two non-Armenian Peace Corps volunteers who recently returned
from serving in Armenia.
November 11-13-Mini-Datev program for the Midwest parishes.
December 31-New Years Eve dinner-dance, Sts. Vartanantz (NJ) and ARF Dro
Gomideh, Parsippany Hilton. Information: 201-943-2950 or 201-945-0011.
March 5-Sts. Vartanantz (NJ) 2006 membership meeting.
March 17-19, 2006-Sunday School Teachers’ Conference at the Wonderland
Conference and Retreat Center in Sharon, MA.
Parishes of the Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about their
major events to be included in the calendar. Send to:
[email protected]
Visit our website at
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VARTAN OSKANIAN MEETS WITH PACE SECRETARY GENERAL, AGO’S GROUP,
CHAIRMAN OF VENICE COMMISSION

STRASBOURG, SEPTEMBER 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Vartan
Oskanian, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Armenia met with Bruno
Haller, the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe, Ambassador Roland Wegener, the head of the Ago’s
Monitoring Group of the CE Committee of Ministers, then with the all
staff of the Ago’s Monitoring Group. Gianni Buquicchio, the Chairman
of the Venice Commission also participated in the last meeting.
At the meetings, the parties discussed the process of the
constitutional reforms and provided by it, the process of
implementation of obligations undertaken by Armenia in front of the
Council of Europe.
Attaching importance to the significance of the constitutional reforms
in the direction of development of democracy in Armenia and completing
the obligations undertaken in front of the CE, the CE officials again
expressed their assistance to the package of reforms, expressing hope
that the people of Armenia will estimate their significance for future
of the country and will orient in this situation right.
Vartan Oskanian informed the CE officials about the latest
developments of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict as well.
In the evening, V.Oskanian met with Ambassador of Portugal Duarte, the
CE Ministers’ delegate.

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER TO ADDRESS CONFERENCE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE -DAILY
Hurriyet web site, Istanbul
24 Aug 05
Text of report: “A surprising ‘yes’ to a surprising invitation”
published by Turkish daily Hurriyet web site on 24 August
A meeting on so-called “Armenian genocide,” which will be held at
Bogazici University on 23-25 September, will be opened by Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul, who has accepted an invitation extended by
Prof. Ayse Soysal, president of the university.
Bogazici University announced that the meeting, which had been
postponed due to huge public debate it caused, would be held in
September. Meanwhile, another important development, which Prof. Soysal
did not mention in her statement, took place.
Soysal called Gul at the beginning of the week and asked whether he
could deliver the opening address. Gul responded: “I have to check
my schedule. I would be glad to deliver an address if there is not
a special event coinciding with the meeting”.
Gul’s decision, which was not disclosed before yesterday evening,
came as a surprise to both the academia and the guests invited to
attend the conference.
Responding to a question put by a Hurriyet reporter, Gul confirmed the
report and said: “The president called me and asked whether I could
deliver a speech. I said that I could. There is nothing that would
cause us to act hesitantly about this issue. Why should we bury our
heads in the sand? I also emphasized that when the meeting was put
off. There was no reason for postponing it. Our society may discuss
it without fearing anything.”
This scientific gathering is open to all kinds of criticism
It has been formally announced that the alternative Armenian conference
at Bogazici University, which had been postponed in May, would be held
on 23-25 September, which confirmed a report carried by Hurriyet two
days ago.
In a joint statement they issued yesterday, Prof Soysal and Prof. Tosun
Terzioglu, president of Sabanci University, said: “Academic studies
conducted in our universities can be shared by the academia in
different forms. This conference will be a gathering where such studies
with an academic content will be shared. Establishments would certainly
not be bound by opinions expressed in a conference and such opinions
would be open to all kinds of criticism within an academic context.”
The conference entitled “Ottoman Armenians,” which was to be organized
by Bogazici University in May, was postponed after Justice Minister
Cemil Cicek said in an address to the National Assembly: “This is
tantamount to stabbing the Turkish nation in the back. I wish I
had not delegated my power to institute lawsuits as the Minister of
Justice.” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the decision
to put off the conference. He said: “Postponing this event due to a
statement made by Justice Minister Cemil Cicek makes no sense.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress