Author: Jilavian Emma

RUSSIAN PRIME MINISTER: SERZH SARGSYAN IS PROPONENT OF ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS’ FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

Regnum, Russia
April 6 2007

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov congratulated Serzh Sargsyan
on his appointment as Armenian Prime Minister.

As REGNUM is told at the Armenian government press office,
Mikhail Fradkov noted in his letter that the newly appointed Prime
Minister Serzh Sargsyan is a proponent of further development of the
Armenian-Russian relations. "We hope that your effective activity aimed
at development of the Russian-Armenian relations will be continued
on the post of the Armenian prime minister," the letter says.

On the case of appointing Serzh Sargsyan as prime minister, he
was congratulated by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, European
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. "The European Commission
expects continuation of the harmonic partnership with Armenia. It is
still a big challenge in the foreign policy to continue effort for
peaceful Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, and the Commission is
ready to assist Armenia and the OSCE MG in this issue," a letter from
Jose Manuel Barroso says.

CRIMINAL ACTION IS BROUGHT AT RA PROSECUTOR’S GENERAL OFFICE ON FACT OF ENCROACHMENT UPON GYUMRI MAYOR

Noyan Tapan
Apr 03 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Fires were shot from a car with unknown
registration number in the stretch of road near the city of Ashtarak
on the Ashtarak-Gyumri highway, at about 22:20 on April 2, in the
direction of Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasian’s official Mercedes car
with the 051LL50 state registration number and the Gaz-3110 car with
the 770LL10 state registration number, accompanying him. From the
fire-arms injuries got in the consequence of the burst of fire, three
from the five passengers of the accompanying car, Artyom Samvel Adamian
(born in 1985), Sisak Aram Vardanian (born in 1981) and Hovhannes
Levon Mirzakhanian (born in 1970) died at the place. V. Ghukasian
and his Deputy Gagik Manukian were taken to the Saint Gregory the
Illuminator (Surb Grigor Lusavorich) medical center with fire-arms
injuries, and driver Varazdat Ghukasian was taken to the Armenia
medical center and underwent an operation.

Passenger of the Mercedes, Chief of the Urban Development Department of
the Gyumri Mayor’s Office Hovhannes Grkikian and Gaz-3110 driver Vachik
Gyughjoghlian and passenger Tigran Simonain did not get fire-arms
injuries and there was no need of medical interference. According
to the information of the RA Prosecutor’s General Office, a crminial
action was brought on the occasion of the case at the Investigation
Department of the RA Prosecutor’s General Office, based on Point 6
Part 2 Article 104, Point 6 Part 2 Article 34-104 and Article 235 of
the RA Criminal Code, An investigation-operative group was formed in
the staff of which experienced emloyees of the RA Prosecutor’s Office,
RA National Security Service and RA Police were involved, a pliminary
investigation is held. All the necessary measures are taken in the
direction of finding out circumstances of the case and identity of the
people committed the crime and finding them. According to the April
3 statement of the Republican Party of Armenia, the encroachment upon
Gyumri Mayor, RPA Council member Vardan Ghukasian was committed on the
way of returning Gyumri from the RPA Council sitting. "The RPA Council
condoles with families and relatives of victims of the brigand attack,
condemns the committed crime and decisively demands from the legal
bodies to quickly reveal the criminals and most seriously punish them,"
is said in the RPA Council statement.

TO IMPROVE THE IRRIGATION NETWORK
Armine Aloyan

Azat Artsakh Daily, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]
03 April 07

The irrigation system in Karabakh was damaged during the war, and
now the programs of the Water Board include reconstruction of old
pipelines, as well as the construction of new water reservoirs. Mkhitar
Babayan, CEO Water Board, said thanks to the program implemented last
year 1600 ha of land are now irrigated. Last year a new 21 km pipeline
was operated in the region of Martakert, which starts from the Khachen
River and supplies the communities up to the regional center. After the
repair of the 16 km canal the resettled villages of Nor Seysulan, Nor
Aygestan and Hovtashen have water supply. Last year the 8 km canal from
the reservoir of Khachen to Maragha was repaired. Mkhitar Babayan said,
the repair of the 6 km canal of Khachen will enable irrigating about
900 ha of land in the region of Martakert. The pipeline of the village
of Hovsepavan will enable irrigating another 100 ha of land. The repair
of the canal of Nor Maragha will enable irrigating 600 ha of land.

REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA TO DETERMINE NOMINEE OF NEW PRIME MINISTER TODAY EVENING

Arminfo
2007-04-02 18:26:00

The Council of the Republican Party of Armenia will hold a session
Monday evening to consider and advance the nominee of the future
Prime Minister.

Earlier RPA press-secretary Eduard Sharmazanov told an ArmInfo
correspondent that the RPA will most likely advance the nominee of
Serzh Sargsyan, Defense Minister and Chairman of the RPA Council,
who has been the acting RPA leader after Prime Minister Andranik
Margaryan’s death. According to a political agreement, the position of
the Armenian Prime Minister is reserved by the RPA after A.Margaryan’s
death. The RPA will submit the nominee for the approval of President
who is to appoint the new prime minister before April 6, as in
accordance with the Armenian Constitution, the new prime minister is
to be appointed within 10 days from the date the position becomes
vacant. It is not clear yet who will become the Defense Minister
after S.Sargsyan is appointed Prime Minister, however, according to
Armenian mass media, Seyran Ohanyan, the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense
Army Commander, is an applicant for the Armenian Defense Minister’s
position. To note, the RPA Board’s session will also cover the issues
of the party’s pre-electoral campaign.

56 year old Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan died of infarction on
March 25.

MEMBERS OF ARMENIAN DELEGATION PRAY AND LIGHT CANDLES IN MOTHER CATHEDRAL OF ANI RUINS

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 02 2007

ISTANBUL, APRIL 2, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian
delegation, which visited Van on the occasion of opening Aghtamar
church, went to Kars and visited Ani ruins before returning to
Armenia. The delegation headed by the Armenian deputy minister
of culture, aslo paid a visit to Mother Cathedral (among many
other churches) where the delegation members lit candles and
prayed. According to the Turkish newspaper "Miliet", some women
took soil and stones from the Ani ruins as memorial things to bring
to Yerevan.

GLUTTON: CAFE ARMENIA

Sunday Magazine (Perth, Australia)
April 1, 2007 Sunday

CAFE ARMENIA 179 Booran Rd, Caulfield Sth. Call (03) 9578 8151

The first time I set foot in Cafe Armenia, two questions sprang to
mind. First: where is Armenia? The second, thanks to the sink and
stacks of plates next to our table, was: do we have to do our own
washing up?

I’ve since learnt Armenia is wedged between Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran
and Georgia. Cafe Armenia, meanwhile, has moved around the corner to
slightly more salubrious premises. Gone are the sink, mozzie zapper
and fluorescent lights. Now there are orange pendant lights, plastic
tablecloths and a photo of Mount Ararat covering almost an entire
wall. Thankfully, the hearty peasant food remains unchanged. We’re
still greeted with a complimentary nostril-clearing dip of garlic,
tomato and capsicum, served with a mountain of flat bread. And a
plate of four fat, vine-leaf dolmas stuffed with beef and pork mince
($7) is still a wonderfully satisfying starter. The soups – the
stew-like chanakhi, with chunks of beef and potatoes, and the piti,
with lamb, chickpeas and potatoes – are rib-stickingly good and,
at $17 for an enormous bowlful, each could easily make a meal on
its own. But that would mean forgoing chef-manager Serzhe Sargsyan’s
specialty: marinated, barbecued meats served on menacing 45cm steel
swords. Sargsyan personally delivers our pork on the bone (two massive,
juicy chops for $16.50) and four perfectly seared baby loin lamb
chops (also $16.50) on a platter with a battalion of ridiculously
good roast potatoes. After all that, I reckon I could face a long
Armenian winter. And, no, we don’t have to do the washing up.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Ankara tries to convince international community of
good attitude to Armenia

Turkey opens a church but outlaws praying in it.
Turkey speaks of tragedy of 1915 but stubbornly denies
the term `genocide.’
30.03.2007 GMT+04:00

The inauguration of the St. Cross Church, forethought by the Turkish
government as counterbalance to the Armenian lobby throughout the
globe, has taken place. Patriarch Mesrob II Mutafyan of
Constantinople attended the inauguration ceremony although
representatives of the Echmiadzin and Cilician Catholicosates did not
arrive.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Patriarch could nothing but attend the
inauguration, since his absence might have negative consequences for
the Armenian community of Istanbul. According to the Turkish
Constitution, an Armenian Patriarch is merely an official and any step
against Turkey may harm the 70-thousand Armenian community of
Istanbul.

Ankara failed to reach its goal to make the inauguration a universal
event. Neither the Turkish Prime Minister nor the Minister of Foreign
Affairs appeared at the ceremony. Furthermore, representatives of the
Armenian Diaspora refused to arrive. However that may be, Turkey is
doing its utmost to convince the international community of its good
attitude to Armenia. The latest example is the condolences expressed
on the death of Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan. Turkish
Ambassador to Georgia attended the funeral; Turkish MFA officials made
notes in the mourning book in the Armenian Embassies. Thus, we can say
that Turkey gave a lesson to Azerbaijan on the conduct accepted in the
civilized world. Turks’ attitude towards Armenian is scarcely better
than Azeris’ but sometimes one should observe the rules accepted in
diplomacy. Unfortunately, Baku has not mastered them yet.

Turkey proceeds with the policy launched in mid 1990-ies. Despite the
sad experience of the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Committee,
Turkey still calls on Armenia to form a joint commission of
historians, now with participation of a third party. `I propose to
form this commission with participation of a third party, including
the United States, to cast light on this tragedy and pave ways for
joint work,’ Turkish FM Abdullah Gul writes in the articles titled
`Politicization of the Armenian tragedy’ published in The Washington
Times.

According to the Turkish Foreign Minister, such a commission may
promote normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations. However, what
Turkey says is not that what it does. Turkey opens a church but
outlaws praying in it. Turkey speaks of tragedy of 1915 but stubbornly
denies the term `genocide.’ Moreover, it speaks of `Muslims and Turks
who died during the World War I’, not to mention spelling Akdamar
instead of Akhtamar. The Armenian MFA says it did want to describe the
opening of the St. Cross Church as a real move towards reconciliation
of the Armenian and Turkish peoples. `However it’s extremely hard to
do this if the Turkish government doesn’t recognize the true value of
civilization and the people, who built this monument. Armenia thinks
that lifting of the blockade imposed in 1993 may facilitate real
progress in the Armenian-Turkish relations,’ the RA MFA statement
says. «PanARMENIAN.Net» analytical department

FOREIGN MINISTRY: ARMENIA WILLING TO START DIALOGUE WITH TURKEY

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 30 2007

YEREVAN, March 29. /ÀÐÊÀ/. Armenia wants to start a dialogue with
Turkey over the past and the future, Armenian Foreign Ministry’s
Acting Spokesman Vladimir Karapetyan said Thursday in a statement
placed on the ministry’s website.

"Armenia and Armenians want to enter a serious dialogue with Turkey
over our painful past and common future with our neighbors", he said.

"We don’t want to be involved in endless game of gestures, which
pursues propagandist goals and shifts international community’s
attention from real problems instead of seeking reconciliation",
Karapetyan added.

In his words, Armenia urges international community to persuade Turkey
to open borders and establish normal relations with Armenia.

Diplomatic ties between Armenia and Turkey are not established so
far. Armenian-Turkish border closed in 1993 on Ankara’s initiative.

Turkey puts forward a number of preconditions. In particular, Turkish
leadership demands Armenia to stop seeking international recognition of
Armenian Genocide fact and to make some concessions on confrontation.

Yerevan has repeatedly said that Armenia is willing to establish
diplomatic ties with Turkey without preconditions.

–Boundary_(ID_ZAJ6r3d6eVOL8U6Xp3B Eqg)–

Posted on Fri, Mar. 30, 2007
Small loans, poor women, success
Q&A with the new chief of a network of microfinance institutions and banks.
By Suzette Parmley
Inquirer Staff Writer

Mary Ellen Iskenderian: Women are more likely than men to use profits
to aid families.

When Muhammad Yunus won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to provide
small loans to the poor to foster economic development, the world’s
attention was drawn to microfinance.

That will continue today when a leading microfinance organization,
Women’s World Banking, conducts a conference on the subject at the
Wharton School.

Women’s World Banking is a global network of 53 microfinance
institutions and banks in 30 countries throughout Africa, Asia,
Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. It is based on the
idea of lending tiny sums of money to poor people, particularly women,
to start businesses as a way to escape poverty.

Mary Ellen Iskenderian, 47, the newly appointed president of Women’s
World Banking, will give a keynote address at today’s microfinance
conference.

Iskenderian, a former senior manager at the International Finance
Corporation of the World Bank Group, is the microfinance group’s first
new president in 16 years. She took time this week to answer questions
about the rapidly changing microfinance industry and where she wants
to take the group at this critical juncture.

Question: How did Yunus’ Nobel Prize affect the microfinance industry?

Answer: The direction for microfinance is being driven a lot by the
attention being given to the industry by players or organizations that
have not been previously involved. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize has
put it into the spotlight.

Q: What trends are you seeing in the microfinance industry?

A: What we’re seeing so much more of is greater commercial interest in
the industry among largely institutional investors, commercial banks
and philanthropists. They’re now looking at this market for lending –
as a new distribution channel to tap into to reach low-income people
for a whole range of reasons. Commercial funding grew to $7.3 billion
in 2005 from $4.9 billion in 2003. It’s not charity, but giving people
a sustainable way to lift themselves from poverty. That’s very
appealing to a philanthropist.

Q: The WWB has been established especially for women. Why?

A: That entrepreneurial step tends to be taken by women. Certainly,
that is our target focus and at the heart of the founding of our
organization. Women have proved to be very responsible
borrowers. Their repayment rates are on average 98 percent. There is a
huge multiplier effect on the community when you lend to a woman vs. a
man. She is far more likely to file her proceeds and savings from her
business and put them toward the education of her children, the
improvement of health care in the community, and her own family’s
housing.

Q: What are the challenges ahead for microfinance?

A: There are questions around technology, and whether it can reduce
operational costs and reach more rural populations – which is an
enormous problem facing the industry in places such as in Africa, for
example. Also, in a lot of these developing countries, they don’t have
good credit-reporting systems in place . . . and a person can get in a
lot of trouble with a lot of outstanding debt. There needs to be a
good financial infrastructure in place, including a regulatory
environment, to allow for microfinance to flourish and be carried out
in a sustainable way.

Q: You said one of your priorities was making inroads with commercial
banks, a community that possesses little knowledge or experience in
making loans to poor women. What are some of your concerns as this
sector becomes more involved?

A: We are worried that more commercial banks are recognizing that the
low-income market segment can be very profitable, but that the product
they are offering may not be microfinancing, but loans for consumer
purchases, like buying a television. The overindebtedness of this
low-income population would be a terrible tragedy.

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

March 21, 2007

40th Anniversary of Ordination of Archbishop Oshagan
Will be Celebrated during May in New England,
Mid Atlantic, and Mid West

by Iris Papazian

NEW YORK, NY-The community of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of America, is preparing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of His
Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan’s ordination to the priesthood during
the month of May in three different locations.
Archbishop Oshagan has been the Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy since
1998 and last year during the National Representative Assembly he was
elected to a third four-year term. A national steering committee, under the
leadership of Jack Mardoian, Esq., chairman of the Prelacy’s Executive
Council, is guiding the three events with the coordination of local
committees.

New England
The first of the commemorations will take place on Saturday, May 5. The
event, which is expected to draw attendees from various parts of New
England, is being hosted by the Sts. Vartanantz Church of Providence, Rhode
Island. The banquet will take place in the evening, beginning with a
reception at 6:30, followed by dinner and program, at the Marriott on Orms
Street in Providence, located right off Interstate 95 and easily reached
from all areas of New England.

Mid Atlantic
One week later, on Saturday, May 12, the Mid Atlantic community will
honor Archbishop Oshagan with a gala banquet at The Marriott at Glenpointe
in Teaneck, New Jersey. A cocktail reception will begin at 7 pm, with dinner
and program at 8 pm. The Marriott’s location is conveniently located at the
crossroads of major highways and is easily accessible from New York to
Washington.

Mid West
Coinciding with the Prelacy’s National Representative Assembly (NRA),
which is being hosted by St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, the third
event will take place on Friday, May 18, at Doubletree Hotel, in Dearborn.
Cocktail reception will begin at 7 pm, with dinner and program beginning at
8 pm. This event will provide the opportunity for the faithful of the Mid
West parishes to attend, as well as the NRA delegates who will be in
Dearborn for the annual assembly.

Identical Programs
The program at all three events will be basically the same, with some
variation for local artistic participation. Mr. Mardoian will be the Master
of Ceremonies, and Judge Sarkis Teshoian will be the keynote speaker at all
three events. A video message from His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia, will be shown, as will a short video presentation
about Archbishop Oshagan’s life and service. The Vicar General, His Grace
Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, who is hosting all three events on behalf of
the Religious and Executive Councils, will introduce the Prelate.

Keynote Address
The Honorable Judge Sarkis Teshoian, a devoted son of the Armenian
Church and a close friend of the Prelate, will deliver the keynote address
at all three events. Judge Teshoian has served in many leading positions,
including chairman of the Prelacy’s Executive Council. He has been honored
by the Holy See of Cilicia for his devoted service by both Catholicos
Karekin II, and Catholicos Aram I, who presented him with the highest
civilian award-the Prince of Cilicia insignia-in 2005.
Judge Teshoian was appointed to the judiciary in 1988 by then Governor
of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis. Judge Teshoian, who retired recently
after serving close to 18 years on the bench, notes that for a judge it is
most important to have a sense of fairness, to allow individuals to present
their perspectives, and to study situations without prejudice. By following
his own guidelines, he has earned the respect of his fellow jurists and the
public for his integrity, humanity, and his vast knowledge of the law.
Last year, the Massachusetts Judges’ Conference honored Judge Teshoian
for judicial excellence in the district court. In 1980, he received the
Ecumenical Award from the St. Thomas Moore Society.

Commemorative Booklet
A commemorative book is being published on this occasion devoted to the
life and service of the honoree. The book will be a keepsake memento of an
extraordinary gifted clergyman. Donations, which His Eminence has requested
to benefit the Prelacy’s fund for clergy recruitment, training and education
and religious publications, will be acknowledged in the commemorative book.
Inquiries about this should be directed to the Prelacy office in New York
City.

Archbishop Oshagan
Archbishop Oshagan was born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1947, with baptismal
name of Manoog. He is the third of six children of Antranig and Marie (nee
Kasbarian) Choloyan. He received his primary education in Aleppo’s Haikazian
School. In 1960 he was accepted into the Cilician See’s Seminary in
Antelias, Lebanon. He was ordained a deacon in 1964 and a celibate priest in
1967, and given the name Oshagan, by Bishop Karekin Sarkissian, who in 1994
as Catholicos Karekin II of Cilicia, ordained him to the Episcopal rank. He
1998, His Holiness Aram I elevated him to the rank of Archbishop.
He attended the American University of Beirut from 1968 to 1970 where he
majored in history. From 1974 to 1978 he attended Princeton Theological
Seminary where he majored in education and psychology, earning a Masters
Degree. Continuing his studies at Princeton, he earned a second Masters in
the history of the church.
In May 1977, he was called upon to serve as locum tenens of the Eastern
Prelacy for eight months prior to the election of a new prelate. In April
1980, His Holiness Karekin II appointed him pontifical legate to Kuwait and
the Arab Emirates, to organize the whole region, which in 1992 was
officially declared the newest diocese of the Armenian Catholicosate of
Cilicia. He was subsequently elected to serve that diocese as prelate. In
1998, he was elected prelate of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian
Apostolic Church of America. He was re-elected in 2002 and 2006.
In addition to his demanding pastoral and leadership duties, Archbishop
Oshagan has been a vital force in preserving the music of the Armenian
Church. Together with the late Archbishop Zareh Aznavourian, he meticulously
prepared five volumes of sharagans (hymns) of the Armenian Church, most of
which were not available in print, thus preserving the hymns for posterity.
He and Archbishop Aznavourian also collaborated on a new translation of the
New Testament from Classical Armenian into modern Armenian. They were in the
midst of translating the Old Testament when Archbishop Zareh passed away.
Archbishop Oshagan is currently leading the continuation of this monumental
work in tribute to his late spiritual brother.
He has been a member of the Middle East Council of Churches since 1979,
serving for several years on the executive committee. He has served as a
delegate to the World Council of Churches Assembly, and he has participated
in many ecumenical meetings throughout the world representing the Holy See
of Cilicia. He served as co-chair of the executive committee for the 1700th
anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion in
Armenia. Most recently he was elected chairman of the newly formed
organization of the churches of the Middle East in the United States.
Throughout his service to the Armenian Church he has been guided by his
intense faith in the mission of the Church and his dedication to the
Armenian nation, always guided by the words of St. Paul, "Therefore.be
steadfast, immoveable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you
know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

Information can be obtained from local parishes or the Prelacy by
telephone (212-689-7810) or on the Prelacy web page
() which lists complete information about all three
events.