Author: Jilavian Emma

A.R.F. Shant Student Association
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 306
Glendale, California 91206
Tel: 818-243-1890
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE
December 5, 2006

ENCINO, CA – On Sunday, December 10th at 6pm, the community is
enthusiastically invited to a historic Book Presentation to celebrate
the translation of the "Houshamatyan" of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF) Album-Atlas Volume I into English.

The event is sponsored by the ARF Western United States Central
Committee and the Armenian Youth Federation Central Committee.
The ARF Shant Student Association (ARF Shant) and numerous community
organizations will be participating in the event, which will take
place at Avedissian Hall located at 5300 White Oak Avenue in Encino,
California.

The Book Presentation will feature a dynamic program consisting of
musical performances, poetic recitals, and addresses by renowned
speakers. Popular singer Razmig Mansourian will perform a set of
revolutionary songs.

Author Aram Saroyan will be amongst the speakers invited to make
remarks at the event, which will be attended by descendants of
Krisdapor Mikayelian and Rosdom along with Simon Zavarian’s brother
Vassil.

Copies of the English translation of the Houshamatyan ARF Album
Atlas, Volume I, signed by Editors Mr. and Mrs. Hagop Manjikian,
will be available for a $75 donation.

For further details, please visit the ARF Shant’s website at
or contact the ARF Central Committee at (818)
243-1890.

The mission of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation "Shant" Student
Association (ARF Shant) is to bring a higher level of political and
cultural awareness to Armenian students within American Universities
and institutions of higher learning. The ARF Shant’s goal is to work
side by side with the Armenian Student Associations and other Armenian
Student organizations to further the Armenian Cause.

Press Release
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Father Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

&quo t;THE YOUTH ARE CALLED TO GIVE A NEW VITALITY
TO THE ARMENIAN CHURCH"
Said His Holiness Aram I

In a powerful message addressed to youth gathering in Detroit, USA, on
Saturday December 2 2006, Catholicos Aram I challenged the Armenian youth to
take the renewal of the Armenian Church seriously: "We must be proud that
the Armenian Church is an ancient Church. We must remind ourselves that we
are the first Christian nation which accepted Christianity as a state
religion, but at the same time we must realize that our Church direly needs
renewal."

After identifying significant aspects of the Armenian Church, His Holiness
centered his reflection on the necessity of the renewal of the Armenian
Church: "By renewal I don’t understand certain adjustments within the
framework of the Armenian Liturgy. By renewal I don’t mean changing the
language of the Liturgy or introducing some changes in the administration or
the structure of the Church. That will be a very superficial and one sided
perceptional renewal. By renewal I understand making our Church a people’s
Church, impacting the life of our people. By renewal I mean making our
Church responsive to the needs and expectations of our people. By renewal I
mean reaffirming the missionary, evangelistic and educational outreach of
the Church. Therefore, the renewal must be perceived as a process permitting
the entire life of the Church."

At the end of his address, His Holiness engaged in dialogue with the youth
by responding to the many questions related basically to the renewal of the
Armenian Church.

The youth gathering, a unique event of its kind in the life of our Church in
North America, jointly organized by the three prelacies under the
jurisdiction of the Armenian Catholicosstae of Cilicia, has brought together
young adults from different parts of the USA and Canada.

The program of the gathering included testimonies, lectures, panel
discussions, informal meetings and a musical event. Worship and biblical
meditations were at heart of this gathering.

In his remarks Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, Eastern USA, stressed the importance of grater
participation of the youth in our Church life. Through his biblical
meditation, Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, Western region, laid the emphasis on serving the spiritual
needs on people. The Prelate of Canada, Archbishop Khajag Hagopian in his
turn shared the concern of the youth and invited them to take an active part
in the reformation of the church.

The gathering was concluded by a firm commitment of the youth to remain
faithful to the very team of this event, "Your Church, your future, engage".

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

STRATEGY PLAN ON NATIONAL SECURITY SECOND IMPORTANT DOCUMENT

Panorama.am
16:31 04/12/06

Strategy plan for national security of Armenia is the second important
document in the country after the constitution, Garnik Isagulyan,
adviser of the Armenian president on national security issues, told
a press conference today.

In his words, the difference is that this document may be amended upon
need. Isagulyan said the document is based on the report submitted by
Defense Minister Serzh Sargsyan as of 16 February 2006. The adviser
said all the suggestions are considered in the draft.

After studying the experience of 30-40 countries, the inter-agency
committee working on the draft concluded that it is not expedient to
fix the Strategy as a law.

"It may pose difficulties in making changes which may be dictated by
the political situation and the reality in the country and the region,"
Isagulyan said. He also said 7 sessions were held and the last one
will take place soon after which the document will be submitted for
the approval of the government. After the government approves it, the
document will be signed by the president as a decree. Isagulyan could
not tell exact deadline for the approval of the document.

FIVE MURDERS IN THREE DAYS

A1+
[02:54 pm] 04 December, 2006

On December 1 the Erebouni department of the police found the dead
body of Arpine Margaryan (b. 1971) in Qristapor 25, with corporal
injuries. Investigations revealed that A. Margaryan’s husband,
previously convicted Vahram Zaqeyan (b. 1968) killed his wife during
a quarrel. V. Zaqeyan is arrested, the case is being investigated by
the prosecutor’s office of Erebouni and Noubarashen communities.

On December the police Ashtarak department arrested Armen Sargsyan
(b. 1974), resident of the village of Aghdzq, who had killed his aunt,
Gyozal Petrosyan (b. 1947), with a rifle. A. Sargsyan is arrested,
measures are taken to find the rifle.

On December 1 the police Erebouni department found the dead body of
Aurora Sargsyan (b. 1941) in Rostovyan 20, with corporal injuries. The
case is under investigation.

On December 3 the police Erebouni department found the dead body of
an unknown man, apparently a tramp, near Titogradyan 14. The case is
under investigation.

On December 3 the police Nor Norq department found the dead body
of Sonik Davoyan (b. 1932) in Gay avenue 1/17. The case is being
investigated by the prosecutor’s office of Avan and Norq Marash
communities.

POPE PERFORMS A PR MIRACLE
Sandro Contenta

Toronto Star, Canada
European Bureau
Dec 2 2006

Benedict XVI turns Turkish trip into surprising success

ISTANBUL-Seen through Turkish eyes, the Pope was a charmer till
the end.

He began his visit by proclaiming, "I love the Turks," and ended
it yesterday with a rhetorical offering sure to fuel the gushing
newspaper headlines.

"A part of my heart remains in Istanbul," Benedict XVI told Turkish
officials moments before boarding his plane back to Rome. The
Roman Catholic pontiff even had a thought for the city’s 10 million
residents, acknowledging they "suffered" through traffic chaos caused
by the closing of roads in a massive security lockdown.

The parting words of affection capped a four-day visit that saw
the pontiff transformed from a man reviled to "the congenial Pope,"
as an editorial in the influential Hurriyet newspaper put it. For a
pontiff who sparked outrage in much of the Muslim world two months
ago by linking Islam to violence, the transformation seemed nothing
short of miraculous.

Dreadfully low expectations certainly helped. And the major
stakeholders in the trip – the Turkish government, the Vatican and
Turkey’s Christian minorities – also had an interest in making sure
it was a success.

Vatican officials describe the visit – particularly the pontiff’s
silent prayer at Istanbul’s Blue Mosque – as a landmark on the path
to reconciling Islam and Christianity.

Judging by headlines such as "The Istanbul Peace," the visit went
some way to achieving that goal in this officially secular country.

Similar effusiveness in the rest of the Muslim world, where many
still demand an apology for Benedict’s comments on Islam, will be
far harder to come by.

But the Grand Mufti of Istanbul, Mustafa Cagrici, was poetically
optimistic.

"A single swallow can’t bring spring, but many swallows will follow and
we will enjoy a spring in this world," he told the Pope, after sharing
a moment of prayer with him Thursday at the 17th-century Blue Mosque.

The trip was fraught with the burden of history and contemporary
concerns of a "clash of civilizations:" A pontiff seen as having
toughened the Vatican’s stand on Islam visiting the ancient seat of the
Holy Roman Empire before the Ottomans and Islam swept it aside in 1453.

An anti-Pope protest by 25,000 people and the initial reluctance
of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to meet the pontiff had many
fearing the worst on the eve of his visit.

But Benedict XVI landed in Ankara Tuesday, walked into a meeting with
a suddenly available Erdogan and began his charm offensive. Erdogan
emerged to announce the pontiff had reversed his position and now
backed Turkey’s bid to enter the European Union. The Vatican nuanced
Erdogan’s claim, but didn’t deny it.

With Turkey’s EU negotiations stumbling, the surprise announcement
instantly changed the complexion of the Pope’s visit. Erdogan reaped
the benefit of having turned around a pontiff who once described
Muslim Turkey as being in "permanent contrast" with Europe’s Christian
heritage.

The Pope then sat quietly as Turkey’s director of religious affairs
denounced those who believed Islam was spread by the sword – a
not-too-veiled reference to the papal speech that caused so much
outrage. "Once the Pope swallowed that, suddenly every negative
thing about him was forgotten and everybody fell in love with him,"
said Murat Belge, a leading left-wing social critic.

The Pope called for a sincere dialogue between Muslims and
Christians. By the time he became only the second pope in history to
pray at a mosque, the pontiff could do no wrong.

Yet Benedict never shied away from topics that, in another context,
would have caused a political storm. He joined Patriarch Bartholomew
I of Constantinople in calling for more freedom for Turkey’s dwindling
Christian communities. They made it a condition for EU membership.

The Pope also praised Armenians for clinging to Christianity despite
"the very tragic circumstances of the last century" – a reference
to the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915. He didn’t
call it genocide – the Vatican’s official position – but the mere
mention of an event Turkey refuses to accept responsibility for no
doubt strained sensitivities in Ankara.

Niyazi Oktem, a political philosopher at Istanbul’s Bilge University,
said the visit should act as an example to both sides in the so-called
"clash of civilizations." Turkey showed other Muslim states the
strength of its democracy by having a civilized dialogue with the
leader of the world’s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics. It also showed
Europe how the Turkish model has kept fundamentalist Islam at bay,
Oktem added.

The Pope left relieved, but with little desire to push his luck.

Invited by Istanbul’s governor to visit Turkey again, Benedict XVI
smiled and politely declined.

"I’m old and I don’t know how many more hours the Lord will give me,"
the Pope replied. "I’m in His hands."

BELGIUM: TURKEY SHOULD BE GIVEN ‘HONEST CHANCE’ TO CONTINUE EU TALKS

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Dec 2 2006

In another sign of the disagreements over Turkey’s drive to join the
European Union, Belgium said Friday that the predominantly Muslim
country with a secular state should be given an "honest chance"
to continue membership negotiations.

A Dec. 14-15 summit of EU government leaders will decide whether
to act on a recommendation by the EU’s executive arm to partially
suspend the negotiations, which began a year ago.

EU members including France, Greece and the Greek Cypriot
administration are seeking tough measures against Ankara until it opens
its ports to Greek Cypriot ships and planes. Others, like Britain,
Spain and Sweden, want to make sure a potential important ally like
Turkey is not excluded.

"To refuse Turkey an honest chance would be a historical error,"
Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht wrote in an op-ed piece in
De Morgen newspaper. Yet he criticized recent developments in Turkey.

"Trials against intellectuals for insulting the Turkish identity,
discussions about the Armenian ‘genocide,’ quarrels about relations
with [Greek] Cyprus," he said. "Old symbols are coming to the fore."

De Gucht said, however, that the EU had to look beyond the current
differences.

"Enlargement is a good thing and Turkey deserves the benefit of the
doubt," he said.

On Wednesday, divisions among EU nations were laid bare after the
European Commission recommended partially halting membership talks
because Turkey refuses to open its ports to the Greek Cypriot
administration, which joined the bloc in 2004 despite lack of a
political settlement on the divided island.

"It is of major importance that Turkey remains a stable, secular
democracy," De Gucht said.

"Joining the Western club, which is the European Union, would send
a very strong signal to the world that the ‘clash of civilizations’
is not inevitable."

If the talks are partially frozen, it would significantly slow
Turkey’s EU membership talks, which already were expected to last at
least a decade. The EU has always stressed they offer no guarantee
of membership.

"Negotiating with such a strong neighbor can only be a tough,
time-consuming process," said De Gucht.

BEST SPORTSMEN OF ARMENIA OF TOURNAMENT BEING HELD TO BECOME KNOWN TILL DECEMBER 20

Noyan Tapan
Dec 04 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues of deciding the best 10
sportsmen, teams and legions of the tournament being held were put
on the agenda of the December 1 sitting of the executive committee
of the Armenian Federation of Sport Journalists. It was decided by
vote to separately present 10 best sportsmen, 3 teams and 1 legion
of the country. Their names will become known till December 20.

FRADKOV HOPES GAS DELIVERY THROUGH GEORGIA TO ARMENIA WON’T BE STOPPED

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.12.2006 16:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ I think that the delivery of the Russian gas to
Armenia will not be hampered or suspended, Russian Prime Minister
Mikhail Fradkov told a news conference upon completion of the
meeting with Armenian Premier Andranik Margaryan. In his words,
Russia is concerned about the Russian-Georgian relations but hopes
for the better. He also remarked that the Russian-Georgian problems
have a negative impact on relations with Armenia, which is being
isolated in a way. To improve the situation, in Fradkov’s opinion,
the efficiency of the existing transport flows and routes should be
raised. When asked whether Georgia may illegally take Russian gas,
Fradkov said the problem was not discussed at the meeting but the
Russian side hopes the situation will not deteriorate. "We hope for
the better," he resumed, reports Prime-TASS.

Regnum, Russia
Dec 1 2006

Armenian-Russian extended meeting is being held in Moscow

Issues of the Armenian-Russian cooperation first of all in trade
relations are the subject of a meeting of governmental delegations of
Russia and Armenia in Moscow. The Armenian delegation headed by Prime
Minister Andranik Margaryan arrived in Moscow to participate in an
extended meeting with Russian colleagues and will further go to St.
Petersburg, where a ceremony of closing the Year of Armenia in
Russia.

As a REGNUM correspondent informs, opening the meeting, Russian Prime
Minister Mikhail Fradkov announced that the Armenian side has a very
busy schedule in Moscow, despite the fact that the main aim of their
visit is participation in the ceremony of closing the Year of Armenia
in Russia. `We focus upon issues of trade and economic cooperation,’
the Russian prime minister stressed.

In his turn, his Armenian counterpart Andranik Margaryan said that
effective cooperation is being developed between the two countries;
he expressed confidence in continuing such relations. `The political
dialog, economic and humanitarian cooperation have promoted
improvement of relations between our countries,’ he stressed.
Speaking on the Year of Armenia in Russia, the Armenian prime
minister noted that the countries did a good job.

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER 24-30, 2006

HIGHLIGHTS:

"PRESS CLUB" CYCLE: ABDULLAH GUL’S INITIATIVE AND UNOFFICIAL PROMOTION

JUBILEE OF ARMENIAN TV AND RADIO

GERMAN AVAGIAN’S PHOTOGRAPH WON WHO COMPETITION

"PRESS CLUB" CYCLE: ABDULLAH GUL’S INITIATIVE AND UNOFFICIAL PROMOTION

On November 28 the eleventh talk show of "Press Club" cycle went on the
evening air of "Yerkir-Media" TV company.

The representatives of media and journalistic associations discussed the
initiative of the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gul to
address international arbitrage for a legal assessment of events of 1915 and
Armenian-Turkish relations in general, as well as the unofficial promotion
for parliamentary election that started in Armenia earlier than ever.

It is expected that at 21.00, December 5 (next Tuesday) "Yerkir-Media" will
air another "Press Club+" show.

JUBILEE OF ARMENIAN TV AND RADIO

November 29 marked 50 years since the start of Armenian TV broadcasting.
Previously Armenian radio celebrated its 80th anniversary, having first gone
on air on November 7, 1926.

Yerevan Press Club congratulates the staff of the Public TV and Radio
Company of Armenia (the successor of the first radio and TV company) and all
representatives of broadcast media on the jubilee.

On this remarkable occasion on November 27 the RA President Robert Kocharian
conferred honorable titles and granted medals to a number of employees of
the Public TV and Radio Company.

The title of Journalist Emeritus of Armenia was conferred on Arthur
Bakhtamian, the leader of the creative group of "Fifth Wheel" program cycle,
Tatevik Baghdasarian, observer of "Haylur" news service (Public Television
of Armenia); Sargis Najarian, the author of the "Night Channel" program,
Karen Vardanian, head of "Stereo Studio" program; Varuzhan Olkinian, host of
"Radiolur" newscast (Public Radio of Armenia).

The title of Culture Worker Emeritus was conferred on Mark Petrosian, the
author of the TV program cycle "Classical Channel", and Suren Rshtuni, chief
director of PTA; the soloist of Pop Orchestra of Radio and Television Raisa
Mkrtchian received the title of People’s Artist.

Movses Khorenatsi Medal was granted to Armen Amirian, executive director of
PRA, Spiridon Hambardzumian, the coordinator of "Haylur" news service, and
Marat Ordian, the deputy director of PTA.

GERMAN AVAGIAN’S PHOTOGRAPH WON WHO COMPETITION

The work of Armenian photojournalist German Avagian "In Class" got a
mentioning prize in the photo competition of the World Health Organization
"Images of Health and Disability 2005/2006". The photograph by German
Avagian depicts a student of State Engineering University of Armenia, who
lost legs and one arm during the Armenian-Azerbaijani military clash. This
and other winning photos are placed on the web-site of International
Classification of Functioning (ICF):
nners/

When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.

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Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
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Yerevan Press Club
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