Author: Jilavian Emma

Fund for Armenian Relief
PRESS RELEASE

Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR)
Press Office
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
email: [email protected]
web:
_________________________

Announc ement: FAR’s CME Program Director to present at Armenian
Medical World Congress, July 1 to 4 in New York City FAR’s Director of
Continuing Medical Education (CME) Program, Dr. Hambardzum Simonyan
will be presenting at the Armenian Medical World Congress (AMWC). The
Tenth Armenian Medical World Congress’s program will include
scientific presentations of medical advances, overview of Health Care
Delivery Systems in Armenia and the Diaspora, and prominent guest
speakers.

Scheduled for July 1 to 4, 2009, Dr. Simonyan’s presentation will
include an overview of the program and its results. The CME program
was officially founded in May 1, 2005 with the intention that lives
would be saved by improving the quality of healthcare administered in
Armenia. The program enhances the professional training of Armenian
physicians by providing continuing training opportunities, creating
opportunities to learn the latest medical technologies, upgrading
physicians’ computer and English language skills, providing a forum
for networking and information exchange, establishing an on-line
Global Case Library for discussion among specialists, and improving
medical supplies in regional hospitals.

Dr. Simonyan will be joined by Dr. Gevorg Yaghdjyan. Dr. Yaghdjyan is
one of the founders of the CME Program and remains an
advisor. Currently Dr. Yaghdjyan serves as the Vice Dean of Yerevan
State MEDICA University in Continuing Medical Education and
Postgraduate Education. Dr. Yaghdjyan will also present his findings
concerning the implementation of a CME program as related to the
improvement of healthcare quality.

AMWC is sponsored by the Armenian Association of Health Professionals
(AAHPO). AAHPO represents health professions including nursing,
pharmacy, nutrition, dentistry and medicine in the New York, New
Jersey and Connecticut region. Their mission is to improve health care
awareness, increase disease prevention and early detection, and
provide medical support and education to our local community as well
as in Armenia.

FAR will host events in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston for
visiting Armenian doctors and the FAR project manager to introduce
the CME Program to the American medical community. . .

Robin Barone will be helping FAR to coordinate the events in
Philadelphia and Boston.

Ms. Barone has been volunteering for FAR as the Development Director
of the CME Program. In her role she will raise awareness of the
program held in Armenia, assist in fundraising to maintain and grow
the program, and recruit a team of professionals for the program’s
leadership committee.

FAR is looking for individuals interested in supporting the program
mission as well as developing relationships that will strengthen the
quality of medical education provided by the program. Those interested
to learn more about the current plans and how they could contribute
may contact Robin at (212) 889-5150 or [email protected].

# # #

About FAR
Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR has served
hundreds of thousands of people through more than 220 relief and
development programs in Armenia and Karabagh. It has channeled more
than $265 million in humanitarian assistance by implementing a wide
range of projects including emergency relief, construction, education,
medical aid, and economic development.

For more information on FAR or to send donations, contact us at 630
Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016; telephone (212) 889-5150; fax (212)
889-4849; ; e-mail [email protected].

— March 26th, 2008

Fund for Armenian Relief | 630 Second Avenue | New York | NY | 10016

MARIINSKI SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA HAD ITS FIRST PERFORMANCE IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.05.2009 19:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Mariinski Symphonic Orchestra had its first
performance in Yerevan within the framework of Easter Concerts
cycle. On the first concert day, the orchestra, under the guidance
of Valeri Gergiev performed the works of Wagner, Tchaikovsky, and
Maler’s 5th symphony.

2nd concert day was Gergoev’s birthday. On May 4, 5th fortepiano
concert was performed by Rodion Shedrin Orchestra jointly with young
pianist Denis Matsuev. The composer with his wife Maya Plisetskaya
and RA President Serzh Sargsyan participated in the concert.

The concert also featured Alexander Harutyunyan’s festive overture,
Edward Mirzoyan’s Symphony and Chaykovsky’s symphony N 5.

In 1978, he became assistant conductor at the Kirov Opera, now the
Mariinsky Opera, where he made his debut conducting Sergei Prokofiev’s
War and Peace. He was chief conductor of the Armenian Philharmonic
Orchestra from 1981 until 1985 – the year he made his debut in the
United Kingdom, along with pianist Evgeny Kissin, and violinists
Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin, at The Lichfield Festival. In 1991,
for the first time, Gergiev conducted a western European opera company
with the Bavarian State Opera in a performance of Modest Mussorgsky’s
Boris Godunov in Munich. From 1995 to 2008, Gergiev was principal
conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

Armenia foreign minister to visit U.S. May 3-5

17:05 | 02/ 05/ 2009

YEREVAN, May 2 (RIA Novosti) – Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard
Nalbandyan is due to visit Washington on May 3-5 at the invitation of
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Armenia’s foreign ministry
said on Saturday.

Clinton will hold talks with her Armenian counterpart on Monday to try
and find a settlement to the long-running Nagorny Karabakh conflict and
following a Swiss-mediated agreement on a "roadmap" between Yerevan and
Turkey.

Armenia and Turkey reached an agreement April 23 on a "roadmap" aimed
at normalizing bilateral relations, which have been virtually
non-existent following a bitter row over the massacre of ethnic
Armenians in Turkey in the early 20th century.

Clinton will also meet with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov on Tuesday prior to talks between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani leaders in Prague on May 7.

Earlier U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and
Eurasian Affairs Mathew Bryza said that a resolution on Nagorny
Karabakh was "possible in the next few months."

The border between Armenia and Turkey was closed in 1993 on Ankara’s
initiative following fighting between Armenia and Turkey’s ally,
Azerbaijan, over Nagorny Karabakh.

The disputed region has a majority Armenian population, but which is
within Azerbaijan’s borders, declared its independence form Azerbaijan
in late 1991 and has been a source of conflict ever since.

Turkey has said it wants talks with Armenia to take place in parallel
to Armenian-Azerbaijani discussions on the future status of the region.

ARMENIAN JOURNALIST BARELY SURVIVES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT – REPORT

MosNews
April 30
Russia

Coordinator of ArmeniaToday news agency Argishti Kiviryan was the
victim of a failed assassination attempt in the Armenian capital
Erevan in the early hours of this morning. Several shots were fired
but failed to hit Kiviryan, however he was badly beaten in the attack
by an unknown assailant, Russian website NewsRu.com reports.

"Kiviryan was cruelly beaten near our house in the morning." Kiviryan’s
wife Lusine Saakyan said. "Now his condition is serious, he is in the
emergency room. The doctors have not informed me about his future,"
she added.

Police have begun a search for the attacker but it has so far yielded
no results. The incident is currently under investigation and a
criminal case has been initiated.

Investigators have suggested that the attempt may be related to his
professional activities. Kiviryan was the coordinator of projects
for ArmeniaToday and Bagin news agencies. He had been highlighting
the problems of the mostly Armenian neighborhood in Georgian region
Samtshe-Dzhavakheti.

Investigators have also suggested that the attack may be related to
Kiviryan’s familial ties; he is the brother of Armenika Kiviryan,
Regnum news agency’s editor-in-chief.

NA CHAIRMAN PROPOSES ARF TO KEEP THE POSITIONS IN THE LEGISLATIVE BODY
Lena Badeyan

"Radiolur"
29.04.2009 17:24

President of the National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan made a special
statement at the National Assembly today. He called on Chairmen of the
Standing Committees, who are members of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation, to withdraw their resignations. In response to that,
head of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun faction Vahn Hovhannisyan thanked for
the proposal and said it would be discussed.

Let us remind that in the evening of April 27 Vice-President of
the National Assembly Hrair Karapetyan, Chairman of the NA Standing
Committee on Foreign Relations Armen Rustamyan and Chairman of the NA
Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Interior Affairs
Arthur Aghabekyan submitted their resignations after ARF Dashnaktsutyun
decided to withdraw from the opposition. Hovik Abrahamyan’s proposal
was meant for Arthur Aghabekyan and Armen Rustaman, there was no
mention of the Vice-President of the National Assembly. The Supreme
Body of Dashnaktsutyun will discuss the suggestion during a sitting
today.

However, it is already obvious that the proposal is going to be
accepted, and Dashnaktsutyun will probably keep the chairmanship
of the two Standing Committees. How fair is it with respect to the
resigned Minister? In response to the question Armen Rustamyan stated:
"If we consider the authorities and the opposition in the classical
way, the authorities are those who form the Government, while holding
positions in the National Assembly should be normal. This is not
connected with being or not being part of the coalition, because
the National Assembly is a completely different platform and its
leadership is quite a different thing. Therefore, this should not be
connected with Dashnaktsutyun, it should be connected with having a
normal civilized political culture in the country."

SOUTH CAUCASUS RAILROAD NOT PLANNING INVESTMENT CUTS IN ARMENIA IN 3 YEARS

/ARKA/
April 29, 2009
YEREVAN

The South Caucasus Railroad is not planning any investment cuts
in Armenia during three years, Deputy General Director of the
South Caucasus Railroad cjsc for Infrastructures Marat Khakov told
journalists at "Novosti" International Press Center Tuesday.

The company intends to implement restructuring of investments, he said.

The investments planned for 2010-2011 under a three-year program will
not be reduced, they will be just brought forward to earlier dates
for prompt rehabilitation of the infrastructures, Khakov said.

He stressed that the funds need to be invested today instead of
being spaced out through years for getting return in longer periods
of time. This will enable the company working over improvement of
traffic capacity and safety level, Deputy General Director said.

"We should demonstrate the efficiency of use of the funds, which will
allow attracting greater amounts at the next meeting of the directors’
board," Khakov said.

Investments of the South Caucasus Railroad cjsc are to total 2.6bln
rubles in Armenia in 2009, including almost 1.5bln under investment
program.

Total investments of the South Caucasus Railroad cjsc had amounted
to about 3bln rubles (about $107.3mln) in Armenia by the end of
2008. Under the concession agreement, the company’s investments are
to total $580mln evenly distributed over the concession years.

South Caucasus Railroad fully owned by the Russian Railways is the
concession management operator of the Armenian Railways under a
30-year concession agreement signed on February 13 2008.

THE CSTO WORKING GROUP DEALING WITH AFGHANISTAN ISSUE CALLS A SESSION IN MOSCOW

ARMENPRESS
MOSCOW
APRIL 28, 2009

During today’s Moscow session the working group affiliated to
the Council of Foreign Ministers of Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) and deals with Afghanistan issues will discuss the
plan of actions directed towards the stabilization of the situation
in Afghanistan. CSTO national coordinators of Afghanistan issues as
well as experts will take part in the session.

Deputy CSTO Secretary General Ara Badalian stated on Monday that the
participants of the session "will exchange thoughts over the situation
in Afghanistan and discuss the draft plan of collaborative actions
of the CSTO member states to support the stabilization of situation
in this state and to confront the drug threats coming from this state.

Besides that, according to A. Badalian, results of the activity of
the working group which deals with the Afghanistan issues during the
first quarter of this year will be summed up and the plan of actions
for the second quarter of 2009 will be adopted.

PRESS RELEASE
The Heritage Party
31 Moscovian Street
Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 53.69.13
Fax: (+374 – 10) 53.26.97
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Website:

23 April 2009

Statement of Heritage’s Executive Board

On 24 April 2009, the progressive people of the world will join the Armenian
nation in paying their respects, for the 94th time, to the memory of the
innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide and the resultant great
dispossession of Armenian homeland, which the Turkish state had carried out
at the turn of the 20th Century. The immediate recognition of this first
crime of the past century, perpetrated against mankind and civilization, and
the elimination of its consequences stand as the most important factors for
never again permitting-anywhere and anytime-the recurrence of such a
genocidal action.

Against the backdrop of awaiting this prospect, the Heritage Party is truly
concerned over the signing on April 22-just two days before the remembrance
day of the Genocide and on the threshold of its continuing international
recognition-of the joint declaration by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of
the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Turkey and the Swiss Federal
Department of Foreign Affairs.

Heritage finds that the "tangible progress and mutual understanding" which,
according to the joint statement, were reached among the sides, in fact,
have not been reached. This is because on the road to resolving such
intricate and painful matters, we solely acknowledge the societies of the
two countries and the Genocide victims’ legal heirs, who now are scattered
in every corner of the world, as the real "sides". The Armenian authorities
had neither the public empowerment nor vote of confidence to sign under such
a declaration and, in essence, by taking advantage of the precept of
secrecy, they have jeopardized the Armenian national interests.

The understanding held by the "two sides"-which are holding talks that are
undisclosed for the general public of both countries-with respect to the
"progress" in Armenian-Turkish relations surely do not reflect the
understanding held at least by the Armenian body politic. Heritage continues
to maintain that, at this crucial juncture with Turkey, a joint statement
with such "mutual understanding" should have been signed only if, as
confidence-building measures, Turkey had:

? repented, just like numerous progressive Turkish
citizens, for the bloody pages in its history;
? nobly assumed responsibility for the Armenian Genocide
and eliminated the consequences of the attendant dispossession of Armenian
heartland;
? ended its policy of denial and force;
? established diplomatic relations with Armenia without
any preconditions;
? lifted its border blockade imposed on Armenia; and
? adopted a comprehensive agenda which included all
divisive issues of the past and present.

The absence of the aforesaid measures by Turkey, and, moreover, under the
conditions when the Turkish prime minister Erdogan has threatened to call
Armenia an "occupier," such a position by Armenia can cause irreversible
losses for the country in terms of the protection of national interests. And
the entire responsibility for this situation will fall on the former
presidency, its extension in the form of the incumbent administration, and
the latter’s political coalition forces.

The Heritage Party demands that the current authorities lift the secrecy
without delay and disclose to the people of both countries the contents of
the "road map" and the "comprehensive framework for the normalization of
their bilateral relations."

23 April 2009
Yerevan

Founded in 2002, Heritage has regional divisions throughout the country. Its
central office is located at 31 Moscovian Street, Yerevan 0002, Armenia,
with telephone contact at (374-10) 536.913, fax at (374-10) 532.697, email
at [email protected] or [email protected], and website at

Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands (FAON)
24 April Committee for recognition and commemoration of the Armenian
genocide of 1915
Address: Weesperstraat 91
2574 VS The Hague, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31704490209
Email: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: M. Hakhverdian

PRESS RELEASE

94th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide commemorated in the Netherlands

The Hague, 25 April 2009 ­ Two commemorative ceremonies, in Amsterdam and in
Assen, were organised by the 24 April Committee of the Federation of
Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON) to mark the 94th
Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

In the Mozes en Aaronkerk Church in the centre of Amsterdam, an audience of
few hundred people heard speeches by genocide scientist Ton Zwaan, with a
lecture about the Adana pogroms of 1909. Moreover, Prof. Dr. Mihran Dabag
spoke about the massacres of Adana in the light of literature by Armenian
writer Zabel Yessayan. The contribution of Mr. Recep Marasli was focussed on
the role and place of Kurds during Armenian Genocide.

Dutch MP Harry van Bommel mentioned the cracking of the policy of denial
within Turkey itself and reaffirmed that his party will further support the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Mr. Ronny Naftaniel director of Centre for Information and Documentation of
Israel (CIDI) stressed the importance of the recognition of Armenian
Genocide by the US and other countries, and also in particular by Israel.

Mr. Osman Koker illustrated the extermination of the Armenians in Turkey by
a slide show of old postcards telling about life of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire before 1914. An exhibition of some of these postcards and of Dutch
and American newspaper articles published about Adana tragedy of 1909 was
also held in the same location.

Furthermore, there were contributions by Arshak Manoukian, consul of Armenia
in the Netherlands, Noubar Sipaan, chairman of 24 April Committee and Mato
Hakhverdian, chairman of FAON and artistic performances by Nicolai Romashuk
Jr. and Hambardzum Sahakyan.

Dutch MP Arie Slob, leader of Christian Union faction, whose party is in the
present Dutch coalition government, delivered a speech during the
commemorative ceremony in Assen, after a silent march and laying of wreaths
at the Armenian Genocide Memorial. He reassured that his party in a longer
tradition would continue the work of Leen van Dijke and Andre Rouvoet, now
Minister, whose name is connected to the motion by which the Armenian
Genocide was recognised in the Netherlands.

Other speeches came from Agnes Mulders, Christian Democrat (CDA) candidate
for the European Parliament elections, Arshak Manoukian, Noubar Sipaan and
Mato Hakhverdian. A few hundred people attended the commemoration, among
others Dutch Armenian Students Association Gladzor and Suryoye Aramean
Federation in the Netherlands.

Following the commemorative ceremony people gathered in a church in Assen,
where Armenian services take place on a monthly basis, and where a slide
show on the Armenian Genocide were presented.

DASHNAKTSUTYUN CONDEMNS ARMENIAN-TURKISH JOINT STATEMENT

PanArmenian News
April 23 2009
Armenia

In a document released recently, ARFD Dashnaktsutyun states that
diplomatic ties between Armenia and Turkey are possible only in
case of Genocide recognition and reinstatement of Armenian people’s
rights. As a first step towards establishing closer ties with Armenia,
Turkey is required to lift the blockade and start diplomatic relations
without preconditions. "Committed to those principles, we disapprove
and condemn April 22 statement signed between Armenian and Turkish
Foreign Ministries," statement runs. Concerned over negative effect
of negotiation process on Armenia’s internal policy, the party’s top
leadership will consider the issue of quitting the coalition.