Author: Kafian Jirair

GREECE: ERT WELCOMES ANDORRA, TURKEY AND ARMENIA

esctoday.com
April 4 2008
Netherlands

The 2008 Eurovision Song Contest participants~R promo tours are in
full swing and Greece is getting ready to welcome their next guest who
arrives on Monday and is non other than the Andorran representative
Gisela.

Following Rebeka Dremelj of Slovenia, Nico and Vlad Miritsa
from Romania and Elnur and Samir from Azerbaijan, ERT, the Greek
broadcaster, will next be welcoming Gisela from Andorra who chose
Athens to be the second stop of her promo tour after Spain. Gisela
arrives in Athens on Monday and she has been scheduled to give
interviews to major Greek media on the same day. On Tuesday, Gisela
will be appearing on one of the most popular morning shows on Alpha
TV, Kafes me tin Eleni, hosted by the queen of the morning zone
Eleni Menegaki.

After Gisela, Mor ve otesi will be visiting the Greek capital from
14 to 16 April as is almost customary for Turkish representatives.

Finally, Sirusho from Armenia will be the first Armenian representative
to visit Greece on 5th May.

Kalomira, on the other hand, will be travelling to Turkey on 10 April,
just like her predecessors did in the previous years. After that
the popular Greek singer will also be visiting Sarajevo, in Bosnia
& Herzegovina.

ARMENIANS’ NEXT NONSENSE: "ANCESTOR OF TALISH PEOPLE IS ARMENIAN ETHNOS"

Azeri Press Agency
April 4 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Mahbube Gasimbeyli, Elbrus Seyfullayev -APA. A book entitled
"Talish legends and tales" has been published in Yerevan. APA reports
Gurgen Melikyan Foundation of the Yerevan-based Caucasian Iranian
Studies Center had funded the publication.

The book edited by Garnik Asatryan has been dedicated to the 1st
"International Talish Conference" taken place in Yerevan on May 20-22,
2005. Symbol of the Minsk-based "International Foundation of Talish
Cultural Revival" and a map of so-called "Talishs country" have been
published and a part of Azerbaijan’s territory has been shown as a
territory of self-proclaimed country in the book. Authors tried to
show connection between the Armenian and Talish grammars and lexicons
and said that ancestors of Talish people – kadusi had been ancient
Armenian ethnos.

Folklore Institute of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences told APA,
Armenians had tried to wage enmity between Azerbaijani and Talish
peoples. "Talish legends and tales book" is the next appearance of
the Armenian deception. It was a great insult to Talish people to
claim to the connections between Armenians and Talishs.

Tallish people are happy with that there is no connection between
them and Armenians".

The Institute officials said the book also spoke of the separatist
movement for "Talish-Mugan republic" supported by the enemy states
and it was introduced as a national revival. "In fact it shows real
face of Armenians. Armenian authors forget that the notorious event
has been condemned by the Talish intellectuals, scientists and writers
and by the Talish people as well. Talish people give a worthy respond
to the separatists with its unity and will".

Intellectual from the southern region, MP Hadi Rajabli also told APA
that Armenians’ publication had aimed at causing ethnic confrontation
in Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan’s economic power increases, the country has no analogue
for the speed of democratization and this worries our enemies. That’s
why, they attempt to create problems. In this respect, the most
justified method in the world practice is stirring up the conflict
among peoples and ethnic groups. Armenians try to use this method. I
was born in Lankaran, and I can assure you that the Talishs living in
Azerbaijan are unaware of the publication of such a book and insidious
plans. They are not thinking about it… The Talishs are integrating
with Azerbaijanis and other peoples living in our country. But at the
same time this ethnos preserves its culture and language and always
feels support of the state", he said.

MP from the southern region Ahad Abiyev told APA that statements that
the Talish ethnos had been derived from Armenians were nonsense.

"Talishs have always been faithful to Azerbaijani statehood.

Armenians’ attempts to stir up confrontation will fail. Any person
when asked about his nationality proudly says he is Azeri. That’s why
Armenians attempts to create confrontation between the two peoples
will fail", he said.

STATE BUDGETARY EXPENDITURES ON PENSIONS GROW 2.2FOLD IN JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2008 ON SAME MONTHS OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan
April 3

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-February 2008, 42.5% of the
RA state budgetary expenditures was allocated for social allowances
and pensions, which amounted to 39.9 bln drams (over 129.6 mln USD)
or 77.3% of the quarterly program. In particular, 32 bln drams was
allocated for pensions and 7.9 bln drams – for allowances. Expenditures
on pensions grew 2.2fold on the same period of 2007 due to an increase
of the base pension and the value of one year of insurance length of
service, as a result of which the average monthly pension grew by 60%.

According to the RA ministry of finance and economy, operations
with nonfinancial assets of the state budget made 2.3 bln drams in
January-February 2008. In particular, expenditures on nonfinancial
assets made 5.1 bln drams, while revenues from alienation of
nonfinancial assets made over 2.7 bln drams. Expenditures on
nonfinancial assets remained at the same level as compared with
January-Feruary 2007, while revenues from alienation of nonfinancial
assets declined by 38.3%.

The state budget (without the inflow of resources under credit
programs financed from foreign sources) was executed with a 5.2 bln
dram surplus in the first two months of 2008. The domestic sources of
its financing (in negative expression) made 546.4 mln drams – against
19.9 bln drams last year, while foreign sources made 4.6 bln drams –
against 3.6 bln drams last year. Net revenues from borrowed funds
(securities) made up 5.8 bln drams of the domestic sources of deficit
financing. Available budgetary resources grew by 6.4 bln drams.

The crediting from the RA state budget made 3.6 bln drams in
January-February 2008, with all this sum being provided to the
NKR. This sum exceeded last year’s index by 25.4%.

1,1 bln drams was allocated for redemption of external liabilities
in January-February 2008, 871.3 mln drams of which was allocated
for payment of the debt on the programs implemented with World Bank
assistance and 188.6 mln drams – for payment of commodity credit of
the U.S.

PREVENTIVE ROLE

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
April 01, 2008

"Either Armenia should immediately recognize the independence of
Nagorno Karabakh or the final recognition may, for the time being,
be substituted by an Agreement on Mutual Assistance in the Sphere of
Defense signed between the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic. Such agreement shall imply an imperative participation in the
process of neutralizing any aggression," President Robert Kocharyan
said yesterday in Stepanakert, in response to the question regarding
the circumstances and procedures leading to Armenia’s recognition of
the NKR independence.

According to the President, such agreement will be a deterrent to
bellicose statements.

Let’s note that NKR President Bako Sahakyan has awarded "Grigor
Lousavorich" order to Robert Kocharyan for his exclusive services to
Nagorno Karabakh.

VARTAN OSKANIAN: AZERBAIJAN PLAYS DIRTY GAMES

Noyan Tapan
March 31, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. By trying to reject the agreements,
which have so far been reached as a result of bilateral negotiations,
and to move the Karabakh problem regulation from the OSCE Minsk Group
format to the UN, Azerbaijan is playing a dirty game, the Armenian
foreign minister Vartan Oskanian stated at the March 31 meeting
with reporters.

He expressed a negative opinion about the fact that the Azerbaijani
side rejected the meeting of the two countries’ presidents at the
NATO summit scheduled to take place in Bucharest in April. In his
words, Baku incorrectly presents the situation: it says that official
Yerevan was the initiator of the meeting. In reality the Minsk Group
co-chairs made a proposal to hold such a meeting, and the Armenian
side expressed a willingness to accept this proposal – in case of
the Azerbaijani side’s consent.

In connection with declaring March 31 as day of genocide of
Azerbaijanies by Armenians, V. Oskanian advised Azerbaijan’s
leadership not to artificially impose the idea of genocide on its
people and not to sow hatred against the Armenian people. All this is
related to Baku’s ultimate goal of military solution of the Karabakh
problem. Whereas Armenia, according to V. Oskanian, continues to
believe that there is no alternative to peaceful solution of this
problem.

EX-ADL LEADER JOINS BROOKLINE NONPROFIT

Noyan Tapan
March 31, 2008

BROOKLINE, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The former
regional director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) New England,
who was at the center of a firestorm last year over whether to fully
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, will join a Brookline nonprofit
that teaches tolerance.

Andrew H. Tarsy will begin his position as chief institutional
advancement officer at Facing History and Ourselves in April. He
accepted the job Tuesday.

JOSEF PENNINGTON SAYS PEOPLE INVOLVED IN ILLEGAL ACTS IN YEREVAN SHOULD BE PERSECUTED AND PUNISHED

arminfo
2008-03-28 22:13:00

ArmInfo. There were people that were involved in the events of March
1-2 and committed illegal acts. There was violence, robbery. People
involved in that, whoever they were, should be persecuted and punished,
Charge d’Affairs a.i. of USA to Armenia Josef Pennington told media.

At the same time, he said: ‘But, that is different from detaining
people because of their political affiliation. There were people who
simply participated in demonstration or made speeches’. He believes
it necessary making a clear line between those two categories. He is
sure that people must not be detained for their political affiliation
since this will nor ease the tension in public. Such measures cannot
serve as constructive settlement of the problem, he believes.

ACCORDING TO MEMBER OF MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF SOFIA, CAPITAL OF BULGARIA WILL RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan
March 27, 2008

Sofia will become the fourth Bulgarian city to officially recognise
the 1915-22 Armenian Genocide. As the Gybrahayer reporter reports,
these were the words of Sofia Municipal Council’s Committee for
European Affairs and Public Relations Secretary Irina Yordanova.

ZEEV ELKIN: KNESSET ARRIVED AT HISTORICAL DECISION

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.03.2008 15:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Knesset decided yesterday that a parliamentary
committee will discuss whether to recognize the World War I-era mass
murder of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as Genocide. The government
did not oppose the motion. The Knesset House Committee will decide
whether to hand the issue over to the Knesset Education Committee,
as Meretz’s Haim Oron wants, or to the Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee, as requested by Yisrael Beiteinu’s Yosef Shagal. The latter
generally holds hearings behind closed doors, Haaretz reports.

Knesset Member Zeev Elkin (Kadima) said, "I am proud of our efforts,
which have brought on this historical achievement, and which other
parliaments in the world have succeeded in doing a while ago. Israel
should have been among the first countries in the world to recognize
this genocide."

According to a survey held in autumn 2007 NEWSru.co.il among 509
respondents, the absolute majority (82,5%) agree with the opinion that
the Israeli people, who survived the Holocaust have no right to deny
tragedies of other nations. At that 72,4% think that Israel should
recognize the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in 1915 as genocide.

43,8% of those surveyed said Israel should recognize the Armenian
Genocide even at expense of breaking off relations with Turkey. 35,2%
said it’s not the price for Israel to pay.

48% think it possible to convince Turkey in the necessity to
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. 33,2% said it’s unreal.

PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF CAUCASUS CONFLICTS DISCUSSED IN ISTANBUL

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.03.2008 18:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ With assistance of European states, representatives
of Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations
met in Istanbul to discuss possibilities of peaceful settlement of
conflicts in the Caucasus.

The purpose of the conference is to prepare publics for peace.

The other two gatherings will be held in Istanbul in June and
September, IA Regnum reports.