Author: Kajoyan Gevork

GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS IT SECTOR

Panorama.am
18:02 14/05/2008

A proposals package is being drafted in Armenia to support the
small and average business representative to make investments in
information technologies sector, said Arsen Ghazaryan, the chairman of
the RA Industrial and business representatives union, in a conference
today. He said that in particular the creation of private or state
funds are discussed, which could have 20% participation in the process.

"The current questions are very important and they need to be discussed
in detailed," he said.

According to the chairman the mission of transferring the IT sector
in business field is improvement of making investments in the field
as well as getting much experience.

Ecumenical News International
Daily News Service
13 May 2008

At Vatican, Armenian spiritual leader decries genocide denial
ENI-08-0382
By Luigi Sandri

Rome, 13 May (ENI)–Catholicos Karekin II of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, visiting Pope Benedict XVI in Rome, has spoken of the
"genocide" suffered by his compatriots in the Ottoman empire, and said
that those with power should ensure that justice prevails.

"We … appeal to all nations and lands to universally condemn all
genocides that have occurred throughout history and those that
continue through the present day," Karekin said in St Peter’s Square
on 7 May, where he had been invited by Pope Benedict to speak at the
pontiff’s general audience.

"The denial of these crimes is an injustice that equals the commission
of the same," noted Karekin, who holds the title of "Supreme Patriarch
and Catholicos of All Armenians".

Armenia says 1.5 million of its people died between 1915 and 1923 in a
systematic genocide initiated by the Young Turks’ government ruling
then in Istanbul. Turkey, however, rejects the term "Armenian
genocide" and says mass removals were intended to clear people from a
war zone. It acknowledges that people died, but holds that the number
was far less than that given by Armenia.

Karekin was accompanied by Armenian bishops from North and South
America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East for his 5-12 May visit to
Rome, which followed an earlier visit to the Vatican in 2000, when he
met Benedict’s predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

"Today many countries of the world condemn the genocide made by the
Ottomans against the Armenian people, as John Paul II said when I was
in Rome," noted Karekin, who received Pope John Paul in Armenia in
2001.

Two days after Karekin spoke at St Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict
received the Armenian delegation at the Vatican. At the meeting,
Benedict said, "The recent history of the Armenian Apostolic Church
has been written in the contrasting colours of persecution and
martyrdom, darkness and hope, humiliation and spiritual re-birth."

Still, noted the Agence France-Press in a report, Pope Benedict did
not employ the word "genocide" that had been used by his predecessor.

The Pope and the Catholicos underlined the achievements of the
Armenian-Catholic ecumenical dialogue during the past 12 years to seek
greater Christian unity.

Karekin II invited the pontiff to visit Armenia, and expressed the
hope that the international community would support the right to
self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated region
situated in neighbouring Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliev, suggested earlier during 2008
that his country could use force to regain control over
Nagorno-Karabakh. The area has been under ethnic Armenian control
since a 1994 cease-fire ended a six-year war. [437 words]

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ROMAN AMOYAN JOINS ARMENIAN SPORTSMEN LEAVING FOR BEIJING

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 12, 2008

ROME, MAY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The International Olympic Rating Tournament
of Greco-Roman Wrestling finished on May 11 in Rome. Five sportsmen
performed from Armenia. Only Roman Amoyan (55 kg, Yerevan) among them
performed successfully. He won in 3 out of 4 fights, took the 3rd
place and received a permit to take part in the Beijing Olympic Games.

Now Arman Adikian, Yuri Patrikeyev, and Roman Amoyan among Armenian
Greco-Roman wrestlers have a permit to take part in the Beijing
Olympic Games.

The last rating tournament of Greco-Roman wrestlers will start on
May 22 in the city of Novy Sad, Serbia.

FIRE DESTROYS CABLES AND TRANSFORMER OIL OF ALEXANDER SPENDIAROV BALLET AND OPERA THEATER POWER SUBSTATION

ARMENPRESS
May 12, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS: A fire was reported to break out at
00.08 am today morning at a power substation supplying electricity
to Alexander Spendiarov Ballet and Opera Theater building in Yerevan.

According to the press office of the rescue service of the Armenian
Emergency Ministry, firemen rushed to the spot immediately after
receiving the call.

It said the fire was put out at 00.38. Power cables and transformer oil
of the sub-station located on the ground floor were said to burnt out.

AZG Armenian Daily #089, 10/05/2008

WAC and UAR

WORLD ARMENIAN CONGRESS AND UNION OF ARMENIANS IN
RUSSIA TO HOLD A NEW CONTEST – 80.000 US DOLLARS OF
FUND TO SCIENCE AND CREATORS

"From the beginning of its foundation Union of
Armenians in Russia (UAR) and then World Armenian
Congress (WAC) pay great attention to the development
of science, art, education, and the promotion to the
representatives of those branches", mentioned
Vice-president of WAC and UAR Vladimir Aghayan at May
8 press conference held in the Union of Writers on the
occasion of joint contest declared by the creative
unions and National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

Since 2000, UAR has rendered similar assistance to RA
National Academy of Sciences – financial and social
assistance to both the establishment and its workers.

This cooperation got a new quality in 2007 when UAR
and NAS created Sciences’ Development Foundation. WAC
and UAR President Ara Abrahamian put the first
investments in the foundation.

Then Union of Writers in Armenia appeared in the focus
of attention of UAR and WAC. They jointly created
Literature Assistance Foundation mainly with the
investments of Ara Abrahamian. It has got a
competitive nature since 2007, when creative contests
were declared with participation of the Unions of
Writers and Journalists with unprecedented funds in
Armenia.

It is scheduled to hold similar competitions this year
involving also Unions of Composers and Musicians, and
Artists, and also the National Academy of Sciences
with a total fund of 80.000 US dollars.

Another traditional contest under heading "We were, we
are and we will be" will be also held this year.
Students and schoolchildren will take part in the
contest. The theme of the contest is "We are strong
when we are together". This contest aims at
introducing the historical past of the Armenian people
to the students and schoolchildren of Armenia, Artsakh
and Armenian Diaspora and at sowing faith in the
future of Armenia.

The contest will be held by WAC and UAR with the help
of RA Ministry of Science and Education. Each of the
six winners of the contest will be rewarded with a
computer.

According to the Chairman of the Union of Writers
Levon Ananian, similar initiatives are welcomed
especially in these days when the nation is divided in
two and the culture and science can serve as means of
unification.

The Union of Writers this year also will hold a
contest under heading "The Armenian at the beginning
of the 21st century" for the unpublished works (story,
prose) in 2008. The fund of the contest is 15.000 US
dollars.

The Unions of Journalists this year has selected
"Armenia is the motherland of all-Armenians" theme for
the best journalistic publication of 2008. The fund of
the contest is 10.000 US dollars.

The fund of the contest for the Unions of Composers
and Musicians under headings "Armenian modern composer
art’s creative hands" and "New prospects of the
development of Armenian Musicology" is 15.000 US
dollars.

Joint contest of National Academy of Sciences and WAC
and UAR will be held in the spheres of Armenology,
humanities, natural, exact, technical sciences and
informatics for the "Best scientific work" published
or licensed abroad in 2007. The fund of the contest is
30.000 US dollars.

The Union of Artists will also hold its contest under
heading "Armenia and Armenians with the eyes of an
artist". The fund is 10.000 US dollars in four
nominations: painting, sculpture, graphics and
decorative art.

Only members of the creative unions can participate in
the contests. The deadline for handing of the
materials is January 31, 2009.

By Aghavni Haroutunian, translated by L.H.

SINCE ARMENIA’S INDEPENDENCE COUNTRY’S POLITICAL ELITE IS BECOMING MORE
AND MORE DISQUALIFIED, LARISA ALAVERDIAN CONSIDERS

YEREVAN, MAY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. Since Armenia’s independence country’s
political elite is becoming more and more disqualified. Larisa
Alaverdian, a member of the RA National Assembly Zharangutiun
(Heritage) faction, expressed such an opinion at a discussion organized
on May 7 at the National Press Club. According to the deputy, those who
are called up for being elite, in most cases even do not realize their
own responsibility. While it is them who should have assumed the
mission of building a free person, which has failed in Armenia so far.
L. Alaverdian affirmed that one of the reasons of the situation formed
in the country today is that many of members of society still "bear a
slave in themselves."

According to Alvard Petrosian, a member of the NA ARFD faction, her
contemporaries are mostly situation politicians. "Time compelled the
active part of people to be engaged in politics. I consider my presence
in politics as much accidental," the deputy said. In her words, in 1988
people took to the streets thinking that they carried out a revolution,
but the Communist Party leaders remained country’s rulers. Today also
former communists or leaders of the Young Communist League remain in
politics passing on from one party to another in many cases.

In the opinion of Heghine Bisharian, the Chairwoman of the Orinats
Yerkir (Country of Law) Party faction, representatives of the political
elite should have principles, morality, and sense of responsibility.
While people deprived of the above mentioned traits receive the right
to decide people’s fate. And such people often become a political elite
just with "people’s hands."

According to Ruzan Khachatrian, a representative of the People’s Party
of Armenia, today’s Armenian political elite is represented by people,
who have appeared there thanks to not their merits, but posts they
take. In her words, the things were not this way even in the Soviet
years when not communist leaders but dissidents enjoyed more authority
in society. R. Khachatrian affirmed that the country should be quickly
relieved from today’s political elite. In her words, rules of natural
selection should work in politics, which can be guaranteed only through
holding of democratic elections.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Turkey makes terms to Armenia: Karabakh and Genocide
07.05.2008 15:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There can’t be any cooperation
between Armenia and Turkey unless there is a
breakthrough in the Karabakh process, said Hulusi
Kilic, Turkey’s Ambassador to Baku.

`Turkey sets two conditions for establishment of
diplomatic relations with Armenia. First, progress
should be fixed in the Karabakh settlement process and
second, Armenia should `give up attempts’ to represent
the 1915 events as the Armenian Genocide,’ the Azeri
Press Agency reports.

8 OUT OF 9 ARMENIAN FREE-STYLE WRESTLERS BECOME PRIZE-WINNERS IN
ATHENS INTERNATIONAL YOUTH TOURNAMENT

ATHENS, MAY 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Free-style Wrestling International Youth
Tournament finished in the capital city of Greece, Athens on May 6.
There were nine sportsmen from Armenia among delegates from seven
countries. Ohan Gikinian (55 kg, Vanadzor), Narek Sanoyan (60 kg), and
Gevorg Avsharian (74 kg, both from Yerevan) gained 3 victories each and
became the winners of the tournament. 2 members of their team took the
2nd place and 3 the 3rd place.

A1+

DETAINED WITHOUT EXPLANATION
[07:10 pm] 06 May, 2008

Yesterday RA citizen 31 year-old Gegham Harutyunian
was taken to Malatia-Sebastia Police station with no
explanation.

`At about 8.30 three people, one of which was in a
police uniform, came to our place and took my son. My
wife was at home but they didn’t tell her anything’,
Misha Harutyunian, detained Gegham Harutyunian’s
father informed `A1+’.

Learning about the incident Misha Harutyunian went to
Malatia-Sebastia police station, where he was told his
son would be set free in 2 hours. `I have been waiting
by now. My son is still there. Can’t I know why my son
is arrested? What a country it is!’

Today Misha Harutyunian had to turn to the `Heritage’
Party members with a request to find out where his son
is and why he was taken into custody.

Member of the `Heritage’ Party Zaruhi Postanjian
informs: `It is evidently an illegal act. I had a talk
with Harutyunian, Deputy Chief Officer of
Malatia-Sebastia police station, and according to him
Gegham Harutyunian was taken to the police department
only this morning. He was inquired as a witness and
was taken to the Department of Special Investigations
for further inquiry.’

`Why shouldn’t he be in freedom if he is only a
witness? Why can’t he hire a lawyer? Why aren’t his
parents informed where he is?’, notices Zaruhi
Postanjian.

In reply to the journalist’s question if his son had
taken part in the opposition rallies, Misha
Harutyunian answered: `Is there anyone who has not?’

NEARLY ONE THOUSAND ARTISTS TAKE PART IN VAHAN TEKEYAN ANNUAL
COMPETITION OF TEKEYAN CULTURAL UNION OF ARMENIA IN LAST 5 YEARS

YEREVAN, MAY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The Tekeyan Cultural Union of Armenia is
going to hold Vahan Tekeyan annual competition for works created in
2007. As Ruben Mirzakhanian, the Chairman of the Tekeyan Cultural Union
of Armenia, said at the May 5 press conference, the competition will be
held in the nominations of Fiction, Music, Painting, Sculpture,
Theater, Radio and Television, as well as prizes will be given for the
best publication in the Azg daily, social-political satire, creations
written for schoolchildren and children.

Creators from both Armenia and the Diaspora can take part in the
competition. Monetary prizes of 1000 thousand USD will be given to each
winner.

R. Mirzakhanian said that the Vahan Tekeyan competition has been held
since the 1990-s. It has a more organized nature in the last 5 years.
"Nearly 1000 artists have taken part in the competition in the last 5
years. The prizes of the Tekeyan Cultural Union of Armenia are given to
those who make a contribution in the issue of development and spreading
of Armenian culture," R. Mirzakhanian emphasized.

It was also mentioned that the deadline of acception of applications is
from May 8 to December 8.