Author: Kalashian Nyrie

VICTORIES ARE THE BEST IMPETUS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANY SPORT

armradio.am
09.06.2008 15:25

RA President Serzh Sargsyan today received the President of the Amateur
Boxing Association Ching-Kuo Wu, President’s Press Office reported.

Noting that Armenians love boxing and this sport has good traditions in
our country, Serzh Sargsyan said four Armenian boxers will participate
in the Beijing Olympics and expressed hope that they will succeed,
restoring the high fame of Armenian boxing.

The President of the Amateur Boxing Association noted that during
his two-day visit he had an opportunity to get acquainted with the
conditions of development of boxing in Armenia. Underlining the good
tradition of Armenian boxing, Ching-Kuo Wu said the International
Association intends to hold the Youth Amateur Boxing Championship in
Armenia next year

According to RA President, victories are the best impetus to the
development of any sport, which become inspiring examples for many
and increase the interest in the given sport.

Ching-Kuo Wu said the Amateur Boxing Association is always ready to
support the development of boxing in Armenia.

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
June 6 2008

Armenian, Azeri leaders start talks on Karabakh issue in St Petersburg

Yerevan, 6 June: The meeting between Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has started in St Petersburg
[Russia].

Currently the leaders of the two countries are having a conversation
in the presence of the Russian, American and French co-chairs of the
OSCE Minsk Group, the personal representative of the OSCE
chairman-in-office and the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers.

Before the meeting of the presidents, the Armenian and Azerbaijani
foreign ministers held a separate meeting which lasted for about an
hour.

It is expected that later on Sargsyan and Aliyev will have one-to-one
meeting.

This is the first meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents
after Serzh Sargsyan was elected Armenian president.

AZERI, TURKISH LEADERS PLEASED WITH BILATERAL ENERGY COOPERATION

Lider TV
June 4 2008
Azerbaijan

"Historical" meeting

[Presenter] Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a face-to-face meeting and a meeting
attended by delegates in Naxcivan. After the discussions, the heads
of state made a joint statement. President Ilham Aliyev said that
this historical meeting was also of political significance.

[Ilham Aliyev speaking at a meeting] Dear Prime Minister, dear
guests. It’s my pleasure to welcome you in Azerbaijan’s ancient
land of Naxcivan. Your visit is of great significance and I am sure
that this visit will be successful. We discussed bilateral and
multilateral issues and once again witnessed that our positions
coincide on all issues. In the future, we will certainly try to
further develop our relations. We have many projects to implement and
currently, we are jointly implementing the most important projects
successfully. Bilateral relations and regional processes depend on our
joint activities. I also welcome all the members of the delegation
who have come to Naxcivan. This is a very significant event because
you are represented by quite a big delegation. Naxcivan is an ancient
Azerbaijani land and is the only place in Azerbaijan that borders on
Turkey. The bridge that connects both countries was named the Umid
[Hope] bridge and was the only way out of blockaded Naxcivan. Naxcivan
is on its way to development as you will witness today.

[Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaking in Turkish] Thank you very much for your
warm welcome. Turkey and Azerbaijan are fraternal states. Our economic,
military, political, cultural and other relations are developing
day by day. Considering the importance of the meeting in Naxcivan,
most state ministers are represented in our delegation. And also,
I personally wanted to see Naxcivan. I believe that this meeting
and other meetings and visits to be held later today will add more
significance to this visit. Under your leadership, Azerbaijan has
experienced great development over the past few years. This path of
development which started under the leadership of the late Heydar
Aliyev continues today. Of course, this development makes Azerbaijan
even more important in the region. I believe that the steps to be
taken from now on will also strengthen the Azerbaijani youth even more.

Common interests

[Correspondent] After the meeting, Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a press
conference.

[Ilham Aliyev speaking at the press conference] Dear Prime Minister,
dear friend, dear guests. Once again I welcome you all in the ancient
Azerbaijani land. I regularly meet Mr Prime Minister in Baku, Ankara,
Istanbul and other cities. This is the first time that we have met here
in Naxcivan. Thank you, Dear Prime Minister, for finding time to visit
Naxcivan. This visit is of political significance as well. Naxcivan
is the only place that has a land border with Turkey. Relations with
Turkey, especially in the early 1990s, played a great role in the
development of Naxcivan. Today, our relations are developing in all
fields. Today we discussed the directions of bilateral relations. Our
positions coincide on all the issues that were discussed. Political
relations are developing rapidly. Our economic potential is growing. We
are implementing energy projects that strengthen our countries.

We also exchanged opinions about the Nagornyy Karabakh issue and
future plans regarding the issue. Turkey’s position and support
in this issue is very important for us. Turkey demonstrated its
support during the adoption of the UN resolution on the occupied
Azerbaijani territories. We also had a discussion about future
projects. Huge projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan [oil pipeline],
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum [gas [pipeline] and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars [railway]
bring us even closer. These projects play a great role for the whole
Turkic world because other Turkic-speaking nations may effectively
benefit from these projects, and initial agreements have already been
reached. We are open to cooperation both in energy and transport
projects. Our relations are a great contribution to regional
cooperation. No project can be implemented and no initiative can be
made in the region without Turkey and Azerbaijan’s participation. We
have to make effective use of these chances.

A new period has been launched in the field of mutual
investments. Azerbaijani companies invest in Turkish industries and
infrastructure. This is very important for us, because the biggest
foreign investments are made in Turkey, which is natural. Growing
political and economic links will strengthen both countries. Issues
discussed today such as the energy security of Naxcivan will further
expand development initiatives. I am sure that after the Turkish prime
minister’s historical visit to Naxcivan, new opportunities will open
up. Thank you.

Trade turnover to reach 3bn dollars

[Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaking in Turkish at the news conference]
Mr President, dear guests. Taking this chance, I would like
to express my pleasure to be in Azerbaijan, Naxcivan. I would
also like to thank you for your hospitality and attention to our
delegation. During our meetings, we discussed political, military,
trade, cultural and educational links between our countries. We also
had a chance to discuss our future plans. These relations develop
on a day-to-day basis. I am happy that we have common positions on
issues of development, peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus. The
resolution of the Karabakh problem within the framework of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity and in accordance with international norms
is our great wish. We will continue to support this position as we
have done up to now. Once again, I would like to emphasize that we
are ready to do our best to protect peace and stability in the South
Caucasus. I would like to express my pleasure with Azerbaijan’s support
on the Northern Cyprus issue. Economic and trade relations between our
countries continue to grow. Relations between Naxcivan and Turkey are
developing as well. Turkey is the country that has made the biggest
investment in Azerbaijan’s non-oil sector with a total amount of
investment exceeding 5.5bn dollars. Currently, the trade turnover
between Turkey and Azerbaijan is 1.2bn dollars and we will try to
increase this number to 3bn dollars in the next two years. Naxcivan
is our biggest trading partner at this stage. Energy projects such
as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum are an indication of
strong links between our countries. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway
project will also become one of the most important projects. The
ground-breaking ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project will be held
in July. The Naxcivan meeting is a historical one, as the president
said. I believe that our relations will continue to grow. Thank you.

Turkey to use Azerbaijani gas

[CNN Turk correspondent speaking in Turkish] Will there be any changes
to visa procedures and what role can Turkey play in the resolution
of the Karabakh problem?

[Erdogan] We have agreed on a certain guideline with regards to the
visa regime and this guideline will soon be made effective. Regarding
your other question, it’s an issue of occupation as stipulated by UN
resolutions. But these resolutions are being ignored. We want the
Minsk Group to speed up the negotiations for the sake of peace and
prosperity in the region.

[Azerbaijan state television correspondent] How will these meetings
contribute to the economic development of Naxcivan?

[Ilham Aliyev] The results of this visit will be successful. The
mutual trade turnover is growing. We discussed the energy security
of Naxcivan. Turkey will deliver natural gas to Naxcivan after the
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline is launched. We are also thinking of
linking Naxcivan to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project which is a project
requiring huge financial investments. In general, Naxcivan’s economic
potential makes it possible to expand relations with Turkey. Turkish
companies are very active in Naxcivan.

[Another Turkish correspondent speaking in Turkish] Would you please
comment more on energy cooperation issues?

[Recep Tayyip Erdogan] Turkey is a transit country. At the same time,
Turkey will use the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline project to meet
its own needs. Energy ministers have received relevant instructions
on this matter. The amount of gas that will be delivered to Turkey
has yet to be defined. We also discussed the Nabucco [gas pipeline]
project. Within the existing capacity, it’s planned that natural gas
will also be delivered through Nabucco.

[Azad Azarbaycan TV correspondent] How do you see the future prospects
of Turkish-Azerbaijani cooperation?

[Ilham Aliyev] We have successfully cooperated at the international
level as well. Our positions coincide in the Organization of the
Islamic Conference and the UN. The next meeting of Turkic-speaking
nations will be organized in Baku. Our delegations in the Council of
Europe always support each other. We had a Turkish-Azerbaijani joint
diaspora meeting which was very important because we have the same
enemies and the same interests.

[Recep Tayyip Erdogan] We intend to continue to support each other
in international organizations such as the UN, the Organization of
the Islamic Conference and the Council of Europe. We have to prove
that we are one nation – two states.

SOON – NEW OPERATOR OF CELL PHONE

Panorama.am
15:25 03/06/2008

The third operator of cell phone will start its activities after six
month it is announced the winner, said Gurgen Sargsyan, the minister
of Communication and Transport.

According to the minister after the second operator arrived in
Armenia serious changes have been registered both in service quality
and price. "In this regard we can say that the third operator will
contribute to the service improvement, price decrease and more
consumers," said the minister.

He said that some financial and technical points were the obstacles
of not announcing international tender but in June they will make
the announcement.

NANCY KAUFMAN RECEIVES AWARD FOR ASSISTANCE SHOWN FRO RECIGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 3, 2008

WASHINGTON, JUNE 3, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian
Assembly of America has honored Swampscott resident Nancy K. Kaufman
and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston for their
continued leadership and support in the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. The award reception took place on May 9 in Cambridge.

FLORIDA UNIVERSITY INTERESTED IN CC DECISION

A1+
[06:44 pm] 02 June, 2008

Political scientist, member of the Political Chair of the University
of Florida, Brian Moraski, visited the People’s Party of Armenia
(HZhK) on June 2. During the visit he met with the HZhK leader Stepan
Demirchian who ran for presidency in 2003 and, according to official
data, took the second place.

Strangely though it may seem Brian Moraski was rather interested
in the 2003 election and the CC decision than in the presidential
election of 2008. Presently, he is studying the material at hand.

Reminder, although the Constitutional Court had endorsed the election
outcome it had promised to hold a referendum on vote of confidence
within a year.

CRIMINAL CASE LAUNCHED IN RUSSIAN REGION OVER RACIST COMMENTS IN INTERNET FORUM

Interfax News Agency
June 2 2008
Russia

Krasnodar, 2 June: Criminal proceedings have been instituted in Anapa,
Krasnodar Territory, over the posting of nationalist comments on an
internet forum.

"The investigations section for the resort town of Anapa of
the investigations directorate for [Krasnodar] Territory of the
Investigations Committee under the Prosecution Service of the Russian
Federation has instituted criminal proceedings under Article 282 Part
1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (incitement of hatred
or hostility, as well as denigration of human dignity) over the posting
of nationalist comments on the Kuban.ru forum," the press service of
the territorial investigations directorate said on Monday [2 June].

The prosecution follows a pre-investigation probe carried out at the
request of Krasnodar Territory’s Presumption human rights committee,
the press release said.

"Linguistic analysis carried out as part of the pre-investigation
probe showed that the said posting contained lexical-semantic and
syntactical linguistic means, which, in terms of their meaning and
content, included pronouncements of a denigrating nature against
ethnic Armenians [sentence as received]," the directorate said.

REPORT: TURKEY ENTICES U.S. SCHOLARS, LAWMAKERS TO COVER UP WWI GENOCIDE

CBS 47
turkey-entices-us-scholars-lawmakers-to-cover-up-w wi-genocide,418387.shtml
June 3 2008
CA

MONTGOMERY, Ala., June 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A network
of U.S. scholars funded by the government of Turkey is part of an
energetic campaign to cover up the Turkish genocide of as many as 1.5
million Armenians during World War I, an effort that has found success
in Congress and the White House, according to the latest issue of
the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Report, released today.

Despite abundant documentation and eyewitness accounts of the slaughter
of Armenians by Turkey’s Ottoman government between 1915 and 1918,
the current Turkish government has paid lobbyists and funded the
network of American academics, many of whom dismiss or rationalize
the killing. Genocide scholars agree that the slaughter was, indeed,
a genocide.

"What we are seeing is a despicable rewriting of history aimed
at absolving the perpetrators of mass murder and demonizing their
victims," said Mark Potok, editor of the SPLC’s Intelligence Report,
a quarterly investigative journal that monitors the radical right. "It
is no different than the Holocaust denial of Nazi sympathizers who
claim there were no gas chambers at Auschwitz and Treblinka."

The summer 2008 issue of the Intelligence Report can be read at

The cover story recounts a March 2007 event where Guenter Lewy,
a professor emeritus of political science at the University of
Massachusetts, told a Harvard University audience that the Turkish
government at the time may have been guilty of ineptness and "bungling
misrule" — but not genocide. Lewy, one of the most active members
of the network of academics, has made similar revisionist claims
in speeches at other campuses and in his 2005 book, The Armenian
Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide.

As early as 1985, Turkey bought full-page newspaper advertisements
to publish a letter questioning the genocide that was signed by 69
American scholars. All 69 had received funding that year from the
Turkish government or its proxies.

As the only Muslim-dominated country in a troubled region to call
the United States and Israel its allies, Turkey also has wielded
significant political influence in Washington. Last fall, lobbyists on
the Turkish payroll stymied a congressional resolution commemorating
the genocide by persuading more than 100 lawmakers to reverse their
positions. Even President Bush flip-flopped on a 2000 campaign promise
to back official U.S. recognition of the genocide.

"Denial is the final stage of genocide," Gregory Stanton, president
of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, told the
Intelligence Report. "It is a continuing attempt to destroy the victim
group psychologically and culturally, to deny its members even the
memory of the murders of their relatives. That is what the Turkish
government today is doing to Armenians around the world."

Also, in the Summer 2008 issue of the Intelligence Report:

"Secret Identity?" probes the ideology of Shepherd’s Chapel, an
Arkansas-based television ministry led by Arnold Murray that has
an audience in the millions. Despite a theology that identifies an
evil race he calls the "Kenites" as the killers of Christ, Murray
says his ministry is not anti-Semitic. Mounting evidence suggests
otherwise."Stalked by Skins" tells the story of twin brothers who
have lived in fear since a bloody 2003 encounter with a gang of racist
skinheads in Illinois that left one man dead. In interviews, Bill and
Roger Larson recount how they and their families have been tormented
by gang members ever since. "North Meets South" reports on the strange
alliance forged by a Vermont separatist group in recent years. Born
of the left, the Second Vermont Republic has now partnered with the
white supremacist League of the South, which seeks a second Southern
secession, to build a national movement."Of Race and Rockets" reveals
famed aerospace scientist Walter Kistler’s $200,000 in donations to
the Pioneer Fund, a racist foundation that funds controversial studies
of race and intelligence. A defiant Kistler says he is "not concerned
about battles in society about what is and what is not ‘racist.’"

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a nonprofit organization that
combats hate, intolerance and discrimination through education,
litigation and advocacy. The Intelligence Report is a quarterly
investigative journal that tracks the activities of hate groups and
monitors militia and other extremist anti-government activity. For
more information, visit

ROLLING STOCK OF ARMENIAN RAILWAYS ON BALANCE ACCOUNT OF SOUTH CAUCASIAN RAILWAY

ARKA
June 2, 2008

YEREVAN, June 2. /ARKA/. The South Caucasian Railway made a decision
on June 1 to include the rolling stock of the Armenian Railway CJSC
into its balance account under the concession signed on February
13, 2008 on transferring the Armenian railway system to the South
Caucasian Railway.

The company has recruited its staff and has launched economic and
industrial activities on carriage by rail, cargo transportation,
as well as commercial and organizational activities of the Armenian
Railway.

At present, the Caucasian Railway is studying the infrastructure and
is making feasibility analysis on the Armenian company.

The objective of the South Caucasian Railway is to ensure uninterrupted
operation of the Armenian railway system. To achieve this goal,
the company must improve the local railway system.

The purpose of the South Caucasian Railway is to reconstruct Armenia’s
railroad way, improve the rolling stock both of cargo and passenger
railway transport, as well as to speed up railway transport, improve
services and train the staff.

The company also plans to develop Yerevan-Batumi and Yerevan-Poti
railway communication.

Included in the group of the Russian Railways, the South Caucasian
Railway is to manage the Armenian Railway CJSC.

The Armenian Railway manages 805km long railway lines and 1,125 km
long railways in Armenia. The company has been bringing fixed income
since 2001.

The Armenian Railway transported 3mln tons of goods last year against
2.7mln tons in 2006.

On January 16, 2008, the Russian Railway won the bids on the Armenian
Railway and now runs the company. The Russian Railway stated last
year it plans to invest $570mln with $230mln being allotted in the
coming five years.

TOO EARLY TO SPEAK ABOUT OVERCOMING THE CRISIS
LILIT POGHOSYAN

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 29, 2008
Armenia

We continue presenting to the reader political scientist ALEXANDER
ISKANDARYAN’S viewpoints on Armenia’s internal political `status-quo’

`If the pro-Ter-Petrosyan forces hold a `big demonstration’ on June 20,
the day of the opening of the PACE summer session, will this be another
argument testifying to the fact that the authorities have made a
progress towards the implementation of Resolution 1609?’

`Certainly it will. But it doesn’t mean that the restrictions are
hereafter ruled out or they didn’t exist in the past. It only means
that there is some progress, a positive development. This is just what
the Europeans want to see. They do not require us to ensure full
democracy in the country.

Everybody realizes that it wouldn’t be realistic at present. All they
need is to see Armenia make steps in that direction, and the
authorities do really try to do so. And the Europeans, as a rule,
appreciate `the kind intentions’ and welcome the people for making
efforts towards relaxing the post-electoral tension.’

`Is Armenia facing a political crisis as such?’

`I believe that the crisis has not been overcome yet. And the absence
of relations between the authorities and the opposition is one of the
components of such crisis. The opposition won’t recognize the
legitimacy of the authorities, and the authorities won’t recognize the
candidate who, according to official data, received votes from each 5th
citizen.

What is it if not a crisis? Besides, I see problems both inside the
pro-Government party and the opposition. It also testifies to the fact
that it’s still early to speak about the normalization of the
situation.’

`Why do you think the Masonic circles demonstrated such a strong
interest in our country? Perhaps we are really dealing with some
`well-organized force’ which is implementing scenarios of colored
revolutions with the help of its agents?’

`What is happening in Armenia is a phenomenon characteristic to this
particular country. Let’s assume, for a moment, that such Masons exist
and they are distributing money in bags for staging a colored
revolution or coup d’état in this or that country. Do you think they
will be able to repeat the scenario of the March 1 events in a country
like Switzerland?

There too, the people would go to the streets and again 10 people would
die as a result of clashes. I believe the answer is obvious. They
wouldn’t be able to do that.’

`Why should the Masons set such a task for achieving the same in
Switzerland. They might try to solve certain political issues by way of
overthrowing the present-day government, for instance?’

`Do you mean they will manage to do that if they want? I don’t think
so. The problem, in my opinion does not consist in Levon Ter-Petrosyan
or Arkadi Vardanyan. A large part of society is, for different reasons,
dissatisfied with the authorities. There was the social background, and
the outburst of the mass dissatisfaction resulted in the tragic events
of March 1.

And factors such as poverty, the social conditions, as well as the fact
that Armenia has still much to do for developing as a democratic
country, strengthening the statehood and accomplishing the political
system had their role in this process.’