Author: Kalashian Nyrie

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
May 29 2008

`RAPHAEL LEMKIN’S DOSSIER ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’ PUBLISHED

YEREVAN, 29.05.08. DE FACTO. The Center for Armenian Remembrance (CAR)
published `Raphael Lemkin’s Dossier on the Armenian Genocide’, which
constitutes an important contribution for scholars, human rights
activists and others seeking to know what the originator of the term
genocide and the `father’ of the Genocide Convention had to say about
the Armenian Genocide.
According to PanARMENIAN.Net, the book is the perfect antidote to the
denialist campaign that has lately intensified by the banning of a
book in Toronto and its replacement by books by denialist historians
Bernard Lewis and Guenther Levy.
`Raphael Lemkin’s Dossier on the Armenian Genocide’ is the fifth book
in the `The Armenian Genocide and the Armenian Case’ series put out by
CAR Publishing.

Panorama.am

18:42 30/05/2008

SEYRAN OHANYAN RECEIVED PETER ROZENBLAT

Yesterday the Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan
received Peter Rozenblat, representative of Jewish
Community of America, Ross Vartyan, executive director
of American-Armenian social committee and Madlen
Minasyan, the director of -Hope for Armenia-
foundation, reported the press secretary of the
ministry, General Seyran Shahsuvaryan.

In the beginning of the meeting the minister greeted
the guests and said that the strengthening of
American-Armenian bilateral relations is very
important for Armenia, in particular, in the
improvement of economic, democratic and regional peace
establishment.

The Ambassador mentioned that the committee which he
presents is the biggest one in the Jewish Union and it
is mostly involved in international relations. He said
that started from 1990 they follow the developments in
the South Caucasus. He said that last time he arrived
in Armenia in 1999. According to the Ambassador the
interest of the committee towards Armenia is closely
connected with the relationship of Jewish Committee
with the Armenian Committee in America.

Source: Panorama.am

PROPAGANDA WAR

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 27, 2008
Armenia

According to GAGIK MINASYAN, "Financial resources in large amounts are
needed for achieving success in the sphere of propaganda. The sphere
also requires scientific potential and human resources. For this
purpose, Azerbaijan uses the Turkish institutions which, through the
channels of NATO, communicate with the most up-to-date technologies
of the United States. Azerbaijan also invests large sums of money in
the propaganda.

We are facing serious challenges here, and in order to be able to
resist them, we must be able to make our propaganda more effective. We
also have the potentials of the Diaspora. However, the activities of
the state are on a completely different qualitative level."

AMERICA INTENDS TO AWARD THE ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 27, 2008
Armenia

The United States of America is going to award the Armenian
peacekeepers, Joseph Pennington, US Charge d’Affaire in Armenia said
yesterday in a meeting with Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan.

Let’s remind you that Armenia currently has peacekeeping forces in
Kosovo and Iraq.

NATO TO CONTINUE ASSISTING REFORM PROCESS IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.05.2008 18:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On May 28, Armenia~Rs Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian and Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan attended a session of
the North Atlantic Council in 26+1 format to discuss the process of
Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), the RA MFA
press office reported.

Addressing the Council, Minister Nalbandian said Armenia attaches
importance to IPAP as a format promoting cooperation with NATO. He
briefed on Armenia~Rs cooperation with European structures and also
referred to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, confirming
Armenia~Rs willingness to resolve the problem peacefully.

Touching on the Armenian-Turkish relations, the Minister said that
Armenia is ready to establish relations without preconditions, in
concord with the IPAP provisions.

For his part, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan represented the
legislative improvements and reforms carried out in the defense sector
and military security.

NATO Ambassadors noted that Armenia has fulfilled its commitments by
the time fixed. Further steps will be taken on the basis of assessment
of the IPAP implementation process.

CONSTRUCTION FUNDED BY ARMENIA FOUNDATION HAS DROPPED

KarabakhOpen
27-05-2008 11:46:56

In the first three months of 2008 the value of construction was 2386.7
million drams which is down by 34 percent from last year.

According to the head if the National Statistics Service Manushak
Minasyan, the number of buildings built by Armenia Foundation and
the state budget (49.9 percent) has dropped by 89 percent.

On the whole, construction in Karabakh began later than usual. In
this connection, President Bako Sahakyan voiced dissatisfaction.

CATHOLICOS ARAM I MEETS WITH MINISTER OF CULTURE TAREK MITRI

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 26, 2008

ANTELIAS, MAY 26, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. Tarek Mitri, the
Minister of Culture of Lebanon, visited Aram I, the Catholicos of the
Great Cilician House, on May 23. The meeting between His Holiness
and the Minister, which was held in the office of the Catholicos,
was of intimate character. It is mentioned that they are close friends
and have worked together for many years within the frameworks of the
interchurch movement of the World Council of Churches.

Minister Mitri toroughly introduced the situation hindering the Qatar
meeting of the political forces of Lebanon, and the issues on the
inner folds of the consultations during the conference.

His Holiness expressed his content with the victory the whole Lebanon
has registered, "where there are no losers, there is only one winner:
the whole Lebanon with all its communities and parts, with its people
and authority."

THEY DIDN’T LIKE SIRUSHO’S DEBUT

A1+
[01:18 pm] 26 May, 2008

Russia’s representative Dima Bilan won the International Song Contest
Eurovision 2008. Armenia’s representative Sirusho took the 4th place
with 203 points. Nine countries, Poland, Czech Republic, Netherlands,
Belgium, Israel, France, Georgia and Russia gave Armenia the highest
score -12. Turkey, Spain, Cyprus gave us 10 points and San Marino,
Bulgaria- 8 points.

Our citizens have been discussing the song contest for a few days. Most
people didn’t like Sirusho’s debut.

"I am glad Armenia could move up from the eighth place but I hoped
we would take at least the third place," says 34-year-old Gayane.

"The song was a good one. Armenia would have taken the second place
provided the performance matched the song," says 20-year-old Aram.

Reminder: the show was staged by Russia’s best dancing-master Sergey
Sandrikin and the dancers were invited from the famous Street Jazz
group.

"To tell the truth, I think Sirusho’s presentation failed. Thanks God,
we took the forth place as Sirusho sang badly," noted 18-year-old
Hamlet.

"Sirusho could have performed better but for her excitement
characteristic of our nation. Our singers won’t be that tense unless
they attach a great importance to such contests," says 18-year-old Ani.

Sirusho didn’t sing badly. And yet, in comparison with Ukrainian
and Greek representatives we understand that she is far from being
a professional singer," says 48-year-old Gaspar.

Many citizens say it is no use criticizing our singers.

"Sirusho looked splendid on the stage. Besides, the forth place is
not that bad," says 24-year-old Vardan.

ICRC REPRESENTATIVES FINALLY GOT ACCESS TO FOUR CITIZENS OF ARMENIA BEING ON AZERBAIJANI SIDE

arminfo
2008-05-26 10:56:00

ArmInfo. Representatives of the International Committee of Red Cross
got access to four citizens of Armenia being on Azerbaijani side.

As ICRC Yerevan delegation told ArmInfo, ICRC representatives visited
the captive RA citizens last Friday. "The process is going on according
to the usual ICRC procedures", the delegation informed.

To recall, civilians Vanik Zmboyan (Gavar), Artyom Zohrabyan (Noraduz),
Karen Torosyan (Noraduz) and Aghasi Yenokyan (Noraduz) turned out to
be on the Azerbaijani side after the incident in one of Nakhichevan
near-border military units. The incident happened due to interpersonal
relations. By unofficial data, a group of civilians arrived "to help"
their friend, having been recently transferred to the new military
unit. A conflict started among the young man and his comrade-in-arms,
and the "brothers" arrived by several cars at the unit to settle the
dispute. A scuffle happened and the commander had to shot in air to
stop it, unofficial data say. As a result, the stranger- young men were
captivated. The Azerbaijani party tries to represent them as raiders in
every way. Representatives of International Committee for the Red Cross
did not have an opportunity to meet the captives for over a month.

"FACTS NOT CORRESPONDING TO REALITY WILL NOT BE PRESENTED" AT DISCUSSION OF RESOLUTION 1609 IN PACE, ARMENIAN DELEGATION MEMBER SAYS

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 23, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. A sitting of the PACE Monitoring
Committee will be held in Kiev. Among issues on the agenda is the
issue of Armenia.

The rapporteurs of the monitoring group visited Armenia on May 10,
the chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection
and Public Issues, member of Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) faction
Avet Adonts said at the May 23 parliamentary briefing.

Speaking about the discussion on fulfilment of resolution 1609 by
Armenia at the PACE session in a month, A. Adonts noted that the
Armenian delegation will present all the work the authorities have
done and will do in this direction. "Facts not corresponding to reality
will not be presented," the member of the Armenian delegation assured
those present.

A. Adonts expressed a hope that prior to that, the process of
fulfilling the conditions stipulated in the resolution will start,
at least, the NA interim commission on examination of the March 1-2
events will be set up. By a preliminary agreement, the commission
will be formed at the June session of the parliament. It is planned
to hold the second and last readings of the amendments to the draft
law on meetings, assemblies, rallies and demonstrations during the
four-day session of the NA on June 9-11.

According to A. Adonts, depriving Armenia of the right to vote in
the PACE would have a negative impact on the country’s international
rating and the development of its bilateral relations with European
structures and countries so the Armenian authorities must try their
best in order to prevent it. At the same time, the deputy expressed
a conviction that "fulfilment of resolution 1609 will give nothing
if we fail to solve our domestic problems themselves".