Author: Kalashian Nyrie

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

June 27, 2007

Eastern Prelacy’s National Representative Assembly
Convenes in Dearborn, Michigan

Mission of the Church and Parish Development themes are highlighted

By Iris Papazian

NEW YORK, NY-The 2007 National Representative Assembly (NRA) of the Eastern
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America convened in Dearborn,
Michigan, May 17 to 19, under the presidency of His Eminence Archbishop
Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate. The host parish, St. Sarkis Church, extended a
warm and caring welcome to delegates and guests.
Artin Dermenjian from All Saints Church, Glenview, Illinois, and Alan
Goshgarian, from St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, were
elected co-chairmen. Elected to serve as Armenian and English secretaries,
respectively, were Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis Church,
Douglaston, New York; and Janet Haroian, of St. Gregory Church, Granite
City, Illinois.
The keynote addresses were given by the Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan
Choloyan, and Jack Mardoian, Esq., chairman of the Executive Council. Both
touched upon aspects of the upcoming dual anniversaries in 2008: the 110th
anniversary of the establishment of the Armenian Church in America and the
50th anniversary of the Prelacy’s affiliation with the Great House of
Cilicia. The major theme for both messages was the mission of the Church.
A message from His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia, via the Internet, was heard by the delegates. In his message the
Catholicos spoke about the mission of the Prelacy; our youth and the future;
and the imperative of taking Christ to our people. His Holiness
congratulated the Prelate on the 40th anniversary of his ordination, and he
concluded by expressing his best wishes to the NRA for a successful
assembly.

Religious Conference
The Religious Conference, which convened one day earlier, was attended
by the clergymen serving the Eastern Prelacy. The conference concentrated on
pastoral issues and spiritual enrichment through the prayers associated with
the major feasts of the Armenian Church.

Banquet
The banquet on Friday, May 18, which honored the Prelate on the 40th
anniversary of his ordination, also honored several local parishioners.
Certificates of Merit were presented to Mr. Kegam Tazian, Dr. Arthur
Hamparian, Mrs. Rose Gerjekian, and Mr. Narses Gedigian. The Prelacy’s Youth
Leadership awards were presented to Ms. Meline Topouzian and Mr. Peter
Crane.
The Spirit of Armenia award was presented posthumously to Michael Guido,
a popular mayor of Dearborn for many years. A first generation American,
Mayor Guido was especially attentive to the Armenian community in his quest
to bring everyone together for the greater good of all residents of
Dearborn. The award was accepted by his widow.

Prelate’s Message
The Prelate said next year we will be marking the 50th anniversary of
the Prelacy’s affiliation with the Great House of Cilicia, and we will be
celebrating the service of the Prelacy during this time. He noted that today
the largest and most vibrant tehms, or dioceses-outside of Armenia-are the
American tehms.
Noting that His Holiness Aram I has designated 2007 as the "Year of the
Armenian Language," he advised all to "Read it. Learn it. Use it." He told
the delegates and guests that "language is not only a means of
communication. It also represents the whole wisdom and philosophy of our
nation."
The main section of his address focused on the church and her mission.
He described the Church as "the noblest gift given to our people" that from
the very beginning had a historic mission. "Built on the rock of Christ,
spread by the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, illuminated and
nationalized through the efforts of St. Gregory the Illuminator, it was
adopted by our people and became like the ‘color of our skin.’ The Armenian
Church is that spiritual and intellectual terminal and treasure which next
to our love of Christ gave us love toward our people. . . The Armenians’
house of prayer turned into a place of congregation for all of us. Anointed
with the sweet sounding songs of mysterious melodies, she became a place of
inspiration. She became a loving and tender mother, a sacred road towards
God. Even when the bells were crushed, they echoed and the hymns became
victory."
His Eminence spoke about the challenges of secularism facing the Church.
"The charm of secularism must not blind the eye of our soul. Foolish
pleasures should not extinguish the flame that sizzles in us. On the
contrary we must know how to believe that with this zealousness we will move
closer to our church. The best evidence of this is the fact that 110 years
have passed since the formation of the Armenian Church in North America,
fifty years have passed since our affiliation with the Great House of
Cilicia and our church is better organized, more widespread and stronger."
The Prelate concluded his remarks with thoughts about our greater
immediate family. "We must become more mindful of our children’s spiritual
health and national education. This is not just the work of one group. It
cannot be accomplished alone by educated and capable clergymen, but by
collective and dedicated efforts. You are the dedicated representatives and
workers-our delegates, members of our boards of trustees, teachers,
educators, and especially the Armenian family.. It is time to work. Do not
allow the flame that burns within you to be extinguished," he said.

Chairman’s Message
Jack Mardoian, chairman of the Prelacy’s Executive Council, focused his
message on the Prelacy’s mission. He touched upon a number of topics
including the upcoming dual anniversaries; the challenges facing our clergy
in today’s reality; parish responsibilities; evaluation of educational
materials and directives provided by the Prelacy; the need for better
communications; development of parishes; the vital necessity of review and
re-evaluation of current programs; and finally the financial resources
necessary to realize the mission of the Church.
"As we approach the 110th anniversary of the initial establishment of
our Prelacy in 1898, the Executive Council has chosen to focus the attention
of this year’s National Representative Assembly on what it is that calls us
to the church and on what the mission of our church is in today’s world.
Although it would seem that any discussion of the mission of the Prelacy
calls for the discussion of a series of seemingly complex and difficult
questions, as Aram Vehapar has set forth in his Pontifical Encyclical, The
Message of the 1700th Anniversary.the mission of the Armenian Church and
therefore of this Prelacy is really quite simple: The mission of our
Prelacy, as set forth in the Gospel of Mark 16:15 is to ‘Go into all the
world and to preach the Gospel to everyone.’ In this context, again quoting
Aram Vehapar, ‘the church is a community of faith, where people are joined
together in Christ, live together the imperatives of the Gospel and strive
for the full realization of the community of God.’ And yet, despite this
rather simple and straightforward statement of our mission as a church, it
is obvious that this mission is not being understood and is not being
communicated to those who live within the geographic borders of our
Prelacy."
Mr. Mardoian then identified and explained the areas of focus necessary
"if we are to grow as a Christian people within our church and prelacy."
Concluding his keynote address, the chairman challenged the delegates to
begin their deliberations in earnest. "It is your work, as the supreme
legislative body of our Prelacy, to advise the Executive Council on the
progress of its ongoing work and to propose programs which will enhance our
ability to serve effectively and to realize our mission as a church."

Panel Discussions
The five panel discussion groups were on the following topics: Youth and
Young Adults; Clergy Recruitment, Development and Training; Financial
Development; Audit and Budget; By-Laws Review.
Delegates were assigned to specific panels where discussions took place
with a report presented to the full NRA with specific recommendations. The
reports will be studied and implemented by the Executive Council.

Celebrating Ascension
Thursday evening a Divine Liturgy took place in St. Sarkis Church, on
the occasion of the Feast of Ascension (Hambardzoom). Rev. Fr. Sarkis
Aktavoukian, pastor of Sourp Khatch Church in Bethesda, Maryland, was the
celebrant. With all of the clergy participating, delegates and guests were
joined by a large turnout of St. Sarkis parishioners to witness this
inspiring service commemorating the Ascension of our Lord forty days after
His Resurrection.

NALG Conference
The 24th annual national conference of the National Association of
Ladies Guilds (NALG) took place concurrent with the NRA. During the meeting
the executive members of the NALG presented their annual report and programs
to the representatives of the various Ladies Guilds. The theme during the
year that just concluded was "When you educate a girl, you educate a
family." The 2007-2008 theme is "Religious Education."
The attendees at the conference heard several speakers. Joy Callan spoke
on the "Influence of our Heritage, Parents and Culture;" Harry Dakesian
spoke about "Women’s Health and Exercise;" and Yeretzgeen Margaret Stepanian
presented a video of the Sunday School students from St. Asdvadzadzin
Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, building a home in Armenia.
The newly elected NALG executive board members are: Mary Derderian,
President; Rose Gerjekian, Vice President; Yeretzgeen Margaret Stepanian,
Secretary; Joy Callan, Treasurer; Agnes Bianco, Advisor; Rita Tatevossian,
historian.

Elections
With three seats to be filled on the Executive Council, the three
incumbents were elected to serve another term: Bedros Givelekian, Jack
Mardoian, and Noubar Megerian.
With two seats to fill on the Religious Council, the incumbent Rev. Fr.
Aram Stepanian, pastor of St. Asdvadzadzin Church in Whitinsville,
Massachusetts, and Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian, pastor of Sourp Khatch
Church, Bethesda, Maryland, were elected.
Elected to the Auditing Committee were Aspet Marashian, Avedis
Movsessian and Raffi Ourlian.

Conclusion
Before adjourning, the delegates heard from two guests in attendance.
Mr. Zohrab Tazian, World Council Delegate, and Mr. Edward Korkoian, the
representative of the Diocese of the Armenian Church (Eastern), who
expressed the greetings of His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate
of the Eastern Diocese. He congratulated Archbishop Oshagan on his 40th
anniversary of ordination wishing him good health and a long life in his
service to the Armenian Church.
The co-chairmen thanked the delegates for an orderly and upbeat
assembly. They thanked the pastor and parishioners of the host church for
their outstanding hospitality.
The final word was from the Prelate who thanked His Holiness Aram I for
his leadership and guidance. He expressed his deep appreciation to all the
delegates for the love they demonstrated to the Church. He thanked the St.
Sarkis community, Der Daron, the Board, Ladies Guild, Diramayr and
Yeretzgeen. He expressed thanks to Mr. Korkoian for his representation on
behalf of the Eastern Diocese and Archbishop Khajag.
The Prelate announced that in June 2008 there will be the Blessing of
the Holy Chrism (Muron) in Antelias, Lebanon and an international youth
gathering in August.
He closed the 2007 National Representative Assembly with the
benediction. "Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you
that are in Christ."

ARLES DEVOILE LES TRESORS DE L’ARMENIE ANTIQUE
Anne-Marie Romero

Le Figaro, France
23 juin 2007

POUR comprendre et apprecier a sa juste valeur l’exposition du Musee
de l’Arles et de la Provence antique (1), il convient de faire le
vide dans nos esprits : oublions nos chronologies, nos repères, nos
premières ceramiques vers 5 000 avant J.-C., nos premiers objets
de bronze vers 1 200. La-bas, dans ce Caucase lointain, carrefour
entre mer Noire et mer Caspienne, entre Mesopotamie au sud et empire
scythe au nord, l’histoire des hommes et celle de l’art commencent
mille ans plus tôt. Temoin, dès la première vitrine : un gobelet
d’argent repousse, d’une facture raffinee, a six registres decores
d’un thème traditionnel en Orient, celui de la chasse royale au
lion. Un gobelet doublement important parce que temoin de la maîtrise
parfaite de la metallurgie au XXII e siècle avant J.-C. et source
d’information sur la culture spirituelle d’une societe contemporaine
de notre prehistoire. " Le roi, explique Claude Sintès, directeur
du musee, symbolise la force et la virilite, il protège son peuple
des animaux sauvages, eux aussi symboles, a la fois des ennemis
et des forces malfaisantes de l’au-dela. " Un thème que l’on a vu
largement developpe l’an dernier, dans l’exposition sur les Thraces
au Musee Jacquemart-Andre. Dans ce " croissant fertile " du III e
millenaire dont l’Armenie fait partie, tout ce qui a ete decouvert
est d’une perfection artistique stupefiante. Les bijoux d’or fondu,
martele, filigrane, cloisonne, grainete, soude, enveloppant agate et
sardoine, les haches de ceremonie d’argent, en forme d’ancre ; les
poteries, telle cette jarre geante dont la panse evasee symbolise la
fecondite feminine et les tetons qui entourent le col, les mamelles,
representation très originale du thème eternel de la fertilite. C’est
a cette epoque que l’on trouve une foule de petits personnages et
des animaux minuscules, metaphores des forces de la nature.

Fiches sur les montants des chars funeraires. Perces, ils contenaient
des billes qui en faisaient des grelots, destines a eloigner les
esprits malfaisants. Seule, la sculpture, reste fruste. La pierre, le
tuf, est omnipresente en Armenie, mais, plus difficile a travailler,
elle n’a guère inspire les artistes. C’est en ces temps recules aussi
que les ancetres des Armeniens ont represente d’une manière, encore
une fois symbolisee mais assez evidente, leur conception geocentrique
du système solaire sous la forme d’etranges objets en bronze ajoure,
qui montrent clairement qu’au XII e siècle avant notre ère, pour eux,
la Terre etait bien ronde ! L’ecriture cuneiforme Lorsqu’en – 950,
ces soixante-trois petits royaumes s’unissent pour constituer celui
d’Ourartou, l’influence assyrienne se fait sentir avec l’apparition
de l’ecriture cuneiforme. Mais le style de la production armenienne
ne change guère. Le travail de l’or s’affine encore avec des bijoux
arachneens et de la vaisselle somptueuse, les rhytons destines aux
libations prennent une tournure de plus en plus originale et meme
cocasse, comme cette botte a lacets peints en terre cuite. L’occupation
des Mèdes puis des Artaxides, heritiers du passage d’Alexandre,
n’entame pas le substrat d’un art très symbolique, avec ses petits
personnages ithyphalliques, allegorie de la force virile, ses animaux
miniaturises, et ses " femmes poteries ". L’hellenisation est faible :
elle se traduit dans d’admirables rhytons d’argent, de grande taille,
figurant de fringants cavaliers.

Et meme sous l’occupation romaine, le rouleau compresseur de la pensee
unique ne parvient pas a tuer la specificite armenienne : bien qu’on
moule une très belle tete en verre de l’empereur Caracalla et des
cohortes de petites deesses mères, la symbolique feminine des decors
qui ornent les enormes vases a vin et les rhytons en forme d’ours,
a la manière d’un Francois Pompon, montrent la resistance d’un art
autochtone qui ne veut pas mourir. (1) " Splendeurs de l’Armenie
antique " jusqu’au 29 juillet au Musee de l’Arles et de la Provence
antique, Presqu’île-du-Cirque-Romain, 13200 Arles. Tel. : 04 90 18
88 88.

–Boundary_(ID_/PKP//td2qKd4VcrMR6TZQ)–

PM, public servants at odds over policy

Bureaucrats, diplomats in foreign service resistant to changes, Harper says
on tape
Allan Woods
Ottawa Bureau

Toronto Star, June 25, 2007

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he is being under¬mined by public
servants who are uncomfortable with the Conserva¬tive government’s
aggressive ap¬proach to foreign policy matters.

The Star has obtained recordings of a June 15 closed-door roundtable with
Toronto-based ethnic media in which Harper complains at length about
reluctant bureaucrats and diplomats responsible for drafting and defending
Canadian policies abroad.

"What is not acceptable, and it does happen on occasion, is for a public
servant to say, `That may be the position of the elected guys, but that’s
not the position of the government,” Harper said in the meeting, held at a
hotel near the To¬ronto airport.

The comments, coming 17 months after the Tories were elect¬ed, suggest
Harper continues to find resistance from bureaucrats to his policy agenda.

"Every government in every coun¬try – all the leaders I’ve talked to –
complain to me that their foreign service wants to do what (it) be¬lieves is
foreign policy, not what the government-of-the-day’s foreign policy is. It’s
a universal problem."

The head of the union representing Canada’s foreign service said he was
"shocked" after hearing the Prime Minister’s com¬plaint, but said there have
been no formal complaints filed against its members.

"If this is true we’d like to know pore about it," said Ron Cochrane,
executive director of the Profes¬sional Association of Foreign Service
Officers.

A spokesperson for Kevin Lynch, the clerk of the Privy Council and head of
the public service, declined to comment, without asking about the substance
of Harper’s comments.

The Prime Minister’s comments were a response to questions about his 2006
decision to recognize the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in
Turkey in 1915 as genocide. The move was a significant departure from the
position of successive Canadian governments and so angered the Turkish
government that it briefly recalled its ambassador.

The row made international headlines, with Turkey pulling out of a May 2006
joint military exercise in protest and an adviser to the Turkish prime
minister complaining to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay in an Ottawa
meeting. And this April, the Turkish foreign ministry warned Harper against
Canada’s continued recognition of the
genocide.

"Repeating these claims annually will not help in normalizing
Tur¬key-Armenia relations and will harm Turkish-Canadian bilateral relations
as well," Ankara advised Ottawa in a message sent through official
diplomatic channels, ac¬cording to the Turkish Daily News.

The row provides one of the best examples of the waves that origi¬nate in
the Prime Minister’s Office and ripple through government. Other flare-ups
include:

*A decision by bureaucrats to sponsor a November 2006 confer¬ence on Turkey,
featuring a lecture by a University of Massachusetts¬-Amherst professor,
Guenter Lewy, who has referred to the Armenian slaughter as a "disputed
genocide."

An Oct. 23, 2006 letter from the Armenian National Committee of Canada to
MacKay asks if the De¬partment of Foreign Affairs would even consider doing
the same if the conference was for Holocaust deni¬ers.

Just days before the conference was to go ahead, the government pulled its
sponsorship of the event and senior Tories backed out of promises to attend.

*Comments by Canada’s ambas¬sador to Turkey from April weigh¬ing in on the
dispute between Otta¬wa and Ankara. In comments to Turkish daily Zaman, Yves
Brodeur suggested Turkey has a simple pub¬lic relations problem.

"It’s about influence, it is about making sure that they have enough
knowledge to make a decision that makes sense, and it is about talking to
them and telling them (Turkey’s) side of the story. In this case I be¬lieve
that Turkey started much too late," Brodeur said.

On April 20, 2007, the Prime Min¬ister’s office was preparing to issue a
statement recognizing the 92nd anniversary of the genocide. A draft
statement from bureaucrats, which the Armenian National Committee later
described as watered down, landed in the hands of the commit¬tee at 9 p.m.

The statement referred to the 1915 slaughter as an event that "has been
called the first genocide of the 20th century," and suggested the deaths may
have been linked to World War I fighting.

Upon appeal to the Prime Min¬ister’s Office, the wording of bu¬reaucrats was
changed and a more forceful statement was released to the public.

At the June 15 roundtable, Harper likened the difficulty he has had shifting
Canada’s foreign policy to turning a massive ship, saying it takes great
force and requires time.

"Canada’s recognition of the Ar¬menian genocide, frankly, was a major change
in policy for the for¬eign service of Canada, not an easy one to
understand," he confided. "It has been difficult for some people."

Harper added that it is difficult for bureaucrats to defend one party’s
policies for more than a decade and then immediately adapt to a new party’s
policies.

"That’s difficult for them because they tend to believe in what they’ve been
doing," he said.

"All I can say is this: The way we overcome this is to provide very strong
direction."

BLACK SEA LEADERS TO BOOST TRADE, ENERGY COOPERATION
Sibel Utku Bila

Middle East Times, Egypt
AFP
ryID=20070625-032615-1579r
June 25 2007

ISTANBUL — The leaders of a dozen nations in the Black Sea region,
including Russian President Vladimir Putin, pledged in Turkey Monday
to increase cooperation in energy and trade.

A joint declaration issued at the end of the summit of the Organization
of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) acknowledged that
political problems between member states were hindering economic
exchange in the oil-rich region and called for their peaceful
settlement.

The member countries were ready "to deepen cooperation in the
area of energy … and cooperate with the European Union and other
international partners to ensure fair access to energy resources
and markets on a mutual basis for all interested countries," the
statement said.

The region the BSEC covers is the world’s second-largest source of
oil and natural gas after the Gulf and is a major transit corridor
for energy supplies bound for Europe.

Speaking at the meeting, Putin, whose country has been accused
of using its oil and gas riches as a political weapon, called for
"strengthening the stability of the energy markets of the Black Sea,
also by expanding the practice of long-term contracts."

He said Russia favored "the diversification of energy supply routes,
the creation of new insurance schemes, and the share of financial
risk between partners through the exchange of shares."

The BSEC, which celebrated its 15th anniversary Monday, comprises
the Black Sea littoral states – Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia,
Turkey, and Ukraine –as well as Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Greece,
Moldova, and Serbia.

The members pledged to speed up work on upgrading transport
infrastructure, including a projected 7,500-kilometer (4,660-mile)
ring road along the Black Sea coast and regular maritime links between
their ports, with the aim of boosting tourism and trade.

Removing trade barriers was another priority, and they also called
for closer cooperation with the European Union and for the "earliest"
settlement of political tensions and territorial conflicts between
member states.

"Political conflicts constitute an important hurdle in the way of
economic cooperation and development," Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said at a lunch he hosted at the summit.

"We have to make efforts to find a solution to political problems by
ourselves within the region," he added.

Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul held a rare bilateral meeting
with Vardan Oskanian, his counterpart from arch-foe Armenia, with
which Turkey has no diplomatic ties.

Armenia was the only country to be represented by a foreign minister.

All other nations sent presidents or prime ministers.

Oskanian urged Turkey to open the border between the two countries,
saying that such a move would help build confidence.

"If you are serious about dialogue, please open the border first,"
Oskanian said.

Turkey dealt a heavy economic blow to impoverished Armenia in 1993 as
it shut the border between the two countries in a show of solidarity
with its close ally Azerbaijan, which was at war with Armenia over
the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ankara also refuses to establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan
because of Armenia’s international campaign to have the mass killings
of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century
recognized as genocide.

The Turkish police stepped up security measures ahead of the summit,
and five people, among them Chechens, suspected of having links with
the Al Qaeda network were arrested in Istanbul Sunday.

The BSEC was established in 1992 to promote stability and economic ties
between nations that belonged to opposite camps during the Cold War.

It covers nearly 20 million square kilometers (7.7 million square
miles) with a population of 350 million people. Member states have
a total foreign trade volume of $300 billion a year.

SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR PETITIONS SPEAKER PELOSI TO PASS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

ArmRadio.am
22.06.2007 10:40

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom recently sent a letter to Speaker of
the House Nancy Pelosi urging her to support H. Res. 106, the Armenian
Genocide Resolution. Newsom, whose city falls into Pelosi’s eighth
congressional district, expressed his utmost support of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution, reports the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA).

In his correspondence to Speaker Pelosi, Newsom states, "I write this
letter in respect to House Resolution 106, which would officially
place the US House of Representatives as recognizing the Armenian
Genocide of 1915.

Along with San Francisco’s large and active Armenian- American
community, it is an honor to add my name to the growing number of
supporters to House Resolution 106."

Mayor Newsom also referred to the assassination of Hrant Dink as
being "silenced as he advocated for official Turkish recognition
of the Armenian Genocide." Mayor Newsom stated in his letter that,
"[he] can find no better way to honor the memory of Mr. Dink than to
ask that the House of Representatives pass this resolution."

Mayor Newsom was appointed to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in
1997, representing District 2. He was elected Mayor of San Francisco in
2004 and has always been in support of the Armenian-American Community.

ASHTARAK KAT TO ESTABLISH THREE MILK COLLECTION AND MARKETING UNITS IN TAVUSH REGION

ArmInfo
2007-06-20 17:53:00

Today during a press-conference at the UN House, the United Nations
Development Programme, Center for Agribusiness and Rural Development
and Ashtarak Kat Closed Joint Stock Company signed a Memorandum of
Undertanding to establish three Milk Collection and Marketing Units
in Tavush marz.

The press release by UNDP says that the goal is to establish milk
collection and marketing units in Varagavan, Tovuz and Nerkin
Karmiraghbyur located in Tavush marz to assist local dairy farmers
from nearly 10 neighboring villages to organize milk collection and
distribution processes and contribute to the sustainable growth of
the marz.

The units will be located in physical premises provided by the
community, which will be renovated according to the international food
safety standards and equipped with contemporary testing and cooling
equipment. Centers will be operated by community based organizations
(cooperatives) and supported by large dairy producers.

The UNDP Resident Representative Ms Consuelo Vidal told the audience
that the Milk Collection and Marketing Units will serve local
communities of Tavush marz and more than 200 farmers will benefit
from them. She also added that partnership with private companies like
Ashtarak Kat help ensure the sustainability of the economic development
activities, such as this centers, leading to poverty reduction through
the creation of new jobs and business opportunities in this case,
in the dairy sector.

During the event Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy Anthony Godfrey
said: "The US Government is happy to support through CARD this joint
initiative with UNDP aimed at strengthening private intitiatve in
the agricultural sector."

Within the scope of this Memorandum the parties agreed to share the
following responsibilities:

The UNDP "Performance Budgeting at the Local Level" and "Global
Compact Armenia" projects will renovate the buildings for the milk
collection centers provided by the communities in Varagavan, Tovuz
and Nerkin Karmiaghbyur and provide two milk collection trucks to
organize the milk collection in the communities.

The Center for Agribusiness and Rural Development (CARD) will install
milk collection and testing equipment. In addition CARD will provide
technical assistance to the local farmers to establish and operate
legal entities such as the cooperatives that will be formed.

Ashtarak Kat CJSC will buy the collected milk from the Milk Collection
and Marketing Units

Ashtarak Kat is a privare sector dairy producer in Armenia. It
cooperates with 4,500 farms located in 55 villages throughout the
country. In 2001 URS provided the company with ISO 9001:2000.

IN RESPONSE TO PKK CEASEFIRE, TURKEY DECIDES TO ERADICATE TERROR
By Hakob Chakrian

AZG Armenian Daily
15/06/2007

American Associated Agency announced worldwide about the PKK
unilateral ceasefire. Meanwhile, at the Council Meeting of Ministers
the Government of the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed
the issue "Fight against terror". The Chief of Turkish Armed Forces
General Yashar Buyakanyt was also invited to the meeting.

In all probability PKK announcement about the ceasefire in parallel
with the Council Meeting of Ministers aimed at influencing on the
process of the meeting, moreover on the decision of Turkish government
about the fight against terror.

Taking into consideration USA and European Union’s demand on Turkey for
politicizing Kurdish issue, and that they are against the military
actions against PKK, the latter, with its unilateral ceasefire
probably wants to show who are responsible for the violence in the
country and to stimulate the international pressure on Turkey.

In spite of the accountings of PKK, at the Council Meeting of the
Ministers Erdogan’s government took a decision about continuing the
fight against terror.

In response to the issue of invading North Iraq, Erdoghan told that
the invasion was the utmost thing that they would do. Then he added,
"Did we eradicate terror in Turkey? First of all we must destroy
the shelters of the terrorists inside the country. If there are 500
terrorists in North Iraq, the number of them reaches to 5000 in the
mountains of Turkey. Did we cope with the task of 5000 terrorists in
Turkey in order to fight against 500 terrorists in Iraq?"

WILL OMBUDSMAN BE APPOINTED BEFORE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?

KarabakhOpen
12-06-2007 12:21:57

The law on the human rights defender was passed two years ago. The
post of ombudsman is still vacant, however. They said let us first
adopt the Constitution then appoint ombudsman. We have already adopted
the Constitution but the ombudsman has not been appointed yet.

A few days ago amendments were made to the law on human rights
defender.

According to the amended law, the president no longer appoints
ombudsman.

The parliament elects ombudsman for 6 years. The ombudsman is named
by one third of the members of parliament, and is elected if three
fifths of the members of parliament vote for.

Yuri Hairapetyan, chair of the State and Legal Committee, said
the ombudsman will be appointed after the president ratifies the
amendments. The Democrat member of parliament said in an interview
with KarabakhOpen.com his faction is ready to solve this problem
as soon as possible. In answer to the question if the faction will
name ombudsman, Hairapetyan said: "The faction has political will to
fulfill the provisions of the law. As to a candidate, we have had no
consultations yet."

Will ombudsman be appointed before the presidential election? Yuri
Hairapetyan thinks it is impossible because "the session of parliament
ends in June." "If we do not manage, we will raise this issue in the
next session," Yuri Hairapetyan said.

By the way, the ombudsman must be a citizen aged 35 and up. Yuri
Hairapetyan said higher education is not obligatory. According to
the amendment, the ombudsman will not have a deputy but will have
representations to all the regions.

Any woman can do a career

11-06-2007 14:29:50 – KarabakhOpen

Women and men have different physiology, potential and therefore
different worldview. And these differences gave rise to the so-called
gender issues. For instance, many think there are mail jobs and female
jobs. Whether this true or not, there is discrimination of women in a
lot of countries.
Discrimination of women in Karabakh is hardly ever discussed. Perhaps
nobody has though there is discrimination in Karabakh or there is not.
`I am amazed about women who want equality,’ says Ashot Sargsyan, whose
wife works as a `housewife’. `A woman must work about the house, have
children, take care for her husband. We men will take care of the rest.
We make money and solve global problems.’
Ashot added with sarcasm: `We must love and cherish women for they give
us happiness and love.’
`I always feel discomfort because I am a woman,’ says Narine
Mnatsakanyan from Stepanakert. `I feel discomfort because I depend on
my husband. What to buy, what to wear, to work or not, because my
husband says I am a woman. I think a lot of women will understand me.’
However, a female journalist had a quite different opinion. `On the
whole, there is no discrimination in Karabakh, and if there is
discrimination, it is the woman’s fault. If the husband beats her, and
she bears it saying he’s jealous, so who is to blame? She because she
lacks dignity and awareness of her rights and freedoms.’
Most citizens we talked to think women and men in Karabakh enjoy equal
opportunities for career. And it is funny to divide jobs into male and
female.
`I have a family, and I have been in a high-ranking post in a
government agency for many years. I assure you there are no hindrances
for women. Any woman can do a career if she is eager,’ S. Petrosyan
said.

The Baltimore Sun
June 10, 2007 Sunday
FINAL EDITION

LET’S PRETEND

What to be skeptical about: the proposal by Russian President
Vladimir V. Putin to use a Russian radar site in Azerbaijan as an
outpost of America’s missile defense system.

What to be even more skeptical about: America’s missile defense
system.

Mr. Putin has been railing against plans by the Bush administration
to install a radar station in the Czech Republic and 10 missile
interceptors in Poland, which he portrays as provocations aimed more
at Russia than at Iran or some other Middle Eastern nation. He
threatened to re-target Russia’s missiles against European cities –
which may have been a ploy to try to divide Western Europe and the
U.S., but if it was, it went over very poorly with its intended
audience. Then, last week, he made his surprise suggestion: Why not
work together in Azerbaijan? Maybe, he added, the interceptors could
be set up in Turkey or Iraq, or be stationed at sea.

Let’s pretend for a moment that the missile defense system is a
workable idea. The Russian proposal, in that case, makes a small
amount of sense. Because Azerbaijan borders on Iran, radar there
would be able quickly to pick out a hostile missile; a problem is
that Azerbaijan would be almost as quickly overflown and it would be
difficult to hit the offending missile if the only guidance came from
its rear. But that Moscow has even opened the door to thinking about
cooperation with the U.S. comes close to being a triumph for
Washington.

Now, let’s drop the pretense. The missile defense system has to be
one of Washington’s all-time boondoggles. It costs about $10 billion
a year. Tests have overwhelmingly been failures, except those that
were so trumped up they were next to meaningless. Just last month, a
test was declared a "no test" by the Missile Defense Agency, because
the target missile didn’t end up in the right part of the sky to get
picked off.

Mr. Putin must know all this. There are probably people around
President Bush who know it, too. Indeed, someday in the distant
future, the U.S. may have a functioning system – but it’s important
to understand that the mode at the moment is strictly rhetorical (and
contractual, of course). The Russians may have suggested Azerbaijan
as a distraction, or to make it harder for the U.S. to move forward
against popular opinion in the Czech Republic and Poland. It may be
tied in with a recent tilt by Moscow in favor of Azerbaijan in its
long-simmering dispute with Armenia, which in turn has to be seen in
the context of Azerbaijan’s abundant and westward-flowing Caspian
oil.

Any opportunity to work together with Moscow, instead of against it,
would be welcome – if only the missile defense shield were something
worth working on.