Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARMENIA WILL BE PARTY TO URANIUM ENRICHMENT CENTER – KIRIYENKO

Interfax, Russia
April 23 2007

YEREVAN. April 23 (Interfax) – Armenia is ready to join the
International Uranium Enrichment Center which Russia is setting up in
Angarsk, head of the Russian Atomic Energy Agency Sergei Kiriyenko
said at a Monday meeting with Armenian Environmental Protection
Minister Vardan Ayvazian.

"We have launched the first consultations on Armenia’s involvement
in the International Uranium Enrichment Center," he said.

OFFICE OF GENERAL PROSECUTOR OF ARMENIA CLOSED CRIMINAL CASE OVER A-320 AIR CATASTROPHE

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.04.2007 17:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Office of General Prosecutor of Armenia closed
the criminal case over A-320 air catastrophe. The criminal case has
been closed in accordance with Article 35, point 1 of Armenian Penal
Code (because of the death of guilty person).

According to the Intergovernmental Aviation Committee, which has
published results of investigation concerning the air crush of an
"Armavia" air company airbus, during gathering height and turnover
for the second circle the pilot of A-320 lost orientation.

Soon after it the plane instead of ascent began to descend, which
resulted in the crush. When the crew realized the situation was
catastrophic, it was impossible to do anything, say experts of
Intergovernmental Aviation Committee. The investigation of the
air disaster was carried out in accordance with Intergovernmental
Agreement on civil aviation and on using air space of 12 countries
that Russia and Armenian participate in. The investigation was carried
out by the Intergovernmental Aviation Committee with the Rules of
investigating air incidents and crushes of civil planes in Russian
Federation. Representatives of Rostransnadzor, Rosaeronavigation,
Rosaviation and Armenian aviation authorities were included in the
committee.

On May 3, 2006 near the Sochi airport an airbus, which belonged to
"Armavia" Armenian air company crushed to the water. All 113 people
including 8 crew-members died in the result of the catastrophe. Because
of low nebulosity the flying control officer banned the pilot to land
in, when the plane was a few kilometers away from the airport. He
ordered the A-320 pilot to go for the second circle. During that
maneuver the plane crushed into the water not far away from the
seashore.

LET OUR NEIGHBORS NOT THINK THAT WE CAN FORGET CRIME COMMITTED AT THE BEGINNING OF PREVIOUS CENTURY, MIKAYEL HAROUTIUNIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 24 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 24, NOYAN TAPAN. Thousands of people visited Yerevan’s
Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex of Victims of Armenian Genocide on
April 24 to pay the tribute of their respect to the memory of 1.5
mln victims. RA President Robert Kocharian, RA NA Speaker Tigran
Torosian, Prime Minister Serge Sargsian, members of government,
other high-ranking officials and foreign ambassadors eccredited in
RA visited the Memorial on the occasion of the 92th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide.

Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II prayed for the souls of
Genocide victims.

"Today we have gathered here to remember the crime committed at the
beginning of the 20th century. We have not forgotten those innocent
victims. And let our neighbors not think that we can forget what was
committed at the beginning of the previous century," RA Acting Defence
Minister Mikayel Haroutiunian said in his interview to journalists.

GIANT MEETING FOR THE DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN NY

Sabah, Turkey
April 23 2007

Hundreds of Turkish protestors have filled the streets of New York
to protest the pending Armenian genocide bill in the US Congress.

Turks holding banners that say ‘stop the Armenian genocide lie’
marched in New York Streets.

Protests lasted more than four hours without intervention of police.

Some protestors carried posters with pictures of Turkish diplomats
who were killed by Armenian terrorist organization ASALA.

LATVIAN FOREIGN MINISTER COMMEMORATES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS

ARMENPRESS
Apr 20 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS: Latvia’s foreign minister Artis Pabriks,
who arrived in Yerevan yesterday evening, laid a wreath at the Genocide
Museum today to pay tribute to 1.5 million Armenians annihilated in
the Ottoman Turkey between 1915-1921.

"We are paying tribute to all victims of this tragedy. The suffering of
innocent people, of women and children will never be forgotten. Cruelty
and barbarity can not bring peace to peoples. We bow our heads to all
innocent victims of the genocide,’ he wrote in a special book in the
Genocide Museum and Institute.

The foreign minister of Latvia also planted a tree in a nearby alley.

Later in the day Latvia’s foreign minister was received by prime
minister Serzh Sarkisian for a discussion of ways to boost trade and
other ties.

Pabriks was quoted by the government press office as saying that
opening of a direct flight between the two countries would be
instrumental in changing weak economic contacts between his country
and Armenia. He also suggested that both countries could effectively
cooperate in IT and banking sectors.

Both men also underscored bilateral cooperation from the perspective
of Armenia’s declared drive to build as close as possible relations
with the European Union, spurred up by its inclusion in the European
Neighborhood Program.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: RA GOVERNMENT IS DECISIVE TO ORGANIZE ELECTIONS CORRESPONDING TO INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

ArmRadio.am
20.04.2007 16:56

RA President Robert Kocharyan today received the Vice-Speaker of
the upper chamber of the Russian Parliament Alexander Torshin and
the Secretary General of the CIS Interparlaimentary Assembly Mikhail
Krotov, who are leading the delegation of the CIS Interparliamentary
Assembly observing the parliamentary elections in Armenia.

"The Armenian Government is decisive to organize elections
corresponding to international standards and create all the conditions
for carrying out observation mission," RA President said during the
meeting, President’s Press Office informs.

Mikhail Krotov informed that the Yerevan Office of the CIS
Interparlaimentary Assembly International Institute for Monitoring
Democracy, Development of Parliamentarism, Defense of Human Rights has
been operating since March. Its work group comprised of 29 observers
provides weekly reports on the electoral process.

According to CIS observers, the preliminary monitoring results
show that the preparation works are are rather effective, and the
shortcomings of the previous elections have been mostly corrected.

CEREMONY TO COMMEMORATE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS
By: Scott Whipple, Herald Staff

New Britain Herald, CT
April 20 2007

Saturday will be a day of remembrance for area Armenians.

State Rep. John C. Geragosian, D-25th District, and the Connecticut
Armenian Community will hold a ceremony in recognition of the 92nd
anniversary of the Turkish government’s genocide of the Armenian
population. Events will begin outside the state capitol with a
flag-raising ceremony at 10:30 a.m., followed by a commemoration
ceremony and Requiem Service in the House chambers at 11 a.m. to
honor martyrs and survivors.

Genocide is the organized killing of a people for the express purpose
of putting an end to their collective existence.

During the genocide, over 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
the Ottoman Empire between the years 1915 and 1923. Five hundred
thousand others were driven from their homes into exile, where they
were imprisoned or forced into death marches and massacred.

"As human beings we should never forget the atrocities that were
perpetuated upon the Armenian people," Geragosian said. "The suffering
of the Armenian people was one of the most horrific events of the
20th century and possibly in the history of our world.

With mass killings occurring in places like Darfur today, the lessons
of the Armenian genocide must not be lost on people. We’re hoping the
U.S. Congress will finally pass a resolution to formally recognize
this injustice on the Armenian people."

This year’s ceremony will be in honor of Hrant Dink, an Armenian and
Turkish editor and journalist. Dink was murdered earlier this year
by a Turkish nationalist because of his advocacy for the Turkish
government’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The keynote speaker will be award-winning artist and filmmaker,
Apo Torosyan of Boston, whose film "Voices" will be shown after the
commemoration ceremony.

"We’re extremely honored to have such an acclaimed speaker at our
commemoration," Geragosian said. "I hope the public will turn out to
hear his powerful words about genocide."

The Armenian Genocide is commemorated on or near April 24. According
to the Armenian National Institute, on the night of April 24, 1915
the Turkish government placed under arrest more than 200 Armenian
community leaders in Constantinople; hundreds more were arrested and
were imprisoned in Anatolia. Most of them were executed.

GAS SUPPLY OF ARMENIA AND GEORGIA RESUMES

Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. On April 19 the gas supply of Armenia
and Georgia was restored. It was discontinued in connection with
preventive work on the gas-main pipeline in the North Caucasus. NT
was informed about it from ArmRusgazprom company.

OPINION: TURKEY MUST RESOLVE THE ISSUE OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Deutsche Welle, Germany
April 19 2007

Three men were found with their throats slit, their ankles and wrists
tied to their chairs.

It was a provocation that could be repeated at any time; a provocation
that is seriously damaging to Turkey. The people who did it knew what
effect it would have, especially in terms of foreign policy.

So far, 10 suspects have been arrested. They are ultra-nationalists
from Malatya. According to their own statements, their goal is to
protect Islam from Christians. Malatya is an Islamic stronghold — like
Trabzon, the town where, protests against the Mohammed caricatures
in February 2006, reached such a fever pitch that a priest was
shot by an Islamic fanatic. It’s also where, in early 2007, a young
ultranationalist murdered an Armenian-Turkish publicist Hrant Dink —
also Christian from Malatya.

Three times a pattern

Now, Christians were once more victims of an attack. The Turkish
stance is to call this an exceptional case. But three exceptional
cases equal a pattern. Not a good climate for Turkey’s EU-entry hopes.

What this means is that Prime Minister Erdogan’s government urgently
needs to clarify its stance on freedom of religion. The principle of
laicism in Turkey’s constitution provides for a strict separation of
church and state, as well as religious freedom.

But in reality it means it is subordinate to the state. Why else would
a state agency for religious matters control just about every activity
that has to do with Islam? It is a sad truth that the laic state,
in which Christian and Jewish minorities should also feel at home,
only exists on paper.

Turkey is responsible

Resolving the issue of religious freedom also means resolving the
issue of the structures of religious freedom — for example building
up church congregations. Missionaries are still not allowed in Turkey,
which is a biased concept. The Turkish government and the Islamic
clergy together need to make clear that the right to change religions
or do missionary work is an inalienable human right applying equally to
all religious organizations, and that the right to religious freedom
should not simply be guaranteed in the constitution, but that people
should be able to practice their religion openly without it being a
threat to their lives. That this is not the case is a massive failure
on the part of the Turkish government. It means that. ultimately,
it too is responsible for these attacks.

Attacks like those on Wednesday should never happen again. It is not
enough for Erdogan, who may well run for the presidency, to openly
declare himself a secular person. Europe has long demanded that
Turkey clarify its position, meaning: more freedom for the Christian
minority. And rightly so. Any country that wants to join Europe needs
to adopt a European identity.

The attack on the Christian publisher showed an ultimate disrespect
for human life, and it could be grist for the mill of European
conservatives who oppose Turkey’s entry into the EU. To these
people, I issue a call to dispense with judgment. The attack was not
state-sponsored terrorism. In the aftermath of these shocking attacks,
Europe shouldn’t slam the door in Turkey’s face — we shouldn’t hand
the agitators such a victory.

Mechthild Brockamp is an editor and commentator for Deutsche Welle
(jen)

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PACE NAGORNO KARABAKH SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING NOT HELD

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 17 2007

The scheduled meeting of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
(PACE) Subcommittee on Nagorno Karabakh was not held, as Armenian
delegation missed, APA Europe bureau reports.

Lord Russell-Johnston, chief of the subcommittee on Nagorno Karabakh
met with head of Azerbaijani delegation Samad Seyidov. Samad Seyidov
told the APA that they decided to discuss this problem in the session
in July.

"The composition of the delegation or a group to Azerbaijan or region
was always discussed in our press. But these issues were never
discussed in Nagorno Karabakh subcommittee. Both, Azerbaijani and
delegations welcomed Lord Russell-Johnston’s visit to the region. But
visit of any delegation was never discussed," he said.

Samad Seyidov said that Azerbaijani delegation attended today’s
debates. He said he does not know the reason why Armenian delegation
missed the meeting.

APA Europe bureau reports that Armenian delegation today has not
attended PACE meeting at all. Armenians did not attend the meeting
of the subcommittee on Nagorno Karabakh, as their proposals were not
taken into consideration during discussions of honoring of obligations
by Azerbaijan.

Lord Russell-Johnston told the APA’s correspondent that he does not
know why Armenian delegation did not attend the meeting.

"I only had 10-minute meeting with Azerbaijani delegation.

Azerbaijani delegation supported my initiative to visit the region.

Armenian delegation also agreed to it. My mission will visit Baku,
Yerevan and Khankendi," he said.