Author: Kanayan Tamar

PRESS RELEASE
TCA Arshag Dickranian Armenian School
1200 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Tel: 323-461-4377
Fax: 323-461-4247
Web:

TCA Arshag Dickranian School Senior Students
Present Cariani’s “Almost, Maine”

Los Angeles, May 4, 2013 – The senior students of TCA Arshag
Dickranian School will be presenting the play “Almost, Maine” by John
Cariani on May 16, 17 and 19, directed by the school’s English &
Drama Department Chairm= an Mr. Ricardo Rocha. The drama depicts a
story revolving around mysterious turns in fate that occur in the
little town of Almost, Maine, on a Friday night when the strange
Northern Lights appear and the lives of 19 people are changed in areas
of love, pain and humor.

The curtain time for all three performances is at 8:00 p.m. staged at
the Laurel and Walter Karabian Hall of the school. Pre-sale tickets
are available for $20.00 and can be purchased online at
m or by calling the school office during
daytime at (323) – 461 – 4377. Tickets sold at the door will be
available for $25.00.

Located at 1200 North Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, the TCA Arshag
Dickranian Armenian School is a federally tax exempt, Pre-K to 12th
grade private educational institution. For more information visit
or call the school office at (323) 461-4377.

###

ARMENIA’S HIGHER EDUCATION ADVANCED AFTER JOINING TO BOLOGNA PROCESS : WB REPRESENTATIVE

YEREVAN, May 7./ARKA./. Armenian higher education posted significant
progress after the republic had joined the Bologna declaration,
Naira Melkumyan, chief specialist for programs at World Bank Armenia,
said Tuesday.

“Since 2005, when Armenia joined the Bologna process, the
republic’s higher education significantly progressed and we saw some
pre-conditions to improve the system,” she said at the opening of
“Reforms of Armenia’s higher education system” conference.

Melkumyan highlighted the World Bank intends to continue supporting
Armenian government in its efforts to introduce educational reforms.

Acting Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan noted despite
skeptical sentiments amid some Armenian social circles when Armenia
was joining the Bologna process, the educational reforms are quite
successful.

“In 2005 none of representatives of the educational sphere could
even imagine that seven years later our higher education system and
Armenia itself will have such a huge recognition and respect from
the European higher education,” he clarified.

Acting Minister of Education, as a proof, reminded that in 2012 Armenia
was delegated the functions to form the Bologna process secretariat.

“Our country was honored for many things, including comprehensive
educational reforms,” he added.

Ashotyan also noted the educational reforms in Armenia are still
facing huge resistance which actually weakens them.

The conference is to discuss the reforms in Armenian education in
accordance with the Bologna declaration.

Armenia joined the Bologna Declaration in 2005 committing to make
its higher education system meet the European standards. At preset,
45 countries are the members of the Bologna process, including Russia,
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The Bologna Declaration was signed in Bologna (Italy) on 12 June 1999.

It is a commitment freely taken by each signatory country to reform
its own higher education system or systems in order to create overall
convergence at European level. It was signed by 29 countries.-0-

AGHBALYAN: THE SECTOR OF EDUCATION MUST BE DEPOLITICIZED

April 30, 2013

Today, the entire structure of education is under the hands of
the ruling regime said ARF-D candidate for the Yerevan municipal
election, Artak Aghbalyan, during a debate at Media center. ~SDuring
elections period, the educational structure changes into a political
one~T he argued and stated that one of ARF-D~Rs first goals will
be to depoliticize that. Aghbalyan also said that jurisdiction of
the schools for children with special needs should belong to the
ministry of education and not to the municipality. In reference to
kindergartens, the ARF-D member pointed out that they are overcrowded.

Aghbalyan said that ARF-D will increase the number of kindergartens
and provide better standards for children with special needs.

~SKindergartens are not recreational places. Children must receive
primary education there which is not the case today~T he added.

Aghbalyan thinks that the schools~R off-budgetary financing is a very
important issue. ~SCurrently, the budget of the schools is very small.

So in order to increase their finances, school administrations enroll
even more children~T said Aghbalyan.

KAREKIN II LEAVES FOR EASTERN DIOCESE OF ARMENIAN CHURCH OF AMERICA

09:50, 7 May, 2013

YEREVAN, MAY 7, ARMENPRESS. On May 7 the Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II paid a pontifical
visit to the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America on the
invitation of the Primate of the Eastern Diocese of Armenian Church
of America Archbishop Khajag Barsamian and the Diocesan Council. The
Information System of the Mother See informed “Armenpress” that within
the framework of the visit His Holiness will have a number of meetings
with the representatives of diocesan-administrative structures and
benefactors of the Mother See Holy Ejmiadzin.

ROSNEFT AND ITERA IN TALKS FOR ARMENIAN PLANT

13:27, 7 May, 2013

YEREVAN, MAY 7, ARMENPRESS: The Russian oil major Rosneft and gas
producer Itera are in talks with the Armenian authorities to make
investments in the Armenia’s largest petrochemical plant, Nairit,
which specializes in the production of chloroprene rubber, as reported
by Armenpress, quoting the Russian Vedomosti.

A source in Itera confirmed that the company was considering
“different variants of participating in the project,” adding that a
final decision may be made by the end of May. The representatives of
the Rosneft and Itera do not comment on this.

In 2011, the Armenian government rejected an Itera proposal for the
plant and drafted its own plan of investment in Nairit’s production.

“The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic
of Armenia has developed its investments program for the Nairit’s
reconstruction and development”, – stated the Press Secretary of the
Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Armenia Lusine Harutyunyan,
adding that the program was presented to Rosneft.

Rosneft refused to comment on the government plan and reminds that
the President of the company Igor Sechin and the Deputy President of
Itera Gagik Martirosyan visited Armenia in the beginning of April. “If
Rosneft specialists consider the program attractive, the sides will
begin the negotiations on the participation of the company in the
project”, – stated the representative of the Ministry of Energy and
Natural Resources of the Republic of Armenia.

If Rosneft and Itera agree to participate in the modernization of
Nairit, Armenia will get the credit of 400 million USD from the
Eurasian Development Bank for the refinancing of the debts of the
plant and its modernization.

Nairit, which is owned by the British Rhinoville Property Limited and
the Armenian government, which own 90 percent and 10 percent of the
company, respectively, faces bankruptcy with a debt of 120 million
USD to 130 million USD.

Production at the plant stalled in April 2010 when gas prices
skyrocketed from 54 USD to 180 USD per 1,000 cubic meters, which made
Nairit’s operations unprofitable.

In the 1980s, the plant produced 10 percent to 12 percent of
chloroprene rubber in the world.

ARMENIAN PASSENGERS WILL HAVE TO BUY EXPENSIVE AIR TICKETS THIS SUMMER, EXPERT SAYS

YEREVAN, May 7. /ARKA/. Armenian passengers may find themselves having
difficulty buying air tickets as overseas air carriers will be,
no doubt, selling their tickets at high prices, deputy head of the
Public Council commission on air transportation Izabella Muradyan
said in her interview to ARKA.

“The question is how high the ticket prices will go and whether our
leadership is conscious of the fact we will be losing the market
and leverage over price formation if we do not have a national air
carrier”, she said.

Armavia national air company halted its operations and started a
bankruptcy procedure as from the beginning of April.

Officials say ticket prices will not rise, but foreign air companies
have already stopped selling “cheap class” tickets, Muradyan said.

This means ticket prices became much more expensive now, she added.

Muradyan also pointed out that LOT – Polish Airlines and Air Baltic
left the Armenian market in 2012 probably due to financial problems.

British airways that departed from the market in the same 2012 kept
saying they were not interested in the Armenian market, she said.

Earlier, deputy head of Armenian tour operators union Yeghishe
Tanashyan said air companies gave up flying to Armenia due to high
tariffs used by Zvartnots airport and overloaded air space. Tickets
from Armenia to Eastern European countries have grown up by 20-25%
over the last years, he said.

According to an earlier report, the government was negotiating with
air company over reducing air ticket prices. -0–

ARMENIA SHOULD DEMAND THROUGH COURT THAT TURKEY RETURN ITS CHURCH PROPERTY – POLITICAL SCIENTIST

May 07, 2013 | 11:52

YEREVAN, – Armenia should demand, by way of the courts, the return
of its church property it had lost after 1915, political scientist
Ara Papyan said during a press conference on Tuesday.

According to Papyan, the respective talks can be conducted
independently from the activities toward the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide.

“It is necessary to prepare documents related to churches and to
commence talks on the return of property,” he added.

If talks do not yield a result, as per the political scientist,
claims can be submitted to the courts. If the judicial process is
rejected by all Turkish judicial instances, the case will be sent to
the European Court of Human Rights.

According to Papyan, such processes were carried out in the past by
Greece, with respect to the monasteries in Northern Cyprus, and Israel,
concerning synagogues in Eastern Europe.

The analyst recalled that the Armenian monasteries and church property
were inventoried in 1913, and the aforesaid claims can be based on
this fact.

“But this is not enough. You need well-trained professionals who
are able to substantiate Armenia’s rights to these churches, since
Georgia likewise has claims to some of them,” Ara Papyan concluded.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

THE PUBLIC RADIO OF ARMENIA IS 87

12:02 07.05.2013

The Public Radio of Armenia is 87.

May 7 is Radio Day, an invention that changed the world, in general,
and the world of communication, in particular.

On August 27, 1926 the “Soviet Armenia” newspaper informed: “The
construction of the radio station in Yerevan has been completed. The
station will start operating in five days.”

The Voice of Yerevan was first heard on air in September, 1926. On
April 6, 1927 the first radio schedule consisting of news and concerts
was printed in the press.

The Day of Radio was first celebrated in Moscow on May 7. From that
time on May 7 has been marked in Armenia as Radio Day.

“THE EYEWITNESS”: 101-YEAR OLD ANDRANIK MATEVOSYAN TALKS OF MIGRATION AND UNREALIZED DREAMS

10:48, 7 May, 2013

The Armenian Genocide initiated in the Ottoman Empire during the
World War I in the beginning of the previous century is one of the
biggest crimes against humanity. Advancing the 100th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide the new project introduced by “Armenpress” news
agency is dedicated to the story of the eyewitnesses and survivors
of the calamity to prove the world one more time that our demand for
the recognition of the Armenian Genocide is fair and justified. This
time the project is dedicated to the story of 101-year old Andranik
Matevosyan.

YEREVAN, MAY 7, ARMENPRESS. The residents of a small house in Yerevan
never miss any news program on TV cherishing a hope that they will
be lucky enough to hear something new about the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide. Grandpa Andranik always seats in front of the TV.

Andranik Matevosyan can never forget his family from Kars, which had
to step the path of migration 95 years ago. 101-year old Andranik
Matevosyan is among the oldest survivors of the Armenian Genocide.

Andranik recalled: “I was 6 years old, when my family managed to
migrate to Batumi. I don’t remember much about that time, but I have
heard a lot about the story of my family from my mother.”

We fled, but we didn’t know where to

Among other things the eyewitness of the Armenian Genocide stated:
“We had no idea where we are going to, but we had clear understanding
that if we stay, the Turks will simply kill us. Many parents, who had
no power to carry their children, preferred to drop the kids into the
river. They were confident that even if they die, the children will
have a chance to survive this way.” In addition he noted that he had
two brothers, but he was the only one to survive with his parents.

Also Andranik emphasized that the Armenians pretended to be Kurds
and remained silent on their way, in order not to reveal their true
nationality to the Turks. (THE FULL VERSION OF THE ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE
IN ARMENIAN)

Article by Tatevik Grigoryan

Photos by Samvel Berkibekyan

PEUT-ON INSULTER UN JOURNALISTE ET RESTER IMPUNI ?

Un Tribunal de première instance d’Erevan n’a pas satisfait a la
requete du quotidien Joghovourd contre un homme d’affaires, Khatchik
Khatchatrian, qui avait insulte une journaliste de ce media, Sona
Grigorian. Le juge a considere l’insulte comme une ” conversation
privee “. Il a de surcroît contraint le quotidien a verser 200 euros
aux avocats de l’homme d’affaires. [Rappelons que l’homme d’affaires en
question avait pour sa part saisi la justice contre ce quotidien pour
” atteinte a la dignite ” et lui avait reclame 12 000 euros]. ” Dans
ce pays les hommes d’affaires peuvent traiter les journalistes comme
ils veulent et rester impunis, puisque les tribunaux ne defendent
que le pouvoir de l’argent. C’est ca ” l’Armenie sûre ” que prônait
Serge Sarkissian “, ecrit Joghovourd.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 30 avril 2013

mardi 7 mai 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com