Author: Karagyozian Lena

U.S SHOULD RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REGARDLESS RELATIONSHIP WITH TURKEY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
29.05.2009 13:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Addressing a crowd of Armenian and Hellenic activists
on Wednesday night, Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA) reaffirmed his
support for U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian
Assembly of America (Assembly) told PanARMENIAN.Net.

At an event cosponsored by the Assembly, along with the American
Hellenic Council of America and the Armenian National Committee of
America, Rep. Becerra stated, "As a close friend and ally of Armenia,
it is long past time for us to recognize the historical fact of the
genocide committed against the Armenian people at the turn of the last
century – a historical fact that should be recognized, and learned
from regardless of the strong relationship that exists between us
[and Turkey]. That is why I continue to be a strong supporter and
cosponsor of Rep. Adam Schiff’s ‘Affirmation of the United States
Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution’ in Congress."

"As an advocate for human rights issues, Congressman Becerra has
demonstrated his unwavering support to the Armenian-American community.

The Assembly appreciates his steadfast support as an active member
of the Armenian Caucus and as a cosponsor of H. Res.252, the Armenian
Genocide Resolution," stated Assembly Western Region Director, Yeghig
L. Keshishian.

Keshishian and members of the Southern California Regional Council –
Joyce Stein, Talin Yacoubian, Al Cabraloff and Richard Mushegain –
also met separately with Congressman Becerra to discuss a number of
issues confronting U.S.-Armenia relations. Keshishian shared strong
concerns about the administration’s 38 percent cut in assistance to
Armenia, as well as its support for increased military assistance
to Azerbaijan. "It is not only disappointing to see the Obama
Administration decrease funding to Armenia while increasing military
assistance to oil-rich Azerbaijan, but it also runs counter to
U.S. interests in the South Caucasus," stated Keshishian.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS TO ARRIVE TODAY IN YEREVAN

ARMENPRESS
May 29, 2009

YEREVAN, MAY 29, ARMENPRESS: OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Yuri Merzlyakov
(Russia), Bernard Fassier (France) and Matthew Bryza (USA) will today
evening arrive in Yerevan.

Spokesman of the Armenian Foreign Ministry Tigran Balayan told
Armenpress that the meetings of co-chairs with the Armenian authorities
are scheduled for May 30.

An official from the USA Embassy to Armenia told Armenpress that the
co-chairs are today in Baku. They arrived in Yerevan on May 28 to
leave for Stepanakert but the bad weather conditions did not give
opportunity for the flight. The American co-chairman Matthew Bryza
will leave for Moscow May 30 and on May 31 again depart to Baku.

The visit of co-chairs aims at preparing the possible meeting of
Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents intended for the beginning of
June in Saint Petersburg.

CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS RECEIVES NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR OF NORWAY

NOYAN TAPAN
MAY 28, 2009
ETCHMIADZIN

On May 27, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II received newly
appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Norway
to Armenia Knut Houg (residence Moscow). According to the report of
the Information Services of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His
Holliness the Patriarch in the person of the Ambassador thanked the
Norwegian people for assistance and support to the Armenian people
in the difficult times of Armenian history.

NKR PRESIDENT’S CONGRATULATION ON REPUBLIC DAY

armradio.am
28.05.2009 11:11

NKR President Bako Sahakyan issued an address in connection with the
day of the First Armenian Republic. The message reads:

"Dear compatriots,

I congratulate you on the day of the First Armenian Republic.

This is a festive day for the entire Armenian people in Armenia,
Artsakh and the Diaspora. And everybody must remember the token of
that day. It is the victory of cohesion and united will of our people.

It is also due to the heroic examples of Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan,
Karakilisa that we could gain victory in the Artsakh war and today we
live and create in a free and independent land and have a flourishing
and developing Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

We should realize the price of these victories and cherish it as
the apple of an eye. Let us preserve and build our country together,
spare no efforts to strengthen the Armenian statehood and handover
to the generations to come a powerful and thriving Motherland –
the dream of all Armenians.

Dear compatriots, I congratulate you on this invaluable and memorable
day once again and wish you new victories and success in glory of
the Armenian nations, its bright and radiant future."

GROUP FOUND FACTS ON MARCH 1

LRAGIR.AM
13:30:41 – 27/05/2009

The group, set up to find facts on the murders of March 1, was able
to make tangible revelations at least thanks to the work of the
oppositional representative. The head of the Heritage parliamentary
faction Armen Martirosyan stated on May 27. Dwelling on the situation,
in which the fact-finding group appeared, when the work of the group
has been stopped and the head of the group, the representative of the
Human Rights Defender Vahe Stepanyan stated that he does not want to
work any more because he cannot counterbalance the disagreements of the
governmental and oppositional representatives, Armen Martirosyan thinks
that if the group is formed to study facts so the disagreements appear
because of obstacles for the work. Since the opposition needs facts
and the government has already presented its facts, so according to
Armen Martirosyan, the governmental representatives are the obstacles.

"The oppositional representatives tried to reveal the facts and the
governmental representatives impeded. So the disagreements appeared
here. I think that this is the reason why they are trying to stop
the activities of the fact-finding group. But I reiterate that the
Heritage is going to struggle until the end to make the fact-finding
group resume its work", stated Armen Martirosyan.

He stated that the residence of the president did not answer the
letter of the head of the Heritage board Anahit Bakhshyan. Bashkhyan
appealed to the president to secure the regular work of the group.

Armen Martirosyan reminded that if the group stops working, the
necessity to keep secret its revelations will disappear.

ARMENIA AND TURKEY SHOULD HAVE STARTED NEGOTIATIONS WITH PRECONDITIONS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
26.05.2009 18:29 GMT+04:00

Armenia and Turkey should have started negotiations with preconditions,
if only to gain a better understanding of each others demands,
before launching negotiations and trying to establish diplomatic
relations, RA Democratic Party Leader Aram Sargsyan noted. Dwelling
on Armenian-Turkish ties normalization process, Sargsyan emphasized
that in accordance with the information he received, Turkish and Azeri
special services are conducting a joint work over destabilization of
both courtiers societies, so negotiation process could be retracted if
necessary. According to Aram Sargsyan, Armenian President was trying
to use flexible policy in normalization of Armenian -Turkish ties,
yet, in his opinion, Armenia must a have a firm concept in the issue.

"Turkey can afford situational policy, yet we must have a firm concept
in Armenian-Turkish ties normalization issue," he noted.

Sargsyan also added that Armenia has to make a more extensive use
of additional resources offered by Armenia-Diaspora lobby, as it’s
feared both in Azerbaijan and Turkey.

AZERI, TURKISH LEADERS SAY NO PROGRESS IN KARABAKH TALKS

kish-leaders-jeopardize-karabakh-talks/
May 26th, 2009

DAMASCUS (Combined Sources)-In a move that could undermine efforts
by international mediators to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
the Azerbaijani and Turkish foreign ministers said over the weekend
that Armenia and Azerbaijan have made no progress in resolving the
conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, sharply contradicting optimistic
statements made by international mediators.

"Despite the development of a new situation in the region, Armenia
has unfortunately begun having a negative influence on the peace
process," Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told the
Trend news agency.

"We achieved everything with the previous Armenian administration in
the peace process, but with the current Armenian administration we have
achieved nothing," he said. "As a person leading the negotiations,
I cannot boast that we have made even some progress in outstanding
issues."

Mammadyarov’s Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, had a similar
take on the current state of the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiating
process. "There has been no progress," he told the Anatolia news
agency on Sunday. "It is time to revive this process. Turkey will
continue its efforts."

Turkey, a non-actor in the Minsk Group mediated negotiations, has
been seeking to boost its role in the peace process by threatening
to derail its US-brokered talks with Armenia if a resolution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh favoring its ally Azerbaijan is not reached first.

Davutoglu said that a strong Azerbaijan implies a strong Turkey. "Our
Azerbaijani brothers and sisters should know that, just as in the
past, Turkey will be on the side of Azerbaijan in the future,"
Davutoglu said.

"Turkey and Azerbaijan are not merely friends and neighbors. They
are also strategic partners."

The two ministers spoke in Damascus, Syria where they attended a
high-level meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference
countries. They were due to fly to Baku and hold talks there late
on Monday.

The apparent reversal in official attitude by Ankara and Baku toward
the Karabakh peace process comes a week after the OSCE Minsk Group’s
French co-chair, Bernard Fassier, warned Turkey that its attempts
to link the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with the normalization of its
relations with Armenia could jeopardize the new momentum in the talks
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan explicitly reaffirmed that
linkage during his visit to Azerbaijan on May 13, saying that it is
"impossible" for Turkey to open its border with Armenia unless the
"Occupation of Karabakh" ends.

Those remarks were met with sharp criticism in Armenia, with President
Serzh Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian warning that
Turkey’s posturing could hamper both the Armenian-Azerbaijani, as
well as the Armenian-Turkish negotiations.

Sarkisian has held four face-to-face meetings with Azerbaijan’s
Ilham Aliyev since taking office in April 2008. Their most recent
talks took place in Prague on May 7. According to the U.S., Russian
and French diplomats co-chairing the OSCE, the two leaders further
narrowed their differences over the basic principles of a Karabakh
settlement proposed by the mediating troika.

The mediators’ upbeat statements about chances for the signing of
an Armenian-Azerbaijani framework peace accord have been strongly
denounced by Aliyev’s chief foreign policy aide, Novruz Mammadov. He
has accused them of adopting "double standards" and favoring the
Armenian side out of "Christian solidarity."

Still, the Minsk Group’s U.S. co-chair, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State Matthew Bryza, insisted on May 15 that Aliyev and Sarkisian did
make "significant progress" in Prague. "Novruz Mammadov has no way to
judge what the outcome of the discussion was because he wasn’t there,"
Bryza told RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani service.

"We have a series, between 10 and 20 basic principles in our Madrid
document, and we have a handful of the 10-12 issues that still need to
be worked out conceptually," he said. "And what I felt during those
negotiations … was that the presidents did in fact work through
the concepts of that handful of basic principles that had not been
agreed. What they didn’t do was agree on the details.

"And that’s the focus of our negotiations right now. To have a
conceptual agreement, but not to agree on the details, is significant
progress."

Bryza and his French and Russian colleagues are due to again visit the
conflict zone this week to prepare for yet another Armenian-Azerbaijani
summit tentatively scheduled for the beginning of next month. They
hope that it will yield a long-awaited breakthrough in the Karabakh
peace process.

THE FIRST CONTEST FOR YOUNG JAZZ PERFORMERS WAS HELD IN YEREVAN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
22.05.2009 18:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The first contest for Young Jazz Performers,
"Debut" was held in Yerevan.

Young jazz performers from 13 to 30 qualified for participation.

The contest aimed to discover young talents and help them make their
first step in their artistic careers.

The contest hosted 50 performers, 7 of them made it through to
the finals.

Contest Final was held on May 21 at Chameleon club. Young singer
Martha Kirakosyan became the contest winner. Zina Bekjanyan and Marine
Hakobyan were also granted special awards.

Festival organizers were City FM Radio station, Camelion Club and
Armjazz.net website.

Jury included musical critic Armen Manukyan, Naira Gyurginyan, singer
Anna Mayilyan, City FM Presedent Sargis Mnoyan, composer Martin
Vartazaryan, Chameleon Club Director Gaspar Mkhitaryan.

FROM ADVOCACY TO GIVING: WHY TAKING PART IN THE ANCA ENDOWMENT FUND TELETHON WILL STRENGTHEN THE ARMENIAN CAUSE
By Lara Garibian

dvocacy-to-giving-why-taking-part-in-the-anca-endo wment-fund-telethon-will-strengthen-the-armenian-c ause/
May 22, 2009

On April 22, I was invited to go to Washington D.C. to help lobby
in Congress for the Armenian Genocide. Fifty people from all over
the Unites States gathered together to fulfill one purpose. Our
goal was to visit a long list of congressional offices and speak
to each congressman’s foreign affairs aide and provide them with
the information necessary to cosponsor H. Res. 252, which calls
"upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the
United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity
concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and
genocide documented in the United States record relating to the
Armenian Genocide…" Along with learning what the bill entailed, I
also learned how to intelligently speak against the counter arguments
that would be presented when we met with foreign affairs aides.

For years the Armenian National Committee of America has brought
Armenian-Americans from across the United States together to make known
the truth of history and to give Armenians who ended up immigrating
to the United States as a result of genocide a solid piece of closure
by working to make the world see the atrocities that occurred 94
years ago.

"The Armenian National Committee of America is the largest
and most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues, such as fostering public awareness in support of a free,
united and independent Armenia, making sure that the U.S. recognizes
the genocide of 1915, to influence and guide U.S. policy on matters
of interest to the Armenian-American community, and to represent the
collective Armenian American viewpoint on matters of public policy,
while serving as liaison between the community and their elected
officials," according to the organization’s Web site anca.org.

To be honest, my family tried to get me involved in such organizations
for a number of years and my response would always be, "Look, it’s not
really my thing. I’ll leave the politics to the politicians." However,
after really having an opportunity in making a difference on such
a strong and influential level, I realized that the ANCA represents
more than just politics.

While we spent days working hard, walking the halls of Congress, and
trying with all our hearts and efforts to make a difference, we were
disappointed to hear President Obama’s failure to honor his pledge
to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. We heard the news literally an
hour before our protest at the Turkish Embassy in Washington D.C.

However, that day something very powerful and symbolic really dawned
on all of us. The work we put in wasn’t only based on political
interest. The fact that we had an organization, which allowed all
of us young Armenians to come together and work towards something
culturally advantageous, really showed me why we have such a proud
core within our blood.

Amid our disappointment, I realized a few things. The first was
that the true core of the ANCA wasn’t about just passing a political
resolution, it was about bringing our people together, to work hand
in hand towards something that would allow our legacy and our heritage
to truly live on. The second was that my disappointment didn’t lie in
President Obama’s lack of acknowledgment. My heart broke for all the
Armenian men, women and youth that had spent years and generations
working toward a strong closure and acceptance. Yet they still faced
the repercussions of denial until this very day. After all the last
stage of genocide is denial and with that kind of adversity against
our people it made me so incredibly proud to see everyone come together
once again and strive hard to keep getting our message across. Thirdly,
I realized we all have a responsibility. We owe it to our ancestors
who sacrificed their lives and lands to hold on to their ethnicity,
culture and religion. We have a responsibility to those who work hard
everyday at making our communities here stay strong and who work
at making sure that year after year we never give up fighting for
what we truly believe in. As I heard Elizabeth Chouldjian once say,
"Mer askayeen bardaganootyoun neh." It is for our future generations,
for our ancestors and for our families who dedicated time, money,
strength, but above all, heart.

I’m sure you are familiar with the writer William Saroyan and his
famous quote about Armenians. He wrote, "I should like to see any
power of the world destroy this race; this small tribe of unimportant
people whose history is ended, whose wars have all been fought and
lost, whose structures have crumbled, whose literature is unread,
whose music is unheard, whose prayers are no longer uttered. Go
ahead, destroy this race. Let us say that it is again 1915 there is
war in the world. Destroy Armenia. See if you can do it. Send them
from their homes into the desert. Let them have neither bread nor
water. Burn their houses and their churches. See if they will not live
again. See if they will not laugh again. See if you can stop them from
mocking the big ideas of the world. Then see if they will not laugh,
sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world,
see if they will not create a New Armenia." That is exactly what the
Armenian National Committee has done; it has created a new Armenia
for Armenian Americans.

When you take a look at the reality of our daily lives, we see all
the work that piles up on our desk, the daily correspondence we have
to attend to, the children we have to take to school, pick up, help
with homework, etc… We see the situation of our economy and the
pressures that come along with all the responsibility we take on. I
know it is unrealistic to expect everyone to drop everything and get
involved in activism and lobbying efforts; however your efforts are not
in vain. You can make a huge change today by donating to a great cause.

I ask you to please contribute to an organization and a cause that
will be around to nurture and nourish our young Armenian American
adolescents for all the years to come. I ask you to fulfill the
cultural responsibility that has been instilled within us for all
our lives and make sure that we stay involved in whatever way we can
to make sure that our efforts prove fruitful in providing a strong
acceptance and closure for an issue that has impacted our lives on
such an enormous level. Realize that just one bit of effort can really
make a difference in the futures of us all as a minority. Whether
you want to give one major donation or split it in two, please
consider the difference you will be making. I appreciate your time
and consideration of this matter. Your tax-deductible contributions
should be made payable to Armenian National Committee Endowment
Fund. Let’s work together to make this year’s ANCA Endowment Fund
telethon a great success on May 31, 2009!

I would like to leave you with one last quote to think about. William
Saroyan wrote, "A man’s ethnic identity has more to do with a personal
awareness than with geography."

JETHRO TULL ROCKS YEREVAN
Hrant Katarikyan

2009/ 05/22 | 22:57

Culture

Jethro Tull rocked the Karen Demirchyan Sports-Concert Complex tonight
with a two hour set that included songs ranging from the band’s
beginnings in 1968 through its 41 year life as a musical phenomenon
that is hard to define.

Audience favorites like Aqualung and Cross Eyed Mary were interspersed
with golden oldies like Farm on the Freeway and Sweet Dreams. There
were even a few numbers that the band hardly play live at all like
Hymn 43 and Heavy Horses.

Ian Anderson and the lads were in fine form and once again proved they
they could still rock even after 60. I could even see more than a few
in the audience that were soon approaching their "golden years" as
well. However, I wouldn’t advise them to try and copy Ian’s one-legged
acrobatics while playing the flute to a stuttering staccato.

In the second set, Ian was momentarily phased when a young Tull
fan got up on the stage and started to bow down before the prancing
flutist. Security immediately ushered him off, stage left.

The organizers must be congratulated for bringing Tull to Armenia.

Locomotive Breath was the encore piece and by that point the crowd
was up on its feet cheering Ian, Martin and the rest of the band.

It was truly a remarkable performance.