Author: Karagyozian Lena

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA TO HONOR JCRC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NANCY KAUFMAN FOR RAISING AWARENESS OF THE GENOCIDE

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
April 25 2008

YEREVAN, 25.04.08. DE FACTO. The Armenian Assembly of America is
pleased to announce that it will honor Nancy K. Kaufman and the
Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater Boston for their
continued leadership in the affirmation of the Armenian Genocide during
an award reception, May 9, at the Grand Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, MA.

Kaufman and the JCRC are being recognized for their moral leadership
in affirming the Armenian Genocide at a time when others would not
have taken such a bold step.

"This event will be a great opportunity for supporters of both
organizations to come together to celebrate their accomplishments and
the growing relationship between our two communities," said Assembly
Public Affairs Chair Anthony Barsamian.

On April 18, Kaufman, who is Executive Director of the JCRC, spoke
movingly about the shared experiences of the Jewish and Armenian
communities in the last century, during the 93rd commemoration of
the Armenian Genocide at the Massachusetts State House.

"In the history of the world, the 20th century will be remembered as
a time of some good, some real evil, and many challenges, including
tragedy and transformation," Kaufman said. "Two of the most horrendous
events were the genocide of Armenians at the hands of the Turks in
the beginning of the century, and the Holocaust at the hands of the
Nazis during the middle of the century. It is our responsibility,
as the next generation, to tell the story of our ancestors who were
the victims of these atrocities."

"As a way of not letting the Armenian Genocide be forgotten, I would
like to bear witness – to testify, if you will – to that history,"
she added. "It is particularly important for us, as Jews, to speak
out in support of your community’s efforts to fight denial."

She noted that the JCRC had been on record for many years in affirming
the Armenian Genocide and discussed why, almost 100 years after
the atrocities, it is so important for the crimes to be properly
recognized.

"The simple truth is that unless crimes like these are accepted as
reality, the perpetrators [punished]…and fair compensation for the
victims and families [are provided], then we will continue to have
future genocides without any concern by the perpetrators that they
will face prosecution and be brought to justice," Kaufman said.

The annual remembrance event was led by Massachusetts State
Representatives Rachel Kaprielian (D-Watertown) and Peter J. Koutoujian
(D-Waltham) and Senator Steven A. Tolman (D-Boston), in conjunction
with the State House Commemoration Planning Committee.

WIVES OF ARRESTED POLITICIANS HAND REGULAR LETTER-DEMAND TO PROSECUTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE

Noyan Tapan
April 25, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN. A regular action of protest of wives
and supporters of arrested oppositionists, freedom-fighters, and
activists took place on April 25 in front of the building of the RA
Prosecutor General’s Office. The demonstrants handed a letter-demand
to the Prosecutor’s Office with hundreds of signatures demanding
releasing their relatives. Zhanna Kotikian, the head of citizens’
reception department, said in her interview to the women that the
letter handed last time did not contain any address or passport data,
which would give the Prosecutor’s Office a possibility to answer
the letter. In response the women stated that they are not going to
provide their data to representatives of Prosecutor’s Office, as they
are convinced that these data will be used against them. "They will
come and arrest us, as well," they said.

Melisa Brown, the wife of Alexander Arzumanian, the head of Levon
Ter-Petrosian’s central headquarters, former Foreign Minister, said
in her interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent that though her husband
has been in prison for almost two months, he is not interrogated and
in general the investigation does not go ahead. She affirmed that
the body carrying out examination has no legal basis or proof to
isolate her husband and others from society. "It is just beneficial
for Robert Kocharian and Serge Sargsian if my husband and his friends
serve a term of imprisonment," M. Brown said.

It should be mentioned that comparatively fewer people took part in
this action. The action participants explained this by the circumstance
that many of their friends had left for the village of Hakhtanak,
the native village of Smbat Ayvazian, a member of the Board of the
Hanrapetutiun (Republic) party, who has been arrested, to take part
in the action of protest held in the same hour.

THREE FREE BUS ROUTES TO BE AVAILABLE NEAR HRAZDAN STADIUM ON APRIL 24

Noyan Tapan
April 23, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 23, NOYAN TAPAN. With the aim of transport servicing
of visitors of the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex on April
24 – Commemoration Day of the Armenian Genocide, visitors of the
Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex will be carried free of charge along
three routes from the area adjacent to Hrazdan Stadium to the Complex
from 9 am to 10 pm on April 24.

NT was informed by Yerevan mayor’s office that the following routes
will be available:

1. Route 1: Hrazdan Stadium – Atenk St. – Victory Bridge – Argishti
St. – Italy St. – Shahumian Square. Return route: Beirut St. –
Argishti St. – Victory Bridge – Atenk St. – Hrazdan Stadium.

2. Route 2: Hrazdan Stadium – Atenk St. – Victory Bridge – Mashtots
Avenue – Koryun St. – Abovian St. – "Yeritasardakan" subway
station. Return route: Abovian St. – Moskovian St. – Sarian St. –
Mashtots Avenue – Victory Bridge – Atenk St. – Hrazdan Stadium.

3. Route 3: Hrazdan Stadium – Tsitsernakaberd Highway – Leningradian
St. – Kievian St. – "Barekamutyun" subway station. Return by the
same route.

PAMUK’S "YOUTH" TO BE PUBLISHED IN ARMENIAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.04.2008 14:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia holds negotiations with Nobel Prize winner,
Turkish author Orhan Pamuk on publication of his novel "Youth"
in Armenian, chairman of the Union of Writers of Armenia told a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

"The book on the Armenian Genocide will be published with assistance
of ARF Dashnaktsutyun," Levon Ananyan said.

"Armenia should help the Turkish society to understand what happened
to Armenians in early 20th century.

Unfortunately, we are badly familiarized with the Turkish public and
Turks are badly informed about the Armenian life," he said adding that
the book will apparently published through endeavors of the Armenian
community of Istanbul.

EFFECTIVE CONTACTS SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED BETWEEN STATE AND SOCIETY IN ARMENIA

ARKA
April 23, 2008

YEREVAN, April 22. /ARKA/. Effective contacts should be established
between the state and the society in Armenia and monitoring of civil
servants’ testing by public organizations can facilitate this process,
said the Chairman of the Civil Service Council Manvel Badalian.

The Council is for cooperation with public organizations, especially
when the cooperation helps reveal and control possible shortcomings
in the council activities, Badalian said.

According to him, monitoring implemented by public organizations in
testing of civil servants allows finding out even small deficiencies
in the work of testing commissions.

"It is important to us, as an outside eye can notice even small defects
– technical, methodical, methodological – which do not see anymore,"
Badalian said.

According to him, the practice of such monitoring is to be expanded
to provide wider coverage than the current three ministries. Badalian
reported 42 various state agencies under competence of the Council.

The monitoring anticorruption network was established in 2006 by
the Civil Servants Union of Armenia under financial assistance of
Eurasia-Cooperation foundation. Seven public organizations of Armenia
are part of the network.

In the scope of the program, monitoring is conducted on the testing of
civil servants in three ministries – education and science, healthcare,
labor and social issues.

AZERBAIJAN’S STATE COMMISSION ON WAR PRISONERS RECOMMENDS TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT AZERBAIJANI WAR PRISONERS FROM ARMENIANS

Today.Az
ty/44466.html
April 22 2008
Azerbaijan

The State Commission on War Prisoners, Hostages and Missing People
does not confirm information about the deportation of Azerbaijani army
serviceman Yagub Allahverdi oghlu Mukhtarov, captured by Armenians,
to Azerbaijan.

The due announcement was made by Eldar Samedov, deputy chairman of
the work group of the state commission.

Commenting on the return of Azerbaijani serviceman, captured by
Armenians, Samedov said: "As the information about Mukhtarov’s return
has been spread by Armenian mass medias, you should appeal to them".

Samedov refused to confirm the fact of tomorrow’s return of Mukhtarov
to Azerbaijan.

It should be noted that Armenian mass medias spread information that
on April 23 Yadub Mukhtarov will be deported to Azerbaijan. He was
captured by Armenians in Tovuz on March 9 of this year.

Turkish Foreign Minister Calls On Armenia To Begin Dialogue

ITAR-TASS
April 21 2008
Russia

ANKARA, April 21 (Itar-Tass) – Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan
called on Armenia to begin a dialogue.

The Turkish minister sent a message to his Armenian counterpart
Vartan Oskanyan on Monday in which he called on him to start a
bilateral dialogue.

Babacan told journalists that Ankara sought to normalise relations with
Yerevan. "Turkey wants to normalise relations with Armenia. We make
our channels open for the dialogue with the new Armenian leadership,"
Babacan said.

"Turkey is opened for a dialogue with Armenia in order to normalise
Turkish-Armenian relations in a new epoch," Babacan said. In his view,
"The resumption of the bilateral dialogue will help solve the existing
problems in relations between the two countries."

In February the presidential elections were held in Armenia. Serzh
Sarkisyan won the elections. At present, Turkey and Armenia have no
diplomatic relations.

TOWARDS 93RD ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Panorama.am
20:48 18/04/2008

On 21 April the official presentation of web site of the Armenian
Genocide museum-institute will take place. The
information is provided by the museum-institute press service. At the
same day the presentation of the virtual museum will take place which
was prepared by the support of the museum and "Memco Soft" company.

The scientific funds of the museum are improved: exclusive photos,
videos, ancient books, albums and handicrafts, and many other documents
and maps.

PRESIDENT APPOINTS FOUR NEW MINISTERS

armradio.am
18.04.2008 17:17

According to RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s decree of April 18 the
Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Armenia was renamed the Ministry
of Energy and Resources of the Republic of Armenia.

With another decree signed by RA President Serzh Sargsyan, Armen
Movsisyan was appointed RA Minister of Energy and Natural Resources,
Harutyun Kushkyan was appointed RA Minister of Health, Aram Harutyunyan
was appointed RA Minister of Environmental Protection and Aghvan
Vardanyan was appointed RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs,
Presidnet’s Press Office reported.

DIRECT INVESTMENTS IN ARMENIAN ECONOMY GROW BY 34% IN 2007 AS COMPARED WITH PREVIOUS YEAR

Noyan Tapan
April 16, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The total amount of foreign investments
in the real sector of the Armenian economy (without sums received
through the state governance and banking systems) made 845 mln 377.3
thousand dollars, growing by 34.6% on the previous year. Out of the
indicated amount, direct investments made 582 mln 314.1 thousand
dollars, exceeding by 34% the 2006 index.

According to the RA National Statistical Service, in 2007, the
funds received from the privatization of resident organizations of
the Republic of Armenia to nonresident organizations made up 7%
or 40 mln 703.6 thousand dollars of the total amount of direct
investments. The amount of foreign investments in the real sector
(without privatization resources) grew by 33.9%, that of direct
investments – by 32.9% as compared with 2006.

Investments in the communication sector made up 30.9% of foreign
investments made in the real sector of the country’s economy and 25.7%
of direct investments in 2007. 38.3% of direct investments was made
in the production and distribution of electricity, gas, hot water and
steam, while 10.7% of direct investments was made in mining industry.