Author: Karagyozian Lena

THE MAJORITY OF ELIGIBLE MEMBERS OF THE UK PARLIAMENT HAVE RECOGNIZED THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

armradio.am
15.02.2010 14:03

The number of MPs in the House of Commons who have signed motions
(called Early Day Motions) recognizing the 1915 Genocide of Armenians
and Assyrians has passed 250 this week, representing the majority of
all eligible MPs. Of the 646 MPs, only 495 are eligible to express
their own views on these motions, because the other 151 are part of
the government or have other roles which preclude their signatures.

The current Early Day Motion (#287) contains a clause which states::
"This House….condemns unreservedly denial and denigration of the
memory of the Holocaust, as well as of the 1915 Genocide of Armenians
and Assyrians in Turkey, and the politics of hatred and division
which led to these events" and also "….. and calls on hon. Members
to respect Holocaust Memorial Day and to ensure that the Holocaust,
the 1915 Genocide and modern atrocities such as the 1988 Anfal Genocide
are never forgotten"

This UK-wide Recognition of Genocide follows the example of Welsh MPs
in 2006, and 2007, and Scottish and Irish MPs a few weeks ago. Of
the 349 Labour MPs (the ruling party), 225 are eligible and 150
(two third) have signed. The majority of all non-Conservative MPs
have also signed the motion.

Armenia Solidarity Spokesman Eilian Williams said: ". The UK, and the
other countries of the European Union must now accept that Turkey’s
present borders are based on its succesful Genocide of its Armenian
and Assyrian population. The issue of Armenian and Assyrian Churches
and lands which were confiscated by the Turkish State in the 1923
"Law of Abandoned Properties" should be given a high priority, before
any progress is made on Turkey’s accession to the E.U."

Dereyan: Get Ready for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver

0/dereyan-get-ready-for-the-2010-olympics-in-vanco uver/
By Antranig Dereyan – on February 10, 2010

The clock has been running ever since the end of the 2006 Olympics in
Torino, Italy, but the time is finally here.

On Feb. 12, the world’s athletes will embark on Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada, for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Many nations, mostly those with cold climates, will be participating,
but even nations with warmer weather will be present to do their
collective best and show their skills. Jamaica, Brazil, Uzbekistan,
Ghana, and even Lebanon are sending athletes to compete in numerous
events.

The Republic of Armenia will also be a part of this
once-every-four-years spectacular event, with four athletes competing
in alpine skiing and cross-country skiing in three different
disciplines: sprit, slalom, and giant slalom.

And the athletes’ goals are the same as any other nation’s: make their
country proud, show the world the power of their nation, and win some
medals in the process.

Armenian has experience from 2006, but will look to gain more in 2010.

Kristine Khachatryan, 20, from Gyumri, will be competing in the
cross-country/sprit and 10 km. events.

Ani Matilda Serebrakian, 20, holds residency in Novato, Calif., but is
an Armenian national. She will be competing in the alpine
skiing/slalom and giant slalom events.

Arsen Nersisyan, 22, the most experienced of the four, is from
Tsaghkadzor and will be in the alpine skiing/slalom and giant slalom
events.

Sergey Mikayelyan, 17, the youngest of the group, is from Ashotsk and
will be competing in the cross-country/sprit and 15 km. events.

These four, who finished their qualifications on Jan. 25, won the
right to represent Armenia and will do so with the backing of not just
Armenia, but the world-wide Armenian community.

Aysor, Armenia
Feb 13 2010

Ceremony in honor of Mesrop Mashtots to be held in Armenia

Armenia’s Ministry of Diaspora has declared this year as Year of
Mother Language.

In the framework of the `Our Mother Language, Our Motherland’ program,
aimed at preserving and developing Armenia’s tangible and intangible
heritage, Armenian language, and national identity, the Ministry of
Diaspora will hold a series of special activities involving
representatives of both the state structures and organisations in
Diaspora.

The `Our Mother Language, Our Motherland’ program will launch on
February 15 with opening the `Ceremony of Honor and Oath’. Minister of
Diaspora, Mrs. Hranush Hakobian and other officials and guests will
lay a wreath at the grave of Mesrop Mashtots in Oshakan.

ARMENIAN AND SYRIAN MFA HELD POLITICAL CONSULTATIONS

Foreign Ministry of RA
Feb 9 2010
Armenia

On February 9, the delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister of
Armenia Arman Kirakossian was received by Foreign Minister of Syria
Walid Al-Muallem. The Armenian delegation arrived in the Syrian Arab
Republic to hold political consultations between Foreign Ministries of
Armenia and Syria and to participate in the official opening ceremony
of the Office of the Honorary Consul of Armenia in Der-Dzor.

In the course of the meeting the parties discussed a wide range of
issues on Armenian-Syrian bilateral cooperation in political, economic,
educational and cultural areas. Foreign Minister of Syria stressed that
continuous high-level visits would give a new impetus and quality to
the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two friendly countries.

In his turn Deputy Foreign Minister Kirakossian emphasized that
Armenia attaches great importance to the development of comprehensive
relations with Syria and the opening of the Office of Honorary Consul
of Armenia in Der-Dzor is the evidence of that, adding that it will
stimulate the deepening of cooperation in different areas between
Armenia and Syria, particularly with its eastern regions.

On the same day, political consultations between Foreign Ministries
of Armenia and Syria took place at the Syrian MFA.

JOSEPH LIEBERMAN: ISSUE OF US AFFIRMATION OF GENOCIDE CUTS TO THE HEART OF OUR MORALITY AS NATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.02.2010 21:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A longstanding Armenian Assembly trustee and
activist, Senator Joseph Lieberman stated that the issue of U.S.

affirmation of the Armenian Genocide "cuts to the heart not only of
our foreign policy, but of our morality as a nation."

Lieberman, in describing the "systematic and deliberate campaign of
mass murder perpetrated against the Armenian people," stated that
"even by the bloody standards of the 20th century, the annihilation of
1.5 million Armenians was one of the greatest crimes against humanity
committed in the last hundred years – an evil we have a solemn duty
never to forget."

"As we look to the 95th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide this
April 24, Senator Lieberman provides us with a poignant reminder of
the importance of remembering history, and the need to redouble our
efforts to end the scourge of genocide," stated AAA Executive Director
Bryan Ardouny.

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic
destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during
and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres, and
deportations involving forced marches under conditions designed to
lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths
reaching 1.5 million.

The date of the onset of the genocide is conventionally held to be
April 24, 1915, the day that Ottoman authorities arrested some 250
Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople.

Thereafter, the Ottoman military uprooted Armenians from their homes
and forced them to march for hundreds of miles, depriving them of
food and water, to the desert of what is now Syria.

To date, twenty countries and 44 U.S. states have officially recognized
the events of the period as genocide, and most genocide scholars
and historians accept this view. The Armenian Genocide has been also
recognized by influential media including The New York Times, BBC,
The Washington Post and The Associated Press.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the
Genocide survivors.

ARMENIA HAS FOUND A WAY TO SAVE THE ECONOMY: THE COUNTRY WILL BE FLOODED WITH MIRACLE PORTABLE TOILETS
H. Hamidov

Today
61293.html
Feb 10 2010
Azerbaijan

If your first attempt fails, then parachute sports is not for you…

Paraphrasing this old funny story, it can easily be applied to the
Armenian government, or rather, that part which is responsible for
the economic condition of the country.

Armenia’s economy is another funny story to tell.. Not old and not
new, but eternal. It is becoming an eternally funny story due to the
policy of our neighboring country.

Economic news regularly streams in from the other side of the front
and causes not only irony, but a strong dose of insanity. The country
has the worst economic situation among the post-Soviet countries,
is suffering terrible consequences of the economic crisis, and a
significant reduction in budget revenues and expenditures, etc. On
top of all that, the country’s semi-blockade situation has even acuter
consequences on the backdrop of the above-said.

One can say the country faces a shortage of skilled workers. Quite
inappropriate persons are in charge of the economy and other areas.

For instance, at a recent news conference in Yerevan, head of the
Economy Ministry’s Tourism and Economic Development Department Mekhak
Apresyan did his utmost to describe the charms of the country’s
tourism sector. He spoke about the country’s potential, the alleged
increase in number of tourists and future plans. To tell the truth,
he could not even say anything concrete about the latter. But his
little primitive fantasy saved him.

He attributed the increased number of tourists in Armenia with the
presence (or absence) of anti-vandal portable toilets in the country.

Apresyan did not specify what are anti-vandal bathrooms, how they
look, whether they help travelers to relieve themselves, or whether
it is regarded as an act of vandalism, only firmly assuring that such
"miracle facilities" can be created in Armenia.

Unlike Apresyan, the Armenian parliament did not invent anything
supernatural and did not deal with portable toilets, but only succeeded
to get extra budgetary funds for itself. The government session held
on Feb. 4 decided to open an account for extra budgetary funds of
the parliament. It remains unclear how they will be formed, who and
under what principle would use them. Perhaps, every Friday the MPs
will hold a tournament of backgammon, and the winner will get all the
funds collected for the week. It is possible it will be much easier –
they will play "rock-paper-scissors," or share the money like thieves.

While the deputies think how and who will form these extra-budgetary
funds and, most importantly, who will distribute those funds,
prices for meat products, sugar have significantly increased. Apart
from this, reduction in import of cars has reached all time low – 61
percent. Yerevan-Tbilisi flight was closed due to unprofitability. The
population continues to leave the country not to move to safer
countries, but with the thought to leave this place for somewhere
else as soon as possible.

One can understand them. So, why not to leave the country whose
government recently submitted to Parliament a package of new draft
laws, which envisages charging new taxes in the country? Aren’t the tax
for construction in progress, the tax on unprocessed agricultural land
or a tax on non-target use of land provided for ongoing construction
insane?!

According to the simple human logic, if a physical or legal person
constructs a facility, he/she has definite goals, and so, wants to
complete construction. The latter can be suspended in some cases,
the most common of which is the lack of funds.

So, if a person has no money to complete the construction, why and how
can he pay taxes for construction in progress?! Maybe the Armenian
government and the parliament will find a way out of the situation,
and tax will soon be paid by natural products – chickens, eggs,
meat … Well, what to do if the economic situation in the country
is getting sadder every day…

YEREVAN NOT DEMONSTRATING GOOD INTENTIONS IN ARMENIAN-TURKISH RAPPROCHEMENT

news.az
Feb 9 2010
Azerbaijan

Ahmet Davutoglu If Armenia does not disavow the nonconstructive
position, the continuation of the normalization process will be
impossible, Turkish FM told.

Yerevan does not demonstrate good intentions in the process of the
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement envisioned by the protocols signed
between the countries, Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu said.

"Yerevan does not demonstrate good intentions in the Turkish-Armenian
protocols", Davutoglu told Tuesday.

According to him, during the meeting with the Armenian counterpart
in London, he also voiced concern with the changes introduced by the
Armenian Constitutional Court to the Ankara-Yerevan protocols.

"The decision adopted by the Armenian Constitutional Court due to
the protocols is nonconstructive and after the changes the relations
between the two countries went back to the previous level", he said.

According to Davutoglu, if Armenia does not disavow the nonconstructive
position, the continuation of the normalization process will be
impossible.

As for the plans of the chairman of External Ties Commission, Howard
Berman, to raise the issue of the mythical "armenian genocide" for
discussion in the US State Congress on March 4, Davutoglu said thus
Armenia is hampering the process of normalization of ties.

LEVON ARONYAN AT LINARES SUPERTOURNAMENT

Panorama.am
14:20 08/02/2010

Sport

Linares, Spain, traditional supertournament gets underway on
12 February to 25. Armenian GM Levon Aronyan will attend the
supertournament. Levon Aronyan’s rivals in Linares are Veselin Toplaov,
Boris Gelfand, Alexander Grischuk, Vugar Gashimov and Fransisco Vallejo
Pons. The event of Linares is one of the tournaments of Grand Slam.

OLEG YESAYAN MET WITH MEDVEDEV

A1Plus.am
05/02/10

On February 5, newly appointed RA Ambassador to Russia Oleg Yesayan
presented his credentials to President of the Russian Federation,
Dmitri Medvedev.

During the ensuing short talks, the Russian President welcomed and
congratulated Ambassador Yesayan on his appointment and wished him
fruitful activities for the strengthening of relations between Russia
and Armenia and mentioned the special character and high level of
relations between both countries.

The Russian President mentioned that Russia and Armenia jointly
solve many military-political, economic and regional security issues,
emphasizing the need for developing cooperation.

Expressing gratitude, Ambassador Yesayan assured the President of the
Russian Federation that his activities would be aimed at strengthening
and developing bilateral relations.

NUMBER OF TRAVELERS TO ARMENIA EXPECTED TO GROW BY 5%

Aysor
Feb 5 2010
Armenia

2009’s number of tourists who traveled to Armenia increased by 3% in
comparison with 2008’s level, told journalists Chief of the Tourism
and Territorial Economy Development Department of Armenia’s Ministry,
Mekhak Apresian.

According to his report, 575 281 tourists visited Armenia last year,
of these 60% are Armenians from Diaspora: "Tourists from Russia,
CIS countries, Europe, the United States, and Iran travel to Armenia.

Besides, tourists’ "geography" has been expanded: now tourists from
Far East, Scandinavian countries, and Turkey are traveling to Armenia,"
said Mekhak Apresian.

This year the 5 per cent growth in travelers’ number is expected,
according to Ministry’s reports, against the background of 4 per cent
decrease in world tourists’ number, according to announcement by the
World Tourism Organization.