Author: Karakhanian Suren

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES THE REPRESENTATIVE OF PATRIARCH ZAKKA I IWAS

On Thursday 30 April 2009, Metropolitan George Saliba of Mount Lebanon,
visited Antelias on behalf of Patriarch Ignatius Zakka Iwas I, and met with
His Holiness Aram I. Archbishop Nourhan Manougian, deputy to Armenian
Orthodox Patriarch Torkom Manougian of Jerusalem, Bishop Nareg Alemezian,
Director of Ecumenical Relations of the Catholicosate and Dr. Gerges Saleh,
Geberal Secretary of the MECC also attended the meeting. Discussion focused
on various ecumenical issues pertaining to bilateral relations between the
Armenian and Syrian orthodox churches, the Middle East Council of Churches,
as well as issues related to Armenian-Syrian church relations in Jerusalem.

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The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

PanARMENIAN.Net

NKR public forum passes statement on `road map’
02.05.2009 13:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The NKR public forum passed Thursday a statement on
the agreement on road map signed between the Foreign Ministries of
Armenia and Turkey.

`The adoption of the statement aroused deep concerns in Artsakh. This
was a political blunder pregnant with catastrophic outcomes for the
Armenian people. The adoption of a statement on the eve of the
Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day was an inadmissible failure of
Armenian diplomacy,’ says the statement issued by more than dozens of
NKR NGOs.

`Opening of the Armenian-Turkish border is possible only if Turkey
recognizes the Armenian Genocide and the right of the people of
Artsakh to build their independent state. Keeping NKR and Diaspora
away from the negotiation process, the authorities of the Republic of
Armenia renounce their right to participate in Karabakh talks. We
state that Armenia’s decision on the road map’ conflicts with the
interests of the Armenian nation,’ is says.

NERSES ERITSIAN: WORLD FINANCIAL CRISIS WILL REACH ITS PEAK BY THE END OF THIS YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Apr 30, 2009

Yerevan, April 30, Noyan Tapan. The world economic and financial
crisis will reach its peak by the end of this year, told the minister
of economy of Armenia Nerses Yeritsian at a press conference on April
29. At this moment the economy downturn reaches 4 to 5 per cent in
developed countries, while developing countries are likely to complete
a year with the positive economic growth. The predictions made for 2010
are already positive, told the minister. According to the minister,
6.1 per cent of economic downturn of the first quarter of this year
in Armenia is difficult to retrieve.

However, a big flow of financial resources, including budgetary,
will enter the country starting from July, told the minister. It is
necessary to focus on the economy growth, since irrespectively of
the scope of decline, the economic activity in Armenia will not be
worse than in 2007 and 2008, added N. Eritsian. "That is why it is
necessary to permanently implement reforms in tax and custom spheres,
while cancellation of reforms and lightening the tax burden are not
good ideas," stressed the minister.

TURKISH GENERAL HEADQUARTERS: WE’LL CONTINUE OUR MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.04.2009 18:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian-Turkish border can be opened
only after Armenia withdraws its troops from Nagorno Karabakh,
General Ilker Bashug , Head of the Turkish Armed Forces General
Headquarters said. According to the General, the US has not made any
claim regarding Ankara’s policy in relation to Afghanistan and Iraq,
however, it required that Turkey increase the number of its military
subdivisions in Afghanistan to continue its mission there, Turkish
Hurriyet periodical reports .

With regard to Armenian-Turkish border opening, General Bashbug
referred to the following statement made by Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "The border opening should be accompanied by
the withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno Karabakh." "We share
that viewpoint," Mr. Bashbug said in conclusion.

ALIYEV, SARGSYAN INTERESTED IN OCCUPIED LANDS’ RETURN TO AZERBAIJAN – BRYZA

Interfax
April 27 2009
Russia

Baku and Yerevan are interested in an agreement, which will return
all the lands occupied by Armenia to Azerbaijan, U.S. Co-chairman of
the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza told the Azeri news channel ANS.

The Azeri and Armenian presidents expressed a common opinion to that
effect, he said.

Thus, they will first have to coordinate settlement fundamentals,
Bryza said. The return of the occupied lands to Azerbaijan should be
on the agenda, but the sides should start with an agreement on terms
of the Armenian pullout, he said.

The status of Nagorno-Karabakh has always been the stumbling block,
Bryza said.

The status is the most complicated problem, whose resolution will
require courageous steps and efforts of both countries, he noted. Bryza
said in his opinion, Presidents Ilham Aliyev, Serzh Sargsyan, Barack
Obama, Dmitry Medvedev and Nicolas Sarkozy may contribute to this
cause and help resolve the problem.

The problem can be resolved, and the negotiations are headed in the
right direction, Bryza concluded.

USA EXERTS PRESSURE ON ARMENIA AND TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.04.2009 17:50 GMT+04:00

Rumors on Armenian-Turkish agreement being prompted by US are
likely to be true, Russian expert on Caucasus Andrei Areshev told
a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. According to him, US definitely forced
Turkey and Armenia into signing the document. "However, Baku’s
position on Karabakh conflict will complicate realization of route map
agreement. Turkish and Azerbaijani diplomacies are closely related
to one another, so I don’t think a breakthrough in Armenian-Turkish
relations is a possibility at current stage," Areshev noted.

Hurriyet periodical and other Turkish mass media insist that the
Armenian-Turkish agreement was singed under the pressure of the US.

A. RUSTAMIAN SAYS PROVIDING OFFICES TO THE OPPOSITION IN THE PARLIAMENT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE INCREASE OF THE ROLE OF THE NA

ARMENPRESS
APRIL 29, 2009
YEREVAN

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) will discuss the
political coalition’s suggestion over preserving the offices of
Heads of NA Permanent Commissions during today’s session of the ARF
Highest body. Before that the representative of the highest body
Armen Rustamian told journalists that for a long time they have been
thinking that in the parliament the opposition must have an opportunity
to conduct a full activity.

"It is adopted in the whole world, that’s to say it must not seem
unusual and be considered a natural process, it will be good if we
put the basis of this", – he noted.

The representative of the highest body reminded that he was one of
the co-authors of the autumn 2008 amendments in the "NA Regulation"
law with which it has been set that the opposition also, according to
the d’Ont’s resolution, must get offices of heads and deputy heads of
NA permanent commissions. According to A. Rustamian it will contribute
to the increase of the NA role, as the destination of the NA is that
the disputes be transported into the parliament and not be resolved
in the street.

Referring to the statements of the Armenian National Congress according
to which the ARF became an opposition, A. Rustamian noted that the
issues they intend to solve being into the opposition need time "but
as soon as these issues are being solved it will become clear that
we take the field irrespective of anyone’s wish".

"I do not understand figures of the opposition or the political forces
who instead of directing their fight to the authorities-opposition
field, direct it to the opposition field. These statements once more
convince me that at this moment we have serious discords of political
views, approaches and style of activity with the Armenian National
Congress", – he added.

COOPERATION WITH NATO AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF ARMENIA’S NATIONAL SECURITY

armradio.am
28.04.2009 18:24

The President said the European direction remains one of the priorities
of Armenia’s foreign policy, and the cooperation with NATO is one
of its main components. Serzh Sargsyan said he views the cooperation
with NATO within the framework of the Partnership for Peace Program
as a component of our national security.

Claudio Bisogniero conveyed the greetings of NATO Secretary General
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to President Serzh Sargsyan. Noting that this
was the first high-level visit after 2004, Mr. Bisogniero said it
is a proof of the great importance NATO attaches to its relations
with Armenia. According to him, NATO is satisfied with the progress
registered so far in different spheres of Armenia-NATO cooperation.

NATO’s Deputy Secretary General ranked high the reforms implemented
in the field of defense, and Armenia’s participation in a number of
programs within the framework of NATO.

The parties were unanimous in their opinion that the Armenia-NATO
Individual Partnership Action Plan is an effective tool for promoting
bilateral cooperation.

The interlocutors exchanged views on a number of issues connected with
ensuring security and stability in the region. President Sargsyan said
the settlement of existing conflicts is important for the improvement
of the security atmosphere.

According to the NATO official, the Alliance welcomes the
Armenian-Turkish political dialogue and the progress in that
direction. Regarding the Nagorno Karabakh issue, he noted that although
NATO is not directly involved in the process, it closely watches the
developments and welcomes any effort that will bring to the peaceful
resolution of the issue.

The parties agreed that the conflict should be solved in compliance
with all principles of international law, no principle can prevail
or substitute another one.

DID YOU KNOW?

Polish Market
877?lang=PL
April 28 2009
Poland

It is a little known fact that Ignacy Aukasiewicz (1822-1882),
a Polish chemist of Armenian origin is not only the inventor of
the paraffin lamp but was, first and foremost, the father of the
petroleum industry. At the turn of 1852, Aukasiewicz and Jan Zeh
obtained petroleum by the fractioned method of distilling crude oil,
for which Aukasiewicz tried to find practical use. The first lamp
he constructed, (the previously applied oil lamps could not be used
with petroleum) was used to illuminate his pharmacy’s window, but
the 31 July 1853 must be recognised as the official birthday of the
petroleum industry, since it was then that petrol illumination was
used for the first time during an urgent night-time operation in the
common hospital in the Ayczakiw district of Lvov city. The world’s
first crude oil mine at Bibrka near Krosno started delivering in
the next year. It belonged to the Trzecieski-Aukasiewicz crude oil
company and is still operating today.

OBAMA AVOIDS USING ‘GENOCIDE’ IN ARMENIAN STATEMENT

Jewish Telegraphic Agency
April 27 2009

WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Obama avoided using the word "genocide"
to describe the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by Turks in 1915.

In a statement released Friday to commemorate Armenian Remembrance
Day, Obama said that "I have consistently stated my own view
of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not
changed. My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and
just acknowledgment of the facts."

As a presidential candidate, Obama explicitly said he would "recognize"
the Armenian genocide and that it was not a "personal opinion" but
a "widely documented fact supported by an overwhelmingly body of
historical evidence."

Recognition of the Armenian genocide became a controversial issue in
the Jewish community two years ago when some Jewish organizations,
notably the Anti-Defamation League, opposed an unsuccessful
congressional resolution recognizing the atrocities against Armenians
as genocide. Turkey opposed the resolution, and the ADL and others felt
it might hurt relations among Turkey, Israel and the United States.

The ADL previously had refused to use the term "genocide" to describe
the killings, but reversed itself in August 2007 and used the term
"tantamount to genocide" after a wave of criticism.