Author: Karakhanian Suren

ARMENIA TO MAKE MOTIONS IN STOCKHOLM CONFERENCE

Panorama.am
17:35 08/04/2009

The co-chair of the European Union-Armenia Parliamentary Co-operation
Committee Avet Adonts said today that a document has been signed by
the EU Delegation and Armenian party including various aspects of
cooperation, in particular, EU-Armenia relations, in-house situation,
economic policy, regional affairs and Nagorno Karabakh conflict. "This
document is the richest and most effective one regarding its content,"
said Mr. Adonts. The co-chair of the same committee Marie Ann
Izler Begenn said that their delegation conducts mission in three
countries of Caucasus and their vision is to conduct a balanced
policy, "especially regarding the conflicts". Regarding Armenia’s
participation to "Easter Partnership" platform, the EU co-chair said
that in Stockholm conference scheduled in May the countries of the
Southern Caucasus, as well as Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova are welcome
to make recommendations for their participation.

ANNUNCIATION ICON RETURNED TO GANDZASAR CHURCH

NOYAN TAPAN
STEPANAKERT
APRIL 7, 2009

On April 7 in Stepanakert NKR President Bako Sahakian took part in the
solemn ceremony organized on the occasion of returning the Annunciation
Icon kept at Artsakh Historic-Geographic Museum in connection with
of the 20th anniversary of Artsakh diocese reopening.

Noyan Tapan was informed about it by the General Information Department
of NKR President’s Press Office.

OBAMA SAYS U.S., TURKEY CAN BE MODEL FOR WORLD

CNN.com
April 6, 2009 Monday 12:36 PM EST

President Obama ended his first overseas trip in Turkey — a location
he said he chose to send a clear message.

"I’m trying to make a statement about the importance of Turkey, not
just to the United States but to the world," Obama said at a joint
news conference Monday with Turkish President Abdullah Gul.

"This is a country that has been often said lies at the crossroads
between East and West. It’s a country that possesses an extraordinarily
rich heritage but also represents a blend of those ancient traditions
with a modern nation state that respects democracy, respects rule of
law and is striving toward a modern economy."

Obama said Monday that the United States and Turkey can send a powerful
message to the world through their friendship.

"I think that where there’s the most promise of building stronger
U.S.-Turkish relations is in the recognition that Turkey and the United
States can build a model partnership in which a predominantly Christian
nation, a predominantly Muslim nation — a Western nation and a nation
that straddles two continents," he continued, "that we can create a
modern international community that is respectful, that is secure,
that is prosperous, that there are not tensions — inevitable tensions
between cultures — which I think is extraordinarily important."

U.S. approval ratings among Turks hit dismal lows throughout the
Bush administration, largely because of the war in neighboring Iraq,
which was widely unpopular in Turkey.

The Turks seem to be captivated, however, by the new American
president, according to one influential newspaper.

On Monday, the Hurriyet published a front-page headline saying,
"Welcome Mr. President. … Our hearts have been broken over the last
eight years, now it is time to mend hearts."

Middle East analyst Reza Aslan said Monday that following years of
frosty relations, Obama wants to strengthen ties with Turkey to send
a signal to other Muslim nations.

"Turkey is the most important majority-Muslim state when it comes to
the United States’ interest in the region," he said.

"He wants to make the U.S.-Turkey relations the bedrock for the way
in which he’s going to reach out to the rest of the Muslim world,"
Aslan added.

Obama said Monday that "one of the great strengths of the United
States" is that it does not consider itself "a Christian nation or a
Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of
citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values. I think modern
Turkey was founded with a similar set of principles."

In an address before the Turkish Parliament later Monday, Obama
acknowledged that "the trust that binds the United States and Turkey
has been strained, and I know that strain is shared in many places
where the Muslim faith is practiced."

Obama said, "So let me say this as clearly as I can: The United States
is not and will never be at war with Islam."

On his first presidential visit to a Muslim country, Obama
highlighted that he too had Muslims in his family and had lived in
a Muslim-majority country.

Obama also called on Turkey, NATO’s only Muslim member country, to
work side by side with the United States to resolve conflicts across
the turbulent Middle East.

The president reiterated American support for Turkey’s bid to join
the European Union, a position that was recently criticized by French
President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen said Obama’s visit to
Turkey is an "important step for the president."

"Turkey is a very important country — one of our critical members
of NATO. They play an important role in helping to support troops in
both Iraq and Afghanistan. They will hopefully play a role in helping
to bring about a Middle East peace settlement," he said.

Turkey sends "a very important signal to the rest of the Muslim world
that the United States is not anti-Muslim as so many have thought
we have been, but rather here is a very strong Muslim nation that is
working hand in hand with the United States," Cohen said.

Obama on Monday avoided pushing for a pledge he made during his
presidential campaign to recognize officially the massacre of ethnic
Armenians in 1915 as a genocide. Turkey vehemently denies Armenian
claims that 1 million Armenians were killed in the last days of the
Ottoman Empire.

Instead, the American president highlighted recent diplomatic progress
made between the governments of Turkey and Armenia, saying he was
"not interested in the U.S. tilting this negotiation in any way."

Turkey and Armenia do not have formal diplomatic relations and their
borders are closed.

However, last fall the Turkish president went to a soccer match
in Armenia, and Armenia’s top diplomat was expected to attend a
U.N.-sponsored "Alliance of Civilizations" forum Monday in Istanbul,
Turkey.

Obama hinted that a major diplomatic breakthrough between the two
rivals may come soon.

"My sense is they are moving forward quickly," he said at an earlier
press conference with Gul. "I don’t want to pre-empt any arrangements
that could be made in the near future."

OBAMA PRAISES TURKEY, URGES ARMENIA RECONCILIATION
Stephen Collinson

Agence France Presse
April 6, 2009 Monday 7:38 PM GMT

US President Barack Obama, seeking to boost ties with a key Muslim
ally, touted Washington’s strong ties with Turkey Monday and tread
carefully on neighbouring Armenia’s decades-old genocide claims.

The US president also reiterated his support for Turkey’s bid to join
the European Union as he met with the country’s leaders and addressed
parliament in his first trip to a mainly Muslim nation since taking
office in January.

He urged Turkey and Armenia to move forward in their tentative dialogue
to normalise ties and signalled he would not interfere in their dispute
over whether the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire was
"genocide".

Obama promised during his election campaign to recognise the 1915-1917
killings as genocide, a label Ankara rejects, but avoided using the
politically-charged word here.

"I want to focus not on my views right now, but on the views of the
Turkish and Armenian people," he told a joint press conference with
Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul in Ankara.

"I’m not interested in the United States in any way tilting these
negotiations one way or another while (the two countries) are having
useful negotiations," Obama said.

The US president delivered his message personally to the foreign
ministers of Turkey and Armenia later Monday when he met them at
a reception in Istanbul — the second leg of his Turkey visit —
for guests attending an international forum on bridging divisions
between the Islamic World and the West.

Obama "urged them (Ali Bacacan of Turkey and Eduard Nalbandian of
Armenia) to complete an agreement with dispatch," a senior US official
said on condition of anonymity.

For a second straight day, Obama expressed support for Turkey’s EU
ambitions. He had already voiced his backing on Sunday at an EU summit
in Prague, drawing opposition from France and Germany.

"Turkey is a critical ally. Turkey is an important part of Europe,"
Obama said in a speech to the Turkish parliament in Ankara.

"Let me be clear: the United States strongly supports Turkey’s bid to
become a member of the European Union," he said. "Turkish membership
would broaden and strengthen Europe’s foundation once more."

Obama also expressed desire to consolidate US-Turkish relations which
cooled down notably in 2003 after Ankara refused US troops permission
to use its territory to invade Iraq from the north.

"I do not think they ever deteriorated so far that we ceased to be
friends and allies. What I hope to do is build on what is already a
strong foundation," he said at the press conference with Gul.

Turkey and the United States could set an example to the world by
building a "model partnership" based on their respect for religious
freedom and rule of law, Obama said.

"If we are joined together in delivering that message East and West,
to the world, I think we can have an extraordinary impact," he added.

Turkey has been a close ally of the United States in a strategic
region between Europe, the Caucasus and the Middle East, bordering
troubled countries such as Georgia, Iraq, Iran and Syria.

But the country’s Islamist-rooted government has recently given rise
to fears that it is drifting away fom the West, forging closer ties
with Iran, welcoming leaders of the radical Palestinian movement
Hamas in Ankara and keeping friendly relations with Sudan.

Obama’s two-day visit to Turkey is largely seen as an effort to keep
the country firmly anchored in the West through its NATO membership
and its EU bid.

Leftist groups staged demonstrations in several cities to protest
Obama’s visit, denouncing US policies in the region as "imperialist."

Demonstrators tore apart an Obama effigy in downtown Ankara, where
police detained about 20 people when they attempted to break through
a security barricade and march to parliament.

APA, Azerbaijan
April 7 2009

EDWARD NALBANDIAN: "IF TURKEY CONTINUES TO LAY DOWN PRECONDITIONS, DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE COUNTRIES WILL BE PUT TO AN END"

Yerevan – APA. "If Turkey continues to lay down preconditions for
normalization of ties with Armenia, dialogue between the countries
will be put to an end, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian
said, APA reports quoting Panarmenian.

He stressed that Armenia’s position on the issue remains unchanged.

"Turkish -Armenian relations can be normalized without
preconditions. Only in this case we’ll be ready to continue our
dialogue with Turkey. If Turkey continues to lay down preconditions
for the reopening of borders with Armenia, we will regard it as the
end of the dialogue," he said.

BARACK OBAMA MEETS TURKISH PRESIDENT

ArmInfo
2009-04-06 15:06:00

ArmInfo. Within the frames of his two-day visit to Turkey, US President
Barack Obama met Head of the Turkish State Abdullah Gul.

As Turkish sources report, the main topic for the U.S. was
expected to be Turkey’s support during the troop withdrawal
from Iraq. The Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict, energy diplomacy,
Iran and stronger transatlantic relations, as well as the Armenian
Genocide and its possible recognition by the USA were also expected
to be discussed. After the meeting the sides were to give a joint
press-conference.

After his meeting with Gul, Obama is make a speech at the Turkish
Parliament. During his visit to Parliament, he will hold talks with
the speaker as well as with the leaders of political parties. Obama
officially began his Turkey visit after laying a wreath at Anitkabir,
the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, to pay his respects to the
founder of the modern Turkish Republic. "I am honored to pay tribute
to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a man whose vision, tenacity, and courage
put the Republic of Turkey on the path of democracy and whose legacy
continues to inspire generations around the world.

To note, Ataturk continued his predecessors Young Turks’ policy of
the Armenian Genocide in East Armenia. It was he that expressed the
intention to destroy the Armenian army and Armenian State, and fight
any movement aiming to create independent Armenia. Furthermore, he
headed the pogroms and massacre of the Christian population during
the Armenian-Turkish (1920) and Greek-Turkish (1919-22) wars.

"THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HAS GOT A DEFINITE ORDER"

A1+
06:57 pm | April 06, 2009

Politics

"The National Assembly is subject to criminal idleness," Heritage Party
MP Larissa Alaverdyan said to A1+. The reason for Mrs. Alaverdyan’s
indignation was the parliament’s refusal to put a number of draft
bills on the agenda, as well as the indifference towards the fate
of the arrested deputies Miasnik Malkhasyan, Sasun Mikayelyan and
Hakob Hakobyan.

Today the Heritage demanded the NA Speaker to convene a sitting and
cancel a NA decision according to which the Armenian parliament was
to deprive the inviolability of the arrested MPs.

"The National Assembly does not deal with legal matters," NA Speaker
Hovik Abrahamyan said in reply.

"If the NA doesn’t deal with legal matters, as you say, what matters
does it deal with? Yes, I do think that the National Assembly became an
accomplice of a crime which resulted in the detention of our colleagues
on baseless charges and already on non-existent articles. This is
a crime.

Hovik Abrahamyam may say that unless the court has proved the guilt
or innocence of the detained MPs, we are doves of innocence, but we
must not forget that thanks to the National Assembly today we have
three captive deputies and one on the run," added Mrs. Alaverdyan.

"Not only the Heritage but also the PACE co-rapporteurs demand
application of Articles 225 and 300," reminded Mrs. Alaverdyan.

Another Heritage member, Zaruhy Postanjyan, thinks the National
Assembly doesn’t want to convene a sitting, hear the detained MPs
and restore their inviolability as it is solving an issue bound to
the parliament. "The National Assembly has a definite "order"-to keep
the political prisoners charged with the "case of seven" in custody.

With regard to the separation of the cases, Mrs. Postanjyan said
neither the prosecutor’s office nor the court had a right to file
new charges against the defendants and divide the case into five parts.

IMMERSED IN THEIR CULTURE
By Zain Shauk

Glendale News Press
April 6 2009
CA

Students from 12 college groups organized Armenian festival at
university.

BURBANK — Thousands packed the Woodbury University quad Sunday for
an Armenian cultural festival that featured song, dance and Middle
Eastern food.

Teen dance groups wore traditional costumes while performing a set
of routines that left older visitors peering over the shoulders of
onlookers who crowded around a dance floor to watch with pride.

Visitors browsed vendor booths from local businesses, ate kabobs, ice
cream and cotton candy, and mostly spent time chatting with family,
friends and strangers while listening to Armenian hits echo through
the outdoor area.

The gathering was a celebration of culture that was organized by
college students and drew visitors from across Southern California,
said event organizer Arsen Dzhanikyan.

"Enjoying one’s culture and celebrating one’s identity is a must,"
said Dzhanikyan, who is a senior at Woodbury and president of the
university’s Armenian Students’ Assn.

The event was a collaboration of Armenian student groups from 12
colleges and universities throughout Southern California, including
USC, UCLA, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Los Angeles and Glendale
Community College.

The group’s efforts drew an estimated crowd of at least 4,000 and
were crucial in creating a sense of community and identity through a
cultural celebration, said Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Western
Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America.

"Culture is a gift from God," Derderian said, stressing the importance
of holding events to celebrate shared traditions.

Sunday’s event was the second annual festival at Woodbury, which
has proven to be a central location for the Armenian community, with
large populations residing in Glendale and Burbank, organizers said.

Although the afternoon dance performances were some of the biggest
visual attractions, visitors mostly enjoyed the event because they had
a chance to spend a day immersed in a cultural celebration, they said.

"Armenian culture is kind of a deep and rich culture," said Burbank
resident Alice Babakhaian, who was looking over the shoulder of
another visitor to catch a glimpse of a group of girls dancing in
shiny green and red gowns.

Babakhaian had performed the dance growing up, but was content to
watch a new generation enjoying the same traditions Sunday.

"It is important because the young generation, they get more together
and they can talk and they can share these things," she said.

Fillmore resident James Baron, a Jew, made the trip to Woodbury with
his Armenian wife to share in the festivities.

"I think every culture should not just celebrate, but teach their
culture," Baron said.

The community gathering, weeks in advance of Armenian Genocide
remembrance events on April 24, was meant to being people together,
outside of activities focused on the mass killings, organizers said.

"It doesn’t have to be something tragic to get everybody together,"
said Vazgen Keshishyan, who had helped organize food sales for
the event.

La Verne Community News
April 4 2009

DR. DER YEGHIAN TO SPEAK ON `PEACE ON EARTH’ AT LA VERNE ROTARY

Dr. Garbis Der Yeghian, Past Rotary International District Governor,
will address La Verne Rotarians on Thursday, January 8th, 2009 at
12:00 noon. Dr. Der Yeghian will present an overview of the current
situation in the Middle East and the Caucasus, especially
Armenian-Turkish relations, sharing his impressions of his most recent
visit to the region. The lecture will be complemented by a power-point
presentation.

Dr. Der Yeghian joined the Rotary Club of La Verne in 1981 and served
as its president in 1984-85. In addition to the District Governorship,
he has occupied numerous high-ranking positions in Rotary International.
In June 2002, he was recognized as "Rotary International Champion and
Most Distinguished District Governor" at the Rotary International
Annual Convention held in Barcelona, Spain. In 2007, he received
Rotary’s highest honor, the "Service Above Self" award in appreciation
of his global peace efforts. Dr. Der Yeghian is a distinguished
educator. He served as President and Dean of the American Armenian
International College at the University of La Verne, 1976-1992, and
currently serves as President of Mashdots College in Glendale,
California and the global American University for Humanities. He and
his family have been La Verne residents since 1976.

La Verne Rotarians extend a cordial invitation to interested
individuals to attend this most interesting luncheon meeting. The
Rotary Club of La Verne meets at the Sierra La Verne Country Club,
6300 Country Club Drive. For reservations or further information,
contact Matthew Neeley at (909) 392-4321.

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`ARMMONO’ FIREWORK OF MONO PERFORMANCES

11:56 04/04/2009
Source: Panorama.am

Yerevan is going to breathe a special active wave of theatre
performances. `Armmono’ international theatre 7th festival will take
place in Yerevan on 8-17 April. Actors from Armenia, Russia, Ukraine,
Poland, Germany, France, USA, Cameroon and Great Britain will create
`special firework’ of mono-performances for the Armenian fans of
theater art. Mane Lazarian, the coordinator of the festival told
Panorama.am that Hovhannes Babakhanyan’s `Contrabass’ performance will
launch the opening of the festival. According to the source `Armmono’
festival will also take place in Kapan from 13 April.