Author: Karakhanian Suren

NEW EXHIBITION AT ALBERT AND TOVE BOYAJIAN PICTURE GALLERY
By Gohar Gevorgian
AZG Armenian Daily
31/03/2006
The exhibition of Margarita Matoulian’s mini sculptures recently opened
at Albert and Tove Boyajian Picture Gallery. Margarita is a fourth
year student at the Academy of Fine Arts. The young sculpture exhibited
about 20 mini iron sculptures that she created in 2 years. The author
stated that though it is better to start with mini sculptures, she
will never pass to making bigger ones. She stated that she greatly
likes the technique and the genre of mini sculptures. Tigran Matoulian,
father of the young sculpture, emphasized that her daughter is both a
designer and a sculpture, as she masters the skills of both professions
very well.

ARMENIAN LEADER, RUSSIAN OFFICIAL DISCUSS ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
29 Mar 06
At a meeting today Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and the head of
the council and director of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service,
Viktor Cherkesov, spoke highly of cooperation within the framework
of the coordinating council of the heads of the anti-drug agencies
of the Collective Security Treaty Organization [CSTO] member states.
The sides stressed that an effective cooperation within the framework
of this structure secures good results. They also said that the fight
against the illegal drug trade should be stepped up and approporiate
measures should be taken.
[Video showed the meeting].

AID TO KARABAKH REFUGEES CARRIED ON
Lragir.am
27 March 06
In 2005 the NKR government decided to provide aid to refugees and
free transportation of their property. About 35 thousand refugees
were registered, 329 families of refugees lost their sons in the war.
Each member of the family will receive 20 thousand drams, if the
refugee got married and has children, each child receives 5 thousand
drams. 5000 drams is provided for fare. Approximately, a family of
five receives 140 thousand drams. This year 82 350 thousand drams
was provided from the state budget, which will be distributed to
1000 families. “I am going to request the government to provide aid
to another 500 families. We will aid the remaining 1500 families in
2007,” said the head of the Department of Migration, Refugees and
Re-Settlement Pavel Najaryan.
According to Pavel Najaryan, in the past few years 18 houses were built
for refugees. In 2005 the number of houses built for refugees was 22.

Panorama.am
17:53 24/03/06

NOT THE RESULT BUT THE CONTENT IS IMPORTANT
On the basis of the application of Human Rights’ Defender the lawsuit
in the Constitutional Court gave place to different comments and talks
which have found their place in the press. In concern with this the
head of `Iravunk ev miabanutyun’ (Law and Unity) Parouyr Hayrikyan
gave his comments to Panorama.am correspondent today: `I am not in the
habit of seeking for intrigues.
Those intrigues are temporary and have ulterior motives. Usually they
pass very soon. I know that due to Constitutional referendum we have
an Institution of Human Rights’ Defender as well an additional
opportunity to involve the Constitutional Court in a case by means of
the Defender. This fact gladdens me and I’m not interested in anything
else. `And what outcome will the lawsuit in the Constitutional Court
have P. Hayrikyan had difficulty to say: `I cannot make any
predictions but the trial itself is already a great achievement and
progress in our life.’/Panorama.am/

PRESS RELEASE
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
March 24, 2006
____________________
FUND FOR ARMENIAN RELIEF ORGANIZING 10th ANNUAL YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TRIP TO
ARMENIA
Applications for the June 2006 Trip Available Now
The Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) is organizing its tenth annual Young
Professionals Trip to Armenia. From June 12 to 24, 2006, FAR will take a
group aged from 23 to 40 on a journey to all four corners of Armenia and
into Karabagh.
The group will see many of Armenia’s beautiful landscapes and treasures.
The trip begins with a visit to the pagan temple of Garni and the 13th
century Geghart Monastery carved out of a mountain. Following a tour of
Yerevan, including the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial, the group will
travel north to Gyumri, the second city of Armenia that had been devastated
by the 1988 earthquake.
After spending the night in Gyumri, the FAR Young Professionals will stop at
Haghartsin, the 7th century UNESCO-recognized monastery perched on a
forest-covered mountainside. The Young Professionals will then visit Lake
Sevan, the peninsula and its two chapels dating back to the 12th century.
The top of the peninsula provides a breath-taking vista of the largest
alpine lake in the world whose turquoise shimmers on a clear day.
The next day, the FAR group will take the new Selim Pass highway, stopping
to enjoy the panorama of Armenia’s southern city of Goris on the way to
Karabagh. They will see Shushi, Stepanakert, the 13th century Gandzasar
Monastery, Babig and Dadig (the symbol of Karabagh), and meet with a
Karabagh government representative.
Back in Armenia, the Young Professionals will visit Noravank, tour the Holy
See at Etchmiadzin, and meet with Catholicos Karekin II. As part of
experiencing Armenia’s enduring Christian faith, the Young Professionals
will have the opportunity to climb down into the Khor Virap pit where St.
Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for thirteen years.
The FAR journey will also include seeing Mesrob Mashtots’ birthplace,
Oshagan, and a hike up the Amberd fortress atop Mt. Aragats. Throughout the
trip, there will be ample views of the snow-capped Mt. Ararat and Mt.
Aragats.
Participants in FAR’s Young Professionals Trip do more than just see the
country’s sites. They learn about Armenia’s place in the world, her
religious, political and economic heritage, and engage government leaders in
official state visits. On the last day of the two-week adventure in June
2006, the FAR Young Professionals will meet Armenia’s Minister of Foreign
Affairs Vartan Oskanian.
Nightlife in Yerevan is also plentiful. The 2006 Young Professionals Trip
participants may watch an opera, listen to the Yerevan Philharmonic, eat in
gourmet restaurants, or hit the latest bars, cafes and clubs.
While it is important to witness Armenia’s rich cultural heritage, it is
just as critical for the Young Professionals to understand the realities of
life in Armenia and Karabagh today. They will go to various FAR projects,
such as the Ounjian School in Gyumri, the Children’s Center in Yerevan, the
Nursing Home in Vanadzor, and a few sites completed thanks to the $15
million humanitarian assistance contract in Karabagh that USAID awarded FAR.
The total cost of FAR’s 2006 Young Professionals Trip is $2,420 and includes
airfare to and from Armenia (departing from New York), all taxes, double
occupancy at the Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan and other superior hotel
accommodations outside of Yerevan, two meals per day in Yerevan, three meals
per day outside of Yerevan, entrance fees, and guided daily sightseeing.
Applications may be downloaded from FAR’s website, , by
clicking on the “Young Professionals” tab. Applicants meeting all
qualifications for participation will be accepted in the order received.
Space is limited for this program.
For more information, please contact Arto Vorperian at FAR, 630 Second
Avenue, New York, NY 10016, or by telephone at (212) 889-5150 and email at
[email protected].
— 3/24/06
# # #

Goldberg’s ‘Armenian Genocide’ will be shown at Egyptian Theater

ArmRadio
24.03.2006 11:23
With local PBS affiliate KCET-TV refusing to air his documentary “The
Armenian Genocide,” filmmaker Anthony Goldberg has decided to rent out
Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre to show the film in continuous free
screenings on April 17 – the same day it will be playing on most of
the top PBS stations in the country.
The filmmaker, who is paying for much of the $10,000 tab out of his
own pocket, noted that “the largest market of Armenians outside
Armenia is in Los Angeles.”
Goldberg’s one-hour documentary focuses on the Ottoman Empire’s role
in the massacre of at least a million Armenians during and right after
World War I.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 23 2006
European, Azeri officials mull Garabagh conflict, elections
Baku, March 22, AssA-Irada
The Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict was in focus
during the talks between Azeri officials and the European
representatives in Baku on Wednesday.
The deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Eduard Lintner,
and a European Union expert Werner Munch met with the Ministers of
Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov, Justice Fikrat Mammadov and
Prosecutor General Zakir Garalov.
Lintner said the European representatives and Minister Mammadyarov
shared the views on the issue. `We arrived at a conclusion that first
of all, refugees must return home and the Council of Europe
principles enforced.’
The discussions also centered on the preparations for the May 13
repeat polls in 10 constituencies where the results of the 2005
parliament poll were cancelled, as well as energy-related matters.
`We comprehensively discussed a number of issues, including the
energy situation, which is intensely watched in Europe.’
On the same day, the European visitors were to meet with parliament
speaker Ogtay Asadov and the chairman of the country’s senior
electoral body, the Central Election Commission, Mazahir Panahov, to
discuss repeat polls and the human rights situation in Azerbaijan.
The PACE committee deputy chairman Lintner is also expected to visit
penitentiaries to study the conditions provided for inmates.*

PRESS OFFICER FOR THE EUROPEAN BUREAU STATE DEPARTMENT HAVE NO
INFORMATION OF DATE OF AMBASSADOR EVAN’S RECALL
WASHINGTON, MARCH 23. ARMINFO. US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans
will head the diplomatic mission to Armenia until President Bush makes
a decision to replace him, Press Officer for the European Bureau State
Department Terry Davidson told ARMINFO.
He said the policy of appointment and recall of the heads of American
diplomatic missions cannot be changed depending on separate
cases. Last week, a number of US Department of State representatives
in Yerevan stated that Ambassador Evans serves and represents the US
President at the Embassy in Armenia until he is dismissed and
replaced, T. Davidson says. However, he had no information on the
exact date of Ambassador Evan’s recall.
In its turn, The Los Angeles Times published an article on Wednesday
touching upon the possible recall of John Evans. The newspaper
mentioned that in February 2005 during his meeting with the Armenian
community at the California University Berkeley, Ambassador Evans
recognized the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. –

LEADER SAYS AZERI PROSPECTS BRIGHT, ARMENIA’S “FOGGY”
ANS TV, Baku
21 Mar 06
[Presenter] The question of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and
sovereignty is not at issue and the opposite side must understand it.
This was announced by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev when he
addressed Novruz festivities in Ganclik [Youth] Square in front of
Qosa Qala Qapisi [gates in the old part of Baku].
[Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijani president, captioned, shown speaking]
The question of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty
is not and will never be at issue. We want the opposite side to
understand this as soon as possible and to promptly join international
developments. Globalization is under way all over the world and
countries not just of the region but also of the world are opening
their borders and cooperating with each other. The future prospects
of Armenia, which has isolated itself from this cooperation, are foggy.
Azerbaijan will continue its course. Our cause is just. We will
resolve this conflict on the basis of Azerbaijan’s national interests
and international norms and principles. At the same time, Azerbaijan
will continue to strengthen its economic potential, the potential of
the army and resolve social problems.
Azerbaijan must become one of the world’s most developed countries
in a few years time.

PROSPECTS OF XXI SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
Lragir/am
20 March 06
In 2000 the Armenian Music Information Center established the
international music festival “Prospects of XXI”. The president of the
festival Stepan Rostomyan said this is the only festival of classical
music in Armenia, and is one of the important events in the CIS.
The London Symphony Orchestra, Yuri Bashmet, the Chronos Quartet,
the Tokyo String Quartet, Stephen Isserlis, Alexey Lyubimov and
other musicians and orchestras have arrived in Armenia for the
festival. Their visit is a great cultural event for any country. The
participants of the festival say Prospects of XXI has brought the
top classical quality to Armenia.
The seventh Prospects of XXI International Music Festival will
start with the concert of the outstanding German cello player David
Geringas. The musician is in Armenia with his wife Tatiana Geringas,
pianist. David Geringas has worked with the best orchestras of the
world, with such conductors as S.
Ratterley, G. Albrecht, Rostropovich, and others. The first concert
of the Geringas family will be on March 21, at the Chamber Music Hall.