Author: Karapetian Hovik

Armenian National Committee – Western Region

104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200

Glendale, California 91206

Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353

[email protected] /

PRESS RELEASE

: July 31, 2007

Contact: Haig Hovsepian

Tel: (818) 500-1918

ANCA Leo Sarkisian Intern Focus: Dzovak Kazandjian

Washington, DC – Dzovak Kazandjian, a member of the South Bay ANC and a
participant in this year’s Leo Sarkisian Internship (LSI) program, is in
Washington this summer working to advance the Armenian Cause. Dzovak was
selected in May of this year to be one of four individuals from California
to serve in the distinguished ANCA "Leo Sarkisian" Internship (LSI) Program.

The ANCA-LSI Program is funded by the Armenian National Committee – Western
Region (ANC-WR). Named after long-time ANC activist Leo Sarkisian, the
program brings together young Armenian Americans from across the United
States and Canada to gain first-hand experience in the American political
system while working on issues of concern to the Armenian American
community.

"Dzovak Kazandjian epitomizes the strength and potential of our community’s
youth," commented ANC-WR Chairman Raffi Hamparian. "We are very proud of
Dzovak’s efforts in Washington and look forward to her incorporating her
skills and experiences to assist the local community when she returns to
Southern California," Hamparian added.

Kazandjian is an English and Sociology double-major at the University of
California, Irvine. She currently serves on the executive committee for the
South Bay ANC and has interned with the Asbarez daily newspaper and Orange
County Register.

During her time in the nation’s capital, Kazandjian has greatly assisted the
Armenian Cause in her work. Like her intern colleagues, she has played a
prominent role in working with ANCA staff to build support for the Armenian
Genocide Resolution (H. Res. 106). Each LSI participant was assigned the
task of working with local communities to obtain cosponsorship support from
five Members of Congress from around the country for H. Res. 106. Kazandjian
has also traveled to Capitol Hill to accompany Armenian American media and
to personally meet and interview Members of Congress including Adam Schiff
(D-CA-29), Brad Sherman (D-CA-27) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06). In addition
to the enriching LSI program lecture series, Kazandjian and her fellow
interns have also visited the Library of Congress. Levon Avdoyan,
specialist on Armenia and Georgia at the Library, provided the interns with
a presentation on authentic and rare artifacts, including manuscripts and
bibles from the 16th century, and a letter from Talaat Pasha to Ambassador
Henry Morgenthau in French requesting a dinner meeting on April 24, 1915.

Now in its 23rd year, the ANCA LSI Program provides student leaders and
activists an opportunity to participate in an intensive 8-week program
designed to give them the tools necessary to effectively advance issues of
concern to the Armenian American community on the federal, state and local
level. The LSI Program is a competitive and prestigious internship program
and is widely considered to be the best program of its kind for Armenian
American college students.

In addition to Dzovak Kazandjian, the 2007 LSI Program participants from the
Western United States are Alex Der Alexanian, Shant Hagopian and Chris
Yemenidjian. Joining interns from Canada, Europe and the Eastern United
States, the LSI participants from the Western Region have conducted
significant and groundbreaking activities in just their first week in our
nation’s capital.

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the
Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated
organizations around the country, the ANC-WR advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

RUSSIAN PAPER VIEWS REASONS BEHIND IRAN-ARMENIA PIPELINE-REFINERY PROJECT

Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moscow
25 Jul 07

Text of report (lead story) by Yuriy Simonyan: "Iran Is Going to
Armenia.

Tehran Reaches Agreement With Yerevan on Cooperation in Oil Processing
Industry" by Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta on 25 July

Iran and Armenia will jointly develop their oil processing
industries. An agreement to this effect was reached the other day at
an intergovernmental commission’s session in Yerevan.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki stated that the parties
had reached agreement on laying a 200-kilometre oil pipeline from
Tabriz to the Armenian city of Meghri in which an oil refinery will
be built. The estimated total cost of the project is $1-2 billion
depending on the refinery’s capacity. An Armenian-Iranian commission
and Gazprom, which substantially influences the Armenian energy sector,
will present a technical-economic feasibility study by the end of
September. A different question arises: Why did Iran decide to build
the refinery abroad despite the fact that Iranian refineries do not
meet the domestic demand and the authorities have made the decision
to ration gasoline as a result of which car owners can obtain 100
litres of fuel per month from now on.

The explanation provided by Tehran is refined Oriental way: It is
more secure to live beside a wealthy neighbour. Armenia is, indeed,
poor in this respect: It has to import all oil products. Therefore,
it is only logical that Armenian economists Artur Tamazyan and Eduard
Agadzhanov highly assess the project and opine that its implementation
will substantially change conditions for local consumers of oil
products, which will have a favourable effect on the domestic market
as a whole. "The idea of building a refinery has been hanging around
for a long time. There are indications that it will be implemented
now. There is only one downside at this point – the environmental
damage which accompanies the operation of any refinery. Having said
that, we do not know any details so far and therefore, it is impossible
to guess what advantages the refinery will bring and what negative
consequences it may entail," Tamazyan told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

Overall, the refinery project looks exotic, because refineries are
usually built near an oil field, a seaport for further transportation
of refined products, and so on. Armenia does not have any of these if
it comes to construction, which gives rise to new questions the answers
to which will obviously be known only when the project is ready.

If the refinery has the capacity of several hundred thousand tonnes
of oil products it will be of local importance, for this is the amount
Armenia consumes domestically. In this case striving for peace through
altruism, which Tehran has articulated, will prove to be real, just
as the opinion that Iran is going to become an extremely influential
player in the South Caucasus by means of engaging its neighbours in
attractive economic projects.

At the same time, people in the expert community say that the
refinery can have the design capacity of 3 million tonnes of oil
products per year. If this is really so and if, along with building
the Tabriz-Meghri pipeline, the parties may build a reverse pipeline
to deliver gasoline back to Iran, we will be able to say that Tehran,
in preparation for US aggression: a) is trying to partially secure its
oil processing industry, although this will depend on the specific
Iranian-Armenian agreement the details of which are yet unknown; b)
is trying to provide itself with a certain amount of oil products
in the event of war, naturally, provided that the Iranian-Armenian
pipeline itself will be spared during a hypothetical strike, which
is rather unlikely; c) is placing a proportion of its state capital
abroad (in addition to the construction of the pipeline the commission
in Yerevan discussed a broad range of economic issues including the
introduction of free trade procedures, the development of transit,
and intensification of banking activities). The latter issue is of
particular importance taking into account the Armenian leadership’s
ambitions to become a regional leader in this field. Therefore,
the oil project itself can also be regarded as, say, a confidential
guarantee of financial ties.

"Apparently, there are political reasons for the project. In the event
of war the construction of the refinery in Armenia looks logical,"
Agadzhanov told Nezavisimaya Gazeta. The Armenian Ministry of Energy
declined to answer Nezavisimaya Gazeta’s questions on this topic,
citing the minister’s busy schedule: "Only the minister can answer
these kinds of questions."

Recent criticism of the intensification of Armenian-Iranian
cooperation in the energy sector voiced by US Charge d’Affaires in
Armenia Anthony Godfrey add weight to the political theory of the
refinery construction. However, Washington is not the only player
unhappy with the project. For instance, the Azerbaijani newspaper
Ekho published a threat by Sirus Azad, one of the leaders of the
National Liberation Movement of South Azerbaijan, which belongs to
Iran, to destroy the Tabriz-Meghri pipeline, for it would "render
great support for the economic development of Armenia which occupies
Azerbaijani lands." "Until now the Iranian authorities strictly
controlled the domestic situation. Strategic pipelines in the whole
world are monitored particularly closely and this pipeline will not
be an exception when or if it is built," Stepan Grigoryan, head of the
Yerevan-based Regional Cooperation Centre, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

The date for the construction will probably become known during
the course of Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad’s visit to
Yerevan. As was stated in press releases published by the two states’
foreign ministries, a broad package of economic documents will be
signed. Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki did not specify
the date for Ahmadinezhad’s visit which is expected to take place
"by the end of the year." Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan
and parliament speaker Tigran Torosyan will also pay visits to Tehran
this year.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS TO MEET IN MOSCOW

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 25 2007

The next meeting of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Metu Bryza (US), Yuri
Merzlyakov (Russia) and Bernard Fasier (France) will take place on
August 2 in Russian capital, Moscow, APA reports quoting the US State
Department. Details are not made public.

The co-chairs last met in Vienna, July 12. The Co-chairs briefed
after the meeting saying that the discussions over the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict resolution between the Presidents of Azerbaijan
and Armenia were fruitless and stressed that it was important to
continue talks.

ROBERTSON READY FOR ARMENIAN CHALLENGE

Derry Journal, Ireland –
July 25 2007

DERRY CITY finally landed in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, early
yesterday morning after an arduous 18-hour journey.

The side have precious little time to adjust ahead of today’s Champions
League first qualifying round tie, second leg, against Pyunik at the
Republican Stadium. (kick off 4 p.m BST)

Derry enter the game as underdogs and must find the net if they are
to progress, having only managing a scoreless draw in last Wednesday’s
first leg at the Brandywell. After arriving in Yerevan at 4.30 a.m. on
Tuesday, the squad have had precious little time to acclimatise to
the soaring temperatures.

Manager John Robertson said before leaving Ireland that he considered
Pyunik favourites to progress but the Scot added that the game was
far from a foregone conclusion.

"Our travel arrangements may not be ideal but they faced the same
difficulties coming to Ireland," said the Derry boss.

"They showed in the first game why they are champions of their own
league. But we showed that we could cause them problems and we have
to build on that during the game."

Derry central defender Darren Kelly has travelled with the squad
despite his impending move to SPL side Gretna, the club he helped to
defeat so memorably in last year’s historic UEFA Cup run.

Gary Beckett is the only certain absentee from tonight’s starting
line-up as Paddy McCourt, Peter Hutton and Sean Hargan all return
to the squad after sitting out the stalemate against Bohemians at
Dalymount Park at the weekend.

After last year’s European exploits which took them to Sweden,
Scotland and France, Derry would be desperately disappointed to bow
out at the first time of asking this summer.

If the Lone Moor Road side win today’s encounter they would face yet
another long journey to the Ukraine where Shaktar Donesk await in
the next round.

The financial benefits to the club who progresses will not have escaped
the clubs directors. Derry will receive an additional E100,000 if they
defeat Pyunik on their home soil and progress into the next phase of
the Champions League.

Not to mention the opportunity to further improve any future seeding
for Irish clubs in European competitions.

Robertson has revealed he is confident his side is strong enough to
continue its European adventure.

"The incentive is a tie against Ukrainian side, Shaktar Donesk in
the next round and that’s massive for everyone associated with Derry
City. That’s the motivation and I’m confident that my players will
give a good account of themselves,"Derry should have learned from
Paris St Germain last year when they went to France in exactly the
same position after a goalless draw and conceded two quick goals at
the start of the game.

Today’s match will be screened ‘live’ on RTE television with the
programme starting at 3.50 p.m. with the kick off at 4.00 p.m. And
both Radio Foyle and RTE Radio One will also broadcast the game ‘live’
from Armenia.

ARMENIA MAY GET ABOUT 130MLN FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF EUROPEAN NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY PROGRAMS

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 25 2007

YEREVAN, July 25. /ARKA/. Armenia may get about ~@130mln for the
implementation of a program of the Armenia-EU cooperation program,
RA Deputy Foreign Minister Armen Baiburdyan told reporters.

The EU planned to allocate ~@100mln to Armenia, but if the program
is a success, the financing will be increased up to ~@130mln by the
fifth year of its implementation, Baiburdyan said.

He pointed out that in 2007 alone the EU is to allocate ~@21mln to
Armenia in the form of two tranches – ~@16mln and ~@5mln for the
implementation of specific programs.

Baiburdyan also reported that the funds will be supplied to Armenia
this autumn.

Earlier, RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development Nerses
Yeritsyan pointed out that a total of ~@100mln will be allocated
for the implementation of measures under the Armenia-EU cooperation
program. The funds will be allocated as a grant.

ACCORDING TO SHAVARSH KOCHARIAN, NKR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS ESSENTIALLY DIFFER FROM ARMENIAN ONES IN POSITIVE SENSE

Noyan Tapan
Jul 24, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 24, NOYAN TAPAN. Fair and democratic elections were held
in the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh on July 19, which, in difference
to the previous ones, were alternative elections. This statement was
made by Shavarsh Kocharian, the Chairman of the Board of the National
Democratic Party, who took part in the presidential elections of the
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh as an observer, in his interview with
a Noyan Tapan correspondent.

According to him, those elections essentially differ from the ones
held in Armenia in a positive sense, as there was no tension or
mutual distrust.

"Irrespective of the existence of an external danger, the people
realized the necessity to go forward towards democracy," Shavarsh
Kocharian mentioned.

He believes that the process of democratization in Karabakh has become
evident in the past seven years, in particular. Shavarsh Kocharian
is of the opinion that the preconditions for the success of the
presidential elections were created still during the elections of
the local authorities, when the opposition achieved great success and
the representative of the opposition was elected Major of Stepanakert.

The Head of the National Democratic Party regarded the statements made
by international institutions concerning non-recognition of Karabakh
as illogical. According to Shavarsh Kocharian, if the inhabitants of
the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh followed their persuasions and did
not have Constitution, did not hold elections, a referendum, then "the
country would turn into a country of field commanders like Chechnya."

ARMENIA REBURIES MANOOGIANS
By Laura Swan, Free Press Special Writer

Detroit Free Press, United States
0070719/NEWS01/707190431/1003
July 19 2007

The remains of Detroit philanthropist Alex Manoogian and his wife were
removed from St. John’s Armenian Church in Southfield and reburied
this week at the Holy Etchmiadzin in their native Armenia.

Manoogian, best known for his donation of the Manoogian mansion
that has served as the official residence for the city’s mayor,
died in 1996. His wife, Marie Manoogian, died three years before
him. They are survived by two children, six grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.

At the request of Karekin II, supreme patriarch and Catholicos of
Armenians, the Manoogians were reburied Tuesday in a place of honor
where only former patriarchs of the Armenian church lie.

Services and ceremonies were performed with full state and religious
honors. The caskets were escorted by an Armenian armed forces honor
guard to an open-air altar where the supreme patriarch offered the
solemn Repose of the Souls service. The gravesite is in front of the
Treasury Museum, which was built by the Manoogians.

Daughter Louise Manoogian Simone said at the reception following the
service: "Today, I can feel my parents smiling in heaven … grateful
to His Holiness that they will now rest eternally on this blessed
earth of Holy Etchmiadzin, the heart and soul of every Armenian —
past, present and future."

Alex Manoogian moved to Detroit in 1924 and founded what became the
multi-national Masco Corp., which now boasts sales in the billions.

Throughout his life, Manoogian donated money for a variety of
charitable causes. He was named National Hero of Armenia by President
Levon Ter Petrosian in 1993.

NKR PROVED ITS COMMITMENT TO ITS RIGHT OF DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT, RUSSIAN OBSERVERS SAY

armradio.am
20.07.2007 14:20

"We congratulate for the successful conduct of presidential elections
in Nagorno Karabakh. We congratulate also Bako Sahakyan, the winner
of the elections," head of the observation mission from the Russian
Federation, Director of the CIS Institute Konstantin Zatulin declared
during today’s briefing.

"Again Nagorno Karabakh proved its commitment to its right of democracy
and development," he noted. Expressing confidence that in the future
a number of countries will recognize the independence of Kosovo,
Konstantin Zatulin noted that the trend of democratization and
development in Nagorno Karabakh create opportunities for attracting
attention.

It’s worth mentioning that today the group of Russian observers came
forth with a statement on the Presidential elections in NKR. It is
underlined in the statement that the elections were transparent,
free and legal, no frauds were registered. The shortcomings were
of technical character. At the same time, the Russian observers
expressed regret that representatives of the Council of Europe and
other structures do not recognize the results of the elections in NKR.

PERSON, DEMAND FOR WHOM IS FELT IN SOCIETY, CAN BE COMMON CANDIDATE, DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN IS CONVINCED

Noyan Tapan
Jul 19 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 19, NOYAN TAPAN. Aram Sargsian, the Chairman of the
Democratic Party, at the July 19 press conference, said that a person,
demand for whom is felt in society, can be the common candidate for
the presidential elections. In his opinion, those who have declared
that they can be the common candidate, have hurried.

In his words, in case of nominating a common candidate the opposition
should have a common program. A. Sargsian said that first of
all the opposition should decide how to neutralize the system of
falsifications used during the elections. "We all realize very well
that the violations committed during the parliamentary elections were
veiled thanks to that system, and unless we are able to neutralize
this system, we need not hope that the presidential elections will
proceed normally."

In A. Sargsian’s words, amalgamation of political forces is needed on
the threshold of the elections: "The most important is that parties
close to one another by ideology unite: Answering the question of
whether the opposition political forces will be able to put aside the
disagreements and to unite around a common candidate, the Democratic
Party leader said: "I do not think that many people will be able
to put aside their ambitions, on the other hand, we do not see the
person yet, who can be the common candidate."

Meanwhile he considered that such a candidate may emerge "under
conditions of some geographic developments and new problems."

In A. Sargsian’s opinion, complicated fermentations are also proceeding
in the power wing, which we cannot evaluate unequivocally. For
instance, in his words, it is interesting how it happened that Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanian appeared at the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
Parliamentary Conference, in which only Presidents took part.

EARTHQUAKE IN ARMENIA ON THURSDAY

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 19 2007

YEREVAN. July 19. /ARKA/. Three-point earthquake measured on Richter’s
Scale occurred in Armenia on Thursday.

The National Service of Seismic Protection (NSSP) reported that the
underground tremor was fixed in 15 kilometers to the east from the
city of Ashotsk.

According to the NSSP weekly review, during this week in the territory
of Georgia two earthquakes were recorded – on July 16 in 10kms to the
south-west of the city of Dmanisi with three-point strength, and today
– in 45kms to the north-west of Tskhinvali with five-point strength.

Besides, four-point earthquake is recorded Thursday in 50kms to the
north-east of the Iranian city of Tebriz.

No information on victims and damages is provided.