Author: Karapetian Hovik

DIASPORA ARCHITECTS IN WORLD EXPO 2010 SHANGHAI

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am

A ug 6 2009

On August 5, 2009 RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan received
"Expo 2010 Shanghai" organizing committee members. The issue
of architects from Diaspora was discussed, Diaspora Ministry’s
press service and public relations department informed NEWS.am. In
particular, it recalls Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s
offer to involve Diaspora architects in"Better City- Better Life"
project made at Architects’ conference.

The organizing committee members were particularly interested in the
activities of Pan-Armenian forum of Archtects and "Association of
Armenian Architects" established as a result, architects’ professional
works in the Internet, as well as other operations of RA Ministry
of Diaspora.

Hranush Hakobyan represented the website outlining that it provides an
opportunity for Armenian architects all over the globe to communicate,
submit projects and run dicussions. The Minister also stated the
website can be an instrumental for contacting Diaspora architects
and get their feedback on "Better City- Better Life" project.

TURKEY CHARGES 52 MORE PEOPLE IN COUP PLOT

Reuters
Aug 5 2009
UK

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Turkish prosecutor on Wednesday indicted 52
more people on charges of plotting a coup in an expansion of a case
that has pitted the pro-Islamist government against the secularist
establishment.

Nearly 150 people, including senior generals, are already on
trial under two previous indictments in the so-called Ergenekon
case. Prosecutors charge the ultra-nationalist network planned
assassinations and bomb attacks to stir unrest to pave the way for
a military intervention.

The Istanbul prosecutor submitted the 1,454-page indictment charging
the suspects of crimes that include attempting to overthrow Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s government, forming illegal, armed gangs
and undermining the Turkish state, the state-run Anatolian news
agency reported.

Among the suspects are retired generals, including the former chairman
of the National Security Council, a labor leader, university rectors
and the former head of the Higher Education Council, which regulates
universities, Anatolian said.

They are charged with crimes that include plans to attack Turkey’s
Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II and a leader of the Alevi community,
Anatolian said.

Erdogan’s critics have said the case is a crackdown against his
political opponents who believe the government is eroding Turkey’s
secular constitution. His supporters say the Ergenekon trial is an
effort to eradicate shadowy forces that have undermined stability in
the European Union candidate nation.

The first hearing in the latest indictment is scheduled for September
7. The first trial began last year. Most of the defendants are in
police custody.

DEMOCRATS UNANIMOUSLY ENDORSE PAUL KREKORIAN

Asbarez
mously-endorse-paul-krekorian/
Aug 4, 2009

VALLEY GLEN-The Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley unanimously
endorsed Paul Krekorian Monday night in his bid for the City Council’s
Second District, a potentially game-changing move for the Sept. 22
race. The 57-0 vote was an unprecedented moment in the group’s history.

"As a lifelong Democrat, I am elated to have the unanimous support of
these Valley activists who have joined me in this movement to reform
city government and make it work for us," Krekorian said. "With this
base of support, we can now springboard toward doing the important
work of representing the Valley during this especially important time
of great economic peril and uncertainty. This Democratic partnership
for change sends a clear message that my campaign is a grassroots
movement of the community and for the community."

Krekorian now counts more than three dozen community groups, leaders
and advocates among his endorsements.

Recently, he was endorsed by Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and
has been supported by dozens of legislative leaders from U.S. House
of Representatives, the state Assembly and state Senate.

"It was a great honor to throw our unconditional support behind Paul –
an action this group has never undertaken," said Agi Kessler, chair of
the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley. "Paul’s long record
of action and representation led all of us to believe that he will
be ready to face the challenges on Day One to improve the Valley. We
were pleased to support him and are wiling to do all we can to ensure
Paul is our City Councilman."

REGULAR MEETING OF OFFICE ADJACENT TO RA MINISTER OF DIASPORA TAKES PLACE

Noyan Tapan
Aug 3, 2009

YEREVAN, AUGUST 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The draft of the
Program Stimulating Process of Repatriation as well as issues relating
to letters from citizens got by the RA Ministry of Diaspora in the
first hall of 2009, events dedicated to the one-year celebration
of the Ministry, activity of the One Nation, One Culture fund were
discussed on the agenda of the July 31 meeting of the office adjacent
of the RA Minister of Diaspora.

At the beginning RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobian stated that
the first two-week stage of the Come Home program was finished. Its
final event, the farewell evening was held with RA President Serzh
Sargsyan’s participation. Many of the meeting participants assured
that the first stage of the Come Home program passed with success
and assist development of ties between both Homeland-Diaspora and
different communities of Diaspora.

According to the Press and Publuc Relations Department of the
RA Ministry of Diaspora, based on the fact that repatriation
is observed in the RA President’s and RA government’s programs
as the most important element of the state policy as well as
taking into consideration the importance of repatriation for
solution of the demographic problems of the Republic of Armenia
and territorial-military problems of the republic, the Ministry of
Diaspora remade the draft of the program stimulating the process of
repatriation .

The draft involves the problems existing in the difficult and
many-stage process of repatriation, involving joint consistent
activity of the Homeland and Diaspora, including complete integration
of repatriates in the public, political, cultural and social-economic
life of Armenia.

In the sense of protecting the Armenian identity, different parts
of the Diasporan Armenians from the process of being estranged
and returning them to the Homeland, repatriation, in general, is
the pledge of keeping Armenian identity, so members of the office
adjacent to the RA Ministry of Diaspora made a decision to assume the
worked out document as a basis: draft to Program Stimulating Process
of Repatriation.

The Program Stimulating Process of Repatriation consists of the
following sections:

1. Stages and structures of organization of the process of
repatriation,

2. Problems of integration of repatriates and ways of their solution,

3. The goal, problems and principles of the RA Law on Repatriation.

The next issue of the agenda touched upon the works done by the
RA Ministry of Diaspora in the first half of 2009, reception of
citizens of Armenia and foreign ones, their proposals, applications
and protests. According to Staff Secretariate Chief of the RA
Ministry of Diaspora Gayane Mkhitarian, 899 proposals, applications
and protests of most various character (671 from RA citizens, 228
from foreign citizens) were got at the Ministry in the period of
time from 08.01.2009-01.07.2009. All the got letters were put in
corresponding process.

The list of events dedicated to the one-year anniversary of the
RA Ministry of Diaspora was introduced to the office members. It
involved most various events presenting the one-year activity of
the RA Ministry of Diaspora, a special issue of the Hayern Aysor
electronic newspaper, Armenian and English language publication
of the collection of official materials on the Homeland-Diaspora
collaboration, formation of a presentation, etc.

The next issue of the agenda touched upon programs of the One
Nation, One Culture fund. The fund, in keeping with its programs,
implemented preliminary activities in Armenia and Diaspora for proper
organization of the One Nation, One Culture festival in 2010. It was
considered necessary to organize and assist preparation and training
of specialists of the sphere of culture, creation of information data
base and net, activities on development of cultural business in the
RA. The list of programs implemented by the One Nation, One Culture
fund as well as of events scheduled for the second half of 2009 and
for 2010 was also represented.

AZERI COURT DROPS CHARGES AGAINST TRANSLATOR OF HITLER’S "MEIN KAMPF"

APA
July 29 2009
Azerbaijan

A court in Azerbaijan has dropped charges against an editor who
translated Hitler’s "Mein Kampf" into the Azerbaijani language and
published it in his newspaper, APA news agency said on 29 July.

Baku’s Narimanov district court dropped charges of "provoking national,
racial, social or religious hatred and hostility" against the editor
of Xural newspaper, Avaz Zeynalli.

Criminal proceedings against Zeynalli were launched after the leader
of the community of mountain Jews in Azerbaijan, Semyon Ixiilov,
appealed to the country’s president over the publication.

"This is a very important decision," APA quoted Zeynalli as
saying. "This decision is a proof of the independence of Azerbaijani
courts. Finally, the process that started on 4 December 2004 has
ended and readers have regained the right to read books in their
native language."

Zeynalli also said that he was translating Russian politician
Vladimir Zhirinovskiy’s "Last strike on south" and Armenian writer
Zori Balayan’s "Fire" and planning to publish them, APA said.

RUSSIAN PM PUTIN TO VISIT TURKEY NEXT WEEK

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
30.07.2009 20:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will visit
Turkey next week upon an invitation by his Turkish counterpart Recep
Tayyip Erdogan.

Putin will arrive in Turkey on August 6 on a working trip, RF
Government official website reported.

Putin and Turkish officials will discuss issues of energy, problems
experienced by Turkish truck drivers at Russian customs points, the
construction of the first nuclear power plant in Turkey, bilateral
relations as well as regional cooperation, AA reported.

NEW RA AMBASSADOR TO KIRGIZIA APPOINTED

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
28.07.2009 12:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On July 27, RA President Serzh Sargsyan signed a
decree on appointment of RA Ambassador to Kazakhstan Vasili Ghazaryan
to the second position of RA Ambassador to Kirgizia (residence in
Astana), RA President’s Press Service reported.

AVET ADONTS HANDS HIS CREDENTIALS TO CHAIRMAN OF COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN UNION

Noyan Tapan
July 28, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 28, NOYAN TAPAN. Head of Armenia’s representation in EU,
Ambassador Avet Adonts, on July 27, handed his credentials to Frank
Belfrage, the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Sweden presiding
in the European Union.

A. Adonts presented the latest developments of the negotiations
proceeding over the Nagorno Karabakh problem and the current condition
of Armenian-Turkish relations.

The Chairman of the Council of the European Union expressed
satisfaction with the current tendencies of deepening Armenia-EU
relations. He reaffirmed EU’s assistance to the peaceful process
implemented with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group.

According to a report by the RA Foreign Ministry Press and Information
Department, the interlocutors touched upon the possibilities of
cooperation by the Eastern Partnership program emphasizing the
importance of many-sided cooperation format.

STEPS ARE UNDERTAKEN TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF IT SPHERE IN THE RA PROVINCES

ARMENPRESS
JULY 27, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS: Nearly 80% of internet users in the
republic come to share for Yerevan, and 20% – for the provinces.

Head of the Union of IT enterprises Karen Vardanian told Armenpress
that considerable works should be implemented to ensure the internet
availability in the provinces.

"If the mentioned 20% we divide between all the provinces of the
republic we will have a very sad result. A few days ago the heads of
the companies of our Union discussed the opportunities of development
of IT technologies in the provinces with the vice Prime Minister Armen
Gevorgian. The fact that the state as well as the private sector have
an interest in conduction of the works in this direction is pleasing,"
K. Vardanian noted.

According to him, the IT companies wish utmost greater number of
residents to make use of their services, the state in its turn is
concerned with the establishment of information society, which will
contribute to the development of the economy.

Companies involved in the Union of IT Enterprises are ready to assist
and apply their experience in the development of the IT sphere in
the provinces.

K. Vardanian said that during the meeting with A. Gevorgian it has
been suggested to implement a pilot project of internet spread in a
village of a province.

"It is good to present suggestions and new ideas, but the support
of the Governors’ offices and necessary steps conducted by them are
also essential in the issue of the realization of these projects,"
K. Vardanian added.

A cooperation agenda is planned to be formed by August 15 and before
that the heads of Companies of the Union of IT Enterprises and the
Governors will meet together.

Today.Az, Azerbaijan
July 25 2009

Participation of both Nagorno-Karabakh communities in talks crucial to
achieve peace: U.S. Azeris Network

25 July 2009 [12:30] – Today.Az

U.S. Azeris Network (USAN) has sent a letter to President Barack Obama
concerning the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

USAN Managing Director Adil Baguirov said they aimed to put an end to
the speculations of ultranationalist and radical Armenian forces in
the U.S. over the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations.

`As Azerbaijani-Americans, we greatly appreciate your joint
declaration with Presidents of France and Russia, your phone calls
about NK conflict with President Aliyev and President Gul, the
reinvigorated work of the OSCE Minsk Group of which U.S. is a
co-chair, the more equitable and fair foreign assistance FY2010
requests in line with previous years requests. We urge you, Vice
President Biden, Secretary Clinton and your Administration to step up
such positive efforts in the future, as well as visiting the
U.S. strategic ally Azerbaijan to witness the challenges and effects
of the occupation of 16% of Azerbaijan and displacement of some 12% of
its population by Armenia’, USAN said in its letter.

`Our key aspiration is the liberation of all occupied Azerbaijani
lands through the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
on the basis of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. We believe that
one of our most important objectives as a community of people tracing
their heritage to the land of Azerbaijan is to educate our government
and lawmakers to assist in enhancement of the bilateral ties between
Azerbaijan and the United States. Azerbaijani-Americans support the
long-term strategic allied relations between the United States and
Azerbaijan, and we fully encourage the development of bilateral
cooperation between America and all Turkic nations’, the letter said.

Hence, we welcome your positive steps in resolving the NK conflict,
and offer you our full support in light of relentless criticism from
ultranationalist and maximalist Armenian special interest groups that
have built their entire raison d’etre on creating and perpetuating
only negativism, hate mongering and intimidation.

USAN reminded that it is Armenia that is occupying Azerbaijan for
almost two decades now, not the other way around, and it is Armenia
that caused almost a million Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs, and
according to U.S. Government, committed `crimes against humanity’ in
Azerbaijan, such as the largest war crime in the region, the Khojaly
Massacre in 1992. `Armenia’s creation of a straw-man in the form of
the so-called `Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR)’, an entity recognized
by no one, including its own creator, is especially unhelpful to the
peace process and causes nothing but irritation and tensions in the
region. With multiple U.S. Government statements clearly calling a
spade a spade, and with the U.N. Security Council adopting four
resolutions calling for the immediate withdrawal of Armenian military
forces from Azerbaijan, to restore the territorial integrity and
sovereignty of Azerbaijan’.

`It should be further stressed once again, that we all fully and
unequivocally support the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. No
question about it, NK has to remain part of Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, we
also recognize the other Helsinki Final Act principles of equal rights
and self-determination of peoples, which are envisioned within the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan’.

`Per equal rights and the participation of interested parties to the
conflict, indeed, the engagement of Karabakh’s ethnic communities in
negotiations is an absolute must for reestablishing peace in that
region. In fact, the conditions for an equal engagement of all parties
in the conflict were already enshrined in the "Baker Rules" proposed
in 1992 by the first peacemaking mission of the CSCE Minsk Group, led
by then U.S. Secretary of State, James Baker III. These rules, agreed
to by all sides, recognized the two ethnic communities of the
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan as the "interested parties", and
Armenia and Azerbaijan ` as the "principal parties".

`However, the radical Armenian lobby organizations stop short of
mentioning the ethnic Azerbaijani community, which prior to the
conflict in 1988 comprised a third of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population
and 99% of the population of the seven other, surrounding and
currently occupied, regions of Azerbaijan. It shall be understood that
while the present conditions of Armenia’s military occupation preclude
the participation of Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian community in the peace
process, a lasting peace in Nagorno-Karabakh can only be achieved
after the return and peaceful co-existence of the region’s both ethnic
communities, cessation of all occupation, and moving away from
constant and continuous attempts to stonewall the peace process,
intimidate elected officials, and attempt to preserve the status quo
of continuous military occupation’, said USAN.

On Friday, the American-Azerbaijani Council also issued a statement on
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The statements were made after that the
leader of the Armenian National Committee of America Kenneth
Khachikian sent a letter to President Obama noting the necessity of
involving the so-called `Nagorno Karabakh Republic’ in the
negotiations over the conflict solution.

/APA/

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