Author: Kharatian Ani

DUEL POSTPONED

Panorama.am
16:32 01/05/2008

The ex champion of IBF professional box light weight class Vik
Darchinyan announced that his duel with the ongoing champion Dmitry
Kirilov will take place on 2 August in Las Vegas. "I have already got
IBO class title and now I wish to get IBF," said Darchinyan adding that
he plans to get all light weight class titles till the end of the year.

"In two weeks Kristin Mikhares in WBC class and Alexander Munos in WBA
class will meet and have a duel. I plan to join all those four belts,"
said Darchinyan. According to Armenian sportsman the duel was planned
to take place on 7 June but the Russian sportsman postponed it.

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
AGBU Press Office
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Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
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PRESS RELEASE

Friday, May 2, 2008

AGBU Lebanon Marks Twin Anniversaries with Special Student Events

AGBU Lebanon District marked two significant anniversaries in April: the
93rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the 102nd anniversary of
the founding of AGBU. The occasions were commemorated by two large
interscholastic events that brought together hundreds of Lebanese
students of Armenian descent.

To mark the 102nd anniversary of the founding of AGBU, a festival took
place on April 15, 2008 on the "Antranig" athletic field of Demirjian
Center in Lebanon under the patronage of the AGBU Lebanon District
Committee and the Education Committee, and with the participation of 500
pupils from three local AGBU schools: Tarouhy-Hovaguimian, Levon G.
Nazarian and Boghos K. Garmirian.

In his opening remarks, Hampig Mardirosssian, Secretary of the AGBU
Lebanon District office, greeted those assembled and wished the
organization continued success for its work. He invited Hratch
Karamanoogian, Chairman of the AGBU Education Committee, to convey his
educational message to the attendees.

Participating pupils sang patriotic songs, gave recitations and
performed dances on the occasion. Speaking on behalf of the principals
was Rosette Alemian-Mahseredjian, principal of the Boghos K. Garmirian
School, who mentioned how Boghos Nubar founded AGBU in Cairo in 1906,
and how it quickly became, and continues to be, a positive presence in
the life of Armenians everywhere.

On April 18, a drawing and recitation contest among seven Beirut-area
Armenian schools took place at the Boghos K. Garmirian School on the
occasion of the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the 102nd
anniversary of the founding of AGBU. The event enjoyed the participation
of Yeghishe Manoukian, Rupinian, Vahan Tekeyan, Levon G. Nazarian,
Boghos K. Garmirian and Armenian Catholic Kevork Harboyian schools, as
well as the Armenian Evangelical College.

Opening remarks were delivered by Hampig Mardirossian, who pointed out
that the greatest challenge and triumph is to keep the Armenian language
and culture alive in the younger generation. He spoke about how the
architects of the Armenian Genocide wished to annihilate the Armenian
people 93 years ago but "today we still exist. The month of April has
ceased to be a month of mourning and has become a month of victory," he
said.

Thereafter, each school participated in the recitation contest with two
pupils (from the fifth and sixth grades). Each pupil was asked to recite
a compulsory poem, followed by one of their own choosing. The compulsory
poem for the fifth grade was Vahan Tekeyan’s "Hayoo Hokin" (The Armenian
Soul), while for the sixth grade it was Tekeyan’s "Ahavor Pan Muh
Ayndegh" (Something Terrible There). The jury was composed of Hampig
Mardirossian, Aida Markarian and Toukhig Avedisian.

Fifth-grade winners were: first place – Yeghig Avedikian (Garmirian),
second place – Houri Jamgotchian (Nazarian) and Arina Tepirdjian (Kevork
Harboyian), and third – Shushan Keshishian (Arm. Evang. Coll.).
Sixth-grade winners were: first place – Maral Torosian (Tekeyan) and
Norair Arpadjian (Garmirian), second place – Lori Mesrobian (Rupinian),
third place – Hovig Atamian (Yeghishe Manoukian) and Lara Kalenderian
(Kevork Harboyian).

The results of the drawing competition were also announced on the same
day. The theme for the fifth-grade drawing contest was spring and
motherhood, while sixth graders were asked to translate the theme of
April 24 as rebirth. The members of the jury were Maral Panossian and
Lena Tchaghlassian. The contest took place at the same time as the
poetry contest.

Fifth-grade winners were: first place – Vera Bozoyian (Kevork
Harboyian), second place – Nayiri Darakdjian (Yeghishe Manoukian), third
place – Sergio Adjemian (Tekeyan). Sixth-grade winners were: first place
– Manoug Djenanian (Kevork Harboyian), second place – Sevag Hadjekian
(Nazarian), third place – Khajag Barsoumian (Yeghishe Manoukian), and
honorable mention – Avedis Melkonian (Garmirian) and Natalie Margossian
(Yeghishe Manoukian).

Approximately 300 pupils participated in the drawing and recitation
contests, and all pupils received small gifts as a token of appreciation
for their work.

The gathering of the pupils ended with words of thanks from Hampig
Mardirossian for the principals, staffs and pupils of the participating
schools.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City with an
annual budget of $34 million, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian
identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian
programs, annually serving some 400,000 Armenians on six continents.

Today.Az, Azerbaijan
May 2 2008

Levon Ter-Petrosyan: "Azerbaijan should not even try to infringe on
the security of Nagorno Karabakh"

02 May 2008 [18:59] – Today.Az

"Azerbaijan should be indifferent to the situation established in
Azerbaijan and should not try to infringe on security of Nagorno
Karabakh".

The due announcement was made by former minister of Armenia Levon
Ter-Petrosyan at the second congress of the all-national movement on
May 2.

"On behalf of the congress, I would like to address the US government
and Millennium Challenges corporation with a demand to abstain from
reducing aid to Armenia, as this will affect not the authorities but
the people.

I would like to tell Azerbaijan not even try to make a use of the
situation in Armenia. They should be indifferent to what is going in
Armenia and should not even try to infringe on the security of Nagorno
Karabakh", said Ter-Petrosyan.

He noted that any aggression of Azerbaijan will face resistance of a
single Armenian people, with those who are not arrested for their
political views, ahead.

"Me personally, will call on all the participants of the congress to
join the army if any insignificant threat of military actions
emerges", said he and demanded from the authorities to start real not
imitation process on the resolution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

/Regnum/

URL:

Armenian Youth Federation – Western Region
104 N. Belmont,
Suite 206
Glendale, CA 91206
Tel. (818) 507-1933
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

April 30, 2008

Contact: Ishkhan Boghossian

ARMENIAN YOUTH FEDERATION – WESTERN REGION
ORGANIZES PROTEST IN FRONT OF TURKISH CONSULATE

Courtesy of Asbarez –
Author: Allen Yekikian

WATCH VIDEO CLIP –

Los Angeles, CA- The Armenian Tricolor waved with determination on the
steps of the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles on Thursday as thousands
of Armenian-Americans came out to demand justice and recognition in
protest of 93 years of Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide.

"93 years, no more tears," was shouted by an estimated 15,000 people
as they marched united along the perimeter of the consulate, located
on the corner of Wilshire blvd and Crescent Heights on Los Angeles’s
historic miracle mile.

"93 years ago, the perpetrators of the Genocide tried to wipe the
Armenian Race off the face of the earth," Jivalagian exclaimed. "All
of us standing here today are living proof, that the goals and desires
of the Turks failed," he added.

The protest featured speeches in both Armenian and English. California
Assembly member Paul Krekorian took the podium to talk about the
relevance of genocide recognition for America, while AYF Educational
Committee Chairman Saro Haroun and AYF Chairman Caspar Jivalagian
followed with inspiring speeches about the youth’s steadfast
commitment to continue the struggle for recognition.

Krekorian, who represents the largest Armenian community outside of
Armenia, told the thousands gathered of his own personal connection
with the Genocide, about his ancestor who was brutally murdered in
Kharpert on June 1915.

"But it is important, not just for our community, but for all
Americans, to commemorate the anniversary of one of the greatest
crimes in human history," stated Krekorian. "Only when Turkey
confesses to their crimes will our people have peace, and Turkey’s
soul be saved, and only then can the world community have any hope of
preventing atrocities like the Genocide from happening now and in the
future," he added.

This year’s protests were held against the backdrop of intensified
activity by the Turkish government to prevent the United States House
of Representatives from finally recognizing the Genocide.

The annual April 24 protest in front of the consulate has become a
uniting force over the past decade for the community’s youth, which
having grown up in America, identify the event as one that helps
connect them to their people’s history.

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) has grown to
become the largest and most influential Armenian American youth
organization; with chapters throughout the United States and
affiliated organizations around the world. Inspired by our past and
motivated by the needs of the future, the AYF actively strives to
advance the social, political, educational and cultural awareness of
all Armenian youth.

###

Photo caption: Members of the Armenian American Community protesting
at Turkish Consulate on April 24, 2008.

"STATEMENT OF RA NA ON NKR REFLECTS RETREATING POLICY," REPRESENTATIVE OF ZHARANGUTIUN FINDS

Noyan Tapan
April 30, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 30, NOYAN TAPAN. Two events connected with the Republic
of Nagorno Karabakh took place during the current four-day sittings
of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. This statement
was made by Stepan Safarian, a member of the Zharangutiun (Heritage)
faction, in the parliament on April 29.

Reminding that the parliament refused to include the bill drafted by
Raffi Hovhannisian, the Head of the given faction, on the recognition
of the independence of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh on the agenda
on the previous day, the MP stressed the significance of the draft in
terms of preventing undesirable phenomena in the negotiation process,
using the precedent of the international recognition of Kosovo in
the interests of Nagorno Karabakh and strengthening the security
guarantees of Nagorno Karabakh.

Touching upon the statement adopted on April 29 on the "Regulation of
the Nagorno Karabakh problem", which was drafted by Tigran Torosian,
the Speaker of the National Assembly, Stepan Safarian mentioned that
"the adoption of a statement reflecting such a cowardly, retreating
policy by the National Assembly" does not advance the interntional
recognition of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh or the process of its
security strengthening for even a step. He persuaded his colleagues
"to keep away from the temptation of drafting and monopolizing issues
and think from the point of view of the national interests."

He took up a machine gun instead of a photo camera

Anahit Danielyan
Hetq.am
26-04-2008 13:34:33 – KarabakhOpen

`Before the war I never thought that I would need a certificate of
disability to get medicine or treatment in hospital,’ says Garik
Harutiunyan, a veteran of war in Artsakh, who is getting treatment for
already 3 months.

Doctors say it is a chronic disease.

`I suffer from headaches all the time but sometimes they are so severe
that I cannot bear it any more. Doctors say it is the consequence of
shell-shock. I have problems with my brain, the vessels become narrow
and the flow of blood is very bad,’ says the 58-year-old azatamartik.

Before the war Garik was a photographer. He had to put down the camera
and take up a machine gun. He fought at Krkjan, Malibeklu, Shushi,
Lachin, Jebrayil.

`In the early 1993 after the liberation of Alashan which is in
Martakert we stayed there overnight and at the dawn the battle started
again. We moved toward Mets Shen and the bridge near Maghavuz where I
was injured from a mine blast. My hands were injured. First I was
treated at the field hospital in Alashan, then I was taken to the
hospital of Stepanakert. In 20 days I returned to the battlefield,’
Garik Harutiunyan says.

He remembers every detail of the battles. He says most losses were in
the fight at Gyulidge. He remembers the fight for the village of
Gyulatagh which is in Martakert. At night they were caught in a siege.

`I went through many hardships but what happened in the end of 1993 was
the worst. In August we moved from Hadrut to Jebrayil. Our guys were
dancing on a hill, celebrating success in fight. Suddenly I noticed a
tank on the opposite hill, I knew the only target were our guys. I
tried to signal but they did not notice. I ran up to them and the shell
exploded in front of me. The wave threw me 20 m away, and I was knocked
out,’ the azatamartik tells with amazing calmness, who was the
commander of the platoon, and afterwards the company.

`When I opened my I eyes, I was in a dugout. I did not feel my body.
For a week I had to lie in the dugout until the next shift arrived,’
Garik says.

In a month after the cease-fire in 1994 his position in the army was
made redundant. In two years he returned to the army but in 1998 he had
to quit service because of health problems.

The azatamartik is now working at one of the schools in Stepanakert as
a worker and gets 23 thousand drams a month.

`I even cannot afford to buy medicine,’ says his wife Arega. Her
husband says if he had known he would need a certificate of disability
to get medicine, he would have prepared a heap of documents.

`However, there are no documents, and I cannot get a certificate of
disability. So I cannot get free medicine and treatment,’ Garik says.

His wife also has problems with health, she has a disability of second
degree but she works to support the family and to buy medicine.

Garik has three children and two grandchildren. Two daughters are
married, Garik lives with his wife and son. The son Igor works for the
factory of furniture and gets 40 thousand drams a month.

Garik Harutiunyan says with sadness that for several years the friends
have not met. `Everyone is busy with their work,’ Garik says.

Young chess player from Karabakh became twice champion of Armenia

Regnum reports.
26-04-2008 13:33:46 – KarabakhOpen

Manuel Petrosyan, 8, who lives in the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh,
became twice champion of chess in the juvenile championships in
Armenia. The Regnum Agency reports that the boy got 8 of 9 in the
competition of 30 chess players under age 10 (7 wins and 2 draws).
In 2006 Manuel Petrosyan participated in the world championship in
Batumi and took the fifth place and got a cup. Manuel has been playing
chess since he was 4.
Another Karabakhi chess player Hovik Hayrapetyan took the second place
in Armenia in the group under 18,

EXAMINATION OF POSTELECTION CASES IN PROCESS

YEREVAN, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The court of Yerevan’s Shengavit
community (chairman – Judge Gagik Poghosian) on April 25 started
examination of Isahak Malkhasian’s case. I. Malkhasian is charged with
violence against a representative of the authorities and illegal
carrying of cold steel, gas or dart weapon. I. Malkhasian is brother of
National Assembly deputy Myasnik Malkhasian charged with instigation of
mass disorder combined with murder and usurpation of state power.

Two policemen of the Shengavit police station – Armen Babayan and Gagik
testified in court. They said that I. Malkhsian did not obey their
demand, refused to give a key to examine his car, started a scuffle,
and finally policemen found two wooden batons and a metal rod in his
car. The defendant said that what was said is not true and that the
witnesses have no relation to the fact of his being taken to the police
station. A third witness will testify at the court sitting scheduled
for April 29, the defendant is also likely to give evidence on April 29.

The court of Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork-Marash communities (chairman –
Judge Yerem Yesoyan) on April 25 made a decision, by which Armen
Avagian was found guilty of committing violence against a
representative of authorities early March 1 and was sentenced to 18
months’ imprisonment.

The court sitting on the case of Hamlet Abrahamian charged with a crime
envisaged by the same article of the Criminal Code was not held due to
the absence of defence lawyer Inessa Petrosian. During the examination
of the case of dismissed majors of the National Security Service (NSS)
Tigran Melkonian and Levon Khachatrian in the same court (chairman –
Judge Gagik Avetisian), a decision was made to hold a closed-door trial
not to make public state secrets. To recap, the indicated dismissed
officers of NSS are charged with a crime envisaged by the CC Article
306 part 1 – divulging a state secret.

IMPOSSIBLE TO ESTABLISH TWO ARMENIAN STATES: HEAD OF STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTER UNDER AUSPICES OF AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT

Trend News Agency
April 24 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 24 April /corr. Trend News S.Agayeva /
It is impossible to establish two Armenian states and the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict should be settled only within the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Such a statement was made
by Elkhan Nuriyev, the Head of Strategic Studies Center under the
auspices of the Azerbaijan President, during the 7th Eurasian Media
Forum which commenced in Almaty on 24 April.

During the second session ‘Separatism and self-determination right’,
Nuriyev made a concrete stance on the Kosovo problem, stating that
Azerbaijan does not recognize Kosovo’s independence and considers
that Kosovo cannot be a precedent for settling other conflicts,
including the Armenian-Azerbaijani problem.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be settled only within the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and international law, said the
Head of the Center.

The speech was supported by other participants of the conference,
representatives of Russia and Kazakhstan, who stated that the
existence of conflicts breaks international laws and standards and the
separatism, as a dangerous case, may bring huge serious consequences
for all countries, Nuriyev reported to TrendNews by telephone from
Almaty on 24 April.

The two-day forum focuses on the relationships of the leading states
with regards to new global contradictions, problems of reaching a
compromise of conflicting sides in the Middle East, South Caucasus,
Central Asia and Balkans.

The Eurasian Forum annually brings together more than 400
representatives from 60 countries worldwide. The key goal of the
Forum is to create opportunities to the participants to listen and
understand the voice of the people representing other countries,
cultures as well as understanding the reality and its prospects.

The Forum is being attended by outstanding politicians, international
experts, including the former Assistant to the U.S. President for
National Security Affairs, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Head of Russian
Foundation for Efficient Policy, Gleb Pavlovski, Head of Programs
for Russia and Eurasia, the Heritage Foundation, Ariel Koen and
other dignatories.

ARMENIANS COMMEMORATE GENOCIDE
Clint Olivier & Charlene Lee

KMPH Fox 26, CA –
April 25 2008

Hundreds gathered at Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Downtown
Fresno, to pray and remember.

"It’s not just recognizing the Armenian Genocide, but it’s recognizing
all genocide in general," Jennifer Torosian said.

Torosian and Knar Mekhitarian are members of the campus Armenian
organization at Fresno State.

Torosian isn’t unlike other worshippers, who have a personal connection
to the tragedy.

Torosian’s grandparents were tailors, and only survived by making
uniforms for the Turkish Army.

"There was a genocide committed, and now we’re asking for justice,"
Father Vahan Gostanian said.

He is talking about another element of the April 24th story,
reaffirming support for lawmakers in Congress to keep working toward
official recognition of the killings.

Former state lawmaker Chuck Poochigian agrees and blames the pressure
placed on U.S. lawmakers by Turkey’s government for the delay.

"It’s very painful for Armenians around the world to have to deal
with the denial of that historical fact," Poochigian said.

And on this solemn 93rd anniversary, Jennifer Torosian says she’s
committed to using what she knows about the struggle of her ancestors,
to make the world a better place for everyone.

"History will repeat itself if we don’t stop and learn from our
mistakes in the past," she said.

Attendees point to the mass killings in Darfur and the Sudan in Africa
as places where genocide is still going on, and must be stopped.