Author: Khondkarian Raffi

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION IS UNDER CONSIDERATION OF HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Arminfo
2007-02-22 13:36:00

The resolution is now before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs,
whose chairman, Rep. Tom Lantos of California, has supported the
Armenian genocide resolution in recent sessions, though he opposed
it in the past.

Turkey was so alarmed by a proposed House resolution calling the
mass slaughter of Armenians by Turks during World War I a "genocide"
that it dispatched its foreign minister to persuade American Jewish
leaders to lobby against it. At a suite at the Willard Hotel in
Washington on February 5, Abdullah Gul met with representatives
of the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, American
Jewish Congress, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Friends
of Lubavitch, Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, and
United Jewish Communities.

According to one participant in the meeting, the Turkish foreign
minister "made a hard sell," against House resolution 106, whose short
title is "Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian
Genocide Resolution." This participant, who asked not to be named,
said Mr. Gul appealed to the assembled Jewish representatives by noting
the singularity of the German genocide against the Jews and warning
that the House resolution, if passed, would rupture American-Turkish
relations.

The Turks have reason to be worried. Although the resolution has
faced opposition from the House leadership in previous congressional
sessions, the current speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of
California, is said to support it. Indeed, Ms. Pelosi has supported
similar resolutions in the past.

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO GERMANY BELIEVES THAT THERE ARE UNUSED OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ARMENIAN-GERMAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION

MediaMax, Armenia
Feb 21 2007

Yerevan, February 21 /Mediamax/. The Chairmanship of Germany in
the European Union can play a positive role in the Armenian-German
political cooperation.

Mediamax reports that the Armenian Ambassador to Germany Karine
Kazinian said this in the "Friday" press club today. According to
him, during the period of Armenia’s independence the volume of German
investments in the Armenian economy made over 200mln euro; and the
annual trade turnover between the two countries reaches 400mln euro.

At the same time, the Ambassador thinks that the given indices are
not high, taking into consideration Germany’s potential.

Karine Kazinian stressed that there are unused opportunities from
the point of view of mutually beneficial cooperation in the sphere
of chemical industry, mechanical engineering and etc.

The Ambassador informed that officially there are 30 thousand Armenians
residing in Germany.

GEORGIA, ARMENIA DISCUSS BORDER DELIMITATION

Civil Georgia, Georgia
Civil.ge ()
Feb 21 2007

21 February 2007 – Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Giorgi Manjgaladze
met with an Armenian delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Gegam
Garibjanyan in Tbilisi on February 20 to discuss border delimitation
issues.

According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the sides agreed on several
sections of the Georgian-Armenian border. However, no details of the
agreement are reported.

The two countries have already made some progress in delimiting the
110-kilometer long Georgian-Armenian border.

Later on the same day the Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister met with
Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili to discuss bilateral
relations between Armenia and Georgia.

ADOPTION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION BY GERMANY IS ADVANCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.02.2007 18:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution by
Germany in 2005 is a great advance, RA Ambassador to Germany Karine
Ghazinyan told a news conference in Yerevan. According to her,
it’s extremely hard to pass such a resolution in state where the
Turkish Diaspora is the most numerous and the Armenian community is
not influential.

Ghazinyan remarked that importance of the resolution is not diminished
by the absence of term "genocide".

"The document maintains the word "extermination" what is semantically
identical with genocide," she said.

July 16, 2005 the German Bundestag unanimously passed a resolution
titled "The Day of Commemoration of Armenians on the Occasion of the
90th Anniversary of 1915, April 24 Massacre: Germany Should Contribute
to Reconciliation between Armenians and Turks."

ACCORDING TO HAYRIKIAN’S ESTIMATION, PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ARE ALREADY COMPLETED IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Feb 20 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. "The parliamentary elections are
already completed in Armenia," Paruyr Hayrikian, the Chairman of the
National Self-Determination Union finds. He stated at the February 20
press conference that there are two forces in the political field of
Armenia in the case of participation of which "the elections will be
falsified as they present financial resources instead of presenting
an idea."

P.Hayrikian did not exclude that the National Self-Determination
Union will not at all participate in the elections, and P.Hayrikian
was against nominating his candidature by the majoritarian electoral
system. However, in the case of participation in the elections, the
National Self-Determination Union will not stay alone. In P.Hayrikian’s
words, negotiations are carried out in that direction with different
political forces.

P.Hayrikian did not exclude creation of a joint front to boycott
the elections. In his words, the effective variant of a boycott is
unification of healthy political forces.

19TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION MOVEMENT BEING CELEBRATED IN NKR TODAY

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Feb 20 2007

Today RA Defense Minister Serge Sargsian presented the Nagorno-Karabagh
Republic /NKR/ Defense Army with RA State order "Tigran Mets" for
"great services to the Motherland" in Stepanakert. Two military units –
the Central Defense region and the NKR Defense Army Zenithal-Missile
Brigade – have been awarded an order "Battle Cross" of the first and
second degrees.

The ceremony of rewarding was held in the Revival Square, DE FACTO
own correspondent in Stepanakert reports.

Answering the journalists’ questions, Serge Sargsian noted the army
should do its best for the political leadership to more confidently
negotiate on the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict settlement. He disagreed
with an opinion that the political situation in Armenia was so serious
that it could imperil RA and Nagorno-Karabagh’s borders.

According to the Minister, the fact that the nation can gather on
the square and celebrate its memorable days is great achievement.

In connection with the 19th anniversary of the Karabagh
national-liberation movement the youth’s march was held in
Stepanakert. The participants of the march carried the Nagorno-Karabagh
Republic’s flag along the city streets.

To remind, February 20, 1988 the session of the Nagorno-Karabagh
Autonomous Region People’s Deputies Council rendered a decision to
apply before the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for the region’s cession
from Azerbaijan to Armenia, which marked the beginning of a new stage
of the Karabagh movement.

PROGRESS IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT SHOULD FOLLOW ARMENIAN ELECTIONS

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS General Newswire
February 20, 2007 Tuesday

Parliamentary elections to be held in Armenia on May 12 should open up
real opportunities for settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian said at a press conference on Tuesday.

"I cannot rule out that we could reach significant results in settling
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by the end of this year.

However, my optimism is cautious, because I have been involved in the
settlement process for about 14 years, and there have been times when
the sides were close to concluding a deal on the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue," Oskanian said.

"The document now on the negotiating table inspires hope for
a settlement and, in the final analysis, provides the chance for
settling the conflict," he said.

"Following the parliamentary elections in Armenia, the sides will
have a tangible opportunity to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
if the sides display enough political will," he said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is currently
visiting Yerevan, also said he hopes that "the document that has been
drawn up in the past months should serve as a basis for the parties
to resolve the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh by the end of this year."

ROBERT KOTCHARIAN : " LA TURQUIE DOIT DEMANDER PARDON "
Propos Recueillis Par Pierre Rousselin

Le Figaro, France
19 fevrier 2007

LE FIGARO. – Comment jugez-vous l’attitude de la France sur la
penalisation de la negation du genocide armenien ? Robert KOTCHARIAN.

– Nous sommes reconnaissants a la France d’avoir donne force de loi
a la reconnaissance du genocide armenien.

Je sais qu’il y a des ­tentatives d’aller plus loin. Elles ne sont pas
de notre initiative mais resultent plutôt des efforts de la communaute
armenienne. C’est une affaire politique interne a la France, et
il lui revient de trouver les formules qui lui conviennent. Mais,
bien evidemment, l’Armenie ne peut qu’etre d’accord avec tout ce
qui concerne la reconnaissance du genocide armenien. Les relations
de votre pays avec la Turquie peuvent-elles s’ameliorer après le
meurtre a Istanbul du journaliste armenien Hrant Dink ? Les avis
divergent mais je pense que cet assassinat n’aura pas d’influence,
une fois passe le choc initial. Le problème est beaucoup plus profond
et prend sa source dans l’histoire du peuple turc. Les empires ont
toujours du mal a demander pardon et c’est encore plus vrai lorsqu’il
s’agit d’un empire oriental. Pourquoi l’Armenie refuse-t-elle la
proposition turque de creer un comite mixte d’historiens sur la
question du genocide ? La normalisation des rapports bilateraux
incombe aux gouvernements et non aux historiens.

C’est pourquoi nous sommes prets a etablir avec la Turquie des
relations diplomatiques sans conditions prealables, a creer une
commission intergouvernementale et a discuter de toutes les questions,
y compris les plus ­sensibles. Sur le continent europeen, plusieurs
pays ont des differends historiques ou territoriaux. Ceci ne les
empeche pas d’avoir des frontières ouvertes, des relations normales,
et de discuter parallèlement des problèmes existants. La vraie question
est la suivante : pourquoi les autorites d’Ankara refusent-elles l’idee
de la creation d’une commission intergou­vernementale pour trouver
des solutions a tous les problèmes bilateraux ? Une adhesion de la
Turquie a l’Union europeenne serait-elle bonne pour l’Armenie ? Le
processus de l’adhesion a l’UE suppose de serieuses reformes pour la
transformation de la societe turque. Cela signifie une progression vers
une Turquie plus previsible, plus ouverte, plus tolerante vis-a-vis
des minorites, plus disposee a reevaluer son histoire, etc. En outre,
avec une adhesion de la Turquie, nous aurions une frontière avec l’UE,
ce qui serait evidemment positif. Mais nous ne voulons pas d’une
adhesion a l’Union " a credit ". N’oublions pas que les negociations
ont ete entamees avec un pays bloquant ses frontières avec son voisin,
sans parler du problème non resolu des relations avec Chypre. Quelle
solution esperez-vous pour le Haut-Karabakh, territoire azerbaïdjanais
peuple d’Armeniens, dont vous exigez l’independance ?

Tout peuple a un droit absolu a son independance. Il n’y a pas
d’exemple d’un peuple qui ait dû renoncer a son independance après
l’avoir acquise dans les faits. Il est absurde de parler de l’integrite
territoriale de l’Azerbaïdjan, car le Haut-Karabakh a acquis son
independance lors de l’effondrement de l’URSS dans un processus
juridique irreprochable et n’a jamais fait partie de l’Azerbaïdjan
independant. Les negociations ne peuvent viser qu’a fixer un delai
pour la reconnaissance de l’independance du Haut-Karabakh au moyen
d’un referendum. Votre visite a Paris coïncide avec l’Annee de
l’Armenie en France. Êtes vous satisfait des relations bilaterales
? L’organisation de l’Annee de l’Armenie en France temoigne des
relations exceptionnelles entre nos deux pays. Je voudrais souligner
le soutien de la France dans l’approfondissement de la cooperation
avec les structures europeennes, la mediation active et le rôle
constructif de la France dans le processus du règlement du conflit
du Haut-Karabakh. Nos relations economiques sont par ailleurs en
progression. De grandes compagnies francaises sont presentes dans
les branches diverses de notre economie. Nous attachons enfin une
importance majeure a la cooperation dans les domaines culturel,
de recherche et d’enseignement. L’Universite Francaise d’Erevan
est ainsi devenue une des ecoles d’enseignement superieur les plus
prestigieuses du pays.

–Boundary_(ID_PXLExyCca/qgLH6dGG1XgA)–

BELOW 7 YEARS OLD CHILDREN AS WELL TO MAKE USE OF PRIVILEGES OF GETTING FREE AND AT A DISCOUNT MEDICINE IN 2007

Noyan Tapan
Feb 19 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, NOYAN TAPAN. Medical assistance of 15 bln 581 mln
drams (about 4.3 mln U.S. dollars) will be implemented in 2007 within
the framework of the state order by all the health care organizations
of Yerevan. It is 13.7% more compared with the previous year. As Armen
Soghomonian, the Chief of the Yerevan Mayor’s Office Health Care and
Social Insurance Department stated at the February 19 press conference,
medical assistance of 6 bln 152 mln drams will be implemented within
the framework of the state order this year by institutions subject to
the Mayor’s Office. It is 15.2% more as compared with the previous
year. He mentioned that paid services of 2 bln 409 mln drams were
implemented in 2006 by the same health care organizations, what is 3.4%
more as compared with the previous year. It was also mentioned that 168
436 citizens got medical assistance in the stationary system of Yerevan
in 2006, what is 7% more as compared with the previous year. 184 927
calls were registered in the Ambulance Service CJSC of Yerevan, what
is 5% more than the index of the previous year. 14304 children were
born in the 10 maternity hospitals of the capital, instead of 13960 of
2005: the growth makes 2.5%. In 2006 the number of the population’s
visits to polyclinic added 29.1% as compared with the previous year,
the number of laboratory-instrumental researches added 35%.

In A.Soghomonian’s words, allocation of free and at a acount medicine
is in process. Below 7 years old children will also make use of it
this year. In his words, the number of people getting medicine with
such conditions grew 20% in 2006, compared with the previous year. The
department chief once more reminded that, according to the order,
only medicine prescribed by a doctor is freely given to citizens.

LIGHT VELOCITY ANISOTROPY

Russia-InfoCenter, Russia
Source: Science & Life

Feb 19 2007

A group of scientists from France, Russia, Italy and Armenia has
performed an experiment in searching possible light velocity anisotropy
(dependence of various properties on direction) in fixed coordinates,
related to relict radiation, in the European centre of studying
synchrotron radiation ESRF (Grenoble, France).

Scientists have studied so called Compton scattering of laser
light on electron beam of electron accelerator with energies of 6
GeV. Previous experiments showed no signs of anisotropy, however,
current experiment has positive results with validity of 10 standard
deviations from background.

Such effects scientists explain by existence of hypothetic fields of
vectors in space, which have certain directions. No constant errors
were detected during the experiment, but, of course, new data need
further independent verification.