Author: Khondkarian Raffi

HRANUSH KHARATYAN: CERTAIN INTOLERANCE AGAINST ARMENIANS IS BEING SHAPED
By Gohar Gevorgian

AZG Armenian Daily
17/11/2006

15-Year-old Narek Kocharian Killed in Moscow Last Saturday

On November 11, Saturday, Narek Kocharian, 15, was murdered near the
railway station of Ivanteevka town, Pushkin region, Moscow. The young
man was brutally beaten and stabbed with knife for many times.

According to the information rendered by the Union of Armenians of
Russia, the murderers tried to hang or throttle the victim. Besides
a scarf with a "jolly roger" was found near the body prove that the
murderers belonged to the Fascist groups. The Public Prosecutor’s
Office of Ivanteevka has opened investigation into the case.

The frequent cases of murdering of the Armenians aroused the
indignation and concern of the Armenian intelligentsia members. On
November 15, they held a press conference at "Hayeli" club and
discussed the problem.

Levon Ananyan, chairman of RA Writers’ Union, stated that the chain of
murders is endless. He added that they are caused by xenophobia that
is blooming in Russian society, besides, quite an obvious political
order. Ananyan said that there are only two countries in the world,
where Armenians are being killed: Azerbaijan and Russia. Ananyan is
sure that diplomatic circles and intelligentsia members should be
involved in the settlement of the issue. "What does or embassy in
Russia do? Our states also keep silent," he underscored.

In his turn, arts critic Henrik Igitian said Russia doesn’t treat
seriously its own embassy in Armenia.

"The murders are committed and they get no response.

RA Government, RA Foreign Ministry and RA Embassy in Russia should
deal with this issue. We shouldn’t cease our relations with Russia,
but our authorities should touch upon the issue very roughly when
meeting with Putin," Igitian said.

Hranush Kharatian, ethnologist, head of National Minorities
and Religious Issues department at RA Government, said that the
anti-Armenian murders are not only Armenia’s but also Russia’s concern,
as Russia contributes to deepening and spreading of such killings
by characterizing them as criminal cases. "I can see that these is
a political program. Certain intolerance is being shaped against the
Armenians, but not at ethnic level," Kharatyan emphasized.

Professor Hayk Ghazarian, doctor of history, condemned our state that
made 2 millions of Armenians find shelter in Russia. He added that the
Slavonic nations had woken up and carry out the policy of Pan-Slavonism
without respecting other nations. Theatre director Armen Mazmanian
said that we should definitely struggle against this phenomenon,
at the same time, adding that there are wealthy Armenians that can
built an entire city in Russia, adding that none would stand such a
behavior of a stranger in their home city or country. "You shouldn’t
be in Russia, take your millions, get back, take a village in Lachin
and become princes there," he said. In response Mrs.

Kharatyan said that only the victims of the Nazi Russia should come
back and die from starving in Armenia.

Anyway, the intelligentsia members stated that we shouldn’t fear from
Russia, although, they took into account the fact that we depend of
Russia in certain aspects.

PARLIAMENT DISCUSSES HIGHER SALARY FOR TOP PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

Panorama.am
15:07 16/11/06

The Armenian parliament discussed draft law which envisages 40%
higher salary for top public officials starting from July 1, 2007.

Pavel Safaryan, deputy minister of finance and economy, said the bill
is connected with draft budget 2007 and is its component part. He
said the salary of top public officials have not been raised since
2003 whereas the salary of ordinary public employees has risen up to
70%. "As a result, low rank public employees may get higher salary
that top officials," he said also saying similar situation is not
observed in any other country.

In the words of the deputy minister, the draft will cost 710 million
Armenian drams also saying the salary of public officials will depend
on minimum salary which is 20,000 drams in 2007.

NKR SPEAKER MET WITH YOUNG PEOPLE

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
Nov 16 2006

On November 9 NKR Speaker Ashot Ghulian met with some representatives
of youth NGOs of Artsakh on the eve of the international day of the
youth. The speaker of the National Assembly emphasized the role of
the youth NGOs in building a civil society and promoting democracy
in all the spheres of life. He also appreciated that the problems
put forward by these NGOs are relevant to the needs of the society,
and are directed at the resolution of problems in parallel with the
efforts of the government. The speaker of the National Assembly
also asserted the willingness of the leadership of the country,
including the parliament to assist in the development of the youth
organizations. The speaker of parliament answered the questions of
the participants of the meeting on enhancing government control on the
education of the young generation, employment of young people, housing
of young families, establishment of a youth parliament in NKR, etc.

November 16, 2006

PRESS RELEASE

Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

CELEBRATION OF THE 106TH ANNIVERSARY OF HOLY TRINITY CHURCH OF FRESNO

On Sunday, November 12, 2006, the 106th Anniversary of Holy Trinity
Armenian Apostolic Church in Fresno was celebrated with Divine Liturgy
and a sermon by His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
Prelate. Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian, and Rev. Vahan Gosdanian
assisted at the altar. In his sermon, the Prelate credited the founders
of the church, who made every effort possible to establish the church
on solid ground for our children and for the coming generation of
faithful Armenians.

Following Divine Liturgy, the parishioners gathered at the church
social hall where the annual banquet of the church was held. Rev.

Vahan Gosdanian offered the opening prayers, followed by the
singing of the American and Armenian National Anthems by Ms. Angele
Ohannessian. The master of ceremonies was Board of Trustees Chairman
Mr. Jeff Tanielian, and the meal was prepared by the parish Men’s
Society. More than 250 individuals were in attendance to celebrate
the anniversary of the church.

It has become the annual tradition of the parish to honor individuals
for their outstanding service to the church and community. The honorees
this year were Mrs. Patricia Bouloutian, Mrs. Lylian Chooljian,
and Ms. Patricia Sevoian. As the recipients were unaware of the
recognition they were about to receive, this was a pleasant and
special moment for each one of them and their families.

Subsequently, Mr. Hrair Messerlian, chairman of the newly formed
Outreach and Strategic Committee, reported on various concerns
collected through a questionnaire and offered his observations. The
artistic portion of the program consisted of musical selections
in Armenian and English by Salbi Mailyan accompanied by Naira
Shahsouvarian. As the grand finale, Naira pleased everyone by playing
Alexander Haroutounyan’s Sasountsineri Bar on the parish’s new baby
grand piano.

The event concluded with encouraging remarks by the Prelate and Rev.
Vahan Gosdanian, followed by the collective singing of Giligia.

ARMENIAN LIEUTENANT HAS BEEN TAKEN TO GERMANY

A1+
[03:46 pm] 13 November, 2006

Armenian senior lieutenant Georgi Nalbandyan who was injured
as a result of a terrorist act in Iraq on November 11 is out of
danger. Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan informed today that the
officer has been taken to Germany and after recovering will return
to Armenia to continue his military service.

Let us remind you that the leg of the senior lieutenant has been
amputated. "I would like to support his family in these difficult
times. I am sure that we will need his experience and knowledge",
Serge Sargsyan said.

Early in the morning the Defense Minister left for Iraq to get
acquainted with the life of the Armenian peace-keepers, as well as
to meet the Defense Minister of Iraq and the heads of the forces
fulfilling peace-keeping mission.

Let us remind you that in July the fourth shift of the Armenian
peace-keepers left for Iraq.

The Armenian peace-keepers have been leaving for Iraq since January
2005. Each shift consists of 46 soldiers.

Armenian Graduate Students Association at UCLA
c/o Armenian Graduate Students Association
Kerckhoff Hall Room 316
308 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Contact: Raffi Kassabian
Phone: 626.372.4630
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

6TH Annual AGSA Mentorship Series for UCLA Undergraduates

ARMENIAN GRADUATE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (AGSA) TO OFFER HIGHER EDUCATION
GUIDANCE AND A UNIQUE LOOK INTO UCLA’S VARIOUS GRADUATE SCHOOL PROGRAMS

WHAT: Graduate student mentors from various UCLA departments,
including Law, Medicine, Business, Dentistry, Nursing, Near Eastern
Languages & Cultures, Comparative Literature, Biological Sciences,
Computer Sciences, Engineering and Film, will share their experiences
and advice with UCLA undergraduate attendees. The goal of the program
is to encourage undergraduates to pursue graduate level studies by
providing them with information, tools, contacts, and individual
graduate student mentors to help in the long term.

The program is open to all UCLA undergraduates; however, the AGSA
takes a special interest in helping undergraduates who have immigrated
to the United States and who may not be as familiar with graduate
programs and application processes.

The event will include:
~U5:00-6pm: Ethnic Buffet Style Armenian Dinner and Graduate
Student Introductions

~U6-7pm: Small Group Mentorship Sessions for individual graduate
departments led by graduate student representatives

For more information see below

WHEN: Tuesday November 14, 2006 5:00-7pm

WHERE:Kerckhoff Grand Salon, UCLA

CONTACT: Raffi Kassabian, Project Director, 626.372.4630

Sincerely,
Raffi Kassabian
UCLA School of Law, Class of 2008
[email protected]
626-372-4630 (Mobile)

Watertown TAB & Press, MA
Nov 10 2006

Mayrig & Me

By Jillian Fennimore/ Staff Writer
Friday, November 10, 2006

Whether the sound a dog makes when it barks is "huff huff," ”ruff
ruff" or "how how" in Armenian, attentive toddlers at St. Stephen’s
Armenian Preschool easily learn to make that connection once they see
a stuffed puppy dog in the arms of their teacher.

Sitting with legs crossed on the floor of a colorful classroom,
parents and their children watch a teacher make a sparkly fish float
from face to face of each student, and a bird flutter to the sound of
the music.

Well into the school’s inaugural preschool program "Mayrig & Me"
– an Armenian toddler music and movement class first of its kind in
Watertown – turnout has been high and skills are certainly growing.

Mayrig may mean "mother" in Armenian, but Assistant Principal
Heather Krafian said they have welcomed fathers and grandparents into
the mix, too.

"It really varies," she said.

With an age range from 17 months to 3 years of age, Krafian said
they first estimated about six to eight children per class, but now
have 13 in both morning classes each Wednesday.

The new program, which kicked off its fall session on Oct. 18,
plans to end on Dec. 22, with winter classes slated to start the
third week in January.

Funded with support from the Watertown Family Network, and a
grant from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care,
Krafian said the program targets listening and Armenian language
skills, rhythm and beats, along with creativity and physical
coordination through an engaging musical experience.

"If children are not fluent in Armenian, they get the exposure
here," she said.

Mayrig & Me instructor Maro Arakelian holds one-on-one
interactions with the children, while incorporating instruments and
props, speaking and singing in Armenian and witnessing their change
in demeanor and confidence.

"They are very active now," she said. "I see them as more social,
getting up and moving across the room."

Arakelian also teaches "Music & Movement" to preschool students
at St. Stephen’s, in addition to a bi-weekly music class.

Zaman Online, Turkey
Nov 10 2006

Brussels Insistent on Freedom of Speech, Opening Ports to Cyprus
By Selcuk Gultasli
Thursday, November 09, 2006
zaman.com

On Wednesday, the European Union released the progress report and
strategy paper, two extremely critical documents for the future of
the negotiation process between Turkey and the European Union.

The EU Commission, which underlined freedom of expression and the
Cyprus issue, did not make any recommendation on the resolution of
the Cyprus issue at this stage, despite the insistence of some
commissioners. The Commission, which, in an attempt to support the
Finnish Plan on Cyprus, postponed the issuance of the report for a
month, increased the importance of the Finnish Plan and the Dec.
14-15 EU Summit for Turkey.

Replacing the controversial `absorption’ capacity with `adaptation’
capacity, the Commission also clarified its strategy for future
enlargement. At the press conference held after the release of the
report, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn did not respond to
questions over whether membership talks with Turkey would be
suspended if it did not implement the additional protocol. Rehn noted
that both the Commission and the EU strongly supported the Finnish
Plan, and wanted to see what it would achieve. The report, while
noting that Turkey had sufficiently fulfilled the Copenhagen
Criteria, stressed that the pace of the reform process slowed down.
It also urged Turkey to maintain EU standards with regard to the
issues, such as non-Muslim communities, recognizing the rights of
working women on labor conditions and civil-military relations.

Despite the persistence of the correspondents present at the press
conference, Olli Rehn did not answer the questions on the probable
suspension of membership talks with Turkey in case of its
non-compliance with the additional protocol. Asked whether the EU
gave an ultimatum to Turkey by the report, Rehn said they wanted to
give time to the Finnish Plan, and decided that it would not be wise
to make any recommendation at this stage.

Rehn, implicitly criticizing German, French and Austrian politicians,
who favored Turkey’s privileged partnership rather than its full
membership in the European Union, said, `Instead of such rhetoric
that create a vicious circle, we should try to create a virtuous
circle that would make Turkey more European.’ When asked about the
controversial Article 301 of Turkish Penal Code, Rehn accused Kemal
Kerincsiz without mentioning his name. Welcoming the Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s meeting with civil society
organizations to discuss possible amendments to this article, Rehn
recalled that the article should be ameliorated not for Europe, but
for the Turkish people. Rehn also noted that it would wrong to assert
that Turkey had stepped back from the reform process, but its pace
had slowed down.

———————————————– ————————-
Major issues covered by the Progress Report and Strategy Paper:
Freedom of Speech: Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code is
extensively abused. The conviction of Hrant Dink in relation to this
article created a case law that restricts freedom of speech. Hence,
the article is a matter of concern, which might cause
auto-censorship.

Cyprus: If Turkey does not fulfill its obligations under the Ankara
Protocol, the entire negotiations process would be negatively
affected. If Turkey does not proceed with implementing the
aforementioned protocol, the Commission will adopt recommendations
accordingly before the December summit of the Council of European
Union. In addition, Turkey should take concrete steps toward
normalizing its relations with all EU member countries.

Civil-military relations: Senior army officers persist in making
public statements on issues out of their area of competence. Turkish
armed forces still have unusual political influence. Senior military
officers publicly express their views on both domestic and foreign
political issues, such as Cyprus, secularism, the Kurdish question
and the Semdinli indictment.

Religious freedoms: Ratification of the draft laws on religious
minorities has been postponed several times. There is no alleviation
of non-Muslims’ problems. This is also the case with the Alevi
community. To ensure full operation of all religious communities
without any restrictions, framework legislation should be devised in
accordance with the European Court of Human Rights case law. Even
though it refers to religious communities, the report does not make
any mention of Sunni majority’s problems.

The Southeast: Turkey is target of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
terrorism in an increasing scale. The PKK is on the EU’s list of
terrorist groups. The European Union has condemned terrorist
activities. Turkey should resolve the serious economic and social
problems of the Southeast.

Judiciary: The reforms introduced so far presents a blurry picture.
There is strong need for steps that would ensure independence of the
judiciary. Honor killings should be investigated with scrutiny, and
the perpetrators should be sentenced to imprisonment. Corruption is
still commonplace in the public sector and the judiciary. Legislation
on fighting corruption remains weak and unsatisfactory; the
institutions which carry out the fight against corruption should be
empowered. There is a steady decrease in the number of incidents
involving torture and ill treatment. However, the amended articles of
Anti-Terror Law might endanger the fight against torture and ill
treatment.

`Mr. Ocalan Removed

The expression `Mr. Ocalan,’ which caused outrage in Turkey, was
replaced with `Abdullah Ocalan.’

The report also makes reference to the predominantly Roma vicinities
in Ankara and Istanbul. It asserts that nearly two million Turkish
Romas are subjected to discrimination in access to housing, health,
and employment. Unlike the previous report, this year’s progress
report does make any reference to the Armenian allegations over the
1915 incidents.

INDO-ARMENIAN BUSINESS

The Hindu Businessline, India
Nov 9 2006

There are several potential areas of trade with Armenia where Indian
businessmen can either invest or set up joint ventures, says Harshad
R. Mehta, honorary consul general of Armenia in Mumbai and promoter
of the Rosy Blue and Orpa Group of Companies, which have been doing
business in Armenia for the past 35 years.

A diamond entrepreneur with offices in 15 countries, Mehta
celebrated the Consulate’s first anniversary with an exhibition
of rare photographs at a Diwali gala, which was attended by Armen
Baibourtian, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia,
and Ashot Kocharian, Ambassador of Armenia in India.

Indo-Armenian relations go back a long way: 2,500 years; the commercial
relationship between the two countries dates back to the medieval
period, the first recorded visit being that of the Armenian trader
Thomas Cana who came to the Malabar coast in 780 AD.

As of last year, some 50 firms operated in Armenia with Indian capital
and investments of about $1.1 million. The total trade between India
and Armenia in 2005 amounted to $15.8 million (exports from India,
$15.5 million and imports to India, $0.3 million). Next on the anvil,
says Mehta, is an Indo-Armenian Chamber of Commerce.

e/2006/11/10/stories/2006111000190400.htm

SIXTY PERCENT OF GEOGRAPHIC NAMES IN VAYOTS DZOR TO BE REPLACED

Armenpress
Nov 08 2006

YEGHEGNADZOR, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS: A special commission that was
set up in Vayots Dzor province to examine all geographic names of
the region has found that 60 percent of 2,861 such names need to be
changed because they are of foreign (mainly Turkic) origin and many
are not euphonic.

The commission has presented a list of new names to replace the old
ones. Local rural and urban communities gave their accord to changing
these names.

Now they are waiting for a special government decision to do it.

An official of the governor’s office said the proposed names are
either Armenian translations of Turkic names or the original names
of the places, rivers, lakes, mountains and other sites that were
replaced at one time by Turkic names.