Author: Khondkarian Raffi

RA PRIME MINISTER AND AMBASSADOR OF KAZAKHSTAN ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO ENCOURAGING MUTUAL COOPERATION
Noyan Tapan
Oct 23 2006
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. There is still great unused
possibilities and potential in the Armenian-Kazakh relations. It
was mentioned at the meeting of RA Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian and Aimdos Bozdjigitov, the newly appointed Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to
Armenia. Congratulating the Ambassador on the occasaion of starting
his diplomatic mission in Armenia, A.Margarian mentioned that the
Armenian and Kazakh peoples have deep roots of friendship, and it is
being strengthened year by year by development of the two states’
cooperation. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Government’s
Information and Public Relations Department, Ambassador Bozdjigitov
expressed confidence that the RA President’s coming visit to Kazakhstan
will become a stimulus for both improvement of the judicial-legal
field and widening cooperation in different spheres, taking into
consideration that a sitting of the Armenian-Kazakh Intergovernmental
Commission will also be held within that framework. The RA Prime
Minister and the Ambassador of Kazakhstan attached importance
to encouraging economic mutual cooperation in the directions of
activization of businessmen’s contacts, stimulating investments,
increase of volumes of export and etc. They considered also the
Armenian community as an important factor in all these, it may have
an active role in the affair of widening and development of the
cooperation between the two countries. At the end of the meeting,
Andranik Margarian expressed readiness on behalf of the Government
and himself to assist Ambassador as much as possible during the whole
period of his officiating and wished him successes.

“NOR ZHAMANAKNER” CALLS TO IMMEDIATELY SET FREE VAHAGN CHAKHALIAN
Noyan Tapan
Oct 23 2006
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The “Nor Zhamanakner” (New Times)
party addresses the RA National Assembly, all the deputies and calls
to take steps to immediately set free Vahagn Chakhalian, a member of
the chairmanship of the “United Javakhk” peoples’ alliance, and then
assistance is shown to all Armenians of Javakhk from now on who will
expect support of the Republic of Armenia. It is said in the statement
spread on October 20 by the party board. To recap, V.Chakhalian was
arrested on October 10 with accusation of illegally breaking the
RA state border and was moved to the RA National Security Service
isolator. “Vahagn Chakhalian is famous for his patriotic motives as one
actively speaking loudly about problems of Armenians of Javakahk and
looking for their solutions. It is characteristic that in the issue
of elections of local self-government bodies recently taken place
in that region, full of Armenians, the “United Javakhk” alliance
expressed a unique position not tolerating mass falsifications and
violation of ethnograthical dignity by the Georgian authorities,”
the statement authors mention, adding that in the case when one,
expecting the RA authorities’ support must properly be received in
Armenia, “was, unfortunately, settled a score by the authorities,
beaten and arrested.”
“This incident again proves that the RA acting authorities became a
puppet not only in hands of superpowers but also obey implicitly to
Georgian President M.Saakashvili’s adventurous policy already reached
extremity,” is said in the statement.

ONE-SIDED COVERING OF EVENTS BECOMES USUAL EVENT FOR ARMENIAN MASS
MEDIA, “A1+” EDITOR SAYS
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The last draft to the law on
television and radio proves that nothing essencial is done in Armenia
in the sense of strategy in the direction of supporting improvement of
the freedom of information. RA Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian expressed
such an opinion during the October 20 round table on the theme
“Armenian Mass Media on the Eve of 2007 Parliamentary Elections.” The
event was organized by the Armenian representation of the “Article
19” international public organization. In A.Haroutiunian’s words,
every new draft relating to this sphere must become a stable step of
progress in the issue of securing the freedom of information. But,
the draft put in circulation is not capable to become such one. The
Ombudsman mentioned that it is not enough to touch upon the theme
of the freedom of expression only on the eve of elections, it is
necessary to do everyday work in that direction.
A.Haroutiunian also expressed opinion that it will be possible to raise
the level of public awareness only in the case of securing variety of
political opinions. In words of Mesrop Movsisian, the editor of the
“A1+” electronic newspaper, “if the freedom of press is much spoken
about in any country, it means that the country has serious problems
in that sphere.” In his words, the “sad experience” of mass media
showed during the 2003 elections that variety of opinions in Armenia
is of formal character: one-sided covering of events became a usual
event.” M.Movsisian emphasized that according to his observation,
today the Armenian society “believes romour heard in the market more
than an official information broadcast on TV.”

President Kocharyan received the parliamentary delegation of China
ArmRadio.am
21.10.2006 13:35
October 21 President Robert Kocharyan received the delegation headed
by Deputy Chairman of the All-China Assembly of People Representatives
of the People’ s Republic of China Syu Stzialu.
Syu Stzialu conveyed the warm greetings of the President of the
People’s Republic of China to Robert Kocharyan.
RA President emphasized the high level of the Armenian-Chinese
political dialogue and said: “Armenia is consistent in its intention
to reinforce the relations with China and is interested to have the
bilateral ties be more dynamic and coordinated.”
Underlining China’s great role on the international arena, Robert
Kocharyan highly assessed the country’s balanced position toward the
sensitive issues of the South Caucasus.
In Syu Stzialu’s words, Armenian-Chinese cooperation is successfully
developing. He said Robert Kocharyan’s state visit to China in 2004
was pivotal in the expansion of bilateral collaboration.
The interlocutors underlined also the productive cooperation of
Armenia and China on the international arena, noting that the two
countries have similar approaches on a number of questions. They
exchanged views on the situation in the North Korea.

The Jurist – Univ. of Pittsburgh, School of Law
Oct 21 2006
Senior US diplomat decries French genocide denial bill as senseless
Leslie Schulman at 12:13 PM ET
senior-us-diplomat-decries-french.php
[JURIST] US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried [official
profile] Friday condemned the passage of a bill [text, in French;
JURIST news archive] last week by the French lower house of
parliament making it a crime to deny that killings of Armenians
in 1915 [ANI backgrounder] in the then-Ottoman Empire (now Turkey)
was genocide. Fried said the bill, which still needs approval by the
French Senate and President Jacques Chirac to become law, hampers EU
relations with Turkey and “doesn’t seem to make any sense. Every nation
. . . has things in its past of which it is not proud.” AP has more.
In the wake of the legislation, relations between France and Turkey
have become strained, notwithstanding an apology from Chirac [JURIST
report] to the Turkish prime minister, and have sparked a Turkish
boycott of French goods and television programs [JURIST report]
and talk of retaliatory litigation [JURIST report] in the European
Court of Human Rights. Turkish lawmakers have meanwhile threatened to
pass a matching bill [JURIST report] labeling as genocide colonial
killings of Algerians by the French and making it illegal to deny
French culpability. Turkey, which is currently trying to join the
European Union, denies [JURIST comment] that the killing of 1.5
million Armenians during World War I was in fact genocide.

ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN SECURITY SERVICES SIGN COOPERATION ACCORDS
Regnum, Russia
Oct 17 2006
16 October: The heads of Russian Federal Security Service [FSB] and
the Armenian National Security Service have signed two protocols
on cooperation in the fight against international terrorism, a
representatice of the Russian Security Service delegation has told
a Regnum correspondent.
The protocols were signed in Stavropol Territory’ resort town of
Yessentuki. The protocols envisage the development of cooperation
between the two organizations in the fight against international
terrorism and other manifestations of extremism.
During the signing ceremony, the head of the Armenian National Security
Service, Gorig Akopyan, said that 18 protocols to the main agreement
have been signed by the two organizations so far. He also expressed
his satisfaction with the development of cooperation with Russia’s
FSB and that the Atom Antiterror-2006 joint staff and command exercise
held recently in Yerevan could serve as an example of that.
At the 4th conference of the delegation in Yessentuki, Akopyan pointed
out that today Russia and Armenia are at the level of equal strategic
partnership, and social and political conditions in the Caucasus pose
various threats to the security of the two countries.
To this effect, Russia’s FSB and the Armenian National Security
Service need to cordinate their actions.

NATO IS READY TO HELP WITH THE KARABAKH PROBLEM
by Viktoria Panfilova
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
October 18, 2006 Wednesday
The Alliance is sending an envoy to the Caucasus
Armenia Became Robert Simmons’ Last Stop On The Tour Of The Caucasus;
NATO opened an information center in Armenia.
NATO is ready to help with efforts to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem. “Straightforward assistance in conflict resolution is not
NATO’s task. This is a prerogative of the OSCE Minsk Group, and we are
but supporting the process,” Robert Simmons, NATO General Secretary’s
Envoy for the Caucasus and Central Asia, said in Yerevan on October 12.
NATO has a special interest in Armenia. A NATO information center
was hastily opened in the capital of Armenia in honor of Simmons’
arrival. It will begin working on November 1. Establishment of such
a center is stipulated by the IPAP (Individual Partnership Action
Plan). “Opening of the center means that the relations between
Armenia and NATO develop at a good pace. We appreciate assistance
given us by the government of Armenia,” Simmons said at the opening
ceremony. Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosjan praised the
bilateral cooperation and announced “advancement to a new level of
relations with the Alliance.”
The NATO information center is to be financed by the government of
Armenia; the Alliance itself will only provide information. The center
is expected to keep the population informed of the activities of NATO
to facilitate rapprochement between Armenia and the Alliance.
Simmons’ offer of assistance in the Karabakh problem was not
surprising. The Alliance and the United States as it is have been
trying to take over for a long time now. An emphasis is made on the
inability of the OSCE Minsk Group to make progress. The authorities
of Armenia regularly point out, however, that Armenia does not aspire
for membership in NATO and that the OSCE Minsk Group is the only
efficient go-between.

KARABAKH DENIES AZERI REPORT OF TRUCE VIOLATION
Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
Oct 18 2006
Yerevan, 18 October: The head of the press centre of the Karabakh
defence army, Lt-Col Senor Asratyan, today denied the report of the
Azerbaijani Defence Ministry that the Karabakh forces allegedly fired
at Azerbaijani positions in Fuzuli and Agdam districts on 16 October.
In an interview with Mediamax, Asratyan described these reports as
“another piece of disinformation aimed at discrediting the Nagornyy
Karabakh republic [NKR]”.
He did not rule out that such propaganda steps are being taken because
Azerbaijan’s attempts to get the international community to accuse
Nagornyy Karabakh of deliberate arson on the territories controlled
by the NKR “have failed”.

ARMENIAN SOLDIER SHOT DEAD
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 18 2006
At 12:30 October 16 Armenian serviceman Alexander Papakhchyan, born
in 1987, died in “Erebuni” medical center from the injury received
in the result of the fire opened from the Azerbaijani side.
Investigation is underway, Press Service of RA Defense Ministry
informs.

HIGGS: DO YOU KNOW YOUR CITY PARKS?
By Norma Higgs
Niagara Gazette, NY
Oct 18 2006
During the summer I heard a lot about Hyde Park as the Niagara
Beautification Commission did a project in conjunction with the city
near the golf course. I learned this is a 580 acre park with many
activities for people of all ages. I also learned that there are 25
other parks in the city of Niagara Falls with nearly 135 acres of
green space. Some of these I never heard of and I wondered how many
you are aware of.
Let’s start in the LaSalle section with Caravelle Drive Park (0.5
acres) near Marine Memorial Drive which has a playground area. Then
on to Griffon Park, (20 acres) on River Road and 95th Street near
the boat docks. Moving over to Bollier Avenue and 82nd Street we find
Hennepin Park, (7 acres) another natural habitat area.
We all know of Jayne Park (22 acres) on Cayuga Island, which is a
full service park. LaSalle Park (6 acres) is also a full service park
and is located at Frontier Avenue and 91st Street. How about Perry
Park? (5 acres)
Also in LaSalle adjacent to 60th Street School is 70th Street Park
also known as Kies (5 acres).^PIt has two Little League diamonds
and is at Girard and 70th Street. 63rd Street Park at the corner of
Stephenson (1.3 acres) is really nothing more than a vacant lot but
it is kept up by the Parks Department. Further along Stephenson is,
well, Stephenson Park (1.39 acres), which has a playground, with a
sandbox and basketball courts. Finally we have Black Creek Park at
96th and Colvin Boulevard which was established at the urging of the
Black Creek Block Club.
So now we have determined that at least half of the city parks are
in LaSalle and we travel to the west side of Hyde Park where there
are also parks that I did not know about. Jerauld Park (2.5 acres)
on Jerauld Avenue and 29th Street which is actually owned by the
Niagara Falls School District but given to the city to maintain,
has a softball diamond, a small playground and basketball court in
need of repair. Lafayette Park (0.4 acres) is not more than a vacant
lot which is mowed and maintained by the Parks Department.
D’Amelio Park (15 acres) on Center Avenue and 15th Street next to the
Community Center in the Highland Avenue area is a full service park.
DiFranco Park (2 acres) on Main and Second streets is in a prime
development area downtown near the Howard Johnson Hotel. This facility
is being used temporarily as a construction storage site for the
Department of Transportation road improvement project in that area.
Gill Creek Park (7 acres) is on Niagara Street near 31st Street
and is in the process of renewal. A new gazebo and nature walk,
along with a picnic shelter, playground and comfort station will be
dedicated on Oct. 28. Robert Kostoff and the late Frances Scarfone
of the Niagara Street Business Association had a lot to do with the
updating of this park. Gluck Park (1.3 acres) is situated like one
of the squares of Savannah surrounded by 15th and 16th streets and
South and Weston avenues.
We head to Liberty Park (0.56 acres) at Elmwood Avenue and 19th
Street where we find a playground used extensively by children in
the area. The city recreation program is held here during the summer
months with supervised activities and free lunches. Over on the east
side we find a mystery park which is virtually unused and currently
under study for the future.
There is a house adjacent where once stood Moon’s Saloon, rumored
to have been a favorite hangout of the Buffalo Sabres. Also in this
area are two parks on Orleans Avenue (1.15 acres each) surrounded by
homes built after World War II on 24th Street and 25th Street.
The reincarnation of vacant land at North and Lockport (1.95 acres)
is a dream of the North End Block Club. This was once a busy city park
with a playground and sports activities. This neighborhood club is
currently attempting to raise interest and funds to bring this back
to what it once was and more. Their vision includes ball diamonds,
playground, basketball courts and handicap accessibility which would
be the only park with this advantage. Anyone interested in helping
in this goal can contact member Candace Corsaro at 284-2177.
Another historical park is Porter Park (4 acres) on Buffalo Avenue at
Ninth Street. It is believed that the Small Fort of the Portage was
situated nearby at the Niagara River. This structure was destroyed
by the French during the French and Indian War. At one point in
history the home of John Stedman of Goat Island fame was here as was
a local tavern, but today only the chimney believed to be from the
Fort remains. During the construction of the Robert Moses Parkway,
the chimney was moved at the urging of the Niagara Beautification
Commission to its present location to save it, thus establishing
the park.
Staying in the downtown area we find the Statue of Liberty Park (0.5
acres) sitting between the Rainbow Bridge and the Twist of the Mist.
The NBC arranged to have the Statue of Liberty moved here from Hyde
Park some years ago and there is also a civic monument placed here.
The last stop is on Main and Pine where we find Wright’s Park aka
Cenotaph Park and who some call Veteran’s Park. A triangle shape
dividing the streets, this is used for services and commemorations
on Memorial Day, Flag Day and Veterans Day. There is also a monument
recognizing the Armenian population lost during genocide from a
Turkish uprising in the 1900s.
As you can see, we have lots of parks to enjoy in all areas of the
city. We are very fortunate aren’t we? These small parks are a lot
of work for only five members of the Parks Department assigned to
“small parks” who must also keep up vacant lots owned by the city. I
acknowledge and thank the city Parks Department for some of the
factual information you read here.
Norma Higgs serves with the Niagara Beautification Commission and
Niagara Falls Block Club Council. Her columns appear Wednesday’s in
the Gazette.