Author: Khondkarian Raffi

S. SARGSYAN SAYS ARMEIA THANKFUL TO LATVIA FOR BALANCED APPROACH OVER NAGORNO-KARABAKH ISSUE

Panorama.am
17:10 10/12/2009

Armeia is thankful to Latvia for its balanced approach over
Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan told
reporters at a joint press conference with Latvia’s President Valdis
Zatlers.

"Armenia is thankful to Latvia since it sees our disposition and
demonstrates a balanced approach over Nagorno-Karabakh issue," Serzh
Sargsyan said.

He said, they had also referred to the regional conflicts during the
meeting with his Latvian counterpart.

We have reached a common conclusion that the conflicts be regulated
without force implementation, exceptionally peacefully and through
talks, in compliance with the norms of the international law,"
S. Sargsyan highlighted.

MENSOIAN: TRANSLATING THE ARF ROADMAP TO REGIME CHANGE INTO ACTION (PART II)
By Michael Mensoian

Armenian Weekly
December 9, 2009

The roadmap to regime change is a response to conditions that were
crystallized by the recently signed protocols which represent the
first step in the process of rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey.

The ARF has properly viewed these documents as being detrimental
to Armenia’s present and future national interests. In response to
this assessment, the party has announced its formal opposition to
the protocols. In Part I an explanation was offered as to how the
ARF can deliver on its roadmap to regime change. Although this is
a gargantuan task for which the ARF has the necessary experience
to undertake, it is the how of the undertaking that is crucial. The
response by the ARF, if it is to be effective, must be multi-faceted
in its objectives and multi-operational in its implementation. The
use of demonstrations and rallies within Armenia and throughout the
Armenian Diaspora are means to address the first objective: to prevent
ratification of the protocols by the Armenian Parliament. The need for
an informat ion gathering and distribution system, and the convening
of conferences where the objectives of the roadmap are presented to
selected audiences, were suggested as vital components of the effort
at regime change. The need to develop a program that would assist
journalists, legislators, advocacy leaders, and businessmen to hear
and view firsthand the conditions in Javakhk and to understand the how
and why of the Karabaghtsis’ demand for independence were discussed.

Part II considers the remaining two objectives of the roadmap: a viable
socio-economic program and preparing for the forthcoming elections. The
need to create a cadre of field workers to develop grassroots support
for the ARF’s initiatives to improve the standard of living of the
workers and their families, and to win their support for the ARF
candidates for president and parliament in the forthcoming elections,
is an absolute necessity to ensure a reasonable certainty of success.

The program to improve the quality of life of the worker and his
family must be doable and not campaign pie-in-the-sky rhetoric that
will appeal only to the most desperate members of society. Again,
the participation of Armenian men and women with expertise in the
fields of education, medical delivery systems, agrarian reform,
housing, rural infrastructure, etc. must be enlisted to formulate
practical programs that are not only on target, but can be achieved
with the limited resources that will be initially available. Promising
more than can be delivered is anathema to the long-term support that
the ARF requires. The Armenian worker has become cynical by having
relied on too many promises made and not kept. The inadequacies
of the oligarchic Sarkisian government in failing to include the
workers in an equitable sharing of the wealth that they have produced
must be relentlessly hammered home. More importantly, the ARF must
explain-point by point-how the Sarkisian Administration’s failures
will be effectively a ddressed by the program proposed by the ARF to
improve the workers’ quality of life.

The remaining objectives demand that the ARF prepares for the
forthcoming Armenian parliamentary and presidential elections
in 2011 and 2013, respectively. The ARF must begin the task of
selecting viable candidates for president and parliament. These
potential candidates must become the face of this roadmap to regime
change. They should become household names and faces, and appear at
rallies, demonstrations, and conferences. The presidential candidate
must tour the diaspora explaining why the roadmap to regime change
is important for Armenia’s political viability, how it will be
implemented, and its relationship to the legitimate objectives of
Hai Tahd (the Armenian Cause). The candidate’s presence should be
used to raise funds to underwrite what will be an expensive program
if regime change is to be achieved. The presidential candidate should
meet with sympathetic journalists, business leaders, advocacy leaders,
and legislators (especially members of the United States Congressional
Armenian Caucus) wherever the ARF has influence in the diaspora.

Winning the presidency must be viewed as achievable. Should the party
fail to elect the president, at the very least the ARF must win a
sufficient number of parliamentary seats to be able to advance its
legislative program for the benefit of the citizens and the state.

Working from a position of strength within the administration
(assuming the ARF is not the administration) is more effective than
working outside the government structure. However, being part of the
administration has its potential liabilities should the ARF be unable
to deliver on its program or is cast as part of the problems that
continue to persist. In a related note, the ARF’s recent participation
in the Sarkisian Administration did not earn it any accolades.

The Sarkisian Administration must be aggressively attacked on its
record of having failed to improve the condition of workers and
their families; on having failed to ensure the basic norms of free,
democratic elections; of having failed to have Karabagh recognized
as a member of the negotiation process; and of having failed to
effectively represent to the Georgian government the issues confronting
the Javakheti Armenians. This is a battle for the political survival
of the jomeland (Armenia, Artsakh, and Javakhk) for a better day for
workers and their families and for the Armenian Cause. There will be no
second chance. Given the enormity of what is at stake, no one should
doubt that the present administration and its supporters will seek
to create obstacles to hinder the ARF from holding political rallies,
having access to television time and media coverage, and importantly,
organizing grassroots support. The ARF must be prepared to respond
immediately and effectively to any counter efforts by Yerevan, Ankara,
and possibly by the Minsk Group should attempts be made to undermine
its efforts at regime change.

Organizing grassroots support is a vital component in gaining the
necessary public support for the ARF’s roadmap to regime change and to
ensure voter support for its candidates in the forthcoming elections.

Winning the "heart and soul" of the Armenian worker and his family
is a sine qua non if there is any hope of achieving this fundamental
change. The results of the parliamentary election in 2007 (winning
16 of 131 seats) and the presidential election of 2008 (where the ARF
candidate received under 7 percent of the total votes cast) indicate
what needs to be done if regime change is to be successful. To sell
its program and to develop the required grassroots support required
for electoral victories, the ARF must train a cadre of paid field
representatives who will live and work with the people they seek to
influence. Their pay would be in the form of a stipend in addition
to required expenses for travel, food, and lodging, which would also
be underwritten by the party. Working in pairs for moral support and
safety (should that become a factor), these field workers could live
with local families who would in turn receive payment for their room
and board. The ARF field representatives must be properly trained,
provided with relevant materials, and adequately monitored and
supported.

It is vital that these field representatives operate under the
supervision of district committees for each of Armenia’s 10 districts
and the capital district of Yerevan. Monthly progress reports would be
filed by each team with their respective district committee, who would
then file a summary report to be sent to the Central Committee. The
Central Committee would compile a summary report for distribution
to ARF regional central committees and from there to their local
gomidehs. Appropriate authorities would decide what material would be
released for public distribution. Being informed is a key requirement
to keep members and all segments of the Armenian community within
the homeland and the diaspora energized. These field workers would
be on the front line and would form an indispensible component in
implementing the roadmap. The field workers would be responsible for
explaining the roadmap’s objectives, to link the inadequacies of the
present administration with the solutions proposed by the ARF, and
to gai n support for the ARF candidates for parliament and president
in the forthcoming elections.

The republic is at a critical moment in its history. The roadmap for
regime change demands a full scale offensive that requires harnessing
human resources and fund raisingefforts far beyond anything the ARF
has ever attempted.

It must be recognized that Armenia is being pressured to normalize
relations with a government whose leaders remain unrepentant and
as anti-Armenian as their political progenitors who carried out the
systematic murder of some 1.5 million innocent Armenian men, women, and
children using the most heinous methods conceivable. The protocols are
documents that speak to Turkish interests, are supported by the Minsk
Group (France, Russia, and the United States), and are detrimental
to Armenia’s interests-dismissive of the injustices expressed in
Hai Tahd and contemptuous of Armenia’s sovereignty. That should be
sufficient to motivate any Armenian.

UPHILL TURKEY-ARMENIA PROCESS SIGNALS PROBLEMS FOR ANKARA: TURKISH NEWSPAPER

ArmInfo
2009-12-10 16:01:00

ArmInfo. Failure to implement the Ankara-Yerevan normalization deal
will likely strengthen ‘genocide bills’ in US Congress, The Hurriyet
Daily News reported. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s talks
with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House earlier this week
have mostly been viewed as a success by analysts. However, an uphill
reconciliation process between Turkey and Armenia may be the sign of
a creeping deterioration in U.S.-Turkish ties next year.

The newspaper reports that in a letter to some major Armenian-American
groups last week, Obama also said, "Normalization between Armenia
and Turkey should move forward without preconditions and within a
reasonable timeframe."

Erdogan told Obama that reopening the border before progress is
achieved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would ruin Turkey’s ties with
Azerbaijan and be viewed as completely unacceptable to Turkish voters.

"The normalization process between Turkey and Armenia is very much
related to these issues (of improvement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
ties)," Erdogan told reporters at the White House. His remarks were
seen by some that the Turkish parliament would most probably not
ratify any normalization deal with Armenia before strong signs are
observed for an end to the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani lands.

But even at a time when Washington is pushing for the normalization
process to be implemented "without preconditions and within a
reasonable timeframe," analysts agree that strong progress toward
putting an end to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute seems unlikely, at
least in the short term. These all point to a potential stall in the
Turkey-Armenia reconciliation process. Obama, who as a candidate
had pledged to recognize the Armenian killings as "genocide" if
elected president during last year’s election campaign, reversed his
position as president this year and fully backed the Ankara-Yerevan
normalization process, saying he would refrain from any move that
would jeopardize the process. The Obama administration is expected
to continue to oppose congressional "genocide" recognition resolutions.

With the probable failure of the Turkey-Armenia normalization process,
the Armenian-American groups and their congressional backers are
planning to re-launch a strong campaign for the passage of two
"genocide" resolutions pending in the House of Representatives and
the Senate, the lower and upper chambers of Congress, respectively.

But in a year of election-related uncertainties in 2010, if such a
bill, by any chance, is passed by either the House or the Senate, the
Ankara-Yerevan normalization deal would be imperiled and U.S.-Turkish
relations could suffer in a major and lasting way, as Turkey has
already warned. Important congressional elections will take place in
November 2010, with the whole 435-member House and about one third
of the 100-member Senate to be renewed. And election years are times
when the influence of ethnic and interest lobbies are the strongest
in U.S. politics, the Turkish newspaper writes.

ARMENIA CLAIM THAT H1N1 DOES NOT DIFFER FROM ORDINARY FLU, BUT URGE CAUTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.12.2009 18:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Chairman of the RA NA Standing Committee of Health
Ara Babloyan told a press conference on Dec. 8 that the virus H1N1 (
"swine flu") has the same pattern that an ordinary flu. There is no
need in taking special measures against this virus.

"Closure of schools and kindergartens is a classical measure to prevent
the possible epidemic, rather than the measure taken in connection
with a complicated situation in Armenia. But as the H1N1 virus is
not fully studied and is prone to mutation, everybody must be alert
and cautious, " Ara Babloyan stressed.

According Ara Babloyan, WHO recommends to vaccinate not the whole
population, but people at risk: small children, people with chronic
illnesses, the elderly and pregnant women. He informed that the
French Embassy in Armenia for the last three days has been vaccinating
against H1N1 citizens of France, located in Armenia.

Ara Babloyan informed, that 40 patients suffering from H1N1 influenza
are currently registered in Armenia.

MASSACHUSETTS SENATE CANDIDATE CAPUANO OPPOSES HISTORICAL COMMISSION

armenian weekly
December 7, 2009

The Congressman states positions on ANCA Questionnaire; Special
Election is Tuesday, Dec. 8

Congressman Mike Capuano (D-Mass.), affirmed his positions on a
number of issues of concern to the Armenian-American community
in his responses to the ANCA Questionnaire for candidates for the
U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts. Concerning the provision in
the Armenia-Turkey Protocols for a historical commission, Capuano
responded that: "I consider the Armenian Genocide to be settled
historical fact and I oppose establishing a commission or any other
entity to reexamine that fact."

Capuano clearly expressed his support for the independence of the
Republic of Mountainous Karabagh and for providing continuing US
humanitarian and developmental aid to the republic, noting that he
has voted for such aid in the past and "will continue to support this
funding moving forward." Providing aid directly to Artsakh is a key
item in the legislative agenda of the Armenian National Committee of
America as it both assists the people of the republic and bolsters
its international legitimacy.

The congressman stated that: "I am in favor of continuing military
parity through funding provided by the U.S. to both Armenia and
Azerbaijan. I believe it is essential that we not exacerbate any
potential military conflicts in the region." He also expressed his
support for Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act that limits U.S.

aid to Azerbaijan until it lifts its blockades of Armenia and Artsakh.

While he supports using legislative and diplomatic tools to urge
Turkey to end its blockade of Armenia, he did not support linking
Turkey’s ability to purchase U.S. arms to ending the blockade.

"Mike Capuano’s forthright opposition to the establishment of a
historical commission, which would undermine decades of genocide
research, is consistent with his long record in Congress of speaking
out for justice for the Armenian Genocide" stated ANC of Massachusetts
Co-Chairman Dikran Kaligian.

The ANCA Questionnaire is distributed to candidates for federal
offices so that the Armenian-American community can be informed of
their positions on critical issues of concern before casting their
votes. The Democratic and Republican primary election will be held
Tuesday, Dec. 8 to fill the U.S. Senate seat that fell vacant with
the death of Senator Ted Kennedy.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Karine Abalyan
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

December 7, 2009

___________________________________________

ST. LEON PARISH OF FAIR LAWN, NJ, CELEBRATES PASTOR’S MILESTONES

Thanksgiving weekend was especially festive this year at St. Leon Armenian
Church in Fair Lawn, N.J., where hundreds of parishioners gathered to
celebrate their pastor’s 50th birthday and the 10th anniversary of his
service to the parish on Sunday, November 29.

The day’s honoree, the Rev. Fr. Diran Bohajian, celebrated the Divine
Liturgy. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern), delivered the homily.

Archbishop Barsamian spoke about the "deep roots of giving thanks to God in
the Armenian Christian heritage." From the hymns of daily services to the
prayers offered before and after meals, to the Divine Liturgy itself,
Armenian faithful are always reminded of Christ’s sacrifice for mankind,
which is "our greatest reason for thanksgiving," the Primate said.

"As a nation, we are grateful to God for that gift of salvation, which was
brought to us by the two Apostles of Christ, and we are grateful that we are
able to continue our spiritual traditions from one generation to another,
especially through the leadership of Armenian clergy," Archbishop Barsamian
said.

"Here in our Diocese we have dedicated clergy," the Primate said, "and today
we are gathered to celebrate one such servant of God: Fr. Diran Bohajian."

‘Testimony of love’

Following services, a luncheon was held to recognize Fr. Bohajian for his
contributions to the parish. Some 500 people gathered for the event, which
was so popular it spurred a waiting list and organizers said they had to
relocate the program from the church hall to the parish’s new gymnasium.

Greeting guests in the lobby of the Education and Recreation Center was a
slide show of photographs highlighting milestones in Fr. Bohajian’s life.
The presentation was compiled by his daughter, Anastasia.

Inside the gymnasium, event co-chairs Diane Dadekian and Margaret Ajamian
set up food stations offering international fare, including parish-made
Armenian delicacies, as well as Italian and Asian courses. With no assigned
seating, guests were encouraged to move from table to table, meet new
people, and share conversation.

Throughout the afternoon, representatives of various parish organizations –
ranging from the Women’s Guild and the Men’s Fellowship to the ACYOA and the
choir – spoke about Fr. Bohajian’s work at St. Leon Church and presented him
with affectionate gifts, including basketball jerseys, and a chain with the
Armenian letter "Dyoon" for "Der Hayr" and the number "50" marking Fr.
Bohajian’s milestone birthday.

"Those speakers were so endearing, and said such wonderful things about Der
Hayr," Margaret Ajamian said. "Everybody loves him. He’s such a great leader
– very strong-willed but diplomatic."

On behalf of the parish, Fr. Bohajian also received a pectoral cross, which
was engraved for the occasion. The church’s senior deacon, Charles Pinajian,
gave remarks, as did parish council chair Glenn Ajamian, and others from the
community. A number of letters also were read from those who could not
attend the event.

"I was very surprised by the turnout," Fr. Bohajian said. "To me it’s a
testimony of the love they have for the church."

Archbishop Barsamian – who ordained Richard Bohajian to the priesthood in
1993, and gave him the priestly name Diran – offered blessings and good
wishes to Fr. Bohajian and Yn. Kismet, and to their three children:
Anastasia, Richard, and Aram.

"I’m very thankful and very appreciative that Srpazan was able to come," Fr.
Bohajian said. "He’s my spiritual father.and for him to be able to take the
time out to worship with us, to offer a homily, and then to spend time with
us was special."

‘A family-oriented parish’

A native of New Jersey, Fr. Bohajian grew up in Fort Lee and attended Holy
Cross Armenian Church of Union City with his family, where he served on the
altar, played on the church basketball team, and was active in the local
ACYOA.

He studied history and philosophy at New Jersey City University, and went on
to earn a Master of Divinity Degree from St. Nersess Armenian Seminary.
Following his graduation from St. Nersess in 1991, Fr. Bohajian completed
coursework at the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and later assumed the
position of deacon-in-charge at St. Stepanos Armenian Church of Elberon,
N.J.

In 1993, Fr. Bohajian was ordained to the priesthood at St. Stepanos Church.
He continued serving the parish until the fall of 1999, when he became
pastor of St. Leon Church. Parishioners from the St. Stepanos Church, many
of whom keep in touch with Fr. Bohajian, attended last month’s celebration.

Fr. Bohajian "heard God’s call and responded to that call," the Primate
said. "He is dedicated, humble, committed, and loved by everyone in the
parish because he loves his flock."

At St. Leon Church, a growing parish in a burgeoning New Jersey suburb, Fr.
Bohajian has helped strengthen programs for families, building on existing
organizations and introducing new initiatives, such as the Lenten Lecture
Series and an ACYOA Seniors chapter.

He says the most important aspect of his ministry is "bringing people back
to Christ" by helping them "become engaged in the life of the church." That
means spending time praying with families, attending wedding receptions and
memorial meals, and calling to ask about a soccer game or a graduation
ceremony.

"We’re all priests, but we’re not all pastors," he said. "I try to make it
personal, and I try to reach out to people and make them feel as welcomed as
possible."

With more Armenian families moving into the area, the parish continues to
expand. Last year, the community gathered to dedicate its new, two-story
Education and Recreation Center, which is comprised of the Charles and Grace
Pinajian Youth Center, George and Shakae Shahinian Gymnasium, and the Sarkis
and Siran Gabrellian Educational Building.

"Our parish has really grown since he’s been the pastor," Diane Dadekian
said. "It’s a family-oriented parish. We’re very active."

The community is also involved on a Diocesan level, with a number of its
members taking part on various Diocesan committees. Just a little over a
week before the November 29 celebration, Diane and Stephen Dadekian hosted
at their home a gathering for the 2009 Annual Appeal.

"I believe the parish will remain strong because we have a strong foundation
with our youth," Fr. Bohajian said. "The future is promising."

###

Photos attached (please credit Linda Harutunian).

Photo 1: Rev. Fr. Diran Bohajian, pastor of St. Leon Armenian Church, where
he has been serving for 10 years, turned 50 last month.

Photo 2: Rev. Fr. Diran and Yn. Kismet Bohajian at the celebratory luncheon
held in Fr. Bohajian’s honor in late November.

Schools, kindergartens and universities may close in Armenia for a week
05.12.2009 16:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "We should follow recommendations of WHO and
immediately close institutions, including pre-schools to stop the
spread of influenza," said the chief infectiologist of Armenia Ara
Asoyan to a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

He submitted the proposal to the Minister of Health of Armenia, the
latter passed the proposal to the RA Government. According to the
chief infectiologist, educational institutions may be closed for a
week, time of flu incubation period. Then winter holidays start and
the situation with influenza would be less dangerous.

To date, the number of A/H1N1 (swine flu) cases confirmed in Armenia
hits 32, two people died as a result of complications of normal
seasonal influenza.

Remind that the swine flu main symptoms are: high temperature,
headache, muscle pain, cough, sore throat; vomitting and diarrhea are
also possible.

The Daily Star, Lebanon
Dec 5 2009

Turkey, the Mideast’s only real country

By Rami G. Khouri
Daily Star staff
Saturday, December 05, 2009

Every time I visit Turkey I ask myself what it is that makes me marvel
at the many political and economic developments that make the country
stand out as the most impressive in the greater Middle East. Watching
Turkey’s significant foreign policy initiatives these days to cement
good relations with its neighbors, I think I understand why: This is
the only country in the Middle East region that acts like a normal,
mature country.

Turkey’s mix of lively domestic politics, a dynamic social and
cultural life, and a strong and internationally expanding eco – nomy all
come together through the agency of a government that actually leads
by taking initiatives, but is also held accountable to the citizens
through regular polls. Turkey is the only country in the Mideast with
both a democratic domestic system and an activist foreign policy. It
is refreshing to witness this phenomenon in contrast with the largely
passive and often dysfunctional countries across the region.

The critical elements in Turkey’s success that others might learn from
strike me as three in particular: freedom of speech and association
that allow domestic politics to proceed in the direction defined by a
majority of the citizenry; civilian authority over the armed forces
and security agencies; and, pragmatic, humble realism in coming to
terms with the realities of a pluralistic society where minorities
demand rights that the majority should acknowledge.

Take some of this month’s leading stories, for example. An ongoing
investigation is looking into accusations that a group of armed
services senior officers plotted to overthrow the ruling government by
creating chaos in civil society. The media is covering daily the
questioning of the former officers.

Domestically, the political scene and its links to ethnic pluralism
remain vibrant, making Turkey one of the rare places in the region
where it is not possible to predict the outcome of the next polls.
Unlike the recent past when only the secular, nationalist Turkish
identity was allowed to manifest itself, today the country more
honestly addresses the reality of and the demand for equal rights and
opportunities by Turkish Kurds, Alawis and others.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan has made significant overtures to the large Kurdish
minority. Whether or not this approach works will be determined
ultimately by the citizens, who sent a message in the local elections
earlier this year that they were not fully satisfied. There was a
decline in votes for the AKP and the number of municipalities it won,
reminding us that in a truly democratic system the party in power must
constantly respond to citizens’ needs and expectations ` or lose
power.

Turkey no longer attempts the childish sloganeering that Arab ruling
elites often use to try and depict all their citizens with a single
phrase that is more about forced compliance with regime dictates than
it is about responding to citizen rights. The healthy slippage the AKP
experienced in the polls confirms that Turkey is ruled by popular
will, rather than autocratic orders from a small band of rulers at the
top. Erdogan and the AKP will now have to reconsider their
unsuccessful strategy of appealing to nationalists, Kurds and the mild
Islamists who comprise the AKP’s base.

How refreshing to see a ruling party in a large Middle Eastern country
having to adjust its policies and rhetoric in response to citizen
votes!

Regionally, Turkey is also showing everyone else in the region how to
do foreign policy in a sensible way, by acknowledging realities (for
example, Kurdish autonomy in northern Iraq) and promoting stable
political relations on the back of growing economic ties.

As Soli Ozel, a professor of international relations at Istanbul Bilgi
University and a columnist for the daily Haberturk, explained to me,
Turkey in the past decade has taken advantage of developments
initiated by others (the war in Iraq, Arab-Israeli stalemates) to
reposition itself throughout the region, while it simultaneously kept
exploring stronger links with Europe. Once strained relations with
Syria, Iraq, Greece, Armenia, Iran and others slowly improved, often
hastened by mutual interests in the spheres of trade, water, energy
and security. This was a policy `based on the principle of zero
problems with the neighbors, designed to create zones of stability
around the country, avoid confrontation and prepare the conditions for
economic expansion,’ Ozel noted.

This required comprehensive peace in the region, which Turkey has
sought to advance by mediating and engaging where it could. Meanwhile,
Israel `appeared incapable of changing its ways and seriously trying
for a peaceful resolution of its conflict with the Palestinians,’ Ozel
added. The current cool relations between Turkey and Israel will
return to normal soon, but in a context in which Turkey has strong,
constructive ties with all other players in the region ` a sound
strategy that no other major power seems to have attempted.

p?edition_id=1&categ_id=5&article_id=10942 7

APA, Azerbaijan
Dec 5 2009

Now Armenians claim for Azerbaijani-populated territories in Georgia

[ 05 Dec 2009 14:12 ]

Tbilisi. Nizami Mammadzadeh ` APA. 14 public organizations of Armenia
appealed to President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, demanded
to get back northern Lori province from Georgia and stop demarcation
between the northern and southern Lori.

APA’s Georgia bureau reports that Georgian media writes about it.
According to the appeal, Armenia-Georgia border passing through the
territory of Lori was determined by the USSR without taking into
consideration Armenia’s interests.
`The real border passes through the Khram river and this is based on
the legal decision of the Paris conference, 1920.’

Armenian organizations demand official Yerevan to pay attention to the
protection of the rights of Armenian population of the northern Lori,
restore historical, legal justice and start methodical work in this
field. The appeal says that for centuries Lori had been one of the
main centers of Armenian culture and national identity, had been
inseparable till the political and demographic changes of the 20th
century.

It should be mentioned that Azerbaijanis had lived in the territories
lying to the Khram river for centuries. The historical castles,
cultural monuments in the villages prove that it has always been the
native land of the Azerbaijanis. Armenians has only 3-4 villages,
while Azerbaijanis 29 villages near the bank of the Khram river.
Gushchu, Gasimli, Sadakhli, Gachagan, Ashagi and Yuhari Saral villages
are among them.

SAMVEL KHACHATRYAN: OUR WEIGHTLIFTERS HAD EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
04.12.2009 16:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ President of Armenian Weightlifting Federation
Samvel Khachatryan Friday summed up the results of Goyang World
Championship. Armenian sportsmen have returned from competitions with
12 gold medals.

Out of the 135 medals won this year, 69 belong to Armenian
weightlifters, he said.

The World Champion will get prize in the amount of AMD 5 million,
and the female team coach and winner’s personal coach will get AMD
2.5 million presidential prize. "But that is not yet all. There will
also be awards from the President of National Olympic Committee. Other
prize winners will also get awards," Samvel Khachatryan said.

On November 27, 2008, Europe 2009 solver prize winner Nazik Avdalyan
(w.c. 69 kg.) won a gold medal in Goyang International Championship.

All in all, Armenian female weightlifter brought 3 gold medals
to Armenia.

As a result of clean and jerk exercise, Nazik Avdalyan lifted 266 kg.

weigh (119 kg. in jerk exercise and 147 kg. -in push exercise).