Author: Khondkarian Raffi

Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
3111 Los Feliz Avenue, #206, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Contact person: Dr. Frieda Jordan
Phone: (323) 663-3609
Email:[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

Walk of Life 2009 becomes testament to grassroots solidarity

Over 500 gather to support the life-saving activities of the Armenian
Bone Marrow Donor Registry

Glendale event is mirrored by donor recruits in Yerevan and Tehran

Los Angeles, October 8, 2009 – On Sunday, October 3, more than 500
supporters gathered at the Verdugo Park in Glendale, California, to
participate in Walk of Life 2009, the much-anticipated walkathon of
the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR).

In addition to taking part in the 5K/10K walk-run, supporters
registered as bone marrow donors and helped raise funds for the life-
saving mission of the ABMDR. The annual family event, which draws
supporters from all age groups and walks of life, took place in a
festive atmosphere that included live music, dance, and food.

`This is the type of event that makes our work all the more
worthwhile,’ said Dr. Frieda Jordan, president of the ABMDR Board of

Directors. `When the Armenian community responds to the call for
action in such big numbers, and does so with such a high level of
enthusiasm and dedication, we have every reason to be optimistic
about the continued viability of the ABMDR’s mission.’

Walk of Life 2009 was chaired by Armond Aghakhanian of the ABMDR’s
Board of Advisors while Nectar Kalajian served as master of
ceremonies. Together they introduced representatives of the event’s

major sponsors, including the City of Glendale, Glendale Memorial
Hospital, and Bank of America. All sponsors were honored with
certificates of recognition during the walkathon.

`Every Armenian should join the registry,’ said Glendale City
Councilman Ara Najarian as he accepted a certificate from Dr. Jordan.

His comments were echoed by Arpik Lalabekyan, senior vice president
at the Burbank Main Branch of Bank of America. `The registry is such

a great idea,’ Lalabekyan said. `I’m so proud of Bank of America
for
becoming a sponsor. It’s time we did something like this.’ Bank of

American, a first-time ABMDR sponsor, supported Walk of Life 2009 by
making an initial donation and subsequently matching funds that were
raised by employees of the Burbank Main Branch.

Accepting certificates on behalf of Bank of America and Glendale
Memorial Hospital were Zepiur Ashjian, a consumer-market vice-
president with the bank, and Mark Myers, president of Glendale
Memorial Hospital, respectively.

Youth power

Youth participation was a key factor in the large turnout and
ultimate success of the walkathon. In the months leading up to the
event, Mariette Keshishian and Dr. Evelyn Baghdassarian of the ABMDR
coordinated teams of participating students from local public schools

with the help of Daniel Baghdassarian, a student at La Canada High.
Simultaneously, Dr. Vergine Madenlian, an ABMDR Board member, and
Garbis Bartanian, a science teacher at Mesrobian School, educated
students about stem cell transplantation and genetics through a
series of special talks.

School teams participating in the walkathon included those of the
Alex Pilibos, Chamlian, Mariamian-Davidian, Mesrobian, and Clark
schools. In addition, over 20 teams representing private groups,
community organizations, and businesses – among them the ARS Glendale

Sepan Chapter, AGBU Glendale/Pasadena Scouts, Law Offices of Geragos
and Geragos, and Softline Solutions – participated in the event,
raising funds and encouraging supporters to register as bone marrow
donors. (The full list of teams is posted at ABMDR.am). Two of those
teams were dedicated to the memory of Aram Markosian, of Southfield,
Michigan. After a long battle with leukemia and unable to find a bone

marrow match for a stem cell transplant, Markosian passed away last
month at the age of 24.

One of the 1,305 patients identified by the ABMDR as requiring such a

transplant is Suren Ter-Abramyan, a 40-year-old leukemia patient who
attended Walk of Life 2009. `The very existence of the ABMDR is a
wonderful phenomenon,’ Ter-Abramyan said. `We haven’t found a bone

marrow match yet, but we won’t give up. And even after finding a
match, I’ll continue to support the registry every way I can.’

Dr. Evelyn Baghdassarian, a pediatrician and an ABMDR Board Member,
said that treating young cancer patients sparked the fire in her to
join the mission of the registry. `In a short few years, the ABMDR
has grown from obscurity to an organization that has fostered the
emergence of a high degree of health consciousness and activism among

Armenian communities across the world,’ she said.

Dr. Baghdassarian added that while Armenians stand to gain the most
from the ABMDR because of their unique genetic makeup, people of any
nationality can also benefit. `This is the reason that the ABMDR is a

member of the National Marrow Donor Program, a fact that considerably

enlarges the pool of possible matches for everyone,’ she explained.

Recruiting to save lives

The overarching goal of the ABMDR is to recruit donors so that
Armenians suffering from life-threatening blood-related illnesses can

have a chance for a transplant, through a potential match.

As with all ABMDR outreach events, donor recruitment was a key
feature of Walk of Life 2009. Volunteer recruiters such as Fimi
Mekhitarian and members of the Armenian Nurses Association recruited
bone marrow donors throughout the event, working in booths especially

set up for the purpose.

`First and foremost I would like to thank the Armenian Nurses
Association, for always and unflinchingly supporting our
recruitments,’ Mekhitarian said. `Today’s event has been a great

success because the registry’s mission seems to be resonating with
the community as a whole and the youth in particular. The youth is
what makes this endeavor strong and effective. It’s also why I think

it’s crucial to continue building school teams for participation in

ABMDR events.’ Mekhitarian added that close to 90 donors were
recruited during the walkathon.

Following the walk/run, the large crowd at Verdugo Park celebrated
with music and dancing. The lineup of singers performing at the event

included Joseph Krikorian, Ara Sahagian, Hratch Bogharian, Nersig
Ispirian, and Sahag Sislian.

There were also a surprise appearances by Armenchik and Mihran.
Addressing the hundreds of jubilant participants, the singers
encouraged everyone to continue helping in the growth of the ABMDR.
Subsequently Armenchik registered as a donor and made a donation to
the ABMDR.

Unprecedented events in Yerevan and Tehran

Another watershed event took place on October 3 in Yerevan, where the

ABMDR organized its largest outreach event to date.

The Armenian capital’s famed Lovers’ Park pulsated with a marathon

benefit concert while ABMDR representatives interacted with hundreds
of attendees, educating them about the work of the registry and
recruiting stem cell donors.

Volunteer performers and artists lending their talents to the
extraordinary, eight-hour celebration included Forsh, Michael
Poghosyan, the Malkhas jazz band, and scores of others. The event
netted 200 donor recruits.

Significant results were also achieved in Tehran. During the first
week of October, Mariette Tounians, the registry’s representative in

the Iranian capital, recruited 250 donors at the Avedissian Clinic,
marking a turning point for the Armenian-Iranian community.

About the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry: Established in 1999,
the ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians worldwide
survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and
matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants.

To date, the registry has recruited over 15,000 donors across three
continents, identified 1,305 patients, found 1,033 potential matches,

and facilitated nine bone marrow transplants.

For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit abmdr.am.

# # #

NICOLAS SARKOZY: KAZAKHSTAN MAY PLAY A GREAT ROLE IN THE SOLUTION TO NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT

APA
06 Oct 2009 18:30

Baku. Lachin Sultanova – APA. Kazakhstan may play a great role in the
stabilization of the situation in the Central Asia and solution to
the conflicts in the Caucasus, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said
at the press conference he held with Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan
Nazarbayev in Astana, APA reports.

"Kazakhstan is a peaceful country, strives for peace and it may help
in the restoration of peace among the countries in this region,
solution to a number of conflicts, for example, Nagorno Karabakh,
Ossetia and Abkhazia," he said.

Nicolas Sarkozy considers that Kazakhstan should restore stability
in the region.

"We need Kazakhstan in settling crisis in Afghanistan and Iran,
establishing new relations with our friends from Russia, combating
intolerance and extremism, solving critical situations in this region,
solving Nagorno Karabakh, Ossetia and Abkhazia conflicts," he said.

VILLAGERS ARE STILL DECEIVED

os15411.html
13:40:33 – 05/10/2009

After Serge Sargsyan visited factories buying grape where they
promised to buy the harvest at the promised price for the villagers
not to be in harm, the complaint is continuing. Sunday, on October 4,
the villagers again were gathered on the Ararat highway near the Khor
Virap village and closed the road. They were complaining because the
brandy and wine factories accepted their grape at a very low price
exploiting the circumstance that the villagers have no alternative. The
grape producers say some factories buy it at 80-100 dram instead of
promised 130. The factories reason it by the economic crisis while
the grape they are buying this year for brandy will be sold only
after a few years when the crisis apparently will have ceded.

WHAT DOES SERGE SARGSYAN NEED?
James Hakobyan

hos15406.html
11:46:54 – 05/10/2009

Serge Sargsyan, who is visiting different communities of the Armenian
Diaspora and is discussing the Armenian and Turkish relations, says
his initiative is unprecedented from the point that he is engaged
in learning the opinion of all the Armenians in connection with
such an important issue for Armenia. We could agree with this if
really a format was chosen which would enable to learn the moods of
the Armenian Diaspora composed of more than 7 million Armenians. For
example, in Paris meeting with several hundred people it is impossible
to find out what several hundred thousand people think. But the
question is not this, in this case. After all, it is doubtless that
the Armenian-Turkish protocols are going to be signed and everything
will proceed the way it is needed and not the way the Diaspora or
the Armenian society wants. This is the problem. Does Serge Sargsyan
need the opinion of the others? Is he in reality interested in
opinions of the Armenians in Armenia and abroad? Does he need all
this to find out new things or to show to the whole world that he
can oppose the Armenian nation but take to an end this important
geopolitical question? Maybe this was the reason why before leaving
for his pan-Armenian trip in his interview with "Armenian Reporter"
newspaper, he said that if now the Armenian and Turkish process fails
no other figure will dwell on this topic for long time. In other
words, either no one or me. Anyway, if Serge Sargsyan was really
interested in someone’s opinion, if he really wanted to enhance the
effectiveness of his decisions by listening to a wider framework of
decisions, he would do that before signing the Armenian and Turkish
protocols or in general before initiating the football diplomacy,
holding public and pan-Armenian discussions. He did not have to hold
them now just for fun saying "I decided to do something, what do you
think about it Armenians?" This may weaken Armenia’s positions from
the diplomatic point of view in comparison with Turkey. But public
discussions to learn th!

e politic ods may be held. Moreover, if the government did it
indirectly without showing off its participation or interests so the
public-political circles would be more sincere and the atmosphere
would be calmer because the greater part of the Armenian public –
political circles, at hearing the name of the government, does what
would please the latter.

If the opinion of the Armenian nation was taken into consideration only
then we would be able to say that Serge Sargsyan in reality cares for
the public opinion. But when it is done after the statement that the
Armenian and Turkish protocols cannot be changed and at the same time
with another statement he says that "those who threaten him are naïve"
it becomes clear that Serge Sargsyan does not want to learn the opinion
of the public and Armenians but to defeat the public and the Armenians.

PRESS RELEASE
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
Governmental Buiding 3, Yerevan, RA
Contact: Hasmik Grigoryan
Tel: +(3741) 56 01 06 ext. 105
Fax: +(3741) 52 15 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

October 29, 2009

Hayastan All-Armenian Fund establishes scholarships for students of State
Agrarian University of Armenia

Yerevan, October 5, 2009 – In its ongoing effort to foster agricultural
development in Armenia and Artsakh, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
established scholarships for ten outstanding students of the State Agrarian
University of Armenia.

The scholarships are initiated and sponsored by the Armenia Fund U.S.
Western Region – the fund’s affiliate in the Western United States. To be
eligible for the scholarships, students must demonstrate extraordinary
scholastic achievement and come from socially vulnerable families of freedom
fighters who have lost their lives during Artsakh’s war of liberation.

Arshaluys Tarverdyan, rector of the State Agrarian University of Armenia,
will present a list of scholarship candidates to the fund, and the Armenia
Fund U.S. Western Region will make the final selections. Seven students will
receive scholarships for one semester, two students for two semesters, and
the top student will be granted a scholarship to cover the remainder of his
or her studies at the State Agrarian University of Armenia.

Kurdish Globe

Saturday, 03 October 2009, 02:03 EDT

Iraqi basketball league to be hosted in Suleimaniyah

The Kurdish Globe

The Iraqi Basketball Federation (IBF) appointed October 6 as the start
date for the 2009 season of the Iraqi women’s basketball
league. Thirteen teams will compete, including six teams from
Kurdistan.

"Due to its convenience and safe conditions, Suleimaniyah city has
been chosen to hold the tournament," said IBF secretary Khalid Najim.

The clubs included in the tournament are Nawroz, new Sirwan, Peshmerga
and Suleimaniyah from the Suleimaniyah province; Akad from the Kurdish
capital city of Erbil; Sanharib from the Duhok governorate; Bartilah
from Mosul city; Kirkuk Fatat from the province of Kirkuk; Baghdad
Fatat, the Armenian girls, the girls of the martyr Ohan team from the
Iraqi capital city of Baghdad; Salam from Anbar; and Baladi from the
province of Babylon.

The teams will be divided into three groups to play at league single
stage, as the two top finishers in each group will be able to reach to
the second round. Then, four teams will qualify for the semifinal,
which takes place in a junction where two winners will compete for
first place. According to Najim, the champion and the runners-up will
be given the right to participate in international competitions as
Iraqi basketball representatives.

In Kurdistan, the Akad girls, who won the Kurdistan league title last
season, are expected to make it to the second round easily since they
are enriched with highly qualified young ladies.

"Of course, we got to the championship level and we won, and we expect
to win again and again, but we know it’s going to take hard work, and
I think we are going to embrace that," said Nada Gorgis, captain of
Akad.

In Gorgis’s view, the players’ adherence to the coach’s instructions
and their dedicated love for the team will incite them to play as hard
as they can.

She added, "I, just like the staff members of my club, will continue
doing what we have done and never let the team down."

Aysor.am

03.10.2009, 12:40

Emergency situation in Naxcivan

A traditional summit of Turkic speaking countries has been opened
yesterday in Naxcivan with participation of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan,
Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.

Turkemistan is represented by President’s assistant, while
Uzbekistan’s representatives are absent.

It’s announced an emergency situation in Naxcivan during the
two-day-long summit: there was a call for less outgoing, numerous
colleges and offices have ceased working, armed forces are mobilized,
streets and roads are restricted to mass transit and crowd-movement.

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul who is summit’s chief figure is
expected to meet with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliev and have
talks on Armenian-Turkish initialed protocols.

As Turkish media report, Mr. Gul is going to assure that Karabakh’s
issue remains important to Turkey.

03.10.2009, 12:40
Aysor.am

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
October 2, 2009
Contact: Press Office
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 383-9009

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA HELP PRESERVE FUTURE SITE OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
MUSEUM OF AMERICA

Washington, DC – As part of their community service program, a Boy
Scouts of America troop from the Washington, DC, region is
volunteering to help preserve the National Bank of Washington (NBW)
building, which is a designated site on the National Register of
Historic Buildings.

As plans proceed to convert the 1920s structure into the Armenian
Genocide Museum of America (AGMA), the preservation of the historic
building has remained one of the priorities of the museum project. The
renovation plans will restore the site to its original grandeur, as
well as allow for the installation of full-scale exhibits on the
tragic ordeal of the victims and the long struggle of the survivors.
The NBW structure has historic designation for both the exterior and
the interior main hall of the former bank space.

 "As we pull together the AGMA plans and exhibits, we also want this
historic site to be presentable and available to the local community,"
said Van Z. Krikorian, museum trustee and chairman of the project’s
building and operations committee. "We are honored by the offer of the
Boy Scouts of America to pitch in with our efforts to improve the site
for public use.  Their volunteer spirit exemplifies the best of our
country’s values and is especially appropriate since the Boy Scouts of
America in the past honored Armenian Assembly of America chairman and
AGMA board of trustees chairman Hirair Hovnanian with their
Distinguished Service Award for serving on their National Board."

The reviews and approvals of the District of Columbia Historic
Preservation Review Board (HPRB) and the architectural plans developed
according to HPRB specifications have clarified which portions and
what details of the existing structure must be preserved and will be
renovated.  The review also identified aspects to the interior of the
building that were later additions or are features that do not
constitute part of the original integrity of the historic building.

Not by coincidence AGMA is located on The Extra Mile: Points of Light
Volunteer Pathway, which is a new national monument dedicated to the
spirit of service in America.  The Extra Mile honors heroes of the
nation’s service movement with a series of large bronze medallions,
including William D. Boyce, founder of the Boy Scouts of America.
Other honorees include suffragist Susan B. Anthony, abolitionist
Frederick Douglas, advocate for the blind Helen Keller, civil rights
leader Martin Luther King, Jr., Special Olympics founder Eunice
Kennedy Shriver, and American Red Cross founder Clara Barton, who led
American relief efforts in response to the 1896 Armenian massacres.
The AGMA offices are also located across the street from the Church of
the Epiphany, which is one of the starting points of the Civil War to
Civil Rights: Downtown Heritage Trail.

The Armenian Genocide Museum of America is an outgrowth of the
Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Institute
(ANI), catalyzed by the initial pledge of Anoush Mathevosian toward
building such a museum in Washington, DC.

###

NR#2009-04

DAVUTOGLU SAYS OCTOBER WILL BE MONTH OF PEACE

Today’s Zaman
01 October 2009, Thursday

Davutoglu, who was in New York for the UN General Assembly last week,
held a press briefing in Ankara yesterday upon his return from the
United States. He said Turkey will help peace processes continue
regarding the Middle East, the South Caucasus, Pakistan and Afghanistan
in October.

Davutoglu, who was in New York for the UN General Assembly last week,
held a press briefing in Ankara yesterday upon his return from the
United States. He said Turkey will help peace processes continue
regarding the Middle East, the South Caucasus, Pakistan and Afghanistan
in October.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said he expects the
month of October to be a "month of peace" while Turkey’s efforts are
under way in regards to peace in the Middle East, the Caucasus and
the Balkans.

Davutoglu, who was in New York for the UN General Assembly last week,
said in a press briefing in Ankara yesterday upon his return from
the United States that Turkey will do its best to prevent sanctions
against Iran from coming to the table.

"Sanctions would hurt the Iranian public as well as Iran’s neighbors
including Turkey. So we will speed up diplomatic efforts to prevent
the option of sanctions," he said.

Davutoglu and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are expected
to go to Iran this month. The Iranian delegation will meet with
representatives of the five permanent UN Security Council members
and Germany in Geneva for talks on its nuclear program.

The Foreign Minister also said that he talked with Iranian Foreign
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Monday and added that Iran assured the
international community that it will work with the UN nuclear watchdog,
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Today’s meeting in Geneva is expected to set the stage for progress in
resolving the standoff over the Islamic Republic’s refusal to freeze
uranium enrichment and heed other UN Security Council demands.

The US, Israel and the EU fea ram to develop nuclear weapons. But
Tehran says the program serves purely civilian purposes and that it
has the right to enrich uranium for use in nuclear power plants. The
talks will be the first since a 2008 session in Geneva foundered over
Iran’s refusal to discuss enrichment.

Davutoglu, who met Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari in New York,
also said that they have seen what sanctions brought to neighboring
Iraq. He and Zebari discussed Prime Minister Erdogan’s upcoming visit
to Baghdad which is scheduled to take place this month.

Upon a question from reporters regarding cooperation with Iraq in
solving Turkey’s terrorism problem with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK), Davutoglu said there are a few areas of stress in fighting
terrorism and one of them is cooperation with Iraq.

"We have established very good relations with Iraq," he said and added
that another important area of emphasis is cooperation with the United
States. He said they had reviewed the cooperation agreement between
Turkey and the US under the previous George W. Bush administration
in New York with US President Barack Obama and US Foreign Minister
Hillary Clinton. Since late 2007, the US has been supplying Turkey
with real-time intelligence through which the Turkish military has
been conducting air raids on PKK targets in northern Iraq.

"We also attach importance to cooperation with the northern Iraqi
administration. This is a trilateral mechanism. And we will have our
next meeting in Arbil," he said.

In addition, he mentioned efforts to cooperate with Syria and the
countries of the European Union in that regard. "So all these efforts
show that we are engaged in active attempts to eliminate terrorism,"
he said.

Davutoglu also evaluated the month of October to be a "month of peace"
because of unexpected developments in the Caucasus. He said that there
are parallel developments to the Turkey-Armenia normalization process
as meetings between Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian
President Serzh kh, Azerbaijani territory occupied by Armenia, and
that this kind of development has not been seen in more than 10 years.

In separate meetings held on Monday on the sidelines of the UN General
Assembly, Clinton told the foreign ministers of the two countries
that they should proceed apace and not get bogged down by political
opposition to a deal, which they hope to seal by mid-October.

Prime Minister Erdogan announced on Sunday that Turkey and
Armenia would sign a deal in Zurich to establish diplomatic ties
on Oct. 10. But the agreement must be approved by the countries’
parliaments to take effect, and a major dispute remains over the
World War I-era killings of Anatolian Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire. Turkey insists that it was not genocide and that the death
toll has been inflated.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul attended a World Cup qualifier in
Yerevan last year in what was hailed as a breakthrough, but Sarksyan
has said he will only go to the game in Turkey if there’s progress
toward opening the border.

According to Davutoglu, the new process in southeast Europe is proof
of October being a "month of peace" as Turkey is going to host the
Oct. 8-9 South East European Cooperation ministerial meeting. During
that meeting Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina will sign an agreement on
confidence-building measures.

The initiative was launched in Sofia in July, 1996, during a
meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of South-East European
countries, which decided to start a long-term process of multilateral
cooperation among participating states. As of June 5, 2009 the
chairmanship-in-office of the South East European Cooperation Process
(SEECP) has been taken over by Turkey.

On Oct. 13 Davutoglu will pay a one-day visit to neighboring Syria, a
visit which involves a symbolic gesture reflecting remarkable progress
in bilateral relations between the two countries. Davutoglu and his
Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Moallem, signed an accord to end visa
requirements and signed a bilateral cooperation accord un e accord,
called the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council Agreement, is
similar to the mechanism between Turkey and Iraq.

During the one day visit, Davutoglu and Moallem will hold the first
part of their meeting in Aleppo. The second part of the meeting will
be held in Gaziantep after the two ministers walk across the border.

Another development in October will be that Davutoglu and Erdogan
will go to Pakistan for an official visit on Oct. 25-26. There is
possibility that they might go to Afghanistan, according to diplomatic
sources.

RAFFI WITHDRAWED HIS RESIGNATION

rahos15360.html
15:03:20 – 30/09/2009

Statement of Raffi K. Hovannisian

My Fellow Countrymen:

Having humbly labored so many years for the international reaffirmation
of the Armenian Genocide, recognition of the Karabagh Republic, and
normalization of relations with our neighbors without any precondition,
I felt betrayed by the actions of this administration in compromising
these fundamental principles and therefore decided to lay down my
parliamentary mandate in protest.

Since that moment, however, I have been urged by compatriots both in
Armenia and in our broad Diaspora to take up the challenge and use
the limited forum that the National Assembly offers to speak in the
name of truth and justice no matter what the odds.

Hence, in deference to this strong groundswell of support and urgency,
I am withdrawing my resignation and will resume my responsibilities
as a member of the Heritage faction, which for the past two years
has consistently demonstrated its commitment to human rights and
fundamental freedoms, an end to illegal political persecution and
imprisonment, and the dignity, integrity and security of the Republic
of Armenia and the Armenian people worldwide.