Author: Khondkarian Raffi

PRESS RELEASE
From: Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
Haigazian University
Mexique Street, Kantari, Beirut
P.O.Box. 11-1748
Riad El Solh 1107 2090
Tel: 01-353010/1/2
01-349230/1

Haigazian University and the International Hrant Dink Foundation

Haigazian University, based in Beirut, Lebanon, announces the start of a
cooperative relationship with the International Hrant Dink Foundation,
based in Istanbul, Turkey in memory of the slain journalist Hrant Dink.
This cooperation will pave the way for joint projects in areas of mutual
interest, including publication and education.

GOVERNMENTS REVEALS BIASED APPROACH TO DRIVERS, SAYS ARFD PARLIAMENTARIAN

Noyan Tapan
Apr 8, 2009

Yerevan, April 8, Noyan Tapan: Requiring from private taxi drivers
to get out of use vehicles used longer than 10 years, the government
does not raise the problem of fixed-run taxis. Meanwhile, the most
of fixed-run taxis were produced 15 and more years ago. This problem
was raised by the member of ARF "Dashnaktsutyun" fraction of the
Parliament Vahan Hovhannisian on April 8 in the National Assembly of
Armenia. According to him, in respect of safe transportation of the
passengers and environmental issues, fixed-run taxis carry greater
number of passengers and they create greater risk of polluting
the atmosphere. He questioned, whether "this biased approach is
conditioned by the fact that private drivers are unprotected, while
behind fixed-run taxi drivers the owners of the routs stand". As the
minister of transport and communication Gurgen Sargsian explained,
the terms of usage of fixed-run taxis are conditioned by rout service
permits, which will be expired soon.

When new permits are issued, old vehicles will cease to be used,
assured the minister.

ILLUMINATING THE CHURCH OF ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR

Daily News Egypt
April 13, 2009 Monday

Northeast of Ramsis station, along the street of the same name,
an unimposing gate opens into the Armenian Church of St. Gregory
the Illuminator. If it were not enclosed, it would be impossible to
miss the ornate exterior of the newly renovated church gleaming in
stark contrast to the decrepit surrounding buildings, reflecting the
Armenian minority’s continued devotion to their traditional culture.

The three-year renovation of the Church led by Nairy Hampikian,
an architect of Armenian origin, cost LE 1 million and employed
27 fulltime staff, expanding to 78 depending on the stage of the
project. Funding was provided by the Parish.

Armenian immigration to Egypt began in earnest in the 1920s, fleeing
from the Turkish genocide. During the 1940s, 40,000 Armenians lived
in Egypt, many of whom would later leave as a result of Nasser’s
nationalization policies. The current Armenian population in Egypt
is estimated to number between 7,000-10,000, concentrated in Cairo
and Alexandria.

The Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator is one of two Armenian
churches in Cairo and the only Armenian Apostolic Church in the
city. The church was erected in 1928, after four years of construction,
by prominent Armenian architect Levon Nafilian. The church embodies
the two archetypes of classical Armenian architecture: employing
stone materials and topped with a conical dome.

The structure is not only beautifully renovated, but belies innovative
building techniques employed first by Nafilian and later replicated
by Hampikian. During Nafilian’s time, stone ceased to function as the
main building material for church structure and was replaced by more
secure reinforced concrete.

Nafilian retained the traditional style Armenian architecture is
known for, but only superficially. The skeleton of the Church is
constructed with reinforced concrete but the exterior’s cladding is
made of narrow stone blocks.

Nearly every element of the church is made with reinforced concrete
and painted to look like a different building material. The dome,
viewed from inside the church, looks as if it were constructed with
wooden paneling, but as Hampikian explained, it is reinforced concrete
painted to resemble wood.

The 16 imposing marble columns that caught my eye when I first arrived
turned out to be reinforced concrete painted to look like marble. The
illusion is complete.

"We have no secrets from our friends," Hampikian joked as she
catalogued materials used in the structure. She explained the
renovation project took care to preserve the integrity of the initial
design by employing similar building materials and techniques to the
conservation effort.

During the lengthy renovation stage, the church’s basement was
re-framed for increased structural support, the exterior was fortified
with new stones, the dome was repaired, stained glass windows were
renovated, and columns were rebuilt. The interior was cleaned and
the paint gleams as brightly as if it were a new coat.

The importance of the reconstructed church lies with the Armenian
community’s ties to religion. "I can’t imagine the community without
a church, it’s essential," said Mariam Karapetian, wife of Armenian
ambassador to Egypt, who was on hand to commemorate the renovation
ceremony last week.

"They celebrate everything, weddings, funerals. In everything, in
every community affair, the church is involved," she explained.

Many will have the opportunity to admire the structure’s new
appearance. "Every week, we have a liturgy… [for] about 60-100 and
[for] big ceremonies like Easter and Christmas the church is full,"
said Ashot Mnatsakanian, the bishop of Church of St. Gregory the
Illuminator. In addition to prayer services, the church is open every
day to visitors.

The community has high hopes for the renovation. "This maybe [a] new
wave of belief… for the young people to get closer to the church,"
Karapetian envisioned.

The outside grounds have also been renovated and the enclosed outer
courtyard of greenery combined with polished exterior seems alien
among Cairo’s dilapidated grey architecture. The renovation project
highlights the Armenian community’s attempts to reinvent itself by
preserving their heritage, using new techniques in a new world to
strengthen their ties to the traditional.

As a crowd gathered on the dark wooden pews of the church to
commemorate the completion of the renovation, the sweet smell
of incense wafted around the sanctuary and the noise of Cairo’s
ever-present cacophony fade away. A calm moment snatched from everyday
life in the metropolis.

Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

April 14, 2009
Contact: Andrew Kzirian

ANC-WR Internship Spotlight: Patil Kavarian

— ANC Glendale Alumna Joins ANC-WR Internship Program

Los Angeles, CA – As a member of the ANC-WR Internship-Externship’s
(IEP) 2009 spring class, Patil Kavarian has been working with the
ANC-WR staff and her fellow interns to advance Hai Tahd.  Kavarian is
a Public and Media Relations intern focusing on community activities
and education, and has reported on community stories such as youth
involvement in the recent local elections and helping to raise
awareness of the Armenian Genocide.

`The ANC-WR has given me the opportunity to help impact both the local
community and activists throughout the region,’ stated Kavarian. `By
assisting activists cover their activities in different parts of the
western United States, I am facilitating communication about how their
fellow colleagues are stepping up during this important time,’ said
Kavarian.

Kavarian has teamed with staff to reach out to her peers to encourage
more participation in community events and opportunities for civic
engagement.  Kavarian engaged various community efforts ranging from
the upcoming ANC Orange County’s Walk for Remembrance to voter
registration and the ANC-Western Region’s Issues Awareness Caucus in
Sacramento, California set to take place April 22-23, 2009.

Kavarian is a graduating senior at Crescenta Valley High School in
Glendale, California.  An aspiring pre-med college student, she is
still dedicated to community service and currently serves as her high
school’s Armenian Club president.  This past autumn Kavarian
successfully completed the ANC Glendale Internship Program.

`Patil has really benefited from the ANC-WR internship program and
made a difference,’ noted Haig Hovsepian, the ANC-WR’s Community
Relations Director and coordinator of the internship program. `This
program provided Patil with a tremendous opportunity to compliment her
experiences at the local level with a regional perspective.’

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in
the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States
and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR promotes
awareness of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.

FILM: SCREAMERS IN LONDON
Directed by Carla Garapedian

ls.asp?ID=891
Tue 21 April 2009

System of a Down are an award winning heavy metal band from Los
Angeles.

Three of the four band members are Armenian by origin , and they
have turned their concerts into a form of lobbying, with the aim
of persuading governments around the world to recognise the 1915
massacres of Armenians as genocide.

Carla Garapedian’s film follows the band as they mount a campaign,
targeting the US and British governments, and interviewing some
high profile supporters and survivers of past atrocities along the
way. Whilst the band’s starting point was the Armenian massacres,
the film sheds light on why mass killings continue to happen, despite
the oft repeated cry of ‘Never Again’.

This is a powerful film which approaches a bleak subject through the
unusual medium of rock music.

Although this event is free, booking is essential. Latecomers are not
admitted once the film has started. Please note that the content of
the films screened does not necessarily reflect the view of Amnesty
International.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with director Carla
Garapedian and Serj Tankian, leader singer of System of a Down

Venue: The Human Rights Action Centre, London EC2A 3EA Time: 6.30pm
Entrace FREE OF CHARGE – Must be pre-booked .

Reuters, UK
April 10 2009

Now the Obama party is over, Turkey needs to deliver

Fri Apr 10, 2009 11:58am
by Paul de Bendern

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama’s call on Turkey to
help resolve conflicts from the Middle East to Afghanistan is an
endorsement the secular democracy has long sought, but meeting those
expectations will be far harder.

Obama chose Turkey as the first Muslim country to visit since becoming
president, highlighting the importance he places on ties with a
prickly NATO ally spanning two continents and wielding increasing
influence in a volatile region.

"I came here out of my respect to Turkey’s democracy and culture and
my belief that Turkey plays a critically important role in the region
and in the world," Obama said during his two-day visit this week to
Ankara and Istanbul.

Turkey’s AK Party government has sought recognition for its role in
helping fix problems in and with neighboring countries, which it sees
as ultimately benefiting Turkey’s own security.

The Islamist-rooted AK Party has mediated between Israel and Syria,
brought warring Palestinian factions together, and tried to patch up
differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has been criticized by Israel and the
former U.S. administration for seeking to bring the Palestinian
militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, out of isolation and
for his criticism of Israel’s war on Gaza.

"The Obama visit opens up a series of windows of opportunities for
Turkey … but the burden is now on Turkey’s shoulders and how it can
make good on this," Faruk Logoglu, a former Turkish ambassador to
Washington, told Reuters.

"If we choose to continue to play, like Iran, a role of a regional
power with a voice of our own, then we will not be very effective. But
if we do it in a solemn and quiet manner it will be much more
effective."

Erdogan’s public spat over Gaza with Israeli President Shimon Peres in
Davos in January won praise from Arab countries but raised question
marks in European diplomatic circles about Turkey’s ability to be a
neutral negotiator. Turkey’s tough stance on the appointment of NATO’s
next chief put it at odds with the alliance’s members, forcing Obama
to intervene.

MUSLIM WORLD

Obama praised Turkey for its strong European roots, democracy and
ability to reach out to the Muslim world. He said Turkey could help
bridge the divide between America and the Islamic world.

Obama is trying to repair the damage left by his predecessor, George
W. Bush, and has made clear he wants a more conciliatory approach to
solving global problems from Iran’s nuclear program to the stalled
Middle East peace process.

"Turkey has a long history of being an ally and a friend of both
Israel and its neighbors. And so it can occupy a unique position in
trying to resolve some of these differences," he said.

Ties between Turkey and the United States are now on the mend after
years of tensions, mainly due to the Iraqi war.

Critics of Erdogan say his foreign policy, spearheaded by adviser
Ahmet Davutoglu, is driven by a desire to boost Turkey’s role in the
Muslim world and reconnect with its Ottoman roots. They criticize
Erdogan for distancing Turkey from the West.

Analyst say quiet diplomacy will help Turkey in its quest to help
resolve the Middle East peace process.

"Turkey’s usefulness is first improving quality and dialogue between
Arabs and Israelis and factions within the Palestinians, and secondly
preparing the groundwork, not the ultimate agreement," said Logoglu,
adding he was skeptical that the government would pursue quiet
diplomacy.

ARMENIA, NORTHERN IRAQ

Turkey’s European Union membership bid will also be affected by how it
tries to solve conflicts with its neighbors.

Turkey has finally begun normalizing ties with Armenia. The two
countries are at odds over Yerevan’s dispute with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh and whether the massacres of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks during World War One amounted to genocide.

Turkey will now be under pressure to deliver on Armenia. Diplomats
believe Ankara’s efforts with Yerevan have given Obama some time to
hold off on a U.S. Congress resolution that seeks to label the 1915
killings as genocide, a move that would hurt U.S.-Turkish ties.

"Turkey has come a long way in mending fences with neighbors," said
Hugh Pope, author of books on Turkey and an analyst with the
International Crisis Group.

"Twenty years ago, all countries around itself had daggers drawn at
Turkey. Now we are at the point of normalizing relations with
Armenia. Northern Iraq was a weight around Turkey’s neck and Turkey is
working on fixing it."

Ties between Turkey and Iraq have been strained over the presence of
Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq from where they attack Turkish
territory. The United States wants better ties as they draw down their
troop levels in Iraq.

SANCTIONS FOR SALE OF BREAD WITHOUT WEIGHT LABELING TOUGHENED IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2009-04-09 14:02:00

ArmInfo. Armenian Parliament made alterations and amendments to the
Code of Administrative Violations in the first reading Thursday.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Samvel Avetisyan says the bill regulates
bread sales. Consumers often complain of the weight and the quality
of bread at shops. The bill toughens sanctions for such violation of
the law. Thus, the effective law stipulates a fine for the amount of
10-20 minimal salaries for not labeling the weight and the name of
producer. However, it does not charge any agency to control over such
violations. The bill proposes charging the state inspection of food
products under jurisdiction of the Armenian Agricultural Ministry to
supervise the sphere and impose fines.

Parliamentarians welcomed the initiative and urged the government
to focus on monopoly of the grain business in Armenia. Independent
parliamentarian Viktor Dallakyan highlighted that the government
is regulating the small business, leaving aside the ‘grain business
tycoons’. He said that grain and flour importers cause 50-70 million
dollars monthly damage to the country.

TURKISH DIPLOMAT SAYS: USE TURKISH ARCHIVES TO RESEARCH THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

The Examiner
Eastern-Policy-Examiner~y2009m4d8-Turkish-diplomat -says-Use-Turkish-archives-to-research-the-Armenia n-Genocide
April 9 2009
CA

Yucel Guclu, an official in Turkey’s U.S. Embassy, asks in the Spring
2009 Middle East Quarterly, "Will Untapped Ottoman Archives Reshape
the Armenian Debate?"

Guclu says that while the question "continues to polarize historians
and politicians . . . it is ironic that many of the archives that
contain documentation from the period remain untapped." He mentions
several rich sources waiting to be exploited, including the Ottoman
Archives in the Prime Minister’s Office; the archives of the Turkish
General Staff Military History and Strategic Studies Directorate;
and the National Library in Ankara. He concludes that a joint
Turkish-Armenian historical commission should investigate these
materials to establish the truth about the Armenian experience.

There are two points to be made. The first is that this proposal is
utterly uncontroversial. No one is arguing against doing research in
Ottoman records.

The second, more significant point, is this: Guclu does not make
the claim that any archives contain evidence that will disprove the
genocidal character of the Armenian tragedy. The title of his piece
is a trifle misleading. The assertion that we should look does not
create any presumption about what we will find.

History is never as unambiguous as we would like. First, historians,
as human beings, have unconscious predispositions and even conscious
biases. (There’s a wonderful story about Winston Churchill in
Parliament, criticizing the then prime minister: "History will say
that the right honorable gentleman was wrong in this matter." Slight
pause. "I know it will, because I shall write the history.") Second,
historical evidence can be fragmentary, suspect or simply unclear. For
example, while there is no doubt that the Nazis and their collaborators
murdered roughly six million Jews, Hitler’s precise role in the
organization and unfolding of the genocide continues to be debated.

But–equally important–while the writing of history is necessarily
tentative, it isn’t impossible. We can therefore judge the evidence
as we have it today as supporting the factuality of the Armenian
Genocide. If new information comes to light, we can revise our judgment
accordingly. But there is no warrant for withholding judgment,
no need to wait for a "historical commission," on the chance that
someday there may be new information.

LIES GIVE BIRTH TO RIGHTS

A1+
06:17 pm | April 09, 2009

Politics

The bill of indictment for Alexander Arzumanyan and Suren Sirunyan
was released today.

Do you consider yourself guilty? In response to the judge’s question,
Alexander Arzumanyan said:

"I have never done anything to be ashamed of in my entire life."

The bill of indictment referred to how Arzumanyan had organized mass
disturbances near the Myasnikyan statue on March 1, armed people with
weaponry, explosives and had an impact with his reputation.

"I have not been near the Myasnikyan statue at 9 p.m. I demand the
accusers to ask for forgiveness for keeping me under illegal arrest,"
said Alexander Arzumanyan.

After Arzumanyan’s speech, the judge registered that he did not
acknowledge his guilt.

Suren Sirunyan did not acknowledge his guilt based on the 1st part
of Article 225 of the Criminal Code either.

"This court is guided by the slogan "lies give birth to rights".

After today’s bill of indictment, it became clear why Arzumanyan and
Sirunyan were not set apart when the "Case of Seven" was divided into
parts. During a telephone conversation Sirunyan had told Arzumanyhan
that the situation was under control.

The court also confirmed the order of investigation of evidence, which
includes inquiries of witnesses and culprits, study of court documents
and conclusions, as well as the investigation of existing evidence.

Judge Martirosyan also denied the petition of Sirunyan’s advocate to
change the precautionary measure. Before the rejection, Arzumanyan
addressed the judge and said:

"I ask you to take into account Sirunyan’s health and not take into
consideration the fact that you denied the petition to change my
precautionary measure."

Sirunyan announced that he is going to be transferred to the "Surp
Nerses" clinic tomorrow to go through post-operation examinations.

The trial of Arzumanyan and Sirunyan will proceed on April 15 at
11:30 a.m.

ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER OPENING: DOES AZERBAIJAN THREATEN TURKEY?

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.04.2009 18:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijani ruling party believes recent statements
by Turkish authorities on not opening borders with Armenia are sincere.

"Today Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said once again
that they will never take a step to the detriment of Azerbaijan’s
interests. We should wait for the further development of events,"
Azerbaijani ruling party Deputy Executive Secretary and MP Siyavush
Novruzov said.

Novruzov said there is no ground not to believe statements by Turkish
officials.

"Opening borders with Armenia is a serious issue for inter-state
and intergovernmental ties. An action should stand behind these
statements," he added.

He said if Turkish authorities do not keep their promise, serious
steps will be taken, Trend News reported.