Author: Khondkarian Raffi

GENERAL DIRECTOR OF ARMENTEL LEAVES POSITION FOR DOMESTIC REASONS

Panorama.am
15:56 01/04/2009

The General Manager of "Armentel" CJSC Neicho Volochkov announced that
he was leaving his position. The head of public relations department of
the company Anush Beghloyan told Panorama.am reporter that the General
Director had some personal reasons to make such decision. According
to the source the acting manager of the company is appointed Karen
Shahnazaryan, the deputy financial director. Neicho Velichkov took
the position of the General Director in May 2008.

CONSOLIDATION OF ARMENIAN-GERMAN RELATIONS UNDERSCORED

ARMENPRESS
March 30, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandyan received today State Secretary of German Foreign Ministry
Gernot Erler who is in Armenia accompanied with the chairman of the
German-South Caucasian parliamentary group of the German Bundestag
Steffan Reiche.

Armenian Foreign Ministry press service told Armenpress that greeting
the guests E. Nalbandian noted that high-level political dialogue has
been established between the two countries, bilateral partnership is
developing effectively, cultural and business ties are being expanded.

Armenian foreign minister said that Armenia underscores the further
boosting and consolidation of Armenian-German relations.

During the meeting the interlocutors discussed in details a wide range
of issues on EU Eastern Partnership initiative. E. Nalbandian noted
that in Armenia the declaration of the European Summit on Eastern
partnership has been examined with attention and it may serve as a
basis for further cooperation. He pointed out that Armenia is ready
to actively cooperate with EU establishments and member countries in
the further development and implementation of the initiative.

German state secretary assessed the political, economic, educational
and cultural relations between the two countries as excellent
underscoring the Armenian-German inter-governmental consultations,
and efficiency of the Armenian-German parliamentary friendship group.

The sides also referred to the Karabakh conflict regulation issue,
discussed opportunities of regulation of Armenian-Turkish relations.

After the meeting Armenian deputy foreign minister Karine Ghazinian
and Gernot Erler gave a joint press conference.

"WE SHALL STILL CATCH THE AUTHORITIES BY SURPRISE"

A1+
05:12 pm | March 30, 2009

Politics

"Our report and footage on the last March unrest shocked the public
and the parliamentary committee looking into the events of March
1-2. But neither the authorities nor the committee came up with a legal
assessment. We achieved no result. The committee did nothing special
but inviting a few people to an examination," says Suren Abrahamyan,
Chairman of the Public Committee looking into the events of March
1, 2008.

Mr. Abrahamyan says the Public Committee has changed its strategy. They
are waiting for the further steps of the fact-finding group and the
parliamentary committee. Only then they will catch the authorities
by surprise.

If they didn’t make conclusions from the report and documentary,
we shall wait for them to act and then have our say," added
Mr. Abrahamyan.

HAYASTAN FUND CONTINUES REBUILDING WATER-SUPPLY SYSTEM OF ARTSAKH’S BERDASHEN VILLAGE

armradio.am
30.03.2009 10:55

The Hayastan All Armenian Fund announced that reconstruction of the
water-supply system in Berdashen, a village in Nagorno Karabakh’s
Martuni Region, continues on schedule.

The project, worth 210 million drams (U.S. $555,000), is financed
jointly by the Hayastan All Armenian Fund’s Argentinean affiliate
and the government of Artsakh. Major support for the initiative,
which was launched in late 2008, was provided by Argentinean-Armenian
benefactors Alicia Vosgerichian de Magarian, Hovsep Magarian, and
Varujan Panossian, in honor of Takvor Magarian and Nvart Terzian
Magarian.

Berdashen’s water-supply system, which was built in the 1960s,
has long been in a state of disrepair. Through the Hayastan
All Armenian Fund project, the pump station has been renovated,
cancer-causing asbestos pipes have been replaced with plastic ones, and
a 3.6-kilometer pipeline has been built, already supplying Berdashen
with water. Currently the next phase of the initiative, the building
of the internal water-distribution network, is underway. When this
leg of the project is completed by autumn 2009, all 1,500 residents
of Berdashen will receive a regular supply of water.

"We are delighted for being able to address many of the urgent
issues affecting the Martuni Region and helping improve the lives
of the populat ion," said Ara Vardanyan, the Hayastan All-Armenian
Fund’s acting executive director. "I think the Berdashen project is a
wonderful way to keep Takvor Magarian’s and Nvart Terzian Magarian’s
memory alive."

To date, the Hayastan All Armenian Fund’s Argentinean affiliate
has sponsored some 20 vital projects in Artsakh, mainly in the
educational sphere. The affiliate’s most recent initiatives include
the construction, in 2008, of an eight-kilometer water pipeline for
Spitakashen, another village in the Martuni Region.

PanARMENIAN.Net

No amnesty plan for Kurdistan Workers’ Party rebels
28.03.2009 18:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish prime minister says the country has no
plans to consider amnesty for Kurdish rebels in order to end a 24-year
insurgency.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an interview with NTV television on Friday
denied media reports that the government might consider an amnesty for
the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist
group by Ankara and much of the international community.

He said that an amnesty ‘is out of the question’. ”Only voluntary
disarmament is acceptable for Turkey.”

The PKK, which took up arms for self-rule in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority
southeast in 1984, has long taken refuge in the mountains of
autonomous Kurdish-run northern Iraq. They have used this area as a
launching pad for cross-border attacks on Turkish territory.

Iraq’s government and the Iraqi Kurds have pledged to help Turkey
against the PKK and urged the rebels to disarm or leave Iraq.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd, earlier this month
said Kurdish groups from regional countries would gather in northern
Iraq in late April or May and issue a joint appeal for the PKK to lay
down arms. It is not yet clear if PKK representatives would be invited
to the meeting.

Today.Az, Azerbaijan
March 29 2009

Armenian servicemen in Azerbaijani captivity request to transfer them
to a third country

29 March 2009 [05:37] – Today.Az

Armenian servicemen Grant Markosyan, Artur Vartevyan and Alik
Tevosyan, who surrendered themselves to Azerbaijani side, have sent an
appeal with a request to pass them into a third country, said Shain
Sayipov, secretary of the state commission for war prisoners, missing
and hostages.

He said this appeal was sent to the UN representative office in
Azerbaijan several days ago.

"Currently, work is held to consider their appeal", noted Sayipov.

Notably, three citizens of Armenian ethnic were detained in Agdam on
February 28. These were Grant Markosyan, Artur Vartevyan and Alik
Tevosyan. They were detained at midnight, when they approached the
farms at Ergi plain and asked for food and water.

/Day.Az/

URL:

Agence France Presse
March 27, 2009 Friday 9:54 AM GMT

‘Inadequate’ ties to be boosted by Obama visit: Turkish PM

ANKARA, March 27 2009

Turkish-US ties are "inadequate" and US President Barack Obama’s
upcoming visit will pave the way for a new phase in relations, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying Friday.

"I don’t think Turkish-American relations are adequate. They should be
taken forward a great deal," Anatolia news agency quoted Erdogan as
saying in a television interview.

"Obama’s visit will prepare a very solid ground for the future" of
bilateral ties," he said.

Obama is scheduled to visit Turkey on April 6-7. He will hold
bilateral talks in Ankara and is also expected to attend an
international forum in Istanbul aimed at fostering dialogue between
the West and Muslim countries.

Erdogan said Turkey’s role in Middle East peace efforts would be high
on the agenda of the talks with Obama, adding that Ankara was ready to
revive indirect negotiations between Israel and Syria, stalled since
the Jewish state launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip in
December.

The two sides will also discuss the withdrawal of US troops from
neighbouring Iraq, Turkey’s role in efforts to stabilise Afghanistan
and Armenian pressure on Washington to recognise the mass killings of
Armenians under the Ottoman Empire as genocide, he said.

NATO member Turkey has been a key Muslim ally of the United States in
a strategic region between Europe, the Caucasus and the Middle East,
bordering troubled countries such as Georgia, Iraq, Iran and Syria.

Bilateral ties were strained under former US president George W. Bush
when Turkey refused to allow US troops to use its territory in the
invasion of Iraq in 2003.

During a visit to Ankara earlier this month, Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton said the new Washington administration wished to undo
Bush’s legacy and buttress relations.

COURT SITTING ON CASE OF CITIZEN OF FRANCE SARGIS HATSPANIAN POSTPONED UNTIL MAY 31

Noyan Tapan
March 26, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The March 26 court sitting at Yerevan
Kentron and Nork-Marash communities’ first instance court on the
case of citizen of France Sargis Hatspanian was postponed until May
31. The reason of delay was that the defendant did not appear before
the court. The court received a notification from the Vardashen
penitentiary institution that "Hatspanian feels bad and is not able
to come to the court sitting."

It should be mentioned that S. Hatspanian is accused by the article
of "false denunciation:" in his interview to the Haykakan Zhamanak
daily referring to the information he possessed he said that former
RA President Robert Kocharian prepares an attempt upon President
Serzh Sargsyan’ life.

ARONIAN TIES FOR VICTORY IN AMBER 2009 TOURNAMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.03.2009 19:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the 10th tour of Amber Chess Tournament 2009 the
Armenian grand master Levon Aronian, having beaten China’s Wang Yue,
became the sole tournament leader. Aronian drew against Wang Yue in
a blindfold game and won the rapid game, winning 1,5-0,5.

After 10 tours, the Armenian chess-player is leading with 13 points,
followed by the World Champion Viswanathan Anand, with 12 points to
his score.

In the last tour of Amber 2009 Levon Aronian will rival Bulgaria’s
Veselin Topalov.

Irrespective of other pairs’ final results, Aronian will retain his
leadership should he defeat Topalov in the 11th tour.

The total prize-fund of 18th Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament is
Euro 216,000.

Standings after 10th tour

Aronian- 13 points, Anand, Carlsen- 12 points, Kramnik – 11,5 points,
Leko-10 points, Kamsky, Topalov, Ivanchuk, Morozevich – 9,5 points,
Karjakin – 8,5 points, Radjabov -8 points, Wang Yue -7 points

11th tour pairings

Blindfold

Alexander Morozevich (Russia)-Gata Kamsky (United States) Sergey
Karjakin (Ukraine)-Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine) Vladimir Kramnik (Russia)
– Peter Leko (Hungary) Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria)- Levon Aronian
(Armenia) Wang Yue (China)- Viswanathan Anand (India) Teimour Radjabov
(Azerbaijan) – Magnus Carlsen (Norway)

Rapid

Kamsky- Morozevich Ivanchuk- Karjakin Leko- Kramnik Aronian- Topalov
Anand- Yue Carlsen- Radjabov

ANC OF SOUTH FLORIDA WILL TAKE PART IN GENOCIDE PREVENTION PROJECT

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.03.2009 01:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In conjunction with Genocide Prevention Project’s
launch of Genocide Prevention Month (GPM) on April 2nd, the Armenian
National Committee (ANC) of South Florida will take part in a panel
discussion organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council and
co-sponsored by various organizations to raise awareness about the
ongoing genocide in Darfur and efforts to secure concrete U.S. action
to stop the killing.

Panelists will include: Councilman Andre Williams, Esq. City of
Miami Gardens; Reverend Patrick O’Neil, Archdiocese of Miami; Michael
Pertnoy, Activist, Filmmaker, & Genocide Intervention Network Carl
Wilkens Fellow; Joe Sachs, Holocaust Survivor; Michael Toumayan,
Descendant of Armenian Genocide Survivor; and Rositta Kenigsberg,
Holocaust Documentation & Education Center, Inc.

"The Genocide Prevention Project’s efforts to spotlight genocide
in April – the month that saw the beginnings of the horrors of the
Armenian Genocide, Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and now,
Darfur – calls critical attention to the vital role each and every
one of us can play to end the cycle of genocide," said Toumayan. "The
panel discussion is an opportunity to provide a forum to examine
fundamental moral issues caught between competing interests."

Cosponsors of the event include the Armenian National Committee
of South Florida, Miami Dade College, Rabbinical Association of
Greater Miami, Students Taking Action Now Darfur, Urgent Times,
and Urgent Action.

Genocide Prevention Month was launched earlier this year by the
Genocide Prevention Project, which is working in conjunction with
several organizations, including the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA) to encourage renewed action in April to end the cycle
of genocide, ANCA reports.