Author: Khondkarian Raffi

THE FIRST GENOCIDE OF THE 20TH CENTURY

KarabakhOpen
22-04-2008 11:48:54

>From April 21 to May 11 the photo display entitled "The First Genocide
of the 20th Century" is held at the library of the University of Tartu.

The exhibition is devoted to April 24, the day of commemoration of
the victims of the Genocide of Armenians in 1925.

Photocopies of documents, memoirs of witnesses and photos depicting
mass slaughter and displacement of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey are
displayed.

There are also statistics on population, parishes, schools in 1914
and 1922.

The exhibits were provided by the Museum Institute of the Armenian
Genocide in Yerevan. The exhibition was organized by the Baltic
Armenian House NGO.

TURKEY MOVES TO AMEND CONTROVERSIAL PENAL CODE TEXT
Elena Koinova

Sofia Echo
April 18 2008
Bulgaria

The European Union adjustment committee of Turkish parliament endorsed
on April 17 the amendments to a controversial text of the country’s
Penal Code, used to prosecute intellectuals in the country, Turkish
press reported on April 18.

Article 301, long criticised by the EU, which Turkey wants to join,
made Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and Armenian-born journalist
Hrant Dink subject to legal persecution for their comments on the
1915-1917 mass killings of Armenians. Dink was shot dead by in January
2007 in the office of bilingual newspaper Agos, of which he was the
editor-in-chief.

The article made denigrating "Turkish identity" a criminal offence,
punishable by up to three years imprisonment. The amendments replace
"identity" with "nation" and requires prosecutors to seek the
approval of the Turkish president to press charges, daily Huriyet
said. Additionally, the maximum prison term is reduced to two years.

Parliament is due to vote on the changes on April 22 at the earliest.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER: INCREASING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION MAY CONSIDERABLY EASE THE PEOPLE’S CARE

Noyan Tapan
April 17, 2008

YERVAN, APRIL 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Introducing the newly appointed
minister Davit Lokian to the staff of the RA ministry of agriculture
on April 17, the Armenian prime minister Tigran Sargsian said that
by the presidential decree, the authority of coordinator of the
national programs on agricultural development was also reserved
for the minister. In the prime minister’s words, it shows that the
contribution of D. Lokian to agricultural sector, in general to the
establishment of statehood, as well as the minister’s professionalism
and human qualities have been appreciated.

Speaking about the problems of the agricultural sector, Tigran Sargsian
said that first of all consistent work should be done to implement the
National Assembly-approved 2008-2012 governmental program. Another
important task is the implementation of the pre-election program of
the president Serge Sargsian in the next five years. "These are quite
ambitious programs. I will demand hard work from you. Trusting the
experience, knowledge and abilities of D. Lokian, I hope that they
will be realistic," the prime minister stated.

According to him, agricultural products have a significant impact on
the level of prices in Armenia, and if the amount of agricultural
production increases this year, it will be possible to ease
considerable the people’s care.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES POLICE ON PROFESSIONAL HOLIDAY

Mediamax
April 16 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 16 April: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan today
congratulated the staff of the country’s law-enforcement bodies on
Police Day.

The president’s message says that major reforms have been carried
out in the law-enforcement bodies, the press service of the country’s
president told the Mediamax news agency.

"However, serious efforts should be made to bring the style of the
Police’s work in compliance with contemporary requirements and to
eliminate corruption," Sargsyan said.

The president noted that "the Armenian authorities will improve the
social condition of the Police staff, in particular, will increase
salaries and will take steps to improve working conditions and
equipment".

"Armenia’s comprehensive and rapid development depends largely on how
you carry out your responsibilities and at what professional level
you solve tasks set before you," Sargsyan said while addressing the
Police staff.

"It is no secret that the Police’s actions often cause wide and sharp
public reaction. The 1 March events [unrest in Armenia’s capital
Yerevan, clashes between security forces and opposition protesters]
became an ordeal for our whole country and people, and in particular,
for the police, which together with the public should learn lessons
and overcome this ordeal with honour," the president’s statement said.

YULIA TIMOSHENKO: "UKRAINE SUPPORTS TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES"

Azeri Press Agency
April 16 2008
Azerbaijan

Strasbourg. Fuad Gulubeyli-APA. "Ukraine is closely interested in the
solution of frozen conflicts", said Yulia Timoshenko, Prime Minister
of Ukraine in her address to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe (PACE), APA European Bureau reports.

She said one of the issue laid ahead of Ukraine was diversification
of energy sources and it made Ukraine to closely cooperate with the
countries of natural fuel resources. "It is important issue for both
Ukraine and European Union". Responding the Armenian parliamentarian
Vaan Ovannisyan’s question about Ukraine’s non-recognition of Kosovo
independence, Timoshenko said it was corresponding with the foreign
policy of her country. "There are several countries near abroad Ukraine
is closely cooperating with and their territorial integrity problems
has not been solved yet and territorial integrity of these countries
are under the big risk. For that Ukraine would like to know at first,
is Kosovo unique and only or it will turn into precedent for entire
world? Ukraine will pass decision on the basis of its policy as long
as the international community does not reach complete and exact
opinion on Kosovo issue. We are conducting now all-round diplomatic
dialogue and will respond this important question when questions on
Kosovo will be responded as well". Speaking about the role of Ukraine
in the influential international organizations like GUAM and BSECO,
Timoshenko said her country put forward successful policy toward both
directions. "The Government of Ukraine together with the Parliament
has ratified the GUAM Charter and it was one of the important steps
toward the cooperation within GUAM. We are searching now for the
new ways of cooperation with this organization and we will always
support the GUAM’s activity. Regarding to the frozen conflicts, we
follow the policy to support territorial integrity of our neighbors
as soon as possible.

ALIYEV PRAISES BAKU’S DIPLOMATIC, POLITICAL STEPS ON KARABAKH

Interfax News Agency
April 14 2008
Russia

Azerbaijan’s military spending will reach $2 billion in 2008,
the country’s President Ilham Aliyev said at a governmental session
summing up the results of the socio-economic development in the first
quarter of 2008 on Monday.

The session was broadcast on national television.

"The main issue is to resolve the Armenian-Azeri Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and to restore Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. The
diplomatic and political steps in this direction have been successful,"
the president said.

Meanwhile, Baku has urged Yerevan to recognize the hopelessness of
the efforts of Nagorno-Karabakh to gain independence.

"If they [Armenians] really want to have the conflict settled soon,
in the first place they should recognize that the conflict must be
settled in the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan as
the entire world community has recognized it," Azeri Foreign Minister
Elmar Mamedyarov told Lider TV channel.

"Armenia must definitely recognize that," he said.

"The sooner they realize that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan,
the better it is going to be for them and for the region as a whole,"
Mamedyarov said.

He said that the declaration of new Armenian president, Serzh Sargsyan,
that he will carry on the policy of his predecessor Robert Kocharian
and work for the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh is a move meant for
the domestic audience in Armenia. "With such groundless statements the
Armenian side is only dragging out the settlement process," he added.

Speaking of the efforts of cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk group to
promote the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict Mamedyarov
said that the mediators will report on the progress of the negotiating
process in Vienna next week.

"This [the Karabakh conflict] is not only a business of the cochairmen
but the entire OSCE Minsk group because OSCE gave the Minsk group a
special mandate," he said.

He also said that involving the Azeri and Armenian communities of
Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiating process is not on the agenda now.

Currently the talks continue at the level of presidents and foreign
ministers.

SONA TRUZIAN: WE HAVE NEVER HAD 150 PEOPLE ARRESTED ON CASE OF MASS DISORDERS

Noyan Tapan
April 15, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 15, NOYAN TAPAN. As of April 15, 78 people are under
preliminary arrest within the framework of the criminal case on
instigating and organizing mass disorders in the city of Yerevan
examined by the RA Special Investigation Service. Sona Truzian,
the Spokesperson of the RA Prosecutor General, in her interview to
Noyan Tapan correspondent named the assertion of first RA President
Levon Ter-Petrosian on presence of 150 arrested people as "obvious
misinformation:" she asserted that we have never had 150 arrested
people. A signature on not leaving the country has been chosen as
a preventive punishment to another 16 defendants and another three
people have been arrested with the suspicion of taking an immediate
part in the mass disorders that happened on March 1-2, 2008.

20 criminal cases on 20 people have been sent to the court as
of April 15, and judicial enquiry on the part of three of them,
David Hambartsumian, Mesrop Zakarian, and Raju Petrosian, by the
signs of part 1, Article 316, RA Criminal Code, using violence to a
power representative, has been finished by the order of speeded up
investigation at the defendants’ request.

Cases on another 4 defendants have been finished within the framework
of the criminal case examined in the RA Special Investigation Service.

80TH ANNIVERSARY OF MELGONIAN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION CELEBRATED IN LEBANON

Noyan Tapan
April 14, 2008

BEIRUT, APRIL 14, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. A jubilee evening
dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Melgonian educational
institution took place in the Demirchian center of the Armenian
General Benevolent Union on April 13.

At the beginning of the evening photos representing the
activities of the past of the Melgonian educational institution were
demonstrated. Then Angel Misisian welcomed those present. She mentioned
in her speech that the Melgonian educational institution was founded
in Cyprus in 1926 in order to heal the wounds of the Armenian people
after the Armenian Genocide.

RUSSIA’S SUPREME COURT ACQUITS MURDERER OF ARTHUR SARDARYAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.04.2008 15:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The verdict of not guilty of February 2008,
handed the murderer of Armenia-native Arthur Sardaryan, 19, was
upheld. Russia’s Supreme Court dismissed the cassation appeal of the
defense and state prosecution on the criminal case considered by the
jury in the Moscow district court.

On May 25, 2006 two young people killed Arthur Sardaryan in a
Moscow-Sofrino train. The murder was committed through hatred for
people of Caucasian nationality, the prosecutor’s office said, The
New Times reports

SARGSYAN: IRAN, ARMENIA TIES VITAL

PRESS TV
April 10 2008
Iran

The newly appointed Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has termed his
country’s cordial ties with Iran as ‘valuable’ and ‘significant’.

In a meeting with Iranian Minister of Energy Seyyed Parviz Fattah
who is currently in Yerevan, Sargsyan praised Tehran’s crucial and
constructive role in the region.

Fattah who attended Sagsyan’s swearing-in ceremony conveyed President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s congratulatory message to him and called for
strengthening of bilateral ties.

He also presented President Ahmadinejad’s invitation to Sargsyan to
visit Iran, which was welcomed by Armenian president.

Serzh Sargsyan was sworn in as President at Yerevan’s opera
house in front of an audience of hundreds of officials, including
parliamentarians and foreign dignitaries and guests.

Sargsyan won 53 percent of the vote in the February election.