Author: Khoyetsian Rose

DRINKING WATER PROBLEMS IN SHVANIDZOR VILLAGE OF MEGHRI REGION TO BE SOLVED WITH ASSISTANCE OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF IRAN

Noyan Tapan
June 25, 2009

MEGHRI, JUNE 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The problem of drinking water in
Shvanidzor village of Meghri region is planned to be solved according
to the program which is implemented since the beginning of June with
the funds of the Armenian community of Iran, Hayastan All Armenian
Fund and Civilitas Foundation. Within the framework of the program
one of the wells of the village will be cleaned and repaired, the
drinking water will be chlorinated, the drinking water pipeline will
be lengthened with 350 metres, 1.8 km of which was built two years
ago with the assistance of the Rec Caucasus company. At that time a
supplementary pool was also built in the village.

Village community head Hovhannes Ohanian told Noyan Tapan correspondent
that within the framework of the program it is planned to build
some more pools to store the water. The community of Svanidzor got
a tractor as a present within the framework of the program which the
village needed badly.

COOPERATION MEMORANDUM SIGNED BETWEEN "HAYASTAN" ALL-ARMENIAN FUND, "SYNOPSIS-ARMENIA" AND "VIVACELL-MTS" COMPANIES

ARMENPRESS
June 24, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS: In the executive department office of
the "Hayastan" all-Armenian fund a trilateral cooperation memorandum
has today been signed between the Fund, "Synopsis-Armenia" and
"VivaCell-MTS" companies. It has been signed between the executive
director of the Fund Ara Vardanian, executive director of "Synopsis
Armenia" Hovik Musaelian and chief director of "VivaCell-MTS"
Ralf Yirikian.

With the memorandum it is intended that the "VivaCell-MTS" company will
provide financial support of 11 million drams to the 2009 "Annual Award
of the President of Republic of Armenia For Outstanding Contribution
to Global IT".

During the meeting with journalists after the signing of the
memorandum A. Vardanian noted that the cooperation between the Fund and
"VivaCell-MTS" is continuative, "VivaCell-MTS" was the chief sponsor
of the annual TV marathon and is always by the fund assisting it in
the implemented works.

"Signing of this memorandum was a step forward in the collaborative
activity between us and the "VivaCell-MTS". We also have experience in
working with "Synopsis-Armenia" company and have already implemented
joint projects. The cooperation with these two companies will only
have positive results," A. Vardanian said. According to him, it is
very important that the activity of these companies serves as an
example for all the Armenian businessmen.

"Besides earning money one should also contribute to the development of
the state. If the state is not developed the business cannot prosper,"
A. Vardanian noted.

H. Musaelian said that the award is unique and mainly aims to ensure
a person who has implemented notable activity in the IT sphere,
has a great importance, and authority gets the award of the Armenian
President.

"We love our state and it means that we exert all our efforts to
increase the fame and reputation of our state. As a caring corporative
company the "VivaCell-MTS" wishes to assist the development of
information technologies which is one of the most serious factors of
strengthening of our competitiveness," R. Yirikian said.

SAAKASHVILI URGES CAUCASUS TO CREATE SINGLE ECONOMIC SPACE

ARKA
June 24, 2009

YEREVAN, June 24. /ARKA/. Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili
urges the South Caucasus to create a single economic space.

"It is currently impossible due to the dispute between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. At least, Georgia and Armenia can do it," the Georgian
president told Armenia’s Public Television.

Stressing Georgia-Azerbaijan integration, Saakashvili said the
region would create a single economic space after settling political
conflicts.

"We really can complement one another and we do need each other," the
Georgian leader said. "With no political problems existing between us,
we can do it without any hesitation," he concluded.

SAAKASHVILI COMMENTS ON MEETING OF EX-MINISTER AND OPPOSITION POLITICIANS

Civil Georgia
June 24 2009
Georgia

President Saakashvili said that a meeting of two opposition politicians
with ex-interior minister, Kakha Targamadze, was not "an ordinary
political contact."

He said that there were attempts made from abroad "to impose
destabilization" within Georgia.

"We know that those people, who live in Russia and who have and always
had direct links with special services of this country, are used for
this purpose," Saakashvili said in Yerevan on June 24, where he pays
an official visit.

Speaking about Targamadze, Saakashvili said he was "probably the
most notorious figure of Georgia’s modern history, in my opinion,
an embodiment of abomination, creator of the system of corruption in
Georgia, a person, who is in the serve of Georgia’s enemies."

"[Targamadze] is a person, who has been helping Russia to plan invasion
into Georgia [last August] – and we have very serious information
about it – and he was consulting Russian special services; when
this person appears now with the purpose of having contacts with the
political leaders of Georgia, this is a clear confirmation of what
we have been saying for months that there is our internal politics,
where we should be maximally open, democratic, flexible and where we
should talk with each other openly and calmly, but there is another
factor, which cannot be excluded even if we try to put our heads in
the sand saying that this has nothing to do here," Saakashvili said.

"We are ready to give all political forces in Georgia an opportunity
to fully materialize their potential," he said.

"We are ready to give everyone an opportunity to take active part in
implementation of reforms and I am going to present concrete proposals,
in addition to those which have already been offered."

"We are ready to give them an opportunity to participate in the process
of building new society and creating new balanced constitutional
model. We will do our best to ensure that the parties are financed,
that the parties have a possibility to work and expand their political
activities."

"We all should understand that one part of Georgia is occupied unjustly
and through violation of all international norms, as a result of
aggression. The leaders of the aggressor country have numerously said
that their direct task is to change the present government of Georgia
through early elections or other activities," Saakashvili said.

IRD IMPLEMENTED SMALL RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN KINDERGARTENS NO. 3, NO. 5 KANAKER-ZEYTUN, YEREVAN

US State News
June 22, 2009 Monday 5:22 PM EST

YEREVAN, Armenia, May 21 — The U.S. Embassy issued the following
press release:

On May 21st DCM of U.S. Embassy to Armenia Joseph Pennington,
Director of Humanitarian Programs of State Department Jerry
Oberndorfer, Armenian officials, NGO representatives and other guests
participated in the opening ceremony of newly renovated facilities at
the kindergartens #5 and #3 of Kanaker-Zeytun community of Yerevan. As
a result of this project, 168 children benefited and received clean
and nicely colored kitchen and sanitary facilities hence will enjoy
proper hygiene and sanitary conditions from now on. Mostly children
from socially vulnerable families would attend kindergartens of such
physical conditions – terrible sanitary facilities with rusty and
leaking pipes and cracked ceilings, missing parquets in playrooms and
bedrooms, extremely old window frames providing no isolation. Kitchens
– old, dark walls and ceiling, broken and fallen old tiles covered by
cellophane. There could be no mention about aesthetical side of those
premises. In spring 2009 through its Armenian Branch IRD implemented
two small reconstruction projects with $24,000 assistance from the
U.S. Department of State. Thanks to additional support in $9,000
provided by LDS Charities IRD could fully target the most urgent
humanitarian needs in those kindergartens.For more information please
contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email:- [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
Date: June 23, 2009
Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church
461 Bergen Blvd., Ridgefield, NJ
Contact: Anahit Voskanian
Tel: 201-943-2950

CONGRESSMAN STEVE ROTHMAN OFFERS REMARKS ON 50TH ANNIVERSARY
OF STS. VARTANANTZ ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH

Ridgefield, NJ- Earlier this month, Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ-9)
offered remarks for the Congressional Record recognizing the 50th
Anniversary of Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church.

"As Pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church and on
behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to express our sincere
gratitude to Rep. Rothman for recognizing the 50th Anniversary of
Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church of Ridgefield, New
Jersey," commented the church’s pastor, Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian.
"We are very proud of our forefathers for envisioning the future
and thankful for their unwavering determination to build a church
and community center for the Armenian Americans of Bergen County."

Rep. Steven Rothman was born in Englewood, New Jersey. He received
his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Philosophy from Syracuse
University, and earned a JD at Washington University in St. Louis.
Before beginning his political career, Rothman practiced as a
private attorney.

In 1983, Rothman was elected Mayor of Englewood and served for two-
terms. From 1993 to 1996, he served as the Bergen County Surrogate
Court Judge. Currently in his seventh term, Rothman was first
elected to Congress in 1996. Since his election, he has championed
environmental causes, has been a strong voice for working families
and individuals, and has worked tirelessly to help ensure proper
rights and benefits for the nation’s seniors. His work on the
Appropriations Foreign Operations Subcommittee has been essential
in advancing Armenian American foreign aid priorities.
Additionally, the Congressman serves in the House leadership as
Assistant Democratic Whip. He is also a member of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.

New Jersey’s Ninth Congressional District consists of Bergen,
Hudson and Passaic Counties in the Northeast portion of the state.

#####

RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY
OF STS. VARTANANTZ ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH
OF RIDGEFIELD, NEW JERSEY
HON. STEVEN R. ROTHMAN
OF NEW JERSEY IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 50th anniversary of Sts.
Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church of Ridgefield, New Jersey.

On May 19, 1957, a community’s dream began to take shape. On
that day, ground was broken for what was then known as the Armenian
Apostolic Church of New Jersey. In two short years, the Armenian
American community of Bergen County came together and raised the
necessary funds to realize the dream of building a church.

On May 3, 1959, the church was consecrated by His Eminence
Archbishop Khoren Paroyian, Nuncio of His Holiness Zareh I,
Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.

Sts. Vartanantz today stands as a beacon of Armenian American
community life in Bergen County with its Sunday school, the Nareg
Saturday Armenian School, the ladies guild, the men’s club, the
seniors groups, and several cultural, youth, educational, and
fraternal organizations working to perpetuate the Armenian faith
and heritage.

I extend my congratulations to the pastor, Rev. Fr. Hovnan
Bozoian, the Board of Trustees, and all members and friends of Sts.
Vartanantz and wish them many more years of growth and service to
the Armenian American community.

I sincerely hope that my colleagues will join me in celebrating
the 50th anniversary of Sts. Vartanantz Church for its
contributions to the Armenian American residents of Bergen County,
as well the larger Armenian American community in the United
States.

BRITISH EMBASSY STAFF’S FAMILIES EVACUATED FROM TEHRAN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
23.06.2009 10:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In a statement, the British Embassy said: "The
ongoing violence has… had a significant impact on the families of
our staff who have been unable to carry on their lives as normal. As
a result, we are withdrawing dependants of embassy staff until the
situation improves.

British citizens already in Iran have not been advised to leave
the country, but are being warned to avoid demonstrations and large
public gatherings.

The decision follows a week of demonstrations on the streets of Tehran
by protesters angry at a presidential election which returned Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad to power. Iranian security forces have led the violent
crackdown on the widening protests.

Iran says at least 17 protesters have been killed in a week of unrest
since the June 12 election, which has been denounced as a fraud by
Mr Ahmadinejad’s main challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described
Britain as "the most treacherous" of Iran’s enemies, prompting Foreign
Office protests and the summoning of a senior Iranian diplomat in
London for consultations. Britain has a large embassy in Iran. It is
not clear how many family members and dependents will be evacuated.

Officials said they did not expect to have to withdraw any diplomats
at this stage.

"We do not believe that it is necessary to reduce the number of staff
at this time, however, we are monitoring the situation with the utmost
vigilance," the spokesman said.

Former imperial power Britain has a long history of involvement
in Iran and diplomatic relations have been rocky recently. Britain
suspended its diplomatic ties after the Islamic revolution in 1979,
reopening an embassy only in 1988 following the Iran-Iraq war.

The Foreign Office travel advice now reads: "Large-scale demonstrations
following the Iranian presidential elections June 12 continue. There
have been violent clashes at and after some demonstrations with some
deaths. Further violence is possible.

"Some forms of international and internal communications have been
disrupted, eg SMS, mobile telephone coverage and internet.

"You should avoid demonstrations and large public gatherings."

U.S. WILL NOT CUT FINANCIAL AID FOR ARMENIA, KARABAKH

Interfax
June 18 2009
Russia

The United States House appropriations subcommittee on foreign
operations has decided to keep the $48-million financial aid for
Armenia in its draft 2010 budget, the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA) said on Thursday.

Nagorno-Karabakh will be granted $10 million, it said.

Moreover, both Armenia and Azerbaijan will receive $3 million each
in military aid.

This means that President Barack Obama’s proposals to reduce economic
aid for Armenia by 38% and to break the military aid parity in favor
of Azerbaijan have been rejected, ANCA said.

TACHNAQ COMMENTED ON MP MICHEL MURR’S STATEMENT

Al-Tayyar.org (of Gen. Aoun)
ews/en-US/128897967670325406.htm
June 18 2009
Lebanon

The Central Committee of the Tachnaq held a meeting following Mr. Murr
statements. Following the meeting, the committee responded to the
issues raised by MP Michel Murr, during his press conference. Here
is an excerpt from the Tashnaq statement:

"The number of Armenian voters in the district of Metn in 2007,
during the elections, was 10,300 of which 20% voted for President
Gemayel and 80% for Dr. Camille Khoury. The Armenian electorate in
this constituency was not 28% as quoted MP Murr but 32%."

We are surprised to the suddenly change of Mr. Murr towards the
member of the Tachnaq party despite the strong relationship that we
both have and that dated to 60 years ago.

MP Murr received 5000 votes of the Armenian electorate, knowing
that the votes of the Tashnaq party count 2200, yet he insists
on falsification of identity cards and claim that fraud occurred
in polling of Bourj Hamoud, and we expect shortly the decision of
prosecutors to prove once again that these threats do not concern us.

Despite all the comments, we believe that the elections have
strengthened democracy. Moreover, we condemn the attempts by some to
consider the Armenians as second-class citizens.

We reaffirm the right of the Armenian to practice their duties
according to their beliefs like all Lebanese citizens, "concluded
the communiqué.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT REGULATES CONGAC, BRANDY PRODUCTION LAWS

ARKA
June 18, 2009

YEREVAN, June 18. /ARKA/. Armenian Government approved today the
order and terms of wine and raw alcohol distillation and Armenian
cognac and brandy production.

The regulations are in line with the RA Law on Alcoholic Drinks from
grapes, said RA Deputy Minister of Agriculture Samvel Avetisyan. The
Yerevan Brandy Factory and Ararat Brandy, Vodka and Wine Factory
collaborated with the executives while drafting the regulations.

The norms aim at enhancing the quality of alcoholic beverages and
protecting consumers’ rights.