Author: Khoyetsian Rose

RUSSIAN DEFENSE CHIEF VISITS ARMENIA
By Emil Danielyan and Satenik Vantsian in Gyumri

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 30 2007

Armenia’s leadership and Russia’s visiting Defense Minister Anatoly
Serdyukov pledged to step up the already close military cooperation
between their nations as they held talks in Yerevan on Tuesday.

Serdyukov’s one-day visit to Armenia involved separate meetings
with President Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian and
Defense Minister Mikael Harutiunian as well as a visit to Russian
troops stationed in the country.

"The two sides discussed issues pertaining to military-technical
cooperation between the two countries, expressing their satisfaction
with the level and quality of their partnership in this sphere,"
Kocharian’s office said in a short statement.

According to the Armenian government’s press service, Serdyukov told
Sarkisian that his visit "will give new impetus" to the development
of Russian-Armenian military ties. Sarkisian was quoted as saying
that those ties "stem from our national interests" and that Yerevan
"will do everything to further deepen and develop them."

A separate statement by the Armenian Defense Ministry said Serdyukov
and Harutiunian approved a "plan of cooperation" between their
ministries for next year. They also discussed preparations for the
next Russian-Armenian military exercises to be held in 2008, the
statement said.

Serdyukov, accompanied by Harutiunian, visited the northern city of
Gyumri earlier in the day to inspect facilities of the Russian military
base stationed in the area close to the Armenian-Turkish border. "I
wanted to personally familiarize myself with how our servicemen live
here, what problems they face," he told reporters there. "Those are
primarily social and logistical."

"I think that we will draw certain conclusions after the trip and
take measures to improve the condition of the base," the Russian
minister said.

The Russian base has been reinforced in the last few years with
military hardware and other equipment that belonged to Russian troops
which are currently being pulled out of neighboring Georgia.

Iranian Filmmakers Expose Christian Murder Cases
By Michelle Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Thu, Oct. 25 2007 06:22 PM ET

Two brothers, a murdered father and an untold story of pain and forgiveness
are the inspirations behind an award-winning documentary on the secret death
of a prominent evangelical pastor in Iran.

(Photo: Hovsepian Ministries)
(l-r) Andre and Joseph Hovsepian, the son of martyred Bishop Haik Hovsepian,
in front of a poster for their documentary A Cry From Iran about the death
of their father.

A Cry From Iran, co-directed by Bishop Haik Hovsepian’s two adult sons,
tells the martyr’s story through the eyes of his sons.

"This was not a payback to the regime but this was an honest telling of our
dad’s story," said co-director Andre Hovsepian, who was only 10-years-old
when his father was murdered.

"We could have been with the people who make bombs and think how we can get
revenge," he said. "But one thing we want to emphasize is prayers are very
important. As a result of those prayers, we have found the peace and comfort
after the years of crisis and challenges in our lives."

The film’s plot revolves around the disappearance and later discovered body
of Bishop Hovsepian who was found secretly buried in a Muslim graveyard with
26 stab wounds.

His murder was linked to his effort to save a Christian convert from Islam
who had already served 10 years in prison and was set to be executed simply
for the crime of converting to Christianity.

Hovsepian had roused the United Nations, the U.S. Congress, and other global
bodies to pressure Iran to release the convert. The bishop disappeared and
was later found dead soon after he successfully helped free the convert,
Mehdi Dibaj. The convert himself was also secretly murdered after his
release.

"I think in his (Bishop Hovsepian’s) mind it was releasing one man from
prison but in the bigger picture it was about the Iranian Christians," said
Joseph Hovsepian, the older son who co-directed and produced the
documentary. "Of course he saw the dangers but it was a road that he had to
take."

Surprisingly, the filmmaking brothers said Iranian Christians are relatively
safe in society as long as they deny they are Christians, do not evangelize,
are not converts from Islam, and do not challenge the regime.

"We hope to bring awareness to people in the West and as a result [of the
documentary] they will appreciate life so much more," said Andre.

"You will really appreciate your life more and enjoy the freedom of worship
that you have here after seeing the film," he added.

Iran is ranked third on Open Doors’ World Watch List for countries with the
worst persecution of Christians. The U.S. Commission on International
Religious Freedom also lists Iran as a "country of particular concern," a
label given to countries with the worst religious freedom abuses.

Overall, the brothers’ project includes filming in five countries,
interviews with 40 political and religion experts, family and friends, 42
months of production, and 200 hours of archive footage – including hidden
camera footage from the streets of Tehran.

"This is a compelling, must-see documentary which graphically shows what
Christians like Haik Hovsepian go through because they place their faith in
Jesus Christ," said Open Doors USA president and CEO Dr. Carl Moeller. "He
is definitely one of our modern-day heroes of the faith."

A Cry From Iran has been nominated for awards at eight festivals, won five,
and is waiting for some to reply – including the prestigious San Antonio
Christian Festival on Nov. 28. It has won the Grand Jury Award for the Most
Original Documentary at the Faith and Film Festival and also the Audience
Award for the Best Documentary at the Leith Film Festival.

On the Web:

Open Doors Online Store

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
Oct 27 2007

Armenian leader, OSCE envoys discuss Karabakh conflict settlement

Yerevan, 27 October: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan met the
co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, Matthew Bryza [USA], Bernard
Fassier [France] and Yuriy Merzlyakov [Russia] in Yerevan today.

At the meeting, the current stage of the negotiations on the
settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict was discussed, the
Armenian president’s press secretary, Viktor Soghomonyan, has told
Mediamax news agency.

The meeting was attended by Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
and the personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office on the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, Andrzej Kasprzyk.

It must be remembered that the first meeting between the co-chairmen
and the Armenian president this week was held on 24 October, after
which the co-chairmen travelled to Baku.

DAILY BRIEFING

October 26, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Backers to delay genocide resolution

The leading supporters of a resolution declaring the World War I-era
killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks an act of genocide said they
are delaying their push for a vote in the House of Representatives.
Four House Democrats, led by Representative Adam Schiff of California,
sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking her to put off a
vote, possibly until next year. (Bloomberg)

Source: /26/ag_nomination_hits_roadblock/

GEORGIA: ARMENIANS DETAINED TRYING TO CROSS INTO TURKEY WITH RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCE

International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
Oct 26 2007

TBILISI, Georgia: Georgian border guards detained four Armenians
attempting to cross into Turkey this week with just over 2 grams
(less than an ounce) of a radioactive substance, the former Soviet
republic’s border police service said Friday.

The Armenians were detained at a border crossing into eastern Turkey
on Wednesday with the substance in a special container, the border
police said in a statement.

It identified the substance as an isotope called Lovresium, or LAV-103,
but no reference to such an isotope could immediately be found.

Georgian authorities were attempting to determine where the detainees
got the substance and what they were planning to do with it, border
police spokeswoman Lela Mchedladze said.

GENOCIDE RESOLUTION WOULD SOLVE NOTHING

International Herald Tribune
The Associated Press
Oct 26 2007
France

US mediator: Azerbaijan, Armenia could sign framework agreement on
Nagorno-Karabakh

BAKU, Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan and Armenia could sign a framework
agreement next year resolving the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory,
a co-chairman of the group mediating the conflict said Friday. "There
is a possibility that prior to presidential elections in Armenia, which
will take place in the spring of next year, some kind of framework
agreement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict could be signed by the
heads of Azerbaijan and Armenia," said Matthew J. Bryza, deputy
assistant U.S. secretary of state and co-chairman of the so-called
Minsk Group set up to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Bryza
said Armenian President Robert Kocharian had told the Minsk Group
chairmen during their meeting Thursday in Yerevan that signing such a
"gentlemanly agreement" prior to the country’s presidential ballot was
possible. "I asked the president myself this question, and in reply he
said that such a possibility exists," Bryza told journalists. "But,
of course, this will not be the end of the negotiation process,"
the diplomat stressed, adding that he hoped a new Armenian president
would uphold any such agreement. The Minsk Group diplomats, including
representatives from Russia and France, are in the two Caucuses
countries as part the negotiation process.

After meeting with officials in Baku they planned to return to
Armenia and then back again to Azerbaijan, French mediator Bernard
Fassier said. The mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh territory is part of
Azerbaijan, but has been controlled – along with some surrounding
areas – by local and Armenian forces since 1994, when a cease-fire
ended a six-year separatist war. Some 30,000 people were killed,
and about 1 million driven from their homes in the conflict. Ethnic
Armenians now account for virtually the entire population of the
territory. Nagorno-Karabakh held presidential elections in July,
which Azerbaijan has rejected as illegitimate.

ANCA: CONGRESSMEN YIELDED TO TURKISH THREATS

YERKIR
26.10.2007 14:46

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – "Trying to advance American interests by
compromising our values is a fast-track to failure in foreign policy,"
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian said when commenting on the
decision by H.Res.106 leading authors to call for a revised schedule
for the House consideration.

"By enabling Turkey’s genocide denial, America undermines its own
ability to be a positive influence in the Middle East and around the
world," he said.

In a letter circulated today to every member of the House, Hamparian
noted that, "In the days since the House Foreign Affairs Committee
approved the Armenian Genocide resolution (H.Res.106), the initial
cautious response by many Members of Congress to Turkey’s threats
has already begun to give way to a more lasting impression of
disappointment, even anger, that an ally is so brazenly threatening
the security of our troops." He added that, "we are confident that,
as the confusion over these threats lifts, an even stronger bipartisan
majority will stand up against Turkey’s intimidation and vote to
adopt this human rights resolution on its merits."

The four leading Democratic sponsors of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution (H.Res.106) have called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to
adopt a revised schedule for the consideration of this human rights
legislation by the House of Representatives, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a letter sent today to Speaker Pelosi, lead author Adam Schiff
(D-CA), Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ),
and Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) stressed
that, in asking for this delay, "we believe that a large majority of
our colleagues want to support a resolution recognizing the genocide on
the House floor and that they will do so, provided the timing is more
favorable." The letter goes on to note that they will continue to work
with Speaker Pelosi’s staff and the House Foreign Affairs Committee
staff to bring up the resolution "sometime later this year or in 2008."

ETHNO-POLITICAL LOBBYING ANTI-AMERICAN
by Joe Trovato

UW Badger Herald, WI
litical_lobby.php
Oct 24 2007

Ethno-political interest groups have long been a part of
American politics, and their lobbying efforts have often forced
self-interested legislation with no regard for the overall good of
the country. Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi gave into
such political lobbying efforts last week when she threw her support
behind a House resolution aimed at labeling the deaths of Armenians
a century ago at the hands of the Ottoman Empire as genocide.

Of course this lobbying goes beyond party lines, and all parties
are equally guilty of playing this game. Unfortunately, these
ethno-political interest groups have woven themselves seamlessly into
American political culture. Is it not time to move beyond this? When
will Americans simply be "Americans"? When will we stop referring to
ourselves as African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Italian-Americans,
German-Americans, Armenian-Americans and so on? It is time that we,
as Americans, stand and say that we are Americans, one distinct group
unto ourselves. These quasi-ethnic classifications just breed animosity
and unnecessary division. All they do is reinforce differences between
our fellow countrymen and put up walls that build stereotypes and
lack of trust between ethnicities.

Very few of us who claim this hyphenated status of Americanism have
ever even been to the country of our supposed ethnicity, yet somehow
we still try to identify with it. There is nothing wrong with being
proud of your heritage, but most of us are several generations removed
from the countries we claim to have direct connections to.

What makes us distinctly American is that our ancestors have all
come from different places. In this, our differences are what we have
in common.

Ask an American what his or her ethnicity is and you will most likely
get a laundry list of heritages the person claims to be. Why aren’t we
simply Americans? This supposed ethnic pride that most of us, unless
you or your parents were direct immigrants, have no real connection
to, is partially responsible for the rise of ethno-political interest
groups. These lobbying groups are largely self-serving, and they
bridge both sides of the political aisle.

The detrimental nature of ethno-political lobbying on American politics
manifested itself last week in the House committee resolution regarding
the Armenian genocide. While Ms. Pelosi’s motivations behind advocating
this legislation are unclear, the political ramifications could have
been catastrophic for U.S. foreign policy and the U.S. military.

Conveniently, key Democrats in Congress, namely Ms. Pelosi, have
brought up the

100-year-old question of whether or not the Ottomans committed genocide
against the Armenians in World War I. Ms. Pelosi just so happens
to have a large Armenian-American population in her constituency in
California, which also has an ethno-political lobbying organization
known as the Armenian Assembly of America. This lobbying group is
now pushing for U.S. recognition of the genocide during the World
War I, and in turn, the Democrats are using it as a political tool
to push our forces out of Iraq. Pelosi is no doubt appeasing her
Armenian-American constituents.

The goal here is a liberal attempt to destroy the important
Turkish-American partnership that supports the American war effort
in Iraq, and a key piece of the puzzle has manifested itself in
ethno-political lobbying. Thus, in a way, an Armenian-American
lobbying organization is attempting to dictate American foreign
policy and destroy one of the few Muslim alliances the U.S. has in
the Middle East.

The ramifications of an action such as this would be costly for
American foreign policy in the region for years to come. Not only
could this jeopardize the immediate support and supply of coalition
forces in Iraq, it could also eliminate one of the few American allies
in a region so vital to U.S. interests.

I don’t mean to single out liberals with this example. Conservatives
are just as guilty of catering to ethno-political interests. This
is merely a recent and relevant example of the power of these
organizations. Conservatives have often yielded to Israeli-American
lobbying interests, which has resulted in a strong Israeli-American
alliance. This has had an untold number of consequences for our image
and relations to the Arab world. Even if the U.S. wanted to withdraw
its support from Israel, Israeli-American lobbying organizations
would fight tirelessly to make sure that didn’t happen.

These are just a few examples of the influence of ethno-political
lobbyists. The power wielded by these organizations is a scary,
but unnecessary, evil. If Americans would put down their supposed
ethnic allegiances and just consider themselves "Americans," these
organizations would be irrelevant and a much smaller threat to our
political system.

Joseph Trovato ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in
journalism and political science.

TURKS SET ARMENIAN CAFE ON FIRE IN BRUSSELS

Hayots Ashkharh Daily
Oct 23 2007
Armenia

Although they were dissatisfied with the Kurds

Last night the Turks burnt and destroyed an Armenian cafe in one
of the districts of Brussels. As reported by the Belgian media,
the cafe became the target of the Turkish demonstrators who, not far
from the US Embassy, expressed their dissatisfaction with the Turkish
servicemen’s murders committed by the Kurds.

Passing by a cafe belonging to an Armenian, they began breaking it
down and then set the building on fire. The case is in the focus of
the attention of the Belgian law enforcement agencies.

TEHRAN-YEREVAN EMPHASIZE ON RESTORING PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE REGION

Iranian Students News Agency ISNA, Iran
Service: Foreign Policy
Oct 23 2007

TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (ISNA)-Iran and Armenia emphasized on implementation
of joint construction projects including building dam, power plant
on Aras River and finalizing gas pipeline, oil refinery and railroad
projects during Ahmadinejad’s trip to Yerevan.

In this trip, mutual interests and international topics were discussed.

The two sides also signed new memorandums of understanding in economy
and banking and decided to open consular offices in both countries.

Delivering a speech in Yerevan’s university, and meeting Iranian
residents of that city were also a part of the trip agenda.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad coming back from Yerevan at Tehran’s airport said
the two capitals’ relations are progressing and stabilized.

The president regarding his visit with Iranian residents and students
in Armenia noted that they were very persistent on defending their
country’s rights.

According to him both countries are determined to establish peace,
security and stability in the region and solve arguments of any kind
through negotiations.

"We have also agreed on aiding Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine to
restore peace, security and stability," said the president.