Author: Maghakian Mike

IMF, WB REAFFIRM SUPPORT FOR REOPENING OF BORDER

News.am
20:03 / 10/06/2009

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB)
have reaffirmed their strong support for the reopening of the
Turkish-Armenian border, saying that its positive impact on Armenia’s
economy could be felt as early as next year, reported Armenian service
of Radio Liberty.

In her interview with the service, Ratna Sahay, Deputy Director of the
IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, said the growth rate
could well be higher if the Turkish-Armenian border is reopened. The
IMF forecasts 1% economic growth in Armenia for next year.

Indermit Gill, WB Chief Economist for Europe and Central Asia, said
that the reopening of the border will produce a positive effect on
Armenia’s economy very quickly.

Both officials emphasized the fact that Armenia is a landlocked
country with high transportation costs that hamper economic activity
and badly needed foreign investment.

Ratna Sahay is sure that an open border with Turkey will make Armenia
more attractive to foreign investors

H. ABRAHAMYAN RECEIVED LAILY MOSHIRI

Aysor.am
Wednesday, October 07

Today the speaker of the RA National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan received
Mrs. Laily Moshiri-Gilan the head of the Armenian office of UNICEF,
reports the public relations department of the RA NA.

The speaker pf the Armenian National Assembly attached importance to
the memorandum of "Mutual Understanding" signed between the RA NA and
UNICEF on July 7 2009, which outlined the fields of cooperation of
the sides. Mr. Abrahamyan informed that the RA NA is ready to deepen
more the cooperation of the UNO professional institutes.

Afterwards the sides discussed the possibilities of organizing
discussions concerning the rights of the children. Mrs. Moshiri
presented to Mr. Abrahamyan the projects being implemented in Armenia
by UNICEF particularly the examinations done in the sphere of the
rights protection of the children as well as pre-school education,
children health and food.

On the meeting was also present the Deputy of the RA NA speaker Arevik
Petrosyan. "Mutual Understanding", UNO professional institutes

LIST OF ENDANGERED WORLD MONUMENTS

The Associated Press
Oct 7, 2009

Afghanistan: Old City of Herat

Argentina: Buenos Aires Historic Center, Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires

Armenia: Aghjots Monastery, Garni Village

Austria: Wiener Werkbundsiedlung, Vienna

Bahrain: Suq al-Qaysariya, Muharraq

Belgium: Sanatorium Joseph Lemaire, Tombeek

Bhutan: Phajoding, Thimphu

Bolivia: Santa Teresa Convent Museum, Cochabamba

Chile: Churches of Arica Parinacota

Colombia: San Fernando and San Jose Fortresses, Cartagena; Historic
Center, Santa Fe de Antioquia.

Comoros: Ujumbe Palace, Mutsamudu

Cyprus: Historic Walled City of Famagusta

Ecuador: Todos Santos Complex, Cuenca

Egypt: New Gourna Village, Luxor, West Bank; Old Mosque of Shali
Fortress, Siwa Oasis

France: Hotel de Monnaies, Villemagne l’Argentiere; Parish Church
of Saint-Martin-des-Puits

Greece: Churches of Lesvos

Guatemala: Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala City

Haiti: Gingerbread Houses, Port-au-Prince

India: Chiktan Castle, Kargil; Dechen Namgyal Gonpa, Nyoma; Historic
Civic Center of Shimla; Kothi, Qila Mahmudabad

Iraq: Al-Hadba’ Minaret, Mosul

Ireland: Russborough, Blessington, County Wicklow

Israel: Old City of Lod; Cathedral of St. James, Old City of Jerusalem

Italy: Historic Center of Craco; Ponte Lucano, Tivoli; Villa of San
Gilio, Oppido Lucano

Japan: Kyoto machiya townhouses

Jordan: Damiya Dolmen Field, Jordan Valley

Kazakhstan: Vernacular Architecture of the Kazakh Steppe, Sary-Arka

Laos: Hintang Archaeological Landscape, Houameuang District; Tam Ting,
Nam Kong River at Ban Pak Ou

Mexico: Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque, Zempoala to Otumba; Las Pozas,
Xilitla; Temple of San Bartolo Soyaltepec; Temple of San Felipe
Tindaco, Tlaxiaco; Temple and Convent of Los Santos Reyes, Convent
of La Communidad, Metztitlan

Moldova: Assumption of Our Lady Church, Causeni

Morocco: Lixus, Larache

Pakistan: Petroglyphs in the Diamer-Basha Dam Area, Northern Areas;
Shikarpoor Historic City Center

Panama: Colon Historic Center; Corozal Cemetery, Panama City; M del
Parana, Trinidad

Peru: San Rafael District, Chankillo; Jesuit Churches of San Jose and
San Javier, Nazca; Pachacamac Sanctuary, Lurin; Pikillaqta, Cuzco;
Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, Cuzco; Tambo Colorado, Humay;
San Francisco de Asis de Marcapata; Santa Cruz de Jerusalen de Juli

Philippines: Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Municipality of
Santa Maria; Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, Ifugao;
San Sebastian Basilica, Manila

Romania: Fortified Churches of Southern Transylvania, Sibiu

Russia: Church of the Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign, Podolsk
District

Slovakia: Lietava Castle

South Africa: Wonderwerk Cave, Ga-Segonyana/Kuruman

Spain: Historic Landscape of Seville; Historic Landscape of Toledo;
Numancia, Soria and Garray; Old Town of Avila; Route of Santiago de
Compostela; Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Sri Lanka:Dutch Fort in Batticaloa

Tanzania: Pangani Historic Town

Uganda: Wamala King’s Tombs, Nansana, Wakiso District

United Kingdom: Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church, Belfast; Edinburgh
Historic Graveyards; Sheerness Dockyard; St. John the Evangelist
Parish Church, Shobdon; Tecton Buildings at Dudley Zoological Gardens

United States: Atlanta-Fulton Central Public Library, Atlanta; Bridges
of the Merritt Parkway, Connecticut; Cultural Landscape of Hadley,
Mass.; Miami Marine Stadium, Florida; Phillis Wheatley Elementary
School, New Orleans; St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, New Orleans; Taliesin,
Spring Green, Wis.; Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Taos Pueblo, N.M.

Uzbekistan: Desert Castles of Ancient Khorezm, Republic of
Karakalpakstan

Venezuela: School of Architecture and Urbanism, Central University
of Venezuela, Caracas; East Park, Caracas

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

LA TIMES ON PROTESTS IN LOS ANGELES
By Ann M. Simmons

os15404.html
11:08:07 – 05/10/2009

Tentative deal between Armenia, Turkey brings opposition from both
sides Armenian Americans and Turkish Americans both say the governments
in their homelands are giving too many concessions. A commission that
would study the Armenian genocide is a sore point for some.

Upset over an agreement that would establish diplomatic ties between
Armenia and Turkey and reopen their common borders, members of the
Los Angeles Armenian community plan to rally in Beverly Hills today.

Organizers of the demonstration say they will call on Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan to refrain from signing protocols with Turkey
that they believe would threaten Armenia’s interests and security.

Sargsyan is scheduled to visit Los Angeles today.

A deal that would essentially normalize relations between the
long-estranged nations is expected to be signed this month. But the
agreement faces opposition from both Armenian Americans and Turkish
Americans, who argue that the governments in their homelands are
making unreasonable concessions.

‘We’re not against normalization and peace with Turkey,’ said Arek
Santikian, a UCLA student and chairman of the Armenian Youth Federation
of the Western United States. ‘We really would want peace. But we
can’t have peace with preconditions.’

Among the agreement’s provisions is the creation of a historical
commission that would evaluate the bloody history between the two
countries. The Armenian genocide of 1915 to 1918 claimed the lives of
about 1.2 million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire, which became
the modern republic of Turkey. The Turkish government disputes that
a genocide took place.

A historical commission would allow Turkey ‘to question the veracity
of the genocide,’ Santikian said. ‘We know that it happened. We can’t
put a question mark on that.’

Turkey disputes the number of those killed and argues that Armenians
were equally brutal in slaying Turks when they revolted against their
Ottoman rulers and aligned themselves with invading Russian troops.

Armenian American critics of the agreement also argue that the
protocols would allow Turkey to keep eastern territories they say
are historically part of Armenia.

They are also concerned about the future of Nagorno-Karabakh, a
disputed enclave populated mainly by ethnic Armenians but within
the borders of Azerbaijan, which has close ethnic and political ties
with Turkey.

‘The protocols are not proportional,’ said Caspar Jivalagian, a
student at Southwestern Law School and an Armenian Youth Federation
member. ‘It is a very pro-Turkish document.’

But many Turkish Americans disagree.

‘Turkey is giving too much and getting too little in return,’ said
Ergun Kirlikovali, West Coast director of the Assembly of Turkish
American Assns.

Some believe the Turkish government is selling out Azerbaijan by
reconciling with Armenia before the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh
has been settled. Others fear Turkey might be forced to give back land.

Kirlikovali said Turks are also tired of being defamed by Armenians who
were ‘constantly pushing a bogus genocide claim . . . and distorting
and misrepresenting history.’

He argued that a historical commission would allow experts to come to
a ‘nonpolitical’ verdict on the issue, and said that’s why Armenians
were opposed to the creation of such a panel. It could debunk their
main indictment against Turks, Kirlikovali said.

Gunay Evinch, the assembly’s Washington, D.C.-based president and a
Fulbright scholar, said that despite the concerns over the consequences
of the accord between Turkey and Armenia, the agreement presented
‘a unique opportunity to move forward for these countries and their
people, but not without risks.’

KARVATCHAR DIARY: "WE DO NOT RECOGNIZE THOSE PROTOCOLS YOU HAVE SIGNED"
Khandut Avetyan

2009/ 10/05 | 18:03

I have been living in the village of Verin Shen in the liberated
Artsakh district of Karvatchar for the past eight years. When we
relocated here back in November 2001 we faced numerous obstacles
that we overcame with dignity. Now, I can’t imagine living anywhere
else. The land welcomes us with a blustery autumn and the deep freeze
of winter.

We weren’t prepared for that winter either psychologically or
financially. There was no electricity, telephone service and almost no
transport. All the stores belonged to one individual and the nearest
was ten kilometers from our house. I will not tell you what prices
were being charges in those stores out of shame.

Happily, all this is in the past and mere memory. Our neighbors
were as industrious and hard-working as we were; creating their own
future. Some couldn’t cope with the hardships and eventually moved
away. But they were replaced by other newcomers.

Years passed. We got our electricity and cell phone service. Public
transport is still lacking but it’s better than before.

Armenian children were born here and after a two hundred year absence
their birth certificates note that they were born in KarvatcharWith
each passing year of liberation, stone-crosses and gravestones with
medieval Armenian inscriptions were removed from the walls of house
and stables and from street pavements.

We were literally forced to remove them piece by piece, cleaning
them from the two hundred years of cow dung and plaster they has been
profaned with by the former usurpers of the land.

We also had loses; people died due to the harsh conditions. One was my
father, a poet, linguist and a soldier; a man who simply was devoted
to his country with all his heart and soul throughout his entire life.

He was born in the village of Akori, near the town of Alaverdi in
northern Armenia. His parents are buried there. My father’s forbearers
went to Lori from the ancient district of Akori Our relatives continue
to reproach us for burying him in a land with "an uncertain political
future". I find these words to be very insulting.

Of course, we have experienced many problems here but the land’s
beautiful majesty has become an inseparable part of my conscience.

The rebirth of this land has given my life new meaning. On its
sacrificial altar I have simply been able to offer my services as a
teacher, replete with sweat and tears.

My sisters have raised families here and offered their eldest sons
to the land. My father was the first in these parts to be laid to
eternal rest according to Armenian Church ritual.

Some may say that I am overly emotional as I write these lines. But
I am not ashamed to write them down since I believe they impart a
valuable message regarding our nation and state from a historical
perspective.

The blood of our soldiers and the cries of our newly born gave us
back our honor, trampled by genocide and centuries of dispersion,
and gave us the right to walk with pride as free men and women.

As a woman I can appreciate and understand how great this gift is. To
be a sister or wife to those men who fought an unequal war and to
make them a gift in turn – to bring their children into this world.

Today, how many Armenian women actually think about who saved
them from dishonor, figuratively speaking and in the direct sense
of the word? These are empty words and are free of oratorical
embellishment. This question cuts to the very heart of the matter.

The world has not changed and neither has the Turk. Peace and the
rebirth of Armenia will only be possible if the gates to our country
are steadfastly defended with the might of our men; in the name of
life and honor.

Sadly, what is taking place in Yerevan today greatly angers me. That
despairing defeatism, to buy peace and prosperity at the price of
making life-threatening concessions to the enemy, is disgusting and
an abomination.

One is amazed at just how blind and cut off from reality such a
large segment of our public and leadership can be. Are you so naive
to believe in the security guarantees being bandied about by certain
international forces?

Haven’t you yet realized the simple truth that our village tranquility
and the opulence of your palaces is directly dependent on the
frontlines defended by our soldiers along the snow capped Mrav
Mountains and the sands of the Kur-Arax plains.

Don’t you understand that when our soldiers quit those positions we
will have forfeited the peace we now enjoy, obtained by the sacrifice
and travails made by thousands of fellow Armenians, and that Armenia
will be once again be engulfed in a torrent of death and destruction?

Have you become so blinded by the external opulence of the
international power brokers that you now fanatically seek the Nobel
Peace Prize and other awards they hold out before you. Have you
become so infatuated with their promises of gold and investments
once a settlement is reached that you are ready to betray and sell
the last sacred inheritance we possess – our fatherland?

Even without their empty promises you have squeezed the country dry
of everything possible; ingloriously selling off all its riches. And
now, in the name of your petty commercial interests, you are willing
to bargain with the memory of the victims of the Genocide.

I fully realize that you have little in common with the ideals of
honor and morality and that, when it comes to personal responsibility
towards the nation, you are sorely lacking. This evaluation equally
refers to the government and the leaders of the so-called opposition,
who are just as malevolent.

It is futile to appeal to your conscience and your sense of honor,
buried as it is under fleeting riches.

But if you for a moment believe that we will cave-in to all of this,
you are sadly mistaken.

We do not recognize those protocols you have signed. We will not
forfeit our homes, our sacred sites, our cemeteries in the name of the
"Madrid Principles"; a document that dishonors the free blood flowing
through our veins.

Remember these words when you go to negotiate in the name of our
country or before you sign some worthless scrap of paper. Remember
that the curse of people and the ire of the nation will follow the
fleeting acclamation and applause you receive from world leaders and
the comical team of political analysts and Turkish experts you heed.

This is the fate that awaits you. It will follow you constantly and
will stamp its deadly seal on the foreheads of your offspring for
seven generations to come.

The "guarantees’ now promised you will be forgotten. They will say
"bravo" and then throw you into the dust bin of history where you
will be devoured by those who now slavishly serve you.

This is the fate that awaits you.

Thus, I, in the name of all women of Artsakh and the residents of the
liberated territories, declare that you will not give anything back. I
state this as a frail woman but strong in spirit. Your condescending
and commercially-inspired protocols and Madrid Principles will remain
scraps of paper and a testament to your feebleness and spiritual
blindness.

The unity of the Armenian homeland must be restored. Not one inch of
land will be handed over to the enemy!

RA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: ARARAT -MIKA GAME ENDS IN A TIE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
05.10.2009 10:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the 14th tour of RA Football Championship Ararat
rivaled visiting Ashtarak’s Mika. Though losing 0:2 to Mika in the
first time, Ararat still managed to save the day by leveling the
score after the break.

Thus, Mika lost two important points in a struggle for championship,
the loss resulting in Pyunik’s becoming RA Championship leader.

In the last match of 24th tour, Ulis was beaten 1:2 by Kapan’s
Gandzasar. Yerevan’s football team was defeated 1:2 by guests.

Standings after 24th tour

1. Pyunik – 53 2. Mika – 51 3. Ulis – 43 4. Banants – 42 5. Gandzasar –
32 6. Shirak – 23 7. Cilicia – 16 8. Ararat – 10.

United Press International, Asia

Emerging Threats

Yerevan defends move toward Ankara

Published: Oct. 2, 2009

YEREVAN, Armenia, Oct. 2 (UPI) — Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
said improved relations with Ankara would not harm the greater
concerns over genocide or Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkish relations with Armenia were complicated by claims of genocide
during the Ottoman Empire. Recent ties are complicated over disputes
regarding the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, an area of dispute between
Azerbaijan and Armenia.

War broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh in
the early 1990s, and the regional fallout from that row remains tense
despite a 1994 cease-fire.

Sargsyan said normalizing relations with Ankara would not prevent the
international recognition of genocide or force Yerevan to back off its
claims on Nagorno-Karabakh, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.

He told a presidential panel that "no sensible Armenian can forget the
genocide," adding Ankara would not control any negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her meetings on
Nagorno-Karabakh expressed her "strong support" for a resolution,
saying the dispute negotiating process should move forward without
preconditions.

Ankara said in April it would open its borders with Armenia in time
for a qualifying match between both national teams for the World Cup
scheduled for October.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

President Sargsyan meets representatives of Armenian communities of
Europe

armradio.am
03.10.2009 15:15

President Serzh Sargsyan’s week-long pan-Armenian tour started with a
meeting with over 100 representatives of Armenian communities and
organizations of Europe.

Before that the Armenian President had a meeting with world-known
singer Charles Aznavour. The great composer highly appreciated Serzh
Sargsyan’s initiative to listen to the opinion of Diaspora Armenians
within the framework of the discussions on the process of normalization
of the Armenian-Turkish relations.

In the noon President Sargsyan laid a wreath at the Komitas Memorial in
memory of the Armenian Genocide victims and talked to French Armenians,
who were holding a rally to protest against the Armenian-Turkish
protocols.

The same day Serzh Sargsyan met with representatives of different
Armenian communities and organization of Europe. In his speech
President Sargsyan spoke about the process of normalization of the
Armenian-Turkish relations, as well as the opinions and concerns
regarding the pre-signed protocols.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, October 1, 2009

AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Southern California Expands Its
Solar Energy Capabilities

Canoga Park, CA – "This is indeed a historic day," said His Eminence
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Western), in his remarks at the dedication ceremony
of the Solar Energy Project held at AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School on
Thursday, September 17, 2009.

The day’s program commenced with welcoming remarks by Levon Keshishian,
the school’s director of Business Operations, who spoke about the
institution’s commitment to innovation: "Our school has been a leader
and forerunner in many aspects of school operations, and it is rewarding
to see that many follow our lead. One such project is the solar
project."

Keshishian mentioned that while California adopted regulations only
recently, increasing its Renewable Portfolio Standard to 33 percent by
2020 and Advancing California’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and increasing the state’s renewable energy, the
Manoogian-Demirdjian School is producing almost 40% of its electricity
needs with the Solar Energy Project.

Keshishian invited California Assemblyman Paul Krekorian to address the
audience of high school seniors, teachers, administrators, board
members, members of the PTO, Booster Club members, and community
representatives. Assemblyman Krekorian is the first Chairperson of the
newly created Select Committee on Renewable Energy, which leads the
State Assembly’s goal of meeting at least 33% of California’s
electricity needs from renewable resources like the sun and the wind.
Krekorian praised the school’s decision to pursue the use of solar power
and congratulated the leadership for the bold step.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky took the podium and
congratulated the school in becoming a beacon of hope and leader in such
a useful project, benefiting the environment and becoming an example for
other entities to follow.

Los Angeles City Council Member Dennis Zine, who could not attend the
ceremony due to unexpected and urgent city business, was represented by
his deputy for special projects Jessica Forkish, who conveyed the
council member’s congratulations.

Archbishop Derderian congratulated all those involved in this worthwhile
project and offered his prayers for the continued success of the school.
Addressing the senior class, he exhorted them to learn from their
teachers and school leaders, especially in endeavors that impact the
future of our community, country and the world.

Sinan Sinanian, Chairman of the School Board of Trustees, thanked Mr.
and Mrs. Sevan Varteressian for conceiving the solar project idea and
implementing it as the general contractor. He commended them for their
professional workmanship and financial contribution of $125,000 towards
the completion of the project. He praised Sevan Varteressian for turning
the idea into reality. A short video presentation of the project
followed.

Sevan Varteressian, President of California Green Designs, and John
Hoffman, Account Executive, who are the main undertakers of this
project, took to the stage and went over the various stages and aspects
of the project. Varteressian expressed his joy, both as a parent of
children attending the school and as a professional in the field of
renewable energy, for AGBU to have made such a commitment. He then
thanked everyone who was part of the execution of the project at the
Manoogian-Demirdjian School, including the enthusiastic school staff.

John Hoffman spoke about the entire project and gave details to the
students about producing solar power. He said, "This system is a 180 kW
system which came on line in early 2007 and has thus far produced
352,000kWh of clean electricity which means…the school’s solar power
has already generated the electricity needs of a typical household for
32 years." Comparing it to coal, he explained, "We have saved 4,500
pounds of nitrous oxide or 1.5m pounds of carbon dioxide, saving 475
acres of trees."

Two students from the Class of 2010, Armen Haroutounian and Vatche
Youssefian, were invited on stage to speak about the school’s
environmental awareness and their goal to initiate a vigorous recycling
program at the school with the help of parent volunteers.

During the program, commendations and congratulatory mementos were
presented by the dignitaries. To conclude the program, a special wall
plaque constructed of a solar panel was unveiled.

Established in 1906, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is the
world’s largest non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New
York City, AGBU () preserves and promotes the Armenian
identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian
programs, annually touching the lives of some 400,000 Armenians on six
continents.

ALBUMS OF ARMENIAN JAZZMEN TO BE PRESENTED IN NAREK CULTURAL CENTER

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
30.09.2009 21:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Serenade" album of Grant Petrosyan and "Concerto
for sound and jazz orchestra" of Konstantin Petrosyan will be presented
October 7 at the Narek cultural center.

Famous Armenian jazz group New Quintet with Artur Grigoryan
(saxophone), Tigran Suchyan (trumpet), Manuk Ghazaryan (piano),
Artyom Manukyan (bass) and Perch Nahapetyan (drums) will take part
in the presentation.

The Narek cultural center is the organizer and sponsor of the event.