Author: Maghakian Mike

Baltic News Service
May 30, 2008 Friday 11:56 PM EET

LITHUANIA’S FIRST AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA HANDS CREDENTIALS

VILNIUS May 30

Lithuanian Ambassador to Yerevan Giedrius Apuokas handed his
credentials to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on Friday. During the
meeting with the president, Apuokas expressed Lithuania’s interest to
expand economic and cultural cooperation with Armenia, as well as
share its European Union (EU) and NATO experience, the Lithuanian
Foreign Ministry said. The Armenian president stated intentions to
open an Armenian embassy in Lithuania in 2009 in an effort to
cultivate relations between the two nations, contribute to the
enhancement of cultural cooperation and increase trade
volumes. Apuokas, a career diplomat, is the first Lithuanian
ambassador residing in Armenia. Before the designation, he headed the
Foreign Ministry’s Information Technologies Department. The Lithuanian
Embassy to Armenia was established on Oct. 1 2007. Before that,
Lithuanian interests in the country were represented by ambassador
residing in Moscow.

Vilnius newsroom, +370 5 2058509, [email protected]

ARMENIA MARKS 90-th ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST REPUBLIC

ARMENPRESS
May 28, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 28, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian,
Nagorno-Karabakh President Bako Sahakian, Parliament Speaker
Tigran Torosian, Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian, Chairman of the
Constitutional Court Gagik Harutyunian, other top government officials,
foreign diplomats, Former President Robert Kocharian, clergy and
thousands of ordinary Armenians gathered today in Sardarapat, a
village 40 kilometers west of Yerevan, for ceremonies commemorating
the Republic Day, dedicated to Armenia’s first republic that emerged
90 years ago from the ashes of the Russian empire.

A military parade marched today saluting the country’s leadership
and war planes were flying overhead. The country’s leadership laid a
wreath at the 35-meter high monument erected in memory of Armenians
who were killed defending their country’s independence. Head of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, served a service
for repose of souls of the killed soldiers.

The country’s leadership and the guests then visited the Sardarapat
Ethnographic Museum and the National-Liberation Museum to see a new
exposition of documents and other materials about the first Armenian
republic.

President Serzh Sarkisian, who is also president of the Armenian
Chess Federation watched also a simultaneous game of grandmaster
Vladimir Hakobian with best chess players of Armavir province where
Sardarapat is.

Then a concert was performed for all.

Armenian-Georgian Intergovernmental Commission to Hold its Second
Meeting in July

YEREVAN, May 27. /ARKA/. Armenian and Georgian premiers – Tigran
Sargsyan and Lado Gurgenidze – have decided last week to convene the
second session of Armenian-Georgian intergovernmental commission in
July, Armenian governmental press office reports.

The two countries prime ministers met in Minsk, where they traveled to
attend a regular prime-ministerial meeting of the Commonwealth of
Independent States.

The prime ministers think the session will give another impetus to
intergovernmental cooperation and economic relations between the two
countries.

The premiers find cooperation in energy area quite effective. However,
they pointed out the necessity of spurring mutual investment in
financial and banking sectors and cooperation within international
organizations.

Sargsyan raised some issues prompting Armenia’s concern and asked his
Georgian counterpart to support the efforts to solve them.

In particular, Sargsyan stressed the importance of keeping Armenia in
touch with the rice in fees taken for cargo transportation across
Georgia’s territory and explaining the reasons for raising fees.

The Armenian premier attracted Gurgenidze’s attention to the status of
Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia and encroachment on Armenian
churches. He said this creates tension in the society.

The previous session of the commission was held in Yerevan on October
15, 2007.-0—

300TH ANNIVERSARY OF FOUNDATION OF HOLY NAZARET ARMENIAN CHURCH OF CALCUTTA TO BE CELEBRATED IN NOVEMBER

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 26, 2008

CALCUTTA, MAY 26, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. During the week of
November 8 to 15 the Armenian community of Calcutta will celebrate the
300th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the Holy
Church of Nazareth with a delay of one year. The Church was initially
built in 1707. Under the auspices of the Armenian Church Committee
it has recently been fully restored and renovated. The church will
be re-consecrated during this event.

ARMENIAN BANKERS BACK IDEA OF TRASNFORMING ARMENIA INTO FINANCIAL CENTRE

ARKA
May 26, 2008

YEREVAN, May 26. /ARKA/. Armenian bankers totally agree with the
president’s idea of transforming Armenia into a financial centre.

President Serge Sargsyan, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Central Bank
managers and key players in the financial and economic system were
attending the conference to discuss the ways of achieving this goal,
as well as Armenia’s advantages in the sphere.

Ardshininvestbank CEO Aram Andreasyan said it will take much time and
effort to achieve this goal. "Adopting the practice of other countries
currently viewed as financial centres will strongly stimulate Armenia’s
economy in general," Andreasyan said.

CEO of the Conversebank closed joint-stock company Ararat Ghoukassyan
said four of the 35 financial centres existing in the world are
global and one is a specialized one. Armenia is planning to become
a specialized financial centre.

He also said the premier’s idea to create a Global Development Bank
is quite interesting. "The financial system of Armenia should expand
its functions since our practice is not quite enough to provide modern
investment and banking services," Ghoukassyan said expressing optimism
that Armenia will succeed in achieving this.

Executive director of Biblos Bank Armenia Vahagn Amirganyan closed
joint-stock company said formation of a financial centre should follow
the formation of a business environment. "To raise the attractiveness
of the country’s business environment we need to handle a number of
problems, namely, to apply international accounting standards, so
that they are easily understood by foreign investors. " he said.

CONDITIONS CREATED TO CONTINUE PEACE TALKS ON ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

Trend News Agency
May 26 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 26 May / corr. TrendNews S. Agayeva/ The conditions
have been created to continue the peace talks on settlement of the
Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict, Khazar Ibrahim, the spokesperson of
the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan, said to media while commenting
on the upcoming meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia
in St Petersburg on 6 June.

" Azerbaijan expects a constructive position from the new Armenian
government on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict,"
Ibrahim said.

According to Ibrahim, Armenia should demonstrate a will, understand
realities, and should take steps for the solution of the conflict. "The
new conditions to continue the peace talks can contribute to the
solution of the conflict," said Ibrahim.

The Resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh passed by the UN General Assembly
has created favorable conditions to continue talks between Azerbaijan
and Armenia, Ibrahim stated.

The UN General Assembly supported Resolution on Situation in the
Occupied Territory of Azerbaijan introduced by Azerbaijan. The
Resolution demanded the immediate, full and unconditional withdrawal
of all the Armenian armed forces from all the occupied territory of the
Republic of Azerbaijan. The Resolution confirms ‘the indefeasible right
of the population driven out the occupied territory of Azerbaijan,
to return to their homeland and demands to create appropriate
conditions for their return including comprehensive rehabilitation
of the territory damaged by the conflict’.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: "OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT HAVE NOT BEEN EXHAUSTED YET"

Today
/45163.html
May 22 2008
Azerbaijan

Deepening of Armenia’s cooperation with EU will accelerate
democratization and development of the country’s economy.

The due announcement was made by Armenian President Serzh Sarkissyan
during the meeting with representatives of the diplomatic missions of
the EU countries in Armenia and delegation of the European Commission.

The program of Armenia’s actions in the framework of the European
Neighborhood Policy, fully complies with the program of the Armenian
government and the proposed democratic reforms.

Serzh Sarkisstan voiced satisfaction with the steps on the
implementation of the Armenia-EU program of actions and the due
assessments of the European Commission. He said Armenia strives
to joining the GSP+ regime, to get the market status from the
European Union and sign an agreement on free trade with the EU. In
this connection, according to the Armenian President, the priority
for the country will be the improvement of the business-atmosphere,
profound reforms in the customs sphere.

Serzh Sarkissyan noted that regardless of the post-election processes,
the conduction of democratic reforms is necessary for Armenia. He
voiced regret that the government did not manage to prevent the March
1 events in Yerevan.

According to the Armenian President, the authorities are responsible
for the events and the way out of the situation lies in the execution
of regulations of the PACE resolution. During the meeting Serzh
Sarkissyan presented his approach to the resolution of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict, noting that official Yerevan speaks for the
peaceful resolution of the issue, while Azerbaijan continues making
militaristic declarations.

At the same time, he considers that chances of the peaceful resolution
of the problem have not been exhausted yet and are possible if talks
continue considering basic principles.

The President of Armenia said regarding the Armenian-Turkish relations
that Armenian side is ready to restore relations with Turkey without
any conditions and all disputable questions can be discussed in the
framework of intergovernmental relations and talks.

On behalf of the diplomats French Ambassador Serzh Smesov highly
assessed the tradition of such meetings and noted that these
discussions are useful for them.

CATHOLICOSATE OF THE GREAT CILICIAN HOUSE TAKES PART IN 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF DIALOGUE OF RELIGIONS OF DOHA

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 22, 2008

ANTELIAS, MAY 22, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. The sixth
international conference of the Dialogue of Religions was convened in
Doha, the capital of Qatar, on May 13-15 under the patronage of Qatar
Emir and with the participation of over 200 guests, who had arrived
from 30 countries. The conference was organized by the Interreligious
Dialogue Center of Doha.

The Catholicosate of the Great Cilician House, which was represented
by Archbishop Sepuh Sargsian, the Primate of the Armenian Diocese of
Tehran, was also invited to the conference. The main subject of the
conference was "The religious values with a prospect for peace and
respectful life."

Primate Sepuh took an active part in the proceedings of the conference,
at the same time met with the representatives of the delegations
arrived from different countries, telling them about the positive role
of the Catholicosate of the Great Cilician House in the development
of the interreligious dialogue and increase in productiveness.

MOSCOW BELIEVES IT IS TOO EARLY FOR NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO PARTICIPATE IN NEGOTIATIONS

Trend News Agency
May 21 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 20 May /Trend News corr M. Aliyev/ Russian
co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group which is engaged in settling
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict believes that is too early for
Nagorno-Karabakh to participate in the negotiations.

"After the basic principles of conflict settlement are approved,
nothing will prevent representatives of the region from participation
in development of the agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh," Russian co-chair
of the Minks Group Yuri Merzlyakov said to Trend News in a telephone
conversation from Moscow on 20 May.

"Nagorno-Karabakh must independently participate in the negotiations
on peaceful settling of the conflict with Azerbaijan," Bako
Sahakyan, President of so-called Nagorno-Karabakh republic, said to
Vedomosti. "There is the main side of the conflict – independent
Nagorno-Karabakh republic having the same priorities as other
countries," Sahakyan said.

In its turn, official Baku rejects negotiating with the Armenian
community of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"From the early start, the talks on the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were held with Armenia as an aggressor
country, but not with those who are populated in Nagorno-Karabakh
to serve as a screen," Khazar Ibrahim, the spokesman for the Foreign
Ministry of Azerbaijan said to TrendNews earlier.

The first meeting of the Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov
with the Armenian foreign minister Artur Nalbandyan was held in May
after which the meeting of the presidents was announced to be possible.

The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is scheduled to meet with
the new President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan for the first time in
St Petersburg on 6 June within the informal summit of the CIS head
of states.

According to Merzlyakov, the new president of Armenia is well-informed
of the process with Nagorno-Karabakh. "I think, the meeting will be
very businesslike if all sides are constructive and they are ready to
discuss basic principles of the settlement of the conflict," he said.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

CENSORSHIP: TORONTO SCHOOL BOARD PULLS ANOTHER ONE; ALDANA SPEAKS OUT
By Derek Weiler

Quillblog
g/index.php/2008/05/20/toronto-school-board-pulls- another-one-aldana-speaks-out/
May 20 2008
Canada

As the Toronto Star reports, the Toronto District School Board has
removed a Barbara Coloroso book from its high school curriculum.

Barbara Coloroso’s Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide
had been selected as a resource for a new Grade 11 history course
about genocide and crimes against humanity, but the book and the
course came under review after they were challenged by members of
the Canadian Turkish community.

While the board’s review committee decided to remove Coloroso’s
book from the curriculum, deeming it "far from a scrupulous text,"
the Armenian genocide will still be taught in the course.

The move comes two years after the same school board limited access
to Deborah Ellis’s Three Wishes (Groundwood Books), a book about the
Israel-Palestine conflict, to students in Grade 7 or older. There’s
been no comment or statement on the Extraordinary Evil situation
from the book’s publisher, Penguin Canada, which had not returned
messages from Q&Q at the time of this post. But Groundwood publisher
Patsy Aldana has released an open letter to the board; it appears in
full below.

Dear Trustees and staff of the TDSB,

As the publisher of Groundwood Books I am suffering from déja vu. Once
again you are succumbing to pressure and pulling a book. This is the
THREE WISHES controversy all over again.

I am also the publisher of a different book on genocide currently
listed for your course. In light of this decision I have to wonder
for how long. Our book GENOCIDE: a Groundwork Guide by Jane Springer
presents a different definition of genocide from Coloroso’s though
our book also describes the events in Armenia as genocide. As in the
case of THREE WISHES it would seem that Coloroso’s book among others
was originally selected by knowledgeable people for a reason. Now
all of a sudden it’s "inappropriate."

What is offensive in your decision is that it reflects what seems
to have become the TDSB’s habitual response to pressure – get rid
of books that are "problematic." This is a Grade 11 course – thus
obviating the weasel words "age inappropriate" used in the THREE WISHES
case. Is Barbara Coloroso’s argument unworthy of being considered,
discussed, debated? Bernard Lewis is a noted Islamophobe and yet you
seem to have included him in your course. Why not – isn’t the point
of education to stimulate critical thinking? Or have you already
decided what kids should think about this difficult topic in advance?

As a citizen of Canada, as a resident of Toronto, as a book publisher,
as a human being I find the TDSB’s reflexive instinct to censor
problematic, contentious, or (in the view of one group or another)
incorrect books and their points of view deeply disturbing. Have
you learned nothing? Our children need, urgently, to be educated to
be critical thinkers capable of drawing their own conclusions based
on a range of ideas. TDSB does not seem to embrace this principle,
quite the contrary. You are once again doing the children you have
been charged with educating a terrible injustice.

I condemn your withdrawal of this book. It is deplorable. It is
inexcusable. And I wonder what book will you be afraid to give to
our children next?

–Boundary_(ID_0tN71r4innne6FSFdoCFuA)–