Author: Nadirian Emma

PRESS RELEASE
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
Governmental Buiding 3, Yerevan, RA
Contact: Hasmik Grigoryan
Tel: +(3741) 56 01 06 ext. 105
Fax: +(3741) 52 15 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

29 April, 2009

Hayastan All Armenian Fund establishes affiliate in Syria

Yerevan, April 29, 2009 – The Hayastan All Armenian Fund’s family of country
affiliates welcomed its newest member, a local committee that was
established in Syria. With this addition, the fund now has 16 affiliates in
14 countries.

Expanding the Hayastan All Armenian Fund’s geographic reach continues to be
a top strategic priority for 2009. Ara Vardanyan, the organization’s acting
executive director, has worked toward this goal since the beginning of the
year, with official visits to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Greece, Cyprus,
Syria, and Lebanon.

The launch of the Syrian affiliate was preceded by a string of meetings with
the local Armenian leadership including officials of the Armenian church and
representatives of political parties, cultural organizations, and various
community institutions. During his visit to Syria, Vardanyan was accompanied
by Gilbert Momdjian, chairman of the fund’s German affiliate. The Syrian
affiliate will be chaired by Hrair Mouradian, a local community leader.

Vardanyan stated that the fund’s efforts toward the establishment of
additional country affiliates will continue throughout 2009. High on the
list of possible countries to visit for this purpose is Russia, whose
dynamic and growing Armenian community has long indicated the need for a
local Hayastan All-Armenian Fund affiliate.

"Our visit to Syria was a wonderful experience, as we had the opportunity to
meet scores of dedicated community leaders and ultimately were able to
launch the fund’s newest affiliate," Vardanyan said. "Today one of our main
goals is to create affiliates throughout the world, in every single Armenian
community that espouses pan-national ideals and aspires to play a vibrant
role in the continued development of the homeland."

Following their Syrian visit, Vardanyan and Momdjian traveled to Lebanon,
where they met with Armenian-community leaders, including representatives of
the Hayastan All Armenian Fund’s local affiliate. Despite Lebanon’s often
unstable political situation, the fund’s local committee has held its own
since 1992, significantly contributing to development projects through
fundraising campaigns such as its annual radiothon.

# # #

Hayastan All Armenian Fund

IT IS ENVISAGED ORGANIZING SERVICE IN RA POLICE ALSO BY PRINCIPLE OF OFFICIALS’ ROTATION

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 29, 2009
YEREVAN

The RA National Assembly at the April 29 sitting in the first reading
adopted a bill On Making Addenda and Amendment to the Law On Service
in the Police. Thus, it is envisaged organizing service in the police
also by the principle of officials’ rotation.

According to the main reporter, Deputy Head of RA Police Hovhannes
Hunanian, the envisaged amendments will give the Police Head a
possibility to move officials on posts subject to rotation to
respective posts at another subdivision at least once every three
years, which will reduce corruption risks. The officials’ list
subject to rotation and the order of rotation will be established by
government’s decision.

Another amendment envisages holding police officials’ attestation
on the basis of their official characteristics, through testing and
an interview, which, according to H. Hunanian, will exclude possible
subjective manifestations to police officials subject to attestation.

The parliament in the second reading and completely adopted a package
of amendments to the valid laws On Police Troops and On Police. Thus,
reforms and structural changes are planned in the system, the activity
sphere of police troops is made clear. Legislative package’s goal is to
gradually pass from compulsory military service to contract military
service in police troops by completing the process in 2012, as well
as to separate police troops from police administrative structure as
an institution by making it an individual part of the system.

ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER OPENING WON’T AFFECT GEORGIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.04.2009 13:44 GMT+04:00

Normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties is required to stabilize
the region, director of School of Caucasus Studies Director at
Ilia Chavchavadze State University, professor Ghia Nodia, told
PanARMENIAN.Net.

He is confident that, first of all, both parties will benefit from
opening of the border.

"In respect of Georgia’s concerns on possible decrease of cargo
transportation via its territory, I think that the issue will be
settled with the lapse of time," prof. Nodia said.

Foreign Ministries of Armenia, Turkey and Switzerland signed an
agreement on continuation of talks and normalization of ties, which
would lead to opening of the Armenian-Turkish border.

Ankara closed the border with Armenia in 1993 as a token of solidarity
with Azerbaijan during the Nagorno Karabakh war.

PRESS REVIEW

RFE/RL
28.04.2009

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s decision to leave the
government is the central theme of Tuesday’s Armenian press commentary.

"Dashnaktsutyun’s disaffection is not unfounded," writes "Aravot." "By
staying on in the ruling coalition after the latest developments,
that political force would lose its last remaining sincere supporters
while retaining opportunists trying to be close to the [government]
trough." The paper believes that Dashnaktsutyun simply could not
be part of "a government whose actions raise concerns even in
non-nationalist circles." It says the next few months will show
whether those skeptics who think that Dashnaktsutyun continues to
cooperate with Serzh Sarkisian are right. It says the authorities
will prove them wrong if they soon crack down on Dashnaktsutyun-linked
businessmen or the Yerkir-Media TV station controlled by the party.

According to "Hraparak," Dashnaktsutyun’s exit "created a new political
situation in the country." "And that can not be linked with the
elections of Yerevan mayor," says the paper. "It is unlikely that the
last-minute opposition Dashnaktsutyun will fare well in the upcoming
elections." Nonetheless, it says, some of the factions remaining
loyal to President Sarkisian are now "in panic." "The authorities
have no right to weak en themselves as that could lead to a loss
of power." Other government factions are "jubilant," setting their
sights on the government posts made vacant by the Dashnaks.

"Dashnaktsutyun was ready to work together with Serzh Sarkisian as long
as it was certain that his intention is to deceive the outside world,"
writes "Chorrord Ishkhanutyun." That is why, claims the opposition
paper, Dashnaktsutyun leaders did not take Sarkisian’s statements on
Turkey seriously until recently. When it turned out that Sarkisian
has no choice but to take concrete steps they decided to jump ship,
according to "Chorrord Ishkhanutyun."

Vahan Hovannisian, one of the Dashnaktsutyun leaders, tells "Iravunk
de facto" that his party will now act like a genuine opposition force.

"I am skeptical about the concept of constructive opposition," says
Hovannisian. "Everyone — citizens, the authorities, the opposition —
in the country must be constructive," he adds. "That is everyone’s
civic duty. In that sense, yes. As for extremism, true, we did have
extreme opposition manifestations in the 1990s because the situation
was extremely severe at that time. I think there is no need for that
now. Besides, there is no lack of extremists in the country today."

Hovannisian also makes clear that Dashnaktsutyun does not intend to
cooperate with former President Le von Ter-Petrosian and his Armenian
National Congress (HAK) for the moment.

"But political developments will show," he says. "If they take
constructive positions and adopt our approaches, then why not? It
will be possible to think about that. But we haven’t thought about
that yet."

U.S. AMBASSADOR IN ANKARA WAS SUMMONED TO MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.04.2009 22:46 GMT+04:00

Turkey summoned the U.S. Ambassador in Ankara, James Jeffrey, and
expressed discomfort over U.S. President Barack Obama’s statement on
the occasion of the "Armenian Remembrance Day" on April 24.

Jeffrey was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday
and Turkey’s reaction, and views were communicated to him, said sources
who spoke on condition of anonymity, The Anatolia News Agency reports.

Obama’s statement on April 24, "Armenian Remembrance Day" stirred
wide reaction and drew severe critism from Turkey’s top officials
and politicians on the grounds that it was biased.

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul was the first to criticize Obama. He
told reporters the following day that not only Armenians but hundreds
of thousands of Turks and Muslims had lost their lives during the
events of 1915, adding that pain and suffering of all people who lost
their lives in 1915 should be remembered.

Gul said statesmen and politicians could not pass judgement on events
in the history, adding that it was time to look to the future and
give a chance to diplomatic efforts for solution of issues between
Turkey and Armenia, and Armenia and Azarbaijan.

Gul was followed by Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan who argued that
Obama’s statement was related with a pledge he made to Armenian
lobbies during his election campaign.

"Such a sensitive issue requiring expertise, which should in fact be
left to historians, is continuously being used as a tool for politics
and exploited by lobbies every year, and this prevents normalization of
relations between people and countries," Erdogan was quoted as saying.

OPENING OF ARMENIA-TURKISH BORDER WEAKENING RUSSIAN INFLUENCE

The Messenger
April 23 2009
Georgia

Alexander Skakov from the Russian Institute of Strategic Research
thinks that opening the Turkish and Armenian border will hamper
Russian attempts to bring Armenia under its influence.

Today Armenia is under the Russian sphere of influence because it is
confronting Azerbaijan and Turkey. Its connection to the rest of the
world through Georgia is partly blocked and therefore the basis of
its communications is Iran.

The Americans think they can offer Armenia better options and
thus attract it into the US sphere of interest. Skakov says that
if Armenia receives direct access to the Turkish coast, Black
Sea and Mediterranean it will engage in more direct trade with
the West, bypassing Russia. The West will also guarantee Armenia’s
sovereignty. Skakov thinks that after opening the border with Turkey
Armenia will become less dependent on Russia and more on NATO and
the EU.

ARMENIA’S MFA ASTONISHED AT EURONEWS REPORT

armradio.am
23.04.2009 18:05

When commenting on the joint statement of the Ministries of Foreign
Affairs of Armenia, Turkey and Switzerland of April 22nd, the Russian
Service of the Euronews has mentioned that Turkey continues setting
preconditions for the normalization of relations with Armenia. Asked
to comment on this, Head of the Media Relations Department of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tigran Balayan said:

"It’s amazing, and we have drawn the attention of the Euronews
on the fact that such a popular TV Company demonstrates a very
non-professional approach or intentionally distorts the reality,
which counters the reputation of the Euronews as an unbiased service,
as well as the content of yesterday’s statement and the international
reactions to it."

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Karekin Dickran
Hans Broges Gade 45,
8000 Aarhus C. DK
Denmark
Telephone: 45 + 86 13 90 54
e-mail: [email protected]

MARIA JACOBSEN – SYMPOSIUM
Friday 24th April 2009 from 16.30 – 19.00
at: Pensionhighschool
Fredericiagade 84, 1.
Copenhagen

A symposium will be held in memory of Maria Jacobsen to commemorate the
94th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

The Committee will mark the memory of two Danish missionaries:

Miss Maria Jacobsen [1882-1960] and Miss Karen Jeppe [1876-1935]

Maria Jacobsens wrote a diary during the time she worked as a nurse in the
American hospital in Harpoot [Kharpert] covering the period between
1907-1919. She later moved to the new Annie Tracy Riggs Hospital which
opened in Mezreh, located at Villayet Mamurat-Ul-Aziz in former Ottoman
Empires, Turkey.

Over decades K.M.A [Woman’s Missionary Workers] has raised thousands of
kroner´s and sent dozens of missionaries for Armenian relief. Maria
Jacobsen, who stayed at her post during the Armenian Genocide, recorded her
own eyewitness account on local conditions while the Ottoman government
carried out its programme of annihilating the Armenians under the cover of
World War I.

Until recently the original diary was available only in facsimile form
attached to the Armenian version, translated, edited and introduced in 1979
by Nerses Pakhdikian and Mihran Simonian

The committee has made a fair copy of the diary. The manuscript is almost
finished; it has been edited from old Danish to modern Danish and ready to
be published in a digitized format. The Committee, therefore, is holding a
symposium to introduce a Limited Edition of the diary to the general public.
The book which contains an introduction, some articles of lightning
accessories and annotation, is to be published in September 2009.

You are all welcomed

Kindest greetings

Britta June Claridge Johnsen

ARMENIAN ARCHITECTURE AND 21ST CENTURY CONFERENCE LAUNCHED IN YEREVAN

Panorama.am
13:54 21/04/2009

"Armenian Architecture and 21st century" pan-Armenian conference of
architects has been launched in Yerevan. The Prime Minister of Armenia
Tigran Sargsyan made an opening speech in the conference and wished
the participants an effective working experience. "I think that the
conference will serve its primary mission and it will become a tool
to discover pan-national professional potential and to overcome the
challenges of architecture," the Prime Minister said. The highlights of
the conference are the protection of national architectural heritage,
training of young architectural generation, improvement and development
of the field, new styles and technologies as tools, etc.

ArmenPress
April 20 2009
Armenia

ON THE ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S DECREE ANDRANIK MIHRANIAN AWARDED WITH
THE ORDER OF HONOR

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS: On the April 18 decree of Armenian
President Serzh Sargsian Andranik Mihranian has been awarded with the
Order of Honor for his contribution to the enhancement and development
of Armenian-Russian friendly relations.

Press service of the Armenian President told Armenpress that handing
the Armenian state award to the well known politician on April 18
S. Sargsian highly assessed his activity, saying "For each citizen of
Armenia and each Armenian it is a great honor to get highest awards
of Republic of Armenia. But at the same time it is also a great honor
for the President of Armenia to award its citizens and compatriots
on behalf of the Republic".

Andranik Mihranian expressed gratitude for being awarded such a high
honor. The politician expressed confidence that the authorities will
exert great efforts for the development of Armenia-Diaspora relations
as "Armenia is a great state but together with the Diaspora it is
a superpower".

He expressed wish that "such events and occasions be frequent to
honor people who implement their strength, enthusiasm, opportunities
and talent so that their historical homeland survives, develops
and prospers".