Author: Nahapetian Boris

Minister Oskanian met with OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs

armradio.am
16.02.2007 13:26

Yesterday RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with the Co-Chairs of
the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov, Bernard Fassier and Matthew Bryza
and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej
Kasprzyk, acting press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Vladimir Karapetyan told ArmInfo.

`The current stage of the Karabakh conflict settlement and the future
steps in this direction were discussed. Reference was made to issues
related to the content of the document on negotiations between Armenia
and Azerbaijan out on the bargaining table,’ noted Vladimir Karapetyan,
adding that the date of the forthcoming meeting of the Foreign
Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan is not fixed yet.

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Feb 16 2007

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO VISIT FRANCE FEB 17

YEREVAN. February 16. /ARKA/. Armenian President Robert Kocharian
will visit France on February 17-21. The press service of the
Armenian president reported Kocharian will meet with French President
Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, Chairman of the
Senate Christian Ponslet, and Speaker of the Parliament Jean-Louis
Debre.
The Armenian president and his wife Bella Kocharian will participate
in the concert "Charles Aznavour and Friends" to be held in the Paris
Opera Garnier within the frameworks of the Year of Armenia in France.
They will also visit the exhibit of the great painter of sea-scapes
Hovhannes Aivazovsky at the Military-Marine Museum of Paris.
The exhibit Armenia Sacra will be opened at the presence of the
Armenian and French presidents.
Kocharian will also meet with representatives of the local Armenian
Diaspora. Besides this, the delegation led by the Armenian president
will go to Nice, where the opening ceremony of Square of Armenia will
take place, and it will meet with the city administration. R.O. -0–

February 16, 2007

PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: <;

WESTERN PRELACY SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENTS CELEBRATE VARTANANTS

On the afternoon of Sunday, February 11th, 2007, Sunday School
students from all Prelacy churches gathered at "Armenak Der Bedrossian" Hall
of St. Mary’s Church in Glendale to celebrate Vartanants. The gathering was
held under the auspices of H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate.
In addition to the Prelate, Christian Education Department Directors Very
Rev. Fathers Muron Aznikian and Barthev Gulumian were in attendance, along
with St. Mary’s Church pastors Rev. Vazken Atmajian and Rev. Ardag
Demirjian.

In his welcoming remarks, Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian spoke of
the sacrifice of St. Vartan and his companions in protecting our homeland
and our faith. About 1,500 years ago, the Armenian people united to reject
the Persian monarch Hazgerd; however, continued Hayr Muron, there are still
individuals like Hazgerd today who are trying to conquer our faith, thus
urging the youth to remain firm and unyielding in their faith.

Subsequently, students from each Sunday School in turn offered
recitations and songs in celebration of Vartanants.

In his closing remarks, the Prelate stated that gathering to
commemorate Vartanants centuries after the fact exhibits the renewal of our
faith and our determination to remain loyal to the vows of Sts. Vartan and
Ghevont. The Prelate then commended the students for their ability to truly
grasp and convey the meaning of Vartanants. In speaking of our individual
responsibilities, the Prelate explained to the students that it is our
obligation to willingly take on and successfully carry out our
responsibilities, and gave the example of clergy, educators, and individuals
in our Prelacy who undertake and complete their duties, specifically naming
Hayr Muron and Hayr Barthev for all their hard work

The Sunday School Directorate in turn expressed its gratitude
and thanks to the Rev. Fathers and to Sunday School Directors Hagop
Tchaghasspanian, Vartan Kebabjian, Raffi Torossian, Seta Kechejian, and
Taline Zomjian, whom the Prelate presented with mementos.

The program concluded with the Sunday School anthem.

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Feb 14 2007

13.4% RISE IN GDP IN ARMENIA IN 2006

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. The GDP in Armenia made AMD 2,665.0bln
($6.4bln) in 2006, which is 13.4% rise as compared to AMD 2244.0bln
($4.9bln) in 2005, said Stepan Mnatsakanyan, the Chairman of the RA
National Statistical Service, presenting his annual report "Programs
of state statistical work for 2006".
"The GDP per capita in 2006 made AMD 827.4ths ($1,989) against AMD
697.4 ($1,524) in 2005," he said.
He pointed out that, in 2006, 0.4% rise is recorded in the volume of
rural economy, 10.5% – of retail trade, 20.3% – of public services,
37.1% – of construction, and 0.9% reduction in the volume of
commercial production. L.M. -0-

Montreal Mirror, Canada
Feb 15 2007

No shame in slaughter

Turkish scholar Taner Akçam confronts the 1915 massacre of Armenians
as his native country continues to deny it

STEFAN CHRISTOFF

The histories of Turkey and Armenia are deeply intertwined. Dating
back to the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian Orthodox Christians, a
prominent minority community, specialized in commerce, often working
as intermediaries for merchants from Europe and the eastern empire.
But in the early 20th century, as momentum and support for Armenian
independence expanded, Armenians faced mounting repression from
Ottoman authorities. During the explosive events of World War I,
Ottoman repression resulted in genocide, with an estimated 1.5
million Armenians massacred and expelled from the crumbling empire.

The Armenian genocide persists as a matter of international
controversy, one that Turkish activist and scholar Taner Akçam
continues to confront. As one of the first prominent Turkish
historians to call the slaughter of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
between 1915 and 1917 a genocide, Akçam’s work has garnered
international attention. His celebrated new book, A Shameful Act: The
Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility,
incorporates archival material from British, German, U.S. and Ottoman
records. Akçam will be delivering two lectures in Montreal this
weekend.

Official silence
`An official recognition of the Armenian genocide must take place in
Turkey,’ Akçam tells the Mirror. `The Armenian diaspora seeks a clear
recognition of this historical injustice, which present-day Turkish
pro-democracy advocates must support.

`Despite the international attention toward my book, there has not
been one single book review published in Turkey,’ he says. `People in
Turkey can’t touch the book publicly due to pressure from government
authorities.’

Akçam is not new to controversy. The historian and professor at the
Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of
Minnesota fled Turkey as a political refugee in the 1970s. After
receiving a 10-year prison term for producing a student journal that
focused on Turkey’s treatment of the Kurdish minority, Akçam was
declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International in 1976
and eventually granted asylum in Germany.

`I was part of the 1968 generation, a common student movement in all
of Europe and throughout the world,’ says Akçam. `In Turkey, this
student movement had multiple targets, including the U.S. war in
Vietnam and democratization in Turkey, an important U.S. ally until
today.’

In 2004, the Canadian federal Liberal government presented and passed
an `acknowledgement resolution’ within Parliament concerning the
Armenian genocide. However, Conservative Foreign Affairs Minister
Peter MacKay recently tailored the Canadian acknowledgement of the
Armenian genocide. MacKay’s new position includes a statement in
support of a recent Turkish proposal to create a joint investigative
commission with Armenia concerning the events surrounding the
genocide, which the Armenian Foreign Minister dismissed as a
`smokescreen.’

Democratic demands
Turkey currently faces multiple political crossroads. As negotiations
on European Union accession continue, pro-democracy activists
continue to mount pressure on the government to recognize the
Armenian genocide. Akçam argues that its open acknowledgment is
essential to allow an honest discussion of Turkey’s past, while
opening contemporary political space to address the treatment of
minorities today.

`Recognizing the Armenian genocide is a crucial point in the process
of building a vibrant Turkish democracy,’ says Akçam. `Although the
genocide occurred almost 100 years ago, it remains central to the
Armenian identity and directly relates to how Turkey treats its
minorities today, especially Kurds.’

Both the Turkish government and military continue to publicly deny
the Armenian genocide, while grassroots political pressure to
recognize the genocide has grown in recent years. `Turkey is facing a
political fight between two forces. On one side, the democracy
movement – a civil movement without central organization – and on the
other side, the unelected authoritarian military bureaucracy which
until now has refused to relinquish its grip on power,’ says Akçam.
`The current government is caught in between these two political
forces.’

Last month, Armenian-Turkish newspaper editor Hrant Dink was
assassinated in Istanbul, allegedly by a Turkish ultra-nationalist.
Days after Dink’s death, hundreds of thousands gathered in Istanbul
to denounce the murder in one of the biggest demonstrations in
contemporary Turkish history.

`The Armenian diaspora should follow closely the current developments
in Turkey and build ties with the democracy movement,’ says Akçam.
`Turkey’s movement for democratic change views the recognition of the
Armenian genocide as part of its struggle, which is one of the
messages I will be bringing to Montreal.’

Akçam will speak on Friday, Feb. 16, at McGill’s Chancellor Day Hall
(3644 Peel), 5 p.m., and on Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Society of
Armenians from Istanbul (2855 Victor Doré), 6 p.m., both free. For
more information, call (514) 398-3001 ext. 09950.

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PRICES GO UP SLOWLY IN ARMENIA

Panorama.am
18:55 10/02/2007

Armenian reported the slowest pace of industrial product index growth –
0.9 percent, among Newly Independent States (NIS) as of last year.

NIS intergovernment statistics committee reports high rate of growth in
Tafikistan, 22 percent. The indicator was 18.4 percent in Ghazakhstan,
17.7 percent in Azerbaijan, 15.3 percent in Kirgizia, 12.4 percent in
Russia, 12.2 percent in Moldova, 10.9 percent in Georgia, 9.6 percent
in the Ukraine, 8.3 percent in Belarus.

Industrial output indexes grow by 12 percent and consumption prices by
9 percent in average among NIS states. The highest rate of consumption
price index was reported in Moldova, 12.7 percent which is 2.9 percent
in Armenia.

The committee says the stability of consumption prices is conditioned
by higher salaries, real monetary incomes and growth of running
savings.

BUYUKANIT TO VISIT WASHINGTON

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Feb 10 2007

While Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is set to return to Ankara
this weekend, Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit
will travel to Washington to hold key talks with U.S. officials.

Buyukanit, who is the official guest of U.S. Gen. Peter Pace, chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will meet with Vice President Dick
Cheney on Wednesday.

During his talks at the Pentagon, the top Turkish general will meet
with Gen. Pace, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy and former
U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Eric Edelman and Gen. Peter Schoomaker,
chief of staff of the U.S. Army.

Buyukanit is scheduled to speak at a think-tank organization on
Friday. He will hold a press conference at the end of his talks the
same day.

Bilateral military issues, Iraq, the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK), the Middle East problem and the so-called Armenian
resolution are among the subjects that Buyukanit is expected to focus
on in Washington.

MATTHEW BRYZA DOES NOT KNOW WHEN KARABAKH ISSUE WILL BE SETTLED

Azat Artsakh Daily – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
09-02-2007

Next week the international energy conference will be held in Paris
where the U.S. and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew
Bryza and Bernard Fassier will meet for a consultation, stated Matthew
Bryza in Baku. According to him, the OSCE Minsk Group works well but
there must be political will for the settlement of the conflict over
Karabakh. According to him, the situation is not complicated, but the
schedule is tight because this is an election year in Armenia. Matthew
Bryza appreciated the development of democracy both in Armenia and
Azerbaijan. He said he feels the issue will be solved but he does not
know when exactly. They are optimistic but they cannot solve the
problem themselves, he said. They are waiting for the presidents to
prepare their publics, and their responsibility is to help both sides
to negotiate, emphasized the U.S. co-chair. Matthew Bryza informed
that in a few weeks time the foreign ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijani will meet. As to applying the model of Kosovo to Karabakh,
Matthew Bryza said every conflict is unique and the settlement of one
conflict or another should not be used as a model. Bryza said there
are no deep controversies between the parties and they have reached
points in common, which will hopefully help eliminate disagreement on
the main ideas, the APA news agency reports.

09-02-2007

WORLD BANK EXPECTED TO APPROVE SECOND CREDIT PROGRAM FOR REFORMING ARMENIAN JUDICIARY

Armenpress

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS: The World Bank Board of Directors
is expected to approve March 8 a second credit to the government of
Armenia which it will use to continue judicial reforms. Besides the
credit which is $22.5 million, the government will also receive a $3
million grant from the government of Japan to back up the reforms.

Arthur Tunian, head of a special office set up to coordinate judicial
reform program, said 800 million U.S. Dollars will be released for
the preparatory stage. He said the money will be spent on repair
of court houses and construction of 15 new court buildings. He said
apart from improving conditions part of the money will be spend on
acquisition of computers and other equipment.

Another part of this money will be used to accomplish a program for
recording court hearings that was started by the first credit program
last year.

The first credit program had a budget of $11.5 million. Seven million
were spent on building new court houses and improving conditions in
another 14.

Part of that money was spent on purchase of computers and
equipment. The second credit program will target court houses outside
Yerevan.

Opposition demands resignation of the Turkish Interior Minister

ArmRadio.am
09.02.2007 11:40

Following the report about the participation of the Turkish police
and gendarmerie in the assassination of the editor-in-chief of the
Agos daily Hrant Dink, the opposition has demanded the resignation
of Turkish Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu and other senior police
officers.

Heads of opposition factions presented an inquiry on Aksu’s rsignation
to the Parliament, "Miiliyet" reports.

The paper says that the terrorist actions, threat to security and crime
rate during the Interior Minister’s tenure in office have reached an
enormous level, "which led to divisions inside the security service
of Turkey and establishment of an atmosphere of distrust among the
members of staff."