Author: Nahapetian Samvel

TRACK-AND-FIELD ATHLETICS COMPETITIONS FINISH AT 4th PAN-ARMENIAN GAMES

Noyan Tapan
Aug 21, 2007

YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The track-and-field
athletics competitions by the program of the 4th Pan-Armenian Games
finished in Artashat late August 20. The following results were
recorded:

200-meter running race (men): 1. Johnny Ter-Yeghian (Glendale, 22.1
sec), 2. Vahagn Javakhian (Yerevan, 22.2 sec), 3. Alexander Abrahamian
(Yerevan, 22.3 sec),

200-meter running race (women): 1. Anna Kochinian (Vanadzor, 25.5
sec), 2. Lilit Manucharian (Vanadzor, 26.0 sec), 3. Lilit Harutyunian
(Gyumri, 26.2 sec).

800-meter running race (men): 1. Aram Davtian (Artashat, 1 min 55.3
sec), 2. Yeghishe Yarazian (Yerevan, 1 min 55.5 sec), 3. Armen Asrian
(Stepanakert, 1 min 56.9 sec).

800-meter running race (women): 1. Anna Yegorian (Yerevan, 2 min 13.3
sec), 2. Gayane Bulghadarian (Vanadzor, 2 min 20.0 sec), 3. Gayane
Ustian (Akhaltskha, 2 min 22.0 sec).

5,000-meter running race (men): 1. Sevak Yeghikian (Gyumri, 15 min
31.1 sec), 2. Ashot Hayrapetian (Stepanakert, 15 min 43.4 sec),
3. Gigla Mkoyan-Zilberstein (Akhaltskha, 15 min 49.4 sec).

Shot-put (women): 1. Tatyana Simashova (Yerevan, 13 m 40 cm),
2. Heghine Arzumanian (Vanadzor, 11 m 48 cm), 3. Edna Isayan (Tehran,
10 m 96 cm).

Long jump (men): 1. Arsen Sargsian (Vanadzor, 7 m 88 cm), 2. Arsen
Dermoyan (7 m 32 cm), 3. Artak Hambartsumian (Yerevan, 7 m 25 cm).

4×100 meter relay-race (men): 1. Yerevan (42.5 sec), 2. Vanadzor
(43.6 sec), 3. Artashat (44.0 sec).

4×100 meter relay-race (women): 1.Vanadzor (50.1 sec), 2. Yerevan
(50.3 sec), 3. Gyumri (51.5 sec).

JEWISH GROUP IN U.S. REVERSES STAND; CALLS ARMENIAN MASSACRE "GENOCIDE"

The Associated Press
Published: August 21, 2007

BOSTON: The Jewish group Anti-Defamation League on Tuesday reversed
itself and called a World War I-era massacre of Armenians a genocide.

ADL President Abe Foxman’s statement that the killings of Armenians by
the Ottoman Empire were "indeed tantamount to genocide" follows a week
of controversy in which critics questioned whether an organization
dedicated to remembering Holocaust victims could remain credible
without acknowledging the Armenian genocide.

The New York-based organization had called the deaths of up 1.5 million
Armenians at the hands of Muslim Turks an atrocity, but stopped short
of saying it was genocide — a planned extermination of the Christian
Armenian minority.

Last week, the town of Watertown, Massachusetts, which has a large
Armenian population, withdrew from the ADL’s "No Place for Hate"
anti-bigotry program because of the organization’s refusal to call
the massacres a genocide. The ADL also fired regional director Andrew
Tarsy after he said he agreed the killings were genocide.

Other towns were also considering whether to break ties with the
ADL, and several Jewish organizations signed a letter urging the
organization to acknowledge the killings as genocide.

France shifts its stance on the conflict in IraqArmy shouldn’t meddle,
Turkish leader declaresMoscow copes with freeze on hot water In a
statement Tuesday, Foxman said he consulted with historians and his
friend and Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel after the controversy began,
and became convinced genocide had occurred.

Nurten Ural, president of the Assembly of Turkish American
Associations, said she was disappointed by the ADL’s
decision. Suffering was shared by both Turks and Armenians during
a time of war, and calling it genocide by the Turks is like being
accused of a crime you did not commit, she said.

GERMAN BUNDESTAG MEMBER STATES GERMANY RECOGNIZES NAGORNO-KARABAKH AS PART OF AZERBAIJAN

Trend News Agency
Aug 20 2007
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku / Òrend corr I. Alizadeh / Germany is supporting
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as
part of Azerbaijan, a member of German Bundestag, the deputy chairman
of the Christian-Democratic Union fraction, Andreas Schokenhoff said,
he is part of a delegation that is visiting Azerbaijan for four days,

"We uphold Azerbaijan’s fair position in this issue," the German
MP said.

According to him, settlement of the conflict through war is not
good for the people. "Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be settled
in accordance with the interests of the people, this is peacefully,
for war will create new problems," he noted.

As for the visit of several Bundestag members to Nagorno-Karabakh
without Azerbaijan’s agreement, Schokenhoff noted that such cases are
of a private nature and do not affect the policy pursued by official
Berlin with regards to the conflict.

"Our position is that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan. The
official delegation of the German Bundestag will not pay an official
visit to Nagorno-Karabakh," he noted.

The German delegation includes Bundestag MPs – Dr. Andreas Schokenhoff,
Thomas Barreis, Axel Fischer, Eduard Lintner and Otto Hauser.

–Boundary_(ID_plIpJjyQlaMmcPxPdCrKvA)–

ACCORDING TO ROBERT KOCHARIAN, GERMAN ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IMPLEMENTED IN ARMENIA ARE VERY PRODUCTIVE

Noyan Tapan
Aug 17, 2007

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Andrea Joana-Maria Wiktorin, the
newly-appointed Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to
Armenia, submitted his credentials to Robert Kocharian, the President
of the Republic of Armenia, on August 16. This information was provided
to Noyan Tapan by the RA President’s Press Office.

During the conversation, which followed the ceremony of the
submission of credentials, the two sides highly appreciated the
current level of Armenian-German relations, the evidence of which
are the active political dialogue, intensive mutual visits and the
commercial-economical relations developing dynamically.

The Ambassador mentioned with satisfaction that Germany is a
leading donor country for Armenia in the sphere of development
cooperation. Stressing the coordinated character of the bilateral
mutual cooperation, Robert Kocharian said that the German assistance
programs are very productive in terms of quality, practical and
directed at the infrastructural reforms of the most viable spheres.

The sides stressed the necessity to envolve new directions in their
bilateral relations, in this respect attaching importance to the work
of the intergovernmental commission to be held in September.

During the meeting they also touched upon the European integration
process of Armenia, as well as the assistance possibilities of the
German side within the framework of the implementation of the Action
Plan under the European New Neighbourhood Policy.

ARONIAN LIFTS 960 CHESS TITLE

Press Trust of India
Friday, August 17, 2007
Mainz, Germany

Armenian Levona Aronian beat Vishwanathan Anand in tie-breaker in a
thrilling final to clinch the Chess 960 World Championships.

Playing this variant of the game for the first time where the position
of the pieces at the start is set randomly for each game, Anand fought
from behind to level the scores 2-2 after the rapid games.

Aronian, however, produced a scintillating performance in the shoot-out
to score 1.5-0.5 to lift the title in Mainz on Thursday.

In the playoff for third place, Etienne Bacrot of France mauled Rustam
Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan 3-1.

Anand lost the first game of the four game match after spoiling a
promising position against Aronian who played with white.

After a lot of manoeuvring the players arrived at a chess-like
position where Anand had little to worry about. However, for once,
the Indian ace was under pressure on the clock which eventually had
a telling effect.

After drawing the next two games Anand took the match to tiebreaker
that Aronian won eventually.

"I am happy to retain my title for the second time. It was a tough
match and Anand played well but he committed many mistakes in the
first game and lost," Aronian said.

It will be time for some normal chess again as Anand will start his
campaign for the 10th overall title in Chess Classics Rapid.

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, August 16, 2007

AGBU Plovdiv Hosts Lectures, Saturday School & Summer Camp in First Half
of 2007

AGBU Plovdiv Chapter launched a series of special events for the
Armenian community in Bulgaria this year. With two book presentations, a
summer camp for kids, and an end-of-school-year event, Plovdiv for
Armenians has never been more exciting.

On January 19, 2007, more than 80 guests attended the book presentation
of the newly published book "The Successors of Atlantis" by Stepan
Parseghian in Plovdiv’s TrakArt Cultural Center. The AGBU Plovdiv
Chapter, the editorial team of "AGBU Voice" newspaper and the Plovdiv
Municipality organized the event.

Parseghian, a well-known author amongst the Armenian community of
Bulgaria, serves at the Armenian Church of St. Kevork and is the author
of several poems. "The Successors of Atlantis" is his first full-length
book of prose.

"The Successors of Atlantis" is a Bulgarian-language novel, which
combines mysticism and adventure, intriguing suspense and an absolutely
captivating interpretation of the emergence of the human race and
civilization on Earth. The event was attended by many AGBU members and
friends, artists, musicians, and writers. The Mayor of Plovdiv, Dr. Ivan
Chomakov, sent a congratulatory message to Parseghian on the occasion.

With the success of the first book reading in January, AGBU Plovdiv
Chapter and "AGBU Voice" presented the book "Love and Sacrifice" by Dr.
Toros Torosian on May 11, also at the TrakArt Cultural Center.

Torosian has a long working experience as a doctor and is the author of
a number of professional essays and articles. "Love and Sacrifice" is
his second published book, the first being "Notes from the Professional
Diary of a Doctor" in 2004. Both books are full of the author’s life
experience, beliefs, emotions, inspiration and devotion, with which he
works for the good of his nation.

Following a short introductory musical program, journalist Elena
Tamamjieva introduced Torosian and spoke about him as a representative
of a whole generation of Plovdiv Armenians, emphasizing the special role
of the Torosian family in the local community. A number of religious and
community leaders, AGBU board members and friends attended the
presentation.

On June 16, the AGBU Saturday School in Plovdiv completed its courses
for the 2006-2007 academic year. Students and parents attended the
end-of-school event in the Argos Plus educational center where Saturday
School lessons are held.

Hripsime Tovmasyan, chairwoman of AGBU Plovdiv, made the opening
remarks, emphasizing the importance of the Saturday School, which aims
at preserving and developing the Armenian language and heritage amongst
a generation of Armenians far from the traditional homeland.

To demonstrate their language skills gained during the year, the
students recited poems by well-known Armenian authors, including Paruyr
Sevak, Hamo Sahian, and Hovhannes Shiraz. In recognition of the school’s
academic excellence, it was announced at the event that two students
from the AGBU Plovdiv Saturday School would represent Bulgaria in the
Armenian Language International Olympiad, which will be held in Armenia
in September 2007.

During the formal part of the program, students received certificates
and special gifts in recognition of their work. The afternoon ended with
a light cocktail reception, especially prepared for the occasion.

On July 18, AGBU Plovdiv welcomed 32 kids to its Green School, which is
a camp for children between the ages of 5 and 12. Now in its third
season, this summer camp, specially designed for Bulgarian Armenian
youth, took place at the Balkan Hotel.

Campers from various towns, including Plovdiv, Burgas, Haskovo and
Razgrad, had a chance to participate in the camp, which is ideally
situated in the picturesque countryside. Camp’s main goals are to
preserve and develop Armenian-language skills among youth while
introducing them to the history and beliefs of the Armenian Church in
general. A mixture of educational and fun activities, the annual camp
gives participants an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with their
national heritage and identity.

Through intensive Armenian-language courses and several religious
lectures, children and teens leave the program with a larger perspective
of their Armenian identity and religion.

The weeklong camp concluded with an evening performance, which gave
campers an opportunity to put their newfound skills to the test. They
performed skits and sang popular Armenian songs to the delight of the
audience of parents and friends.

For more information on AGBU and its worldwide chapters, please visit

AZERBAIJANI ANALYST TALKS OF RUSSIAN OPPOSITION TO SOUTH CAUCASUS ENERGY CORRIDOR

The Messenger, Georgia
Aug 14 2007

Russia currently tolerates the strengthening of the South Caucasus
as an energy corridor, but the issue is likely to inspire serious
confrontation in the region at some point, according to Azerbaijani
political analyst Vafa Guluzade.

Guluzade suggested that the US has encroached on Russia’s former sphere
of influence in Eastern Europe, Ukraine and the Baltic republics,
and is now turning its attention to the Caucasus.

"I think that this goal will be reached," Guluzade said, according
to the news agency Regnum.

The political analyst is sure that Russia is unhappy at the development
of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum pipelines.

Guluzade also stated that Moscow perceives the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict as a potential time bomb. Azerbaijan should realize that
the conflict is not with Armenia but with Russia, he urged, implying
Armenia is a proxy of Russia in the region.

Guluzade, a former Baku official, warns the Azerbaijani leadership
to be ready for any sort of aggression, and recommends developing
the country’s defense capability.

Armenian National Committee of Australia
259 Penshurst Street, Willoughby NSW 2068
PO Box 768, Willoughby NSW 2068
T: (02) 9419 8264 | F: (02) 9411 8898
E: [email protected] | W:

Armenian National Committee of Australia `Meets the Community’

An opportunity for members of the Armenian Australian community to
meet and interact with the newly appointed executive of the Armenian
National Committee of Australia.

Date: Sunday 9th September 2007
Time: 6pm
Venue: Armenian Cultural Centre 259 Penshurst Street Willoughby

Join the Armenian National Committee of Australia for a briefing of
ANC Australia activities and the screening of various Armenian
National Committee Shorts from the USA and the Middle-East

Screenings:

`ANC America – `ANC America – Grass Roots Makes The Difference’
A promotional DVD describing the activities of the Armenian National
Committee of America and the organisations growing influence

`ANC Lebanon ` People Power’ (in Armenian)
A complete description of the activities of the Armenian National
Committee of Lebanon throughout 2006

`Screamers Documentary Preview’
A preview to the documentary that examines genocide – from the
Armenian genocide, to the Holocaust, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur –
through the eyes and music of the Grammy award-winning rock band
`System of a Down,’ whose members are all grandchildren of genocide
survivors.

Tea & Coffee will be available at the conclusion of the gathering
where community members will be able to meet directly with the ANC
Australia Executive. It will be an opportunity to discuss any issues
or concerns relating to the Armenian Community in Australia.

—
The Armenian National Committee of Australia is the peak public
affairs body of the Armenian-Australian community. ANC Australia
advances the concerns of the Armenian-Australian community.

Eurasiamet.org
Saturday, August 11, 2007
EURASIA INSIGHT
IRANIAN PIPELINE MEANS GAS, NOT GEOPOLITICS TO ARMENIAN TOWN
Joshua Kucera 8/10/07

Deep in remote southern Armenia, the town of Meghri lies at the
frontlines of one of the region’s most controversial geopolitical
showdowns: the construction of a 140-kilometer-long gas pipeline from
Iran that could reduce Armenian dependency on Russian gas while
clearing the way for a greater role for the Islamic Republic in the
South Caucasus.

But in this sleepy town of 4,000, that aspect of the pipeline does not
register. Meghri may have been the site of a March 2007 pipeline
launch ceremony between Armenian President Robert Kocharian and
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but, to residents, the
strategic questions that surround it account for little.

For nearly 20 years, the town has been reachable only by a long,
tortuous mountain road, the highest in Armenia, passing over a
10,000-foot pass. It is frequently closed during the winter. The
railroad is totally abandoned, its stock sold for scrap to Iran.

Sitting on his balcony with a view over nearby majestic mountains,
Hapo Khatchigian, an artist and the head of the local community
college, says the isolation engendered by the collapse of the Soviet
Union and Armenia’s cutoff from Azerbaijan has affected the town’s
character.

"People in Meghri used to think we were living on the border of a
great empire. It wasn’t easy to come here and so people felt like we
were living in a very important strategic place," he related, speaking
through an interpreter. "But after the Soviet Union we lost this
feeling of importance. Now we’re just in the middle of nowhere and
people are just thinking about local things."

Analysts in Yerevan see the pipeline as an attempt to diversify away
from Russia’s stranglehold on gas supplies; an attempt to which Moscow
responded, they allege, by insisting that the pipeline’s diameter be
sufficiently narrow to supply only enough gas for Armenia and not for
further export through Georgia and on to Europe.

In Meghri, a nearby Russian military base that houses about 2,000
soldiers who guard the border with Iran provides the most immediate
sense of Moscow’s influence. Few questions are asked about the
soldiers’ mission here, however. Town Mayor Misha Hovanissian asserts
that, after many years living with the Russians, " we’re comfortable
with them."

By contrast, the United States, which has viewed the pipeline with a
wary eye, has made little or no impact. The American presence consists
primarily of two garbage trucks and 40 dumpsters that the US
government has donated to the town, according to Hovanissian.

But Meghri residents are not keeping score. Their hope is that gas
from the conduit, primarily intended to fuel a power station in
northern Armenia, will be diverted so that locals can rely on gas
rather than firewood or electrical heaters to keep their homes warm.

That straightforward hope, however, does not make for closer ties with
the town’s Iranian neighbors to the south, on the other side of the
Arax River.

What contact exists is largely commercial. Meghri residents can get
special permission to go to a border market inside Iran to buy cheap
goods like food and clothing to sell in Armenia. Within the town
itself, there are two strip clubs where Ukrainian dancers entertain a
clientele made up largely of Iranian truck drivers, many of whom are
ethnic Azeris from northern Iran.

Interaction, ironically, with these truck drivers often takes place in
Azeri – a language many Armenian residents still remember from the
days when they could interact freely with their Azerbaijani
neighbors. The Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan is mere kilometers
away to the west; central Azerbaijan a bit further to the east.

Those memories often seem to make for a greater willingness than
elsewhere in Armenia to patch over the past. With an open border with
Azerbaijan, residents believe they would benefit from cheaper food,
and shorter travel times to Yerevan. In Soviet times, the trip took
about three hours on a regular highway, or was an easy stop on the
Yerevan-Baku train line. Today, travel time by car can range from nine
to 11 hours, depending on the season, as drivers must bypass
Nakhchivan.

"Everything will get better here when the border is open," commented
Sahak Hambardsyman, the leader of a local non-governmental
organization.

"We were always good friends with the Azeris," he continued. "Many
people used to live here and now they live in Baku and we’ll be glad
to see them again. . . .[W]e’re from the Caucasus. We’re the same."

Editor’s Note: Joshua Kucera is a Washington, DC,-based freelance
writer who specializes in security issues in Central Asia, the
Caucasus and the Middle East.

VIVACELL ALO SUBSCRIBERS CAN RECHARGE THEIR ACCOUNT ELECTRONICALLY

arminfo
2007-08-09 11:21:00

VivaCell Alo subscribers can recharge their account electronically. As
the press-service of VivaCell told ArmInfo, with Electronic Recharge
Machines VivaCell Alo subscribers are provided access to much faster,
reliable and twenty-four-hour service. Starting from August 6, 2007,
VivaCell Alo subscribers are provided an opportunity to recharge their
accounts through Electronic Recharge Machine (ERM) ERMs are located in
different parts of Yerevan. Later on ERMs will be available in Marzes
also. ERMs will provide VivaCell Alo subscribers with availability and
convenience to recharge their accounts. The Alo subscriber account will
be recharged within 2-10 minutes following the recharge transaction
through ERM. Afterwards, VivaCell Alo subscriber will receive an SMS
on his mobile handset, with information about his account balance and
validity period. The airtime account electronic recharge process will
also provide an opportunity to stay in control of the recharge decision
as the ERM guarantees the availability of a whole range of recharge
denomination options. For recharging mobile airtime account through
an ERM, only 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 AMD paper banknotes can
be used.