Author: Nahapetian Samvel

RA FOREIGN MINISTER TO VISIT BELARUS

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.11.2008 17:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian is
departing Thursday for Belarus on a 2-day formal visit, the RA MFA
press office reported.

Minister Nalbandian is scheduled to meet with Belarusian President
Alexander Lukashenko, Minister of Economy Nikolay Zaychenko and
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Martynov.

He will also hold a meeting with representatives of the Armenian
community of Belarus.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I VISITS THE
PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY

On 25th of November 2008, in the framework of his official visit to the
Vatican, His Holiness Aram I with his entire entourage of Archbishops and
Bishops visited the offices of the Pontifical Council for promoting
Christian unity.

His Eminence Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of this Council, surrounded
by his entire staff, warmly welcomed His Holiness by underlining the
importance of ecumenism for the Catholic Church and expressed his joy for
the fraternal relations and collaboration between the Vatican and Armenian
Orthodox Church-Catholicosate of Cilicia.

During the general discussion a special appreciation was extended to His
Holiness for his long-standing ecumenical leadership and instrumental role
in ensuring the participation of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in the
official theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the family of
the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

In their turn, bishop Johan Bonny and bishop Nareg Alemezian, the two
ecumenical officers participating in the deliberations, gave an overview of
the ecumenical involvement of the Catholic and Armenian Churches, and
referred to the special character of the bi-lateral theological dialogue
between the Catholic Church and the family of the Oriental Orthodox
Churches.

His Holiness Aram I responding to the welcoming words of H. E. Cardinal
Kasper expressed his joy coming once again to the center of Council for
promoting Christian Unity. Speaking about ecumenism Aram I said that
"growing confessionalism diminishing interest in visible unity of the
Church, shift of focus from inter-church to inter-religious relations,
collaboration and dialogue, as well as financial crisis have put ecumenism
in stagnation". Hence according to His Holiness "new perception, new
methodology and new articulation need to be developed in order to liberate
ecumenism from marginalization". Within this framework, the Armenian Pontiff
made some specific suggestions for further reflection.

Speaking about bi-lateral dialogues Aram I strongly suggested that
ecclesiology and ethics remain top priorities. He said that "issues
pertaining to Churches ecclesiological self-understanding, primacy,
synodical conciliarity and reception need to be elaborated". Referring to
ethical issues His Holiness said that "We clearly see growing convergences
in doctrine and growing divergences in ethics. In other words the Churches
are more divided today in ethical-moral issues than doctrinal issues".

His Holiness Aram I also emphasized the importance of multi-lateral
ecumenism which needs to be given more efficient articulation through World
Council of Churches as well as regional and national ecumenical structures".
At the end of his remarks Catholicos Aram I informed the Cardinal and his
assistants that he has shared with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, two ideas
that need to be pursuit by ecumenical bodies. These are a common Christian
Martyrs day and a common Easter date. He said that through this initiative
Christian unity will acquire more visibility and will generate a renewed
ecumenical enthusiasm among the people on grassroots level.

At noon His Holiness with the accompanying clergy and laity visited the
Levonian Armenian Catholic College. In the Church the Pontiff was greeted by
the bishops, priests, seminarians and the Armenian faithful in Rome. After
the canonical prayer in the Church, the Dean of the college hosted a
luncheon in honor of His Holiness.

##
View the photos here:
tos/Photos334.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

MOVEMENT FOR JUSTICE CALLS ON OBAMA TO RECOGNIZE NKR AS FULL-FLEDGED PARTY TO TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.11.2008 17:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Bakour Karapetyan, the leader of the Movement
for Justice, writer and publicist addressed an open letter to the
President of the United States, Mr. Barack Obama.

The letter says:

"H.E. Mr. Barack Obama

Please, accept my sincere congratulations on your victory, and I
greatly believe in the changes and in the foundation of justice.

The political elite of the Republic of Armenia found itself in the
diplomatic trap after the Karabakh-Azerbaijan war, so it acts as
an opposite party with Azerbaijan in Minsk Group format or in other
negotiations. However, the international society interprets this fact
as if Armenia which is neighboring Azerbaijan, has occupied a part
of Azerbaijan territory. Proceeding from this situation Azerbaijan
appears as a claimer against the Armenia "aggression". This is the
very case where the restoration of the territorial integrity of the
countries subjected to aggression, considers to be prior. This is the
reason that Azerbaijan gets opportunity to make warlike announcements,
to threaten Armenia with war, and to effect on the international
opinion. As a result of the called situation, UN made non favorable
decisions for Karabakh, and the diplomatic problems of the Armenian
party proceeds. Azerbaijan calculated that if NKR is accepted as an
opposition and negotiating party, then according to the 2nd paragraph
of the 1st article of the UN Charter clause which says; "Equal rights
and self-determination are the most fundamental principles" Azerbaijan
will suffer a diplomatic loss in addition to the military defeat. This
is the case where the self-determination nation (the Karabakh nation)
can decide on which of the self-determination cases to choose; a)
forming an independent state, b) uniting with an independent state,
c) another political status. The right of self-determination also
superiors with the 1st paragraph of the 1st article on the political,
economic, social and cultural rights adopted by UN human right
convection in December, 1966. The "chief list" of the final act of
Helsinki OSCE advisory meeting of August 1, 1975, confirmed the
"equal rights and self-determination rights for all the nations"
as the 8th principle adding that "the free self-determination of
the nations is a vitally necessary issue and it can not be limited
with only the colonial territories of the third world, but it also
refers to Europe". In fact, the free self-determination right is a
universal rule of the international law. Taking all this very point
into consideration Azerbaijan and Turkey pushed the NRK out of the
negotiating procedure as an opposition party, in stead, including the
Republic of Armenia. Whereas, the RA must only act as an intermediary
for the resolution of NK issue, and a security providing patron
to a part of its nation in danger, and make NKR authorities known
as a negotiating party among the international offices. In 1988,
the Karabakh liberating movement with the help of protests and mass
meetings aimed to bring its issue to the Kremlin and the international
public, to reach its goal of coming out of Azerbaijan form with the
constitutional way. According to the 3rd article of the law adopted
on April 3, 1990, by the USSR Supreme Council "about the resolution
of the issues connected to the Union Republic coming out of the USSR",
which allows the Union Republic come out of the USSR form, the people
of the Nagorno Karabakh, proceeding from the low requirements, held
referendum on December 19, 1991, and became self-determinate. The
political elite of Azerbaijan in this case feeling its loss, decided
to affect on it by the vandalism and terrorism. It was followed by the
slaughter of the whole Armenians in Sumgait, Gandzak-Kirovabad, Baku,
Gardmanq (Northern Karabakh), the blockade of Nagorno Karabakh and
surrendering it by assaults, and enclosing the interior forces. NK
had to establish a self-defending army which managed to defeat the
Azerbaijan exceedingly armored and numbered army, and liberated its
territories, destroyed the weapon emplacements, directed the battle
line, founded the security zone. This zone has been providing peace
in the territory for already 14 years.

Azerbaijan had war against Nagorno Karabakh, and if one fights against
somebody in the war it means that he recognizes him as a protesting
party. If Azerbaijan was defeated in the war which was set forth by
him, it does not give him right to refuse to negotiate with the other
party. And if the presence of the NKR is rejected, the negotiations
will never get any result. This is the truth. Finally, we must not
forget that Azerbaijan and NKR representatives included the truce
as these nations actually had war against each other. First, the NKR
was accepted as a negotiating party, however, it was soon pushed out
also by the fault of the OSCE, and they all compromised Azerbaijan’s
want. And now, the right of acting as a subject of Nagorno Karabakh
has again been ignored during the tripartite Moscow meeting. Moreover,
Turkey was gradually being involved in negotiations, which openly
acted on the Azerbaijani side.

The national policy, injustice divisions which include the adjoining
of Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh and Nakhijevan of Lenin and Stalin
has often been blamed by the international offices, which meanwhile
intensively protect the borders defined by them.

The Movement for Justice asks You for assisting the restoration of
the Nagorno Karabakh nation’s infringed right and to recognize Nagorno
Karabakh as a full-fledged party to talks."

SIGNS OF THAW IN TURKEY-ARMENIA TIES
Thomas Seibert

The National
6/FOREIGN/354535345/1013/SPORT
Nov 25 2008
United Arab Emirates

ISTANBUL // Divided by a painful past and a long-running conflict in
the Caucasus, Turkey and its neighbour Armenia, pushed by a unique
combination of internal and external factors, may be on the verge
of a historic rapprochement as high-level contacts between the two
countries gather steam, analysts say.

"It is our aim to completely normalise relations between the two
countries," Ali Babacan, the Turkish foreign minister, said after
a meeting Eduard Nalbandian, his Armenian counterpart, in Istanbul
on Monday. Mr Nalbandian, who visited Turkey for a meeting of the
Black Sea Economic Co-operation, a regional organisation that has its
headquarters in Istanbul, shared Mr Babacan’s optimism. "I think this
is a very good moment and we have a chance to do it now, to turn the
page together, to open the border, to normalise relations," he said.

Despite sharing a 300-kilometre border, Turkey and Armenia have no
diplomatic relations, and the border is closed. Relations have been
overshadowed by the death of hundreds of thousands of Armenians in
today’s Turkey during the First World War, killings that constituted
the modern world’s first genocide according to Armenia, and by a
bloody conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave on the
territory of Turkey’s close ally, Azerbaijan.

But a recent thaw that started when Turkey’s president, Abdullah Gul,
visited the Armenian capital, Yerevan, for a football match in early
September – becoming the first Turkish head of state to visit the
neighbour – has nourished hopes that better times are ahead.

"Since Gul’s visit to Armenia, there has been a definite improvement
in the general atmosphere," said Sinan Ulgen, head of the Centre for
Economics and Foreign Policy Studies, a think tank in Istanbul. "There
have been a series of meetings that helped to overcome some of the
lack of trust."

Analysts agree that the key to translating this improved political
climate into concrete steps to bring the two countries closer lies
in the progress on the Karabakh issue.

Since a ceasefire ended the war over the enclave in 1994, Armenia
and Azerbaijan have failed to resolve the dispute. At a meeting with
Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, in Moscow this month, Serzh
Sarkisian, the president of Armenia, and Ilham Aliyev, the president
of Azerbaijan, agreed to push for a "political settlement" but did
not give details.

Mr Ulgen said Armenia was expected to make some kind of gesture
in connection with the Karabakh question in the near future and
that this step would enable Turkey to reciprocate by opening the
border. "There is a new willingness on the Armenian side. They are
aware that Turkey cannot move without it. This was made very clear
to the Armenian government by the Turkish authorities."

Cengiz Candar, one of the most respected foreign policy commentators
in Turkey, wrote in yesterday’s Radikal newspaper that once the
"Azerbaijan burden" had been lifted, Ankara would be able to move
fast in improving relations with Armenia. "If there is no ‘traffic
accident’, we will see a normalisation of Turkish-Armenian relations,
which means the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening
of the ground border, in the first quarter of 2009," Mr Candar wrote.

Mr Babacan and Mr Nalbandian agreed to continue bilateral talks. A
highlight planned for the coming year is a visit by Mr Sarkisian
to Turkey in October for another match between the two national
football teams.

Such a visit would carry enormous significance. Armenia and many
international experts said the government of what was then the Ottoman
Empire decided to get rid of Armenians in Anatolia once and for all
in 1915 and killed 1.5 million people; but Turkey, which puts the
number of victims much lower, said the deaths were the result of a
resettlement programme in chaotic wartime conditions and that many
ethnic Turks were killed as well.

In an interview with the Turkish daily newspaper Zaman published
yesterday, Mr Nalbandian indicated his government might be warming
to the Turkish idea of creating a joint commission of historians to
look into the disputed genocide issue. According to the newspaper,
Mr Nalbandian said the position of his government concerning the
commission had changed.

Also, the Turkish press has been reporting that the national carrier
Turkish Airlines wants to start charter flights to Yerevan.

"There is a new climate to solve the problems in the region," Mr
Babacan said shortly before Mr Nalbandian’s visit to Istanbul. "This
is an important window of opportunity."

This window has been opened by many different developments that have
come together, Mr Ulgen said. "There is a confluence of factors." On
the Turkish side, there is the personal initiative of Mr Gul as well
as a recognition that the traditional "policy of obstructionism"
towards Armenia had not paid off. Newspaper commentators also point
to the possibility that the new administration in Washington may
recognise the killings of the Armenians as genocide and that the best
chance for Turkey to prevent that from happening is an improvement
in relations with Armenia.

For its part, Armenia wants to break out of the isolation brought on
by the simmering conflicts with neighbours Turkey and Azerbaijan. In
addition, the Russian-Georgian war in the summer had demonstrated to
the Armenians "that frozen conflicts in the region can come back to
haunt leaders in the region", Mr Ulgen said.

Although new steps, such as the establishment of official relations,
would not directly address the thorny genocide question, Turkey
has shown in its rapprochement with its western neighbour Greece in
recent years that it is possible to put into place confidence-building
measures and to improve relations without tackling the most sensitive
issues head-on. Turkey and Greece are much closer today than they
were 10 years ago, although they have made no progress in resolving
their dispute concerning territorial claims in the Aegean.

Still, the much-praised window of opportunity in the Caucasus will not
stay open forever. Turkey and Armenia will have to move quickly to come
up with tangible improvements, such as a boom in cross-border trade,
if they do not want to risk a rise of internal pressures pushing for
a return to the old policies of enmity.

"Leaders should show their commitment for progress and show their
populations concrete results," Mr Ulgen said.

COE ON ARMENIA: SPECIAL VISIT OF COMMISSIONER HAMMARBERG TO ASSESS INQUIRY PROGRESS

COE.Int
id=1372417&Site=DC&ShowBanner=no&Targe t=_self&BackColorInternet=F5CA75&BackColor Intranet=F5CA75&BackColorLogged=A9BACE
Nov 20 2008

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg,
will carry out a special visit to Armenia from 20 to 22 November to
assess the situation of persons deprived of their liberty in relation
to the event of 1-2 March and the inquiry into those events.

"I intend to assess the situation of persons deprived of their liberty
and the progress made in discovering the responsibilities of the March
events" he said. "It is essential that a true and factual description
of what actually happened is established. If this can be done it will
also benefit future work to protect human rights in Armenia."

During the visit, he will meet with the President of the Republic,
Serge Sargsyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Minister for
Foreign Affairs, the Head of the National Police and the Prosecutor
General. He will also hold meetings with the Chairman of the ad hoc
inquiry committee of the National Assembly and the members of the
newly-established fact-finding group tasked with the inquiry into the
March events, the Human Rights Defender, as well as representatives of
international organisations and civil society. Commissioner Hammarberg
will also visit places of deprivation of liberty.

Last September, the Commissioner published his findings stating that
there was an urgent need to reach a satisfactory solution for prisoners
and to hold accountable those responsible for the March events.

FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF WILDLIFE AND CULTURAL ASSETS AND VIVACELL-MTS ORGANIZE TREE PLANTING ACTIVITIES IN YEREVAN

ArmInfo
2008-11-19 19:00:00

ArmInfo. The Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural
Assets in the RA will conclude the series of garbage gathering and
tree planting activities launched in the regions of Armenia by a tree
planting activity in Nubarashen on November 20.

Environmental events are organized in frames of the Save the
Nature Campaign that is jointly implemented by the Foundation and
VivaCell-MTS. The Campaign has started in September and will unite
all the environmentalists of the country during a year to have their
input in the nature protection issues.

VivaCell-MTS being a corporate citizen treats environmental issues with
great importance and being socially responsible company sets an example
by participating with its whole staff in the tree planting activities.

Tree planting and garbage gathering acitivities launched on November
1 will foster the start of the Model Gardening Project. In each
community all the lands provided to the environemtnalists will be
cleaned of garbage, stones afterwards tree will be planted and due
to the caring attitude of children lands will turn to little gardens.

Events are organized with the support of the "Armenian Forest" state
non-commercial organization.

The children of the "SunChild" eco-clubs, Campaign organizers as well
as the community inhabitants and young volunteers will participate
in the events.

Involving especially children and youth, organizers aim to change the
common tree planting activities into continual and consistent work. Due
to the regular work and efforts of the children towards the gardens
care and development, the necessity of nature protection and caring
attitude towards nature will be in the centre of the public attention.

COE SECRETARY GENERAL TO VISIT BAKU

BSANNA NEWS
Nov 18 2008
Ukraine

BAKU, Nov18. (AzerTAj). Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Terry Davis will pay a visit to Baku to attend the CoE Conference of
Ministers responsible for Culture the Azerbaijani capital will host
on December 2-3.

During the visit, he is also expected to hold some meetings to
discuss a number of issues including prospects for development of
Azerbaijan-CoE relationship and Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh.

GEORGIA AND ARMENIA ARE GOING TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT ON MILITARY TECHNOLOGICAL COOPERATION

WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 14, 2008 Friday
Russia

Defense Minister of Georgia, David Kezerashvili, repots that Georgia
and Armenia plan to sign an agreement on military technological
cooperation and an instruction on preparation of the relevant document
has been given to representatives of defense ministries of the two
countries. Kezerashvili and Armenian Defense Minister, Seiran Oganyan,
who is in Tbilisi on a three-day official visit discussed prospects
of bilateral cooperation. The Defense Minister of Armenia assured the
Georgian party that Armenia did not have plans to deploy an additional
Russian military contingent on its territory.

WE ARE AGAINST TURKEY’S JOINING EUROPEAN UNION, PRESIDENT OF VENDEE GENERAL COUNCIL STATES

Noyan Tapan

Nov 18, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. During the meeting of the Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan and the delegation headed by the President
of the General Council of the Vendee region (France), Member of the
European Parliament Philippe de Villiers, S. Sargsyan asked the French
side as a friend of Armenia to use its leverage at European level in
order to defend Armenia’s position on the Karabakh problem, P. de
Villiers declared at the November 17 press conference to finalize
the results of the delegation’s two-day visit to Yerevan.

He considered Armenia’s position on the problem as reasonable and
expressed a willingness to support it.

According to P. de Villiers, he presented the position of his friends
and himself concerning Turkey to the Armenian president. "We are
against Turkey’s joining the EU," P. de Villiers underlined, adding
that he expects that the National Assembly of France will pass the
bill envisaging criminal punishment (the bill has already been passed
by the French Senate) for denial of the Armenian Genocide. The
press conference was attended by Jack Uden, the former chairman
of France-Armenia friendship deputy group, the Deputy President of
Vendee General Council, during whose tenure the above mentioned bill
was passed by the Senate, Dominique Suchet, the Deputy President
of Vendee General Council who will coordinate the indicated work,
as well as by Serge Smessov, the French Ambassador to Armenia.

P. de Villiers said that the first reason for their being against
Turkey’s becoming a EU member is that this country is not in
Europe from the geographical and cultural points of view. "And
this reason makes us refrain from seeking other reasons," he said,
adding: "Turkey’s entrance into Europe would be a sudden shock,
whereas Armenia would remain isolated". In his words, the majority
of European nations share his opinion, which is evident from the
results of a survey conducted by an influential European monthly: 80%
of those surveyed did not want Turkey to join the EU. He noted that
the relations between these sides should develop within the framework
of the agreements on cooperation which have already been signed.

The French official pointed out that the more he becomes acquainted
with Armenia, the more his position strengthens because the Armenian
people practices a system of values which "are quite close to our
values and correspond to our civilization, whereas Turkey is in a
different civilization". P. de Villiers also declared that "even if
tomorrow Turkey recognizes the Armenian Genocide, anyway, it is not a
reason for that country’s joining the EU", adding that "after spending
two days in Armenia, we are really shocked by Turkey’s denial of the
Armenian Genocide". He expressed a hope that Turkey will change its
position on this issue and the Turkish president’s visit to Yerevan
in order to watch an Armenia-Turkey football match will be followed in
the future by a visit to the Memorial Complex of the Armenian Genocide
Victims. "To admit the wounds of a nation is a symbol of greatness,"
P. de Villiers said.

The delegation headed by him has visited the Memorial Complex of
the Armenian Genocide and the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute and
planted a tree in the Memorial Alley near the museum.

CONGRESS UNDERSCORES KARABAKH’S ENGAGEMENT IN TALKS

A1+
[06:35 pm] 17 November, 2008

Representatives of the Armenian National Congress met with the OSCE
Minsk Group U.S. Co-Chair Metthew Bryza on November 15.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to the present stage of
the Karabakh conflict resolution and its prospects, Armenia’s interior
state and "political prisoners."

The Congress emphasised Karabakh’s involvement in the negotiations,
the Leader of the People’s Party of Armenia, Stepan Demirchyan,
informed A1+. The meeting was attended by the chairman of the HHSh
political board Ararat Zurabyan, Leader of Hanrapetutyun Party Aram
Sargsyan, Levon Zurabyan, David Shahnazaryan, and many others.