Author: Nahapetian Samvel

ROUBEN HAKHVERDIAN: "WHEN INTELLIGENTSIA DOESN’T LEAD, THE PEOPLE BECOME THE INTELLIGENTSIA"
By Nana Petrosian

AZG Armenian Daily
14/03/2008

Opinion

Rouben Hakhverdian declared himself a craftsman and left the
intelligentsia circles at March 11 meeting at "Hayeli" club. At
the same time, he stated that when the intelligentsia doesn’t lead,
the people become the intelligentsia. He added that unfortunately,
this factor spared neither the supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosian nor
those of Serge Sarkisian from mass hysteria and psychosis. He came
to this conclusion after what he saw over TV. "I didn’t go to the
rallies. I couldn’t bear "Levon is president" slogan, that person is
absolutely unacceptable for me. And the people went to the rallies
not for his sake, but against the injustice," Ruben Hakhverdian said,
emphasizing that Levon Ter-Petrosian is a political corpse for a long
time already. As for the government, Hakhverdian said that it died
on March 1-2. "The government died that day as a government. Levon
hated the Armenian people and spoke scornfully. While Robert speaks as
if he were the president of the richest country of the world, when,
in fact, he is the richest president of a poorest country. He
killed the dreams of the youth to have a business in this
country." Hakhverdian said.

In the course of the first four years of Robert Kocharian’s government
the personal respect of Ruben Hakhverdian to him decreased. "He
became a historical figure by opening fire on the people. While
the young and "promising’ journalists asked him idle questions,
instead of questioning him about the businesses that he runs. The
lying is on governmental level," Hakhverdian said. Evaluating the
recent events as a sobering slap in the face of the government,
Hakhverdian explained that the special sevices of the USA and Russia
picked up their "generals’ to carry out their plans. "America chose
Levon Ter-Petrosian to rebel the people on social grounds and to lead
them to massacre," Hakhverdian emphasized.

Hakhverdian believes that the only way to hold proper elections is to
withdraw Robert Kocharian and first of all Levon Ter-Petrosian from
politics. "Their mentality is that or the communists and dictators,"
he said. According to this logics, Hakhverdian doesn’t want his son
to become anybody’s "slave" and is going to send him to live abroad,
as soon as he comes back from the army.

"I am a person, I have the right to get disappointed and shocked. I
can compose songs, but I don’t see any sense in that, as nothing has
changed in the cultural sphere since I was 18," he said. Hakhverdian
doesn’t think that he is the one to outline the actions of the people
and tries to observe the situation from very personal viewpoint.

While publicist Karine Hakobian confronted Hakhverdian’s opinion and
stated that we should shape public and political institutions. "In our
country till now the government enjoys the power, while the opposition
suffers," she said, adding that the journalists also need to do a
lot to correct the current situation.

RUSSIAN SCENARIO NOT GOING TO BE APPLIED IN ARMENIA

armradio.am
14.03.2008 12:53

If there was an intention to apply the Russian scenario in Armenia, we
would have declared about it before the elections as Putin and Medvedev
did it in Russia, RA President-elect, Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan
said. "In case of such a scenario, RA President Robert Kocharyan and
me had enough honesty to declare about it before the elections."

Serge Sargsyan said in response to another question that he agrees
with President Kocharyan on many question, but it does not mean
that he always shares his opinion. "I do not know two people, two
associates, who would think the same way. Wherever I worked I had my
opinion on issues related to the framework of my responsibilities. I
must say that Robert Kocharyan has never tried to "thrust his opinion
on me." Of course, we have agreed on many questions."

Asked whether he is confident he is the person that can unite the
people, the Prime Minister said: "Yes, I’m sure of that. However,
even if I speak for hours how I’m going to do that, many people will
not believe.

When I unite, I will show what unification means."

The Armenian Church eNewsletter

March 13, 2008

Prayer for the Week

Diocese of the
Armenian Church
of America (Eastern)
630 Second Ave.
New York, NY 10016

Contact Us <mailto:[email protected]>

Diocesan News

PRIMATE TO VISIT ST. THOMAS CHURCH IN TENAFLY, N.J.

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern), will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at St. Thomas Church in
Tenafly, N.J. on Palm Sunday, March 16.

On behalf of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
All Armenians, Archbishop Barsamian will present the St. Nersess Shnorhali
Medal and an Encyclical to Dr. Levon and Mrs. Ani Capan. The Capans are
active members of the St. Thomas community: Dr. Capan is the Parish Council
chairman while Mrs. Capan serves as principal of the Kirikian Armenian
School of St. Thomas.

"They are the pillars of St. Thomas," said Very Rev. Fr. Papken Anoushian,
pastor at St. Thomas Church. "Their dedication and love to the Armenian
Apostolic Church in general, and to St. Thomas of Tenafly in particular, are
of the highest degree."

Following the Divine Liturgy, the Primate will preside at a banquet to be
held in honor of Mrs. Arsaluys Sahinyan, mother of Mrs. Capan, who has been
named Parishioner of the Year. Mrs. Sahinyan donated more than $30,000 for
the church’s new baptistery, which was consecrated a few months ago. The
Akhtamar Dance Ensemble of St. Thomas will perform at the banquet.

_____________________________

DIOCESAN LEGATE ADDRESSES PARTICIPANTS AT ECUMENICAL ADVOCACY DAYS IN
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Speaking at the Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington D.C., on Sunday,
March 9, Diocesan Legate and President of the National Council of Churches
Archbishop Vicken Aykazian reminded Christians that they have a
responsibility to promote peace and to relieve poverty worldwide.

Lasting security can be best achieved through faith, not through military
intervention, Archbishop Aykazian said, stressing that there is a need to
find new approaches to the war in Iraq, the instability in Lebanon and other
crises across the globe.

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian addresses participants at the Ecumenical Advocacy
Days organized by the National Council of Churches in the Washington, D.C.
area.

"Today I tell you that security means freedom from fear. It means freedom
>From anxiety," Archbishop Aykazian said. "Peace and security can be
achieved, but only via justice and freedom."

Ecumenical Advocacy Days is organized by the National Council of Churches
USA to bring together the Christian community and to press for advocacy on
an array of domestic and international issues. The theme of this year’s
event, which drew more than 700 people, was "Claiming a Vision of True
Security."

To read more, visit <;
.

________ _____________________

ACYOA YOUNG ADULT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON THE ARMENIAN CHRISTIAN
FAMILY

Thinking about love and marriage in the context of the Armenian Christian
family was the focus of last weekend’s ninth annual Armenian Church Youth
Organization of America’s Young Adult Leadership Conference, held March 7 to
9 at the Don Bosco Retreat Center in Stony Point, N.Y.

A record number of 76 participants from 27 parishes, including
representatives from the Western and Canadian Diocese, attended the
three-day event.

Participants at the ACYOA Young Adult Leadership Conference discuss
relationships and marriage in a small-group workshop.

"You are young leaders and as such, have a responsibility to carry your
faith and your identity into the world – into school, the workplace, the
home," said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Church of
America (Eastern). "You need to explore and discover for yourselves just how
you will do that."

To read more, visit <;
.

________ _____________________

HOLY WEEK AT ST. VARTAN CATHEDRAL

St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral will observe Holy Week starting Sunday, March
16, with a series of services culminating in the Easter Sunday celebration
on March 23. All services will be held at the Cathedral, 630 Second Avenue,
New York, N.Y. For more information, call 212-686-0710.

View < > the complete Holy
Week schedule or read the Primate’s Easter Message in Armenian
< terarm.pdf> or English
< ereng.pdf> .

_____________________________

CHURCH AND HOME: NEW MATERIALS AVAILABLE ONLINE

We are pleased to announce that a wealth of new Church and Home materials
are now available on our Web site,
<http://www.armenianchur ch.net/> . Click on the "Church and Home" button on
the homepage and you will be directed to a listing of a variety of online
tutorials and programs designed to offer "Back to the Basics" educational
tools that can be used from the comfort of your home. Learn about the
Armenian Church feasts, the calendar, modern and classical Armenian and much
more!

_____________________________

FAR PREPARES FOR 2008 YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TRIP

The 12th annual Fund for Armenian Relief Young Professionals Trip will be
May 31 to June 12. The two-week trip to Armenia will include tours of the
entire country, with overnights in Yerevan, Gyumri, Dzoraget, Lake Sevan and
Goris. Participants will visit FAR’s projects as well as meet with
high-ranking officials in Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with His
Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, at
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The FAR trip provides the ideal opportunity for young professionals between
the ages of 23 and 40 to travel to Armenia as a group. Participants in FAR’s
Young Professionals Trip do more than just see the country’s sites. They
learn about Armenia’s place in the world – the country’s religious,
political and economic heritage – and engage government and religious
leaders in official state visits. The FAR trip is a great way to discover
Armenia’s treasures.

Participants visit Gandzasar Monastery in Martakert during the 2007 FAR
Young Professionals Trip.

"I returned to the States with a heart full of a rekindled love for my
heritage and culture, a suitcase full of souvenirs and a photo memory stick
full of, well, memories," said Natalie Gabrelian, who participated in FAR’s
Young Professionals Trip last year.

The cost, which includes airfare and hotel accommodations, is $3,050. Space
is limited. To sign up, contact Arto Vorperian at 212-889-5150 or
[email protected].

_____________________________

DEACON TRAINING PROGRAM TO BE HELD AT ST. JAMES CHURCH IN WATERTOWN, MASS.
ON SATURDAY

Diocesan Music Ministry Coordinator Maestro Khoren Mekanejian will lead a
training program for deacons at St. James Church in Watertown, Mass. on
Saturday, March 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Using the "Guidebook to the Divine Liturgy," Maestro Mekanejian will help
deacons improve their understanding of the songs and music of the service.
All are welcome to attend. For more information, contact St. James Church at
617-923-8860.

_____________________________

S T. NERSESS SEMINARY’S ARMENIAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE LECTURE SERIES

Haroutune C. Merzian, an independent scholar from Los Angeles, will give a
lecture entitled "People of the Cross: The Meaning of Khatchkars" at St.
Nersess Theological Seminary on Monday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m.

The lecture is free and open to the public. A reception will follow. St.
Nersess Seminary is located at 150 Stratton Road, New Rochelle, NY 10804.
For more information, please visit
< ; or call 914-636-2003.

_____________________________

ALTE RNATIVE SPRING BREAK UNDERWAY

Students are wrapping up an exciting week in Charlotte, N.C., where they
have been working at a Habitat for Humanity construction site as part of
College Ministry’s Alternative Spring Break program. On Friday, students
will meet with Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian and members of the local Armenian
community at St. Sarkis Church and participate in a Hankusdian (Rest)
Service.

Next week, another group of students will travel to Lakeland, Fla., to take
part in a similar program. They will build with Lakeland’s Habitat, then
join St. Hagop Church in Pinellas Park, Fla., as the parish celebrates Holy
Week. For more information on the College Ministry Program, email Julie
Hoplamazian at [email protected].

Holy Savior, Jesus Christ, You are the true Light that shined on the people
of Armenia through the preaching of St. Gregory. Remove from my life the
darkness of despair, sadness and sin; and replace them with the joy of Your
radiant love. For You are the light of my salvation. Blessing and glory to
You now and always and forever. Amen.
More prayers
< .asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=5246&
HS=1 > <;

Scripture for the Week

Song 1:1-2:3

Zec 9:9-15

Phil 4:4-7

Mt 20:29-21:17

Saints & Feasts

3/15 Remembrance of the Raising of Lazarus

3/16 Palm Sunday

3/18 Remembrance of the Ten Virgins

3/20 Holy Thursday

3/21 Holy Friday

3/22 Holy Saturday (Easter Eve)

3/23 Easter Sunday

WORKING GROUPS ON LEARNING SEPARATE ASPECTS OF THE SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY AFTER 1 MARCH HAVE BEEN CREATED UNDER ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN OFFICE

arminfo
2008-03-12 13:19:00

ArmInfo. Working groups on learning of separate aspects of the
situation in the country after 1 March have been created under Armenian
Ombudsman Office.

As Armenian Ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan said at today’s
press-conference, the first group is learning freedom of speech
problems, the second one is holding monitoring of the arrested and
detained people because of taking part in the mass disorders on 1
March; the third one is visiting the injured people in hospitals. He
also added that they are going to inform mass media about the results
of these groups present activity.

He also said that he was going to meet 20 arrested people suspected
for their complicity in the 1 March events. But 5 of them declined
referring on the necessity of preliminary consultation with a
lawyer. One of the rest 15 people said he had been beaten up and no
medical aid had been shown to him; 2 persons said they had started
4-day hunger strike which has been already finished.

Reuters, US
March 7 2008

ANALYSIS-Riots, standoff destabilise Armenia

Fri Mar 7, 2008 8:02am EST By James Kilner

YEREVAN, March 7 (Reuters) – A political standoff has destabilised
Armenia and threatens stability elsewhere in the volatile Caucasus,
even though soldiers have restored order in the capital after the
worst street violence since independence.

President Robert Kocharyan declared a state of emergency in Yerevan
last Saturday after eight people were killed in clashes between
police and protesters who say he rigged a presidential election on
Feb. 19.

Armenia is a Christian state of 3 million people on the edge of the
Caucasus, a major energy route from Asia to Europe.

"Armenia has had a reputation as the most stable country in the
region and any sign of instability here is a concern," a Western
diplomat said.

The protesters say the election was rigged against former President
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who accuses Kocharyan and Prime Minister Serzh
Sarksyan of nepotism and corruption. Sarksyan was declared the winner
with nearly 53 percent of the votes.

"He opened a Pandora’s box of questions which started to resonate
with a lot of people," said Svante Carnell of the Institute for
Security and Policy Development in Stockholm.

In Greek legend Pandora, the first woman, opened a box that releases
evil and misery on the world.

Kocharyan and Sarksyan are part of a group that has ruled Armenia for
a decade and comes from the disputed border region of
Nagorno-Karabakh, which threw off Azeri rule during a war in the
1990s.

Witnesses at rallies say Ter-Petrosyan has whipped up anti-Karabakh
sentiment to present the government as greedy outsiders, a tactic
that political analysts say stokes tensions.

Badges handed out at election rallies declared: "I’m a true
Armenian". In interviews Ter-Petrosyan alluded to the government as
"Tartar-Mongols", who in Armenian stories are portrayed as clan-based
Muslim invaders.

"This is a dangerous tactic which could divide Armenians further and
lead to more violence," Alexander Iskandaryan, head of the
Yerevan-based Caucasus Media Institute, said.

DISSENTERS

The government says the 20-day state of emergency, banning
demonstrations and censoring media, is needed to restore stability,
hunt for illegal weapons and counter coup plots.

Opponents say the government is abusing its powers to crush dissent
and have vowed to resume the daily protests which had regularly
attracted 20,000 people since the election, in which Ter-Petrosyan
won only 21.5 percent of the votes.

Outside Yerevan’s central market, labourers are knocking together
shelves in a supermarket looted on Saturday. Dozens of protesters and
police are recovering in hospitals.

Mediators from the United States and Europe are trying to bring the
sides together but neither has agreed to negotiate.

"There’s a chance that the events of Saturday radicalised and
polarised the people and there’s also a chance of further street
protests," Iskandaryan said.

Support from the army is vital for Kocharyan and Sarksyan, political
analysts say. The army has been loyal to the government but its
support is not guaranteed.

Any uncertainty could dent foreign investment to Armenia which last
year hit about $600 million, much of it in the construction and
telecommunications sectors.

Despite Armenia’s rugged terrain, lack of natural resources and
closed borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan, its economy grew in the
last decade, helped by remittances from a huge Armenian diaspora.
More Armenians live outside the country than in it.

In 2007, Armenia’s economy grew by nearly 14 percent to around $10
billion and Armenia has an average income per person similar to Egypt
or Albania.

But many people, especially in Yerevan, blame the government for the
large gap between rich and poor, inflation and high unemployment. One
in four Armenians lives in poverty.

Any leadership weakness in Yerevan could unsettle the fragile peace
with Azerbaijan, which said 12 Armenians and four Azeri soldiers died
in clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh this week.

"An unstable Armenia is a big problem and threatens to upset the
whole region," Iskandaryan said. "This is a small region where all
the countries and peoples are interwoven."

It could also impact Georgia and Azerbaijan, which host a pipeline
that pumps 1 million barrels a day of oil from the Caspian Sea to the
West, a major energy source for Europe.

Instability could spill over into border areas of Georgia where
thousands of Armenians live.

Georgia also imposed a state of emergency in November after police
crushed protests. Azerbaijan holds an election later this year which
could prompt demonstrations. (Editing by Timothy Heritage)

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
March 7 2008

Armenia Facing `Elite Factions’ Confrontation – American Expert
07.03.08 11:24

Azerbaijan, Baku, 6 March /Trend News corr A. Gasimova/ American
expert Jeff Mankoff said the real divide in Armenia seems to be
between different factions of the elite rather than between different
ideas of how the state should develop. `In the long run, the Armenian
government faces a lot of same pressures that led to coloured
revolutions elsewhere (poverty, poor governance, corruption), but for
now the real divide seems to be between different factions of the
elite rather than between different ideas of how the state should
develop,’ Jeff Mankoff, a fellow at the Olin Institute for Strategic
Studies at Harvard University and a writer for the History News
Service told Trend News via e-mail on 6 March.

After violent suppression of the demonstration, many oppositionists
were arrested, and their fate is still unknown.

According to Mankoff, the opposition’s refusal to recognize the
results of an election, which was largely endorsed by international
observers, was an irresponsible step. `Democratic government only
works if the losers accept their loss, but are also guaranteed the
opportunity to try again in the next election. In Armenia, the
government made the situation worse by using force against largely
peaceful protesters and arresting members of the opposition,’ he
said.

`The chances are less since Baghdasarian agreed to join the
government,’ he said. Bagdasarian is the leader of the Orinats Erkir
party. On 29 February, he agreed to the authorities’ call to
establish a coalition government and was appointed the National
Defence Secretary.

`For that reason, a revolution in Armenia could look more like what
happened in Kyrgyzstan than what happened in Ukraine or Georgia’.

On 19 February, Armenia held presidential elections. According to the
final results of the Armenian Central Election Commission, Serzh
Sargsyan, the head of the Republican Party, won the elections with
52.82% of votes (862,369). The ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan took
the second place (21.5%).

Since 20 February, Yerevan has been facing demonstrations,
rally-marches, as well as sitting student protests organized by the
opposition. The organizers and participants protest against the
results of the elections. According to the Armenian Health Ministry,
the number of the victims of riots, which took place in Yerevan on 1
March, has totalled 131, and 8 of them died from gunshot wounds.

AZERI PARTY CONDEMNS RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN ARMENIA

Turan News Agency
March 3 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku, 3 March: The barbaric dispersal of dozens of thousands of people
in Yerevan, which led to civilian casualties, showed that the ruling
authoritarian regime of Armenia, relying on total support from Russia,
did with its own peoplewhat it had done to the Azerbaijani population
of Nagornyy Karabakh, a statement by the Musavat Party said.

The document expressed concern over the contemplative position of the
international community and, in particular,that of the observation
missions of Western organizations.

Musavat condemned the falsification of the Armenian election and the
use of the most brutal ways to suppress rallies of peaceful people, the
declaration of the state of emergency, the restriction of the freedom
of assembly, speech and ofthe overall public and political activity.

Musavat called on the international community to pay attention to
the flagrant violation of human rights in Armenia.

PRESCOTT TO LEAD HUMAN RIGHTS VISIT TO ARMENIA

Press Association Newsfile
March 5, 2008 Wednesday 10:25 AM BST

John Prescott is heading a European human rights delegation to Armenia
to help defuse the country’s growing political crisis.

The two-day trip begins tomorrow at the request of the president of the
Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, which Mr Prescott joined
last October as leader of the UK contingent of 18 Westminster MPs.

Mr Prescott will "assess the post-electoral situation" in Armenia and
"explore possibilities for defusing the current political crisis and
promoting dialogue", said a Council of Europe statement.

The former deputy Labour leader, who is giving up his Westminster seat
at the next election, was in Armenia as head of an official observer
team monitoring the presidential election there on February 19.

Today the Council of Europe said it had arranged a "snap visit"
following the declaration of a state of emergency during last weekend’s
violence, in which several people died. Scores of people were injured
and many, including Armenian MPs, were arrested.

Mr Prescott is due to meet the Armenian political leadership, including
President Robert Kocharyan, and the prime minister and president-elect
Serzh Sargsyan.

Yesterday the European Commission called on the Armenian government
to lift the state of emergency declared on March 1.

EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said:
"I call on all parties to refrain from using force and to engage in
dialogue in order to overcome political differences.

"I also call on the Armenian authorities to release any citizens
detained for exercising their right to peaceful assembly."

ELMAR MAMMADYAROV MET WITH NATO PA PRESIDENT

Azeri Press Agency
March 6 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku-APA. Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Joze
Lello, President of NATO Parliamentary Assembly, who is on the visit
to our country, Foreign Ministry Press Service told APA. The President
of NATO PA thanked for the reception and said he purposed to know
regional events closely and to discuss large cooperation prospects. He
said cooperation between NATO PA and Azerbaijani Parliament would
contribute to the development of NATO-Azerbaijan relations. Minister
Mammadyarov underlined that the integration into the European and
Euro-Atlantic institutions was a priority of Azerbaijan’s foreign
policy. He spoke about the successful implementation of Individual
Partnership Action Plan (IPAP).

The minister said that Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict was a threat
for peace and stability in the region. Issues of mutual concern as
well as international issues were also discussed at the meeting.

ARF SUPREME BODY ISSUES STATEMENT OVER YEREVAN EVENTS

Yerkir
03.03.2008 17:35

Yerevan (Yerkir) – ARF Supreme Body of Armenia issued a statement on
March 3 in connection with the March 1 and 2 events in Yerevan.

The statement says in parts: What happened is our common tragedy and
shame and that finding a solution is an obligation for all of us.

On one hand, Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s supporters had been preparing this
scenario by planting hatred and hostility, and on the other hand,
the reasons of poverty in the nation were not being eliminated.

The result was the heavy loss of this country, and Armenian citizens
were killed. The ARF Supreme Body expresses its deepest sympathies
with the families of the killed people.

We emphasize that the activities of the first president and his
supporters were aimed at seizing the power forcefully, and the Armenian
president’s decree to declare state of the emergency in the capital
was a necessity.

We are demanding that the authorities carry out steps in two
directions: bring to justice all who are responsible for the unrest;
take consistent measures to deal with the reasons that have caused
the mistrust and injustice in the country, and take the country to
the path of democratization and protection of human rights.