Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

TEVAN POGHOSYAN: DEFENSE REFORMS WILL MAKE THE ARMY MORE POWERFUL

Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 20 2006

The reforms envisaged by the Individual Partnership Actions Plan
(IPAP) with NATO will endorse the development of the Armenian army,
Executive Director of the Armenian Atlantic Association Tevan Poghosyan
said in an interview with Mediamax agency.

"The IPAP envisages creation of a tighter link between the army and
society, apply the mechanism of public control. In my opinion, in
the result of such changes the army will get more powerful, since
people’s faith and trust in the armed forces will increase," Tevan
Poghosyan said.

"More coordinated and precise planning of defense expenses envisaged
by IPAP will promote the optimizing of our army, which can have only
positive impact. Thus, we can say with confidence that the reforms
envisaged are in no way directed at weakening of the army," Tevan
Poghosyan noted.

In response to the question about the opportunities of implementing
equal defense reforms in Armenia and Azerbaijan, he noted that
"Azerbaijan has its own actions plan with NATO, which envisages
conduct of similar reforms."

"Today we can state that a parallel process is underway in Armenia
and Azerbaijan. I think NATO will be more interested in having a
situation, where the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan will be
more predictable for the alliance," Tevan Poghosyan said.

The Executive Director of the Armenian Atlantic Association Tovmas
Poghosyan does not rule out that Armenia may become the first country
in the South Caucasus to join NATO and the European Union.

"It may seem incredible today. However, we must take into account
that both in regard to the value system and the reforms implemented
we are in a more advantageous position," Tevan Poghosyan said.

At the same time the expert noted that he does not consider membership
to NATO as an end in itself.

It is much more important for Armenia to correspond to those values
and standards, on which NATO is built, and it will be a high assessment
itself. It will mean that we are a developed, democratic and powerful
country," said Executive Director of the Armenian Atlantic Association.

Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Telephone: (818) 500-1918
Facsimile: (818) 246-7353
[email protected] <;

PRESS RELEASE
October 24, 2006

Contact: Lerna Kayserian
Tel: (818) 500-1918

ANCA-WR MEETS WITH CONGRESSMAN WAXMAN AS PART OF REGION-WIDE MEETINGS

GLENDALE, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
(ANCA-WR) met with US Representative Henry Waxman (D-30) in his Los Angeles
district office last week. ANCA-WR Community Relations Director Haig
Hovsepian was joined by 30th District constituents Ara Khachatourian and
Alice Mouradian.

Meeting attendees thanked the Congressman for his support of key
legislation, including H.Res.316, a resolution commemorating the Armenian
Genocide, and H.R.3361, a bill that prevents the United States from
financing railway projects that would intentionally bypass Armenia.

During the meeting, Rep. Waxman was updated on the firing of former US
Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall Evans, as well as the controversy
surrounding the US Administration’s nominee, Richard Hoagland, to replace
him. The Congressman was briefed on the lack of explanation by the State
Department regarding the reasons for Ambassador Evans’ dismissal and was
asked that he and his colleagues investigate the matter further.

"We were glad to meet with the Congressman and take the opportunity to
express our concerns," noted Hovsepian. "We look forward to working with him
to address these concerns as we continue to build a strong relationship
between the Congressman and the community."

The meeting with Rep. Waxman comes at the end of a three-month effort by the
ANCA-WR – in collaboration with its local chapters – to expand relations
between the Armenian American communities and their elected officials at a
federal level. Since July, the ANCA-WR has met with over 30 members of
Congress throughout the western region, including members from Arizona,
California, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, Texas, and Washington.

The ANCA is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots
political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of
the Armenian-American community on a broad range of issues.

RUSSIAN FILM TRIUMPHS IN FIRST ROME FILM FESTIVAL

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
October 21, 2006 Saturday 10:38 AM EST

DPA CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT Italy Culture Film Russian film triumphs
in first Rome Film Festival Rome

Izobrajaya Zhertvy (Playing the Victim), a dark comedy by Russian
director Kirill Serebrennikov, won the Best Film

Award at Rome’s first International Film Festival on Saturday.

The film, a modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, was
picked from 16 vying for the award by a popular jury of 50 ordinary
movie-goers led by Italian director Ettore Scola.

The Best Actress Award was given to Ariane Ascaride for her starring
role in Le Voyage en Armnie (Armenia) by French director Robert
Gudiguian while Italy’s Giorgio Colangeli (L’Aria Salata) was given
the Best Actor Award.

Shane Meadows’s This is England won the Special Jury Award.

The awards ceremony took place in Rome’s Auditorium on the last day
of the festival, which was to close later on Saturday with a preview
screening of Robert De Niro’s latest film, The Good Shepherd.

After the screening, De Niro was expected to answer questions from
the audience.

The city’s first ever international film festival is the brainchild
of Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni, a well-known cinema buff.

International stars who have attended include Nicole Kidman, Sean
Connery, Harrison Ford and Leonardo Di Caprio.

ADDITIONAL PROPOSALS INSTEAD OF PRINCIPLES OF PARIS?

Lragir.am
Oct 23 2006

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan are meeting in Paris
on October 24. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Fassier, Merzlyakov and
Bryza will participate in the meeting. On the eve the foreign minister
of Azerbaijani Mammedyarov and on October 24 the Armenian foreign
minister Vardan Oskanyan will have separate meetings with the French
minister of foreign affairs Philippe Douste-Blazy. The purpose of these
meetings is to discuss additional proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group.

YEREVAN "NZHDEH" TEAM CHAMPION OF ARMENIAN LADIES VOLLEY-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Noyan Tapan
Oct 23 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The final tour of Armenian Ladies
Volley-Ball Championship ended on October 22 in Yerevan. In the game
determining the champion the "Nzhdeh" team of Yerevan State Medical
College defeated the Artik lady volley-ball players with a score of
3 to 1. In the game for the 3rd place Sisian lady volley-ball players
defeated NKR’s "Stepanakert" team with a score of 3 to 1.

AUTHORITIES OF UKRAINIAN CITY OF SUM ALREADY FOR 5th YEAR PROMISE
ARMENIAN COMMUNITY TO ALLOT TERRITORY FOR CONSTRUCTION OF CHURCH

KRASNODAR, OCTOBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The "Sumstroi"
OJSC will build a many-storied building in the territory that was
beforehand promised to the Armenian community of the city of Sum for
construction of an Armenian church. According to the "Yerkramas"
(country) newspaper of Armenians of Russia, Mayor Genadi Minayev
promised the Armenian community to find soon an equivalent plot in
the center of the city. This is already not the first attempt of the
Armenian community to get a lot for a church. In words of Slavik
Alexanian, the head of the Armenian community of the city, the
authorities has promised to allot territory for the church since 2001.

Azeri official unaware of defence minister’s meeting with Armenian counterpart

ITV, Azerbaijan
20 Oct 2006

The [Armenian] news agency Mediamax has quoted the press secretary
of the Armenian Defence Ministry, Seyran Shakhsuvaryan, as saying
that the Azerbaijani and Armenian defence ministers, Safar Abiyev
and Serzh Sarkisyan, today held a meeting on the front line – in the
Idzhevan-Qazax part of the border.

The report said that the meeting was held at the initiative of the
personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office, Andrzej
Kasprzyk, in the context of measures aimed at building confidence
between the sides. Shakhsuvaryan said that the ministers discussed
the cease-fire regime.

The head of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry press service, Ramiz
Malikov, told "Carci" that the ministry’s press service has not
received such a report.

The Baku office of the personal representative of the OSCE
chairman-in-office, Andrzej Kasprzyk, did not confirm or deny the
report.

CIVIL AVIATION OF ARMENIA REFRAINS FROM COMMENTS ON CRIMINAL SCUFFLE ABOARD A-320

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.10.2006 18:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Central Administration of the Civil Aviation
of Armenia does not deny or confirm statements of individuals,
referring to the crash of A-320 flying from Yerevan to Sochi, Central
Administration Spokesperson Gayane Davtyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter. In her words, the viewpoint of the Central Administration
of the Civil Aviation of Armenia is unchanged and it was expressed by
Administration Chief Artyom Movsisyan at a news conference on July
28. "The actions of crewmembers being uncoordinated within last 17
seconds of the flight was the cause of the liner’s crash," Movsisyan
had stated. We remind that A-320 plane of Armavia Armenian company
fell into the Black Sea on the night of May 3, when approaching
Adler. 113 persons died.

ARMENIA ALWAYS FELT FRANCE’S SUPPORT

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.10.2006 19:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ At a reception in Paris Armenian Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan said that it’s an honor for the Armenian delegation
to be hosted in the French parliament remarkable for its rich history
and traditions. Andranik Margaryan underscored that the delegation
arrived in Paris for opening of the Year of Armenia in France and
has already held some important meetings in the Senate. October 18
the delegation will take part in a solemn event dedicated to the 15th
anniversary of Armenia’s independence.

Recently we have had the opportunity to speak our friendship. These
are not empty words. The Armenian-French ties record centuries-old
traditions.

Today they are active and multisided. Several weeks ago French
President Jacques Chirac paid a visit to Armenia. Our people welcomed
him with great warmth. We evaluate this visit as recognition of a
successful way towards legal state, developed democracy and free
economy the RA passed during 15 years," Premier Margaryan said.

He also remarked that Armenia always felt the support France and
its people. In his words, France assist the process of Armenia’s
integration into the European structures and takes part in the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement as the OSCE MG Co-chair. Major French
companies invest in the Armenian economy. "The French parliament plays
an important role in these processes. There are a number of groups
assisting in the implementation of various programs on Armenia. The
people who gathered here are our friends and it does not matter
whether they represent the ruling party or the opposition. We assess
highly sincere friendship and I am extremely glad to see that our
intergovernmental ties are built on mutual respect, cooperation and
friendship," Margaryan said, reports the RA government’s press office.

FRENCH BUSINESS CHIEF HITS OUT AT ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL

Agence France Presse — English
October 17, 2006 Tuesday

The head of the French employers’ federation hit out Tuesday at the
adoption of a French bill that would make it a crime to deny a Turkish
"genocide" of Armenians, saying lawmakers had acted irresponsibly.

"We consider that what was voted goes beyond what was appropriate on
such a serious subject. One cannot take this kind of measure without
thinking of the consequences," MEDEF chief Laurence Parisot told a
press conference.

The French lower house adoption of the bill — launched by MPs of the
opposition Socialist party but opposed by the centre-right government
— has sparked fury in Turkey and threatens to jeopardise billions
of dollars’ of French trade in the country.

"It is not up to business to write history, but neither is it up to
lawmakers to write it," Parisot said.

"It is easy to see that an overly sharp reaction from Turkish
authorities of economic officials can be very damaging for the health
of French companies," she said.

Calling the development "worrying", Parisot said she was due to meet
the head of the Turkish employers’ federation TUSIAD, Omer Sabanci,
later Tuesday in Brussels to discuss the situation.

The French bill, which still has to undergo a Senate vote and a second
lower assembly reading before becoming law, would make it a jailable
offence to deny that the massacres carried out under Ottoman rule
constituted genocide.

Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their people were slaughtered,
but Turkey rejects the use of the term "genocide", saying some 300,000
Armenians died when the Ottoman Empire fell apart, but at least as
many Turks did too.