Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
 
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2004
CONTACT: David Zenian
E-mail: [email protected]
ASSEMBLY PRAISES KERRY STATEMENT
Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America Thursday praised
Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry (D-MA) for his
statement of support on the occasion of the 89th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide.
Kerry, a long time supporter of Armenian issues, in a statement said, “By
keeping the memory of this tragedy alive, the Armenian Americans remind us
all of our collective responsibility to insure that such horrors are not
repeated.”
The statement came two days after a group of 20 Armenian-American activists,
led by Assembly Massachusetts State Chair Herman Purutyan and Regional Chair
LuAnn Ohanian, met with senior members of Kerry’s staff during the
Assembly’s National Conference which was held in Washington April 18-21.
“Senator Kerry has always been an ardent supporter and a true friend of the
Armenian community and we appreciate his solid commitment on issues of great
importance to Armenian-Americans,” said Assembly Board of Trustees President
Carolyn Mugar. “We will never forget all that he has done and continues to
do as a leading advocate for our cause.”
Following is the text of Senator Kerry’s statement:
“April 24th marks the 89th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian
Genocide. Between 1915 and 1923 the rulers of the old Ottoman Empire killed
or deported over 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children in a
systematic policy of ethnic extermination.
“I thank Armenian Americans for their persistence in the struggle to gain
international recognition of this atrocity. By keeping the memory of this
tragedy alive, Armenian Americans remind us all of our collective
responsibility to insure that such horrors are not repeated. I am proud of
my work with the Armenian American community to gain broader recognition of
the Armenian Genocide, including fighting alongside Senator Robert Dole in
1990 for designation of April 24 as a national day of remembrance for this
tragedy.
“I have been an unwavering supporter of many other important Armenian
issues. In 1992 I authored an amendment to the Freedom Support Act making
U.S. aid to Azerbaijan conditional on it taking steps to end its blockades
against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. I supported the Humanitarian Aid
Corridor Act in 1996 which prohibits U.S. assistance to any country that
restricts the delivery of U.S. humanitarian aid to another country. In 2003
I cosponsored legislation to extend “permanent normal trade relations”
(PNTR) to Armenia. And this January, I joined Senators Barbara Boxer,
George Allen, Paul Sarbanes, Russ Feingold and Jon Corzine in asking the
President to urge Turkey to lift its embargo of Armenia.
“I join Armenian Americans and Armenians worldwide in mourning the victims
of the Armenian Genocide and I call on governments and people everywhere to
formally recognize this tragedy. Only by learning from this dark period of
history and working to prevent future genocides can we truly honor the
memories of those Armenians who suffered so unjustly.”
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide
organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
NR#2004-044

ABCNEWS
International
April 22, 2004
Canadian Parliament Recognizes Armenian Genocide
April 21 – By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA (Reuters) – The Canadian Parliament on Wednesday ignored
long-standing government policy and angered Turkey by formally declaring
that Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians in 1915.
The House of Commons voted 153-68 to support a motion declaring the events
of 90 years ago as genocide, despite a plea from Foreign Minister Bill
Graham not to aggravate NATO ally Turkey.
Armenians say some 1.5 million of their people were deliberately slaughtered
by Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1923. Turkey denies the charges of
genocide, saying the Armenians were among the many victims of a partisan war
raging during World War One as the Ottoman Empire collapsed.
Graham quickly issued a statement after the vote stressing the motion would
not alter Ottawa’s official policy, which is that while the events of 1915
were a tragedy, they did not constitute genocide.
Our “position on this issue … has not changed. Canada has had friendly and
cooperative relations with Turkey and Armenia for many years. The Canadian
government is committed to make these relationships even stronger in the
future,” he said.
But the result looked certain to harm ties with Turkey and represented a
sound defeat for the government, which had instructed Cabinet members to
vote “no.”
Before the vote, Graham sent a letter to Liberal lawmakers saying he was
“deeply concerned that it (the motion) could have far-reaching negative
consequences” for Turkey and the region.
“We must recognize we must have good relations with our NATO colleague in
Turkey … (which) is a very important NATO ally that we work with closely
in many areas, including Afghanistan,” he told reporters.
Despite his efforts, no less than 75 Liberal legislators voted for the
resolution. In recent years, parliaments in more than a dozen countries —
including France, Russia and Switzerland — have adopted similar motions.
Ankara has fought hard to block attempts to press for international
recognition of the events as a genocide.
“Certainly, relations with Canada will suffer as the result of adopting such
a motion,” Turkish Embassy counselor Fazli Corman told Reuters, citing the
example of Canadian companies seeking to sign contracts in Turkey.
France’s parliament backed the Armenian case in 2001, prompting Turkey to
freeze official visits to France and temporarily block French companies from
entering lucrative defense contracts.
The U.S. Congress dropped a similar resolution in 2000 after the White House
warned it would harm U.S. security interests in the Middle East. (Additional
reporting by Randall Palmer in Ottawa)
Copyright 2004 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Armenian opposition leaders meet US envoy to discuss political situation
A1+ web site
21 Apr 04
US ambassador to Armenia John Ordway met the leader of the Justice
bloc, Stepan Demirchyan, and the leader of the National Unity Party,
Artashes Gegamyan, today.
The details of the meeting have not been disclosed. However,
Demirchyan said that they mainly discussed the country’s internal
political situation.

Tacy Ltd., Israel
April 20 2004
ANGOLAN AMBASSADOR CALLS FOR STRENGHTENED RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA
General Roberto Leal Ramos Monteiro “Ngongo”, Angola’s Ambassador to
Armenia, has called for the strengthening of relations between the
two countries in the areas of economy and commerce at a ceremony
where his credential letters were handed over to the local President
Robert Kotcharian.
The ambassador met with the Deputy Foreign Minister, Fatou Markarian,
the Deputy President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
Andranik Aleksayan, and visited the diamond polishing firm Dca, which
is owned by Gagik Abrahamyan.
Monteiro, who is also Ambassador to Azerbadjan, Belorussia, Ukraine,
Moldavia and the Russian Federation, says that the President of
Armenia revealed that Armenia, the ninth global player in diamond
lapidation, is open to initiatives of bilateral cooperation at
company-related level.

Spring call-up begins in Armenia
Arminfo, Yerevan
16 Apr 04

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has signed a regular decree
calling up citizens who have turned 18 for active military service,
Arminfo news agency reported on 16 April.
Under the decree, servicemen who have completed their active service
will be discharged.

ARMENIA TO JOIN INTERNATIONAL ANTI-SMOKE CONVENTION
YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS: About 1 million 200,000 people die
of smoking in Europe annually. Doctors project this number to reach 2
million by 2020. Mortality rate from cigarettes makes up 14 percent
of total deaths. According to official statistics, 67 percent of men
and 3.1 percent of women smoke in Armenia. Specialists say cigarettes
cause 30 percent of cancer and 20 percent of heart diseases.
Members of World Health Organization which comprise 192 countries
have developed International Anti-Smoke Exchange Convention. Some 102
countries have already signed it. The convention aims to fight smoking
disease. Armenia also intends to join the convention. Armenian Health
ministry discussed the details during a round table yesterday. The
convention will be signed on June 29, 2004 at UN office.
It envisages certain legal and administrative responsibilities,
such as prohibition of promotion of cigarettes, sale of cigarettes to
teenagers. Currently both the foreign ministry and the health
ministry have positive attitudes to the convention but it is being
discussed with other agencies as well. The convention also proposes
control mechanisms. Every 2 year the implementation of convention
requirements are conferred.

NAIRIT PLANT HAS NEW OWNER
YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS: All shares of one of the biggest
inEurope synthetic rubber manufacturing Nairit plant in Yerevan went
to an international Volgaburmash holding with mainly Russian
capital. The relevant agreement was signed today at the Armenian
Central bank by Volgaburmash’s representative in the Central bank,
Mikhail Zavertyaev and the acting head of Armenian Haykap bank, which
took hold of the plant’s shares in 2003 April after an Indian Ransat,
the former owner of the plant, failed to meet its commitments. The
deal is expected to be finalized in 3-4 days.
Armenian trade and economic development Karen Chshmaritian said the
holding has “a promising” past record of successful operation. He
added that the holding that was granted the trust management of the
plant last year has already invested $3.5 million to pay back wages
and accumulated utility debts.
The minister said under the takeover contract the holding is to
make big investments to replace the outdated equipment. Zavertyaev
said part of investments will be directed to increasing the output and
reach gradually the projected capacities.

SENIOR POLICE OFFICER DEFENDS USE OF FORCE AGAINST RALLY PARTICIPANTS
YEREVAN, APRIL 14, ARMENPRESS: A senior police official defended
today police claims that the protesters themselves assaulted security
officers with stones and petrol bombs, despite repeated warnings that
their unlawful actions would be met with adequate reaction. Hovhaness
Kocharian, deputy head of a police department, argued today that the
crackdown on the demonstrators in early hours of April 13 did not go
beyond the boundaries, envisaged by the law on police. He was speaking
at a roundtable discussion at American University of Armenia, called
for an in-depth look into last two days’ developments.
Citing a clause from the law, the senior police officer argued that
police have the right to use physical force when arresting a suspect
or preventinga crime, but admitted that in some cases innocent people
may suffer. Kocharian said family members of all people detained on
April 13 morning were informed about the detainees whereabouts. To
conclude he again cited a provision of the Constitution that envisages
restricting some of citizens’ rights in the event of threats to other
people’s freedoms and safety.
Earlier a spokesman for president Kocharian defended the use of
force, saying that the opposition actions amounted to `political
extremism.’ He warned that further attempts to force the president
into resignation would be countered in the same way. The spokesman,
Ashot Kocharian, said the opposition disrupted `the normal work’ of
the president and the parliament, thereby `endangering the country’s
constitutional order.’ `The demonstrators did not obey the legitimate
orders of police officers,’ he said.
A senior member of Orinats Yerkir party, a component of the ruling
coalition, said today the disagreements between the opposition and
authorities erupted after the parliament majority refused to put on
its agenda an opposition motion calling for a referendum on confidence
in the president. He said only strict adherence to the rule of law
would allow Armenia to move ahead towards fuller integration with
Europe, adding also that his party stands for a dialogue between
forces to ease tension and avoid new clashes.
The discussion was mainly attended by representatives of
non-governmental organizations, who all condemned use of force on the
path of democratization.

More Than 10,000 Protest in Armenia
By AVET DEMOURIAN
.c The Associated Press
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – More than 10,000 protested Friday in the heart
of the Armenian capital to demand the resignation of President Robert
Kocharian, defying a ban on the rally.
Two opposition parties that organized the peaceful protest accuse
Kocharian of rigging last year’s elections, corruption, systematic
human rights abuses and mismanagement of the economy.
Stepan Demirchian, a leader of the Justice Party, said the opposition
parties would not negotiate with the president until parliament
accepts their demand that a bill be submitted calling for a referendum
on the current leadership.
“This can be a good opportunity for the president to resign in a
civilized way,” Demirchian said.
After a smaller opposition rally on Monday, officials banned the
Friday gathering.
But one television report said police were instructed not to try to
disperse the demonstration unless it became disorderly, and Friday
police did not interfere with the rally.
Kocharian won a second term a year ago in elections that sparked mass
protests, including near-daily demonstrations between the first round
of voting in February 2003 and a runoff in early March.
Opposition groups alleged widespread violations in both rounds of the
election, which was followed by a parliamentary ballot won
overwhelmingly by the pro-government party.
In April, Armenia’s Constitutional Court confirmed the results of the
vote but suggested a referendum be held within a year to gauge public
confidence in the nation’s leaders.
04/09/04 16:09 EDT

PRESS RELEASE
Office of Sarkis Assadourian M.P.
120 Confederation
House of Commons, Ottawa, Canada
Contact: Daniel Kennedy
Tel: 613 995 4843
Ottawa April 6, 2004
M.P. Sarkis Assadourian, to Host Reception Honouring Sara Corning
Saviour of Smyrna’s Orphans
Mr. Sarkis Assadourian (Brampton Centre, Lib.): Chairman of the
Canada-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group announced today that he
would host a reception on Parliament Hill, to honour the memory of
Sara Corning, who was responsible for the rescue of thousands of,
Armenian children, from the port of Smyrna in the summer of 1922. The
orphans, survivors of the Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turks
were evacuated to Greece with the assistance of Corning, a native of
Nova Scotia.
The reception will be held on Parliament Hill, April 21st. 2004, at
3:00pm. Guests will have the opportunity to view photographs and
documents from The Yarmouth County Museum in Nova Scotia illustrating
the valiant efforts of Sara Corning on behalf of the Armenian
orphans. His Holiness Karekin II, Catholocos of All Armenia, will
honour the relatives of Sara Corning with the presentation of an
appropriate citation.
“The remarkable story of Sara Corning’s efforts on behalf of the
orphans of Smyrna is a little known chapter of Canadian history that
deserves the recognition of the Canadian Armenian Community”, said
Assadourian.
Friends of the Canada Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group are
invited to pay tribute to the memory of a great Canadian and a great
friend of the Canadian Armenian Community. Supporters interested in
attending are asked to RSVP to M.P. Assadourian’s. Ottawa office no
later than Monday April 19, 2004.
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For further information contact: Daniel Kennedy 613-995-4843