GODFREY EXPECTS POLITICAL WILL FROM AUTHORITIES
Panorama.am
19:31 25/04/2007
Anthony Godfrey, charge d’affairs of U.S. ambassador in Armenia,
voiced his belief at Central Election Committee today that
sufficient conditions are created for "free, fair and transparent
elections." However, he said the authorities must demonstrate
"political will" and the public must go to elections. "I am optimistic
on what I see," he said. Godfrey also said they rely on OSCE/ODHIR
reports.
A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC PARTY: NUMEROUS VIOLATIONS DURING THE PRE-ELECTORAL PERIOD CAST DOUBT ON THE LEGITIMACY OF THE ELECTION
Arminfo
2007-04-23 17:52:00
Numerous violations during the pre-electoral period cast doubt on
the legitimacy of the election, Souren Sourenyants, a member of the
Political Council of the Republic party, said at a press-conference,
Monday.
S.Sourenyants expressed his indignation at the fact that the
news programs on TV cover the pre-electoral campaigns of the
oppositionists in a differentiated way. The analysis shows that
most people watch TV at 8-9 PM. And the agitation video clips
are shown at 5 PM, i.e. when people are still at their workplace,
S.Sourenyants said. The Republic party has applied to the Central
Electoral Commission to change the time of the video clips, however,
the request was rejected. S.Sourenyants also pointed out the fact
that the authorities use administrative resources and bribe the
voters. Passports are being collected in some military units, as well
as at the Kilikya plant. The owners of these passports are to vote
for the Republican Party of Armenia. He also accused the Republican
Party and the Prosperous Armenia of bribing voters. Moreover, sometimes
the voters are forced to take the bribe. At the journalists’ request,
S.Sourenyants expressed his own opinion about the true oppositionist
parties. First and foremost, he named the Republic party, then the
Impeachment bloc, the New Times party, the Armenian National Movement
and the Hunchakyan party. As for the Heritage party, S.Sourenyants
classed it among his "colleagues".
For his part, Smbat Ayvazyan, the head of the Republic party’s
pre-electoral headquarters, said that the party will pay a visit
to the Aragatsotn region on April 25 and 26, and meet the voters of
the Avan and Zeitun communities of Yerevan on April 26 and 27. The
party is planning to visit Aparan, Spitak and Alaverdi on April 28
and the Gegharkunik region on April 30. S.Ayvazyan also touched upon
the extremely high rates for the paid airtime. "Only the RPA and the
Prosperous Armenia can afford it," he said. According to him, in some
places, particularly, in the Syunik region the authorities make the
village headmen ensure a certain percent of votes for the RPA. Besides,
S.Ayvazyan dwelled on some public opinion polls concerning the election
returns. According to him, sociologist Aharon Adibekyan is ready
to draw any poll for money," he said. He thinks that at the moment,
there are no more than 1 mln 200 thsd voters in the country, and no
more than 800 thsd will actively participate in the election. If the
authorities give up using administrative resources and other frauds,
they will have no more than 15-20% of votes, he said in conclusion.
AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTER POSTPONES VISIT TO WASHINGTON
ARMENPRESS
Apr 23 2007
BAKU, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijani foreign ministry said Sunday
foreign minister Elmar Mamedyarov postponed a visit to the United
States, that was to start today, after the U.S. Department of State
introduced changes to a phraseology describing Azerbaijan’s dispute
with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.
A statement by Azerbaijani foreign ministry warned that the issue "may
become a serious impediment to further security-related cooperation
between our countries," a possible reference to Azerbaijan’s
contribution to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.
The statement claimed that the changes "distort the essence of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict" and their introduction
"puts in doubt the U.S. position of an ‘honest peace broker’ in the
resolution of the conflict."
Though the statement did not offer details, it implicated changes in
the U.S. Department of State report on Azerbaijan, posted on the State
Department Web site, which stated originally that in 2006 "Armenia
continued to occupy the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh
and seven surrounding Azerbaijani territories," a wording that is
apparently acceptable to Azerbaijan.
But the changed section reads; "Armenian forces occupy large portions
of Azerbaijani territory adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian
officials maintain that they do not ‘occupy’ Nagorno-Karabakh itself."
The change was also confirmed by Armenian foreign minister Vartan
Oskanian last week.
The Azerbaijani statement said resolution of the conflict "based on
the territorial integrity of …
Azerbaijan, with Nagorno-Karabakh as its inalienable part, is a
primary and foremost element" in its security cooperation with the
United States.
AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA AND TURKEY GOING TO UNIFY ENERGY SYSTEMS
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.04.2007 17:28 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Energy departments of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey
are discussing the expedience of elaborating a project for unifying
the energy systems of three states, Azerenergy Vice President Marlen
Askerov said. "We are analyzing the advisability of the project. If
the energy systems are unified we will be able to sell and exchange
energy with Georgia and Turkey," he said. Implementation of the
project may take several years, according to him, APA reports.
PRESS RELEASE
Senator Barbara Boxer
Washington D.C.
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-3553
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 92nd ANNIVERSARY
OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I take this opportunity today to
solemnly commemorate the 92nd Anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide.
The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the 20th
century. From 1915 until 1923, 1.5 million Armenians were
brutally killed by the Ottoman Turks in a systematic effort to
eradicate the Armenian people. There were unbearable acts of
torture; men were separated from their families and murdered;
women and children were put on a forced march across the Syrian
desert without food or water.
Henry Morgenthau, the U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
from 1913 to 1916, recalled:
When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these
deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a
whole race; they understood this well, and, in their
conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to
conceal the fact…I am confident that the whole history of the
human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great
massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost
insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian
race in 1915.
However, we were to witness other such horrible genocides
later, including the Holocaust and the genocide in Darfur,
which is happening today.
As with later genocides, some have tried to deny that the
Armenian Genocide happened. Shamefully, the government of
Turkey still refuses to admit that genocide occurred.
In order for democracy and human rights to flourish, we must
not support efforts to rewrite and deny history. In the United
States, we strive to make human rights a fundamental component
of our democracy. It is long overdue for our nation to demand
that the truth be told. We must recognize the Armenian Genocide
in the name of democracy, fairness and human rights.
At the beginning of the 21st century, as genocide is waged in
Darfur, it is even more critical to recognize the first
Genocide of the 20th century. We must send a message that
genocide and genocide denial will never be tolerated.
To that end, I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of Senator
Richard Durbin’s Senate Resolution 106, calling on the
President to accurately characterize the Armenian Genocide in
his annual message around April 24th and to ensure that the
foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate
understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to
human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the
United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide.
It is important that we recognize the Armenian Genocide while
its survivors are still with us to tell their stories. We must
recognize the genocide for the survivors. We must recognize the
genocide because it’s the right thing to do. We must recognize
the Armenian Genocide to help shed light on the darkness and
move toward a more humane world.
========================================== =====
If this message reached you in error, or if you would like to
cancel your subscription, please reply to this message with
`unsubscribe’ in the subject line.
For more information on Senator Boxer’s record and other
information, please go to:
To respond to this message, please click on the following link:
ck.cfm . This link
will take you to a webpage where you can respond to messages
that you receive from Senator Boxer’s office.
OPEN HOUSE TO TAKE PLACE IN YEREVAN BRANDY COMPANY ON APRIL 21 AND 22
Mediamax Agency, Armenia
April 18 2007
Yerevan, April 18 /Mediamax/. Within the framework of the celebration
of the 120th anniversary of brandy production in Armenia, the Yerevan
Brandy Company (YBC) will hold a special "Open House" action on April
21 and 22.
As Mediamax was told in the press service of the YBC, in the course
of two days the Armenian brandy lovers will be provided an exclusive
opportunity to make a free tour in the territory of the Yerevan Brandy
Ñompany, to get acquainted with the history of the brandy production
in Armenia, its technology and the production at present.
"Open House" in YBC will be accompanied by 10-15% sale for the
production of Pernod Ricard production, as well as ArArAt brandy.
There are many surprises and presents prepared for the guests.
–Boundary_(ID_PBBC0Bc1bkQ1Ft1suQcBoA)–
MEMORIAL DEDICATED TO VICTIMS OF A-320 PLANE’S ACCIDENT TO BE ERECTED
IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, APRIL 16, NOYAN TAPAN. A memorial dedicated to the victims of
Yerevan-Sochi plane, which had an accident on May 3 2006, will be
erected in Nor Nork’s 5th district. As Noyan Tapan was informed by
Chief Architect of Yerevan, Samvel Danielian, the memorial’s project
has been already introduced to RA government. Another details about
the memorial will be reported after project’s approval.
In S. Danielian’s words, project’s construction will start after
government’s approval and the respective financing.
Egyptian foreign minister holds talks with Armenian counterpart
MENA news agency
14 Apr 07
Cairo, 14 April: Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu-al-Ghayt met on
Saturday with his Armenian counterpart Vardan Oskanyan.
During the meeting, Abu-al-Ghayt reviewed the Egyptian vision of
developments in the Mideast, especially with regard to the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan and the Iranian
nuclear file.
Hailing ties between Egypt and Armenia, Abu-al-Ghayt said that the two
countries would ink seven agreements on cooperation in fighting crime
and in the customs field as well as signing a memorandum of
understanding between the Egyptian and Armenian businessmen councils.
For his part, the Armenian minister highlighted the importance Armenia
attached to ties with Egypt.
Egypt established diplomatic ties with Armenia in 1992.
The Armenian minister also reviewed developments of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ties with
the US and Russia and the impact of developments of the Iranian
nuclear file on the Caucasus region.
VARTAN OSKANIAN REAFFIRMS RA GOVERNMENT’S RESOLUTION IN ISSUE OF ORGANIZING ELECTIONS IN CORRESPONDENCE WITH INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
Noyan Tapan
Apr 13 2007
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, NOYAN TAPAN. At the April 13 meeting RA Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian and Head of delegation of PACE monitoring
mission Leo Platvoet touched upon issues connected with holding of
monitoring mission by PACE, fulfilment of electoral legislation and
Armenian authorities’ assistance to the mission.
V. Oskanian reaffirmed the resolution of RA government in the issue
of organizing the elections in correspondence with the international
standards, as well as in the issue of creating proper conditions for
implementation of the mission.
L. Platvoet said that the members of the mission follow the
preelectoral agitation and within this framework have held many
meetings with representatives of political forces taking part in
the elections.
According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan from RA Foreign
Ministry Press and Information Department, at the guest’s request
V. Oskanian presented the current state of Armenian-Turkish relations
and the process of Nagorno Karabakh settlement.
Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
April 12, 2007
Contact: Haig Hovsepian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
Nevada Governor James Gibbons Issues Proclamation for
"Day of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide"
Carson City, NV – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western
Region (ANCA-WR) applauds Nevada Governor James Gibbons (R-CA) for
issuing a proclamation concerning the Armenian Genocide. The document
specifically addresses the Armenian Genocide as the first genocide of
the twentieth century and notes the importance of remembering the
Armenian Genocide to guard against the recurrence of this crime against
humanity.
"We are honored to see Governor Gibbons join Governor Schwarzenegger in
exercising strong moral leadership on the Armenian Genocide," commented
ANCA-WR Executive Director Andrew Kzirian. "Nevada’s Armenian American
community has a rich tradition of civic participation and the Governor’s
proclamation is most welcome in this regard," he added.
Governor Gibbons’ proclamation was issued in the midst of a campaign by
the Turkish Government to defeat a resolution (H.Res.106) pending in the
U.S. Congress that would mark the slaughter of 1.5 million Christians as
the first genocide of the 20th century.
In Nevada, Congressman Porter (R-NV-03) and Congresswoman Berkley
(D-NV-01) have cosponsored the Armenian Genocide resolution. San
Francisco – Bay Area Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA-12), who serves as
Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and is himself a
Holocaust survivor, has not indicated whether he is supporting the
legislation or if he will schedule a vote on the bill in his committee.
Currently, nearly 200 Members of Congress from over 35 states have
cosponsored the Armenian Genocide resolution.
This is the second proclamation issued by the Office of the Governor of
Nevada since 2000.
The full text of the proclamation is included below.
The Armenian National Committee of America 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.
###
Photo Caption: Governor of the State of Nevada, James Gibbons (R-NV).
State of Nevada
Executive Department
A Proclamation by the Governor
WHEREAS, on April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Turks rounded up, deported and
massacred 600 Armenian leaders, writers, thinkers and professionals in
Constantinople and other major cities along with 5,000 Armenians who
were killed in the streets and in their homes; and
WHEREAS, the extermination from 1915 to 1923, of more than 1,500,000
Christian Armenians and the forced deportation of others represents the
first case of genocide of the 20th Century; and
WHEREAS, during the Genocide, Armenians were forced to witness the
slaughter of their relatives and the loss of their ancestral homeland
and property; and
WHEREAS; it is crucial to remember this horrific instance in history in
guarding against recurrence of genocide of any kind;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JIM GIBBONS, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEVADA do
hereby proclaim April 22, 2007, as
A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 1915 TO 1923
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great
Seal of the State of Nevada to be affixed at the State Capitol in Carson
City, this 6th day of April 2007.
Jim Gibbons, Governor