Author: Nalbandian Eduard

MATTHEW BRYZA: THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS WILL NOT STALL THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS

ArmRadio.am
22.06.2007 13:53

The American Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza expressed
hope that the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet again
in a few months, Mediamax reports.

"We must emphasize the great work the Foreign Ministers of Armenia
and Azerbaijan did last year and to praise the Presidents who managed
to make the dialogue move from the dead point," said the American
mediator.

"I don’t think elections will hinder the negotiation process. Before
the parliamentary elections in Armenia we worried that that the
negotiation process would be stalled for some time. It did not
happen. Now we are waiting for the presidential elections. Certainly,
any election campaign restricts the framework of political maneuvers,
but there are no grounds to think that the presidential elections in
Armenia will put an end to the negotiation process."

USA AND EU OFFER TO POSTPONE KOSOVO’S INDEPENDENCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.06.2007 13:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The United States of America and the European Union
prepared a new draft resolution in the UN Security Council on Kosovo:
the document offers to postpone Kosovo’s independence in order to
smooth Russia’s dissatisfaction on the issue. Currently governments
of initiating countries are viewing the draft resolution before it
will be introduced to the 15 member-states of the Security Council.

Representatives of some superpowers in the United Nations are doubtful
that Moscow will approve the document. Marti Ahtisaari, author of
the resolution that offers to grant independence to Kosovo, has the
same opinion. In the interview to Finnish YLE TV Company he stated
the end of this year is the deadline to grant independence to Kosovo,
but most likely Russia will use his veto power.

The new draft resolution offers to give Serbs and Albanians of Kosovo
4 months for negotiations. After expiration of that time automatically
comes into force the Marti Ahtisaari plan on granting independence
to Kosovo under international control. Moscow continues to insist
that Kosovo’s status cannot be settled without taking into account
Serbia’s position, the BBC Russian service reports.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
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PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Professor Peter Cowe Presented with 2006 AGBU Garbis Papazian Award

On March 4, 2007, close to 400 people gathered at the Armenian General
Benevolent Union (AGBU) Alex Manoogian Center in Pasadena for the
traditional annual Lenten Luncheon organized by the AGBU Alex Manoogian
Center Ladies Committee. The event provided a forum to announce and
honor the winner of the 2006 AGBU Garbis Papazian Award.

The annual AGBU Garbis Papazian Award was established in 1988 through a
special fund with the AGBU, to support and encourage non-Armenian
scholars, who, through their scholarly research and publications,
contribute to the propagation of Armenian causes, heritage, literature,
language and history.

Following a special AGBU Centennial video presentation, Haig Messerlian,
AGBU Southern California District Committee (SCDC) member and emcee,
gave his welcoming remarks. He then introduced Professor Peter Cowe,
winner of the 2006 Award, and read a letter of congratulations from AGBU
President Berge Setrakian.

Cowe, a highly respected scholar, researcher, teacher and author, was
being recognized for his important contributions to Armenology as
Narekatzi Professor of Armenian Studies, Department of Near Eastern
Languages and Cultures at UCLA, and for his previously held positions in
Armenology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Columbia University
in New York.

AGBU SCDC chairperson Vahe Imasdounian and Messerlian presented Dr. Cowe
with the 2006 AGBU Garbis Papazian Award on behalf of the AGBU Central
Board of Directors, which placed him among the ranks of distinguished
past recipients such as Baroness Caroline Cox of England; French jurist
Francois Rigaux; Genocide scholar Hans-Lukas Keiser; human rights
advocate Tessa Hofmann; Austrian art historian Helmut Buschhausen;
German theologian Hermann Goltz; and Iranian poet and translator Ahmat
Nourizade.

"I am very honored to receive this award bearing the name of the
well-known entrepreneur and philanthropist Garbis Papazian, who is
continuing a laudable Armenian tradition of appreciating learning and
actively supporting it. I am sorry that Mr. Papazian is unable to be
with us today so that I could express this directly to him, but I hope
to have an opportunity to do so during a trip planned to Vienna in the
summer to access materials in the Vienna Mkhitarist library en route to
Armenia," said Cowe.

Also partaking in the luncheon were California State Assembly member
Paul Krekorian, Mayor of Pasadena Bill Bogaard, Glendale City Council
members Rafi Manoukian and Ara Najarian, and Glendale School Board
candidate Nayiri Nahabedian. Several of Professor Cowe’s colleagues from
the University of California at Los Angeles as well as Professor Kevork
Bardakjian from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, joined the AGBU
in recognizing his achievements.

On behalf of the Armenian Consul General in Los Angeles Armen Liloyan,
consular aide Hagop Hovannisian presented Cowe with a unique, enviable
gift–an Armenian passport.

City of Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, who was re-elected to his third
term two days after the luncheon, had taken some time away from his busy
campaign to congratulate Dr. Cowe and commend the AGBU for its work in
the community. "When I’m part of the events of the great Armenian
community, I think of the history, tradition, dedication, determination
and teamwork that make this community so strong and vital," said
Bogaard. "This is an important event in the City of Pasadena, and makes
me proud as mayor of this great city. It would not be the same community
without your work and participation. You are welcome, well known and
appreciated, and I thank you very much."

Musical entertainment was provided throughout the luncheon, and included
performances by violinist Megujan Margarian, 13-year-old pianist Hovsep
Boghossian, and Elise Tashjian, who performed several popular Armenian
songs with Levon Abrahamian accompanying her on the piano.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually serving some
400,000 Armenians in 35 countries.

Switzerland-Armenia Association
Sarkis Shahinian – Copresident
Tel: + 41 76 399 16 25
Email: [email protected]

Association Suisse-Arménie
Gesellschaft Schweiz-Armenien
Switzerland-Armenia Association

PRESS RELEASE – COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE – MEDIENMITTEILUNG

Berne, le 20 Juin 2007

La Cour de Cassation confirme le verdict Perinçek

Le 18 juin 2007, la Cour de Cassation vaudoise a confirmé le verdict
prononcé par le Tribunal de Police de Lausanne condamnant Dogu
Perinçek, pour violation de l’article 261bis du Code pénal. En
effet, en 2005, Dogu Perinçek avait nié publiquement et à plusieurs
reprises le Génocide des Arméniens. La décision intervient à un
moment politique marqué par les manoeuvres du Conseiller fédéral
Christoph Blocher, visant à la suppression de la norme pénale
antiraciste. L’Association Suisse-Arménie (ASA) est très satisfaite
de la décision de la Cour de Cassation. Parallèlement, l’ASA
prépare avec d’autres ONG impliqués dans la défense des Droits de
l’Homme, une réponse au document de travail de l’Office fédéral de
justice (OFJ), déjà rejeté par les experts convoqués par le Chef du
DFJP lors de l’audience du 23 mai dernier.

L’Association Suisse-Arménie (ASA) vient d’apprendre que la Cour de
Cassation vaudoise a intégralement rejeté le recours de M.
Perinçek. L’arrêt de 1ère instance devient ainsi exécutoire, sauf
recours au Tribunal fédéral, qui peut, sur requête, accorder un
effet suspensif. L’ASA n’a pas été appelée à déposer un mémoire,
ce qui laisse à penser que la Cour de cassation a jugé le recours de
la défense manifestement mal fondé.

La condamnation de M. Perinçek constitue la confirmation de ce que
nous avons toujours dit, à savoir que l’article 261bis du Code pénal
en matière de négationnisme ne pose pas de problèmes particuliers
d’application. L’ASA se félicite de ce verdict et souligne sa
détermination à poursuivre en justice les fauteurs d’actions
négationnistes à l’égard du génocide arménien. Loin de vouloir
transformer la justice suisse en tribunal de l’Histoire, ce verdict ne
fait que réaffirmer la réalité du génocide commis à l’encontre des
Arméniens en 1915 et la nécessité de condamner tout acte raciste
visant à nier l’existence des crimes contre l’humanité.

Les prises de position internationales concernant le génocide au
Darfour et à Srebrenica montrent la nécessité de combattre sans
relâche le crime de génocide, tel qu’il a été défini par la
Convention internationale de l’ONU de 1948. Ainsi, nous nous
désolidarisons de l’attitude d’une certaine partie de la classe
politique qui dévalorise sa propre législation à l’étranger comme
en Suisse même, cédant ainsi au chantage auquel des Etats
négationnistes veulent soumettre notre Confédération. Nous
demandons donc au Conseil fédéral de prendre ses distances par
rapport à ceux qui cherchent à ruiner la valeur de la justice suisse
aux yeux des Etats étrangers et de leurs propres concitoyens et de
cesser de tergiverser sur la réalité du Génocide des Arméniens,
reconnu par le même Conseil fédéral dans son message concernant le
Statut de Rome (Tribunal pénal international).

L’ASA est en train de préparer, avec d’autres ONG, un document de
réponse aux propos contenus dans le document élaboré par l’Office
fédéral de justice (OFJ) et présenté lors d’une audition d’experts
le 23 mai dernier et rejeté par nombre des participants. Ce document
présentait plusieurs variantes de l’article pénal antiraciste, y
compris sa suppression, sans toutefois envisager la possibilité de le
maintenir sans changement. Le document de réponse sera bientôt
publié sur le site officiel de l’ASA

gsa

LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT HOPES FOR COMPROMISE ON KARABAKH IN NEAR FUTURE

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.06.2007 17:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "We stand for deeper EU involvement in the South
Caucasus region with respect to most urgent issues. First of all, this
concerns the settlement of the so-called frozen conflicts. Within this
context, we would consider that an international peacekeeping element
could also become an essential part of conflict resolution. With
regard to Nagorno Karabakh, we hope that a compromise will be reached
as soon as possible," Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus said.

"The Lithuanian parliament has recently approved the possibility to
deploy our peacekeepers in South Caucasus and we are ready to do so
when such a wish is expressed by the sides," he said

"We also support the need to attract more attention by the
international community as well as by the UN to the current "frozen"
status of the resolution of conflicts in the GUAM area, considering
international involvement as one of the main impetuses to the peaceful
and real resolution of those conflicts," he said.

"We consider the direct dialogue between the parties of conflicts to
be an essential prerequisite to solutions – especially with regard
to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict where the final solution might be
reached only through an Armenian-Azerbaijani compromise acceptable
to both sides.

The ENP Action Plan – although not directly aimed at conflict
resolution – could have a long lasting effect on conflict issues
through its successful implementation based on political, social,
and economical reforms," Mr Adamkus said, Trend reports.

ARMENIAN-GERMAN CONTACTS PLANNED TO BE DEEPENED IN SPHERE OF MILITARY EDUCATION

Noyan Tapan
Jun 18 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 18, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues related to the current state of
bilateral relations in the military sphere and prospects of deepening
them for even more were discussed at the June 18 meeting of RA
Defence Minister Mikhail Haroutiunian and Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of Germany to Armenia Heike Renate Peitsch completing
her mission in Armenia.

In particular, they touched upon the issue of deepening contacts in
the sphere of military education, that is, training and retraining
of Armenian officers at German military educational institutions.

As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA Defence Ministry, issues regarding
regional cooperation were also discussed.

90 PERCENT ARE FOR INDEPENDENCE OR UNIFICATION WITH ARMENIA

Lragir.am
18-06-2007 15:41:12

The director of the Sociometer center of public opinion survey Aaron
Adibekyan, who had left for Karabakh for public polls, released the
results on June 18 at the Friday Club. In particular, Aaron Adibekyan
said 90 percent of respondents think the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict is either by independence or unification with Armenia. 8
percent think the territories could be exchanged for independence,
Adibekyan says. The pollster also made a sensational statement;
according to him, about 1-1.5 percent voted for broad sovereignty
within Azerbaijan.

Armenia ready to expand participation in peacekeeping missions –
minister

Arminfo
15 Jun 07

Yerevan, 15 June: Armenian Defence Minister Mikayel Harutyunyan has
participated in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council’s sitting of
defence ministers, held in Brussels.

The defence minister’s press secretary, Col Seyran Shahsuvaryan, told
Arminfo today [15 June] that NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop
Scheffer had congratulated Harutyunyan over his appointment as defence
minister during a brief meeting proceeding the sitting. The parties
exchanged views over the processes in the Euro-Atlantic region.

Speaking at the sitting, Harutyunyan reiterated the Armenian
government’s readiness to expand its participation in peacekeeping
operations.

[Passage omitted: Harutyunyan met Greek and Czech defence ministers]

CASCADE CAPITAL HOLDINGS AND EBRD ARE PLANNING TO SET UP THE FIRST LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2007-06-14 13:41:00

The shareholders of Cascade Insurance, Cascade Capital Holdings and
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, are considering
the possibility of setting up the first life insurance company in
Armenia, Cascade Life, says Levon Mamikonyan, the director of Cascade
Insurance, the only insurance company in Armenia that has retained
its life insurance license.

The new legislation says that life and non-life insurance should be
separated. Still, there are a number of moot points, particularly,
the minimum size of authorized capital for a life insurance
company. Hence, Cascade Capital Holdings should first see if this
project is feasible. "In Armenia we insure life for a short term only,
while in other countries life insurance is an accumulative long-term
service," says Mamikonyan.

According to ArmInfo’s Ranking of the Leading Insurance Companies of
Armenia, in Jan-Mar 2007 Cascade Insurance’s life insurance premiums
totaled 1.1mln AMD, life insurance compensations 5.4mln MD. The
company made 39 life insurance contracts during the period.

RA FM AND EU ENVOY EXCHANGED VIEWS ON LATEST KOCHARIAN-ALIYEV MEETING

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.06.2007 16:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with
Peter Semneby, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus,
to discuss regional problems and the Armenian-Turkish relations.

When touching upon the May 12 parliamentary elections Peter Semneby
said the elections were a step forward and voiced hope that the
tendency will be maintained during the presidential election.

The parties also referred to the Karabakh problem and exchanged
views on the latest Kocharian-Aliyev latest meeting, the RA MFA press
office reported.