Author: Nalbandian Eduard

FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA: INCIDENTS OF 1 MARCH IN YEREVAN CANNOT BE DEFINED AS ‘TORTURES’

ArmInfo
2008-06-27 13:07:00

French Ambassador to Armenia Serge Smessow said at a press conference
Friday that he regrets for the incidents that took place in front of
the French Embassy in Yerevan on 1 March, but he does not think they
can be defined as ‘tortures’. Ambassador Smessow said one must strictly
differentiate the idea ‘application of force against demonstrators’,
‘violence’ and ‘tortures and humiliating treatment’.

PRIME MINISTER: "OUR PRIVILAGE – OUR INTELLECT"

Panorama.am
14:26 26/06/2008

The only competitive privilege of Armenia is its intellectual
potential, said the Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan in
"DigiTec Business Forum" opening ceremony, today.

According to the Prime Minister, the RA Government has distinct
approach towards the IT filed in Armenia – IT development is a
principle point for RA Government. T. Sargsyan said that information
technologies should be invested in business sphere, which will
contribute to the development of its efficiency.

Arsen Ghazaryan, the president of Union of Manufacturers and
Businessmen of Armenia (UMBA) said that the forum is to be effective
one both for the IT representatives and businessmen.

EUROPEAN COURT FINDS TURKEY GUILTY OF MURDER OF TWO CYPRIOTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.06.2008 19:23 GMT+04:00

The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) applauded the decision
by the European Court of Human Rights, which found Turkey guilty in
the two cases of Cypriot demonstrators murdered in 1996, the CANA
told PanARMENIAN.Net.

"The murderers … must pay for their crimes! We cannot forget! We will
not forget! Justice for Issak and Solomou! Justice for Cyprus!" the
CANA statement says.

Anastasios Isaak was lynched by a mob of Turkish soldiers and Turkish
Cypriot "policemen" and other Turkish and Turkish Cypriot extremists
belonging to a nationalist group called "Grey Wolves". It happened
in the buffer zone separating the Turkish army occupied northern part
of Cyprus from the southern part of the island.

Solomos Solomou was shot dead at short range, by Turkish soldiers
when he attempted to climb up a Turkish flag pole in the buffer zone.

The Court unanimously ruled that Ankara is guilty of violating
Article 2 (right to life) of the European Convention on Human Rights
in respect of the killing of Anastasios Isaak and Solomos Solomou.

The Court also ruled that Turkey is guilty of violating Article 2
in respect of the failure to conduct ineffective investigation into
the circumstances in which Anastasios Isaak and Solomos Solomou
were killed.

Under Article 41 (just satisfaction) of the Convention, the Court
awarded 80,000 euro to Anastasios Isaak’s widow for pecuniary
damage. In respect of non-pecuniary damage, the Court awarded 35,000
euro each to Anastasios Isaak’s widow, his parents, and to Solomos
Solomou’s father, and also 15,000 euro to each of Anastasios Isaak’s
and Solomos Solomou’s siblings. The applicants in both cases were
also awarded 12,000 for costs and expenses.

The two applications were filed to the Court by the families of Tasos
Isaak and Solomou Solomou, both of whom were murdered by Turkish or
Turkish Cypriots during demonstrations in 1996.

RUSSIA, ARMENIA WANT EARLY KARABAKH SETTLEMENT, BROADER MILITARY TIES

Interfax News Agency
June 24 2008
Russia

Russia and Armenia want the Nagorno Karabakh conflict to be settled
as soon as possible and will coordinate steps to ensure security in
the South Caucasus, says a joint statement capping the talks between
the Russian and Armenian presidents in Moscow on Tuesday.

"Russia and Armenia advocate the earliest possible settlement of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, using exclusively peaceful means,
on an equitable basis, acceptable to both parties, and welcome the
constructive efforts being made by the co-chairmen of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk Group to forge a
political-diplomatic solution to the conflict," the statement says.

Moscow and Yerevan "will coordinate their foreign policies in order
to make joint and synchronized steps to strengthen security, stability
and broader cooperation in the South Caucasus, the statement says.

Russia and Armenia will also "further develop bilateral military-
technical cooperation, not targeted against third countries," it says.

The parties stated that they "recognize the central role of the
United Nations in maintaining international peace and security with
the regional organizations’ growing role in preventing conflicts and
in settling them peacefully."

Moscow and Yerevan reaffirmed the role of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization as an important guarantor of security for its
member-states.

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
June 21 2008

Azerbaijani Ombudsman Considers Groundless the Accusation by Migration
Service of Armenia
21.06.08 13:43

Azerbaijan, Baku, 21 June/ corr. Trend News I.Alizade / Ombudsman of
Azerbaijan, Elmira Suleymanova, considers groundless the lawsuit on
$5mln which is envisaged to be made by the migration service of
Armenia with regards to Azerbaijan.

`The Armenians residing in Azerbaijan took their key
properties while leaving the Country. They removed, selling their
properties left in Azerbaijan,’ Suleymanova briefed the
media on 21 June in Azerbaijan’s city of Guba.

The migration service of Armenia states that the Armenians leaving
Azerbaijan lost key part of their properties, and as a result, $5mln
material damage was inflicted to them. Due to it, the service plans to
submit a lawsuit against Azerbaijan to the International Court.

Suleymanova said that according to official data, as a result of
military aggression of Armenia, $60bln damage was inflicted to
Azerbaijan.

`As a result of this aggression, the Azerbaijanis incurred
ethnic cleansing, and serious damages were inflicted to the
environment and nature of Azerbaijan. The losses of Azerbaijan as a
result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are inestimable,’
Suleymanova said.

Nearly 1mln Azerbaijanis incurred ethnic cleansing in Armenia in
1988-1989.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries appeared in 1988
due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia has
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani lands including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding districts. Since 1992 to the present
time, these territories have been under Armenian occupation. In 1994,
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a cease-fire agreement at which time the
active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (
Russia, France and USA) are holding peaceful negotiations.

ALL CHRISTIANS SHOULD SUPPORT CHURCH IN MIDDLE EAST

Catholic World News
June 19 2008

Vatican, Jun. 19, 2008 (CWNews.com) – The ancient Christian communities
of the Middle East must be " supported by the entire Catholic Church,"
Pope Benedict XVI (bio – news) said in a June 19 talk to participants
in an annual conference of ROACO, the Aid Agencies for the Oriental
Churches.

The Holy Father mentioned his concern for the Chaldean Catholics of
Iraq, where Archbishop Paulos Faraj Raho died in February after being
kidnapped outside his cathedral in Mosul. The Christian minority in
Iraq has been subjected to frequent violence and intimidation.

The Pope also mentioned Lebanon, where a recent political accord
suggests that the country may have "found the path of dialogue and
understanding." Christians there still need help as they strive to
be "a sign of the real possibility for peaceful and constructive
coexistence," he said. Pope Benedict said that he hopes the
beatification of Father Jacques Ghazir Haddad in Lebanon this Sunday,
June 22, would "touch the hearts of young Lebanese."

Even in countries where the Christian presence is very small,
activities supported by ROACO can bear witness to "the communion
of love proper to the universal Catholic Church," the Holy Father
said. He pointed to the examples of Armenia and Georgia, countries
that were "among the first to receive the light of Christ." Pope
Benedict reminded the ROACO group that Cardinal Leonardo Sandri,
the prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, had recently
visited the Holy Land to tell Catholics there that their welfare is
"vital for the entire Church."

The Pope concluded his talk with a appeal to the world’s political
leaders "that the Middle East– in particular the Holy Land, Lebanon,
and Iraq– may be offered its longed-for peace and social stability,
while respecting the fundamental rights of the person, including that
of real religious freedom."

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT: FAILURE TO SETTLE GARABAGH PROBLEM ON BASIS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW WILL ENDANGER SECURITY AROUND WORLD

Azerbaijan Business Center
June 19 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. The Azerbaijani government is ready to use
concerns on the occasion of "Kosovo precedent" for positive settlement
of Garabagh conflict unleashed by Armenia and following which 20%
of Azerbaijani territory is under occupation.

At today’s Milli Majlis session dedicated to the 90th anniversary of
parliamentarism President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan said that the
Gabaragh conflict is a source of great jeopardy for entire world.

"We try to settle it in a peaceful way, but this settlement should
base itself on justice, but not on somebody’s groundless desires. If
the solution of the Garabagh matter is not based on international
law, it will lead to chaos in world community. In such case jeopardy
of tension will only increase. It will become a great obstacle for
security of the whole region, realization of significant regional
projects," President Aliyev stated.

Azerbaijan insists on release of its occupied lands and their
reintegration with the rest territory of the country, expressing
readiness for cultural autonomy of the Armenian minority.

"The conflict can be settled only on the basis of principle of
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan with attaching status of high
autonomy to Nagorno Garabagh. It is practice adopted around the world
and I am glad that international community backs us. But only decisions
are not enough. The opposite party should take into consideration
military, political and economic capacities of Azerbaijan," the
President said.

Azerbaijan’s military budget is approaching to $2 bn a year that is
equivalent to annual budget of Armenia.

OPHTHALMOLOGICAL PROJECT IS BACK TO KARABAKH

KarabakhOpen
18-06-2008 12:05:21

The Armenian Ophthalmological Project benevolent fund will carry out free
eye examination. The benevolent organization has carried out the project in
Karabakh since 2004.

>From June 25 to 30 the mobile clinic will examine people in the region
of Martakert, from July 4 to 12 in Hadrut, from 14 to 17 in Martuni,
on July 21 in Askeran, on July 22 in Shushi, and on July 23 in Berdzor.

After the examination preliminary diagnosis will be made, and in
case of necessity the patients will be sent to the mobile clinic of
the AOP or another medical establishment. This year no eye surgeries
will be performed, unlike the previous years.

PARLIAMENTARY AD HOC COMMISSION ON STUDY OF MARCH 1-2 EVENTS, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN YEREVAN, AND THEIR REASONS CREATED

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 16, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, NOYAN TAPAN. On the initiative of the deputies of
the RA National Assembly the draft decision on "The creation of an
NA Ad hoc Commission for "The Study of the Events, which took place
in Yerevan on March 1-2, and Their Reasons" was unanimously: with
93 votes for, adopted at the June 16 extra-session. Only the members
of the Zharangutiun (Heritage) opposition faction did not take part
in the vote. According to the information provided to a Noyan Tapan
correspondent by faction member Armen Martirosian, the absence from
the vote was conditioned both by the participation in the meeting
scheduled for the same hour with the co-speakers of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, who had arrived in Yerevan for
the issue of Armenia, and by the refusal of the suggestions of the
faction concerning the draft decision. In particular, the formation of
the commission by equal number of representatives of the authorities
and the opposition and the making of the decisions of the ad hoc
commission by strict consensus are meant.

Deputy Lyova Khachatrian, who was not included in the factions, was
elected in the staff of the commission. And the five NA factions are
to be represented in the commission with 2 members each. Irrespective
of the fact that the staff has not officially been made public as
yet, according to preliminary data, the Repaublican Party of Armenia
faction will nominate faction secretary Samvel Nikoyan and faction
member Hermine Naghdalian.

Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia) will put forward faction
secretary Aram Safarian and faction member Naira Zohrabian, the
ARF will nominate faction secretary Artyush Shahbazian and faction
member Lilit Galstian, and Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) will
nominate faction members Artashes Avoyan and Hovhannes Margarian. The
Zharangutiun faction has not decided as yet whether it will, in
general, take part in the proceedings of the ad hoc commission, or not.

In a three-day term after the formation of the commission,
an invitation will be sent to Levon Ter-Petrosian and other
extra-parliamentary political forces for taking part in the proceedings
of the commission by the right of the deliberative vote. The commission
is to make a report on the results of its activities in an NA sitting
by this October 25, by submitting a conclusion. The members having
objections with regard to the conclusion, including those enjoying
the deliberative vote, can introduce a special opinion, which will
be attached to the report.

ARMENIAN FAMILY FACING DEPORTATION SPEND FATHERS DAY TOGETHER

CBS 47
June 16 2008
CA

It was a father’s day to remember for a valley family facing
deportation.

Ruben Mkoian returned to his family in Fresno after spending the last
two months at an immigration detention center in Arizona. Ruben is
the father of Arthur Mkoyan, the Bullard High valedictorian who’s
been battling deportation.

Ruben Mkoian brought his family to this country 16 years ago. They
fled the old Soviet Union to escape persecution. The federal court
has denied several of their requests for political asylum, meaning
they would have to go back to Armenia.

The family is now working to find a way to stay in the US
permanently. Ruben hopes to prevail and have their case serve as an
example for immigration reform.

If deported, Arthur could apply for a student visa and possibly come
back to America for school, but he would need to prove he has the
money for tuition.