Author: Nargizian David

PRESS RELEASE
Date: May 13, 2008
Armenian National Committee of Richmond
369 Hamlet Rd, Manakin-Sabot, VA 23103
Contact: Melanie Kerneklian
Tel: 804-784-4002

RICHMOND ARMENIANS TAKE ACTION
–Community travels to Washington, DC in Commemoration of the
Armenian Genocide

Richmond, VA- On April 20, 2008, Armenian National Committee of
America, Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) Executive Director, Karine
Birazian traveled to Richmond, Virginia where she spoke to the
Armenian community on ANCA objectives and initiatives, as well as
how to become more active with the Armenian Cause.

"The excitement to have the ANCA ER Director come to Richmond was
amazing," commented Melanie Kerneklian, chairperson of the ANC of
Richmond. Kerneklian also served as the former chair of National
Organization of Republican Armenians (NORA) and currently serves as
the vice chair of the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) "Hooys"
chapter. "We had a tremendous turnout and the people were so
pleased to have so many of the issues and the mission of the ANCA
explained so well. Karine Birazian is one of the shining stars the
ANCA and the Armenians have developed. To have the dedication and
the fire to do all she does should make us all take a look at
ourselves and know we can do more."

A dinner party was held that evening by Dr. & Mrs. Murad and
Melanie Kerneklian to give an opportunity for community members to
have a more in-depth exchange with Birazian. There, Birazian also
gained insight as to genocide education initiatives undertaken by
the Armenian Education Center, a grassroots organization founded to
help teachers in the Commonwealth of Virginia gain access to
Armenian Genocide curricula. The Armenian Genocide is included in
the Virginia Department of Education’s revised Curriculum Framework
as the first major example of genocide in the 20th century and a
precursor to the Jewish Holocaust.

The following day, Birazian visited Thomas Dale High School where
she spoke to a class of students on 20th century genocide and the
ongoing genocide in Darfur.

On Wednesday, April 23rd, nearly 40 Richmond activists, among whom
close to a dozen were young teenagers, traveled to Washington, DC,
and participated in the 93rd Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide
on Capitol Hill. Activists also had an opportunity to meet with
and speak to Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA-7) to discuss foreign aid and
genocide recognition.

While serving in the Virginia House of Delegates, Rep. Cantor
cosponsored the Armenian Genocide Resolution. Against tremendous
Turkish opposition, the ANC, coupled with Rep. Cantor’s leadership,
helped pass the resolution. As a result, Virginia also introduced
the Armenian Genocide curriculum for Virginia schools.

The Armenian National Committee of America (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.
####
Photo Caption: Rep. Cantor with Armenian American activists from
the Richmond community in Washington, DC.

KARAPET RUBINIAN RELEASED

A1+
[09:02 pm] 12 May, 2008

By the instruction of the RoA Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepian
former NA Speaker Karapet Rubinian’s restraint has been replaced by
a written undertaking not to leave the place, Spokesperson for the
Procurator General Sona Truzian reports.

Karapet Rubinian was charged with attempts of "power usurpation"
and provoking mass disorders.

Agence France Presse — English
May 9, 2008 Friday 3:17 PM GMT

Football: Ararat battle back to win Armenian Cup

YEREVAN, May 9 2008

Ararat Yerevan battled back from a goal down to win the Armenian Cup
with a 2-1 defeat of city rivals Banants in the final here on Friday.

Banants’ Bulgarian striker Marko Markov opened the scoring in the 37th
minute but Ararat full back Vaagn Minasyan levelled the scores.

Brazilian forward Marcos Iselli was the hero for Ararat, scoring the
winning goal to enable his team to lift a fifth national cup.

Putin congratulates CIS Prime Ministerss on Victory Day

armradio.am
09.05.2008 13:17

Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin congratulated the Heads of
Government of the CIS member states on the occasion of the Victory Day,
Press Service of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Russian Federation
informed.

The message addressed to RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan states, in
part: `On these days we again remember the heroic efforts at the front
and the rear, which helped to smash fascism and those who shaped this
Great Victory.

We are obliged to preserve the memory of common victories that befell
our peoples in their struggle against fascism, draw lessons in order to
pass this invaluable experience of unity and concord to the coming
generations of our compatriots.’

ALL NECESSARY STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO ENSURE SOCIAL SOLIDARITY

YEREVAN, MAY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. During the May 8 meeting, the RA deputy
foreign minister Arman Kirakosian and the EU Special Representative for
South Caucasus Peter Semneby discussed the postelection developments in
Armenia. The sides underlined the necessity of taking steps in order to
ensure social solidarity and pointed out that maintaining the stability
in Armenia is a guarantee of the country’s development.

According to the RA MFA Press and Information Department, the sides
also discussed the Armenian-Turkish relations and the prospects of
solution of the Nagorno Karabakh problem.

ARMENIA PRESENTED AT TEHRAN INTERNATIONAL BOOK EXHIBITION WITH
SEPARATE PAVILION

TEHRAN, MAY 7, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. This year Armenia is
taking part in Tehran 21st International Book Exhibition. As Alik daily
reports, the Armenian pavilion is paid much attention by the visitors.

The exhibition, the opening of which took place on April 30, will work
till May 13.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenian, Azeri FMs agreed to continue Karabakh talks
07.05.2008 13:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Currently in Strasbourg, Armenia’s
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met Tuesday with
his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov, the RA
MFA press office reported.

`It was a familiarization. We exchanged views on the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process,
presented the approaches of our states and agreed to
continue talks,’ Minister Nalbandian told reporters
after the meeting.

Nalbandian and Mammadyarov will brief the Presidents
on the meeting results. Afterwards, the heads of state
will decide on further activities.

AMD 57.4 billion recovered by Armenian service for enforcement of
judicial acts

YEREVAN, May 5. /ARKA/. Armenian Justice Ministry’s service for
enforcement of judicial acts has recovered debts amounted to AMD 57.4
billion for the decade of its activity, Armenian Chief Usher Gagik
Ayvazyan said Monday at the ceremony of marking 10th anniversary of
this agency.

He said more than AMD 18 billion of the recovered amount was sent to
the state budget and 39 billion was given to legal entities and
individuals.

Ayvazyan also said 360,000 enforcement processes have been initiated
over the mentioned period, and one usher operated 300 processes.

He said ushers’ work was most heavy in Yerevan as well as in provinces
of Shirak, Lori and Armavir.

Ayvazyan said AMD 1.6 billion has been taken from unfair debtors over
four months of 2008.

This amount is 64.1% greater than that of the same period a year
earlier. AMD 506 million was put in the state budget in Jan-Apr 2008.
This result exceeds that of the same period of 2007. AMD 491.7 million
was recovered in favor of legal entities and individuals. This result
has outdone that of the previous year by 92%. ($1 ` AMD 306.82).
M.V.–0–

Armenian Economy Minister: legislative restriction of ArmenTel’s powers
not best way to settle conflict with Internet providers

2008-05-04 14:38:00

ArmInfo. Legislative restriction of ArmenTel’s powers is not the best
way to settle the conflict with Internet providers, Economy Minister
Nerses Yeritsyan said at an IT-Forum in the resort town of Tsakhkadzor
on 3 May.

He said that any restriction will lead to a relevant response by the
company and it is necessary
evaluate ‘whether we will win or lose’. He is sure that providers do
not think ‘globally’ when expressing their dissatisfaction with
ArmenTel. He assured those present that the government aims to form an
IT-society, which requires revealing and settling the key problem. It
is necessary to carefully analyze the demand and supply in the market
before making any specific decisions, the minister said. ‘Maybe it
would be reasonable for the providers to combine efforts to create an
alternative telecommunication network’, the minister said. The
government will not attract investments in creation of an alternative
network for it is the business of private companies. ‘It is already the
third or the fourth discussion in this format and no consensus has been
found so far. Unfortunately, we failed to interest either ArmenTel or
VivaCell and I think that such meetings should be continued>, N.
Yeristyan said.

The event organizers were the Union of IT Enterprises, Ministry of
Economy, and Competitive Armenian Private Sector Project (CAPS) funded
by USAID.

Panorama.am

16:04 03/05/2008

TIME OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH…

Today the international day of freedom of speech is
being celebrated. The day was celebrated in the Union
of Journalists in Armenia also. `Time of Freedom of
Speech’ prize was prepared for the journalists.

The prize was awarded to Levon Barseghyan the
president of `Asparez’ club board for protecting the
rights of the journalists during the year. `We should
always fight for the freedom of speech. Freedom of
speech is a real value for me,’ said L. Barseghyan.
According to him the prize is valuable for him but he
also mentioned that for 20 years long he is protecting
the freedom of speech.

`Today the 42% of the world population lives in a
country which does not have freedom of speech, Armenia
is in the range of those countries. Hence, it is
important for us,’ said Boris Navasardyan, the
president of the Yerevan Press Club. According to him
both people and authorities have understood that.

Note that `Time of Freedom of Speech’ prize is awarded
by Yerevan Press Club, Journalists Union of Armenia,
`Internews’ NGO and Freedom of Speech Protection
Committee in 2006. Previous years Aram Abrahamyan and
Tigran Paskevishyan were awarded by the prize.

Source: Panorama.am