Author: Tadevosian Garnik

Republican Party and Prospering Armenia confirm fact of clash between their
representatives

Arminfo
2007-03-19 16:03:00

The press secretary of Republican Party of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov says
that the recent incident between young members of Republican Party and
Prospering Armenia was an ordinary quarrel and had no political implications.

The press secretary of Prospering Armenia Bagdasar Mheryan also says that it
was an ordinary quarrel. Such things often happen between young people.
Politics have nothing to do here, he says.

Surveillance cameras to be placed in Yerevan streets shortly

Arminfo
2007-03-19 16:16:00

Surveillance cameras will be placed in Yerevan streets shortly, says
the head of the Yerevan police department, Maj. Gen. Nerses Nazaryan.

He does not agree with the opinion that there are no more traffic
policemen in the streets. They continue their work and approach only
cars that have committed violations or have not been properly
parked. "We are used to see traffic police posts in the streets but I
think that the present practice is much more effective," says
Nazaryan. He notes that the traffic police have lots of vacancies and
as soon as they are filled they will become even more efficient.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Turkish lawyer threatens to submit charges against Dutch official
16.03.2007 14:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz threatens to submit
charges against Nebahat Albayrak, Secretary of State of the Dutch
Justice Ministry. He warns the Secretary of State that she may not
offend her native country. According to the nationalist lawyer best
thing to do for Albayrak is to hand in her Turkish passport, because
she is a member of a government that condemns the Armenian Genocide.
Kerincsiz said so in the Dutch news program `Een Vandaag’. The threat
of a charge coincides with the discussion in the Netherlands about the
double nationality issue.

As PanARMENIAN.Net came to know from the Federation of Armenian
Organizations of the Netherlands, beside Dutch nationality Secretary
of State Albayrak has also a Turkish passport. In a response through
her spokesman she said she will wait and see if she will be really
charged.

In the past Kerincsiz has already started actions against Turkish
writer Orhan Pamuk and ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was
assassinated last January. In the case of Dink the charge led to a
condemnation, while the Istanbul court cancelled the case against
Pamuk under international pressure.

The lawyer calls upon the controversial article 301 of the Turkish
Criminal Code, which makes insult of the Turkish identity
punishable. Albayrak being a member of Dutch Parliament in 2004
supported a motion, which called for recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. That request was passed unanimously and was also taken over
by the Dutch government.

IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE TO BE PUT INTO OPERATION ON MARCH 19

Noyan Tapan
Mar 15 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The Iran-Armenia gas pipeline will
be put into operation on March 19 with the participation of the
presidents of the Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of
Iran. NT correspondent was informed about it by Sahak Abrahamian,
Director of High-Voltage Electric Networks company.

RA FM: CLOSED ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER DOES NOT ALLOW ARMENIANS AND TURKS TO BUILD COMMON FUTURE

Arminfo
2007-03-15 13:18:00

The denial of the rights of Turkey’s citizens for a free discussion of
their past with the Armenians is a result of the Turkish authorities’
policy, while the closed Armenian-Turkish border does not allow the
Armenians and the Turks to build a common future, RA Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan said at the session of the UN Committee on Human
Rights in Geneva.

As the RA FM’s press-service told ArmInfo, the Minister has reminded
in his speech about the murder of the Editor-in- Chief of the "Agos"
Istanbul newspaper Hrant Dink by the Turkish nationalists. According
to V. Oskanyan, Hrant Dink had two mission in his life, that is, to
break the taboo, available in the Turkish society and to lay the basis
of dialogue between the Armenians and the Turks for achievement of
mutual understanding and reconciliation. "That is in fact what we want
today. There should be an open society in Turkey for the Turkish people
to be able to freely discuss its past. The borders should be open as
well for the peoples to establish the contacts. This is the only way
for us to overcome the discrepancies and achieve a reconciliation",
RA Foreign Minister said.

MOST EMBRACING SHOW OF ARMENIAN FILMS TO BE ORGANIZED THIS YEAR IN FRANCE

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 15 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 15, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A week of Armenian
films entitled "Armenian Cinematography from 1920 to Our Days" will be
held on March 14-20 in the city of Isi le Moulinai, France. Armenian
artists, directors and film critics will participate in the "Armenian
Pictures" show almost at the same time in Desine.

As Gevorg Gevorgian, the Director of the National Film Center of
Armenia informed the Noyan Tapan correspondent, the most embracing show
of films of directors of the Armenian origin will be organized this
year in France, within the framework of events of the year of Armenia.

15-day show and discussions of Armenian films will be held from April
23 to May 6 in Saint Chamond. Frederick Balekjian’s "Bad Players" and
Robert Gedikian’s "Travelling to Armenia," "Money Brings Happiness"
films will be presented to the French spectator during the film
shows. Show of Armenian young directors’ films will be held in Vanve
on May 9-15. Frunze Dovlatian’s, Albert Mkrtchian’s, Anry Vernoy’s,
Robert Gedikian’s and Atom Egoyan’s films will be shown in the Paris
"Archipel" cinema in the middle of May.

Besides, films of film directors of the Armenian origin will
participate this year in the Cannes and Venice international film
festivals as well. The Director of the National Film Center mentioned
that works are still done in the sense of choice of films.

The Armenian cinematography will later be presented in Germany as well,
and it will be presented in Argentina in autumn.

ROBERT WEXLER: U.S. CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2007 21:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The logistic support to the U.S. soldiers in
Iraq is carried out via Turkey. We need Turkey’s support more than
we did in the past and we should not lose Turkey," Robert Wexler,
the co-chairman of the Turkish group of the Congress said.

He stressed, "The USA did not even take the first step for keeping
our promises to Turkey". Wexler noted that the Armenian Genocide bill
will not be accepted in the U.S. Congress.

ARMENIA’S DEFENCE MINISTRY DENIES THE INFORMATION OF AZERI MEDIA ON BRAKING THE CEASE-FIRE

Arminfo
2007-03-14 19:26:00

The Ministry of Defence denied the information spread by Azeri Mass
Media on that the cease-fire was broken by Armenian side.

"This does not correspond to the reality," Seyran Shakhsuvaryan,
Spokesman of MOD, told ArmInfo correspondent.

Azeri Agency APA reported that in the result of the broken cease-fire,
in Myazyam village of Gazakh region, an Azeri militaryman gor wounded
in his hand.

However, the Azeri Ministry of Defence denies the information. Ramiz
Melikov, Spokesman of Azeri MOD, said that he was not informed
about it.

It can be a regular attempt to explain wounds of an Azeri soldier by
assigning breaking of the cease-fire to Armenians.

It was planed to hold OSCE monitoring at the contact line of Armenian
and Azeri armed forces in Gazakh-Ijevan region today. However, there
is no information on the monitoring yet.

TURKEY PROMISES CONTINUATION OF ARMENIA’S BLOCKADE

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.03.2007 17:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ If the U.S. Congress recognized massacre of Armenians
in Ottoman Empire in 1915 as genocide, it will damage the U.S.-Turkey
relations and ensure continuation of Armenia’s blockade, said Mehmet
Dulger, a member of the Turkish National Assembly and Chairman of
the Foreign Affairs Committee, reports Reuters. "The economy of the
region is awakening while Armenia is staying aside," the deputy said
adding that an oil pipeline, gas pipeline and abuilding railroad
bypass Armenia.

Despite the efforts of the Turkish side targeted against the adoption
of the Armenian Genocide resolution Dulger is pessimistic about
the issue. He thinks that resolution will be passed thanks to the
support of Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
reports RFE/RL.

THE BLOW IS STRONG WHEN THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS CONDEMNED BY THE STRONGEST WORLD POWERS

ArmRadio.am
13.03.2007 17:58

Speaking about the future of the Armenian resolution in the US House
of Representatives at today’s press conference, Chairman of the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Aram Hamparian again
expressed the optimism of the Armenian community about the adoption
of the bill. Despite the activeness of Turkey, the threats of this
country never turn real. It’s enough to remember Turkey’s threat to
cut the economic ties with the United States.

As for the resolution condemning the assassination of Hrant Dink,
Aram Hamparian says that after the delay of consideration of the
resolution in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, an attempt may
be made to expel the word genocide from the document, but American
Armenian organizations will struggle against it.

If the US Congress adopts the resolution denouncing the Armenian
Genocide, this will be the third similar document. What is the
importance of the third document? Armenian-Turkish relations are
the issue of not only the past but also the future, Aram Hamparian
responds.

"For our people the recognition of the Armenian Genocide is a moral
and security issue. Unless the Genocide is recognized, life in Armenia
cannot be safe. It’s hard to change Turkey from inside, we must change
Turkey’s position from the outside," Aram Hamparian states, adding
that the aim of adoption of another bill on the Armenian Genocide is
to promote the isolation of Turkey from the outside world. "The blow
is strong when the Armenian Genocide is condemned by the strongest
world powers."