Author: Tamamian Anna

RESTRAINT TO MATENADARAN DEPUTY DIRECTOR ARSHAK BANUCHIAN CHANGED

NOYAN TAPAN

JU LY 24

Stepan Voskanian, the lawyer of Arshak Banuchian, the Deputy Director
of Matenadaran, a defendant on a criminal case being examined by
the RA Special Investigation Service has introduced a petition to
the preliminary investigation body on changing the restraint, arrest
chosen to Banuchian by the restraint of signature on not leaving the
country. According to the report of the Press Service of the Special
Investigation Service, the head of the investigation group made a
decision to sustain lawyer’s petition meaning that the necessity of
keeping A.

Banuchian under arrest no longer exists.

STATEMENT OF THE UNION OF ARMENIANS IN RUSSIA

AZG Armenian Daily
24/07/2008

Armenia-Diaspora

The board of the Union of Armenians in Russia (UAR) held its meeting
under the chairmanship of Ara Abrahamian. The latter highly qualified
the call of the Armenian President to the whole nation.

The participants of the meeting expressed their gratification to the
political course of the Armenian President in the strengthening of
Armenia-Diaspora relations.

The UAR board also mentioned with gratification about the formation
of the Ministry of Diaspora in Armenia and the news on the appointment
of Hranush Hakobian to that post.

It was mentioned that from the beginning of its foundation the UAR
has invested a great deal of effort in the development of Armenian
economy and involvement of many investments, and support in the
spheres of science, education and creative unions.

Responding to the call of the RA President Ara Abrahamian proposed
addressing an appeal to the Armenian businessmen and manufacturers
to make investments in the Armenian economy.

The board of the UAR made a decision to send a letter to the UAR
regional branches in order the latter could establish relations with
the Armenian provinces for implementation of concrete programs there.

UAR President Ara Abrahamian announced that he will personally
continue to make investments in the economy of Armenia and for the
implementation of the programs he is going to invest an additional
150 mln USD.

"RUBEZH 2008" TO BE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED ON JULY 22

armradio.am
21.07.2008 14:39

Press Service of RA Ministry of Defense informs that on July 22 the
solemn opening ceremony of the "Rubezh 2008" military exercises will
take place at the House of Receptions of RA Government.

The ceremony will be followed by the joint press conference of RA
Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, Secretary General of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization Nikolay Bordyuzha and Secretary of the
National Security Council adjunct to the Presidnet of the Republic
of Armenian Arthur Baghdasaryan.

ARMENIAN LEADER CALLS FOR BETTER TIES WITH TURKEY

Reuters
Mon Jul 21, 2008

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan called on Monday for closer ties with
Turkey, 15 years after the two nations severed diplomatic relations
over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

They are also at odds over the question of whether ethnic Armenians
killed by Ottoman Turks during World War One were victims of
genocide. Armenia and Turkey broke off diplomatic links in 1993, when
Ankara closed the border and backed Azerbaijan during its war with
Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a mainly ethnic Armenian
enclave within Azerbaijan.

"The improvement of ties between Armenia and Turkey is mutually
beneficial," Sarksyan told a news conference on Monday. "I think we
should improve our relations."

"The important thing is that in relations between Armenia and Turkey
a trend is taking shape for being ready to start a healthy discussion
of the existing problems," he said.

Sarksyan said earlier this month he had invited his Turkish
counterpart, Abdullah Gul, to visit Yerevan and watch a football
match in September.

"The visit of Gul to Armenia could turn this trend into a stable and
positive movement," Sarksyan said, adding that Armenian diplomats
had recently met Turkish colleagues.

Armenian forces control the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Armenia and
Azerbaijan are involved in a long-running peace process but are still
officially at war over the mountainous area.

The tiny ex-Soviet republic of Armenia is sandwiched between Turkey
and Azerbaijan in a region that is emerging as an important transit
route for oil exports from the Caspian Sea to world markets, though
Armenia has no pipelines of its own.

Armenia also wants Turkey to recognise what it calls a systematic
genocide during World War One. Yerevan says that 1.5 million ethnic
Armenians died at the hands of Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1923.

Turkey strongly denies the accusations and says that both Christian
Armenians and Muslim Turks died in the fighting. (Reporting by Hasmik
Lazarian, writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Tim Pearce)

NALBANDIAN PRESENT ARMENIAN FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES IN WASHINGTON

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.07.2008 13:55 GMT+04:00

Currently in Washington, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
addressed The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on July 15.

The Minister touched upon the Armenian-American ties, resolution of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, security in the South Caucasus and
normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations, the RA MFA press
office told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Afterwards, he answered the questions regarding Armenia’s foreign
policy.

DC ZONING BOARD APPROVED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM OF AMERICA PLANS

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.07.2008 16:33 GMT+04:00

The Armenian Genocide Museum of America (AGMA) cleared another hurdle
on July 8 gaining approval from the District of Columbia’s Board of
Zoning Adjustment (BZA) for important design enhancements to the
historic National Bank of Washington building, which will house
the museum.

The five-member Zoning Board gave its unanimous approval to the
museum’s design plans to allow the addition of a modern structure
to support and facilitate visitor circulation through the museum’s
exhibit halls. The new structure allows space for the installation
of modern amenities, including public stairways, elevators, and a
lobby in an adjoining building, the Armenian Assembly of America
told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board, which
approved the museum project on March 27, endorsed the concept of
a complete restoration of the landmark building to its original
architectural appearance, and welcomed the proposal to keep alterations
to the historically-designated building to a minimum by locating the
required modern facilities in the new addition.

"This is an exciting project and it’s nice to see that this historic
landmark is finally being put to use," said BZA Chairperson Ruthanne
Miller. Representing the Armenian Genocide Museum of America (AGMA)
project at the BZA hearing were Gary Martinez, of Martinez and Johnson
Architecture, and Norman Glasgow, with the law firm of Holland &
Knight, who responded to technical questions regarding the zoning
application.

The Zoning Board noted that the Advisory Neighborhood Commission
(ANC), an important community-based organization whose members are
appointed by the Government of the District of Columbia, as well as
the District’s Office of Planning, had expressed their support for the
museum’s proposed building addition. The DC ANC commissioners, as an
expression of their strong endorsement of the museum project, submitted
a letter requesting that the BZA "give great weight to our advice."

"The Zoning Board’s favorable action brings the museum another
big step closer to reality," said Van Krikorian, AGMA Trustee and
Building and Operations Committee Chairman. "We are delighted by
this latest development. The schematics for the exhibit designs are
now complete. We were fortunate to have Yerevan’s Genocide Museum
Director Hayk Demoyan with us recently in Washington to consult on
the project, and we want to sincerely thank everyone who has helped
to get the museum this far so fast."

The Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial will be located at 14th and
G Streets, NW, in Washington, DC and is scheduled to open in 2010. The
five-storey historic National Bank of Washington building is slated for
complete restoration and renovation to provide some 18,000 square feet
of exhibit space highlighting the historic identity of the Armenian
people, their culture, and their perseverance in the face of adversity.

ARMENIAN NATION-WIDE MOVEMENT COLLECTS SIGNATURES TO TESTIFY AGAINST EX-PRESIDENT ROBERT KOCHARYAN AT HAGUE TRIBUNAL

Trend News Agency
July 15 2008
Azerbaijan

Nation-wide Movement headed by L. Ter-Petrosyan has initiated signature
collection to testify against ex-president Robert Kocharyan at Hague
Tribunal, reported ArmInfo.

A member of the Nation-wide Movement David Shahnazaryan said at Friday
Club that ‘Robert Kocharyan said in his recent interview to Mediamax
that it was he who ordered to fire at demonstrators on 1 March and
it was he who order to start political arrests in the country. Over
the ten years of his presidency and after it Robert Kocharyan was and
remains a factor destabilizing the country. He is guilty in crimes
against the people and humanity and his place is in a cell of Hague
prison. For this purpose, we have started collecting signatures’.

Shahnazaryan underlined that they have no task to collect a definite
number of signatures. However, he is sure that their action will
be supported both in Armenia and outside it. D. Shanazaryan was the
first to sign the relevant statement by the Movement.

ARMENIA AND U.S. SIGN PACT ON NUCLEAR SMUGGLING PREVENTION
Natalia Leshchenko

World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
July 15, 2008

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian signed an agreement to fight the smuggling of
nuclear and radioactive materials. The agreement lists 28 steps that
both sides will commit to undertake. Armenia will receive assistance
from the United States with the implementation of some, but not all,
of these measures. The assistance will complement and be coordinated
with other aid programmes currently provided for the country by the
U.S. government and its agencies.

Significance: Armenia is the fifth country with which the United States
has concluded an agreement on nuclear smuggling, the others being
Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. The agreement is part of
the Nuclear Smuggling Outreach Initiative, designed to prevent, detect,
and respond effectively to attempts to smuggle nuclear or radioactive
materials through bilateral agreements. The initiative emerged within
the U.S. presidential administration as a more flexible and tailored
alternative to multi-lateral conventions. The United States plans to
conclude bilateral agreements under the Nuclear Smuggling initiative
with around twenty further countries. For Armenia, the deal with
the United States brings not only the obvious security and material
benefits, but also adds an additional feeling of having the United
States on its side in the unceasing conflict with Azerbaijan.

US AMBASSADORIAL NOMINEE RESPONDS TO OBAMA INQUIRIES ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE POLICY

AZG Armenian Daily
15/07/2008

Armenian Genocide

ANCA Thanks Senator Obama

Senator Barack Obama has received written responses to the four written
questions he submitted to U.S. Ambassador Designate Marie Yovanovitch
as part of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s ongoing review
of her nomination to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Armenia,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)."We remain
troubled by Ambassador Yovanovitch’s evasive answers, her outright
non-responses, and her refusal, in her replies to Senator Obama and
other Senators, to offer anything approaching a reasonable or factually
supportable explanation of the reasons behind Administration’s
misguided policy on the Armenian Genocide," said Aram Hamparian,
Executive Director of the ANCA. "This being said, it appears as
though Ambassador Yovanovitch and her colleagues have learned from
the disastrous Hoagland experience and are coming to understand that
the U.S. Senate will not accept – and the Armenian American community
will never allow – an Ambassador to Armenia who denies the Armenian
Genocide."Ambassador Yovanovitch appeared as a witness before the
Committee on June 19th. During this appearance, she faced a series
of pointed questions from Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) regarding
the Bush Administration’s policy to mischaracterize the Armenian
Genocide. Afterwards, as many as eight Senators, including Senator
Menendez, submitted a series of written inquiries to the nominee.

Concerned that Senators had not been given enough time to review
Ms. Yovanovitch’s responses, with many submitted less than 24 hours
before the impending Committee vote, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
called for a delay in Senate consideration, until Senators had a
clearer picture of the nominee’s position. A Committee decision on
this posting is expected in mid-July.The ANCA has thanked Senator
Boxer for providing Senators, the Armenian American community, and
all citizens who care about ending genocide with the opportunity
to meaningfully review the responses of a public servant nominated
to fill a diplomatic posting that has been the center of national
attention since the Administration’s firing of Ambassador John Evans
over his truthful remarks on the Armenian Genocide."We compromise
our standing as a nation when we require that our Foreign Service
officers either lie or conceal the truth in the conduct of our
foreign affairs. This exercise of euphemisms and evasion in relation
to the Armenian Genocide, which everyone knows is the result of Turkish
government pressure, undermines our credibility," added Hamparian. "Our
diplomats should be sent abroad with a clear message: speak the truth
and America will stand with you."President Bush nominated Amb. Marie
L. Yovanovitch in March of this year to serve as America’s next
Ambassador to Armenia. The ANCA has spoken to Committee members
about the value of carefully questioning Amb. Yovanovitch on the
many issues she will face as the U.S. envoy in Yerevan, among them
the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey and Azerbaijan’s
ongoing blockades of Armenia, and the need for a balanced U.S. role
in helping forge a democratic and peaceful resolution to the Nagorno
Karabagh conflict.President Bush’s previous nominee as U.S. Ambassador
to Armenia, Richard Hoagland, was subject to two legislative holds
by Sen. Menendez and was ultimately withdrawn by the Administration,
following the nominee’s statements denying the Armenian Genocide. The
ANCA led the Armenian American community campaign opposing Hoagland’s
nomination, stating that a genocide denier could not serve as a
credible and effective U.S. spokesperson in Armenia.

M. JOVANOVICH REPLIES TO THE QUESTIONS

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on July 12, 2008
Armenia

Mary Jovanovich, candidate of the US Ambassador to Armenia, has replied
to the written questions of US Presidential candidate Barrack O’bama.
These questions formed part of the hearings organized by the US House
of Foreign Affairs Committee on June 19.

In response to B. O’bama’s written question concerning the Armenian
Genocide, M. Jovanovich said, `The US Government and certainly I grieve
over the mass killings, ethnic cleansings and deportations which
deprived 1.5 million Armenians of life in the final era of the
existence of the Ottoman Empire. The United States of America considers
these events as the greatest tragedy of the 20th century, `Great
Massacres’, as many Armenians are wont to say.

When remembering about that dark page of history, I deeply understand
the grief and sufferings experienced by the Armenian people in those
times and now, and I have respect for the American-Armenian community
and the Armenian people who are making all the possible efforts towards
seeing their grief and loss recognized.’