Author: Tambiyan Samvel

MANY PEOPLE IN THE WORLD DO NOT KNOW ABOUT ACTIVITIES OF PROMINENT ARMENIANS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
27.07.2009 15:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Armenian biographical Center" organization in
Marseille published the book "Famous Armenians at the beginning of
21 century: a contribution into modern civilization" by the Armenian
scholar Robert Bakhchajian , RA Diaspora ministry reports.

The book was published in two languages, Armenian and English, with
a 400 copies circulation.

"Until the work on a book, I often needed in this encyclopedic
volume. Very often I regret that both in homeland and in Diaspora,
most of the Armenians, as well as foreigners are not aware of the
work of prominent contemporary Armenians ," Robert Bakhchajian said.

This book is the first volume of the book series to be distributed
in Armenia, Diaspora, and also granted to foreign libraries.

Robert Bakhchajian was born in 1957 in Gyumri. In 1979 he graduated
from the Faculty of Chemistry, Yerevan State University. Research
at the Institute of Chemical Physics, Academy of Sciences. In 1996,
continued his scientific work at the National Center for Scientific
Research of France and the University of Aix-Marseilles. The results
of his research are used by leading foreign companies in the chemical
industry.

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
Armenia Solidarity Press Release
c/o The Temple of Peace, King Edward VII Ave, Cardiff , Wales
[email protected] Tel : 0044 7718982732

One man arrested in First Joint Lobby of UK Parliament by Armenian and
Welsh activists

For the first time, Armenian and Welsh activists lobbied parliament
together on issues affecting the two nations. On monday (20th July) and
tuesday of this week,(the last two days of parliament before the summer
holidays), leaflets were given to MPs as they arrived in parliament
asking them to sign Early Motion 1588 on Restitution by Turkey for the
Genocide, in particular the return of the land on which stood over 2,000
churches until the 1915 Genocide. These Churches and monasteries were
confiscated by the modern state of Turkey in 1923 under the so-called
"Law of Abandoned Properties". Such a Law confiscating properties of
Genocide Victims, or of Victims of other Crimes against Humanity, is not
recognised by any international body.

On the same leaflet were calls for the Immigration Minister Phill Woolas
to be dismissed after the deportation of two girls who had arrived in
Heathrow on the 18th and 25th May from the Welsh community in Chbut
province, Patagonia in Argentina. They were on their way to Wales to
visit family and to improve their Welsh languyage skills

The response of passing MPs was quite poor.
Banners were also held up at the Home Office protesting at the
deportations. Welsh hymns were played on a loudspeaker from a car in
front of the Home Office, 10 Downing Street and the entrance to
parliament. The posters on the car read "HALT THE DEPORTATIONS OF WELSH
PATAGONIANS"
The director of Armenia Solidarity was stopped twice under section
44 of the prevention of terrorrism act. The police interpreted the
playing of Welsh Hymns as "an unpermitted protest". When Mr Eilian
Williams challenged the police on which crime he had committed, he was
told he would be charged with "noise pollution". Eventually, he was
arrested, handcuffed and detained for four hours. When it became that Mr
Williams had a clean record, the police allowed his release with a
£30 fine for obstructing the entrance to Parliament
This was , we believe, a worthwhile excercise in campaigning
simultaneously on two issues of concern to Welsh people and Armenians
alike. The leaflet given to passing MPs is shown below.
TWO URGENT APPEAL TO MPs

1 EDM 1588 on HISTORIC TREATMENT OF MINORITIES IN TURKEY 03.06.2009
Dismore, Andrew

Dear Sirs, Madames,
The truth of the Armenian Genocide has now been set in stone in a
beautiful National Monument in Cardiff. It has been affirmed by the
First Minister (in 2001)and Presiding Officer (in 2007)of the National
Assembly of Wales, and by the majority of Assembly Members (in 2002).
Also 200 MPs have signed EDMs affirming the truth of the Genocide of
Armenians and Assyrians at some time or other. (182 signing the EDM in
2007). Even the Turkish Prime Minister in May 2009 admitted the Ethnic
Cleansing of Turkey’s minorities. The UK government’s continued denial
of historical facts is a filthy stain on the good name of Labour Party
and Mr Brown’s Presbyterian conscience. It is interesting that all the
MPs recently tarnished in the expensess scandals were all known
denialists of the Armernian Genocide. We have good reason to believe
that Turkish bribery and pressure has been a factor in the refusal by
some MPs to stand up and be counted on the Genocide issue.

The imprtant issue now is what degree of Restitution can be obtained
dutring Turkey’s accession into the EU. The return of the the 2,000 plus
Armenian Assyrian and Syriac Churches (even though most of them are now
piles of rubble) would go a long way to heal the wounds of Armenians and
Assyrians. EDM 1588 . Whatever you wish to call the events of 1915, be
it Holocaust (as did two former Prime Ministers Lloyd George and
Churchill), New Crimes against Humanity and Civilisation ( British,
French and Rurrian governments in a joint statement in 1915,) or
Genocide (Raphael Lemkin the author of the UN Genocide Convention), the
degree of Restitution expected would not be altered by your choice of
words. I’m confident that the 182 MPs who stood up for the truth in
2007 will see this as a logical progression from the 2007 EDM

HISTORIC TREATMENT OF MINORITIES IN TURKEY
03.06.2009
Dismore, Andrew
That this House notes the statement by the Turkish Prime Minister
recognising that Turkey’s minorities have been ethnically cleansed;
calls on the Government also to recognise this fact; suggests that a
measure of restitution which could be made by the government of Turkey
to demonstrate its good intentions would be the return to the
jurisdiction of the respective Patriarchates the 2,000 Armenian,
Assyrian and Syriac churches and religious monuments which were
expropriated in 1923 by the Turkish State under the law of abandoned
properties following the events of the 1915 Genocide; and urges the
Government to make representations to Turkey to this effect.

2 We ask youto call for the Immigration Minister Mr Phill Woolas to
resign over the deportation of Welsh Patagonians

There has been widespread outrage in Wales at the deportation of Shirley
Edwards from Trevelin and Evelyn Calcabrini from Porth Madryn , both in
Chubut Provinnce in Patagonia on the 18th and 25th May respectively.
Argentine citizens are not normally required to have a visa to visit the
UK. Mr Woolas must carry the can for this and I urge you to call for his
sacking as well as to insist for compensation for the girls. They were
shabbily treated by the cruel thugs of the Border Agency and put on the
first plane back.

Now a concert in the tiny village of Nant Peris at the foot of
Snowdon has raised enough money to pay for airline tickets to bring
them back here. Many people who contributed to the fund were poor people.
The concert was our way of killing British xenophobia with Welsh
kindness. Cheques to the fund may be made payable to "Capel
Rehoboth-Cronfa Patagonia" and sent to my address below.

The reaction from everyone has been that the National Assembly for Wales
must be able to overrule the faceless officials of the Border Agency.
Wales must to some extent be able to control its own Borders

This was a crime against indigenous languages and peoples. The liberty
to welcome people to one’s home, to one’s country is a fundemental right
of nations, a right for which it is worth sacrificing and enduring
prison.

It seems that the UK government cares little for the feelings of
unimportant peoples like the Welsh and the Armenians. Turkish nationals
are treated more favourably than the Welsh Patagonians when applying for
visas and are even given free visas if they intend to start business in
the UK

———————————————— —————-
.From Wales-Armenia Solidarity,(supported by Nor Serount Cultural
Association) and the Patagonia Campaign
[email protected] Tel: 07718982732

ARMENIA TO HOST KUBOTA KARATE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
23.07.2009 21:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Kubota Karate international tournament will be held
in Armenia on July 25 and 26, bringing together 360 sportsmen from
the United States, Poland, India, Ukraine, Belarus, Iran, Georgia,
Armenia and NKR.

"It’s a brave initiative to organize such tournament in the period of
global economic crisis. Some countries could not send participants
due to the lack of financing," said Grigor Mikaelyan, president of
the RA Karate Federation.

The tournament was initiated by Soke Takayuki Kubota 10th dan
Gosoku-ryu karate, who is visiting Armenia for the first time.

CAUCASUS IS A MEETING POINT OF OPPORTUNITIES

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
24.07.2009 19:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Recently, a workshop on Turkey-Georgia relations
took place in Istanbul.

The workshop was organized by the Foundation for Political, Economic
and Social Research, or SETA, a Turkish nongovernmental organization
that researches regional, national and international issues and
proposes policy recommendations. Delegates from NGOs, universities,
government and the media attended the conference aimed at looking
more closely into the Turkish-Georgian relationship.

The Caucasus is a meeting point of opportunities, Savas Barkcin,
chief adviser to the prime minister, said, adding, "If we look at
the horizon that unites both countries, this meeting will be fruitful
and we will be able to build bridges."

During the opening speech, he emphasized Turkey’s close proximity to
the Caucasus region, a region that is, he said, at a crossroads. "When
we look at today, [the Caucasus region] is an area of global
competition in energy and security. The Caucasus region was at the
periphery of world politics, but it is now coming to the center of
world politics," Hurriyet Daily News cited Barkcin as saying.

ARMENIAN DRAMATIC THEATRE OF TBILISI TO TOUR ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
July 24, 2009

TBILISI, JULY 24, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian
Dramatic Theatre of Tbilisi will tour five Armenian cities: Yerevan,
Etchmiadzin, Artashat, Ashtarak and Charentsavan on July 26-31. Azg
daily reported, citing the press service of the RA Ministry of Culture
that the Armenian Dramatic Theatre of Tbilisi will present three plays:
Gabriel Sundukian’s "Khatabala" ("Embarrassment"), a collection of
Sayat-Nova’s works "Ashkharums Imn Dun Is", and "Desire under the Elms"
by Eugene O’Neill.

‘ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’ PROTESTERS TARGET CHEVRON

Orlando Sentinel
/orl-armenians-protest-chevron-072209,0,7687508.st ory
July 22 2009
FL

WINTER PARK – Six young men stood in the midday sun outside a Chevron
gas station in Winter Park protesting against what they see as a
wrong of history.

They were responding to a call by the Armenian Youth Federation
for U.S. Congress to pass a resolution recognizing "the Armenian
Genocide," over the killing of more than 1 million Armenians in the
early part of the last century in the territory that is now Turkey,
a U.S. Middle East ally.

They stood at the corner of Lee Road and Wymore Road in Winter Park,
holding signs with messages such as: "Pumping your dollars into
genocide denial" and "Fueling genocide denial."

Many drivers just passed them by and went straight to the pumps.

Armenian activists are reacting to a recent news report from the
Associated Press that Chevron Corp. is among multinational corporations
lobbying against a pending U.S. House of Representatives resolution,
which would call on President Barack Obama "to accurately characterize
the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians
as genocide."

BAE Systems, Inc., Goodrich Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., Raytheon
Co., and United Technologies Corp. were also named in the AP news
report as companies with strong ties to Turkey that are against the
U.S. labeling the slaughter a genocide.

The company responded saying that it supports stability in the
Middle East.

"As a major energy producer in the region, we support the integrity of
multiple energy transportation routes and a diplomatic relationship
between Turkey and Armenia. Stability along these transportation
corridors is essential to the delivery of strategic resources to global
markets," company spokesman Justin Higgs said in a statement. The
genocide resolution, he added, "would have hurt, not helped, relations
between Turkey and Armenia."

But to protesters the resolution is a matter of historic justice.

"It’s contradictory of Chevron to have their motto ‘The Chevron way’
and say that they are responsible and ethical when they are lobbying
against a human rights situation," said Raffi Mekhdjavakian, an Oviedo
resident with the Armenian youth group. "If [the genocide] is denied
it’s as if it never happened. Honestly, we just want recognition."

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates there are about 12,600 Armenians in
Florida; 1,400 of those are estimated to live in Metro Orlando.

NATIONALISTIC MOOD ALWAYS PREVAILED IN TURKEY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
22.07.2009 19:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Nationalistic mood always prevailed in Turkey. In
this context, it’s hard to discuss Armenian-Turkish rapprochement,"
Noravank Scientific Educational Center expert, turkologist Ruben
Melkonyan told a news conference in Yerevan.

"Significant part of Turkish population supports nationalistic views,
which was proved by recent elections into local government," the expert
emphasized. Ruben Melkonyan reminded that antinationalistic mood’s
predominance was the reason Ankara changed the site of return football
match between Armenian and Turkish teams from Kayseri to Bursa.

"In frontier cities of Turkey (Kars, Igdir) there are a great number
of Azeri inhabitants. In case of border opening a number of problems
could arise around the issue," the turkologist noted.

Dwelling on possibility of Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, Ruben
Melkonyan noted that Turkey will take concrete steps towards
normalization of ties with Armenia before the return match between
Armenian and Turkish football teams.

BAKU SAYS MOSCOW STEPPING UP GARABAGH SETTLEMENT EFFORTS

AssA-Irada
July 20, 2009 Monday
Azerbaijan

Some hopes were kindled for resolving the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh
conflict following a one-on-one meeting of Azerbaijani and Russian
Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Dmitry Medvedev, Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists Monday. President Aliyev,
Armenian leader Serzh Sarkisian and their Russian counterpart
held their third trilateral meeting in Moscow on Saturday,
following bilateral presidential talks on Garabagh settlement a
day earlier. Afterwards, the Azerbaijani leader met one-on-one with
President Medvedev.

Mammadyarov said the experience of the past five years shows that more
activeness is observed in the peace process. Medvedev is discussing
the pettiest details now on his own initiative, the minister said. It
is sensed that Russia is seeking to achieve advances in the conflict
settlement. Mammadyarov said the recent statement issued by the three
countries co-chairing the mediating OSCE Minsk Group in Italy indicates
that these states are interested not in retaining the status quo in
the conflict resolution, but moving the peace process forward. In the
joint statement, US President Barack Obama, France’s Nicolas Sarkozy
and Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev called on Armenian and Azerbaijani
leaders to resolve their differences and move towards a final accord
on the long-standing conflict based on the Madrid principles that were
presented to the sides in late 2007. The foreign minister emphasized
that the conflicting sides are working on the Madrid principles,
but there are matters that are already certain. It is definite that,
first, Armenians must withdraw their armed forces from the occupied
Azerbaijani districts. This is unequivocal. A relevant timetable
will be determined. Afterwards, the displaced persons are to return
to their native land and communications are to be restored. Shortly
before that, the European Union might hold a donor conference for
the restoration of communications. Mammadyarov said one of the
important issues was expanding ties between the Azerbaijani and
Armenian communities of Upper Garabagh. The status of the region
will be discussed only after all these matters have been resolved. We
had said even prior to the Moscow meeting that we need to determine
Upper Garabaghs status. Certainly, with a high-level autonomy within
Azerbaijani territory. Mammadyarov noted that the mediators are due
to pay separate visits to the region in early September and a joint
visit in late September. Until then, they will continue working on
the principles of the conflict settlement at hand. The minister said
talks on the level of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents will be
continued in three months — in October. Commenting on the interval
of several months in presidential meetings, which have intensified
of late, he said it would be wrong to consider this a break. During
this time, ties will be expanded between the Azerbaijani and Armenian
communities, Mammadyarov said. Another meeting of the communities
is planned soon. But, this time, such a meeting will take place in
a third country, he added. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked
in conflict for nearly two decades. A lengthy war ended with the
signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy
Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of
international law. Peace talks that kicked off after the hostilities
have brought little tangible result so far but are still under way.

HASMIK HARUTYUNYAN GIVES LULLABY CONCERT AT "GIVING VOICE" FESTIVAL

Noyan Tapan
July 22, 2009

The events presented here took place at the Giving Voice folk
art festival in Wroclaw, Poland, in April 2009. On April 19, the
St. Anthony Cathedral of Wroclaw, an acoustically perfect structure
from the late Middle Ages, was the setting for the first-ever concert
of traditional Armenian lullabies.

Small statues of saints looked down from above the altar and around
the church as Harutyunyan sang selections from her award-winning
"Armenian Lullabies" CD. She also sang several lullabies recently
discovered in various archival materials, including songs from Moush,
Musa Ler, and Nakhichevan.

Although Hasmik was singing a capella, her songs were intertwined with
the echoes of Norayr Kartashyan’s sring (blul), shvi, and duduk. At the
concert lullabies of Old Armenia, included those recorded by Komitas
("Akna Oror") and Mihran Toumajan ("Orim, Orim" and "Oror Jojk Em
Kapel") were resonated.

The concert program took the listeners on a journey through the
provinces of Historic Armenia, to the provinces of Taron, Vaspurakan,
Kharberd, Tigranakert, Trebizond, Cilicia (Kessab and Musa Ler),
and Eastern Armenia.

Hasmik also sang "Nazei Oror," a lullaby about the Armenian Genocide,
from the poem The Blind Ashough by Avetis Aharonian, minister and
culture figure of the Armenian republic of 1918-1921.

Near the middle of the concert, as Kartashyan played "Vardani Mor
Voghbu," a folk melody about national hero Vardan Mamikonian, on duduk,
Hasmik quietly recited the Hayr Mer (The lord’s Prayer).

During the course of the festival, Hasmik presented a series
of workshops about the Armenian lullaby and traditional Armenian
children’s songs, including several written or arranged by Komitas. She
also taught several Armenian folk dances, including the well known
Gyovend, Kochari, Ververi, Tamzara, Papouri, Shoror, and Mayroke
dances. Later, during gatherings and parties, the workshop participants
demonstrated their new skills to festival organizers and guests.

Also representing Armenia at the festival of theater and song was Mher
Navoyan, musicologist from the Komitas State Conservatory. Navoyan
lectured about Armenian monodic music, as well as conducting
discussions with Theater Zar members about the life and work of
Komitas. Theater Zar, along with the Grotowski Institute (Poland) and
the Center for Performing Research (Wales), organized the week-long
festival.

Currently, Hasmik and her brother, Aleksan Harutyunyan, are recording
an album of traditional Armenian wedding songs for Face Music,
a record company based in Switzerland, while they continue their
activities with the Shoghaken Folk Ensemble of Yerevan, Armenia.

ARMRUSGASPROM CJSC TO INCREASE VOLUME OF ABOVYAN UNDERGROUND GAS HOLDER TO 130 MILLION CUBIC METERS TILL LATE 2009

ArmInfo
2009-07-21 10:39:00

ArmInfo. ArmRusgasprom CJSC will increase the volume of the Abovyan
underground gasholder to 130 million cubic meters till late 2009, which
is by 8 million cubic meters more than in late 2008, ArmRusgasprom
CJSC reported.

As of July 1 2009, the factual volume of natural gas in the gasholder
totaled 114.7 million cubic meters. At present two new underground
reservoirs are being build. All the preparations for another to
wells have been completed. One of the four wells will be put into
temporary exploitation in winter. A total of 1.07 billion drams will
be invested in the Abovyan gasholder and infrastructures in the current
year. Nearly 275 million drams of the planned investments were used in
the first half of the year and another 50 million drams will be spent
to acquire equipment for the new wells. In addition, 380 million will
be used on planned and preventive repair inclduing 209.5 million drams
were spent as of July 1. As compared to 2004, the volume of gas held
in the reservoirs was increased 1.6 times. In 2004, the capacity of
the Abovyan gasholder did not exceed 76 million cubic meters.