Author: Tambiyan Samvel

IRNA, Iran
April 14 2005
New Armenian ambassador submits credentials to president
Tehran, April 14, IRNA
Iran-Armenia-President
New Armenian Ambassador to Iran Karen Nazarian on Thursday submitted
his credentials to President Mohammad Khatami.
President Khatami said that there are deep relations and extensive
capacity for economic cooperation between the two countries.
The president said that Iran and Armenia would cooperate in all
fields including gas, transport and energy.
Khatami said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always called for
peaceful settlement of Karabakh crisis and that the states in the
region should go ahead with development in peace and security and
co-existence.
He said that Iran is interested in Armenian development, progress and
security and is willing to cooperate with Armenia in this respect.
Nazarian said that the Yerevan government is willing to develop
cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all fields.
The ambassador said that Iran and Armenia have common views on
regional and international issues and are keen on peace and security
in the region.

Arlington Advocate, MA
April 14 2005
Film explores Armenian Genocide
Thursday, April 14, 2005
In honor of the 90th Armenian Genocide Commemoration this month,
videographer Roger Hagopian will show his film “Memories of Marash:
The Legacy of a Lost Armenian Community” on Thursday, April 21, 7
p.m. in the Community Room at the Robbins Library in Arlington.

This 70-minute video traces the ancient history of Marash,
located in present day Turkey, from ancient times through the series
of massacres committed by the Ottoman Turkish government from the
late 1800s to 1923 and the final expulsion of the Armenian community.
Marash was a cultural, religious and educational center with
Armenians maintaining most of the economy. The unique and colorful
style of Marash embroidery is a lost art as demonstrated in this
video.

While the Turks, in conspiracy with the Germans, were the
obvious perpetrators, the documentary examines the actions of the
British and French in denying the Armenians a last chance to reclaim
their homeland. Broken treaties and revised agreements were the order
of the day, with Turkey the prime beneficiary.

However, the infusion of Turkish culture with Armenian,
especially the language, music and foods is irrefutable and, as the
video shows, a few Armenians avoided the deportations and were saved
by “good Turks.”

The film consists of interviews with Genocide survivors as well
as their children and experts on Marash, which was situated in
Cilicia, the south coastal region of Asia Minor. Also included are
family and historical photographs, silent movies from post-World War
I, present day video scenes of the homeland and authentic music
provided by Professor Leon Janikian of Northeastern University.

The idea for the video originated with Hagopian’s desire to tell
a family story within the context of historical events. In the
research process, the theme of the story shifted from the plight of
his grandmother to the tale of the city itself.

“Along the way, I discovered a lost, yet vibrant way of life
that had existed prior to 1915. Whenever I make these video
presentations, I always feel like I’m bringing the story home. It’s a
story that needs to be told in order to keep history alive – and not
see it forgotten. If my emotions show, that goes along with the
experience. For me, it’s a way of presenting genealogy in a way
that’s informative, educational, and enlightening. A lot of hours and
many books went into this project. It’s a legacy I wanted to
preserve,” he said.
While the story focuses on one ethnic group, the Armenians of the
Ottoman Turkish Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century, the
theme is universal. The ethnic cleansing that occurred there was the
first genocide of modern times. Although it was well documented at
the time by soldiers, relief workers, missionaries and reporters,
this holocaust has been not been properly recognized by the United
States for fear of offending Turkey, its NATO ally.

Armenians have been put in the position of having to write
books, create films and develop high school and university Armenian
Genocide study curriculums for the purpose of imploring to the world
that an entire nation of 2.5 million was, in fact, removed from its
homeland of 3,400 years through genocide, massacres and deportations,
resulting in the death of 1.5 million people in 1915.

In 1939, prior to the invasion of Poland, World War II and the
subsequent Jewish Holocaust, Adolf Hitler met with his leading
officers and exclaimed, “Who speaks today of the extermination of the
Armenians?”

Hagopian is a film maker from Lexington. A previous work on this
topic was “Journey of an Armenian Family: The Struggle of a Nation,”
the story of his father, Hurire, a Genocide survivor. He is on the
board of directors of the Middlesex Canal Association and has
produced a documentary on the earliest major canal in America.

This film is co-sponsored by the Armenian Cultural Foundation, a
private library and museum dedicated to the preservation and
enhancement of Armenian history, culture and letters. Located at 441
Mystic St., this institution was incorporated in 1945 by Vahan
Topalian (1886-1983), a well-known Armenian book collector and by a
number of his friends and benefactors. Its current president is
Robert Mirak and the curator is Ara Ghazarian.
A question-and-answer period with the producer will conclude the
evening.

DRAFT LAW ON INVESTMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO NA BY END OF THIS YEAR
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, NOYAN TAPAN. It is envisaged that the draft law on
investments will be sunmitted to the RA National Assembly by the end
of the year. Deputy Minister of Trade and Economic Development Tigran
Davtian stated at the April 12 press conference that the sphere is
currently regulated by the law on foreign investments which was
adopted in 1994 and has created the most favorable conditions for
foreign investors with the aim of encouraging a steady flow of foreign
capital. The deputy minister indicated that the draft law envisages
establishing equal conditions for foreign and local investors without
any tax concessions. T. Davtian noted that local investments now make
quite a considerable amount, and discriminatory practices with respect
to investors should be abolished. Addressing the Law on Profit Tax,
T. Davtian noted that the tax concession stipulated by the law,
according to which foreign investors are exempt from profit tax in
case of making investments of over 500 mln drams (about 1.1 mln USD),
will be in effect until 2007. By that time the transitional period
will have been over in Armenia, with the economy functioning
naturally. It was stated that although the World Bank assessed Armenia
as a “low average income country”, the work in international
organizations will continue to improve the country’s status. In an
effort to make this work more efficient, the RA government made a
decision for Armenia to have its representatives in Europe, Russia,
the US and the World Trade Organization. In addition, negotiations
with the European Union are underway with the purpose of recognizing
Armenia as a country with a market economy.

Armenian leader calls for constructive opposition
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
11 Apr 05
[Presenter] Not a single state structure in Armenia has ever made
territorial claims to Turkey. In our foreign policy our aim is to
achieve the international recognition of the Armenian genocide. After
achieving the goal we shall analyse the legal consequences, Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan told a meeting with students of Yerevan
State University’s economy department today.
The economists showed interest in the country’s future economic and
social development. Robert Kocharyan welcomed improvements in the tax
and custom systems and also talked about ways of resolving
shortcomings in the health, education and social spheres.
They also talked about the Karabakh problem. The president said again
that Armenia will never be the first to start war. The Armenian side
has no plans to solve the problem through war.
[Passage omitted: the president speaking about positive dynamics of
stable economic development in the republic]
Speaking about the opposition, the president said.
[Robert Kocharyan, captioned] I would like to urge our opposition
activists to rid themselves of a complex about failing to stage a
revolution. We often read in the press that our opposition is very
weak and bad. It has failed not because it is working badly but simply
because the authorities in our country are working more effectively
and better.
Revolutions mainly happen during elections and the weakness of the
authorities is then obvious. For example, in Georgia people had not
been paid pensions for years and the economic situation in Kyrgyzstan
was very similar. In these countries there was a generational change
with younger and more dynamic leaders replacing Soviet leaders. This
kind of generational change happened in Armenia twice, in 1991 and
1998. Let us look at who came to power in Georgia, Ukraine and
Kyrgyzstan several years ago. They all held responsible posts but had
resigned and joined the opposition because of their aspiration for
more active reforms.
Unfortunately, it is very painful that our opposition does not take
part in the parliament’s sessions. It could have expressed their
opinions via news conferences. But members of the opposition say
nothing. The reason is that in order to express their views on the
subject you must know what you are talking about and have some
experience.
What I said does not apply to every opposition activist.

A1plus
| 19:49:16 | 11-04-2005 | Politics |
NATO IN THE CENTER OF ATTENTION
For the coming 2 days the issues of cooperation with NATO will be discussed
in Armenia.
A seminar will be organized on April 12-14 to support the Republic of
Armenia as it develops its NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP).
An IPAP for a particular country outlines the general objectives and
timelines for its future activities within the framework of cooperation with
NATO.
Scholars and experts from the Marshall Center will work with representatives
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and other
ministries that will be involved in IPAP activities on the process of
developing an IPAP, and a discussion of what effects it will have on the
various ministries.
The Marshall Center delegation will be headed by Major General (retired) Dr.
Horst Schmalfeld, German Deputy Director of the George C. Marshall European
Center for Security Studies. The Marshall Center is located in
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Le Figaro, France
08 avril 2005
Jean-Jacques Varoujean, un Français d’Arménie; Disparition
par Marion Thébaud
L’auteur dramatique Jean-Jacques Varoujean est décédé, samedi à
Paris, des suites d’un arrêt cardiaque, à l’ge de 78 ans. Arménien
d’origine, Jean-Jacques Varoujean, de son vrai nom
Varoujean-Ouzounian, a construit son oeuvre sur la tragédie qui a
blessé son peuple, perte d’un pays et génocide. Sa mère rescapée des
massacres et son père, comédien, s’installent à Marseille. Initié
très jeune au thétre, Jean-Jacques Varoujean fut dans les années 50
régisseur, assistant à la Michodière auprès de Pierre Fresnay. Puis
il vécut de sa plume en tant que journaliste avant de signer une
première pièce en 1957, Concerto, jouée à l’ OEuvre. Une expérience
qui aura des suites tardives. Il faut attendre 1972 pour qu’une autre
pièce soit créée, Heureusement ce n’est pas tous les jours dimanche,
et qu’il ne cesse d’être joué. Il est à l’affiche du Petit Odéon où
de jeunes comédiens prometteurs, Isabelle Huppert, Jacques Villeret,
Pierre Romans, Emmanuel Dechartre, créent Viendra-t-il un autre été ?
sous la direction de Jacques Spiesser. Citons encore La Caverne
d’Abdullah au Poche Montparnasse, De qui sont-ce les manches ? au
Petit Odéon avec Jacqueline Gauthier et Dominique Paturel, Façades au
Lucernaire, 1915 au Fontaine, Cendre rouge à la Cité universitaire…
S’inspirant de faits divers, il signe Chacun pleure son Garabed,
créée à Saint-Etienne, reprise au Thétre de l’Est parisien (TEP), un
titre en rapport avec l’Arménie. « En arménien, c’est une expression
pour dire que tout le monde a son malheur à pleurer.
Si ma tête est en France, mon coeur demeure en Arménie, dans cette
Arménie qui est en train de crever », nous disait-il lors d’un
entretien. Arménien dans l’me, il affirmait néanmoins être «
antinationaliste », mais souhaitait que justice soit rendue à la
nation arménienne.

Azad-Hye, Dubai
April 8 2005
UAE Armenians: Abu Dhabi Armenians plan to jointly commemorate the
Genocide
For the first time in many years the Armenians of Abu Dhabi have
agreed on a united program for Genocide commemoration, involving the
Embassy, the Council of Armenian Community and the Armenian Cultural
Association. This year coincides with the 90th Anniversary of the
Genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks.
Thus on Sunday, 24th April 2005, at 8:00 pm, Armenian Genocide
Commemoration will take place in St. Andrew’s Church Hall, in Abu
Dhabi Church Area.
Mr. Aghvan Vartanian (specially invited from Armenia) will deliver a
lecture, analyzing the event that led to the planning of the first
genocide of the 20th century, which is still waiting for formal
recognition from the perpetuating Turkish authorities and their
modern-day heirs.
The National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, under the baton of Maestro
Aram Gharabekian, as well as the students of the Armenian Community
Weekly School will present a cultural program.
On the Same day (from 11:00 am until 17:30 pm), the Embassy of
Armenia in Abu Dhabi would be opening a condolences book for the
memory of the one million and half victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Armenians and foreigners are invited to record their thoughts on this
significant event in the modern Armenian history.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Campaigning for emptiness
Yerkir/arm
8 April 05
Judging from their actions, the Armenian followers of David Philips,
the godfather of the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission
(TARC), have decided to use the occasion of the Armenian Genocide’s
90th anniversary to promote their idol’s ideas.
This time, however, the main theme was not the glorification of the
notorious TARC, but the “presentation” of the American opportunist’s
book released recently. The book, in turn, is more an excuse for the
failed project rather than a description of the “mediators'”
activities.
Philips, who by the way, had promised some officials of the US State
Department that he would succeed in “reconciliation,” today is seeking
who to blame in Armenia in the person of the Armenian leadership and
especially in the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF).
The author — as well as his promoters from the certain Armenian
circles — cannot/do not want to realize that such reconciliation
commissions will fail no matter what even without any “outside”
interference or “obstacles,” simply because the Turkish side will not
accept any form of the Armenian Genocide recognition, without which it
makes no sense to speak of reconciliation.
And this is true not only in case of this commission but also in cases
of all other groups to be formed under instructions and with a goal to
carry out instructions. It would be great if everybody could
comprehend this, including those who genuinely support the idea of
establishing normal relations, and the Turks.
And if some of us do not realize this, and are looking for an occasion
to voice their political principles, then they have a problem with
their brains, souls and hearts being empty.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AGBU Press Office
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Fax 212.319.6507
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 7, 2005
WINTER WONDERLAND GREETS AGBU YOUNG PROFESSIONALS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Record Snow Makes for Great Skiing, Great Socializing
South Lake Tahoe, CA – The South Lake Tahoe region recorded one of
the snowiest winters in recent memory the weekend of March 18th,
2005; however, nearly two feet of snow didn’t stop ABGU Young
Professionals of Northern California (YPNC) from making the most of
its Tahoe Trip. This year was the 7th excursion Northern California
Young Professionals have made in what has become an annual tradition
of skiing, socializing, and serious fun.
More than 30 alpine enthusiasts made the 4-hour journey to South
Lake Tahoe where the freshly fallen powder made for ideal skiing and
boarding conditions at Sierra Ski Ranch. By all accounts, the 2005
Tahoe Weekend was an overwhelming success.
“Like YPNC’s Winter Gala, the Tahoe Weekend has become an annual
tradition for the Young Professionals of Northern California,” said
Ed Minasian, the new YPNC Chair. “For those that couldn’t make this
year’s trip, it’s not too soon to look forward to the 2006 excursion.”
AGBU YPNC preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage
by adding dimensions to the lives of young professional Armenians
through educational, cultural, social, and humanitarian programs. To
view pictures from the Tahoe Weekend, please visit the photo gallery
on For more information on AGBU YPNC, please contact
Armen Najarian at [email protected].

LITHUANIA DEFENSE MINISTER LAID WREATH TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL
07.04.2005 04:19
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Lithuanian delegation headed by National
Defense Minister Gediminas Kirkilas today visited the Tsitsernakaberd
Memorial of Victims of the Armenian Genocide and laid a wreath to the
monument. Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsian and supreme officer
staff of the Armenian Armed Forces accompanied the Lithuanian guests.