Author: Tambiyan Samvel

U.S. CALLS ON ARMENIA, TURKEY TO KEEP THE DOOR OPEN

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 23, 2010 – 11:38 AMT 06:38 GMT

U.S. Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip
Gordon has commented on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s April 22
address to the nation.

"We note President Sargsyan’s announcement that Armenia will suspend
the discussion of the protocols in its National Assembly. President
Sargsyan’s announcement makes clear that Armenia has not ended the
process but has suspended it until the Turkish side is ready to
move forward. We applaud President Sargsyan’s decision to continue
to work towards a vision of peace, stability, and reconciliation,"
Mr. Gordon said.

"We believe that the normalization process carries important benefits
for Turkey and Armenia as well as the wider Caucasus region. We
continue to urge both sides to keep the door open to pursuing efforts
at reconciliation and normalization."

ICRC VISITS ARMENIAN FAMILY IN AZERBAIJAN

APA
April 21 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku. Kamala Guliyeva – APA. Representatives of the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited the Armenian family
which escaped from Armenian to Azerbaijan on January 10, 2010, ICRC
spokeswoman in Baku Gulnaz Guliyeva told APA.

She said they visited the Armenian family on April 16 and conducted
monitoring of their detention conditions. The family sent a "Red
Cross letter" to their relatives.

Armenian citizen Yegishe Petrosovich Gevorkian, 52, his wife and
three children passed to the Azerbaijani territory on January 10, 2010.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry said that Gevorkian didn’t pay attention to
the warning of Azerbaijani border guards and passed to the territory
of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan from Yeraskh region
of Armenia. Azerbaijani soldiers reportedly opened warning shot.

Armenia said Gevorkian was convicted for 8 times for robbery,
carjacking and other crimes.

AZERBAIJANI AUTHORITIES HAVE ‘FOUND’ WHO CAST THE BLAME ON FOR MASS KILLING AT AZERBAIJAN STATE OIL ACADEMY

ArmInfo
2010-04-22 11:53:00

ArmInfo. The Azerbaijani authorities have ‘found’ who cast the blame
on for mass killing at Azerbaijan State Oil Academy. As one should
expect, the guilty person turned out to be an Armenian.

As APA reported, state prosecutor Abdulla Yusifov said in court
that the law-enforcement agencies were seeking a Georgian citizen
of ethnic Armenian origin, Mardun Gumashyan, on suspicion that he
ordered the killings in April 2009 at Azerbaijan State Oil Academy. The
prosecutor also said an international search has been announced in
respect of Gumashyan.

Public prosecutor read out the indictment at the process presided
by judge Ramella Allahverdiyeva. According to indictment, Mardun
Gumashyan, who has allegedly ordered the mass killing at Azerbaijan
Oil Academy, was born on March 6, 1951, in the village of Shulaver of
Georgia’s Marneuli region. He is married and has three sons. According
to the indictment, Gumashyan together with resident of Shulaver
village Javidan Farman oglu Amirov, residents of Dashtepe village
Nadir Shirkhan oglu Aliyev and Najaf Novruz oglu Suleymanov, as well
as Ariz Zahid oglu Gabulov agreed to commit a terrorist act in Baku
against Azerbaijanis motivated by national hatred. Having financed
the terrorist act, he allegedly promised to allocate total of $50,000
for organization and execution of the crime. He initially gave $5,000
to Farda Gadirov and had to pay the rest amount after completion of
the terrorist act, as well as agreed for Farda Gadirov to illegally
deliver arms to Azerbaijan.

Aimed at committing a terrorist act, Farda Gadirov together with
his accomplices Javidan Amirov, Nadir Aliyev and Najaf Suleymanov
practiced in shooting in ground floor of their house in the village
of Dashtep. Later, they arrived in Baku to commit the scheduled crime.

The criminals scheduled to commit a terrorist act at Azerbaijan State
Oil Academy in the center of Baku. The Academy building has no special
guard and a great number of students study there. All this met their
plan to frighten the population.

2010-04-20G. TSARUKYAN AWARDED NATIONAL PUCK HOCKEY TEAM

ARMENPRESS
APRIL 20, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS: Chairman of the Armenian National
Olympic Committee Gagik Tsarukyan received on April 19 the Armenian
National Puck Hockey Team, which lately won the silver medals of the
world championship of the "B" sub-group of the third group wrapped
up in Yerevan.

An official from the Armenian National Olympic Committee told
Armenpress that G. Tsarukyan welcomed the athletes, wished new
victories and awarded with a special cup.

The athletes and coaches of the National Team expressed gratitude
for the award and support, noted that they will get prepared for
new tournaments.

TWO MORE U.S. SENATORS BACK ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

news.am
April 19 2010
Armenia

Two more U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Amy Klobuchar joined the
group of those, backing the recognition of Armenian Genocide by the
U.S. Congress, Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) reports.

The draft resolution was introduced by the U.S. Senator Robert (Bob)
Menendez from New Jersey, urging the U.S. President to recognize
Armenian Genocide in his regular April 24 speech. Presently, the
resolution is in the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

As reported previously, on March 4, a similar resolution was adopted
by U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

US CONGRESS AND PRESIDENT HAVE RECOGNIZED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Tert.am
19.04.10

In 1975 the US Congress adopted a resolution that recognized
the Armenian Genocide, Deputy Director of the Armenian Genocide
Museum-Institute Suren Manukyan told Tert.am, explaining that though
it did not have a due response, and nor was is decisive to change
anything.

"In 1980 the US President Ronald Reagan has already used the word
‘genocide’," adding that this year the US current President Barack
Obama will probably use the term "Mets Yeghern" (great calamity)
in his April 24 commemoration speech – something he did last year
and broke his campaign pledge.

"With this regard Obama’s speech is not that important," said Manukyan,
adding that no one denies the fact of genocide. "The recognition of
genocide has a political context."

As what concerns Turkey’s approach towards the genocide Manukyan
mentioned that there has been a shift in Turkey’s strategy: Ankara
has withdrawn is strategy of denying the Genocide.

"Previously the accent was being put on the fact that the Armenian
Genocide was made up. There is no such thing now. A new provision was
put forward during the discussion at the Committee on Foreign Affairs
of the US Congress: the recognition of the Armenian Genocide will
hinder the development of normal relations between US and Turkey,"
explained Manukyan.

He also said that Turkey’s denialist policy has been beneficial for
Armenia and has had a reverse effect.

"Turkey was squandering billions but the result was that it greatly
widened the public awareness over the issue," concluded Manukyan.

Duduk player Gevorg Dabaghyan, composer Vache Sharafyan receive UNESCO awards

April 17, 2010 – 10:43 AMT 05:43 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

Armenian National Music Preservation NGO; as well as its
representatives, Duduk player Gevorg Dabaghyan and composer Vache
Sharafyan were granted UNESCO awards for their contribution to
successful implementation of Armenian Duduk Music – Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Humanity project, Armenian Culture Ministry press
service reported.

EUROPEAN BUSINESS CONGRESS TO HOLD ITS WORKING COMMITTEE’S MEETING IN YEREVAN

/ARKA/
April 16, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, April 16, /ARKA/. On April 20 Armenian capital city Yerevan
will host the meeting of the European Business Congress’ (EBC) working
committee on legislation, banks and finances, Armenia’s national gas
operator, ArmRosGazprom, told ARKA. It said also that the participants
of the gathering will discuss ways to improve management of energy
companies.

Representatives of major European gas and energy companies, financial
and banking institutions and business community will arrive in Armenia,
including senior executives of Gazprom, Overgas, Calyon Rusbank, BNP
PARIBAS, Siemens IT Solutions and Services, Deutsche Bank, Comerzbank,
Ingbank, Comita, KPMG, BDO, UBS, SIGESSE s.a., PricewaterhouseCoopers
E and others.

The EBC European Business Congress is an international non-governmental
and non-profit organization founded in December 1997 in Bonn,
Germany. It has 117 members from 23 OSCE states. Statutory bodies of
the EBC are the General Assembly, the Presiding Committee, the Board
of Directors and the Secretariat.

The President of the EBC is Alexey Miller, CEO of Gazprom.

Vice-president is Tessen von Heydebreck, Deutsche Bank AG. The
objectives of the organization are supporting the development
of economic co-operation between and in OSCE-countries, promoting
economic development in OSCE-countries and a sustainable dialogue
between politics and private business The core activity of the EBC
is to offer a platform for open discussion in the various working
committees and sub-working groups which convene approximately four
times a year.

PILGRIMAGE TO THE SOURP MAGAR MONASTERY

Gibrahayer
Nicosia 14 April

Press release from the Office of The Armenian MP Vartkes Mahdessian
– We are delighted to inform the members of our community that the
Office of the Armenian Representative is co-organising, together
with the Armenian Prelature, a pilgrimage at the site of the Sourp
Magar Monastery on Sunday 9 May 2010. This pilgrimage will be under
the supervision of the UNFICYP. We would like to ask all persons who
wish to participate in this pilgrimage, to register with the Office
of the Armenian Representative via telephone number 22-454540 by
providing the following details.

– Name/Surname, date and place of birth – European ID number or valid
passport number – Citizenship

Participation cost 10 euros. We ask that you necessarily have with
you the European ID or passport you provide us by telephone on the
day of the pilgrimage.

The bus service will depart from the Armenian Prelature at 11:00
am exactly.

The last day of registration is Friday, 30 April 2010

U.S. MAY TOUGHEN POSITION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 15, 2010 – 15:21 AMT 10:21 GMT

Member of the Republican Party of Armenia Gagik Melikyan assessed RA
President’s visit to Washington as historic.

"Armenia one again confirmed its position on urgent regional problems.

Moreover, President Sargsyan pointed out that worldwide recognition of
the Armenian Genocide and the Karabakh conflict are issues concerning
the entire Armenianhood,’ he said during a joint news conference with
ARF Dashnaktsutyun member Artsvik Minasyan.

Asked whether he expects U.S. President Barack Obama to use the term
Genocide in his April 24 statement, Mr. Melikyan said, "The U.S.

President’s 2010 address will be more rigorous than the one he made
last year. And this will be a step forward."

Mr. Minasyan said for his part that the problem can’t be resolved
with mere words. He also emphasized that Diaspora should be engaged
resolution of Armenia’s problems.

As to Armenian-Turkish protocols, he said that the Armenian authorities
should correct the blunder they made on April 23, 2009 before April
23 of the current year.