Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
November 11, 2006 Saturday
FIRST EDITION
DIGEST
50th anniversary at Armenian church
Holy Virgin Mary and Shoghagat Armenian Church in Swansea will
celebrate its 50th anniversary today and Sunday.
Events include a welcome reception this evening and the Divine
Liturgy Mass on Sunday featuring Archbishop Khajag Barsamian,
primate, Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern),
followed by a banquet at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Fairview
Heights.
For more information, contact Zabelle Vartanian at 618-398-4302 or
[email protected].

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 10 2006
Georgian scientists appeal to President Saakashvili
[ 10 Nov. 2006 12:27 ]
60 Georgian scientists declared that Armenians commit genocide
against Georgians, APA East European bureau reports.
Georgia National Assembly appealed to Georgia president Mikhail
Saakashvili and asked to recognize the genocide committed by
Armenians. The appeal says that Armenian military unit Bagramyan
fought together with Abkhazians against Georgian army in 1993 and
killed Georgians living in Abkhazia.
`There was any Armenian in Chavakhetiya region before that Tzar
Russia replaced Armenians in this region. But today Chvakhetiya is
shown as a part of Armenia. Armenians destroyed some Georgian
monuments in the region. All these are their systematic work and
should be recognized as Georgian genocide.’
Abkhazian parliamentarian in exile Akaki Gasviani stressed that
Armenians had great role in Abkhazian separatist regime. /APA/

Regnum, Russia
Nov 10 2006
Session of parliaments’ speakers of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and
Russia to be carried out in St. Petersburg
Shortly before summit of CIS state heads to be held on November 27 in
Minsk, a CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly session will be held on
November 15-17, 2006, at the Tavrichesky Palace; on November 9, CIS
IPA Council Secretary Mikhail Krotov stated to the press in St.
Petersburg. According to Krotov, perfection and reform of the CIS,
15th anniversary of its foundation, prospects and outcomes of
cooperation in frames of the commonwealth are supposed to be
discussed at the session. Several documents, particularly eight laws
on security, recommendations on problems of migration, several
important legal documents, including environmental, water, and
educational codices are planned to be adopted.
`We expect good attendance, all parliaments including Georgia’s one
will be presented. Attendance of Kyrgyzstan is questionable now;
however I hope that adopted historical solution will defuse situation
in the country, and new parliament’s speaker will be able to attend
the session,’ Krotov stressed adding that Afghan delegation will
participate in the assembly for the first time.
Outcomes of elections to Azerbaijani Majilis, Tajikistan elections
are planned to be discussed during the session of CIS IPA Council to
be held on November 16. Additionally, shortly before summit in Minsk
parliaments’ speakers will discuss possibility of parliament’s
participation in realization of Collective Security Treaty
Organization’s decisions and establishing the CSTO Assembly in frames
of the IPA. Also, sitting of `Caucasian four’ – parliaments’ speakers
of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and Russia will be held on November
16 in frames of the assembly. `The meeting will be carried out behind
closed doors in order to discuss acute problems of cooperation,’
Krotov stressed.

ARMENIAN GOVT. OFFERS 10% IN ARMENTEL TO RUSSIA’S VIMPELCOM
TREND< Azerbaijan Nov 8 2006 (RIA Novosti) - Armenia will sell VimpelCom [RTS: VIMP] the remaining 10% in one of the country's two telecom companies on condition it abandons further expansion plans, a minister said Wednesday. The Armenian government has offered its stake in Armentel to VimpelCom, which has already closed a deal to buy the other 90% from Greek telecom group Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA (OTE) for 341.9 million euros ($434.5 million), Communications Minister Andranik Manukyan said, reports Trend. VimpelCom, which outpaced the Russian mobile market leader MTS [RTS: MTSS] at the tender to buy 40% of the Armenian cellular telecommunications market, undertakes to pay the Armenian company's liabilities of about 40 million euros ($51 million). The deal is to be closed by the end of 2006, VimpelCom said in a news release. Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA (OTE) purchased Armentel in 1997 for $142.5 million and has since invested $300 million in the company, whose earnings in 2005 stood at 110 million euros ($140 million). Armentel has about 600,000 fixed-line and 400,000 mobile service subscribers, and operates in the GSM 900 and CDMA standards.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Father Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES
MINISTER OF CULTURE TAREK MITRI
His Holiness Aram I received the Lebanese Minister of Culture, Dr. Tarek
Mitri, in the Antelias headquarters of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, on
Monday 6 November 2006. The official meeting later extended to a joint
lunch.
His Holiness Aram I and the Lebanese official focused mainly on the internal
situation in Lebanon, particularly in light of the recent internal and
regional developments, on which the minister briefed His Holiness.
Talks were also held on the inter-religious dialogue to be held in Antelias
next week under the auspices and organization of the Catholicosate of
Cilicia. Minister Mitri will participate in this dialogue and address the
meeting.
The Catholicos highlighted the importance of emphasizing cultural heritage
and suggested that Lebanon, with its unique role in the Arab world with
respect to showing interest in such heritage, invest new liveliness in this
field.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

KAZAKHSTAN, ARMENIA SIGN COOPERATION ACCORDS
Kazakhstan Today news agency website, Almaty
Nov 6 2006
Astana, 6 November: Several bilateral agreements were signed following
talks between Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan which took place in both narrow and expanded
formats in Astana today, the agency’s correspondent has reported.
In particular, an intergovernmental accord on mutual visits of citizens
was signed by Kazakh Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev and Armenian
Deputy Foreign Minister Gegam Garibdzhanyan.
A convention on avoiding double taxation and preventing income and
property tax evasion was also signed following the talks. The document
was signed by Kazakh Finance Minister Natalya Korzhova and Armenian
Trade and Economic Development Minister Karen Chshmarityan.
An intergovernmental accord on international transport communications
was signed by Kazakh Transport and Communications Minister Serik
Akhmetov and Armenian Trade and Economic Development Minister Karen
Chshmarityan.

ARMENIA LIKELY TO JOIN EURASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
Noyan Tapan
Nov 04 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. It is likely that Armenia will join
the Eurasian Development Bank (EDP), Chairman of the Central Bank of
Armenia (CBA) Tigran Sargsian stated this on November 3. According to
him, the issue of joining the EDP will be discussed by the Armenian
government. “We received an official letter of the EDP Chairman, the
Armenian government will discuss this issue and make a decision,”
he said. The Eurasian Development Bank was founded by Kazakhstan
and Russia in early 2006. Its authorized capital makes 1.5 billion
US dollars.

Armenia Fund USA, Inc.
152 Madison Ave, S-803
New York, NY 10016, U.S.A.
T/1-212-689-5307
F/1-212-689-5317
E-mail: [email protected]
Armenia Fund USA’s Agricultural Initiative
Creates Jobs in War-Torn Villages of Karabakh
NEW YORK, New York – 18 villages that make up the Mardakert region of
Nagorno-Karabakh are among the first communities to benefit from the opening
of an agricultural cooperative for subsistence farmers established this
summer within Armenia Fund USA’s Agricultural Initiative. The official
opening of the facilities was on September 23, 2006. About 900 farming
households will have access to badly needed mechanized services and
technical advice from US agricultural experts. This would represent a
significant portion of Mardakert’s population. The project, which is part of
the Regional Development of Nagorno-Karabakh, aims at combating rural
poverty by raising the average family income through improved agricultural
practices and technical assistance. More than this, 30 families are
currently benefiting from a pilot 3-year community development program
co-managed by Armenia Fund USA and Heifer International. The pilot program
will provide seeds, fertilizers, cows and technical assistance in animal
husbandry. Armenia Fund USA and its international affiliates are also
constructing 8 schools, a hospital, and a major water-pipeline in the
Mardakert region.
Armenia Fund USA’s Regional Development Program, launched last year, is an
integrated approach to rural poverty eradication in the war-torn villages.
It focuses on sustainability and continuity of development, combining local
expertise and need assessment of rural communities. The project encompasses
all key aspects of socio-economic development – access to education, proper
healthcare, and clean water, as well as sustainable infrastructure to
support irrigation water systems, roads and agricultural development.
Armenia Fund USA, with its international affiliates, has had a strong and
measurable impact on the development of Karabakh and Armenia since
independence. The organization remains the largest contributor to
socio-economic infrastructure projects there since 1992, having invested
more than $150 million in large-scale infrastructure.
ABOUT ARMENIA FUND USA, founded in 1992, was one of the first of Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund’s 19 international affiliates and serves constituents in
all states east of the Mississippi. As a non-profit, non-governmental,
nonsectarian organization, the Fund represents all Armenian constituents.
Armenia Fund USA is the largest contributor among the 19 international
affiliates – supporting strategic infrastructure projects in Armenia and
Karabakh. The Fund has adopted a policy to go “Beyond Bricks and Mortar” to
provide sustainability for projects it sponsors.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2006
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT & MEMBERSHIP TEAM
Goal: Expand Membership, Increase Outreach
Washington, DC – Armenian Assembly Board of Trustees Members Lu Ann
Ohanian and Peter Vosbikian, Co-Chairs of the Development and Membership
Committee, are pleased to announce the recent addition of Andrew T.
Zovko and Peter Toto to the Assembly staff in Washington, DC.
Zovko, a professional fundraiser who has raised over $80 million for
Washington area non-profits, has joined the Assembly as Director of
Development. A native of Pittsburg, PA, Zovko has over 16 years
experience in a wide range of areas including direct marketing,
fundraising and grassroots activism. Prior to joining the Assembly,
Zovko led successful fundraising programs for the National Law Center on
Homelessness & Poverty, the National Family Caregivers Association,
Environmental Defense, the Wilderness Society, and Catholic Charities of
Washington, DC.
Zovko earned a master’s degree in Syriac Studies from Oxford University
in England and a bachelor’s degree in Near East Studies from Princeton
University in New Jersey. In his new role at the Assembly, he will
oversee Development efforts which have also been strengthened by the
appointment of Peter Toto as Development Associate.
Toto comes to the Assembly from Dominion Aquatics, where he served as
Director of Development. Prior to that, he spent two years as the
Development Services Coordinator with Judicial Watch, a non-partisan,
non-profit foundation established to serve as an ethical and legal
“watchdog” over U.S. government and judicial systems to promote needed
political and legal reform. He has also worked at the American Cancer
Society as a development consultant.
Toto is a 2003 graduate of Catholic University of America, where he
majored in Political Science.
“We are pleased to welcome Andrew and Peter to the Armenian Assembly and
look forward to working with them,” said Ohanian and Vosbikian. “Their
creativity, leadership and experience will prove extremely beneficial as
we promote the Armenian Assembly in communities across the country.”
“As the Assembly prepares to celebrate 35 years of serving the
Armenian-American community, I look forward to meeting and working with
our nationwide network of members and volunteers,” said Zovko. “With
their hard work and support the Assembly will continue to grow and
expand to meet the challenges ahead.”
Ohanian and Vosbikian are both longtime Assembly supporters and
previously served on the Assembly’s Board of Directors. Vosbikian also
served as Chairman of the Board of Directors from 2002 to 2004. Earlier
this year, Assembly Trustees approved the merger of the Board of
Trustees and the Board of Directors into one governing body. The merger
was part of the Assembly’s efforts to streamline the effectiveness of
the organization and hire new personnel including, Research and Analysis
Director Armen Kharazian, Finance Director Ellen Gordon, Public Affairs
Assistant Karoon Panosyan and Intern Coordinator Joseph Piatt.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership organization.
###
NR#2006-092
Editor’s Note: Photograph available on the Assembly Web site at the
following links:
2/2006-092-1.JPG
Caption: L to R: Intern Coordinator Joseph Piatt, Director of Research
and Analysis Armen Kharazian, Development Director Andy Zovko,
Executive Director Bryan Ardouny, Finance Director Ellen Gordon,
Development Associate Peter Toto and Public Affairs Assistant Karoon
Panosyan.

INFLATION IN ARMENIA HITS 2.5% IN 10 M0NTH OF 2006
RIA Novosti, Russia
November 01, 2006
YEREVAN, November 1 (RIA Novosti) – Inflation in Armenia during the
first ten months of 2006 totaled 2.5%, the national statistics service
said Wednesday.
Prices in the South Caucasus state grew by an average 0.25% per month
in January-October, compared to a 0.35% decline in same period of 2005.
Consumer prices in October gained 0.4% month-on-month.
In Armenia’s state 2006 budget, inflation is forecast at 3%.