Author: Tigranian Ani

FEBRUARY 19 TO BE MARKED AS BOOK PRESENTING DAY IN ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
Feb 17, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS: Hence, February 19 will be marked
as a day of book presenting in Armenia.

Head of the Armenian Writers’ Union Levon Ananian told Armenpress that
the day is symbolic as it is the day of 140th anniversary of Armenian
great poet H. Tumanian. On the initiative of the union a task group
has been set up which will in collaboration with Armenian Education
and Science and Culture Ministries and the "Book" fund hold events
dedicated to that day.

"We want to reanimate the reading which suffers a crisis nowadays
and to draw the attention of people on the books and all these we try
to encourage and restore by presenting book", – head of the Writers’
Union said.

According to L. Ananian the initiative which is being organized for
the first time will find a wide response. Enough number of literature
has already been gathered in the schools, universities and libraries
of Armenian provinces and capital for implementation of the mentioned
event.

Corresponding books have been provided by the Writers’ Union, "Zangak",
"Arevik" publications, "Bookinist" shop, the National library and
other organizations.

During the same event in February next year "The best reader pupil"
award-giving will be held.

Within the frameworks of events dedicated to the 140th anniversary
of H. Tumanian open lectures, school events and creative contests
will be organized in the Armenian secondary educational establishments.

Already officially adopted "Day of the Native Language" will this
time be marked within the frameworks of "Tumanian week" on February 21.

This is also an occasion to stress the importance of preservation
the purity of the native language for the pupils.

MIRAK FAMILY PLEDGES GIFT TO ST. STEPHEN’S ARMENIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Arlington Advocate
/education/x1658743155/Mirak-family-pledges-gift-t o-St-Stephen-s-Armenian-Elementary-School
Feb 17 2009
MA

WATERTOWN – The Mirak Family Foundation has generously pledged a
leadership gift of $200,000 to the St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary
School of Watertown. Following a meeting between Robert Mirak and Julia
Mirak Kew and school principal Houry Boyamian, the Miraks offered
to support the school’s mission to educate a second generation of
Armenian Americans.

The Mirak Family was enthusiastic about the quality of bilingual
education at the school, the low student-to-teacher ratio, the quality
of the teaching staff, and that, since 2003, the school has been
accredited by the Association of Independent Schools in New England.

Since its establishment in 1984, more than 400 students have been
educated in Armenian language and history and 177 students have
graduated from St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School. Students
in several grades score in the top 10-15 percent nationwide on the
Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills for Language and Math, and graduates
have attended prestigious universities with full scholarships and
gone on to become community leaders.

Dr. Mirak is the son of the late John and Artemis Mirak, who were
survivors of the Armenian Genocide from Arapkir. His book, "Torn
Between Two Lands: Armenians in America, 1890 to World War I" was
published by Harvard University Press. As a scholar and community
leader, he expressed the importance of preserving an Armenian identity
in the diaspora.

Mirak’s granddaughter Christina Kew attends the school, and daughter
Julia, trustee of the Mirak Family Foundation and the Armenian
Cultural Foundation, has commended the staff and school leadership for
providing a nurturing environment and helping her family preserve their
Armenian heritage. "My sister Jennifer Mirak Leach is also part of
our family foundation, and she is envious that I can send my daughter
to St. Stephen’s School," Julia confided. "I can speak for all of us
when I say our family is proud that we can help the school upgrade
its existing space, keep tuition affordable, and enhance the school’s
library so students will have access to cutting edge resources."

The Mirak Family has supported a number of charitable and education
institutions, including Arlington’s hospital, libraries and the
preservation of historic structures, the Armenia Tree Project, and
the Armenian Cultural Foundation in Arlington.

St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School is a private pre-kindergarten
through grade five school dedicated to educational excellence in an
environment rich in Armenian culture.

GERMANY’S FOREIGN MINISTER EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU ACCESSION BID

Anadolu Agency
February 16, 2009 Monday
Turkey

"TURKEY’S IMPORTANCE IN ENERGY TRANSPORATION WILL BE BETTER
ACKNOWLEDGED IN YEARS TO COME, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER STEINMEIER"
– AA headline

BERLIN (A.A) – Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier
said Turkey’s importance in energy transportation would be better
acknowledged in the years to come.

Steinmeier who delivered a speech at the lunch hosted in Berlin by
Turkish Community in Germany (TGD) said he always supported Turkey’s
accession to the EU, adding however that there were certain countries
who were rather hesitant about it.

He said Turkey ought to be given a fair chance for membership, and
all obstacles in its way should be removed.

Steinmeier said Turkey’s expectations and hopes should not be affected
by EU member countries’ negative attitude.

He said Turkey pursued a very active foreign policy and played a
mediating role in the Middle East.

Steinmeier said he appreciated Turkey’s efforts to enhance both its
own relations with Armenia and the relations between Azarbaijan and
Armenia. He said Germany’s relations with Turkey would always be good.

He said if his party, Social Democratic Party (SPD) won the elections
in September 27, Germany’s stance towards Turkey’s membership would
change.

He referred to the coalition agreement with Christlich Demokratische
Union (CDU) and said they had compromised to put a provision in the
agreement saying the accession negotiations with Turkey would be open
ended because CDU insisted so.

Steinmeier said his party supported Turkey’s full membership to the EU.

He said unemployment rates and number of people leaving the schools
without a diploma were higher among Turks in Germany compared to
Germans, adding that an education system offering equal opportunities
to everyone was needed.

Steinmeier said not just Germans but also immigrants in Germany
should see themselves as a richness for the society, noting that it
was not possible to desire an open society while closing the doors
to immigrants on the other hand.

Mediamax, Armenia
Feb 12 2009

Armenia interested in developing ties with Israel – minister

Yerevan, 12 February: Armenia is interested in developing cooperation
with Israel.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan said this at a meeting
with the newly appointed Israeli ambassador [to Armenia] (with
residence in Jerusalem), Shemi Tzur, the Mediamax news agency has
quoted the Armenian Foreign Ministry press service as saying.

The minister expressed the hope that the Israeli diplomat would
contribute to the development of relations between the two countries.

At the meeting, the two men discussed the recent Israeli parliamentary
election, the situation in the Middle East, the Karabakh conflict
settlement and prospects of Armenian-Turkish relations.

WorldNetDaily.com, OR
Feb 14 2009

FAITH UNDER FIRE: 2 more arrested in massacre of Christians

Suspects in deaths of trio killed at publishing house

Posted: February 13, 2009
11:40 pm Eastern
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Necati Aydin, Tilman Geske and Ugur Yuksel, (L to R) who were martyred
by Muslims in Turkey

Two more men have been charged in connection with the deaths of three
Christians at a publishing house in Malatya, Turkey, including a
former volunteer worker at the business, according to a new report.

WND has reported on the case since a widow of one of the slain
Christians created a tidal wave of reaction in mostly-Muslim Turkey by
expressing forgiveness for the attackers.

Five individuals earlier were named as suspects in the attack at the
Zirve Publishing Co. office in Malatya April 18, 2007. All five
already have appeared in court to answer counts stemming from the
deaths of Tilman Geske of Germany and Turkish nationals Necati Aydin
and Ugur Yuksel.

Authorities reportedly have said the three met several Muslims for a
Bible study, then were tied up, stabbed and tortured for several hours
before their throats were slit.

According to Compass Direct, which has been documenting the case, a
Turkish court in its most recent hearing charged a former volunteer
worker as well as a former journalist suspected of having ties to a
group that allegedly tried to engineer a political coup.

Compass reported the arrests added to evidence that the murders were
the result of a plan to create chaos in the nation, instead of just an
attack by so-called troubled youth.

One new suspect is Varol Bulent Aral, 32, who was accused of
instigating the murders. The report said Aral has been linked to
Ergenekon, a "ultranationalist" affiliation of leaders from various
industries, including the nation’s mafia.

Also accused was Huseyin Yelki, 34, a Turk who had volunteered for
Zirve, officials said.

Two others, Mehmet Gokce and Murset Kocadag, are suspected but not yet
arrested in the case, the report said.

Named earlier as defendants were suspected ringleader Emre Gunaydin,
Salih Guumler, Cuma Ozdemir, Hamit Ceker and Abuzer Yildirim. They
have been in jail for the past 18 months awaiting court proceedings.

The report said the Ergenekon organization previously was blamed for
murders of other high-profile Christians.

Christians, who make up less than 1 percent of the population in
Turkey, have been subjected to numerous attacks in recent years. In
2006, a Turkish teen shot to death a Roman Catholic priest as he
prayed in his church. Two other priests were attacked the same
year. Early in 2007 came the death of Armenian Christian editor Hrant
Dink.

When the publishing house attack became known, Geske’s widow, Susanne,
responded in a way that hit the front pages of the nation’s largest
newspapers.

"Oh God, forgive them for they know not what they do," she said,
echoing the words of Christ on Calvary (Luke 23.34), according to a
letter Christians in Turkey wrote to the worldwide church, released
through Voice of the Martyrs.

"In a country where blood-for-blood revenge is as normal as breathing,
many many reports have come to the attention of the church of how this
comment of Susanne [Geske] has changed lives," said thet letter. "One
columnist wrote of her comment, ‘She said in one sentence what 1,000
missionaries in 1,000 years could never do.’"

Titled "A letter to the Global Church from The Protestant Church of
Smyrna," the letter was publicized shortly after the slayings by Voice
of the Martyrs, the ministry organization that works with persecuted
Christians.

VOM noted that 2,000 years earlier, this location of Christians was
addressed in Rev. 2:8-11: "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna
write¦ ‘Do not fear any of those things which you are about to
suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison,
that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation 10 days. Be
faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who
has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who
overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.’"

The letter told of a Bible study planned that morning involving the
three Christians and apparently five Muslims who had been invited.

"No one knows what happened in the hearts of those men as they
listened to the gospel. Were they touched by the Holy Spirit? Were
they convicted of sin? Did they hear the gospel in their heart of
hearts? Today we only have the beginning of their story," the letter
said.

"The young men got guns, bread knives, ropes and towels ready for
their final act of service to Allah. They knew there would be a lot of
blood. They arrived in time for the Bible study, around 10 o’clock,"
the letter said. "Reportedly, after Necati read a chapter from the
Bible the assault began. The boys tied Ugur, Necati, and Tilman’s
hands and feet to chairs and as they videoed their work on their
cellphones, they tortured our brothers for almost three hours."

a=PAGE.view&pageId=88885

ISRAEL’S AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO THE PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA

armradio.am
13.02.2009 17:56

The newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of Israel to Armenia Shemi Tzur presented his credentials to the
President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. Expressing appreciation for the
level of the political dialogue between the two countries, President
Sargsyan congratulated the Ambassador on the occasion of the recent
parliamentary elections in Israel and expressed confidence that the
Armenian-Israeli relations, which have rich traditions, will continue
developing in the same spirit.

The President attached importance to the further deepening of
cooperation on different levels and in different spheres, emphasizing
the existence of all necessary conditions for it.

Shemi Tzur noted it’s a great honor for him to be Israel’s Ambassador
to Armenia and assured he would do his best for the further expansion
of cooperation between the two countries and development of ties with
the friendly Armenian people.

During the meeting the interlocutors exchanged views on the situation
in the Middle East, the negotiations on the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict and the Armenian-Turkish dialogue. Ambassador Tzur
welcomed the ongoing Armenian-Turkish dialogue and said he hopes for
normalization of relations.

Stressing the impermissibility of resolution of conflicts by force,
the interlocutors underlined that the settlement of exist ing issues
through negotiations has no alternative, while peace and stability
are the values that can do good to all peoples.

SPHERES OF INFLUENCE HAUNT ENERGY SECTOR

United Press International
Feb 11 2009

ANKARA, Turkey, Feb. 12 (UPI) — Energy cooperation with Turkey is
a priority for Moscow, but those ties depend largely on the dynamics
of the regional sphere of influence, analysts say.

Turkey is expected to be a host to a major leg of the planned
2,051-mile Nabucco pipeline that Western nations hope will ease
European dependency on Russian natural gas.

Nabucco would bring natural gas from Central Asia and the Middle East
to European markets. Russia had hoped expansions to the Blue Stream
pipeline through the Black Sea to Turkey, however, would strengthen
its energy position in the region.

Kamer Kasim, an analyst at Turkey’s Abant Izzet Baysal University,
said Moscow would back Turkish objectives in the region in exchange for
cooperation in the energy sector, Trend Capital News reported Thursday.

"Russia can support Turkey in terms of issues regarding the Caucasus
in a bid to persuade Ankara to implement the Blue Stream project,"
he said.

At stake are outstanding issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan
regarding disputes over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and historical
acrimony between Armenia and Turkey from the Armenian massacres under
the Ottoman Empire in World War I.

"If Russia chooses policy to compete with regional powers and exercise
control over the Caucasus region with help of military bases, it
means that Russia does not want Turkey-Armenia ties to normalize,"
said Kasim. "However, if Russia pursues cooperation policy in the
region, it means Russia backs normalizing Ankara-Yerevan ties."

RADIO LIBERTY (RFE/RL) BETRAYS ITS IDEALS
Hakob Tsulikian

AZG DAILY
12-02-2009

During the last few weeks, almost 20 American web sites and blogs
published Armenian journalist Anna Karapetian’s "Open Letter to
Human Rights and Freedom of Press International Organizations". The
commentary on the letter and the letter itself appeared on the
internet pages of influencial newspapers such as the New York Times
and USA Today.

Reflecting on the "Open Letter" the editor of Freemeniaonline blog
Ted Lipien says, the Armenian journalist Anna Karapetian hopes that
the Obama Administration’s plans will include the protection of the
very elementary labor rights of the foreign employees working in the
headquarters of RFE/RL, which is known as a defender of human rights
and freedom of speech. Despite the fact that RFE/RL is registered
as a private organization, it is led by the Broadcasting Board of
Governors (BBG), which is appointed by the US President and confirmed
by the Senate. Moreover, the Secretary of State is an ex officio
BBG member. This means that since January the 20th, Barak Obama’s
ideological partner Hilary Clinton has been a part of the policy
making process regarding U.S. International Broadcasting.

Anna Karapetian’s "Open Letter" has created an interest in the American
Media because, funded by the American congress, RFE/RL with a mission
to spread democratic values, is itself flagrantly viol ating those same
values by discriminating against its non-American employees. These
are mostly journalists who are invited from former Soviet Union,
former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and other target countries.

RFE/RL propagates democratic values for these undemocratic or
transitional countries with the voices of the same journalists,
who themselves have zero labor protection.

Here is what Anna Karapetian explains in her "Open Letter": "Signing
a standardized Employment Agreement "governed by the applicable laws
of the United States, the laws of the District of Columbia or the
Policies of the Company", the non-American journalists trustfully
and proudly place themselves under the protective hand of RFE/RL,
a beacon of human rights. In reality, however, they obtain about as
much legal protection as the inhabitants of Guantanamo: not in the
country of their origin, not in the host country (Czech Republic)
and not in the United States"

The management of the Radios indeed knows that from 1991 the foreigners
working for an American employer abroad are expressly, specifically
exempt from the protection provided to Americans by EEOC (Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission), and that Federal Civil Rights
Act. The 1977 District of Columbia Human Rights Act being subordinate
to US federal legislation also excludes them from protection.

Mother of three minors, Anna Karapetian only after being arbitrarily
separated from the Radios after almost 1 2 years of employment
discovered that she and more than 150 of her non-American colleagues
are exempt from the protection provided to Americans by EEOC and are
also not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, by the Equal Pay Act,
by the Disabilities Act, by the Family and Medical Leave Act.

How could RFE/RL offer such a contract, knowing that non-Americans
cannot appeal to American courts? Legally, they are able to do this
because the Czech Republic still has some regulations dating back to
the Communist era, which allow foreign companies to use foreign labor
laws if they don’t contradict the fundamentals of the "Czechoslovak
Socialist Republic".

"From such legal chaos and agreement larceny the small "tsars" of
the Radios take advantage. It appears that at Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty headquarters the non-American employees, mainly broadcasters
and editors, are as unprotected against arbitrary decisions and
discrimination as their colleagues in the countries to which the Radios
broadcast, such as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan or Azerbaijan. The methods
are different but the results are virtually the same. In RFE/RL target
countries the journalists are harassed, persecuted and forced into
silence. At the Prague main office, they are harassed and separated
from the Radios and thus forced into silence. As a result, in both
cases their listeners are barred from the familiar voices they used
to trust. RFE/RL "explains" it’s=2 0policy with the philosophy of
"employment-at-will" which more clearly in America is nick-named as
the principle of "employment-at-whim". According to that doctrine the
employer can fire anyone, anytime with no reason. The difference is
that the American employees are able to protect their rights in the
courts, while the non-Americans are denied this right. After all,
one can’t be amazed that several target states one by one started the
process of banning RFE/RL programs on their national frequencies. The
behavior of the Radios towards it’s employees in fact is being
monitored as an example by the authoritarian governments of those
countries who also act with the philosophy of "at – will or at-whim",-
comments Anna Karapetian.

The author of the commentary on Freemediaonline Ted Lipien writes
"Legal cases against RFE/RL’s employment practices have been filed
by the dismissed employees with the Czech Supreme Court, the Czech
Constitutional Court, and the European Court of Human Rights in
Strasbourg… In yet another major embarrassment for the BBG, one of
the most respected world statesmen, former Czech president and human
rights activist Vaclav Havel, promised to personally monitor the cases
of the fired employees. The PR problem created by these cases and the
damage to America’s image abroad can be traced back to the actions
of a relatively small group of unelected U.S. government official s".

The plaintiffs, two foreign female employees are suing RFE/RL for
violations of their labor, civil and human (national equality)
rights, resulting from the violation of legal sovereignty of
the Czech Republic. The conclusion is one; these legal cases are
a stamp of shame, a stigma on the history of the well respected
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which have supported democracy for
decades. Regardless of what the results of the court cases will be
the serious and substantiated charges against RFE/RL are already a
tremendous blow to the reputation and the prestige of an institution
with a glorious history.

SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ARMENIA-EU ACTION PLAN AS GUARANTEE OF NEW LEVEL OF COOPERATION
Anna Nazaryan

"Rdiolur"
12.02.2009 14:44

Secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia, President of the
Interdepartmental Commission coordinating Armenia’s cooperation with
European structures Arthur Baghdasaryn presented to the Ambassadors
of EU member states the Armenia-European Union Action Plan comprised
of 195 priorities.

Special attention was paid to the new Eastern partnership initiative
of the European Union.

"If we successfully implement the program, we will have a new level
of cooperation," Arthur Baghdasaryan said.

RICHARD GIRAGOSIAN: REVELATIONS OF THE TURKISH PRESS ABOUT SECRET NEGOTIATIONS UNDERMINE PEACE EFFORTS

Noyan Tapan

Feb 11, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The Director of the Armenian Center
for National and International Studies (ACNIS) Richard Giragosian on
February 11 issued a statement, in which he commented on the Turkish
newspaper Hurriyet’s publication, according to which Armenia and
Azerbaijan have reached a new partial agreement on Hagorno Karabakh.

Below is the comment submitted to NT by the press service of the ACNIS.

"According to an article in today’s issue of Hurriyet (Turkey),
Armenia and Azerbaijan have reached a "partial agreement" on
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The article’s author
claims that the agreement was reached by the mediation of Turkish
foreign minister Ali Babacan, and, in essence, it is a 4-provision
draft on the establishment of peace, which includes the re-opening of
roads and railways between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the deployment
of international peace-keeping forces in this region.

The publication remains unconfirmed by Armenian, Azerbaijani and
Turkish officials, and being quite sensational, it gives an occasion
for concern in terms of an unexpected breakthrough in the unresolved
Karabakh conflict.

Moreover, the unfounded publication reveals the danger that comes
from the lack of transparency of the peace establishment process and
the society’s inadequate awareness of it.

In fact, the closed and secret process of the OSCE Minsk Group’s
mediation only leads to a lack of perception and awareness, especially
as neither the Armenian government nor the Azerbaijani one have
adequately prepared their citizens for a possible peace agreement.

Meanwhile, there is not any viable alternative to the OSCE Minsk Group
– as a mediator in the Karabakh conflict. It is the only international
body empowered to conduct the mediation aimed at solution of the
Karabakh problem, and it has been engaged in delicate diplomacy for
a long time.

However, the structural flaw in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group is
the absence of a democratically elected representative of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic (NKR), which as an immediate conflict party should
be given a more direct and official role in the peace process.

It is obvious that not invloving Karabakh as an equal party in
the negotiation process causes distrust on the way of reaching the
appropriate negotiation solution in line with the minimum requirements
of security and stability.

Giving the role of the primary mediator in the Karabakh problem to
the OSCE Minsk Group also means that Turkey may have only an indirect
role in the peace establishment process. Taking into account its close
strategic relations with Azerbaijan and the undeniable diplomatic,
economic and military assistance that Turkey provides to Azerbaijan,
including the continuous blockade of Armenia, this country cannot be
perceived as a neutral mediator in the Karabakh conflict.

The lack of information on the peace process results in misinformation,
endangering the fragile negotiation process. In Armenia, this
lack deepens the misunderstanding and contributes to the deepening
indifference of the population. The Armenian government must do much
more to involve its citizens in the peace process.

It is important to mention that Azerbaijan has also failed to properly
prepare its society for possible progress in the negotiation process.

Besides, the secrecy of the negotiation process only increases the
bellicose statements of that country’s leaders and radicalizes the
internal debate of Azerbaijani society. Although the war in Georgia
in August 2008 only re-affirmed the dangers related to an unexpected
outbreak of hostilities in the region, Azerbaijani leaders continue
using the language of irresponsible bellicose statements and threats,
straining the regional security even more.

Thus the recent revelations of the Turkish press about the secret
negotiations on the Karabakh conflict only undermine the continuous
peace efforts. The most dangerous thing is that the lack of information
and transparency contributes to the spread of false rumors, strengthens
the stereotypes and emphasizes the extreme views. The failure of
all the sides to prepare their societies for the peace process and
involve them in this process is the consequence of the absence of a
balanced state governance and proper leadership."

To recap, the Head of the RA MFA Press and Information Department
Tigran Balayan refuted Hurriyet’s publication. He said that no
negotiations on the Artsakh problem have been conducted through Turkey.