Author: Toneyan Mark

IIHF mourns delegates
Armenian, Georgian officials killed in accident on way to congress

15-09-09 Back

The IIHF was deeply saddened by the information that delegates
from the Ice Hockey Associations of Armenia and Georgia died in a car
accident on their way to the Semi-Annual Congress in Tunis.

Karen Khachatryan (President), his wife Gayane Harutyunyan and
their son Levon Khachatryan from Armenia, and Denis Davidov
(Vice-President), Lasha Tsagareishvili (General Secretary) and his wife
Teo Berdzenishvili from Georgia drove in a jeep to Istanbul, Turkey, to
catch the flight to Tunis, Tunisia.

In the region of Erzincan in eastern Turkey, 300 km from the
border to Armenia and Georgia, the six persons were victims of a head-on
collision with a bus on Friday at 2:45am on the Erzurum-Erzincan
highway.

The International Ice Hockey Federation expresses its sincere
condolences to the families of the deceased and to the national member
associations of Armenia and Georgia.

IIHF President René Fasel:

"This horrific news was conveyed to us during our council meetings
in Tunis. We are all shocked and totally devastated by it. Our prayers
are with the families of the deceased delegates. The IIHF family is in
mourning."

TURKEY TO CHANGE ITS CURRENT POLICY ON ARMENIAN MONUMENTS?

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.09.2009 18:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The fact that Armenian monument on Turkish territory
no longer have stands bearing inscriptions on their Armenian origins
proves that they have been eliminated by Turkish nationalists,
Turkish historian, owner of Turkish Birzamanlar agency Osman Koker
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. "Turkish nationalists are in this
way attempting to prove that those territories were never populated by
Armenians. That’s their method of work," Turkish historian noted. Upon
entering Ani one can see no single inscription testifying to one-time
presence of Armenians, he added.

Nevertheless, Koker finds that country will soon change such policy
in relation to Armenians.

ELMAR GASIMOV: "THE ARMENIANS ARE A HOSPITABLE NATION"

Aysor
Sept 15 2009
Armenia

Elamr Gasimov, the representative of Azerbaijan, among the 100 w/c
took the golden medal in the European Youth Judo tournament taking
place in Karen Demirchyan stadium, Yerevan. After the awarding ceremony
Gasimov, answering the questions of the press service of the Armenian
Judo Federation, mentioned that the "Yerevan Gold" is the first in his
career and he will never forget it. "This success is a result of hard
working and trainings during which I have sometimes even felt bad. I
am impressed and inspired. Now I have to get prepared for the World
Youth championship that will take place in France. There too I would
like to become a champion. Then I will take part in the championship
of the grown ups. Any sportsman dreams about Olympiad. It is the most
important thing", – mentioned the sportsman.

Of course Gasimov couldn’t not to mention the conditions that the
Armenian side provided for the Azerbaijani delegation. "I didn’t have
the opportunity to deal with the Armenian sportsmen here, but I can
say that the Armenians are very hospitable people. We didn’t leave
the hotel, because we were concentrated on our trainings for having
excellent results. But the trainers came out and walked around the
city", – stated the newly recognized champion of Europe.

To the question, whether there would occur any problem, if there was
not signed any security guarantee between the Sport Ministries of
the two countries Gasimov answered, – "Now I think that there would
be no problem."

GEORGIA: THE WHITE HOUSE’S NEW CAUCASUS ENVOY VISITS GEORGIA

s/eav091109a.shtml
9/14/09

Washington’s new point person for diplomacy in the Caucasus and
Southern Europe, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Tina Kaidanow,
visited Tbilisi on September 14 for meetings with Georgia’s key
political players, and to get an update on the status of Georgia’s
Geneva talks with Russia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Kaidanow, a career diplomat who most recently served as US
ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo, is replacing Matthew Bryza,
the Bush administration’s longtime face in the Caucasus who
enjoyed celebrity-like status among many Georgians. After the 2008
Georgian-Russian war, however, Bryza took hits from both domestic
critics and Georgian opposition groups for having allegedly developed
personalized ties with President Mikheil Saakashvili and his close
circle of advisers.

Kaidanow, by contrast, is new to the South Caucasus. The bulk of
her career has been spent in the Balkans — Belgrade, Sarajevo and
Skopje — or in Europe-related assignments at the State Department
and National Security Council in Washington, DC, according to her
State Department biography.

CASE WAS QUASHED

s15168.html
16:47:55 – 14/09/2009

The Armenian Office of Prosecutor General quashed the case of
the representative of the ANM Gyumri office, the head of Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’ headquarter for 2008 presidential election in the
Shirak region Murad Grigoryan because of the lack of evidences.

Recall he was accused of Article 149 of the Crime Code of impeding
the works of the electoral commission on the day of the presidential
election. After being underground for more than one year, Murad
Grigoryan presented to the law enforcement bodies. In prosecutor’s
office, the case was quashed because of the lack of evidences, as
informed Grigoryan’s lawyer Varduhi Elbakyan in a conversation with
us. She expressed her doubt that this may be a political decision
as they maybe afraid of the precedents when the witnesses in other
cases refused their testimonies and the cases turned out to be false.

315 INDIVDUALS GRANTED AMNESTY IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.NET
11.09.2009 18:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As of September 11, 2009, 315 convicts (including
8 women and 3 minors) were released from Armenia’s penitentiary
institutions under NA Decision on Declaring Amnesty, RA Justice
Ministry’s press service reports.

WD Newsletter
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Western Diocese e-Newsletter

Today at 6:00 PM, ACYO (Armenian Church Youth Organization)
members will offer a special prayer for the repose of the
souls of the victims of 9/11 and in remembrance of the
tragic events that took place on this date eight years ago.
His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate,
accompanied by Diocesan Clergy, will lead the special prayer
during the first day of Senior ACYO Sports Weekend in Costa
Mesa.

The following statement was issued by the Primate on the
eighth anniversary of 9/11:
`The victims of September 11, 2001 should always be
remembered in our prayers. We cannot live a careless life.
Today we remember especially the beloved ones of the victims
of 9/11 who continue to suffer for their great loss during
that tragic day. `If one member suffers, all suffer
together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together’
(1 Corinthians 12: 26). These words of Apostle Paul apply to
us all. We pray for peace in the world, for people who
suffer in wars, for children who are deprived from food and
live in dreadful poverty, but above all we pray for the
protection of America, as a beacon of hope and freedom to
the world.’

The Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North
America, providing spiritual guidance and leadership to the
Armenian Apostolic community, is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit,
tax-exempt organization comprised of more than 50 churches
in 16 western states. It was established in 1898 as the
Diocese of the Armenian Church encompassing the entire
United States and Canada. In 1927 the Western Diocese was
formed to exclusivly serve the western United States.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Karine Abalyan
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

September 11, 2009

___________________________________

ARCHBIS HOP AYKAZIAN REPRESENTS THE ARMENIAN CHURCH AT WORLD COUNCIL OF
CHURCHES MEETINGS

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, legate of the Eastern Diocese and President of
the National Council of Churches, took part in a series of meetings with the
World Council of Churches from August 23 to September 3. The meetings
involving Christian leaders from around the world convened at the WCC’s
world headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The sessions began with the meeting of the Executive Committee from August
23 to August 25. The committee discussed the election of the World Council
of Churches General Secretary as well as other issues and topics that would
be brought to the floor during the subsequent Central Committee meeting.

Accompanying Archbishop Aykazian to the WCC Central Committee meeting from
August 26 to September 2 was Yn. Paula Devejian, Internet Development
director at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The Central Committee elected a new General Secretary for the World Council
of Churches: Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, who has served as the General
Secretary of the Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations
since 2002. The committee also expressed its gratitude to outgoing General
Secretary Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia.

The committee voted to hold the next General Assembly in Busan, South Korea.
Archbishop Aykazian was elected to the Assembly Planning Committee. The
WCC’s General Assembly is held every 7 years, the last one was in Brazil in
2006. The 104th meeting will take place in 2013.

Also during the Central Committee meeting, Archbishop Aykazian gave a report
about the genocide in Darfur. The Committee drafted a statement urging the
government of Sudan "to assume full responsibility for the protection of its
citizens," and "to allow uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to reach all
suffering people in Darfur."

The WCC Central Committee also issued a series of statements on violence
against women in Congo, the protection of religious minorities in Pakistan,
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, caste-based discrimination in India,
anti-Christian violence, and other issues.

"This was a productive meeting for all members of the WCC," said Archbishop
Aykazian. "I am particularly hopeful that our statement on the genocide in
Darfur will help bring more attention to this tragedy."

"This meeting of the committee was important in setting the direction of the
organization for the next several years. In addition to electing a new
General Secretary to lead the organization, serious work has been started on
examining the working structure and methods of communications," said Yn.
Devejian. "Keeping in mind the goal of unity of the churches, new ideas and
methods within the WCC can have a positive effect and influence on the
ecumenical dialogues that are taking place between the individual churches."

On September 3, Archbishop Aykazian attended a Financial Advisory Committee
meeting to discuss the financial situation of the WCC.

The next Executive Committee meeting will be held in February in Geneva,
Switzerland. The Central Committee will next meet in 2011.

The Armenian Church has been a member of the WCC since 1962. The council
consists of 349 churches, denominations, and church fellowships representing
more than 110 countries and territories worldwide.

###

Photos attached.

Photo 1: Archbishop Vicken Aykazian with other participants at the World
Council of Churches meetings held in Geneva, Switzerland.

Photo 2: Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, and Yn.
Paula Devejian at the World Council of Churches meeting in Geneva,
Switzerland. The Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit was elected to serve as the
organization’s new general secretary.

MOST OF ARMENIAN DETAINEES REFUSE PUBLIC DEFENDERS’ ASSISTANCE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.09.2009 20:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA Chamber of Advocates has today convened a
round table on the theme "Refusal to Benefit from Public Defenders’
Services". As seen in a report submitted by lawyers, public defenders’
services are mostly rejected in Kotayk, Gegharkunik and Arragatsotn
regions.

In 2008, 291 out of 364 defendants refused to benefit from advocates’
services at the stage of inquest. As of 2009, 42 out of 102 defendants
in Yerevan rejected public defenders’ services.

Lawyers believe this either results from lack of information on
service being free or public distrust. In their report, they also
say that investigators often coerce accused individuals into refusing
such services.

ALLY BACKS SARKISIAN VISIT TO TURKEY
Ruzanna Stepanian

Armenialiberty.org
Sept 10 2009

Armenia — Heghine Bisharian, a leader of the pro-government Orinats
Yerkir Party, speaks at a May 2009 rally in Yerevan.

President Serzh Sarkisian should visit Turkey next month to keep
up momentum in the ongoing efforts to normalize Turkish-Armenian
relations, a junior partner in his coalition government said on
Thursday.

Sarkisian has been invited to attend with his Turkish counterpart,
Abdullah Gul, the return match between the two countries’ national
teams to be played in the Turkish city of Bursa on October 14. Gul
extended the invitation after watching their first game during a
historic visit to Armenia in September 2008.

Sarkisian made clear throughout the summer that he will go to
Turkey only if Ankara takes "real steps" to establish diplomatic
relations with Yerevan and reopen the Turkish-Armenian border. The
two governments unveiled draft agreements to that effect on August 31.

Heghine Bisharian, a leader of the Orinats Yerkir Party, which holds
three portfolios in the Armenian government, spoke out in favor
of Sarkisian’s acceptance of Gul’s invitation. "If they came here,
we should go there too if we are committed to the normalization of
relations," she said.

Bisharian also expressed her party’s unequivocal support for the
Turkish-Armenian protocols that are due to be signed by October
14. She said an open border with Turkey would greatly benefit the
Armenian economy. "People think that prices in our country will fall,
there will be more [business] activity, more people will come to our
country, trade and business will develop," she told a news conference.

Speaking at a news conference, Bisharian also defended the two
governments’ plans to set up a panel of historians who would
jointly study the 1915 mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire. Sarkisian’s political opponents are strongly against such a
study, saying that Turkey would exploit it to keep more countries of
the world from recognizing the massacres as genocide.

"We have many historical facts, documents with which we can prove
our point through that sub-commission," countered Bisharian. She
also dismissed opposition speculation that as part of its deal with
Ankara, Yerevan agreed to make more concessions in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

"Not a single provision of the protocols mentions the Artsakh issue,"
she said, echoing statements by Sarkisian and his political allies.