Author: Toneyan Mark

MOSCOW HOUSE IN YEREVAN TO HOST WORLD WITHOUT WAR EXHIBITION APRIL 28

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 14, 2010 – 15:51 AMT 10:51 GMT

Moscow House in Yerevan will host World without War exhibition on
April 28, 2010.

As Ruzanna Sargsyan, Moscow House manager for educational, cultural and
humanitarian programs told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter: "In February,
Moscow House announced World without War children’s drawing contest
in the cities of Moscow, Yerevan and Stepanakert, with best drawings
to be featured at the exhibition."

The exhibition dated to the 65th anniversary of victory in the Great
Patriotic War will feature over 50 works of Russian, Armenian and
Artsakh school students.

ROADMAP TO NOWHERE OR NEW DELAY TACTIC: GENOCIDE RECOGNITION IN 2015?
Harut Sassounian, The California Courier

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 13, 2010
LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES, APRIL 13, NOYAN TAPAN-ARMENIAN TODAY. Faced with deadlock
in ratifying the Armenia-Turkey Protocols, the major powers are
desperately looking for a face-saving way out of the current dilemma.

France, Russia and the United States have invested far too much
time and effort to walk away from the negotiated and signed, but not
ratified, "deal of the century."

At the time of writing this column, the President of Armenia and the
Prime Minister of Turkey had been summoned to Washington by Pres.

Obama for a last ditch effort to rescue the Protocols or at
a minimum create an illusion of progress in the reconciliation
process. The slightest gesture or even the promise of an improvement
in Armenia-Turkey relations or the Artsakh (Karabagh) conflict would
give Pres. Obama the required fig leaf to cover up his broken promise
on the Armenian Genocide.

It will soon be clear if White House pressure on Armenia and Turkey
would result in any positive movement, such as limited opening of the
Armenia-Turkey border, before ratifying the Protocols. Azerbaijan’s
President was deliberately left out of the Washington Summit in order
to prevent him from undermining U.S. mediating efforts. In the event
of Turkish recalcitrance, Armenia’s President would have no choice
but to withdraw his country’s signature from the Protocols, blaming
Turkey for putting preconditions and demanding that Artsakh be handed
to Azerbaijan.

In an attempt to break the deadlock, Thomas de Waal, Senior Associate
at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, issued a "Policy
Brief" on April 9, just before the start of the Washington Summit. The
report, "Armenia and Turkey: Bridging the Gap," suggests five "goodwill
gestures" that Turkey needs to make in order to keep reconciliation
with Armenia alive.

— An opening of the Armenia-Turkey border for noncommercial travelers;

— A limited opening of a zone next to the Armenia-Turkey border
that contains the medieval Armenian city of Ani, now just inside
Turkish territory. This would allow Armenian tourists to visit the
ancient site.

— A Turkish initiative to fully open and digitize the Ottoman archives
containing the official Ottoman records of the events of 1915 to 1921.

— A Turkish government initiative to invite diaspora Armenians to
visit the ancient Armenian heritage sites of Anatolia.

— The opening of a Turkish Airlines route between Istanbul and
Yerevan.

In return, de Waal suggests that Armenia pledge "to end the isolation
of Nakhichevan once the Turkish-Armenian border opens."

After offering the aforementioned simplistic ideas, de Waal turns to
the Armenian Genocide recognition issue and tries to come up with
a long-term solution to the perennial Armenian-American lobbying
efforts which "hobble" the United States. He calls the confrontation in
Congress on this issue between Armenians and Turks, "grubby political
bargaining."

According to de Waal, Pres. Obama’s broken promise on the Armenian
Genocide and his use of "Meds Yeghern" (Great Calamity) as a substitute
for Genocide is "a dignified formula."

Here is what de Waal suggests:

"In order to move away from this annual agony, it makes sense to
reframe the Armenian-Turkish issue within a longer perspective. The
coming centenary of the Armenian holocaust in five years’ time in 2015
and the growing debate within Turkey on the "Armenian question" gives
impetus to this approach. In 2015 — whether the Turks like it or not
— the world will mark the anniversary of the Armenian tragedy. The
president could deliver a message on April 24, 2010, in which he notes
that the centenary commemorations are now five years away and pledges
that, if still in office, he will join in those events (perhaps even
in Yerevan), but in which he also promises the Turks a little peace
until then by affirming his faith in the internal debate in Turkey.

Obama could say, "We hope to mark this tragic date with our Turkish
friends, and not without them," and aspire to be a catalyst for
Armenian-Turkish reconciliation."

What de Waal is suggesting is simply a ploy to bury the Armenian
Genocide issue for another 5 years, while creating a breathing space
for the ratification of the defunct Protocols.

Before Pres. Obama could be trusted to keep any new promises, he
needs to uphold the ones that he has already made and broken. Besides,
what guarantees do we have that the President will be re-elected for
a second term, and even if he is, that he will keep his pledge!

KARABAKH RUNNERS WIN INTERNATIONAL RACE

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 13, 2010

Representatives of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic participated in the
April 11 international race in the town of Meudon (near Paris).

According to the NKR Permanent Mission to France, Arthur Petrosyan,
who was among the 700 participants, won the 10km race. Another
athlete from the NKR, Ashot Hayrapetyan, won the 5km race, NKR MFA
press service reported.

MARIAM PETROSYAN BECOMES A RUSSIAN PRIZE LAUREATE FOR THE NOVEL ‘THE HOUSE IN WHICH…’

ArmInfo
2010-04-13 18:02:00

ArmInfo. Armenian writer Mariam Petrosyan has become a laureate of
the international literary Russian Prize for her novel "The House
in Which…".

The only work by M.Petrosyan "The House in Which…" had an interesting
destiny. A painter by profession, Mariam Petrosyan started working
at her novel in early 90s of the 20th century. The story about a
boarding school for disabled teenagers was like a way to evade the
routine. "I was working for myself, and this work became a hobby for
me",- she confessed in a conversation with ArmInfo correspondent. In
1998 Petrosyan carried the hardcopy of her novel to Moscow and left
it at her friend’s. It was this decision that became a turning point
in the destiny of the novel: the hardcopy of the work was moving from
a reader to a reader and at last found itself in one of the Russian
publishing houses.

"The House in Which…" was published in November 2009 and became
popular practically at once. The action of the book is taking place
at a Grey House at the outskirts of the city, among standard new
buildings. The Grey House is bristled up with aerial wires and has
a lot of cracks. It is surrounded by garages, outbuildings, garbage
cans and kennels. The house is something more than just a boarding
school for children abandoned by their parents. The house is like a
universe where the Sphinx, the Blind, the Lord, the Macedonian, the
Black and many others live. Mariam Petrosyan herself characterizes
her novel as "a school everyday life". Critics say that the end of
the book is somewhat vague (the author had to complete her book
on a tight schedule, after she had signed an agreement with the
publishing house), however, even this circumstance is no minus for
"The House in Which…". The novel keeps the readers dazzled from the
very beginning up to the end. Unfortunately, Petrosyan is skeptical
about the prospect to continue the career of a writer. "The House in
Which…" is my first and last book",- she says.

ERDOGAN CONFIDENT PRESIDENT OBAMA WILL NOT USE THE TERM GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 13, 2010 – 18:02 AMT 13:02 GMT

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is confident President
Barack Obama will not use the term Genocide in his Aril 24 address
to US Armenian community.

"That would be my expectation, because to this day, no American leader
has uttered that word, and I believe that President Obama will not,"
Erdogan stated.

"No nation, no people has the right to impose the way it remembers
history to another nation or people — and Turkey does not try to do
that," CNN cited him as saying.

"Like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and the genocide
of the Cambodians which followed it – and like too many other such
persecutions of too many other peoples – the lessons of the Holocaust
must never be forgotten," 40th US President Ronald Reagan said in
his April 22, 1981 proclamation in commemoration of Victims of the
Holocaust.

AFTER BAKU PACE PRESIDENT WILL VISIT YEREVAN

ArmInfo
2010-04-13 20:15:00

ArmInfo. After Azerbaijan PACE President will visit Armenia, President
of PACE Mevlut Cavusoglu said upon arriving in Baku Apr 13.

Trend news agency quotes Cavusoglu as saying that PACE supports the
activities of the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict The PACE President is on his first official visit to
Azerbaijan after his appointment to this post last year.

He said that the PACE will help solve the problems that exist in the
member countries of the Assembly, including Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"Our goal is to solve the frozen conflicts and assist in solving the
problems existing between the countries [members of the PACE]. So after
Azerbaijan, I will leave for Armenia," Chavushoglu told journalists.

In Baku and Yerevan the head of the Assembly will discuss the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and then will go to Russia.

EYES TURN TO ERDOGAN AT WASHINGTON SUMMIT

Journal of Turkish Weekly
April 12 2010

WASHINGTON, DC – When this many leaders of different countries come
together and the subject is nuclear power, eyes automatically turn
to Iran.

The Tehran administration is not present at this event. It has arranged
its own summit, but the pulse beats in Washington.

The Obama administration wants during this summit to stop Iran’s
nuclear politics, or at least create a coalition to slow the course.

But once you gather such a summit, every subject comes up. Again we
face such a situation. Washington is like a hot spot. And one of the
most sought-after among the participants is Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The reasons are simple:

– The first thing that comes to mind when talking about Iran is
Turkey. Ankara’s relationship with the Iranian administration is very
vital for Washington, but also full of questions. That is why people
wonder what Erdogan will say or what kind of attitude he will take on.

– One other thing that makes Erdogan’s presence here very interesting
is the aftermath of the signed Turkey-Armenia protocols. Obama does
not want to cancel the protocols. These documents are perceived as the
start of a historical agreement. They believe that Turkey is the one
spoiling the game. Will there be a way out, or will steps be taken in
the dark? We will find out soon. In this respect, Erdogan’s contacts
will be very important.

– One other subject to be argued about will be the progressing
fight over statements. Erdogan targets the Netanyahu-Lieberman
coalition and hits using each opportunity. The obligation to respond
rests on Lieberman’s shoulders. The Turkish prime minister has
two advantages here. One is that the Netanyahu government is not
supported internationally, including in Washington, in its politics
regarding Palestine. Especially Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman
is not supported.

Of course, all these issues will not be able to be solved in two days.

However, it is a good thing Turkey is represented at the Prime
Ministry level. If Erdogan had not participated, Turkey would have
been represented on a Foreign Ministry level and we would have been
the ones to lose.

Opening fronts means increased need for Obama

One of the basic principles in politics is to avoid taking on too
many fronts. Politicians take care not to deliver a war on too many
different fronts because each takes up the entire energy of the leader
and its party. It constrains the staff and people.

But Prime Minister Erdogan does not adapt to this approach. On the
contrary, he delivers fights on different fronts.

Take a look at how many fronts he is fighting on:

– He started off with brisk criticism toward the Dogan Media Group
and appeared before us as a prime minister who challenged the media
that criticized him or opposed his view.

– With the Kurdish initiative, he faced the opposition of nationalistic
crowds as well as the political opposition. And as the initiative
came to a halt after a time, due to different reasons, he also lost
the sympathy of the Kurds.

– With the Armenian initiative, he again faced the opposition of
nationalistic crowds and the opposition as well as Azerbaijan. He
started to experience tension with Washington.

– No one was satisfied with the Alevi initiative.

– First with the Ergenekon and Sledgehammer operations, then with
decisions regarding military personnel and span of command, he faced
opposition by the Turkish Armed Forces.

– He adopted a brisk attitude against Israel’s Netanyahu-Lieberman
coalition and took on a front never seen before.

– He did not join the politics of the Western world, foremost including
the United States, regarding Iran’s nuclear politics. He sympathized
with Tehran and attracted reactions.

– With the proposed constitutional amendments package, he faced
opposition by the judiciary and strengthened the opposition.

– He blamed the European Union for applying a double standard on
Turkey in blocking the process to a full membership.

On these fronts, he was considered right in some respects and wrong
in others. Some of his attitudes were applauded and some encountered
brisk reactions.

But no matter what, all fronts have battered and bruised the ruling
party to some extent, exhausted the public and pestered the life out
of people.

The question asked in Washington by those who follow Turkey closely
has changed color. It now reads: Will the Justice and Development
Party, or AKP, depend on Obama’s support to secure itself on some of
the many fronts that the AKP has taken on?

Turkey is on U.S. President Barack Obama’s agenda, but it is not
known what Erdogan will have in his pocket when he arrives. People
put that forth in order for Ankara to take a deep breath; it needs
Washington’s support.

Génocide Arménien : La FIDH soutient la déclaration commune de ses
organisations membres en Turquie et en Arménie.

ARMENIE

dimanche11 avril 2010, par Stéphane/armenews

Le 37ème Congrès de la FIDH salue la mémoire des victimes du génocide
arménien et soutient les efforts des ligues membres de la FIDH en
Arménie et en Turquie.

Dans le cadre du 37ème congrès de la FIDH, les organisations membres
de la FIDH en Arménie (le Civil Society Institute, CSI) et en Turquie
(Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, HRFT et Insan Haklari Derneg, IHD)
ont finalisé une déclaration commune :

Déclaration conjointe des organisations membres de la FIDH en Arménie
et en Turquie

Nous sommes fermement convaincus que la protection des droits de
l’Homme en Turquie et dans le Sud Caucase est fondamentale dans le
processus de construction de la paix, de réconciliation et de
relations de bon voisinage entre les pays de la région, pour garantir
la sécurité, le bien être et la dignité des peuples dans la région.

Nous appelons les deux pays et sociétés à joindre leurs efforts et
créer l’environnement et le processus nécessaires pour résorber les
conséquences négatives des violations des droits de l’Homme commises
par le passé, y compris les discriminations fondées sur l’origine
ethnique, la religion, etc, et à se conformer aux normes
internationales de protection des droits de l’Homme.

Nous appelons au respect de la liberté d’expression dans tous les
pays, vecteur essentiel du respect des droits de l’Homme dans la
région, et à l’abrogation de toutes les lois et pratiques qui
constituent des obstacles à la liberté d’expression, y compris celles
imposant des contraintes au dialogue entre Arméniens et Turcs, tel
l’article 301 du Code pénal turc.

Nous appelons les partis politiques en Turquie et en Arménie, qu’ils
soient au gouvernement ou dans l’opposition, à se conformer à leur
devoir de prendre toutes les mesures nécessaires pour normaliser les
relations entre les deux pays et sociétés. Cela inclut l’impérieuse
nécessité de mettre en `uvre les Protocoles bilatéraux sur la
normalisation des relations diplomatiques et l’ouverture de leurs
frontières respectives. Des progrès en ce sens, et le processus de
démocratisation en Turquie, généreront un environnement favorable pour
aborder à la question douloureuse du génocide arménien.

Nous dénonçons toutes les formes d’hostilité entre les nations de la
région, alimentées par les structures et ambitions militaires.

Afin d’assurer une paix durable entre l’Arménie et la Turquie et de
prévenir toute hostilité mutuelle à l’avenir, nous appelons les deux
gouvernements à ratifier et mettre en `uvre le Statut de Rome de la
Cour pénale internationale.

Dans l’objectif de construire des ponts entre les deux sociétés, nous
appelons les deux pays à mettre en `uvre des politiques inclusives et
à abandonner les approches exclusives dans toutes les domaines. Nous
appelons les gouvernements et les sociétés civiles des deux pays à
promouvoir un traitement égalitaire et juste dans toutes les sphères
de la vie, y compris les médias, l’éducation, l’administration, les
pratiques juridiques et la vie publique.

ANDROID-POWERED HTC SMARTPHONES SOON IN ARMENIA, WITH VIVACELL-MTS DRIVING THE INNOVATION – AS ALWAYS

ArmInfo
2010-04-09 18:23:00

ArmInfo. VivaCell-MTS, a subsidiary of Mobile TeleSystems OJSC,
announces the closing of an agreement with HTC, a global designer of
smartphones to introduce HTC smartphones, featuring the innovative
Android platform. The gadgets will be soon on sale in the Company’s
service centers across Armenia.

The press service of VivaCell-MTS reports that with this new initiative
of VivaCell-MTS on bringing HTC’s stylish new smartphones to the
Armenian market, VivaCell-MTS subscribers will be provided with
the latest mobile technologies for their business and leisure. The
introduction of the Android-powered handsets is the result of a
successful partnership between VivaCell-MTS and HTC, one of the
world’s leaders in mobile network technology and solutions for the
high technologies consumer market.

With a sleek design and compactness, the smartphone featuring the
Android platform for which it has come to be known, HTC smartphones
will enable a superior mobile internet experience, for which the
Android platform was designed, providing broad flexibility for
personalization via the application-rich Android Market. To be
available to Armenians soon, Android Market will allow quick and
easy downloading of games and applications utilizing VivaCell-MTS’
fast and reliable 2G (GPRS/EDGE) and 3.5G (UMTS/HSPA) networks.

Besides, all HTC smart phones feature HTC Sense – a unique user
friendly interface. HTC Sense is a user experience focused on putting
people at the center by making phones work in a more simple and
natural way.

"Delivering innovative state-of-the-art technologies to its subscribers
is what VivaCell-MTS strives to achieve endlessly.

High-speed quality mobile internet experience is as well a priority
for VivaCell-MTS, so we are very excited to introduce Android-powered
smart phones in Armenia. With VivaCell-MTS’ extensive, high speed and
reliable 2G and 3.5G networks Armenians can enjoy a great Internet and
communications experience on their Android phones," says VivaCell-MTS
General Manager Ralph Yirikian.

"Android-based devices are designed to provide users with maximum
comfort and massive, unprecedented opportunities that may be
efficiently implemented depending on Internet operation," pointed out
Andrey Kormiltsev, Country Manager, HTC Russia and CIS. "Positioning
HTC brand as a leader at the market of Android-based devices, we
cooperate with "Mobile TeleSystems", major mobile service provider.

Bringing together innovative HTC technologies and next-generation
communications standards, Android-based smartphones with personalized
user interface will deliver to Armenian users more than they may
expect from their mobile devices."

The introduction of innovative mobile handsets helps VivaCell-MTS
to more widely open up all opportunities of mobile web for Armenian
subscribers. With Android-powered mobile phones third-party developers
are given a platform on which they can build the next wave of killer
applications.

Android-powered HTC handsets have a variety of powerful mobile internet
capabilities beginning with an Android-optimized Webkit browser. They
also feature the popular Google(tm) applications, Google Maps(tm)
and Google Search(tm) as well as favorites like YouTube(tm).

VivaCell-MTS (K-Telecom CJSC) is the leading Armenian mobile operator,
providing a wide range of Voice and Data services. Since its launch
on 1st July 2005, in a short period of time VivaCell-MTS has managed
to build a nationwide network and a considerable customer base.

VivaCell-MTS drives the development and offering of innovative mobile
communications products, services and features in the Armenian mobile
communications market. For more information, visit

Mobile TeleSystems OJSC ("MTS") is the largest mobile phone operator
in Russia and the CIS. Together with its subsidiaries, the Company
services over 97.76 million subscribers. The regions of Russia, as
well as Armenia, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, in
which MTS and its associates and subsidiaries are licensed to provide
GSM services, have a total population of more than 230 million. Since
June 2000, MTS’ Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York Stock
Exchange (ticker symbol MBT). Additional information about MTS can
be found at

HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the
mobile phone industry. By putting people at the centre of everything
it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the
lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan
Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC,
please visit

ARMENIAN HUMANITARIAN SEMINARY IN CALCUTTA IS 189- YEAR-OLD

PanARMENIAN.Net –
April 7, 2010 – 11:35 AMT 06:35 GMT

189 years passed since establishment of the Armenian Humanitarian
Seminary in Calcutta (India).

The anniversary was marked on April 6 at the seminary, the solemn
ceremony gathered students, teachers and guests.

During the event teacher at the seminary Kamal Alu-Walia made a
welcome address, and after the concert the seminary rector Khoren
Hovhannisyan presented a report on the activities over the past year.

Armenian Humanitarian Seminary in Calcutta (India) was founded in
1821 at the Armenian Church of Calcutta "Holy Nazareth". The Armenian
Humanitarian Seminary of Calcutta, having a rich historical past,
is operating under the auspices of the Holy Etchmiadzin. Currently
Armenian youth from India, Armenia, Iran and Iraq study at the
seminary.