Author: Torgomian Varazdat

Haigazian University
From: Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
Mexique Street, Kantari, Beirut

Haigazian University’s 47th Commencement Ceremonies

On Friday, June the 29th, 2006, Haigazian University graduated a record
number of 142 students, in the First Armenian Evangelical Church courtyard,
Beirut, in the presence of the President of the Supreme Council of the
Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon, the Armenian Ambassador to
Lebanon, H.E. Vahan Der Ghevontian, in addition to a number of former
deputies and ministers, clergy, university representatives, diplomats,
members of the Board of Trustees, parents and fellow students.

The ceremony started as Faculty and graduates marched through the crowd of
parents, relatives and friends in a remarkable processional march, followed
by the Lebanese National Anthem, and the Invocation by the Campus Minister,
Rev. Nishan Bakalian.

In his word of welcome, Haigazian University President, Rev. Dr. Paul
Haidostian considered the past year as academically fruitful. "Fruitful
years are not always easy years or joyful years. But when you end up with
good fruits, you know that you/they had the ability to stand firm against
the winds and storms, hail and heat of the surrounding environment,"
Haidostian said.

Haidostian also talked about the role universities should play, especially
during these hard days Lebanon is undergoing. "A university has a message.
Our university has a message of hope especially in the current conditions.
Our hope is rooted in our faith in God’s grace and immanence, which then
becomes real in the fruits of the whole educational experience, in human
interaction and creativity," Haidostian noted.

The guest speaker of the ceremony, Dr. Ahmad Al-Jammal, Director General of
the Ministry of Higher Education, tackled the issue of Higher Education in
this global world.

"Higher education plays an essential role in shaping the present, and the
future of nations, through building human expertise on all levels, be it
social, cultural, or technical", Al Jammal stated. The speaker considered
that in this global era of knowledge, universities play a vital role in
societies, that’s why their role is more and more important in becoming the
central place of openness, dialogue, creativity, and tolerance.

Afterwards, Registrar Roubina Artinian and Deans Fadi Asrawi and Arda
Ekmekji presented the graduates who received their degrees from President
Haidostian.

In their valedictorian addresses, Ani Nadjarian, speaking in English,
acknowledged how Haigazian University shaped her life and character,
transforming her into a more responsible and self-confident person.
"Haigazian granted us the gifts of knowledge, self-confidence, aspiration
and hope. Through its academic, social, and spiritual dimensions, it shaped
our personalities, transforming us into students who are ready to face the
challenges of life", Nadjarian said.

Whereas valedictorian Muhannad El Muhtar, speaking in Arabic, addressed his
fellow students saying, "Lebanon is in deep need of us. Let’s get armed with
what we’ve learned at Haigazian, and face all the difficulties of the future
by the power of our knowledge and faith in God".

After singing the Alma Mater, the ceremony was concluded with the
Benediction given by the President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical
Churches in the Near East, Rev. Meguerdich Karageozian.

The class of 2007 threw their caps and marched out proudly with a unique
recessional, while celebratory balloons flew high in the skies.

LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA
Dr. and Mrs. Ishkhan and Anahit Babajanian

California,USA
KarabakhOpen
02-07-2007 13:06:29

Dear compatriots,

We are quite pleased to hear that Mr. Masis Mayilian is running
for presidency in Karabakh. We support him wholeheartedly for the
following reasons:

1. We found him to be intelligent and educated who upholds high
traditional Armenian values. He is honest, humble, patriotic, and
devoted to his country and people.

2. We are confident that he would supercede Karabakh’s people interests
ahead of his or any other political party or group.

3. He will strive against poverty, corruption, and injustice. He
believes on democracy and human rights He expressed such goals and
idea’s to us during our volunteer work in Karabakh.

4. He is committed to protect the country against neighboring threats.

5.His intention is to resettle Armenians from all over the world in
Artsakh allowing and assisting them to prosper.

We support his candidacy for president for above reasons. We are
enthusiastic to have him run for the position and would be pleased
have him succeed as we (and other diaspora Armenians) apply for dual
citizenship in Armenia in the upcoming months.

"CREATING ATMOSPHERE OF CONFIDENCE BETWEEN SOCIETIES OF ARMENIA AND
AZERBAIJAN TO BE GOOD CONTRIBUTION TO ISSUE OF KARABAKH CONFLICT
SETTLEMENT," RA PRESIDENT BELIEVES

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. Robert Kocharian, the RA President,
received a number of Armenian and Azeri culture and science figures on
June 28, who initiated a one-day joint visit via the
Stepanakert-Yerevan-Baku route after receiving the assistance of the
Presidents of the two countries through the Ambassadors of Armenia and
Azerbaijan to the Russian Federation.

R. Kocharian welcomed their initiative and mentioned that the
establishment of communication and the formation of an atmosphere of
confidence between Armenian and Azeri societies will be a good
contribution to the issue of the Karabakh conflict settlement.
According to him, terms of cooperation should be found, and Armenia, to
all appearances, is ready to support this process.

The guests touched upon the necessity to provide communication between
Armenian and Azeri societies and the ways of its implementation during
the conversation with the RA President. Azeri intellectuals believe
that it is necessary to re-establish the former friendly and associate
interrelations between Armenian and Azeri representatives of the old
generation, as well as to envolve the young generation in these
relations.

According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA
President’s Press Office, after paying a visit to Robert Kocharian, the
group left for Baku to meet with Ilham Aliyev, the President of
Azerbaijan.

It should also be mentioned that they met with Arkadi Ghukasian, the
President of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, before arriving in
Yerevan.

Organization for Liberation of Karabakh tries to wreck press-conference
of Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia

arminfo
2007-06-30 22:52:00

The Organization for Liberation of Karabakh led by Akif Nagi tried to
wreck the pres-conference on the
visit of Azeri intellectuals to Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

Day.az reports that during the press-conference Nagi and Kamal Abdullah
started a squabble. The chief of the Sabaili police department Khanlar
Zeinalov told his men to take Nagi to the police. This caused a stir
but Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia Polad Bulbulogly calmed down the
situation. At the end of the press-conference Nagi tried to say
something again but Bulbulogly interrupted him. Nagi flared up again
and was detained. Later he was set free.

To remind, a few dyas ago a group of Armenian and Azeri intellectuals
led by the ambassadors of Armenia and Azerbaijan to Russia visited
Stepanakert, Yerevan and Baku. Nagi was very much annoyed by that.

AMENDMENTS TO THE LAW ON TELEVISION AND RADIO IS A DIRECT THREAT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN ARMENIA, INDEPENDENT EXPERTS THINK

arminfo
2007-06-29 11:08:00

Amendments to the Law on Television and Radio that at present are
being discussed in the National Assembly of Armenia are the direct
threat to freedom of speech in Armenia, expert of Yerevan press-club
Mesrop Harutyunyan said in Journalists’ Union, Friday.

He also added that the draft law is directed first of all against
broadcast of Radio Liberty. speech especially at the threshold of
the presidential election, – Mesrop Harutyunyan said.

For his part, representative of the public organization "Internews",
David Sukiasyan, called this draft law and State Tax draft law as
"made hastily".

All the arguments that balance will be reached in economic field
by means of these draft laws seem not serious, if they wanted they
could also find fault with broadcasting of such TV companies as ORT,
RTR, CNN and others at the territory of Armenia, but they did not
touch them and the blow is directed only against Radio Liberty. It
is inadmissible that for settlement of its political problems the
state interferes in the market rules, manipulating with such a strong
instrument as the state tax.

60 ARMENIAN ORGANIZATIONS AND ENTERPRISES TO PARTICIPATE IN ARMTECH 2007

Noyan Tapan
Jun 29 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. Representatives of 50 organizations,
including universities preparing IT specialists, will participate
in the first all-Armenian high-tech congress-exhibition
"ArmTech 2007" to be held in Silicon Valley on July 4-7
(). Hovhannes Avoyan, chairman of the Union
of Armenian IT Enterprises, director general of Sourcio company,
told NT correspondent about it.

In his words, during the event another 10 IT enterprises will present
their business plans with the assistance of the USAID’s Competitive
Armenian Private Sector (CAPS) program.

Represetatives of the Armenian government, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, the National Academy of Sciences, the Armenian Development
Agency (ADA), and organizations of the information and high
technologies sector will present the potential of these spheres of
Armenia, its investment environment and educational system. H. Avoyan
will present programs of the Union of Armenian IT Enterprises, the
Enterprise Incubator Foundation and Sourcio company.

It is noteworthy that the principal speakers of ArmTech 2007 plenary
sessions will be the following persons: the Armenian foreign minister
Vardan Oskanian, the chief advisor to the RA president on economic
issues Vahram Nersisiants, the chairman of Synopsys company (having
a subsidiary in Armenia) Chi-Foon Chan, the scientific director
of Berkeley Wireless research center Robert Broders, the European
director of McKinsey & Company Andre Andoyan, the chairman and chief
executive director of Impreva Labs company, managing director of D-Age,
chairman of Viasphere Internatioal company Toni Moroyan.

The organizers of ArmTech 2007 are Viasphere International and the
ADA, while the main sponsors of the event are Vivacell and Synopsys
companies.

IT IS ENVISAGED TO EXCLUDE USE OF SIMPLIFIED TAX IN MAIN BRANCHES OF ECONOMY

Noyan Tapan
Jun 28, 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 28, NOYAN TAPAN. At the June 28 special session, the
RA National Assembly finished the discussion (in first reading)
of the bill on making amendments and additions to the RA Law on
Simplified Tax.

The government proposes excluding the use of simplified tax in
the main branches of economy and to impose this tax only on small
businessmen engaged in retail trade or providing personal services to
the population. Besides, it is proposed that the scope of activities
liable to simplified tax should be considerably reduced: commercial
organizations and private businessmen can be considered simplified
tax payers only in case of being engaged in one type of activity at
one place, and the simplified taxation regime cannot be combined with
the general taxation regime or the refime of taxation with fixed
payments. Simplified tax payers will not be allowed to have any
representative offices or branches and to import goods into Armenia.

According to the government, the purpose of the bill is to promote
small business by creating favorable conditions for it. By the
government’s data, in 2002-2006, the number of simplified tax payers
grew 13.1fold to 26.025 thousand, whereas the simplified tax revenues
grew only 2.1fold.

SOVIET BACKGROUND SEPARATES TWO ARMENIAN CHURCHES IN US
By Olesya Vartanyan

AXcess News, KY
Source: Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
show/id/11419
June 28 2007

(AXcess News) Washington – There are two Armenian churches in the
Northwestern part of the city that are a 10 minute walk from each
other. But the relationship distance is farther than that.

Although these churches have the same religious ceremonies and books,
they are led by two different Catholicoses, who are the heads of
different branches – similar to archbishops – of the same Armenian
Apostolic Church.

Both claim to be the Armenian Apostolic Church, but since 1958 they
officially have operated separately. The split occurred because of
Soviet-era politics. Each says the other is also part of the church,
but they don’t cooperate, and at times members refused to allow their
children to marry each other.

The churches are called the Etchmiadzin branch and the Cilicia branch
by some, though neither church accepts those names officially, each
calling itself Armenian Apostolic. The two names come from Armenian
geographic areas. Cilicia is now part of Turkey.

About 1 million Armenians live in the U.S., according to the Armenian
Embassy. A third of them are in one church, and another third are in
the other, according to these churches. The rest don’t usually go to
these churches.

The division of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the U.S. began after
the Revolution of Bolsheviks in the former Soviet Union in 1917. One
part of the Armenian Church claimed it want to be separate from the
head, whose seat was in Etchmiadzin, Armenia. Armenia was then a Soviet
republic, and some Armenians in the U.S. thought Moscow tried to use
the Armenian Church to promote Communists’ ideas outside the country.

In Armenian Apostolic Churches all over the U.S., priests from the
different churches sometimes didn’t talk to each other.

"First time [after the division], Armenian families usually didn’t
let men from one church to marry ladies from another church. But then
the situation improved," said a priest from the Etchmiadzin branch’s
St. Mary Church in Washington, the Rev. Father Vertanes Kalayjian.

An Armenian man, Daron Bolat, 29, who runs an Armenian youth
organization, is not married but he said it wouldn’t matter to him
if his wife came from another church. He said 15 years ago it was
sometimes a problem for local Armenians if a fiancee was from one
church and a fiance from the other.

"I know some stories when family didn’t talk to their girl because
she married to a boy from another church," Bolat said.

All his family attends the Etchmiadzin branch’s church in Washington.

He has never been in the neighbor Cilicia branch’s church, as he is
"always on Sunday services in my church," he said.

"I don’t think they are bad. I don’t have anything against them,"
Bolat said.

Since the collapse of the USSR, there is no longer any suspicion about
political alienation of the Etchmiadzin Church toward Communists. But
the churches don’t seem to be in a hurry to reunite.

An expert in political issues, Gevorg Melikyan, who is a vice-president
of a nonprofit organization, "National Spiritual Security" in Yerevan,
Armenia, said in an e-mail that politics is the main reason the
churches haven’t gotten back together.

The idea of a separation of two churches was promoted by the Armenian
Revolutionary Party also known as Dashnaktsutun. This social-democratic
party ruled Armenia for about a year in 1920s before the Soviet
Bolsheviks occupied the country. Some of ARP’s rulers immigrated to
the U.S. and tried to struggle against Communists from here.

Members of this party once were not allowed to attend Etchmiadzin
branch churches in U.S. It became one of the reasons ARP began to
discourage people from attending these churches and for bringing
the Cilicia church’s representatives here from Lebanon. It became a
scandal inside the Armenian community.

"Once, they came to one of our services and were pretending they were
coming to the priest to kiss the cross. They came, surrounded the
priest and killed him with knives during the service," Kalayjian said.

He still believes ARP has an influence on the Cilicia Church.

"If there were not Dashnaks, we would unite," he said.

Kalayjian represents a common point of view in the Armenian
Community. Some of them think that ARP has an interest in a separate
Cilicia Church to preserve its influence among Armenians.

ARP is one of the influential political parties in the Armenian
Parliament today. But some experts say that ARP’s main force is in
the Armenian Diaspora, which includes about 6 million people around
the world, according to the official statistics of Armenian government.

The executive director of the American National Committee of Armenia,
which is the U.S. East Cost representative of ARP, Jirayr Beugekian
said there was a stereotype of their interest of having Armenian
churches apart.

"We have a long history in cooperating with the Cilicia Church. And
with the Etchmiadzin Church, we began work not a long time ago. So
sometimes people say we work more with Cilicia church, but for us
they both are the same as long as there is no Soviet regime any more,"
Beugekian said.

"There is no political solution to this problem. The religious Churches
should agree with each other," he said.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a new government of an
independent Armenia tried to support the unification of two Armenian
churches. But until now, these Churches have only official relations.

A priest of Cilicia branch’s St. Cross Church a few blocks outside
Washington in Maryland, the Rev. Father Sarkis Aktavoukian said he
had some personal contacts with people from the other church. But
he said that there were some people in the Etchmiadzin branch who
offended him personally when they sometimes said that "we are a sect."

"I know that our heads are talking about unification. But there are
some details in their disputes that we don’t know," Aktavoukian said.

In the U.S., two public commissions were formed to discuss possible
reunion of churches. John Jerikyan of Washington participated in
both. He said there was no possibility to settle this dispute as
"some sides didn’t want to unite." He said that, besides background
problems, some people have personal reasons for not uniting.

"It’s a financial dispute. You lose control, you lose money if they
are together," Jerikyan said.

Jerikyan, 67, is a salesman who attends Cilicia branch St. Cross
Church. All his family is in this church. Jerikyan said a priest from
another church is his good friend.

"I don’t want it to be as it is now. Who wins? Nobody wins! I wish to
have a united church to bring there my grandchildren," Jerikyan said.

But Kalayjian, the priest from the neighboring Etchmiadzin branch’s
Church, said that the unification will not happen in a short period.

"There should be a very strong person to unite these two Churches.

Now we don’t have such a man," he said.

APRICOT HARVEST WILL DECLINE THRICE IN ARMENIA IN 2007

Agricultural Marketing Project, Ukraine
June 26 2007

Apricot harvest has declined thrice down to 15-16 thousand tons in
2007 comparing to more than 50 thousands of tons of harvest a year
ago. Garnik Petrosyan, the Chief of Plant Production Department,
the Ministry of Agriculture of Republic of Armenia provided this
information to "Delovoy Express".

He said that severe frosts injured apricot orchards a lot. Frosts
caused the total loss in agriculture worth to the amount of $1.29 mln,
and most part of the loss was preconditioned by poor apricot harvest,
Mr. Petrosyan added. The Chief of Department points out that Armenian
apricots are mostly exported to Russia. The export amounted to 8-9,000
tons past year; the Armenian processing enterprises preserved 5,000
tons of apricots. Mr. Petrosyan thinks that the deficit for apricots
will be observed on market this year because of the poor harvest,
so that the price for this fruit may grow.

The analysts of ""Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" journal" inform
that Ukrainian apricot has also been severely injured by spring
frosts. According to the tentative estimations, apricot production
will be approximately twice as low than usual. But, apricot orchards
suffered in 2007 less than a year ago, so that apricot harvest
2007 will grow 50-70% comparing to 2006; it may amount to around
45-50,000 tons.

TURKEY NOT SATISFIED WITH REASONS BEHIND NON-OPENING OF MONETARY CHAPTER

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
June 26 2007

["STATISTICS AND FINANCIAL CONTROL CHAPTERS OPENED FOR NEGOTIATION;
NOT JUST THE CANDIDATE STATES, BUT ENTIRE EUROPE SHOULD RESPECT THE
COMMON EU VALUES, REHN" – AA headline]

BRUSSELS (A.A) -26.06.2007 -The statistics and financial control
chapter headings under the accession negotiation talks between
Turkey and the EU have been opened on Tuesday at the Intergovernmental
Conference held at the European Council in Brussels with the attendance
of Turkish State Minister and Chief EU Negotiator for EU talks Ali
Babacan, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and EU
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn.

Speaking at the joint press conference, minister Babacan said the
technical reasons put forth about the economy and monetary policy
which was not opened due to France’s opposition did not satisfy Turkey.

Babacan said despite Germany’s numerous announcements that three
chapters would be opened, the economy and monetary policy chapter
was not opened.

"Some technical reasons were put forward although the EU commission
assessed that Turkey met the technical criteria regarding the economy
and monetary policy chapter heading during the talks that were held
at the EU Council between member states. We are not satisfied with
the reasons put forward (by France) regarding the chapter heading
that was not opened," said Babacan.

Babacan said they would follow the issue and indicated they would be
insistent on the opening of this chapter during the term presidency
of Portugal.

"I think technical pretexts like these should not be put forth
according to the established practices of EU in negotiations. Member
states should not allow some members to raise obstacles that are
irrelevant in the negotiation process.

The belief that both sides share the same determination is important
for negotiation talks to run smoothly," said Babacan.

Not just the candidate countries, but entire Europe should respect the
common values of EU, said EU commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn
on Tuesday who spoke at a conference held by the European Commission.

Rehn, in his speech, indirectly warned France which opposes Turkey’s
membership to the EU and prepares legal arrangements to punish denial
of so-called Armenian genocide.

Noting that in fact the enlargement has been a part of European
integration from the beginning, Rehn said that in 1963, while French
President of the time Gen. De Gaulle opposed the membership of Britain,
the same year he signed Ankara treaty with Turkey.

Rehn added that if Turkey becomes an EU member in 2017, it will have
become a member only 60 years after EU’s foundation.