Author: Torgomian Varazdat

ARMENIAN TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS CONFERENCE

ArmRadio.am
30.03.2007 12:35

How competitive is Armenia’s tourism industry? Why is the
Armenian-American Diaspora community one of Armenia’s best tourism
markets? What do visitors to Armenia think of the country? How can
Armenia better promote itself to potential foreign visitors? Is
Armenia’s tourism industry under or over-regulated?

These questions and more will be attempted to be answered at a national
tourism competitiveness conference to be held in Yerevan on April
11-12, 2007.

Organized in cooperation between the Ministry of Trade and Economic
Development, the Armenian Tourism Development Agency (ATDA) and the
USAID-funded Competitive Armenian Private Sector Project (CAPS), the
aim of the conference is to inform industry representatives of recent
research findings and seek interest and participation in developing
a number of new tourism initiatives.

Presentations will include reports on: a tourism survey conducted
amongst the Armenian-American Diaspora community; the International
Visitor Survey conducted at Armenia’s border points and the World
Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index. Topics of
discussion will include tourism branding, policy & regulation and
workforce development.

CAPS Senior Competitiveness Expert, Alan Saffery, stated "The
organizing partners believe that this conference will provide a unique
opportunity for anyone involved in the tourism industry to learn how
Armenia can be more successful in future years. Furthermore, we hope
that attendees will also be interested to become more involved in a
number of planned activities."

2007-2009 COOPERATION PROGRAM SIGNED BETWEEN PROSECTUTOR GENERAL’S OFFICES OF ARMENIA AND RUSSIA

Noyan Tapan
Mar 29 2007

MOSCOW, MARCH 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Prosecutor General Aghvan
Hovsepian and the RF Prosecutor General Yuri Chayka on March 29 signed
the 2007-2009 program of cooperation between the prosecutor’s offices
of the two countries. NT was informed about it from the RA Prosecutor
General’s Office.

The program envisages organizing joint scientific and practical
seminars and round tables on various functions of the prosecutor’s
office in 2007-2009.

Besides, it is envisaged to hold meetings of experts of the
prosecutor’s offices of Armenia and Russia with the aim of experience
exchange, staff training and improvement of qualification of Armenian
and Russian prosecutors.

THE BEST DEFENSE AGAINST ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIALS IS TO SIMPLY STATE THE TRUTH

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.03.2007 16:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish government’s aim is to use opening of
the Holy Cross Church on Akhtamar island- a sacred Armenian religious
site – as a public relations tactic to mislead international
public opinion," Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
Executive Director Aram Hamparian stated during an interview to the
PanARMENIAN.Net journalist. In particular he said it concerns genocide
denial campaign, ongoing destruction of Armenian cultural heritage,
blockade of Armenia, and other anti-Armenian policies. Answering the
question what ANCA does in opposing the Turkish-Jewish lobbying in
the United States, Aram Hamparian stated, "Our best defense against
any groups opposed to Armenian Genocide recognition is to simply
state the truth – the thoroughly documented and universally available
documentation of the Armenian Genocide."

At the same time he said now is exactly the right time to pass this
resolution on recognizing the Armenian Genocide. "The recent brutal
assassination in Istanbul of noted journalist Hrant Dink, who was
killed for simply speaking about the Armenian Genocide, underscores
the urgent need for the U.S. to take a principled stand against the
escalation of Turkey’s campaign of official denial and intolerance,"
Aram Hamparian stressed.

SENATE PANEL ADOPTS BIDEN RESOLUTION HONORING HRANT DINK

Armradio.am
29.03.2007 10:05

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today adopted human rights
legislation, authored by the panel’s chairman and presidential
candidate, Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), condemning the murder of
journalist and human rights activist Hrant Dink and calling on the
Turkish government to repeal the law, Article 301, under which he was
prosecuted, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The measure was adopted unanimously by voice vote at the meeting
of the Committee. At its last meeting, on March 6th, the panel, at
the request of its Ranking Member Richard Lugar (R IN), had deferred
consideration of the legislation for three weeks. During this time,
the measure came under heavy attack from both the Turkish government
and its allies in the Administration. Despite their efforts to cut
any reference to the Armenian Genocide, the resolution noted Dink’s
persecution because of his speech on the Genocide.

The legislation condemns Hrant Dink’s murder as "a shameful act of
cowardice perpetrated with contempt for law, justice, and decency,"
and honors his commitment to "democratic values, non-violence, and
media freedom." It specifically notes that he was "subjected to legal
action under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for referring to
the 1915 massacre of Armenians as genocide."

It also calls on the Turkish government to repeal this anti-free
speech law and "work diligently to foster a more open intellectual
environment."

"We want to thank Chairman Biden for his leadership in honoring Hrant
Dink’s memory by urging the Turkish government to repeal Article 301 –
the law under which he was prosecuted," said ANCA Executive Director
Aram Hamparian.

"Article 301, and others on the books in Turkey, reflect and encourage
the envi ronment of hatred and intolerance that the Turkish government
has long fostered against Armenians – particularly those who speak
truthfully about the Armenian Genocide."

"We were, of course, troubled by the Turkish Government and State
Department’s shameless opposition to this resolution condemning the
murder of Hrant Dink," added Hamparian. "We look forward to working
with Chairman Biden in the coming weeks toward the adoption of the
Armenian Genocide resolution and in sending a clear signal that
genocide denial will not be tolerated by the U.S. Congress or the
American people."

The version of S.Res. 65 adopted today was an amended version of
the text initially introduced by Senator Biden. The original version
included a more direct reference to the Armenian Genocide and a more
pointed mention of Turkey’s responsibility for its blockade and
refusal to normalize relations with Armenia. The State Department
and Turkish government, despite their aggressive lobbying, were
unsuccessful in removing reference to the Armenian Genocide from the
resolution. Similar legislation has been introduced in the US House
by Congressman Joe Crowley (D-NY).

SENATE PANEL CONDEMNS MURDER OF TURKISH-ARMENIAN

Reuters
Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:07PM EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. Senate panel condemned on Wednesday
the murder earlier this year of a prominent Turkish-Armenian editor,
Hrant Dink, who had urged Turks to acknowledge the mass killings of
Armenians on Turkish soil in 1915.

The largely symbolic resolution approved by the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee reopened the question of whether Congress should
weigh in on the debate over whether the killings were genocide —
a sensitive issue in Turkey, a key NATO ally.

Armenia says some 1.5 million Armenians suffered genocide at Ottoman
Turkish hands, but Turkey denies a systematic genocide of Armenians
took place, saying large numbers of Christian Armenians and Muslim
Turks died in inter-ethnic fighting during World War One.

The Senate resolution that passed the committee on a voice vote does
not explicitly refer to the killings as genocide, but observes that
Dink, before his death, was subjected to legal action in Turkey for
doing so.

It condemns Dink’s murder and urges the people of Turkey to "honor
his legacy of tolerance." Dink was murdered by a Turkish nationalist
gunman outside his Istanbul office in January; his funeral drew
100,000 mourners.

Turkish diplomats do not look favorably on the Senate proposal, which
can now go to the floor for a vote. "We don’t see the benefit of such
a resolution," said Tuluy Tanc, the minister-counselor at the Turkish
Embassy in Washington.

But the author of the Senate resolution, Foreign Relations Committee
Chairman Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat, said he was not deterred
by Turkish sensitivities.

"A relationship that rests on a requirement of a denial of an
historical event, is not a sound basis for a relationship," Biden
told Reuters.

Continued…

Turkish officials, as well as members of the Bush administration, have
expressed more concern about other resolutions pending in Congress,
but it is unclear how quickly they may advance.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan warned last month that Congress
would harm bilateral ties if it backs a resolution recognizing the
1915 mass killings of Armenians by Turks as genocide.

Such a resolution has been introduced in the House by Rep. Adam Schiff,
a California Democrat, and in the Senate by Assistant Majority Leader
Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat. Schiff told Reuters that with
Democrats now in charge of Congress, he believed his resolution had
its "best chance in a decade" of passage.

LEVON ARONIAN SHARES 4-5th PLACES IN "AMBER" INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
OF SPEED AND BLIND CHESS

MONTE CARLO, MARCH 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The 8th stage meetings took place
on March 25 in the international speed and blind chess tournament
called "Amber." Levon Aronian lost in the blind chess and played a
drawn game in the speed chess with Loek Van Wely (Holland). L. Aronian
and Pyotr Svidler got 9.5 points from the 16 possible ones and share
the 4-5th places. Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) with 12 points,
Viswanathan Anand (India) with 10.5 points and Vasili Ivanchuk
(Ukraine) with 10 points are among the first three. Day-off is stated
at the tournament on March 26, and L. Aronian’s rival is Viswanathan
Anand at the 9th stage to take place on March 27.

Iranian President extends condolences

ArmRadio.am
26.03.2007 17:48

On the occasion of the untimely death of RA Prime Minister Andranik
Margaryan the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad conveyed condolences to Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan and the Armenian people.

PETER SEMNEBY: EU IS WILLING TO ASSIST ALL KARABAKH CONFLICT PARTIES
MOST ACTIVELY

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. Regional problems and Armenia’s
relations with neighboring countries were discussed during the March
23 meeting of the Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and the EU
Special Representtaive to the South Caucasus Peter Semneby who is on a
one-day visit to Armenia. According to the RA MFA Press and
Information Department, the sides spoke about the upcoming
parliamentary elections in Armenia, attaching importance to their
holding in line with international standards. The interlocutors
exchanged ideas on latest developments in negotiations on the Nahorno
Karabakh conflict settlement. The German Ambassador to Armenia Heike
Renate Peitsch participated in the meeting. On the same day the
meeting of the NKR President Arkady Ghukasian with P. Semneby took
place at the Permanent Reprsentative Office of the NKR in
Armenia. During the meeting, the Karabakh side reasserted its position
on the conflict settlement: it is impossible to reach a full and final
solution of the problem without the participation of the NKR as a full
and equal party in negotiations and the existence of an atmosphere of
mutual trust between the parties. On behalf of the EU P. Semneby
expressed a willingness to assist all the conflict parties most
actively in order to reach a compromise solution and overcome the
consequences of the conflict. The sides underlined the importance of
direct links between the EU and Nagorno Karabakh. At P. Semneby’s
suggestion, possible projects to be implemented by the EU in Nagorno
Karabakh were discussed. According to a press release of the NKR
Permanent Representative Office in Armenia, on the same day
A. Ghukasian met with the Personal Representtaice of the Acting OSCE
Chairman Andrzej Kasprczik and discussed the present stage of the
Karabakh conflict. The sides addressed the current issues related to
monitoring of the contact-line of the NKR and Azerbaijani armed
forces.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION’S PASSIVE TACTICS IN 2003 ELECTIONS BLUNDER

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 21 2007

YEREVAN, March 21. /ARKA/. The Armenian opposition’s passive position
in the 2003 elections was erroneous, Chairman of the Democratic Party
of Armenia (DPA) Aram Sargsyan told reporters.

He pointed out that the opposition will actively participate in the
election campaign because the 2007 parliamentary elections are of
crucial importance for the country’s life. According to Sargsyan,
in 2003 the opposition boycotted the elections, and the election
results were "drawn".

"We will not make the same mistake again as the oauthorities will
have an excellent opportunity to show the world that the Armenia
opposition does not want to struggle," Sargsyan said.

In this context he reported that he intends to make an effective
proposal for preventing election rigging to foreign observer missions.

Without going into details, he pointed out that it is the observers
that must first of all discuss the proposal.

RA NA DOES NOT MANAGE TO START WORK OF PLENARY SITTINGS ON MARCH 22, AGAIN BECAUSE OF ABSENCE OF QUORUM

Noyan Tapan
Mar 22 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA NA did not manage to
start work of the plenary sittings on March 22 as it was on the
previous day. Though 66 deputies were registered, having a quorum,
but NA Speaker Tigran Torosian, presiding the sitting, stated that
the registration picture does not correspond to the reality. The
picture did not change after re-registration and even after the
stated 30-minute break, so the NA Speaker stated that according to
the regulations-law of the parliament, the 3-hour condition fixed
for registration starts functioning. In the case of not having a
real quorum during the mentioned period of time, the sitting will be
announced closed. To recap, most probably, sittings of the last day
of the parliament four-day will also fail as the majority of the 43
deputies really present there left the parliament building after the
NA Speaker’s statement, and there were no new registrations during
2 hours.