Author: Torgomian Varazdat

MP VARTKES MAHDESSIAN TO SPONSOR ANNUAL VISITS OF NAREG GRADUATES TO ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
March 24, 2010

NICOSIA, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN-ARMENIANS TODAY. A unique opportunity
for all graduates of Nareg schools is a reality as of this year, by
the kind support of Armenian MP Vartkes Mahdessian, in cooperation
with the government of the Republic of Armenia. Starting from the
summer of 2010, graduates of Nareg Schools will visit Armenia for
two weeks every summer. According to pupils will
visit Armenia with Vartkes Mahdessian covering all the costs of their
air tickets and visas, and the government of the Republic of Armenia
(will) covers the costs of food, accommodation, as well as visits to
historical sites.

TURKEY’S STANCE ‘HELPS’ ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION

azatutyun.am
content/article/1991683.html
March 23 2010

Syria — President Bashar al-Assad meetswith his Armenian counterpart
Serzh Sarkisian in Damascus, 22Mar2010 23.03.2010

Turkey’s reluctance to unconditionally normalize relations with
Armenia is only facilitating a broader international recognition
of the Armenian genocide, President Serzh Sarkisian suggested in a
newspaper interview published on Tuesday.

Sarkisian spoke to the Syrian daily "Al Watan" during an official
visit to Syria that began on Monday. He was asked, in particular,
to comment on a resolution recognizing the 1915 mass killings of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide that was adopted by a U.S.

congressional committee on March 4.

"One thing is obvious to me," he replied. "The longer the process of
normalizing our relations [with Turkey] lasts, the larger the number
of states adopting such resolutions may become."

It was a clear reference to Ankara’s failure to ratify the
Turkish-Armenian normalization protocols signed in October. Turkish
leaders link the ratification with a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict that would satisfy Azerbaijan. They also say that the
genocide resolutions adopted by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs
Committee as well as Sweden’s parliament this month have further
complicated Turkish-Armenian reconciliation.

By contrast, Yerevan has welcome both resolutions. "I don’t find right
attempts to link that [normalization] process with the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide by other countries," Sarkisian told "Al Watan."

Sarkisian, who held talks with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad
in Damascus, is scheduled to visit the northeastern city of Deir
ez-Zor on Wednesday. The eponymous desert surrounding it was the
final destination point of hundreds of thousands of Ottoman Armenians
forced out of their homes in 1915-1918. The Armenian community in
Syria built there a memorial complex dedicated to them in 1990.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Sarkisian on Monday, Assad
offered Syria’s help in establishing cordial relations between Armenia
and Turkey for the sake of regional security and stability. "Syria
is ready to play a role… for the establishment of Turkish-Armenian
relations that can ensure normal stability and security in the region,"
he said, according to AFP news agency.

"I think… officials in Armenia have given us their full confidence,
which is why we are starting immediate steps, especially since
President Sarkissian encouraged us" to do so, he said. Assad also
praised Yerevan’s decision to normalise its relations with Turkey
despite "many difficulties."

CONFERENCE ON "THE ISSUE OF PRESERVATION OF THE QUALITIES OF THE ARMENIAN IDENTITY IN MIXED MARRIAGES" TO BE CONDUCTED IN YEREVAN

534/lang/en
2010-03-23
YEREVAN

A conference on "The issue of preservation of the qualities of the
Armenian identity in mixed marriages" will be conducted April 25-26
in Yerevan on the initiative of the Armenian Diaspora Ministry.

Head of the Repatriation and Research Department Arman Yeghiazaryan
told Armenpress that all those who are engaged in the study of the
Armenian identity and mixed marriages or appear to be representatives
of families formed as a result of mixed marriages can take part
in the conference. Nearly 30 reports are intended to be present at
the conference.

Issues on preservation of the Armenian identity in mixed marriages,
as well as circumstances endangering the identity and opportunities
of their prevention will be discussed.

ARMENIAN GROWTH ACCELERATES IN FEBRUARY
Emil Danielyan

/1990731.html
22.03.2010

Armenia’s economic recovery accelerated in February, with Gross
Domestic Product increasing by 3.1 percent in the first two months
of this year, the latest government statistics show.

The year-on-year figure is up from a GDP growth rate of 2.4 percent
registered by the National Statistical Service (NSS) in January. The
modest growth followed last year’s 14.4 percent contraction of the
Armenian economy resulting from the global credit crunch.

The Armenian government and Western lending institutions forecast late
last year that the economy will expand by only 1.2 percent in 2010.

Officials from the International Monetary Fund revised the forecast
upwards last month.

With retail trade and other services flat in January-February, industry
remained the driving force behind the unfolding recovery. The NSS
data show industrial output growing by 9.4 percent on the year and
generating just over one-third of Armenia’s GDP during this period.

Rising international prices of copper and other base metals,
the country’s number one export item, appear to be the main factor
behind this upswing. That also explains why Armenian exports jumped by
53.5 percent to $121.4 million. And in a sign of recovering domestic
consumer demand, the NSS reported an almost 17 percent rise in imports
totaling $503.8 million in the two-month period.

The official statistics also indicate a further slowing of the decline
of the local construction industry, the main engine of Armenia’s
robust growth in the decade preceding the recession. The construction
sector shrunk by 2.7 percent in January-February, compared with its
36.4 percent slump registered in 2009.

The period in question also saw a further increase in consumer price
inflation. A year-on-year inflation rate of 8.2 percent recorded by
the NSS is almost twice higher than the maximum inflation target set
by the government and the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) for 2010.

Citing the continuing rise in inflationary pressures on the
economy, the CBA raised its benchmark re-financing rate by another
50 percent basis points to 6.5 percent on March 9. It was the third
consecutive rate increase approved by the CBA board in less than two
months. In a statement posted on its website, the bank attributed the
higher-than-expected inflation to rising international commodity and
foodstuff prices as well as the renewed growth.

The question of whether or not Armenia is emerging from its most
serious economic downturn since the early 1990s is a matter of
serious contention in the country’s political arena and even within
its governing coalition. Trade and Economic Minister Nerses Yeritsian
declared late last month that the economic crisis is over. The claim
was publicly challenged not only by opposition leaders but Gagik
Tsarukian, an influential businessman whose Prosperous Armenia Party
controls three ministerial portfolios.

A senior World Bank official likewise cautioned recently that Armenia
has only overcome "the acute phase of the crisis."

TOP MPS DIVIDED OVER COUNCIL OF EUROPE CRITICISM
Irina Hovannisian

le/1990708.html
22.03.2010

Senior pro-government lawmakers in Yerevan gave on Monday diametrically
opposite assessments of the latest Council of Europe report criticizing
the Armenian authorities’ investigation into the 2008 post-election
violence.

In the extensive report released on Friday, the council’s Committee for
the Prevention of Torture (CPT) expressed concern about the reported
ill-treatment of dozens of opposition members arrested following the
February 2008 presidential election. It said the authorities must
finally make it clear to security bodies that the illegal practice is
"will be dealt with severely in the form of criminal prosecution."

The report also called for a "public inquiry" into the March 2008
clashes in Yerevan between opposition supporters and security forces
which left ten people dead. It is based on the findings of a CPT team
that visited Armenia in the aftermath of the unrest.

David Harutiunian, chairman of the Armenian parliament committee
on legal affairs, said the authorities should take the criticism
seriously and come up with an "plan of immediate actions" to address
it. "Naturally, reading CPT reports is not always pleasant because
they are usually very critical," he told RFE/RL. "Nevertheless, I
believe it is very important to publish them because that restrains
both the authorities and the public."

Asked whether he agrees with the report’s conclusions, the former
justice minister said: "Not only do I agree but also think that
we will probably to turn it into a legal requirement by means of
legislative changes."

Harutiunian, who also heads the Armenian delegation at the Council of
Europe Parliamentary Delegation (PACE), reacted similarly to another
report that was released by an OSCE watchdog earlier this month. The
report criticized the trials of jailed oppositionists.

By contrast, deputy parliament speaker Samvel Nikoyan, rejected the
CPT criticism as politically motivated and unfounded. He specifically
faulted the Council of Europe watchdog for calling into question the
credibility of the official criminal investigation into the clashes.

"Just because of such an evaluation, you can put aside that document,"
Nikoyan told RFE/RL. "They make a political evaluation of legal
matters for some reasons … I wouldn’t say they used such phrases
out of friendly motives."

Nikoyan insisted that there were only "isolated cases" of police
brutality during the probe and that an hoc commission of the Armenian
parliament headed by himself has already conducted an independent
inquiry into the events of March 2008. The commission essentially
justified the use of deadly force against opposition protesters,
provoking strong criticism from the Armenian opposition.

Turan News Agency, Azerbaijan
March 18 2010

Azeri opposition parties reject Karabakh conflict resolution plan

Baku, 18 March: A number of opposition forces of Azerbaijan today held
discussions at the headquarters of the Democratic Party [of
Azerbaijan] on the situation in Karabakh peace talks.

The leaders of the Democratic Party (DPA), of the Azadliq [Freedom]
bloc ([which includes] the People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party, the
Liberal Party, and the Citizen and Development Party), the Hope party
and the Azarbaycan Milli Istiqlal Party [National Independence of
Azerbaijan Party].

DPA leader Sardar Calaloglu has told Turan that the participants in
the meeting expressed concern over statements by official Baku on
Azerbaijan’s agreement to the "Madrid principles". The opposition
believes that this plan runs counter to Azerbaijan’s national
interests as it envisages holding a referendum on the status of
Nagornyy Karabakh.

"This means secession of the region from Azerbaijan," Calaloglu said.

The opposition forces called on the authorities to reject this plan.
Otherwise, the opposition will organize civil resistance to the
"Madrid principles", the DPA leader said.

‘SERBIA WILL APOLOGIZE FOR SREBRENICA SLAUGHTER,’ TURKISH FM SAYS

Hurriyet
March 18 2010
Turkey

Turkey’s top diplomat said Thursday that Serbia would soon officially
"apologize" for the Srebrenica Massacre that claimed the lives of
hundreds of Bosnian Muslims in 1995.

"The next step is the apology to be released by the Serbs over the
Srebrenica slaughter," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a small
group of journalists accompanying him en route to Bulgaria.

In recent months, Davutoglu has engaged in intense diplomatic talks
between Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries in the
region in an effort to end potential strife between the neighboring
nations. Earlier, Turkey-mediated talks had prompted Serbia and Bosnia
and Herzegovina to appoint ambassadors to each others’ capitals.

Despite Davutoglu’s statements, the Serbian parliament is only expected
to issue a declaration expressing its sadness over the loss of innocent
lives during the 1992-1995 war periods. Davutoglu will initiate more
meetings between the two countries in the upcoming months to ensure
stable progress in the region.

"Turks and Serbs were in a 1,000-year-old conflict. It goes back to
the 12th century. However, our problems with Armenia are only 100
years old," Davutoglu said. "If we can solve problems in the Balkans
with Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, why can’t we do the same
with Armenia?"

Noting that the mood of the bilateral relations between Turkey
and Serbia has drastically changed within the span of just a year,
Davutoglu said he had met with his Serbian counterpart 11 times in
the last six months.

"Armenians do not talk with us on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. But we
say the opposite: If we could solve the problem with Serbs through
dialogue, we can do it with you as well," the Turkish foreign minister
said. "We tell them, thanks to our efforts, Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Serbia could overcome their problems. Let us do the same for you
and Azerbaijan."

TURKISH PM DOWNPLAYS THREAT TO EXPEL ARMENIANS

YNet News
March 19 2010
Israel

Erdogan seeks to reassure Armenians after threatening to expel
thousands of illegal immigrants

The Turkish prime minister, facing widespread anger after threatening
to expel thousands of Armenian illegal immigrants, is seeking to
reassure Turkey’s minority Armenian community they were not the target.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted Friday his government has championed
minority rights.

Erdogan had said Tuesday in an interview with the BBC Turkish service
that illegal immigrants from Armenia would be expelled, sparking
outrage among the opposition and media.

He made the threat after US and Swedish lawmakers approved measures
to recognize the Ottoman-era killings of Armenians as genocide.

Erdogan’s government complains its efforts to reconcile with Armenia
and reopen their border have not been reciprocated.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

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HIS HOLINESS ARAM I EXPRESSES HIS CONDOLENCES TO THE MUSLIM POPULATION IN
EGYPT

His Holiness Aram I sent a letter of condolences to the Sunni Muslim
Leadership and the Leadership of Al Azhar University upon the passing away
of Muhammad Tantawi, Sheikh of al-Azhar, who died of heart attack in Riyadh.
In his letter the Catholicos mentioned that the Sheikh of al-Azhar would be
remembered for his contribution to interfaith dialogue. Bishop Kegham
Khatcherian the Prelate of Lebanon personally conveyed the condolences of
His Holiness Aram I to the Mufti of Lebanon Sheikh Kabbani.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO VISIT SYRIA ON MARCH 22ND

SANA – Syrian Arab News Agency
March 18 2010

Armenian President Serzh Sargsian will visit Syria on March 22nd
23rd in response to an invitation from President Bashar al-Assad,
Armenian Ambassador to Damascus Arshak Poladyan said on Wednesday.

"During the visit several agreements will be signed in numerous
fields," the Ambassador told a press conference.

"We have direct political dialogue with Syria on all levels and Syria
has expressed, in many occasions, her readiness to help normalizing
relations between Armenia and Turkey and Azerbaijan", the Armenian
Ambassador said.

Poladyan added that President Sargsian’s first visit to Syria is
historical and plays an important role in deepening the good relations
between Syria and Armenia, describing his country’s relations with
the Arab countries, particularly with Syria as "historical and
traditional".

He pointed out that the historical Syrian-Armenian relations are a
good opportunity for developing the political, economic and cultural
relations between the two countries. Following its independence,
Armenia opened an embassy in Damascus and a consulate in Aleppo and
an honorary consulate in Deir-Ezzor a few days ago, which reflects
its desire to develop good relations with Syria.

He indicated that on the sidelines of the visit, a Syrian-Armenian
joint cultural show will be performed at al-Assad House for Culture
and Art. The 2-day show includes Spartacus Ballet for the artist and
composer Aram Khachaturian organized in cooperation with the Syrian
National Symphony .