Author: Tvankchian Parkev

Lragir, Armenia
Feb 15 2008

GOVERNMENT CANDIDATE CONTROLS SITUATION AND IS AWARE OF HIS ACTIONS

The political forces should realize that life will not end on
February 19 and we must live in this country and develop it, stated
the spokesman for the presidential candidate Serge Sargsyan,
Republican Member of Parliament Samvel Nikoyan on February 15 during
the discussion held by the National Press Club and the U.S. National
Democratic Institute. About the presidential campaign, he singles out
intolerance, saying that if in the beginning intolerance was towards
the government, now the opposition is also intolerant towards one
another, accusing each other of venality.

Samvel Nikoyan explains it by the fact that everyone realizes that
Serge Sargsyan will win the election and are in a race for the second
place. According to Samvel Nikoyan, Serge Sargsyan has the chance to
win in the first round. According to him, some political forces are
waiting for the post-election developments rather than February 19.
In this sense, Samvel Nikoyan said the government should be ready to
prevent any anti-constitutional action.

Samvel Nikoyan stated that their candidate controls the situation in
the country, the existing problems, and knows what has been done and
what has to be done to tackle them. Samvel Nikoyan says it is time to
establish the tradition in the political sphere that the candidates
who lose the election to congratulate the winner. The Republican
stated the government has sufficient will to hold a fair election and
the voting on February 19 will be better than the parliamentary
election on May 12.

Interfax News Agency, Russia
Feb 15 2008

OSCE/ODIHR observers praise Armenian electoral campaign

YEREVAN. Feb 15 (Interfax) – Observers of the OSCE Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) have in general
hailed the Armenian electoral campaign in an interim report on
Friday.

The campaigns of candidates for the presidency are covered by the
Armenian media "in a positive and neutral manner, () the candidates’
total coverage time was more equitable than in the previous reporting
period," the interim report from January 27 throughout February 9
says.

According to the report, "the coverage of [former President] Levon
Ter-Petrosian contained many critical remarks in various broadcast
media."

Moreover, "unrest occurred at two of Ter-Petrosian’s events [campaign
rallies]," the report says.

The OSCE/ODIHR is aware of "five incidents in which party or
candidate premises have been damaged either through vandalism,
shooting or possible arson," the document says.

The OSCE/ODIHR electoral monitoring mission in Armenia consists of 40
short-range and 260 long-rang observers. ar rp

TER-PETROSIAN STEPS UP PRESSURE ON BAGHDASARIAN
By Ruzanna Stepanian and Anna Saghabalian

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Feb 13 2008

Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian publicly pressed fellow opposition
candidate Artur Baghdasarian to back his presidential bid and claimed
to have strong support within the state apparatus on Wednesday as he
took his election campaign to southeastern Armenia.

The two opposition frontrunners negotiated on the possibility of
joining forces ahead of the February 19 vote but failed to reach
agreement before Saturday’s legal deadline for candidates’ withdrawal
from the race. Baghdasarian indicated on Monday that he might still
urge supporters to vote for Ter-Petrosian while having his name on
the ballot.

"I’m sure that Artur Baghdasarian will also join us," Ter-Petrosian
told a campaign rally in the Vayots Dzor province. He said that will
be part of the ongoing "unification of the entire people" around
his candidacy.

Ter-Petrosian sounded less certain on that score and issued a stark
warning to Baghdasarian as he proceeded to neighboring Syunik region
bordering on Iran. "If [Baghdasarian] stands by the people, he will
become an honorable man," he told voters in the local town of Goris.

"If he doesn’t do that, he will leave the political arena."

The former president was clearly buoyed by Tuesday’s endorsement
of his candidacy by another popular opposition leader, Raffi
Hovannisian. Hovannisian’s Zharangutyun and Baghdasarian’s Orinats
Yerkir are the only opposition parties represented in Armenia’s
parliament.

Baghdasarian made no public mention of his possible electoral alliance
with Ter-Petrosian as he campaigned in the northeastern Tavush
province on Wednesday. The former parliament speaker instead attacked
President Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, saying
that they have turned Armenia into a "country without a future" where
"people live in fear."

Speaking at a rally in the regional capital Ijevan, Baghdasarian also
accused the two men and their cronies of monopolizing lucrative sectors
of the Armenian economy. "Who can now import petrol and diesel fuel
today? Who can import wheat and flour today? A handful of people who
are wealthier than the country," he said.

As was the case during his campaign trips to other parts of the
country, Baghdasarian urged Armenians not to sell their votes. "Those
who vote for money will vote against their children," he said.

Ter-Petrosian, meanwhile, claimed that he is attracting growing support
from government and law-enforcement bodies. "Rest assured that state
bodies are also with us," he told supporters in Vayots Dzor. "At
least 90 percent of the staffs of security bodies, ministries are
with the people."

Ter-Petrosian further claimed that more than 50 employees of the
National Security Service (NSS) have refused to "work against their
own people" in next week’s election and resigned from the former KGB
in recent days. He did not elaborate.

PETER SEMNEBY :I SURPRISE THAT NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT HAS NOT YET SOLVED

Azeri Press Agency
Feb 13 2008
Azerbaijan

Brussels-APA. "It is surprising that Nagorno Karabakh conflict has
not yet solved after long-term talks," Peter Semneby, EU Special
Representative for the South Caucasus said, APA reports

"Despite of long-term talks, the conflict has not yet solved. There
is relative stability in Nagorno Karabakh conflict. It is good that,
unlike Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Nagorno Karabakh is not mentioned
in this context. I am sure that, it is good. One conflict is not at
least mentioned in South Caucasus. I want to add that, the talks are
not carried out on the settlement of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. I
hope that, the talks will be resorted after elimination of tension
around Kosovo and stabilization of situation in Georgia. The talks
are continued on the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Armenia
and Azerbaijan have full rights in the talks on the settlement of
Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the framework of OSCE MG. This prevents
tragic situations," he said. Mr. Semneby stated that he is against
the identification of conflicts in South Caucasus with Kosovo conflict.

"Every conflict has its history. These conflicts have more differences
than similarities. It is not true to compare Nagorno Karabakh conflict
with Kosovo conflict or other conflicts.

IN MUNICH ERDOGHAN DEMANDED THAT TURKEY IS INTEGRATED INTO THE EU

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.02.2008 GMT+04:00

Turkey vigorously rejects the compromise in the form of the status
of a privileged partner, which was suggested particularly by Germany.

During the 44th conference on security policy issues held in Munich
the problems of NATO’s functioning and the prospect of its expansion,
the issues of disarmament, nonproliferation of nuclear weapons,
the calls of the European security, the situation in Afghanistan
and prospective of its resolution, the basic course of development
of Russia, and the issues of security in Asia were discussed. Much
attention was focused particularly to the discussion of the Kosovo
issue, Iranian nuclear program, Turkey’s European course, and its
policy in the field of security.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The conference was opened by the Prime Minister
of Turkey Recep Erdoghan, who said in his speech that his country is
actively involved in many processes and events in different parts of
the world. In this regard he also mentioned that Turkey has always
been and will remain a reliable for NATO, and the main message to the
participants of the conference was the demand to integrate Turkey in
the European Union.

According to Erdoghan, Turkey vigorously rejects the compromise in the
form of the status of a privileged partner, suggested particularly by
Germany. But the most interesting things happened during the debate. An
example was brought by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia
Vartan Oskanyan. "You confirmed the decision of your country to become
the full member of the EU. Armenia is also for Turkey’s integration
into the EU, this is the neighbor we need. But you know that at present
the border between the two countries are closed from Turkey’s side,"
said the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs in answer to Erdoghan’s speech.

Vartan Oskanyan mentioned that the Turkish side has two main reasons
for closing the borders. "The first reason is RA’s participation in
Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, and the second reason is Armenia’s foreign
policy, directed towards the international recognition of the Armenian
Genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. I must say that the
parties of the Karabakh conflict are the Armenians and the Azeri,
and the recognition of the Armenian Genocide is the historical and
moral imperative of the Armenian Nation. Mr. Prime Minister, now our
countries are not at a war with each other and are your arguments
enough to preserve the blockade of the Armenian-Turkish border in
this situation?" asked Oskanyan to Recep Erdoghan.

However, the Turkish Prime Minister left Oskanyan’s questions
unanswered and once again repeated the sentence about establishing the
Armenian-Turkish historical commission, declaring that the slaughter
of 1915 has not historically been proven and that it is the issue to
be discussed by the historians. The notion of Genocide doesn’t exist
in Turkish culture," said Erdoghan.

Erdoghan also touched upon the Kurdish problem.

According to him, the Turkish Army has concentrated around 100.000
soldiers on the border with Iraq, but hasn’t started any serious
operations against them yet, only confining to short term raids,
and bombardment of the positions of Kurdish terrorists.

"Turkey’s struggle against the Kurdish separatists will continue till
the final victory is obtained. It is the part of the fight of the
World Community against terrorism. It should be clear to everyone
that we are going to fight till the last minute," said the Turkish
Prime Minister. Recep Erdoghan also publicly denied the Kremlin’s
affirmation, which said that Chechen terrorists have found shelter
in Turkey.

"There are people of Chechen origins in Turkey, but let’s not call
them terrorists," he said.

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

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

THE ARMENIAN CHURCH PARTICIPATES IN THE MEETING OF THE
ORIENTAL ORTHODOX FAMILY OF CHURCHES AND THE
LUTHERAN FAMILY OF CHURCHES IN GENEVA

A meeting of the Family of Oriental Orthodox Church and the family of
Lutheran Churches was held in the ecumenical center of Geneva on February 11
with the aim of discussing the possibilities of engaging the two families in
a formal theological dialogue.

>From the first years of his chairmanship of the World Council of Churches
and in response to an appeal by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF),
Catholicos Aram I had explored the most efficient ways and means to deepen
relations and collaboration between Oriental Orthodox churches and the
Lutheran World Federation.

Following an official letter from the General Secretary of LWF Dr. Ishmael
Noko, the Spiritual Leaders of the Oriental Orthodox Churches assigned
representatives to attend the meeting with the Lutheran delegation.

The Armenian Church actively participated in the meeting with its two
Pontifical Sees. Bishop Nareg Alemezian (Ecumenical Officer) represented the
Catholicosate of Cilicia, while Archbishop Viken Aykazian (Ecumenical
Officer of the Eastern Diocese of the United States) attended on behalf of
the Catholicosate of All Armenians.

Each of the participants in the meeting presented a brief history of their
church, the challenges it faces in the 21st century and its plans in light
of the official ties between the two families of churches.

The participants decided to hold their next meeting after the planned visit
by Dr. Ishmael Noko and a Lutheran delegation to the Spiritual Leaders of
the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Like the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Lutherans are also scattered everywhere
in the world and form a global family of 68 million followers.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities 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.

HRANT DINK: UN ARMENIEN EN RENAISSANCE
Nukte V. Ortaq

L’Express
/dossier/turquie/dossier.asp?ida=325494
11 Fev 2008
France

Hrant Dink dirige un journal armenien. Son but: rendre sa fierte a
sa communaute. Et s’il est critique envers les autorites d’Ankara,
il l’est aussi envers la diaspora

"Qu’est-ce qui est le plus important pour la Turquie? Qu’elle se
democratise? Ou qu’elle reconnaisse le genocide armenien?" interroge
Hrant Dink, directeur de la redaction d’Agos, un hebdomadaire armenien
publie depuis six ans a Istanbul. Cette question obsède ce petit
homme bouillonnant de 49 ans, qui mène une veritable revolution
culturelle au sein de la communaute armenienne de Turquie. Le
mois dernier, pour la première fois après vingt ans d’attente,
il a enfin ete autorise a se rendre a l’etranger. Son nouveau
passeport lui a permis de participer a un congrès sur les relations
turco-armeniennes organise a l’universite du Michigan. En compagnie
de plusieurs personnalites telles que l’historien Vahakn Dadrian,
Taner Akcam et Richard Hovhannisyan, le journaliste turc Cengiz
Candar ou le politologue Baskin Oran. "J’ai ete très impressionne
par tous ces intellectuels, confie le patron d’Agos. Je voudrais
qu’ils viennent en Turquie, qu’ils voient comment nous vivons ici,
qu’ils discutent avec des universitaires turcs." Mais la plupart des
historiens armeniens-americains hesitent a faire le voyage.

Si la Turquie ne se democratise pas, l’Armenie ne sera jamais en
securite

Ne a Malatya, capitale de l’abricot, blottie au c~ur du plateau
anatolien, passionnant et passionne, Dink se bat sur plusieurs
fronts. Et c’est ce qui fait son originalite. Il n’appartient a aucune
chapelle. Il n’a pas hesite, l’an passe, a venir, sur les plateaux de
television, rappeler les injustices faites aux Armeniens, au moment
meme où les Turcs descendaient en nombre dans la rue pour protester
contre l’adoption par le Parlement francais d’une loi reconnaissant le
genocide. En demandant, en direct, aux parlementaires qui participaient
a la meme emission quand l’Assemblee nationale d’Ankara avait, pour la
dernière fois, aborde le problème de la minorite armenienne. Jamais,
evidemment, d’où le silence gene de ses interlocuteurs…

"Seul le dialogue nous sauvera" S’il critique les autorites turques,
Dink juge aussi sevèrement ceux qui, en France ou aux Etats-Unis,
exploitent les massacres armeniens a des fins electorales. "Il ne faut
pas chercher l’identite armenienne parmi les tombes de 1915. Je porte
ma douleur en moi, au quotidien." A ses coreligionnaires occidentaux
qui affirment que les Armeniens de Turquie ont peur, il lance cette
invite: "Venez ici, je suis pret a discuter." Car il se sent fier
d’etre un Armenien de Turquie. Et il se veut, avec son journal,
le porte-drapeau d’une renaissance de cette communaute.

Dans ce pays, les Armeniens, montres du doigt et conspues dans les
annees 1970 a cause des attentats de l’Asala, se sont longtemps fait
les plus discrets possible. Ils evitaient de repondre aux insultes des
journaux qui les accusaient, sans preuve, de soutenir les Kurdes et
leur chef, Abdullah Ocalan, qu’un ministre de l’Interieur n’hesitera
pas a traiter de "graine d’Armenien"… C’est dans ce contexte
qu’est ne Agos. Cet hebdomadaire bilingue, armenien et turc, est
aujourd’hui vendu a 6 000 exemplaires. "Il fallait que les Armeniens
se defendent!" tonne Dink. Avec ses editorialistes, dont l’historien
Taner Akcam et le politologue Baskin Oran, ses 30 jeunes journalistes,
l’hebdomadaire souffle un vent de fraîcheur sur une communaute de 70
000 âmes.

Tout ne se passe pas sans accrocs. Ainsi, le journal fut saisi l’an
passe pour avoir ecrit que "les lois [sur le genocide, NDLR] cesseront
d’etre un problème lorsque la Turquie respectera la douleur creee par
le 24 avril [date symbolique du debut des massacres de 1915]". Dink,
auquel le ministère public avait intente un procès, fut heureusement
innocente. Il en faudrait d’ailleurs bien davantage pour decourager
cet homme qui a fait de la renaissance armenienne sa raison de
vivre. "Je mets toute ma force dans l’amelioration des relations
turco-armeniennes, dit-il. Si la Turquie ne se democratise pas,
l’Armenie ne sera jamais en securite." Il est convaincu que la Turquie
peut etre une chance pour le jeune Etat au bord de l’asphyxie. "Meme si
cela peut paraître utopique, l’Armenie aura vraisemblablement demain,
grâce a la Turquie, la chance de compter un voisin appartenant a
l’Union europeenne." Et d’ajouter, avec insistance: "Seul le dialogue
nous sauvera."

–Boundary_(ID_zMVWTnNpaXB0pBw76Q8 AkQ)–

UNION OF ARMENIANS OF RUSSIA SUPPORTS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SERZH SARGSYAN

arminfo
2008-02-13 12:23:00

ArmInfo. Union of Armenians of Russia (UAR) supports the presidential
candidate, Leader of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, Prime
Minister Serzh Sargsyan, UAR President Ara Abrahamyan said at a press
conference in Yerevan.

He called on the citizens to support the candidate who impresses
them most of all. Nevertheless, A. Abrahamyan explained his support
to Serzh Sargsyan saying: ‘We have been working with Serzh Sargsyan
for already 10 years and we want him to become president of Armenia
in order to continue our active cooperation;. He said that Serzh
Sargsyan is very consistent and effective in implementation of
programs. ‘Moreover, Serzh Sargsyan has a great potential and his
approaches to political and economic issues fully meet UAR’s stands’,
Ara Abrahamyan said. He also added that UAR can support only the
candidate whose campaign program considers the cooperation with
Russia prior. ‘Serzh Sargsyan’s policy is very specific and aims
to develop the relations and cooperation with Russia. Nevertheless,
we pin great hopes with the new president of Armenia whoever he is’,
A, Abrahamyan said and wished the country free and fair election.

PRESS SECRETARY OF LEVON TER-PETROSYAN’S CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS REFRAINS FROM COMMENTS ON CANDIDATE’S VISIT TO MOSCOW

arminfo
2008-02-11 16:37:00

ArmInfo. Press Secretary of the presidential candidate, ex-president
Levon Ter- Petrosyan Central Campaign Headquarters Arman Musinyan
refused to comment to ArmInfo on Monday visit of the candidate to
Moscow. Relevant information occurred in Russia Media, today.

There is no official information confirming the visit so far. Whereas,
Regnum reports that Head of the ex- president’s campaign headquarter,
the former foreign minister Aleksander Arzumanyan accompanies the
candidate to Moscow.

U.S. SENATE TO SUPPORT GEORGIA FOR NATO

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.02.2008 17:09 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. Senate will pass a statement to support
Georgia and Ukraine’s aspiration for NATO, Georgia’s Prime Minister
Giorgi Baramidze said in Tbilisi airport upon arrival from the Munich
security conference.

"President Saakashvili and Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried
discussed the issue during a meeting. We have enlisted support of the
United States," he said, adding that the officials also referred to
Georgian-American and Georgian-Russian relations, Trend reports.