Author: Tvankchian Parkev

Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts
47 Nichols Avenue
Watertown MA 02472
[email protected]

Press Release
October 1, 2007

Contact: Sharistan Melkonian
617-347-2833

LEXINGTON NO PLACE FOR HATE COMMITTEE SHOWS BAD FAITH

— Contradicts MA `Sunshine’ laws; Shut Out Lexington Residents’
Participation in Closed Door Meeting with ADL New England Regional Chair

Lexington, MA – The Lexington, Massachusetts No Place for Hate
Committee (LNPFH) blocked Lexington residents from a `closed’ door
unannounced meeting with the Anti Defamation League’s New England
Regional Director Andrew Tarsy this morning, just one week after the
Lexington Board of Selectmen held a meeting during which over 150
Lexington residents urged the town of Lexington to sever ties with the
Anti Defamation League, reported the Armenian National Committee of
Eastern Massachusetts.

The LNPFH decision appears to be a direct contradiction to the state’s
open meeting `sunshine’ law which applies to all "governmental bodies"
defined as "every board, commission, committee or subcommittee of any
district, city, region or town, however elected, appointed or
otherwise constituted.’ The Massachusetts Open Meeting Law makes it
clear that "a governmental body cannot circumvent the Law by
delegating public business to a subcommittee."

The status of the Lexington NPFH committee is unclear and currently
being debated. Although Lexington Board of Selectmen chair Jeanne
Krieger stated at the September 24 meeting that NPFH is not a town
committee, the town includes a full report of No Place for Hate in its
annual report, it is listed on the town’s official web site, they
often meet in town hall, and the committee includes representatives
from the Board of Selectmen, Lexington Public Schools, the Lexington
Police Department, and the Town Manager’s office.

Lexington residents Laura Boghosian, Michael Kouchakjian, and Nora
Aroyan arrived for the 8 AM Town Hall meeting on time but were soon
asked by a representative of the Town Manager’s office speaking for
the LNPFH committee to leave the closed meeting, which they did, under
protest, stating that they had a right as Lexington residents to be
heard on an issue which affects their town.

`The closed door meeting today erodes the faith that we as residents
of Lexington have in the process,’ stated Lexington resident Bella
Khachatourian, representing the Armenian National Committee of Eastern
Massachusetts. `Rather than listening to the residents of this town
and resolving this issue once and for all by severing ties with the
ADL, the Lexington No Place for Hate Committee has instead opted to
turn to outsiders.’

`Many residents have called on LNPFH chairperson Jill Smilow, who is
also a director of the Anti Defamation League–and who was at the Town
Hall meeting this morning–to recuse herself from these deliberations
because of conflict of interest issues. That request has been largely
ignored,’ continued Khachatourian. `And today, residents were not
allowed to participate in an opportunity to continue to discuss and
possibly resolve this important issue.’

Last week the Lexington Board of Selectmen moved their meeting at the
last minute from Town Hall to the auditorium to accommodate the larger
than expected number of local residents who wished to be heard on this
issue.

Lexington resident Dr. Michael Kouchakjian urged the Board of
Selectmen to `immediately sever its association with the No Place for
Hate program of the Anti-Defamation League’ stating that the `ADL has
failed to unequivocally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and
continues to abet Turkey’s genocide denial campaign and these actions
place the ADL leadership in direct conflict with the very ideals that
the No Place for Hate program aims to foster in our
community. Genocide denial is the final stage of genocide. An
organization that engages in genocide denial does not have the moral
authority to sponsor a human rights organization in our town.’

Kouchakjian reaffirmed that the issue at hand was not with No Place
for Hate, per se but with its association with the ADL. `Lexington’s
No Place for Hate committee has accomplished valuable work in
Lexington,’ said Kouchakjian. `I would like to see these efforts
continue.’ He proposed that the Board of Selectman `reconstitute the
group as an independent, town-sponsored committee. In this way, it
would only be beholden to Lexington and not to the agendas of
interests outside our town.’

Marlene Gebeyan, a Lexington resident and parent of two children, also
addressed the Selectmen. "My children, all of our children, deserve
to live in community that speaks up against hatred toward any
individual. They deserve to live in a community that doesn’t
discriminate against anyone and a community that teaches tolerance for
everyone. They deserve to not relive the kind of hatred,
discrimination, and intolerance that their great grandparents endured
as survivors of the most horrific crime known: genocide.

Long time Lexington resident Laura Boghosian also asked the Selectmen
to sever its ties to the Anti-Defamation League.

Reading from a statement she had presented directly to the LNPFH
committee just three days prior, Boghosian declared that `an
organization that engages in genocide denial simply does not have the
moral authority to sponsor human rights, anti-hate, and anti-bias
efforts.’

`For according to genocide scholars, not only is genocide denial the
highest form of hate speech, it is the final stage of genocide. Elie
Weisel calls it a `double killing,’ continued Boghoisan

She further noted that "While courageous Turkish scholars and writers
such as Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk, Taner Ackam, and Elif Shafak have
faced trial, death threats and exile for raising the issue of the
Armenian Genocide in Turkey, the ADL shamelessly partners with the
Turkish government in their multi-million dollar campaign of genocide
denial.

Speaking on behalf of many local residents, Boghosian also noted that
`this is not just an issue for or about Armenians. It is a moral issue
for all people. Denying any genocide, anywhere, sets the stage for
future genocides.’

Boghosian acknowledged the role of the New England Regional ADL while
also reaffirming its limitations. `We recognize and appreciate that
New England’s Regional ADL board has opposed the policies of its
national leadership and called for an unambiguous recognition of the
Armenian Genocide and for the ADL to support the Congressional
resolution. But No Place for Hate is a national program, and as such,
represents the policies of the national ADL, not the regional.’

Nairi Khachatourian, a senior at Lexington High School, asked the
Board of Selectmen to sever ties with the ADL. "I am fortunate enough
to live in a town and learn in a school that promotes tolerance and
understanding," stated Khachatourian. "However, the ADL has betrayed
the trust that our town had in it by refusing to properly recognize
the Armenian Genocide and by actively lobbying against Armenian
Genocide legislation in the United States Congress."

Sosse Beugekian, also a student at Lexington High School, later echoed
that sentiment. "The Anti Defamation League has for too long refused
to call the systematic extermination and deportation of Armenians from
their ancestral lands by its proper name – genocide… The ADL not
only refused to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, but they also
actively lobbied our own government to defeat formal recognition of
the Armenian Genocide. For this reason, I urge you to sever ties
between Lexington and the ADL. How can the ADL possibly teach me about
tolerance?"

Vicki Blier, a town meeting member and a Jewish Lexingtonian also
addressed the meeting. `The problem w/ the ADL is that they are a
human rights advocacy organization but they are also an international
political lobbying group. And, political lobbying makes for extreme
bed fellows.’

`I don’t think we would support in this town an organization that did
good works but that was sponsored by another organization that denied
the Jewish holocaust. I don’t think we should continue the
relationship with No Place for Hate,’ continued Blier.

"I agree with Laura Boghosian," stated ‘Children of the Holocaust’
author Helen Epstein also of Lexington. "The situation boils down to
what Elie Weisel had said. The situation of a double killing. First
there is the genocide and then there is the denial of the genocide.’

Lexington resident Anny Deirmenjian asked that the board of Selectmen
send a strong and clear message to the ADL. "I sincerely hope that the
national ADL changes its position regarding the Armenian
Genocide…but until then Lexington can not allow the ADL in our
town.’

ADL New England regional board member Howard Brick also addressed the
meeting reaffirming that he had no issue with the Board of Selectmen
calling on the national ADL to properly and unambiguously recognize
Armenian Genocide.

Stating that he was not present to "at all quarrel with or question
the anger of ADL national’s refusal or failure to unambiguously
characterize what happened to the Armenians as a genocide. I am proud
of the fact that the ADL New England regional board has pushed and
continues to push to clarify that policy."

"I would submit to you that if you as a body want to make clear that
you require an unambiguous statement from the ADL with respect to the
Armenian Genocide, that’s fine.’ Brick found issue, however, with what
he claimed was a "host of very complex political, geopolitical foreign
policy issues" with the non binding Congressional Armenian Genocide
Resolution.

Dikran Kaligian, visiting professor of Armenian Genocide studies at
Clark University and chairperson of the Armenian National Committee of
Eastern United States as well as a graduate of Lexington High School,
not only urged the town to help bring the ADL "back to the right side
of the issue" but countered the claim that a non binding Congressional
Resolution somehow put United States foreign policy at risk.

"A clear message must be made now…until the ADL repudiates its prior
policy’ that this town can not associated with the Anti Defamation
League.

Chairperson of the LNPFH Committee Jill Smilow also addressed the
board noting that LNPFH had met with local residents on this issue
just three days earlier.

Smilow then read a statement from the LNPFH committee which noted that
the committee recognized "the Armenian Genocide of the early 20th
century as one of the world’s greatest atrocities" but that they were
not prepared to make a recommendation on severing ties, instead
calling for " dialogue, discussion" and the `gathering of more
information,’

Lexington resident and Armenian Assembly of America Board of Trustees
Member Noubar Afeyan spoke of the irony in the discussion given that
on that very day the news media was almost unanimously condemning
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s denial of the holocaust, and
`rightly so.’

Afeyan further argued that No Place for Hate `has now been compromised
because of the ADL’ and urged the Board of Selectmen to `reconstitute
the good of it without having to save the bad of it’ which he said
would be easy to do if [Lexington’s No Place for Hate Committee].were
willing.’

The Lexington Board of Selectmen will meet again on October 15. `We
hope the Board of Selectmen will do the right thing and sever ties
with the ADL and instead put forth a human rights and tolerance
program that works for all of our residents,’ stated the ANC’s
Khachatourian.

The Armenian National Committee is the largest and most influential
Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in
coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters
throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the
world, the ANC actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American
community on a broad range of issues.

####

Note to Editors: Photographs of September 24 meeting available upon request

AZERI TEAM LEAVES ARMENIA BEHIND

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 28 2007

The International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF) has published
new rating list for 16 national teams. The team of Ukraine is
leading the rating list with 665, 83 points. Azerbaijan team (294,96)
follows Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The team of Armenia is in
the 11th place.

The members of the national team have showed worse results among 121
billiard players. The national team members’ rates are also recorded.

Seimiur Mammadov (112,91 points) 27th , Seyhun Agayev (91,32) 39th
, Azer Hajýyev (90,69) 40th , Rustam Karimov (85,87) 44th , Niyazi
Khalafov (77,78) 51st , Rauf Mustafayev (73,58 l) 57th .

–Boundary_(ID_necYgI+1kKFFo86HMKf9zg)–

IMPROVEMENT OF LIFE CONDITIONS CAN SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF MEDIA BUSINESS IN ARMENIA

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 28 2007

YEREVAN, September 28. /ARKA/. The improvement of life conditions
can become the basis for media business development in Armenia,
according to Dmitry Sorokin, Deputy Director of the Institute of
Economy, Russian Academy of Sciences.

According to him, media business cannot progress in a country with
a low economic level. If the Armenian reader becomes more prosperous
and the income level gets higher, media business will prosper as well.

Alan Kasaev Director General of the RIA Novosti Board in the CIS
and Baltic States pointed out that information is a product, the
realization of which depends on its quality. "Any product may either
be good or bad. Your success depends on whether the product is in
demand," Kasaev said.

According to him, the Armenian mass media must sale high quality
products to guarantee their success.

"INTERPOL NOT ADVENTUROUS, MYSTERIOUS, OR OMNIPOTENT"

Panorama.am
20:22 26/09/2007

"Interpol is not omnipotent, adventurous, or mysterious. Our basic
work is heavy, tiring, and analytic, but as a result of all that
revelations, sensations, and fables are born," started the interview
with the head of the Interpol office in Armenia, police colonel
Vardan Yeghiazaryan.

Yeghiazaryan presented the state of the organization’s work from
2006 to 2007. It became clear that legal bodies of member countries
were able to find 118 of those being searched for, and in 2007,
71 were found.

In 2007 13 individuals were subject to extradition.

According to Yeghiazaryan, in 2006 Armenian officials were able
to locate 27 criminals of those searched for by member countries
of Interpol, of which eight were imprisoned, two were extradited,
while in 2007 16 criminals were found, of which five were imprisoned,
five were extradited, and two are being investigated.

Besides that, in 2006, an internationally known individual was located
in Armenia, who also became responsible for revealing the names of
two corpses which had until then not been known.

Yeghiazaryan believes that attention has been turned to more serious
crimes and criminals, as well as the more common criminals (Red card).

Recently, of 33 individuals searched for internationally by Interpol,
5 were found in Armenia.

Of 19 unidentified corpses (Black card), the identity of one was
revealed.

RUSSIA-ARMENIA TRADE GROWING FAST – PM

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Sept 25 2007

MOSCOW, September 25 (ITAR-TASS) – Russian-Armenian relations are
on rise, Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov told Armenian Prime
Minister Serzh Sarkisyan at their meeting in Moscow on Tuesday.

Sarkisyan said the bilateral relations are "developing normally".

An increase in trade was above 70 percent in the first half-year,
which is a "good confirmation of these words".

Sarkisyan said a plan of long-term economic cooperation had been
approved at a recent meeting of the intergovernmental commission.

"If it is approved by the Russian prime minister, a billion-sized
trade turnover can be reached in a foreseeable future," he said.

IF THEY DIVIDE THE SPHERE INTO BLACK AND WHITE, THEY WILL SUCCEED

Lragir, Armenia
Sept 25 2007

Artashes Geghamyan, Stepan Demirchyan, Arthur Baghdasaryan,
Raffi Hovannisian, Aram Karapetyan, Vazgen Manukyan. These are the
oppositionists listed by another oppositionist Victor Dallakyan who
thinks they can shape an opposition pole to run in the presidential
election of 2008.

"No matter if I share their ideas or not, the Armenian opposition
is rich in a number of interesting politicians and they can shape
different poles. Today, however, it is hard to tell how these poles
will be acting," Victor Dallakyan says. He thinks if the opposition
puts up a common candidate and divides the sphere into black and white,
it will make considerable challenge to the government candidate.

WHAT DOES THE EX-PRESIDENT WANT TO DO?
S. Beglaryan

Hayots Ashkharh, Armenia
Sept 25 2007

That Didn’t Manage To Do In Good Time

Hence, ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan is fully determined to return
to politics and help the country overcome the "crises". So, it would
be helpful for all of us one more time to recall the economic situation
of the country during his years of power.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s years of power first of all coincided with
the energy crises in the country. After closing the Nuclear Power
Plant by the initiative of Armenian Pan National Movement Armenia
immediately appeared in energy crises and the state was simply unable
to supply the structures of social and strategic significance with
energy. The population used to be provided with energy only for 2
hours per day. And this was in case when the significant part of the
country’s financial and economic means were directed to the import
of energy resources.

It is not accidental that later those responsible for the sphere of
energy announced that the quantity of the energy produced during those
years was equal to the one produced in 1990, when not only did the
country have enough but also surpass of energy. A question appears
here – where did this energy disappear?

During the years of energy crises Armenia used to pay Turkmenistan
with almost the whole production of those years, for gas import.

Moreover they even opened the state treasury. But even after this
Armenia ran into debt to this country and was obliged to draft
credit-agreement.

It was during Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s power that privatization was
established in the country, whereas the thing was about voucher
privatization. After a very short period of time vouchers lost their
traditional values. Dozens of people purchased them with very cheap
prices and managed to privatize 60-70% of the state property with very
cheap prices. Making no demands from the proprietor the government
prepared good ground for free activity, something that served as a
reason for unemployment and abrupt fall of economy.

Because of such a non-prospective privatization many factories were
closed. They were gradually robbed and decomposed and, in many cases
even exported to Iran as scrap metal.

The situation of the agricultural sphere was worst. The whole
mechanical system was decayed due to which we still face problems.

If during the first years of Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s power Armenia was
in war, which created additional problems in the economic processes,
the same can’t be said about the years following 1994.

Before 1997, economic progress in Armenia didn’t exceed 7%. It
fluctuated within the limits of 6%. Moreover, in 1997 it made up
only 3,3%. It’s worth mentioning that beginning from 2000 up to the
present days two-digit economic growth has been recorded in Armenia.

The state budget and the country’s social life were also linked with
the economic situation. The budget used to increase with "turtle
steps". To clarify this, we must mention that in 1996, as compared
to the previous year, the state budget increased only by 3,8 billion
drams, which was equal to 8 million dollars. Again we must mention
that in 2007, as compared to the previous year the tax income of the
state budget increased by 300 dollars.

But even in the before mentioned conditions the governments formed
by Levon Ter-Petrosyan didn’t manage to execute the budget, due to
which the country ran into enormous debts. The state couldn’t even
carry out the so-called protected expenses. For example the health
system was financed by 60% at best.

The salary delays were considered normal. People could get their
salaries only after 2-3 months. The same was with the pensions.

The ex-President that speaks about corruption must remember that in
1996 the state budget was 127,5 billion drams or 250 million dollars,
from which only 69 billion was collected at the expense of internal
tax income. That is to say, in order to make the expenses of state
priority, instead of reducing shadow economy and increasing the
collective sum of the internal tax income, credit means were involved
that year-by-year added to the debts of our country. The fact that
the biggest amount of external debts appeared during those years
testifies to this.

Unwilling or unable to collect internal tax income the state chose
the path of increasing the country’s external debt. To say that the
economy had lack of means is not proper. Otherwise, when today’s
President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan was appointed as Prime Minister
the internal tax income couldn’t increase by 33 billion dollars,
from 69 billion to get to 102 billion drams.

But they remained in shadow, as a consequence of which during
Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s presidency almost each state budget was not
executed, year-by-year adding to the debts of the country to different
organizations and populations.

RUSSIAN BUSINESS READY TO DEPOSIT IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.09.2007 15:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Upon outcomes of the intergovernmental negotiations
today, Armenia and Russia signed a protocol on prolongation of
agreement of 2000 on regulations of indirect tax collection providing
for a 0 added value tax in mutual trade.

After a meeting with RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan, Russian Premier
Victor Zubkov said Russia concludes the agreement with friendly states,
since it allows two states to run trust business.

When commenting on Russia’s investment policy, Mr Zubkov noted that
in the near future Russian investments in the Armenian economy will
redouble and amount to $1,5 billion. The funds will be partly spent
on construction of an oil processing plant in Armenia.

"Russian business is ready to deposit in the Armenian economy,"
the RF PM stated.

"Armenian construction firms can be engaged in building of Olympic
facilities in Sochi. Furthermore, Armenia was always famous for
construction materials and the Olympic games in Sochi is a good
opportunity," Victor Zubkov noted, IA Regnum reports.

ARMENIA PM TO MOSCOW TO DISCUSS COOPERATION ISSUES

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
September 24, 2007 Monday

Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan is beginning an official visit
to Moscow to discuss a broad spectrum of issues of Russian-Armenian
cooperation in the political and economic spheres.

He will meet Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, hold talks on
various aspects of bilateral relations and give a press conference
at Itar-Tass.

It is the first visit to Russia paid by the current Armenian cabinet
head who was appointed for the post in April. Sarkisyan retained
the post of the head of the Armenian part of the intergovernmental
commission on economic cooperation between Russia and Armenia.

The two countries’ cooperation is developing on the bilateral
and multilateral basis. Armenia, the same as Russia, is for the
strengthening of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and a
member of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).

Russia and Armenia have become reliable economic partners that found
reflection in their treaty "on long-term economic cooperation for
the period up to 2000,"signed in September 2001 by Russian President
Vladimir Putin and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.

Russia today is the main trade partner of Armenia. Russia’s Exports
to the country are mainly nuclear fuel and equipment supplies for
the Armenian nuclear power plant, energy resources, machinery and
equipment. Food products, raw materials, unprocessed aluminium, as
well as liquors and semi-precious stones and metals prevail in the
structure of Russian imports from Armenia. About 70 Russian regions
are maintaining bilateral economic relations with Armenia.

The volume of trade turnover between Russia and Armenia has doubled
and may exceed 0.5 billion US dollars by the end of the year, Russian
Acting Transport Minister Igor Levitin who heads the Russian part of
the intergovernmental cooperation commission said in Armenia last
week. He stated that Russian investments in the Armenian economy
have also increased. In the first half of the year they amounted to
74 million dollars.

The lack of direct transport service between the two countries is
the main obstacle to the development of Russian-Armenian economic
cooperation. The Abkhazian section of the railway between Russia and
Armenia is closed, therefore the main part of cargoes from Russia
to Armenia is transported via the Black Sea through the Georgian
Poti port and then by railway. Measures are currently being taken to
increase the load on the Kavkaz-Poti ferry service.

AZERI MINISTER ACCUSES ARMENIA OF VIOLATING EUROPEAN ARMS TREATY

Turan news agency
13 Sep 07
Baku

Baku, 13 September: In violation of the terms of the Conventional
Forces in Europe Treaty, Armenia has an arsenal of weapons and
munitions that considerably exceeds its quota, Azerbaijani Defence
Minister Safar Abiyev said at a meeting with members of the EU-South
Caucasus parliamentary cooperation committee today.

Most of these weapons have been placed in Azerbaijan’s occurred
territories without any registration or control.

Abiyev called on international organizations and the EU to express a
"principled position" on this issue. All this compels Azerbaijan to
take "necessary measures".

He went on to threaten that Azerbaijan’s patience is not endless.

"Both from an economic and political, and military point of view,
Azerbaijan is capable of restoring its territorial integrity,"
Abiyev said.

Abiyev also answered questions from the members of the European
Parliament concerning Azerbaijan’s military budget and the Qabala
radar station.

[During the June 2007 summit of G8, Russian President Vladimir Putin
proposed that Russia and the USA jointly use Azerbaijan’s Qabala
radar station.]