Author: Tvankchian Parkev

CHARLIE KEYAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL RUMMAGE SALE

KSEE
42259587.html
April 1 2009
Ca

This morning on KSEE Sunrise Jill Boolootian and Diane Misserlian
from the Armenian School Parent Teacher Club stopped by to talk about
their big rummage sale this weekend.

Multimedia Watch The Video On Saturday April, 4th the Parent Club
is hosting a very large community rummage sale to help raise funds
for the operation of their small school. The sale will take place
on the school grounds starting at 8am. They will have everything
imaginable for sale at bargain prices. There will also be "Seller
Spaces" available for rent.

The Armenian School is feeling the effects of the troubled economy
and the parent club is not only trying to help the school, but also
their neighbors by offering lots of great stuff, refreshments and
fun at their 1st Rummage Sale.

The Rummage Sale takes place Saturday, April 4, at the Charlie Keyan
Armenian School , 108 North Villa in Clovis. The sale begins at 8:00
a.m. For more information call Jill at 559-217-2465

OPENING OF TURKISH-ARMENIAN BORDER MAY HAVE POSITIVE IMPACT ON SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT: OSCE MG RUSSIAN CO-CHAIR

ArmInfo
2009-04-02 11:21:00

ArmInfo. Opening of the Turkish-Armenian border may have positive
impact on settlement of the Karabakh conflict, OSCE MG Russian Co-chair
Yuri Merzlyakov told Trend.az.

The Russian Co-chair thinks that normalization of the relations is
already a positive fact and should contribute to stabilizing the
situation in the region, for Armenia will no longer feel itself
isolated. He disagreed with the opinion that Armenia may become
intractable at the negotiations for settlement of Karabakh conflict
if the Turkish-Armenian border is opened. Y.

Merzlyakov is sure that Armenia cannot stop negotiating since there
are still levers of influence on it. It is impossible to rely on
normalization of the situation in the region without thinking of
the whole region and not just of the bilateral Armenian- Azerbaijani
relations, he said.

ARMENIA REVISES BRANDY, COGNAC PRODUCTION REGULATIONS

ARKA
Apr 2, 2009

YEREVAN, April 2. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Government revised Thursday
technical regulations of Armenian cognac, brandy, cognac alcohol and
raw vodka production.

The amendments are stipulated in the recently revised Law on Alcohol
Drinks from Grapes.

"According to former regulations, Armenian cognac, brandy and vodka
were made of 13 sorts of grapes that composed 80% of the products. By
the amended law, 17 sorts of grapes are to be used to cover 95% of
those drinks’ consistency," RA Deputy Minister of Agriculture Samvel
Avetisyan said, adding the changes would not affect the quality of
the drinks.

Armenia’s cognac output rose 13% year-on-year to 15mln 961,500 liters
in 2008, with 12mln 122,000 liters of vodka and liqueur being produced
in the same period (4.8% year-on-year drop compared).

Armenia’s champagne output dropped 19.8% to 464,400 liters last year,
compared to 578,700 liters in 2007. During the period under review,
beer output totaled 10mln 527,000 liters, compared to 11mln 631,400
liters in 2007 (9.5% year-on-year drop).

ORDER OF RECEIVING OPINIONS ON CBA DRAFT NORMATIVE LEGAL ACTS COMES IN FORCE FROM APRIL 1

Noyan Tapan
Apr 1, 2009

YEREVAN, APRIL 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The order of Giving a Possibility to
Present Opinions by Society on CBA Draft Normative Legal Acts came
in force from April 1. It was approved at the CBA Board February
10 meeting.

According to the CBA Public Relations Department, CBA draft normative
legal acts subject to publishing will be periodically placed on the
"drafts" section of the website for the purpose of receiving
society’s opinion of the latters.

Opinions of a draft normative legal act of CBA can be presented to
the CBA initiating department within 14 working days from draft’s
placing on the website and to departments’ electronic mail addresses.

The opinions presented after the end of the term of accepting
opinions will be discussed at CBA within 10 working days. If
necessary, opinions’ authors will be invited to CBA to take part in
the discussions.

A brief statistical reference on the opinions presented with a
quarter’s periodicity will be placed on the same department of the
website.

TASHNAG REJECTS HARIRI’S OFFER, FUTURE MOVEMENT LEADER REACTS

NaharNet
April 1 2009
Lebanon

The Armenian Tashnag party announced officially on Wednesday that
it has refused MP Saad Hariri’s offer of four parliamentary seats
in return for voting for March 14 alliance’s full list of names in
Beirut 1, the Metn and Zahle districts.

"After studying this offer … and during our second meeting with
MP Hariri (last night), we informed him about the (executive)
committee’s decision to form an Armenian MPs bloc that will include
five legislators" whose names were announced on Sunday, the party
said in a statement.

The five candidates are: Arthur Nazarian, George Qassarji, Hagop
Pakradounian, Vrej Saboungian and Krikor Kaloust.

"The bloc will have free political decision-making and will play a
nationalistic legislative role," according to the statement.

It said the party will have the freedom to vote in Beirut 1, the
Metn and Zahle based on its own convictions, to which Hariri did not
react favorably.

The statement reiterated that Tashnag will be allied with Gen. Michel
Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement in all districts and Minister Elie
Skaff in Zahle, adding that the party will continue to reach out to
all sides before and after the June 7 elections.

Later, Hariri’s press office stated "for the record that Tashnag has
reneged on the position it officially relayed to us during yesterday’s
meeting.

The statement said Tashnag promised during the talks with Hariri to
"completely commit to political neutrality between March 8 and March
14 forces following the legislative elections."

"We were surprised that Tashnag announced, through a media release,
its stance on the dialogue taking place between us, Michel Murr and
(the Armenian party)," it said.

The statement explained that the three sides had agreed "during the
last two meetings to keep political deliberations amongst them."

It said Tashnag appeared to suggest it is being offered "a number
of seats for its candidatesin return for its supporters to vote for
March 14 nominees across Lebanon."

However, "what we are really proposing is to try to secure the votes
of March 14 supporters for Tashnag candidates in return for the
ballots of the (the Armenian party’s) supporters in favor of March
14 contenders in the same districts."

OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTOR GENERAL CHANGED BUT DID NOT RELEASE

LRAGIR.AM
15:57:13 – 01/04/2009

On April 1, continued the court hearing of the "case of seven" which
had been prolonged for a week through the petition of the accusing
party in order to change the accusation towards the oppositional
leaders charged in the "case of seven" in connection with the
amendments to the Articles 225 and 300 of the Armenian Crime Code. This
circumstance created grounds to think that considering the PACE 1643
resolution the government may change the charges of the "defendants"
and may set them free. But these predictions did not come true. The
accusing party merely changed the charge, but the "defendants" are
still deprived of their freedom. In this regard the reporters asked a
question to the member of the parliamentary commission to study March
1, ARF Dashnaktsutyun candidate for Mayor Artsvik Minasyan. Trying
to find out whether this step of the office of the prosecutor general
after the amendments to the Crime Code is sufficient to consider that
Armenia fulfilled the demands of the PACE 1643 resolution and solved
the question on the political prisoners. Artsvik Minasyan answered
that he thinks this step is insufficient to consider accomplished
the resolution demands.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE

April 1, 2009
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434

APRIL GENOCIDE PREVENTION MONTH

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY VIDEO URGES CONTINUED CONGRESSIONAL ACTION

Washington, DC – "With April designated as Genocide prevention month,
now is the time to make certain that this April 24, the Armenian
Genocide is unequivocally affirmed by President Barack Obama," said
Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny. "We encourage activists and all people of good will to take
action to ensure that President Obama and Congress affirm the truth."

In January 2009, with the start of the new Administration and Congress,
the Assembly launched a website, ArmenianGenocideAffirmation.com,
specifically dedicated to U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. The
website affords visitors with the opportunity to send a letter to
President Barack Obama or their respective Member of Congress, join the
Assembly’s facebook group or become an Ambassador of Affirmation, as
well as view our latest video messages.

Last month, H. Res. 252, the Armenian Genocide Resolution, was
introduced shortly after the Assembly’s National Advocacy Conference, by
Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), George Radanovich (R-CA) and Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chairmen, Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and
Mark Kirk (R-IL). It currently boasts 88 co-sponsors.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c) (3)
tax-exempt membership organization.

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NR#2009-022
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Editor’s Note:

Message to President Obama
_id=112

Message to Congress
ertid=12899686

Become an Ambassador of Affirmation
/?page_id=15

List of Co-Sponsors
/?page_id=101

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF PARLIAMENT OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan
March 31, 2009

CANBERRA, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Legislative
Council of the parliament of South Australia has adopted a resolution,
according to which Armenian Genocide is one of the crimes committed
against humanity. The resolution calls the coalition government of
Australia for officially recognizing the events of 1915 as genocide.

The resolution was submitted to the parliament by leader of Liberal
opposition David Ridgway. Bernard Finnigan from Workers’ Party has
supported the resolution.

According to Marmara daily, the Turkish press wrote in this respect
that for a long time government of South Australia developed
anti-Turkish policy.

This region has become a center of anti-Turkish events.

"WARM" GIFT INTENDED TO PREVENT EMIGRATION FLOW FROM THE VILLAGES OF GEGARKUNIK MARZ

LRAGIR.AM
10:46:42 – 31/03/2009

VivaCell-MTS, a subsidiary of Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (NYSE: MBT),
today announces that works on the installation of key infrastructure
components for gas and drinking water supply in four villages of
Gegarkunik marz are now over, and the new infrastructure is completely
operational.

Based on the evaluation of needs in the area of regional infrastructure
and especially by taking into account the deterioration of key
infrastructure element such as gas and water supply in Gegharkunik,
a region that faces a lot of complex challenges while having limited
resources at hand, VivaCell-MTS has made a social investment in the
gasification and installation of pipelines for drinking water supply in
four rural communities of Gegharquniq region – Lanjaghbyur, Vardadzor,
Verin Getashen and Vaghashen.

The realization of the project for which VivaCell-MTS allocated AMD
30.5 million gives opportunity to make life easier and comfortable
in villages where emigrational employment has been the major activity
of the population.

"We hope that this infrastructural development project, under our
corporate responsibility agenda, will provide an opportunity to
these villages to create additional workplaces by developing local
manufacturing production, and that in the long-term will be able
to mitigate the problem of emigrational employment having been so
specific to this region. Thus we are trying to create stronger ties
between the villager and the soil", – mentioned General Manager of
VivaCell-MTS Ralph Yirikian.

These last infrastructure development projects realized in Gegharkunik
region include the following components: 377.5 m gas pipeline in
the village of Lanjaghbyur (AMD 3 mln); 674 meters-long gas pipeline
installed in the village of Vardadzor (AMD 5.5 mln); 820 meters long
drinking water infrastructure reconstruction in the village of Verin
Getashen (AMD 15 mln); 1010 meters-long drinking water infrastructure
reconstruction in the village of Vaghashem (AMD 7 mln), totaling to
AMD 30.5 mln.

Overall, during 2008, in the framework of CSR projects, VivaCell-MTS’
social investment in Gegarkunik region amounted to over AMD 170
million.

RUSSIAN INVESTMENTS IN ARMENIA GROWING
Siranush Muradyan

"Radiolur"
31.03.2009 13:43

"The volume of Russian investments in Armenia reached 1 billion
79 million USD over the past years," the Armenian-Russian
Interparliamentary Commission stated during a joint sitting in Moscow.

During the meeting with reporters Co-Chair of the Commission Aram
Safaryan, members of the Commission Volodya Badalyan and Hermine
Naghdalyan presented the activity and the agreements reached during
the 16th sitting of the Commission.

"The direct Russian investments in Armenia have exceeded 1 billion
79 million USD over the past years. Those are gradually growing,"
Aram Safaryan said.

According to Hermine Naghdalyan, a number of issues were discussed at
the sitting including the question of using the Armenian economic
potential at the forthcoming Olympic Games in Sochi. "In this
context we discussed the issues of possible assistance to Armenian
businessmen," she said.