Author: Vanyan Gary

“NEVER INVITE ME TO SUCH PLACES AGAIN”

Panorama.am
15:40 17/03/06

These are the words of President of Christian-Democratic party Khosrov
Haroutyunyan after the debates with President of Armenian Marxian
party David Hakobyan in “Hayeli” club. By the way, Mr.

Hakobyan predicted this disappointment: “Unfortunately, everyone
rejected our invitation. And I welcome our ex Prime Minister who
accepted the invitation to debates.” And the topic of the debates
was Karabakh issue. For the leader of Christian Democratic Party the
result of the negotiations in Rambouillet was unpredictable. “All in
all Rambouillet proved that one of the sides was not ready to serious
talks,” he added. And that side was Azerbaijan that tries to influence
on the international community by its bellicose announcements. The
Republic’s chief Marxist brought down “merely cardio physiological
ideas” to political stage, i.e. either everything or nothing. Thus
he concluded: “Rambouillet once again proved that fact.”

Later he introduced their variant of Karabakh issue regulation
suggested in 2001. The leader of the Christian Democrats doesn’t
agree with the statement that the strategy of Armenian diplomats
was defeatist.

The latter insists that 2006 is a favorable period to solve Karabakh
issue because as he says: “The choice between the bad and the worst
can be made in this very period.” Thus, unlike leader of Christian
Democrats the chief Marxist thinks that the antagonism will be
regulated only in the times of the 3rd public and under the 3rd
president elected by the people and from the people. “I’m saying
all this for historical generations. The territorial compromise
is impossible.”

The two ideological opponents left the club offended and without the
traditional handshake. /Panorama.am/

Armenian minister invites Azerbaijan to economic competition

Arminfo
16 Mar 06

Yerevan, 16 March: Boasting about a military budget does not anyone
credit, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan has said in an
interview with Yerevan H2 TV. Oskanyan was commenting on Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev’s statement about plans to make his country’s
expenditure equal Armenia’s entire budget.

Aliyev makes such statements quite often and one can form an impression
that the Azerbaijani state budget increases every day, Oskanyan said.

He supposed that probably for this reason the Azerbaijani military
violated cease-fire in an attempt to get rid of a surplus of
weapons. Not a single state or nation in the civilized world now
uses its military budget to compete with neighbours, he said. Today
countries are competing in different spheres such as economy, education
and culture, he said.

“In all these spheres Azerbaijan is inferior to Armenia and knows
this very well,” Sarkisyan stressed. Armenia is ahead of Azerbaijan in
creating favourable conditions for investment, free economy, democracy
and freedom of speech, he said. “International organizations say this,”
Oskanyan stressed.

Citing the World Bank’s data, he said that although Azerbaijan was
exporting oil, the country had not caught up with Armenia’s level
of per-capita income. “I would like to advise Azerbaijan to try and
compete with Armenia in these spheres, instead of boasting about
their oil resources and comparing military budgets,” the minister said.

He expressed regret that Aliyev had made his statement at a time when
both states have a task to prepare people in Armenian and Azerbaijani
to peace. “We consider that Azerbaijan is to blame for the failure
of the peace talks and such statements play a major role in this,”
the minister said.

HEATING STRATEGY IS A PRIORITY FOR ARMENIA

AZG Armenian Daily
17/03/2006

RA Government and USAID initiated an exhibition of new heating systems
that will last from March 15 to 17.

Holding his speech at the opening ceremony of the exhibition,
Gagik Martirosian, chief councilor of RA Prime Minister, stated
that the exhibition is meant to develop heating market of Armenia,
familiarizing the larger circles of society, the consumers with the
newest technologies. Robin Phillips director of USAID in Yerevan,
said that the given exhibition will help various companies represent
their capacities and production. 27 organizations, including ACBA
bank, AH Building Technologies, AIB BEN GIM Engineering Anergo-2,
R&R, Arazen, Artstorm, GAS AMA, Euroterm, Termoros-AR and others
participate in the exhibition.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

March 16, 2006
___________________

WOMEN’S GUILD ORGANIZES ANNUAL SAINTLY WOMEN’S DAY

Parishes throughout the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
will honor the contributions of women during Saintly Women’s Day, organized
by the Women’s Guild, on Saturday, March 18, 2006.

During the annual celebration, faithful gather to celebrate and learn from
the life example of a devout woman from Armenian history. Parishes also
host lectures and discussions about the importance of women in today’s
church and society.

“The Armenian Church would wither without the contributions of women,” said
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese. “From our ancestors
who were tested and tormented because of their faith, to our mothers,
sisters, and wives of today who give their time and talent to ensure our
parishes are vibrant Armenian Christian homes, each in their own way makes
the Armenian Church a living church.”

SHAHANTOOKHD’S MIRACULOUS ESCAPE

This year, the celebration will focus on the life of Shahantookhd, a
beautiful Armenian princess who lived in the Karabagh region in the early
9th century. On her way to her wedding, her party was attacked in the
Siunik region by bandits who had heard of her beauty.

The heathen bandits butchered many of her attendants. Seeing the
viciousness of the un-Christian bandits, and realizing what was in store for
her, Shahantookhd made the sign of the cross and whipped up her horse,
bravely jumping into a grand chasm.

Miraculously, she survived the fall unhurt. Seeing her miraculous leap, the
gang of bandits fled. Shahantookhd, realizing that God spared her life,
decided to stay where she had landed. She dedicated her life to God and
vowed never to leave that spot, located south of the Monastery of Datev.

She remained true to her vow, despite the pleas of her family, and stayed in
that spot for 30 years. She built a chapel with a small cell, where she
lived in seclusion until her death. She also gave her entire estate to the
bishop of Siunik, instructing him to use half for the needy and the other
half for the work of the Monastery of Datev.

EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE DIOCESE

To mark Saintly Women’s Day, parishes will gather for special services on
Saturday, March 18, 2006. Some will meet regionally, while other parishes
will host individual programs.

Regional events have been designated at the following locations.

Holy Resurrection Church, New Britain, CT, with faithful from Watervliet,
NY; Springfield, MA; and Hartford, CT.

Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, MA, with faithful from Lawrence/Haverhill,
Chelmsford, Worcester, Framingham, Mashpee, and Watertown, MA; along with
Providence, RI.

St. Mary Church, Livingston, NJ, with faithful from Fair Lawn, Union City,
Elberon, and Tenafly, NJ.

Holy Martyrs Church, Bayside, NY, with faithful from New York City and White
Plains, NY.

St. Paul Church, Syracuse, NY, with faithful from Binghamton, NY.

Holy Trinity Church, Cheltenham, PA, with faithful from Wynnewood, PA.

St. James Church, Evanston, IL, with faithful from Chicago, Waukegan, Palos
Heights, IL; and Waukegan and Racine, WI.

Individual churches holding services are: St. David Church, Boca Raton, FL;
St. John Church, Southfield, MI; St. Mary Church, Washington, D.C.; St. Mary
Church, Hollywood, FL; Holy Virgin Mary and Shoghagat Church, Belleville,
IL; St. Gregory of Narek Church, Cleveland, OH; St. Sarkis Church, Dallas,
TX; St. Kevork Church, Houston, TX; St. James Church, Richmond, VA; and St.
Hagop Church, St. Petersburg, FL.

Please contact your local parish for details on Saintly Women’s Day
activities.

— 3/16/06

# # #

GRAND MASTER GABRIEL SARGSIAN RECOGNIZED WINNER OF REYKJAVIK TOURNAMENT

Noyan Tapan
Mar 15 2006

REYKJAVIK, MARCH 15, NOYAN TAPAN. Representative of Armenia Gabriel
Sargsian performed very successfully in the large chess tournament
held in the capital of Iceland Reykjavik. In the competition among
102 chess-players he gained 7 out of 9 possible points and shared
the 1-5th places with another 4 participants. As the tournament
coefficients of the grand master from Yerevan were higher, he was
given the first place and the title of the winner. G.Sargsian gained
5 victories in the tournament, drew 4 games and was never defeated.

DEMAND SEVERE PUNISHMENT OF THOSE GUILTY IN MURDER IN TSALKA

Panorama.am
13:54 14/03/06

Today “Guards of Spirit” students’ youth organization of
“Armenian Courageous Unity” complained to the Georgian Embassy
in Armenia. Particularly it is mentioned in the complaint:
“Mr. Ambassador, we complain against anti-Armenian policy which has
a recurrent and purposeful character.”

As the authors of the announcement assure Georgian regimes “want to
de-armenianize Akhltskha, Akhlkalak, Aspnjakan, Bogdanovka, Tsalka
and other Armenian dwellings by all inadmissible means.”

“Mr. Ambassador, we demand: 1) Immediately to stop Georgianization
of Armenian historical-cultural and religious values in Georgia and
historical Armenian territories, 2) To punish those guilty for the
murder of Armenian young man in Tsalka publicly and severely, 3) To
restore study of Armenian History in Armenian schools in Georgia, 4)
To cease the de-armenianization and national assimilation policy of
Georgia in Armenian territories.”

We appreciated the amity of our neighbor Georgia, yet at the moment
all those friendly assurances have no value for us any longer as we are
the witnesses of assimilation process of more than 150 Armenians. We,
the Armenian youth, have learned a lesson from our history and we
shall not allow the events of 1915 to repeat,” mention the authors
of the announcement.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, US OFFICIAL DISCUSS BILATERAL TIES

Mediamax news agency
7 Mar 06

Yerevan, 7 March: Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan met US
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Matthew Bryza in Yerevan today.

“There was a detailed conversation about the dynamically developing
and intense relations between Armenia and the USA,” the press service
of the Armenian Foreign Ministry told Mediamax today.

Vardan Oskanyan highly praised the US administration for helping
Armenia with economic reforms, democracy and human rights protection.

“In this context, they discussed details related to the allocation
of funds to Armenia by the Millennium Challenge Corporation,” the
press service reported.

Oskanyan and Bryza discussed the energy issue and in particular the
possibility of diversifying energy supply routes to Armenia and of
developing energy cooperation with other countries of the region.

The Armenian foreign minister outlined Armenia’s foreign policy
priorities, emphasizing the process of implementing the Individual
Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) between Armenia and NATO, as well as
the talks with the European Union on developing an action plan within
the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. The second round
of the talks took place in Brussels on 6 March.

Vardan Oskanyan and Matthew Bryza also discussed regional cooperation
and the negotiations on settling the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict
following the meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents
in Rambouillet.

PARK DIRECTORATE AS WELL MUST CONTROL CONSTRUCTION IMPLEMENTED IN BOTANICAL PARK, DEPUTY MAYOR OF YEREVAN THINKS

Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The construction implemented in
the Botanical Park of Yerevan is stopped up to finding those
responsible for the deviation from the draft. Yerevan Deputy
Mayor Kamo Areyan informed journalists about this on March 6 at
the Parliament. According to him, the initiative to create an
Agrobiovariety Ethographic Museum on the 5 hectares land from the
territory separated for the Botanical Park by the city general plan
belongs to the Agroecologists’ Association of Armenia and the NAS. It
was mentioned that the agreement of the Botanical Institute Directorate
also exists. According to K.Areyan, the control of the construction
was first of all to be implemented by the Botanical Park and the NAS,
initiated the construction. He mentioned that the RA Ministries of
Nature Protection and Agriculture as well as the Architect’s Union of
Armenia gave agreement to the program. The construction was allowed
in 2004, based on all the necessary documents.

DOES THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA NEED A CONCEPT OF NATIONAL SECURITY?

Regnum, Russia
March 7 2006

Armenian press digest

Yerevan, 7 March 2006 (Regnum – website) – Does the Republic of Armenia
need a concept of national security? 87.8% of Lragir readers say “yes”
– it is time for Armenia to specify its security priorities. 12.2%
say it’s not time yet.

The attempts to develop a national security concept have a long
history, says Lragir. The first such attempt was made in 1994-1995 –
a governmental commission led by Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan worked
on a military doctrine and a mobilization program. Later the Defense
Ministry and the Foreign Ministry formed a working group who developed
relevant programs and drafted necessary documents. But the project
was not approved for several reasons: in 1997 it was yet unclear who
should approve a military doctrine in the first place.

“Coming up with a national security concept in 1998 was also Vardan
Oskanyan. We in the Defense Ministry got the draft but it was never
discussed. Why? You better ask the President and the Security Council,”
ex Infrastructure Coordination Minister, ex Deputy Defense Minister
Vahan Shirkhanyan says in a talk with Lragir. The leader of the
Fatherland and Honor party Garnik Margaryan says that “a state that has
no national security strategy cannot speak about the existence of its
nation. But to speak about national security concept today is absurd.”

Novoye Vremya daily says that the concept development has a point that
has got not very adequate response from journalists. The point is that,
according to National Security Council Secretary Serzh Sarkisyan,
at a certain stage, before public discussion, the draft will be sent
for examination to Russian Civil Service Academy and US National
Defense University.

“No single country in the world has ‘a shadow strategy,'” says
Sarkisyan. “Simply, our national security strategy will lay the basis
for a defense doctrine and some departments will be able, within their
competence, to make secret some of its provisions, particularly, those
concerning economic secrets.” “There is nothing strange in the fact
that the draft will be sent for examination to the US and Russia,”
says MP Hamayak Hovhannissyan. “The US and Russia are our political
allies and, naturally, should be informed of our strategic plans.”

The point is that Armenia cannot ensure its security all alone, with
no support of international organizations and allies. Unable to do
this alone are even far bigger and richer countries. Each country,
however self-sufficient it might be, should look to its allies in
security issues.” Hovhannissyan does not agree with those saying that
the document is sent somewhere for approval. “Our allies should inform
us of their views. Armenia’s security system is based on its alliance
with Russia and the US, their commitment to develop relations with
their ally and to promote its security,” says Hovhannissyan.

ARMENIA’S DEFENSE OFFICE REFUTES INFORMATION ON SHOOTING OF AZERBAIJANI POSITIONS FROM ARMENIA’S TERRITORY

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 7 2006

YEREVAN, March 7. /ARKA/. The RA Ministry of Defense has refuted the
information on the shooting of Azerbaijani positions from the Armenian
territory. “No shooting was from Armenia’s territory,” Colonel Seyran
Shahsuvaryan, Press Secretary to the RA Minister of Defense, told ARKA.

Referring to the RA Ministry of Defense, RIA Novosty reported that an
Azerbaijani soldier was killed as a result of shooting from Armenia’s
territory at 4:45 a.m.