Author: Vardanian Garo

ARMENIA AND IRAN ARE GOING TO CONDUCT CONSULTATIONS ON COOPERATION IN THE SPHERE OF NATIONAL SECURITY

ArmInfo
2008-07-09 20:21:00

Iran suggest conducting political consultations between the national
security services of Armenia and Iran, the deputy foreign minister
of Iran Alireza Sheikh-Attar said on behalf of the national security
secretary of Iran Said Jalil during his meeting with the national
security secretary of Armenia Artur Baghdassaryan.

According to the source, Artur Baghdassaryan positively assessed
this suggestion. Furthermore, he was officially invited to Iran. The
meeting covered a wide spectrum of issues related to Armenian-Iranian
cooperation, as well as regional security.

The deputy foreign minister of Iran pointed out the significance of
Armenia’s role in the region and stressed that Iran considers Armenia
to be an important partner and intends to promote cooperation as much
as possible.

The interlocutors discussed issues of cooperation in the spheres of
security, transport and energy.

For his part, Artur Baghdassaryan emphasized Iran’s role for Armenia,
particularly, in hard times for the country’s economy, and expressed
hope that the mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation between the
countries will continue developing and deepening.

DINK PORTRAIT ON DISPLAY IN PRESS HISTORY MUSEUM

Today’s Zaman
July 10 2008
Turkey

Dink’s widow, Rakel was moved upon seeing her husband’s portrait at
the Ä°stanbul Press Museum yesterday.

An oil portrait of slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was
put on display yesterday in the Ä°stanbul Press Museum’s section of
journalists who have left their mark on the history of the Turkish
press.

Dink’s widow, Rakel, his niece Dilara and his Aunt Zabel attended
a ceremony yesterday to mark the induction of his portrait into
the museum.

Orhan Erinc, head of the Turkey Journalists’ Association (TGC),
said Dink was the last of their friends to have been separated from
them with a gun. He said Dink’s portrait showed the difficulty and
danger of journalism, adding that its place among portraits of other
murdered journalists was heartbreaking.

Erinc recalled that the Dink murder trial was still ongoing. "But we
have learned from what journalists have written that his assassination
plot was known to many. We learned that we lost Hrant Dink, not only
as a journalist, but also as a citizen, to major negligence. We are
sure that the perpetrators and powers behind this will be sentenced
at the end of the process. But this is not going to be a satisfactory
conclusion for us because a large number of journalist friends of ours
are trying to carry on their professions under threat. Some have to
travel around under police protection. This shows that journalism is
becoming an even more difficult profession in Turkey. I would like
to state on this occasion one more time how strange we find it that
authorities are not taking any precautions and are not making any
sincere efforts to enforce the law."

At the end of his speech Erinc thanked the Dink family for their
contributions in making the portrait a part of the museum’s permanent
exhibition.

Rakel Dink also delivered a speech. "The children of this country
unfortunately became museum exhibition pieces at a very young age,"
she said.

–Boundary_(ID_vmq+rOm13ahhDkOH+FEx2g)–

ADL LEADERS DISCUSS ISRAEL-TURKEY RELATIONS WITH TOP GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN ANKARA

Targeted News Service
July 7, 2008 Monday 4:24 AM EST
JERUSALEM

The Anti-Defamation League issued the following news release:

In a series of meetings in Ankara, top Turkish government officials
and leaders of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) discussed a variety of
issues, including Turkey’s efforts to facilitate peace talks between
Israel and Syria, the close relationship between Turkey and Israel,
and strengthening relations between the United States and Turkey in
an effort to combat terrorism and extremism in the region.

In Turkey, Glen S. Lewy, ADL National Chair and Abraham H. Foxman,
ADL National Director met with President Abdullah Gul, Enhanced
Coverage LinkingAbdullah Gul, -Search using: Biographies Plus News
News, Most Recent 60 Days Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, main
opposition Republican People’s Party leader Deniz Baykal and Deputy
Chief of Staff Gen. Ergin Saygun.

They also met with the foreign minister, minister of justice, interior
minister and education minister, as well as members of parliament
and the U.S. and Israeli ambassadors to Ankara.

Currently in Israel with delegation of senior ADL leaders, Mr. Lewy
and Mr. Foxman said: "We applaud Turkey for its efforts to facilitate
peace talks between Israel and Syria and for maintaining a close
relationship with Israel across the board.

"We appreciate Turkey’s role in communicating to Iran the seriousness
with which the West views its future possible nuclear capability. In
our meetings, we also expressed appreciation of the embrace and
support of the Jewish community and the frequent public condemnation
of anti-Semitism by President Gul, Enhanced Coverage LinkingPresident
Gul, -Search using: Biographies Plus News News, Most Recent 60 Days
both in Turkey and abroad. We also discussed the close U.S.-Turkey
relationship, especially in the effort to combat terrorism and
extremism in the region."

Regarding the Armenian issue, ADL urged Turkish officials to resolve
the matter in a proactive way between the government of Armenia and
the government of Turkey and to deal with alleviating the needs of
today’s Armenians as part of an effort to resolve the historic affair.

"My advice is that Turkey be creative and proactive in strengthening
the relationship with Armenia as a way to deal with the issue," said
Mr. Foxman. "That will bring about a coming together of history. I
suggested finding ways to work together that will help change the
atmosphere, because we have a concern today for the well-being of
Armenia. Armenia and Turkey need to solve this, not in a political
forum such as Congress or parliaments."

In Istanbul, the delegation met with Turkey’s chief rabbi, Jewish
community leaders, and the mayor before departing for Israel.

Jerusalem Post
Jul 7, 2008 23:04 | Updated Jul 7, 2008 23:11
After meetings in Turkey, Foxman says fallout over ‘genocide’ flap is
‘behind us’
By HERB KEINON

The controversy and fallout over the Anti-Defamation League’s statement last
year that Turkish actions toward Armenians during World War I was
"tantamount to genocide" is "behind us," ADL National Director Abe Foxman
said Monday in Jerusalem, where he arrived from Ankara and a series of
meetings with Turkey’s leadership.

Abe Foxman, national director of the Anti Defamation League.
Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski
Slideshow: Pictures of the week Last August, Foxman – who was in a dispute
in the Boston area over the ADL’s position on the Turkey-Armenia issue –
infuriated Turkish leaders by issuing the following statement: "We have
never negated but have always described the painful events of 1915-1918
perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians as massacres and
atrocities. On reflection, we have come to share the view of Henry
Morgenthau, Sr. (the US ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the time) that
the consequences of those actions were indeed tantamount to genocide.
If the word ‘genocide’ had existed then, they would have called it
genocide…
"Having said that, we continue to firmly believe that a congressional
resolution on such matters is a counterproductive diversion and will not
foster reconciliation between Turks and Armenians and may put at risk the
Turkish Jewish community and the important multilateral relationship between
Turkey, Israel and the United States."
The Turks viewed this as a reversal of the organized Jewish community’s
position on the issue, and warned that Turkish-Israeli ties could be harmed
if the American Jewish organizations did not work – as they had done in the
past – to ensure that the US Congress did not pass a resolution
characterizing the massacre of Armenians during World War I as genocide.
The legislation was eventually removed from the table after US President
George W. Bush, and numerous former secretaries of state and defense, wrote
letters saying that passing the legislation would harm American interests.
"They were angry," Foxman said of the Turkish response to the ADL’s
statement last year. "But I think today there is an understanding of where
we were, and that we were opposed to Congressional legislation, and that we
stood very firm that that was not the way to resolve the issue, and that
there is nothing cataclysmic about using the ‘genocide’ word."
Foxman, who met with President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and other key government figures, said
his message was that the Turks should be "proactive" and try to help today’s
Armenia as part of an effort to resolve the historic affair.
"In the conversations I had with all of them I said there is a need to be
proactive, that they need to deal with live Armenians, and strengthen the
relationship between Turkey and Armenia, and by strengthening the relations
today – frontier issues, opening borders – it will place the historical
issue in the background and be much easier to deal with," Foxman said.
By the same token, Foxman said that the Armenian community in the US should
understand that pressure to use "certain words they want us to use is not
going to help one Armenian."
Rather, Foxman said, one of the ways the American Jewish community can help
the Armenians it to "help convince the Turkish government to normalize
relations" with Armenia.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES U.S. EMBASSY STAFF ON INDEPENDENCE DAY

ARKA
July 3

Armenian President Serzh Sargsian congratulated the staff of the
U.S. Embassy to Armenia on the U.S. Independence Day, the presidential
press service reported.

The President stressed the importance of further development of
Armenia-USA relations in respect to economic development, democracy
and regional stability.

The Independence Day – Fourth of July when the Declaration of
Independence of the USA was signed – has been celebrated by the U.S.

Embassy to Armenia today.

FITCH RATINGS RAISES COUNTRY CEILING RATINGS OF ARMENIA TO ‘BB’

ArmInfo
2008-07-03 17:45:00

Fitch Ratings Has Raised The Country Ceiling Rating Of Armenia From
‘BB-‘ To ‘BB’, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan Said At The Government
Session Thursday.

The premier called that an extremely important news that will help
creating favorable investment climate and ensuring economic growth. It
is very important that such an authoritative agency as Fitch Ratings
outlined the initiatives by the new government to create competitive
and diverse economy and its consistent macroeconomic policy as factors
for raising the country rating.

CYPRUS PRESIDENT TO VISIT ARMENIA SOON

PanARMENIAN.Net
2.07.2008 14:14 GMT+04:00

Cypriot President Demetris Christofias intends to visit Armenia in
the near future on invitation of Armenian leader Serzh Sargsyan.

The issue was discussed during a meeting between Armenia’s Ambassador
to Greece and Cyprus Vahram Kajoyan with the country’s leader, the
RA MFA press office told PanARMENIAN.Net.

"We, the population of Cyprus, are proud to have the Armenian community
here. And I am always ready to extend a helping hand to the true
sons of Cyprus," Mr Christofias said in response the gratitude the
Ambassador expressed for erection of Armenian Genocide monument
in Nicosia.

Ambassador Kajoyan also met with Cypriot parliament president Marios
Garoyan.

During a meeting with Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou, an agreement
was achieved to organize mutual visits of Armenian and Cypriot FMs
and to raise the status of Armenia’s Consulate General in Cyprus.

BIRTH AIDS PROJECT STARTED

Panorama.am
20:36 01/07/2008

The project of birth aids in Armenia is started and in this regard
the Vice Prime Minister and the Minister of Territorial Administration
Armen Gevorgyan held a discussion with the Minister of Health Harutyun
Kushkyan.

"The project started on July 1 and the success of it depends
on the work carried out by the medical institutions under Your
supervision. It is needed that the matter is met with the highest sense
of responsibility everywhere. We should do everything to implement
the project and to prove that birth aids is free in our country,"
said the Vice Prime Minister to the Mayor of Yerevan and the heads
of the regions, reported the press service of the Government.

Ruslana Gevorgyan the consultant of the Health Minister said to
Panorama.am reporter that all the pregnant women who are going to
give birth to their children have already received the certificates
of birth aids. "The certificate proved that the whole process of
pregnancy and the medical support are free," said R. Gevorgyan.

GAREGIN GABRIELYAN APPOINTED COMMANDER OF RA POLICE TROOPS

armradio.am
02.07.2008 13:13

On July 2 RA President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on releasing
Grigor Grigoryan form the duties of the Commander of RA Police Troops,
Deputy Chief of Police adjunct to the Government of the Republic
of Armenia.

According to another presidential decree, Garegin Gabrielyan was
dismissed form the position of the Chief of the Military Institute
after Vazgen Sargsyan and was appointed Commander of RA Police Troops,
Deputy Chief of Police adjunct to the Government of the Republic
of Armenia.

U.S. SENATE TO ELECT NEW AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA IN LATE JULY

ARKA
July 2

The U.S. Senate plans to bring the candidacy of U.S. Ambassadorial
nominee to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch to a vote in late July, said
U.S. Charge d’Affaires Joseph Pennington.

He said the reason why the voting was delayed was Yovanovothch’s
refusal to properly characterize Ottoman Turkey’s systematic
destruction of its Armenian population as genocide.

The White House put forward the candidacy of former U.S. Ambassador
to Kyrgyzstan Marie Yovanovitch in late March.

During last week’s hearings, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
touched upon the nomination of the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia and
the Armenian Genocide issue.

U.S. Deputy Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor David
J. Kramer said the U.S. Senate intends to approve the candidacy of
the new U.S.

Ambassador to Armenia soon.

John Evans, former US Ambassador to Armenia completed his diplomatic
mission ahead of schedule, in September 2006. The reason for his
early resignation was his repeated statements on the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide.

The voting of the U.S. Congress on approval of Richard Hoagland’s
candidacy was suspended thanks to the joint efforts of the Armenian
lobby and Senator Robert Menendez.

The reason is that he refrained from recognizing the Armenian genocide
in the Ottoman Turkey. Sen. Menendez fended once again on January 10,
2007, the approval of President Bush-nominated Richard Hoagland as
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia.