Author: Vardanian Garo

TRIBUTE TO MEMORY OF VICTIMS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMITTED IN OSMANIAN TURKEY PAID IN KARABAKH

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
April 25 2008

YEREVAN, 25.04.08. DE FACTO. The 93d anniversary of Armenian Genocide
committed in Osmanian Turkey was commemorated in the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic.

The Republic’s supreme leadership headed by the NKR President Bako
Sahakian paid tribute to the memory of the tragedy’s innocent victims
laying wreaths at the Stepanakert Memorial Complex.

The NKR MPs and members of government, representatives of the
Defense Army, as well as the staffs of the Republic’s enterprises,
establishments and educational institutions also visited the Memorial
Complex.

The clergymen of the Artsakh Eparchy of Armenian Apostolic Church
held a mourning service, the NKR MFA Press Office reports.

REP. COSTA ISSUES STATEMENT ON 93RD ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

US Fed News
April 24, 2008 Thursday

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif. (20th CD), issued the following news release:

Today, Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) made the following statement
on the Floor of the House of Representatives regarding the 93rd
anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide.

Costa is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and supported
H. Res. 106, a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide in the
United States, when it came before him in Committee last October.

"Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 93rd anniversary of
the start of the Armenian Genocide, which was the first genocide of
the 20th century and sadly, the template for a cycle of genocide that
continues to this very day.

"It is, by any reasonable standard, established history that between
1915 and 1923 the Ottoman Empire systematically killed an estimated
1.5 million Armenians and drove hundreds of thousands of others into
exile from their ancestral homeland. The record of this atrocity is
well documented in the United States Archives and has been universally
accepted in the International Association of Genocide Scholars and
the broader historical and academic communities.

"However, there is still debate around the world, including here in our
nation, on whether this incident actually qualifies as genocide. On
April 26, 1915, the New York Times reported on the first reported
purges of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey. Later in 1915, the Times ran
a front page article about a report from the Committee on Armenian
Atrocities discussing exactly what was happening to Armenians in
Turkey. ‘The report tells of children under 15 years of age thrown
into the Euphrates to be drowned; of women forced to desert infants in
their arms and to leave them by the roadside to die; of young women
and girls appropriated by the Turks, thrown into harems, attacked or
else sold to the highest bidder, and of men murdered and tortured.’

"One can debate specific historical incidents, but growing up in
Fresno, California, the land of William Saroyan, I heard stories
shared by grandparents from the Kezerian, Koligian and Abramhian
families about being forced to leave their homes, the stories of the
long marches, and the random murders. Clearly, they believed there
was a systematic approach to eliminate the Armenian communities in
places that had been their homes and farms for centuries. My Armenian
friends believe this systematic approach was among the first genocides
of the 20th century, and so do I.

"Around the world, in the single, longest lasting and far-reaching
campaign of genocide denial, Turkey seeks to block recognition of this
travesty. It’s against the law to even mention the Armenian Genocide in
Turkey. The Armenian Genocide involved the issue of man’s injustice to
mankind, and it continued to occur throughout the 20th century in the
Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and now in Darfur. As leaders,
we must confront this and not allow Turkey to continue to stand alone
and ask us to believe that the Armenian Genocide was not genocide.

"In standing up to this policy of denial, we, of course, honor the
martyrs of the genocide and we encourage our Turkish allies and
friends to come to terms with their past. And, in a very powerful
and significant way, we reinforce our own vital role, as Americans,
in leading the international community toward unconditional opposition
to all instances of genocide.

"Last October, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed H. Res. 106,
a resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide in the United
States. Unfortunately, this bill has yet to come before the full
House for a vote. Supporters of this resolution are constantly told
that now isn’t the time to recognize the genocide, that scholars,
not Congress, should determine if this event was genocide, or that
passage of this resolution will hurt our relationship with Turkey. I
could not disagree more with these statements.

"First, there is never a ‘right time’ to recognize
genocide. Ninety-three years have passed since the start events
occurred, and we cannot wait around for a convenient moment to
recognize this truly catastrophic historical event. Secondly, the
scholars have spoken and the historical record is clear and thoroughly
documented. And finally, we have seen over and over again that Turkey’s
warning of disastrous consequences are dramatically overstated. In
fact, in nearly every instance, Turkey’s bilateral trade has gone up
with each of the countries that have recognized the Armenian Genocide –
including Canada, Italy, France, Russia, and Belgium.

"Genocide is not something that can simply swept under the rug and
forgotten. We need leaders around the world to not only recognize it,
but to condemn it so the world can truly say "Never Again." The United
States cannot continue its policy of denial regarding the Armenian
Genocide, and I encourage passage of H. Res. 106 to recognize the
Armenian Genocide in our nation."

AAA HOPES U.S. PRESIDENT WILL ONCE USE PROPER WORDING FOR ARMENIAN MASSACRE IN 1915

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.04.2008 16:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "We are hopeful that one of future U.S. President
will follow Ronald Reagan to properly name the Armenian massacre in
the Ottoman Empire a Genocide," Armenian Assembly of America Board of
Trustees Public Affairs Chair Anthony Barsamian told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter.

The President’s affiliation to Republicans or Democrats doesn’t matter,
according to him.

"Many Republicans voted in favor of the Armenian Genocide Resolution
in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The AAA is confident that
Speaker Pelosi will bring the H.Res.106 to the House floor soon. And
we hope that it will pass," Mr Barsamian said.

In his eighth and final year in office, President George W. Bush,
again resorted to the use of evasive and euphemistic terminology to
obscure Turkey’s genocide against the Armenian people in 1915-1923.

ARMENIAN AND TURKISH SIDES: DIFFERENT MISSIONS

Panorama.am
20:25 24/04/2008

Two principles are separated in the activities carried out to
contribute to the recognition of Armenian Genocide during the current
year, said Ruben Safrastyan, the head of Continental Studies Institute
of the Academy of National Sciences. "Both Armenians and Turkish
carried out some preparational activities to transfer the question
to the judicial field and this April 24 matched with the critical
political life in Turkey," he said.

Safrastyan said that if the question is moved into judicial field
and becomes a question of European Union agenda, then the pressure
on Turkey to recognize Armenian Genocide will be more realistic.

"Turkish are intended to stop the discussion of the Genocide by moving
it into EU agenda and Armenians are intended to get compensations
from that change," said Safrastyan and added that the compensations
could be territorial, financial, moral or political.

ARTSAKH STATE UNIVERSITY WAS ALSO CRITICIZED

KarabakhOpen
24-04-2008 12:55:23

During the meeting of the NKR government and the delegation of
the Armenian ministry of education Prime Minister Ara Harutiunyan
criticized the private universities of Artsakh, while the rectors
of different state universities of Armenia criticized Artsakh State
University.

The rector of the State University of Economics of Armenia said
Artsakh State does not comply with modern requirements, and does not
offer courses in modern specialties, such as management, marketing,
IT, tourism management, etc. It was also noted that the university
has only four candidates of science and no doctors.

The level of research is not sufficient because teachers are not
scholars.

We learned during our visit that no modern methods are used at
lessons, such as the method of creative games, said the rector of
the university of economics, who is ready to provide assistance to
the state university of NKR.

ARMENIAN CASSATIONAL COURT INVESTIGATED CASSATION APPEAL OF THE BI LINE COMPANY

arminfo
2008-04-23 16:07:00

ArmInfo. Armenian Cassational Court has investigated cassation appeal
of the Bi Line company regarding ban of using the brands sounding like
"biline" at the territory of Armenia by the Armenian telecommunication
company CJSC "ArmenTel" and Russian mother company OJSC "Vympelcom"
in the 38th trade class (communication) as a measure to ensure the
lawsuit, "Bi Line" Ltd. told Arminfo.

To note, since 7 April ArmenTel and Vympelcom joined to rebranding
procedure of Armenia their communication services on the basis of the
Beeline trademark in English, but they abstain from using the brand in
Russian and Armenian. The conflict on the trademark occurred between
the Armenian Company and "VympelCom" Russian Company in 2007. If at
the initial stage of negotiations, "VympelCom" suggested only $10,000
for refusal of all the rights, this amount grew later and the last
suggestion by representatives of VympelCom at negotiations made up
500,000 Euro only for refusal of the rights in the telecommunications
class, the attorney said. Thus, it follows that having been deprived of
the right for "Bi Line" trademarks in 38th trade class, the claimant
has been deprived of an opportunity to get remuneration at the rate
of no less than the indicated amount. To note, the cost of Beeline
brand, by assessments of BusinessWeek in 2007, made up $ 7.164 bln.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION WEEK HELD IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.04.2008 17:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A Week of Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide
victims will be held in Armenia April 20-27, Armenian Genocide
Museum-Institute Director Hayk Demoyan told a news conference in
Yerevan.

He said the Museum-Institute will receive photographs and evidences
of Genocide survivors during the week.

"We were given archives which will be included in an album titled
"Armenian Family in the Ottoman Empire," Hayk Demoyan said. "The
Armenian government has assigned some funds for planting of 10 thousand
trees and bushes, repair of water-supply system in Tsitsernakaberd. We
are also planning archeological excavations in the territory of
the complex."

SERBIAN LEADERSHIP READY FOR DIALOGUE WITH KOSOVO ALBANIANS

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.04.2008 13:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and Serbian
President Boris Tadic arrived in New York for Monday’s closed door
meeting of the UN Security Council.

Thaci told reporters he was satisfied with the session and that was
important that as many countries as possible from the European Union,
UN and NATO recognize his country’s independence.

"The situation in Kosovo is changing for the better.

We are building a multi-ethnic society and invite all Serbs to join
the process. We are aspired for the EU, NATO and other international
organizations. Pristina reaches out a friendly hand to Belgrade,"
he said when addressing the session, as an individual.

Reiterating readiness for dialogue with Kosovo Albanians, Serbia’s
President Tadic, however, expressed concern over the quiet reaction
from the UN after the unilateral declaration.

He also asked the UN to stop the transfer of UNMIK’s powers to
Pristina institutions and urged the resumption of negotiations between
Pristina and Belgrade in order to find a new, sustainable and mutually
acceptable solution "to remedy the situation created by the unilateral
decision of interim Kosovo institutions."

Tadic said Kosovo Serbs did not trust authorities in Pristina, nor
would they cooperate with a mission of European Union police and
justice officials (EULEX) that plans to formally take over from the
United Nations in June, ITAR-TASS reports.

Armenian speaker defends Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to self-determination

Interfax News Agency, Russia
April 18 2008

STEPANAKERT April 18 — Armenian parliamentary speaker Tigran Torosian
has spoken in favor of Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to self- determination.

"From the viewpoint of international standards, Nagorno-Karabakh’s
right to self-determination looks infallible, and the constitution
of Nagorno-Karabakh absolutely meets European standards," Torosian
told journalists in Stepanakert on Friday, following a meeting with
Nagorno- Karabakh speaker Ashot Gulian.

"Nagorno-Karabakh, as an internationally recognized party to the
conflict, should also return to the negotiating process," Torosian
said.

In this light, he called for "consolidation of efforts of all
Armenians" to ensure international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh’s
independence, he said.

Torosian and Gulian called on European institutions to attach more
significance to conflict areas, particularly Nagorno-Karabakh. "The
populations in those territories suffered more than others, but
European institutions, whose activity is based on the protection
of human rights, have strange attitudes toward them. This should
not depend on whether these territories are recognized or not,"
Torosian said.

He described it as an important achievement that mediators in settling
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have mentioned the right to self-
determination in the past several years.

MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF ARMENIA EDUARD NALBANDIAN…

Azat Artsakh Daily
Published on April 18, 2008
NKR Republic

Minister, may I begin by congratulating upon the assumption of the
position of the Foreign Minister. And thank you for finding the time
for this interview on your first day in office. Could I ask you to
share your views regarding the main directions of Armenia’s foreign
policy? – Thank you and with pleasure. Last week, in his meeting with
the Armenian Ambassadors, President Sargsyan stated, that there will
be no significant changes in the main course of our foreign policy;
we will continue to develop bilateral and multilateral cooperation
with the friend and partner states, and our practical engagement in
the international organizations.

I would not want you to regard my answers here as program provisions,
but rather as views on some priorities. Shall I begin with our
main partners? Armenia will continue to strengthen our special
strategic partnership with the Russian Federation, building upon
the traditional friendly ties between our nations. We will pursue
the development and enhancement of the friendly partnership with
the United States and an intensified cooperation. Armenia will
continue its consistent effort towards developing increased ties
with the Europe, on the basis of the commitments undertaken within
the framework of cooperation with the European organizations and the
common values, which we share. Armenia attaches great importance to
the relations with those immediate neighboring states, with which we
are engaged in a friendly cooperation, and is ready to exert every
effort to improve the relations with those of our neighbors with whom
problems still exist. The settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict
remains a priority. I would like to reiterate Armenia’s commitment to
continue the existing process in order to reach a solution. However,
our readiness alone is not enough. Azerbaijan’s readiness is also
needed for reaching a settlement. I would like to believe that,
together with my Azerbaijani counterpart, we will demonstrate due
responsibility, put aside the practice of communicating through the
media and declarations, and of giving public lessons and advise.

It is impossible to call for compromise and, at the same time,
declare that the solution will be in the interest of one party only;
to speak of constructive approach and to make militant statements
and openly prepare for a war. Why would this be done? I cannot think
of any other state which would brag about a several-fold increase
in its military budget. The key issue of the negotiations is the
status of Nagorno Karabagh and it should be resolved through the
peace process, on the basis of a plebiscite, which will give the
people of Karabagh an opportunity for a free expression of their
will. This is the essence of the current stage of negotiations. I
believe that there is a window of opportunity today, and a solution
can be reached with a political will. – Minister, would you like to
comment on the current stage of the Armenian-Turkish relations and
the prospects thereof? With regard to our relations with Turkey, we
have, on various occasions, expressed our readiness to normalize them
without any precondition. The Genocide is a dark page of our common
history and together, we have to turn this page, and together must we
build a secure future. I want to once more reiterate the readiness
of Armenia to develop relations with Turkey without preconditions
and our commitment to make necessary steps to that end.

Establishment of lasting peace and stability and wider cooperation in
our region will continue to remain among our priorities. The strategic
importance of the South Caucasus is not only in its geographic location
and natural riches, but in its position on an important North-South
and East-West axis, which can only be fully utilized if conflicts
are resolved and good-neighborly relations are established. This will
benefit everyone!

The Republic of Armenia will spare no effort to bring that day closer.