Author: Vardapetian Ophelia

RA FM AND UN SEC GEN DISCUSSED KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.03.2007 12:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The RA FM congratulated Ban Ki-moon with the election and assured of
Armenia’s readiness to make its contribution as a full member of the
international community. "Armenia actively cooperates with various
agencies worldwide. The coefficient of human development and the
goals of the UN Millennium Development are the fundamental guiding
lines for the further development of the state," Vartan Oskanian said.

Simultaneously with the strategy launched by the Armenian government
for poverty reduction with attraction of inner resources as well
as resources of international organizations and the Diaspora, a new
program targeted at liquidation of poverty in rural areas is being
elaborated, the Minister added.

The RA FM and UN Sec Gen also referred to the processes in the South
Caucasus and the Nagorno Karabakh conflict process settlement. Minister
Oskanian briefed to Mr Ban Ki-moon on the current stage of the
negotiation process basing on the right of the Karabakhi people to
self-determination. In this context the Minister underscored that
statements made in the UN and other international organizations and
conflicting with the reality damage the settlement process and may
cause its protraction, reports the RA MFA press office.

"SOS TEGHUT" COALITION OF ECOLOGICAL NGOs APPEALS TO ARMENIAN
PRESIDENT

YEREVAN, MARCH 3, NOYAN TAPAN. "SOS Teghut" coalition of 26 ecologial
NGOs filed a written complaint against operation of the Teghut mine to
the Armenian president. Mher Sharoyan, representative of "Armenian
Forests" NGO – member of "SOS Teghut", said at the March 1 press
conference that as a result of the mine’s operation, even greater
damage will be done both to the environment and local
population. According to him, a number of international conventions,
the RA Constitution and laws would be violated in case of the
program’s implementation. In his words, the real danger to the state,
population and environment was not correctly assessed during the state
expert examination of this program of Armenian Copper Program (ACP)
company. M. Sharoyan noted that the program’s implementation will have
especially disastrous concequences in terms of keeping natural balance
of the local catchment basin, depriving local settlements of drinking
water. Besides, according to Varsham Avetian, resident of the Snogh
village near Teghut, several local valuable historic and cultural
monuments are under threat of destruction. "We accuse others of
destroying Armenian historic monuments while acting in the same way,"
he said. Chairwoman of the Social-Ecological Association Srbui
Harutyunian noted that valuable mountainous forests will be cut down,
for which ACP will pay only 8 mln dollars annually, with the company
shareholders receiving incomes of 14 mln dollars. "So making a net
profit of over 406 mln dollars in 28 years, ACP will leave behind
impoverished soil and dried up mountain springs. It will take efforts
of several generations to restore all this," she said. Community head
of Teghut Harutyun Meliksetian, head of the Shnogh village Koryun
Shadinian and a group of villagers participated in the press
conference. They said that they are not against the program’s
implementation because nearly half of local residents are unemployed
and "have no means to feed their families". They were not concerned
very much about ecologists’ warning that Teghut will become a dead
zone in 30 years. "If all this goes on, Teghut will become an
uninhabited area sooner or later," the Teghut community head noted.

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
February 27, 2007

Contact: Haig Hovsepian

Tel: (818) 500-1918

ANCA-WR Hosts TOWN HALL MEETING WITH Washington Political Correspondent
Charles Mahtesian

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western
Region (ANCA-WR) welcomed Charles Mahtesian, Editor of the Almanac of
American Politics, at an ANCA Town Hall meeting this past Saturday at
the historic Tom Bradley room atop Los Angeles City Hall. In attendance
were a broad cross section of ANCA supporters and activists from across
southern California, including many young professionals interested in
learning more about the public policy environment in Washington, DC.

"Educating Armenian Americans on public policy issues is a vital
component of the ANCA’s core mission to empower the community," remarked
ANCA-WR Board member Zanku Armenian. "Our event today with Charles
Mahtesian provided a genuine political education for those present. Few
people in America understand the politics of Congress better than
Charles Mahtesian, and we were fortunate to have him share his insight
with us," Armenian added.

At the ANCA Town Hall meeting Mahtesian spoke to his audience about a
number of political issues ranging from the Democratic majority in both
the House of Representatives and Senate to an analysis of the various
candidates jockeying for power in the 2008 Presidential Election. With
the election of fifty-five new members to the House of Representatives,
forty-two of which are Democrats, Mahtesian noted that there has been a
decisive reversal of the "Republican Revolution" that began in 1994.
With the new Democratic majority in Congress and San Francisco Bay area
representative Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker, Mahtesian observed that
this shift in power will result in a louder voice for the
Armenian-American community. He observed that the shift in power in
Congress, from Texas-based politicians to those hailing from California,
may play a significant role in the fate of the Armenian Genocide
resolution pending before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mahtesian speculated that the Republican minority may find it difficult
to regain a majority in Congress in the near future, thereby allowing
Democrats to further strengthen and solidify their political gains. He
also noted that the Democrat’s strength in Congress could be further
bolstered by the fact a good number of Republican House members and
Senators are older and may opt for early retirement rather than face the
frustration they will experience as members of the minority party. In
addition to this frustration, Mahtesian pointed out that 21 Republican
Senators will be up for reelection in 2008, as opposed to only 12
Democratic Senators, making the open seats more available to Democrats.
Even with these built-in advantages for Democrats in Congress, Mahtesian
assured attendees at the ANCA Town Hall meeting that Republicans were
capable of bouncing back to power.

The final issue that Mahtesian addressed was the possibility of moving
up the schedule of the Presidential Primary in the State of California.
Moving the California Presidential Primary from June to February, as
Governor Schwarzenegger would like to do, would dramatically increase
the importance of the state in selecting the presidential nominees from
both parties. This new date would also mean that candidates will become
more sensitive to Armenian issues because California is home to an
enormous number of Armenian American voters.

During the question-answer period after his presentation, audience
members were given the opportunity to ask Mahtesian about the issues he
addressed as well as the current status of the Genocide resolution
(H.RES.106). Mahtesian greatly enjoyed his visit to Los Angeles, and
looks forward to visiting the region again in the near future. "I find
the dynamism and energy of the ANCA-WR to be really remarkable,"
commented Mahtesian following the event. "It’s that kind of passion and
energy that gets things accomplished in American politics."

In addition to his position as editor of the Almanac of American
Politics which is commonly referred to as "the bible of American
politics," Charles Mahtesian currently writes a monthly column on
politics for Government Executive magazine and is a contributing writer
and editor at National Journal magazine. Mahtesian has written for a
variety of newspapers, journals and magazines including The Weekly
Standard and Congress Daily, served as an election night analyst for
National Public Radio and appeared on numerous radio and television
programs including NPR’s All Things Considered, C-Span’s Washington
Journal, and on CNN and the BBC.

Armenian National Committee of America 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 ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American
community on a broad range of issues.

###

PHOTO CAPTION: Charlie Mahtesian joins members of the ANCA-WR Board and
Staff after his lecture at Saturday’s Town Hall Meeting.

ONE KILLED HRANT DINK PROBABLY NOT TO BE SENTENCED TO LIFE IMSPRISONMENT

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 02 2007

ISTANBUL, MARCH 2, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Ogun Samast,
accused of Hrant Dink’s murder, will probably not be sentences to life
imprisonment. He will probably be sentenced to 24-year imprisonment
and it is possible that he will be set free in nine years. Marmara
daily stated about it, informing that the special group of specialists
which is engaged in specifying the criminal’s age, finished its work
and came to the conclusion that Ogun Samast is below 18. The Istanbul
Prosecutor’s Office will still examine the prepared report.

ARMENIAN SHOOTERS PREPARE FOR EUROPE CHAMPIONSHIP IN LVOV

Noyan Tapan
Feb 27 2007

LVOV, FEBRUARY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenian shooters hold a joint teaching
and training gathering with Ukrainian national team from February 25
in Lvov.

Members of Armenian national team Norayr Bakhtamian, Romik Bardumian,
Andranik Pilosian and Robert Voskanian prepare for Europe Championship
to be held on March 11-17 in the French city of Deauville. The
trainings are conducted by national team’s principal coach Seyran
Nikoghosian.

AKP AVOIDS EU FOR FEAR OF LOSING 3.5 PCT OF THE VOTES
by Mehmet Ali Birand

Hurriyet, Turkey
Feb 27 2007

The accession project to get into the European Union was the primary
factor setting the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government
apart from all others. It started demolishing taboos soon after it
took office. It took steps that no government has dared until now.

I am sure you remember those days.

We were not convinced in the beginning.

We thought all of this was just showing off. We thought it would be
forgotten shortly after and expected that it would fall prey to the
status quo.

It turned out to be the opposite.

It created a revolution on the Cyprus issue. It dispensed with the
official ideology. It brought forward the Copenhagen criterions and
it continued on its way. It became a hero in the eyes of people like
us, who got sick and tired of being enclosed with invisible strings
for years.

Erdo?an surprised us all.

Gul made us all happy.

It was as if we were in a dream.

The AKP showed it was different with the EU project.

It demonstrated that it does not have the intention to turn secular
Turkey into a country ruled by religion with a secret agenda.

Then what?

Then, the climate started changing.

The current started changed course especially as the elections
drew closer.

The AKP came to a point of deceiving its own child. Right now, no
one is even mentioning the EU. The attitude is as if they are ashamed
of it.

Firstly, as the result of a costly mistake by the Foreign Ministry,
it trapped itself regarding the opening of our ports to Greek Cypriot
ships. Then it put everything on hold because of the elections. Here
are the bottlenecks where Turkey’s EU project got stuck: 1) The
list is led by the failure of Article 301. The government could
not make the necessary amendments even though Erdo?an’s thoughts
are different. It is clear that the nationalists in the party have
convinced the prime minister.

(Let’s hope that they will not touch it until after the elections
because if they try to handle the issue beforehand, the result will
be an amendment that is nonfunctional. It would be better if the
issue is left until after the elections so that a proper amendment
can be made.) 2) They have not taken steps concerning the issue of
opening ports to Greek Cypriots.

(Turkey knows it cannot advance in accession talks without first
resolving the ports problem. However, no one dares.) 3) Minority
Trust Funds – Heybeliada seminary.

(The AKP thinks differently than all the other parties. Especially
the Erdo?an and Gul duo do not accept the official policy regarding
issues such as property held by trust funds and the Patriarchate.

They clearly state their thoughts. Just the same, they could not do
anything during the passing of the Foundation law or regarding other
issues. The Foundation law came out to be insufficient due to pressure
from nationalists within the AKP. It is waiting for its turn as it got
vetoed by the president. Let’s hope the results of the elections are
waited for to make the changes.) 4) They failed to assume a policy
regarding Armenia.

(Even though the Erdo?an-Gul duo had a different attitude on this
matter they again could not take any steps due to the elections.) 5)
Communication (The weakest point of the AKP has been communicating
with the EU. It has been unable to shape a communication policy
toward Europe within the party and in the country. It could not
show any leadership characteristics either.) Why did it assume such
an attitude?

I wonder, just like you.

Why did the AKP distance itself from this project that distinguished
it?

Can it be afraid of losing the elections?

No.

The AKP is sure that it will win the elections. Their skepticism
is not about losing the elections. What really bothers the party is
the possibility of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) passing the
10 percent threshold and entering Parliament. A government official
told me: "There may be a possibility of a coalition if the MHP enters
Parliament. This is why saying that we cannot address the EU issue"
was actually stating the truth.

So, what will change after the elections?

MOSCOW CHAMBER ORCHESTRA LEAVES AUDIENCE ECSTATIC
By Laura Stewart

Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL
Feb 26 2007

DAYTONA BEACH — Constantine Orbellian and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra
did many things at Sunday’s Central Florida Cultural Endeavors concert,
but by their third encore one stood out: They made virtuosity fun.

When Orbellian led Alexander Mayorov, the Russian ensemble’s
concertmaster, in a spectacular riff on "Yankee Doodle Dandy," he
rewarded the audience that had jumped to its feet in appreciation
several times already. During the News-Journal Center performance,
as the 17 string players from Moscow moved nimbly from one work
to another, it was easy to understand the audience’s enthusiasm;
conveying its causes is trickier.

>>From beginning to end, the concert performance was absolutely
masterful, and unusually invigorating. It wasn’t just the musicians —
especially Mayorov and the three cellists, led by principal Alexander
Zagorinsky. Neither was it simply Orbellian’s way of communicating
with the musicians, who responded to his every eloquent gesture,
nor was it the subtle pulse established in a program that alternated
between relatively gentle and absolutely, rivetingly dramatic.

It was all of those, along with a surprising dash of humor and the
artists’ sheer, entertaining enjoyment of their music. The program
opened with Edvard Grieg’s elegiac neo-classical "From Holberg’s Time,
Suite for String Orchestra, Op. 40," then moved into the impassioned
"Three Armenian Dances," written before the 1915 genocide by Komitas,
to preserve Armenia’s folk music. The mood shifted back to classical
after the gleaming grand piano arrived onstage, and Alexander Kobrin
matched his brilliant style to the polished perfection of the Moscow
musicians in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 14 in E flat.

Stately, always elegantly cogent, even majestic at times, the Mozart
Concerto outdid all of the performances dedicated to the composer last
year, the 250th anniversary of his birth. Yet, when Vladislav Lavrik
and his trumpet joined Kobrin and the orchestra after intermission,
the Mozart seemed languid. Dmitri Shostakovich’s 1933 Concerto No. 1
in C minor for Piano, and Trumpet, Op. 35 was the evening’s highlight,
a dazzling display of everything from sonic abstraction to sudden,
vivid nods to pop culture, from cerebral phrases to jazzy, witty
musical references.

Almost incomprehensibly complex and demanding, the concerto brought
the orchestra to new heights but put the spotlight directly on Kobrin,
Lavrik and their witty, wonderful dialogue. The final notes had barely
faded before the audience seemed to rise as one, cheering.

It would seem that the Moscow musicians couldn’t top the Shostakovich;
they didn’t even try. They merely shifted gears again and gave an
atmospheric, memorable performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto
Grosso in D minor for Two Violins, Cello and Orchestra. As rich as the
rest of the stellar performance, the Vivaldi rounded out Orbellian’s
fine balance of loud and soft, vivid and reflective that balanced
the program.

Until he introduced his "first encore," the sweet Russian lament that
led to the next encore, a sizzling tarantella that swaggered. Any one
of the evening’s works would have been enough; the encores were icing
on a luscious layer cake. But then Orbellian, in a last, virtuosic
burst that underlined the fun, played up his own expressive style in
the hot, happy, utterly exquisite "Yankee Doodle Dandy," and brought
the house down.

Agreement signed between MCA-Armenia and the Water Sector Development
and Institutional Improvement PIU State Institution

armradio.am
24.02.2007 11:16

Millennium Challenge Account ` Armenia (MCA-Armenia) and the Water
Sector Development and Institutional Improvement PIU (WSD PIU) State
Institution signed an implementing entity agreement, according to which
MCA-Armenia will implement the infrastructure activity related to the
Irrigated Agriculture project and the institutional strengthening
sub-activity of the Water-to-market activity through WSD PIU. The
signing ceremony took place at the Government of the Republic of
Armenia with participation of the Minister of Territorial
Administration Hovik Abrahamyan, US Chargé d’Affaires Anthony F.
Godfrey. The agreement was signed by MCA-Armenia CEO Ara Hovsepyan and
WSD PIU Director Adibek Ghazaryan.

According to the agreement WSD PIU will implement all activities
necessary for the timely and effective implementation of infrastructure
activity and institutional strengthening sub-activity.

The MCA-Armenia Program (USD 236 million) aims to reduce rural poverty
through a sustainable increase in the economic performance of the
agricultural sector. The amount being spent on the implementation of
the program’s infrastructure activity is USD 108,590.000, and the
amount being spent on the institutional strengthening sub-activity
totals USD 4,156.000.

The Compact, signed on March 27, 2006 between the United States of
America, acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the
Government of the Republic of Armenia, aims to reduce rural poverty
through a sustainable increase in the economic performance of the
agricultural sector. Armenia plans to achieve this goal through a
five-year program of strategic investments in rural roads, irrigation
infrastructure and technical and financial assistance to improve the
supply of water and to support farmers and agribusinesses. The program
will directly impact approximately 750,000 people, or an estimated 75
percent of the rural population, and is expected to reduce the rural
poverty rate and boost annual incomes.

The Compact includes a USD 67 million project to rehabilitate up to 943
kilometers of rural roads, more than a third of Armenia’s proposed
"Lifeline Road Network." When complete, the road network will ensure
that every rural community has road access to markets, services, and
the main road network. Under the Compact, the Government of Armenia
will be required to commit additional resources for maintenance of the
road network. The Compact also includes a USD 146 million project to
increase the productivity of approximately 250,000 farm households (34%
of which are headed by women) through improved water supply, higher
yields, higher-value crops, and a more competitive agricultural sector.

PanARMENIAN.Net

France must help Armenia in reformation of economy
24.02.2007 16:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ France must help Armenia in
reformation of economy and creation of competitive
infrastructure in different fields, stated French
Minister-Delegate for Regional Development Christian
Estrosi responding to the question of the
PanArmenian.Net journalist. He said, relatively few
French companies working in Armenia are not connected
with volume of French investments to the Armenian
economy. `Currently we are cooperating in perspective
spheres, like agriculture, health care and education.
There are rather large cooperation programs between
Armenia and France in spheres of economy and ecology,’
Estrosi stressed. He also noted France is ready to
share its experience in regulating economic
competition. `It is necessary to create such an
atmosphere that French, European and world companies
were represented in Armenia,’ the French
Minister-Delegate for Regional Development said.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Priorities of French foreign policy do not depend on change of president
24.02.2007 16:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The existing democratic system of power in France
does not depend on the change of president, French Minister-Delegate
for Regional Development Christian Estrosi told reporters in
Yerevan. He said, the main priorities of the state in foreign policy
are not changing over the past several decades. `Succession of course
is fixed in the bases of democratic values, which France adhere to,’
Estrosi said. Asked, whom he supports on the presidential post,
Estrosi stated that his candidate is Nicola Sarkozy, the current
Minister of Interior. Sarkozy is against Turkey’s membership to the
European Union and insists on recognition of the Armenian Genocide.