Author: Vardapetian Ophelia

SEVERAL FOREIGN COMPANIES’ WEBSITES SHOW AZERBAIJAN’S NAGORNO KARABAKH REGION AS ARMENIAN LAND

Azeri Press Agency
May 16 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Zaur Nurmammadov-APA. Several foreign companies’ websites show
Azerbaijan’s Nagorno Karabakh region as Armenian land, APA reports.

Ukrainian Goodline Telecommunication Company’s website shows Nagorno
Karabakh as a part of Armenia Analogical
fact has been found at the website of HBS Global Company
Moreover, Russian 24 Mobile Telecommunication
Company and SERPICO Tourism Company
presented Nagorno Karabakh as Armenian
land.

ACTION OF PROTEST AGAINST OPERATION OF TEGHUT MINE TAKES PLACE NEAR RA GOVERNMENT BUILDING

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 15, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. A group of members of the Movement of
Teghut Protection organization, on May 15, organized an action near
the RA government building, complaining against the operation of
Teghut mine.

Citizens carrying placards reading "Stop Robbing Our Country!,"
"Teghut, a Crime Towards the Generations," "Teghut, the Biggest
Tailing of the World," including RA National Assembly deputy Zaruhi
Postanjian, demaded stopping mine’s operation. The deputy said that
the government has always signed agreements without public control,
but in this case it will not be permitted to implement the program
of Teghut mine operation.

The action participants conveyed their demand to the RA Prime Minister
in a written form, that is, to stop the work already started in the
mine territory and to reconsider the government decisions on the
operation of the mine.

DIPLOMATS DISMISSED FROM FOREIGN MINISTRY INTEND TO APPEAL TO THE COURT

arminfo
2008-05-12 18:27:00

ArmInfo. On 14 May Administrative Court will hear the case on the
diplomats dismissed from the Foreign Ministry in February 2008,
lawyer Levon Baghdasaryan said at Friday Club. To recall, a group
of Ambassadors, including deputy foreign minister Armen Bayburdyan,
on February 23 made speeches during the opposition rallies in the
Liberty Square on 23 February.

The next day a group of diplomats and employees of the Foreign
Ministry made another statements. Both the statements were
perceived as political and all those who signed the statements were
dismissed. However, a group of diplomats believes that they were
dismissed illegally and intend to apply to the court for restoration
of their positions.

L. Baghdasaryan said that if the Administrative Court does not
satisfy their appeal, the case will be submitted to the next instance
court. The lawyer said that they will appeal even to the European
Court for Human Rights if need arises.

For his part, the former press-secretary of the Foreign Ministry
Vladimir Karapetyan said that none of the points in the notorious
statement contradict the stance of the official authorities. ‘We
are sure we did not violate the law and we intend to prove it in the
court’, V. Karapetyan said.

He intends to speak at the court personally. Asked if it means
that he disagreed with the policy of the former Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan, Vladimir Karapetyan categorically refuted the
supposition. He stressed that before 24 February 2008 ‘the policy
was right and considerably increased the authority of Armenia’.

"CONSTRUCTION AND INTERIOR" EXHIBITION OPENS IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MAY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The exhibition "Construction and Interior"
with the participation of 40 Armenian and foreign companies opened at
the Hall of Sittings of the Armenian government on May 8. The event was
organized by Prom Expo company. More than 200 products, as well as the
sector’s services are presented at 10 sections of the exhibition.

At the opening ceremony the RA deputy minister of urban development
Karlen Gevorgian expressed a hope that companies participating in the
exhibition will find serious partners during the event, which is being
held on May 8-10. According to him, construction is currently one of
the most rapidly developing branches of the Armenian economy. He
underlined that such exhibitions help to organize efficiently work in
the sector and present new projects, materials and technologies.

Commercial director of Prom Expo Vahagn Mirijanian said that a wide
range of items of construction and adjacent sectors are displayed at
the exhibition. The availability of new materials and structures
necessary for designing the interior was pointed out. In the words of
V. Mirijanian, the exhibition will be successful as a lot of companies
showed great interest in it.

The minister of economy Nerses Yeritsian, the minister of energy and
natural resources Armen Movsisian, and the deputy chairman of the
Central Bank of Armenia Arthur Javadian familiarized themselves with
products and services on display.

The exhibition was organized with the assistance of the RA ministry of
economy, the RA ministry of urban development, Yerevan mayor’s office
and the RA Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

A1+

JHANGIRIAN’S CLAIM DENIED
[02:32 pm] 08 May, 2008

Minutes ago the RA Criminal Court of Appeal denied
Former Deputy Prosecutor General Gagik Jhangirian’s
claim, keeping on the April 18 resolution of Kentron
and Nork-Marash General Jurisdiction Court.

The General Jurisdiction Court had prolonged Gagik
Jhangirian’s preliminary term of detention till June
24.

The verdict was announced by the Criminal Court of
Appeal in a closed session, with dozens of citizens
waiting in front of the court building.

The picket participants raised Gagik Jhangirian’s
photos above their heads shouting: `Liberty to Gagik’,
`Gagik, we are on your side’. They did not yield to
the policemen’s orders to keep back from the court
building. `We can stand wherever we like’, opposed the
women.

`They detained Gagik Jhangirian when he began speaking
of October 27 events. It was not evidently in the
interests of the authorities’, assured Ms. Aida, who
claimed that she knew Jhangirian quite well.

`He has always been with his people’, proclaimed the
participants and noticing that they are being
photographed, added: `Over 1 million advocates are on
Levon Ter-Petrossian’s side. You can’t arrest all of
them anyway’

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 7 2008

Elmar Mammadyarov: `We held discussions on the meeting of Azerbaijani
and Armenian presidents’

[ 07 May 2008 11:26 ]

Strasbourg. Fuad Gulubeyli-APA. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov met with Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian on
Tuesday at the French Permanent Representation to the Council of
Europe in Strasbourg.

APA European Bureau reports, OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Bernard
Fassier (France), Matthew Bryza (USA) and Yuriy Merzlyakov (Russia),
as well as Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office
Anndrzej Kasprzyk attended the meeting, which had a character of
acquaintance, because Armenian foreign minister is
newly-appointed. Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov
called the meeting as a constructive and said they had held
discussions on the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents. The
Minister said there were several options suggested for the meeting of
the presidents. `Possibility of the meeting in June is discussed at
present, but we will report to the presidents about our meeting. The
presidents will decide on the meeting themselves’. Mammadyarov said
the next meeting of foreign ministers would depend on the reaction of
the presidents to this meeting, if the leaders consider necessary for
them to meet once more they will meet.
Mammadyarov noted that there were both will and opportunities to
develop the negotiations. `We are two neighboring countries and we
cannot run away to every each way and we should find solution to the
deadlock’.
Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian also called the meeting as
a constructive and said it had a character of acquaintance. `We voiced
positions of the sides once more. First of all we agreed to develop
the negotiations. Generally I am optimist not only for today’s
meeting. We are two neighboring peoples and should live peacefully. I
consider we can find the solutions to the problem between our
countries’.
OSCE Minsk Group Russian Co-Chair Yuriy Merzlyakov also expressed
satisfaction with the meeting.

Catholic Online, CA
May 7 2008

Communion between Armenians and Catholics?
5/7/2008
Zenit News Agency ()

The two Churches both Seek Unity After a Split in 451 A.D. 90% of
Armenian Christians are under the Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate,
which separated from Rome after the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

VATICAN CITY (Zenit) – Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, is
responding to an invitation from Benedict XVI to visit him in the
Vatican.

The Pope’s secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, visited
Armenia last March and was received by Karekin II. The Vatican
official presented a handwritten letter from the Holy Father, inviting
the Patriarch to the Vatican.

Karekin II, elected as the 132nd Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
all Armenians in October 1999, arrived in Rome today and will
participated in events through Sunday.

According to a communiqué released by the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity, the patriarch will be accompanied by 18
bishops of the Catholicosate of all Armenians and by a group of 75
Armenian Apostolic faithful.

On Wednesday, the patriarch will pray at the tomb of St. Peter and
visit the statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator, patron saint of
Armenia, which is located in the north patio of the Vatican Basilica.

The Pontiff will welcome him at the beginning of the general audience
in St. Peter’s Square. In the afternoon, the Catholicos is to receive
an honorary doctorate in the theology of pastoral care of youth from
the Pontifical Salesian University.

On Thursday, the Patriarch will visit the Pontifical Armenian College
and, during the afternoon, participate in an academic congress being
held at the Pontifical Oriental Institute on "holy sacrifice in the
Armenian tradition."

Friday morning, Karekin II and his entourage will visit the offices of
the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, after which
Benedict XVI will receive the Catholicos in the Vatican Apostolic
Palace.

Following a private meeting between the two, the Pope will also
receive the bishops accompanying the Patriarch. A celebration of the
word of God is due to take place, jointly presided by the Pope and
Karekin II, at which the Armenian Apostolic faithful of the
Patriarch’s entourage will also participate.

On Sunday evening, the Catholicos and his entourage will participate
in the celebration of Vespers at the papal basilica of St. Paul
Outside the Walls, the final event of the Patriarch’s visit to Rome.

In November 2000, scarcely a year after his election, Karekin II
visited Pope John Paul II.

During that visit, the Pope and the Patriarch presided at a Liturgy of
the Word in the Vatican Basilica during which John Paul II gave the
Catholicos a relic of St. Gregory the Illuminator, which had been
conserved for many years at the Convent of St. Gregory the Armenian in
Naples, Italy.

In September 2001, John Paul II made a visit to Armenia and to the See
of Etchmiadzin where the Catholicos resides. The Patriarch also came
to Rome for the Polish Pontiff’s funeral on April 8, 2005.

The communiqué concluded by explaining that, on the occasions of the
various meetings between Bishops of Rome and the Catholicos of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, joint declarations have been signed on
questions of great ecumenical importance in the historical,
theological and pastoral fields.

More than 90% of Armenian Christians are under the Armenian Apostolic
Patriarchate, which separated from Rome after the Council of Chalcedon
in 451. A key step toward overcoming this division was taken in 1996
when Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Karekin I signed a joint
declaration on the nature of Jesus.

story.php?id=27866

World Bank, OSIAF Award Grants to Six Armenian Non-Profit Organizations

YEREVAN, May 7. /ARKA/. The World Bank (WB) and the Open Society
Institute Assistance Foundation (OSIAF) have granted $70,000 to six
Armenian NGOs under a Small Grants Program jointly implemented by the
WB office in Armenia and the OSI-AF.

The results of the grant allocation competition were made public on May
5, said Vigen Sargsian, External Affairs Officer, WB Country Office in
Yerevan.

According to him, 49 NGOs participated in the competition. Among the
winners are Menk Plus (We+), Krtutyan Asparez (Education Field), the
Armenian-French Development Fund, the Sustainable Aquatic Environment
NGO, SKARP Health Centre and the Lawyers for Human Rights NGO.

Sargsian said that the WB and OSI-AF Yerevan offices will monitor the
program implementation in Armenia. Depending on the success of the
programs, WB plans to cooperate with Armenian non-profit organizations
in developing the fields involved.

Fifty-three local NGOs have received $491,000 grants under the Small
Grants Program, with $303,000 allocated by the WB Country Office in
Yerevan and $188,000 by OSI-AF. `0′

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
May 5 2008

RA AND AR FMS TO MEET IN STRASBOURG MAY 6

YEREVAN, 05.05.08. DE FACTO. On May 6 in Strasbourg the RA FM Edvard
Nalbandian will meet with the OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs and the AR FM
Elmar Mammadyarov. According to the RA MFA Press Office, in
Strasbourg the RA FM will participate in the 118th session of the
Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, in the course of
which he will deliver a speech.

In Strasbourg the RA FM will meet with Mark de Brichambaut, the OSCE
Secretary General, Terry Davis, the CE Secretary General, and
Jean-Paul Costa, the Chair of the Council of Europe’s European Court
of Human Rights. Edvard Nalbandian will also meet with Thomas
Hammarberg, the CE Human Rights Commissar and the members of Ago
monitoring group.

The RA FM will also hold bilateral meetings with a number of FMs of
the CE member countries.

Today.Az, Azerbaijan
May 6 2008

Asim Mollazade: "Armenian lobby organizations lead the campaign of
attempt to draw a veil over Armenia’s internal problems, which have
become known to the whole world"

06 May 2008 [11:48] – Today.Az

Day.Az interview with MP Asim Mollazade, chairman of the Party of
Democratic Reforms.

-How would you comment on the tough criticism of Azerbaijan by US
State Secretary Condoleezza Rice first and US President George Bush
then?

-First of all the speech of US President George Bush was not devoted
to assessment of situation in Azerbaijan in separate. It dated to the
World Day of Press. However, I do not think that the criticism of the
US leadership is something surprising as official Washington has
repeatedly made due announcements addressed to Azerbaijan.

-Do you agree that US allocation of over $3,000,000 for conduction of
upcoming presidential elections in Azerbaijan is interference with the
internal affairs of our country?

-Of course, not. The US allocation of over $3,000,000 for different
programs aimed at conduction of fair and transparent elections in
Azerbaijan, is also not new. The United States have allocated definite
assets for all elections in Azerbaijan through various funds and
organizations. Moreover, a part of allocated funds will be spent for
work with government organizations. Therefore, I think it is incorrect
to draw too much attention to the said traditional actions of the
United States or call them the interference with the internal affairs
of Azerbaijan.

-Speaking about Condoleezza Rice’s announcement addressed to
Azerbaijan, several local experts consider not the fact of criticism
incorrect but the comparison with Armenia, where bloody events
occurred. Do you agree with this statement?

-I agree that Condoleezza Rice’s announcement is not a criticism of
Azerbaijan. It is an attempt to draw a veil over the problems of
Armenia, which became known to the world society after the recent
presidential election in this country.

Though, it is well known to everyone that people were killed during
the bloody events in Yerevan, over 200 representatives of Armenian
opposition were arrested and the parliament deputies are currently
under arrest in Armenia. Censorship and emergency state have been
applied in this country. Unfortunately, the world society has not
condemned these actions of the Armenian leadership. I can suggest that
this is because the world community, on the whole, and the United
States do not want the development of democracy in Armenia.

– But, why do you think the United States try to distract attention
from the need to punish those, who committed bloodshed in Yerevan and
ruined the idea of democracy in this country, to the attempt to assess
situation with the level of democracy in Armenia and Azerbaijan?

-Active role is played by the Armenian lobby organizations, which lead
the campaign on the attempt to draw a veil over the big problems
inside Armenia, including the problems of freedom of speech, freedom
of political convictions and other problems in human rights, well
known to the whole world.

In this connection, I would like to remind one interesting moment: I
have repeatedly asked the representatives of the Council of Europe,
why the representatives of Armenian opposition and human rights
organizations, which could speak of the real life in Armenia,
repressions against the opponents of powers of these countries, are
not invited to the hearing on the situation in Armenia. I received no
response to my question. Thus, we can say that the United States, and
the whole West do not want to see Armenia as a developed and
democratic state. It seems that the United States and West prefer to
see Armenia as an outpost state.

-There is a truth that nothing is free of charge. In other words, what
can Armenia offer to the United States, as a gratitude for the policy
of official Washington of carrying Armenia out of this situation in
which she found herself owing to its support to separatism and
territorial claims to neighbor countries?

-Nothing. Moreover, I am sure that the leadership of Armenia will
further conduct policy aimed at escalation of aggression in the South
Caucasus region and will not make any concessions in the negotiation
process on the resolution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, preferring to
imitate the negotiation process. Therefore, I think that such policy
towards Armenia is an ill office for the Armenian people which is
doomed to stay under control of military criminals. These actions also
demonstrate the weakness of not only the United States, but also all
the democratic countries of the world before the Armenian lobby, whose
actions contradict to the national interests of the United States.

-Do you really think that Armenian lobby is so strong that it is able
to press on official Washington and the leading countries of the
country?

-Certainly, it is. In particular, we have already witnessed how ethnic
lobby groups conducted activities, contradicting to the national
interests of the United States.

-But what should Azerbaijan do if the Armenian lobby is so
influential?

-Azerbaijan should work at creation of its lobby organization and
strengthen its positions in the world and be stronger.

-I would once more return to the announcements of the US
leaders. Don’t you think that criticism addressed to Azerbaijan before
the presidential elections prove that the United States tend to
criticize their results, even if ideal elections are held in our
country?

-I do not think that there is a risk of such developments. I think
that free and democratic elections in Azerbaijan will be highly
appreciated by the United States.

-Is the possibility of free and democratic elections in Azerbaijan
high?

-I think Azerbaijan has all conditions for conduction of transparent
and democratic elections. Merely, a great deal of work should be done
in this direction.

/Day.Az/

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