Author: Vasilian Manouk

IRAN STANDS FOR THE PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF THE KARABAKH CONFLICT

armradio.am
24.07.2007 15:50

Iran stands for the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh
conflict. Commenting on the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran
on the Karabakh issue, official representative of the Iranian Ministry
of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Ali Hoseini declared that "Iran stands
for continuation of talks between the conflicting sides."

"We think the resolution of teh Karabakh conflict will help to ensure
regional security and stable development of the countries of the
region," he underlined. "Iran welcomes the process of constructive
negotiations, especially the meetings between the Presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan, and in case of necessity it is ready to
assist the process of peaceful settlement fo the Karabakh conflict,"
the official representative of Iran’s MFA declared.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT READY TO COOPERATE WITH EURASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 24 2007

YEREVAN, July 24. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan has
expressed willingness to cooperate with Eurasian Development Bank.

The premier said Tuesday as met with Igor Finogenov, chairman of
the bank board, in Yerevan that Armenia has certain experience of
cooperating with large banks and is ready to develop its cooperation
with Eurasian Development Bank, as Novosti-Armenia News Agency reports,
referring to the information received from Armenian government’s
press office.

He welcomed Eurasian Development Bank’s intention to implement mutually
beneficial and forward-looking programs in Armenia.

Finogenov presented the results of the bank’s investment programs in
CIS member countries to Sargsyan.

He said that the bank intends to promote economic development,
social problems solution, banking system improvement and up-to-date
infrastructures creation in CIS countries.

Finogenov asked the Armenian PM to point out the country economy’s
top-priority sectors for cooperation.

The premier singled out transport and energy sectors as well as mining
industry and agriculture as the most promising areas for cooperation.

He also stressed the importance of cooperation between state and
private sectors.

He supported a proposal to set up a joint group for detailed discussion
of cooperation prospects. The group is proposed to consist of Armenian
ministries’ and Eurasian Development Bank’s representatives.

Eurasian Development bank is an international financial organization
established in January 2006 by Russia and Kazakhstan for promoting
market economy development in member countries and making trade and
economic ties closer.

The bank’s authorized capital amounts to $ 1.5bln.

LE PELERINAGE DE QAREH KELISA, UNE BULLE CHRETIENNE DANS L’IRAN ISLAMIQUE

Agence France Presse
Chaldoran (Iran)
24 juillet 2007 mardi 4:50 AM GMT

(REPORTAGE)

Des milliers de pèlerins ont plante leur tente sur les flancs de la
montagne, l’air est charge d’encens, les clochent resonnent dans cette
vallee du nord-ouest de Iran: Qareh Kelisa, "l’eglise noire", accueille
la plus grande ceremonie armenienne de la Republique islamique.

Tous les etes, depuis cinquante ans, des Armeniens d’Iran et d’ailleurs
convergent vers Qareh Kelisa, perchee a moins de 25 kilomètres de la
frontière turque dans la province de l’Azerbaïdjan occidental.

Ces trois jours de prières et de fete commemorent Saint Thaddeus,
venu convertir la population au 1er siècle après Jesus-Christ.

Des centaines de milliers d’Armeniens vivent actuellement en Iran,
et leur presence dans le nord du pays remonte a des milliers d’annee,
ce qui peut expliquer que perdure cette tradition dans un pays où
les religieux chiites imposent un islam rigoriste.

"En reunissant les Armeniens de l’interieur et de l’exterieur d’Iran,
cette ceremonie renforce notre solidarite", affirme Hayk Norouzian,
un artisan de Teheran.

Quelque 4.000 Armeniens, la plupart iraniens, mais aussi en provenance
de l’Armenie voisine et des pays arabes comme le Liban et la Syrie,
sont venus remplir l’eglise pour les celebrations dirigees par les
patriarches de Teheran et de Tabriz.

"Le plus important, c’est que nous ayons preserve cette eglise dans
un pays musulman", estime Ani, une ingenieur informatique et membre
de la chorale.

"En Turquie, certaines eglises armeniennes ont ete detruites. C’est
une fierte d’avoir conserve cette eglises ici. Le gouvernement iranien
l’apprecie", ajoute la jeune trentenaire.

Il faut dire que Qareh Kelisa, construite sur la tombe de Saint
Thaddeus après qu’il eut ete tue par un roi païen, est le plus ancien
monument chretien d’Iran.

Avec ses coupoles pyramidales typiquement armeniennes et ses puissant
murs accroches a la montagne, l’eglise a resiste a au moins 15 siècles
de guerres et de tremblement de terre.

Au dela du caractère religieux, le pèlerinage est l’occasion pour les
Armeniens d’oublier les frontières qui les separent et de celebrer
une culture commune.

Il est neuf heures du matin, lorsque des pèlerins emergent de leurs
tentes attires par les accords entraînants d’un accordeon et le rythme
d’un tambour: mains au ciel, des hommes se lancent dans une danse
traditionnelle autour des musiciens, vite rejoints par des femmes.

Ces dernières se promènent en T-shirt, tete nue: le campement
aux abords de l’eglise noire ressemble a une bulle, loin des codes
vestimentaires islamiques. Les autorites laissant toute latitude aux
Armeniens de pratiquer leur rite.

L’Iran a toujours montre une certaine tolerance envers ses minorites
chretienne, juive et zoroastrienne, meme si une grande partie en a
quitte le pays depuis la revolution islamique de 1979.

"Nous sommes libres de prier et faire ce qui nous plaît. Les
organisations gouvernementales nous aident a nous sentir libres.

Personne ne vient nous embeter", assure Gevork Vartanian, l’un des
deputes armeniens du parlement iranien.

A l’entree de Qareh Kelisa ont ete disposes côte a côte les
portraits des deux patriarches armeniens… et ceux du president
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, du guide supreme l’ayatollah Ali Khamenei et du
fondateur de la Republique islamique, l’imam Khomeiny.

Toutefois, les musulmans ne peuvent se joindre aux ceremonies. Les
Armeniens contrôlent les entrees du site et des responsables locaux
les routes y menant.

"Ce que j’aime c’est que nos jeunes viennent, qu’importe les
motivations religieuses, historiques ou sociales. C’est un lieu de
rencontre", se rejouit Rene Anour, un producteur de film independant
de Teheran.

–Boundary_(ID_Z6Q336inM5TZFs6ZQhPwYg)–

LEVAYEV IS UNLIKELY TO SELL FACTORY

Lragir, Armenia
July 23 2007

The head of the department of jewelry of the ministry of trade and
development Gagik Mkrtichyan confirmed the news that the Russian
companies, particularly Alrosa, is likely to enter the jewel market
of Armenia. By the way, it was preceded by cutting of imports of raw
material from Russia to Armenia from 2004. Gagik Mkrtichyan declined
to say who had initiated to stop the supply of diamonds from Russia
but he said there is experience of 40 years of cooperation with
Russia, and now efforts are made to restore supply of diamonds. It
is possible that our jewelers work with Russia in the way they work
with Belgium or Israel, i.e. take the raw materials and return the
product. Currently Armenia imports raw material from Africa and some
Arab countries and exports diamonds to the United States and Russia.

Gagik Mkrtichyan said he has learned that the Israeli owner of the
Shoghakn Factory Lev Levayev is unlikely to sell the factory.

ARMENIAN PAPERS SAYS EX-SECURITY CHIEF CERTAIN TO WIN KARABAKH POLLS

Quotes package from BBC Monitoring
20 Jul 07

The Armenian press on 20 July gave extensive coverage to the
presidential election in Armenian-populated breakaway region of
Nagornyy Karabakh. Papers published factual reports, interviews, and
commentaries as to who would be the next president of the self-declared
Nagornyy Karabakh republic (NKR), with the general perception being
that Bako Sahakyan, ex-chief of the NKR national security service,
will undoubtedly win. The following are quotes from editorial comments
on the NKR presidential election published by Armenian newspaper on
20 July:

Aravot (pro-opposition daily; ): "A few days ago, a
foreign journalist asked me to explain why elections in unrecognized
countries are 100-per-cent predictable. He meant that Bako Sahakyan
would certainly become the NKR president. I said that due to the
same reason as they [election results] are predictable in recognized
countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia and any other country of
the CIS. And why only in the CIS? Who, for example, doubts that the
party of Erdogan and Gul is going to win the parliamentary election
in Turkey? So the predictability of election results is not based
on a condition whether a country is ‘recognized’ or ‘unrecognized’,
but it stems from the political regime in that country."

(Commentary by editor Aram Abrahamyan)

Haykakan Zhamanak (opposition daily; ) "Bako Sahakyan
and [his main rival] Masis Mayilyan voted at the same polling
station. However, they voted at different times and in different
atmosphere. At the initiative of the local authorities, Sahakyan was
met with folk music, and his wife was presented with flowers at the
entrance. As soon as Sahakyan left the polling station, the musicians
disappeared." (Commentary by Kristine Khanumyan)

Hayots Ashkharh (pro-government daily; ) "International
observers assessed the presidential election held in the Nagornyy
Karabakh republic yesterday as ‘more than perfect’." (Commentary by
Lilit Poghosyan)

ARF IS BOTH GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION, BOTH FOR AND AGAINST

Lragir, Armenia
July 20 2007

Member of Parliament Artsvik Minasyan, ARF Dashnaktsutyun’s faction,
stated July 20 at the Hayeli club in the recent style of Dashnaks
that the ARF is both government and opposition. "We are responsible
for both the good and the bad." The reporters asked what it means to
be government and opposition at the same time, and how it happens.

Artsvik Minasyan says the government ARF always endorses the actions
of the government. And when the ARF does not endorse separate actions,
in those cases the ARF Dashnaktsutyun is not government.

Artsvik Minasyan stated that the ministers who are members of the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun are responsible for drafting and implementing policies
in the spheres they are in charge of.

In the upcoming presidential election the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
will name a candidate, who will not necessarily be a member of
the ARF Dashnaktsutyun, Artsvik Minasyan stated. Thereby, the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun will address the issue of offering an alternative
to the society, and he thinks the time of supporting one candidate
is past. Meanwhile, in Karabakh together with the other forces the
ARF Dashnaktsutyun endorsed one person, the representative of the
government Bako Sahakyan. Is it possible in Karabakh and impossible in
Armenia, we asked Artsvik Minasyan? "I did not say it is impossible
in Armenia. I said those times are over. The decision of the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun to support Bako Sahakyan proceeded from today’s state
of Karabakh and the principle of a more stable environment, as well
as the personality of the candidate."

THERE IS NO WORTHY SINGLE-WHOLE OPPOSITION CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF ARMENIA LEADER SAYS

arminfo
2007-07-19 16:35:00

To become a single-whole opposition candidate for president, one should
enjoy public trust and sympathies, Leader of the opposition Democratic
Party of Armenia (DPA) Aram Sargsyan said at Hayatsq Club, Thursday.

However, there is no such candidate in the opposition camp so
far.Moreover, to nominate a single-whole candidate, the opposition must
unite and prepare a single programme. "Our country needs a radically
new political programme based on our moral values. We are losing the
national picture. To restore our national values, we must unite and
implement a social-democratic model, otherwise neither serious reforms
nor reconstruction is possible in the country," he said. Asked if DPA
will nominate a candidate for president or it will join the opposition,
Aram Sargsyan said the party congress will adopt a necessary decision
on the basis of its ideology.

THERE ARE TOO MANY CONTROVERSIES REGARDING SEFILYAN’S AND MALKHASYAN’S CASE

Lragir, Armenia
July 19 2007

On July 19 the Friday Club hosted Mushegh Shushanyan, Vahe Grigoryan
and Ara Zakaryan, attorneys of Vardan Malkhasyan and Jirair Sefilyan
who had been arrested for appeals against the Constitutional order in
Armenia, and Armen Aghayan, the political secretary of the Defense of
Liberated Territories Civil Initiative and member of the Solidarity
of Armenian Volunteers Civil Initiative. They held a news conference
to tell about the controversies regarding the charges brought against
Vardan Malkhasyan and Jirair Sefilyan.

Jirair Sefilyan is accused of carrying illegal weapon. First,
there is evidence that Jirair Sefilyan’s weapon was the award of
the commander of the defense army of Artsakh in 1998. Meanwhile,
the council for prosecution presented a document that the weapon is
registered with the ministry of defense of Armenia, and after the
service it was to be returned to the place of service. Attorney Vahe
Grigoryan says Jirair Sefilyan did not serve in the Armenian Ministry
of Defense, and finished service 8-9 years ago. Over this period the
weapon was with him, and Vahe Grigoryan wonders if the official who
was so careless about the registered weapons was made responsible.

Vardges Shirinyan was also charged with carrying illegal weapon but
the case was dismissed before the trial because Vardges Shirinyan
had participated in the war. Jirair Sefilyan also participated in
the war but he is charged with carrying illegal weapon, bullets were
found at Jirair Sefilyan’s place. Meanwhile, Armen Aghayan noticed
that in the years of war a lot of weapon appeared in his house and
it is possible that some bullets were accidentally left somewhere in
the apartment since then.

Detectives who are not authorized to attend to this case searched
Jirair Sefilyan’s house, consequently the evidence obtained through
this search does not have legal validity. The attorneys stated this
at the court of law but Justice Mnatsakan Martirosyan rejected the
petition. The attorney said the justice rejects their petition saying
that they petition at the convenient moment, afterwards when he allows,
the petitions are not taken into consideration because they are said
to be made not in the right time.

Generally, the attorneys think nothing new added during the trial,
there is no evidence that besides the alleged appeals Vardan Malkhasyan
and Jirair Sefilyan made any efforts against the Constitutional
order. The friends of Vardan Malkhasyan and Jirair Sefilyan think
the investigation that lasted for six months intends to keep Vardan
Malkhasyan and Jirair Sefilyan behind the bars all through the period
of elections.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

THE REPRESENTATIVES OF CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL LEADERS MEET IN ANTELIAS

The representatives of Christian spiritual leaders in Lebanon convened in
Antelias on July 18. The participants in the meeting included Bishops Roland
Abou Jaoude, Boulos Matar and Yousef Beshara from the Maronite Church,
Bishop Elias Aoude from the Greek Orthodox Church, Primate Bishop Kegham
Khatcherian on behalf of His Holiness Aram I, Bishops Salim Ghazel and Elias
Rahal from the Greek Catholic Church, Bishop Michel Kassardji from the
Chalcedonic Church, Bishop George Saliba from the Syrian Orthodox Church and
ev. Dr. George Mrad from the Evangelical Church. Absent from the meeting was
the representative of the Armenian Catholic Church, Bishop Hovhannes
Teyrouz.

The meeting was a preparatory meeting for the upcoming summit of
Patriarchs in November. The summit will be dedicated to discussing the
presence of Christianity in Lebanon with all its aspects. The Antelias
gathering was a meeting of the summit’s preparatory committee.

Hosting the meeting, Primate Bishop Kegham Khatcherian welcomed the
participants on behalf of His Holiness and stressed the meeting’s
importance. The Primate also informed the attendants that the Armenian
Catholicos recently successfully reconciled the Coptic and Ethiopian
Churches. The participants in the meeting expressed their happiness with
respect to this historic achievement, emphasizing the importance of
brotherly spirit and cooperation between churches. They also underlined the
important role of His Holiness in this endeavor as a result of his long
years of experience in the ecumenical field.

The committee will continue its work until the meeting between the
Patriarchs in November.

##
View photo here:
os/Photos16.htm

FIBA EUROPE PROVIDES 80 THOUSAND EUROS TO ARMENIA

armradio.am
17.07.2007 15:18

FIBA Europe (the European Basketball Federatiopn) allocated 80 thousand
Euros to Armenia, which made possible the participation of the under-16
male and female basketball teams and the under-18 male team of Armenia
in Group B of the European Championships, President of RA Basketball
Federation Hrachya Rostomyan said at a press conference today.