Author: Vasilian Manouk

June 19, 2009
Press Release
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

PRELATE TO PRESIDE OVER DIVINE LITURGY AT
HOLY MARTYRS CHURCH

On Sunday, June 21st, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
Prelate, will preside over Divine Liturgy at Holy Martyrs Church in Encino.
The Prelate will also deliver the sermon.

PRELACY "LOUSAVORICH" YOUTH CHOIR
TO HOLD FIRST CONCERT

The Western Prelacy is pleased to announce that the recently formed
"Lousavorich" youth choir will hold its first concert on Thursday, June
25th, 2009, at Glendale Presbyterian Church (125 S. Louise St.). The
concert is being held under the auspices of H.E. Archbishop Moushegh
Mardirossian, Prelate, and will begin at 7:30 p.m.
The "Lousavorich" choir was organized nearly a year ago under the
leadership of Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian. It is comprised of 45 members
from various chapters of the Prelacy Armenian Church Youth Association, who
have been diligently preparing for their first performance where they will
present spiritual, national, and traditional songs to our community.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or ahead of time by contacting
the Prelacy at 818-248-7737.
* Important note: The date of the concert was moved up to Thursday,
June 25th (it was previously scheduled for Friday, June 26th).

PRELACY TO HOST COMMUNITY FORUM WITH
AMBASSADOR MARIE YOVANOVITCH

In the coming days Her Excellency Marie L. Yovanovitch, United
States Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia will be arriving in the U.S. to
meet with leaders and members of the Armenian community.
Ambassador Yovanovitch will be visiting the Prelacy on Friday, June
26th, 2009, where she will meet with H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
Prelate, Clergy, Executive Council, and community representatives.
At 7:30 p.m., the community is invited to a public forum with the
Ambassador, which will be held at "Avedissian" Hall of Ferrahian School
(5300 White Oak Ave., Encino). During the forum, Ambassador Yovanovitch
will address the community, followed by a question and answer session.
On Sunday, June 28th, Ambassador Yovanovitch will attend Divine
Liturgy at St. Garabed Church in Hollywood.

PRELACY SCHOOLS’ COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES

The commencement ceremonies of Prelacy Schools continue under the
auspices of the Prelate. The Prelate attends the ceremonies and conveys his
message and blessings to the students.
On Sunday, June 21st, the Prelate will attend the 12th grade
graduation ceremony of Rose and Alex Pilibos School as well as the
commencement ceremony of Levon and Hasmig Tavlian School.
The 12th grade and 8th grade graduations of Armenian Mesrobian
School will take place on Saturday, June 20th. Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian
will represent the Prelate.
The 5th and 8th grade graduation of Pilibos School and the 8th grade
graduation of KZV in San Francisco will also take place on Saturday. Very
Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian will represent the Prelate at the KZV graduation.
Davidian and Mariamian Educational Foundation graduations also
continue, which the Prelate or representatives attaned.
The main commencement ceremony of the foundation will take place on
Saturday at the Glendale Pacific Community Center. H.E. Archbishop Yeprem
Tabakian will attend and convey the Prelate’s blessings.

PRELATE REPRESENTED AT AGBU ASBEDS
"AN EVENING WITH SCHOLARS"

On the evening of Thursday, June 18th, the annual "An Evening with
Scholars", organized by the AGBU Asbeds Committee, took place at Agajanian
Hall of AGBU Manoogian-Demirjian School.
The evening featured lectures by renowned scholars Prof. Kevork
Bardakjian and Dr. Cengiz Aktar, on Armenian-Turkish relations, followed by
a question and answer session.
Rev. Fr. Razmig Khatchadourian represented the Prelate.

HOVIK ABRAHAMYAN: "MUTUAL SINCERE SYMPATHY STRENGTHENS THE FRIENDLY RELATIONS OF THE PEOPLES OF ARMENIA AND SYRIA"

National Assembly of RA
June 18 2009
Armenia

On June 17 President of the National Assembly Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan met
with President of Syria Mr. Bashar аl-Assad, who was on an official
visit in Armenia.

Greeting the guest the President of the National Assembly highly
assessed the role of the late President Hafez аl-Assad in the history
of the policy of the Middle East. He stressed that the Armenian
people would not forget the support that the Syrian people showed to
forcibly immigrated Armenians. The head of the Armenian Parliament
informed his high-ranking guest that in that connection a monument
to the Arab people as a sign of gratitude is being built in Yerevan
on the Syrian Armenians’ initiative.

The interlocutors agreed that a mutual sincere sympathy existed
between the peoples of Armenia and Syria, which strengthened the
friendly relations of the two countries. President Mr. al-Assad highly
assessed the role of the Syrian Armenians’ community in the life of our
country, as well as in the development of relations with Armenia. The
sides agreed that the parliamentarians of the two countries could
make a special contribution to completely realizing the potential of
Armenian-Syrian relations.

During the talk President of the National Assembly Mr. Hovik
Abrahamyan and President of Syria Mr. Bashar al-Assad also discussed
the Armenian-Turkish and Syrian-Turkish relations, as well as a number
of issues regarding the stability and security of the regions of the
South Caucasus and Middle East.

ARMENIA TO PASS A LONG WAY FOR CONQUERING INTERNATIONAL TOURISM MARKET

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.06.2009 15:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Tourism in Armenia has certainly made significant
progress, but that’s not enough for conquering international tourism
market," Philip Munye, consultant of CAPS international program,
said today, answering a PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent’s question.

Armenia has tour operators who are professionals, but the problem’s
that they have focused on certain products which are of no interest
to European tourists.

"They offer similar products, which are mostly related to church,
history and culture. That mostly attracts elderly tourists," he stated,
adding that Armenia does not make proper use of its resources and is
required to make every effort towards attracting youth.

Armenia, according to Munye, should attract tourists as a country of
recreation. As a fair example he referred to jazz festivals which have
made Armenia well-known to Europe. "I know many people who cross the
ocean just in order to take part in those festivals," Philip Munye
said, stressing that he himself was a great jazz fan.

The forum was organized by CAPS, RA Ministry of Economy, Armenian
Tourism Development Agency and National Competitiveness Fund.

IRAN FACING POLITICAL CRISIS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
17.06.2009 20:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Post-electoral situation in Iran may be considered
political crisis. Clashes between authorities and Mir-Hossein’s
proponents will continue for a couple of more days," Iranian studies
specialist Sevak Sarukhanyan, deputy director of Nopravank foundation,
told journalists today. "The visible stage of political crisis will be
overcome, but the crisis will continue on top political layers," he
noted. Despite the mass clashes and victims, the country’s political
system is capable of controlling the situation. "Nevertheless,
clashes in big towns will continue. And such clashes will not be
between authority and opposition, they will be between authorities
and society," the expert stressed.

Bing makes history in forgoing Manoogian

Detroit Free Press
June 16, 2009

BY BILL McGRAW

Mayor Dave Bing will be the first elected mayor of Detroit to not live
in the Manoogian Mansion since the 15-room house was donated to the
city to serve as the mayoral residence in 1966.

Jerry Cavanagh, Roman Gribbs, Coleman Young, Dennis Archer, Kwame
Kilpatrick and their families all spent time in the Manoogian, which
sits on the east riverfront across from Belle Isle.

The house gained an unwelcomed notoriety during the Kilpatrick reign
as the supposed site of a much ballyhooed wild party. Though the party
was never proven, rumors of it ignited the chain of events that led to
Kilpatrick resigning and going to jail.

Bing has said he wants to find a way to make the home, a gift from
industrialist Alex Manoogian, a resource for Detroit and to recoup the
roughly $150,000 the city spends for annual upkeep.

Mayoral spokeswoman Meagan Pitts said Monday the Manoogian is
undergoing repairs for plumbing and other problems, and officials
continue to plan to use it as a site for conferences, weddings and
other gatherings.

Pitts said the repairs are being financed by a nonprofit organization
and the city, but a price tag was not immediately available.

/NEWS01/906160332/1001/rss01#pluckcomments

NAIRIT PLANT SUSPENDS PRODUCTION OF RUBBER FOR A MONTH AND A HALF

ArmInfo
2009-06-16 18:39:00

ArmInfo. Nairit Plant CJSC, the only producer of chloroprene rubber
in Armenia and CIS, announced a downtime from June 12 till August 1,
2009, the company’s press-release says.

According to the source, the downtime is needed to restore
the chloroprene production workshop damaged during the May 14
accidence. During the downtime it is also envisaged to hold scheduled
preventive maintenance in other production sections. About $200 thsd
will be needed to remove the consequences of the accidence. This amount
includes materials, equipment and human resources which are available
at the enterprise and will be used for its restoration. Meanwhile,
the work connected with preparation for launching the rubber production
line by butadiene technology will not be suspended.

According to the labor legislation of Armenia, as a result of
suspension of production, 18% of 2734 the plant employees (about 500
people) will not work temporarily.

To recall, as a result of the accidence at the plant, 4 people died
and 8 were injured. The owner of 90% of the plant shares is Rhinoville
Property Limited, and 10% of shares belong to the state.

Rhin®ville Property Limited was founded by Samex (Poland), Intertex
(USA), and Russia (Eurogas). In 2008 the plant produced 5414 tons
of rubber.

IRANIAN OPPOSITION: WE’LL CAST TEHRAN INTO HELL

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.06.2009 21:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Hundreds and thousands of pro-opposition figures
are heading towards Freedom Square from Tehran University. Tehran
hasn’t seen such demonstration since 1979, dpa agency reports.

Demonstrators are marching along the street, chanting, "We warned
you. You cheated us. We’ll cast Tehran into hell." Opposition leader
Mir-Hossein Mousavi has joined protesters, but remains inside his
car with security considerations.

Police forces and guards are blocking freedom square and adjacent
streets. Demonstrators shout to police, "You may distort figures
by 1 or 2%, but 53% is too much", "Ahmadinejad, here are hooligans
coming". Public Television continues warning people that any violation
of public order will be punished by law.

The country’s supreme religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued
order for "Trusteeship Council" to conduct investigation into possible
electoral wrongdoings. Khomeini also promised to deliver a special
speech in this connection during his Friday prayer at Tehran University

PHILLIP GORDON REITERATES WASHINGTON’S SUPPORT FOR BAKU

rdon-reiterates-washingtons-support-for-baku/
Jun 11, 2009

BAKU (Combined Sources)-The new top U.S. diplomat in charge of European
and Eurasian affairs arrived in Baku on Thursday where he reiterated
Washington’s support for Azerbaijan.

US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs
Phillip Gordon arrived in the Azeri capital Thursday on the last
leg of a regional tour of the South Caucasus. He visited Yerevan on
Tuesday and Georgia on Wednesday.

"Azerbaijan is an important country for us," Gordon said speaking to
reporters at Baku’s international airport.

"We are interested in the security in the region including the solution
to Nagorno Karabakh conflict. I consider that there is opportunity
for it and the US is ready to give support."

Gordon was scheduled to meet with government officials to discuss
the development of democracy and human rights, broadcast rights for
international radios in Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The U.S. supports constructive dialogue between sides of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Gordon said.

"The United States supports diversification of energy resources in
Europe. It is important from the view of energy security. We are
ready to work with Azerbaijan in this field," Gordon said talking
about the possibility of US financial support to the Nabucco gas
pipeline project.

Washington sent a strong signal of support to Azerbaijan earlier this
month when the U.S. State Department’s special envoy for Eurasian
energy visited Baku and delivered a letter from President Barack
Obama expressing support for Azerbaijan in the regional energy market.

That letter was given to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and read out
at the start of the Caspian Oil and Gas exhibition in Baku sponsored
by the Azeri Energy Ministry and the State Oil Company (Socar).

Morningstar said the role of Azerbaijan in European energy security
matters would establish a strong partnership with Washington and its
allies, the Trend news agency reported

RUSSIAN RAILWAYS OJSC’S 2009 INVESTMENTS TO COMPRISE RUR 2.7 BILLION

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
12.06.2009 13:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "We are quite satisfied with previous year’s
results of the implantation of concessionary agreement with ‘Armenian
Railways’," "Russian Railways" OJSC President Vladinir Yakuninsaid
today during his visit to Yerevan central station. This year,
"Russian Railways" plans to fully compensate last year’s omissions,
Yakunin added. The question was discussed during consultations with
both RA President and Government.

As mentioned by "Russian Railways" President, investment volumes
in 2009 will comprise RUR 1.2 billion, plus 39% of previous year’s
unfulfilled investments. The total investment sum for 2009 will this
make up RUR 2.7 billion.

THE IFC REGIONAL DIRECTOR PRESENTS THE PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED IN ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
June 10, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 10, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
received today Snezna Stoijkovic, Director of International Financial
Corporation (IFC) for Central and Eastern Europe. Head of the IFC
Armenian and Georgian offices Thomas Lyubek also took part in the
meeting.

Public relations department of Armenian Government told Armenpress
that Ms. Snezna Stoijkovic presented the investment, research
and consultation projects implemented by the corporation in
Armenia. Opportunities and prospects of further cooperation between
Armenian and IFC in the conditions of financial and economic crisis
have also been discussed.

Tigran Sargsyan assured that the Government will assist the
implementation of IFC programs and expressed hope that the projects
implemented by IFC will come in coincidence with the long-term programs
and prior directions of the Government.