Author: Vasilian Manouk

GERMANY ASSISTS ARMENIAN SCHOOLS

Lragir, Armenia
Feb 6 2008

The German Embassy to Armenia and Goethe Institute donate books to
Armenian schools to upgrade the teaching of German at schools. The
selected schools of Yerevan and the regions receive not only textbooks
and basic literature for libraries but also fiction which their peers
read in Germany to help the teachers of German make their classes
more interesting and lively, runs the release of the German embassy
to Armenia.

Besides, Goethe Institute grants scholarships for study in Germany
and holds classes for teachers in both Yerevan and the regions.

The German ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin, the director of
Goethe Institute in Tbilisi Verner Voll and the representative of the
Armenian ministry of education and science will donate textbooks to
School 1 of the city of Sevan on February 12 at 10 am.

ARMENIA BECOMES THEATER OF RACE BETWEEN RUSSIA AND WEST

KarabakhOpen
06-02-2008 12:58:22

On February 4 the office of the European Commission to Baku was
dedicated.

Benito Ferrero Valdner, EU commissar of foreign affairs and the
European Neighborhood Policy, addressed the ceremony and said the
office is an indicator of their attitude to Azerbaijan. She said the
office will later be transformed into an EU mission.

A similar office is going to be set up in Yerevan. The Eurocrats are
expected to say the same thing about the relation with Armenia and
will say to expect active participation of Yerevan in the European
Neighborhood Policy.

On these days the implementation of the Individual Partnership Plan
with NATO is being discussed in Yerevan which was launched in January
2006. The possibility of adoption of an adapted program in 2008 is
under consideration, in which the envisaged goals of NATO-Armenia
cooperation will be included.

On February 5 the Russian Prime Minister Victor Zubkov arrived
in Yerevan.

The negotiations with the Armenian government focus on economic
cooperation, promotion of trade and economic ties between the two
states and investments.

The Russian-Armenian cooperation over fuel and energy issues are to
be discussed, which remain primary in the economic relations of the
two countries.

Victor Zubkov noted that the Russian companies Gazprom, RAO EES,
Russian Railways, Alrosa, Rusal, Systema, Vimpelcom, VTB Bank are
already effectively working in Armenia. "Russia supplies Armenia’s
entire demand of natural gas, and contracts have been signed until
2009, there are no problems," informs the source of the Armenian
government. According to him, currently the proposal of Armenia on
the construction of an oil refinery together with Russia and Iran
is under consideration. "There are lots of questions, including the
supply of oil," the Russian prime minister said.

He added that currently the issue of connecting the electric grid of
the country to the system of the CIS and Baltic states for a more
effective transmission of electricity. Besides, he said Gazprom is
interested in completing the fifth generating unit of the Thermal
Power Plant of Hrazdan.

He reminded that the other four generating units belong to Russia. As
to cooperation on atomic energy, Russia fulfills its commitment to
supply nuclear fuel for the Armenian Nuclear Plant, the source added.

During Zubkov’s visit to Yerevan bilateral agreements on nuclear
cooperation may be signed, as well as a protocol on changes to the
interstate agreement on free trade signed on October 30, 1992. Besides,
the Russian ministry of information and communication and the Armenian
ministry of transport and communication may sign an agreement on
cooperation in IT, postal communication.

The Armenian newspapers already write that Armenia is becoming
the theater of cooperation between the West and Russia. It became
evident after pro-West Mikhail Sahakashvili was elected president
of Georgia, and in Serbia pro-European Tadich won the presidential
election. "Russia will lose in Armenia as well," forecasts the Armenian
online newspaper Lragir.am.

On February 19 Armenia elects a president. The Russian newspapers
refer to the Armenian Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan as the most
"pro-Russian" candidate. Arthur Baghdasaryan is believed to be the most
"pro-European" candidate, who is the second after Serge Sargsyan by
his popular rating. The European observers are in Armenia, who have
already reported drawbacks in the election campaign, preparing ground
for not recognizing the outcome of the election.

ACCORDING TO MEMBERS OF RPA AND PAP FACTIONS, SERGE SARGSIAN IS SOLE FIGURE CAPABLE TO LEAD COUNTRY

Noyan Tapan
Feb 6, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, NOYAN TAPAN. On February 5 the National Assembly
of the Republic of Armenia continued the proceedings of the first
four-day sittings of the session. Approximately, 10 out of the 92
registered MPs were present in the hall during the whole working
day. Under these conditions about twenty bills and international
treaties were discussed. As Tigran Torosian, the NA Speaker, recorded
in the evening sitting, the parliament did "very productive" work. It
should be mentioned that like on the eve the ARF Dashnaktsutiun and
Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) factions did not take part in the NA
proceedings with their complete staff conditioned by the electoral
processes.

The picture was quite different in the last sitting of the day,
during which MPs, according to the NA regulations-law, could make
statements. 24 out of the thirty MPs, who had come to the hall, made
use of that right. Except a few registered MPs of the Zharangutiun
(Heritage) faction, the main subjects of the statements of about twenty
MPs representing the Republican Party of Armenia and the Prosperous
Armenia faction were the February 19 elections of the RA President,
the obvious superiority of their common candidate Serge Sargsian,
the RA Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Republican Party of
Armenia, as well as the criticism of the separate statements of his
rivals during the campaign, in particular, of Levon Ter-Petrosian,
the first President of the country and partly of Arthur Baghdasarian,
the Chairman of the Orinats Yerkir Party.

The statements of the representatives of the Zharangutiun faction
mainly concerned the legal problems of those sentenced to life
imprisonment, the cases on violation of human rights, as well as
"the elective mode of action" adopted by the prosecutor’s office
in connection with the infringements of the law being made towards
citizens and the "attempts to seize" the places of the Zharangutiun
through "various ways" in the electoral commissions by the "members
of the team of Serge Sargsian, the candidate of the authorities".

ARMENIAN BARITONE QUALIFIES FOR PAVEL LISITSIAN COMPETITION FINAL

ARMENPRESS
Feb 6, 2008

MOSCOW, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: An Armenian baritone singer Gevork
Hakobian has qualified for the final of an international competition
in Moscow dedicated to famous baritone opera singer Pavel Lisitsian.

Other qualifiers are Roman Burdenko and Alexei Shishlyar of Russia
and Liam Bonner of the USA.

Thirty-seven singers from 13 countries participated in the first and
second rounds of the competition.

Pavel Lisitsian was an outstanding Soviet baritone opera singer who
performed in the Bolshoi Opera, Moscow from 1940 until his retirement
from stage in 1966.

He was born into an Armenian family living in the Russian city of
Vladikavkaz, where his father was a mineworker. Pavel first worked
in diamond drilling, then as a welder apprentice hoping to follow
his father’s steps. He first began to sing in a church choir before
moving to Leningrad to study cello in 1930.

He was one of the few Soviet artists who were allowed to make
appearances outside the Soviet Union.

He sang at La Scala, at the Metropolitan Opera and in many other
European opera houses. As a recitalist he traveled more than 30
countries, including Indonesia, Austria, Sweden and Japan.

In the last 10 years of his career he concentrated on song- and
concert repertoire. He was a superb interpreter of Armenian folk
songs and one of the most popular singers of the Soviet Union.

Three of his four children became singers and his family joined him
to form the "Lisitsian Quartet."

Pavel Lisitsian was honored many times and received the title "People’s
Artist of the USSR."

BAGHDASARIAN ATTACKS SARKISIAN OVER ‘DEATH THREATS’
By Emil Danielyan and Ruzanna Khachatrian

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Feb 05 2008

Former parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian insisted on Tuesday that
the Armenian authorities threatened to kill him and condemned Prime
Minister Serzh Sarkisian for laughing off the allegations.

Speaking to RFE/RL on Monday, Sarkisian dismissed them as a
"pre-election trick" designed to earn Baghdasarian more votes in
the upcoming presidential election. He argued that the opposition
presidential candidate did not turn to law-enforcement authorities
for help.

Baghdasarian rounded on the prime minister as he held a campaign
meeting in Hrazdan, a town in central Armenia. "No threat, no cheap
speculation can worry us," he told about 300 supporters who gathered
in a freezing conference hall there. "Serzh Sarkisian spoke yesterday
of a pre-election trick. It is his statement which was a pre-election
trick."

Baghdasarian again gave no details of death threats which he claims
to have received at the weekend. He promised on Sunday to elaborate
on the allegations "later on."

In his speech, the leader of the Orinats Yerkir Party again stated that
he is "actively" discussing with other opposition figures, notably
former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, the possibility of forming an
electoral alliance. "We are in the process of active negotiations
centering on a number of principles," he said. "We will certainly
inform the public soon about the results of the negotiations going
on in the political scene."

"There is no question that more and more people and forces understand
the need to effect systemic changes in Armenia," he added without
elaborating.

Baghdasarian refused to take questions from journalists after the
speech, and it remained unclear if he is ready to drop out of the
race in Ter-Petrosian’s favor. He did not rule out such possibility
on Sunday, while hinting that Ter-Petrosian should also consider
withdrawing his candidacy.

A parliament deputy from Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK), meanwhile,
claimed on Tuesday that the authorities are not concerned about the
possibility of the two main opposition candidates joining forces
before the first round of voting slated for February 19. "Even in the
event of a unification of candidates with zero chances of winning the
presidential election, the chances of that virtual single candidate
will be close to zero," said Armen Ashotian.

Ashotian said Ter-Petrosian and Baghdasarian should therefore "join"
Raffi Hovannisian, another top opposition leader who is not eligible
to stand in the election, in becoming "observers following the
presidential race."

"We are confidently and decisively moving forward, and our victory
will lead to a fundamental change of this lawless system," Baghdasarian
told residents of Hrazdan and nearby villages. "The situation existing
in Armenia today does not enable people to achieve success in their
own country."

Baghdasarian also repeated his allegations that the authorities are
deliberately keeping many Armenians below the poverty line in order
to buy their votes. He urged locals to spurn vote bribes which he
said will be offered to them by the Sarkisian campaign.

For her part, Heghine Bisharian, Baghdasarian’s outspoken campaign
manager, claimed that Sarkisian can not win the February ballot
without fraud. "They know that they will lose unless they resort to
falsifications," she said.

Sarkisian insisted in a campaign speech on Monday that he wants to
prevail in a free and fair vote and be seen as a legitimate president
by the domestic public and the international community.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Sarkozy and Merkel said nothing new
02.02.2008 13:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel’s
latest statement on Turkey is not a novelty, Director
of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the RA Academy
of Sciences, Dr Ruben Safrastyan told a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

`The decision will be made by the European Commission
which has not stopped membership talks. France and
Germany are opposed by the UK and Denmark. Moreover,
most of Eastern European states, being strongly
influenced by the U.S., support Turkey’s bid. The fact
is that the U.S. by all means tries to hold Turley as
an ally and lobbies its interests in the European
Union.

Addressing a UMP conference, French President Nicolas
Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have
reaffirmed their opposition to full membership of
Turkey in the European Union.

"I would like to be accepted as a friend of Turkey.
However, I have to state that there is no place for
Turkey in the EU because it’s located in Asia Minor,"
Sarkozy said. "We should not be tempted into thinking
that all European neighboring countries must become
members of European Union. If we keep expanding the
European Union we will destroy the policy in Europe."

BIRTH RATE INCREASED

Panorama.am
20:47 31/01/2008

The national statistical service summed up the data on birth rate and
death rate in 2007. Compared with the last year the birth rate was
increased by 2507 in 2006. The information is provided to Panorama.am
by Karine Kuyumdjyan of the statistical service center.

She added that the birth rate was particularly high in Yerevan.

According to her the highest birth rate in regions was registered in
Kotayk: 33 thousands 91 birth and then in Lori: 3182 birth.

The death rate is much lower than in 2006. The death rate decreased
from 27 thousands 2002 cases to 27 thousands 4. She also said that
the highest death rate was registered in Lori: 2919 cases, and
Gegharkunik: 1791.

"HAYPOST" TO IMPLEMENT PROGRAM ON REPAIRS OF POST-OFFICES THIS YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Jan 31, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, NOYAN TAPAN. HayPost company’s repaired
post-office No 19 at 23 Baghramian Street (Yerevan) will re-open on
February 4. NT was informed by the company that it is envisaged to
implement a program on repairs of post-offices this year with the
aim of making HayPost a company providing high-quality postal and
financial services in line with international standards.

The RA minister of transport and communication, the chairman of the
Central Bank of Armenia and the director general of HayPost will
meet with the company’s staff on the same day. During the meeting,
HayPost’s achievements and future plans, the directions of cooperation
with the Armenian government will be presented at the meeting.

To recap, on November 5, 2006, HayPost Trust Management company
(the Netherlands) assumed HayPost’s management for 5 years.

ARMENIAN-IRANIAN CULTURAL RELATIONS ARE AT HIGH LEVEL, REZA ATUFI SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Jan 31, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, NOYAN TAPAN. "The Armenian-Iranian cultural
relations are at a high level and can be considered model in the
region." Reza Atufi, the Cultural Adviser of the Iranian Embassy in
Armenia, stated at the January 31 press conference.

In his words, besides the agreements signed between the Armenian and
Iranian Ministries of Culture, this year a cooperation memorandum
has been also signed between the Armenian National Library and
the Iranian National Library-Archives, as well as between Yerevan
Khnko Aper Library and the Iranian Center of Children’s Mental
Development. R. Atufi said that the Cultural Center of the IRI Embassy
in Armenia periodically organizes mutual visits of the two countries’
intellectuals.

The Cultural Adviser of the IRI Embassy said that cultural cooperation
programs between the two countries will continue, events dedicated
to different spheres of culture will be organized in 2008. The
"Armenian-Iranian Literary Bridges" annual event will be organized
in Armenia this year. Besides, it is envisaged to organize Days of
Armenian Culture in Iran and Days of Persian Culture in Armenia.

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
[email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE
January 31, 2008

Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

REP. SCHIFF AND COUNCILMAN GARCETTI JOIN ARMENIAN AMERICAN
COMMUNITY LEADERS AT ANCA PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING OBAMA
ENDORSEMENT

"Today, we endorse an individual, a senator, a leader – a purveyor of
hope – who can change the tone, tenor, and policies in Washington,
DC. We, as an organization, believe that Barack Obama is the
individual to get this job done." – ANCA National Board Member
Raffi Hamparian

Glendale, CA – Some fifty reporters and community leaders gathered
at the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Western Region
headquarters yesterday for a press conference announcing the ANCA
endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama in the Democratic Presidential
primary.

Speakers at the press conference included Obama supporters, Rep.
Adam Schiff (D-CA, 29th district), Los Angeles City Council
President Eric Garcetti, ANCA National Board member Raffi Hamparian
and Armenians for Obama Chairwoman Nora Hovsepian. Each outlined
Sen. Obama’s proven record and commitment to bringing about
meaningful change in U.S. governance and commitment to Armenian
American concerns.

"Today, we endorse an individual, a senator, a leader – a purveyor of
hope – who can change the tone, tenor, and policies in Washington,
DC. We, as an organization, believe that Barack Obama is the
individual to get this job done," explained ANCA National Board
Member Raffi Hamparian. Hovsepian concurred noting that, "Barack
Obama, on the key issues of importance to our community, has
adopted very favorable positions. Whether it is recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, aid to Armenia, or self-determination and
independence for Karabagh, on all of these issues, Barack Obama is
with us."

Hamparian and Hovsepian went on to cite Sen. Obama’s strong
statement on U.S.-Armenia relations, issued on January 19th, where
he outlined his strong support for the passage of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution currently before Congress and his commitment to
promoting Armenia’s security "by seeking an end to the Turkish and
Azerbaijani blockades."

House Armenian Genocide Resolution lead sponsor, Rep. Adam Schiff
(D-CA), noting that successive U.S. presidents have reneged on
campaign pledges to properly characterize the Armenian Genocide,
stated "I think we have in Senator Obama a person of impeccable
principle. I am confident that the commitments he makes are the
commitments he keeps." In his January 19th statement, Sen. Obama
had stated, "As a senator, I strongly support passage of the
Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 and S.Res.106), and as
President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide."

Councilman Garcetti echoed these sentiments, noting that, "His
[Sen. Obama’s] principles are not just ones that he trots out when
it’s convenient. It’s very easy for someone to say pro-Armenian
things in front of an Armenian group, but he [Obama] went to
Azerbaijan, where, in Azerbaijan, he said that it was time to end
the blockades; and there he also said it was time for Turks to
recognize the Genocide. It speaks volumes about the sort of leader
he will be, the sort of diplomat he will be, and the sort of
president he will be."

The complete press conference will be available on the ANCA
Website and YouTube.

In addition to Rep. Schiff and Councilman Garcetti, Sen. Obama has
support from a broad range of Congressional Democrats including
Senate Armenian Genocide resolution lead sponsor, Deputy Majority
Leader Dick Durbin (IL) as well as Senators Kent Conrad (ND), Tim
Johnson (SD), Edward Kennedy (MA), John Kerry (MA), Patrick Leahy
(VT), Claire McCaskill (MO), and Ben Nelson (NE); as well as
Representatives Neil Abercrombie (HI), Xavier Becerra (CA), G.K.
Butterfield (NC), William Lacy Clay (MO), John Conyers (MI), Jim
Cooper (TN), Jerry Costello (IL), Artur Davis (AL), Danny Davis
(IL), Keith Ellison (MN), Del. Eni Faleomavaega (AS), Chaka Fattah
(PA), Al Green (TX), Luis Gutierrez (IL), Phil Hare (IL), Paul
Hodes (NH), Jesse Jackson Jr. (IL), Patrick Kennedy (RI), Barbara
Lee (CA), Dave Loebsack (IA) , Zoe Lofgren (CA), Betty McCollum
(MN), George Miller (CA), Gwen Moore (WI), Patrick Murphy (PA), Ed
Perlmutter (CO), Steven Rothman (NJ), Bobby Rush (IL) , Linda
Sánchez (CA), Jan Schakowsky (IL), Bobby Scott (VA), Bennie
Thompson (MS), Peter Welch (VT), and Albert Wynn (MD).

Sen. Obama’s complete statement on U.S.-Armenia relations is
available on the official campaign website at:
bama_on_the_importanc
e.php

The Armenians for Obama site — — will
be up shortly. In the interim, individuals interested in
volunteering or receiving more information, can email
[email protected].

For complete information regarding the ANCA endorsement of Sen.
Obama in the Democratic primary, visit:

eleases.php?prid=3D1372

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