Author: Virabian Jhanna

NEW BILL ON REFERENDUM CONTRADICTS CONSTITUTION, ARMEN MARTIROSIAN AFFIRMS

Noyan Tapan

Dec 3, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. In the recent period the RA National
Assembly Zharangutiun (Heritage) faction has voted against almost
all bills.

Reporting this at the December 3 press conference, faction member
Armen Martirosian said that Zharangutiun is also against adoption of
a new law on referendum, as it contradicts a number of provisions of
the Constitution.

Besides, according to him, the members of their faction consider that
urgent discussion of the new law and putting it to vote quickly is
connected with the Nagorno Karabakh problem: thus the authorities
try to get free of further responsibility.

According to A. Martirosian, Zharangutiun also voted against the
draft 2009 state budget, as it contains a number of incomplete
formulations regarding tax and customs administration. "The most
part of the budget will be made up on the basis of common citizens’
and not big businessmen’s pocket. In general, according to the 2009
state budget, the rich will become richer and the poor will become
poorer," the deputy said.

Touching upon country’s home political situation, A. Martirosian
said that the issues of releasing political prisoners and disclosure
of the March 1 events remain unsolved. He added that Zharangutiun is
concerned with the infringements upon bishop Achapalian by Gyumri town
authorities. A. Martirosian reminded that the church is the greatest
spiritual value of the Armenians. The church preserves the national
identity and it should be kept away from home political events.

EUROPEAN UNION-TURKEY FORUM TO BE HELD IN POLAND

Noyan Tapan

Dec 3, 2008

BRATISLAVA, DECEMBER 3, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. A European
Union-Turkey forum will be held on December 5-6 in the city of Sopot,
Poland. RA NA deputy, ARFD Bureau member Vahan Hovhannisian, Chairman
of the Forum of Armenian Associations of Europe and Armenian community
of Slovakia Ashot Grigorian are also invited to take part in the forum.

Issues regarding Turkey’s membership to EU, Black Sea countries’
cooperation, South Caucasian countries’ cooperation, and other topical
issues will be discussed at the forum. Vahan Hovhannisian’s and Ashot
Grigorian’s participation is envisaged on the panel of South Caucasian
countries’ cooperation, where issues of increasing Turkey’s regional
influence and mediatory activity will be presented.

An equal number of participants are invited to the forum from EU
countries and Turkey, in general 150 people.

As Noyan Tapan correspondent reports from Bratislava, this forum is
considered the biggest conference dedicated to EU-Turkey relations
organized recently and is aimed at clearing up the future and
development process of the relations with Turkey. The Armenian
participants of the forum have serious expectations from the results
of discussion of Armenian problems (the Armenian Genocide, the Artsakh
problem, issue of neighborhood with Turkey, etc).

PARLIAMENTARIANS OFFER TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS ON NAGORNO KARABAKH IN PARLIAMENT

Azeri Press Agency
Dec 2 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Elbrus Seyfullayev – APA. Today’s sitting of the parliament
began with the discussion of current issues, APA reports. MP
Sabir Rustamkhanli said monument should have been erected to great
Azerbaijani poet Mahammadhuseyn Shahriyar instead of the fountain in
front of Cultural Palace named after Shahriyar in Baku.

"Fountain was also built in the place where monument should have been
erected to Mammad Amin Rasulzadeh. How long will it last?" he said.

MP Igbal Agazadeh supported Sabir Rustamkhanli’s position. Ziyafat
Asgarov said the issue would be investigated.

Igbal Agazadeh also offered to have discussions on the negotiations
on Karabakh problem in the parliament. He noted that such discussions
were last held 8 years before and mentioned that the issue was being
discussed in Armenia. The parliamentarian also offered to release
the imprisoned journalists on the occasion of Gurban holiday.

Siyavush Novruzov said there was a need to improve municipal
legislation in Azerbaijan. Taking a stance on Igbal Agazadeh’s
proposals MP from YAP said Ilham Aliyev had expressed strict position
concerning Karabakh problem and there was no need to publicize the
details of the negotiations on Karabakh in the parliament. As regards
the release of the imprisoned journalists Novruzov said everybody
was punished for his crime, not because of his profession.

MP Ali Ahmadov spoke about the Azerbaijanis deported from Armenia. He
said 20 years had passed since the last deportation and underlined
that the policy had not been assessed on the international level.

MP Gudrat Hasanguliyev also offered to hold discussions on the
negotiations on Nagorno Karabakh in the parliament.

"GENOCIDE WITHOUT COMMENTS" FILM IS DENIED

Panorama.am
17:14 01/12/2008

"There are many films on Armenian Genocide shoot in many
countries. They express different view points of our tragedy, but
all those films have one similar character – there is a person who
applies, who cries and the facts are presented too emotional. We don’t
need that as we know it quite well, still others criticize us saying
we are too emotional and we present facts under our own interests,"
says director Alexander Sardoor, who is the director of "Genocide
without Comments" film.

According to him, no Armenian plays in the film, and the hero of it
is Wolfgang Gust (he discovered new facts about Armenian Genocide
and wrote a book) and everything is based on pure facts which are
provided by the Foreign Ministry of Germany. Those materials have
been found from the archive of the Ministry in 4 years.

The documentary film which lasts 2 hours and 7 minutes is in German
and Armenian, but the director wants it to be in 7-8 languages. In
this regard he says they have applied to many instances but in vain.

GEORGIAN EPARCHY OF THE HOLLY ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH IS ISSUING A SPIRITUAL, CULTURAL, INFORMATION JOURNAL "NORASHEN"

"Noravank" Foundation
01 December 2008

It has been issued the periodical of spiritual, cultural, information
journal of the Georgian eparchy of the Armenian Apostolic Church
"Norashen" (2008/2 (14)).

The issue has the following columns: "Religious-moral perceptions,"
"Diocesan Herald," "Press Center," "In the Agenda: "Norashen,""
"The Guest of the journal," "Armenian communities in Georgia,"
"Favorite Armenians in Georgia," "Culture."

On the pages of this issue are presented the steps made by the Georgian
clergy for the last two decades directed at assimilating the Norashen
located Armenian Church after Saint Astvatsatsin (the Blessed Virgin
Mary) in Tbilisi, fragments from the history of the Armenian Church,
the interview with the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary
of Czechia to Georgia and Armenia Ivan Jestrab, as well as other
materials the Armenian community is concerned and interested in.

The journal is issued in Armenian and Russian, the e-version of the
journal is available at

Helsinki Times , Finland
Nov 27 2008

Finland to chair vital security talks

Thursday, 27 November 2008 11:22

The OSCE (Organisation for Security & Cooperation in Europe) will hold
its Ministerial Meeting in Helsinki on 4 and 5 December.

Although nowhere near as high profile or controversial as NATO, the
OSCE is the world’s largest security organisation, including some 56
member states across the European continent, as well as Canada and the
United States. The foreign ministers of most states will attend the
conference, meaning an influx of various high profile politicians and
tightened security during the week of the conference.

Founded during the Cold War, the OSCE aimed to provide a link between
east and west. Since then it has become a vital forum for discussion
and a place in which the various countries can discuss differences and
prevent conflict. Finland is a founding member of the organisation.

The OSCE focuses on three major themes: the politico-military, the
economic and environmental, and the human dimension. It is thus
involved with fields as varied as arms control, human rights,
democratisation, counter-terrorism and economic development. With
3,000 staff in 450 operations, the Vienna-based organisation is
involved in everything from teaching fire safety to Bosnian school
children to safeguarding the rights of ethnic minorities in the
Caucasus.

All members enjoy equal status with the chairmanship rotating
annually, and the foreign minister of the chair country hosts the
conference. Finland’s Alexander Stubb will thus be Chairman- in-Office
for the upcoming event.

Controversial topics

The agenda for the upcoming conference is likely to feature some
particularly difficult and controversial topics: the threat of Russian
aggression in the Caucasus, ongoing conflicts in Transdnestria and
Nagorno-Karabakh, and concerns over terror and human trafficking. Of
these, the situation in the Caucasus is likely to dominate the
headlines and prove the most difficult nut to crack.

With both Georgia and Russia represented at the conference, Russia is
likely to continue to attack Georgia for the alleged use of banned
cluster bombs against civilian targets in South Ossetia, while Georgia
can be expected to mount a strong case against Russian aggression, a
position likely to be viewed sympathetically by Azerbaijan, the
Ukraine, Estonia and Moldova.

A key role in the talks will also be played by Heikki Talvitie, the
Finnish Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, who recently
attended talks in Geneva with delegates from Russia, the US, UN and EU
concerning both Transdnestria and Nagorno-Karabakh, with progress
being made on both issues.

On the apparently intractable issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, where Armenia
has occupied several provinces of Azerbaijani land as it seeks
recognition of the Armenian-governed Nagorno- Karabakh enclave,
Talvitie suggested there was a new kind of optimism in the air since
the presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan had signed a document
after talks near Moscow on 2 November.

However, this optimism is unlikely to filter into any discussions
concerning Georgia and the breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia, which were effectively invaded by Russian forces earlier this
year, also resulting in the bombing of the Georgian towns of Gori and
Poti.

The meeting will be preceded by the OSCE Civil Society Forum on 2 and
3 December, organised by the Finnish Committee for European Security
(STETE).

David Brown – HT
Tony Karumba – AFP Photo – Lehtikuva

on=com_content&view=article&id=4327:finlan d-to-chair-vital-security-talks&catid=14:inter national-news&Itemid=160

HAYASTAN ALL ARMENIAN FUND’S TELETHON-2008 TONIGHT

armradio.am
27.11.2008 10:21

Hayastan All Armenian Fund’s International Fundraising Telethon will
air on H1-Armenian Public Television on November 27, 8 pm -8 am.

Airing live from Los Angeles Telethon 2008 will reach every continent,
entering Armenian homes through satellite, cable and internet means.

In Southern California, the Telethon will once again air on KSCI
Channel 18, as well as Los-Angeles based 24 hour Armenian Russian
Television Network and Horizon Armenian TV.

In the United States alone the potential audience for the Telethon is
around 55 million households in the states of Arizona, California,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York
and Texas.

The slogan of the Telethon is My Home, Armenia. As a result of the
Fund’s pre-telethon campaign the public already knows the logo of
the Telethon-the blue house with three-colour smoke coming out from
the roof.

Mr. Edik Balaian, the artist of the 2008 Telethon logo offered
his brief remarks regarding the concept of the logo and choice of
colors. He mentioned that the colors of the logo are distinctly from
the palette of legendary Armenian artist Minas Avetisyan.

"This year we are asking our donors to join our "DOLLAR-A-DAY" campaign
by contributing $365 for the year 2008. If you think about it this is
the most practical way of fulfilling our Cazkayin dourk" – national
giving, a concept that is at the crux of "Hayastan" All-Armenian
Fund. My modest calculations put the number of Armenian families in
the United States at 270,000. If every family gives a dollar a day
in the United States alone, that makes it close to $100 million a year.

Think about it when you watch the Telethon this Thanksgiving Day,
November 27", said Sarkis Kotanjian, Executive Director of Armenia
Fund U.S. Western Region.

The Acting Executive Director of the Hayastan Fund Ara Vardanyan
pointed out: "Telethons require large-scale coordination and
organizational work which we do with dedication and great sense of
responsibility. This is not just a fundraising event. It is truly a
great Pan-Armenian Day. It aims at uniting Armenians worldwide around
one common goal. And we do our best to ensure a festive atmosphere
and mood on that day."

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Catholicos of All-Armenians
will deliver will address the public with a call to participate in
the Telethon.

This year’s broadcast will feature a the best Armenian performers
from Armenia and the Diaspora, aming them Arame, Razmik Amyan, Gagik
Badalyan, Emma and Aramo, Harout Hagopian, Helen, Arax Karapetyan,
Martik, Gor Mkhitarian, Armen Movsisyan, Harout Pamboukjian, Sako,
Hovhannes Shahbazian, Sonya Varoujian.

The Telethon 2008 song titled "Give me your hand" wh ich has already
become popular among young Armenians will hopefully motivate people
to bring their input. The Telethon song film producer Davit Babayan
and the author of the song music Armen Martirosyan will be among
the guests.

The hosts of the Telethon are Hrant Tokhatyan, Anita Hakhverdyan,
Artak Herikyan .

Last year more than 250,000 Armenian families around the world
have participated in the Telethon generating more than $15
million. Individual donations ranged from 100 drams (30 cents) to
several million dollars.

BAGHDASAROV COMPLAINS

A1+
[08:12 pm] 27 November, 2008

"The statements made by the government according to which Armenia
has a stable banking system and may attract foreign investors is
simply an attempt to turn the wish into reality," stated today head
of "Armavia" airlines Mikael Baghdasarov. According to him, foreign
investors wish to make investments in Georgia and not Armenia. It is
more beneficial to make investments in Georgia because the income tax
and the VAT are lower. Baghdasarov says that Armenia’s banking system
has its downsides. Instead of giving loans and circulating the money,
banks are raising interest rates and cutting back on loans. "Our
banking system has nearly 25,000,000 in capital and is much more like
the branches of big banks’ branches," said Baghdasarov adding that
he doesn’t think it is useful to give advice to the executives. He
foresaw the world economic crisis to hit Armenia in March. However,
"Armavia" airlines are ready to resist the world economic crisis. In
fact, it is going to try to benefit from it. According to Baghdasarov,
the crisis period creates an impetus for newly created companies to
develop and benefit from the bankruptcy of their competitors. "For
example, "Armavia" plans on purchasing a couple of airplanes and add
more flights," said Mikayel Baghdasarov, adding that the company is
currently negotiating with the "Airbus" and "Boeing" companies to
purchase the "Boeing 777" and "Airbus 330" airplanes. The company
foresees arranging flights from Yerevan to Los Angeles and Yerevan
to New York in April 2009. The Yerevan-Dubai-Kalkata flight will be 7
days a week. Will prices go down? Baghdasarov did not comment on that
and tied the reduction of air tickets with the rise and fall of the
Euro. Baghdasarov on fuel Diesel prices have gone down abroad, while
the price for diesel hasn’t changed much in Armenia. In response to
this question, head of the largest fuel importer "Mika Limited" said
that he sells 11,000 tons of fuel reserve, which he has purchased
during the Georgian-Osetian war. As an oligarch, Mika Baghdasarov
didn’t suffer losses because according to him, he doesn’t have any
stocks. As owner of "Mika Cement", Baghdasarov added that the company
has reduced cement sales and reduced construction. At present, the
factory is under reconstruction and Baghdasarov wants to reduce the
price. According to Baghdasarov, contracts with workers will be in
effect until January 2009 and until then the majority of them will
receive a 25,000 dram salary. The "Mika Cement" owner plans to export
cement to Russia despite the fact that, according to him, it is not
beneficial because prices for cargo and gas have gone up.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT LEAVES FOR DRESDEN TO BE PRESENT AT ARMENIA-CHINA GAME

ARMENPRESS
Nov 24, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President, Chairman of the
Armenian Chess Federation Serzh Sargsyan promised at November 7 meeting
in Jermuk with the Armenian Olympic team to be present in one of the
games of the Armenian chess-players in the 38th World Chess Olympiad.

Presidential press service told Armenpress that today the president
left for Dresden and on November 25 will be present at the
Armenia-China game of the last round of the Olympiad.

RA MFA: ARMENIA WILL NEVER URGE DIASPORA TO STOP EFFORTS FOR INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.11.2008 15:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said
Armenia will never urge the Diaspora to stop efforts for international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

"Nevertheless, we are committed to normalize relations with Turkey,"
he told a news conference in Istanbul.

"There is a good atmosphere and an active dialogue for normalization of
relations. President Gul took the right decision to visit Armenia. We
are positive about the process and expect the same attitude from
the Turkish side. Opening of borders between the two countries and
establishment of diplomatic relations without any preconditions is
the way to proceed. This is not a favor that we are asking for,
it is in the interest of both sides," Minister Nalbandian said,
Hurriyet daily reports.

The Armenian Foreign Minister was in Istanbul for participation in
a summit of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, as Armenia assumed
the rotating presidency in the organization last month.