Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

HEALTH CARE AND PHARMACY EXPO 2009
By Marietta Makarian

AZG DAILY
11-04-2009

Health care

The 8th international specialized exhibition under heading Health
Care and Pharmacy EXPO 2009 started yesterday at the Moscow House
in Yerevan.

The exhibition organized by Logos EXPO center, under the patronage
of the Armenian Ministry of Health, will last four days.

The exhibition will embrace different roundtables and seminars. Leading
countries’ forms of services, including prevention, clinical treatment,
dentistry, pharmacy, maternity and childhood, hygiene, etc. will be
presented to the visitors.

Rehabilitation equipments will be in the focus of attention.

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S MESSAGE TO TURKEY: LET’S AGREE TO DISAGREE ABOUT THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Michael Mensoian

dent-obama%e2%80%99s-message-to-turkey-let%e2%80%9 9s-agree-to-disagree-about-the-armenian-genocide/
April 9, 2009

President Obama’s statement at a joint news conference on April 6
with President Abdullah Gul that "(M)y views [on the Genocide] are
on the record and I have not changed my views" may be translated to
mean that the United States and Turkey should agree to disagree about
the Armenian Genocide.

During his much-anticipated visit to Turkey by both Turks and
Armenians, President Obama adroitly played to both sides of the
street. For his Armenian constituents he mentioned his having views
on the Genocide that are well known, and for his Turkish audience
he capitulated to the need to assuage the Turkish leadership. What
happened to his conviction that the Armenian Genocide is not only an
historic fact, but that there was a moral imperative requiring his
administration to recognize it?

The Turkish leaders wisely co-opted his moral sensibilities by having
him address the Turkish Grand National Assembly; a rare honor for
a western dignitary. It must be granted, that it would have been
difficult for President Obama to be forthright on such an emotional
issue in that particular venue, but a much stronger enunciation of
his views and a more balanced evaluation of the Turkish-Armenian
normalization process could have been made.

However, a cynic might wonder whether his side trip to Turkey to pay
homage to a government that has utterly failed to honestly address
the issue of the Armenian Genocide-an established historic fact-was
orchestrated by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President
Obama himself, to give cover to his expected muted expression of
support for the April 24th message to the Armenian people.

This is not an overly critical analysis of his speech to the Turkish
Grand National Assembly when his comments are evaluated with respect
to the various issues relating to normalization. When he claims that
Turkey is a critical ally and an important part of Europe, it only
encourages the Turkish government’s continued veiled threats that
passage of any genocide resolution by the United States Congress would
do irreparable harm to what Obama sees as a "critical" Turkey-United
States relationship.

In his speech in the Grand National Assembly, Obama said, "(A)t
the end of World War I Turkey could have succumbed to the foreign
powers that were trying to claim its territory….(b)ut Turkey chose
a different future. You freed yourself from foreign control." Did
"foreign control" include Armenian claims to its historic lands? How
does he presume that this so-called success affected the legitimacy
of the independent Armenia that was promised in the Treaty of Sevres
and eliminated by the subsequent Treaty of Lausanne. Wasn’t this the
purpose of the Genocide unleashed by the Ottoman Turkish government:
to clear eastern Turkey-the western provinces of historic Armenia-that
was continued under Ataturk during the years between Sevres and
Lausanne? Its purpose was to prevent legitimate Armenian territorial
claims from being implemented. Are these territorial rights to be
forgotten in the name of normalization? Evidently so.

Perhaps the most telling of the several disturbing comments made by
President Obama occurred when he said "(T)hat there has been a good
deal of commentary about my views, [but] this is really about how
the Turkish and Armenian people deal with the past. And the best way
forward for the Turkish and Armenian people is a process that works
through the past in a way that is honest, open and constructive." How
anyone can believe that this comment before the Turkish National
Grand Assembly is a step in the right direction is difficult to
understand. Juxtapose President Gul’s statement as he stood next to
President Obama when he expressed the long-standing determination of
the Turkish government to tie normalization to a Turkish-Armenian
commission to study the totality of events that occurred during
the period from 1915 through 1923. "It is not a political, but an
historic issue. That’s why we should allow historians to discuss the
matter." Does President Obama believe exculpatory evidence exists to
support Turkey’s view that the Armenian Genocide never occurred? If
so, how does this square with his campaign rhetoric (January 2008)
that "(T)he Armenian genocide is not an allegation…but rather a
widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical
evidence…"

Add to this Prime Minister Erdogan’s statement on the previous Friday
in London when he maintained that "(F)or Turkey, it is impossible
to accept a thing [the Armenian Genocide] that does not exist." How
can Turkey’s position, emphatically stated and maintained as official
policy through decades of obfuscation and revisionism, fail to raise
serious doubts in President Obama’s mind as to the Turkish leadership’s
desire or ability to deal objectively with Armenia? If it hasn’t,
it should.

Not having strengthened Turkey’s position vis-a-vis Armenia
sufficiently, President Obama continued: "We have already seen historic
and courageous steps taken by Turkish and Armenian leaders. These
contacts hold out the promise of a new day. An open border would
return the Turkish and Armenian people to a peaceful and prosperous
coexistence that would serve both of your nations. That is why the
United States strongly supports the full normalization of relations
between Turkey and Armenia."

On what basis, one might ask, would normalization be achieved that
would be beneficial to Armenia and its long-term interests? In an
interview with journalists on April 6, the President is quoted as
saying that he is not interested in the United States in any way
tilting these negotiations." Would not recognizing the Armenian
Genocide "tilt these negotiations" toward Armenia? If that is so, how
does this affect Genocide recognition by his administration? Conversely
hasn’t his deference to Turkish interests tilted the negotiations
toward Ankara?

Praising Turkey’s leadership, President Obama went on to say
"…that…[Turkey is] …poised to be the only country in the
region to have normal and peaceful relations with all the South
Caucasus nations." This comment certainly could not have pleased
either Moscow or Tehran. He continued to say that "… to advance
that peace, …[Turkey] can play a constructive role in helping
to resolve the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict, which has continued far
too long." How is "constructive role" to be interpreted? For whose
benefit? Azerbaijan’s? How do these comments expressed before the
Turkish National Grand Assembly affect the future of our brothers
and sisters in Artsakh? It effectively strengthens Baku’s demands
by reinforcing the United States position that any settlement must
maintain the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. This all but
eliminates the likelihood of Artsakh ever achieving a free and
independent status. Is this why their lives and homes were sacrificed?

President Obama’s performance in Turkey cannot be viewed as having
any beneficial impact on Armenian interests; just the opposite is
true. Unfortunately, it significantly bolstered the Turkish position
in the ongoing process of "rapprochement." How much better it would
have been if President Obama had been less eager to have Armenia bear
the burden for his obsequious performance before the Turkish Grand
National Assembly.

OBAMA TURNS TO PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN ISTANBUL
Sibel Utku Bila

Agence France Presse
April 7, 2009 Tuesday 8:06 AM GMT

Pledging respect for Islam, US President Barack Obama turned to public
diplomacy Tuesday, meeting religious leaders and students and touring
ancient monuments in Istanbul on the second day of his first visit
to a mainly Muslim nation.

In a major speech at the Turkish parliament, Obama declared Monday the
United States is not and will never be at war with Islam and called
Turkey a "critical ally," earning himself much praise in a country
where his precedessor left the US image in tatters.

"Obama conquers hearts," the popular Vatan newspaper trumpeted on its
front page, while the Islamist-leaning Zaman hailed the president’s
"historic and warm messages."

The liberal Taraf declared the president’s remarks marked the end
of "the bellicose spirit of September 11," while the mass-selling
Milliyet described Turkey as the starting point of a new US policy
of reconciliation with the Muslim world.

Following up on his appeal for dialogue and inter-faith understanding,
Obama met with Muslim, Christian and Jewish spiritual leaders based
in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and the meeting point of Europe
and Asia.

Later he was scheduled to visit two major edifices of Christianity
and Islam — the Hagia Sophia church and the Blue Mosque — erected
opposite each other in the ancient heart of the city.

Obama was to wrap up his two-day visit to Turkey and his debut
tour to Europe later in the day after a round-table discussion with
university students.

Since his election, Obama has already won significant popularity in
Turkey, a NATO member and a key Muslim ally of the United States,
and is keen to improve ties that chilled over the US invasion of
neighbouring Iraq in 2003 and former president George W. Bush’s
policies in the Middle East.

A public opinion poll found in February that 39.2 percent of Turks
had confidence in Obama, making him "the most trusted leader" in
Turkish eyes.

In 2005, only 9.3 percent said they trusted Bush, giving him only
a slight lead over Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who had the
confidence of 4.6 percent.

On Monday, Obama met with Turkish leaders in Ankara, hardening
his message in support of Turkey’s bid to join the European Union,
despite the opposition of EU heavyweights France and Germany.

Turkey and the United States, he said, could set an example to the
world by building a "model partnership" based on democratic values,
including respect for religious diversity.

In more pointed messages, Obama called on Turkey to step up EU-demanded
democracy reforms and broaden the freedoms of non-Muslim minorities
and the restive Kurdish community.

He urged normalisation of ties with Armenia, while signalling that
Washington would not interfere in their dispute on whether the mass
killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th
century was genocide.

Obama’s decision to include Turkey to his first trip to Europe is
largely seen as an effort to keep the country firmly anchored in the
West through its NATO membership and EU accession bid.

Turkey has is been a key US ally in a strategic region between Europe,
the Caucasus and the Middle East, bordering troubled countries such
as Georgia, Iraq, Iran and Syria.

But the country’s Islamist-rooted government has recently given rise
to fears that it is drifting away fom the West, forging closer ties
with countries such as Iran and Sudan and welcoming leaders of the
radical Palestinian movement Hamas in Ankara.

HOVIK ABRAHAMIAN: ARMENIA WILL USE ALL POSSIBILITIES GIVEN BY EU EASTERN PARTNERSHIP

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 8, 2009
YEREVAN

Marie Anne Isler Beguin, a Member of European Parliament, the
Co-chairwoman of the Armenia-European Union Parliamentary Cooperation
Commission, at the April 8 meeting with RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamian
presented the results of Commission’s 10th meeting held on April 7-8
in Yerevan.

H. Abrahamian said that Armenia will use all possibilities given by
EU Eastern Partnership in the processes of political and economic
modernization.

According to the RA NA Public Relations Department, Avet Adonts,
the Armenian Co-chair of the Armenia-EU Parliamentary Cooperation
Commission, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on European
Integration, also took part in the conversation.

THE APOLOGY TOUR: WILL IT EVER END?

Power Line
262.php
April 6 2009

Earlier today, President Obama addressed the Parliament of Turkey. What
made news were his positive references to Islam:

"Let me say this as clearly as I can," Obama said. "The United States
is not at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim
world is critical in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of
all faiths reject."

This is, of course, indistinguishable from many similar pronouncements
that were made by President Bush.

What I want to focus on is Obama’s continuing attack on his own
country, unprecedented, to my knowledge, for a President on an overseas
tour. Here are Obama’s comments on his own country’s history:

An enduring commitment to the rule of law is the only way to achieve
the security that comes from justice for all people. Robust minority
rights let societies benefit from the full measure of contributions
from all citizens.

I say this as the President of a country that not too long ago made
it hard for someone who looks like me to vote.

This is untrue. A minority of states did "make it hard" for someone who
"looks like Obama" to vote until "not long ago," but most did not,
and the federal government certainly did not. There has never been
a time when it was hard for people who look like Obama to vote here
in Minnesota, for example.

As we’ve seen before, Obama appears to betray a surprising lack of
knowledge of American history. It seems that instead of actually
having studied his own country’s history, Obama has merely absorbed
the ignorant, left-wing narrative that is peddled by Jeremiah Wright
and others of his ilk. As a result, Obama not only confesses his
country’s sins overseas, he confesses wrongly.

But it is precisely that capacity to change that enriches our
countries. Every challenge that we face is more easily met if we tend
to our own democratic foundation. This work is never over. That is why,
in the United States, we recently ordered the prison at Guantanamo
Bay closed, and prohibited — without exception or equivocation —
any use of torture.

Torture has been illegal for a number of years, and President
Bush insisted just as strongly as Obama that the U.S. does not
torture. There was a legitimate debate about waterboarding, which does
no physical injury, and which I do not believe constitutes torture. But
according to press reports, only two or three top-ranking terrorists
were waterboarded, none after 2003. And waterboarding has been
banned by the U.S. military since 2006. So what was Obama’s purpose
in implying that until he came along, his own government was engaged
in torturing prisoners? His speech was carried live by Al Jazeera
and Al Arabiya, broadcast into countries where "torture" doesn’t
mean getting your face wet. Obama at least impliedly exaggerated the
supposed sins of his predecessors and the "change" brought about by
himself. Why? For what purpose? Isn’t the campaign over?

Another issue that confronts all democracies as they move to the
future is how we deal with the past. The United States is still working
through some of our own darker periods. Facing the Washington monument
that I spoke of is a memorial to Abraham Lincoln, the man who freed
those who were enslaved even after Washington led our Revolution. And
our country still struggles with the legacy of our past treatment of
Native Americans.

Human endeavor is by its nature imperfect. History, unresolved,
can be a heavy weight. Each country must work through its past.

These words were a lead-in to Obama’s comments on "the terrible events
of 1915," i.e., what Obama himself has referred to as the "Armenian
genocide." So what was the point of Obama’s gratuitous reference to
"our past treatment of Native Americans"? Did he mean to suggest that
it was somehow equivalent to the Armenian genocide? If so, once again,
he needs to be better educated about history. If not, why on earth
is he throwing it into this part of his speech as a mea culpa?

Obama’s seemingly compulsive need to apologize to foreign audiences
on behalf of the United States cannot be explained as a rational
approach to diplomacy. As Paul suggested here, the roots of
Obama’s America-bashing seem to lie in a combination of ideology
and psychology.

Thank goodness he’s coming home soon.

OBAMA: WE ARE COMMITTED TO ANNAPOLIS
By Elie Leshem

2926818&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Apr 7, 2009 1:07

US President Barack Obama on Monday reiterated his country’s
commitment to previous understandings, including the process launched
at Annapolis in 2007, in promoting a peace agreement between Israel
and its neighbors.

Obama, who was addressing the Turkish parliament, also voiced
unequivocal support for a two-state solution, days after Foreign
Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel was not bound by the Annapolis
talks.

Let me be clear," Obama said, "the United States strongly supports
the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in
peace and security. That is a goal shared by Palestinians, Israelis,
and people of good will around the world. That is a goal that the
parties agreed to in the road map and at Annapolis. And that is a
goal that I will actively pursue as president."

He emphasized the need for the two sides to take confidence-building
measures while living up to "the commitments they have made."

Both Israel and the Palestinians, he said "must overcome longstanding
passions and the politics of the moment to make progress toward a
secure and lasting peace."

Turkey, "like the United States, could help Israel and the
Palestinians," the US president said.

Ankara, he added, "has been a friend and partner in Israel’s quest for
security. And like the United States, you seek a future of opportunity
and statehood for the Palestinians.

"Now," Obama continued, "we must not give into pessimism and mistrust.

"We must pursue every opportunity for progress, as you have done by
supporting negotiations between Syria and Israel. We must extend
a hand to those Palestinians who are in need, while helping them
strengthen institutions.

And we must reject the use of terror, and recognize that Israel’s
security concerns are legitimate."

Obama claimed that regional peace would also be advanced by Iran
cooperating with the international community and forgoing "any nuclear
weapons ambitions."

"I have made it clear to the people and leaders of the Islamic republic
that the United States seeks engagement based upon mutual interests
and mutual respect," he said. "We want Iran to play its rightful
role in the community of nations, with the economic and political
integration that brings prosperity and security.

Now, Iran’s leaders must choose whether they will try to build a
weapon or build a better future for their people."

Earlier, the US president said that he stood by his 2008 assertion
that Ottoman Turks carried out widespread killings of Armenians early
in the 20th century, finessing the sensitive issue by stopping short
of repeating the word "genocide."

"Well, my views are on the record and I have not changed views,"
he said, standing alongside Turkish President Abdullah Gul.

Obama went on to say that he was looking toward ally Turkey to help
bridge the divide between Muslim nations and the West, and that he
wanted to build on "what is already a strong foundation" with Anakara.

He said relations between the two countries had for too long been
defined on mostly military and national security terms, but that they
must also work together on the global economic crisis.

Obama said he and Gul had been "very clear that terrorism is not
acceptable under any circumstances." He also said Turkey and the
United States could build a "model partnership" between a predominantly
Christian nation and a predominantly Muslim one.

2009-2011 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS OF ARMENIA-EU ACTIONS PLAN APPROVED

Noyan Tapan
Apr 6, 2009

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The 2009-2011 schedule of events
ensuring the implementation of the Armenia-European Union Actions
Plan was approved at the April 6 meeting of the Interdepartmental
Commission on Coordination of Cooperation of Armenian State Bodies
with European Structures.

Five working groups were established to carry out a number of events
of 2009-2011 ensuring the implementation of the European Neighborhood
Policy’s RA-EU Actions Plan.

Reports on EU Eastern Partnership initiative by Ambassador, European
Commission delegation head in Armenia Raul de Luzenberger and on the
process of implementation of the Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership
Actions Plan by Deputy Defence Minister Ara Nazarian were made at
the meeting.

According to the National Security Council Press Office, the Commission
made a decision to submit the 2009-2011 program and schedule of events
to the President to promulgate it in the established order.

ARMENIA TREE PROJECT
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472 USA
Tel: (617) 926-TREE
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
April 6, 2009

ATP Works with Yale’s Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry on New
Training Manual for Armenia

YEREVAN–Armenia Tree Project (ATP) recently completed a two-year project to
develop sustainable forestry training models for Armenia. Through a
collaborative effort with Yale University’s Global Institute of Sustainable
Forestry, ATP worked with Chadwick Oliver and Zachary Parisa to conduct an
analysis of the forests around the village of Margahovit.

"The degradation of forested areas in Armenia necessitates a new and bold
approach to forestry practices," stated ATP Executive Director Jeff
Masarjian. "With Yale’s expertise, ATP has been able to collaborate with
forestry officials to bring cutting edge forestry training to Armenia. It is
our hope that the project will literally reshape the nation’s landscape and
ensure a sustainable future for its population."

Working with students from the Agricultural Academy of Armenia, local
residents of Margahovit, and World Wildlife Fund, ATP planted a 20 hectare
model forest using indigenous tree species to be used for future sustainable
forestry training.

ATP also presented a new Sustainable Forestry Manual to stakeholders in
Armenia and developed a seminar training model to use as a guide. The manual
is currently being published in Eastern Armenian, and an English-language
version is available at the following link:
es/sfa_manual_20090228.pdf

Finally, ATP assisted the local community of Margahovit in identifying
non-timber forest products, bringing environmental education into the local
schools, and through stakeholder meetings that outlined the benefits and
challenges of community forestry. ATP is currently developing a plan to
conduct sustainable forestry training seminars throughout Armenia.

"The project was designed to evaluate the condition of the forests in
Northern Armenia, paying particular attention to the factors that are
limiting the ability for regeneration," explained Masarjian. "An assessment
was made of plants, herbs, and other non-timber products that may be
harvested for generating alternative income for residents living in
proximity to the forests. Additional trainings on rotational grazing will
also be held with livestock owners to prevent soil erosion and further
degradation of forests."

"The collaboration between ATP and Yale has been a great success. We worked
together to create an instructional manual designed specifically for
conditions in Armenia that will be used to train local stakeholders in
global best practices of forest management. We’re grateful for the vision
and generosity of Sandra and Jim Leitner, who introduced us in the hope of
creating a sustainable future for Armenia," concluded Dr. Oliver, director
of the Yale Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry.

This project was funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, a joint
program of l’Agence Francaise de Developpement, Conservation International,
the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur
Foundation, and the World Bank.

Since 1994, Armenia Tree Project has planted and restored more than
2,500,000 trees and created hundreds of jobs for impoverished Armenians in
tree-regeneration programs. The organization’s three tiered initiatives are
tree planting, community development to reduce poverty and promote
self-sufficiency, and environmental education to protect Armenia’s precious
natural resources. For additional information, visit the web site

PHOTO CAPTION: Zachary Parisa (right) from Yale University gathered data on
the forests in the Lori region of Armenia with students from Yerevan’s
Agricultural Academy

OBAMA, NALBANDIAN, BABACAN DISCUSS ARMENIAN-TURKISH RECONCILIATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.04.2009 11:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. President Barack Obama had a meeting with
foreign ministers of Turkey, Armenia and Switzerland in Istanbul
on Monday.

Obama met Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian and Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline
Calmy-Rey in Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.

An official from the White House said that U.S. President Obama
discussed normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations with ministers
and called on the parties to reach an agreement in the meeting.

esctoday.com
April 5 2009

Amenian Music Awards in Diaspora

[UPD] Armenia: Eurovision stars join Inga & Anush

The 4th annual Armenian Music Awards in diaspora finished moments
ago. Many Eurovision stars have been invited, including some
participants from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

The 4th annual Armenian Music Awards in diaspora finished moments
ago.The concert was held in Moscow at the Kremlin concert hall. Many
famous Armenian and Russian stars were invited. The show also saw many
present and former Eurovision Song Contest participants: Greek Sakis
Rouvas, Anastasia Prihodko who represents Russia this year and Petr
Elfimov from Belarus joined Inga and Anush, the Armenian 2009
hopefuls. All Eurovision Song Contest 2009 stars were given special
"Award of hope" prizes.

Sirusho,the Armenian participant of Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was
awarded as the most popular Armenian singer abroad. She performed Qele
Qele and her new song in Greek Erotas Ksafnikos. Later Boaz Mauda and
Jelena Tomasevic joined her to perform Time to pray.

Inga and Anush performing Nor par: