Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

NEW NKR LEADERSHIP HAS A STRONG POLITICAL APPROACH TOWARDS KASHATAGH

KarabakhOpen
03-04-2008 16:39:20

Interview of Karabakh-Open.com with Maro Matosyan, representative of
the office of Tufenkian Foundation.

What is you assessment of the conference in Berdzor? What would you
say about commitments made by the participants of the conference?

Both participants and Tufenkian Foundation found the conference to
have been very positive and successful. We have received several
concrete commitments of investment such as a wine factory to be built
in Ishkhanadzor and development of vineyards and pomegranate orchards.

Several schools are planned to be renovated. The Tsarukian foundation
also is interested to adopt a large infrastructure project. Other
organizations will help with equipment, training and other aid.

Did all the organizations which were invited participate in the
conference?

Do the Armenian organizations have a united approach to the issue
of Kashatagh?

There were 34 organizations that participated at this
conference. Others due to illness or schedule conflicts could not
attend but are very interested to participate with projects. Such are
the community of Australia, and various individual donors in Iran,
England and Europe. I have to say that I have been delighted by the
extremely united and positive approach of the participants both from
Armenia and Diaspora.

In your opinion, what will the political result of the conference
be? Will it influence the stance of the Armenian side?

This conference was made possible due to a strong political approach
towards Kashatagh by the newly elected leadership of NKR.

Yes, we anticipate that this conference will have a ripple effect
on Armenian public opinion and decision makers but it would not
have been possible without the initial encouragement of the NKR
authorities. There have been leading organizations in homeland and
Diaspora that have been calling for such an initiative but it has
never resulted in such a unified effort.

I would also like to point out that the activities of the conference
will continue beyond the 3 day on Berdzor. We will continue to have
meetings and facilitate the implementations of the projects that the
participants have committed to. Once we have more concrete information
we will have periodical press releases informing Armenians of the
work progress.

GEGHAM HARUTYUNIAN SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS’ IMPRISONMEMT WITH PROBATION OF SAME PERIOD

Noyan Tapan
April 2, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 2, NOYAN TAPAN. By the April 2 decision of the court of
Yerevan’s Avan and Nor Nork communities, member of political board of
"Republic" party Gegham Harutyunian was found guilty of the action
envisaged by Article 235 part 1 of the RA Criminal Code – illegal
keeping of weapons and ammunition and was sentenced to 18 months’
imprisonment. At the same time the court granted the petition of the
accused, used Article 70 of the Crimiank Code and imposed a probation
of 18 months.

According to a press release of the RA prosecutor general’s office,
the court of Ararat and Vayots Dzor marzes on March 27 sentenced
Husik Baghdasarian to 3 years’ imprisonment for illegal obtaining
and keeping of weapons and ammunition, while the court of Yerevan’s
Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeytun communities on March 28 sentenced Hovhannes
Harutyunian to 18 months’ imprisonment.

The criminal case of Tatev Gasparian accused of the same action was
sent on April 1 to the RA Northern Criminal Court. The court will
join this case to another criminal case on T. Gasparian opened under
Article 334 part 1 of the Criminal Code – concealment of crime –
and will examine it.

OSCE OFFICE EXPRESSES CONCERN WITH THE DETENTION OF ITS EMPLOYEE

AZG Armenian Daily
02/04/2008

After-Election Crisis

In response to numerous enquiries from the media and public, regarding
the case of detention of a staff member of the OSCE Office in Yerevan
and in order to avoid speculations, the Office would like to state
the following:

On 27 March, at about 18:00, while heading towards the ArmenTel branch
office on personal business, a local staff member of the Office and her
cousin were stopped on Tumanyan Street by a group of police officers,
who ordered to follow them without giving any explanation.

The two were forced into a police car and taken to the Shengavit
police station. After the Office’s intervention the staff member and
her relative were immediately released.

The Office expressed its deep concern to the authorities in connection
with this deplorable incident and requested clarification.

It is noteworthy that after the cancellation of the State of Emergency
in Yerevan, unsanctioned mass events held almost every day. Police
as a measure of fight against these phenomena regularly takes to
police stations the supposed participants and organizers of these
events. Nevertheless, sometimes people bearing no relation to these
events occur in the police.

EXCAVATIONS IN TIGRANAKERT START IN JUNE

Panorama.am
18:47 01/04/2008

This year the excavations in Tigranakert will start in June and will
last till August, said Hamlet Petrosyan, the head of the excavation
group and the PHD of the Sciences National Academy.

By the financial support of the NKR and "Yerkir" unity this is the
third year the excavations continue in Tigranakert. This year the
president of the NKR Bako Sahakyan promised to provide 30 million
drams.

According to him the excavations resulted in the founding the details
of such powerful and cultural city. He added that the foundation
of Tigranakert opens quite a new page in the cultural history of
Armenians coming from ancient times.

SAHAGIAN: ASSOCIATION ASKED TO DENOUNCE GENOCIDE DENIAL

Daily News Tribune
tters/x610567809
April 1 2008
MA

Over a year ago, the leader of a major foreign country saw fit to
question the reality of the Jewish Holocaust by pronouncing, "those
Holocaust events need to be further investigated by independent and
impartial parties." Translation: maybe there was no Holocaust.

More recently, the leader of a major American human rights organization
questioned the reality of the Armenian Genocide by stating, "there
is no room for further dispassionate scholarly examination of the
details of those dark and terrible days."

Translation: maybe there was no genocide.

These two men differ in many regards, but they reflect one thing
in common. They are willing purveyors of the cruelest and most evil
phase of genocide. They are both genocide deniers.

The firsts denier is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, who has
been widely and properly denounced for his comments. The second is
Executive Director Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League who,
although admitting genocide denial to be the ultimate form of hate
speech, has escaped long overdue and deserved condemnation for his
perverse disavowal of the Armenian Genocide.

I write this letter having just been informed that some ADL programs
in Massachusetts are sanctioned by the Massachusetts Municipal
Association, a semiofficial organization supported by our tax
dollars. I also have been informed that at its next meeting in April,
the Massachusetts Municipal Association will "take a position" on
its official sponsorship of ADL programs in our state.

I wish to take this opportunity to ask our public officials,
particularly those who sit on the Massachusetts Municipal Association
board, to do what is principled and to insure genocide denial,
from whatever source, has no place in our communities. The words of
James Baldwin, who knew the importance of human rights, come to mind:
"you cannot deny the humanity of another without diminishing yourself."

AZERBAIJAN ACCUSES THE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIR COUNTRIES OF INFLAMING WAR

armradio.am
31.03.2008 14:02

The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan accused the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chair countries of inflaming war.

"Unfortunately, the co-chair countries, which did not manage to find
ways of peaceful resolution during 15 years, questioned the resolution
of the Azerbaijani side presented to the UN General assembly," Press
Secretary of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense Eldar Sabiroghlu
said Sunday during a press conference in Baku. He noted that the UN
General Assembly is a document "that includes a program of peaceful
resolution of the Karabakh issue."

"The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries did not have to behave
that way. Instead of preventing new bloodshed they took a one-sided
position on the resolution, and thus their actions are directed
towards inflaming a new war," Sabioghlu declared.

DECISION ON FREEZING MCA IN ARMENIA MAY BE RECONSIDERED

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.03.2008 14:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Owing to the recent events in Armenia and faults
in implementation of democratic programs, the Millennium Challenge
Corporation administration expresses concern and questions further
cooperation with the Armenian government, U.S. charge d’affairs Joseph
Pennington in Armenia told a news conference.

"Concerns emerged before the March 1 and 2 events," he said, adding
that the Millennium Challenge Account is implemented proceeding from
the index of democracy and economy development.

"Suspending the program, the Corporation doesn’t aim to punish or
threaten the Armenian government but to encourage democratic programs,"
he said. "The MCC has not taken a final decision yet. So, in case the
RA government takes positive steps, the MCC can reconsider its plans."

POLICE IDENTIFY THE WOMAN WHO CLAIMED POLICE KILLED A BOY ON MARCH 1

ARMENPRESS
March 27, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 27, ARMENPRESS: Armenian law-enforcement authorities
announced Wednesday they established the identity of a woman who
claimed that security forces killed a 12 year-old boy when dispersing
supporters of ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian on Freedom Square in
the early hours of March 1.

Several local dailies published the photo of the woman for several
consecutive days asking Armenians to help reveal her identity.

In a statement yesterday the office of the prosecutor-general said
the woman is Laura Melkonian, a resident of the town of Martuni in
Gegharkunik province. The statement said the women was questioned as a
witness admitting to disseminating overtly false information on March 1
afternoon when demonstrators massed near the French embassy in Yerevan.

The statement further said the woman admitted that it was a provocation
designed by some people saying also she regrets doing it.

She told investigators that he heard some people who were near the
embassy saying that police officers killed a 12 year-old boy in the
morning. Then she took out an old shoe from a nearby garbage tank
and declared that it was the killed boy’s shoe.

"Following that some people took the shoe away, put it at the monument,
lit a candle and put flowers," she said, admitting that her claims had
had big effect on the people who became emotional and began swearing
at police officers.

"Now I understand that the rumor about the boy’s murder by police
was a provocation and I reiterated it unknowingly for which I regret
deeply,’ she was quoted as saying.

AMBASSADOR OF VIETNAM IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

National Assembly of RA
March 27 2008
Armenia

On March 26 Mr. Tigran Torosyan, Speaker of the National Assembly of
the Republic of Armenia, received the newly appointed Ambassador of
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Armenia Mr. Bui Dinh Dinh.

Welcoming the Ambassador, the NA Speaker noted that though the
diplomatic relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam were
established after the independence of Armenia, nevertheless comparing
with the trade-economic ties they are not developed, and expressed
hope that the Ambassador’s activity will promote the development of the
inter-state relations. Mr. Torosyan stressed the establishment of the
inter-parliamentary relations, noting that the parliamentarians of two
states cooperate with each other in the international structures, and
that will promote the development of bilateral ties. As the first step
of the establishment of inter-parliamentary relations the NA Speaker
proposed to set up parliamentary friendship groups in two parliaments
and ensured that in the National Assembly such a group will be set
up in the nearest future, and the staff will he handed over to the
parliament of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Touching upon the role
of Vietnam in the Southeast Asia, the NA Speaker noted that declaring
the European integration as a foreign political supremacy Armenia also
pays great attention to the development of the friendly relations with
the Asian regional countries, and in that row the Socialist Republic
of Vietnam has its important place with its stable developing economy.

The newly appointed Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam to Armenia Mr. Bui Dinh Dinh ensured the NA Speaker about
the friendly attitude of his state and people towards Armenian
people, noting that in his country they stress and highly assess
the assistance of the Armenian people in the liberation struggle of
Vietnam, and they are thankful for that. As he assessed Armenia is
a really sustainable developing friendly country for Vietnam, and
the continuously registering economic growth in two countries opens
great opportunities and perspectives for cooperation, and there is
great wish for it in Vietnam, and only the geographical distance by
now hampers the increase of the goods turnover and the development
of the trade-economic, scientific-cultural ties. Highlighting the
creation of the parliamentary friendship groups, Mr. Bui Dinh Dinh
also proposed to use the mutual visits for the awareness of each
other as much as possible and for the exchange of the experience
accumulated during these years, which is mutually useful.

During the meeting both sides stressed the elaboration and
implementation of certain programmes. The Ambassador ensured that the
goal of his mission will be the development of inter-state relations.

The NA Speaker expressed willingness to assist in his activity and
expressed hope that at the next meeting they will discuss not only
new ideas and programmes, but also their results.

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

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES TWO BISHOPS DELEGATED
BY PATRIARCH ZAKKA

His Holiness Aram I received on Tuesday the two Bishops representing His
Holiness Patriarch Zakka Iwas I. During the meeting, the Bishops discussed a
number of important issues with the Armenian Pontiff on behalf of the
Patriarch.

Having listened to the Patriarch’s message, His Holiness Aram I expressed
his viewpoints on the issues presented. He also asked the Patriarch’s
delegates to convey to him his brotherly wishes on the occasion of Easter.

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View the photo here:
tos/Photos227.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.