Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJANI FORCES EXCHANGE GUNFIRE, MORTARS NEAR DISPUTED ENCLAVE
Aida Sultanova
AP Worldstream
Mar 07, 2006
Azerbaijani and Armenian forces exchanged heavy gunfire and mortars
along several border points, military officials said Tuesday, in the
most serious outbreak of violence to hit the region in months.
Azerbaijani officials said one of its soldiers was killed and one
seriously wounded in the firing that took place late Monday and early
Tuesday in at least three separate locations. Armenian forces said
several of their troops were wounded.
Tensions are high between the two countries, which remain at odds over
the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave within
Azerbaijan. A cease-fire agreement was reached in 1994 after six
years of fighting, and the enclave is now under the control of ethnic
Armenians, whose troops face Azerbaijani forces across a kilometer-wide
(half-mile-wide) no man’s land.
Sporadic clashes, however, break out along the Nagorno-Karabakh
border and land mines continue to kill people every year. The lack of
resolution for the enclave has held up the development of the entire
Caucasus region.
Since the breakdown of talks last month aimed at resolving
Nagorno-Karabakh’s status, the two countries’ presidents have traded
increasingly bellicose statements, and the region has seen a spike
in gunfire and violence in the past week.
Both sides blamed the other for setting off the latest exchanges of
fire, which first broke out late last week.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian vowed in a television interview
last week to defend Nagorno-Karabakh and recognize its independence
if Azerbaijan resorts to force: “This is a scenario for which Armenia
must be ready.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev earlier visited troops near
Nagorno-Karabakh and called for liberating it from ethnic Armenian
forces “no matter what it takes.”

CONFUSION AS POLICE CONFRONT ARMENIAN
Daily Nation , Kenya
March 15 2006
One of the Armenian brothers at the centre of claims and counter
claims by the Government and Orange politicians yesterday refused
to allow police into his rented home and rebuffed their attempts to
persuade him to record a statement.
Mr Artur Margaryan addresses the press outside his house in Nairobi’s
Runda estate yesterday where he lives. Photo by Fredrick Omondi Mr
Artur Margaryan told the squad of eight police officers who went
to his home in Runda, an upmarket Nairobi estate, that they should
either arrest him or produce a search warrant before he could cooperate
with them.
The police, headed by Runda police station boss Jeremiah Langat,
left the house after receiving a telephone call from a senior officer
ordering them to return to their base.
The eight had gone to House 977 on Glory Road, off Runda Grove, as
an advance team to provide security for detectives investigating the
activities of Mr Margaryan and his brother, Mr Artur Sargsyan.
Mr Margaryan was to have been interviewed by Nairobi deputy
provincial CID chief Isaiah Osugo, who was appointed last week by
police commissioner Mohamed Hussein Ali to investigate claims by
Lang’ata MP Raila Odinga that the brothers were mercenaries.
Mr Osugo did not go to the house after his advance team was denied
entry.
However, Mr Margaryan later emerged from the compound and chatted with
journalists as Mr Langat, his deputy and three armed police officers
in uniform returned to the house. When Mr Margaryan saw the officers,
he cut short his impromptu Press conference and called someone on
the mobile phone who rushed to open the compound gate.
During his brief talk to the journalists outside his gate, Mr Margaryan
confirmed the police had gone to his house in the morning and that
he would neither leave nor allow the police into the house unless
they had either an arrest warrant for him or a search warrant.
Mr Margaryan repeated his claims that he had in the past met Mr
Odinga. He said it was between December 13 and 15, last year in Dubai,
when he allegedly gave him the equivalent of Sh100,000 in UAE currency
(dirham), to spend as he wished.
He said his brother would be returning to Kenya next week.
He went on: “I will go to court as well as demand protection from
the Government because it was my right to ask for protection.”
Mr Margaryan acknowledged that his company Brotherlink International
Ltd had entered into a contract in January this year to rent the
house. His company was involved in various businesses including car
imports, electronics and real estate.
He further denied having ever visited State House or having met any
senior police officers.
Meanwhile, State House last night warned Mr Odinga against dragging
the presidency into the mercenary claims.
It said in a statement that allegations that the two men alleged
to be mercenaries had visited State House on two occasions in the
recent past were part of a “propaganda war” by Mr Odinga and other
politicians in the ODM .
Asked who allowed him and his brother to hold a Press conference at the
VIP lounge at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Mr Margaryan
claimed it was the journalists themselves who had diverted them to
the lounge as they were walking to the first class lounge.
But when journalists, some of whom were at the Press conference
protested they did not have such powers, he contradicted himself,
saying it was his lawyers Mr Antony Macharia and Mr Fred Ngatia who
had arranged the Press conference.
Mr Macharia, who had arrived earlier, declined to comment. He
also refused to say where or when a Press conference promised by
Mr Margaryan would take place saying he could do that only after
receiving instructions from him.
Asked to explain why his brother’s particulars were missing from the
passenger manifest on the flight he claimed he had taken from Dubai to
Kenya, he said all passengers from Arab countries used their mothers’
names and not their own or their fathers’.
He promised to avail the manifest during the forthcoming Press
conference.
After his brief chat with the journalists, Mr Margaryan returned to
his compound and later drove off in a dark blue Subaru whose number
plates were hidden behind strips of cardboard. He was accompanied by
a woman who on Monday he claimed was his bodyguard.

NO PLANS TO RECALL US AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA: STATE DEPARTMENT REP
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 8 2006
YEREVAN, March 8. /ARKA/. There are no plans to recall the US
Ambassador to Armenia, Deputy Assistant of State for European and
Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza told reporters.
“He is a bright ambassador, and he serves to the US President as well
as all we do,” Bryza stated and pointed out that “Ambassador Evans
gathered an excellent team, and we are glad that he is here”.
He pointed out that he does not want to comment possible decisions
of the President, as well as concerning human resources In his turn,
US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans pointed out that he had not sent
in his resignation.
“One cannot expect that the post of the ambassador is everlasting. I
do not know when my authorities will expire, but I will remain the
leader of this mission until the day I leave this country,” Evans said.
“I hope that this occurs as late as possible,” he said.
The day before, some Armenian mass media outlets disseminated the
information, referring to the publication of “The California Courier”,
that the US Ambassador was recalled to Washington. The reason for
the recall, according to the press, was his declaration about the
Armenian Genocide.

US ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EUROPE AND EURASIAN AFFAIRS DANIEL
FRIED TO VISIT AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA
YEREVAN, MARCH 9. ARMINFO. US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe
and Eurasia Daniel Fried is to visit Azerbaijan and Armenia. Us
Department of State Official Representative Sean McCormack told
journalists in Washington, Russian Mass Media report. He said D. Fried
is to arrive in the region next week. One of the goals of his visit is
discussion of the recent meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents in Rambouillet.

PRESS RELEASE
HOMENETMEN SWEDEN
Hagop Khatcherian
Secretary
Tel: +46707461495
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
The opening ceremony of Homenetmen Sweden Center in Södertälje.
Sunday 26 Feb. 2006 was the official opening day of Homenetmen Sweden
Center in Södertälje at the presence of about 150 Armenians gathered
in the club along with The Homenetmen Sweden Committee members,
Homenetmen Södertälje Chapter,
Homenetmen Västerås Chapter and Homenetmen Stockholm Chapter, Father
Sarkis Melkonian and other community members.
The opening ceremony started with Father Sarkis blessings and then
after the Homenetmen anthem, Brother Varoujan Kehyayian chairman of
the Södertälje Chapter welcomed the guests with the opening words of
the program which followed by Brother Hagop Khatcherian(Secretary of
Homenetmen Sweden) who congratulated all those brothers and sisters
who gave there outmost energy on creating Homenetmen Sweden Center
inorder to educate the Armenian youth by the correct system where
Homenetmen has in its global program by introducing mutual respect to
our fellow countrymen by teaching our Armenian culture, language and
religion to our youth. Homenetmen can never forget our youth and is
our task to do our outmost in order to educate and prepare a typical
Armenian citizen.
Brother Fedi Tajra representative of Homenetmen Scout section followed
next by giving his Homenetmen scouts duties to our community by
teaching the Armenian scout how to help his fellowman through scouting
and proudly present the Homenetmen flag in sport activities along with
scout parades and other activities. How a scout should be loyal to his
community with a pride by becoming the ambassadors and leaders in
order to create a purified Armenian Community.
The final words were given to Brother Varoujan who proudly presented
the club by naming it Brother Garo Tutunjian (Secretary of Homenetmen
Central committee) as a memory of a Brother who had passed away lately
who had given all his life for Homenetmen.
The public was very much enthusiastic about Homenetmen and promised to
give there full support for the sake of there children.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK UP: WHO DO WE HELP BY THAT?
By Karine Mangassarian
Yerkir/arm
March 10, 2006
If you follow the statements made by some Armenian politicians after
President Kocharian expressed his recent position on the issue of
Nagorno Karabagh you might get an impression that they have never
heard the position expressed by the Azeri leadership in the media.
Meanwhile, the Azeri side usually refers to the military settlement of
the conflict and increasing funding allocated to the army by millions
of dollars.
We are sure that this approach also underlies Azerbaijan’s position in
the negotiation process. Meanwhile, when negotiations do not yield any
results some politicians in Armenia start claiming that our country
again lost in the negotiations.
We are sure that such statements made by the former leadership of the
country or by the present opposition forces derive not from their
concern about the settlement of the Karabagh conflict but by their
desire to take every opportunity to criticize the government and the
president at the same time warning the population that another was
is possible.
Why didn’t they ever respond to Azerbaijan’s similar statements
in the past? Why is this sudden activation today? What is this –
a tactical move to help the other side? Don’t they understand that
such statements reach the Azeri side as well and give them another
playing card to use in the negotiation process?
An ‘excellent’ example of such a statement was the opinion expressed
yesterday by the leader of the Armenian Democratic Party Aram Sargsian
saying that the Armenian president lost at a certain stage of the
negotiation process and this is why he is making such militaristic
statements. A question arises – what is then the logic underlying
the militaristic statements Azerbaijan has been making for a long
time? If the Azeri side is losing in the negotiation process who is
then in a more favorable position?
Why are some political forces in Armenia criticizing the Armenian
president’ s response to Azerbaijan’s militaristic statements saying
that the president has chosen the wrong strategy? Answering this
question leader of National Revival Party Albert Bazeyan said,
“I think we should not make any statements about withdrawing from
the negotiation process. Let Azerbaijan do this.”
Bazeyan says Azerbaijan does not accept any compromises and the state
which declares its decision to withdraw from the negotiation process
first will have to deal with the pressure from the international
community. “Meanwhile, Armenia has to exert diplomatic flexibility
and resume the talks,” Bazeyan noted.
Head of ARF’s parliamentary faction Levon Mkrtchian recently expressed
an opinion that the opposition forces in Karabagh, especially in
the Karabagh parliament, have adopted a more balanced approach on
this issue.
The joint statement adopted by all forces included in the Karabagh
parliament is a proof of this point. However, the same cannot be said
about the opposition forces outside the parliament – their approach
is very different.
As to the statement made by the president, Mkrtchian believes it was a
commensurate response to Azerbaijan’s militaristic stance. We should
not forget that Armenia never resorted to such measures during the
negotiation process and this was a goodwill act aimed at ensuring
the continuation of talks.
“No one can scare us with perspectives of war because we have defended
our homeland. The side that starts a war now will be trying to conquer
the territory of another nation,” Mkrtchian said.
Head of Orinats Yerkir Party’s parliamentary faction Mher Shahgeldian
also believes the president’s response followed the recent statements
made by Azerbaijan. As vice speaker of the National Assembly Vahan
Hovhannissian stated in the press, we should by no means neglect the
statements made by the Azeri side.
Hovhannissian believes these statements show that Baku is not even
thinking about any concessions and it is important to counter
Azerbaijan’s political propaganda with a commensurate political
response while at the same time continuing to strengthen our army.

ALMOST CAUGHT WITH HANDS IN FORGERY
A1+
| 19:54:21 | 17-10-2005 | Politics |
Member of the delegation of the CoE Local and Regional authorities
Congress David Lloyd Williams from Britain told the journalists today
about the fact he witnessed in Vanadzor during the elections of mayor
where he was fulfilling his duties as observer.
“There was a case when we were looking for one of the electoral areas
and we noticed a group of about 150 people. We found out that it was
the headquarters of one of the candidates. The people hesitated to
answer our questions. They had heard that if they went there with their
passports, they will receive money. I entered and asked why they were
outside. The people inside confirmed the existence of the gossips but
they said they were spread by their opponents. So we left the place as
it was not a proper place for observation”, David Lloyd Williams told.

AREA ARMENIANS TWICE BLESSED
San Gabriel Valley Tribune, CA
Oct 17 2005
Aram I is second Apostolic Church pope to visit Pasadena this year
By Marshall Allen, Staff Writer
PASADENA — The city’s Armenian Christian community celebrated its
second pontifical visit in the past four months Sunday, as a pope
from the historic church consecrated a new church building in Pasadena.
While the world’s billion Catholics follow one pope, the Armenian
Apostolic Church has two pontiffs. With equal authority, the popes
lead two arms of the same church, sharing history and doctrine.
In June, His Holiness Karekin II, who is based in Armenia, visited
St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church in Pasadena. On Sunday,
His Holiness Aram I, who is based in Lebanon, led a ceremony at
Pasadena’s Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church.
Both popes visited the Los Angeles area this year to celebrate the
1,700-year anniversary of the church in Armenia, and the 1,600-year
anniversary of the creation of the Armenian alphabet.
The two Armenian Catholicos date back to 1441 and are a testimony to
the suffering experienced by Armenians. For centuries, Armenia has
been overrun by enemies, and its people scattered to neighboring
regions. The years of conflict and domination resulted in the
reorganization of the church to ensure its survival, Armenian Christian
leaders said.
The two branches of the Armenian Apostolic Church — called the Diocese
of the Armenian Church and the Prelacy of the Armenian Church — now
enjoy friendly relations. But their relationship was strained during
much of the 20th century, when the Diocese in Armenia came under the
control of the Soviet Union, said Raffi Hamparian, a board member of
the Armenian National Committee of America.
During the Cold War, there was the impression that the church in
Armenia, because of Soviet oppression, was not free to operate
independently, said Hamparian, 37, who attends St. Sarkis Armenian
Apostolic Church.
“For an Armenian-American born and bred on apple pie and the
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First Amendment that doesn’t cut the right way,” he said.
With the fall of the Soviet Union and the establishment of an
independent Armenia in 1991, the relationship between the two branches
has strengthened, Hamparian said.
Now, Armenians often go back and forth between the two branches of the
church, said Bo Patatian, a member of St. Sarkis who helped organize
the visit of Aram I.
“The church isn’t divided, it’s diversified,” Patatian said. “Most
people only have one pope. We’re blessed that God has provided us
with two popes.”
In the past month, St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church has been
transformed in preparation of the pope’s visit. The church spent
about $1.5 million on the purchase and renovation of the building,
a former hall owned by the Boys and Girls Club, said the Rev. Khoren
Babouchian, pastor of the church.
The church owned the building at 58 S. Sierra Madre Blvd. for about
a year before completely changing its interior. It used to be dark
inside, with musty carpets, church members said. But now sunlight pours
into the room through broad, arched windows, on to a hardwood floor.
The renovations were performed almost completely by the Armenian
community and much of the work was donated, church leaders said. The
new building, combined with the visit of Aram I, has brought pride
to the community, Babouchian said.

Norfolk Eastern Daily Press, UK
Oct 15 2005
Man `confessed killing to me’
15 October 2005 07:00
A woman told a jury at Norwich Crown Court yesterday a relative
confessed to her he had killed a man whose body was found burnt in a
field.
Detectives spent almost a year trying to identify the body of
42-year-old Armenian Hovanhannes Amirian, whose body was found at
Upton, near Peterborough in December 2002.
Armenians Nishan Bakunts, 28, and his father-in-law Misha
Chatsjatrjan, 44, allegedly killed their countryman Amirian – also
known as Sako – over a ‘family quarrel’, then sought to destroy
evidence linking them to him.
Sako was said to have been shot and stabbed in the medical room at
the Cooper Roller Bearings factory at King’s Lynn, where Bakunts was
a security officer. His body was then taken to the field and set on
fire.
Giving evidence yesterday, Bakunts’s sister, Irina Aroustamian, who
is seeking asylum to live in Belgium, said when she spoke to
Chatsjatrjan – her brother’s father-in-law – he had confessed to
putting eight bullets into Sako’s head.
She said he made his confession as at the time he thought he had
liver cancer and had three months to live.
Speaking through an interpreter, Ms Aroustamian said Chatsjatrjan
told her Sako had gone on his knees and pleaded to him: “Don’t kill
me, I have children”.
She said after the killing her brother helped Chatsjatrjan clean up
the room.
Cross-examined by Nigel Lithman, QC, defending Chatsjatrjan, she
denied she had been telling a “pack of lies.”
The jury also heard more details about the dead man Sako being wanted
for questioning about the murder of Pogosian Ernait, who was killed
on November 30, 2000 at Ostend, in Belgium.
Det Chief Inspector Kurt Devilder, of the Belgian police, told the
jury that he had helped with the identification of Sako by obtaining
DNA samples from the dead man’s child.
He said Bakunts was originally linked to the murder of Mr Ernait but
further investigations eliminated him from the inquiry and it was
found that references to him had been made maliciously.
He agreed that Sako was now suspected of being the culprit.
Det Chief Insp Devilder also said that Sako was known for extorting
money from members of the Armenian community and was a
“self-confessed Mafia man” who was feared within the Armenian
community in Belgium.
Bakunts, of Lichfield Road, Yarmouth, and Chatsjatrjan, who was
living in Holland, have both denied murdering Sako, who was the
Godfather of Bakunts and his wife Arpine Karapetian, 24.
The trial continues.

HAYRIKYAN SAYS “YES” TO SPITE OPPOSITION
A1+
| 17:40:06 | 13-10-2005 | Politics |
The National Self-Determination Union will declare its finite position
on the constitutional amendments on October 15, NSDU leader Paruyr
Hayrikyan stated during today’s press conference.
“As you see we are not adherents to fanatic approach towards
the issue. We prefer practical approach”, P. Hayrikyan said. The
NSDU leader supposes that the constitutional amendments provide
for progress. In his opinion, the draft gives the parliament the
possibility to discuss and make decisions.
“Dual citizenship is a strategically important for Armenia. Some
politicians say they will vote against the amendments over this
clause. I think that they did not come to understand the core of the
issue”, he noted.
In his opinion, dual citizenship first of all refers to those2-3
million people and their descendants who left Armenia during recent
15 years and now being Russian citizens are forced to relinquish from
Armenia “thanks” to our constitution. “There are over 100 million
people of Armenian origin throughout the globe. And we wish to reduce
this number”, he said.
The NSDU named all the positive sides of the constitutional amendments
including the dual citizenship, parliament formation, availability of
the Constitutional Court, formation of the Justice Council. Paruyr
Hayrikyan does not share the opinion that the President’s immunity
is a negative clause. “A President should be immune not only during
the office but after it as well”, Hayrikyan considers.