Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

ARMENIAN CYPRIOTS JOIN THOUSANDS, TO PILGRIMAGE TO ANTELIAS

Gibrahayer

Gibrahayer and combined services – June Armenian Cypriots were among
the thousands of pilgrims that flew to Lebanon to join thousands
of faithful who on Saturday flocked the Catholicosate of the Great
House of Cilicia, where His Holiness Catholicos Aram I officiated
the ceremony of blessing of Holy Muron, which takes place every
seven years.

On an altar placed in front of St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral,
Catholicos Aram I performed the Holy Water blessing ceremony,
which was attended by representatives from all Prelacies, as well as
representatives from the Holy See of Etchmiadzin and the patriarchates
of Bolis and Jerusalem.

Also present were representatives of other Christian denominations
and communities present in Lebanon.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY RATIFIES TWO INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS

399
NOYAN TAPAN
June 11, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA National Assembly on June 11
ratified the Agreement on Social and Legal Guarantees of the CIS
Peace Keeping Collective Forces Personnel signed in Dushambe on
October 9, 2007.

The parliament also ratified the May 27, 2008 credit agreement on
an amendment to the credit agreement between the Armenian government
and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation on the project of the
power unit with a combined steam-and-gas cycle in Yerevan. According to
the RA minister of energy Armen Movsisian, by the previous agreement
signed in 2005, a credit of 15.918 billion yens was provided for
implementation of the power unit project. Taking into account the
considerable growth in prices of equipment, building and assembly
work in international market in 2004-2007, the Japanese government
agreed to provide an additional credit of 10.491 billion yens. The
additional credit is concessional, with a 0.75% interest rate and a
repayment period of 40 years, including a 10-year grace period.

DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF RA NSS CHIEF ADMINISTRATION: CORRUPTION PHENOMENA EXIST IN GOVERNMENTAL BODIES WHICH FORM REPUBLIC’S BUDGET

arminfo
2008-06-09 16:50:00

ArmInfo. Corruption phenomena exist in the governmental bodies, which
from Armenia’s budget, as well as in the bodies, authorized to carry
out inspections, deputy Head of RA NSS Chief Administration Tigran
Aghajanyan said at session of representatives of the law machinery
of the republic’s northern regions, held in Vanadzor yesterday and
dedicated to the problems of corruption-fight.

In particular, he marked the Tax and Customs Services, the
State Committee of Cadastre and Real Estate, some departments
of the ministries of finance, trade and economic development,
ecology, territorial administration, healthcare, town planning,
labour and social affairs and agriculture. As T. Aghajanyan
said, Ta and Customs Services, the activity of which is directly
connected with budget-formation, are marked out among the listed
administrations. Omissions in the legislation are a promoting factor
of corruption and they are an obstacle in revelation and prevention
of this kind of crimes.

T. Aghajanyan also said that, according to the data of the analysis,
performed by the international organizations, the size of corruption
in the countries of transient period, to which Armenia belongs,
makes up 5% of GDP.

"By the official data, Armenia’s GDP in 2007 made up $9 bln,
5% of which makes up $450 mln. In a country with a budget of $2
bln, such level of corruption is just unacceptable, based on the
elementary principles of economy", Aghajanyan said and added that
such volume of corruption may be assessed as a direct threat and a
stable factor, which hinders real formation of finds, their optimal
distribution for fulfillment of the governmental programmes. Thus,
the corruption phenomena available in the area of economy management
does not contribute to formation of a real budget and indicates
availability of a considerable shadow economy, T. Aghajanyan said. At
the same time, he said that a damage of $2 mln, caused to the state,
was recovered in 2007, within the frames of one criminal case on the
fact of contraband. T. Aghajanyan made some more examples of illegal
activity carried out "under assistance" of customs agencies.

ARMENIAN PARVANA COMPANY PERMITTED TO JOIN ANELIK MONEY TRANSFER SYSTEM

ARKA
June 5, 2008

YEREVAN, June 5. /ARKA/. Armenian Central Bank permitted the Parvana
Company to join the Anelik payment system. The CBA made the decision
at a regular board meeting chaired by Vice-Chairman Artur Javadyan.

Parvana was issued a license to provide money transfer services in
august 2007.

In addition to the commercial banks, six non-banking Armenian
organizations; HayPost, Depi Tun LLC, Elver LLC, Parvana CJSC, Tandem
Payments LLC, and Tel Cel CJSC; are currently joined in individual
money transfer systems in Armenia.

The following international payment systems are operating in Armenia
are SWIFT, Western Union, Money Gram, Anelik, Unistream, Bistraya
Pochta;, Interexpress, Contact, Lider, Migom, Privat Money Transfer,
STB Express, Faster, Travelex.

ELDAR SABIROGLU: "DIVERSION TO BE COMMITTED BY ARMENIA ON 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF AZERBAIJANI ARMY WILL BE PREVENTED"

Azeri Press Agency
June 5 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Mahbuba Gasimbayli-APA. Diversion to be committed by Armenia
on the 90th anniversary of Azerbaijani Armed Forces on June 26 will
be prevented", Eldar Sabiroglu, Spokesman for Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry told APA.

"It is difficult to prognosticate which diversion will be committed by
Armenia, but diversion of Armenians will be prevented by Azerbaijani
Army irrespective of its day and time. Azerbaijani Army protects
contact line vigilantly. All measures are taken to prevent any
diversion of the enemy", he said.

U.S DIPLOMAT TO DISCUSS KARABAKH IN MOSCOW WITH PARTNERS IN MINSK GROUP

Interfax News Service
June 4 2008
Russia

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza is arriving in
Moscow on Wednesday.

Bryza will hold consultations with the partners in Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group on Nagorno
Karabakh, the U.S. Embassy in Russia told Interfax.

The Minsk Group is co-chaired by Russia, the United States and France.

The consultations will be held in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday,
the embassy said.

Bryza will have a series of meetings in St. Petersburg on Friday,
it said.

Bryza visited Baku before traveling to Moscow.

BRYZA: WE BACK AZERBAIJAN’s TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY

State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan
June 4, 2008 Wednesday

The OSCE Minsk Group`s American Co-Chair Matthew Bryza said the group
backs the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, which is conflicting
with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh.

Speaking to AzerTAc`s reporter in Baku, Bryza said now we are seeking
for ways to solve the problem through political talks.

He stressed a forthcoming meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents in Saint Petersburg will mark a new phase in finding a
solution to the dispute.

Bryza said what the co-chairs can do is only help create favorable
conditions for the conduct of the talks.

I think both the people of Azerbaijan and Armenia want a peaceful
solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he stressed.

17 WINKS OF DESTINY

KarabakhOpen
05-06-2008 14:28:56

This is the title of the festival dedicated to the jubilee of the
renowned composer Michael Tariverdiyev. Concerts took place in
Yerevan and on June 3 there was a concert in Shushi. The works by
Tariverdiyev were performed by the Russian pianist Alexander Grikol
and the trio Meridian.

His wife Vera Tariverdiyeva said she was eager to organize a concert
in Shushi. Tariverdiyev was born in Tbilisi but his parents came
from Karabakh.

"Michael Tariverdiyev is back home, and I hope not for just a few
days," said Vera Tariverdiyeva.

A. VARTANYAN DETAINED IN LOS ANGELES ON SUSPICION OF MURDER OF 2
ARMENIAN YOUNG MEN

LO S ANGELES, MAY 29, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN.

24 year-old Avetis Vartanyan has been put in custody in Los Angeles on
suspicion of murder in the parking lot between Oxnard Street and
Whitsett Avenue on May 20. Police were looking for other suspects in
connection with the case.

Police sent to the scene found Artak Karamyan, 28, wounded. A short
time later, police found Paylak Harutyunyan, 29, wounded. Both men
died. Vartanyan was detained with the help of a police dog a short time
after the shooting while trying to leave the area. Police recovered a
pistol that they suspect Vartanyan had hidden in the yard of a home,
along with a second handgun found in an abandoned vehicle at the crime
scene.

AZG Armenian Daily #103, 31/05/2008

Armenian Genocide

ARMENIAN LOBBY SCARCELY MORE POWERFUL THAN THE TURKISH ONE

The Diaspora, of course, greatly contributes the international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The contribution of the
Armenian lobbies is most remarkable, although the progress in the run
for international recognition of the Genocide cannot be explained only
by the Diapsora’s efforts, as that would be beyond the powers of both
Armenia and the Diaspora. The secret of the success of the recognition
campaign is not in the Diaspora’s capability of imposing certain
decisions upon Parliament of different countries, but rather in the
irrefutability of the historical truth.

Expert of the Armenian Research Center of Ankara, Yildiz Deveci,
published in the institute’s May 28 bulletin published an article
entitled "The Scottish Armenian Lobby and the Position of the
Protestant Church", which is aimed at explaining the Catholic Church’s
initiative on the Armenian Genocide by the influence of the Armenian
lobby.

This is what he wrote, "By now the 1915 events have been recognized as
genocide by the parliaments of 19 states. The influence of the
Armenian lobbies of those countries in this issue is well
known. Nevertheless parliaments of certain states with very little
Armenian population sometimes tend to display similar attitudes, which
shows that the power of the Armenian lobbies does not depend on the
number of the Armenian population.

In this regard the activity of the Armenian lobby in Scotland is
remarkable. For the first time the question of the `Armenian Genocide’
was included in the agenda of the Edinburgh municipality council in
2005, by the initiative of Liberal Democrats. In despite of objection
of certain MPs, the council qualified the 1915 events as genocide.

Although in 2006 member of Edinburgh Municipality Council Phil Etridge
demanded to support Turkey’s proposal to establish a joint historians’
commission for studying the 1915 events and stated that `in England
the rights of the minorities are always respected and the Armenians
pretend that they are the only minority massacred in the war’, his
demands were rejected.

Recently the Armenian lobby of Scotland, pursuing the recognition of
the `Armenian Genocide’, has been trying to put the Scottish
protestant church to work. The Elder council of the Scottish
protestant church, which was founded in the 1690’s, has made decision
to ensure the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in England. This
decision will surely have some effect in the British parliament, as
the Armenian lobby of England periodically states that it expects an
`appropriate’ decision on that matter from England during the coming
couple of years."

Although the Parliament of England still seems unwilling to make a
certain decision on 1915 events and states that they can be hardly
qualified as genocide, the efforts of the Armenian lobby and the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide in Scotland and Wales, make us
suppose that hot arguments on the Armenian Genocide will soon occur in
England.

By H. Chaqrian, translated by A.M.