Author: Zakarian Garnik

Press Release
ARMENIAN CULTURAL FOUNDATION
FRESNO, CA
2348 Ventura Avenue, Fresno, CA 93721
Contact: Alik Hovsepian
September 15, 2008
(559) 355-5596

One of Fresno’s Largest Armenian Festivals to be Held on September 26-28

(Fresno, CA) The Second Annual Grand Armenian Festival is taking place
on September 26th through the 28th at the California Armenian Home in
Fresno CA. The three day festival is one of Fresno’s largest
Armenian-American cultural events of the year.

Some of the festivities include a traditional Armenian dance
performance by the Hamazkayin Nairi Dance Ensemble from Southern
California, traditional Armenian `duduk’ performance, Armenian dance
lessons, Saroyan Theatrical performance by the FSU Theatre Arts
Department and children’s entertainment by Maggie. Armenian music and
dancing will take place during the evening hours of both Friday and
Saturday nights, as well as traditional Armenian food being served all
weekend long.

The highlight of the festival is `Prpoor.’ Prpoor (púhr-poor), an
Armenian term which refers to the bubbling grape molasses which brews
on the last day of the harvest of the grapes, is an 800 year old
traditional Armenian harvest festival (similar to Thanksgiving) which
has been carried on in the old world tradition for over 50 years in
the Central Valley.

Last year’s event was a huge success. Nearly 4000 Armenian-Americans
from across the state flocked to Central California to join in on the
festivities, and this year attendees are expected to be even more.
For more information, or to see a full schedule of the weekend’s
events, log on to

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ROUND TABLE ON ARMENIA-DIASPORA RELATIONS HELD ON INITIATIVE OF WORLD ARMENIAN CONGRESS

Noyan Tapan

Se p 17, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. On the initiative
of the World Armenian Congress (WAC), a round table "The Problems of
Armenia-Diaspora Cooperation" dedicated to the problem of Armenian
preservation and the mechanisms to implement the Armenian preservation
process was organized on September 17.

The participants in the round table held at the WAC Armenian Office
discussed such problems as the preservation of the national identity
of the Armenian people in Armenia and the Diaspora, the preservation
and development of the Armenian people in the rapidly changing world,
the formation of a collective national description of Armenians, the
protection of language, culture, religion and history as components
of the national identity, and the creation of a general Armenian world.

Among participants were the vice president of WAC, chairman of the
Democratic Party of Armenia Aram Gaspar Sargsian, the director of
Noravank scientific and educational foundation Gagik Harutyunian, the
director of IT Foundation Garegin Chugaszian, the chairman of Noyan
Tapan media union’s council Tigran Harutyunian, candidate of technical
sciences Nikita Zarubian, ethnographer, Armenologist Harutyun Marutian,
political scientist Suren Movsisian and others.

ARMENIAN RULING PARTY TO CONSIDER REPLACING PARLIAMENT SPEAKER

Mediamax
Sept 15 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 15 September: Council of the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia (RPA) will consider the decision of the party’s executive
body tomorrow on inexpediency of further tenure of the parliament
Speaker’s office by Tigran Torosyan and on nominating former Head of
the President’s Administration Hovik Abramyan for the given position.

As the Deputy Chairman of RPA Galust Sahakyan stated in Yerevan today,
the decision to substitute the Speaker is caused by the "necessity
to change the strategy of the legislative body, stirring up political
debates and consolidating relations with the people".

Galust Sahakyan stressed that RPA has the majority of seats in the
parliament and has the right to independently make decisions on staff
issues within the framework of the mandates for leading positions,
gained within under the coalition agreement.

"I do not know in which sphere Tigran Torosyan will work later on
in case of his resignation, but I think that his experience will be
useful in working with European structures," Galust Sahakyan stated,
commenting on the recent statements of the Armenian President on
"inexpediency of Tigran Torosyan’s work in another sphere".

Galust Sahakyan refuted the rumors, spread in oppositional media,
on the possible split in RPA and the return of Ex-President Robert
Kocharyan to big politics as the Prime Minister of Armenia. "I do
not see any perquisites for that," he stated.

From: "Katia M. Peltekian" <[email protected]>
Subject: BAKU: Construction Work on Iran-Armenian Pipeline

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 12 2008

Construction Work on Iran-Armenian Pipeline
12.09.08 15:56

Azerbaijan, Baku, 10 September /corr. Trend Capital / Construction
work has been finished on Iran-Armenian pipeline. Armenian specialists
investigate technical questions for the construction of pipeline from
Kacharan, the boundary region to Yerevan, at present, Iranian news
site Iribnews reports.

Testing of transportation of Iranian gas will begin within the next
few days.

` Armenia will receive from 2.3 billion to 2.5 billion cubic meters of
gas from Tehran through this pipeline a year,’ Armen Movsisyan,
Armenian Minister of Industry and Energy, said.

`The opening of the Iranian-Armenian pipeline will guarantee the
energy safety of Armenia’, he noted. According to Movsisyan, pipeline
will secure Armenia from energy problems in the cases of crisis.

Armenian Minister of Industry and Energy also reported about signing
of a new gas agreement with Russia. However, Movsisyan did not mention
the price for gas, indicated in the agreement with Russian Federation.

Serzh Sargsyan: Armenia must fulfill its liabilities of neighbour and
strategic partner

2008-09-13 11:56:00

ArmInfo. Armenia must fulfill its liabilities of a neighbour and
strategic partner, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said responding
to journalists’ questions in the village of Shirakamut. ‘I think
everyone who watched our actions should note that that we were sincere
and fair. It has always been so and I am sure so it will be tomorrow:
we have relations of strategic partnership with Russia and we were
Georgia’s neighbours over thousands of years. We must fulfill our
liabilities of neighbours and strategic partners. I think we shall
reach success if we can differ them and be sincere. I talked about it
with RF President Dmitry Medvedev in Sochi, and, most likely in near
future, I shall visit Georgia and talk to the Georgian president about
these problems’, S. Sargsyan said, RA presidential website reports.

Interfax, Russia
Sept 12 2008

Proper time to resolve Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has come –
U.S. diplomat

MOSCOW Sept 12

The proper time has come to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Derse said.

The U.S. notes that the conflict should be resolved by peaceful means
only on the basis of the principle of Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity, Derse told journalists in Baku on Friday.

At this stage, the U.S. is resolved and able to continue its activity
and advocate peaceful resolution of the problem, the ambassador said.

The diplomat also expressed hope that the OSCE Minsk Group will be
able to continue working in the same format.

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER ESTIMATES INCREASED DIALOGUE WITH ARMENIA

Anatolia News Agency
Sept 10 2008
Turkey

ANKARA (A.A) -Turkey’s foreign minister expressed hope for more
dialogue with Armenia after Turkish and Armenian presidents watched
a World Cup qualifying soccer match in Yerevan last Saturday.

"In the new era for the Turkish-Armenian relations, there will be a
new momentum in dialogue and we are pretty hopeful for the new era
as we have seen a solution-oriented position on the part of Armenia,"
Ali Babacan told a televised interview on Wednesday.

Babacan however said "there were quite a few problematic issues"
between Turkey and Armenia, such as the incidents of 1915, the Upper
Karabakh [Nagornyy Karabakh] problem. The two countries also have no
diplomatic relations.

Babacan said he had been talking Turkish-Armenian relations with
his counterpart, Eduard Nalbandian, as well as relations between
Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"We have an ongoing process between the foreign ministers of the
two countries and we are in search of solutions to the problem,"
Babacan said.

Babacan said he might hold a joint meeting with Azeri and Armenian
foreign ministers on the sidelines of UN General Assembly meetings
in New York.

"Armenia seems to have passed a threshold now, and the diplomatic
traffic and our impression from the Armenian president and the foreign
minister reveals that there is a strong will for solution in Armenia,"
Babacan said.

"They do understand our sensitivities and we do understand theirs. We
have many reasons to be optimistic," he said.

IN THE GENOCIDE MUSEUM

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
10 Sep 2008
Armenia

During the recent days, more than 300 citizens of Turkey have visited
the Genocide Museum.

As mentioned by Hayk Demoyan, Head of the Armenian Genocide
Museum-Institution, there have been students, representatives of
different organizations and sports fans among the Turkish visitors
who have come to Armenia for watching the football match between the
national representative teams.

H. Demoyan says that these people visit the museum out of curiosity
and express different attitudes including both a feeling of sorrow
and repentance and a refusal to admit the facts seriously. Some of
them even avoided watching all the exhibits, being psychologically
unprepared for that, while others avoided meeting with the Turkish
media.

SARKISIAN DENIES TERRITORIAL CLAIMS AGAINST TURKEY

AzerNews Weekly
Sept 10 2008
Azerbaijan

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has stated that no officials in
Yerevan have leveled territorial claims against Turkey.

"I don`t recall any Armenian official`s ever putting forward such
demands," he told Turkish Radical newspaper. However, he refused to
provide an explanation as to why his country`s coat of arms includes
the Aghri Mountain, which is located in Turkish territory.

Sarkisian alleged that, on the contrary, numerous Turkish officials
have announced territorial claims against Armenia in the past.

"I consider it out of place to name any persons or political parties,
because I know for sure that there are citizens and individuals in
Turkey who do not even consider Armenia a state," he maintained.

Also, Sarkisian said he saw no need to cite any pre-conditions for
the normalization of relations between the two countries.

He claimed that "not a single Armenian on the face of the earth"
questions whether "Armenian genocide," occurred. At the same time,
Yerevan has never tied Ankara`s recognition as genocide of the World
War I-era killings of huge numbers of Armenians as a pre-condition
for normalizing relations with Turkey.

Armenia and Turkey have been at odds and the border between the two
countries has been closed since 1993 on Ankara`s insistence due to
Armenia`s policy of occupation against Azerbaijan and its claims that
Ottoman Turks committed mass killings in the early 20th century.

ARTASHES GEGHAMIAN EXPRESSES POSITIVE OPINION ABOUT ACTIVITIES OF ARMENIAN PRESIDENT AND GOVERNMENT

Noyan Tapan

Se p 9, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The leader of "National Unity"
(NU) party Artashes Geghamian has a positive opinion about the reforms
initiated by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in tax and customs
administration sector.

Besides, as he stated at the September 9 meeting of the NU
activists, there are positive tendencies in the traffic police
work, in particular, even "thick-necked drivers" now cannot avoid
responsibility for violation of traffic rules. There has been progress
in foreign policy as well, according to NU leader. This progress is
related to S. Sargsyan’s willingness to continue strategic partnership
with Russia, his decision to invite Turkish President Abdullah Gul
to Yerevan, and his appeal to Diasporan businessmen to make big
investments in homeland.

A. Geghamian also spoke about the work of the government headed by
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian, saying that the prime minister’s
quotations from Nerses Shnorhali in recent months are especially
impressive. In the words of A. Geghamian, the government program’s
provisions that envisage turning Armenia into an educational,
financial and scientific center are praiseworthy. "I do not consider
as correct the accusations published in the newspapers supporting
Levon Ter-Petrosian to the effect that the prime minister’s projects
resemble the wish of the main character of a famous movie to create
"New Vasyuki", he noted.

At the same time, according to A. Geghamian, there are some worrying
indices in the economy, in particular, the export growth rate has
declined: in January-June 2008 exports made up only 85% of the index
of the same period of 2007. A. Geghamian added that he would refrain
from announcing other data as the "people of Levon" may use it during
their meetings.