Author: Zakarian Garnik

ARMENIAN DELEGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN ASTANA

ARKA
June 11

YEREVAN, June 11. /ARKA/. Armenian delegation headed by the Deputy
Foreign Minister Gegham Gharibjanian is to participate in the second
international business conference Asia Society in Astana (the first
one was held in June 2005).

The Press Service of Armenian Foreign Ministry reports that influential
businessmen and high-ranking representatives of international and
regional organizations are to participate in the business conference
to be held in the capital of Kazakhstan on June 12-14.

President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev, Premier of Kazakhstan
Karim Masimov, EU Special Representative for Central Asia Pierre Morel
and other officials are to make speeches at the business conference.

Trade and investment capabilities of Kazakhstan, its further economic
development and mutually advantageous cooperation with other countries
are to be discussed for making Kazakhstan bridge the East and the West.

POLITICAL SCIENTIST ALEXANDER SKAKOV: "NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT IS UNREAL TODAY"

Today.Az
11 June 2008 [14:18]

"Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement is unreal and impossible today",
considers Alexander Skakov, chief of CIS Department of Russian
Institute of strategic researches.

"Obviously, advancement and resolurion of Nagorno Karabakh today is
impossible and unreal and there are no objective preconditions for it",
said Skakov during the Moscow-Yerevan-Baku TV bridge.

"Advancement is possible in any private issues. I think, the main
issue on which advancement is possible is measure of trust between
the parties or, roughly speaking, a guarantee that there will not be
casualties", announced Skakov.

He said this should be the most important issue at any talks and in
any places and not "attainment of a mythic all-embracing solution".

Among opportunities to restore a dialogue, the political scientist
listed possible resolution of humanitarian problems of common concern.

As an example, Skakov listed possible work of all parties of the
conflict at the restoration of all historical and architectural
monuments, in particular, in Shusha and Aghdam.

"It should be realized that there are not only Azerbaijani memorials,
but also cultural heritage of the whole world and under the auspices
of UNESCO and OSCE we should do everything for preservation of the
monuments", said Skakov.

/Novosti-Armenia/

URL:

FEINSTEIN DEBUTS BILL TO HALT MKOYAN DEPORTATION
By Brad Branan and Vanessa Colon

Fresno Bee, CA
June 11 2008

Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced a bill today seeking to halt
deportation proceedings against Arthur Mkoyan, the valedictorian at
Fresno’s Bullard High School.

Arthur, whose case has attracted national attention, is graduating from
high school today. Arthur has been planning to attend the University
of California at Davis, where he has been accepted.

Feinstein’s bill also applies to Arthur’s mother and father, who is
being held in detention in Arizona, said Scott Gerber, a Feinstein
spokesman. Arthur’s 12-year-old brother is a U.S. citizen because he
was born here, Gerber said.

In a prepared statement, Feinstein said: "This is a family that has
deep roots in the community and has worked hard. The children have
excelled in school. So I am introducing a private bill to ensure that
they can stay in this country."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ordered Arthur and his
mother to leave the United States by late June and return to Armenia,
a country Arthur hasn’t seen since he was 2. Arthur’s family fled
the former Soviet Union and has been seeking asylum since 1992.

Getting bills passed to avoid deportations are an "uphill battle,"
Gerber said, but "we’re going to work to see that it is passed." The
bill will effectively suspend the deportation proceedings until
Congress makes a decision on the legislation, he said.

Photo: Arthur Mkoyan receives a loving touch from his
mother at Tuesday’s Bullard High graduation, where Arthur was
valedictorian. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday introduced a bill
that would block the deportation of Arthur and his parents to Armenia.

59524.html

OSCE CHIEF CALLS FOR PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

Interfax News Agency, Russia
June 10 2008
YEREVAN

Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, who currently chairs the
OSCE, has called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to fully use the assistance
provided by the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group in the settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

In a document released by the OSCE office in Yerevan on Tuesday, Stubb
called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to seriously consider the mediators’
proposal on the founding principles governing the settlement of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, saying there is no alternative to a
peaceful settlement of the conflict.

On Monday, the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group for the settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict (Ambassadors Yury Merzlyakov of
Russia, Bernard Fassier of France, and Matthew Bryza of the U.S.)
told Stubb about the progress in the conflict settlement. Among other
things, the co-chairmen told Stubb about the results of the meeting
between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan held in St. Petersburg
on June 6.

OSCE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE: "ONLY PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF THE KARABAKH CONFLICT IS POSSIBLE"

Today.Az
politics/45561.html
June 10 2008
Azerbaijan

Alexander Stubb, OSCE chairman-in-office and Foreign Minister of
Finland, announced that only peaceful resolution of the Karabakh
conflict is possible.

ITAR-TASS reports that Stubb said this at the meeting with the three
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorno Karabakh Yuri Merzlyakov
(Russia), Matthew Bryza (USA) and Bernard Fassier (France).

A source from the Finnish Foreign Ministry reported, that the Minsk
Group co-chairs informed the OSCE chairman about the recent meeting
of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Saint-Petersburg and
the overall situation in Nagorno Karabakh.

Stubb supported the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs,
noting that "the resolution of the conflicts on the OSCE area is a
priority of the Finnish chairmanship in the organization".

Stubb called on Armenia and Azerbaijan "to use potential of the Minsk
Group" and "discuss proposals on basic principles of the conflict
resolution seriously".

NA SPEAKER NEVER PLAYS CHILDISH TRICKS
LILIT POGHOSYAN

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on June10, 2008
Armenia

TIGRAN TOROSYAN, Speaker of the Parliament, yesterday answered the
questions of the journalists. Most of the questions concerned the
chief intrigue of the week, i.e. the fact that majoritarian MP Henrik
Abrahamyan, the brother of Hovik Abrahamyan (Head of the presidential
staff), has waived his mandate.

"There are rumors that after Henrik Abrahamyan’s resignation Hovik
Abrahamyan is going to be elected as an MP from the same constituency
in anticipation of becoming the Speaker of the National Assembly."

"First of all, let me say that Henrik Abrahamyan has not handed in
resignation. The NA Regulations envisage 10 cases for terminating
the competences of the MPs, and resignation is just one of them. What
happened in this case is a breach of the Constitution.

As to the preposterous assumptions, I will say what has actually
happened.

Henrik Abrahamyan submitted a document from the archive of the Artashat
Wine Factory. It follows from there that he has been appointed as
a Director. And as you know, such position is incompatible with the
competences of an MP.

Under Article 12 of our Regulations, the NA Speaker is obliged, in
such cases, to draw up a statement on terminating the competencies
of the MP and send it to the Central Election Commission.

Resignation is quite a different matter and has nothing to do with
assuming a new post. What they are trying to present has absolutely
nothing to do with the reality.

And the last thing from this series: according to some publications,
I have reached certain agreements with some people including Henrik
Abrahamyan.

There is absolutely nothing of the kind. To be frank, I haven’t
even talked to Henrik Abrahamyan on that matter. I just received
the notice and, based on that, did what the NA Speaker is obliged to
do. I believe you have had many occasions to make sure that I never
reach any agreement with anyone and will never do so in future either."

"Anyway, to what extent is it possible that you may resign form the
post of the NA Speaker?"

"I have said that I am not going to resign. The resignation of the
Parliament Speaker is a serious event for any country. It either
results from fundamental discords inside the country or a change
in the political situation etc. There’s no precondition for that,
and I simply do not have the right to make that step.

Each person has to be conscious of his/her responsibility in this
or that position. This is not the position of a shopkeeper to allow
a person to do anything he/she desires. The person holding that
important post first of all bears responsibility to the country and
its people. Therefore, I don’t think anyone has the moral right to
play that kind of childish tricks."

"If you are offered a post on behalf of the President, will you again
refuse to hand in resignation?"

"I think everybody realizes perfectly well that I have never discussed
any issue with anyone in this connection. Unfortunately, some people
do not understand the importance of the post of the Parliament
Speaker. Neither do they understand the importance of that step
for the country. That will mean to put the country’s reputation at
stake. That will mean contemptuous attitude towards society."

"Who do you think circulates such rumors and with what purpose?"

"I am not a fortune-teller, and I never make comments on intrigues
and gossips. I have absolutely nothing to do with such things. I
think you have made sure of that in the course of the past 9 years."

NEW CANDIDATE FOR THE POST OF OSCE PA PRESIDENT HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED YET

Azeri Press Agency
June 9 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Tamara Grigoryeva-APA. Göran Lennmarker, current President
of PACE Parliamentary Assembly will dismiss from the office during
summer session, Klas Bergman, Director of Communications at the OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly, told APA.

New candidate will be elected during the session on July 3. Several
candidates have been nominated. Majority of them are representatives
of OSCE and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Session will determine next
post of Göran Lennmarker. Asked whether Lennmarker will continue
his activities in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh he stated that
session would pass a decision on it.

–Boundary_(ID_EKASHvmO084iMTlBzbEYjw)–

Fresno Bee, CA
June 7 2008

Armenian student pleads for letters to Sen. Feinstein

By Vanessa Colón / The Fresno Bee

Arthur Mkoyan, the Bullard High School valedictorian who may be
deported to Armenia this month, is counting on letters of support from
across the state and nation to help him.

Arthur, 17, of Fresno pleaded to classmates, friends and teachers at
Bullard High School on Friday to write letters to Democratic
Sen. Dianne Feinstein encouraging her to introduce legislation that
would enable him and his parents to stay in the Untied States.

Friday was his last day of class at the school. Arthur will graduate
Tuesday at the Save Mart Center. The valedictorian with a 4.0
grade-point average drew attention across the nation after his story
first appeared in The Bee. Arthur has been planning to attend the
University of California at Davis, where he has been accepted.

The letters of support are important, Arthur said.

"It’s to convince the people who are judging the private bill," Arthur
said. "Hopefully, they will introduce the bill by the end of next week
so all of us can stay."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ordered Arthur and his mother
to leave the United States by late June and return to Armenia, a
country Arthur hasn’t seen since he was 2. His 12-year-old brother, a
U.S. citizen, has no other choice but to leave with Arthur and his
mother if they’re deported, the family has said.

Arthur’s family fled the former Soviet Union and has been seeking
asylum since 1992.

Arthur’s father, Ruben Mkoian, ran a general store and worked as a
police officer in the then-Soviet Republic of Armenia, where he was
threatened by former Soviet government workers as the Soviet Union was
breaking up, Arthur’s mother has said.

Mkoian applied for asylum but was rejected. Mkoian, who spells his
name differently from his son, appealed to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court
of Appeals in San Francisco. He lost his appeal. Mkoian is being held
at a detention center in Arizona.

Feinstein, who has introduced private bills in the past, is gathering
Arthur’s information to introduce a bill on his behalf, according to
Feinstein’s office in Washington, D.C. Feinstein’s office still is
waiting on some information from Arthur’s family, such as letters from
the school and church that provide a picture of their situation.

"The most important thing for them is to get as much information as
they can so Feinstein can make a decision," said Scott Gerber, a
spokesman for Feinstein.

If introduced, the bill would halt the deportation. If it passes, he
would receive a green card. But private bills rarely pass, according
to Feinstein’s office.

On Thursday, Arthur visited the local office of Rep. George
Radanovich, R-Mariposa. The staff listened to his story and planned to
help Feinstein’s office draft a private bill, Arthur said.

The congressman has sent a letter to Feinstein supporting her
legislation on behalf of Arthur, Radanovich spokesman Spencer Pederson
said Friday. The letter notes that such a bill was unlikely to pass in
the House, but that previous legislation of this nature has been
successful in the Senate.

On Monday, Radanovich plans to meet with the Armenian ambassador to
the United States to ask that, if deportation can’t be prevented,
Arthur be allowed to apply for a student visa to return to the United
States, Pederson said.

Ara Jabagchourian, an attorney in San Francisco who specializes in
civil litigation and antitrust, offered his services to Arthur and his
family for free.

Jabagchourian, a graduate of California State University, Fresno, said
Friday that he plans to call Feinstein and Radanovich, as well as
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno. He said he
also will seek a U.S. Supreme Court writ to stop deportation.

"My goal is to keep the entire family here," Jabagchourian said.

Arthur said he still is surprised by the overwhelming response he has
received from the public and the media.

"The help is much appreciated," he said.

More informationHow to help
Mail letters to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, United States Senate, 331 Hart
Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510. Or call (202)
224-3841. To fax: (202) 228-3954. Go to
www. feinstein.senate.gov/public to e-mail.

.html

PanARMENIAN.Net

Hayk Demoyan called on Armenian and Georgian journalists to refrain
from exacerbating nationalism 06.06.2008 14:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Director of the Armenian Genocide Institute-Museum
Hayk Demoyan called on Armenian and Georgian journalists to refrain
from exacerbating nationalism. -This damages our memories and
perspectives of cooperation between young Georgians and Armenians,- he
said when commenting on media reports on Georgia’s intention to
reconstruct the historical monastery of Osvank in Erzurum province,
eastern Turkey.

Earlier, PanARMENIAN.Net made a mistake when quoting Hayk Demoyan. The
information reading that -there were no Georgian churches in Western
Armenia, specifically at the time mentioned. The monastery belonged to
Chalcedonic Armenians. The cross on the temple was a bit different
from a Gregorian. Later it was replaced by an Orthodox one. There is
an inscription in Asomtavruli (ancient Georgian) above one of the
ornaments in the Church. That is why Georgia thinks it’s a Georgian
temple- does not correspond to the truth.

-The region known as Tao-Klarjeti in Georgian historiography and Tayk
region in Great Armenia are famous with numerous historical monuments,
including Osvank. This region was inhabited by Armenians from the
earliest times. Living at a crossroad of Armenia, Byzantine and
Georgia, native Armenians adopted orthodoxy. This process was underway
during the growth of the Georgian kingdom. As result medieval Armenian
inscriptions were replaced or supplemented by Georgian inscriptions of
Chalcedon Armenians,- Demoyan said.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Iran can’t be mediator in Karabakh process
06.06.2008 16:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Iran can’t be a mediator in the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process, Director
of the Caucasus Institute, political scientist
Alexander Iskandaryan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter
during a news conference in Yerevan.

-It’s quite impossible. Iran doesn’t serve on the OSCE
MG. Moreover, it experiences problems with the U.S., a
co-chair state. We should forget that Ali Reza Sheikh
Attar made this statement in a certain country with a
certain purpose,- he said.

Iran used to be a mediator in the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement but then our country was removed
from the process, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister
said earlier in Baku.

-If both sides make a proposal, my country is ready to
undertake an intermediary mission again,- Ali Reza
Sheikh Attar said. -Although I do not rate the OSCE
Minsk Group activity as satisfactory, Iran supports
the talks in its framework.-