Author: Zargarian Hambik

PanARMENIAN.Net

Azerbaijani Chess Federation vice president can’t put up with
Aronian’s success

01.05.2009 21:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Commenting on the outcomes of FIDE Grand Prix
tournament, Mahir Mammadov, vice president of the Chess Federation of
Azerbaijan, said Armenian grandmaster Levon Aronian `wins competitions
in which Teimour Rajabov doesn’t take part.’

Obviously, Mr. Mammadov is not aware of tournaments and their
results. The fact is that last year won two tournaments ` Grand Prix
in Sochi and Amber 2009 – in which Rajabov did take part.

IN LINE WITH THE LABOR CODE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA, THE RA GOVERNMENT, THE ARMENIAN TRADE UNIONS CONFEDERATION AND THE ALL-REPUBLICAN UNION OF ARMENIAN EMPLOYERS SIGNED A COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT ON EXTRA GUARANTEES AND JOINT ACTION FOR THE STREAMLINING OF WELFARE- AND EMPLOYMENT

M onday, 27 April 2009

In line with the Labor Code of the Republic of Armenia, the
RA Government, the Armenian Trade Unions Confederation and the
All-Republican Union of Armenian Employers signed a collective
agreement on extra guarantees and joint action for the streamlining
of welfare- and employment-related relations. The agreement was signed
by RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, President of the Armenian Trade
Unions Confederation Edward Tumasyan and Chairman of the All-Republican
Union of Armenian Employers Arsen Ghazaryan.

The collective agreement provides for sustainable development of
social and employment-related relations which in turn will promote
employment, dignified labor, social partnership and social cohesion
throughout the country.

The agreement is supposed to help design and implement labor- and
social protection-related policies, ensure broader social partnership
participation, as well as build up institutional and functional
capacity for domestic employers and trade unions.

To ensure proper compliance with contractual obligations, a special
commission will be set up on the principle of parity.

Extending c ongratulations on the signing of the agreement, Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan said in particular: "This is a long-awaited
arrangement which stems from numerous key principles stipulated in
international conventions.

It is supposed to provide for cohesion in our joint action. We thereby
undertake to cooperate and hold consultations on a regular basis. This
is a burning issue, especially as seen against the background
of the ongoing global crisis as employment grows into the threat
number one all over the world. Social tensions tend to grow amidst
declining economy, and this very factor gives extra significance to
this agreement. Today’s signing indicates that the parties are well
aware of the threats facing Armenia and are prepared to address these
serious problems with joint efforts and coordinated policy."

The Prime Minister appreciated the contribution made by the Ministry of
Labor and Social Affairs to the drafting of this collective agreement.

The signing of the agreement was appreciated either by Edward Tumasyan,
Arsen Ghazaryan and RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Arsen
Hambardzumyan.

The All-Republican Collective Agreement will be effective up till
June 30, 2012.

NA SPEAKER CALLS TWO ARFD CHAIRMEN OF STANDING COMMITTEES FOR WITHDRAWING THEIR APPLICATIONS ON RESIGNATION

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 29, 2009
YEREVAN

RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamian at the April 29 sitting proposed
Artur Aghabekian, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of Defence,
National Security and Internal Affairs, and Armen Rustamian, the
Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, withdrawing
their applications on resignation. NA Vice-Speaker Hrayr Karapetian
also introduced a resignation conditioned by the ARFD decision on
coming out of the coalition on April 27.

The NA Speaker said that the Armenian parliament had precedents when
opposition representatives headed standing committees, and such a
possibility is also given by the amendments made to the NA Regulations
in 2008 October. According to H. Abrahamian, though these amendments
will work for the parliament of next convocation, today the political
coalition calls the ARFD faction for withdrawing the applications on
committee chairmen’s resignation.

In response to the proposal ARFD faction head, party Bureau member
Vahan Hovhannisian thanked the NA Speaker and the political coalition
for the proposal and on behalf of the faction promised to study the
proposal and to submit the answer to the parliament.

The Boston Globe
April 25, 2009 Saturday

Armenians mark massacre anniversary

Call on Turkey to recognize WWI deaths as genocide

By Avet Demourian, Associated Press

YEREVAN, Armenia – Tens of thousands of Armenians marched through the
capital yesterday to commemorate the 94th anniversary of the start of
mass killings by Ottoman Turks, many calling on Turkey to recognize
the slayings as genocide.

Armenia and Turkey said Thursday that they are close to restoring full
relations and reopening their border after 15 years. But neither side
has indicated how they might resolve the dispute over the killings
that President Obama yesterday referred to as one of the 20th
century’s “greatest atrocities.”

Throngs marched through the Armenian capital with torches and candles
to mark the anniversary of the rounding-up of a few hundred Armenian
intellectuals in what was then known as Constantinople – present-day
Istanbul – by Ottoman authorities. Their arrest was swiftly followed
by the military’s forced evacuation of ordinary Armenians from their
homes in actions that spiraled into the mass slaughter of the Armenian
population.

Armenia says up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Turks in what
was then the Ottoman Empire, while Turkey says the killings occurred
at a time of civil conflict and the casualty figures are
inflated. Scholars widely view the event as the first genocide of the
20th century.

Yesterday’s procession began with a burning of Turkish flags, and many
carried placards blaming Turkey for spilling the “blood of millions”
and calling on Ankara to acknowledge the killings as genocide. It
ended in central Yerevan at a monument to the victims of the killings,
and a liturgy was served at churches throughout the country.

“Crimes against humanity don’t expire in the memory of nations,”
President Serge Sarkisian of Armenia said in a
statement. “International recognition and condemnation of the
Armenian genocide . . . is a matter of restoring historic justice.”

The procession, led by nationalist groups, is an annual event and is
not expected to affect the reconciliation process.

The two countries also differ over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh
region, controlled by Armenia after a six-year war that broke out in
the waning days of the Soviet Union. Turkey – which shares close
cultural and linguistic relations with Azerbaijan and wants it to
absorb the region – insists its talks with Armenia proceed in parallel
with Armenian-Azeri discussions. The United States and European Union
have urged Turkey and Armenia to resolve their differences.

ARMENIA THANKS RUSSIA FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

PanArmenian News
April 23 2009
Armenia

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia is grateful to Russia for its contributions
to Karabakh conflict settlement, President Serzh Sarsyan said during
a meeting with his Russian colleague Dmitriy Medvedev. Serzh Sargsyan
noted with satisfaction that after "Azeri President Ilham Aliev’s
visit to Russia, the country didn’t change its position on Karabakh
issue," ITAR-TASS reports. "That’s to say, the conflict should be
resolved based on principles of international law," Serzh Sargsyan
added. "I am very happy that there is one more South Caucasian country,
acknowledging Russia as its strategic ally". "That means, Russia’s
role in Karabakh conflict settlement becomes increasingly important,"
the Armenian President stressed.

ARMENIANS REMEMBER 1915 KILLINGS

BBC NEWS
8017316.stm
2009/04/24 16:51:21 GMT

Thousands of people have taken part in a procession in Armenia to
commemorate the mass killings of ethnic Armenians by Ottoman Turks
during World War I.

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian reiterated that Turkey did not
have to recognise the killings as genocide in order for the states
to normalise ties.

Earlier this week, Armenia and Turkey said they had agreed on a
roadmap towards normalising relations.

US President Barack Obama is to make a statement on the mass killings
later.

However, analysts say he is unlikely to use the word "genocide" so
as not to derail the agreement, which came just weeks after Mr Obama
urged Turkey to come to terms with the past and resolve the issue.

In 2008, he said the "Armenian genocide is not an allegation, a
personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented
fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence".

" Crimes against humanity don’t expire in the memory of nations "
Serzh Sarkisian Armenian president

Hundreds of thousands of Armenians died in 1915, when they were
deported en masse from eastern Anatolia to the Syrian desert and
elsewhere. They were killed by Ottoman troops or died from starvation
or disease.

Armenians have campaigned for the killings=2 0to be recognised
internationally as genocide – and some countries have done so.

Turkey admits that many Armenians were killed but it denies any
genocide, saying the deaths were part of the widespread fighting that
took place in World War I.

‘Recognition’

Huge crowds marched through the Armenian capital, Yerevan, on Friday
to mark the 94th anniversary of the Ottoman-era killings.

Many carried torches and candles, while others carried banners blaming
Turkey for spilling the "blood of millions". Several Turkish flags
were burned.

The procession ended in the centre of the city at a monument for
the victims.

"Crimes against humanity don’t expire in the memory of nations,"
President Sarkisian said in a statement.

"International recognition and condemnation of the Armenian
genocide… is a matter of restoring historic justice."

But the president also reached out to Ankara, saying recognition of
the "genocide" was not a precondition for building bilateral relations.

On Wednesday, the countries agreed to "develop good neighbourly
relations in mutual respect and progress peace, security and stability
in the entire region".

But their joint statement did not say how the neighbours would resolve
their dispute over the killings, nor whether they had reached agreement
on opening their joint border, which has been closed since 1993.

NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA IS STEMMING FROM THE INTERESTS OF TURKEY, ARMENIAN TURKOLOGIST THINKS

ArmInfo
2009-04-22 13:44:00

Normalization of relations with Armenia is stemming from the
interests of Turkey, Armenian turkologist, Hakop Chakryan, said at the
roundtable-seminar dedicated to the Armenian-Turkish relations. He also
added as Turkey is pretending to the role of the regional superpower
(initiating of the Caucasus Platform is evidence of it), but our
country is playing the restraining part in the region, naturally it is
beneficial for Turkey to have kind neighbouring relations with Armenia.

‘It is no secret that since the end of 90-s, beside Azerbaijan,
Turkey has enhanced its influence in Georgia as well. This gave wide
opportunities to Turkey to further strengthening its role in the South
Caucasus. But in this context our country is a serious counterbalance
to Turkey. For this reason, it is extremely favorable for Turkey to
have a kind neighbour in the person of Armenia’, – Chakryan said
and added that normalization of relations with our country, which
is strategical partner of Russia, will weaken confrontation between
Russia and Turkey and also cancel the necessity of reequipping and
rearming of the Russian military bases in Armenia.

CICEK: TTK NOT AGAINST OPENING ARMENIAN BORDER

Today’s Zaman
April 20 2009
Turkey

The Turkish Historical Society (TTK) is not against Turkey opening its
border with Armenia, TTK Armenian Desk Chairman Kemal Cicek has said.

The Armenian border been closed since 1993, when Armenia attacked
Azerbaijani territory. Speaking to Today’s Zaman, Cicek also stated
that as April 24, the anniversary of an alleged genocide of Armenians
at the hands of the Ottomans in 1915, approaches, no mass cleansing
occurred as the Armenians have claimed. Cicek said Turkey was
trying to understand the Armenians, adding his belief that relations
between the two countries should normalize. Cicek said the TTK was
not against the opening of the border but added that Turkey had some
conditions. He said: "In 1993, the Armenians drove the Azerbaijanis
out of their own land and staged large-scale massacres, after which
Turkey closed its Armenian border and explained the preconditions for
reopening the border. These are for Armenia to pull out of Azerbaijani
territory and to stop referring to Turkey’s eastern Anatolian lands
as ‘Western Armenia.’ The border should not be opened unless both of
these conditions are fulfilled, but the relations should be normalized
and the two nations should make peace."

Cicek also said Armenians started disseminating propaganda on
an international level one week before the forced deportation of
Anatolia Armenians even started in 1915, adding that the Armenians
have come a long way since that time. Stating that Armenians always
keep their grief alive, Cicek said Turkey has kept silent for years
with an understanding of "let’s look into the future and forget our
past grievances." This is why, Cicek asserted, Turkey has been late
to provide explanations to the international community regarding
the rationale and rightful intentions causing Turkey to decide to
launch the 1915 forced deportation campaign. "Now, no matter what we
do to counter their claims, it is not enough because we have started
only recently. We are sincerely trying to understand what happened
to the Armenians, what made their agony different from ours," Cicek
emphasized, adding that Turkey should develop a policy that respects
the deaths and losses of Armenians.

Campus Progress, DC
April 19 2009

Darfur: Taking a Stand Against Genocide at Gustavus Adolphus College
Monday, April 20, 2009

Gustavus Adolphus College
800 West College Avenue
Saint Peter, MN 56082

`Camp Darfur’ ` Interactive Exhibit: 9:00 a.m. ` 4:00 p.m. ` `Camp
Darfur’ is a simulated refugee camp, a group of canvas tents, each
tent telling the history and tragedy of a major genocide of the 20th
century (Armenia; Holocaust; Cambodia; Bosnia; Rwanda) and now Darfur,
the first genocide of the 21st century. The materials in each tent
present time lines, photographs, testimonies of survivors and
witnesses, and resources for additional examination. Attendees can
write messages on the tents that express their responses to what they
see and learn from the exhibit. The Darfur tent includes video footage
from refugee camps on the Chad-Darfur border, giving attendees an
opportunity to hear directly from those whose lives are currently at
great risk. `Camp Darfur’ founders Katie-Jay Scott and Gabriel
Stauring, will speak at the exhibit.

Sand and Sorrow Screening: 7:00 p.m. ` 9:00 p.m. ` The film Sand and
Sorrow, narrated by George Clooney, gives an outstanding overview of
the complex history of the Darfur crisis and the current conflict
between the government-sponsored militias and innocent civilians in
the Darfur region who are targeted for mass extermination.

Refreshments will be served.

Sponsored by Campus Progress, Stop Genocide Now, and Gustavus Adolphus
College.

This event is free and open to the public.

/darfur-taking-a-stand-against-genocide-at-gustavu s-adolphus-college

YEREVAN-KAPAN INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF MONO PERFORMANCES
Marietta Makarian

AZG Armenian Daily
April 17 2009
Armenia

ARMMONO international theatre festival, first organized seven years
ago, gives opportunities for various creative contacts and new
achievements to both Armenian and foreign young artists.

On April 8-13 in Yerevan and then April 13-17 in Kapan 16 mono
performances of actors and producers from Armenia, USA, Russia, Poland,
Germany, Ukraine, France and Great Britain were and will be performed
within the framework of the festival.

The festival in Yerevan started with Hakob Ghazanchian’s "Double Bass",
where actor Hovhannes Babakhanian again shone with his acting

Andrey Lyubimov’s "A Ring From Above" (Russia) enraptured the
audience with its gentle and emotional interpretation. NA Speaker
Hovik Abrahamian that watched the performance told "Azg" daily,
"Similar events fill us with new emotions".

Nora Armani’s "Evocations of Armenia" (Great Britain) made an
inimitable impression on the Armenian audience the third day of
the festival. Nora Armani is known as a bold, enterprising and
talented producer and actor in not only Armenian but also American and
international theatrical circles. The "Sojourn at Ararat" performed by
her is about the Armenian Genocide that together with the well-known
actor and producer Gerald Papazian was presented in four languages in
different parts of the world. Weaving together the most remarkable
pieces from Armenian poetry and literature, Nora Armani and Gerald
Papasian have created "Sojourn at Ararat", a two-character play that
tells one couple’s love story and through it reveals the trajectory
of the Armenian people.

At the festival, Nora Armani performed to the accompaniment of
well-known musician Davit Baqamjian’s viola. She presented the works
of Narekatsi, Hovhannes Tumanian, Paruyr Sevak, Gevorg Emin, Eghishe
Charents and others in Armenian and English, in combination with the
music of Komitas, Alan Hovhannes, Ekmalian and others.

Poem "Akhtamar" was also originally performed seasoned with selected
music and skilful interpretation.

A special part was dedicated to the anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide.

At the closing ceremony of the Yerevan Festival, the participants
of the festival were given certificates, dolls dressed in Armenian
national clothes and flowers. Just after it, they set off for Kapan.