NKR President, Armenian Prime Minister Visit Shahumyan Region

NKR PRESIDENT, ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER VISIT SHAHUMYAN REGION

armradio.am
19.01.2009 13:22

On 17 January President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan
accompanied by Premier Ara Harutyunyan visited the Shahumyan region
and met there official delegation of the Republic of Armenia at the
head of premier Tigran Sargsyan that arrived in the region on the
same day, Central Information Department of the Office of the NKR
President reported.

President Sahakyan and Prime Minister Sargsyan visited different
settlements in Shahumyan region and held meetings with the
population. During the meetings issues related to the current
socioeconomic situation in the region and prospects of its development,
as well as further deepening and strengthening of ties between the
regions of the two Armenian states were discussed. Special attention
was paid to the development of infrastructures, particularly the
construction of Getavab-Sotk highway.

While meeting the people, President Sahakyan underlined that the
Shahumyan region is a sacred place for the entire Armenian people
and within this context the development of the region is of special
importance to the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and is always in the
spotlight of its authorities.

The Head of the State also noted that several comprehensive projects
are planned to be carried out in the region. The realization of
these projects will have a substantial impact on the development of
the region.

The Ministers of Defense, Municipal Engineering and Transport of
the two Armenian states and other NKR officials accompanied the NKR
President and the Armenian Prime Minister.

Bomb The Evil Canadians!

Gather.com, MA
Jan 17 2009

Bomb The Evil Canadians!
January 17, 2009 11:17 AM EST

by Walker Bennett, SF Author

The following is an unabashed, full rip-off (with attribution and
link) to an article appearing recently on op-ed news. While
tongue-in-cheek, there is more than just a kernal of truth contained
in it to make me worried (since I now live in Canada).

President James Madison was forced to flee to Virginia. The British
commanders ate the supper which had been prepared for the president
before they burned the Presidential Mansion; American morale was
reduced to an all-time low.

That is from the Wiki account of the War of 1812, the only time the
USA dared fight a war with Canada.

The same sort of thing would happen today – Canada would whip the
sissy Americans easily, and have them writing their anthems about
it. {The "Star Spangled Banner" lyrics were written when Canada was
bombing Baltimore in the same war. Francis Scott Key was a distant
cousin of my first wife and I know all of the family dirt about him.}

The one thing that may give Americans pause is the security concern of
creating 30,000,000 insurgents at their front door that can brew a
beer that is light years superior to Budweiser.

****************

Bomb The Evil Canadians!

by Tim Cerantola

Canadians know Americans better than anyone else on the planet. Unlike
the rest of the world, as America’s next-door neighbour (and little
buddy Gilligan), we Canadians get a chance to peer over their fence
and into their backyards every day.

True. We watch them salute their flag every morning.

We hear them shoot off their guns and test their military equipment in
the backyard.

And of course, we listen to them brag endlessly about America being
the greatest, most wonderful, supremely amazing, inexhaustibly
fantastic, prodigiously magnificent, voluminously fabulous,
immeasurably kick-ass incredible and… well, you follow my drift.

And, not that any of that is untrue but, why is it, when it comes to
choosing their leaders, we watch our gloriously superior cousins
inevitably pick some dim-witted, intellectually challenged blowhard
who thinks primarily about war and who America should attack next?

Indeed, unlike we Canadians, who pick our Prime Ministers based on
their lack of balls and how out of touch with reality they are,
Americans tend to vote for the candidate who best displays a rugged,
shoot from the hip, take no prisoners, bomb them into the stone age
style of leadership.

I am still in ‘wait and see’ mode with President-Elect Barack Obama,
but I’m not too hopeful.

You see, during Obama’s campaign I couldn’t help but note that Obama
was for escalating US military intervention in Afghanistan; he was
opposed to complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq; he was for
continuing the embargo on Cuba; Obama was also for hostile
confrontation with Venezuela’s populist (and democratically elected)
President Hugo Chavez and all other Latin American reformers ` (even
though Obama speaks of protectionism at home, he demands free market
access to Latin America). Obama was a former defender of the
Palestinian people, but is now just another AIPAC toadie in full
(silent) support of Israel’s violation of international
law/disproportionate bombing of Gaza which has included the use of
cluster and phosphorus bombs against civilian targets; Obama is also
for continued expansion of Israel into the West Bank.

I guess Obama’s true litmus test will come when we see him repeal the
Patriot Act or not ` but don’t hold your breath.

Now I surmise the American people feel safer with war-mongering
presidents, knowing that the global bad guy (whoever he is this week)
will capitulate to the American way of doing things rather than risk
having his country reduced to a smoldering pile of radioactive
charcoal briquettes.

And this is why I believe, with a few exceptions; Americans tend to
vote for the candidate who reminds them most of fictional war hero,
Rambo.

Seriously, I’d bet if you polled Americans, you’d find many would
agree that Rambo would make a perfect president. Granted, Rambo would
not be the type to say please and thank you to any dark "evil"
mustachioed dictator. No, if Rambo were in charge, he’d just bust him
one in the kisser. And then, while that no-good, third-world dictator
was down on the ground feeling around for his teeth, Rambo would
mumble something stupid like, "Uh…, yo, commie, I’m ready to demand
my terms."

You see, American foreign policy experts actually believe that if the
world’s rogue nations (anyone that disagrees with the US) know that
America is prepared to bomb the living crap out of them at a moments
notice, they wont make any trouble. Which is why every silver-spooned
American son of a multi-millionaire, with presidential aspirations,
knows that to be a successful US president, besides having powerful
connections and oodles and oodles of money to buy an election with,
all you need is one thing ` a big stick!

Now before you minds start wandering into the gutter, the "big stick"
I refer to has nothing to do with Bill Clinton’s well-documented
skirt-chasing antics. The big stick I reference is the one former
president Teddy Roosevelt waved during his "Speak softly but carry a
big stick" speech.

It was Roosevelt’s "big stick" that cemented his presidential
legacy. In fact, Teddy’s big stick was so effective, it has become the
standard for American foreign policy, not to mention crucial to every
president’s credibility, since.

Think about it. Harry Truman, Eisenhower, JFK and Ronald Reagan all
displayed their big sticks and are remembered as presidential greats.

Remember Jimmy Carter?

Poor peanut farming Jimbo – though easily the smartest and most decent
man to ever sit in the Oval Office, Jimmy was too much of a peace
loving gentlemen to shamelessly wave his big stick around. And so, he
paid a big price in the presidential legacy department.

Not so with Theodore Roosevelt. Teddy charged up San Juan Hill with
his big stick. JFK swung his stick at Fidel Castro and Cuba. Ronald
Reagan laid on the lumber in Libya, Nicaragua, Panama and even little
Grenada – teaching those nasty, godless scourges of the free world
Grenadians a thing or two about…? … ? …Club Med?

Anyway, my point is, Presidents who use big stick politics are likely
to be remembered as great leaders.

This is likely why George W. Bush gets so excited about building a
huge missile defence system in Eastern Europe. Sure, George probably
doesn’t even know where eastern Europe is and, he probably can’t even
spell ‘missile defence system’ (let alone pronounce it); but at least
he has enough presidential savvy to realize he needs a really big one
` which incidentally explains the how and why of Dubya’s presidency
perfectly ` you see, contrary to popular belief, the chances of a
total and complete imbecile being elected president of the USA are
actually pretty good ` especially if you like making war.

As for Dubya’s next war target, well, it may be too late for
George. I’m sure he’d like to end his final term with a war against
Iran. As you may have read recently, Iran is still being vilified in
our ‘fair and balanced’ western media for their insistence on building
a nuclear power station.

Oooh scary!

To put it in perspective, the puny little country of Armenia has had a
nuclear power station for 30 years and so far, has not launched even
one atomic weapon at anyone. (Mind you, I still don’t trust them).
But, I digress.

I guess Iran is the perfect choice when it comes to selling a war to
the American public. Iran really can’t put up that much of a
fight. They have lots and lots of oil and, most important of all, Iran
is already a well-established global meanie with plenty of hate
appeal. Well it sure beats having to vilify a new country for an
American public that can’t seem to keep their international enemies
straight. Besides, everyone knows that America likes a good war,
especially now that they can watch them on TV.

True, with the way American media portrays war, America’s military
campaigns of late have seemed more like action movies. I often wonder
whether the average American can tell the difference. Seriously, after
a week or so, it seems most people don’t even remember where or what
the war was about. They only remember how much they enjoyed all those
explosions on the TV news, not to mention all that glorious flag
waving at the end.

Of course, with George on his way out in a couple of weeks, he has
very little time and a very serious presidential legacy problem to
solve. Let’s face facts; the man has delusions of adequacy. A majority
of Americans now view him as the biggest presidential turd of all
time.

At this point in his presidency, and with his unparalleled ability to
over-achieve in the under achievement department, a quick little fixer
upper of a war might help lift his presidential legacy to the level of
unimportant, if not, full mediocrity.

And so, I believe this could be a potentially serious problem for
Canada.

You see, like Iran, Canada can’t put up much of a fight, we have
plenty of nuclear power stations, we have oodles and oodles of oil and
we’re right next-door. Hey, we’re ripe for an American invasion! I can
almost hear George’s war rhetoric now…

"My fellow Americans, tonight America faces a new EVIL that is a
threat to American life, liberty and all that America stands for. Our
intelligence services inform us that for the last 140 years, several
million Canadians have been amassing along our northern border ` many
of them armed with hockey sticks.

I believe something has got to be done to stop these ungodly
Canadians. As far as this president is concerned, a bunch of EVIL tree
hugging beer-swilling puck-heads who always say please and thank you
after every sentence aren’t even a real country! Besides, I don’t
appreciate a people who actually think that Canada is bigger than
Texas. That’s why I’ve decided to bomb their capital,
Toronto. Goodnight America and God bless."

Tim Cerantola’s humour and political satire has been published in over
25 magazines and newspapers. When he is not pretending to be a writer,
he works at his real job working with autistic and special needs
children.

e.jsp?articleId=281474977565949

http://blogoffanddie.wordpress.com
http://www.gather.com/viewArticl
www.opednews.com

Iran, Armenia to Establish a Joint Cross-border Railway

Moj News Agency, Iran
January 17, 2009 Saturday

Iran, Armenia to Establish a Joint Cross-border Railway

Iranian transport officials have held talks with their counterparts in
Armenia, with a view to build a cross-border rail line between the two
countries. Hassan Ziari, Iran`s deputy roads and transportation
minister, says he has discussed the construction of a 540-kilometre
line across the Armenian border in talks with Armenia`s deputy
transport minister. He adds that only 60km of new line would need to
be built on the Iranian side of the border, to connect it to the
existing Iranian rail network. The remaining 480km will be built on
the Armenian side, but Tehran is prepared to shoulder 25 per cent of
the total cost of the project. Ziari also says that Iran is willing to
sell or lend rolling stock to Armenia.

ANKARA: Alevi Leaders Hit Back At Ergenekon’s Assassination Plots

ALEVI LEADERS HIT BACK AT ERGENEKON’S ASSASSINATION PLOTS

Today’s Zaman
Jan 15 2009
Turkey

Representatives from various Alevi associations have raised their
voices against plans devised by a clandestine terrorist network known
as Ergenekon to assassinate Alevi community leaders with the ulterior
motive of dragging the country into chaos.

Alevi leaders yesterday emphasized that they have a strong will to
protect the unity of Turkish society, lashing out at all circles
making preparations to bring about an atmosphere of chaos in society
through planned assassinations of Alevi figures. "Alevis and Sunnis
are brothers. We live together in this country. We are people of the
same territory. No one can undermine our friendship," they said.

Last week’s new wave of detentions in the Ergenekon investigation
revealed that the group was planning to assassinate Alevi and
Armenian community leaders, the prime minister and members of the
Supreme Court of Appeals — acts that would have dragged Turkey into
chaos had they been carried out. The prosecutors, who made public
the detention warrant, indicated that the police, who had been
monitoring the suspects’ phone conversations for months, had found
evidence that Ergenekon was engaged in preparations for a number
of assassinations. The group was plotting to kill prominent Alevi
community leaders such as Ali Balkız and Kazım Genc, as well as
Sivas Armenian Community President Minas Durmaz Guler and a number
of journalists. "If the planned assassinations had been carried out,
I am sure all Alevis and Sunnis in Turkey would jointly denounce the
killings. There is no place for violence in our philosophy. We call
on everyone to refrain from violence," stated Genc, secretary-general
of the Pir Sultan Abdal Association.

Alevi-BektaÅ~_i Federation President Balkız said it would not
be possible for anyone to create a conflict between Alevis and
Sunnis. "Turkey is very experienced in this field. We all know what
all such plots mean. Alevis and Sunnis are brothers. We live in the
same country. We respect each other’s beliefs. No one can damage our
brotherhood," he noted.

–Boundary_(ID_qvPCErDe0Z3KFS6Bbq521Q)–

BAKU: Azeri, Armenian Leaders May Meet In Davos

AZERI, ARMENIAN LEADERS MAY MEET IN DAVOS

AzerNews Weekly
Jan 14 2009
Azerbaijan

The presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia may meet in Davos, Switzerland
on the sidelines of an economic forum to be held from January 29 to
February 1, said Yuri Merzlyakov, Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group brokering a settlement to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.

The Russian diplomat told reporters that the prospects of holding
such a meeting would be discussed with the conflicting sides during
the mediators` upcoming visit to the region. The co-chairs are due
to hold talks in Baku January 19 and leave for Yerevan afterwards.

Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian
last met in Moscow on November 2, 2008. A declaration was signed
in conclusion of the talks, which took place on the initiative of
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Serzh Sargsyan: Further Deepening Of Democracy Proceeds From Armenia

SERZH SARGSYAN: FURTHER DEEPENING OF DEMOCRACY PROCEEDS FROM ARMENIA’S INTERESTS

Noyan Tapan

Jan 15, 2009

YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues related to the implementation
of Resolutions 1609 and 1620 of the PACE were discussed at the
January 15 meeting of the Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan and the
PACE co-rapporteurs John Prescott and Georges Colombier. According to
the RA presidetial press service, S. Sargsyan restated the Armenian
authorities’ determination regarding the implementation of the
provisions of these resolutions.

S. Sargsyan thanked the co-rapporteurs for visiting Armenia prior to
the PACE plenary session. He underlined that the further deepening of
democracy proceeds from the interests of Armenia itself and expressed
a high opinion about the role that the Council of Europe plays in
this issue.

http://www.nt.am?shownews=1011324

Western Prelacy News – 01/16/2009

January 16, 2009
Press Release
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

PRELATE TO CELEBRATE DIVINE LITURGY AT ST. GARABED
IN HONOR OF THE NAME DAY OF THE CHURCH

According to the Armenian Church calendar, January 15th was the
Feast of St. John the Forerunner, which is also the name day of St. Garabed
Church in Hollywood.
On this occasion, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate,
will celebrate Divine Liturgy at St. Garabed Church on Sunday, January 18th,
and will also conduct the blessing of madagh.
The Prelate will be assisted at the altar by Christian Education
Department Co-Director Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian and parish pastor
Archpriest Fr. Vicken Vassilian.
The Pastor and Board of Trustees have also organized a reception
which will take place following Divine Liturgy at the adjoining "Karapetian"
Hall.

PRELATE WELCOMES MEMBERS OF THE ARMENIAN ECCLESIASTICAL BROTHERHOOD

On the afternoon of Tuesday, January 13th, members of the Armenian
Ecclesiastical Brotherhood visited the Prelacy to convey their New Year and
Christmas well wishes to H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate. The
delegation was headed by Brother Arshag Kalenderian.
During their visit the guests relayed information to the Prelate
about the current endeavors of the Brotherhood. In addition, they expressed
joy at the establishment of a parish in North Hollywood and requested
further information from the Prelate with regards to this new endeavor. The
Prelate informed the Brotherhood members that the first Divine Liturgy at
the parish was celebrated on the Feast of the Birth and Theophany and that
thereafter Divine Liturgy is being celebrated every Sunday afternoon and
weekly Bible study is also being offered.
In conclusion, the Prelate commended the service of the members and
welcomed further collaboration between the Prelacy and the Ecclesiastical
Brotherhood. The visit concluded with the presentation of mementos by the
Prelate.

CONSUL GENERAL OF ARMENIA AND WESTERN PRELACY REPRESENTATIVES VISIT ARMENIAN
INMATES

On the occasion of the Feast of the Birth and Theophany of our Lord,
on Saturday, January 10th, Consul General of Armenia the Honorable Armen
Liloyan visited the North County Correctional Facility where he met with
over thirty Armenian inmates. The Consul General was accompanied by Consul
Sahak Sarkisyan and representing H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
Prelate, Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian and Chaplain Rafi Garabedian.
In their remarks, the Consul General, Fr. Barthev, and Chaplain Rafi
encouraged the inmates to repent and inspired them to strengthen their faith
and to remain hopeful for their eventual release.
Prior to their visit, special arrangements had been made for the
guests and inmates to enjoy an Armenian feast together.

www.westernprelacy.org

Commemorating Great Armenians

COMMEMORATING GREAT ARMENIANS

Panorama.am
16:39 12/01/2009

On 20 January a museum named after Armenian writer Silva Kaputikyan
will be opened to commemorate 90th jubilee of her birthday, said the
Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan in a press conference.

The Minister said that the events devoted to the 85th jubilee of Sergey
Paradjanov have not been finished by his birthday (9 January). "We
have a big projects connected with Paradjanov – we are planning to
present his art abroad," said the Minister.

Regarding the 500 jubilee of Armenian print (2012), the Minister of
Culture said that the chairman of the committee is the President of
the country Serzh Sargsyan. After the Minister receives projects and
discusses them, they will be presented to the President.

The Minister said that they are trying to establish new methods of
commemorating great Armenians. Note that in 2009 Hrachya Kochar’s
(100), Hovhannes Tumanyan’s (140), Daniel Varuzhan’s (125), Charles
Aznavour’s (85) and Komitas’ (140) jubilees will be celebrated.

Natural Gas Supply To Armenia To Be Restored On January 13

NATURAL GAS SUPPLY TO ARMENIA TO BE RESTORED ON JANUARY 13

NOYAN TAPAN

Jan 12, 2009
YEREVAN

The supply of natural gas to Armenia that had been stopped temporarily
due to the accident on the Ghazakh-Saguramo highway gas pipeline 1000
mm in diameter will be completely restored on January 13. Shushan
Sardarian, the Spokesperson of the Armrosgazprom company, reported
this to Radio Liberty.

http://www.nt.am?shownews=1011200