Press Release
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES THE AMBASSADOR OF IRAN
His Holiness Aram I received the newly appointed Ambassador of the
Islamic Republic of Iran to Lebanon, Mohammed Riza Shibani in Antelias
on June 8. The political and cultural secretaries at the Embassy
accompanied the Ambassador.
The Iranian diplomats and His Holiness talked about the current
situation in Lebanon. The Ambassador informed the Catholicos of the
recent dialogue between Iran and the international community and the
latest proposals presented to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Referring to the Armenian community of Iran, the Catholicos asked the
Ambassador that consultations between the mixed government-community
committee over legal issues related to the community continue. He also
asked that the government follow closely the anti-Armenian policy of
Azeris in the region of Tabriz.
Speaking about the Armenian community of Lebanon, the Pontiff said
its political approach have always been in favor of Lebanese internal
unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty.
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View photo here: tm#2
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates
of the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the
history and mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer
to the web page of the Catholicosate, The
Cilician Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is
located in Antelias, Lebanon.

Press Release
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
THE CATHOLICOS HONORS THREE SERVANTS
OF THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY
His Holiness Aram I concluded his pontifical visit to the Diocese of Lebanon
by an official dinner held at the “Emirate” hall of Habtoor Hotel on June 8.
Organized by the Diocese of Lebanon, the dinner was also dedicated to the
“Year of the Armenian School” and particularly the Lebanese-Armenian
schools.
Speakers at the dinner focused on the new activeness and spirit brought
forth by His Holiness’ Pontifical visit to the Diocese and the great
satisfaction and encouragement caused by the consecration of the newly built
St. Vartananats Church.
After the welcoming and greeting words of Primate Bishop Kegham Khatcherian,
His Holiness granted the “Knight” medal to Tsolag Tuitelian, Hovhannes
Keleshian, Hagop Shamelian and Zohrab Toruigian, four Lebanese-Armenians who
have in one way or another served their community with great dedication. The
medals were given following the request of the Primate and the local
national authorities of the Diocese.
With the kind intention of supporting Armenian schools and their progress,
Mr. Hrayr Sarkissian donated 100,000 US Dollars to the National Schools’
Student Fund. More than 500 people, including the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Karabakh Kevorki Bedrossian, ambassadors, representatives of
unions and organizations, attended the dinner.
His Holiness highly praised all the structures and organizations functioning
in the Diocese of Lebanon and all those Armenians who breather life into
them. Referring to the latter, he said they “share a part of their time,
just earnings and intellect with the nation, church, school and our civil
organizations.”
“Our Diaspora life would wither without our spiritual cultural and national
values, traditions and dreams. They are rivers that always flow from the
living history and healthy identity of our people. The identity of small
nations is subject to danger in this age if globalization. Therefore, the
preservation of our identity demands double work and commitment from us
today. The Armenian School is the fortress of the preservation of our nation
‘s identity, in front of which all hampering, polluting and misguiding
trends will be destroyed. The Armenian School should be kept strong so we
can be strengthened by the Armenian School, so the Diaspora can become
stronger, so Armenia can become stronger through a strong Diaspora,” said
His Holiness.
The Pontiff then spoke with praise about the strength shown by the Armenian
community of Lebanon. “The Armenians of Lebanon should continue their pan
national role. Let’s not forget that many of our communities refer to
Armenian community of Lebanon when they need spiritual leaders, teachers,
principals, editors, etc. The Lebanese-Armenian community should not view
its role with pride, but should asses its pan national role as a task to be
fulfilled with the sense of responsibility,” the Pontiff concluded.
##
View photo here: tm#3
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the dioceses of
the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.
From: Baghdasarian

TIGRAN TOROSYAN: OGTAY ASADOV CONGRATULATED ME ON MY ELECTION PARLIAMENT SPEAKER AND WISHED ME SUCCESS
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
June 12 2006
“Azerbaijani delegates really read the congratulation addressed to me
by speaker Ogtay Asadov,” Armenian parliament speaker Tigran Torosyan
told journalists (APA).
Commenting on the recent scandal regarding Azerbaijani parliament
president Ogtay Asadov’s congratulatory message to him, Torosyan said
he regrets the Azerbaijani side’s denial of this fact. In his words,
Azerbaijani parliamentarian Asef Hajiyev addressed the meeting of
the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Parlaimentary
Assembly in Yerevan.
“Asef Hajiyev read the message of speaker Ogtay Asadov. In the message,
he thanked to the Armenian parliament for providing a good opportunity
for the meeting participants. Besides, Ogtay Asadov congratulated me on
my election parliament speaker and wished me success,” Torosyan said.
The parliament press secretary Akif Tavakkuloghlu told APA that
speaker Ogtay Asadov refuses to say anything about that.

Press Release
From:Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
Haigazian University
Rue Mexique – Kantari
P.O. Box 11-1748
Riad El-Solh 1107 2090
Beirut – Lebanon
Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb Lectures in Haigazian University
The Palestinian Christians: Immense Challenges and Endless
Possibilities
On Thursday, June the 8th, 2006, the Cultural Hour at Haigazian
University hosted the Director of the International Center of
Bethlehem, Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, to dwell on “The Present of the
Palestinian Christians, and discuss their challenges, opportunities
and threats facing this ever-diminishing, but quite potent community
in Palestine.
Among the presence were, the President of the Supreme Council of the
Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon, Rev. Dr. Salim Sahyouni,
the Secretary General of the Christian – Muslim Committee for
Dialogue, Mr. Mohammad Sammak, the President of Haigazian University,
Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian, The President of the Near East School of
Theology, Dr. Mary Mikhael, in addition to a large number of scholars
and clergy.
In her welcoming speech, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences,
Dr. Arda Ekmekji, talked very briefly about Christian ethnicities
in Palestine: “It is in fact tragic that in the ongoing polemic
on Palestine, and in this eternal debate on whose land is the Holy
Land, very often one tends to overlook a very important community:
The Palestinian Christians, who in their turn could belong to various
ethnic and diverse cultural groups: Arabs, Armenians, Copts, Syriacs,
Abyssinians and even Franks”, said Ekmekji.
Rev. Raheb started his lecture by providing facts and figures on the
Palestinian Christians. It’s an urban society, concentrated mainly
in the cities of Bethlehem, the West Bank region, and Jerusalem, the
majority being orthodox, and catholics and evangelicals. Christian
Palestinians are less than 2% of the total population of the country,
yet they are a very active community. They possess 64 schools, 2
universities, and 2 colleges. They also provide 30% of the health
service in Palestine. Raheb presented the major challenges of this
small community, which is the minority complex, and the fear of
disappearing, the absence of law and order, the rise of the Islamic
parties, the Israeli occupation and the system of segregation and
racism.
A 20-minute moving documentary was shown during the lecture, featuring
the city of Bethlehem, the construction of the dividing wall, and
true stories and experiences of land confiscation and segregation.
Finally, Rev. Raheb concluded his speech, by calling to a living hope
in conditions of despair, as the Palestinian cause is more explicitly
presented today than any other day, the developmental projects of the
churches are increasing, and the Palestinian Christians have a pivotal
role to play in building a Christian identity in the Middle East.

KARABAKH LIBERATION ORGANIZATION OFFERS TO ESTABLISH PROFESSIONAL ARMY IN AZERBAIJAN
Author: E.Javadova
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
June 12 2006
The Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) offers to establish in
Azerbaijan a professional army, Akif Nagi, the chairman of KLO, made
such a statement at the round table held on June 12, Trend reports.
He noted that it was need to involve the officers participating in
the first Karabakh war in the creation of the professional army.
“Army creation is of great importance for Azerbaijan of which 20
percent territory is under occupation. The Azerbaijanis conducted
several successful military operations during the first Karabakh war,”
told Nagi.
According to him, the large-scale military operations started on June
12, 1992 demonstrated the force of Azeri army and military efficiency
of officers and soldiers. The experience of this way confirms the
necessity to transfer to the recruitment for the army on contracted
or professional base. Besides, Nagi ruled out the necessity to present
this topic to the regular discussion of public.

AGO GROUP TO VISIT BAKU
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
June 12 2006
The AGO group of the Council of Europe Ministerial Committee will
visit Azerbaijan, June 13.
The goal of the group led by permanent representative of Germany at the
Council of Europe, Ambassador Roland Wagener is to study fulfillment
of the obligations the Republic took before the Organization.
In the frame of visit, the Group is to discuss the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, issues of political prisoners and election practice, meet
with governmental dignitaries, NGO representatives and oppositions
parties.
After the visit, the Group will prepare a report to be published
prior to the PACE session.
As stated, the AGO Group will come to Baku form Yerevan.

ARMENIAN MINISTER RULES OUT NEW GARABAGH WAR
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
June 12 2006
Baku, June 9, AssA-Irada
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian has maintained that
the possibility of a new war over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh looks
rather unrealistic, although the situation may change in the future
considering Azerbaijan’s belligerent statements.
“Azerbaijan is not ready for a military option now and won’t be ready
over the next 10 years even taking into account its oil industry
potential,” said Oskanian.
Oskanian said there is a “limit to compromises” for his country with
regard to settling the Garabagh conflict.
“There is a boundary Armenia will never cross, no matter how long
the conflict resolution lasts and how much Azerbaijan blackmails us
with oil dollars and threats to use military action,” he told a local
TV channel.
Oskanian alleged that his country had already accepted major
concessions in order to advance the peace process.

ARMENIAN FAILURE TO STUDY LATEST TALKS TO CAUSE ITS DEFEAT – AZERI OFFICIAL
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
June 12 2006
Baku, June 9, AssA-Irada
An Azerbaijani official has warned that Armenia will suffer a defeat
if it fails to properly assess the latest talks on settling the
long-standing conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh.
“Armenia should analyze the Rambouillet and Bucharest talks and make
conclusions, otherwise, it will lose,” said Deputy Foreign Minister
and the Azerbaijani President’s Upper Garabagh negotiator, Araz Azimov.
The latest rounds of talks between the two presidents in Rambouillet
and Bucharest turned out fruitless.
Azimov declined to make any specific projections but said the chances
for resolving the dispute in 2006 have not been exhausted and it is
only necessary to capitalize on them.
“Azerbaijan has waited this long and can still wait. But we have no
intention to back away from our position of principle. At the same
time, our stance is constructive. If we advance in the direction
we have proposed, I believe it is possible to achieve results,”
the deputy minister said.
He reiterated that Azerbaijan’s priorities entail liberation of the
occupied Azeri territories and the return of refugees and IDPs home,
and only after this could other issues be tabled.
Azimov emphasized that President Ilham Aliyev had made far-sighted
proposals during his meetings on various levels. “Ensuring Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity is key. If this fair condition of official Baku
is complied with, using international experience to solve the problem
is possible.”
Azimov warned that if Yerevan fails to relinquish its non-constructive
stance, this will not be in its favor. “Some countries have refused to
forge ties with Armenia altogether due to its occupation claims against
Azerbaijan. Half of Armenia’s population has left the country. Such
a stalemate could lead to escalating tensions,” he said.
As for the upcoming replacement of the mediating OSCE Minsk Group’s US
co-chairman, Steven Mann, the diplomat said this would not negatively
affect peace talks in any way. He added that the Azerbaijani government
had been content with the mediator’s activity.

AZERI PARLIAMENT REJECTS REPORTS ON ‘CONGRATULATING ARMENIAN SPEAKER’
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
June 12 2006
Baku, June 9, AssA-Irada
The reports suggesting that the chairman of Milli Majlis (parliament)
Ogtay Asadov has congratulated Tigran Torasian on his election as a
new speaker of the Armenian parliament are false, the Azerbaijani
parliament spokesman, Akif Nasirov, said in an interview with
AssA-Irada.
Armenian media reported Thursday that the Azeri speaker’s message of
congratulation was read out by a member of the Azerbaijani delegation
in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
Organization (BSEC), Asaf Hajiyev, at a plenary session of the Assembly
in Yerevan.
Nasirov called these reports a “white lie” and another provocation
by Armenians, saying such a letter was never presented. He added that
the Azeri MPs who attended the session had made no statements to that
end either.

PACE CALLS FOR AZERI-ARMENIAN CO-OP ON HOSTAGES, MISSING PERSONS
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
June 12 2006
Baku, June 9, AssA-Irada
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) committee
rapporteur on migration, refugees and population has called on
Azerbaijan and Armenia to cooperate on prisoners of war, hostages
and missing persons.
“Collaboration between relevant bodies of the two countries is pivotal
to solve the problem, in particular, in terms of simplifying the
exchange of information,” Leo Platvoet told a news conference at the CE
Information Office in Baku upon completion of his visit to the region.
The rapporteur said both Azerbaijan and Armenia had expressed readiness
to forge some contacts to address the problems faced by these persons
and called for stepping up efforts in this area. He said the key
objective was to arrange cooperation between the two countries.
“The fact the sides are stating this means the idea of establishing a
joint institution in a certain format may come to the fore,” he said,
adding that this option has already been applied by the Red Cross in
the Balkans.
Platvoet said the entity could include representatives of Azerbaijan,
Armenia and both communities of Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh. He added,
however, that he had no discussions on the issue during his visit to
the two countries.
Platvoet emphasized that the goal of the visit was to prepare a
report on captives and missing persons in the South Caucasus based
on his findings. The document will mostly cover humanitarian issues
and have no bearing on politics, he stressed. “It will not touch on
political aspects, as this could compromise the work being done.”
The rapporteur said the report will be finalized in fall and further
submitted to PACE’s winter session for consideration.
“We have met with the family members of missing persons to study
their problems. These mainly concerned the collection of information.
We also found out that their relatives are facing social problems.
All these developments will be reflected in the report,” Platvoet
concluded.