A DISCUSSION ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN THE AMERICAN PRESS
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[07:16 pm] 01 June, 2006
The Armenian Genocide continues to be the key issue of the American
press. An editorial referring to the Armenian Genocide was published in
the “New York Times” on May 17, 2005 critisizing the Turkish refuting
policy which puts the issue of the Turkey integration in the European
Union in question.
The statement of Nabi Sensoy, Turkish Ambassador to the USA was
published in the same paper on May 24 in which the Turkish official
notes that there are no legal warrants and evidence to prove the
Genocide and the historical studies are not satisfactory in this
context.
Referring to the incompatible claims of the Turkish Ambassador’s letter
Armenian Ambassador to the USA Tatul Margaryan released a letter to
the “New York Times” daily which was published on May 31.The press
service of the Foreign Ministry presents the letter fully.
“Regardless of the claims of the Turkish Ambassador that history must
be left to historians’ speculations and study, the Turkish authorities
make the history a precondition for establishing intergovernmental
ties with Armenia.
Turkey must first of all take into consideration its own history and
must eliminate all the vetoes and cease the pursuit of the Turkish
historians who ventured to study the events of 1915. Only in that
case the Turkish historians will have a chance to study the abundant
historical data including the verdict of the Military Tribunal of
1919 according to which the initiators of the Armenian Genocide were
condemned and sentenced to death.
The number of countries which have to interfere into the matter
because of the Turkish refuting policy and express their positions
on this score gradually increases.
The historians and lawyers including Rafael Lemkin who defined the term
Genocide and put it in usage as well as the International Union of the
Genocide specialists have already recognized that the events of 1915
fully go in line with the criteria of the Genocide Convention of 1948.”

OSKANYAN IS IN KAZAKHSTAN
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[07:38 pm] 01 June, 2006
RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan is currently in Kazakhstan on
two-day official visit.
On June 1 he met with Kasimjomart Tokayev, Kazakh Foreign Minister. The
key topics of the discussion were a number of issues of international
significance.
They both expressed their satisfaction on the level of the mutual
political relations.
Oskanyan underlined the organisation of meetings of business circles
and the implementation of cultural programs in both countries aimed
at promoting the mutual economic relations and the further and closer
recognition of the two sides.
Then they referred to the significance of the mutually profitable
cooperation in the framework of international organisations, CIS and
the Euroasian economic cooperation organization.
They also focused on the energy and transportation issues. On this
score Minister Tokayev expressed his position on a number of regional
programs especially on the integration of Kazakhstan in the projects
of the Kaspits region.
Taking into consideration the possiblitlity of Kazakhstan to preside
over the OSCE in 2009 the Armenian Minister presented his Khazakh
counterpart the developments of the Karabakh conflict.
At the end of the meeting Vardan Oskanyan invited his Kazakh
counterpart to Armenia on official visit.
Tomorrow, Oskanyan will meet with the represenatatives of the Armenian
community in Almati and then he will return to Armenia.

RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STARTS PARLIAMENT SPEAKER’S ELECTION
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. During the first 20
minutes of the June 1 special sitting, the RA National Assembly adopted
the 23 drafts and legislative packages discussed on the previous
day, the most part of which envisaged amendments and additions to
acting laws. The Parliament started discussion of the issue on the
NA Speaker’s election. On behalf of the “RPA” faction, latter’s head
Galust Sahakian proposed NA Deputy Speaker and RPA Deputy Speaker
Tigran Torosian’s candidature. Hakob Hakobian, a member of the
“People’s Deputy” group elected from Etchmiadzin, according to the
beforehand given promise, proposed Galust Sahakian’s candidature
but the latter presented withdrawal. The only candidate proposed
for the NA Speaker’s post, presented briefly to the Parliament his
approaches concerning the future activity of the Parliament, not
considering purposeful to present his own biography and the working
activity implemented up to that moment. He only mentioned that he
has worked at the Parliament during the recent 7 years and occupied
the Parliament’s Deputy Speaker’s post which has always considered
honourable and obliging for him. According to him, undertaking the NA
Speaker’s post for a short time, he attaches importance to solution
of 3 problems. Those are: full involvement of the constitutional
amendments in the legislation, holding and preparation of coming
elections in correspondence with all the international standards and
creation of a necessary political atmosphere both in Parliament and
out of Parliament. According to T.Torosian, in the case of working
together, it will be possible to create all the necessry bases for
solution of the above-mentioned problems. He also stated that he
had worked jointly with former NA Speaker, Chairman of the “Orinats
Yerkir” (Country of Law) party Artur Baghdasarian for 3 years “in a
peaceful and very effective way,” and he himself would not like at
all that “anybody makes an attempt to interprete presenting of those
questionings as a contrast to that work,” that had been implemented
during the last 3 years.
From: Baghdasarian

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN WELCOMES DELEGATION OF FLETCHER SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND DIPLOMACY OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Raffi K. Hovannisian,
Armenia’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs, received Dean Stephen
Bosworth and Professor Alan Henrikson of the Fletcher School of Law
and Diplomacy at the headquarters of the Armenian Center for National
and International Study (ACNIS) today. They were accompanied by
Mrs. Christine Bosworth, Tufts University trustee Joyce Barsam, and
president Aso Tavitian of the Tavitian Foundation. As Noyan Tapan was
informed by the ACNIS, Raffi Hovannisian greeted his distinguished
guests, warmly recalling his acquaintance with Dean Bosworth and
his study under Professor Henrikson, who taught American Diplomatic
History to Hovannisian a quarter of a century ago. Hovannisian
offered a tour d’horizon of Armenia’s foreign and public policy, its
regional challenges and international prospects. Raffi Hovannisian
graduated from the Fletcher School, located in Medford, Massachusetts,
with a M.A.L.D. degree in 1982, specializing in International Law
and Diplomacy, the Foreign Policies of Communist Countries, and
Civilization and World Affairs. Founded in 1994 by Raffi Hovannisian
and supported by a global network of contributors, the Armenian
Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) serves as a
link between innovative scholarship and the public policy challenges
facing Armenia and the Armenian people in the post-Soviet world. It
also aspires to be a catalyst for creative, strategic thinking and
a wider understanding of the new global environment. In 2006, the
Center focuses primarily on civic education, conflict resolution,
and applied research on critical domestic and foreign policy issues
for the state and the nation.

TIGRAN TOROSIAN ELECTED NA SPEAKER
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. By the results of
the June 1 secret ballot, Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of
Armenia Tigran Torosian who held the post of RA NA Vice-Speaker was
elected RA NA Speaker.
According to the protocol of the ad hoc calculating commission,
97 of 131 RA MPs took part in the voting. 94 MPs voted for Tigran
Torosian and 1 against. Two ballot-papers were recognized invalid. In
accordance with the decisions made earlier, the members of the
Ardarutiun (Justice) and National Unity factions did not take part in
the voting. Tigran Torosian was born on April 14 1956 in Yerevan. In
1978 he graduated from Yerevan Polytechnical Institute. He is an
engineer of electronic technics a candidate of technical sciences. He
is the author of more than 10 inventions and more than 30 scientific
works. In 1978-95 he worked at Yerevan Scientific-Research Institute
of Mathematic Machines.
In 1996-98 he was RA CEC member, in 1997-98 the editor-in-chief of
the Hanrapetakan newspaper. He has been a deputy of the parliament
of the previous two convocations. He has been NA Vice-Speaker of the
parliament of second convocation from 1999 November 2 and of third
convocation from 2003 June 12.
T.Torosian is also the head of the PACE Armenian delegation. Besides,
he has headed the ad hoc commissions on constitutional amendments
and on Armenia’s integration to European structures. He is married,
has two children. On June 2, RA NA will pass to the election of
chairmen of NA Standing Committee on Defence, National Security and
Internal Affairs, as well as Standing Committee on Social, Healthcare
and Nature Protection Issues. It is expected that the candidature
of non-partisan Aramayis Grigorian not included in any faction or
group will be nominated by the ARF Dashnaktsutiun faction for the
first post and the candidature of ULP faction member, Vice-Chairman
of the same committee Mnatsakan Petrosian for the second post.

SUREN HAROUTIUNIAN TO BE REPLACED BY OLEG YESAYAN ON POST OF RA AMBASSADOR TO BELARUS AND RA RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE IN CIS BODIES
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Under RA President
Robert Kocharian’s June 1 decrees, Suren Haroutiunian was relieved
of the post of RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the
Republic of Belarus, as well as RA Resident Authorized Representative
in CIS regulations and other bodies. As Noyan Tapan was informed
from President’s Press Service, Oleg Yesayan (residence Minsk) was
appointed to these posts.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH PRESIDENT AND FOREIGN MINISTER OF KAZAKHSTAN IN ASTANA
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
ASTANA, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian is on a two-day official visit to the Republic of
Kazakhstan on June 1-2. During a meeting with the Foreign Minister
of Kazakhstan Kasimzhomart Tokayev on June 1, the sides discussed
a number of issues of bilateral and international importance. The
meeting participants stated their satisfaction at the current
level of political relations between the two countries. They
expressed mutual interest in further extension of economic
cooperation, which is promoted by activities of the Armenian-Kazakh
intergovernmental economic commission, as well as by the legal field
formed and the absence of political disagreements between Armenia
and Kazakhstan. Minister Oskanian attached importance to meetings
of Armenian and Kazakh businessmen and to cultural events in both
coutries in terms of activization of bilateral trade and economic
links and offering the two peoples an opportunity to know each other
better. The ministers pointed out the importance of mutually beneficial
cooperation within the framework of the CIS, Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) and Eurasian Economic Cooperation, as well
as various international organizations. The meeting participants
paid special attention to energy and transport problems. In this
connection Minister Tokayev presented Kazakhstan’s position on the
issue of the country’s involvement in a number of regional programs,
particularly in Caspian regional projects. Taking into account the
fact that Kazakhstan intends to hold the OSCE Chairmanship in 2009,
V. Oskanian presented to the Kazakh foreign minister the recent
developments of Karabakh conflict’s peaceful settlement. At the
conclusion of the meeting, Minister Oskanian invited his Kazakh
counterpart to pay a visit to Armenia at a time suitable for him. On
the same day, the Armenian foreign minister had a meeting with the
President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and made a speech before
students of the Institute of Diplomacy. According to the RA MFA Press
and Information Department, Minister Oskanian will meet with members
of the Armenian community in Almaty on June 2, after which he will
return to Armenia.

ARMENIAN THEMES NOT COMPULSORY FOR TAKING PART IN GOLDEN APRICOT FESTIVAL’S “ARMENIAN PANORAMA” CONTEST PROGRAM
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Like the previous
years, works by Armenian film directors living in different countries
will compete in the Golden Apricot (Voske Tsiran) Yerevan Third
International Film Festival’s “Armenian Panorama” contest program. As
cinema critic Mikael Stamboltsian, Director of festival programs,
mentioned in his interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent, though
the compulsory condition for taking part in the program is being
Armenian, they are free in the issue of choosing themes. “In the
creative respect the subject’s being Armenian becomes senseless as
for the spectator the most important is the film’s quality and not
the director’s origin or the circumstance of his being an Armenian,”
M.Stamboltsian emphasized. The Director of festival programs did not
give any comment or estimation on the selected films. He just said
that in the creative respect the films do not essentially differ from
the works presented in the previous years: “There are succeeded and
interesting films, there is also the opposite. Everything will be
cleared up after the festival.” M.Stamboltsian said that 25 films,
from Canada, USA, France, Holland, Russia, Serbia and Armenia will
compete in the three nominations of this program. One film, “Wedding
Box,” is a joint Russian-Kyrghyzian-German-French production. Its
scenario was written by Yekaterina Trdatova from Moscow.

YOUTH UNION OF ARARAT DIOCESE TO DISCUSS STATE OF MONUMENTS IN ARMENIA AND BEYOND ITS BOUNDARIES
Noyan Tapan
Jun 1 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN. On June 2, the members of the Youth Union
of the Ararat Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church will discuss
the subject “State of the Armenian Historic Monuments in RA and Beyond
Its Boundaries.” As Noyan Tapan was informed from the Diocese’s Press
Service, the guests of the event will be archimandrite Hovakim Manukian
and employee of the Institute of Political Studies under RA President’s
Administration, candidate of historical sciences Hayk Demoyan.

FAMOUS SPANISH DIRECTOR PEDRO ALMODOVAR’S “RETURN” FILM INVOLVED IN COMPETITION PROGRAM OF “GOLDEN APRICOT” FESTIVAL AS WELL
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. 11 full-length films
created in 2004-2006, among them films of such famous directors as
Pedro Almodovar from Spain, Hou Hsiao-Hsien from Taiwan, Robert
Gudiguian from France, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad from Iran, Krzsystof
Zanussi from Poland, Aleksei German Junior from Russia and others
are, are involved in the competition of the feature films of the
“Golden Apricot” (Voske Tsiran) Yerevan International Third Film
Festival. As Mikayel Stamboltsian, the Director of the festival
programs informed at the May 31 press conference, most part of the
chosen films already got prizes at the best festivals of the world,
including Spanish famous director Pedro Almodovar’s “Return” film
which was recently awarded at the Cannes festival two prizes: the
best director’s work and the best woman performance.
M.Stamboltsian also mentioned that Pedro Almodovar is also invited
to the festival and in most probability, will arrive in Yerevan. The
Director of the festival programs informed that the competition program
of documentary films is still being formed, as there are so many and
various presented films that the selecting commission was not able
to watch them within the fixed term.
M.Stamboltsian mentioned that the number of applications of the “Golden
Apricot” Yerevan International Film Festival has considerably added
this year what proves the festival’s getting wider recognition in the
world. Creators of 58 countries presented 280 films 92 of which were
selected for competition and extra-competition programs.