MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

20-04-2006

Delegation of EU Troika Visits Armenia

On April 20, Minister Oskanian received a delegation of the EU Troika, in
Yerevan on the first leg of a regional visit. Hans Winkler, Austria’s State
Secretary for Foreign Affairs, led the delegation.

The delegation included the ambassadors of the Republics of Austria and
Finland to Armenia, the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, as
well as representatives of the European Commission and the Council of the
European Union.

After stressing that the Republic of Armenia shares the European Union’s
values, the State Secretary noted that the EU attaches great importance to
the progress already achieved, and to democratic developments in the
Caucasus region generally.

Further, the interlocutors discussed issues related to the European
Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan negotiations with Armenia.

They also exchanged views on regional and energy issues, as well as issues
having to do with democratic development. Special emphasis was placed on the
need for holding free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections.

Minister Oskanian and the members of the delegation discussed the present
state of Armenia-Turkey relations, as well as the prospects for these
relations in the context of Turkey’s EU accession talks. They also exchanged
views on the present phase and the prospects for the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement process.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

19-04-2006

Minister Oskanian Receives Grigory Karasin Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the Russian Federation

On April 18, Minister Oskanian received Deputy Minister Karasin,
who was in Armenia on a regional visit.

During the meeting, the two discussed the dynamically developing
relations between the two countries, as well as a number of
international and regional issues of mutual interest and great urgency.

They focused on developments in the South Caucasus, and specifically
the prospects for searching for ways of settling the conflicts in
the region. They also touched the possibility of reactivating the
transport network stressing in this context the importance of a
peaceful and negotiated decision.

Minister Oskanian and Deputy Minister Karasin also discussed issues
having to do with the situation in Iran, as well as Armenia-Turkey
relations.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

19-04-2006

Minister Oskanian Receives a Delegation of Armenia-EU Parliamentary
Cooperation Committee

A delegation of members of the European Parliament arrived in
Yerevan to participate in the Armenia-EU Parliamentary Cooperation
Committee. Minister Oskanian received the group, led by its co-chair,
French parliamentarian Marie-Ann Isler-Beguin.

During the meeting, the parliamentarians and the Minister discussed
the ongoing cooperation between the European Union and the South
Caucasus countries. They noted that there is increased EU interest
toward the region. The Minister expressed appreciation at the role
of the European Parliament in the engagement of the three countries
in the European Neighbourhood Policy.

At their request, Foreign Minister Oskanian presented the
parliamentarians with the latest developments in the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement process, and Armenia’s approaches to energy
security and regional cooperation issues.

PRESS RELEASE
The National Citizens’ Initiative
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 27.16.00, 27.00.03
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected]
Website:

April 20, 2006

NCI Targets Corruption in Armenia

Yerevan–The National Citizens’ Initiative (NCI) today convened a
roundtable on “Corrupt Society: Who is to Blame?” The meeting brought
together social and political activists, human rights advocates,
analysts, experts, and media representatives. Members of world donor
organizations were likewise invited to the event.

NCI coordinator Hovsep Khurshudian welcomed the audience with opening
remarks. “One of the key problems facing the Armenian society is
corruption by the ruling authorities and this vice has also spread
onto a large segment of the body politic like a virus. The mentality
of and the mode of operation by many has become fraudulent, and
based upon petty self interests, the deception, the swindling, and
the abuse of official and social status have grown to be ordinary
and even acceptable occurrences,” he said. In Khurshudian’s words,
the first ones to fight against this phenomenon that aims at damaging
different social strata must be the media, the NGOs, the political
parties, and the international donor associations in particular by
whose subsidies the civil society is established to a great extent.

According to Khurshudian, at times the financing by these
associations is itself turning into grounds for corruption and this
is impermissible.

In his intervention, the first speaker, chairman Karen Hakobian of
the “Huis” NGO briefly presented the history behind and the cases of
corruption inside the “Professionals for Civil Society” NGO. He stated
that they had even appealed to the court in order to tackle this evil,
but it had become clear that the court’s ruling was already made prior
to hearing the case. In Hakobian’s words, this is not a single instance
and has become prevalent and widely accepted. All this, according
to Hakobian, brings about the incorrect handling of grants. He also
pointed out that since the Machiavellian precept of “the end justifies
the means” is still widespread and the constitutional amendments are
passed by way of falsifications in Armenia, these allotments cannot
serve their true purpose: the better protection of human rights and
societal interests.

During his talk concerning “Legalized Arbitrariness at the National
Academy of Sciences,” the next speaker, Academician Anri Nersisian
charged the Academy’s former president Fadey Sargsian of violating
numerous rules and regulations, unlawfully privatizing the property
belonging to the Academy and ineffectively managing the state funding
being made to the Academy. In Nersisian’s firm belief, this comes to
prove that Sargsian had acted in marginal self gain and usurped to
a large extent.

In her intervention on “Art and the ‘Distribution’ of Funding,” art
expert Susanna Giulamirian talked about the story of an unsuccessful
attempt at providing a grant. As the tale goes, since individual
petitions are not accepted for unknown set of rules, Giulamirian had
to appeal to a local social association in order to petition the “Open
Society Armenia” NGO for sponsoring a project called “European-style
Remodeling in the Post-Soviet Space.” And by winning the grant, she
started the project which also included the holding of an exhibition of
the works by arts and craftsmen of the region. However, the chairman
of the “Actual Art” local social association, through which the
funding project was introduced to the “Open Society Armenia” NGO,
demanded ten percent of the financial support.

Giulamirian naturally refused. Then “Actual Art’s” chairman started to
threaten the latter as a result of which Giulamirian made an appeal to
“Open Society Armenia” so as to change her partnering association. But
she was denied on the grounds that her evidence concerning the local
NGO’s dishonest conduct was impossible to confirm. Subsequently,
Susanna Giulamirian was com pelled to discontinue the grant.

The remainder of the session was devoted to exchanges of views and
policy recommendations among the public figures and policy specialists
in attendance. Also noteworthy were interventions by Armenia’s first
Ombudswoman Larisa Alaverdian; Valery Brusov Yerevan State Linguistic
University professor Hrach Tatevian; legal attorney Zaruhi Postanjian;
research director of the Armenian Center for National and International
Studies Stiopa Safarian; chairman of Armenian Helsinki Association
Mikael Danielian; Ruzan Khachaturian from the People’s Party of
Armenia; Tamar Gevorgian of the United Labor Party; Gevorg Kalenchian
from the Heritage Party; Vazgen Karapetian of the Catholic Relief
Services; Gohar Armenakian from the Soldier’s Protection Committee;
chairwoman Artemis Lepejian of the “St. Sandukht” NGO; Vakhtang
Siradeghian from the Transparency International Organization; members
of other social organizations; men and women of arts and crafts;
and many others.

The National Citizens’ Initiative is a public non-profit association
founded in December 2001 by Raffi K. Hovannisian, his colleagues,
and fellow citizens with the purpose of realizing the rule of law
and overall improvements in the state of the state, society, and
public institutions.

The National Citizens’ Initiative is guided by a Coordinating
Council, which includes individual citizens and representatives of
various public, scientific, and educational establishments. Five
commissions on Law and State Administration, Socioeconomic Issues,
Foreign Policy, Spiritual and Cultural Challenges, and the Youth
constitute the vehicles for the Initiative’s work and outreach.

For further information, please call (37410) 27-16-00 or 27-00-03;
fax (37410) 52-48-46; email [email protected]; or visit

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 10) 517 163
Fax: (374 10) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website:
April 18, 2006

Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ
in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

“We must take up the cross and follow the Lord, accomplish the good even
when confronted with obstacles, worship the One Who was crucified even to
the point of our own crucifixion, to see the stone of disbelief rolled away
from the grotto of faith and spirituality.” – Karekin II

On Sunday, April 16, the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord
Jesus Christ was celebrated by the worldwide Armenian Church. His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, celebrated
the Pontifical Divine Liturgy in the Mother Cathedral of the Armenian people
– Holy Etchmiadzin.

Early in the morning, a religious parade was held in the city of
Vagharshapat with the blessings of His Holiness. More than one thousand
young men and women began walking from the Monastery of St. Hripsime to Holy
Etchmiadzin, led by drums and trumpets and under the singing of church
hymns. They arrived in the Mother See just in time to greet the Pontifical
procession of His Holiness as it began from the Residence of the Catholicos
toward the Mother Cathedral to celebrate the Easter Divine Liturgy.

Surrounded by thousands of faithful Armenians from Armenia and the Diaspora,
the convergence of the two processions as the Liturgy commenced infused
great spiritual joy and happiness into the atmosphere of the Mother See and
the emotions of the people. Assisting His Holiness as he celebrated the
Liturgy were His Grace Bishop Vicken Aikazian, Diocesan Legate of the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern); and His Grace Bishop
Vazgen Mirzakhanian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia.

The Mother Cathedral was filled to capacity, and the overflowing crowd in
the courtyard of the Mother See heard the message of the Pontiff, as he
declared: “Christ is Risen from the dead! Blessed is the Resurrection of
Christ.”

The theme for His Holiness’ sermon was from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans,
“So that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we
too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). In his message to the
Armenian faithful in Armenia and the Dispersion, His Holiness stated in
part, “Two millennia after these events in the history of mankind, the
Glorious Resurrection of Christ grants the same consolation and happiness to
the living, through which we have the grace to pass from death to life, from
darkness to light. Today as well, the words of the Apostle are very timely
for nations and peoples, ‘As Christ was resurrected from the dead by the
glory of the Father, the same way we shall walk with a new life’. The world
as yet cannot completely realize this message – to walk with a new life in
paths of peace, reconciliation, love and brotherhood. Today also, many
greet the feast of the Resurrection in tumult and unease, in difficulties
and worries, and in the dangers of war. The world is tempest-tossed akin to
a biblical episode, but men are not eager to call upon the Lord, as did the
Apostles who pleaded with their Teacher to calm the storm. Resonating once
again today is the greeting of the Resurrected Savior: ‘Peace be with you’
(John 20:19), Who revealed his wounds and pierced side in order to bring the
world to faith, while the world shows its wounds to protest against God and
to depart from God.

“.In contrast to the fundamental problems facing mankind, the feast of
Resurrection is the grace-filled source of new inspiration, strengthening of
faith, and in the words of the Apostle, ‘to walk in a new life’. It
reinforces us to withstand difficult situations, and to establish peace,
hope and love in the lives of men. Throughout history, as in our time,
financial means and resources, mere secular understandings and
methodologies, have simply not been enough to face challenges, stop
socio-political confrontations, or triumph over the calamities of war. To
have a peaceful, just and philanthropic world, it is necessary to arm
ourselves today with spiritual armaments rather than deadly weapons. We
must take up the cross and follow the Lord, accomplish the good even when
confronted with obstacles, worship the One Who was crucified even to the
point of our own crucifixion, to see the stone of disbelief rolled away from
the grotto of faith and spirituality.

“.We too were called to see the dawning of the Resurrection of Christ.
Hope, joy and the strength of our faith in the Savior gave life to the
aspirations of our people and our culture, and guided the course of our
history. Passing through genocidal paths, our people always believed in
their new resurrected life with Christ, in their own rebirth. The
reestablishment of our statehood and the freedom of our people are realities
today in Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. On the edges of our homeland and in
the Diaspora, all our people live with new hopes, aspirations and faith,
which for centuries has been unceasingly and without shadows dispersed from
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin – from the ‘altars of light’ of our
churches. May our faith and hope in Christ continue to flow through the
arteries of our heart, transforming into the power to build the vigorous and
prosperous country dreamed of by our fathers, to keep our
national-ecclesiastical life vibrant, to ignite the lights of the future, as
well as to support and help all on the paths of realizing desires for peace,
liberty and justice.” – stated His Holiness.

>>From the See of the Apostles Saint Thaddeus and Saint Bartholomew, and the
Throne of the Illuminator, His Holiness addressed his Easter greetings,
blessings, congratulations and brotherly love to the Incumbents of the
Hierarchal Sees of the Armenian Church, the entire ranks of clergy, state
officials of the Armenians, and all faithful throughout the world.

Present during the Divine Liturgy were President of the Republic of Armenia
Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister Andranik Margarian, President of the
Constitutional Court Gagik Haroutiunian, Ministers of the Government of the
Republic of Armenia and Members of the National Assembly (Parliament),
Ambassadors and the diplomatic corps of foreign governments, representatives
of sister Christian Churches, members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, and
thousands of faithful.

The entire Divine Liturgy was broadcast live via satellite to all Armenian
communities throughout Armenia and the world, including the Middle East,
Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, an official reception was hosted in the
Pontifical Residence for the dignitaries and guests in attendance. His
Holiness welcomed and congratulated the guests on the occasion of the
Glorious Resurrection of Christ and once more conveyed to them the great
tiding of: “Christ is Risen from the dead! Blessed is the Resurrection of
Christ.”

Later in the afternoon, hundreds of children from the Armenian Church Youth
Centers converged on Holy Etchmiadzin and were received by His Holiness in
front of the Pontifical Residence. They came from throughout Armenia to
congratulate the Pontiff of All Armenians on the occasion of Easter. His
Holiness welcomed and blessed them, extending his fatherly love and best
wishes to the young boys and girls, their parents and teachers.

##

04.17.2006 Monday – ISTANBUL 16:58

‘Kurds are Falling into the Same Trap Armenians Fell into’
By Osman Asilturk, Istanbul
Published: Monday, April 17, 2006
zaman.com

[dink_b.jpg] The Agos daily’s Editor in Chief, Hrant Dink, said some
Kurds are now being deceived by the same Western trick that Armenians
fell into in the past. Armenians made the mistake in the past of
believing the British, German, French, and Russians, claimed Dink,
who asked the Kurds not to believe the promises made by the US to set
up a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq. A conference on Malatya, an
eastern Turkish province, was held with the participation of famous
people from the city as part of the Malatya Businessmen Association’s
(MIAD) 3rd Intellectual Platform meeting. Dink, noting that he is
from Malatya, maintained that the Armenians fell into a trap when
they tried to get rid of the Ottoman State in the 1915s. “The
British, French, Russians and Germans are repeating the same game
they played on this territory in the past. The Armenian people
believed in them in the past. They thought they would be rescued them
from Ottoman persecution. However, they were deceived because the
superpowers made their own calculations, they encouraged brothers to
kill each other on this territory and then left,” Dink said. The
Editor in Chief claimed that Kurds are now being deceived using the
same trick, and defended that America uses Kurds on the pretext of
establishing a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq. “The US came in order
to set up a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq” the Armenian origin
journalist said, “and we are reminded of the games of the past
that are being played out again today”. “Political calculations
and party differences must be put aside. This is the US. It will
come, deal with its own initiatives and leave as soon as its job is
over. In the aftermath, those left behind will fight against each
other,” Dink said.

Is this Diyarbakir?
By MEHMET KAMIS

04.17.2006 Monday – ISTANBUL 17:04

Bedri Mermutlu has made interesting findings about cities in the
preface to the book titled, “Seyahatnamelerde Diyarbekir”
(Diyarbakir in Travel Books). These findings are about Diyarbakir in
particular. Contemporary Diyarbakir is a lost city as if it has been
shaken and destroyed by the trauma of modernity. It is impossible to
understand this city just by looking at it from its present state. He
drew a perfect picture of Diyarbakir in the past describing the
vineyards that, 40 years ago, used to exist around the city. The
people who lived in that period could never have imagined the
vandalism that has turned these wonderful vineyards into a modern
ugly Baglar district of the city. The modern people living in Baglar
district today can never imagine that there were wonderful vineyards
in Baglar district 40 years ago, if someone does not tell them about
that. Diyarbakir is a unique city which existed in its own authentic
world, but unfortunately, its silhouette becomes indistinct day by
day. There was a neatly dressed, conversational Diyarbakir gentleman,
whose attitude we used to watch in admiration and his dignity in
trying to know what time it was by looking at the chain watch he
carried in the pocket of his waistcoat. If the things we are saying
about Diyarbakir today are not about its culture, accumulation or the
things it wants to tell modernity, then what are they about? Burned
tires, stone throwing children, red-yellow-green flags and highly
politicized people… A cosmopolitan city of civilization, where
Turks, Armenians, Kurds, Syrians, Keldanis, Jews and even Greeks
could live altogether in the beginning of the 20th century,
Diyarbakir has now turned into a weird city which cannot tolerate the
existence of anything different from itself. Southeastern Anatolia is
between the paws of terrorism and conflict again. Ethnic terror in
the region, which was almost ceased after [terrorist leader] Abdullah
Ocalan was captured in 1999, has been on the rise since 2004. It
seems reforms implemented in the European Union (EU) process and
politicians taking initiatives for the betterment of the region did
not please the PKK. The recent positive developments in the region
falsify the views of the PKK that the people there are poor and are
cruelly treated. This situation, of course, undermines the views of
the PKK. In order for the PKK to maintain its power, the conditions
that keep it alive should remain in the region. For this reason, the
rights of the people in the region must be taken away from them. The
PKK wants the villages to be evacuated, people’s native languages
to be banned, the state of emergency to continue and all the people
in the region to be treated as “terrorists.” Kurdish
intellectual Umit Firat said in his remarks published in Radikal
daily: “The PKK cannot exist in an EU member country. Trying to
solve the Kurdish problem like the problems solved in the EU is
something that the “hawks” on both sides do not want.”
The old Diyarbakir ought to rid itself of politicization in a bid to
help the old orient emerge. That profound mysticism can only surface
in this way. Thousands of years of accumulation of knowledge can
direct the modern world in many directions. What great stories are
there about Ahlat, Ercis, Mardin, Hasankeyf, Mem u Zin and
Ishakpasha. The re-emergence of those stories necessitates an end to
over-politicization and chauvinistic nationalism. This end must come
regardless of the warlords. Then it will be understood that we have
many things to offer to the whole world. These wise lands will have a
better chance to express the accumulation of experience over the
human spirit and the lifelong spiritual journey. The excellent and
awe-inspiring sunrise over the Suphan Mountain and centuries of
friendship in Adilcevaz will all be open to observation. The whole
region is covered in the dust of the ashes left over from the fire
caused by terrorism here. Once cleared, we will, perhaps, discover
that Diyarbakir gentleman, who is serious, conversational and wearing
a chain watch… April 15, 2006

Zentralrat der Armenier in Deutschland

Armenische Gemeinde zu Berlin e.V.

PRESSEMITTEILUNG

Gedenkveranstaltung fur die
Opfer des Genozids an den Armeniern
24. April 2006, 19.00 Uhr in der
Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
Markgrafenstraße 38

(Am Gendarmenmarkt)

10117 Berlin (Mitte)

Am 24. April 2006 findet in der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der
Wissenschaften um 19.00 Uhr die zentrale Gedenkfeier fur die Opfer
des Genozids an den Armeniern statt. Geladen sind Vertreter aus
Politik, Kultur und Wissenschaft.

Die Gedenkreden werden gehalten von Herrn Dr. Christoph Bergner MdB,
Parlamentarischer Staatssekretar beim Bundesminister des Innern, und
von dem Historiker Prof Dr. Norbert Frei (Universitat Jena). Sprechen
wird außerdem Frau Karine Kazinian, Botschafterin der Republik
Armenien. Die Gedenkfeier wird von dem Saxophonisten Koryun Asatryan,
der Pianistin Nare Karoyan sowie den Schauspielern Geno Lechner und
Werner Rehm kunstlerisch begleitet.

Weitere Gedenkfeiern in Frankfurt und Koln

Die Armenische Gemeinde in Hessen veranstaltet am 23. April um 15.00
Uhr eine Gedenkfeier in der Begegnungsstatte Weingarten, Am
Weingarten 18-20, 60487 Frankfurt am Main. Die Gedenkrede wird dort
gehalten von Frau Kristin Platt (Institut fur Diaspora- und
Genozidforschung an der Ruhr-Universitat Bochum). Zudem wird Dr.

Schawarsch Owassapian, Vorsitzender des Zentralrats der Armenier in
Deutschland, sprechen.

Die Armenische Gemeinde zu Koln gedenkt am 24. April 2006 um 20.00
Uhr in der Armenischen Kirche (Allensteiner Straße 5, 50735
Koln-Niehl) der Opfer des Genozids. Die Gedenkreden halten der
Schriftsteller und Publizist Dr. h.c. Ralph Giordano und die
Bundestagsabgeordnete Frau Ursula Heinen.

EIN TAG DES GEDENKENS, EIN TAG DER HERAUSFORDERUNGEN

Wenn in diesem Jahr am 24. April des Genozids an den Armeniern und an
den aramaischen Christen in der osmanischen Turkei gedacht wird, so
steht dieser Gedenktag immer noch unter den Herausforderungen von
Leugnung und Vergessen.

So ist auch heute jede armenische Gemeinschaft, in der weltweit der
Opfer des Genozids gedacht wird, damit konfrontiert, die armenische
Erfahrung erklaren zu mussen. Was jedoch noch gravierender ist: sie
ist nach wie vor damit konfrontiert, in einer westlichen Kultur, die
Diskurse der Versohnung entwickelt hat, eine zunachst als
unversohnlich erscheinende Haltung einzunehmen und Nein zu sagen:
Nein, es kann keine Annaherung geben, solange die Leugnung
aufrechterhalten wird.

Denn die Leugnung bezieht sich nicht auf die Tat allein. Die Leugnung
bezieht sich auf das west-armenische Heimatland (Ostanatolien), auf
die althistorische, die mittelalterliche und die moderne armenische
Kultur. Die Leugnung bezieht sich auf die Erinnerungen und
Erfahrungen der Armenier. Die Leugnung bezieht sich auf die
armenische Gegenwart.

So ist bis heute ein Gedenken an die Opfer immer noch nicht moglich,
ohne daß es konfrontiert ist mit der aggressiven Geschichtspolitik
der Turkei, die von den turkischen Medien und Organisationen auch in
Europa und in der Bundesrepublik getragen und propagiert wird. “Es
ist beunruhigend”, so Dr. Schawarsch Owassapian, Vorsitzender des
Zentralrats der Armenier in Deutschland, “dass ein aggressiver
Nationalismus, der nach den Schrecken des Nationalsozialismus aus
Europa gebannt werden sollte, nun uber eine absichtsvoll
unverarbeitet gebliebene turkische Vergangenheit zuruckzukehren
droht. Die Realitat dieses neuen alten Nationalismus zeigt sich nicht
zuletzt an der Moglichkeit, Menschen uber eine Leugnung des Genozids
politisch zu mobilisieren, so wie wir es an den Reaktionen auf die
Resolution gesehen haben, die der Deutsche Bundestag im Sommer des
vergangenen Jahres zum Gedenken an die Opfer des Genozids
verabschiedet hat”.

So fordern wir heute die turkischen Organisationen in Deutschland und
die deutschen Parlamentarier mit turkischem Migrationshintergrund
dazu auf, mit einer kritischen Haltung zur politisch
institutionalisierten Leugnung ein Beispiel zu geben, damit der
turkischen Gemeinschaft in Deutschland nicht langer ein kritischer
und reflektierter Umgang mit der eigenen Geschichte verwehrt bleibt.

Der 24. April, an dem der Opfer des Genozids an den Armeniern gedacht
wird, an dem der radikale Verlust einer Kultur und Geschichte
betrauert wird, hat bis heute keinen adaquaten Platz in den
Geschichtsbuchern Europas erhalten. “Der Nationalismus und Rassismus,
die moderne und systematische Gewalt, die die Ermordung der Armenier
begleiteten, sind heute nahezu vergessen”, so Vartkes Alyanak von der
Armenischen Gemeinde zu Berlin. “Die Strukturen der Tat sind ebenso
geleugnet, wie die Opfer, ja, wie die armenische Gegenwart in der
Geschichte und Gegenwart insgesamt.”

So stellt der 24. April nicht nur die Frage nach der Anerkennung der
armenischen Geschichte, sondern immer aufs Neue auch eine Frage nach
der Zukunft der armenischen Gemeinschaft.

Herzlich laden wir die Presse zu unseren Gedenkveranstaltungen ein.

Kontakt:

Vartkes Alyanak

Tel.: 030 / 3049292, Mail: [email protected]

–Boundary_(ID_aqhsZhXBJfXhaw7 8PO0qhw)–

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
ANDREW GOLDBERG, FILMMAKER OF
‘THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’
SPEAKS AT AGBU MONTREAL
IN THE 7th ANNUAL DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES

Montreal, April 17, 2006 – On Saturday, April 29th, AGBU Montreal will hold
its 7th annual Distinguished Speaker series event on genocide. The guest of
the event is the Emmy award winning documentary filmmaker Andrew Goldberg,
whose recent film ‘The Armenian Genocide’ was broadcast on the PBS network,
and on TVOntario.

The film will be screened in its Montreal premiere at the AGBU. After the
screening, the filmmaker will address the audience about his experience of
the making of this film. There will also be a brief Q&A period.

“The Armenian Genocide is a unique film”, said Viken L. Attarian, chairman
of AGBU, “not only because it documents one of the darkest moments in human
history, but also because it brings together a group of courageous Turkish
historians who critically address the history of the perpetrator of this
crime, the Ottoman Turkish government. That is one of the main reasons that
this film came under savage attack by the denialist propaganda machinery of
the Turkish government and its agents.”

“This film also presents, for the first time, rare footage with Raphael
Lemkin, the Polish jurist who defined the term genocide”, said Line
Abrahamian, member of the AGBU genocide commemoration committee, “Lemkin
clearly and specifically states how he was inspired by horrific genocides of
Jews and Armenians, and wanted to bring these crimes to the attention of the
world”.

This 7th annual Distinguished Speaker event will be held on April the 29th,
2006 at 7:00 p.m. at 805 Manoogian Street, Ville St. Laurent, in the Jirair
and Elise Dervishian hall of the AGBU center. Admission is free.

For press and media interviews with Mr. Andrew Goldberg, or for further
information, please contact the AGBU at 514-748-2428 or
[email protected]. Information about the AGBU Montreal and its events
can be seen on our website

___________________________ _______________________________________
Mr. Viken L.Attarian
Chairman
AGBU Montreal Chapter
Armenian General Benevolent Union Inc.

805, Manoogian street
Ville St-Laurent,PQ H4N 1Z5
Tel: 514-748-2428
Fax: 514-748-6307
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

UCLA Armenian Graduate Students Association
Graduate Students Association
c/o Armenian Graduate Students Association
Kerckhoff Hall Room 316
308 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Contact: Talar Chahinian
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

Fourth Annual, International Graduate Student Colloquium in Armenian Studies
at UCLA This March

The UCLA Armenian Graduate Students Association held the fourth annual,
international Graduate Student Colloquium in Armenian Studies at UCLA on
Friday, March 3, 2006. This day-long event brought together graduate
students from around the world to present their research and share ideas in
an academic setting. It was an opportunity to bring to light many issues in
Armenian studies to an audience of undergraduate and graduate students and
faculty from numerous institutions in Southern California, Armenian
scholars, and community members interested in the broad range of topics
being presented throughout the day.

This year the organizing committee continued the fine tradition that began
four years ago with the launching of the first-ever international colloquium
in Armenian Studies developed specifically for graduate students by graduate
students. UCLA, a premier institution for the growing field of Armenology
and a leader in interdisciplinary studies, hosted the event to foster the
development of Armenian Studies, facilitate interaction between graduate
students and faculty from various institutions, provide a medium for the
exchange of ideas, and contribute to the professional and academic
advancement of graduate students.

For those in attendance, the colloquium provided a unique opportunity to
learn more about Armenian studies and showcased future scholars and leaders
in these areas. It was also an occasion for young scholars interested in
Armenian issues to meet other scholars and to share ideas and common
interests. It was a great environment for the exchange of ideas and exposure
to new and different academic approaches.

In an effort to help mobilize an Armenian Studies community among students,
faculty and community members, the 2006 GSCiAS committee had planned a
series of events for the presenters to attend during the week preceding the
colloquium. These events included visits to Armenian Studies classes held
at UCLA, a visit to the Armenian collection at the research library at UCLA,
receptions where faculty and students could interact, and the opening for
the Genocide Posters Exhibit held at the Kerchkoff Hall, on campus. This
exhibit displayed both vintage and contemporary posters centered around the
theme of the Armenian Genocide and its denial. The opening night also
featured discussions with some of the LA-based artists of the posters. The
framing of the posters for the exhibit was made possible by the generous
help of ~SAn Art Studio~T.

Studies from multiple fields were presented, including literature, history,
art history, psychology and religious studies. Topics discussed ranged from
contemporary Armenian film and diasporan identity to the situation of the
Armenian Church in the 20th century and the issue of Ottoman marriage law as
it pertained to the Armenian millet. Presenters came from universities all
around the world, including UCLA, the Central European University (Hungary),
Haigazian University (Lebanon), the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel),
Oxford University (UK), and multiple institutes in the Republic of Armenia.

This year, the organizing committee was led by Myrna Douzjian, a graduate
student from the Department of Comparative Literature. She was joined by a
number of graduate student veterans from the 2005 GSCiAS as well as faculty
advisor, Dr. Peter Cowe. Graduate students from across many disciplines were
responsible for the individual aspects of developing the event. This ranged
from financing to program scheduling, facilities and refreshments to travel
and accommodations, as well as both academic and media public relations.

Armenian Studies at UCLA began in 1960. The discipline was augmented in 1962
with the appointment of Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian, current holder of the
Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History. In 1965,
language and literature was established on a permanent footing with the
arrival of Dr. Avedis K. Sanjian, who guided the expansion of this are over
the next three decades. The Narekatsi Chair, founded in 1969 through the
efforts of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, has
the distinction of being the oldest endowed chair at UCLA. The first
chair-holder was Dr. Sanjian and in July 2000 Dr. S. Peter Cowe was
appointed as successor. Since 1997 regular instruction in Eastern Armenian
has complemented teaching in Western Armenian, instructed by Drs. Anahid
Keshishian and Hagop Gulludjian, respectively. In 1998, Armenian Studies was
officially recognized as an undergraduate minor.

The Graduate Student Colloquium in Armenian Studies is yet another step in
the development of the rich tradition of Armenian Studies at UCLA. Organized
by graduate students, for graduate students, it provides an opportunity for
students to actively and significantly contribute to the academic
environment on campus.

The colloquium was made possible, in part, by the financial contributions of
the departments, programs, centers, and funds at UCLA including the
departments of Art History, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Slavic
Languages and Literatures, the program in Indo-European Studies, the centers
for European and Eurasian Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and
Near Eastern Studies, the Graduate Students Association, the Graduate
Division of the UCLA administration, and the Campus Programs Committee Fund.
Off-campus sponsors included the Society for Armenian Studies, the UCLA
Friends of Armenian Studies, the Ararat Eskijian Museum, the National
Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), and private donors.

———Attachment #1 of 1: Group photo of colloquium presenters

/030306gscias-presenters.jpg