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 RECEIVES THE COMMITTEE FOR THE
COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
His Holiness Aram I received the Central Committee for the
Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in Lebanon in his office in
Antelias on May 2.
The committee was formed on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide. It includes members from the three Armenian
religious sects, three parties and three charity unions. The committee
met His Holiness to thank him for his pontifical support and to listen
to his advice.
The Pontiff highly praised the committee for its unity in functioning
and commended the great public march it organized on the occasion of
the Armenian Genocide’s 91st anniversary.
“The Armenians of Lebanon established and valued themselves with the
highest will and self realization. They showed that the statements
delivered here and there both in internal and external circles about
the Armenians of Lebanon not representing the same situation today
as in the past, about the Armenians of Lebanon not being united,
etc, are not true. In fact, when more than fifty thousand Armenians
walked united on the highway from Antelias to Bourdj Hammoud, they
testified and others witnessed that the Armenians of Lebanon are
strong, organized and united now more than ever,” His Holiness said.
Speaking about the initiatives dedicated to the Armenian Genocide
in general, the Armenian Catholicos said: “I watched with pride as
the children of our nation, young or old, leaders or regular people,
intellectual or worker climbed to Dzidzernagapert as one nation to
express their respect and loyalty to our victims. I watched with pride
as the Armenians of Lebanon demanded their nation’s rights. I watched
with pride as the children of the same Armenian nation all around the
globe renewed their oath to remain loyal to the legacy of our nation’s
martyrs, practically pursuing the violated rights of their nation,”
On the Armenian efforts to pursue the nation’s rights, the
Catholicos advised that these works should be better organized and
systematic. “They should be organized and pursued with a collective
approach. Such initiatives that suit the circumstances of the current
world should be brought under the spotlight.”
His Holiness Aram I explained that these works should have three
directions: “the first, our nation: Collective memory should be
kept alive in the life of our nation and particularly our youth. The
families, churches, schools and clubs have an important role in this
respect. Second, the international community: We should always revert
to media technology to remind people that the Armenian cause remains
unsolved and to point out that the international community should take
appropriate action in this regard. Third, Turkey: It is also important
to always remind Turkey, with the effective methods of a civilized
world, that it can’t deny the truth. Turkey should acknowledge the
Genocide planned and executed by the Ottoman Turkish Empire.”
##
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.

UNIASTRUM BANK TO HAVE STAKE IN UNIBANK’S CAPITAL
Noyan Tapan
May 03 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Uniastrum Bank (Moscow) will apply soon
to the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) with a proposal to have its
stake in the capital of Unibank (Armenia). Unibank Council Chairman
Gagik Zakarian stated this at the May 3 press conference. In his
words, Uniastrum’s stake in Unibank will make about 10 mln USD,
after which the Armenian bank’s capital will increase to nearly 14
mln USD. G. Zakarian expressed a hope that the CBA and the Central
Bank of Russia will grant permission for transactions with Unibank
in the near future, and the deal will be concluded this year.

SUPER S J GROUP TO SELL JERMUK MINERAL WATER BY USING ITS OWN TRADE MARK
Noyan Tapan
May 03 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. At the May 3 sitting, the RA Commission on
Protection of Economic Competition decided that Super S J Group company
shall remove its production with packages, which so much resemble the
trademark of Jermuk Group company as to mislead the consumer, from
the market within 40 days. Besides, the commission considered the
sale of such production to be an instance of bad faith competition
and made a decision to impose a fine of 100 thousand drams (about
220 dollars) on Super S J Group. During the commission’s sitting,
Super S J Group’s representative assured that the company has already
created its trademark and will start selling its bottled mineral water
“Jermuk” by using this trademark in 40 days. The commission received
a letter from the RA Intellectual Property Agency, according to which
no trademark under the name of Super S J Group has been registered,
and the bottles of “Jermuk” sold by the company have a trademark that
resembles to the point of confusion the trademark that has belonged
to Jermuk Group with the right of ownership for 10 years.

40% OF TRANSFERS FROM NATURAL PERSONS ABROAD TO ARMENIA MADE BY UNISTREAM SYSTEM
Noyan Tapan
May 03 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The total amount of money transfers from
other countries to Armenia by the UNIstream system without opening a
bank account made 250 mln USD in 2005, or 40% of the money transfers
made by natural persons. Chairman of the Unibank’s board Vardan
Atayan stated this during the May 3 press conference. According to
him, this year it is envisaged to increase these transfers to 400 mln
USD. Transfers from 46 countries to Armenia are currently made by the
UNIstream system. The system, which was founded by the Uniastrum Bank
(Russia), covers about 80 countries with its 30 thousand service
offices, about 3 thousand of which operate in Russia. It was noted
that UNIstream’s services doubled in Armenia in 2005, amounting to
a total of 383 bln drams (about 851 mln USD).

HEAD OF RA PRESIDENT’S ADMINISTRATION RECOGNIZED “ENEMY OF PRESS”
Noyan Tapan
May 03 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the results of the
traditional survey of the members of RA National Press Club, by
the majority of votes, Head of RA President’s Administration Armen
Gevorgian was recognized the “enemy of press” for the period from May
3 2005 to May 3 2006. According to Narine Mkrtchian, Chairwoman of the
National Press Club board, the certificate of the “enemy of press”
will be sent to him “for fulfilling the role of the chief censor of
Armenian media”. None of the pretenders got a sufficient number of
votes in the nomination “friend of press”. To recap, the title of the
“enemy of press” was earlier received by RA President Robert Kocharian
(three times), RA MP Hranush Hakobian and the Armenian State System.

SEARCH OPERATION CONTINUES AT A-320 CRASH SITE
Regnum, Russia
May 4 2006
Near Sochi, where A-320 airbus crashed on May 3 making 113 people
dead, search operation has been carried out through the whole night
and has continued now. 12 vessels as well as several special boats
of the Russian Emergency Ministry are planned to operate in the area.
Vessels with deep-water equipment are just about to arrive to the
crash site, headquarters of the search operation inform.
As REGNUM earlier reported, 47 bodies were found, 17 of them
identified. The work is to continue today, on May 4. The airbus’s
flight recorders that could clarify details of the accident have not
been found yet. The Russian emergency ministry calls bad weather
conditions as main reason for the crash. The Russian Transport
Ministry and Armavia Company, to which the airbus belonged, think
the same. However, there is an assumption that was made public by
Governor of Krasnodar Territory Alexander Tkachyov saying that human
factor is to blame.
There are two commissions at once that investigate the accident. The
Russian one is headed by Transport Minister Igor Levitin. “Together
with us our colleagues from Armenia are working. Defense Minister Serzh
Sarkisyan has held together with us a joint session with operative
groups. We cannot speak on provisional results yet. Expert group has
started working. Communication of the Air Traffic controller with the
crew is to be decoded yet,” the Russian minister is quoted as saying
by RTR.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJANI ARMY OFFICER RAMIL SAFAROV’S FATHER APPEALS TO PUBLIC
Today, Azerbaijan
May 4 2006
Sahib Safarov, father of Ramil Safarov who is accused of murder of
Armenian officer Gurgen Markaryan in Hungary, appealed to public
requesting for removal of his son’s photos from public places and
transportation.
Father told in his statement that the reason why he appealed is that
his son’s photos on buses, subway trains and other public places
can be considered as influence on the Court of Appeals during his
upcoming trial.
“Of course, I understand that with these photos, people try to express
their support, love and sympathy for my son. So, I express my gratitude
to them, to all people and highly appreciate their support.
But I request them to avoid sticking my son’s photos in streets if
they want to help him. My son phoned me two days ago saying that
Armenians have become more active in Hungary after the trial. The
publicize news spread in Azerbaijani media, KLO chief Akif Nagi’s
statements on the issue, opinions that court decision has bad influence
on Azerbaijani-Hungarian relations. This information forms bad,
false impression about Azerbaijan in Hungary and can badly influence
decision of Court of Appeals. So, I appealed the public not to stick
my son’s photos on public places. Secondly, I ask them to understand
me properly, from good side of my words.”
Next trial on claim raised against Ramil Safarov by jailers will take
place in Pesht court today. Hungarian lawyer Klara Fiser defends Ramil,
APA reports.
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ARMENIANS STAGE PROTEST ACTION AGAINST REMOVAL OF RUSSIAN BASE FROM AKHALKALAK
Today, Azerbaijan
May 4 2006
Removal of Russian military bases from Akhalkalak dissatisfied
Armenians living in this territory.
As APA reports, military equipment in Base #62 has to be taken from
Akhalkalak to Russian Gumru Base #102 in Armenia.
Armenians stages protest action in connection with this event.
Because of the protest action, military unit management transported
the military equipment about 01.00 am at night however it was scheduled
for 07.00.
Protesters claimed that Turkish army will be stationed here after
Georgia become NATO member and this fact poses threat to them.
URL:

‘THE WOMEN ARE HOME CRYING, THE MEN WAITING’
By Mike Eckel, Adler
Irish Examiner, Ireland
May 4 2006
BOATS laden with dead bodies and twisted metal sailed into the
palm-fringed harbour of Sochi, Russia, yesterday, carrying the remains
of some of the 113 people who died when an Armenian airliner smashed
into the Black Sea.
The plane went down about 2.15am (11.15pm Irish time) in heavy rain
and poor visibility, as it was approached Adler airport in Adler,
about 12 miles south of Sochi, a city wedged between the sea and
soaring snow-capped mountains.
The cause of the crash was not immediately determined and divers were
attempting to retrieve the Airbus A-320’s recorders from the deep,
wave-chopped crash site about 3.5 miles offshore.
A spokeswoman for the Russian prosecutor general’s office, Nataliya
Vishnyakova, dismissed the possibility of terrorism and other officials
pointed to the rough weather or pilot error as the likely cause of
the crash
Rescue boats battled stiff winds and heavy seas to try to retrieve
bodies and fragments of the plane, which was leased by Armavia,
Armenia’s largest airline.
By late afternoon, 46 bodies had been brought into the port and taken
to the city’s two morgues for identification.
Outside one of the morgues, about 100 stood grimly, rushing forward
every time a truck carrying remains pulled up to the gates. “People
want to know anything just now, anything,” said 38-year-old Aryag
Ghagosian, who said a friend’s brother was on the flight that
originated in the Armenian capital Yerevan.
“The women are all home crying, the men are all standing here
waiting. Whatelse can we do?” said a 47-year-old man who gave his
name only as Misha,reflecting the wide distrust of authorities within
Sochi’s large Armenian community.
He said his brother, sister-in-law and nephew were aboard the crashed
plane, but he didn’t know if their bodies were among those recovered.
“They say they’re identifying the bodies, but we’re not learning
anything,” he complained.
At Yerevan’s Zvarnots Airport, from where the doomed plane took off,
other relatives were in agony.
“I’ve lost my sweetheart, my son!” 50-year-old Anait Bagusian wailed
as doctors hovered nearby because she had swooned several times.
Samvel Oganesian said his 23-year-old son Vram and his friend Hamlet
Abgarian had been heading to Sochi for vacation.
“Why did he go?” Oganesian asked in anguish, over and over again.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian President Robert
Kocharian declared Friday a day of mourning in both countries.
The airline said that 26 Russians, one Ukrainian and one Georgian
were among the passengers, while the rest were Armenian citizens. But
Interfax cited Armenian civil aviation spokesman Gayane Davtian as
saying no Georgians or Ukrainians were aboard.
Twenty-five boats, many carrying divers, were involved in the search,
while a deep-sea robot was to be used to try to recover the plane’s
recorders from waters up to 1.2 miles deep.
The plane broke up on impact and passengers’ personal belongings and
plane fragments were found scattered over a mile-wide area.
Emergency ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov said the plane disappeared
from radar screens while trying to make a repeat attempt at an
emergency landing. However, Interfax quoted the Russian air control
agency as saying that the plane’s crew had not declared any emergency.
Armavia deputy commercial deputy Andrei Agadzhanov said weather
conditions were “certainly” the cause of the crash.

NEGOTIATIONS ON EU-ARMENIA ACTION PLAN MAY BE FINALIZED UNDER SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 03 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The 3rd round of
negotiations on development of the EU-Armenian Action Plan under
the European Neighborhood Policy took place in Yerevan on May 3. The
Armenian delegation was headed by RA Deputy Foreign Minister Armen
Bayburtian. The EU was represented by the Eurocomission Director for
Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia Hugh Mingarelli. Prior
to negotiations, the European side expressed its deepest condolences
on the tragic accident of the Armenian plane. According to the RA
MFA Press and Information Department, the issues remaining from the
previous rounds were discussed during negotiations. Both sides assessed
positivley the negotiation results. The negotiations around the
EU-Armenia Action Plan may be finalized under a simplified procedure.