CZECHS SUPPORT TEACHING ABOUT HOLOCAUST
Prague Daily Monitor, Czech Republic
April 26 2006
Prague, April 25 (CTK) – The Czech Education Ministry supports
teaching about the Holocaust, although schools in the Czech Republic
are autonomous and it is impossible to dictate to them how to teach
about genocide, Education Minister Petra Buzkova said at a discussion
about the issue today.
However, the Ministry finances the educational seminars “How to teach
about the Holocaust,” attended by roughly 1700 teachers since 2001,
Buzkova said.
The Ministry has also sponsored some publications and brochures dealing
with the problem of genocide of Jews and Romanies during World War II,
Buzkova said.
Representatives of roughly 30 countries of the Council of Europe and
the European Cultural Convention today discussed the education of
the young generation about Holocaust problems in Prague.
Teaching about the Holocaust faces problems in a number of countries,
including poor proficiency of teachers, lack of teaching aids and
political problems, Gunnar Mandt from the Steering Committee for
Education of the Council of Europe told journalists.
There is the political obstacle that, in some countries, teaching
about genocide is not part of the curricula, Mandt said.
Individual schools and teachers must include it in the teaching process
themselves, Mandt said, adding that the problem was also on the side
of the teachers who do not have enough knowledge about how to teach
about the Holocaust.
Due to this, the Council of Europe stages seminars both for the
teachers and instructors who prepare the former, Mandt said.
In many places, there is also the problem with teaching aids.
Former President Vaclav Havel told the seminar that it was not enough
to evoke the memories of the Holocaust, as it was also necessary to
keep thinking of it.
“Society is losing its external ethical order understood by everyone.
As it is, the Holocausts that afflicted Armenians and Jews and the
Gulag, these tremendous disasters are in a way an understandable
product of the modern ambiguous civilisation,” Havel said.
Responsibility for genocide is a joint problem of all people, not
only of certain nations, Havel said.
Signs of intolerance and latent fascism are more dangerous than
sympathisers of neo-Nazi movements, Havel said.
“This can be seen by someone distinguishing better concentration camps
from the worse, which indicates that some concentration camps were
not of this type. One can also see it in the reserved relationship to
minorities or people with a different sexual orientation,” Havel said.

ARMENIANS OF GEORGIA CALL ON TO RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE CONDUCTED AGAINST ARMENIANS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 26 2006
TBILISI, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Events dedicated to
the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims continued in Georgia on
April 24. About 150 representatives of Armenian public organizations
of Georgia organized a peaceful mass meeting and lighting of candles
in front of the Embassy of Turkey to Georgia. The demontsrators read
a letter addressed to the Government of Turkey by which they called
the latter to recognize the crime committed againt Armenians. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department, the liturgy and divine service were celebrated at the
Surb Gevorg Armenian church of Tbilisi. Then a mourning event took
place at the State Armenian Dramatic Theater of Tbilisi where RA
Ambassador to Georgia Hrach Silvanian made the opening speech for
the participants. An ecumenic evening of spiritual songs took place
at the Surb Gevorg Church in the evening, with the participation
of the Georgian Christian sister churches choirs The events in
Tbilisi finished with lighting candles round the Surb Etchmiadzin
church. Events dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims
took place in other regions of Georgia as well. Liturgies and divine
services were celebrated at the Armenian churches of Akhaltskha,
Akhalkalak, Ninotsminda amd Batumi, mourning mass meetings took
place. The mass meeting in Akhalkalak finished by laying a wreath
at the khachkar (cross stone) to the memory of the Genocide victims
placed on one of the hills near the city two years ago. Atom Egoyan’s
“Ararat” film was shown by the Republican TV of Ajaria.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORY CEREMONY TAKES PLACE IN SURB KATARINE ARMENIAN CHURCH OF SAINT PETERSBURG
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 26 2006
SAINT PETERSBURG, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Memory
ceremony of the Armenian Genocide took place in the Surb Katarine
(Saint Katarine) Armenian church of Saint Petersburg on April 24. The
RA Consulate General to Saint Petersburg, the RA Armed Forces soldiers’
guard of honour, Armenians of Saint Petersburg and local Russian
inhabitation laid wreaths to the khachkar (cross stone) placed at the
entrance of the church. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign
Ministry’s Press and Information Department, after the midday the
Saint Petersburg “Nor Serund” (New Generation) youth organization of
the Armenian Apostolic Church organized an event where young people
made speeches for compatriots, a film was shown.

MEMORY EVENTS DEDICATED TO 91st ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TAKE PLACE IN KIEV AND ODESSA
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 26 2006
KIEV, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A joint event dedicated
to the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, organized by the RA
Embassy to Ukraine, the Armenian community of Kiev and the Ukrainian
diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church took place on April 24 in
the yard of the Pokrovskaya church of Kiev, at the memorial stone
proving former existence of the Armenian church of the 15th century
there. Armen Khachatrian, the RA Ambassador to Ukraine, Roman Balayan,
a famous film director living in Kiev, representatives of the Armenian
community of Kiev made speeches condemning the Genocide. A memory
liturgy was celebrated by priest Hovhannes, the clergyman of the
Ukrainian diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. As Noyan Tapan
was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department, a memory event dedicated to the 91st anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide was held in Odessa as well.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EVENTS DEDICATED TO MEMORY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS TAKE PLACE IN BUCHAREST, CONSTANTSA AND OTHER CITIES OF ROMANIA
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 26 2006
BUCHERST, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Memory events
dedicated to the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide continued
in Romania on April 23 and 24. The Roumanian diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, the Armenian community of Romania, RA Deputy Foreign
Minister Arman Kirakosian, paying a visit to Romania, the RA Embassy
laid wreaths to two khachkars (cross stones)-monuments placed in
Bucharest in 2002 and 2005. Deputy Minister Arman Kirakosian made a
speech on April 24, in Bucharest, at the spritistic ceremony dedicated
to the Armenian Genocide victims. The ceremony was held by Archbishop
Tirayr Martikian, the primate of the Roumanian Armenian Diocese of
the Armenian Apostolic Church. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA
Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information Department, spiritistic and
memorial ceremonies took place in the cities of Kostantsa, Suchava,
Cluj Napoca. Events will take place during the coming days in other
settlements populated by Armenians as well. Events are covered by
the Roumanian mass media.

EBRD TO IMPLEMENT MORTGAGE CREDITING PROGRAM JOINTLY WITH ARMECONOMBANK
Noyan Tapan
Apr 26 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (EBRD) will allocate funds for Armeconombank to
implement mortgage crediting. NT correspondent was informed at
Armeconombank that negotiations on the program’s implementation are
underway. It is envisaged that the two banks will sign a respective
agreement in late May.

ISSUE OF INTRODUCING INSTITUTION OF BANK OMBUDSMAN IN ARMENIA TO BE DISCUSSED IN MAY
Noyan Tapan
Apr 26 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The Union of Armenian Banks (UAB)
will discuss in May the expediency of introduction of the institution
of bank ombudsman in the country. NT correspondent was informed at
the UAB that in accordance with the developed regulations, the bank
ombudsman shall mainly protect the interests of bank customers and
in case of necessity propose the appropriate punitive measures that
the bank should apply against unscrupulous employees. The ombudsman
will also examine complaints about a bank filed by another bank.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS EXPECTS TO RECEIVE 20 MLN EURO CREDIT FROM EBRD
Noyan Tapan
Apr 26 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenia International Airports
Company – manager of Zvartnots Airport applied to the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) with a request to be
allocated a 20 mln euro credit. NT correspondent was informed at the
airport’s press service that the new credit will be used to speed
up the construction of the new terminal. To recap, it is planned to
complete the terminal’s construction, which started two years ago,
in 2007. The ground floor of the building – the arrival and departure
hall will be put into operation this year.

FIDèLE AU POSTE PAR PIERRE-YVES LE PRIOL. LE RETOUR DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN
Le Priol Pierre-Yves
La Croix , France
26 avril 2006
La journee de commemoration du genocide armenien a donne lieu, lundi, a
une abondante couverture televisuelle. Et les images n’ont pas manque
sur les milliers de manifestants qui temoignaient a Paris, Lyon,
Marseille, comme ils le font chaque 24 avril pour se souvenir de 1915.
Ce qu’on pouvait remarquer, dans cet interet manifeste par les
chaînes, c’est qu’il detonnait par rapport a la discretion mediatique
habituelle. Ainsi l’an dernier, pour le 90e anniversaire des massacres,
l’absence des cameras avait ete quasi totale aux defiles.
Dix mille personnes dans les rues, chaque annee, sans incidents a
deplorer, voila qui ne “fait” pas evenement…
Que s’est-il donc passe pour que ce… 91e anniversaire suscite la
curiosite retrouvee des medias? Tout simplement l’emergence, en France,
d’un nouveau negationnisme. À Lyon, le 18 mars, une manifestation
turque avait conteste – pour la première fois – la realite des faits
de 1915. Un mois plus tard, un nouveau memorial lyonnais (inaugure ce
lundi) avait meme ete profane. Une proposition de loi sera d’ailleurs
examinee, d’ici peu, visant a punir toute contestation du genocide
armenien, au meme titre que les denis de la Shoah.
Ce que nous voulons pointer du doigt, dans ce cas d’ecole, c’est
la difference de traitement radicale etablie entre un “marronnier”
journalistique (un evenement repetitif) et une actualite susceptible
d’emerger au journal televise. Ce n’est en rien le nombre des
manifestants (a peu près le meme d’une annee sur l’autre) qui justifie,
ici, une telle inegalite de couverture; mais uniquement l’enjeu
emotionnel suscite, en l’occurrence, par la contestation turque.
On peut comprendre ce que cette donnee de fait a d’exasperant pour
la communaute armenienne, mais aussi pour bien des Francais de souche.
Sans polemique en cours, sans risques de violence, une simple journee
commemorative n’interesse guère la television. C’est bien une prime
que la “logique” mediatique accorde, ainsi, a la strategie de la
tension et aux vertiges de la surenchère.
–Boundary_(ID_ZNQX12kZXfeOv32NYlo/1A )–

DIRECTORS OF PRE-SCHOOL INSTITUTIONS OF ARARAT REGION GET ACQUAINTED WITH CHANGES MADE IN SPHERE
Noyan Tapan
Apr 26 2006
ARTASHAT, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The Pre-school Education Department of
RA Ministry of Education and Science had organized practical studies
on the subject “The Strategy in the Sphere of Pre-school Education”
for directors of pre-school institutions of Ararat region. Leading
specialists of the Ministry Melsida Sargsian and Hasmik Mitoyan
acquainted those present with the changes being made in the sphere,
gave methodical instructions to the directors for clarifying their work
and for them to be guided by the Labor Code. The directors’ attention
was also called to the first and foremost problem, provision of child’s
development both at home and at the kindergarten before he attends
school. During the practical studies at the same time they touched upon
the strategy of pre-school education, its directions, programs being
implemented and problems, spoke about extension of programs and about
other issues. According to Anahit Hakobian, Head of the Education and
Culture Department of Ararat Regional Administration, no pre-school,
school building and cultural center have been alienated in the region
up to this day, which is the result of of consistent work.