ARMENIANS PAUSE TO REMEMBER GENOCIDE
By: Steven S. Couse, The Record 04/25/2006
Troy Record, NY
April 25 2006
TROY – Armenians and Americans of Armenian heritage gathered once again
on Monday to commemorate the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
They plan events every year on April 24 to press Turkey to acknowledge
its part in the 1915-1923 massacre, and to press the U.S. government
to formally recognize it.
“Our voices are heard all over the world,” said Aram Barkamian of
the Armenian National Committee of Albany. “Don’t give up the fight.”
He welcomed local officials and Armenian clergy to the Collar City,
where the second Armenian church parish in the U.S. was established
100 years ago.
“We’re growing in numbers each year,” said Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian,
who is “100 percent Armenian.”
He pointed to the Armenian flag flying outside of City Hall. “To
see that from my office is very exciting,” he said. It will fly over
Monument Square for one month.
“It’s a deep wound that we try to overcome,” he said of the genocide,
and then displayed a proclaimation declaring April 24, 2006, Armenian
Martyrs Day in Troy. “We will never forget.”
The first Armenian church parish established in the U.S. was in
Worcester, Mass., and the second, St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church,
moved from Fifth Avenue in Troy to Watervliet in the early 1970s
after land was donated to the church.
Watervliet Mayor Robert Carlson also proclaimed the day Armenian
Martyrs Day in his city.
Carlson said the federal government was close to recognizing the
genocide just before the war in Iraq started, but pulled back for
fear of offending U.S. ally Turkey.
“The pressure has to continue,” he said. “I hope before the 100th
anniversary, there will be recognition.”
“He’s going to continue the fight,” said Rep. John Sweeney, who is
50 percent Armenian. “It’s something he feels very passionate about.”
Letters of support from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Gov. George
Pataki, Albany Mayor Gerry Jennings and Schenectady Mayor Brian
Stratton were read aloud.
Pataki again proclaimed April 24, 2006, Armenian Martyrs Day in New
York, as he has done for the past 10 years. Albany and Schenectady
did likewise.
Earlier in the day, Armenian historian Aram Arkun from New York City
addressed lawmakers in the Assembly well of the Legislative Office
Building in Albany.
Arkun later addressed students at Siena College, and after the events
outside City Hall in Troy, moved in to the City Council chambers to
address the Armenian Students Association of Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute.
Armenian commemorations in the Capital District were started
at Monument Square in Troy in 1987 by the Homenetmen of Albany,
established a year earlier.
The Albany chapter of the Armenian National Committee, based in
Washington, D.C., was started in 1995 and took over the events
that year.
The monument was selected to host events because it closely resembles
a monument in Armenia.
On Monday, the Very Rev. Father Dajad Tsaturyan was in Troy to offer
a requiem. He is from the Holy Etchmiadzin, or “Vatican” in Armenia.
He came to America last May for a year to work at St. Peter in
Watervliet.
Joining him at the ceremony Monday were Deacon John Khachadourian
and Rev. Bedros Shetilin of Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church
on Spring Avenue in Troy and Rev. Stepanos Doudoukjian of St. Peter
Armenian Church in Watervliet.

ANALYSIS: “ROAD CONSTRUCTION SHOULD NOT BE A POLITICAL GESTURE”
The Messenger, Georgia
April 25 2006
As reported in Svobodnaya Gruzia, political analyst Ramaz Klimiashvili
thinks that the construction of new roads in the Samtskhe-Javakheti
region should simply represent a creation of new infrastructure instead
of the “carrying out of state policy in this region.” According to him,
the construction of roads should not be seen as a political gesture.
Klimiashvili stated that the “Armenian population of Samtskhe-Javakheti
region has been on the verge of starvation and has been completely
neglected by the Georgian government.” He thinks that because of such
a state of affairs, these Georgian Armenians have been forced to look
to Yerevan for support.
“The sad state of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region has raised a number
of problematic issues. It seems that the Georgian authorities have
forgotten that it is necessary to take care of these people and to
show them that they are valued as Georgian citizens,” the article
quotes the political analyst as saying.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF THE GENOCIDE IS PRINCIPAL ISSUE FOR ARMENIA
Regnum, Russia
April 25 2006
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has thanked the Lithuanian
parliament for adopting a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide
in the Ottoman Turkey in 1915-23. It is worth mentioning that today,
on April 25, Armenian-Lithuanian top-level talks were held, after
which presidents of the two countries Robert Kocharyan and Valdas
Adamkus held a joint news conference for Armenian and Lithuanian press.
Answering a question of a Lithuanian journalist on position of
the official Yerevan on the issue of international recognition of
the genocide, Robert Kocharyan announced that “it is a principal
issue for Armenia, as it concerns not only the historic context,
but burdens the current Armenian-Turkish relations.” “Earlier,
the problem was hostage to ideological barriers and disagreements,
but today Armenia is a sovereign country and can protect its position
firmly. The Armenian Diaspora is persistent in seeking historic justice
too, which is a result of the genocide by itself. We believe we shall
achieve the result that will lay the basis for normal coexistence of
Armenia and Turkey in the future and will be the guaranty of peace
and mutual understanding in the whole region,” Armenian president said.
It is worth mentioning, on December 15, 2005, the Lithuanian parliament
with 48 votes for and tree abstained from voting adopted the resolution
that recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide in Turkey. The
resolution contains a call upon official Ankara to recognize the
Armenian Genocide.
A draft resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman
Empire is also on the agenda of the Latvian parliament.
In turn, the Turkish authorities criticized sharply the decision
of the Lithuanian parliament. A statement of the Turkish foreign
ministry on the issue noted that the resolution was presented to the
Lithuanian parliament as “a thing that already happened” and without
discussions and presence of majority of the MPs was approved at the
parliamentary session.

YEREVAN DENIES PLANS FOR KOCHARIAN TRIP TO WASHINGTON
By Emil Danielyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep
April 25 2006
The Armenian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday dismissed a newspaper report
that quoted one of its senior officials as saying that President
Robert Kocharian will likely visit Washington soon for talks with
U.S. President George W. Bush.
“A visit by the president of Armenia to Washington is not planned,”
the ministry spokesman, Hamlet Gasparian, said in a statement.
In an interview posted on its English-language website on Monday,
the Turkish daily “Zaman” quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Arman
Kirakosian as saying that Kocharian is likely to be “another guest”
at the White House shortly following Friday’s meeting between Bush
and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev.
Gasparian suggested that the remarks attributed to Kirakosian were the
result of a “partial distortion of his words or their translation.” The
Armenian diplomat spoke about the possibility of Kocharian’s trip to
the U.S. capital only in “general” terms, he said.
Bush’s unexpected invitation to Aliev is attributed by observers to
mounting international tensions over Iran’s controversial nuclear
program and U.S. efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict this
year. Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian implied earlier that the White
House sees no need for similar talks with Kocharian because Armenia,
unlike Azerbaijan, has largely accepted international mediators’
existing peace proposals on Karabakh.

“THE PROBLEM IS THE PURPOSE RATHER THAN THE PROGRAM”
Lragir.am
25 April 06
One of the recent important events in the political life of Armenia was
the appearance of the Bargavach Hayastan Party (Prosperous Armenia). A
week ago the program of this political party was published, which is
characterized by analysts as liberal and exceptional for the past
10 years. The chair of the faction of the Republican Party Galust
Sahakyan says the program is rather profound.
“There is a perception in press, in the society that all the political
parties are similar. It is natural, for our state and nation are
facing the same problems, and there must be similarities in their
functions. However, I think, the way and approaches of the Bargavach
Hayastan Party is acceptable for all the political parties, especially
that the problem is not the program or bylaws but the purpose for
which the political party was set up.”

SCIENCE DUTY ON COMPANIES
Lragir.am
25 April 06
On April 25 Member of Parliament Tatul Manaseryan held a debate on his
new bill at the National Academy of Sciences. The member of parliament
is going to introduce the bill on the science duty to the National
Assembly. Tatul Manaseryan has thus foreseen certain tax privileges
and a new kind of duty. In accordance with the bill introduced by
the member of parliament, the companies which promote development
of science, the use new technologies and bring into being scientific
researches, will have certain tax privileges. It is not clear, however,
what privileges exactly are foreseen. The member of parliament says
these public debates are organized to solve these problems. These
debates will also allow deciding the size of the duty. The member of
parliament finds that the science duty should be imposed on companies
which are not related to science. The author of the bill finds that the
size of the duty and other details should be decided through debates.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: CURRENTLY THE NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS IS IN AN ACTIVE PHASE
ArmRadio.am
25.04.2006 17:52
MEDIAMAX Agency informs that RA President Robert Kocharyan declared
today in Yerevan, “I see no connection between the activation of
the process of settlement of the Karabakh conflict and the situation
around Iran.” The President said this in response to the question of
a Lithuanian journalist during the joint press conference with the
President of Lithuanian Valdas Adamkus.
Robert Kocharyan declared that “he does not feel any pressure from
the US in the settlement process.” RA President underlined that the
American, Russian and French Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group “have the
same position and work coordinately.”
Robert Kocharyan said that “currently the negotiations process is
in an active phase,” noting that it is not the result of pressure on
the part of the mediators.
“The mandate based on which the Co-Chairs are launching their
activity does not envisage execution of pressure on the parties to
the conflict. The mediators solely simplify the efforts of the parties
directed at finding a solution, ” RA president said.

GEORGIA, ARMENIA SIGN TRANSPORT AGREEMENT
Prime-News, Tbilisi
25 Apr 06
Tbilisi, 25 April: Road transport entering Armenia from Georgia
will be exempt from paying [Armenian] road fund tax. An agreement to
that effect was signed in Tbilisi on Tuesday [25 April] by Georgian
Economic Development Minister Irakli Chogovadze and Armenian Transport
and Communications Minister Andranik Manukyan.
Chogovadze said that the agreement would allow both passenger and
freight carriers from the two countries operate between Georgia and
Armenia without any restrictions and extra costs.
Manukyan said that road fund tax exemption for Georgia was the Armenian
government’s response to the decision of the Georgian government,
which in 2005 abolished such a tax for vehicles from Armenia and all
other countries.
Under Armenian law, heavy vehicles carrying passengers and freight
pay between 200 and 280 dollars into the country’s road fund, while
cars are charged between 18 and 20 dollars.
The road fund tax exemption agreement between Armenia and Georgia
will come into force after ratification.

ARAM KARAPETYAN APPLIED TO AMBASSADORS AND ATTORNEY GENERAL
Lragir.am
25 April 06
On April 25 the leader of the political party Nor Zhamanakner (New
Times) Aram Karapetyan informed the ambassadors of the United States,
Russia, Iran, Great Britain and the OSCE office to Armenia about the
April 21 incident. On the same day Attorney General Aghvan Hovsepyan,
the head of the National Security Service Gorik Hakobyan, and the
president of the Council of Public TV and Radio Alexan Harutiunyan
received letters from the same person. On April 21 12 armed men
wearing masks attacked Aram Karapetyan and the cars accompanying him.
The driver and three bodyguards of the leader of the Nor Zhamanakner
Party were injured, one of the cars was badly damaged. Later it became
known that it was an operation of the National Security Service for
illegal weapon.
In his letter to the ambassadors Aram Karapetyan draws their attention
to “cases of political banditry, and indignant with increasingly rough
intervention of force agencies in political processes, anticipates
an adequate assessment of similar actions, which contradict to
democracy.” A CD with photos of people and cars after the operation
of the National Security Service was attached to the letter.
As for Gorik Hakobyan and Alexan Harutiunyan, Aram Karapetyan suggests
that they give him the tape of the operation (four cameras had filmed
the operation) to publish it. The TV company Alexan Harutiunyan heads
announced about the incident and promised to broadcast the tape,
but it has not been shown on television yet.
Aram Karapetyan suggested that Aghvan Hovsepyan suit an action
“against the organizers of this political banditry.”
According to the leader of Nor Zhamanakner, the operation was ordered
by the head of the National Security Service Gorik Hakobyan and his
assistant Hrach Harutiunyan and assisted by the head of the General
Anti-Terrorist and Constitution Department Nanyan and the head of
the Constitutional Department Yepiskoposyan. Aram Karapetyan has
information that the second round of the operation was going to be
a similar attack on the office of the political party, which did not
take place, however.
By the way, besides the CD Aram Karapetyan wanted to attach the
conclusion of a forensic expert. However, the District Attorney of
the community of Erebuni (the incident took place in Erebuni), as
well as the City Attorney and the General Attorney refused a forensic
examination. “Without any reason. This is unlawful. Yeltsin shot at
the White House but never used “Alpha” for intervention in political
processes,” said Aram Karapetyan to our news reporter.
Aram Karapetyan says the incident was ordered by the country’s
leadership, and the statement of the National Security Service that
there was resistance is false. “I told them not to resist, otherwise
there would be more casualties. There were over 300 people over the
place and they, the National Security Service, could have shot. They
admit making a lot of mistakes after having analyzed the incident. The
National Security Service spread other false information that my
drivers and bodyguards are not members of our political party.”

FRENCH MEDIA COVER THE TOPIC OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ArmRadio.am
25.04.2006 16:10
The French media turned today to the topic of the Armenian Genocide. A
number of articles were published particularly in the popular “Figaro”
daily. The newspaper turned to the legislative initiative to execute
sanctions against Genocide deniers.
It was noted that the French Parliament is going to discuss the
legislative initiative of Socialist MP Didie Migo on May 18. This
project will be the continuation of the Law on the Armenian Genocide
adopted by the French Parliament in 2001.
“Figaro” notes that according to the project, the punishment for
Genocide deniers will range from five years of imprisonment to a
charge of 45 thousand Euros.
The newspaper referred also to the memorials to the victims of the
Armenian Genocide raised in Lyon and Marseilles.