INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF YOUNG ECOLOGISTS TO TAKE PLACE IN NOYEMBERIAN IN JUNE
Noyan Tapan
Apr 12 2006
NOYEMBERIAN, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The international conference
of young ecologists will take place in the city of Noyemberiam,
the marz of Tavush, on June 28-30. Sahak Atanesian, the Chairman of
the ecological “UniEcofor” company, the initiator of the conference
informed the Noyan Tapan correspondent about this. Show of ecological
films and organization of a competition are envisaged within the
framework of the conference. By the way, still in 1994, S.Atanesian
found out Asian Minor tritons in the “jil gol” reservoir of the
village of Hagvi. According to him, it was considered till that,
that those amphibians live only in mountains of the Western Caucasus
and Asia Minor.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

COMMUNITY CHEST
John Holden
New Statesman, UK
April 12 2006
The Back Half
Arts funding – John Holden on the unusual charitable foundation that
has made Britain a better place.
The UK arm of the Portugal-based Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Without the Gulbenkian, as
it is usually known, Britain would be a poorer place. The foundation
has led the way in transforming many fields: the arts, social welfare,
education and Anglo-Portuguese relations. The list of organisations
that it has supported includes the Samaritans, Shelter, Voluntary
Service Overseas, the Runnymede Trust and Snape Maltings.
It has backed social entrepreneurs since before the phrase was
invented, lending assistance to figures such as Lord Young of
Dartington and Chad Varah, as well as the energetic community that
transformed Coin Street on the South Bank in London in the 1980s
and 1990s.
Like most charitable bodies, the Gulbenkian has not always avoided
controversy. In the 1980s, its oppositional stance in the face of
government retrenchment over funding for the arts earned it as many
critics as admirers. More recently, it was widely mocked in the press
for lending its support to a campaign to ban smacking. However, for
an organisation that has sought to play a pioneering role in bringing
about social change, the criticism it has attracted has been small.
The foundation’s money came from the legacy of Calouste Sarkis
Gulbenkian, an Armenian and naturalised British citizen who was also
one of the 20th century’s boldest art collectors. He was known as
“Mr Five Per Cent”, because the source of his immense wealth was a
stake of that amount in the income of the Iraq Petroleum Company –
although the foundation wisely diversified into a broad portfolio of
assets early in its history.
Equally early on, the Gulbenkian adop-ted an approach that has
become the model for arts funding and social enterprise. A team of
experts is assembled, including on-the-ground practitioners as well
as members of the great and the good. They investigate an issue, draw
up a policy and publish a report which, very often, has an influence
far beyond its immediate purpose. This method was applied at first
to small-scale matters: in 1959, for example, when a committee led
by Brigadier E T Williams addressed the question of what to do about
“The needs of youth in Stevenage”, its conclusion was that, rather
than build a new youth club, it would be better to appoint a youth
officer. (“Blokes are more important than bricks,” as the report
rightly said.) Shortly afterwards, the 1959 Bridges report, Help for
the Arts, changed the face of the cultural industry in Brit- ain,
making it less metropolitan and less mandarin, and making space for
the flowering that would distinguish the 1960s.
Other ground-breaking reports followed, addressing everything from
community work to local broadcasting. Some, such as Ken Robinson’s The
Arts in Schools (1982) and John Myerscough’s The Economic Importance
of the Arts in Britain (1988), are still required reading.
It is impressive how often an organisation of the Gulbenkian’s meagre
size has managed to prod politicians and bureaucrats into action on
matters that now seem obvious. In 1992, it sent an anti-bullying pack
to every school in the country, raising the profile of an issue that
politicians had largely ignored.
While the foundation has led developments in many fields, its role
has also been shaped by the political and social contexts of the day.
In the immediate postwar years, the Gulbenkian did much to assist
official policy in building up support for the arts and social
welfare. In the 1960s, it cham-pioned experimentation in the arts and
community self-help in social life. During the economic and political
upheavals of the 1970s, it became more critical of governments;
this turned to outrage in the face of the Thatcher government’s
determination to shrink the responsibilities of the state. As the then
director of the Gulbenkian, Peter Brinson, put it: “The relative calm
of the past 25 years is over and huge changes are certain.”
Those changes affected every area of the foundation’s concern. For
example, it had spent the previous two decades helping to build up
contemporary dance in the UK, but between 1980 and 1982, a quarter
of small-scale dance companies went out of business. Thatcherism
also ended the unwritten concordat between charitable bodies and
governments – that foundations such as the Gulbenkian would do the
initial risk-taking, and then the public sector would take over when
innovation had proved successful.
Naturally, not everything the foundation has tried has worked. It
expended a great deal of effort and energy during the 1970s in an
unsuccessful attempt to create a national centre for community work.
The Community Challenge conference in Liverpool in 1981, organised
by a youthful Charles Clarke, was hijacked by hard leftists who
questioned the Gulbenkian’s right to organise the event at all.
Today the Gulbenkian is probably best known for the annual £100,000
Gulbenkian Prize for Museums and Galleries and for the Atlantic Waves
festival, which has brought Portuguese culture to the attention of
the British public. Many relationships started in the 1950s have
survived to this day – the Tate being one of the most important (the
Gulbenkian is funding the current Tate Triennial show, “New British
Art”, just as it funded the seminal “54/64” show in 1964).
As the 50th anniversary approaches, the Gulbenkian can pride itself on
its history of supporting innovation in culture, education and social
welfare. It has done this as much by adapting itself to circumstances
as by challenging the status quo. In seeking to help others while
weathering the storms of the past half-century, it has fashioned for
itself a role resembling one of the first projects that it funded in
the 1950s: the self-righting lifeboat.
604170032
–Boundary_(ID_Z27fUGFwEpBiaoHghfwm4w)- –

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PLASTIC, AESTHETIC AND REHABILITATION SURGERY HELD FOR FIRST TIME IN ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
Apr 12 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Leading surgeons from the U.S.,
Germany, France, Spain, Russia, the Netherlands, Belarus, Georgia,
the Ukraine and other countries take part in the 5th International
Congress of Plastic, Aesthetic and Rehabilitation Surgery being held
on April 12-14 in Yerevan. The congress was organized by the Armenian
Association of Plastic, Rehabilitation and Aesthetic Surgeons and the
Russian surgeons’ company of the same name. As RA Minister of Health
Norayr Davidian mentioned, it is the first time an event of such kind
is held in Armenia, which is evidence of the international recognition
and high estimation of Armenian surgeons in this sphere. According to
the Minister, plastic surgery is one of the developing directions of
modern medicine. According to N.Davidian, the modern medicine with
its humanitarian mission and universal importance is multi-national
and does not admit any limits.
According to him, such meetings and exchange of experience with
well-known specialists from foreign countries will promote raising of
professional skills of Armenian doctors, training of young specialists,
as well as integration of the national medicine into the sphere of
world medical science. According to RA First Lady Bella Kocharian,
“it is difficult to imagine modern life without plastic surgery,
as man’s striving for perfection is limitless”. According to her,
the holding of the international congress in Armenia proves that
the Armenian school of this sphere develops rapidly and enjoys the
confidence of the respective international structures.

HEMODIALYSIS DEPARTMENT OPENS IN VANADZOR HOSPITAL No2
Noyan Tapan
Apr 12 2006
VANADZOR, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The Hemodialysis Department opened
on April 11 at the Vanadzor hospital No2. It will give possibility to
people of Lori as well as the marz of Tavush, suffering of nephritic
diseases to get medical assistance at place, instead of leaving for
Yerevan or Gyumri. The German “Fresenius Medical Care” firm presented
the hemodialysis apparatus of the value of 80 thousand evro to the
hospital. According to Karen Adamian, the Director of the hospital,
14 patients already today undergo a cure in the department.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 10) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:
April 12, 2006
Armenia in a Transforming World: ACNIS Releases New Yearbook
Yerevan–Today the Armenian Center for National and International Studies
(ACNIS) publicly presented its annual trilingual almanac, this year entitled
“Armenia in a Transforming World.” The event brought together the yearbook’s
participating authors, editorial staff, publisher, foreign embassy staff,
political scientists, and media representatives for the expression of mutual
gratitude and the sharing of views and evaluations.
Held in the official reception hall at ACNIS headquarters, the program was
opened by Stiopa Safarian, the Center’s director of research and academic
editor of the new release. “The research presented in the yearbook
encompasses Armenia’s transnational and domestic challenges, which in the
transforming world render imperative Armenia’s own transformation. The
answers provided by the authors to a variety of problematic issues such as
international and regional security as well as Armenia’s global surroundings
and its complex relationships dictate new approaches for our Center and
Armenia’s analytical circles alike,” he said.
Stiopa Safarian then conveyed ACNIS founder Raffi Hovannisian’s greetings as
expressed in the preface to the new yearbook. He also added that the
objective of this almanac is to elicit and share with policymaker and public
alike the principal trends of the contemporary world, Armenia’s development
priorities against their background, and policy responses to the challenges
facing the Republic.
Before turning to the presentation of its contents, Safarian extended the
Center’s deep appreciation to the editorial staff and contributors for their
diligent work, and acknowledged Vrezh Markosian, director of the Tigran Mets
Publishing House, for his high-caliber production of the book. He also
expressed gratitude to all the supporters of the Center throughout the
world, who have made it possible to carry out such cutting-edge research
programs in Armenia.
The comprehensive studies on the strategic directions of regional security,
Armenia’s economy, and other domains of utmost importance, in addition to
the applied analyses and documentary materials published in this volume, he
said, consist of three main parts-“Armenia, Region, World”; “Public and
Expert Opinion Surveys”; and “Maps.” These reflect the activity of the
Center and its associated partners during the past year.
Part one of the 826-page compendium starts, in a chapter called “The Region
and Its Conflicts,” with an article by Dr. Martin Malek, a scholar from the
Austrian National Academy of Defense, in which the author examines state
collapse as a phenomenon of international relations. This monograph is
followed by the works of ACNIS analysts Stiopa Safarian and Alvard
Barkhudarian. The first of these is devoted to the origins of conflicts and
symmetric and asymmetric solutions thereto, and the second to Mountainous
Karabagh and its security parameters. Next, ACNIS analyst Hovhannes
Vardanian presents the current democratization processes in the post-Soviet
space, and senior fellow Hovsep Khurshudian looks into the latest dynamics
in Armenian-Russian economic relations. This chapter concludes with Yerevan
State University professor Aram Harutiunian’s incisive analysis of modern
Russian-American correlations and ACNIS analyst Alen Ghevondian’s
examination of modern Iran. Also a valuable asset for the reader is Alvard
Barkhudarian’s exploration of interests and speculations with respect to the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.
The second chapter, on “Domestic Challenges,” contains scholarly analyses
and policy recommendations concerning the transformation of political
thinking in Armenia; the peculiarities of the country’s transitional period;
constitutional and electoral code amendments in Armenia; the country’s
energy system; civil-military relations; and the attitude of Armenia’s youth
toward matters of national importance. These studies are prepared by
Constitutional Court Justice Felix Tokhian, Karapet Kalenchian, Hovhannes
Vardanian, Areg Barseghian, Alvard Barkhudarian, and Syuzanna Barseghian.
The book’s second part features a bilingual presentation of ACNIS’s public
and expert opinion polls conducted over the course of 2004 and 2005. They
are entitled “Corruption in Armenia”; “Armenia’s Thirteen-Year-Old
Independence and Sovereignty”; “Public Opinion and Urgent Issues on Armenia’
s Political Agenda”; “Constitutional and Electoral Reforms”; “The Karabagh
Story: 17 Years in Progress”; “The Armenian Genocide: 90 Years and Waiting”;
“The South Caucasus: Common or Separate Destinies? Armenia’s Place and Role
in the Region”; “Regional and Community Development Issues in Armenia”; and
“Development Issues in Yerevan.”
Finally, for the first time ever, this year’s annual work product includes a
section with twelve annotated maps depicting the past and present of the
Mountainous Karabagh conflict. Yearbook 2005 concludes with a complete list
of individual and institutional supporters of ACNIS from its founding to
date.
Words of appreciation were delivered, and assessments offered, by
participating authors Alvard Barkhudarian, Hovsep Khurshudian, and many
others. It was yet again emphasized that the main characteristic of the
yearbook is the variety of themes and genres and the free competition of
ideas and policy options.
On behalf of the entire editorial staff, comprising Gevorg Lalayan, Stiopa
Safarian, Hasmik Mkrtchian, Gor Grigorian, Noune Aidinian, Sayat Kuyumcuyan,
Karapet Kalenchian, and Syuzanna Barseghian, the yearbook’s editor-in-chief
Gevorg Lalayan extended his heartfelt message. “First and foremost, this
compilation is a product of teamwork. Even though the articles in this work
explore different perspectives upon regional and geopolitical developments,
in inherent measure they are geared toward the same objectives: the
determination of Armenia’s contemporary place and role and the bolstering of
its political gravity,” Lalayan closed.
All invited guests and public participants were then offered complimentary
copies of “Armenia in a Transforming World” together with a glass of
Armenian sparkling wine.
Founded in 1994 by Armenia’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs Raffi K.
Hovannisian and supported by a global network of contributors, 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.
For further information on the Center call (37410) 52-87-80 or 27-48-18; fax
(37410) 52-48-46; email [email protected] or [email protected]; or visit

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
PRESS RELEASE
“Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund
Governmental Building 3, Yerevan, RA
Contact: Anush Babayan
Tel: 3741 52 09 40
Fax: 3741 52 37 95
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
12.04.06
Applications to be accepted for the President award
In September, 2005 for the first time Presidential awards were handed
over to the best IT pupils and students. In 2006, the `Hayastan’
All-Armenian Fund and the `Synopsis’ company will organize the
second awarding ceremony. The awards will be granted in five
nominations: -“The Best Bachelor”, “The Best Master”, “The Best
Postgraduate Student”, “The Best Female Student” and “The Best Pupil”.
The applications will be accepted from May the 1st to 31. In 2005
students from the Yerevan State University (departments of Applied
Mathematics, Radio physics and Physics) and Yerevan State Engineering
University (departments of Computer Science and Information Science,
Cybernetics, Radio Engineering and Communication Systems), as well as
students studying at the Physics and Mathematics school of Yerevan State
University, Base school of Yerevan State Engineering University and
`Quantum’ college. This year two more educational institutions will
take part in the contest. They are `Anania Shrakatsi’ college and
`Photon’ college in Gyumri. Students who have achieved good results
in research works and IT sphere in general will be granted.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

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:
Watch the recorded video of the The message of His Holiness Aram I on the
occasion of the 3rd Pan-Armenian Writers’ Conference held in Antelias here:
Re ad the message of His Holiness Aram I in Armenian here:
Messages/messages5.htm
NEW ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE CULTURAL MISSION OF ANTELIAS
Speaking during the closing ceremony of the Third Pan-Armenian Writers’
Conference, His Holiness Aram I announced the establishment of a new fund
sponsored by the Catholicosate of Cilicia and the Calouste Gulbenkian
Foundation for supporting Armenian children’s literature.
The Armenian Pontiff also announced the establishment of the “Khathcig
Babikian Publishing Fund” for the encouragement of the publishing field. The
fund’s committee will decide on the publications it would sponsor.
His Holiness Aram I stressed the importance of mutual visits by Armenia
based and Diaspora Armenian writers for purposes of acquaintance. He
announced that the Catholicosate of Cilicia will invite two writers from
Armenia each year to be the guests of the Catholicosate of Cilicia and
become in close contact with the hear of the Armenian Diaspora and its
institutions.
His Holiness stated with great pleasure that he has appointed Dr. Zaven
Yegavian, Director of the Department of Armenian Affairs of the Gulbenkian
Foundation, as the cultural and educational advisor of the Catholicosate of
Cilicia. His Holiness Aram I praised Dr. Yegavian, assuring that his
loyalty, love and commitment to the Cilician See during the last decade
resulted in fruitful contributions to the Armenian culture.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the books
published in the Printing House 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.

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:
Watch the recorded video of the message of His Holiness Aram I on the
occasion of the 3rd Pan-Armenian Writers’ Conference held in Antelias here:
Re ad the message of His Holiness Aram I in Armenian here:
Messages/messages5.htm
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I BESTOWS LEVON ANANIAN WITH
THE “ST MESROB MASHDOTS” INSIGNIA
His Holiness Aram I praised all the participants in the Third Pan-Armenian
Writers’ Conference and all Armenian writers in Armenia and the Diaspora in
his remarks during the ceremonial closing of the conference on April 9.
The Armenian Pontiff particularly commended the president of the Writers’
Union of Armenia, Levon Ananian. V. Rev. Fr. Norair Ashekian read the
Pontifical letter and the public attended carefully to the utmost levels of
Pontifical praise addressed to Levon Ananian. In his Pontifical encyclical,
His Holiness pointed out that all Armenian writers and intellectuals are
praised through Ananian.
On the sounds of excited claps from the public, His Holiness Aram I placed
the “St. Mesrob Mashdots” insignia on the chest of Levon Ananian, a true
servant of the Armenian language and literature.
##
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.

CRAG
E-mail: [email protected]
Web-sites: w3.crag.org.uk / w3.accc.org.uk
Commemorative Community Evening on Friday, 21st April, at 7:00 pm at
Victoria Hall, Ealing Town Hall, Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London W5.
The programme of this open and public event is geared toward the
Armenian community as a whole. It includes talks by a number of
prominent speakers (Armenian and non-Armenian) as well as interesting
cultural interludes by talented artists.

Annual March on Saturday, 22nd April, 11.00 from Marble Arch to
Whitehall & Cenotaph.
The march will be led by the Armenian Church, ACCC & CRAG and there
will be prayers at the Cenotaph and the placement of a wreath, as well
as the handing of a letter to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing St by
ACCC & CRAG representatives.
Divine Liturgy (Hokehankisd) on Sunday, 23 April, at 11:00 am led by
HG Bishop Nathan Hovhannesian at St Yeghiche Armenian Church, Cranley
Gardens, London SW7.
Short Memorial Service and laying of wreaths on Monday, 24 April, at
7:00 pm at St Sarkis Church, Iverna Gardens, London W8.
Commemorative Evening “The Truth about Armenia” on Tuesday, 25 April,
at 7:00 pm, by Wales-Armenia Solidarity, at the Temple of Peace,
Cathays Park, in Cardiff CF10.

Kyoda News
Wednesday April 12
U.N. meeting adopts resolution on trans-Asian railway network
(Kyodo) _ A U.N. meeting adopted Wednesday a resolution on an agreement to
construct the ambitious Trans-Asian Railway Network connecting 28 countries
from Asia to Europe, paving the way for its signing in November.
The adoption of the resolution on the Intergovernmental Agreement on the
Trans-Asian Railway Network was made by ministers and officials attending
the 62nd annual meeting of the Bangkok-based U.N. Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
“The TAR network is one of the building blocks towards the realization of
the vision of an international integrated intermodal transport system for
the whole region,” UNESCAP Executive Secretary Kim Hak Su told participants
of the meeting.
“The agreement identified routes of international importance that serve the
immediate transport needs of UNESCAP members, providing regional
connectivity as well as linkages to Europe,” he added.
The agreement, aimed at offering efficient transport services for the
movement of passengers and goods within the UNESCAP region and between Asia
and Europe, will open for signature during a ministerial conference on
transport slated for Nov. 6-11 in Busan, South Korea.
The TAR network consists of about 81,000 kilometers of rail routes
connecting 28 countries in the region that are also UNESCAP members, from
Indonesia in the south to Russia in the north and from Turkey in the west to
South Korea in the east.
Studies by UNESCAP member countries carried out between 1996 and 2001 have
identified four corridors: the 12,600-km Southeast Asia corridor, the
32,500-km Northeast Asia corridor, the 13,200-km Central Asia and Caucasus
corridor and the 22,600-km South Asia-Iran-Turkey corridor.
Initiated in early 1960s, the TAR project was earlier aimed at providing a
continuous 14,000-km rail link between Singapore and Istanbul with possible
onward connections to Europe and Africa.
Regional conflicts and centralistic economic policies that opposed a more
open market-oriented economy, however, have prevented materialization of the
ambitious plan.
The return of peace to Southeast Asia, the emergence of independent
countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia and the adoption of
market-oriented economic principles in many countries, particularly in China
and Russia, in 1980s and early 1990s raised the need for the development in
efficient transport infrastructure and services.
Finally, in 1992, the idea, which is also aimed at providing improved access
for landlocked countries to major ports, was revived under the framework of
the Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development project adopted by
UNESCAP’s 48th session.
A similar international agreement on the Asian Highway Network, also under
the auspices of UNESCAP, came into force in July 2005.
UNESCAP groups Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Georgia,
India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia,
Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri
Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.