AMERICAN CONGRESSMAN SUSPECTS INTRIGUES OF TURKEY IN DISMISSAL OF USA
AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA JOHN EVANS
Yerevan, May 29. ArmInfo. The controversy surrounded the firing of
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans continued to grow this
week with a powerful statement by the Co-Chairman of the Armenian
Caucus, calls for Congressional hearings, and a series of as yet
unanswered inquiries from the national media.
In a May 25th statement on the House floor, Congressman Frank Pallone
(D-NJ) forcefully condemned the Administration for forcing Amb. Evans
to vacate his post for publicly affirming the Armenian Genocide. He
voiced his “fear that the Government of Turkey may have played a role
in this unfortunate event. I strongly believe they have expressed
concern to the White House over Evans’ remarks last year. In fact,
immediately following his remarks, Evan issued a “correction,” all too
seemingly at the behest of the Administration. We must not allow a
third party to interfere in U.S. diplomacy and refrain from declaring
the truth in order to promote relations with Turkey.” He added that
hearings in the Congress will clarify the situation, as the White
House “has already made an official announcement but still has not
given an explanation”.
He closed by expressing his “hope that the newly-appointed
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Richard Hoagland, will not play the word
games of the White House, and comply with Turkey’s campaign of
genocidal denial.”

EUROPE IS NOT A KINDERGARTEN, NO ONE CAN BE DRAGGED TO IT BY FORCE:
ARMENIAN MP
Yerevan, May 29. ArmInfo. “Europe is not a kindergarten, no one can be
dragged to it by force,” said MP Shavarsh Kocharyan, Leader of the
National Democratic Union of Armenia at a seminar “European System of
Values As an Expression of National Interests of European States:
National-Democratic Values Ratio in Europe” at the Congress Hotel
Monday.
The point is whether Armenia needs to pass the long way of European
countries to the present democratic system or it can attain the
admission to the European family “just jumping over stages” like
Slovenia, Poland, Baltic states did and like Bulgaria and Romania
will do in 2007, Shavarsh Kocharyan said.
Using the term “Europe,” not only the 25 EU member-states and the
nominees to this organizations are meant, but also Switzerland,
Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Norway. The countries that have accepted
the European system of values, the corner stone of which are human
rights protection, scattering of power among different branches and
observance of Christian ideals, are considered European
states. Armenia should apply to “its roots, to the Christianity” to
count on future admission to the European Union. It must not imitate
integration into Europe and democracy as the response of European
community will be negative in this case, Shavarsh Kocharyan said.
In his turn, Head of the Caucasian Media Institute, political expert,
Alexander Iskandaryan, said the way to Europe is not a way to
democracy. EU moves from democracy and from resolution by elected
bodies to resolutions by bureaucratic, administrative bodies. Besides,
the way to European Union does not mean a way to capitalism. Classical
capitalism is currently observed in Armenia, while the EU
member-states experience real socialism. The course of formation of
national states of European type extends from West to East, that is
why, Turkey will join EU someday. Armenia will do it in some 50 years,
Iskandaryan said.
Further on the existence of really national countries at the EU, the
political expert declared: “Where are the Serbs of ‘Voevoda’? Why can
Croatians do what, for instance, Azerbaijanis cannot in Nagorny
Karabakh, from the point of view of Europe?” The matter is the
location of Croatia as many Europeans can easily occur, for instance,
in Germany via Croatia, Iskandaryan said. At the same time, Europe is
a multi-level culture of resolving conflict situations in a flexible
peaceful way. Any country can join it, changing itself as “Europe is
not the Santa Claus to bring gifts,” Alexander Iskandaryan declared.

GRAVES OF JEWS AND ARMENIANS ARE BEING DESTROYED IN AZERBAIJAN
Yerevan, May 29. ArmInfo. Graves of Jews and Armenians are being
destroyed in Azerbaijan. As the Baku “Real Azerbaijan” newspaper
informs in the article “Country of Vandals”, the Edition received a
letter of indignation from the residents of Sumgait, informing about
the destruction of graves of Jews and Armenians. The content of letter
is not given, however, the author informs that graves of Jews and
Armenians are also destroyed in Baku.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AFTER 7TH ROUND OF 37 WORLD CHESS OLYMPIAD, MAN’S COMBINED TEAM OF
ARMENIA STRENGTHENED ITS LEAD
TURIN, May 29. ArmInfo. Having won at the 7th round of the 37th World
Chess Olympiad in Turin form the Dutch combined team with a score 3:1,
the man’s combined team of Armenia strengthened its lead. One point
separates the Armenia’s combined team from the Russian nearest
competitor and main favorite of the tournament.
Fixture list of the Olympiad after seven rounds:
Men:
1. Armenia – 21 2. Russia – 20 3. Cuba – 19.5
Women:
1. Russia – 17.5 2. Ukraine – 16.5 3. USA – 15.5
The 37th World Chess Olympiad will be finished on June 4.

CEASE-FIRE VIOLATION BY AZERBAIJAN KILLS FIRST SERGEANT OF ARMENIAN
ARMED FORCES
Yerevan, May 29. ArmInfo. The Azerbaijani party violated the
cease-fire on the contact-line with Armenian Armed Forces
again. Colonel Seyran Shahsouvaryan, Press Secretary of Armenian
Defense Minister, told ArmInfo. In fact, the fire at the Armenian
positions in Noyemberyan region approximately at 9:30 PM on 27 May
killed First Sergeant Levon Adamyan (1985). Wounded in breast, Adamyan
died on the way to hospital.
It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan continues misinforming the world
accusing the Armenian party of ceasefire violation. APA agency spread
a regular false report on wounding of an Azerbaijani soldier. However,
even the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan did not confirm the report.

ARMENIAN MEN TEAM MOVES INTO THE LEAD AFTER 6 ROUNDS OF 37TH CHESS OLYMPIAD
Turin, May 29. ArmInfo. Men team of Armenia toppled Uzbekistan 2.5:1.5,
hereby moving into the lead of the 37th Chess Olympiad in Turin. The
Netherlands’ won over Russia, the former leader 1.5:2.5.
Top leaders: Men – 1. Armenia – 18; 2. Netherlands – 17,5; 3. Russia – 17; 4.
Belarus – 17; 5. Ukraine – 16,5; 6. USA – 16,5; 7. Sweden – 16,5; 8. India –
16,5; 9. Uzbekistan – 16.0; 10. Georgia – 16.0. Women. 1. Russia – 14,5; 2.
Ukraine – 14,0; 3. Slovakia – 13,5; 4. USA – 13; 5. Romania – 13; 6. India –
13; 7. Bulgaria – 13; 8. Hungary – 12,5; 9. China – 12,5; 10. Estonia – 12,5.

RUSSIAN “FIRST CHANNEL” CALLED ARMENIA’S PUBLIC TV COMPANY “H1” ONE OF
BEST PARTNERS IN CIS COUNTRIES
Moscow, May 29. ArmInfo. The Public TV Company “H1” is one of the best
partners of the Russian “First Channel” in CIS countries, the PR
Director of the “First Channel” OJSC Igor Burenkov told ArmInfo.
According to him, when the “First Channel” announced about the
intention to code the Channel programs broadcasting and to transfer to
a licensed broadcasting in the countries of South Caucasus and Middle
Asia, the partners from Armenia were first to respond. Burenkov noted
that unlike the Armenian “H1”, there problems arouse with
rebroadcasting of the Football World Championship in other CIS
countries. “Our Armenian partners acquired the rights for football
rebroadcasting beforehand”, Burenkov said. According to him, the main
purpose of transfer to a licensed broadcasting of the “First Channel”
programs is to increase the rating and not to loose the
Russian-speaking audience in CIS countries. The “First Channel” has
the highest rating in Armenia. Burenkov added that the “First Channel”
continues to supply its TV audience with objective information about
the internal political and foreign political processes in CIS
countries.
To be reminded, rebroadcasting of the Public Russian TV in Armenia was
replaced from May 25 by broadcasting of a special channel “First
Channel. CIS”. This is already the third specialized international
version of the Russian “First Channel”.

Azerbaijan ‘vandalised’ sacred Armenian sites

The Independent – United Kingdom; May 30, 2006
Stephen Castle in Brussels
Fears that Azerbaijan has systematically destroyed hundreds of
500-year-old Christian artefacts have exploded into a diplomatic row,
after Euro MPs were barred from inspecting an ancient Armenian burial
site.
The predominantly Muslim country’s government has been accused of
“flagrant vandalism” similar to the Taliban’s demolition of the
Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan.
The claims centre on the fate of rare khachkars, stone crosses carved
with intricate floral designs, at the burial ground of Djulfa in the
Nakhichevan region of Azerbaijan, an enclave separated from the rest
of the country by Armenia.
The works – some of the most important examples of Armenian heritage –
are said to have been smashed with sledgehammers last December as the
site was concreted over.
The Azerbaijan government, which denies the claims, is now at the
centre of a row with MEPs, some of whom it accused of a “biased and
hysterical approach”. Its ambassador to the EU also says the European
Parliament has ignored damage to Muslim sites in Armenia. Azerbaijan
refused to allow a delegation of Euro MPs permission to visit the
1,500-year-old Djulfa cemetery during their trip to the region last
month.
Most of the original 10,000 khachkars, most of which date from the
15th and 16th centuries, were destroyed by the early 20th century,
leaving probably fewer than 3,000 by the late 1970s. According to the
International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos), the Azerbaijan
government removed 800 khachkars in 1998. Though the destruction was
halted following protests from Unesco, it resumed four years later. By
January 2003 “the 1,500-year-old cemetery had completely been
flattened,” Icomos says.
Witnesses, quoted in the Armenian press, say the final round of
vandalism was unleashed in December last year by Azerbaijani soldiers
wielding sledgehammers.
The president of Icomos, Michael Petzet, said: “Now that all traces of
this highly important historic site seem to have been extinguished all
we can do is mourn the loss and protest against this totally senseless
destruction.” Some MEPs believe that, boosted by its oil revenues,
Azerbaijan is adopting an increasingly assertive stance in the region.
Charles Tannock, Conservative foreign affairs
spokesman in the European parliament, said: “This is very similar to
the Buddha statues destroyed by the Taliban. They have concreted the
area over and turned it into a military camp. If they have nothing to
hide then we should be allowed to inspect the terrain. It was a major
cultural and heritage site which was revered by the Armenian Christian
community.”
When MEPs passed a critical resolution in February, Azerbaijan’s
Foreign Minister, Elmar Mammad-yarov, made a formal protest. Then,
when the parliament’s delegation for relations with Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia asked to combine a mission to Armenia with a
visit to the Djulfa archaeological site, their request was refused.
The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly hopes to visit the site
and its secretary general has offered to set up an expert group to
examine cultural sites in Azerbaijan and Armenia. MEPs insist that the
authorities in Azerbaijan should open their doors if they have nothing
to hide.
Hannes Swoboda, an Austrian socialist MEP and member of the committee
barred from examining the site, said he hoped a visit could be
arranged in the autumn. He added: “If they do not allow us to go, we
have a clear hint that some- thing bad has happened. If something is
hidden we want to ask why. It can only be because some of the
allegations are true.”
And he warned: “One of the major elements of any country that wants to
come close to Europe is that the cultural heritage of neighbours is
respected.”

The Burns Supper and the British Embassy help mothers and children in
Gegharkunik and Lori marz

ArmRadio.am
30.05.2006 14:03
On Wednesday 31 May, at 11:30 the British Embassy in Armenia will hold
a press conference to mark the handover of charity funds raised at the
2006 Burns Supper to the beneficiary.
This year the 8th annual Burns Supper raised AMD 9 Million ($20,000),
for the purchase of much needed medical equipment for the Martuni
Maternity Hospital in Gegharkunik Marz. The purchase of the equipment
will be arranged by USAID-funded Project NOVA, which will receive the
money on behalf of the beneficiary on the day of press conference.
The 2006 Burns Supper raised funds through the sale of the tickets and
through an auction on the night

Ethnic Armenian Arthur Sardaryan killed in Moscow

ArmRadio.am
30.05.2006 14:41
Ethnic Armenian Arthur Sardaryan, 19, was killed in an electric train
near Klyazma station. On this occasion a criminal case has been
launched according to Article 105 of RF Criminal Code `Crime on the
ground of national hatred.’
The murder was carried out on May 25. Attorney Simon Tsaturyan informs
that on this day Arthur Sardaryan was returning from Pushkino to
Moscow where he lived with his family.