U.S. AMBASSADOR DESIGNATE TO AZERBAIJAN RESPONDS TO SEN. BOXER’S CONCERNS ON DJULFA CEMETERY DESTRUCTION
Yerkir
22.05.2006 17:21
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – U.S. Ambassador Designate to Azerbaijan Anne Derse
responded to concerns raised by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) regarding
Azerbaijan’s destruction of the over millennia old Djulfa Armenian
cemetery in Nakhichevan, last week, but refrained from pledging any
concrete commitment to investigate the matter, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).
Submitting a written response to questions by Sen. Boxer relayed
during her May 12th Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation
hearing, Derse noted that the Department of State is “urging the
relevant Azerbaijani authorities to investigate the allegations of
desecration of cultural monuments in Nakhichevan and take appropriate
measures to prevent any desecration of cultural monuments. Armenia and
Azerbaijan are both members of UNESCO (and OSCE), and Azerbaijan has
raised these issues in those organizations. We have encouraged Armenia
and Azerbaijan to work with UNESCO to investigate this incident. If
I am confirmed, and if such issues arise during my tenure, I will
communicate our concerns to the Government of Azerbaijan and pursue
appropriate activities in support of U.S. interests.”
Sen. Boxer had specifically asked if the Ambassador Designate would
“visit the cemetery site and commit [herself] to investigating the
demolition of this unique cemetery.”
“We want to thank Senator Boxer for raising Azerbaijan’s desecration
of the Djulfa cemetery with Ambassador Designate Derse,” said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
“We were deeply troubled by the silence of the U.S. Embassy on this
issue during the tenure of her predecessor, Reno Harnish, and remain
hopeful that, despite her evasive response, Anne Derse will prove a
more vocal and effective advocate for the core American values of
tolerance and respect for cultural heritage. She can start off on
the right foot by personally visiting Djulfa during her first month
in office.”

“I KNOW THAT DESECRATION OF THE ARMENIAN CEMETERY IN NAKHICHEVAN RAISED VERY STRONG FEELINGS IN ARMENIA”
The exclusive interview of the OSCE Secretary General, Ambassador
Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, to Armenian Mediamax news agency, May
2006
Mediamax news agency
May 2006
– Armenia was among those CIS countries which criticized the OSCE in
a statement made in summer 2004 and today it seems the OSCE reform
has become a legitimate item on the agenda of the Organization.
– Like any organization, OSCE is in a constant process of adapting
to new realities. What you are referring to is the requirement of
certain countries within OSCE to make more substantial changes in
order to reflect their own perception that there are occasionally
double standards within OSCE.
Since decisions are taken in the OSCE on the basis of consensus,
any decision requires a large amount of compromising discussion in
order to be reached. We are right now going to that process. We hope
this process will be a very successful one.
But I do not think any final package will be reached before the next
Ministerial meeting to be held in Brussels this December. In between,
we are in active contacts with all countries, including Armenia,
which has been following this issue closely, and I think the Armenian
authorities understand that the OSCE Secretariat is doing its best
to address the existing concerns under the prevailing conditions.
– In July 2004, CIS member states declared that “there is a clear
misbalance between the three dimensions of security – Military and
political, Economic and environmental and Human. There is a clear
shift of priorities towards humanitarian problems, which noticeably
reduces the OSCE’s ability to oppose new challenges and threats”. Do
you agree that such misbalance indeed exists?
– Here in Armenia the work done by OSCE is remarkably balanced. In
a broader way, it is true that the OSCE occasionally is perceived
more through its Human dimension, but it is also a fact that a lot
of resourses of the OSCE come from the voluntary contributions of
participating states and that many of them place a large emphasis on
the Human dimension, providing resourses for that.
I would greatly encourage all those participating states who want more
spending on other dimensions to look at how they might contribute to
all the dimensions.
– It seems that the Economic and Environmental dimension of the OSCE
is coming to the forefront of discussions initiated 30 years ago in
Helsinki. What benefits can Armenia expect from the OSCE?
– We are going to have in Prague the Economic forum on May 21, which
has been solely prepared by meetings in Dushanbe and Baku. We will be
putting attention on issues which are directly relevant to the economic
prosperity of a country like Armenia. This is a clear indication that
the economic dimension is being taken very seriously, with particular
focus on issues which are relevant to the countries in the Caucasus.
– How is the cooperation between Armenia and the OSCE Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) developing? Do you
see any room for improvement?
– I think the relations between OSCE and Armenia are good and that
the Office for Democracy and Human Rights (ODHR) is part of that
relationship. We expect that ODHR will be invited to send long-term
and short-term election monitors to the upcoming elections in Armenian
in 2007 and 2008. We are making comments on the amendments to the
electoral law and we hope that this will be taken into account. But
what is most important would be for any decisions taken by the
parliament to be fully implemented in the forthcoming elections.
– In the context of the OSCE Human dimension the issues of Tolerance
and Non-Discrimination are at the forefront of the discussions.
Don’t you think that in this respect much more attention should be
paid to the situation in our region?
– I think you are touching on a very important point. It would be a
great complicating factor if existing political tensions would be given
a cultural dimension. I am well aware of the fact that desecration of
the Armenian cemetery in Nakhichevan has raised very strong feelings
in Armenia. The Armenian Catholicos expressed his deep sadness and
sorrow about this. We are going to work very hard for the solution
of the conflict itself in order to eliminate the root causes for this
possible cultural tension. We are all concerned about this.

AND THE WINNER IS MR.V.MAHDESIAN 21-05-2006
Ma y 21 2006
LARNACA LIMASSOL NICOSIA TOTAL PERCENTAGE
Dr.V.Atamian 162 124 524 810 47.4%
Mr.V.Mahdesian 183 140 576 899 52.6%
Blanks/Void 5 7 41 53
Total 350 271 1141 1762
OCTOBER 2005 BY-ELECTIONS RESULTS
LARNACA LIMASSOL NICOSIA TOTAL PERCENTAGE
Dr.V.Atamian 160 113 496 769 52%
Dr.A.Ashdjian 140 89 420 649 44%
Mr.P.Zartarian 6 13 41 60 4%
Blanks/Void 10 8 42 60
Total 316 223 999 1538

ARMENIAN AND AZERI PRESIDENTS MAY MEET IN BUCHAREST
PanARMENIAN.Net
22.05.2006 16:30 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE Minsk Group for the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement proposed to hold a recurrent meeting of the
Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents in Bucharest, June 4-6 within
the framework of the “Black Sea for Partnership and Dialogue” summit,
Russian mediator Yuri Merzlyakov informed.
In a conversation with a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, RA President’s
Spokesman Victor Soghomonyan neither refuted nor confirmed the
information. In his words, it’s premature to speak of anything precise
until the end of the talks.
It should also be noted that Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Grigory Karasin, French MFA Political Director Stanislas de Laboulaye
and U.S. Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian
Affairs Daniel Fried will arrive in the region with the mediators.

HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE MAINTAINS MILITARY AID PARITY BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
22.05.2006 16:40 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Early reports from Capitol Hill sources indicate
that the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations today
approved by voice vote to maintain military assistance parity between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, despite the Bush Administration’s request
to break the parity agreement and provide 40% more in assistance to
Azerbaijan, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.)
Sources on Capitol Hill reported that the key foreign aid panel also
allocated $62 million in U.S. aid for Armenia and $5 million for
Nagorno Karabakh for fiscal year (FY) 2007. The amount represents a
$12 million increase over President Bush’s FY 2007 budget request,
but is lower than last year’s appropriation of $75 million. The
Subcommittee also rejected efforts by Azerbaijan’s lobbyists to
weaken Section 907 restrictions on U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan,
due to its ongoing blockades of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Overall, the Subcommittee approved $21.3 billion in foreign aid
spending, an increase of $600 million over last year’s budget.
“We commend the members of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee
for contributing to the continued stability of the Caucasus by
maintaining parity in military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan and
fighting back attempts to further weaken Section 907,” stated Aram
Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “We also appreciate the
efforts of our friends to increase Armenia’s assistance above the
level proposed by the President and to provide $5 million in aid to
Nagorno Karabakh. We look forward to action by the Senate – and later
in conference committee – to bring assistance to Armenia to at least
last year’s figure of $75 million,” added Hamparian.

ONE RECORD BOX OF A-320 WITHDRAWN FROM BLACK SEA BED
PanARMENIAN.Net
22.05.2006 17:29 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ One of the record boxes of A-320 jet that crashed
near Sochi was withdrawn from the water, reported a representative
of a scientific center, whose specialists are engaged in the search
operation.
“One of the record boxes of the A-320 jet was found and taken out of
the water. The search for the second record box is going on,” he said,
reported RIA Novosti.
To remind, on the night of May 3 a Yerevan-Sochi flight of Armavia
airlines crashed in the Black Sea 6 km away from Adler airport
killing all of 113 passengers, including 6 children and 8 members of
the crew. Among them were 26 Russian citizens, one Ukrainian and one
Georgian citizen, while the rest were Armenian citizens.

CHIEF OF UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES GENERAL STAFF ARRIVING IN YEREVAN MAY 24
PanARMENIAN.Net
22.05.2006 17:38 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff,
Colonel General Sergey Kirichenko is arriving in Yerevan on a 2-day
visit May 24. As RA Defense Minister’s Spokesman, Colonel Seyran
Shahsuvaryan told PanARMENIAN.Net, Kirichenko is scheduled to meet
with the Chief of the RA Armed Forces General Staff, Deputy Defense
Minister, Colonel General Mikael Harutyunyan and National Assembly
Vice-speaker Tigran Torosyan.
He will also attend the memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims, the
mine clearing center and the Military Institute after V. Sargsyan. The
Ukrainian delegation will also meet with Catholicos of All Armenians
Garegin II.
A number of agreements will be signed between the Armenian and
Ukrainian Armed Forces upon the outcomes of the visit.

ANNE DERSE STOPS SHORT OF DESTRUCTION OF ARMENIAN CEMETERY IN NAKHICHEVAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
22.05.2006 18:20 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. Ambassador Designate to Azerbaijan Anne Derse
responded to concerns raised by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) regarding
Azerbaijan’s destruction of the over millennia old Djulfa Armenian
cemetery in Nakhichevan, but refrained from pledging any concrete
commitment to investigate the matter, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
Submitting a written response to questions by Sen. Boxer relayed
during her May 12th Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation
hearing, Derse noted that the Department of State is “urging the
relevant Azerbaijani authorities to investigate the allegations of
desecration of cultural monuments in Nakhichevan and take appropriate
measures to prevent any desecration of cultural monuments. Armenia and
Azerbaijan are both members of UNESCO (and OSCE), and Azerbaijan has
raised these issues in those organizations. We have encouraged Armenia
and Azerbaijan to work with UNESCO to investigate this incident. If
I am confirmed, and if such issues arise during my tenure, I will
communicate our concerns to the Government of Azerbaijan and pursue
appropriate activities in support of U.S. interests.”
Sen. Boxer had specifically asked if the Ambassador Designate would
“visit the cemetery site and commit [herself] to investigating the
demolition of this unique cemetery.”
“We want to thank Senator Boxer for raising Azerbaijan’s desecration
of the Djulfa cemetery with Ambassador Designate Derse,” said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We were deeply troubled by the
silence of the U.S. Embassy on this issue during the tenure of her
predecessor, Reno Harnish, and remain hopeful that, despite her
evasive response, Anne Derse will prove a more vocal and effective
advocate for the core American values of tolerance and respect for
cultural heritage. She can start off on the right foot by personally
visiting Djulfa during her first month in office.”
In December of 2005, approximately 200 Azerbaijani forces were
videotaped using sledgehammers to demolish the Armenian cemetery in
Djulfa, a sacred site of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The cemetery
dates back to the 7th Century and once was home to as many as 10,000
khatchkars (intricately carved stone-crosses).

Millennium Challenge Armenia ()
#1
REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
MCA-ARMENIA PROGRAM
CONSULTING SERVICES
SURVEY ON TECHNICAL AND ECONOMICAL JUSTIFICATION FOR
CONSTRUCTION OF NEW IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS REQUEST FOR
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Deadline: May 31, 2006
fm?3038
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#2
REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
MCA-ARMENIA PROGRAM
CONSULTING SERVICES
SURVEY ON TECHNICAL AND ECONOMICAL JUSTIFICATION AND
PREPARATION OF REHABILITATION WORKS FOR 68 PUMPING
STATIONS REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Deadline: May 31, 2006
fm?3037
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#3
REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
MCA-ARMENIA PROGRAM
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Expressions of Interest request for an
Environmental/hydrological baseline study of wetlands
located in the Ararat valley, Armenia
Deadline: May 31, 2006
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Deadline: May 29, 2006
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May 22, 2006
PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: <; Western Prelacy Clergy Conference WE EACH HAVE OUR INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERS, BUT COLLECTIVELY WE MUST HAVE ONE AND THE SAME CHARACTER, THAT OF A CLERGY Declared the Prelate On the eve of the Western Prelacy 34th Representatives Assembly, on Wednesday, May 17, 2006, a one-day clergy conference took place at Encino 's Holy Martyrs Church. The conference was held under the auspices of H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, and with the participation of the clergy order, including H.E. Archbishop Yeprem Tabakian who is visiting our Prelacy. At 10:30 a.m. the day began with prayer services inside the church, followed by opening remarks by the Prelate. The Prelate began by expressing thanks and gratitude to the Lord for granting the opportunity to hold this conference. In his remarks the Prelate spoke of the ideas that emerged from the Clergy Conference at the Catholicosate in September of 2002, focusing on three main points. He stressed spiritual renewal, keeping a close bond with parishioners, and to triumph over hardships with faith in the Cross and the Holy Spirit. The Prelate stressed that we often find ourselves in hardship yet we seek answers outside of ourselves. We must not look for easy solutions but rather work towards being able to confront any and all types of hardship. We have a need for renewal; we must make more of an effort to reach out to our parishioners and to offer them spiritual nourishment. Reading from the Letter of Paul the Prelate continued: `I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect' (Romans 12:1-2). The Prelate then read an excerpt from the book `The Armenian Church', by H.H. Catholicos Papken of blessed memory, about having an honest character adding, `We each have our individual characters, but collectively we must have one and the same character; that of a clergy'. CONFERENCE Following the church services and spiritual reflections, the first session of the conference convened at 11:30 a.m. at `Dickranian' Hall. The session opened with the Lord's Prayer, followed by the Prelate welcoming Archbishop Tabakian and clergy members, highly commended the work they have done particularly in the past few months. He then invited Arch. Tabakian to deliver his remarks. During the conference, Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian lectured on the three Ecumenical Councils and Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian on the doctrine of the Holy Cross. Following lunch, the second session began at 2:15 p.m. and continued until 6:15 p.m. The second session was a meeting of the Religious Council that reviewed the Council's activities during the past year, as well as issues relating to the then upcoming Representatives Assembly. The conference concluded with the Prelate's blessings and `Bahbanich' prayer. From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress