THE NEW ARMAVIA FLIGHT TO ISRAEL WILL RECOMMENCE FROM MARCH 23

YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. Yerevan-Tel-Aviv flights of Armaviua
company, sterted on January 1, 2006, were suspended due to lack of
passengers, reports the Armavia press center.

According to the information received, small quantity of passengers
flying to Israel is caused by the difficulties of the visa system.

Armavia has submitted this question to the Government of Armenia and
intends to recommence the flights to Tel-Aviv from March 23.

The company also informed that new prices are offered to Armavia
customers in 2006. From March the Armavia passengers are to pay AMD
700 for 1 kilogram of cargo when traveling by Yerevan-Amsterdam-
Yerevan, Yerevan-Paris Yerevan, Yerevan-Aleppo-Yerevan,
Yerevan-Frankfurt-Yerevan flights. The ticket price is $225.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IN 2005 ARMAVIA INCREASED ITS PASSENGER TRAFFIC VOLUME BY 1,2

YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. In 2005 the Armavia company increased
the volume of passenger transportations 1,2 times v to 501 thousand
passengers, reports the press center of the air company.

According to information received, in 2005 the company realized 2841
flights, 1,2 times more than in 2004. Cargo transportation volume
remained on the same level v 1.815.683 kilograms. In January 2006
Amavia transported 26.700 passengers in February v 23.500.

Since July 2005 the company has been implementing a new policy of
increasing the flights and opening new routes. From summer 2006 new
flights to Anapa, Donetsk, France, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Odessa,
Simferopol, Beirut, Athens, Aleppo and Teheran will be available
at Armavia. In 2006 the company will purchase two A-319 airplanes,
produced in 2004.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IFEX, Canada
International Freedom of Expression eXpress
March 17 2006

CAPSULE REPORT: Writers and academics favoring EU membership target
of criminal complaints, says CPJ in special report

Country/Topic: Turkey
Date: 16 March 2006
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Person(s):
Target(s):
Type(s) of violation(s):
Urgency: Bulletin
(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a CPJ press release:

Turkish Nationalism and the Press

A CPJ special report: Free expression falls victim to EU opponents

New York, March 16, 2006 – Nationalists opposed to Turkey’s
engagement with Europe have sought out sympathetic public prosecutors
across the country to file criminal complaints against journalists,
writers and academics who favor EU membership, a new report by the
Committee to Protect Journalists has found.

Using loosely worded laws that criminalize the denigration of the
Turkish state, its identity and its institutions, conservative
secular nationalists – referred to by some as “the state within the
state” – are challenging writings and public comments on issues they
dislike, including the Kurds, the mass killings of Armenians under
the Ottoman Empire, and the security forces, CPJ found in its special
report, “Nationalism and the Press,” released today.

Five journalists were charged in December 2005 under Article 288 of
the penal code with attempting to influence the outcome of judicial
proceedings through their writings. Four of the five were also
charged under the controversial Article 301 of the code with
insulting “Turkishness,” and if convicted could face prison terms
from six months to 10 years.

Senior Editor Robert Mahoney attended the unruly opening of the
journalists’ trial on February 7 in Istanbul where hundreds of riot
police ringed the court room and the judge adjourned the case after
two hours. He interviewed several of the journalists standing trial,
government officials and activists for the report.

Since Turkey’s penal code was overhauled in 2005, cases have been
brought against 29 journalists under Article 301, according to the
local press freedom organization Bia.

For 40 years, Turkey has been forging closer political, economic, and
social ties with Europe, writes Mahoney. But the opening last October
of formal accession negotiations with Brussels has galvanized those
who feel Turkey has gone far enough in reforming itself along Western
lines to pass the EU membership test.

The prosecution of the five journalists is scheduled to reconvene on
April 11.

To read the report:
-06/turkey_3-06.html

CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that
works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information,
visit

KENYAN RELATIVE OF ARMENIAN PRESIDENT – JUST FIB

YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. The statements of Armenian businessman
Artur Sargsyan that he is relative of Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan is just a fib, says the spokesman of the president Viktor
Sogomonyan, commenting on the statements in the Kenyan press by two
Armenian businessmen from Dubai involved in a political scandal.

Artur Sargsyan and Artur Margaryan are accused by the leader of
the Kenyan opposition Rale Oding that they have been hired by the
authorities to attack the local media. The Armenians parried with
counter-charges that Oding has failed to pay them a $1.5 mln debt. In
a press-conference Sargsyan said: “My uncle is Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan, while I am a presidential candidate.”

The spokesman of the Armenian FM Hamlet Gasparyan says that the FM
is investingating the case. Armenia has no diplomatic representation
in Kenya and the investigation may take a while but the FM hopes to
find out the truth in a week.

TURKISH HISTORIANS ARE GOING TO FIND OUT IF THERE WAS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. During the current Istanbul international
symposium “New Approaches to Armenian-Turkish Relations” British
historian of Armenian nationality Ara Safaryan and Director of the
Institute of Turkish History Yusuf Galacoglu, who denies the Armenian
Genocide, have decided to develop a joint project to find out what
actually took place in Ottoman Turkey in early XX.

Milliyet (Turkey) reports Safaryan to say that there are irrefutable
proves that there was a genocide in Ottoman Turkey in early XX. One
proof is the words of then US ambassador to Turkey, who describes the
horrible events. In response, Garacoglu proposed developing a joint
project to examine the mass burial places and the massacre scenes.

Safaryn accepted the proposal.

The most sensational speech was made Thursday by professor of Israeli
University Yair Oron, who said that the events were certainly a
genocide. His statement is based on thorough research. He says that
despite Turkey’s efforts the Armenian Genocide is mentioned in the
world press, particularly, in Palestinian newspapers.

‘ROYAL-ARMENIA’ REPRESENTATIVES ASK THE PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA TO
INTERFERE THE PERSECUTION OF THE COMPANY

YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. Representatives of ‘Royal Armenia’
CJSC ask President Robert Kocharian to interference and to stop the
unlawful judicial persecution of the company.

‘Royal-Armenia’s open letter addressed to the President states that
shareholder Gagik Hakobian and deputy-director Aram Kazarian were
detained in result of calumny and falsifications by the Customs
Service. The company accuses investigator Mnatsakan Marukian for
neglecting the evidence of Hakobian’s and Kazarian’s innocence and for
stating openly that the activity of ‘Royal-Armenia’ has been illegal
for 6 years. The letter states that the company suffers from refusing
the unlawful demands of the corrupted Customs Committee.

‘Royal Armenia’ reminds the President about his criticism of the
Customs Committee and calls upon him for justice.

Synapse, CA
UCSF student newsletter
March 17 2006

Opinion: Your Chance to Stop a Genocide

By Adam Greenwald and Jeannie Biniek
Contributing Writers

Sixty years ago, the world stood silently by as six million Jews were
consigned to flames in Auschwitz and other factories of death. In the
aftermath of the Holocaust, humanity pledged never again to be
complacent in the face of genocide. Sadly, we failed to keep that
promise in Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda. In our own day, we have
allowed the genocide in Darfur to rage unabated for three agonizing
years.

Since February 2003, the Sudanese government has sponsored militias
who have carried out a systematic policy of massacre, rape and forced
displacement against the black population of that country’s Darfur
region. To date, 400,000 people have been brutally killed and 2.5
million more have been forced to flee for their lives. Ninety percent
of all Darfur villages have been destroyed. The U.S. government has
declared this staggering human catastrophe to be genocide.

Today, UC students are leading the fight to end Darfur’s nightmare.
Because of student pressure, the Regents of the University of
California agreed to establish a task force in late-January
responsible for creating a substantial, targeted divestment strategy
from certain companies doing business in Sudan. The task force’s goal
was to make exactingly sure that divestment efforts would only target
those countries that are contributing to government revenue, but are
not provide any benefit to the country’s population. The task force’s
findings and recommendations will be presented to the UC Regents for
a vote at their March 16 meeting on the UCLA campus.

If such a targeted divestment strategy is adopted, the UC will send a
powerful message that the world will not stand idly by while the
Sudanese government murders its citizens. However, this is no mere
symbolic action. We know that Sudanese military expenditures are
closely linked to foreign direct investments; by divesting, we can
limit Sudan’s ability to buy the guns and bombs that they are using
to butcher innocent civilians. By targeting divestment to only a
subset of companies, the UC avoids hurting more innocents.

A broad coalition of leaders support divestment. To date, 23 U.S.
Congresspeople have added their names to this effort, as have more
than two-dozen state legislators. They are joined by scores of
activists, clergy, union representatives, faculty and thousands of
students. Please add your name to this coalition by signing our
petition at
On March 16, the UC Regents will decide, once and for all, whether
the UC take the lead in fighting genocide.
The world remained silent through the Armenian genocide, the
Holocaust, the killings by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and the
genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda. The genocide in Darfur is still
ongoing. Millions of people remain in imminent, mortal danger. We
have a chance not to repeat the mistakes of the past. We dare not
miss the opportunity. Support targeted divestment of UC investments
from Sudan.

For more information see our Web site, Adam
Greenwald is an Executive Member of the UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce
and President of the Progressive Jewish Student Association of UCLA.
Jeannie Biniek is External Vice-President of the UCLA Undergraduate
Student Association and an Executive Member of the UC Sudan
Divestment Taskforce.

606/gen.html

THE US ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE ADVISED TURKEY TO GIVE ESTIMATION TO THE TRAGEDIES OF THE PAST

YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. The question of recognizing the fact
of the Armenian Genocide is a very complicated one and it should be
thoroughly attended by both the sides, stated on his visit to Ankara
Daniel Fried, assistant to the US Secretary of State.

‘Zaman’ newspaper notes that Mr. Fried arrived in Turkey together
with Steven Mann, the American Co- Chairman of the Minsk Group, and
met with representatives of the Foreign Ministry of Turkey. After the
meetings Mr. Davies said that the tragedies of the past must be given
an objective estimate and the nations must be mostly concerned by their
future. He said that the position of the United States on this question
is known to everyone and that President Bush will hold a speech about
it in April. Mr. Fried said that US Government’s demand to open the
border with Armenia was also considered on the meeting in Ankara.

CONCERT DEVOTED TO THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNION OF IRANIAN ARMENIANS
OF LOS ANGELES IN CALIFORNIA

YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. A symphonic concert “Treasures of Armenian
Classic Music” devoted to the 50th anniversary of the Union of Iranian
Armenians of Los Angeles was held in the Californian town of Glendale
on March 11.

The press-service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reports the event
was organized by the Union of Iranian Armenians and Glendale Music
School with support of the Armenian Consulate General in Los Angeles.

The works by Armenian composers were performed. The creative director
and director of the concert is Michael Avetisyan. Participating in the
event were the Chorus of the Union of Iranian Armenians and pianist
Vache Mangryan.

ARMENIA WILL HAVE MORE EFFICIENT ARMED FORCES IN 10 YEARS, DEFENSE MINISTER STATES

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 17 2006

YEREVAN, March 17. /ARKA/. Armenia will have more efficient armed
forces meeting the international standards in ten years, Secretary of
the RA Presidential National Security Council, RA Minister of Defense
Serge Sargsyan stated at his meeting with a US delegation.

Colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan, Press Secretary to the RA Minister of
Defense, reported that the Minister pointed out that importance of
the Armenia-NATO relations, stressing that they are rapidly developing.

In his turn, the member of the US delegation, representative of the
Command of the US armed forces in Europe, Colonel Mike Andersen
expressed gratitude for the Armenia~Rs peace-makers~R successful
mission in Iraq. The US officer expressed special thanks to the RA
Minister of Defense for assistance and transparent activities of the
RA armed forces. He also pointed out the importance of rescue training
to be held in Armenia in July 2006. P.T. ~V0~W

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress