Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
March 8, 2006
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

RE: Rep. Pallone Tells Congress He Will Fight For Military Aid Parity

WASHINGTON, DC -The Armenian Assembly commended Congressional Caucus
on Armenian Issues Co-Chair Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) for promising to
fight against the Administration’s attempts to provide Azerbaijan a 20
percent increase in military aid over Armenia in the Fiscal Year 2007
budget. Pallone told Congress yesterday that, “A lack of military
parity would weaken ongoing peace negotiations regarding Nagorno
Karabakh. It will also contribute to further instability in the region
if military parity is not achieved and it undermines the role of the
U.S. as an impartial mediator of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict.”
Pallone also said he will fight to increase economic assistance to
Armenia and provide for humanitarian aid to Nagorno Karabakh. Below
is the full text of Pallone’s speech as delivered before the House of
Representatives.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

###

NR#2006-019

CONGRESSMAN FRANK PALLONE, JR.

FLOOR STATEMENT

Foreign Operations Request

March 7, 2006
Mr. Speaker, the President’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2007
proposes 20% more military aid to Azerbaijan than to Armenia.
This request is in clear breach of an agreement struck between the
White House and Congress in 2001 to maintain parity in U.S. military
aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

Mr. Speaker, the parity agreement is unfortunately a battle that the
Armenian people have had to fight in the past.  The FY05 Presidential
request was similar in that it called for more military funding to
Azerbaijan.  However, the congress reversed the President to ensure
military parity for the FY05 foreign operations Appropriations Act. 
After that battle and the, and the President’s FY06 budget request
that included parity, I thought the President’s FY07 budget would
continue the policy. 

A lack of military parity would weaken ongoing peace negotiations
regarding Nagorno Karabakh.  It will also contribute to further
instability in the region if military parity is not achieved and it
undermines the role of the U.S. as an impartial mediator of the
Nagorno Karabagh conflict.

The President should not be rewarding the government of Azerbaijan for
walking away from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) – Key West peace talks, the most promising opportunity
to resolve the Nagorno Karabagh conflict in nearly a decade. 

Unfortunately, the Administration’s budget also calls for drastic cuts
in economic assistance to Armenia.  I was discouraged to see that the
President requested a 33% decrease in economic aid, from $74.4 million
last year, to $50 million, this year.  Technical and developmental
assistance and investment is essential to Armenia.  This funding is
key to democratic stability and economic reform.

Mr. Speaker is this the message we want to send to our friends in
Armenia?  Do we want to cut economic aid to a country that is
terrorized by its neighbors and is shut off at its eastern and western
borders due to an illegal blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan?

In the coming weeks I will advocate to the Foreign Operations
Subcommittee to restore military parity, to increase economic
assistance to Armenia, and to provide for humanitarian aid to the
people of Nagorno Karabakh.  It is incredibly important to reward our
allies and to send a message to Azerbaijan and Turkey that ethnically
charged genocides, illegal blockades of sovereign nations, and the
constant harassment of the Armenian people will not be tolerated. 

PRESS RELEASE
Dish Communications PR
Contact: [email protected] or [email protected]
Tel: 818 508 1000

NEW YORK / YEREVAN

March 7, 2006

ARMENIAN TELEVISION ANNOUNCES SOLIDARITY BROADCAST OF ANDREW GOLDBERG’S
“THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” WITH USA.

Armenia TV, the largest television broadcaster in the country of
Armenia, announced today it will be airing the new PBS documentary by
Andrew Goldberg, THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE in exactly the same time slot
and date as the PBS broadcast in the USA. In a letter from Armenia TV,
the station president Bagrat Sargsyan said:

“We at Armenia TV will be broadcasting THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE at the
same time as PBS (April 17 at 10pm) in an act of solidarity with the
hundreds of thousands of our fellow Armenians in the USA.”

Additionally, in an unprecedented act, Two Cats Productions, the
producer of THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE has waived all costs, and donated
all broadcast rights for the film to Armenia TV.

A spokesperson for the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) the
largest non-profit Armenian organization in the world, serving some
400,000 Armenians said about the “Broadcast of Solidarity”: “We are
thrilled that so many people around the world will have a chance to
share in this important television event at the same time. The film’s
ability to capture such a difficult subject in such a concise format
and in such a poignant way, is nothing short of outstanding.”

Additionally, Canadian Broadcaster, TV Ontario has acquired the rights
to the film. They too will be showing the film in April.

Said Andrew Goldberg, Executive Producer of the film:

“That so many millions of people across the world will be seeing the
film in April, and that so many will do so at the same time, really
affirms for us that we did the job we set out to do. Our goal was
clear, we wanted to tell the story of the actual events of the
Genocide and to make clear on national, and now international
television, that this event was Genocide, and cannot be denied.”

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
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PRESS RELEASE
March 8, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA CALLS ON SECRETARY RICE TO
EXPLAIN REPORTS OF AMB. EVANS’ RECALL

— National Chairman Asks Secretary to Confirm or
Deny that the U.S. Ambassador is being Punished
for his Acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide

“If, in fact, the State Department has taken
punitive steps against Ambassador Evans, you
should fully and openly explain your policies
and actions to the American people. If, on the
other hand, the Department has not taken any
such steps, you owe it to the American people
to affirm that it is not the policy of the
United States of America to punish its diplomats
for speaking the truth about the Armenian
Genocide.” — ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian

WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
Chairman Ken Hachikian today called upon Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice to address reports that the U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia, John Marshall Evans, is being forced from office based
upon truthful and forthright statements last April about the
Armenian Genocide.

In a March 8th letter, Hachikian asked Secretary Rice to comment on
published accounts (California Courier, March 9,2006) that the
Ambassador is being recalled, well before the normal end of his
term of office, due to remarks during a series of presentations to
Armenian American communities across the country.

Speaking last year to an Armenian American gathering at the
University of California at Berkeley, Amb. Evans said, “I will
today call it the Armenian Genocide… I informed myself in depth
about it. I think we, the U.S. government, owe you, our fellow
citizens, a more frank and honest way of discussing this problem.
Today, as someone who has studied it . . . there’s no doubt in my mind
[as to] what happened . . . I think it is unbecoming of us, as
Americans, to play word games here. I believe in calling things by
their name.” Referring to the Armenian Genocide as “the first
genocide of the 20th century,” he said: “I pledge to you, we are
going to do a better job at addressing this issue.” Amb. Evans also
disclosed that he had consulted with a legal advisor at the State
Department who had confirmed that the events of 1915 were “genocide
by definition.”

Within days after his remarks and the conclusion of a speaking tour
of Armenian American communities, Ambassador Evans was apparently
forced to issue a statement clarifying that his references to the
Armenian Genocide were his personal views and did not represent a
change in U.S. policy. He subsequently issued a correction to this
statement, replacing a reference to the Genocide with the word
“tragedy.”

Later last year, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA),
in recognition of his honesty and commitment to principle, decided
to honor Ambassador Evans with the “Christian A. Herter Award,”
recognizing creative thinking and intellectual courage within the
Foreign Service. Sadly, as Washington Post staff writer Glenn
Kessler revealed on June 9th, AFSA withdrew its award following
pressure from “very serious people from the State Department.”

In his letter, Hachikian wrote that, “the prospect that a U.S.
envoy’s posting – and possibly his career – has been cut short due
to his honest and accurate description of a genocide is profoundly
offensive to American values and U.S. standing abroad –
particularly in light of President Bush’s call for moral clarity in
the conduct of our international affairs.”

He added that, “if, in fact, punitive measures are being taken
against Ambassador Evans, this would represent a tragic retreat
from our nation’s core values. It would also represent a new low
in our government’s shameful complicity in the Turkish government’s
campaign of denial. Not only does the State Department continue to
be publicly silent as Turkey criminally prosecutes its writers and
citizens for speaking about the Armenian Genocide, it appears the
State Department is following Turkey’s lead by muzzling and
punishing an American diplomat for his speech and his
acknowledgement of a genocide that is extensively documented in the
State Department’s own archives.”

The ANCA letter also urged Secretary Rice to respond in a timely
manner to the series of written questions on this matter submitted
on February 16th by Congressman Adam Schiff during her testimony
before the House International Relations Committee. Among these
questions was a specific request that the Secretary assure the
Committee that the Department of State has not taken – and will not
take – any punitive action against Ambassador Evans for speaking
out about the Armenian Genocide.

The full text of the ANCA letter is provided below.

#####

March 8, 2006

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Rice:

I am writing with respect to extremely troubling reports regarding
punitive actions by the State Department against our country’s
Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall Evans, based upon his truthful
and forthright statements about the Armenian Genocide.

The most recent edition of the California Courier (March 9, 2006),
a respected Armenian American newspaper, has reported, based on
well-placed sources in the Armenian government, that Ambassador
Evans is being recalled, well before the normal end of his term of
office, due to his speech on the Armenian Genocide. The prospect
that a U.S. envoy’s posting – and possibly his career – has been
cut short due to his honest and accurate description of a genocide
is profoundly offensive to American values and U.S. standing abroad
– particularly in light of President Bush’s call for moral clarity
in the conduct of our international affairs.

If, in fact, punitive measures are being taken against Ambassador
Evans, this would represent a tragic retreat from our nation’s core
values. It would also represent a new low in our government’s
shameful complicity in the Turkish government’s campaign of denial.
Not only does the State Department continue to be publicly silent
as Turkey criminally prosecutes its writers and citizens for
speaking about the Armenian Genocide, it appears the State
Department is following Turkey’s lead by muzzling and punishing an
American diplomat for his speech and his acknowledgment of a
genocide that is extensively documented in the State Department’s
own archives.

As you recall, earlier this year, on February 16th, Congressman
Adam Schiff submitted a series of written questions regarding this
matter to you during your testimony before the House International
Relations Committee. Among these was a specific request that you
assure the Committee that the Department of State has not taken –
and will not take – any punitive action against Ambassador Evans
for speaking out about the Armenian Genocide. As of today, I
understand that he has yet to receive a response to this inquiry.

In the interest of ensuring that the Congress has the information
it needs to perform its constitutionally mandated oversight
function, I urge you to respond fully and in a timely manner to
Congressman Schiff’s questions. More broadly, I call upon you to
clarify the State Department’s actions regarding this matter. If,
in fact, the State Department has taken punitive steps against
Ambassador Evans, you should fully and openly explain your policies
and actions to the American people. If, on the other hand, the
Department has not taken any such steps, you owe it to the American
people to affirm that it is not the policy of the United States of
America to punish its diplomats for speaking the truth about the
Armenian Genocide.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Along with over one
and a half million Armenian Americans across the country, I look
forward to your response to this issue.

Sincerely,

Kenneth V. Hachikian
Chairman

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
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PRESS RELEASE
March 8, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

STATE DEPARTMENT ENDS THREE-MONTH OFFICIAL SILENCE
ON AZERBAIJAN’S DESTRUCTION OF HISTORIC DJULFA CEMETERY

— Visiting U.S. Official Describes Desecration
of 1300 year old burial grounds as a “Tragedy;”
Calls on the Guilty to be Punished

WASHINGTON, DC – In the wake of a sustained international outcry,
growing Congressional protests, and a forceful condemnation by the
European Parliament, the U.S. State Department yesterday ended its
three-month long silence on the Azerbaijani government’s
destruction of the medieval Armenian cemetery in the Djulfa region
of Nakhichevan.

Speaking yesterday at a press conference in Yerevan, Armenia,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza responded to
reporters’ questions by describing the destruction as a “tragedy,”
and noting that, “it’s awful what happened in Djulfa. But the
United States cannot take steps to stop it as it is happening on
foreign soil. We continually raise this issue at meetings with
Azeri officials. We are hopeful that the guilty will justly be
punished. We are hopeful that in no other state of the region such
things will happen again, as there are great historic monuments in
the Caucasus and, frankly speaking, in all three states they are
endangered.”

“We welcome the end to the State Department’s long silence on
Djulfa, but regret that it took three months and sustained
international protest before our government summoned the will to
utter its first public condemnation of a clear cut and thoroughly
documented case of cultural desecration,” said ANCA Executive
Director Aram Hamparian.

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 (stone-crosses). An on-line video of the
destruction can be viewed at:
4.htm

The ANCA has widely distributed DVDs documenting the destruction,
educated Congressional offices about this desecration, and worked
in concert with ANCA affiliates around the world to protest
Azerbaijan’s worsening anti-Armenian behavior. The Congressional
Armenian Caucus, led by Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg
(R-MI), has formally condemned Azerbaijan’s actions, as have
Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Congresswoman Grace Napolitano
(D-CA). On February 16, 2006, the European Parliament adopted a
resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s destruction of the cemetery and
demanding that Azerbaijan allow an European Parliament delegation
to survey the site.

On February 28th, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with
UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura. During the meeting, the
Foreign Minister called attention to the destruction of the Djulfa
cemetery and urged UNESCO to send a team of experts to assess the
situation and take appropriate action.

#####

ARMENIAN FM: HOPE TO SOLVE KARABAKH ISSUE IN 2006 SHOULD NOT BE LOST

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.03.2006 22:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The hope to solve the Nagorno Karabakh problem
in 2006 should not be lost. Though there is less time after
Rambouillet. However, we should work,” Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian
stated when answering questions of Azg Daily readers. In his words,
progress was made in 2005. Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan had
to come to agreement over one or two issues. “The OSCE MG co-chairs
logically concluded that inertia will help the process and the
Rambouillet meeting was to bind the presidents more.

This did not happen. We evaluated Rambouillet: there was no agreement
reached over a concrete issue in Rambouillet. However, we believe
the process did not fail. If Azerbaijan does not compromise over the
issue on the agenda, it would mean Baku has remained on its maximalist
positions, which do not promote settlement.

Armenia has made its part of concessions,” the Armenian FM said.

Answering a question whether the latest events in Transnistria and
resoluteness of the US and European structures in supporting Moldova
forebode a similar attitude of those countries to the NK issue, Vartan
Oskanian stated, “Of course, precedents in international relations
are a faction, which is not however final or decisive. Our approach to
conflicts is a rather clear one: each of these should be considered in
its own context, taking into account its historical and legal causes,
sources and most importantly the current situation de facto. What
will be the solution to the Karabakh conflict? All factors should be
considered in the Karabakh process and the self-determination right
remains a basic determinant.”

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE
March 8, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

REP. NAPOLITANO RAISES REPORTS OF AMB. EVANS’
RECALL WITH SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL

— Asks Assistant Secretary Dan Fried to Explain
Reports that Ambassador Evans is being Punished
for Openly Acknowledging the Armenian Genocide

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (D-CA) today
submitted a series of questions to a senior State Department
official during his testimony before the U.S. House International
Relations Committee – including a pointed question about reports
that the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia is being recalled due to his
public acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide, reported the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

As a follow up question, addressed to Assistant Secretary of State
Dan Fried, the California Congresswoman asked for a clarification
of any restrictions placed on State Department officials concerning
the use of the word “genocide” when discussing the extermination of
1.5 million Armenians starting in 1915. She also inquired about
U.S. policy on the Turkish blockade of Armenia and the proposed
Caucasus railroad line circumventing Armenia.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has yet to respond to an
earlier written inquiry regarding Ambassador Evans from Congressman
Adam Schiff during her February 16th testimony before the same
panel. Since that hearing, the California Courier, a respected
Armenian American newspaper, has reported that the State Department
is recalling Ambassador Evans, well before the normal end of his
three-year tenure, because of his open acknowledgment of the
Armenian Genocide during a series of presentations last year to
Armenian American community groups.

Responding to a reporter’s question at today’s State Department
briefing, spokesperson Sean McCormack said, “I’m not aware that we
have recalled anybody. . . I believe that he’s still serving as
ambassador in Armenia.”

The full text of Congresswoman Napolitano’s questions are provided
below.

#####

Questions for the Record Submitted to
The Honorable Daniel Fried, Assistance Secretary
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
By Representative Grace Napolitano
House International Relations Committee

March 8, 2006

1) There are reports that U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans
is being recalled because of his speech on the Armenian Genocide.
Is there any truth behind these reports? If not, could you explain
why his term is being cut shorter than his predecessors who
normally served more than a year longer than he has?

2) Have State Department employees been directed not to use the
word “genocide” when discussing the extermination of 1.5 million
Armenians starting in 1915?

3) Contrary to U.S. and international law and standards with
regard to recipients of our foreign aid and as a further threat to
stability in the South Caucasus, Turkey refuses to end its now
thirteen-year blockade against its neighbor, Armenia. What
specific steps is the Administration taking to encourage the
Turkish government to open the last closed border of Europe?

4) Would regional security be enhanced and U.S. interests
furthered if Turkey lifted its blockade of Armenia?

5) United States policy in the South Caucasus seeks to foster
regional cooperation and economic integration and supports open
borders and transport and communication corridors. In a move that
undermines U.S. efforts to end Turkey’s blockade of Armenia, the
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has initiated a project to
construct a new rail line linking Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan
while bypassing Armenia. The proposal is estimated to cost up to
$800 million and would take three years to complete. The aim of
this costly approach, as publicly stated by President Aliyev, is to
isolate Armenia by enhancing the ongoing Turkish and Azerbaijani
blockades and to keep the existing Turkey-Armenia-Georgia rail link
shut down. This ill-conceived project runs counter to U.S. policy,
ignores the standing Kars-Gymri route, is politically and
economically flawed and serves to destabilize the region.

a) This proposed rail link would not only undermine U.S. policy
goals for the region, but would also specifically isolate Armenia
as evidenced by President Aliyev’s recent remarks. Does the
Administration support the rail line that would bypass Armenia as
an alternative to the Kars-Gymri route?

b) Has the Administration allocated or expended any federal agency
funds or otherwise provided financial support for the intended
project?

c) What steps is the Administration taking to urge the government
of Azerbaijan to reject this counterproductive proposal?

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIANS HAVE NO TERRITORIAL CLAIMS BEYOND THEIR RIGHTS, ARMENIAN FM SAID

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.03.2006 22:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Karabakh is an Armenian land. For millenniums only
Armenians lived there and preserved their sovereignty,” Armenian
FM Vartan Oskanian stated when answering questions of Azg Daily
readers. In his words, there are no doubts here: the territory has
never been part of Azerbaijan and it never will.

“Armenians have no territorial claims beyond their rights. Karabakh
has never been part of Azerbaijan, it cannot be and it was and will
remain Armenian. And what is more, Azerbaijan has no moral right to
have any claims regarding Nagorno Karabakh, as it lost Karabakh in 90s
when trying to put pressure upon it by force and event commit ethnic
cleansing of the Karabakh people. If Armenians had not resisted,
there would be no Karabakh today,” the Armenian FM emphasized.

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE
March 8, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

PRESIDENT BUSH’S TRADE POLICY REPORT CITES
PROGRESS ON U.S.-ARMENIA ECONOMIC COOPERATION

WASHINGTON, DC – President Bush’s annual Trade Policy Report cites
progress across a broad range of areas of U.S.-Armenia economic
cooperation, reported the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA).

“We are gratified to see that the steady progress in U.S.-Armenia
economic relations is reflected in the President’s annual trade
report to Congress,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the
ANCA. “We look forward, in the weeks and months ahead, to building
on this momentum by encouraging the negotiation of both a treaty
eliminating double taxation and an agreement clarifying the Social
Security obligations and entitlements of those dividing either
their careers or their retirements between the U.S. and Armenia.”

The President’s annual trade report is submitted to Congress by the
United States Trade Representative (USTR). It details the benefits
of foreign trade for U.S. businesses, farmers and ranchers, service
providers and consumers, reviews the Administration’s
accomplishments of 2005 and lays out its agenda for 2006.
Additional information on this report can be found at:

The provisions of the report that deal specifically with Armenia
are as follows:

2) Normalization of U.S.-Armenia Trade Relations

“In 2004, Congress passed the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical
Corrections Act of 2004 which authorized the President to terminate
application of Jackson-Vanik to Armenia. On January 7, 2005, the
President signed a proclamation terminating application of Jackson-
Vanik to Armenia and granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations
(PNTR) tariff treatment to products of Armenia. Based on the
President’s proclamation granting products from Armenia PNTR
treatment, the United States and Armenia can apply the WTO between
them and have recourse to WTO dispute settlement procedures.”

2) Expansion of U.S.-Armenia Trade and Investment

“The United States continues to actively support political and
economic reforms in Central Asia and the Caucasus, which includes
the former Soviet countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The United States has been striving to construct a framework for
the development of strong trade and investment links with this
region. This approach has been pursued both bilaterally and
multilaterally. . . The United States currently has Bilateral
Investment Treaties (BIT) in force with Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and has signed a BIT with
Uzbekistan, which has not yet entered into force.”

3) Cooperation on Intellectual Property Rights

“In 2003, due to improvements made to Armenia’s Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR) regime, the U.S. Government closed the review
of the IPR industry’s petition with respect to Armenia.”

4) Promotion of Economic Growth Through Duty-Free Exports

“Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan
participate in the GSP program. In 2004, Azerbaijan submitted an
application for designation as a beneficiary developing country
under the GSP program which is under consideration.” (The GSP is a
program to promote economic growth in the developing world by
providing preferential duty-free entry for more than 4,650 products
from 144 designated beneficiary countries and territories.)

#####

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x128
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

AGBU São Paolo Attracts 350 Supporters for Annual Anniversary Event

The well-known Maison France of São Paolo was the venue for AGBU
Brazil’s 41st Anniversary event on December 4, 2005. Supporters
numbering over 350 came together to salute not only the Chapter’s
achievements, but also to pay tribute to Man of the Year Ochin
Mosditchian, who has served the local community through AGBU for over
25 years. Mr. Mosditchian has served as the Chapter’s director and led
many delegations to the organization’s biennial General Assemblies.

Most encouraging was the presence of the community’s youth, who
comprised almost half of the guests. AGBU São Paolo enjoys the
incredible support of the local Armenian community, as it hosts
monthly events, sponsors youth athletics and an annual fashion event
that draws large numbers, including many non-Armenians. The 2005 show,
which displayed the fashions of Claudete & Deca, hosted 500 spectators
and feted Areknaz Kherlakian, who has been a staunch supporter of the
Brazilian chapter for decades.

Founded in 1964, AGBU Sao Paulo is dedicated to preserving and
promoting the Armenian heritage and culture through educational,
cultural and humanitarian programs. For more information, please
contact AGBU Sao Paulo at 55-113-814-9299 (or 9930) or e-mail
[email protected].

For more information on AGBU and its worldwide chapters, please visit

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/08/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM

1) Oskanian And Rice to Sign $235 Million Contract
2) Pallone Calls for Parity in Armenia-Azerbaijan Military Assistance
3) Azerbaijan Violates Cease Fire in Northeastern Armenia
4) EU Says Turkey Must Show Progress on Cyprus in Membership Talks
5) Istanbul University Organizes Armenian Conference
6) Harvest Gallery Presents Rafael Atoyan Exhibit

1) Oskanian And Rice to Sign $235 Million Contract

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–The United States will formalize later this month the
release
of $235.5 million in additional economic assistance to Armenia over the next
five years under President George W. Bush’s Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)
program.
Armenia’s MCA compact, already agreed on by the two governments, will be
signed in Washington on March 27.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Armenian Assembly of America said the
signing ceremony will be attended by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian.
The agreement will come nearly two years after Armenia was included on the
list of 16 developing nations that are eligible for the plan designed to spur
political and economic reforms around the world. The Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC), a US government agency handling it, approved the Armenian
government’s MCA application late last year.
Most of the MCA assistance, $146 million, will be spent on rebuilding and
expanding Armenia’s dilapidated irrigation networks. Another $67 million will
go to pay for capital repairs on about 1,000 kilometers of rural roads that
have fallen into disrepair since the Soviet collapse.

2) Pallone Calls for Parity in Armenia-Azerbaijan Military Assistance

WASHINGTON, DC–Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Co-Chairman of the Armenian
Issues Caucus, took the floor of the US House of Representatives Tuesday to
criticize the Administration’s “breach of an agreement struck between the
White
House and Congress in 2001 to maintain parity in US military aid to Armenia
and
Azerbaijan,” reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The Bush Administration recommended last month, in its Fiscal Year 2007
budget, that Azerbaijan receive significantly more military training and
hardware than Armenia. The President also proposed cutting US economic aid to
Armenia from last year’s appropriation of $74.4 million to $50 million, a
nearly 33% reduction.
The New Jersey Congressman explained to his House colleagues that, “a lack of
military parity would weaken ongoing peace negotiations regarding Nagorno
Karabagh. Furthermore, I believe that any imbalance will contribute to further
instability in the region if military parity is not achieved.” He added that,
“failing to respect the parity agreement undermines the role of the US as an
impartial mediator of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict.”
Representative Pallone closed his remarks by noting that, “in the coming
weeks
I will advocate to the Foreign Operations Subcommittee to restore military
parity, to increase economic assistance to Armenia, and to provide for
humanitarian aid to the people of Nagorno Karabagh. It is incredibly important
to reward our allies and to send a message to Azerbaijan and Turkey that
ethnically charged genocides, illegal blockades of sovereign nations, and the
constant harassment of the Armenian people will not be tolerated.”
“We want to thank Congressman Pallone for his longstanding leadership in
educating his colleagues about the important US interests served by our
assistance program to Armenia, direct aid to Nagorno Karabagh, and the other
Armenia-related provisions in the Foreign Operations bill–most recently and
notably–the need for maintaining parity in US military aid to Armenia and
Azerbaijan,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We also want to
express our appreciation to Congressman Knollenberg for his work, within the
Foreign Operations Subcommittee itself, generating vital support for
maintaining military parity and other key provisions of special concern to the
Armenian American community.”
The President’s proposal for Freedom Support Act aid is $50 million for
Armenia, $28 million for Azerbaijan, and $58 million for Georgia. His Foreign
Military Financing proposals are $3.5 million for Armenia, $4.5 million for
Azerbaijan, and $10 million for Georgia. The White House’s recommendation to
Congress for International Military Education and Training is $790,000 for
Armenia, $885,000 for Azerbaijan, and $1,235,000 for Georgia.
The Foreign Operations Subcommittees of the Senate and House Appropriation
Committees are currently reviewing the President’s proposed budget and are
each
drafting their own versions of the FY 2007 foreign assistance bill.
The agreement to maintain parity in US military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan
was struck between the White House and Congress in 2001, in the wake of
Congressional action granting the President the authority to waive the Section
907 restrictions on aid to Azerbaijan. The ANCA has vigorously defended this
principle, stressing in correspondence, at senior level meetings, and through
grassroots activism, that a tilt in military spending toward Azerbaijan would
destabilize the region, emboldening the Azeri leadership to continue their
threats to impose a military solution to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. More
broadly, the ANCA has underscored that breaching the parity agreement would
reward the leadership of Azerbaijan for walking away from the OSCE’s Key West
peace talks, the most promising opportunity to resolve the Nagorno Karabagh
conflict in nearly a decade. Finally, failing to respect the parity agreement
undermines the role of the US as an impartial mediator of the Nagorno Karabagh
conflict.

The full text of Congressman Pallone’s remarks are provided below.

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr.’s Floor Statement

Foreign Operations Request: March 7, 2006

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, the President’s budget request for fiscal year 2007
proposes 20 percent more military aid to Azerbaijan than to Armenia. This
request is a clear breach of an agreement struck between the White House and
the Congress in 2001 to maintain parity in U.S. military aid to Armenia and
Azerbaijan.
Mr. Speaker, the parity agreement is unfortunately a battle that the Armenian
people have had to fight in the past. The fiscal year 2005 Presidential
request
was similar in that it called for more military funding to Azerbaijan.
However, the Congress reversed the President to ensure military parity in the
fiscal year 2005 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act. After that battle and
the President’s 2006 budget request that
included parity , I thought the President’s fiscal year 2007 budget would
continue that policy. But unfortunately that was not the case. A lack of
military parity would, in my opinion, weaken ongoing peace negotiations
regarding Nagorno Karabagh, among other things.
It will also contribute to further instability in the region, and it
undermines the role of the United States as an impartial mediator of the
Nagorno Karabagh conflict. Mr. Speaker, the government should not be rewarding
the Government of Azerbaijan for walking away from the organization for
security and cooperation in Europe’s Key West peace talks, the most promising
opportunity to resolve the Nagorno Karabagh conflict in nearly a decade.
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the administration’s budget also calls for
drastic
cuts in economic assistance to Armenia. I was discouraged to see that the
President requested a 33 percent decrease in economic aid from $74.4 million
last year to $50 million this year. Technical and developmental assistance and
investment is essential to Armenia. This funding is key to democratic
stability
and economic reform in the country.
Mr. Speaker, is this the message we want to send to our friends in
Armenia? Do
we want to cut economic aid to a country that is terrorized by its neighbors
and is shut off on its eastern and western borders due to an illegal blockade
by Turkey and Azerbaijan?
Mr. Speaker, in the coming weeks I will advocate to the Foreign Operations
Subcommittee to restore military parity , to increase economic assistance to
Armenia and to provide for humanitarian aid
to the people of Nagorno Karabagh. It is incredibly important to reward our
allies and to send a message to Azerbaijan and Turkey that ethnically charged
genocides, illegal blockades of sovereign nations, and the constant harassment
of the Armenian people will not be tolerated.

3) Azerbaijan Violates Cease Fire in Northeastern Armenia

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–The Armenian military accused Azeri forces on Wednesday of
continuing to violate the cease fire regime in the westernmost section of the
heavily militarized border between the two South Caucasus states.
Echoing statements by the Defense Ministry in Yerevan, military commanders in
Armenia’s northeastern Tavush province said their border posts have been under
daily gunfire from Azeri positions for more than a week.
The spokesman for Armenia’s Defense Ministry, Seyran Shahsuvarian, said
Armenian such incidents were until now registered only once or twice a month.
The Defense Ministry said that their troops are not returning fire to prevent
the situation from escalating further.
“I have just been informed that our positions were again fired upon,” said
Major Tigran Gevorgian, chief of staff of an Armenian army regiment stationed
in the regional capital Ijevan. “We registered five such incidents
yesterday.”
“There have been no cases of truce violation from our side,” he said. “We
haven’t even returned fire. But we have increased our vigilance and are ready
to defend our land at any moment.”
One of Gevorgian’s soldiers, 19-year-old Arsen Zakevosian, was wounded and
died while being transported to a military hospital in Ijevan on Friday from
his unit’s positions just outside the border village of Kayan. The Armenian
military says it has not suffered any other casualties so far.
The Azeri Defense Ministry has not reported any fighting in the area close to
eastern Georgia and denies the Armenian accusations. It said on Monday that
the
Armenians themselves breached the truce by killing an Azeri army conscript
in a
section of the frontline east of Karabagh. Karabagh Armenian forces dismissed
the claims.
Residents of Kayan, meanwhile, confirmed that gunshots on the border have
been
more frequent in recent days. “We are all used to shootings,” said Arsen
Ghazarian whose family house is located on the edge of the village, just
meters
from an army roadblock.
“The Azerbaijanis shoot all the time,” said one of his neighbors, Telman
Pirumian. “Even small children are not quite scared of that.”
Susanna, an elderly villager, harked back to the pre-war Soviet years when
local residents lived in peace with their Azeri neighbors and took pride in
Kayan’s status as the main gateway to Armenia. “We could go to Tbilisi and any
other place from here. But now the road [running through Kayan] is closed. We
are in quarantine.”

4) EU Says Turkey Must Show Progress on Cyprus in Membership Talks

(Bloomberg)–The commissioner in charge of the European Union’s expansion said
Turkey must live up to its promises regarding the Republic of Cyprus to avoid
“negative repercussions” on talks over Turkish membership in the EU.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn met with Turkish Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul and Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik Wednesday in
Vienna.
Austria holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.
“There is a clear necessity to make progress on Cyprus in 2006 in order to
avoid negative repercussions on the process,” Rehn said. “Turkey has made
commitments including Cyprus, and Turkey is expected to meet these
conditions.”
The 25-nation EU started membership negotiations with Turkey in October.
Talks
are expected to last a decade or more. EU leaders have said they reserve the
right to suspend negotiations with Turkey if the government doesn’t allow
Greek
Cypriot ships and planes access to its ports and airports under the trade
accord.
Foreign Minister Gul said today he believes that a solution to the Cyprus
question should come from the United Nations.

5) Istanbul University Organizes Armenian Conference

Istanbul University is planning to hold a conference March 15-17 about the
Armenian “relocation.” The goal of the conference is to discuss the events of
1915, evaluate the reasons they happened, and their consequences all without
using the word genocide.
The conference will feature speakers of various viewpoints, including Halil
Berktay, a historian who contradicts the official Turkish government
position.

6) Harvest Gallery Presents Rafael Atoyan Exhibit

GLENDALE–A rare solo exhibition of internationally acclaimed artist Rafael
Atoyan’s works will be held March 10-22 at Harvest Gallery in Glendale.
The opening reception will be held Friday, March 10 from 7:00 – 10:00 PM.
For general information about the exhibit, call Harvest Gallery at
(818)546-1000 or visit <;www.harvestg allery.com.

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