New Europe, Greece
March 8 2006

Hakob and Armenian Illumination
ENGLAND – LONDON -April 25 to May 16 2006

Following the success of the first selling exhibition of Armenian art
staged by the gallery in 2004, Sam Fogg is delighted to present an
exhibition of a major Armenian manuscript which will be accompanied
by a groundbreaking publication. Entitled The Outsider: Hakob and
Armenian Illumination, the exhibition will display the Gospels
illuminated by Hakob Jughayetsi, the most celebrated Armenian
illuminator of the 16th century, at Sam Fogg, 15d Clifford Street,
London W1, from April 25 to May 16, 2006 . The manuscript once
belonged to the celebrated collector and diplomat Jean Pozzi.

laynews.asp?id=121802

Emediawire (press release), WA
March 8 2006

U.S.-Based Anoushavan Abrahamian Education Fund – Known as the AAEF –
Initiates Full Slate of Programs for Improving Children’s Education
at Public Schools in Armenia

Founder of Anoushavan Abrahamian Education Fund – the AAEF,
Anoushavan Abrahamian, embarks on four-week Armenian tour to mark the
transition of the AAEF to active projects including school
renovations, teacher training, and distribution of books and learning
materials. The AAEF is a unique fund dedicated specifically to
children’s educational needs in Armenia.

Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) March 8, 2006 — Founder of
children’s education fund for Armenia, Anoushavan Abrahamian, embarks
on four-week Armenian tour to mark the transition of the Anoushavan
Abrahamian Education Fund – the AAEF – to active projects including
school renovations, teacher training, and distribution of books and
learning materials.

“I am very pleased to be bringing the Anoushavan Abrahamian Education
Fund – the AAEF – to this active and operational moment,’ said
Anoushavan Abrahamian, founder of the AAEF. “We have been focused
since our inception in 2004, with needs assessment, program scoping,
and of course, fundraising. Now it is time for the actual work to
begin.”

Abrahamian’s remarks came as he made plans to embark on a four-week
tour of Armenian educational facilities and meetings with local
school and governmental officials. His trip begins in Yerevan,
Armenia on March 10, and is intended to initiate the funding of
several renovation, training, and educational material distribution
programs.

The work of the Anoushavan Abrahamian Education Fund has been
recognized by the Western Diocese of The Armenian Church of North
America. In a written statement, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian noted,
“It is a source of inspiration for us to witness the beneficial work
of the AAEF, the Anoushavan Abrahamian Education Fund. By adopting
neglected schools in Armenia and giving the necessary funds,
equipment and resources to better serve the children of Armenia, the
AAEF ensures the prosperity of the Motherland.”

The Anoushavan Abrahamian Education Fund – the AAEF – is dedicated
expressly to children’s and adolescent’s trade school education in
Armenia. Alll necessary funding to organize AAEF and provide for its
initial projects was provided at that time by American entrepreneur
Anoushavan Abrahamian.

“I am confident that the AAEF will make a significant and long
lasting impact on the youth of Armenia,” said Levon Thorse, a
newly-installed AAEF Board Member and Chairman of the Ardaz Lodge of
the Knights of Vartan, “I look forward to providing support and
guidance to the AAEF as it pursues its mission in Armenia.” The
Knights of Vartan is a worldwide brotherhood of Armenians dedicated
to sustaining Armenian culture and improving economic and living
conditions in Armenia. Mr. Abrahamian was recently invited to become
a member of the Knights of Vartan.

The mission of the Anoushavan Abrahamian Education Fund includes a
commitment to repair and upgrade Armenian schools in accordance with
local standards and to assist with the continuing education and
improvement of Armenian schoolteachers. The AAEF also plans a Social
Fund to provide textbooks and other learning materials for needy
children and families, as well as after-school programs for arts,
culture, and sports. A Scholarship Fund is also envisioned to support
gifted students in their higher education and advanced studies. The
Anoushavan Abrahamian Education Fund is an independent, non-profit
non-governmental 501(c)3 organization.

With the AAEF now moving to active funding and program operation in
Armenia, a lifelong aspiration of Anoushavan Abrahamian has been
fulfilled. Abrahamian began working to help his family at a very
young age, and resolved even then that he would help Armenian youth
to have an opportunity for education that he had not experienced.

Anoushavan Abrahamian serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of A&O Properties Management, Inc., a real estate development and
asset management firm which he founded, and is managing partner of a
number of real estate investment entities active in U.S. real estate
properties. A native Armenian, Mr. Abrahamian moved to Germany in
1963, later relocating to the United States where he resides today.
In Germany and in the U.S., he successfully created and operated
numerous businesses that contributed to his present financial
success.

Abrahamian is active in numerous charitable and community
organizations. He resides in Los Angeles, California, with his wife
of 28 years – Ofik Abrahamian and their three children, with an
extended family in the area that includes his brother, his three
sisters, and numerous uncles and cousins.

For more information about the Anoushavan Abrahamian Education Fund –
the AAEF – please visit or call 818.866.4471
(U.S.). For general information and media queries, please contact Amy
Giggins at Adventure Studios Communications at 818.973.3141.

# # #

Trackback URL:
VN1bW0tSW5zZS1IYWxmLVplcm8

A1+
Politics / News
AND PERSECUTIONS LATER

07:10 pm 07 March, 2006

“This outrageous operation against the Heritage Party and its leader is
one further link in the chain of a new campaign of threats,
intimidation, and introductory terror carried out by the incumbent
presidency and its security apparatus,” – that’s how charP0cterizes the
press service of the party the incident which happened several days
ago.

Let’s remind that on March 4, 2006, an anonymous telephone caller
informed Heritage Party officials that `agents from the KGB are breaking
the entrance door’ of Heritage’s headquarters located at 7 Vazgen
Sargsian Street in the center of the capital. Responding to the call,
party representatives arrived at the scene and witnessed the process of
replacement of the entrance door’s already-smashed lock.

According to the message, the incident is connected with opposional
activities of the leader of `Heritage’ Raffi Hovhannisian:”Notably, this
campaign has followed on the heels of Raffi Hovannisian’s recent public
activity, citizens’ initiatives and freely expressed opinions, and has
been launched through the use of large-scale technologies of slander by
the state-supervised propaganda machine and its stooges against the
long-standing institutions of high repute headed by Raffi and Armenouhi
Hovannisian. In this latest chapter, the `party of power’ aims to
paralyze Heritage’s activities in advance of parliamentary elections and
other developments of interest. It is not to be ruled out that the
acting authority, based on its own fear and lack of public legitimacy,
will continue its policies of persecution with imaginary, trumped-up
charges to be made against the party and its members.”

CEC ALLOCATES 285 DOLLARS FOR COVERING EXPENSES OF ELECTIONS OF
JRAHOVIT VILLAGE COMMUNITY HEAD IN ARARAT MARZ

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. At the March 9 sitting, the Armenian
government assigned the RA Minister of Finance and Economy to allocate
128 thousand 165 drams (about 285 USD) from the 2006 governmental
reserve fund to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) Fund for the
purpose of covering the expenses on the preparation and holding of the
regular elections of the community head in the village of Jrahovit
(Ararat marz) held on March 5, 2006. NT was informed about it from the
RA Government Information and PR Department.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DPA CHAIRMAN DOESN’T EXCLUDE THAT ARMENIAN PRESIDENT WILL HAVE TO
RESIGN IN CONNECTION WITH NAGORNO KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. We can’t exlude such a situation when
Armenian President Robert Kocharian will have to think about
resignation for the purose of avoiding the compulsion of signing a
document on Nagorno Karabakh settlement not favorable for
Armenia. Such an opinion was expressed by Aram Sargsian, a member of
RA NA Ardarutiun (Justice) faction, Chairman of the Democratic Party
of Armenia (DPA), at the March 9 meeting at the National Press
Club. According to him, currently both Armenia and Azerbaijan are
exerted a strict pressure in connection with the quick settlement to
the Nagorno Karabakh problem. However, according to Sargsian, Armenia
constantly expresses readiness for one-sided concessions in the
process of settlement. Emphasizing the necessity to take active steps,
the MP touched upon his initiative aimed at the Armenian parliament’s
recognizing the fact of Karabakh’s coming out of Azerbaijan in a legal
way. According to Sargsian, this doesn’t mean recognition of Nagorno
Karabakh as an independent state and at the same time creates an
opportunity for presenting Nagorno Karabakh as a subject in the
negotiations process. Sargsian mentioned that the possibility of
quartering international peacekeers, which is not litigated by
Armenia, can bring to developments, more complicated than the Kosovo
ones, in the region. Answering journalists’ questions, Aram Sargsian
didn’t exclude the impact of possible sanctions against Iran on the
Karabakh settlement. According to him, the decision to be made in the
issue of Iran will condition the rest of the actions in the region. In
Aram Sargsian’s opinion, a possible application of sanctions against
Iran will be a very dangerous step as in difference to Iraq, Iran is
much more organized and powerful state. As he estimated, China, which
is making its relations with Iran closer, can play a very important
role in this issue. According to DPA Chairman, Armenia can have no
impact on these possible regional developments. Meanwhile he mentioned
that Armenia’s good-neighborly relations with Iran don’t give rise to
the West’s complaint as everybody understands that Armenia in no case
can spoil its relations with this country.

CHAIRMAN OF UNION OF BUDAPEST LAWYERS TO BE INVOLVED IN ACTIVITIES
RELATED TO ARMENIAN OFFICER’S MURDER TRIAL

BUDAPEST, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Ashot Grigorian,
Head of the Armenian community of Slovakia, Chairman of the
Representative Office of Armenian Organizations, met with Chairman of
the Union of Budapest Lawyers Dr. Banati Janos in Budapest on March 7
– during a regular court sitting of trial on case of Armenian officer
Gurgen Margarian’s murder. Ashot Grigorian, who assumed the
coordination of the trial-related activities after participating in
the court sitting on December 5 2005, told NT correspondent that he
received dr. Janos’ consent about his involvement in the last stage of
this work. According to A. Grigorian, they can expect a fair and
desirable trial outcome as a result of this and some other important
steps.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GEORGIAN AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA APPEALS TO DIASPORAN ARMENIANS TO MAKE
INVESTMENTS IN JAVAKHK

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Georgia is not
interested in Javakhik’s being emptied of Armenians. The Georgian
Ambassador to Armenia Revaz Gachechiladze stated this at the
discussion “The Threat of Expulsion of Javakhki Armenians, Youth
Problems in Javakhk” organized by the Mighty Homeland Party on March
9. The ambassador considered the concern expressed by the people
living in Armenia to be completely legal, moreover, he was grateful
that “you have opened our eyes” regarding certain problems. He
underlined that the Georgian government should take more care of the
regions. Particularly, it is willing to create new jobs, but the
market economy dictates its laws – capital flows where a profit is
made. The ambassador appealed to the Diasporan Armenians to make
invsetments in Javakhk, while the Georgian government will assist
them. He pointed out that the problem of jobs in industry must be
regulated by private capital. The Georgian diplomat noted that
knowledge of Georgian is required for administrative positions only,
which, according to him, makes 200-300, a maximum of 500 jobs. In his
words, knowledge of Georgian is not being imposed on Armenians, it is
just necessary for best integration into the Georgian society. He said
that only 300-500 Armenians are working at the Russian military base
in Akhalkalak, so people will not feel its closure, except for “those
who work there”. “The Armenian-Georgian friendship exists not only on
paper but also in reality: Georgia is interested in the Armenians’
being where they are – both in Armenia and Javakhk and their
well-being. It is also in Armenia’s interest that the Georgian ship
will not shake, since there are many who shake it. Let us help each
other instead of hindering,” the Georgian ambassador said. According
to the main speaker – member of the Mighty Homeland Party Board Shirak
Torosian, the Russian military base to be withdrawn from Javakhk
currently employs 3 thousand people. According to the party, at
present 100 thousand Armenians live in Javakhk or 95% of the
population, young people aged 16-35 make up 31% or 32 thousand, with
about 30 thousand of them or 93% being unemployed. 9 thousand people
or 30% leave Javakhk each year in search of work, and half of them
never return to Javakhk. To solve this problem, the Mighty Homeland
Party proposes creating the appropriate infrastructures to encourage
investments – to ensure 24-hour power supply, improve roads and the
railway. The party also proposes to use tax, customs, credit and other
privileges, to allocate part of the Georgian grant and credit programs
for Javakhk, etc.

SUPREME SPIRITUAL COUNCIL EXPRESSES PERPLEXITY IN CONNECTION WITH
DECISION OF GEORGIAN CHURCH TO OPEN DIOCESE IN NORTH OF ARMENIA

ECHMIADZIN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A meeting of the
Supreme Spiritual Council was held at the Mother See of Holy
Echmiadzin on March 7, during which Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian
presented the pastoral and spiritual-propaganda activities of the
Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He said that
anti-Armenian publications and statements continue to appear in the
Georgian media, which is conducive to an atmosphere of intolerance and
tension. In response to an inquiry of the Supreme Spiritual Council,
Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian confirmed that in accordance with the
decision of the Georgian Apostolic Church Synod of February 6, 2006,
“with the aim of restoring its historical diocese”, the opening of a
new Tashir-Agarak Diocese was declared under the spiritial authority
of the bishop of the Dmanissi Diocese of Georgia. According to the
press service of the Mother See, the Supreme Spiritual Council
expressed its perplexity that, first, the Georgian Apostolic Church
did not inform the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin about its intention,
taking into account that the matter concern the territory of Armenia,
and secondly, the Synod intends to open a new diocese in the area
where the Georgian Church has no parishioners, whereas Georgia
disregards the right of hundreds of thousands of Armenian believers to
grant a legal status to the Armenian diocese and return the Armenian
churches.

K-TELECOM’S COMPLAINT AGAINST ARMENTEL TO BE EXAMINED ON MARCH 10 AT
COMMISSION ON ECONOMIC COMPETITION

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA State Commission on Protection
of Economic Competition will examine on March 10 the complaint of
K-Telecom (VivaCell) company against ArmeTel. According to the
commission’s press service, according to a letter recieved from
K-Telecom, ArmenTel abuses its dominating position, which results in
considerable losses for K-Telecom and creates an unhealthy competition
atmosphere on the mobile phone communication services market. ArmenTel
announced in late December 2005 that an extremely low per-minute
tariff of 2 drams was set for making calls within the network for
those of its mobile phone communication subscribers who used its
services for over a year. According to K-Telecom, ArmenTel is using
this tariff not only in the mobile phone network but also in case of
making calls to the fixed line phone network. K-Telecom cannot offer
such low tariffs, since the tariff paid by the company to ArmrenTel
for commutation alone is much higher. ArmenTel pointed out in its
explanations that there was not any abuse of its dominating position,
as the move intiated by the company was a special commercial offer to
be valid during a limited period and for a limited conversation
time. To recap, the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission, to which
K-Telecom also applied with respect to the same issue, noted in its
decision that the above mentioned tariff’s use by ArmenTel includes
some characteristics of anticompetitive behaviour.

DANCING GROUP OF INTEGRATION OF YOUNG PERSONS WITH LIMITED ABILITIES
TO BE FORMED IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. On the initiative of the British
Council’s Office in Armenia, the dancing-masters of the British modern
dancing group “Canduco” on March 6-10 hold dancing lessons of
integration of young persons with limited abilities at the Yerevan
State Institute of Theater and Cinema. As Lusine Ghulian, Director of
the culture programs of the Armenian office of the council, informed
at the March 9 press conference, the beneficiaries of the “Kamk and
Korov” and “Huysi Kamurj” NGOs engaged in the problems of disabled
people, as well as the students of the institute take part in the
lessons. He mentioned that the aim of the lesson is to create a new
dancing group in Armenia where the disabled people will perform with
the professional dancers. The group “Canduco” was founded in 1991 the
goal of which was to create such a professional surroundings, where
the disabled and non-disabled dancers will have a possibility of
working jointly. According to Stina Nilsen, dancing-master of the
group, today “Canduco” is considered as a leading modern dancing-group
speading integrated dancing education. It was also mentioned that
within the framework of the “Hayfest” international festival, the
“Canduco” dancing group will perform in Yerevan in October.