SAMVEL DARBINIAN APPOINTED RA NATIONAL TEAM’S ACTING MAIN TRAINER
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. By FFA Chairman Ruben Hairapetian’s
decree, Samvel Darbinian was appointed the acting main trainer of the
National Team of Armenia. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the Press
Secretariate of the Football Federation of Armenia, S.Darbinian headed
the National Team of Armenia in 1995-1996 as well.

YOUTH FOOTBALL TEAM OF ARMENIA TO LEAVE FOR SAN MARINO ON MAY 15
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The Youth Football Team of Armenia
headed by trainer Samvel Petrosian will leave for San Marino on May
15 to participate the San Marino-Armenia meeting of the qualification
stage of the Europe Championship of up to 21 years old. FFA Executive
Committee member Artak Mnatsakanian will head the FFA delegation. As
Noyan Tapan was informed by the Press Secretariate of the Football
Federation of Armenia, Armen Gyulbudaghiants, the main trainer of
the National Team of up to 19 years old people of Armenia and Arsen
Chilingarian, the main trainer of the National Team of up to 17 years
old young men will leave for San Marino with the Youth Team of Armenia.

TURKEY IN GENOCIDE DISPUTE WITH NATO ALLIES
By Amberin Zaman
Voice of America
May 11 2006
Turkey has pulled out of a NATO military exercise in Canada and is
considering sanctions against France for supporting Armenians who
want the mass slaughter of their kin by Ottoman-Turk forces during
and after World War I recognized as genocide.
Members of Turkey’s Workers’ Party hold banners reading ‘The genocide
lie is an American game’. A senior Turkish foreign ministry official
confirmed Turkey would not be participating in an air force training
exercise in Canada.
Turkey’s withdrawal is the latest in a series of moves aimed at
conveying Ankara’s anger over Canadian policy.
Turkey recalled its ambassador last week after Canada’s prime minister,
Stephen Harper, characterized the mass slaughter of hundreds of
thousands of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks as genocide.
Mr. Harper’s comments came as the French parliament prepares to debate
a bill that would criminalize denial of the Armenian genocide and
the Jewish Holocaust following World War II.
Critics of the bill, which was introduced by the Socialist bloc, say
it is calculated to win votes from France’s 800,000 strong Armenian
community in elections scheduled for next year. The French move has
broader ramifications as France is one of the most powerful members
of the European Union, which Turkey hopes to join.
Turkey has always denied that a genocide took place, but there are
mounting calls from within the European Union to change its policy of
denial as a condition for membership. Many Turks see such pressure as
further evidence that the European Union does not want a poor Muslim
country within its ranks.
But despite the Ankara government’s tough rhetoric, including veiled
threats of economic sanctions against France, public debate on the
fate of the Ottoman Armenians is growing in Turkey. Some prominent
Turkish academics have gone as far as to say that the mass killings
did amount to genocide.
But even these intellectuals say they are opposed to France’s efforts
to criminalize denial of the Armenian genocide. They argue that such
laws can only help to vindicate similar laws in Turkey that penalize
Turks who dare to utter the word genocide in discussions of the fate
of the Armenians after World War I.

RUSSIAN POLITICAL ANALYST: EUROPEAN EXPANSION IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT RECOGNIZING LESSONS OF THE PAST
Regnum, Russia
May 11 2006
“European expansion, as well as developing cooperation within
CIS framework are impossible without recognizing lessons of the
past. It concerns not just the Armenian Genocide in 1915, but all
the consequences it caused for states, including legal, political and
moral ones,” chair of comparative politics department of Moscow State
Institute of International relations of Foreign Affairs Ministry of
the Russian Federation (MGIMO), Mikhail Ilyin, PhD, has said to a
REGNUM correspondent.
According to the analyst, the issue of recognizing the Armenian
Genocide in 1915 is settled for Russian society “naturally and
clear.” “Our ancestry as long ago as during World War I expressed
their solidarity with the Armenian people, and for me as a Russian,
this issue is clear as well.” “As for international recognition, I
am sure, without final and overall settlement of the issue, certain
countries, certain nations and the international community will face
difficulties in their movement forward,” the analyst is sure.
Earlier, eleven years ago, Russia officially recognized the Armenian
Genocide. The fact of the Armenian Genocide was recognized by many
countries, including France, Uruguay, lower chamber of the Italian
parliament, several US states, parliaments of Greece, Cyprus,
Argentina, Belgium, Wales, Swiss National Council, House of Commons
of the Canadian Parliament and Seym of Poland.

NOYEMBERIAN POLICEMEN POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED WITH MEDALS “FOR HEROIC DEED”
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
NOYEMBERIAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. A memory event dedicated to the
15th anniversary of martyrdom of 12 policemen and 2 drivers of the
Noyemberian Internal Affairs Departmet took place in Noyemberian on
May 6. They died in 1991 in the forest of Voskepar, during the the
Soviet Armed Forces’ attack. Deputy Chief Officer of the RA Police
Hovhannes Hunanian made public the RA Police Chief Officer’s decree
about awarding policemen from Noyemberian died while defending the
border of the Fatherland with the medal “For Heroic Deed.” Financial
aids were given to the martyrs’ relatives by the Tavush Governor’s
Office, Noyemberian Mayor’s Office and “Bargavaj Hayastan” (Prospering
Armenia) party.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN SPEAKER READY TO SEND IN HIS RESIGNATION?
Regnum, Russia
May 11 2006
“It will be correct, if Artur Bagdassaryan (Speaker of the Armenian
Parliament, leader of the Orinats Yerkir Party – REGNUM) resigns,
and the party leaves the coalition,” Secretary of the Orinats Yerkir
faction Egine Bisharyan has told the press on Thursday.
According to her, members of the party and Bagdassaryan agree to this
position. At the same time, she noted that the party was prepared for
action, and no matter, whether the political force is represented
in the parliament by 13, 7 or 3 MPs, it will act in an efficient
and coordinated way. According to Bisharyan, leaving the party by
MPs-businessmen was a political action taken “from above.”
It is worth mentioning that for the recent five days five
MPs-businessmen left the Orinats Yerkir faction.

A FAMILY DYNASTY AT COLDWELL BANKER IN PASADENA
By Katina Dunn
Arcadia Weekly, CA
May 11 2006
Mabel Agojian Besides being a realtor and mom, Agojian is also a
new grandmother, or Medz Mama – which means Big Mama in the Armenian
language.
For Mother’s Day this weekend, Agojian will wait and hear what deal
her children have in mind for her. “I am expecting my kids to come
up with a great proposal,” she said.
It is the dream of many mothers to work alongside their children,
and Mabel Agojian is one lucky mom to work with her two. All three
are realtors in the same Coldwell Banker office. “It was so different
when we were home and I was the boss and they were the kids,” said
Agojian. “Now I have to accept that we are equals. I’ve learned if
parents work with their kids, the parents just have to listen to them
more,” she said.
“It’s a big switch,” said Agojian.
When her children were little they watched her work on the telephone
and make deals and became inspired. “I think they admired the
business,” she said. Her own mother, Angele, taught her to “never
give up” which she says is valuable advice for selling real estate,
and a message she imparts to her own kids. “Her name means angel and my
mother was really an angel. Everybody’s mother is their angel, right?”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BAGHDASARIAN POISED TO RESIGN, QUIT ARMENIAN COALITION
By Ruzanna Khachatrian and Astghik Bedevian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
May 11 2006
Artur Baghdasarian signaled on Thursday his intention to resign as
speaker of Armenia’s parliament and pull his Orinats Yerkir party out
of the governing coalition as its parliamentary faction continued to
shrink under apparent government pressure.
Three more wealthy lawmakers defected from Orinats Yerkir late
Wednesday and early Thursday, reducing to 11 the number of parliament
seats controlled by Baghdasarian. His party had 20 seats as recently
as last month, boasting the second largest faction in the 131-member
National Assembly.
The wave of defections, which began last week, is reportedly part
of President Robert Kocharian’s efforts to force Orinats Yerkir out
of the ruling coalition. Government sources have said Kocharian has
lost patience with its 37-year-old leader’s regular and embarrassing
attacks on his cabinet.
According to Heghine Bisharian, a senior Orinats Yerkir lawmaker
who remains loyal to Baghdasarian, the party’s continued presence in
government is becoming meaningless in such circumstances. “I personally
am in favor of his resignation and our departure from the coalition,”
she told a news conference.
“The entire Orinats Yerkir Party is of the same opinion,” said
Bisharian. Asked whether Baghdasarian shares that opinion, she replied:
“I think he will.”
Baghdasarian, who has been seen in the past as one of Kocharian’s
possible handpicked successors, has declined to publicly comment on
the situation.
Bisharian found it “a bit too early to speculate” about the possibility
of Orinats Yerkir joining the opposition ranks but made no secret of
its critical assessment of the state of affairs in Armenia. “Go to
the regions, enter villages and look at their plight.
You’ll see whether the [government] policies of the last 10-15 years
have changed anything in our life,” she said, echoing statements
regularly made by opposition leaders.
Bisharian also downplayed the damage inflicted on her party by the
defections. “Orinats Yerkir has more than 62,000 members and I think
the departure of a dozen of them won’t make any difference for the
party,” she claimed.
All of the defectors are wealthy businessmen with close government
connections, a necessary condition for engaging in large-scale
economic activity in Armenia. Yet another Orinats Yerkir deputy,
Tigran Yeganian, was expected to follow their example later on
Thursday. Yeganian, 28, is the youngest member of the National
Assembly. His father is the owner of a big and expensive restaurant
near Yerevan which is popular with senior government officials.
Bisharian stopped short of explicitly blaming the defections on
Kocharian. But she did deplore the strong dependence of Armenian
businessmen on the government. “Regardless of whether a businessman
is a member of Orinats Yerkir, a Republican or a Dashnak, they are
facing this danger [of losing their assets],” she said. “This could
happen to any political force and businessman.”
(Photolur photo: Oritanst Yerkir deputies attending a parliament
session.)

TEACHERS’ TRAINING CENTER OPENS IN GAVAR
Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006
GAVAR, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The teachers’ training center opened
in Gavar.
It will give possibility to teachers of the marz of Gegharkunik not
having passed training courses for more than ten years to improve their
pedagogical skills and deepen professional knowledge. Specialists of
the center will regularly pass training in Yerevan then to pass the
got knowlegde to teachers of secondary schools of the marz, during
the seminars organized in the center. The Education, Culture, Sports
and Youth Issues Department of the Gegharkunik Governor’s Office will
assist the center. The Center’s coordinators are appointed in the
cities of Sevan, Martuni, Vardenis and Chambarak to get acquainted
to porblems existing in schools and define works in the direction of
solving them.

ARMENIANS SEEK ANSWERS AFTER PLANE DISASTER
By Gayane Mkrtchian in Yerevan
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
May 11 2006
Air traffic controllers under the spotlight after Armenian Black Sea
air tragedy.
Relatives of the 113 passengers and crew who died in last week’s
Armenian air crash are seeking answers to what lay behind the tragedy.
As efforts are continuing to locate the black box of the A-320 aircraft
in the Black Sea, many different versions of what caused the disaster
are already circulating in Armenia.
The release of a transcript of conversations between the pilots and
Georgian traffic control has raised the question of whether Russian
controllers mistakenly advised the plane to try to make a landing in
Adler airport outside the Black Sea port of Sochi.
The Armavia aircraft crashed at around 02.15 local time on May 3. All
of those on board, including six children, died. So far 53 bodies have
been recovered and 47 identified. Armenia held two days of mourning
last week for the dead.
In the search for answers in Armenia, much attention has centred
on the issue of what advice the pilots were given by Georgian and
Russian traffic controllers.
The air-traffic control department of Georgia, in whose airspace the
plane spent most of its journey, has released the transcript of part
of the conversation between its staff and the pilots of the A-320.
It suggests that after the captain of the Armenian plane, Grisha
Grigorian, concerned about bad weather, had turned round and said
he was returning to Yerevan, Russian controllers had advised him to
attempt to land at Adler airport, but to circle it before making a
final approach.
The Armenian and Georgian controllers met on May 4 to discuss what
the Georgians had heard, but the Russians did not take part in the
meeting. Some say the Russian no-show was because of the political
strains between Moscow and Tbilisi.
Prior to the release of the tape, the Russians had denied that they
had advised the plane to turn around and fly on to Sochi.
In the transcript, Georgian controllers and the pilot discuss whether
the plane has enough fuel to return to Yerevan after being told that
there was poor weather in Sochi.
Tea Gadabadze, press secretary of Georgian air-traffic control, told
IWPR by telephone that all the transcripts have been handed over to
the Armenian side. She said that the Georgians had only made public
a small part of the tape “so as not to cause pain”.
Dmitry Adbashian, chairman of Armenia’s National Aviation Society,
said, “[In the Georgian transcripts] you cannot hear the conversation
between our pilots and the Russian controllers. I cannot exclude
the possibility that the Sochi controllers made mistakes but I can’t
confirm it as I have no facts.”
Artyom Movsesian, former head of civil aviation in Armenia, said he
had information that the pilot made the decision to turn back because
of bad weather but was persuaded by the Adler controllers that the
weather was good enough to continue.
“We have a whole series of questions,” said Mikael Bagdasarov, head
of Armavia airlines. “The plane was making a normal landing. The
question arises why was he sent to make a second circuit?”
On May 11 the Intergovernmental Aviation Commission of former Soviet
states, which is investigating the accident, issued a press release
saying that Adler air traffic control had advised the captain of the
plane to abort his landing and make a right turning shortly before
he was due to touch down.
Interviewed by IWPR, Oleg Yermolov, deputy chairman of the committee
rejected allegations that the controllers had acted irresponsibly.
He also said that he could “officially” deny reports in the Armenian
newspaper Aravot that the Russian controllers were rude and swore at
the pilots of the doomed aircraft.
Gayane Davtian, of the Armenian civil aviation authority, said that
a nine-person team had been sent to Sochi and was deciphering the
conversation between the control tower and the pilot.
The Armenian prosecutor’s office is also seeking to question the
Adler airport controller.
Enquiries about the mechanical state of the aircraft and the experience
of the pilot have uncovered little that is suspicious.
Colleagues of the pilot say that he was familiar with emergency
situations and an experienced flyer. Questions have been asked about
whether the A-320 was serviced in Armenia or Belgium – but, so far,
there’s been no suggestion that it was in a dangerous condition.
Movesian said the plane, which was 11 years old, had last undergone
checks in April and that it had been cleared for flight by the ground
staff at Zvarnots airport in Yerevan.
In addition, there are no suggestions that the aircraft ran out
of fuel.
The plane’s black boxes, which are at a depth of more than 400 metres,
could help solve the crash mystery. Adbashian said that the flight
recorders were strong enough to last for a month underwater, but he
feared they would not be found.
On May 8, French experts arrived on the scene with equipment which they
hope will be able to locate and lift the much-anticipated black boxes.
Gayane Mkrtchian is a reporter with in Yerevan. Seda
Muradyan, IWPR Armenia country director, also contributed to this
report.