ARMENIAN MOD HEAD THANKED US FOR EFFORTS TO SOLVE KARABAKH DISPUTE
PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2006 23:04 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan suggested
monitoring contact line between Armenian and Azeri Armed Forces more
frequently and openly publishing the results. As Spokesperson of
the Armenian MOD Head Seyran Shahsuvaryan told PanARMENIAN.Net, the
Defense Minister proposed it at a meeting with US Assistant Secretary
of State Daniel Fried and US Co-Chair of the OSCE MG Steven Mann.
Sargsyan said the measures will allow to prevent breaks of the
cease-fire. He thanked the US for efforts to settle the Nagorno
Karabakh issue, made within the OSCE MG. Sargsyan was optimistic and
believed the efforts will be a success.

ARMENIA-NATO RELATIONS DEVELOP FAST
PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2006 23:09 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan believes
Armenia-NATO relations are developing fast. As Spokesperson of the
Armenian MOD Head Seyran Shahsuvaryan told PanARMENIAN.Net, the
Defense Minister stated it at a meeting with colonel Mike Anderson,
a representative of the US European Command, who accompanied US
Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried. On behalf of the US European
Command Mike Anderson thanked the Minister for Armenian peacekeepers’
service in Iraq, noting their professionalism. He also thanked the
MOD leadership for cooperation and openness during the work of a US
evaluation mission in Armenia. Speaking of reforms in the Armenian
Army, S. Sargsyan said that in 10 years Armenia will have Armed Forces
that are more compatible and that meet international standards.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN VICE-SPEAKER MET WITH ARMENIAN YOUTH OF MOSCOW
PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2006 23:32 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Mitk Union of Armenian Youth organized a meeting
of representatives of Armenian youth organizations of Moscow with
Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, member of ARF
Dashnaktsutyun Bureau Vahan Hovhannisyan. Matters of Armenia’s
development, Russian-Armenian cooperation, geopolitical situation
in the region, Karabakh settlement, Armenia-Diaspora relations were
discussed at the meeting. Mitk is a youth project of Russian-Armenian
Commonwealth NGO. Within the framework of the Mitk Friends’ Club
meetings with Russian and Armenian politicians and public figures are
organized, reports the Yerkramas, the newspaper of Armenians of Russia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
March 16, 2006
___________________
WOMEN’S GUILD ORGANIZES ANNUAL SAINTLY WOMEN’S DAY
Parishes throughout the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
will honor the contributions of women during Saintly Women’s Day, organized
by the Women’s Guild, on Saturday, March 18, 2006.
During the annual celebration, faithful gather to celebrate and learn from
the life example of a devout woman from Armenian history. Parishes also
host lectures and discussions about the importance of women in today’s
church and society.
“The Armenian Church would wither without the contributions of women,” said
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese. “From our ancestors
who were tested and tormented because of their faith, to our mothers,
sisters, and wives of today who give their time and talent to ensure our
parishes are vibrant Armenian Christian homes, each in their own way makes
the Armenian Church a living church.”
SHAHANTOOKHD’S MIRACULOUS ESCAPE
This year, the celebration will focus on the life of Shahantookhd, a
beautiful Armenian princess who lived in the Karabagh region in the early
9th century. On her way to her wedding, her party was attacked in the
Siunik region by bandits who had heard of her beauty.
The heathen bandits butchered many of her attendants. Seeing the
viciousness of the un-Christian bandits, and realizing what was in store for
her, Shahantookhd made the sign of the cross and whipped up her horse,
bravely jumping into a grand chasm.
Miraculously, she survived the fall unhurt. Seeing her miraculous leap, the
gang of bandits fled. Shahantookhd, realizing that God spared her life,
decided to stay where she had landed. She dedicated her life to God and
vowed never to leave that spot, located south of the Monastery of Datev.
She remained true to her vow, despite the pleas of her family, and stayed in
that spot for 30 years. She built a chapel with a small cell, where she
lived in seclusion until her death. She also gave her entire estate to the
bishop of Siunik, instructing him to use half for the needy and the other
half for the work of the Monastery of Datev.
EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE DIOCESE
To mark Saintly Women’s Day, parishes will gather for special services on
Saturday, March 18, 2006. Some will meet regionally, while other parishes
will host individual programs.
Regional events have been designated at the following locations.
Holy Resurrection Church, New Britain, CT, with faithful from Watervliet,
NY; Springfield, MA; and Hartford, CT.
Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, MA, with faithful from Lawrence/Haverhill,
Chelmsford, Worcester, Framingham, Mashpee, and Watertown, MA; along with
Providence, RI.
St. Mary Church, Livingston, NJ, with faithful from Fair Lawn, Union City,
Elberon, and Tenafly, NJ.
Holy Martyrs Church, Bayside, NY, with faithful from New York City and White
Plains, NY.
St. Paul Church, Syracuse, NY, with faithful from Binghamton, NY.
Holy Trinity Church, Cheltenham, PA, with faithful from Wynnewood, PA.
St. James Church, Evanston, IL, with faithful from Chicago, Waukegan, Palos
Heights, IL; and Waukegan and Racine, WI.
Individual churches holding services are: St. David Church, Boca Raton, FL;
St. John Church, Southfield, MI; St. Mary Church, Washington, D.C.; St. Mary
Church, Hollywood, FL; Holy Virgin Mary and Shoghagat Church, Belleville,
IL; St. Gregory of Narek Church, Cleveland, OH; St. Sarkis Church, Dallas,
TX; St. Kevork Church, Houston, TX; St. James Church, Richmond, VA; and St.
Hagop Church, St. Petersburg, FL.
Please contact your local parish for details on Saintly Women’s Day
activities.
— 3/16/06
# # #

ARMENIANS IN FRANCE PROTEST AGAINST TALAAT PASHA ACTION IN BERLIN
PanARMENIAN.Net
17.03.2006 00:12 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ March 15 demonstrations were held in French cities
of Paris, Marseilles and Valence against Talaat Pasha commemoration
in Berlin. The participants of the meeting emphasized inadmissibility
of Turkey’s denialist policy, noting “This Turkey does not have a
place in a democratic world”.
The court of Land Berlin had prevented the police from prohibiting
the so-called Talaat Pasha Action scheduled for March 18-19. However
human rights organizations and political figures supported the
police and censured the court’s decision, which will be appealed in
the supreme legal instances. They called upon the leadership to bar
actions targeted at denial of genocides and crimes of war, reported
Yerkir Media TV Channel. To remind, the other day the German police
barred a series of rallies the Turkish organizations planned to hold
in Berlin in mid March.
The prohibition was based upon Article 189 of the German Criminal
Code, which bars to express “disrespect for the dead”. In its
statement the German authorities used expression “dead in 1915”
to avoid term Armenian Genocide. The rallies are planned to start
with an event titled Talaat Pasha Action within “Big Program – 2006”
initiative advanced by a number of Turkish political figures urging
the Bundestag to withdraw the Resolution on the Armenian Genocide.

JAVAKHETI ROADS TO BE REPAIRED WITHIN MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT
PanARMENIAN.Net
17.03.2006 00:28 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The first consultation meeting with a number of NGOs
was held at the office of the Millennium Challenge Georgia (MCG). Its
major goal was to inform the public on the course of implementation
of the project of rehabilitation of roads in Samtskhe-Javakheti
region. The project is being implemented with the financial assistance
of the Millennium Challenge Corporation in compliance with Millennium
Challenge Account of the US Government.
During the meeting nature conservation principles and approaches of
the Millennium Challenge Corporation and MCG were considered, as well
as information on consulting company of the project of rehabilitation
of Samtskhe-Javakheti roads – German Kox Consult Gmbh.
According to a contract, signed between the Millennium Challenge –
Georgia and Kox Consult Gmbh February 10, 2006, the company, which has
55 years of experience, should compose the project of rehabilitation of
the major highway, connecting Tbilisi with Samtskhe-Javakheti region,
estimate the project impact on the environment. The construction
works are scheduled to begin in spring 2007. The overall length of the
roads planned to repair makes 245km, which include the major highway,
as well as the road to the Turkish border, reports Novosti-Gruzia.

Ressort: Meinung
DAS politische BUCH
Armenien – Erinnerung und Leugnung
Von Wolfgang G. Schwanitz
Die politische Elite Deutschlands verhalte sich zuruckhaltend zum Volkermord
des turkischen Regimes an Armeniern vor 90 Jahren. Das behauptet Annette
Schaefgen. Wie ist das moglich, wo man selbst die Erfahrung mit kollektiver
Verantwortung und kritischer Aufarbeitung erkannt hat? Dem stellt sich die
Berliner Historikerin am Zentrum fur Antisemitismusforschung und sucht in
ihrem Buch Grunde, warum der Genozid zunachst schwach rezipiert wurde.
Engagiert stellt die Autorin dar, wie Deutsche den Volkermord aufgenommen
haben, von seinem Beginn am 24. April 1915, uber das Buchverbot von Johannes
Lepsius’ “Der Todesgang des armenischen Volkes” im Folgejahr bis zum Mord am
ehemaligen turkischen Innenminister in Berlin 1921. Dann kam die große
Stille, gegen die Literaten wie Franz Werfel angingen.
In der Bonner Republik erhielten die Beziehungen zum Nato-Mitglied Turkei
Vorrang. Ähnlich verhielt es sich mit der Sowjetunion und ihrer
Sowjetrepublik Armenien. Wie Schaefgen herausfindet, liefen die Armenier
unter Innenpolitik und in der Kategorie “Minoritaten”. Botschafter Fritz
Oellers, der die Ostturkei bereiste, berichtete, Turken hatten die
Armenierfrage “restlos gelost”. Diejenigen, so Oellers 1957 weiter, die die
Pogrome im Ersten Weltkrieg uberlebt hatten, waren danach verzogen.
Das anderte sich kaum ab 1961. Sowohl Turken als auch Armenier zogen nach
Westdeutschland. Armenier kamen auch 20 Jahre spater in die Berliner
Republik, die 2003 mit Robert Kotscharian erstmals einen Prasidenten
Armeniens in Berlin begrußte. Am Rande kam die Frage auf, ob der Bundestag –
wie das Pariser Parlament – eine Resolution beschließe, die den Genozid an
Armeniern anerkennt. Die Standardformel lautete: Regierung und Parlament
nehmen nicht zu historischen Ereignissen in anderen Landern Stellung. Eine
Petition von 2000 beforderte die Erklarung des Bundestages vom Vorjahr uber
die Vertreibung und die Massaker an Armeniern.
Drei Viertel der in Deutschland lebenden Armenier stammen aus der Turkei.
Insbesondere fur sie, sagt Schaefgen, sei das hier fehlende Wissen uber ihre
Geschichte verletzend. Oft herrsche die Sichtweise der turkischen Regierung
vor, die den Volkermord als “kriegsbedingte Maßnahme” rechtfertige. Die
Provokationsthese werde angefuhrt, wonach sich Armenier gegen Osmanen
erhoben oder zuvor Massaker an Turken und Kurden begangen hatten. Die Zahl
der Opfer werde meist relativiert oder die Vorsatzlichkeit der
systematischen Tat geleugnet. Dies sei die Staatsdoktrin. Wer davon abweiche
und in Rede oder Schrift feststelle, der Volkermord an Armeniern fand statt,
konne nach turkischem Recht wegen Herabsetzung des Turkentums belangt
werden.
Zu Recht betont Annette Schaefgen, dass viel zu erforschen ist, trotz der
unzuganglichen turkischen Archive. Dabei ware auch der Plan des deutschen
Diplomaten Max von Oppenheim zu erhellen, der die islamische Bevolkerung
1914 gegen England mobilisieren wollte und so Ol in das Kriegsfeuer goss.
An diesem Samstag demonstrieren turkische Nationalisten in Berlin zum
zweiten Mal gegen den Vorwurf des Volkermordes an den Armeniern. Die Polizei
wollte die Aufmarsche verbieten, das Berliner Verwaltungsgericht gab dem
Eilantrag gegen das Verbot statt.
– Annette Schaefgen: Schwieriges Erinnern: Der Volkermord an den Armeniern.
Metropol Verlag, Berlin 2006. 200 S., 18 eur. Das Buch erscheint am 24. 3.
–Boundary_(ID_w52RfSB6HDwx1mMbWtQ07w)–

Z. PLUZYAN HAS TO WAIT TO BECOME CEC MEMBER AGAIN
Panorama.am
18:24 16/03/06
As it is known “National Unanimity” party had put forward the
candidature of Zaven Pluzyan to become member of Central Electoral
Committee. Up to day the party is waiting for President’s decree
according to which Pluzyan will be considered legal member of CEC.
“The CEC must be complete before the elections and there are no fixed
deadlines. I’m sure Mr. Pluzyan is not going to idle but will start
building the “National Unanimity” party,” informed President’s Press
Secretary Victor Soghomonyan in reply to Panorama.am question whether
the President is not going to promulgate Zaven Pluzyan as CEC member.
To remind, after the Constitutional Referendum On November 27
Z. Pluzyan resigned. Yet, later his party members put forward his
candidature again.

PROMULGATION OF L. ALAVERDYAN ENVISAGED THE POINT OF RESIGNATION
Panorama.am
18:22 16/03/06
First Defender of Human Rights Larissa Alaverdyan still considers
herself Defender as she hasn’t yet received the order of President
Kocharyan to stop her activity in that position.
In order to find out this misunderstanding we turned to a lawyer
well aware of the developments. The latter commented referring to the
“Law About Human Rights Defender”: “It is determined by the law that
the commissions of the first defender end on the 30th day after the
Constitutional Amendments come into force.
And that day was January 5. Yet when the President promulgated the
first Defender he mentioned “to appoint till the official end of
commission”. Thus, the resignation of her commission was envisaged. And
in this concern it is not a complex legal case, as well as there in
no need of new promulgation by the President.”

BIRD FLU NOT COMPULSORY IN EVERY COUNTRY
Panorama.am
16:46 16/03/06
The situation in Armenia concerning bird flu must have been aggravated
as this is the period of transmigration of swans. “If you have noticed
the main source of bird flu infection were the swans in our neighboring
countries and in many other countries.
Due to the geographical position of our country and climatic conditions
not great numbers of swans are expected in Armenia,” mentioned member
of headquarter struggling against penetration of bird flu Grisha
Baghyan during the meeting with correspondent today.
What is the reason that the disease doesn’t appear in our country
while being surrounded by it? In reply to this question G. Baghiyan
gave an interesting answer: “It is not important for bird flu to be
recorded in every country.”
The head of State Veterinarian Inspectorate G. Baghyan said that the
interest towards veterinarian services has increased among the people
in the condition of bird flu danger.
By the way, today the Government has determined the order of
veterinarian services. As the head of the inspectorate mentioned the
amount of money paid for the veterinarian services hasn’t been fixed
yet. It is to be fixed by Ministry and Inspectorate of Agriculture, and
the lat word remains after the Inspectorate in this case. G. Baghyan
assured that some of these services will be free of charge. Yet it
is not known which exactly.
To remind, the vaccinations against false plague are also to be free,
yet G. Baghyan stated there is a great number of complaints form
citizens in this concern.