HETQ online
There is Nothing for Us in the Village
October 10, 2005
“I’m not going to pretend and say this is my birthplace and I would never
leave. If I have nothing to do here, how long can I admire the trees and
bushes? Judge for yourselves. My peers in the city have achieved so much.
They’ve graduated from university, are working, and some have even married.
And me..”
The village of Ditavan in the Tavush Marz is close to the sky. Here the day
begins when the sun rises and ends when it sets. The small village, curled
next to a forest, has become even smaller in recent years, as a result of
the many problems it faces. You won’t hear children in the streets–they’re
helping their parents with farm work. There are hardly any young people here
at all. Hermes and Felix are the last of their group of friends left in the
village. After finishing high school, Hermes was accepted at Yerevan’s
Polytechnic Institute, but he couldn’t afford the tuition. Felix didn’t even
try.
“I had very good grades in school, which my teachers will confirm, but
that’s not enough to be accepted to university,” he explained. ” I felt that
when I went to school in a neighboring village, after finishing the eighth
grade here, and saw how poor the level of education was at my school. For
instance, our foreign language teacher didn’t even have a university
education. How could I think about higher education with the knowledge that
he gave me? I wanted to study in the law department at Yerevan State
University, where high grades in a foreign language are a must.”
Talking to Felix and Hermes, it’s hard to believe that they don’t have
higher education. They are knowledgeable about literature and history, and
are interested in astronomy.
“There’s nothing keeping us here. If there were an opportunity, we would
leave for the city right now. There’s nothing to do here. In warm weather we
work on the land, and in winter we bring wood from the forest. At our age
it’s boring, even sickening. We don’t go to the library anymore. There isn’t
a book we haven’t read. We have a better library at home. We fight boredom
with books. Unfortunately, we don’t know about modern literature. We can’t
buy it. There’s a dire need for information in the village. First of all, we
only get a few TV channels here. Second, we only get newspapers when the
pensions arrive, and that is always late. We are not saying that we would
leave the village forever; that’s not possible. It’s our birthplace, and
there are many things that connect us to this place.”

Felix and Hermes say that time passes more quickly in the summer. That’s
when tourists and people who have moved away visit the village, giving the
young men a chance to make new friends, and find out about life in the city
and the interests of young people there.
“If we were in the city, maybe we wouldn’t think about what to do, how to
spend out time. Of course, when we talk with our peers from the city we
understand that they have more opportunities than we do. For instance, they
have homes in the city. W we tried to go and work in the city several times,
but we had to give most of our salary for the rent. And we couldn’t help our
relatives in the village, which is the first goal for everyone who leaves
home.”
Felix and Hermes think it will take a miracle before village life in the far
corners of Armenia improves. They are afraid that they will never be able to
read the books and magazines or do the kind of work that they want to, in
short, that they’ll never find a way to quit accepting what life has given
them, and make a change.
Lusine Balyan, Anahit Vardanyan

To: Assignment and International Desks, Daybook Editor
Contact: Peter Hickman, 202-662-7540 or 301-530-1210 or
[email protected]
;Link=mailto:pjhickman@hot mail.com>
National Press Club

News Advisory:

The Minister of Defense of Armenia, and Secretary of the Presidential
National Security Council Serzh Sargysan will hold a National Press Club
“Afternoon Newsmaker” news conference on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. at the
National Press Club, Zenger Room, 13th Floor, 529 14th Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C.

Sargysan will discuss “Armenia and Developments in the South Caucasus: A
Security Perspective.”

Minister Sargysan also will discuss his U.S. visit and planned meetings with
Defense Secretary Rumsfield and State Dept. and National Security Council
officials. He also will visit CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Fla., and
Armenian armed forces members training with the Kansas National Guard.

Armenian Youth Federation-YOARF Eastern US
80 Bigelow Ave
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel. (617) 923-1933
Fax (617) 924-1933

Armenian National Committee of America – Eastern Region
PO Box 1066
New York, NY 10040
Tel: (917) 428-1918
Fax: (718) 478-4073
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
October 10, 2005
Contact: Sossi Essajanian
(617) 923-1933
[email protected]
AYF, ANC Members Say ‘Never Again’ at Rally to Save Darfur

WATERTOWN, Mass.?On October 16, the Greater Boston chapter of the
Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) joined the Armenian National Committee
(ANC) of Eastern Massachusetts, and local Armenian community members
at Boston’s City Hall Plaza, in calling for an end to the genocide in
Darfur, Sudan.

The two organizations are part of the coalition organizing the
rally?the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur (MCSD), a
collaboration of humanitarian organizations and concerned individuals
working to raise awareness of the atrocities occurring in Darfur. This
month’s rally was also co-sponsored by the Students Taking Action Now:
Darfur (STAND) for Boston area universities.

As members of the MCSD, the AYF and ANC took an active role in the
preparations and execution of the rally. Flyers were prepared and
distributed throughout the local Armenian community, highlighting the
reasons for attending the rally. “As you read this, there is an active
genocide occurring in Darfur, a western region of Sudan. Over 400,000
men, women, and children have died as a result of this strife. The
ongoing murder and rape have displaced over 2.5 million people. As
descendents of survivors of the Armenian genocide, it is incumbent on
us to take action to end this cycle of genocide and move us to finally
realize the call?’Never again,'” read a portion of the flyer.

The Armenian representatives to the coalition also invited Worcester
State professor Henry Theriault as one of event’s keynote
speakers. Theriault, an active member of the ANC of Worcester,
coordinates the Center for the Study of Human Rights at the college.

Theriault spoke on the connection between the first genocide of the
20th century, the Armenian genocide, and today’s genocide in
Darfur. “Ninety years ago, the eastern part of the Ottoman Empire
looked very much like Darfur today, with deportations, squalid
encampments of victims wracked by epidemics of diseases and
governmentally-imposed starvation, roving death squads, rampant rape
and enslavement, and corpses. Ninety years ago, the world community
stood by as the Ottoman Turkish government systematically killed more
than 1 million Armenians and hundreds of thousands of Assyrians and
Greeks. It is standing by once again as the carefully organized
butchers in Sudan kill hundreds of thousands in Darfur,” said
Theriault.

Other speakers at the rally included Susannah Sirkin of the Physicians
for Human Rights who discussed the daily life of refugees in Sudan;
and Rebecca Hamilton of the Harvard Darfur Action Group who spoke on
steps that can be taken to encourage companies to divest in Sudan.

The current situation of genocide in Darfur, and what can be done
today to help end the atrocities were also discussed, as well as the
role played by the Sudanese government, the United States, the African
Peacekeeping Union, in the genocide.

The event also included musical selections by the Tufts University
student band Moksha and Farah Siraj from the Berklee School of
Music. A poem was later read by Brandeis University Dean of Diversity
Jamile Adams, highlighting the severity of the atrocities and the
effects of apathy towards the situation.

Later, attendees were asked by rally leaders to hold up their cellular
phones, call the White House and the State Department and urge them
through legislation and policy, to help end the genocide in Darfur.

“We need Armenians and non-Armenians to unite to stop genocide all
around the world,” said Greater Boston AYF member Jirair Barsoumian,
who attended the event. “By being at this rally, we (Armenians) are
contributing to the effort to bring international attention to the
plight of the Sudanese people who are being massacred today in
Darfur. By supporting similar struggles, we support our own. All the
people that saw Armenians at the rally will now have a clearer
understanding of why the Armenian genocide is an international human
rights issue. We, as Armenians need to show that we are willing and
able to help fight any crime against humanity, not just the Armenian
genocide.”

For more information, visit

PRESS RELEASE
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA
October 11, 2005
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-642-6633
[email protected]

FREE EASTERN ARMENIAN LANGUAGE PROGRAM OPENS NEW DOORS FOR BIRTHRIGHT
ARMENIA PARTICIPANTS

Riding on the coattails of last year’s successful Armenian language program,
Birthright Armenia has once again proven that learning the language can open
doors to a more meaningful experience. Ask the close to 100 participants in
2005, and they will tell you that the Depi Hayk Eastern Armenian language
program has become one of the most important and successful tools in helping
them immerse into Armenia’s daily life. With a large number of this year’s
young volunteers having no previous knowledge of the Armenian language
before making the journey to Armenia, Birthright’s supplementary in-class
language instruction helps to eliminate language as a barrier for diasporans
interested in contributing to the Homeland.

Each participant begins learning pre-departure by using the free online Depi
Hayk Armenian language tutorial at , which launched
in April 2004 as part of Birthright Armenia’s pilot program. The program
acts as a virtual “language lab,” and features a modern language tutorial,
including common vocabulary, grammar, and reading and writing tools, as well
as a phonetics tool to aid in pronunciation. All materials were developed
by the Arlex International team, led by linguist and attorney Thomas J.
Samuelian.

Then volunteers continue learning the basics of speaking, reading and
writing Armenian through in-class instruction during their eight-week long
community service period in Armenia, enough so that by the end of their
stay, they are successfully communicating with their work colleagues,
homestay family members, newfound friends and neighbors in the local
dialect.

Carla Doughty, an Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) volunteer and Birthright
Armenia participant from Rhode Island, who knew no Armenian prior to her
arrival in Armenia, states, “You can’t go to a country where people speak a
different language not knowing the language and expect to have the same
experience. Not only is it culturally important for me to know the language
but it’s socially respectful.”

Birthright Armenia offers these free language classes in Armenia with
teaching professionals from multiple institutions of higher education in
Yerevan. Currently, three different class levels are offered – beginner,
intermediate, and advanced – the latter specifically designed for those who
already have full conversational ability but want to improve their Armenian
reading and writing skills. Some volunteers already fluent in Western
Armenian choose to join in on the language instruction to learn Eastern
Armenian.

Anahit Avedissyan, who teaches the intermediate level language class, says
that she sees in her students an intense desire to learn the language and
that it inspires her. “I see this only here because they are Armenians.”
She further points out that because of this eagerness, students are able to
learn an incredible amount during their eight weeks in Armenia, citing one
student who, at the end of his internship, “wrote a letter to me entirely in
Armenian that made me so gratified and proud”.

Other program services offered to Birthright volunteers such as the homestay
living option, complement the Eastern Armenian language program, providing
great opportunities for participants to utilize their language skills. AVC
volunteer Edward Casabian of Massachusetts, who also knew no Armenian prior
to his arrival in Armenia, stated that his participation in the language
classes that involved everyday activities, as well as practice time with his
host family, were the most helpful elements during his stay in Armenia.
“The language was an amazing challenge for me, but learning the bits and
pieces I did was extremely rewarding.”

Fortunately a large majority of those who receive language tutoring in
Armenia pledge to continue their studies once they got back home, whether in
Eastern or Western dialect. “Birthright’s language classes helped so much
to increase my ability to communicate in Armenian that I am inspired to
continue building on what I learned in Armenia in order to be fluent one
day”, added Tamara Shahabian, a NY grad student who spent this past summer
in Armenia.

Birthright Armenia’s mission is to strengthen ties between the Homeland and
Diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of Armenia’s
daily life and to contribute to Armenia’s development through work, study
and volunteer experiences, while developing life-long personal ties and a
renewed sense of Armenian identity. For those interested in learning more
about Birthright Armenia and the year-round opportunities available for
community service, please visit or email
[email protected].

PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia & New Zealand
10 Macquarie Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
AUSTRALIA
Contact: Laura Artinian
Tel: (02) 9419-8056
Fax: (02) 9904-8446
Email: [email protected]

11 October 2005

RA FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH HIS AUSTRALIAN COUNTERPART

Sydney, Australia – His Excellency Mr Vartan Oskanian, Minister for Foreign
Affairs of the Republic of Armenia met with his Australian counterpart the
Hon. Alexander Downer MP yesterday in Canberra to discuss the prospect of
future relations between their respective countries. During the meeting,
the RA Foreign Minister familiarised Mr Downer on Armenia’s relations with
its neighbouring countries and both Minsters observed the possibilities of
strengthening bilateral relations and establishing trade and economic ties.

Throughout the course of the day, Mr Oskanian met with a number of
Government Ministers and Senators including the Hon Gary Hardgrave MP,
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister and Minister for Vocational and
Technical Education; the Hon Joe Hockey MP, Minister for Human Services;
Senator the Hon Sandy MacDonald, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for
Trade; and Senator Marise Payne, Chairman of the Armenian-Australian
Parliamentary Friendship Group.

In the evening, Mr Oskanian attended a dinner at Parliament House given by
the Australian Foreign Minister. Among Government Ministers and fellow
parliamentarians was Attorney General, the Hon Philip Ruddock MP who was the
first Australian Government Minister to visit Armenia in 2003 and the Hon
Joe Hockey MP who will make an official visit to Armenia in November. Also
at the invitation of the Minister was a group of Armenian-Australians that
included His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian, Primate of the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand. The RA Foreign Minister
returned to Sydney the same evening.

Today, Mr Oskanian attended a breakfast at Parliament House in New South
Wales hosted by Ms Gladys Berejiklian MP, Member for Willoughby. He later
met with the Hon John Watkins MP, Deputy Premier of NSW, Minister for
Transport, and Minister for State Development.

After a busy scheduled morning, the RA Minister enjoyed a relaxing luncheon
cruise on Sydney Harbour departing Sydney in the afternoon to continue his
official duties in the Asia-Pacific region that will see him meet with his
counterparts in Indonesia and Singapore over the coming days.

Armenia Fund, Inc.
111 North Jackson St. Ste. 205
Glendale, CA 91206

Tel: 800-888-8897
Fax: 818-243-7222

News Advisory
October 11, 2005

Contact: Sarkis Kotanjian
Email: [email protected]

Armenia Fund Welcomes Ambassador Markarian to California
-Ambassador Markarian Urges Community Support-

Los Angeles, CA – In an effort to generate greater community
involvement, Armenia Fund, Inc. hosted a pre-sale dinner event for its
upcoming Telethon 2005 Gala at the Tarzana home of Mr. and Mrs. Berj and
Belet Shahbazian on Friday, September 30.

With the help of the gala co-chairs Lily Ring Balian, Jasik Jarahian,
Janet Mirzayan, Anahid Sarian, and Julia Aghishian, Armenia Fund
successfully sold the tables of the November 18 event at the Millennium
Biltmore Hotel. This year’s annual gala will feature special guests H.E.
Arkady Ghoukasian, President of Karabakh, and H.E. Vartan Oskanian,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia.

The pre-sale event brought together prominent community members and
officials including special guests H.E. Tatoul Markarian, Ambassador of
the Republic of Armenia to the United States, H.E. Archbishop Hovnan
Derderian, primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of
North America, and H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirosian, prelate of the
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America.

`Armenia Fund has empowered Armenians from throughout the world to take
advantage of the historic opportunity to be a part of Armenia’s
nation-building,’ said Markarian.

The evening also honored the Shahbazian family for their generosity and
commitment in sponsoring the renovation of Etchmiadzin School #5 in
Armenia. The first phase of the project was completed in May, with the
final phase scheduled for completion in 2006.

Maria Mehranian and Ara Agishian, Chairperson and Vice-Chair of Armenia
Fund respectively, granted the Shahbazian family Armenia Fund Honorary
Membership. The honor is bestowed to major donors of the organization.
`It is people like the Shahbazians who make a difference in the everyday
lives of so many throughout Armenia and Karabakh,’ said Mehranian.

Mehranian also outlined the theme and focus of this year’s Telethon –
Redevelopment of Martakert. The project entails four major initiatives
— Healthcare, Education, Drinking Water and Agricultural Development.
`In the past ten years Armenia Fund has concentrated on areas that are
in the most need. Proceeds from this year’s Telethon among other
projects will benefit the complete renovation of the Martakert Regional
Hospital; including the purchase of five ambulances, a communications
dispatch center and medical equipment that meets U.S. standards as well
as training and education for hospital personnel,’ said Mehranian.

Armenia Fund, Inc. is the U.S. Western Region affiliate of `Hayastan’
All-Armenian Fund. For more information on Armenia Fund, the Annual
Gala, or Telethon 2005, please call 818-243-6222 or e-mail at
[email protected]. Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c) (3)
tax-exempt corporation established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale
humanitarian and infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NPR : Orhan Pamuk: Turkey’s Controversial Faulkner
php?storyId=4954114

Day to Day, October 11, 2005 . In his native Turkey, Orhan Pamuk is
considered the of contemporary fiction. His novels cover topics from
Euro-Turkish conflicts during the Renaissance to love, politics and
exile. His latest book is Istanbul: Memories and the City, a memoir
about growing up in Istanbul. Frank Browning talks with the writer in
Istanbul about his relationship to the ever-changing city and his
controversial opinions on Turkey’s history.

*Order a text transcript of this story*
<;

Genocide not the only crime against Armenians, Armenian official says

11.10.2005 12:15

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s letter to
the Armenian President Robert Kocharian, proposing to set up a joint
commission of historians to study the Armenian issue, was a smart attempt to
trick the international community, Armenian National Assembly Vice-speaker
Vahan Hovhannisian said in his report last week at the NATO-organized
Rose-Roth seminar in Yerevan.

Hovhannisian, who also is a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Bureau, said that besides the 1915 Genocide, Turkey has committed another
crime against Armenians when in 1919, it unleashed a war against the
independent Republic of Armenia.

Before the Turkish aggression — supported by the Russian Bolsheviks —
Armenia’s territory was 70,000 square kilometers, and as a result of the
war, Armenia lost the regions of Kars, Ardahan and Surmalu as well as the
populations of those regions. Hovhannisian said it was an aggression against
a sovereign state, and many of the issues currently destabilizing the South
Caucasus region have been stemming from that very aggression.

Those issues include the Armenian-Azerbaijani and Armenian-Turkish
confrontations. Therefore, Hovhannisian concluded, it would be more
effective to set up an intergovernmental commission, as proposed by
President Kocharian in his response letter, rather than a commission of
historians. Speaking of Turkey’s aspiration to join the European Union,
Hovhannisian said the Turkish society is not yet ready to accept such
European value as admitting guilt. “The Turkish society must first change
itself,” he indicated.

Hovhannisian also hailed Turkish historian Halil Berkta’s position that 1915
events should be qualified clearly as genocide. “His speech would be rather
useful for those Armenian politicians who repeat the Turkish official
position that the Armenian Genocide was a result of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation’s activities,” he added.

PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy
of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
Prelate, Western United States
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
Email: [email protected]

For more information:
Zanku Armenian (818) 243-3557
Mercata Group

Catholicos Aram I Calls for U.S. Recognition of the Armenian Genocide

His Holiness Says Reconciliation Cannot Begin Until There is Confession
First

(Los Angeles, CA – October 11, 2005) – His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of
the Great House of Cilicia, made a firm statement calling for proper U.S.
recognition of the Armenian Genocide during a special prayer service in
honor of the victims of the Armenian Genocide held on October 8 at the
Armenian Genocide Monument in Montebello, California. The Catholicos stated
that the United States has always stood on the side of justice and human
rights and therefore should take a principled stand by properly recognizing
the Armenian Genocide.

The special ceremony was organized as a reaffirmation of the community’s
commitment to proper genocide recognition on the occasion of the 90th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. There were several hundred members of
the community in attendance as well as many local public officials including
State Assemblyman Ron Calderon, Montebello Mayor Bill Molinari, Pico Riviera
Mayor David Armenta, Montebello Police Chief Gary Couso-Vasquez and a
representative from Montebello Congresswoman Grace Napolitano’s office.

“Reconciliation is based on forgiveness; however, there cannot be
forgiveness until there is acceptance of the truth and real confession,”
said the Pontiff during the event referring to the Turkish government’s
continuing campaign of denial and the lack of official U.S. recognition of
the genocide. “While this monument stands in memory of the martyrs of the
Armenian Genocide, it also symbolizes the struggle against evil, the quest
for justice, peace and human rights.” His Holiness also emphasized the
point that the United States should show greater leadership on this issue by
officially recognizing the genocide based on the fundamental principles of
freedom and human rights for which the country stands.

The Catholicos went on to say that the Genocide Monument in Montebello is a
living monument and should be viewed as the bell that tolls reminding the
Armenian community to continue the just struggle for the Armenian Cause and
remain loyal to the memories of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. The
Pontiff ended his remarks by telling the story of how on April 24 of this
year he journeyed to Der Zor to the Euphrates river where many Armenian
women and children had died during the genocide and he christened two
Armenian children and “the river that had symbolized death for the Armenian
people turned into a river of life,” he said.

After the ceremony at the Armenian Genocide monument, His Holiness traveled
to the Holy Cross Church in Montebello to meet with Armenian youth from the
Montebello community.

Catholicos Meets with Armenian Students in Glendale

On the previous day, Friday, October 7th, His Holiness held a meeting at
Glendale High School with approximately 1,000 students from the 11 Los
Angeles area Armenian schools. His Holiness stressed that students should
carry on the cultural and spiritual traditions of the Armenian people. He
also emphasized the importance of living life with high moral values and
stated that the students should serve as role models in the community.
After the Pontiff’s remarks, the program included poetry recitations, choir
ensembles and other instrumental performances by various students.

His Holiness Aram I Presides Over 1600 Anniversary of Armenian Alphabet
Celebration

On the evening of Friday, October 7th, His Holiness was present at the
Glendale Homenetmen “Ararat” Chapters special event celebrating the Armenian
alphabet. In addition to the hundreds of community members present, also
attending were Glendale Mayor Rafi Manoukian, Glendale City Councilman Frank
Quintero, Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams and Glendale School Board member
Greg Krikorian.

During the official remarks, His Holiness emphasized the importance of the
Armenian language in defining the Armenian culture and encouraged the youth
present to make the effort to learn the language as a means to living their
identity.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
10/11/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://

1) Catholicos Aram I Calls for US Recognition of Armenian Genocide
2) NATO Parliamentary Assembly Reviews Armenian Genocide
3) Council of Europe Encourages Citizens to Support Proposed Constitutional
Reforms

1) Catholicos Aram I Calls for US Recognition of Armenian Genocide

His Holiness says there can not be reconciliation before confession

LOS ANGELES–His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia,
made a firm statement calling for proper US recognition of the Armenian
Genocide during a special prayer service in honor of the victims of the
Armenian Genocide held on October 8 at the Armenian Genocide Monument in
Montebello, California. The Catholicos stated that the United States has
always
stood on the side of justice and human rights and should therefore take a
principled stand by properly recognizing the Armenian genocide.
The special ceremony was organized as a reaffirmation of the community’s
commitment to proper genocide recognition on the occasion of the 90th
anniversary of the Armenian genocide. There were several hundred members of
the
community in attendance as well as many local public officials including State
Assemblyman Ron Calderon, Montebello Mayor Bill Molinari, Pico Riviera Mayor
David Armenta, Montebello Police Chief Gary Couso-Vasquez and a representative
from Montebello Congresswoman Grace Napolitano’s office.
`Reconciliation is based on forgiveness; however, there cannot be forgiveness
until there is acceptance of the truth and real confession,’ said the Pontiff
during the event referring to the Turkish government’s continuing campaign of
denial and the lack of official US recognition of the genocide. `While this
monument stands in memory of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, it also
symbolizes the struggle against evil, the quest for justice, peace and human
rights.’ His Holiness also emphasized the point that the United States should
show greater leadership on this issue by officially recognizing the genocide
based on the fundamental principles of freedom and human rights for which the
country stands.
The Catholicos went on to say that the Genocide Monument in Montebello is a
living monument and should be viewed as the bell that tolls reminding the
Armenian community to continue the just struggle for the Armenian Cause and
remain loyal to the memories of the martyrs of the Armenian genocide. The
Pontiff ended his remarks by telling the story of how on April 24 of this year
he journeyed to Der Zor to the Euphrates river where many Armenian women and
children had died during the genocide and he christened two Armenian children
and `the river that had symbolized death for the Armenian people turned into a
river of life,’ he said.
After the ceremony at the Armenian Genocide monument, His Holiness
traveled to
the Holy Cross Church in Montebello to meet with Armenian youth from the
Montebello community.

Catholicos Meets with Armenian Students in Glendale

On the previous day, Friday, October 7, His Holiness held a meeting at
Glendale High School with approximately 1,000 students from the 11 Los Angeles
area Armenian schools. His Holiness stressed that students should carry on the
cultural and spiritual traditions of the Armenian people. He also emphasized
the importance of living life with high moral values and stated that the
students should serve as role models in the community. After the Pontiff’s
remarks, the program included poetry recitations, choir ensembles and other
instrumental performances by various students.

His Holiness Aram I Presides Over 1600 Anniversary of Armenian Alphabet
Celebration

On the evening of Friday, October 7, His Holiness was present at the Glendale
Homenetmen `Ararat’ Chapters special event celebrating the Armenian alphabet.
In addition to the hundreds of community members present, also attending were
Glendale Mayor Rafi Manoukian, Glendale City Councilman Frank Quintero,
Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams and Glendale School Board member Greg
Krikorian.
During the official remarks, His Holiness emphasized the importance of the
Armenian language in defining the Armenian culture and encouraged the youth
present to make the effort to learn the language as a means to living their
identity.

2) NATO Parliamentary Assembly Reviews Armenian Genocide

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–The Armenian genocide was on the agenda of a NATO
Parliamentary Assembly seminar that took place in Armenia last week.
Addressing the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar held in Yerevan October 6-9, Halil
Berktay, professor of history at Sabanci University, specifically said, `I say
that the Genocide was committed. The only question is how to come to its
recognition.’
He suggested studying various approaches in order for Turkish society to
first
`realize’ that genocide has been committed, `then to recognize it.’
Otherwise, he warned that tension among nationalist forces in Turkey would
escalate.
The Turkish historian also alluded to a proposal by Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan to create a joint commission of Armenian and Turkish
historians to `examine the events of 1915-1918′ and determine if they indeed
constituted genocide. Armenian leaders had categorically rejected that idea,
saying that the Genocide is a proven fact that can not be disputed.
In an April letter responding to Erdogan, Armenian President Robert Kocharian
wrote: `Your proposal to address the past can not be productive unless it
addresses the present and the future as well.’ Kocharian stressed the two
countries should instead form an `intergovernmental commission’ to tackle this
and other problems hampering their relations.
In his report to the NATO Seminar, Armenian Parliament Vice-speaker Vahan
Hovhannisian echoed President Kocharian’s suggestions, and called Erdogan’s
offer to `a clever attempt to fool the international community.’
Speaking of Turkey’s aspiration to join the European Union, Hovhannisian said
Turkish society is not yet ready to accept European values, including the
ability to admit guilt. `Turkish society must first change itself,’ he
stressed.
Hovhannisian commended Berktay’s clear position of qualifying the events of
1915 as genocide.
Sixty parliamentarians from 22 countries also discussed the Mountainous
Karabagh conflict, among other topics at the Seminar.
The Rose-Roth program was launched in 1990, with the initial aim to
strengthen
the development of parliamentary democracy in Central and Eastern European
countries.
Today, the Program also addresses regional security issues, particularly in
the Balkans and the Caucasus.
The Assembly usually holds three Rose-Roth seminars each year, covering a
wide
range of subjects such as civil-military relations, regional security, and the
fight against terrorism.

3) Council of Europe Encourages Citizens to Support Proposed Constitutional
Reforms

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–The top decision-making body of the Council of Europe urged
Armenians on Monday to vote for constitutional amendments at next month’s
referendum, saying that they are `vital’ for Armenia’s democratic future.
`The referendum, to be held on November 27 on this reform, will be vital for
Armenia,’ Diogo Freitas do Amaral, Portugal’s foreign minister and the
chairman
of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, said in a statement.
`By turning out to vote, the people of Armenia will indeed be deciding on
changes of fundamental importance for their future,’ he said, adding that the
proposed changes would shore up Armenia’s weak judiciary and create a `more
balanced distribution of power between the executive and the legislative
branches.’
Amaral emphasized that the reforms have been endorsed by the Venice
Commission, the Council of Europe’s advisory body on legal reform which has
been actively involved in the Armenian process. The head of the commission,
Gianni Buquicchio, called for a `yes’ vote at the referendum during a recent
visit to Yerevan.
The European Union and the United States have also expressed support for the
draft amendments. Western officials say that as well as curbing sweeping
powers
vested in the Armenian presidency, the proposed reform would facilitate
Armenia’s integration into pan-European structures.
A similar statement was adopted on Monday at a conference of an organization
representing various-level Armenian judges.
`The constitutional draft is close to being a perfect legal document,’ stated
the chairman of the Union of Judges, Hovannes Manukian.
Armenia’s leading opposition groups, meanwhile, remain adamant in rejecting
the amendments as insignificant and irrelevant to the country’s
democratization. In a joint statement last month, 17 opposition parties said
their enactment would only `legitimize the regime and prolong its life.’ They
pledged to work together in trying to scuttle the referendum.
But the opposition leaders disagree on whether they should urge Armenians to
boycott the referendum or vote against the draft amendments.

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