PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 10) 517 163
Fax: (374 10) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
March 13, 2006
Armenian Church Representatives Elected to World Council of Churches Central
Committee
In the month of February, under the auspices of and with the Pontifical
blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
of All Armenians, a high-ranking delegation of clergymen and laymen
representing the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, attended the Ninth
Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Porto Alegre,
Brazil. Leading the delegation was His Grace Bishop Yeznik Petrosian,
Director of Inter-Church Relations for the headquarters of the Armenian
Apostolic Church.
The Assembly brought together member churches of the WCC to reaffirm
their fellowship, engage in discussions and to take counsel with one
another. The theme of the Assembly was “God, in Your Grace, transform
the word.”
The delegates for the Armenian Church were: His Eminence Archbishop
Aghan Baliozian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Australia and
New Zealand; His Grace Bishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan Legate of
the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern); His Grace
Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Canada;
Rev. Fr. Mkrtich Proshian, Dean of the Vaskenian Theological Seminary
at Lake Sevan (Armenia); Rev. Fr. Hovakim Manukian, Office Director
of the Department for Inter-Church Relations, Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin; Rev. Fr. Shahe Ananian, Staff Bearer to the Catholicos
of All Armenians, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; Rev. Fr. Vahram
Melikian, Director of Information Services, Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin; Dr. Karen Nazarian, Director of the Armenian Round Table
Office (Armenia); Dr. Hacik Rafi Gazer, Director of the Theological
Faculty Martin Luther University, Halle-Withenberg (Germany); Deacon
Robert Tashjian, Youth Ministry from the Armenian Diocese of Egypt;
Mrs. Paula Devejian, Director of Internet Development, Mother See of
Holy Etchmiadzin; Miss Naira Martirossian, Project Manager, Armenian
Ecumenical Resource Center (Armenia); Miss Gayane Alexanian, Department
for Inter-Church Relations, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; Miss Lilit
Antonian, Secretary, Catholicosate of All Armenians; and Miss Izabel
Genjian from the Armenian Diocese of Brazil who participated in the
Assembly as a youth delegate. The delegation was one of the youngest
Orthodox groups in attendance.
Members of the delegation took an active participation in the Assembly
in many areas. Rev. Fr. Ananian attended the Youth Pre-Assembly
and Mrs. Devejian attended the Women’s Pre-Assembly. Abp. Aghan
Baliozian served on the Assembly Committee for “Consensus Decision
Making”, which worked to implement a new procedural method of voting,
which was adopted for the first time at the Assembly. Bp. Vicken
Aikazian served on the Assembly “Message” Committee, which developed
and presented a document that captured the experience and hopes of
those gathered in Porto Alegre. Bp. Yeznik Petrosian was a Moderator
during a 3-day workshop entitled “Emerging Forms of Ecumenism” as well
as served on the assembly “Business Committee” which coordinated the
daily business of the assembly. Rev. Fr. Proshian presented a workshop
entitled “Through the Creation to the Creator”, which introduced a
new concept of ecological education from a theological perspective
referred to as “Green Theology”. Dr. Nazarian presented a paper in
one of the workshops entitled “HIV/AIDS – Involvement of clergy in
counseling, stigma and discrimination”, as well as served on the
assembly nominating committee which was responsible for identifying
candidates for the election of presidents and new members of the WCC
Central Committee from among the delegates. Mrs. Devejian served
on a leadership team in a three-day workshop entitled “Overcoming
health threats to humanity in the context of HIV and AIDS”, as well
as spoke during the final general plenary session on the topic of
“God in Your Grace, transform our societies”. In addition to these
activities, delegates attended specific regional, Orthodox, youth and
women’s issues meetings, as well as attended workshops on the Middle
East and various lectures on subjects of importance to the world-wide
Armenian Church.
During the business sessions, the assembly delegates accepted the
strategic and planning activities for the upcoming seven years for
the WCC, and presented a final general resolution. The Assembly
also produced six communiques, related to Latin America, defense,
the reconfiguration of the United Nations, water issues, terrorism
and human rights, and the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The final sessions were highlighted by new elections to the WCC. First
was the election of the eight regional presidents of the WCC,
representing the family of Christian Churches. Elected to represent
the Oriental (Ancient) Orthodox Church family was His Holiness Abba
Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
The same afternoon, the delegates elected a new Central Committee
to serve for the next seven years. Elected to represent the Armenian
Church and the Catholicosate of All Armenians were His Grace Bishop
Aykazian (USA) and Mrs. Paula Devejian (Armenia).
On the final day of the Assembly, the Central Committee elected the
new 20-member Executive Committee. Among those elected was His Grace
Bishop Vicken Aykazian. Elected as the new Moderator for the WCC is
Rev. Dr. Walter Altmann from the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran
Confession in Brazil (IECLB).
The Armenian Church delegates returned to Holy Etchmiadzin and their
respective dioceses at the end of February.
##

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
13-03-2006
Deputy Minister Gegham Gharibjanian to Visit Turkmenistan
Deputy Minister Gegham Gharibjanian has left for Turkmenistan on
a working visit. There, on March 15 and 16, he will meet with
Saparmurat Niyazov, President of the Republic, Rashid Meredov,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gurbanmurat Atayev, Minister of Oil and
Gas Industry and Mineral Resources, and Maral Byashimova, Minister
of Culture and Broadcasting activities.
During his visit, the Deputy Minister will hand President Niyazov
a message from President Kocharian. He will also attend a ceremony
where the Armenian flag will be raised on the Armenia’s new embassy.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
13-03-2006
Newly-appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the Republic
of Lebanon Vahan Ter-Ghevondian Presents Copies of his Credentials
On March 10, Vahan Ter-Ghevondian, newly-appointed Ambassador of the
Republic of Armenia to the Republic of Lebanon, presented copies of
his credentials to Emile Lahoud, President of Lebanon.
The ceremony took place at Baabda Palace, Presidential headquarters,
and high-ranking officials, including Fawzi Salloukh, Lebanon’s
Foreign Minister, were in attendance.
Following the ceremony, those present discussed Armenian-Lebanese
relations. President Lahoud placed great value on the historically
good relations which exist between the two countries and noted that
this can serve as the necessary basis for furthering cooperation.
On the previous day, March 9, Ambassador Ter-Ghevondian had presented
copies of his credentials to Lebanon’s Foreign Minister.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

4
Linares R14: Levon Aronian wins Morelia/Linares Super-GM
11.03.2006 This prestigious event was won not by FIDE world champion
Veselin Topalov, nor by the other favourites Svidler and Leko, but by
23-year-old Armenian grandmaster Levon Aronian, who after all is
number five in the world rankings. Aronian achieved this by beating
Peter Leko with the black pieces in the final round. Full report with
pictures, video and commentary.

Playing with the black pieces, Aronian won with unexpected easy
against a somewhat demoralised Leko, and was proclaimed winner of this
highly animated super-tournament. Together with his triumph in the
World Cup 2005, this result consolidates the young Armenian’s position
among the leading Grand Masters at the moment. Vallejo-Topalov saw a
theoretical draw by perpetual, while in Bacrot-Radjabov a draw was
signed with all the pieces on board. The last game to finish was
Svidler-Ivanchuk. Black managed to survive in spite of having lost a
pawn right after the opening.

ROBERT SIMMONS TO VISIT YEREVAN, AND ARMENIA IS READY TO RECEIVE ENVOYS FROM BAKU
Regnum, Russia
March 14 2006
On April, s NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the
Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons will visit Yerevan, informed
NATO officer on South Caucasus Romualdas Rajuks.
According to Rajuks, South Caucasus is a geopolitical priority for
NATO, so uniting of the three countries of the region in the framework
of IPAP (Individual Partnership Program) with NATO is an important step
towards regional and Euro-Atlantic security, informs PanARMENIAN.Net.
Armenian Deputy Minister of Defense, Lieutenant-General Artur Agabekyan
informed, that in the fall June, Yerevan will host trainings of NATO
rescue services Rescuer 2006. According to Agabekyan, representatives
of 20 countries will visit Yerevan, including representatives of the
region’s countries. Armenia always stood for cooperation with adjacent
countries in the framework of IPAP, and is ready even to meet envoys
from Azerbaijan and Turkey, noted Agabekyan.

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 13, 2005
___________________
DIOCESAN ZOHRAB CENTER PRESENTS ILLUMINATING PANEL OF ALPHABET EXPERTS
By Florence Avakian
It was a monumental turning point 1,600 years ago when the Armenian alphabet
was created. We feel its repercussions still today, as Armenians continue
to build on its legacy in great and small ways.
On Thursday February 16, 2006, a panel of experts discussed this legacy of
the Armenian alphabet. Hosted by the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information
Center of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church, the discussion was
held before an audience of 200 at the Diocesan Center in New York City.
In introducing the speakers, Aram Arkun, coordinator of the Zohrab Center,
expressed hopes that the global commemorations marking the 1600th
anniversary of the creation of the alphabet would the way for new “major
milestones” in Armenian literature and culture.
A VEHICLE OF ARMENIAN LITERARY CULTURE
Dr. Seta Dadoyan, author of five books and currently the Nikit and Eleanora
Ordjanian visiting professor at Columbia University, focused her remarks on
the Armenian alphabet’s political dimensions, saying the alphabet served as
a nexus for Armenian national pride, religious faith, and cultural
exertions.
In a carefully researched lecture, Dr. Dadoyan called the alphabet’s
inventor, St. Mesrob Mashdots, “an icon symbolizing the alphabet,” stressing
that his work must be understood in “historic context.”
She proposed that the invention of the script was “directly related” to the
circumstances of Armenians between the 4th and 7th centuries, and important
to a later phase when Armenia was under direct Arab rule. She referred to
this period as the “vital phase” of the Armenian people’s formation in
cultural-political terms.
“The alphabet was a vehicle and provided a platform for Armenian literary
culture. More importantly, it was instrumental in generating the ideologies
of the church and the state,” she said.
Following the adoption of Christianity, the Armenian people faced “massive
pressures towards total assimilation,” from both the West (the Roman and
Byzantine empires) and the East (Iran and later Islam). The conversion of
the Armenians to Christianity was “a very lengthy process that had already
started during the first century AD, and continued through the Middle Ages.
With the conversion of the Armenian and Georgian kings, Christianity
immediately gained great political significance regionally. Eventually, the
social-political power of Christianity was to be deployed not only against
Iran, but also against Rome itself. From the beginning, Armenian
Christianity was a Westernizing factor against the East, which was Syriac
and Persian, then Muslim,” she said.
Following the two “universal” councils which defined Christianity — Nicea
in 325, and Constantinople in 381 — the invention of the script became a
“political measure, a force to be deployed wherever necessary,” she
explained. With Eastern Armenia in danger of slipping into paganism and
Zoroastrianism, “Sahak and Mesrop had to find solutions,” she said.
The invention of the Armenian script and the deepening of Armenian
literature and faith “were interlocked,” she noted. “The immediate
objective of the script was the creation of a Christian literature, to
assist and consolidate the missionary work of the church.” The Bible was
the first full text to be translated, followed by the first phase of
translating religious texts. The 5th century became the “Golden Age of
Armenian Literature.”
The 45 years between the invention of the alphabet and the Battle of Avarayr
in 451 were marked by the removal of the Armenian Arsacid/Arshakuni dynasty
by Iran in 428 at the request of the Armenian feudal lords (or nakharars),
as well as the initial development of Armenian literature.
This period ended with the Council of Chalcedon in 451 — which the
Armenians eventually rejected, resulting in a separation between the Western
and Armenian churches — and the Battle of Avarayr in 451, which produced
Armenian martyrs and saints. Because of this battle, the Armenian Church
“seemed to adopt a favorable attitude to war as a struggle against evil,”
she stated.
“Avarayr was a conscious choice of death as the way to immortality. Avarayr
was loyalty to the ancestral values of the Armenian people,” Dr. Dadoyan
said, noting that it completed a 150-year process of defining the people.
“The alphabet had Armenized Christianity, the church, and cultural politics.
The legacy of this process was a fundamental formula of loyalties to faith,
language, and ancestral values. Herein lay the political dimensions of the
invention of the alphabet.”
THE ALPHABET’S MAGICAL MYSTERY
Dr. Roberta Ervine, associate professor of Armenian studies at St. Nersess
Armenian Seminary, used her extensive knowledge of the Armenian language, to
focus on how “Mesrob’s Magical Mystery Alphabet” was perceived by Armenians
in the Middle Ages.
Mashdots invented the script for Armenians in order “to give them the
ability to embody their thoughts, to incarnate meaning, to preserve, to pass
down the invisible in visible form, to have meaning in and of itself,” she
stated in her inspiring talk. “Mesrob consciously set out to create an
alphabet far superior to that of Hebrew or Greek. He created a totally
Christian alphabet.”
There had to be 36 letters, she continued, because “letters in antiquity
were also used as numbers for arithmetical computation. The numbers were so
important. They are the invisible mystery that allows us to express the
invisible realities of the universe. Also every letter had assigned to it
the number that corresponded to its place in the alphabet,” she explained,
demonstrating these ideas with slides.
“Mesrob Mashdots’ alphabet had meaning, mystery, power, and a connection to
the divine. It is an alphabet that lives. Every time you use those
letters, you affirm whom you are, who God is. You make yourself a vehicle
for the embodiment of the divine in a visible way, a line of unbroken
communication from God’s eternal finger to the pen of every Armenian writer
who has or will ever use those immortal letters,” Dr. Ervine poetically
concluded.
RADICAL CHANGES IN ARMENIAN LANGUAGE
Dr. Marc Nichanian a visiting professor of Armenian studies at Columbia
University, centered his address on the question, What is a literary
language? He also tackled the provocative issue of whether spoken Armenian
had Eastern and Western dialects at the time of the alphabet’s invention.
The language became “literary” at least twice in Armenian history, first in
the 5th century and later in the middle of the 19th century. He first
tackled the era of the 19th century when “Western Armenian was fully formed,
approximately the way we are using it today, not entirely uniform, full of
Turkish idioms, but nevertheless in use.
He pointed out that between 1792 and 1843, hundreds of books were published
in Venice and Constantinople in this fully-formed Western Armenian, “but
this does not mean that it was already a literary language. It was
precisely what the contemporaries called a civil language: the language of
communication in schools, the language of teaching and learning, the
language of an elite of merchants and city dwellers, the language of
courts.”
It was in 1843 that the Mekhitarist fathers recognized that their dream of
reviving Classical Armenian (krapar) as a common language of Armenians would
not become a reality. The difference between a “civil” and literary
language, Dr. Nichanian continued, is that the civil language (ashkharapar),
in this case Western Armenian, had become the common language of all
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, spread through journals, schools, theater,
and preaching. It had become a common language, “the language of reference
for everybody,” supplanting krapar.
The literary language of the 19th century developed as a reaction to the
spread of a civil language, and to fill the void left by the submergence of
krapar.
Linguists have argued that, unlike the situation in the 19th century, there
could not have existed dialects in the language spoken by Armenians in the
5th century. The problem is that there is no evidence as to when the shift
in pronunciation of consonants that differentiates Western and Eastern
Armenian today actually took place. All we know is that it already existed
by the 12th century in Cilicia. However, some argue that dialectological
work shows that this distinction existed already in the 5th century.
Some experts believe that Mesrob Mashdots’ true genius was not to create an
alphabet in which each letter represented a separate sound or phoneme, but
to create an alphabet in which each letter could represent a different sound
in a different dialect. The same word would have been pronounced
differently in different regions, but would maintain a uniform spelling for
all Armenian speakers. However, Nichanian pointed out that this is only a
hypothesis, and most people still believe that Mashdots analyzed and
transcribed the language spoken on the plain of Ararat.
Nichanian concluded his talk by noting that in the 5th century, as in the
19th, a group of writers, translators, and preachers convinced the populace
to adopt a language that has gone through “literarization” as its own,
sometimes through teaching, but sometimes necessarily also through the use
of force.
Along with producing such panels, the Diocese’s Zohrab Information Center’s
mission is to help disseminate a greater understanding of the Armenian
people to academics, researchers, the media, and the community at large.
— 3/13/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Dr. Roberta Ervine, left, Dr. Seta Dadoyan, and Dr. Marc
Nichanian, were panelists at a lecture on the Armenian alphabet hosted by
the Zohrab Information Center of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America (Eastern) on Thursday, February 16, 2006.
# # #

MERCENARY PUZZLE
By Vincent Musumba
Kenya Times, Kenya
March 14 2006
THE alleged mysterious presence of mercenaries in the country took
a new twist yesterday when two men claiming to be the ones named as
being the hitmen on hire presented themselves and instead accused
two senior politicians of blackmail.
The two, claiming to be the Armenians, Artur Sargsyan and Artur
Margaryan, said Langata MP Raila Odinga and his Mwingi North
counterpart Kalonzo Musyoka had approached them seeking Sh 3 billion
to finance a vote of no confidence in the government.
Sargsyan and Margaryan also claimed that Kalonzo, who introduced them
to Raila, had requested for bullet-proof cars to use in their alleged
anti-government activities.
Addressing a press conference at the Jomo Kenyatta Interbnational
Airport’s VIP lounge in the company of their lawyer Fred Ngatia,
Sargsyan also claimed that Raila had separately requested for a loan
of Sh 108 million (US$ 1.5 m) which he advanced him on condition that
he would repay it by mid January this year although by yesterday he
had not repaid the money.
But in a swift rejoinder, Raila denied ever having met the two
brothers. Kalonzo, however, confessed having encountered them at “an
informal meeting” at the Grand Regency hotel’s Summit Club sometimes
last year.
Raila described Sargsyan and Margaryan’s statements as completely
unfounded, baseless, nefarious and maliciously concocted to scandalise
and malign his name.
Kalonzo protested his innocence and disclosed that he was introduced
to the two in his capacity as a former Foreign Affairs Minister. “It
is a clear government plot to malign our names and it falls right in
their face. I am a very simple person who cannot handle such a huge
sum of money,” said Kalonzo.
Two weeks ago, Liberal Democratic Party defacto leader, Raila revealed
about the existence of mercenaries in the country allegedly hired
by the government to kill some leading Orange Democratic Movement
(ODM) luminaries
Earlier, Raila had met Police Commissioner Brig Hussein Ali to record a
statement on the matter after he was requested to do so and thereafter
proceeded to record a statement with the police .
The mercenaries for the first time surfaced yesterday and addressed
a press conference to respond to the mercenary allegations.
The two Armenian brothers Sargsyan and Margaryan, the alleged
mercenaries, arrived at the JKIA airport from Dubai yesterday in the
morning and were ushered into the VIP lounge by government agents
where they addressed the Press and claimed they had met Raila and
Musyoka last year.
It was not immediately clear who authorised the two to use the VIP
lounge, which is normally reserved for presidents, senior government
officials, diplomats and other high ranking dignitaries recognised
by the state.
Government spokesman Dr Alfred Mutua denied knowledge of the issue
and refused to be drawn into it.
And soon after the press conference, that was organised by Ngatia,
Sargsyan was reported to have immediately returned to Dubai where he
had come from specifically for the media briefing. He is believed to
have arrived at around 7 in the morning and left at 11 am aboard a
Kenya Airways plane. Astonishingly, his name was missing on the two
KQ manifest that arrived and left for Dubai yesterday.
While copies of passports given by Raila last week indicated the two
businessmen aged 33 and 36 years, who resurfaced yesterday looked
much older.
The two brothers claimed to have business investments portfolio
worth US $ 5 million in Nairobi’s Karen area. They, however, refused
to give names of their Kenyan business associates or the names of
their companies.
Besides, the two also claimed to have vast business ventures all over
the world and Dubai, where they “ordinarily reside”, and that they
were first introduced to Raila and Kalonzo late last year while on a
tour of Kenya to seek business investment in the hotel industry and
general trade.
Consequently, they say, the two politicians requested from them Sh
3 billion allegedly to finance an anticipated vote of no confidence
against the government, but they declined to assist since “we do
not engage in local politics in all the countries where we have
investments”.
However, Raila and Kalonzo hurriedly convened a press conference
at Parliament Buildings during the lunch hour where they defended
themselves and pledged ignorance of the two men. Raila said he had
never met the two men and had never received the said money from them.
Interestingly, Kalonzo appeared to contradict him when he confessed
to having been introduced to one of them, as Armenian Foreign Affairs
Minister at the Summit of the Grand Regency hotel. The introduction
he said, was done casually and there were many people at the same
place at that time. Since then, he said, he had never met him.
“I may have met some people at the Summit of the Grand Regency although
that was the end of it. I dismiss their claims with the contempt they
deserve. I do not know their identities”, said the former minister.
Interestingly, Kalonzo confessed that he took some photographs with
the two Armenians during their encounter at the hotel.
Sargsyan, who asserts that he is the nephew of the Armenian President,
Robert Kocharian, says he is appalled by the “baseless accusations”
in Kenya’s Press and wants Raila to pay him back the money he owes him
or take him to court. The country’s Prime Minister as per Internet
sources is called Andranik Margaryan (since May 12, 2000). His name
resembles the surnames of the two brothers.
“Your political leaders should not be peddlers of falsehoods and the
press should not merely publish sensational but senseless stories
which can damage the reputation of persons whose only interest in your
country is to invest in legitimate trade”, he said in the statement.
Efforts to confirm the nationality of the two businessmen were
fruitless as Armenia does not have a an embassy in the country.
Raila and Kalonzo, who were accompanied by LDP MPs, Kenneth Marende,
Gor Sungu, Otieno Kajwang’, Ayiecho Olweny, Philip Okundi, Peter
Odoyo, Andrew Ligale, Kiema Kilonzo and Odhiambo Omamba, termed the
content of the press statement as “the most ridiculous and a phantom
of great imagination”.
He denied ever meeting the two brothers or holding a meeting with them
and accused the government of orchestrating a plot to mudslinging
them. He alluded to an interview the previous night on one of the
local TV channels where Mwea MP, Alfred Nderitu made claims similar
to those in Atur’s press statement.
He said the figures mentioned by the two were “large in any language
and cannot possibly be transacted in the air” and that nobody could
carry the Sh 3b as alleged without fearing for his security.
Said Raila: “Their claims are untrue. What empirical evidence or any
even a scintilla of it has been offered to sustain the contention
that the transaction took place?”, and added, “I therefore find the
claims made completely unfounded, baseless, nefarious and maliciously
concocted to scandalise and malign my name”.
He claimed their lawyer Ngatia was the man who had written the
statement on behalf of the two foreigners and described it as an
amateurish attempt by the government to divert the attention of the
public from corruption scandals facing it.
The LDP leader wondered why CID Director, Joseph Kamau had not disowned
the statement he had written on the existence of the mercenaries,
or why t hey were allowed to enter State House and who informed the
media that the two were expected at the airport in the morning.
The call, he said, had been placed to media houses by a Narc activist
from Othaya.

UNITED ARMENIAN FUND
1101 N. Pacific Avenue # 301
Glendale, CA 91202
Tel: 818.241.8900
Fax: 818.241.6900
For Immediate Release
11 March 2006
UAF’s 137th Airlift Delivers
$3.6 Million of Aid to Armenia
Glendale, CA – The United Armenian Fund’s 137th airlift arrived
in Yerevan on March 11, delivering $3.6 million of humanitarian
assistance.
The UAF itself collected $2.9 of medicines and medical supplies for
this flight, most of which were donated by AmeriCares ($2,100,000);
Operation Blessing/Armenia Fund U.S.A. ($570,000); Brothers Brother
Foundation ($266,000) and Catholic Medical Mission Board ($39,000).
Other organizations which contributed goods for this airlift were:
Armenian General Benevolent Union ($213,000); Michael Der Boghosian
from Boston Medical Center ($166,000); Dr. Stephen Kashian ($65,000);
Nork Marash Medical Center ($42,000) and Armenian Missionary
Association of America ($28,000).
Also contributing to this airlift were: Howard Karagheusian
Commemorative Corp ($19,000): Armenian Relief Society ($15,000) and
Armenian American Health Association of Greater Washington ($9,000).
Since its inception in 1989, the UAF has sent $428 million of
humanitarian assistance to Armenia on board 137 airlifts and 1,285
sea containers.
The UAF is the collective effort of the Armenian Assembly of America,
the Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Armenian Missionary
Association of America, the Armenian Relief Society, the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America, the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of America and the Lincy Foundation.
For more information, contact the UAF office at 1101 North Pacific
Avenue, Suite 301, Glendale, CA 91202 or call (818) 241-8900.
###

Armenia Fund, Inc.
111 North Jackson St. Ste. 205
Glendale, CA 91206
T | 818-243-6222
F | 818-243-7222
E | [email protected]
For Immediate Release
March 13, 2006
Armenia Fund Reconstructs Artik Hospital
United Kingdom Affiliate Finances Project
Yerevan, Armenia – Armenia Fund is proud to announce that it has
embarked on yet another vital hospital reconstruction project in
the Shirak Region of the Republic of Armenia. The Artik Hospital
will undergo major renovation in order to meet the growing needs of
the region.
Presently, the project is in its design stage. The scope of the
reconstruction will include strengthening of the building and its
foundation, construction of a boiler-house, installation of a modern
heating system, as well as installation of new doors and windows. The
hospital will also undergo crucial seismic retrofitting in order
to prevent collapse in case of an earthquake. In addition to key
structural upgrades, new restroom facilities will be built, as well as
new flooring will be installed throughout the facility. Part of the
new plan will encompass a new electrical conduit system, as well as
safe and reliable wiring throughout the building. Upon completion,
the hospital will have a new and separate sewerage system. The
surrounding landscape of the hospital will be redesigned in order to
be more people friendly.
After a close assessment of the hospital, healthcare specialists
determined that the condition of the hospital is critically
deteriorating. Construction experts revealed major structural damages,
due to a lack of repair and maintenance over the years.
Over the past twenty years, the hospital has been moderately renovated.
Unfortunately, the catastrophic earthquake of 1988 crippled the
hospital’s structural support and foundation lines. Currently, only
one building out of the four is being used for patient services.
The hospital currently has 40 beds and serves as the main healthcare
facility for the town of Artik. Due to a lack of readily available
healthcare facilities, the hospital has come to cater to the Shirak
region’s growing 60,000 population. Armenia Fund plans to expand
patient capacity as soon as reconstruction works are completed.
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.
Armenia Fund, Inc. is the U.S. Western Region affiliate of “Hayastan”
All-Armenian Fund. Tax ID# 95-4485698

PRESS RELEASE
ARMENPAC, The Armenian-American Political Action Committee
421 E. Airport Freeway, Suite 201
Irving, Texas 75220
Contact: Jason P. Capizzi, Esq.
Tel: (972) 635-5347
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
ARMENPAC BOARD MEMBER JIRAIR HOVNANIAN CONGRATULATES NEWLY APPOINTED
UNITED STATES SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ
Irving, TX – ARMENPAC Board Member Jirair Hovnanian recently
met with newly appointed United States Senator Robert Menendez
(D-NJ) to congratulate and wish him well, on behalf of the entire
Armenian-American community, in his new position. “Mr. Menendez
continually supported Armenian-American issues as a member of the
Armenian Caucus and the International Relations Committee in the
House of Representatives, and I am confident that he will continue to
do so as a member of the Senate,” said ARMENPAC Board Member Jirair
Hovnanian. “ARMENPAC applauds Mr. Menendez, who was also a member of
the Hispanic Caucus in the House of Representatives, for his friendship
and advocacy on behalf of all minority communities.” Currently,
ARMENPAC is working to form an alliance between the Armenian and
Hispanic Caucuses to garner increased Congressional support of each
community’s issues.
Mr. Menendez was a co-sponsor of the resolution affirming the
United States record on the Armenian Genocide (H.Res.316), as
well as the South Caucus Integration and Railroads Act of 2006
(H.R.336), in the House of Representatives. “ARMENPAC is working to
secure Senator Menendez’s co-sponsorship of S.Res.320, the Armenian
Genocide resolution in the Senate, and appreciates his pass support
of Armenian-American issues,” said ARMENPAC Co-Chairs Annie Totah
and Edgar Hagopian.
H.Res.316 and S.Res.320 call upon the President “to ensure that
United States foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding
and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic
cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record
relating to the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure
to realize a just resolution; and in the President’s annual message
commemorating the Armenian Genocide to characterize the systematic
and deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide,
and to recall the proud history of Untied States intervention in
opposition to the Armenian Genocide.”
H.R.3361 prohibits United States assistance to develop or promote
rail connections or railway-related connections that do not traverse
or connect with Armenia, and do traverse or connect Baku, Azerbaijan;
Tbilisi, Georgia; and Kars, Turkey. This important measure, therefore,
disallows United States support for the proposed Kars-Tblisi-Baku
rail link, which isolates the Republic of Armenia from East-West
commercial corridors.
ARMENPAC is an independent, bipartisan political action committee
with a nationwide membership. ARMENPAC raises awareness of,
and advocates for, policies that help create peace, security and
stability in the Caucasus region. ARMENPAC provides financial support
to federal officeholders, candidates, political action committees
and organizations that actively support issues of importance to
Armenian-Americans. For more information and how to join ARMENPAC,
please call (877) 286-1046 or visit
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