THREE ARMENIAN SOLDIERS REPORTEDLY WOUNDED IN AZERI CEASE-FIRE VIOLATIONS
Arminfo
26 Apr 06
Yerevan, 26 April: Three Armenian soldiers were wounded as a result
of a cease-fire violation by the Azerbaijani side.
A soldier of a military unit stationed in the village of Vayk, Pte
Arut Manucharyan, 19, was wounded as the Azerbaijani side opened
fire at 1140 [0640 gmt] today. He was called up from Armenia’s Nairi
District in 2005. The soldier’s state of health is satisfactory,
the press secretary of the Armenian Defence Ministry, Col Seyran
Shakhsuvaryan, has told Arminfo.
Two Armenian soldiers of a military unit stationed in Idzhevan
District, Narek Ovannisyan, 20, called up from Ashtarak District,
and Gor Abramyan, 20, called up from Yerevan’s Mashtots District,
were wounded as a result of a cease-fire violation at 2040 [1540]
yesterday. Ovannisyan was taken from an Idzhevan hospital to Yerevan
this morning, while Abramyan was taken to hospital in Vanadzor
District. The two soldiers’ state of health is satisfactory.
In both cases, the Armenian side did not return fire. Shakhsuvaryan
also denied the Azerbaijani media report accusing Armenia of violating
the cease-fire regime.

ARMENIAN, FRENCH SPEAKERS DISCUSS PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION
Arminfo
26 Apr 06
Yerevan, 27 April: The speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, Artur
Bagdasaryan, and the president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly,
Pierre Lellouche, discussed cooperation between the Armenian National
Assembly and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Paris on 25 April.
The Armenian speaker also held a meeting with his French counterpart
Christian Poncelet within the framework of his official visit to
France, the press service of the Armenian parliament has told Arminfo.
The sides discussed parliamentary cooperation between the two
countries. Bagdasaryan expressed his gratitude to Poncelet for his
assistance in organizing the Year of Armenia in France. Bagdasaryan
invited Poncelet to pay an official visit to Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY LASHES OUT AT CANADIAN PM
AZG Armenian Daily
27/04/2006
Turkey lashed out at prime minister of Canada, Steven Harper,
for publicly dubbing the events of 1915 as genocide. According to
Turkish state television, Turkish Foreign Ministry sent an official
complaint, calling the PM’s behavior biased approach and warning that
the “groundless” statements of the Canadian prime minister will have
a negative impact on Turkish-Canadian relations.

ARMENIA, SEYCHELLES ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
Arminfo
26 Apr 06
Yerevan, 26 April: The Armenian and Seychellois permanent
representatives in the UN, Armen Martirosyan and Jeremie Bonnelame,
singed a protocol on 19 April on establishing diplomatic relations
between the two republics.
By signing the protocol, Armenia and Seychelles pledge to stimulate
the strengthening of neighbourly relations between the two people,
the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry told Arminfo.

LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT: ANY NATION HAS RIGHT TO LIVE FREELY AND INDEPENDENTLY
Yerevan, April 26. ArmInfo. Any person, any nation and state has the
right to live freely and independently and to preserve its territorial
identity – this is the basis of the international law, Lithuanian
President Valdas Adamkus said during his meeting with Yerevan State
University professors and students today.
What is yours is yours, he said when asked to give a legal assessment
of the Karabakh conflict. At the same time, Adamkus said that no
solution can be imposed in the matter and the problem must be solved
through a dialogue. He urged the sides to start a dialogue and to
find right solution on the basis of mutual understanding.

TWENTY YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE CHERNOBYL NPP ACCIDENT, THE BIGGEST MAN-CAUSED RADIATION CATASTROPHE IN MANKIND HISTORY
Yerevan, April 26. ArmInfo. Twenty years have passed since the
Chernobyl NPP accident, the biggest man-caused radiation catastrophe
in the mankind history.
As ArmInfo was informed in the Embassy of Ukraine in Armenia,
more than 145,000 sq.km of the Ukraine territory, Byelorussia
and Russia underwent radioactive contamination as a result of the
accident, more than 5 mln people suffered, about 5,000 settlements
of these countries underwent contamination by radioactive nuclides,
from which 2218 villages and towns with population of about 2,4 mln
people – in the Ukraine. Twenty years later after the catastrophe,
there are many problems still to be solved. It is, first of all,
social, medical protection of all citizens, subjected to radiation
exposure, employment assistance to many thousand employees, economic
rehabilitation of the contaminated territories, the problem of
compensation of energy-producing capacities, turning of the “Shelter”
object into an ecologically safe one.
The Ukraine keeps on carrying out a complex of measures for the
population protection, suffered from the Chernobyl catastrophe. There
are 17 448 families in the Ukraine today, which receive benefits
as a result of the bread-winner’s loss during the catastrophe. Such
families exist in all regions of the country. In 1987-2004, 504117
people from among the suffered ones, who were under medical control
in patient care institutions, died, 497348 of them are grown-ups and
teenagers and 6769 are children. This statistics concerns only the
Ukraine’s citizens. If remember that thousands of specialists from
the whole former Soviet Union took part in the accident consequences
elimination, these digits will be more impressive.
The Ukrainian people will always remember the courage of more than
3,000 Armenians, who did their best to mitigate the Chernobyl accident
consequences. Four hundred people of them died afterwards from
the radiation dose. Unfortunately, today the Chernobyl catastrophe
remains only a Ukrainian trouble. As the President of Ukraine Viktor
Yuschenko noted in hid speech during the international conference,
being held in Kiev April 24-26, the Chernobyl catastrophe concerns
not only the Ukraine but many nations as well.

LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT ADVISES ARMENIAN PEOPLE NOT TO BE SILENT IN CAUSE OF INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Yerevan, April 26. ArmInfo. Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus advises
the Armenian people not to be silent in the cause of international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
During his meeting with Yerevan State University professors and
students today, Adamkus said that the Armenian people must do its
best to prove to the world that the Genocide actually happened. Still
it is a hard job to give advice in such a delicate issue. Do as you
think right. I believe you are right, Adamkus said.
Asked if the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Lithuanian
parliament may aggravate Lithuania’s relations with Turkey, Adamkus
said that the key principle of Lithuania’s foreign policy is mutual
respect. And if Turkey has any problems, Lithuania will remind it of
this principle.
The same principle is applied in Lithuania’s relations with
Russia. Countries may have differences over certain issue but they
should try to solve them, including by involving their youths. This
is the only way of civilized policy, Adamkus said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CEREMONY TO MARK 91st ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE HELD IN MINSK
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 26 2006
MINSK, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A mourning ceremony
to mark the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide took place
at the Khachkar outside St Alexnader Nevsky Church in Minsk on
April 24. According to the RA MFA Press and Information Department,
the Armenian Ambassador to Belarus Suren Harutyunian, members of the
Armenian community and youth organizations, as well as representatives
of other ethnic communities and the public of Belarus attended the
ceremony. A mouring church service was held with the participation of
Mitropolit of Minsk and Sluts, Patriarch of All Belarus Filaret. Those
present observed one-minute silence in respect of memory of the
Armenian Genocide victims, then there were speeches on the Armenian
Genocide and its recognition by the international community.

STABBING INCIDENT IN BERDAVAN
Noyan Tapan
Apr 26 2006
NOYEMBERIAN, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN. At about 11 am on April 21, Susanna
Mkrtchian, 45, of the Berdavan village, was admitted to Noyemberian
hospital. NT correspondent was informed from the hospital personnel
that Lida Harutyunian, 54, of the same village, stabbed S. Mkrtchian
with a knife during a qaurrel, which broke out because the victim had
picked a lily from the land plot of L. Harutyunian. L. Harutyunian was
ordered not to leave the village. Police is conducting an investigation
into the case.

YOUNG ARMENIAN FOOTBALL-PLAYERS TO TAKE PART IN INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT TO BE HELD IN MAY IN TEHRAN
Noyan Tapan
Apr 26 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN. On May 2-10, an international friendly
tournament of football-players under 17 years will be held in the
capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran Tehran. Two national teams of
Iran, those of Saudi Arabia, Syria, Japan, Iraq and China will take
part in the tournament. The Armenian national team has also received
an invitation to take part in the tournament. The Armenian national
team headed by trainer Arsen Chilingarian will leave for Tehran
on May 1. The delegation of the Armenian Football Federation will
be led by Ruben Sinoyan, member of the Executive Committee of the
Federation. The participants of the tournament are divided into two
groups. Iranian A national team, the national teams of Saudi Arabia,
Syria and Japan are included in group A, and Iranian B national team,
the national teams of Armenia, Iraq and China are included in group B.