From: Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
Subject: ANCA: LA Commemorates Armenian Genocide
Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Contact: Maral Habeshian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
LOS ANGELES COMMEMORATES 91st ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the
Los Angeles City Council commemorated the 91st anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide in separate sessions during the week leading up to
April 24th, reported the Armenian National Committee of America –
Western Region (ANCA-WR).
On Tuesday, April 18, 2006, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Mayor Michael Antonovich presented scrolls to leaders of the Armenian
American community in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. The
Board of Supervisors proclaimed April 24, 2006 as the `Day of
Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 through 1923.’ Among
those present were ANCA-WR board chairman Steven Dadaian and ANCA-WR
director Armen Carapetian.
Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti invited Armenian
American community leaders to Council Chambers on Friday, April 21,
2006, to present the City Council’s resolution on the anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide. Councilmembers Tony Cardenas, Wendy Greuel,
Bill Rosendahl, and Dennis Zine made comments in honor of the
1,500,000 Armenian men, women, and children who perished at the hands
of Ottoman Turks.
Council President Garcetti, in his introduction of the resolution,
stated `The only way to heal – not only for Armenians, but indeed the
Turks and the whole world – is to embrace that it happened.’
ANCA-WR board member Souzi Zerounian joined the Consul General of
Armenia in Los Angeles Gagik Kirakossian in thanking the Los Angeles
City Council for commemorating the Armenian Genocide.
`We gather today not to speak about the denial of truth, but the
denial of justice,’ said Zerounian.
A special reception was held following the official ceremony in City
Hall. Council President Garcetti and Dadaian spoke extensively on the
need fight against Turkey’s shameful denial of the Armenian
Genocide. The event was broadcast on television station LA 35.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.

EUROPEAN TOP OFFICIAL URGES ARMENIANS, AZERIS TO COMPROMISE OVER KARABAKH
Mediamax news agency, Yerevan
25 Apr 06
Both Armenians and Azerbaijanis will benefit from the resolution of
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, Council of Europe Secretary-General
Terry Davis has said. In an interview with Armenian Mediamax news
agency, he said that the parties’ “biggest motive” for compromise
should be the welfare of the people in Armenia and Azerbaijan. He
added that the Council of Europe would send a fact-finding mission
to the region to verify reports about destroyed historical monuments.
The following is the text of interview of Council of Europe
Secretary-General Terry Davis to Armenian Mediamax news agency;
subheadings as published:
The biggest motive for compromise should be the welfare of the people
of Armenia and Azerbaijan
[Correspondent] Are you following the Nagornyy Karabakh peace talks?
[Terry Davis] Of course, I take close interest in what is happening
over the problem of Nagornyy Karabakh. Whenever I meet the foreign
ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan I discuss it with them. I regret
that it is taking such a long time to settle this issue because I
am sure that it is in the interests of the people in Armenia and
Azerbaijan and especially people in Nagornyy Karabakh for this issue
to be settled.
[Correspondent] Do you think regional cooperation in the South Caucasus
is possible before the resolution of existing conflicts?
[Davis] Well, unfortunately there are many conflicts in the South
Caucasus and I regret all of them – the conflicts in Abkhazia, South
Ossetia and Nagornyy Karabakh. My view is that cooperation is always
possible, but there is a limit to how much cooperation you may have
when you have these very serious conflicts.
[Correspondent] Do you think the Council of Europe could play a more
active role in the Nagornyy Karabakh peace process?
[Davis] Of course, the OSCE Minsk Group plays a leading role. I truly
wish luck to Russian, US and French co-chairmen with this difficult
work that they are trying to do. It is in the interest not only of
the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan, but in the interest of the
people everywhere in the world. But the OSCE is leading on it, not
the Council of Europe.
And, what I am always trying to do in both Armenia and Azerbaijan is
to persuade people that there are men and women in the other country
who also suffer, who have very similar feelings. And anything that can
get this across, the people in both Armenia and Azerbaijan, I think is
bound to help to the resolution of this conflict. And that is what I am
interested to encourage. But in the end of the day the responsibility
to resolve the conflict is with the Armenians and the Azerbaijanis.
[Correspondent] Do you think is it still possible to resolve the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict this year?
[Davis] I do not know. I think you will have to ask the foreign
ministers or perhaps, even more important, the presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan. They are the people who have the responsibility talking
to each other. How optimistic or pessimistic they are, I do not know.
[Correspondent] Can the process of European integration secure a
stronger motive for compromise for Armenia and Azerbaijan?
[Davis] To my mind, the biggest motive for compromise should be the
welfare of the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
No big problems between the Council of Europe and Armenia
[Correspondent] Do you see any big problems in relations between
Armenia and the Council of Europe?
[Davis] Well, I do not see any problems. Sometimes, I am surprised that
we are constantly searching for problems. Of course, there are some
things in Armenia that we would like to see changed. We certainly
encourage Armenia to do all sorts of things to catch up with the
rest of Europe. From time to time we have to say to our friends in
Armenia that we are still waiting for you to do this or that which
you promised to do. That is intended to be helpful. So, I do not see
any big problems between the Council of Europe and Armenia.
I think Armenia is making a contribution to European discussions on
the whole, but I must tell you frankly – I believe Armenia could make
a bigger contribution, and the reason Armenia does not make as bigger
contributions as I would like is because you do have this problem
with Nagornyy Karabakh.
And as soon as you get that settled, it is going to affect the
contribution made by Armenia and Azerbaijan to the rest of Europe. I
think you could make a very valuable contribution – from particular
point of view, the Armenian point of view – based on the history,
traditions and culture of the Armenian people.
Fact finding mission
[Correspondent] What steps may the Council of Europe take regarding the
destruction of Armenian monuments in Azerbaijani territory of Naxcivan?
[Davis] We are trying to organize a fact-finding mission to visit not
only the places you have mentioned but other places too, where there
are allegations about memorials or monuments or religious things
having been damaged. It does not matter whether these are Armenian
or Azerbaijani. As civilized people, we should be concerned about
anybody’s memorials or monuments being damaged. So, the important thing
is to get people to work together on this. The fact finding mission,
we hope, will have Armenians and Azerbaijanis working together to
find a better way to improve general cooperation for the people to
realize that we all have to respect each other’s believes, each other’s
culture and to protect other peoples’ religious believes and culture.
Let’s go to the heart of the problem, not doing things around it
[Correspondent] The closed border between Armenia and Turkey remains
one of the most complicated problems in the region. Don’t you think
the Council of Europe could play a role in improving Turkish-Armenian
relations?
[Davis] This is really a very important issue. But it is peripheral,
it is only edge. The important thing is to deal with the central
problem, and we all know what the central problem is. It is the future
of Nagornyy Karabakh.
Upcoming elections
[Correspondent] Will the Council of Europe observe parliamentary
elections in Armenia next year?
[Davis] I will expect the Council of Europe to be invited to observe
the elections in Armenia. The Council of Europe has been invited and
has observed recent elections in Armenia. And I shall be surprised
if the Council of Europe is not invited next year.
What do I expect from them? What I expect of better elections [than]
that have been held before. I expect real progress to be made in
making sure that these elections are free and fair elections.
Everyone has opportunity to be a candidate and not to be harassed,
to have no suppression, to have freedom of expression, freedom to
explain one’s point of view, to try to persuade other people to vote
for your point of view. In other words, what I expect is a better
democracy in Armenia.

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN WASHINGTON
Aida Sultanova
AP Worldstream
Apr 26, 2006
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev arrived late Tuesday in Washington,
where Iran, energy supplies and the nearly two-decade-old conflict
over his country’s ethnic Armenian-dominated Nagorno-Karabakh enclave
were expected to top the agenda during his visit.
Azerbaijan has sought to carefully balance its aspirations for closer
cooperation with the United States with Russia and its volatile
neighbor Iran. Now the nation of 7.9 million faces the question of
whether it should join in pressuring Tehran to abandon its alleged
nuclear arms program _ a topic certain to come up in Aliev’s White
House meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush later in the week.
For his part, Aliev will be looking for the United States to pledge to
put more pressure on Armenia to make concessions in the 18-year-old
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. At least 30,000 people were killed and
1 million made refugees during six years of war that ended with a
shaky cease-fire in 1994. Ethnic Armenian forces occupy the enclave
inside Azerbaijan.
The United States, together with Russia and the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe, is trying to mediate a resolution.
U.S. criticism of Aliev’s domestic policies has been muted, due in
large part to Baku’s role in supplying the West with Caspian Sea oil
through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. The first shipments are due
this June, and in the fall the new Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline
will provide a new source of energy for the Turkish market.
Azerbaijani opposition leaders worried that the Iran issue, too,
had pushed rights concerns further down the U.S. list of priorities.
Foreign observers said last fall’s parliamentary elections, as well
as the 2003 election that cemented Aliev’s grip on power after the
death of his father Geidar Aliev, did not meet international standards.
“We understand that today, the question of Iran is more important than
the problem of Azerbaijan’s democratization,” said Sardar Jamaloglu,
deputy head of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan.
But there is palpable ambivalence at home about how to handle the
crisis roiling around Iran, its huge Caspian Sea neighbor.
“We maintain relations with both the United States and with Iran,”
said Ali Hasanov, a senior Aliev aide. “The citizens of our country
support close ties with Iran.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESIDENT OF LITHUANIA PAID TRIBUTE TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS
ArmRadio.am
26.04.2006 15:05
Today the President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus and his wife attended
the memorial to the Armenian Genocide. The President observed the
paintings, facts and memorandums presented at the Museum-Institute
of Genocide, which evidence about the massacres carried out against
Armenians of Osman Empire in 1915.
The Lithuanian President wrote in the guest book, “It is hard to
express the feelings, seeing human cruelty against humans. There are
no words in any language to justify these actions.”

THREE YEAR-OLD ABRAHAM KARAPETYAN NEEDS HELP
ArmRadio.am
26.04.2006 15:30
Three year-old Abraham Karapetyan suffers retina cancer. To save the
child’s life, one of his eyes was ablated two years ago. To keep the
second eye, the child needs to be operated on in large hospitals
abroad, particularly France and England. Through “Radiolur” the
child’s mother applies all charity organizations to help the child.
Diana Karapetyan is an unmarried mother. She lives in terrible, to be
more exact, unbearable conditions. She takes care for her handicapped,
ill father and three-year-old son. She knew about the child’s illness
when he was one-year-old. Then she addressed Armenian specialists. The
latter advised to take the child to Moscow for surgery, where his eye
was ablated. The second eye can be saved only in case of replacing
it with a donor one, which can be done only in France and England.
Those who are concerned about the fate of little Abraham and can
help the child can address “Radiolur.” We shall help you contact the
child’s relatives.

ARMENIAN PREMIER, LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT DISCUSS COOPERATION
Mediamax news agency
26 Apr 06
Yerevan, 26 April: Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus said in Yerevan
today that the development of relations with the South Caucasus
countries, which have chosen the European way of development, is
among the foreign policy priorities of Vilnius.
The Lithuanian president said this at a meeting with Armenian Prime
Minister Andranik Markaryan, Mediamax has reported.
Stressing the importance of the international regional initiatives and
long-term cooperation in this direction, Adamkus said that a summit
of heads of state from Baltic and Black Sea countries would be held
in Vilnius on 4-5 May 2006 with the participation of high-ranking
officials from the USA, European Union and NATO.
At the meeting, Andranik Markaryan spoke about the successful
expansion of Armenia’s cooperation with NATO. He said that Armenia
considered this cooperation as one of the key components of its
European integration policy.
Markaryan went on to say that Armenia intended to use Individual
Partnership Action Plan between Armenia and NATO as effective as
possible and hoped for Lithuania’s assistance in this context.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IF WAR COMMENCES, ARMENIANS TO DEFEAT
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26.04.2006
According to Russian experts, Armenia will be lacking of fuel and oil
Defence & Security magazine published in Moscow disseminated detailed
information about Armenian Armed Forces. According to the magazine,
Azerbaijan military budget 2006 makes up $600 million, but Armenian
budget – $150 million.
Azerbaijan’s GDP is $12.6 billion, but Armenian’s – $4.3
billion. Magazine disseminated this information based on western
sources. There say that Azerbaijan Armed Forces compose of 69900 men.
Regarding defence technology, Azerbaijan has 259 tanks, 328 armoured
forces, 303 shells (122 mm), 49 war-planes, and 15 helicopters.
Armenian Armed Forces’ is numbered 52000 men. They have 102 tanks,
218 armoured forces, 225 shells, 6 war-planes and 9 helicopters.
Magazine says that the largest part of armed forces and defence
technology is stationed in Nagorno-Garabagh. Reportedly the same
sources, the Armenian Army in Garabagh is numbered 20000-25000,
besides, there they have 316 tanks, 324 armoured forces, 322 shells,
and 44 volley missiles.
Magazine underlines that all the above-mentioned is a part of Russian
defence technology handed to Armenia in second half of 1990s.
Thus, according to experts, if war commences, Armenia will defeat. As
they told, in a short time after the hostility Armenia will be lacking
of fuel and oil.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE LESSONS OF 1915
Aram Abrahamian
Aravot.am
22 April 06
The 91 anniversary of Genocide will be commemorated on Monday. Our
summons addressed to Turkey and the World about recognizing the
Genocide is fair. If our neighbors really want to build a modern
European country they are obliged to condemn the crime made by their
grand fathers. Otherwise Turkey will remain a wild Asian state.
And we, beside efforts made for recognition of the Genocide must find
out for ourselves whether the Armenian ruling clique of the beginning
of the 20 century did its best for not putting the Armenian people
on trial. The Armenian historians are sure that both revolutionary
and conservative branches of non-political thought were unequal to
the occasion. If the mistakes of our leaders of the beginning the
20th century isn’t forgiving they are understandable.
It’s another question when you lead a community and another when you
lead a state. The degree of responsibility and thought are different
not only at leaders but at common citizens, too.
The guarantee of avoiding of genocide, territorial looses and the
security in general is to have independent, democratic state. It’s
obvious that those two descriptions are characteristic for our state
partly. While being independent and democratic isn’t only the US or
CE demand but first of all, demand of national pragmatism. But our
authorities is pragmatic only in case of their posts and pockets and
just it makes them trust in Russia and pressure the freedom inside
the country.
The lessons we can take from our modern /and not only modern / history
become more obvious. In short those lessons can be formulated in the
following way; let’s fight where we can fight, where we have chance to
win. Let’s negotiate where we don’t have chances yet. In other words
we should have achievable problems. When problems become maximalistic
‘from sea to sea’ there is a danger to loose what we have already
had. Let’s don’t trust in anyone too much.
Let’s not have an illusion that Russia will solve our problems
instead of us. Each country is our ally as much as it solves
its problems. Understanding those elementary problems we can go
ahead. Otherwise we will regress.

THE US ARMENIANS AND TURKS ARE PREPARING FOR APRIL 24
By “Azatutiun” b/s.
Aravot.am
22 April 06
According to “Boston Globe” famous newspaper the US politicians and
different organizations of different communities join to the fight
of the US Armenians for teaching the history of Armenian Genocide in
the US schools.
The suit of a teacher of one of the schools in Massachusetts and
Turkish organizations is heard in the Boston Court demanding to
add Turkish standpoint in the part about Armenian Genocide in the
schoolbooks of history. The newspaper also informs that the Armenian
organizations of Massachusetts State held a demonstration of protest
in front of the Court of Boston. The representatives of local Jewish
and Irish communities, the Public Prosecutor and deputy Governor
of Massachusetts took part in it. They both fight for the post of
Governor. ”Boston Herald” newspaper also alludes to the Armenian
Genocide, which sites the opinion of the expert of the Institute of
Studying Genocides in Harvard Helen Fain; ”It was a Genocide with
all standards. It is even offensive and amusing to argue with those
who deny it”.
While the US Turkish and Azerbaijani communities are also active
these days.
They have decided to hold joint actions of protest till April 26
opposing the Americans who are going to commemorate the anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide. A group of Turkish and Azerbaijani activities
will gather in Washington at the Embassy of Turkey and will express
their complain against propaganda of Armenians. According to ”Trend”
the Azerbaijanis and Turks ask with those actions the arrangements
prepared by Armenians, including the concert of System Of A Down
rock group.
The agency mentions, “Turk diplomats have asked Turks and Azerbaijanis
to be patient and not to react to the Armenian slanders. The activists
of Azerbaijani-American organizations will gather in the Time Square
of New York and will hold a demonstration exposing the Armenians
as liars. The head of organization Tomriz Azeri informed about it
last month.
By his words “the Azerbaijanis intend to hold a conference in New
York and inform the American society about slaughter of Azerbaijanis
in Karabakah, in particularly in Khojalu”.
–Boundary_(ID_J0qmPz3GkSkSn4M5fgzfeg)- –

PACE PRESIDENT CALLS FOR A NEW IMPETUS FOR A EUROPE-RUSSIA PARTNERSHIP
Lragir.am
26.04.2006
Strasbourg
On the eve of a visit to St Petersburg, the President of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Rene van
der Linden, today called for a new impetus for a partnership between
Russia and the rest of Europe.
“When I became President of the Assembly in January 2005, I stressed
the importance of ensuring constructive and friendly relations
with Russia. Now is the time to give this an extra impetus. We
must strengthen mutual trust and confidence, cooperate on an equal
footing as the key to success, build on stability and durability,
shoulder our responsibilities in solving conflicts and consolidate
peace. A partnership is therefore absolutely vital”, Rene van der
Linden said today.
On 27 April, he will take part in a special session of the State Duma
of the Russian Federation to celebrate its first centenary. On this
occasion, the President will hold a series of bilateral meetings in
particular with the President of the State Duma, Boris Gryzlov, the
President of the Council of the Federation, Sergey Mironov, as well as
with the Speakers of the Parliaments of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
and Moldova. The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin,
will also attend this special session which will take place in the
Tavrichesky Palace, where the first State Duma sat from 1906 to 1917.
The next day, 28 April, the PACE President will be co-chairing the
“International Conference on European Parliamentarianism: Past and
Present”, to be jointly organised by PACE, the CIS Interparliamentary
Assembly and the State Duma. One of the topics to be discussed at
the conference is “international standards for democratic elections”.
This will be the fourth time the President of the Assembly has visited
Russia since his election in January 2005. The visit is taking place
just before Russia takes over the Chair of the Committee of Ministers
of the Council of Europe, on 19 May 2006.
Parliamentary Assembly Communication Unit.