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:
May 2, 2006
___________________
FR. ABDALIAN SPEAKS AT ANTI-GENOCIDE RALLY IN D.C.
As he stood before 15,000 people on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.,
Fr. Tateos Abdalian, pastor of the Holy Trinity Church of Cheltenham, PA,
thought about his father Manoog, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide.
Fr. Abdalian was representing the Armenian Church during a rally calling for
action to end the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. It was fitting,
he thought, for an Armenian to address the thousands of activists gathered
in the nation’s capital.
“The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century, and this
is the first genocide of 21st century,” he said sadly. “In 100 years
nothing has changed. We still kill each other. We have that connection
with Darfur, and as Armenian people, we need to learn the lesson of going
outside our selves to help our brothers and sisters.”
In Rwanda, a region racked by its own genocide, there is a museum dealing
with the on-going violence, Fr. Tateos said. And a wall in that complex
deals with the Armenian Genocide.
“These African people associate and identify themselves with us through the
evil of genocide. We need to do the same, not only with them but with all
the people who suffer,” he said. “It is Christ who compels us to do this.
We can’t proclaim being the first Christian nation unless we translate that
into action. And there’s no greater action than to try to stop genocide.”
CAMPAIGN TO STOP GENOCIDE
Organized by Million Voices for Darfur, the rally in Washington, D.C., was
joined by others throughout the world. Supporters of the quest to end the
violence were also encouraged to send postcards to President Bush and other
lawmakers, urging American action. One million postcards were sent through
the campaign.
Bishop Vicken Aykazian, legate and ecumenical officer of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern), was actively involved with the
organizing of the campaign, though unable to attend because of a prior
commitment with the Midwest parishes.
Several Armenians from Washington, D.C., and nearby parishes, including many
members of the Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA),
attended the rally on the National Mall. Before the day’s activities, Fr.
Abdalian celebrated a special Divine Liturgy at the St. Mary Church of
Washington. At the rally, Fr. Tateos delivered an invocation and then
briefly spoke to the activists.
“I stand before you on this day, humbled to be one among you who have united
in a collective voice of indignation crying out to the world against the
brutality of genocide,” he told the thousands of protestors. “With sorrow,
we testify that the spirit of hatred, the pure evil which is the genesis of
this crime against humanity does indeed exist in our word today, as it has
in the past.”
The stage was filled with speakers from the world of religion, politics,
academia, and entertainment. They spoke about the need for action and
compared the genocide in Darfur to other dark chapters in human history.
But for Fr. Tateos, the focus was on speaking as an Armenian, personally
touched by genocide. He highlighted the damage genocide does for
generations.
“The cruelty we are witnessing in Darfur and in other parts of the world is
just the latest step in a long and terrible journey for man, which began
when one brother found it possible to kill another,” he told the crowd. “I
myself am a survivor of genocide: the 1915 genocide of the Armenian people,
the genocide committed by the Turkish Ottoman government against its own
minority Armenian Christian citizens. That terrible episode still casts its
shadow over mankind 91 years later, and in a profound way.”
He urged the activists to follow in the footsteps of leaders like Martin
Luther King and Pope John Paul II, who relied on their hope-filled faith to
overcome evil.
“As people who are concerned over the continuing fact of genocide, we must
combat that darkness with weapons of light,” he said. “These weapons are
within the grasp of each person here, so long as we have the courage, the
resolve, the faith to uphold that light and shine it to the dark places of
our world.”
“Do not let the darkness of evil doers overshadow God’s light of love,” he
added. “Hold his lamp high. Do not be silent. Let your voices be heard by
the perpetrators of genocide, those of today and those of the past, so they
may be judged in this world and hereafter.”
Fr. Tateos’ three-minute remarks were interrupted by applause four times.
“It was one of the most humbling experiences I ever had in my life,” he said
afterward. “I was honored and I spoke as a survivor. My father was a
survivor, as was my father-in-law and mother-in-law. I spoke on their
behalf and on behalf of others I knew.”
During the rally Fr. Tateos connected via phone with young Armenians
attending the coinciding rally in San Francisco, CA. That group was
organized by Fr. Vazken Movsesian, priest at the St. Peter Church and Youth
Ministries Center, in Glendale, CA, who has traveled to Rwanda and spoken
out against the ongoing killing in Darfur.
“The Armenian voice was being heard from California to D.C.,” Fr. Tateos
said.
In the Sudan, the Janjaweed — a government-backed nomadic Arab tribe — has
raped, killed, and burnt the homes of black, non-Arab residents in the
nation’s Darfur region since 2003. The violence is an attempt to get them
to leave their lands, which the Arab government has promised to the
mercenaries. According to reports by the World Food Program, the United
Nations, and the Coalition for International Justice, 3.5 million people are
now hungry, 2.5 million have been displaced due to violence, and 400,000
people have died in Darfur so far.
For more on the rally or how to add your voice to end the genocide, visit
— 5/2/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Fr. Tateos Abdalian, pastor of the Holy Trinity Church
of Cheltenham, PA, is seen on a giant TV screen as he speaks about the
genocide in Darfur to 15,000 activists gathered on the National Mall in
Washington, D.C., on Sunday, April 30, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Fr. Tateos and Yn. Margaret Abdalian with actor George
Clooney, one of the other speakers during the Darfur genocide rally in
Washington, D.C.
# # #

PRESS RELEASE
From:
Rosario Teixeira
[email protected]
Peace of Art, Inc.
Fort Point P.O. Box 51660
Boston, MA 02205
May 1, 2006
Ripped Armenian Genocide Billboard on Arsenal Street is Up Again
by Rosario Teixeira
Watertown, MA – The Armenian Genocide commemorative billboard that
was up on the week of March 13th on Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA,
on Saturday April 22nd, was found ripped eliminating the message that
read “Join us recognize the Armenian Genocide.” Initially it seemed to
have been an act of vandalism, but the police investigated the matter
and concluded that the damage on the poster was weather related. Peace
of Art, Inc., the organization that sponsored the billboard, replaced
the poster on April 27th with a new one that reads “A poster may be
ripped but history remains.” The new poster will be up until May 15th.
For the last ten years, since 1996, the artist Daniel Varoujan Hejinian
has been sponsoring the Armenian Genocide commemorative billboards,
to honor the survivors and bring awareness to the genocide. “I feel
sorrow in my heart to see the billboard destroyed” he said on WCVB
Channel 5 news story on Sunday, April 23rd. In the last three years,the
Armenian Genocide commemorative billboards have been sponsored by Peace
of Art,Inc., a non-profit organization founded by
Mr.Hejinian which uses art as an educational tool to bring awareness
to the universal human condition.
On Monday, April 24th on my way home during the evening commute,
I noticed a little boy with big sad eyes holding onto his mother
riding the train seated across from me. As he looked at me, thoughts
raced through my mind faster than the evening train. Through the sad
eyes of the little boy, I saw the eyes of a nation, whose houses were
destroyed,their churches were burned, masses marching barefoot through
hot desert sand to an unknown destination. Images of Armenians who
were forced out of their homes, killed, deported to die of starvation.
Innocent children without mothers to cling onto and without homes.
contrary to that little boy with large sad eyes seated across from me
with a mother to hug and a home to return. I felt a deep sadness for
the loss of a nation, and for the loss of the billboard on Arsenal
Street with a symbolic message of remembrance.
It didn’t matter if it was the weather, unseasonably hot sun, or the
soft wind, the cold April rain or an act of vandalism that ripped
the billboard. What maters is that the poster was destroyed two
days before the official 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,
at a time when the community comes together to remember the loss
of 1.5 million Armenians. As it didn’t matter ninety one years
ago that the extermination of the Armenian population during the
turmoil of World War I, was the result of forced evacuation across
Anatolia to the Syrian desert of Dayr al Zawr or was the result of
a state-sponsored plan of mass destruction. What matters is that it
was the first Genocide of the 20th Century, and it will remain in
the history as a crime against humanity.
History can not be rewritten, the pages off the history books may be
ripped, leaving the book with ripped pages but history remains, just
like the ripped poster on Arsenal Street in Watertown. April 24,
1915,is a dark date in the history of Armenians, that is engraved
in the collective memory of a nation, it molded the psych of every
generation even since, and became part of the Armenian heritage.
However, the indomitable spirit of Armenians has prevailed in spite of
it all, and it has flourished through five continents. Peace of Art
Inc., will continue calling for recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
For more information visit

Armenia Tree Project
57/5 Arshakunyats Street
Yerevan, Armenia 0026
Tel: (37410) 44 74 01
Email: [email protected]
Web:
Press Release
April 28, 2006
US Ambassador John Evans and ATP Celebrate Earth Day
YEREVAN — On April 21, US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans and
Mrs. Donna Evans marked Earth Day and Arbor Day in a ceremonial tree
planting initiated by Armenia Tree Project (ATP). Ambassador Evans
and honored guests planted evergreens on a specially prepared plot
at ATP’s nursery in the refugee village of Karin.
In cooperation with the US Embassy, invited high ranking authorities,
and a number of international and local organizations, this event
coincided with worldwide environmental celebrations and was organized
to raise broader public awareness of ecological issues in Armenia. The
date of the ceremony was chosen in observance of the traditional Earth
Day and Arbor Day festivities, marked globally on April 21 and April
29, respectively.
Special guests in attendance included Minster of Nature Protection
Vardan Ayvazyan and Deputy Minister of Agriculture Samvel Galstyan. The
ceremonial tree planting was preceded by welcoming remarks from
Ambassador Evans and ATP Director of Operations Vache Kirakosyan. A
reception followed in ATP’s Michael and Virginia Ohanian Environmental
Education Center.
Ambassador Evans expressed his heartfelt gratitude to ATP for
organizing the celebration and added that, “Planting another seedling
on Armenian land is a great pleasure.” While touring the nursery,
the US Ambassador was impressed by the condition of nursery and the
work ATP has been able to do in Armenia.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Samvel Galstyan, also stressed the
significant role played by ATP: “Armenia Tree Project is reforesting
Armenia, and their mission is extremely important. Such an initiative
not only restores Armenia’s greenery, but helps to solve other
interrelated ecological problems and diminish pollution, which is
necessary for keeping our environment clean.”
In his remarks, the Minster of Nature Protection did not expect
the increase in the price of natural gas to result in additional
tree cutting, since Armenia is developing alternative sources of
renewable energy. “This will not lead us to mass tree cutting as
before,” stated Minster Ayvazyan. “There are real possibilities for
using renewable energy, and Armenia has several alternative sources
which can produce enough energy.”
ATP was founded in 1994 with the vision of securing Armenia’s future
by protecting its environment and restoring its degraded forests. ATP
advances Armenia’s socio-economic development by mobilizing resources
for large-scale reforestation, community-based tree planting,
environmental education and advocacy, and rural development through
job creation. With the establishment of the Mirak Family reforestation
nursery and expansion of the backyard nursery program in the Getik
River Valley, ATP is working toward the goal of planting over one
million trees in 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION: US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans (center) with ATP
Director of Operations Vache Kirakosyan (right) during the ceremonial
tree planting in observance of Earth Day and Arbor Day

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]
2 May 2006
REMEMBERANCE OF A BELOVED ARMENIAN SON
Sydney, Australia – His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian, Primate
of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand
returned from Bangkok this morning having presided over a church
service at Anglican Christ Church in Bangkok on Saturday, 29th April,
2006.
During the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Baliozian reflected on
the Glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and the solemn
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide that was commemorated only a few
days earlier. In the requiem service, a special remembrance was held
for the late Dr Bob Der Kevorkian, a devoted family man, an admired
and highly regarded business pioneer of Thailand and a beloved son
of the Armenian nation, whose untimely death a year ago was grieved
and mourned by so many.
Dr Der Kevorkian was a dynamic force and patriotic Armenian. He left
behind a grand legacy having made his mark through philanthropic works,
but more importantly touching the souls of all who knew him with his
deep spirit of kindness.

Turkey turns down editor’s appeal
BBC
586.stm
Last Updated: Monday, 1 May 2006, 22:10 GMT 23:10 UK
A Turkish court has rejected an appeal by a prominent journalist
against a ruling that found him guilty of insulting Turkishness.
Hrant Dink, an Armenian living in Turkey, was given a six-month
suspended sentence last October.
He had written a newspaper article which addressed the mass killings
of Ottoman Armenians nine decades ago.
This case is one of several monitored closely by EU officials concerned
about limits on free speech in Turkey.
In February, the chief prosecutor’s office at the Appeals Court
considered Mr Dink’s case and recommended that the remarks were in
no way insulting.
But now, in a surprise development, the court itself has chosen to
ignore that interpretation and ruled that the substance of the charge
still stands.
‘Extremely distressed’
It is a blow for the defence team.
The high-profile newspaper editor, whose publication Agos appears in
Turkish and Armenian, was first found guilty of insulting Turkishness
last year when a court ruled that one of his articles described
Turkish blood as dirty.
Hrant Dink always denied his words meant any such thing and argued
his column was in fact aimed at improving the difficult relationship
between Turks and Armenians.
The case will now go back to the local court that first heard it,
and Mr Dink could face a retrial.
He told the BBC he was extremely distressed at the news.
He has always said he would have to leave the country if the courts
here could not clear his name for good.
European Union officials have expressed serious concern about the
article of law that was used against Hrant Dink and several dozen
other writers here in Turkey.
Despite a series of reforms linked to Turkey’s bid for membership
of the EU, it is still illegal to insult the Turkish identity, the
military and the judiciary and the line between criticism and insult
is often blurred.
The controversial issue of the fate of the Ottoman Armenians is
frequently the spark for court cases.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Press Release
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA PARTICIPATES IN THE INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE OF RELIGIONS IN DOHA
The law studies and Islamic research departments of the University of
Qatar organized the fourth international conference for the dialogue
of religions in Doha on April 25-27. The conference was held under the
high sponsorship of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Khalifa Al-Tani.
More than 135 representatives of the Christian, Muslim and Moses’
religions from the Arab World, the Middle East, Europe, the United
States and the Far East participated in the conference entitled
“the role of religion in the formation of man and society.”
The Catholicosate of Cilicia was represented in the conference by
Archbishop Sebouh Sarkisian, Primate of the Diocese of Tehran and
member of the Christian-Muslim Dialogue Committee of the Middle
East Council of Churches (MECC). Archbishop Sarkisian conveyed the
greetings of the Armenian Catholicos to the Emir and the organizers
of the conference.
The conference’s sessions included discussions on globalization,
religious freedom, education within the family, religious diversity
and mutual respect, the preservation of nature, human rights and
recent scientific achievements.
Archbishop Sarkisian delivered a lecture on “religion and human rights”
highlighting the God-given status of human rights and the role of
the Armenian Church in this field. He also spoke about the Armenian
Genocide and called on Turkey to have the courage to recognize it as
a historical fact.
The Archbishop also met with the Armenian community of Qatar and
delivered a lecture on the Armenian Genocide on April 27. At the end
of the lecture, the Archbishop answered questions related to the role
of the Cilician Holy See.
##
View photos here: tm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates
of the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the
Ecumenical activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer
to the web page of the Catholicosate, The
Cilician Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is
located in Antelias, Lebanon.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
HIS HOLINESS MEETS WITH THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF MECC
His Holiness Aram I held a long meeting with the general secretary
of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Dr. Georges Saleh
on April 28. His Holiness and Dr. Saleh discussed two main issues:
the recent developments in Christian-Muslim relations in Egypt and
issues related to MECC.
During the last two weeks Coptic churches were burnt down
in Alexandria, leading to skirmishes between Muslims and
Christians. Dr. Saleh thanked the Armenian Catholicos on behalf of
Patriarch Shnouda III for his support of the Coptic Church at times
like this. He also passed the views of the Patriarch on the matter to
His Holiness. The Pontiff stressed the importance of strengthening the
basis of Christian-Muslim coexistence in order to avoid the recurrence
of such sad events.
Dr. Saleh then informed His Holiness of the main concerns of MECC,
asking His Holiness for his views and advice. His Holiness advised
that the committee’s current structure should be narrowed down both
in terms of number of staff and administrative divisions and should
focus more on service directed towards the churches.
In this context, His Holiness considered it important to introduce
basic changes in the MECC’s priorities and working method. He added
that while reorganizing MECC’s regional and international relations,
priority should also be given to local relations “as the church
expresses itself locally and in the lives of people,” he said.
##
View photo here: tm#2
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates
of the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the
history and mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer
to the web page of the Catholicosate, The
Cilician Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is
located in Antelias, Lebanon.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Press Release
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES GENOCIDE SCHOLAR DR. DONALD BLOKSAM
His Holiness Aram I received Genocide scholar Donald Bloksam in his
office on April 26. A professor of Genocide at the University of
Edinburgh Dr. Bloksam has been invited to Lebanon by the Armenian
Heritage Club of the American University of Beirut (AUB) to give
lectures on the Armenian Genocide.
The committee of the Armenian Heritage club accompanied Dr. Bloksam
during the meeting. The Catholicos praised the Armenian students for
their smart idea of inviting a prominent and foreign scholar to Lebanon
to talk about the Armenian Genocide. His Holiness also praised the
lecturer for having given special attention to the Armenian Genocide
both in his research and public and scholarly lectures.
The Armenian Pontiff then expressed his views concerning research
on the Armenian Genocide, its introduction to and recognition by the
international community. In this context, His Holiness stressed the
importance of giving special attention to the fact that the Armenian
Genocide remains unpunished, to the dictates of international law
regarding this issue.
He also spoke about the importance of reassessing the issue of the
Genocide’ s recognition according to the possibilities granted by
the international tribunals in Rome and Brussels so the process can
periodically be expanded to include the issue of compensation.
Dr. Bloksam shared the Pontiff’s approaches and in his turn stressed
the importance referring to those countries that can be considered
accomplices to the Armenian Genocide because of their silence.
Dr. Bloksam is the author of many books and articles, among them “The
Great Game of Genocide – Imperialism, Nationalism, and the Destruction
of the Ottoman Armenians”, a publication about the Armenian Genocide.
##
View photo here: tm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates
of the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the
history and mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer
to the web page of the Catholicosate, The
Cilician Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is
located in Antelias, Lebanon.

HAND BOOK DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO BE ISSUED IN FRANCE
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.05.2006 23:29 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ April 28 a traditional soiree in commemoration of
the Armenian Genocide victims was held in the Paris municipality. Some
1500 political figures, representatives of the clergy, the Armenian
community and media took part in the event. Mayor of Paris Bertrand
Delanoe and Armenian Ambassador to France Eduard Nalbandian delivered
speeches. Events dedicated to the memory of the Genocide victims were
also organized in some outskirts of Paris. It was also decided to issue
500 000 handbooks dedicated to the Genocide issue and distribute them
among schools and lycees.

TWO BOOKS ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE PUBLISHED
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.05.2006 23:54 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Two recently published books “The Armenian
Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide” by Guenter Lewy
and “The Great Game of Genocide: Imperialism, Nationalism, and
the Destruction of the Ottoman Armenians” by Donald Bloxham attempt
tackle the complex subject: The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey:
a Disputed Genocide strives to demonstrate how elusive history can
be when scrutinized closely; The Great Game of Genocide explores
the causes and legacies of the 1915 massacres in an international
context. Guenter Lewy, professor emeritus of political science at
the University of Massachusetts-Amherst asserts that scholars on
both sides of the debate have used data selectively. It should be
noted that similar accusations have been leveled at him: in 2005 Lewy
published articles summarizing his Armenian massacre findings in the
Middle East Quarterly and in the journal Commentary – findings for
which he was taken to task by the eminent Armenian genocide scholar
Vahakn Dadrian. Dadrian accused Lewy, who does not speak Turkish or
Armenian, or read Ottoman Turkish, of being out of his depth; Lewy
riposted; and the scholarly “chewing” goes on.
Lewy’s digressions help color in that turbulent period: [p.57]
“If the Turkish authorities were unable or unwilling to provide
adequate clothing, decent hygienic conditions, and appropriate
medical attention for their Muslim soldiers, why should one expect
them to be concerned about the fate of the Armenian deportees, whom
they regarded as a fifth column?” And: [p.61] “…A government as
callous about the suffering of its own population as was the Young
Turk regime could hardly be expected to be very concerned about the
terrible human misery that would rise from deporting its Armenian
population, rightly or wrongly suspected of treason.”
In The Great Game of Genocide, Donald Bloxham (a lecturer in 20th
century history at the University of Edinburgh) shows how the
“clean sweep” of 1915 was, in a sense, the culmination of a series
of tragic events.
Bloxham points to the fact that Ottoman Turks massacred masses of
Armenians not once but several times: throughout the empire in 1894-96,
and in Cilicia in 1909. By this time, 19th century Armenian communities
had gained exposure to western education and philosophical trends
– such as nationalism – and had grown increasingly restive under
Ottoman rule. Nor was 1915 the end to violence: Turks and Armenians
continued to commit atrocities against each other for the next few
years, with no group enjoying a monopoly on suffering. The Great
Game of Genocide examines the international context of the Armenian
tragedy, and the response (or non-response) by other countries
to what was looming as an ethnic disaster of unprecedented scale:
[P.5] “…Great power involvement in Ottoman internal affairs was
a key element in exacerbating the Ottoman-Armenian dynamic towards
genocide while Turkish sensitivity about external intervention on
behalf of the Armenians – whether directed towards reforms before
1914 or independence after 1918 – was a vital contributory factor to
the emergence of denial,” reported Eurasianet.