Armenpress
50 ARMENIAN STUDENTS JOIN BONE MARROW DONOR REGISTRY
YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS: Some 50 young
Armenians, all members of Nikol Aghbalian student
union, closely affiliated with the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF), have joined today the
Armenian Bone Marrow Registry (ABMDR), established to
respond to those families in crisis, whose members are
suffering from life-threatening blood diseases and who
need a bone marrow transplant from another Armenian.
The action was dedicated to the 91-st anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide and is being held under the
motto ‘Our blood is life for others.” Because of
unique genetic make up of Armenians, it is nearly
impossible to find suitable matches among the existing
international registries and hence a great number of
Armenian children and adults have lost their lives due
to the lack of compatible donors. To address this
imbalance, a volunteer donor registry for bone marrow
transplant has been established in Armenia to help to
overcome this difficulty.
The Armenian Bone Marrow Registry has now 11,000
registered donors. It is a member of the World Marrow
Donor Association, sharing its database information
with other registries around the world and cooperates
with several international medical centers, including
the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust in England, St
Jude Hospital in Memphis and Glendale Memorial
Hospital in Los Angeles.

Armenpress
YEAR OF ARMENIA IN RUSSIA RECEIVES WARM WELCOME
YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS: Vigen Sarkisian, an
aide to president Robert Kocharian, told a news
conference today that the audience in Russia is giving
a warm welcome to an extensive range of events held
there as part of the Year of Armenia in Russia.
He said the initiative to hold the Year of Armenia
in Russia should not be confused with what is known as
days of culture, because the Year of Armenia in Russia
is a broader idea encompassing also educational,
scientific programs to be added soon by athletic
events. He said the symphonic orchestra of the Russian
republic of Bashkortostan held a concert with invited
Armenian violinist Martin Yavryan and a singer Vahagn
Makvetsian. Moscow’s Pushkin Museum hosted an
exhibition of treasures from Etchmiadzin, the Russian
Center for International, Cultural and Scientific Ties
is hosting an Armenpress photo exhibition titled
‘Armenia: 15 Years of Independence.’ The exhibition
displays 110 photos shot by Armenia’s leading
photographers.
Saint Petersburg hosted an exhibition of paintings
of local artists of Armenian descent. The museum in
southern Russian Astrakhan is hosting an exhibition
titled ‘Famous Armenians of Astrakhan.’ As part of the
Year a n extensive Armenian delegation, headed by
territorial minister Hovik Abrahamian was in the
southern Russian province of Rostov on April 17-19.
Vigen Sarkisian said exchange visits of students
from sister schools in Yerevan and Moscow are expected
soon and in summer businessmen of both countries will
meet for a business forum in Moscow. Deputy foreign
affairs minister Gegham Gharibjanian said the Year of
Armenia in Russia is a good moral impetus for
thousands of Russian Armenians. ” We felt it during
all our meetings. They are sure that the Republic of
Armenia stands ready to support and defend their
interests,” he said.
Vigen Sarkisian said also the First Russian TV
Channel with the biggest audience will screen on April
24 Armenian-Canadian Atom Egoyan’s’ Ararat’, a film
about the genocide.

Armenpress
KARABAKH PARLIAMENT HOLDS HEARINGS ON THE CONFLICT
RESOLUTION PROSPECTS

YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS: Parliamentary
hearings on prospects for settling the Karabakh
conflict began today in the National Assembly of the
Nagorno-Karabakh republic. The hearings are attended
also by parliament members from Armenia.
Parliament chairman Ashot Ghulian said the presence
of counterparts from Armenia signified the importance
of the hearings. Foreign minister of Karabakh Georgy
Petrosian said this were the first hearings of that
type and they were important as they would allow
lawmakers to shape a clear-cut position on the ongoing
related process. He said the core of this problem is
that Azerbaijan did not respect the right of the
people of Karabakh to self-determination and
retaliated in 1988 by ethnic cleansing.
Petrosian said the international community’s
position on this issue is wrong because it did not
acknowledge so far the outcome of the 1991 referendum
in Karabakh that decided to separate from Azerbaijan.
Armen Rustamian from the Armenian parliament, said
Armenians have to foil Baku’s efforts to shift the
conflict resolution efforts from the OSCE to other
international organizations. He said the conflict
should be solved through diplomacy and peaceful means
and slammed Azeri leaders for their incessant war
rhetoric.

Armenpress
ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER TO VISIT FRANCE AND RUSSIA

YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS: An Armenian
parliamentary delegation headed by its speaker Arthur
Baghdasarian is flying on April 22 to Paris, France.
Invited by Claude Godin, the deputy president of the
French Senate, the Armenian delegation will be in
France until April 25.
In Paris and Marseille Armenian MPs are slated to
meet with Christian Poncelet, the president of the
Senate, Jean Claude Godin, the mayor of Marseille,
Pier Leluch, the chairman of the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly, the director general of UNESCO and members
of the Armenian community.
In Marseille on April 24 the Armenian delegation
will participate in the opening of a memorial honoring
the victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide. From France
the delegation will fly to Russian Saint Petersburg to
participate April 26-27 in events marking the 100-th
anniversary of Russia’s State Duma (parliament).
In Russia Baghdasarian will have a series of
meetings, including a meeting with his Azeri
counterpart Oktay Asadov.

A1+
«AZERBAIJAN IS LOST IN ILLUSIONS»
[07:54 pm] 21 April, 2006
Armenia would be content with the precedent if the Foreign Ministry
of Azerbaijan really positively answered the announcement of the
Armenian Foreign Ministry considering is constructive. At least this
is what the RA FM press secretary says, as `It could stimulate
positive developments in this issue.’
Tair Taghizade, the press secretary of the Foreign Ministry of
Azerbaijan, positively assessed the announcement of RA Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan who said, `If Azerbaijan recognizes the right
of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to decide their future status by
themselves, Armenia is ready to discuss the issues of eliminating the
results of the war seriously’. At the same time the press secretary of
the Azeri FM commented that by saying `self-determination’ for Nagorno
Karabakh, they understand `highest sovereignty’ as part of
Azerbaijan. This comment gives the RA Foreign Ministry ground to think
that there has been no progress.
`As soon as someone speaks about the right of the people of Nagorno
Karabakh of self-determination, Azerbaijan starts to nurture Soviet
illusions about `highest sovereignty’. The Foreign Minister of Armenia
clearly expressed the position of Armenia which presupposes the
recognition of Azerbaijan of the right of self-determination of the
Karabakh people first, for reaching compromise. Only after that can we
discuss the issues about eliminating the results of the war. I am
sorry that Azerbaijan is lost in illusions instead of understanding
what they see and hear,’ said Hamlet Gasparyan, press secretary of the
Armenian Foreign Ministry.

A1+
OSKANYAN MET MERZLYAKOV
[07:05 pm] 21 April, 2006
On April 21 Moscow hosted a regular session of the Council of Foreign
Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
An important theme on the session’s agenda was consideration of the
questions concerning further improvements in the structure of the CIS
bodies and the enhancement of their effectiveness. In particular, a
report was heard on the progress in the implementation of the Decision
of the CIS Council of Heads of State on Perfecting and Reforming the
Bodies of the Commonwealth of Independent States, of August 26, 2005,
and on the Establishment of a High-Level Group on the Issues of
Raising the Effectiveness of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Meeting participants examined and approved the drafts of a number of
documents on humanitarian cooperation issues, namely an Agreement on
the Council for Humanitarian Cooperation among the Member States of
the Commonwealth of Independent States and a Program of Principal
Measures of Cooperation among the CIS Member States in the Field of
Culture Till 2010.
Same day Minister Oskanyan met the OSCE Minsk group Russian co-chair
Yuri Merzlyakov. No details of the meeting are given in the press
release of the Foreign Ministry.
Oskanyan will return to Armenia on April 22.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1+
NKR NA WILL SAY ITS WORD
[05:17 pm] 21 April, 2006
Today the NKR Parliament will start hearings about the Karabakh
conflict. As a result of the hearings the NKR Parliament will clear up
its approaches towards the settlement of the conflict. Asked the
question how the decisions of the NA will affect the settlement of the
conflict NKR President Arkadi Ghoukasyan mentioned, «We highly
appreciate the opinion of our NA».
By the way, Armen Roustamyan, the head of the RA NA Standing Committee
on Foreign Relations, deputies Hmayak Hovhannisyan and head of the
Democratic Party Aram Sargsyan will also participated in the hearings.
Experts have also been invited.
At the end of the hearings the groups and factions in the NKR NA will
make an announcement. With this announcement they will represent their
approach towards the coming negotiations, in particular the points of
view about the settlement of the conflict.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1+
ASSAULT ON ARAM KARAPETYAN
[04:48 pm] 21 April, 2006
Today at about 01:00 PM near the Police Erebouni department twelve
armed and masked unknown people stopped the car of Aram Karapetyan,
leader of the «New Times» Party. They got the drivers and bodyguards
out of the cars and took the cars to the National Security
Service. The aim of the check-up was to find out weapon.
According to the press service of the «New Times» Party, «the armed
people left Aram Karapetyan in the street and took the drivers and
bodyguards together with the cars in an unknown direction. The whole
action was recorded with several cameras. »
Let us remind you that last year this time the famous events of Sevan
took place when the head of the youth wing of the party was shot.
The Party expresses its indignation at the event qualifying it as
typical Armenian manifestation of political gangsterism. The Party
informs that `this kind of foul actions cannot break the revolutionary
spirit of the Party and its leader.’

Allston-Brighton TAB, MA
April 21 2006
Kaprielian, Koutoujian, Tolman: We must never forget the Armenian
genocide
By Rachel Kaprielian, Peter Koutoujian, Sen. Steven Tolman/ Guest
Columnists
E-mail article View text version View most popular
For Armenian Americans, April 24th is an important day: it was on
that date in 1915 that the Ottoman Turkish Empire began its slaughter
of Armenians. Over the next several years, more than a million
Armenians were murdered in a calculated campaign to rid Turkey of all
Armenians. In other words, the so-called Young Turk government
committed genocide against the Armenian people.

Among scholars and genocide experts, there is no doubt about this
issue. The International Association of Genocide Scholars (the
definitive group of scholars on the subject), the Institute on the
Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem, and the Institute for the Study
of Genocide have repeatedly affirmed the historical facts of the
Armenian genocide, as have Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel and
Pulitzer Prize Winner Samantha Power.

For those who are relatives of survivors there can be no doubt
about this crime. Yet, sometime in the next several weeks, a federal
judge in Boston will hear arguments in a suit brought by the
Association of Turkish American Assemblies and others that seek to
introduce materials into Massachusetts’ classrooms denying that the
Armenian genocide occurred.

How, after all these years, can this still be open to debate?
Because the Turkish government and its American affiliate continue to
deny that the Young Turks committed this grave crime. And they
continue to seek forums to push their denialist point of view.

Now they’re bringing this campaign to Massachusetts, home to one
of the largest Armenian populations in the nation. They claim that
the Massachusetts Department of Education trampled on the First
Amendment when it decided not to teach “the other side” of the
Armenian genocide, i.e., that the slaughter was just the unfortunate
byproduct of civil war between the Turks and the Armenians.

This claim, refuted by reputable genocide scholars, is an affront
to thousands of Armenian-Americans living here in Massachusetts whose
families were victims of the Turkish government’s murderous campaign.
And it is particularly offensive for people like 99-year-old John
Kasparian of Worcester and 93-year-old Armine Dedikian of Watertown,
two survivors of the slaughter.
Anyone interested in ascertaining the truth about this genocide need
merely to hear stories like Mr. Kasparian’s, whose family left its
home the night before the Turkish attack that took 200 of their
fellow villagers and whose brother died of starvation while the
family fled. Or hear Mrs. Dedikian, whose father was killed just
before she was born and who was separated from her mother soon after.
(Mother and daughter were eventually reunited when 15-year-old Armine
arrived alone at Ellis Island to meet her mother, whom she had
tracked down in the U.S., using newspaper ads and family
connections.)

Unfortunately, the U.S. government, afraid to offend Turkey, its
military ally, has not taken a stand on this issue. But all 12
members of our state’s congressional delegation – Senators Kennedy
and Kerry and the 10 representatives in the House – have signed a
resolution calling on the president to recognize the atrocity.

Now we in Massachusetts find ourselves being pulled backwards
into this debilitating debate over whether a genocide, long confirmed
by victims and historians, ever existed. It is even more than ironic
that this court case was filed in a year when genocide has once again
reared its ugly head in Darfur, where thousands have died at the
hands of the Sudanese army, and in a year when the Iranian president
has once again put Holocaust denials on the front page. As
unfathomable as the crime of genocide is, it continues to occur in
all its savagery. And as offensive as the official denials are, they
also continue, not only when the crimes occur but for years
afterward.

In 1939, when announcing his decision to begin killing Polish
men, women, and children, Hitler infamously uttered “Who, after all,
speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” He was counting
on the world to forget his atrocities, as he believed the world had
already forgotten the Turkish murders.
Fortunately, the world has not forgotten either the Nazi crimes or
the Turkish slaughter. But denialists continue to try to spread their
peculiar amnesia. We in Massachusetts, home to a significant Jewish
population and one of the largest Armenian-American populations in
the country, must never forget.

Today, Azerbaijan
April 21 2006
US against the military solution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict

21 April 2006 [22:53] – Today.Az

Attempts to solve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict militarily will
negatively affect the whole region and official Washington is against
such policy, the American Ambassador, Reno Harnish told at his
press-conference April 21, dedicated to the termination of his
diplomatic service in Azerbaijan.
“I never considered this conflict as “frozen” one and as an American
representative I announce that Washington is ready to render any
possible assistance in peaceful resolution of the problem,” the
Ambassador said.
Speaking about the military trainings at the occupied Azerbaijani
territories, the American diplomat told that “any initiatives or
attempts to escalate the situation in the region should be prevented
as they may lead to resumption of the conflict,” Harnish said.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have reached “some headway in the talks” in
the frames of the negotiating process. “US will continue to support
the long term resolution of the conflict,” the Ambassador stated,
according to Trend.

URL:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress