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PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
September 19, 2005
MID-ATLANTIC AREA PREPARES TO WELCOME ARAM I
LARGE TURNOUT EXPECTED AT DIVINE LITURGY IN NEW YORK
REV. DR. SAMUEL KOBIA WILL BE THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT BANQUET
NEW YORK, NY-The Mid-Atlantic area states, including New York, New Jersey,
Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, are preparing to welcome His Holiness Aram I,
as he begins his visit to the Eastern Prelacy. His Holiness will arrive in
New York on the evening of October 19 and will visit areas within the
Eastern Prelacy until November 1, including New York, Washington, DC,
Boston, and Chicago.
His Holiness will be officially welcomed by the Mid Atlantic community
at Hrashapar services at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, 221 E. 27th Street,
New York City, on Thursday, October 20, beginning at 7:30 pm. A reception
will follow the ceremony providing the faithful an opportunity to personally
greet His Holiness.
75TH ANNIVERSARY OF SEMINARY
“His Holiness is honoring us with his presence as part of the worldwide
celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Theological
Seminary at Antelias,” said Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the
Eastern Prelacy. “The Seminary has served the Armenian Church worldwide with
great distinction for 75 years, and it is appropriate for us to pause and
reflect on this service and pay homage to the visionary leaders who overcame
difficult obstacles and established the Seminary in Antelias.”
On Friday, October 21, this anniversary will be formally marked with a
commemorative program at Sts. Vartanantz Church, 461 Bergen Boulevard,
Ridgefield, NJ. The program will begin at 7:30 pm and will be followed with
a reception.
The program will feature two keynote addresses. Judge Sarkis Teshoian,
an esteemed member of the Massachusetts judiciary, and a former chairman of
the Prelacy’s Executive Council, will speak in English, while V. Rev.
Meghrig Parikian, a member of the Cilician Brotherhood and pastor of St.
Asdvadzadzin Church in Toronto, Canada, will speak in Armenian.
PONTIFICAL DIVINE LITURGY
On Sunday, October 23, His Holiness will be the celebrant at the
Pontifical Divine Liturgy at St. Bartholomew’s Church, Park Avenue (between
50th and 51st Streets). The Liturgy, which is expected to be attended by a
large number of community members, dignitaries, and ecumenical guests, will
begin at 1:30 with a procession. His Holiness will be assisted at the altar
by members of the clergy and deacons serving in the Mid-Atlantic area. The
choirs of the area churches will join forces and participate in the Liturgy.
CELEBRATORY BANQUET WILL MARK DUAL ANNIVERSARIES
Immediately after the Liturgy a banquet will take place at The Pierre,
Fifth Avenue at 61st Street. Cocktail reception will begin at 5 pm, followed
by dinner at 6 pm. The Keynote Address will be delivered by Rev. Dr. Samuel
Kobia, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches.
The banquet will focus on the 75th anniversary of the Seminary with a
short video presentation, as well as the 10th anniversary of the election
and enthronement of His Holiness. Dr. George Dermksian, chairman of the
Steering Committee, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies during the
Banquet. “I am honored to be taking part in welcoming Catholicos Aram I to
the Eastern Prelacy,” said Dr. Dermksian. “He has earned the respect and
admiration of not only Armenians, but the world at large through his
outstanding ecumenical leadership. We can all be proud of his
accomplishments and be prepared to welcome him in the finest manner
possible.”
ENCYCLICAL ISSUED
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Seminary, Catholicos Aram
I issued an encyclical praising the rich history of the Seminary. He said,
in part:
“Take another look at the history of our people and church during the
past 75 years. So many generations, ecclesiastics and laypersons alike,
enlivened by the Bible, enriched by our intellectual and spiritual values,
and imbued with national aspirations, emerged from the Seminary of the
Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, to go among our people
scattered throughout the world. So many generations took the spirit and
education received in the Seminary and applied it in uncompromising and
self-devoted service, an abundance of which they provided to the Armenian
people, from Armenia to the distant Diasporan communities.. Remembering the
75th anniversary of the Seminary means looking toward the future with solid
faith and bright vision, having rendered the past into just pride.”
To read the entire text of His Holiness’ Encyclical in Armenian and
English go to the Prelacy’s web site ().
ECUMENICAL SYMPOSIUM
During his visit a symposium and conference will take place in New York
City and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The symposium in New York, sponsored by the Eastern Prelacy in
conjunction with the World Council of Churches and National Council of
Churches, will take place Saturday, October 22 at The Interchurch Center,
475 Riverside Drive.
Under the general topic of “Challenges Facing the Ecumenical Movement
in the 21st Century,” a number of well-known church leaders will participate
including, The Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, General Secretary, World Council of
Churches; Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, General Secretary, National Council of
the Churches of Christ in the USA; The Very Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky,
Moderator, U.S. Conference for the World Council of Churches and Ecumenical
Officer, Orthodox Church of America; The Rev. Dr. Wesley
Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary, Reformed Church in America; Bishop
Thomas Hoyt, President, National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA;
Fr. Arthur L. Kennedy, Executive Director, United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops; The Rev. Dr. Diane Kessler, Executive Director,
Massachusetts Council of Churches; The Rev. Deborah DeWinter, Program
Executive for the United States, World Council of Churches.
His Holiness will address the Symposium and offer the Closing
Reflection.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
An International Conference dedicated to the 1600th anniversary of the
founding of the Armenian alphabet will take place on Friday and Saturday,
October 28 and 29, at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Conference, sponsored by the Eastern Prelacy, Harvard University’s
Mashtots Chair, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and
the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, will bring together top
scholars in the field from Armenia, Europe and the United States. Some of
the participating scholars are: Robert Thomson, Abraham Terian, James
Russell, Michael Stone, Gohar Muradyan, John Huehnergard, Karen Yuzbashyan,
and others. The Conference will begin Friday evening, October 28 and
continue on Saturday, October 29.
His Holiness will attend and address the Conference Friday evening.
VISIT THE WEB SITE
Up to date information about the entire visit is on the Prelacy’s web
site (), or contact the Prelacy at 212-689-7810.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
September 20, 2005
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
Email: [email protected]
RE: Assembly Meets with Armenian Parliament Speaker
An Assembly delegation led by Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair
Hovnanian met with Armenian Parliament Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan in
New York on September 9. The meeting, which focused on building
stronger U.S.-Armenia relations and democratic reforms in Armenia,
also included Board of Trustees Treasurer Edele Hovnanian, Board of
Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian, Board of Directors Member Van
Krikorian and Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.

Ardouny also briefed the Speaker on key legislative issues and
participated with him in various meetings with U.S. government
officials in Washington. Baghdasaryan met with U.S. State Department
officials and several lawmakers including House Speaker Dennis Hastert
(R-IL), House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier (R-CA), Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and
Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone,
Jr. (D-NJ), among others.
“Armenia has a proud history and is committed to engagement with its
neighbors to promote democracy and regional trade,” Dreier
said. “Speaker Baghdasaryan and I agreed that democracy is critical to
security and stability in the region. I was proud to welcome the
Speaker to the Capitol and look forward to working with him on his
efforts in the future.”
Photographs available on the Assembly Web site at the following links:
Caption: L to R: Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny, Board of
Directors Member Van Krikorian, Speaker of the Armenian Parliament
Arthur Baghdasaryan, Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair Hovnanian,
Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian and Board of Trustees
Treasurer Edele Hovnanian.
Caption: L to R: Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny, House
Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier (R-CA) and Armenian Parliament
Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan.
Caption: Armenian Parliament Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan, center, with
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), far right, and Assembly
Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership
organization.
###
NR#2005-091

Yerevan Press Club of Armenia presents `MediaDialogue” Web Site as a
Regional Information Hub project. As a part of the project web site is maintained,
featuring the most interesting publications from the press of Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey on issues of mutual concern. The latest
updates on the site are weekly delivered to the subscribers. ***********************************************************************
===========================================================================
CONFLICTS
===========================================================================
AZERBAIJAN AGAIN RAISES THE ISSUE TO UN
———————————————– —————————–
Source: “Echo” newspaper (Azerbaijan) [September 17, 2005]
Author: R. Orujev

It is all about the situation on the occupied territories
Yesterday evening Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Elmar Mamediarov was
expected to make a speech at the 60th session of UN General
Assembly. The main issue to be raised by the Foreign Minister was
Mountainous Karabagh conflict and the role of UN in its settlement. As reported by Associated Press, E. Mamediarov stated back on Thursday
in New York that our state took actions for holding free elections
despite the threats of the opposition that if the results of elections
of November 6 are rigged, anti-government protest actions will start
in the country. Mamediarov also declared that he thinks there is low
chance in an oil-rich country for people’s uprising similarly to those
in the former Soviet republics of Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgistan. `The
government and President himself have an aim for holding free and fair
elections’, Mamediarov stated. `We strictly follow international
standards. This voting will be much more fair than the previous ones’,
he stated. During his speech in New York, Mamediarov stated that for settlement
of the Karabagh conflict leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan `should act
as state figures and not politicians pursuing national interests’. The
Minister noted that the recent meeting of the two countries leaders
laid ground for negotiation process. `I would like to inform you that
we are close to a breakthrough, but in reality the problems are still
in place’, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister stated. At the session, Azerbaijan joined a number of international
agreements. In UN headquarters, an event named `Focus-2005: Response
to Global Changes’ was held related to signing of a series of
international documents on human rights, refugees, terrorism,
organized crime, struggle against corruption, environment, maritime
law and other spheres. Within the framework of the event, Elmar
Mamediarov held a ceremony of signing multilateral agreements:
`International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear
Terrorism’ (the text of the Convention is adopted by UN General
Assembly resolution # 59/290); “Optional Protocol to the Convention
Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment’ of 2002. “The information about the issue on the situation in the districts,
controlled by the Karabagh forces, entering the agenda of the current
60th session of UN General Assembly in New York is confirmed’,
Panarmenian writes. `On Tuesday, Armenian MFA Press Secretary Hamlet
Gasparian stated that if Azerbaijan insists on considering it at the
plenary sitting of the session, official Yerevan will have to withdraw
from negotiation process, and Baku will have to continue negotiations
with the Karabagh side”. The response to these harsh statements came immediately. Yesterday
special representative of AR President at the negotiations on
settlement of Mountainous Karabagh conflict, Deputy Foreign Minister
Araz Azimov informed media that Armenia’s statements about withdrawal
from the negotiation process should not be taken seriously. `Putting
the issue about the situation in the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan on the agenda of UN 60th session was quite expected’, he
stated. `The problem is still open, this issue should be central for
the international community, since Azerbaijan holds that these efforts
are useless as long as the negative processes on its occupied lands
are underway’. The decision about including our issue on the agenda of the session
opened on Monday was adopted unanimously, Рanarmenian
reports. “Armenia seems to have exerted zero effort for preventing
it. However, in compliance with General Assembly regulations, the
issues included in the agenda of the current session and not discussed
till its end are automatically transferred to the agenda of the next
session. Only Azerbaijan had the right to take off the issue’. ===========================================================================
REGION
===========================================================================
ARMENIAN TIME, TURKISH TIME
——————————————— ——————————-
Source: “Turkish Daily News” newspaper (Turkey) [September 18, 2005]
Author: Elif Safak
Armenians and Turks live in different eras. If we want to build a true
dialogue between the two sides it is this time-related fact that we
first need to recognize. What happens when an Armenian girl speaks
about her past with average Turkish women? Below is an excerpt from an
upcoming novel. `Ask her what their family name is?’ Grandmother Gülsüm asked Asya. `Tchakhmakhchian,’ Armanoush replied when the question was translated,
adding, `My full name is Armanoush Tchakhmakhchian.’
Auntie Zeliha’s face brightened as she exclaimed in recognition: `I’ve
always found that interesting. The Turks add the suffix ‘ci’ to every
possible word to describe professions. Look at our family name; it is
Kazan-cı . We are the cauldron makers. Now I see Armenians do the
same thing. Çakmak, Çakmakçı, Çakmakçı-yan.’
`That’s interesting. Look, I have an address,’ said Armanoush, who
fished out a piece of paper from her pocket, adding: `My grandmother
Shushan was born in this house. If you could help me with the
directions, I’d like to go and visit it sometime.’
`So you came here to see your grandmother’s house. Why did she leave?’
enquired Aunt Zeliha. Armanoush was both eager to be asked this question and reluctant to
answer. Was it too early to let them know? How much of her story
should she reveal? If not now, then when? Why should she have to wait
anyway? In a listless, almost sapped voice she said, `They were forced
to leave.’
As soon as she said this her weariness disappeared and she lifted her
chin up as she continued: `It’s a long story. I won’t take your time
with all the details. When her father died my grandmother Shushan was
three years old. There were four siblings, she being the youngest and
the only girl. The family had been left without its patriarch. My
great grandmother was a widow now. Finding it difficult to stay in
Istanbul with the children she sought refuge in her father’s house in
Sivas. But as soon as they arrived the deportations began. The entire
family was ordered to leave their house and belongings behind and
march with thousands of others to an unknown destination. They marched
and they marched. My great grandmother died on the way and before long
the elderly died as well. Having no parents to look after them the
younger children lost each other amidst the confusion and chaos. But
after months apart, the brothers were miraculously united in Lebanon
with the help of a Ca! tholic missionary. The only missing sibling among those still alive
was my grandmother Shushan. Nobody had heard of the fate of the
infant. Nobody knew that she had been taken back to Istanbul to be
placed in an orphanage.’
Asya looked at Armanoush somewhat puzzled. Never before had she met
someone so young with a memory so old. Auntie Feride was the first to raise doubts and said: `But I don’t
understand. What happened to them? They died because they walked?’
`They were denied water and food and rest. They were made to march a
long distance on foot. Women, some of them pregnant, and children, the
elderly, the sick and the debilitated…’ Armanoush’s voice now
trailed off. `Who did this atrocity?’ Auntie Cevriye asked as if addressing a
classroom of ill-disciplined students. `The Turks did it,’ Armanoush replied without paying any attention to
the implications. `What a shame, what a sin. Are they not human?’ Auntie Feride
volleyed. `Of course not, some people are monsters!’ Auntie Cevriye declared
without comprehending that the repercussions could be far more complex
than she would like to handle. In twenty years in her career as a
Turkish history teacher she was so accustomed to drawing an
impermeable boundary between the past and the present, distinguishing
the Ottoman Empire from the modern Turkish Republic, that she had
actually heard the whole story as grim news from a `distant country.’
The new state in Turkey had been established in 1923 and that was as
far as the genesis of this regime could extend. Whatever might or
might not have happened preceding this date was the issue of another
era, and another people. Armanoush looked at them one by one, puzzled. She was relieved to see
that the family had not taken the story as badly as she had feared,
but then she couldn’t be sure that they had really taken it in at
all. True, they neither refused to believe her nor did they retort
with any counter argument. If anything, they listened attentively and
they all seemed sorry. But was that the limit of their commiseration? And what exactly had she expected? Armanoush felt slightly
disconcerted as she wondered whether it would be different if she were
talking to a group of intellectuals. Slowly it dawned on Armanoush that perhaps she was waiting for an
admission of guilt, if not an apology. And yet that apology had not
come, not because they had not felt for her, for it looked like they
had, but because they had seen no connection between themselves and
the perpetrators of the crimes. She, as an Armenian, embodied the
spirit of her people from generations before whereas the average Turk
had no such notion of continuity with his or her ancestors. The
Armenians and the Turks lived in different eras. For the Armenians,
time was a cycle in which the past incarnated itself in the present
and the present begat the future, whereas for Turks time was a
multi-hyphenated line where the past ended at some precise point and
the present started anew with a fresh page with nothing but a huge
rupture in between. ===========================================================================
NEIGHBOURS
===========================================================================
TURKEY SHOWS DISCRETION
————————————— ————————————-
Source: “Azg” newspaper (Armenia) [September 17, 2005]
Author: Hakob Chakrian
As previously reported, the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
House of Representatives of US Congress discussed and adopted two
resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide. In compliance with the
first resolution, initiated by Democrat Adam Schiff, the congressmen
adopted a decision on `recognition of Armenian Genocide executed in
1915-23′. The second resolution whose author is Republican George
Radanovic, called on the `Turkish Republic to admit of the crime
committed by it predecessor – Ottoman Empire, in compliance with the
decision’. The first resolution was adopted by 35 pro votes, 11 cons, the second
one – 40 pros, 7 cons. It is notable that both resolutions do not
refer to 1915 as the year of committing the Genocide, they mention the
period from 1915 to 1923. Thus, the responsibility for this crime of
the Kemalists against humanity is emphasized. It is an important
circumstance. No less important is the fact that the two resolutions
recognizing the Armenian Genocide are simultaneously submitted to the
Committee of the House of Representatives, which is a common
initiative of Democrats and Republicans. All this points to the unprecedented nature of the mentioned
initiative, directed at recognition of the Armenian Genocide, which
implies strong resistance of Turkey. The restraint of the Turkish political circles and Turkish media
surpassed all expectations. Still, `Zaman’ newspaper in its issue of
September 16 conditioned adoption of the two resolutions on
recognition of Armenian Genocide in the Committee of the House of
Representatives by the decision of March 1, 2003. In compliance with
the decision, Mili Mejlis of Turkey declined the request of US to
allow using the territory of this state for the anti-Iraq war,
refusing deployment of American troops and military equipment on the
territory of this country. In this respect, `Zaman’ writes about adoption of the resolution, `By
the Armenian resolutions, US House of Representatives took its revenge
for March 1′. As a proof, it quoted member of the Committee Tom
Lantos, `The decision of the Mejlis resulted more losses of American
troops in Iraq. Turkey did not reckon with our interests. Turkey
refused to help us in opening a front against Syria and Iraq from the
north. So, I definitely support both Armenian resolutions’. As reported by `Milliyet’ newspaper, Adam Schiff also referred to the
decision of March 1. However, in contrast to Lantos he did not
substantiate adoption of the resolution on the Armenian Genocide but
answered the message addressed to the Chairman of the Committee of US
State Secretariat Henry Hyde by US Department of State, which runs,
`the resolution may harm Turkish-American relations’. According to
`Milliyet’, Schiff stressed the importance of Turkey to USA, noting,
`The March 1 decision of Mili Mejlis of Turkey did not result in
deterioration of Turkish-American relations. Thus, the resolution in
its turn is not supposed to harm these relations’. In this aspect, Schiff was supported by Hyde, stating he does not
believe that adoption of the resolution will harm the relations of the
two countries. Therefore, the rejection of the fact of Genocide can in
no way be justified. At the same time, Hyde emphasized that Turkey
does not bear responsibility for the crime committed. Based on the mentioned newspaper, the members of the Committee often
referred to the criminal proceedings initiated in Turkey against Orham
Pamuk for recognizing the fact of the Armenian Genocide and the
responsibility of Germany for the Holocaust, stating that it will have
bad consequences. The absence of the supposed resistance by Turkey to the adoption of
the two resolutions on the Armenian Genocide by the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the House of Representatives of US Congress means
that Turkey shows discretion and not weakness. Simply, Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is still in US and will return to Ankara
on September 17. Doubtlessly, Erdogan will take relevant steps. They
are important for the press. These steps will allow adequately
responding to the adoption of the resolution. As for the nature of
resistance, it may also hinge on the efficiency of Erdogan’s
steps. Consequently, we should wait for the return of Prime Minister
Erdogan to Ankara. ***************************************************************************
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[email protected]. For comments or questions please contact the Editor: [email protected].

September 19, 2005
PRESS RELEASE
American University of Armenia Corporation
300 Lakeside Drive, 5th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Bruce Janigian appointed Vice President for Development and Government
Relations of AUA

Oakland, CA – The Board of Trustees of the American University of Armenia
Corporation (AUAC) approved the appointment of Bruce Janigian, Esq. A.B.,
J.D., LL.M., as Vice President for Development and Government Relations of
the University.
Bruce Janigian is a member of the Public International Law and Policy Group,
and leads the US delegation in the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
His international appointments have included the vice presidency and
directorship of the Salzburg Seminar, Fulbright and visiting professorships
in international law, attorney adviser for the US Agency for International
Development, and legal counsel for the US Navy. His California appointments
have included chairman of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board,
and deputy director and general counsel of the California Employment
Development Department. He has been a scholar at the Hoover Institution on
War, Revolution and Peace and has taught public and private international
law in the US and overseas for the past 30 years. He is a Phi Beta Kappa
graduate of UC Berkeley’s honors program in International Relations, and
holds law degrees from the University of California and the George
Washington University.
AUA is confident that Bruce Janigian will contribute immensely to the
development and prosperity of the university, and will help lead the
institution into new direction bringing AUA to a new level of
professionalism.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Glendale Independent Weekly
Monday, September 19, 2005

School Board President is a ‘Student of Politics’
Krekorian plans to run for 43rd District Assembly seat
By Liset Marquez
Paul Krekorian has always wanted to serve in public office and help the
community.
Krekorian, president of the Burbank Unified School District Board, was
inspired by his father, who was a marine.
“[My father], more than anybody, helped plant the inspiration that
government can be a tool for good accomplishments,” Krekorian said.
Krekorian said his father, who fought in World War II, taught him that it is
the responsibility of every citizen to do his or her part in trying to make
things better.
“Once he set me on that path, it has always been a life mission to try and
help the public in any way I can” he said. “It’s been my passion and my
hobby since then; I’ve been fascinated by the process of government.”
A political science major, Krekorian said he has considered himself a
student of politics for the past 30 years.
His learning path led him in 2002 to become the first Armenian American ever
to hold an elected position in Burbank when he won the School Board
presidency.
Krekorian said running for office made him more in tune with the needs of
the community.
“That’s one of the greatest things about the power of the government
process; people who govern interact with people and this forces them to
become knowledgeable,” Krekorian said. The knowledge gained, in turn, can be
used to shape policies addressing community issues, he added.
There were also lessons learned in defeat. In 2000, Krekorian ran for the
43rd District Assembly seat and lost by only 3,000 votes. He will give it a
second try in 2006, and many believe he will be a strong contender, with
Burbank Mayor Jef Vander Borght, Glendale Mayor Rafi Manoukian and Glendale
Council members Bob Yousefian, Ara Najarian and Dave Weaver supporting him.
Manoukian recently hosted a fundraiser at his residence for Krekorian’s
campaign.
“I think he has strong moral character and strong integrity,” said Glendale
City Clerk Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian, who was also at the fundraiser.
Kassakhian got to know Krekorian when he joined his campaign team in 2000.
“He has a vast knowledge and most amazing understanding of policy and
politics.”
“I think [Krekorian] is well prepared and capable,” Burbank Mayor Vander
Borght said. “He is best at solving problems; he’ll be what they need in
Sacramento.”
For Krekorian, serving as school board president has opened his eyes to a
big problem facing the state. He said his biggest focus in the next election
would be education, since it can have a big effect on the future of the
state.
“I think that for many years the state has not sufficiently devoted itself
to providing a first-rate public education system,” he said. “We largely
neglected our schools, increasingly over the years.”
If elected to the 43rd District, Krekorian said he would also like to be one
of the “guiding forces” in preserving the California environment because he
considers the state “a national and international treasure.”
As School Board president he has addressed environmental concerns in the
modernization of schools. He recently led the move to adopt one of the
strictest environmental standards in the state.
“We have changed the mindset of the district in terms of energy conservation
which has environmental benefits and financial benefits,” he said.
Krekorian has also been in the forefront of promoting the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, the issue of which is close to his heart.
His great grandmother’s brother was murdered by Ottoman Turks in the 1880s.
In the 1890s, a series of massacres forced Krekorian’s great grandmother’s
family to leave their village and sought refuge in the United States. Some
15 to 20 years later, the whole village was wiped out.
“Had they not left, they all would have been killed,” Krekorian said.
The recognition of the Genocide, protection of the environment and promotion
of equitable and quality education are just some of the issues that
Krekorian will continue to address as a public servant.
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 SENDS A DELEGATION TO THE 25TH ENTHRONEMENT
ANNIVERSARY OF THE HEAD OF THE SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
The Catholicosate of Cilicia sent a special delegation to the 25th
enthronement anniversary of the consecration of the Head of the Syrian
Orthodox Church, His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Antioch
and All the East.
The delegation consisted of Archbishop Sebouh Sarksian (Primate of the
Diocese of Tehran), Bishop Kegham Khatcherian (Primate of the Diocese of
Lebanon), Rev Fr Norayr Ashekian, as well as Noubar Melikian and Capriel
Tchambardjian.
The delegation participated in the Holy Mass and the official luncheon held
on September 14. The delegation greeted the spiritual leader of the Coptic
Church, Patriarch Shnouda III. The members of the delegation attended the
lecture given by Patriarch Shnouda III in the evening and the official
reception, which was also attended by Speaker of the Syrian Parliament,
ministers and prominent individuals.
Archbishop Sebouh Sarksian took the stand during the reception and
congratulated His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I Iwas and the Syrian Orthodox
Church on behalf of the Catholicosate of Cilicia. He also highlighted the
historical ties between the two churches. The delegation presented a gift to
the spiritual leader of the Syrian Orthodox Church.
##
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
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
Contact: Information Desk
Tel: (374-1) 52-35-31
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Statement by
H. E. Vartan Oskanian
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
At the General Debate
Of the 60th Session of the General Assembly
Of the United Nations
September 18, 2005

Mr. President
Mr. Secretary General
Dear Colleagues

Mr. President,

We warmly welcome you to your position and we know we will enjoy working
with you. And to the outgoing President, our special thanks for his
engagement and contribution to our work.

Mr. President,

When the Millennium Summit was held in 2000, in another New York, in another
era, before unspeakable security challenges overtook our agendas, it was the
lack of universal economic development that was our supreme security
challenge.

That is why the Millennium Development Goals were born. It took the will and
determination of nearly 200 world leaders to put forward eight
straightforward, obvious objectives which can be summed up in Amartya Sen¹s
eloquent postulation: Development is Freedom.

In these five years, these goals have become no less imperative. Pretending
that anything less will do in this era of huge wealth creation is
disingenuous and dangerous and unfair.

If global security is our focus, and we are convinced that the road to
security is through democracy, then we must remember Eleanor Roosevelt, who
nearly 60 years ago, in working on the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, articulated the obvious: men in need are not free men.

It is only through the achievement of these goals that man will live Œin
greater freedom¹.

Mr. President,

In Armenia, where economic resources are limited, but our people¹s will is
great, we have been able to register high economic growth. Yet, the
challenge – ours and the world¹s – is to turn economic achievements into
human development advances.

Armenia looks forward to each year¹s Human Development Report because it¹s
like a report card. Fortunately, each year, we have received a good report
card, we have recorded forward movement, we have recorded improvement. This
year, we have placed number 83, ahead of all our neighbors.

We should not underestimate these gains. But if we¹re going to be fair and
forward-looking, then neither should we exaggerate them. We must look at the
promise of this index and see in it that there are gaps we must close.

First, We must target ways to accelerate poverty reduction. A society is
judged by how it deals with those most vulnerable. In Armenia, poverty is
concentrated in the rural areas. We must ensure that our high economic
growth trickles down to the individual families outside cities and in the
regions. So, economic development for us means integrated rural development,
it means identifying and encouraging the conditions which favor development
and enable unleashing production capacity. Just as the MDGs require a
partnership between rich and poor countries, we must foster partnership
between the rich and poor in our country, thus stepping up the pace of
development.

Second, we are turning democracy into a tool for development. Democratic
institutions and processes are not just ends. They are also means to
creating the necessary political and economic environment which lead to
distributed growth and dignified development. The cruelties inherent in the
process of massive economic readjustment which we have been undergoing have
led to a sense of powerlessness on the part of ordinary citizens. Stable,
consistent, transparent, strong democratic institutions empower each
citizen. Democracy is more than elections. Democracy is institutions which
are egalitarian and predictable and constrain the actions of the elite thus
preventing uneven playing fields. In other words, we need strong democratic
institutions and legislation to guard against the weaknesses of human
nature.

We will not continue to be satisfied at being ahead of our neighbors, in the
middle tier of all of the countries of the world. Being there today is
satisfactory only because we have demonstrated that against all odds,
despite geography, in spite of history, we know how to survive.

Mr. President,

Armenia is a small land-locked country with few natural resources. We¹ve
become accustomed to saying that our greatest natural resource is our
people, because indeed all the other resources which exist in the countries
around us – oil and gas – are not to be found on our territory.

But, Mr. President, I can tell you that if we did have oil, we would use oil
revenues to double our education budget, because education is essential for
change, because education creates new dreams and the ability to fulfill
those dreams.

We would use those oil revenues to double our social security budget because
there are still painful gaps between our people¹s dreams and prospects.

We would use the money to double our environmental protection effort,
because it is the surest investment plan that a country can have.

Mr. President, what we would not do is double our military budget. What we
would not do is create an imaginary external threat to legitimize our
inactions. We would not pretend that there are simplistic, zealous remedies
to complex social, economic and political challenges. In other words, we
would not presume that military force is a tool either in domestic or
foreign policy. Military force is not an option in ruling people.

Mr. President, when it comes to regional conflicts, advocating military
solutions is not only unrealistic, but it demonstrates a patent lack of
understanding of democracy, human rights and rule of law. The founders of
the United Nations knew that security, development and human rights go
together.

Self-determination is a human right, Mr. President. The people of Nagorno
Karabakh fought for and earned the right to self-determination. To do that,
they resisted the political and military aggression of a government
not-of-their-own-choosing that tried to violently, fiercely, brutally,
suppress them. Fighting for their rights was not a matter of choice. Their
rights were neither abstract nor excessive. What they wanted is what most of
us have – the right to live peacefully on our lands, in our homes, safe from
violence. Against all odds, they succeeded. Since then, they have
demonstrated the ability to govern themselves, to develop democratic
institutions and sustain their independence.

Mr. President, countries like mine come to these annual meetings with huge
expectations. We come wanting to participate, contribute, give and take.

If the Foreign Minister of a country that is obviously small and, frankly,
imperfect, doesn¹t have the right to moralize about our collective future,
then allow me to just for a moment, to dream as a citizen of the world.

The prospect of UN reforms has been the beginning of a promise of a world
that looks a bit more like OUR world today. Mr. President, we may not agree
here, now, this week, this year, but we will have to agree on reforming this
institution some time. We cannot pretend that we don¹t know our history,
that we don¹t clearly see the realities facing us, that we don¹t know that
the world has changed. It is not 1945 any longer.

Still, it is reassuring that the principles enshrined in the UN charter
written three generations ago remain significant. That¹s because the spirit
of San Francisco in 1945, the global compact that was forged, was a
revolution. It affirmed that generations are accountable to future ones,
that states are accountable to each other, and that together, states can,
must, guarantee peace in the world. The formula by which they agreed to
achieve that goal worked.

Today, we need to rework the formula, to reaffirm the responsibility and
accountability of states to their citizens, of states to one another, of
international institutions to their members. We need the democratization of
international relations, of international institutions, and we need fair
representation, earned representation around the decision-making table.

Earned representation Mr. President: where states engaged in promoting and
protecting human rights and rule of law have the right to be presented on
the Human Rights Council, states serious about democratic and economic
development have the opportunity to be part of the Economic and Social
Council, and where states committed to the progress and dignity of the
international community have the opportunity to be part of the leadership of
the world community.

There is nothing ambitious about these goals. It is natural that national
interests will differ. That is why this international institution must step
in to fill that gap by assuring participation and cooperation, in exchange
for commitments and action.

Mr. President,
It¹s all about being accountable to our children. What if we don¹t achieve
the MDGs even as the world economy continues to create wealth, and half the
world¹s population continues to find the fruits of that wealth out of reach?
How do we explain this to our children?

What if we, in our region, don¹t take this opportunity to make the peace and
leave behind the war, its memories, its consequences, its social, economic,
emotional legacy? Then, what are we leaving our children?

What if we don¹t learn from the past, reject our collective Œresponsibility
to protect¹ and allow yet again and again governments to plan and carry out
torture, ethnic cleansing, genocide against their citizens? How will we face
our children?

When the UN was formed, following two great world wars, it gave the people
of the world hope, faith, in their leaders, in their future, for the lives
of their children.

Today, following huge catastrophes – manmade and natural – it seems that the
peoples of the world need again to have their faith restored. Devastation
like that caused by the tsunami and Katrina, violence such as that being
perpetrated in Darfur, carnage that we witnessed in London, make us question
ourselves, our neighbors, our assumptions.

Our answers to ourselves and our children must be about united momentum,
united resources, united responses, by nations, united. The United Nations
can still be that answer.

Thank You.

California Courier Online, September 22, 2005
1 – Commentary

Truth Defeats Turkey, State Dept.,
Turkish & Jewish Lobbying Groups
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The Califorrnia Courier
2 – Apo Torosyan to Show Documentary
At Arpa Film Festival in Hollywood
3- Crescenta Valley Talin ARS Chapter
Responds to Hurricane Katrina
4 – Project C.U.R.E. Donates $400,000 to
Stepanakert’s Pagoumian Polyclinic
5 – California-Armenia Trade Office
Passes State Assembly and Senate
6 – 1600th Anniversary of Armenian Alphabet
To be Celebrated Oct. 2 at Alex Theatre
7 – House International Relations Panel
Adopts Armenian Genocide Legislation
8 – Victims’ Telethon Collects $92,000

*************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
Truth Defeats Turkey, State Dept.,
Turkish & Jewish Lobbying Groups
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
The truth easily triumphed over some of the world’s most powerful political
forces in a David vs. Goliath battle that took place in the chambers of the
House International Relations Committee on Sept. 15.
Marshaled against the acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide were the
combined forces of the Turkish government, American lobbying firms hired by
Turkey, the American Turkish Council, the Assembly of Turkish American
Associations, several Jewish-American organizations, and the U.S.
Department of State.
Two resolutions were simultaneously presented to the Committee last week:
Res. 195, calling for the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide and urging
the Republic of Turkey to acknowledge the culpability of its predecessor
state, the Ottoman Empire, for the Armenian Genocide; and Res. 316, calling
upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States
reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues
related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide as documented in
U.S. archives on the Armenian Genocide.
Given the fact that the U.S. government has all along acknowledged the
heinous crimes committed against the Armenian people, there would normally
be no need for such resolutions. In addition to the thousands of
contemporaneous reports and documents in the U.S. national archives, both
the House and the Senate have adopted resolutions on these mass killings as
early as 1916, and signed by Pres. Woodrow Wilson. In more recent years,
Armenian Genocide resolutions have been adopted by the full House in 1975
and 1984. In addition, two amendments concerning the Armenian Genocide were
adopted by the House in 1996 and 2004. Furthermore, Pres. Ronald Reagan
issued a Presidential Proclamation on April 22, 1981, acknowledging the
Armenian Genocide.
Despite all of these acknowledgments, Armenian Americans try to pass such
resolutions in order to counter the continued denial of the Armenian
Genocide by the Turkish government and its U.S. cronies. The attempt to
counter the denialists have regrettably made these commemorative
resolutions a test of political will between the unholy alliance of
revisionist forces and the Armenian American community.
Since 1999, the Turkish government has engaged the services of The
Livingston Group to block these congressional resolutions. The lobbying
firm is led by the highly influential former Cong. Bob Livingston. However,
judging from the results of the votes in the Committee in favor of both
resolutions (40 to 7; and 35 to 11), it appears that the Turkish government
has basically wasted the more than $10 million it paid the Livingston Group
in the past 5 years (figures based on a recent study conducted by Public
Citizen). Prominent Turkish journalist Sami Kohen agreed with this negative
assessment when he stated in his Sept. 16 column published in Milliyet: “We
can’t say that the professional lobbyists working for Turkey are very
successful.” Thus, it would not be surprising should the Turkish government
terminate the services of the Livingston Group in the coming months,
particularly since Mr. Livingston has been quite pre-occupied with the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that devastated his home state of Louisiana.
Sami Kohen also attributed the passage of both resolutions to “Turkey’s
incompetence in promotion – in conveying its ideas and influencing pubic
opinion.” Since Amb. Faruk Logoglu is responsible for carrying out the
initiatives of his government in Washington, his abject failure to block
these resolutions in Committee may cost him his job. Except for the one
letter (most probably written by the lobbying firm) that Amb. Logoglu
circulated to the members of the House panel, he was surprisingly inactive
and ineffective.
Also ineffective were the efforts of the American Turkish Council (ATC) and
the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) in countering these
two resolutions. ATC Chairman Brent Scowcroft sent a letter to Speaker
Dennis Hastert on Sept. 9, warning him of dire consequences for American
firms doing business with Turkey, should the resolutions be even discussed
in the House. In response, the Armenian National Committee issued a press
release accusing Scowcroft, a former National Security Advisor to Pres.
George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, of “compromising his integrity in pursuit
of personal business interests.”
The ATAA, in its turn, issued an Action Alert to its members on Sept. 8,
urging them to contact the members of the House panel and sent a letter to
Cong. Henry Hyde, the Chairman of the House International Relations
Committee on Sept. 14. The ATAA warned its members that “inaction on the
part of the Turkish American community will compromise U.S.-Turkish
relations, encourage more acts of harassment, violence and terrorism
against people of Turkish and Turkic descent, and could potentially lead to
territorial and compensation claims against the Republic of Turkey.”
The ATC and ATAA are the two groups whose officials, according to an
article in this month’s Vanity Fair magazine, had allegedly discussed
making illegal campaign contributions to Speaker Dennis Hastert, in order
to block the passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution in fall 2000. The
magazine said it had based its report on FBI wiretaps.
The Turks also failed to enlist the services of various American-Jewish
groups to their cause. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was in the
U.S. on the eve of the House Committee vote, personally asked the leaders
of the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League to lobby
against the Armenian Genocide resolution. According to the Turkish press,
these Jewish groups pledged their support to the Prime Minister. However,
judging from their inaction on this issue, it appears that they did nothing
more than paying lip service to the Turkish leader.
Another loser in this latest political tug-of-war was the U.S. State
Department. In a letter addressed to Chairman Hyde on Sept. 15, Matthew A.
Reynolds, the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs,
reiterated “the Administration’s strong opposition” to these resolutions.
Beyond writing this letter, the Bush Administration did not do anything
substantial to pressure the Republican Chairman of the Committee into
blocking the two resolutions. After the vote, when Adam Ereli, the Deputy
Spokesman of the State Dept. was asked if the Administration would try to
prevent these resolutions from reaching the House floor, he would only
reiterate that the Administration did not support the adoption of these
resolutions in the House Committee. The Turkish press speculated that the
U.S. government’s lackluster effort to counter these resolutions was due to
the American anger at the Turkish Parliament’s refusal to allow U.S. troops
to enter Iraq from Turkey prior to the Iraqi war.
While the Bush Administration may have couched its displeasure at Turkey,
Cong. Tom Lantos (D-CA), a staunch supporter of Turkey and a rabid opponent
of previous Armenian Genocide resolutions, stunned everyone when he
brazenly announced during the Committee meeting that he was going to vote
for both resolutions in order to teach the Turks a lesson for not
supporting the U.S. on the eve of the Iraqi war. Only 3 of the 50 members
of the House International Relations Committee spoke against these
resolutions. More than 20 others spoke in favor. It was, therefore, not
surprising that the Committee overwhelmingly approved both resolutions.
The Committee’s Republican Chairman, Henry Hyde, was unwavering in his
support for these resolutions. He dismissed out of hand Turkish warnings
that their adoption would damage U.S.-Turkish relations. He said that the
resolutions “merely recognize the fact that the authorities of the Ottoman
Empire deliberately slaughtered the majority of the Armenian community in
their empire. Denial of that fact cannot be justified on the basis of
expediency or fear that speaking the truth will do us harm.”
Given the overwhelming support in Committee in favor of these resolutions
and the lackluster efforts of their opponents, it is almost certain that
the entire House would easily vote to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.
Speaker Hastert should promptly bring one of these resolutions for a vote
on the House floor. The duly elected representatives of the American people
should not be deprived of the opportunity to express their position on this
important issue. The Speaker would be also honoring his pledge of five
years ago that he would allow a full floor vote on the Armenian Genocide
resolution.
By allowing such a vote, Speaker Hastert would also clear his name from
boastful allegations made by some Turkish officials that they have bought
his opposition to the Armenian Genocide resolution by making illegal
contributions to his campaign.
**************************************************************************
2 – Apo Torosyan to Show Documentary
At Arpa Film Festival in Hollywood
LOS ANGELES – Apo Torosyan will show his poetic documentary, “Discovering
My Father’s Village – Edincik”, 2003, at the Arpa International Film
Festival, at ArcLight Cinemas, Hollywood, Oct. 3-7. The Arpa awards
ceremonies will take place at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on
Oct. 7.
“Discovering My Father’s Village – Edincik” is a “poetic documentary”
about the artist’s roots in Turkey and the relationship between Turkey and
Armenians throughout history and today. For this movie, Apo traveled to
his father’s village to interview villagers, who directly or indirectly
talk about the Armenian genocide of 1915 and 1922, and to record
dilapidated Armenian homes. Since the film was released in 2003 and Apo
began lecturing about the subject of the Armenian Genocide in public, he
now cannot return to his homeland of Turkey.
Torosian was honored to participate as a workshop presenter at the
International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) Biennial Conference
at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL on June 4-7. The theme of
this year’s Conference was “Ninety Years After the Armenian Genocide and
60 Years After the Holocaust: the Continuing Threat and Legacy of
Genocide.” The artist’s co-presenters were artists Robert Barsamian, from
Dallas, Texas; Perouz Seferian from London, Ontario, Canada and Dionne
Haroutunian, Director of Sevshoon Gallery, Seattle, WA. Their session was
moderated by Dr. Stephen Feinstein, Director of the University of Minnesota
Center for Genocide and Holocaust Studies. Apo’s film “Witnesses” was
shown to the larger group at one of the general sessions, presented by Dr.
Frank Chalk from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.
Upcoming Events include an exhibition, lecture and movie presentation at
the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church in Burbank, Calif., in January
of 2006. The Ararat Museum will also sponsor a presentation and an exhibit
in Los Angeles, in January.
For Arpa Film Festival information, refer to or call
Elizabeth Tohikian at 818-259-0791 or e-mail [email protected].
**************************************************************************
3 – Crescenta Valley Talin ARS Chapter
Responds to Hurricane Katrina
MONTROSE, Calif. – In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane
Katrina, the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) “Talin” Chapter is committed in
supporting American Red Cross Relief efforts by making it easy for the
community members to participate in donation collections for humanitarian
relief efforts of Hurricane Katrina.
Through “Donate Now! For Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts” program,
Crescenta Valley community members can visit the Crescenta Valley Armenian
Community Center and make their donations in support of those affected by
the hurricane.
“ARS has always strived to deliver and respond to those in need” said Emma
Garabetian, chair of ARS CV “Talin” chapter. “One of many ARS roles as
charity organizations is to turn kindness and generosity of people into
action by working and assisting local American Red Cross organizations
during unprecedented natural catastrophe such as Hurricane Katrina,
Northridge Earthquake, Tsunami disaster or by assisting local Red Cross
efforts to provide humanitarian aid and lifesaving programs and services.
”
Tax-deductible donations to ARS-Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts can be
accepted at Crescenta Valley Armenian Community Center located at 2633
Honolulu Ave. Monday through Friday between 5 -9 pm till Oct. 25. Contact
the Crescenta Valley Armenian Center by calling 818-248-1100 for further
information.
“The collected contributions will be donated to American Red Cross,” adds
Garabetian. “I encourage everyone in our community to open their hearts,
come with love and help someone in need. Your donation will bring a smile
to a child’s face, hope to a mother and shelter to a survivor. Let’s show
the survivors that we care about them and they are not alone.”
***************************************************************************
4 – Project C.U.R.E. Donates $400,000 to
Stepanakert’s Pagoumian Polyclinic
Y – Armenia Fund USA announced last week the generous donation of medical
supplies and equipment valued at more than $400,000 and designated for the
Armine Pagoumian Polyclinic and Diagnostic Center in Stepanakert,
Nagorno-Karabagh.
The humanitarian aid provided by Project C.U.R.E. includes goods ranging
from basic healthcare supplies such as ventilator tubing and respiratory
system supplies to medical laboratory equipment – lights, microscopes and
refrigerators. This will be of major assistance to the newly-constructed
Polyclinic which, located in the region’s capital, is the first and only
full care outpatient medical center in the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh. As
a humanitarian project of this scale, it is expected to improve the lives
of thousands.
Established in 1987, Project C.U.R.E., based in Centennial, Colorado, is
devoted to distributing medical surplus to countries where it is most
needed. The organization is currently shipping to more than 100 different
countries including North Korea, Cuba, China, Russia, Vietnam, countries in
Africa, South America and Central Asia.
Armenia Fund USA is honored to add Project C.U.R.E. to its family of
donors, knowing that such partnerships spread a powerful message – sharing
a common vision of integrity and accountability, and making it possible to
reach those in need.
The Armine Pagoumian Polyclinic and Diagnostic Center was funded by a U.S.
businessman in memory of his aunt. The Polyclinic, one of the Fund’s major
initiatives, has created a strong, long-term quality health care center in
the conflict-torn region. Through comprehensive training and prudent
administration, the Center – opening in the fall of 2005 – has already
secured its future and ensures the long-term viability of the program, the
effectiveness and efficiency of the services provided and safety of its
clientele and patients. The implementation of such a large-scale project
has brought together such major health care providers and health
authorities as UCLA’s Center for International Emergency Medicine,
Yerevan’s Academy of Medicine, the American University of Armenia’s Center
for Health Services Research and Development, and John Hopkins University’s
Center for International Emergency Disaster and Refugee Studies and
MediTech Company.
The list also includes a recent joint initiative with Medical Missions for
Children (MMC) – an international non-governmental organization dedicated
to providing quality healthcare to critically-ill children throughout the
world. The result of the new partnership is the program that establishes a
high-quality videoconference link between the Karabagh Telecom in
Stepanakert and MMC’s headquarters in Patterson, NJ. The successful
completion of this project will provide virtual real-time delivery of
healthcare through global communications.
To learn more about Armenia Fund USA, go to the website at

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5 – California-Armenia Trade Office
Passes State Assembly and Senate
SACRAMENTO, CA – The International Trade and Investment Office: Yerevan
bill (SB 897), introduced by California State Senator Jack Scott
(D-Pasadena) in February of this year, recently passed in both the
California State Assembly and Senate, announced the Armenian National
Committee of America-Western Region (ANCA-WR). The bill passed the chambers
of the legislature with overwhelming bi-partisan support, having gained a
vote of 77-1 in the Assembly and 32-1 in the Senate. The bill was enrolled
and sent to the desk of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on September 8th for
his signature.
“Once again through the leadership of Senator Scott and his tireless staff,
Californians and Armenians alike can move forward towards establishing
closer business and trade relations with one another which will benefit
both peoples equally,” said Steve Dadaian, Chairman of the ANCA-WR. “We
look forward to Governor Schwarzenegger’s approval of this commonsense
measure aimed to allow the State of California to properly operate its
trade office in Armenia.”
For over five years, the ANCA-WR has worked to improve trade relations
between California and Armenia. SB 897 aims to extend the sunset date for
the creation and operation of the California International Trade and
Investment Office in Yerevan, Armenia which was established by state statue
in 2002. The current sunset date for the trade office is set for January 1,
2006. However, the bill would extend this deadline to 2008. SB 897 was
introduced by Sen. Scott, with principal coauthors Senators Chuck
Poochigian (R-Fresno) and Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo), Assemblymembers Juan
Arambula (D-Fresno) and Dario Frommer (D-Glendale), as well as coauthors
Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), and Assemblymembers Greg Aghazarian
(R-Stockton) and Carol Liu (D-Pasadena).
Last month, ANCA-WR Government Relations Director Armen Carapetian
delivered testimony in the Capitol to secure passage of SB 897 in key
committees and met with Assemblymembers and staff to galvanize support for
the measure.
***************************************************************************
6 – 1600th Anniversary of Armenian Alphabet
To be Celebrated Oct. 2 at Alex Theatre
LOS ANGELES – In 405 A.D., Mesrop Mashtots, a cleric of the Armenian royal
court, invented the letters of the Armenian alphabet, allowing for the
creation of a vast literary tradition. In celebration of the 1600th
anniversary of the alphabet, the Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural
Society is organizing a free public cultural event at the Alex Theatre in
Glendale on Oct. 2.
S. Peter Cowe, Professor of Armenian Language and Culture at UCLA, will be
featured as one of the keynote speakers along with Dr. Stephan Astourian,
Director of Armenian Studies at UC Berkeley. Horizon TV anchor and host
of the weekly program Focal Point, Manoug Seraydarian, is teaming up with
TV producer and director, Ani Hovannisian-Kevorkian, to be the evening’s
co-Masters of Ceremony.
The event will feature musical performances by the Lark chorus and the
eclectic Mediterranean sounds of the 7-person Armenian folk group, Element.
Hamazkayin’s Ani Dance Ensemble will perform traditional Armenian folk
dancing and the evening will include an original theatrical performance,
written and directed by Elly Award winning director Aram Kouyoumdjian, with
original music composed by Sebu Simonian. There will also be poetry
recitations by students from various Armenian schools throughout
California.
For more information on the event, visit or write to
[email protected].
**************************************************************************
7 – Despite Opposition from State Dept. and Turkey
House International Relations Panel
Adopts Armenian Genocide Legislation
WASHINGTON, DC – The House International Relations Committee on Sept. 15
approved two measures calling for proper U.S. recognition of the Armenian
Genocide and urging Turkey to end its decades long denial of this crime
against humanity, reported the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA). The votes clear yet another hurdle toward full House recognition
of the Armenian Genocide.
“We are very gratified by the House International Relations Committee’s
broad bipartisan support for today’s action towards
U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” stated ANCA Chairman Ken
Hachikian. “The Armenian American community deeply appreciates the
leadership of Representatives George Radanovich (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA),
Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and the support of all our
friends on the panel. As we work to build on the Committee’s favorable
action, we look to Speaker Hastert to honor his pledge and to schedule a
full floor vote on Armenian Genocide legislation at the earliest
opportunity.”
“This is an important, resounding vote acknowledging the historical truth
and squarely combating Turkey’s denial of the Armenian genocide,” Bryan
Ardouny, the executive director of the Armenian Assembly of America, told
RFE/RL. “We hope that it will encourage Turkey to come to terms with its
past.”
Rep. Schiff, a lead cosponsor of H.Res.316 and author of H.Con.Res.195
opened the Committee’s discourse on both resolutions. Commenting on
Turkey’s ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide, he stated, “Ankara’s
behavior is as inexplicable as it is shameful. Turkey bears responsibility
for its decades of denial and for compounding the suffering of the Armenian
people by attempting to blame the victims for the crime.” Rep. Schiff also
recognized three Armenian Genocide survivors — Mrs. Rose Baboyan,
Yeretzgeen Sirarpi Khoyan and Mrs. Lusazine Tatarian — whose presence at
the hearing was arranged by the ANC Washington DC chapter.
“This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,” stated
Rep. Schiff. “We are working to ensure our country
recognizes this terrible tragedy while some of the victims are still alive,
including the three brave survivors here today.”
In his concluding remarks, Chairman Hyde responded to arguments that
passage of the Genocide resolutions could potentially harm U.S. – Turkey
relations. While noting that, “I very much believe the [U.S.-Turkey]
relationship is of great importance to us,” Rep. Hyde stated, “I don’t
believe that these resolutions will harm that relationship. They merely
recognize the fact that the authorities of the Ottoman Empire deliberately
slaughtered the majority of the Armenian community in that Empire.” Rep.
Hyde went on to note that “denial of that fact cannot be justified on the
basis of expediency or fear that speaking the truth will do us harm.”
In all, 24 members of the International Relations Committee spoke on the
measures, with 21 voicing support for Congressional recognition of the
Armenian Genocide and three speaking against. The speakers represented a
broad bi-partisan spectrum of the Committee, with 15 Democrats and 9
Republicans voicing their positions on the issue. Both H.Res.316 and
H.Con.Res.195 were adopted by overwhelming margins of 40 to 7 and 35 to 11,
respectively. The total vote tallies is provided on the ANCA website —
Following passage of the measures, Reps. Radanovich, Schiff, Pallone and
Knollenberg hailed the Committee’s overwhelming approval of the
legislation. Rep. Radanovich noted, “The U.S. National Archives is replete
with thousands of pages documenting the premeditated extermination of the
Armenian people. As the Armenian Genocide was being committed, the United
States launched an unprecedented diplomatic, political, and humanitarian
struggle to end the carnage and protect the survivors.” He continued,
noting that “I appreciate the bipartisan support for this resolution
[H.Res.316], which properly acknowledges the Armenian Genocide, reaffirms
the proud and groundbreaking chapter in U.S. history to halt the Genocide,
and renews our commitment to preventing other occurrences of man’s
inhumanity to man.”
“This is
a Turkish Ottoman crime of brutality and death called genocide not o – nly
to Armenians but to all of humanity. Proper acknowledgment by our
government is long overdue. All eyes are on House Speaker Hastert to honor
his pledge and to schedule a full floor vote o – n Armenian Genocide
legislation,” stated Hygo Ohannessian Chairwoman of the Armenian National
Committee, Central California, congratulating Rep. Radanovich for his
initiative and vote.
Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone stated “Today the House
International Relations Committee moved this Congress one step closer to
finally recognizing the atrocious acts inflicted by the Ottoman Turks on
the Armenian people. It is now up to Speaker Hastert to realize the
importance of this legislation, and finally allow a floor vote. I continue
to believe that if the entire House has an opportunity to vote on
recognizing the Armenian Genocide, the truth will win out and American
recognition will finally occur.”
Rep. Knollenberg echoed these remarks, noting that, “this legislation will
show the world that America is not going to forget
this horrible crime. The victims of the Genocide and their families
deserve to have the crime recognized for the atrocity that
it was. The committee’s action today – and hopefully the approval of the
full House soon – will help make sure that this terrible
offense is never forgotten.”
H.Res.316 calls upon the President to ensure U.S. foreign policy reflects
appropriate understanding of the Armenian Genocide. The resolution includes
30 detailed findings from past U.S. hearings, resolutions and Presidential
statements, as well as references to statements by international bodies and
organizations. As of today, a bipartisan group of over 140 Representatives
have already pledged their support for the measure.
H.Con.Res.195, cosponsored by over 80 Representatives, was offered
following direct negotiations with House International Relations Committee
Chairman Henry Hyde (R-IL). The Chairman agreed to Committee-level
consideration of Armenian Genocide legislation in return for Rep. Schiff
tabling a planned June 8th Armenian Genocide amendment to the House Foreign
Relations Authorization bill.
Turkish Ambassador Faruk Logoglu and his lobbyists – including the
Livingston Group – actively made the rounds to members of the International
Relations Committee, seeking to block any action on U.S. reaffirmation of
the Armenian Genocide. As part of this effort, the Livingston Group
distributed a four-page genocide- denial document to Congressional offices.
During the mark up, former Reps. Livingston and Stephen Solarz and their
team of lobbyists, were actively seeking to defeat these measures.
Earlier last week, American Turkish Council Chairman, former National
Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft warned Speaker Dennis Hastert that even
the discussion of the Armenian Genocide on the floor of the U.S. House
would be “counter-productive to the interests of the United States.” In
his September 12 letter, Scowcroft, speaking on behalf of the corporate
members of the ATC, accused Congressional supporters of Armenian Genocide
legislation (H.Res.316 and H.Con.Res.195) of trying to “pull Turkey away
from the West.” He stressed that: “The careless use of genocide language
provides an excuse to do so, delivering a direct blow to American interests
in the region.”
The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) also urged Committee
members to oppose the measures. In an unusual development, the ATAA urged
their supporters to actually use the ANCA website and its powerful WebFax
capabilities to attempt the defeat of the measures. The ANCA blocked all
efforts along these lines.
Both the ATC and ATAA have come under scrutiny in recent weeks as the
result of a 10-page story in Vanity Fair detailing FBI
whistleblower Sibel Edmond’s reports that it’s officials were involved in
illegal efforts to defeat Armenian Genocide legislation
in the fall of 2000. According to the article by contributing editor David
Rose, Edmonds claimed FBI wiretaps – including those
of the Turkish Embassy and Turkish groups such as the American Turkish
Council (ATC) and the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) –
reveal that the Turkish government and its allies boasted of bribing
members of Congress as part of an alleged deal to stop consideration of the
Armenian Genocide Resolution.
“We have never termed the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
a genocide. That is why we do not support this resolution,” a senior Bush
administration official, who asked not to be identified, told RFE/RL from
Washington.
“We believe that the use of the term genocide would not contribute to
reconciliation and dialogue between the two communities,” the official
said, speaking shortly before the House committee vote. He would not
speculate on whether Bush will follow Clinton’s example and ask Hastert to
effectively kill the resolution.
The Bush administration official noted that despite its reluctance to call
the mass killings a genocide Washington supports “serious examination of
the history of that period.” He pointed in particular to a “good” study
conducted by a New York-based human rights organization at the request of
the U.S.-backed Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission (TARC). The
International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) concluded in January
2003 that the Armenian massacres fit the definition of genocide set by the
1948 UN convention. Armenian members of the former TARC say the study dealt
a serious blow to Turkish denial of the genocide.
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8 – Victims’ Telethon Collects $92,000
By Alex Dobuzinskis
Los Angeles Daily News
GLENDALE – A telethon on an Armenian-American cable channel netted more
than $92,000 for Hurricane Katrina relief, with the money going to the
Glendale-Crescenta Valley chapter of the American Red Cross.
Armenian-Americans packed the alley behind the studio of the ArmenianMedia
Group of America’s studio at 1520 Glenoaks Blvd., bearing checks and money
orders to help victims of the hurricane. Most donations were between $50
and $100, and $3,000 was the biggest single check.
“This was from the people,” said broadcaster Chahe Keuroghelian, 48, who
led the telethon effort. “That is (more) important, in my opinion, than
necessarily the amount itself.
“It (being) collected from the regular citizens with limited income, that
needs to be appreciated.”
Wednesday, Keuroghelian presented more than $92,000 in donations to the
Glendale-Crescenta Valley chapter of the American Red Cross. Including the
money from the telethon, the Red Cross chapter has collected $210,000 for
hurricane relief.
Many donors remembered American generosity after Armenia was rocked by a
disastrous earthquake in 1988. The quake killed 25,000 people and left
500,000 homeless, according to U.S. government Web sites.
“We were overwhelmed with the generosity that the people have shown,” said
Ron Farina, executive director of the Glendale-Crescenta Valley chapter of
the American Red Cross. “They, I believe, understand how disasters can
devastate a community because they were so badly hit back in the Armenian
community in ’88. So they can relate to this.”
The telethon started Monday evening and went until 2 a.m. Tuesday on
Channel 26 in Glendale. Broadcasters on the channel continued issuing pleas
for donations on the days after the initial telethon.
Keuroghelian, who has a show on Channel 26 but also works as an immigration
attorney, said he expects additional donations that will bring the total to
at least $100,000.
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zaman.com
Turkey Bails out Georgia for Kars-Tbilisi Railway
By Economy News Desk
Published: Monday, September 19, 2005
Turkey will solve the financial problem of the Kars-Tbilisi railway with
action Turkish Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim took for a project,
which has been waiting for the last 13 years to be accomplished and has
failed due to financial and political reasons.
On Monday, Georgia and Azerbaijan transportation ministers met in Istanbul
in line with the efforts.
Georgian financial problems that have caused interruptions to the $252.7
million project will be discussed during the meeting.
Georgia faces difficulties finding appropriate resources as its credibility
is low in the eyes of international finance foundations. For this reason,
Georgia will be offered the opportunity to take the credit for the project
via Turkey.
Turkey’s economic performance shown in recent years has increased its
credibility with international finance foundations.
Azerbaijan will also provide Georgia with financial support.
After the credit is received, a repayment plan protocol will be signed among
the countries.
The railway line will connect Asia and Europe, and will provide huge
advantages in the frame of cost of transportation. In this way, it will be
possible to reach the oil and natural gas reserves in the Caucasus region by
railroad through Turkey.
The Silk Way Project will be realized with railroads again. A train
departing from London will be able to travel to China non-stop. Turkey will
spend $200 million and Georgia will spend $52.7 million to realize the
project.