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ARMENIA TREE PROJECT
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472 USA
Tel: (617) 926-TREE
Email: [email protected]
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2010

Knights and Daughters of Vartan Partner with Armenia Tree Project to Honor
Vartan Mamigonian’s Dream

By Paul Yeghiayan

In 450 AD, one year before the famous Battle of Vartanantz, General Vartan
Mamigonian led his troops to the region of Kazakh to defend Christian
Armenia against the Zoroastrian Persians. After defeating the Persians,
Mamigonian led his troops back home and along the way stopped in an area
today known as Aknaghbyur, Armenia. Exhausted, hungry, thirsty and tending
to their wounded, they amassed by a spring, later known as Vartan’s Spring.

At this moment, Vartan Mamigonian performed a notable act. He planted an
acorn to celebrate the recent victory. This deed represented his unwavering
commitment to a free and prosperous Armenia. It symbolized the hope that
lies within all Armenians who believe in the future of our homeland. Vartan
Mamigonian, who was politically savvy, knew that the odds for Armenia were
grim, and as a soldier, he must have also known that he would not live long
enough to see that acorn turn into an oak tree.

That acorn did turn into a mighty oak and survived for more than 1,500 years
before it was struck down by lightning in 1960. Vartan Mamigonian’s Oak Tree
is a legend in Armenia and people travel from all over the world to pay
respects to what is now an outdoor shrine. For generations, Armenians would
travel to what is now the village of Aknaghbyur and drink from Vartan’s
Spring and pray next to Vartan’s Tree. They did so for strength in battle,
to heal the sick, to pay homage to Vartan Mamigonian and to hope for a
better Armenia.

Today, the remnants of Vartan’s Tree remain for all to see. A khachkar and a
small church border his tree. Marshal Hovannes Baghramian visited the site
in 1976 and planted three new oaks. They now reach for the sky in the same
way that Vartan’s Oak did.

Today the border village of Aknaghbyur is struggling to survive. Under the
constant threat of violence coming from the Azerbaijani border, the
villagers eke out a living through subsistence farming. Others have left the
village, seeking opportunities elsewhere. The Mayor of Aknaghbyur, Karen
Dolmazian, approached ATP more than a year ago requesting fruit trees be
donated to the village, since most of the productive trees have died or are
too old to produce fruit.

According to Anahit Gharibyan, ATP’s Community Tree Planting program
manager, "We wanted to help, but the village did not have irrigation, so we
were worried that the trees would die." Last summer, Armenia Fund installed
both gas and irrigation lines in the village, so the opportunity was ripe
for ATP to get involved.

"When we learned about the story of Vartan Mamigonian’s tree, I couldn’t
help but see the connection between his act of hope and ATP’s reason for
coming into existence 15 years ago, which was also an act of hope," said
Carolyn Mugar, ATP’s founder.

Jeff Masarjian, ATP’s executive director, said "The only thing stopping us
now is funding for the project, so we thought to approach the Knights and
Daughters of Vartan for assistance." After several meetings with the senior
leadership of the Knights, it was decided that ATP would start a campaign to
raise money to provide 1,800 fruit trees for the village.

"With around 180 families in Aknaghbyur, our goal is to provide 10 fruit
trees for each family and to provide them with training and ongoing support
to ensure that these trees have a high survival rate and are productive so
the families have food," said Masarjian. "The trees that we will provide
have been grown in our state-of-the-art nurseries for four to six years.
They are the highest quality fruit trees available in the Caucasus, so we
are confident that they will be of benefit to the villagers in Aknaghbyur."

Haig Deranian, Avak Sbarabed of the Knight of Vartan, states "This was an
easy decision for us. The connection with Vartan Mamigonian is strong and
this project allows the Knights and the Daughters to directly improve the
lives of villagers in Aknaghbyur, Armenia." Deranian states, "We understand
the connection between food security and national security, so this is a
very important project for the Knights and Daughters. We have every
confidence in ATP, who has proven itself time and again. If this project
goes as well as we hope, the possibility for future collaborative projects
remains a strong possibility."

States Masarjian, "Many of our supporters are also members of the Knights
and Daughters of Vartan. Their commitment to improving the lives of
Armenians is unquestionable and we are proud to work with them to assist the
village of Aknaghbyur." The project, entitled "Honoring the Past, Investing
in the Future" will take place over 2010-2011.

Since 1994, Armenia Tree Project has planted and restored more than
3,500,000 trees at over 800 sites around the country and created hundreds of
jobs for impoverished Armenians in tree-regeneration programs. The
organization’s three tiered initiatives are tree planting, community
development, and environmental education. For additional information and to
support ATP’s mission, visit the web site

PHOTO CAPTIONS

This rare photograph from 1959 shows Armenians in the border village of
Aknaghbyur with an Oak Tree planted by General Vartan Mamigonian more than
1,500 years ago

A khachkar and a small church surround the site of Vartan Mamigonian’s Oak
Tree in Aknaghbyur, where ATP and the Knights of Vartan plan to provide 180
families with fruit trees

News-Leader.com
May 9 2010

MSU presidential candidate lands endorsement of ex-MSU head

Ex-MSU president John Keiser lauds Boise State provost Andrews as
intuitive leader.
Didi Tang ¢ News-Leader ¢ May 9, 2010

On Monday, Missouri State University will see its first woman finalist
for president.

Sona Karentz Andrews, 56, provost and vice president for academic
affairs and professor of geosciences at Boise State University, has
been named the third of four finalists to succeed President Mike
Nietzel.

She will appear at an open forum at 3:30 p.m. Monday at Plaster
Student Union Theater.

Should she be appointed, Andrews would be the first woman to lead the
105-year-old institution.

On Saturday, she played down the difference.

"I hope I will be viewed based on my talent and my skills, not the
gender," she said.

Andrews, Boise State’s first female provost, last year competed for
the presidency at University of Rhode Island, her home state, where
she "could be near my parents," she said.

The opportunity to become president at MSU came to her when she was
contacted by a search firm, Andrews said.
And she is interested, partly because of John Keiser, the former
university president who came to Springfield from Boise State and now
is retired in the mountains of Idaho.

"I am disposed to think well of Missouri State," Andrews said, noting
Missouri State and Boise State share many similarities.
Boise State has an enrollment of 19,000, compared to 20,000 at MSU.

"It’s a university that’s really on the move," she said of Missouri State.

And she has a favorable reference from Keiser, who told the
News-Leader Saturday that Andrews is well-liked and well-respected at
Boise State.

Andrews has the skills to lead MSU and take it to the next level in a
time of financial difficulties, Keiser said.

"She understands how to make it grow and make it better," he said.
"She understands the present budget problems and etc."
Pauline Nugent, a Missouri State professor on the presidential search
committee, described Andrews as "very competent, very capable and very
experienced on the national level."

Nugent said the committee is pleased to have a female candidate who
has made it to the final round.

Born in an Armenian family in Providence, R.I., Andrews grew up
speaking Armenian and spent her first college year in an Armenian
school in Beirut, Lebanon.

She returned to the U.S., where she completed her undergraduate
studies in geography and eventually earned a doctoral degree in the
field.

Andrews began her academic career in 1981 as an assistant professor of
geography at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, but would spend
about 16 years at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

In 1995, she became an assistant vice chancellor at UW-Milwaukee.

Andrews said she did not plan to become an administrator but was
encouraged when she worked on a campuswide committee.
"People saw some attributes in me to be in the leadership," she said.
"I can get things done. I work well with people."

At Boise State, Andrews said she supported faculty efforts to
establish a policy that allows faculty members starting families or
those with disabilities or chronic illness to seek extra time to earn
tenure.

She said she believes in shared governance but such a culture must be
cultivated intentionally.

The administration must involve faculty, staff and students at the
very early stage of decision-making, keep them engaged throughout the
process and encourage different opinions, Andrew said.

"Everything is transparent and open," she said.

Andrews said she supports domestic-partner benefits because "it is a
very important piece for recruiting for faculty and staff."
In 2007-2008, Boise State was recognized nationally for faculty career
flexibility as one of six national recipients for Alfred P. Sloan
Awards.

At Boise State, Andrews initiated a "Finish in Four" program that
helps students graduate in four years. Students meet with advisers to
map out a four-year graduation plan, and Boise State guarantees course
availability.

Athletic programs, Andrews said, have tangible benefits that help the
university connect with its alumni, but it is important to make sure
student athletes get the education they need, she said.

Andrews said she believes in diversity but a university needs to
create an inclusive environment.

"You can have diversity — we have X percent of minorities and X
percent of women, but they are not included," Andrews said. "It’s more
important to have that inclusion to foster diversity.

"Let’s not look at the number but the environment," she said.

/NEWS04/5090366/1007/NEWS01/MSU-presidential-candi date-lands-endorsement-of-ex-MSU-head

news.am, Armenia
May 8 2010

Azerbaijan’s habits will backfire, Armenian MP says

15:12 / 05/08/2010Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s refusal to
participate in an informal CIS summit in Moscow, as well as Azeri FM
Elmar Mammadyarov’s unwillingness to meet the OSCE MG Co-Chairs in
Brussels, is nothing but one more attempt of blackmail on the part of
Baku, Stepan Safaryan, Chairman of the Heritage parliamentary faction
told NEWS.am.

He stressed that official Baku used to resort to blackmail before,
making use of the Armenian-Turkish process. After failing, however,
they tried to change its approach. `Alive’s step is an overt move
against Russia, and Moscow must draw necessary conclusions ` come to
realize what kind of country is trying to raise its head and prevent
it,’ Safaryan said. He pointed out that Azerbaijan’s manner of talking
by means of threats and blackmail will backfire on it, and the
international community will change its attitude to Baku for the
worse.

NEWS.am reminds readers that the Azerbaijani President refused to
participate in the informal CIS summit in Mosow, the reasons being RA
President Serzh Sargsyan’s participation. `The main reason is that the
persons that participated in the occupation in Shushi are the Armenian
leaders,’ Ali Ahmedov, Vice-Chairman of the Yeni Azerbaijan (New
Azerbaijan) party, told the Trend news agency.

As regards AzeriFM Elmar Mammadyarov, he refused to meet the OSCE
Minsk Group Co-Chairs in Brussels on May 11-12, pleading a heavy
schedule.

T.P.

Tigran Sargsyan: new stage starts in Armenian-Czech relations

May 8, 2010 – 15:41 AMT 10:41 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

A new stage starts in the Armenian-Czech relations, RA Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan said during a meeting with his Czech counterpart Jan
Fischer in Prague.

The two men discussed further development of bilateral relations,
economic cooperation, including energy, chemical production,
education, tourism and culture, the press service of the RA government
reported.

`The Czech Prime Minister is going to visit Armenia, and during our
meeting we dwelled on the program on the Armenian-Czech relations, as
well as economic and political tasks that are of keen interest for
us,’ PM Sargsyan said.

According to him, agreements will be signed during the Czech Prime
Minister’s visit to Yerevan. Besides, the parties will discuss
legislation on investments protection and ways to avoid dual taxation.
`In my opinion, we will be able to define those fields, which are of
economic interest for the private sector,’ the Prime Minister said.

CIS informal summit opens near Moscow

19:1108/05/2010

GORKI (Moscow Region), May 8 (RIA Novosti) — An informal Commonwealth
of Independent States (CIS) summit opened on Saturday at the Russian
president’s Gorki residence just outside Moscow.
The summit follows an informal summit of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO), a post-Soviet security bloc.

A Kremlin source said the summit did not have a fixed agenda and that
the CIS leaders would use it to exchange opinions on the status and
prospects for cooperation within the CIS.

The summit is attended by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko,
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Turkmen President Gurbanguly
Berdymukhamedov, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Moldova’s
acting president Mihai Ghimpu, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, Uzbek
Prime Minister Shavkat Mirzieyev and CIS Executive Committee Chairman
Sergei Lebedev.

The CIS presidents are expected to deliver an address to World War II
veterans and workers of the home front.

The former Soviet states of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and
Ukraine are members of the CIS. Georgia pulled out of the organization
in 2009.

STUDENTS MARCH TO PROTEST CUTS TO MILITARY DEFERMENTS
Arman Gharibyan

201 0/05/06 | 12:05

society

At around noon today, students protesting military deferment cuts to
various post-graduate faculties started to march from the campus of
Yerevan State University to the Government Building.

Student organizers have told Hetq that the police have warned them that
they would be forced to use force to break up the march if protestors
started to use their bullhorns excessively. The campus is full of
top police brass in a show of force.

ARMENIA-TURKEY RAPPROCHEMENT COULD BECOME A KEY TO THE KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT
Ashot Safaryan

ArmInfo
2010-05-06 16:12:00

Interview of member of the Political Council of the opposition Republic
party Suren Surenyants with ArmInfo News Agency

Mr. Surenyants, what are the possible consequences of the Protocol
ratification process suspension by the Armenian Parliament?

I view the freezing of the Protocol ratification process negatively.

First, irrespective of Ankara’s destructive stance, Yerevan was the
first to suspend the ratification process, that finally brought the
rapprochement process to a deadlock, since Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan did not say a word in his April 22 message on possibility
of achieving new agreements with Turkey. The statements by the
authorities saying suspension of the ratification process prevents
undesirable development of events in the Karabakh settlement, are
absurd. Just on the contrary, by this step Yerevan will contribute to
more rapprochement of Ankara and Baku, that will not be to Armenia’s
advantage. For substantiation, I may exemplify the statements by
Foreign Minister of Turkey Ahmed Davutoglu saying the Karabakh conflict
will be a central subject of discussion with the Turkish leadership
during the forthcoming visit of Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev
to Ankara. This circumstance creates a very dangerous situation for
Yerevan. In fact, Moscow and Ankara will negotiate bypassing Armenia.

How much grounded the statements by the Turkish foreign minister are
if to take into account the Russian party’s silence?

I think that Russia’s Foreign Ministry would respond long ago if the
statements by Davutoglu were misinformation. However, more than a
week has passed but Moscow is silent.

So, does it mean that a link between Armenian-Turkish and Karabakh
processes is obvious?

Armenia-Turkey rapprochement and Karabakh conflict settlement
processes are interrelated irrespective of the Protocols’ texts. The
two processes in one and the same region cannot but be interrelated,
especially as Armenia is one of the subjects there. Our authorities
were mistaken when disoriented the society persistently denying the
link between Armenia-Turkey rapprochement and Karabakh settlement. The
Armenian authorities had to be honest with their own people and say
that normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations will promote the
Karabakh conflict settlement. In case of establishment of a dialogue
with Yerevan, Turkey would anyway take a more or less impartial stance
on Nagorno Karabakh if it wished to become one of the leading players
in the region. Turkey miscounted wishing to normalize the relations
with Armenia through the Karabakh problem. Actually I think that
Armenia-Turkey rapprochement could become a key to the Karabakh
conflict settlement.

Is the problem in Turkey to be really impartial?

If there is no Armenia-Turkey rapprochement process as such, Ankara’s
stance will be more severe. The impartiality of Turkey in Karabakh
issue is much conditioned by the level of relations with Armenia. For
instance, I can say for sure that Ankara’s stance was harsher before
singing of the Protocols in Zurich.

If preconditions were actually available in the Protocols, as the
opposition claimed, in particular, why Turkey did not ratify them?

Being a representative of the opposition, unlike others, I have
never thought that there are pre-conditions in the Protocols, there
are points in them which threaten our national security. Of course,
any papers or talks may have shortcomings, and the Armenian-Turkish
Protocols are not an exclusion. But this does not at all mean that
they could not promote normalizing of the Armenian-Turkish relations.

It’s another matter that the authorities of both states did not find
enough will to lead the process to its logical end.

Did it happen because of absence of support by the societies of the
two countries?

Absolutely! There is a problem of legitimacy of the authorities in
Armenia, which directly affects the quality of ruling. As for Turkey,
it has the Kurdish problem, difficulties in the relations between the
power and army and there is the Azerbaijani factor there. All these
facts make the authorities vulnerable.

What objective did the Armenian authorities pursue when suspending
the Protocol ratification process?

I am sure that such a measure was taken on the Russian party’s
instruction. The decision was made during the last Sargsyan-Medvedev
meeting. I have always thought that opening of the Armenian-Turkish
border is not beneficial to Russia. The more open borders Armenia
has, the better are relations with neighbours and the more our
country is independent. Presence of the Russian military base would
be inexpedient after opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. These
are serious arguments which make Moscow not to be interested in
establishment of the Armenian-Turkish dialogue, though it does not
have enough potential to hinder this process.

What steps will Washington further take against the background of
worsening of negotiations between Yerevan and Ankara?

Settlement of conflict situations in the South Caucasus was one of
the prior tasks of the US foreign policy from the very beginning. The
USA has always been consistent in stimulating the Armenian-Turkish
rapprochement and settling the Karabakh conflict. The USA will continue
the policy towards bolstering regional cooperation. We suppose
that Washington will make a new initiative shortly to promote the
Armenian-Turkish dialogue. It will try to reanimate the process of
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement through active negotiations.

Let us go back to the Russian-Turkish relations. Will Moscow wish to
lose the dominant role in the South Caucasus admitting Turkey there?

Moscow’s positions in the South Caucasus loosened much after the
August war of 2008. Being an arbitrator, it became a party to the
conflict. For this reason, today Russia is coming closer to Turkey
to preserve its role in the region. Both parties are trying to
coordinate their stances on a number of regional issues. According
to the logic of Russia’s actions, if sole dominance in the South
Caucasus is already impossible, agreements should be reached with
other influential players.

ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE GETS UNDERWAY IN TBILISI

Panorama.am
17:37 07/05/2010

Society

Armenian-Georgian scientific conference on "Tolerance as a Precondition
for Cooperation" got underway in Tbilisi Friday. The conference has
been organized by the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
and the Armenian Embassy in Georgia.

Opening speeches were delivered by the Rector of the Ivane
Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgy Khubara, Georgian
Minister of Education and Science Dmitry Shashkin, Deputy Head of
the EU Representation in Georgia Robin Lidel, Georgian Minister for
Reintegration Temur Yakobashvili, Armenian Ambassador to Georgia Hrach
Silvanyan, Rector of the Yerevan State University Aram Simonyan and
Political Adviser to the EU Representative for the South Caucasus
Kaupo Kand.

The conference features high-ranking officials of the European Union
accredited in Georgia, diplomats, politicians, representatives of
non-governmental organizations.

On May 8 participants of the conference are scheduled to visit the
Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian
Embassy. The same day they will visit Khojivank, the Pantheon of
Armenian writers and public figures and will lay wreaths at the
memorial to commemorate the Armenian innocent victims, Armenian
MFA reported.

VIVACELL-MTS: SONGS AND MELODIES DEVOTED TO THE VICTORY AS A RING BACK TONE

Panorama.am
18:52 07/05/2010

Society

VivaCell-MTS, a subsidiary of "Mobile TeleSystems" OJSC, is glad to
inform that on the occasion of the anniversary of the victory in the
Great Patriotic War VivaCell-MTS gives its subscribers an opportunity
to get free of charge songs and melodies devoted to the victory within
the frames of the "GOOD’OK" service and use them as a ring back tone.

>>From May 7 to 14 it’s necessary to dial the 1945 short number and
choose the melody of the victory.

First 3 minutes of the call to 1945 short number are free of charge,
and starting from the 4th minute the rate is AMD 5 per minute (VAT
included).

"ARMENIANS: ANCIENT CHRISTIANS IN A YOUNG COUNTRY" EXHIBITION OPENED AT LEIDEN UNIVERSITY

news.am
May 7 2010
Armenia

The exhibition "Armenians: Ancient Christians in a young country"
has been opened at Leiden University on the 350th anniversary of the
first Armenian book printed in Amsterdam.

The exhibition has been organized by Prof. J.J.S. Weitenberg, and Dr.

Arnoud Vrolijk, Curator Oriental Collections at Leiden University.

Attending the opening ceremony were university staff, students and
representatives of the Armenian community.

Guided by colorful illustrated materials, from 10th century manuscript
to contemporary dictionary, you can learn about a part of Armenian
history. The exhibition narrates for example about the discovery of
the Armenian language by European scholars and about the Armenian
Diaspora in Europe from the perspective of printing activity in
Amsterdam and Venice.

British Biblical scholar James Rendel Harris, who received an honorary
doctorate from Leiden University a century ago, spent six months in
Turkey in 1896, organizing relief work for the Armenian victims of
Turkish pogroms. He collected dozens of Armenian manuscripts which
he donated to Leiden University in 1906.

The exhibition will last until July 31.