Author: Boshkezenian Garik

ADVOCATES OF ARMENIA MAY DOUBLE

Lragir.am
19 May 06

The number of Armenian advocates may double in 2006, if all the
applicants of the Chamber of Advocates pass the first round of exams.

In Armenia, says Yenok Azaryan, a member of the Chamber of Advocates,
there are 483 advocates. 382 have applied for membership to the
chamber.

In the upcoming months the qualification board will examine the
documents of the applicants. If these are compliant, in two months
the applicants will be notified of the day of the examination, and
on passing the exams they will become members of the Chamber. Yenok
Azaryan says new advocates were needed to improve the reputation of
the profession and their qualification. According to him, there are
advocates who disgrace their profession, act as a second prosecutor
for a citizen, whereas their job is to defend a person’s rights.

“A weak person cannot defend another person’s rights. No process of
self-filtering is going on. Since we cannot jettison advocates, who
are disgraced and disgrace others, we should at least try to improve
the quality by engaging new people,” says Yenok Azaryan.

To develop the sphere and improve the quality, Yenok Azaryan and other
members of the Chamber of Advocates have set up a new association of
advocates. The association will have the same goals as the Chamber of
Advocates had been established. There is implicit dissatisfaction in
his speech with the activities of the chamber, and although another
organizer of the association Cromwell Grigoryan says there will be
no rivalry between the Chamber and the association, obviously there
is no logical explanation other than rivalry, when the members of
an association establish another association for the same function
and aims.

TURKEY WARNS FRANCE NOT TO PASS ARMENIAN BILL

Turkish Press
May 17 2006

Press Review
Turkiye

The French Parliament is set to vote a bill tomorrow which would
criminalizes questioning the so-called Armenian genocide. In the
runup to the vote, Turkey has sent messages to that country saying
that if the bill passes, bilateral relations will be hurt. Ankara
underlined that the French government would be responsible for any
crises in the aftermath of the bill passing, adding that economic
relations between the two countries, including French firms’ vying
for defense and nuclear power plant projects, would be reviewed. In
related news, speaking at his parliamentary group meeting, opposition
Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal sharply criticized
the bill, stressing that Turkey would defend its rights and honor to
the end.

Patriarch Mesrob II warns France over Genocide Bill

In the toughest communiqué he has published to date, the Armenian
Patriarch of Turkey, Mesrob II, warned that the Bill put forward by
the French Socialist Party with the aim of punishing those denying the
Armenian Genocide, will be detrimental to the process of the
Turkish-Armenian dialogue.

Mesrob II reminded French parliamentarians that the passing of such a
bill would strengthen nationalist and racist elements on both the
Armenian and Turkish sides, `We do not deem any format that does not
serve the purpose of a dialogue between Armenians and Turks as
acceptable’.

Mesrob II went on to say the following: `Any country, with Turkey and
Armenia at the top, should take care to ensure that barriers
preventing communication between the two countries should be lifted,
not put down, in order for the issue to be studied and
researched. Whatever the reason, any initiative that forbids freedom
of expression will be detrimental to Turkish Armenian relations.’

Monday , 15 May 2006

JUSTICE FACTION CONSIDERS IT URGENT TO EXAMINE SITUATION IN CIVIL AVIATION

Noyan Tapan
May 16 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA National Assembly Justice faction
put in circulation a draft decision on setting up an ad hoc commission
to examine the activities of the Armenian government in the civil
aviation sector. The commission will study the current situation in the
civil aviation, including the programs to overcome the current crisis
in civil aviation. One of the commission’s purposes will be to examine
the implementation of investment programs envisaged by the contract
of Corporacion America company that assumed the trust management of
Zvartnots Airport. Tatul Manasetian, Ph.D., representative of the
Justice faction, stated this during the May 16 press conference.

According to him, the necessity to examine the implementation of
invsetment programs is conditioned by the fact that there have been
“sufficient abuses”.

Particularly, according to some documents presented by Corporacion
America, more than 10.5 mln dollars was spent on repairs of the
1,800-meter runway in Zvartnots Airport. The deputy noted that repair
work of the 3,000-meter runway with the same equipment in Dushanbe
cost only 2 mln dollars. T. Manasetrian is more than convinced that
Corporacion America’s figures are exaggerated, and taking into account
the fact thet they are not controlled, it provides an opportunity to
make superprofits. In his words, “the aviation can never operate at a
loss, it is doomed to operate at a profit.” T. Manaserian also attached
importance to the legislative basis for regulation of the indicated
sector. He underlined the necessity to promote the adoption of the
RA Air Code by the National Assembly, which will enable to regulate
the activities of the civil aviation and prevent illegal actions,
the signing of arbitrary agreements and attempts to use the aviation
for personal interests. Responding to a question of NT correspondent,
the deputy noted that his colleagues from the RA National Assembly
“are two types: sensible and partisan, many of them having a blind
mentality.” He said that the deputies with sober mentality cannot vote
against the above mentioned initiative of the faction. According to
him, the Armenian aviation with its two branches – civil and military
– is called upon not only to ensure the Armenian borders’ stability
and national security but also to promote the economic security of
the country. To recap, two and a half years ago the Justice faction
took a similar initiative that failed.

ARMENIAN GENERAL URGES GOOD ARMS MAINTENANCE

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
13 May 06

[Presenter] The Armenian Defence Ministry held a session on 13 May.

The session discussed military hardware used by the armed forces.

[Correspondent over video of session] Armenian Deputy Defence Minister,
Lt-Gen Yuriy Khachaturov spoke about the military hardware used by the
Armenian armed forces, its maintenance and extending its service life.

He noted that a lot of work had been done over the past period to
provide the republican army with military hardware.

Progress has been made in the area of arms supplies, upgrading arms
depots, training the army’s engineering staff and increasing their
state of combat readiness. A number of organizational and technical
events were held in military units aimed at ensuring the correct
handling of arms, their maintenance and extending their service life.

[Passage omitted: minor details]

The chief of the General Staff of the Armenian army, Col-Gen Mikael
Arutyunyan, urged the units’ commanders to handle arms carefully and
to maintain them in a state of combat readiness.

The issues discussed at the session are very important to our people
and Armenia’s security, Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan said summing
up the session’s results.

AZERI EMBASSY IN MOSCOW SENDS NOTE TO RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY
Author: E.Huseynov

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
May 16 2006

The Azerbaijani embassy in Moscow has sent a note to the Russian
Foreign Ministry, the embassy told Trend.

A protest note was issued in connection with the participation of
the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh republic in an international tourist
exhibition which opened in Moscow. The embassy said that they had
not received an answer to a note till evening hours of Monday [15 May].

A group of Azerbaijani students held a protest action during
the exhibition to hinder the participation of the so-called
Nagorno-Karabakh republic in the event.

Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Contact: Maral Habeshian
Tel: (818) 500-1918

Bill Grants Legal Rights to Genocide Survivors and Heirs to Recover
Bank Deposits

California Senate Judiciary Committee Unanimously Passes SB 1524, but
Partners Bill with Controversial Legislation

SACRAMENTO, California – Legislation that would grant Armenian
Genocide victims and their heirs access to California courts to
recover bank deposits wrongfully withheld since the Armenian Genocide,
unanimously passed the California State Senate Judiciary Committee on
May 9.

The same committee, however, chaired by Senator Joe Dunn of Garden
Grove, also voted to accept a hostile amendment that attaches a highly
controversial and unrelated bill to the bi-partisan supported Armenian
Genocide Bill, which endangers its ability to be signed by the
Governor and become law.

The `Armenian Genocide Bank and Looted Assets Recovery Act” SB 1524,
authored by State Senators Jackie `Kanchelian’ Speier and Charles
`Chuck’ Poochigian, and sponsored by the Armenian National Committee
of America (ANCA), was presented for consideration in the Senate
Judiciary Committee, on May 9. The bill would allow victims and heirs
recovery – through California Courts – of assets looted from
commercial entities operating in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey during
the Armenian Genocide–which have been wrongfully withheld since the
Genocide.

Speaking in support of the bill, Katia Kermoyan-Khodanian spoke of the
dire need for this legislation and recounted the harrowing experience
of her relative Markar Kermoyan who had lost his bank deposits and
worldly assets during the Armenian Genocide without any recourse.

Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA – WR)
Chairman Steven Dadaian, spoke in support of the Bill, informing the
committee that California has a public policy interest in protecting
the rights of its almost 1,000,000 strong Armenian American community
by granting California courts jurisdiction over banks operating in the
Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide.

Dadaian also reminded the Committee that only five years ago the State
enacted the “Armenian Genocide Era Insurance Act” based on the same
public policy.

Lending the Greek community’s support was Steven Miles, Executive
Director of the American Hellenic Council, who spoke strongly of the
deep bond between Greeks and Armenians forged in the common
persecution and Genocide their communities faced in Turkey from
1915-1923.

Don Engstrom, from the Consumer Attorneys Association of California,
also expressed support for the legislation.

The hostile amendment, binds SB 1765 to SB 1524 that entitles lawsuits
to be filed for wrongfully repatriated Mexican Americans during the
1930s.

Speaking strongly in opposition to the binding of these two separate
and distinct Bills, the ANCA’s Steven Dadaian informed the Committee
that while his organization supports the correcting of all historic
wrongs, he nevertheless views the effort as an attempt to `hi-jack the
Armenian Bill with legislation that has trice been vetoed by
consecutive administrations. We encourage each bill to weighed on
their own merits separately. It is illogical and unfair to do
otherwise.’

Senator Senator Bill Morrow (Vice-Chair) voted against the hostile
amendment, while Senators Joseph Dunn (Chair), Dick Ackerman, Martha
Escutia, and Sheila Kuehl supported the move.

COAF ESTABLISHES TWO ADOLESCENT CLUBS TO PROMOTE LIVESTOCK FARMING

Armenpress
May 15 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 15, ARMENPRESS: On May 12 the Children of Armenia Fund
(COAF), in partnership with the Center for Agribusiness and Rural
Development (CARD), formed adolescent clubs in the villages of Lernagog
and Argina of the Armavir District of the Republic of Armenia.

A press release by the COAF said the selected twenty 12-13 year-old
adolescents gathered in their respective school yards and cheered
the sponsors as they arrived with the sheep. After congratulatory
remarks by the Lernagog Mayor, Mr. Sargis Margarian, and COAF and
CARD project managers, the participating ten adolescent residents of
Lernagog received two sheep each, together with a care package. The
Argina distribution immediately followed Lernagog’s. The project aims
at teaching youngsters how to take responsibility for taking care of
the sheep ? caring, feeding, and controlling diseases. The broader
objective is to develop livestock farming in the region. Adolescents
from disadvantaged, needy, or single parent families are selected to
join the club provided they satisfy a set of pre-established criteria,
including their personal level of interest in livestock farming and
the existence of a suitable sheep shed adjacent to the family home.

Under the close watch and direction of an expert veterinarian, the
youngsters will gain knowledge of animal science and take daily notes
on their sheep.

CARD will be responsible for organizing trainings, providing
educational materials and hygienic supplies.

COAF has purchased the livestock and will provide animal feed, if
necessary. Monitoring and supervision of the project will be done in
a partnered way by both COAF and CARD project staff.

This project is expected to contribute to the economic development
of the Model Cluster villages.

Particularly in animal husbandry, COAF plans several other initiatives
that will increase the supply chain in agricultural products and
ultimately lead to milk and wool processing businesses or cooperatives.

Children of Armenia Fund was founded in 2000 with the aim to reduce
poverty through the revitalization of rural Armenia and the realization
of projects that are instrumental for the revival of communities. With
the introduction of its novel approach to clustering in February
2006, COAF is currently implementing the Model Cluster working in six
villages in the Baghramyan region of the Armavir District. The key
components of COAF’s Model Cluster project comprise Infrastructure and
Economic Development Programs, and Community Development including
Health, Social and Educational Programs. In 2006, besides its Model
Village Karakert, COAF is also working in Myasnikyan, Shenik, Dalarik,
Lernagog and Argina.

The Armenian Rural Youth Development Program, initiated by the Center
for Agribusiness and Rural Development, is a voluntary non formal
educational program that supplements formal school education. It is
modeled after the US 4-H Program.

The program is helping young people gain skills needed to become
responsible, self-directing, productive and contributing members
of society. The Extension Youth Development Program provides real
experiences and an opportunity for youth to gain life skills, project
development and implementation skills, basic agricultural knowledge
in order to be engaged in community development activities.

PRESS RELEASE
The Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy (ACPA)
56B, MIRZA GHALIB ST. KOLKATA (Calcutta), India
E-mail: [email protected]
Manager: Father Oshagan Gulgulian

11th May 2006

See photo of the students and the Armenian press release at:
Id=734ahh67

For the first time since their enrollment three years ago in the Armenian
College and Philanthropic Academy (ACPA), a group of Iranian Armenian
students (24 in number) headed home to spend summer vacations with parents,
relatives and friends in Iran.

The students were accompanied in their journey back with Ararad Yeghigian
and ex-student of the Academy and the current representative in Iran, who
arrived earlier to Kolkata specifically for this purpose. During his visit
to the Academy Yeghigian had meetings with the administration of the school
and examined closely the living conditions of the students. He was briefed
on their future educational prospects. Following his tour Yeghigian pointed
out that, although the Academy is facing different sorts of challenges, but
recent developments have clearly shown that the situation is changing
positively toward a brighter future.

The manager of the Academy Father Oshagan Gulgulian blessed the students
prior their departure and wished they will be able to return back, after
staying some time near their beloved ones, with more energy and freshness,
in order to go ahead with their studies, under the ceiling of this 185 years
old historical educational institute.

Climate of fear reigning in Armenia – speaker

Arminfo
12 May 06

Yerevan, 12 May: The mass departure of businessmen MPs from the
faction of the Orinats Yerkir (Law-Governed Country) Party is due to
the climate of fear reigning in Armenia, the speaker of the Armenian
National Assembly and leader of the Orinats Yerkir Party, Artur
Bagdasaryan, said at a news conference today.

“I do not blame the MPs who quit our party because they took this step
out of fear. The climate reigning in the republic frightened these
people so much that as soon as they heard about disagreements between
me and President Robert Kocharyan, they hurried to leave our party,”
Bagdasaryan said. I have shared bread and salt with the MPs who quit
the party for many years, he said.

[Passage omitted: The Orinats Yerkir Party decided to quit the ruling
coalition yesterday]