Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

ADC INTERNET PROVIDER ANNOUNCED THE LAUNCH OF A NEW PRODUCT DESIGNED FOR SMALL ORGANIZATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.03.2009 19:04 GMT+04:00

Armenian Datacom Company internet provider (ADC) announced the launch
of a new product and reduction in connection fees to almost all its
services today.

The new "Internet Office Mini" product is specially designed for small
and medium sized organizations, offering affordable monthly fees,
and bandwidths to suit companies needs, ADC Press Service reported.

ADC has reduced its connection fee for the following services:
"Internet Office", "Internet Office for ISPs", "Internet Enterprise
Pro (CIR)" and "Data Pro". Connection fee for services specified is
AMD 50 000.

ADC has set up and operates a unique fiber-optic telecommunication
network with the length of over 400km in Yerevan.

FORBES: RUNNING BUSINESS IN ARMENIA EASIER THAN IN RUSSIA

Panorama.am
13:39 23/03/2009

Armenia is an attractive country to run a business, reports Forbes
magazine listing Armenia on the 94th horizontal of their rating table.

According to the magazine, they have taken into account the development
of the investing market, democratic elections, human rights, freedom of
speech, legislation and some other factors while studying the country.

Armenia’s relative country Russia is in the 103rd horizontal, and
our neighbors – Georgia and Azerbaijan are in the 64th and 87th
horizontals.

Denmark, USA and Canada are the most developed and improved countries
in the list to run a business.

Cyprus Mail, Cyprus
March 22 2009

First ceremony in nearly half a century at Armenian church

By Claudia Konyalian

A RELIGIOUS ceremony is taking place this morning at the Sourp Boghos
(Saint Paul) Chapel inside the Armenian Cemetery near Ledra Palace for
the first time in 46 years, as new restoration works near completion.

According to an announcement from the Prelature: `During the service,
remains exhumed previously will be laid to rest in accordance with the
rites of the Armenian Church,’ and there will be a memorial service
held annually at the chapel starting from next year.

Armenian Representative in Parliament, Vartkes Mahdessian said that
today’s service is a small, solemn ceremony taking place specifically
for the 41 graves that were exhumed incorrectly during the `mistake’
in 2005. Nine of the graves that were marked with tombstones will be
buried individually, and the remaining 32 in a common grave with a
plaque commemorating the deceased. An official ceremony marking the
cemetery’s restoration will take place upon completion of works in
May.

`What is happening on Sunday shows we are on the right track towards
the complete restoration of the cemetery, so that it will be a place
we can all be proud of, Armenians and Cypriots alike,’ Mahdessian
said.

Of great historical value, it was the first cemetery the Armenian
community had in Cyprus. Some 500 people have been buried there,
including Armenian Cypriots who lived here since the early 1800s,
alongside genocide survivors. The last burial took place there in
1931.

The destruction of the site was stopped in April 2005, when bulldozers
began digging it up, amid alleged plans by the Armenian Church
Committee to put all the remains together in a communal pit in a new
Armenian cemetery located on the outskirts of the capital, sparking
outrage among the community. Rumours were rife at the time that the
land was to be made available for redevelopment, including suggestions
that a car-park be built there. The unskilled workers doing the job
indiscriminately smashed tombstones, some of which dated back to the
Middle Ages, while scattering remains all over the site.

The Church Committee was accused of acting on the listed site without
appropriate permission from the local authorities and without
consulting the community. The Committee said they had consulted a
reputable lawyer, that they were acting to improve and restore the
cemetery, and that the mistakes were those of the contractor.

Upon the initiative of Dr. Vahakn Atamyan, former Armenian
Representative in Parliament, funding from the government for the
restoration and preservation of the site was secured to the tune of
some CYP£80,000 to £90,000. The remaining amount for the
restoration of the cemetery has been given by the Armenian Church and
the restoration has taken place under the stewardship of current
Representative, Mahdessian.

`I am very happy this restoration has taken place,’ Atamyan said. `I
feel proud and glad the site has been preserved as it serves as a
historical stamp of the Armenian community’s presence in Cyprus since
the early 1800s, long before the genocide.’ He also wished to thank
the Yeremian family, for their invaluable efforts in stopping the
destruction of the cemetery.

There are currently 2,000 Armenians living in Cyprus. Every year, on
April 24, Armenians worldwide commemorate the Armenian Genocide of
1915.

p?id=44751&cat_id=1

MANUELLA GUIRAGOSSIAN – BIOGRAPHY

AZG DAILY
21-03-2009

Culture

Born on November 6, 1972 in Beirut, Lebanon. Manuella is the youngest
daughter of Celebrated Artist & Painter Paul Guiragossian.

Growing up in her father’s studio, it was no coincidence that Manuella
was destined to be drawn into the world of art, design and as fate
would have it, a passion for animation developed through many wonderful
stories and tales related to her in illustration by her father.

In 1989 Manuella traveled to Paris with her father for his exhibition
at UNESCO, conflict broke out in Beirut and they were forced to
stay and eventually live in Paris. Not one to sit by idly whilst her
homeland was in the midst of a civil war, she developed 13 character
designs named "Les Archifous" for a children’s play based on the
creations of Lebanese author Michel Khattar. An exhibition and a play
of these characters was held in "La Defense" in Paris. The success
of the exhibition meant that "Les Archifous" were exhibited at the
Festival de bandes Dessinees in the French Cultural Center of Beirut
in 1991. That same year, Manuella returned to Lebanon.

However, the sudden death of her father in 1993 saw Manuella work
closely with her family at the Emmagoss Art Gallery, a family-owned
business situated on the outskirts of Beirut in Zalka. One of the
Gallery’s missions was to preserve and extend her father’s legacy.

She fulfilled one of her long term ambitions in the summer of 1997 when
she moved to California and enrolled into the California Institute
of the Arts, A school founded by Walt Disney in 1969, also known as
Calarts. Over the next 4 years and despite her hectic curriculum,
she participated in several art festivals, exhibitions and shows
in Los Angeles and Beirut. The highlight of which was "Mythes &
Légendes", her first solo show at Emmagoss Art Gallery in 2000. The
work covered mythology and legends from the ancient Phoenician, Greek
and Egyptian civilizations. The show attracted wide press coverage
and admirable reviews.

In between shows, Manuella created 4 animated films at Calarts. Her
confident approach, attention to detail and constructive work earned
her the respect and admiration of her fellow classmates, professors
and not surprisingly a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Video degree,
specialized in Character Animation.

Manuella is currently based between Dubai and Beirut since 2003
and has curated several exhibitions for her father and brothers as
well as representing their works. Her studio is in Beirut and after
2006 she began working on a new series of paintings inspired by the
cities she’s resided in wich she started exhibiting in Art Paris in
Abu Dhabi in November 2008 and currently is are being exhibited in
Bait Muzna Gallery in Oman in a solo show from the 25th ofJanuary to
the 12 of February 2009.

Furthermore, Manuella is working on what she likes to refer to as her
life-long project: Produce her father’s biography in words and vision.

ALI BABACAN PROBABLY NOT TO VISIT YEREVAN

AZG DAILY
19-03-2009

Economy; Armenia-Turkey

According to Turkish Zaman daily, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan
probably will not visit Yerevan to participate in the meeting of the
Council of Foreign Ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
member-states to be held on April 16-17 in Yerevan. The Turkish
Foreign Minister is invited to participate in "Friends of Pakistan"
conference to be held in Japan on April 17.

The newspaper underlines that Ankara, having historical-friendly
relations with Islamabad, attaches great importance to the conference.

Zaman mentions also that according to Turkish diplomatic sources, no
decision was made on Babacan’s visit to Armenia, Noyan Tapan reports.

Belorusskie Novosti , Belarus
March 14 2009

Lukashenka meets with president of Armenia

14.03 // 18:51 //

Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who had stayed in Armenia since March 11, had a
meeting with that country’s president, Serzh Sargsyan, on Friday
evening.

Part of the meeting was broadcast on Chanel One of the Belarusian
Television and Radio Company.

`We are the closest allies and we have no subjects that would be
closed for talks, from military-technical cooperation to economic and
financial issues and issues of trade,’ the Belarusian leader said,
with his five-year-old son Kolya sitting together with him.

`Media outlets in our country, in your country and in the world are
speculating on our meeting and talks,’ Mr. Lukashenka said. `Those who
are agitated should calm down. I’ve come to a country friendly to
me. I’m being given a proper reception and a proper welcome here. You
are a dear and close person to us. We know well how Armenians live
here and how they live in our country. We’ve never created any
problems.’

`We are spiritually kindred nations,’ said Mr. Sargsyan. `We were part
of one state for a long time and have been members of one
organization, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, since we
acquired independence.’

According to him, there are issues that could be discussed more
efficiently if the heads of state are involved, especially now that
there is a financial and economic crisis in the world and the economic
relations between the two countries need `a positive impetus.’
//BelaPAN

er/2009/03/14/ic_news_259_307952/

The International Herald Tribune, France
March 15 2009

Turkey failing on minority property rights

ReutersPublished: March 15, 2009
By Ayla Jean Yackley

Turkey’s EU-inspired reforms of laws limiting property rights have
created new obstacles for ethnic minorities and threaten to stymie
progress towards membership of the bloc, a report said.

Non-Muslim Turks still face "anti-democratic and unlawful practices"
that violate the European Convention on Human Rights, despite
legislation in September that sought to ease restrictions on their
property ownership, the report by the Turkish Economic and Social
Studies Foundation, or Tesev, said.

The European Union has said Turkey must expand rights for minorities
if it is to advance its membership bid. The European Commission
welcomed the new law in its annual progress report on Turkey, but said
the government had failed to implement it fully and had not resolved
outstanding property disputes.

"The rights of minorities are of utmost importance in the EU process,"
Dilek Kurban, one of two authors of the Tesev report, said at a news
conference on Saturday.

"If Turkey is unable to resolve the issue of property rights, EU
membership is impossible."

Since the 1930s, Turkey has seized thousands of properties belonging
to Greek, Armenian and Jewish foundations. The foundations are mainly
tasked with overseeing assets belonging to the minorities.

Turkey has also curbed their ability to buy and sell assets, receive
financial assistance from overseas and generate revenue from property.

The law passed in September lifted such restrictions and includes
terms for the return of some of the confiscated property. But it
offers no "fair solution" to ensure the return of assets and now
requires non-Muslim charities to seek state permission to acquire new
property, Istanbul-based Tesev said.

Turkey’s population of 71 million is 99 percent Muslim. About 80,000
Armenians, Jews and Greeks remain in Turkey, the descendents of
Ottoman Empire subjects.

Under the new law, the state has re-registered properties it has
seized under different names to prevent their return and bars
non-Muslims from establishing new foundations, a right afforded Muslim
charities, the report said.

Turkey has lost five cases at the European Court of Human Rights in
the past two years that were brought by ethnic Greek and Armenian
foundations. The Strasbourg-based court ordered the Turkish government
to return the properties or pay about 3.8 million euros in
reparations.

Turkey’s main opposition parties have appealed to Turkey’s top court
to strike down the new law on foundations.

"The government is making efforts to meet EU criteria, but unless all
parties and institutions are part of the process, little progress can
be achieved," said Kezban Hatemi, the second author of the report.

(Editing by Alison Williams)

Boston Herald, MA
March 12 2009

Pols bid farewell to George Keverian

By Edward Mason
Thursday, March 12, 2009 –

George Keverian, the avuncular Everett pol who as speaker in the late
1980s presided over a fractious House, was remembered yesterday in a
touching tribute that united political rivals and members of both
parties in grief.

Keverian, who was found dead in his Everett home Friday at age 77, was
speaker from 1985 to 1990.

In a memorial service in the House chamber, current Speaker Robert
DeLeo called Keverian `a proud son of Everett, proud of his Armenian
heritage, who enjoyed making people laugh and laughing as well. He was
a very intelligent human being. But most important he was a wonderful
man.`

Senate President Therese Murray eulogized Keverian as `a dedicated
public servant during tough times.`

Indeed, Keverian led the House during the last major economic
meltdown, when the Massachusetts Miracle fizzled and the state was
beset with double-digit unemployment numbers.

As the state deals with the current fiscal crisis, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray
said Keverian’s steady hand should serve as `an example of how we
should approach our work in the days ahead.`

Keverian became speaker in 1985 by defeating autocratic House Speaker
Thomas McGee, then went on to hold the position until 1990. As
speaker, he was seen to have lost his grip over the chamber as the
economic crisis worsened and was often criticized by colleagues for
allowing the House to drift aimlessly while the state’s financial
crisis grew worse. He left the post to pursue an unsuccessful bid for
state treasurer.

Keverian’s former colleagues gathered to pay their respects in
Memorial Hall at the State House.

Among them were the three former speakers who followed Keverian to the
speaker’s post: Charles F.Flaherty, Thomas M. Finneran, and Salvatore
DiMasi, who entered the House to an ovation.

Former Senate Presidents William Bulger, Thomas Birmingham and Robert
Travaglini also attended.

Hürriyet , Turkey
March 8 2009

Turkey says US understands its sensitivities over the Armenian claims

The new U.S. administration appreciated Turkey’s opinions and
sensitivities regarding the Armenian claims on the 1915 incidents, the
Turkish Foreign Minister said on Saturday, adding later there was
however still a "risk" over the U.S. stance on the issue. (UPDATED)

The claims regarding the 1915 incidents was on the agenda during
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Turkey, Ali Babacan
was reported as saying by the Anatolian Agency at a joint press
conference after his meeting with Foreign Minister Alejandro Hamed
Franco of Paraguay in Ankara.

"I can easily say that the current U.S. administration perceives
Turkey’s opinion and sensitivity on this matter. We have no
difficulties with communication in that sense," he said when asked
Turkey’s concerns regarding the U.S. president’s stance on the issue.

The issue could be solved without any problems and without
overshadowing relations between Turkey and US, he added.

Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million of
their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915. Turkey
rejects the claims saying that 300,000 Armenians, along with at least
as many Turks, died in civil strife that emerged when Armenians took
up arms, backed by Russia, for independence in eastern Anatolia.

Turkey has offered to form a joint commission to investigate what
happened in 1915 and opened up all official archives, but Armenia has
continued to drag its feet on accepting the offer.

"RISK" REMAINS
Babacan said however there was still a "risk" that U.S. President
Barack Obama would recognize the incidents as "genocide" in an
interview with NTV television channel on Sunday, adding that such a
move would only impede efforts to reconcile Turkey and Armenia.

"I still see a risk," Babacan said. "Mr. Obama made the promise five
times in a row."

Obama, who is expected to visit Turkey in April, said on several
occasions during his election campaign that he would recognize the
1915 incidents as "genocide".

PKK ISSUE
Replying to a question on whether Turkey expressed any demand for the
solution of the terrorist PKK organization issue before the
U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, Babacan said the details of the withdrawal
plan were not clear yet, the agency also reported.

Media reports had suggested ahead of Clinton’s Ankara visit that a
demand to use Turkish soil as part of its Iraqi withdrawal could be
made during her meetings.

"However, there is no connection between the PKK issue and the
withdrawal process. Such a connection was expressed neither by us, nor
by them. There is a tripartite mechanism in Iraq and sharing of
intelligence and coordination of military units continue within this
framework," he said.

Turkey, provided with intelligence by the United States, has stepped
up its campaign to crackdown on the PKK both inside Turkey and in
northern Iraq, after the terror organization increased its attacks on
Turkish soldiers, as well as civilians.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the
international community, including the EU and the United States.

Press Release
March 9, 2009

Armenica.org
Vahagn Avedian
[email protected]
enica.org
Uppsala, Sweden

The Legacy of the 1915 Genocide in the Ottoman Empire

Conference – March 23, 2009, Kungsholmens Konferens, Fleminggatan 18
(Trygg-Hansa huset), Stockholm, Sweden

Program

P rogram

– 08:00 – 09:00 Registration
– 09:00 – 09:10 Introduction
Vahagn Avedian, Chief Editor of Armenica.org, Chairman of the Union of
Armenian Associations in Sweden
– 09:10 – 09:25 An Ongoing Living History
Stefan Andersson, Project manager, Living History Forum, Stockholm
– 09:25 – 09:45 Coffee break
– 09:45 – 10:45 The Phases and Faces of the Denial of the 1915 Genocide
Richard G. Hovannisian, Professor of Armenian and Near Eastern History,
UCLA, Los Angeles
– 10:45 – 11:00 Break
– 11:00 – 12:00 The 1915 Genocide and Present-day Turkey: Discussions and
Processing
Ragip Zarakolu, Human Rights Activist and Publisher, Istanbul
– 12:00 – 13:30 Lunch break
– 13:30 – 14:30 Assyrian Identity Problems and the Struggle for Assyrian
Genocide Recognition
David Gaunt, Professor, History Department, Södertörn University, Stockholm
– 14:30 – 14:45 Break
– 14:45 – 15:45 The Legal Dimension of the Atrocities of 1915: Then and Later
Ove Bring, Professor, International Law, Swedish Defence College, Stockholm
– 15:45 – 16:40 Turkey’s Policy and Fractures with Regard to the Armenian
Genocide in the Framework of its EU Accession Prospect
Laurent Leylekian, Executive Director, European Armenian Federation for
Justice & Democracy, Brussels

Moderator: Marika Griehsel, journalist, foreign correspondent

Conference language: English

Please notice: The numbers of seats are limited. Free admission.
Registration via email to [email protected]. The closing date
for entries is March 18.

Photographing prohibited. Accredited photographers only. Photos can be
downloaded from and after the
conference is closed.

The Conference is arranged in cooperation between The Living History
Forum, ABF – Workers’ Educational Association, The Union of Armenian
Associations in Sweden, The Assyrian Federation in Sweden, Evxinos Pontos
Stockholm, and Armenica.org.

—
Vahagn Avedian
Chief Editor and Project Manager
History of Armenia