Author: Chakrian Hovsep

From: Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region <[email protected]>
Subject: ANCA: LA Commemorates Armenian Genocide

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
Wednesday, April 26, 2006

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

LOS ANGELES COMMEMORATES 91st ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the
Los Angeles City Council commemorated the 91st anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide in separate sessions during the week leading up to
April 24th, reported the Armenian National Committee of America –
Western Region (ANCA-WR).

On Tuesday, April 18, 2006, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Mayor Michael Antonovich presented scrolls to leaders of the Armenian
American community in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. The
Board of Supervisors proclaimed April 24, 2006 as the `Day of
Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 through 1923.’ Among
those present were ANCA-WR board chairman Steven Dadaian and ANCA-WR
director Armen Carapetian.

Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti invited Armenian
American community leaders to Council Chambers on Friday, April 21,
2006, to present the City Council’s resolution on the anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide. Councilmembers Tony Cardenas, Wendy Greuel,
Bill Rosendahl, and Dennis Zine made comments in honor of the
1,500,000 Armenian men, women, and children who perished at the hands
of Ottoman Turks.

Council President Garcetti, in his introduction of the resolution,
stated `The only way to heal – not only for Armenians, but indeed the
Turks and the whole world – is to embrace that it happened.’

ANCA-WR board member Souzi Zerounian joined the Consul General of
Armenia in Los Angeles Gagik Kirakossian in thanking the Los Angeles
City Council for commemorating the Armenian Genocide.

`We gather today not to speak about the denial of truth, but the
denial of justice,’ said Zerounian.

A special reception was held following the official ceremony in City
Hall. Council President Garcetti and Dadaian spoke extensively on the
need fight against Turkey’s shameful denial of the Armenian
Genocide. The event was broadcast on television station LA 35.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.

VALDAS ADAMKUS CALLS ON ARMENIANS NOT TO BE SILENT ABOUT THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ArmRadio.am
26.04.2006 14:50

“Don’t keep silent about the Armenian Genocide, continue the open
dialogue, allow the world to learn more about it, and one day there
will certainly be a proper response,” Lithuanian President Valdas
Adamkus said during the meeting with faculty and students of the
Yerevan State University.

He characterized the Armenian Genocide issue as a “gentle and sensitive
one” and urged the Armenian people to do all in this direction that
it considers correct.

As for the question how Lithuania’s recognition of the Armenian
Genocide has impacted the country’s relations with Turkey, Valdas
Adamkus responded that the relations between states should develop
based on mutual respect and a friendly atmosphere. If Turkey follows
these principles, no problems will emerge.

“If Turkey wants to be a member of the European Union, it should
develop its relations with other countries, including Armenia, based
on this principle,” Valdas Adamkus said.

SITTING OF THE PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMISSION OF NKR AND ARMENIA TO BE HELD IN STEPANAKERT

ArmRadio.am
26.04.2006 10:40

Sitting of the Parliamentary Cooperation Commission of Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh will be held today in Stepanakert. It is expected
that issues related to coordination of legislative activity of the two
countries as well as development and adoption of the NKR Constitution
will be discussed.

Reference will be made to the inclusion of NKR representatives in
Armenian delegations to European structures.

The Moscow Times, Russia
April 24 2006

Armenian Student Killed by Skinheads

By Oksana Yablokova
Staff Writer

An Armenian teenager standing on a crowded metro platform in the
heart of the city was stabbed to death Saturday by an unknown
attacker.

The slaying of Vagan Abramyants, 17, took place around 5 p.m. at the
Pushkinskaya metro station as the boy was en route to an Orthodox
Easter party.

A train heading to Vykhino entered the station, and seven young men
got off. Abramyants, who was with 11 acquaintances, was unexpectedly
attacked.

Interfax, citing police reports, reported that one of the men stabbed
Abramyants in the chest and that all of them fled on the departing
train. Abramyants died on the spot.

Witnesses said the attackers had shaved heads, black clothes and
boots, police said.

Abramyants’ death was the latest in a string of attacks across Russia
on dark-skinned people from the Caucasus, Asia, Africa and elsewhere.

Two weeks ago, a Senegalese student was shot dead with a gun with a
swastika on it. A young man shouting “Heil Hitler” stormed into a
central Moscow synagogue earlier this year, stabbing worshipers.

After the attack on Abramyants, dozens of police officers formed a
semicircle around the body, which lay sprawled in the central
corridor of the metro station, as shoppers, kids and couples streamed
past.

The upper body was covered with a sheet. Abramyants’ hands and feet
were visible; his legs, from the knees down, could also be seen.

The metro branch of the prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal
probe but has not yet classified the attack as a hate crime. No
suspects had been detained as of Sunday.

Ara Abramyan, an Armenian community leader, said Sunday that
Abramyants was a Russian citizen who lived in Tyoply Stan, in
southwestern Moscow.

Abramyants was a student at the Moscow Management Institute, Abramyan
said.

Abramyan, sounding a criticism that has become common among minority
leaders, accused the police of not acting aggressively enough against
skinheads.

“I was there yesterday and talked to the police chief,” Abramyan
said. “I can’t understand how a group of people could simply stab a
person in the metro in the very center of Moscow and get away. How
did the police manage not to arrest anyone? What about their video
cameras?”

Two million Armenians live in Russia, Abramyan said. He added that
Armenians have been advised against riding the metro in the evening
and going out in the outlying districts of cities, where most
racially motivated attacks occur.

A woman who phoned Ekho Moskvy radio Sunday, calling herself
Sharipova, said one of Abramyants’ acquaintances was also slashed on
the face.

Police and prosecutor’s office officials could not be reached for
comment.

Abramyants’ killing was not the only hate crime committed over the
weekend.

On Friday, four Chinese students from Kostroma State University were
beaten by three attackers near their dormitory in Kostroma, a city on
the Volga, RIA-Novosti reported.

The students were treated for minor injuries but did not require
hospitalization.

Police detained and charged three suspects in the attack, including
one who was also charged with an attack on an Azeri girl on Thursday.

Also, a Zambian student was attacked Saturday in St. Petersburg,
Interfax reported, citing police.

Police are not listing the attack on the student, whose name and age
they declined to disclose, as a hate crime, saying he was simply
robbed.

The student was on his way to visit an acquaintance on Shkolnaya
Ulitsa when an attacker hit him with a bottle on the head from
behind, and he fainted. When he regained consciousness, his wallet,
with 1,000 rubles, was missing.

In recent years, skinheads and other fascist groups have celebrated
April 20, Adolf Hitler’s birthday, by attacking dark-skinned people.

VERZHINE SVAZLIAN AND EDGAR HILSENRATH RECEIVE RA PRESIDENT’S PRIZE
FOR CONSIDERABLE CONTRIBUTION TO RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

YEREVAN, APRIL 21, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On April 15, RA
President Robert Kocharian signed a decree on giving prizes to persons
who have made a considerable contribution to the issue of recognition
of the Armenian Genocide in 2005. As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA
President’s Press Service, Verzhine Svazlian was given President’s
prize for her monograph “The Armenian Genocide and the Historical
Memory of the People” and Edgar Hilsenrath (Germany) for his novel
“The Tale of the Last Thought.”

Armenian-Americans commemorate genocide

Boston Globe, MA
April 20 2006

Armenian-Americans throughout the Boston area will gather this weekend
and next week to commemorate the genocide that resulted in the deaths
of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923.

Armenians mark Monday as the 91st anniversary of the night in 1915
when the Ottoman Turkish government arrested 200 Armenian community
leaders in Constantinople — the beginning of the campaign.

The events are seen by Armenians as pivotal in their people’s
history. The Turkish government has denied that the mass killings
were part of a government-sponsored campaign.

“It was one of the defining events in Armenian history and certainly
modern Armenian history,” said Marc Mamigonian, director of programs
and publications at the National Association for Armenian Studies and
Research. “It’s the reason most of us are living [in the United States]
in one way or another. Most everyone around here can trace a family
member to the Armenian genocide either as a survivor or someone who
was lost.”

Along with events in Boston, Cambridge, Worcester, and other
communities, three ceremonies will take place in the suburbs northwest
of Boston.

On Saturday, an Armenian Memorial Observation will be held in Lowell.

It will include a procession that will begin at the corner of John
and Merrimack streets at 10 a.m. and proceed to City Hall for the
raising of an Armenian flag, speeches, and a musical presentation.

On Sunday, there will be a remembrance ceremony at 3 p.m. at North
Andover High School, 430 Osgood St. The ceremony will consist of a
cultural presentation and requiem service.

On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., the public is invited to gather in
the Goddard Chapel at Tufts University for a program by the Tufts
University Armenian Club titled “Beyond Genocide Recognition —
Our Next Challenge.”

Stephen Kurkjian, senior assistant metropolitan editor at The Boston
Globe and a Pulitzer Prize winner, will speak at the North Andover
and Medford events.

DONNA NOVAK

Yerevan does not rule out sale of Iran-Armenia pipeline – ministry

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Business and Financial Newswire
April 20, 2006 Thursday

Armenia has not ruled put the possibility of selling the Iran-Armenia
gas pipeline, which is currently under construction, to Russia,
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian said at a Thursday press
conference.

“At the moment nothing should be ruled out,” he said.

“It is difficult to say whether the gas pipeline will be sold or not,
as in essence there is no pipeline yet, it is only being built,”
he said. Talks are currently underway about who will invest money
and who will build the pipeline. It is likely that whoever invests
money will become the owner,” he said.

Commenting on the planned sale of the fifth power-producing unit
at Razdan thermal power plant to Gazprom (PTC: GAZP), the minister
said that this does not run counter to Yerevan’s plans to diversify
sources of electricity. “Diversification of energy does not depend
on who owns energy production infrastructure. The ownership is not as
important as the diversification of fuel supplies themselves,” he said.

“The energy infrastructure transferred to Russia will remain in
Armenia. It will be handed over with clear conditions and there will
be points in all contracts that protect our energy security,” he said.

In turn, Austrian State Secretary Hans Winkler, who is on a visit to
Yerevan, commented on the sale of the power-producing unit by saying
that the EU cannot interfere in a sovereign Armenian decision.

“Diversification is important as an idea. We also note the development
of alternative energy sources and, as a result, opportunities for
investment are being created,” he said.

He also said that the EU is interested in closing Armenia Nuclear
Power Plant. “The technology used at Armenia Nuclear Power Plant
is obsolete and does not meet European safety standards. The EU is
working in this area and is interested in cooperating with Armenia
in specific programs,” he said.

Meanwhile, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisian said earlier that
the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline would remain the property of Armenia.

The Armenian government has decided to sell the Razdan-5 power unit
to Russian gas monopoly Gazprom for $248.8 million, he said. Of this
total the government will use $188 million to subsidize domestic gas
consumers until December 31, 2008. Gazprom and the Armenian government
signed a strategic agreement for 25 years, establishing the strategic
principles for cooperation in gas-energy projects in the republic,
the Russian company said in a statement. The agreement fixes the
price for Russian natural gas for Armenia at $110 per 1,000 cubic
meters until January 1, 2009.

The document also deals with the acquisition by ArmRosGazprom from the
Armenian government of a 40-km section of the Iran-Armenia pipeline,
currently under construction, and the fifth power-producing unit
at Razdan thermal power plant. Also, according to the agreement the
Armenian government is obliged to give ArmRosGazprom the function of
client for the 197-km second section of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline.

Preliminary purchase and sales agreements should be signed by April
14, 2006 and the final transfer of right of ownership for these assets
should be carried out by January 1, 2007.

After the deal the Gazprom share in ArmRosGazprom’s charter capital
will amount to a qualified majority. At the moment Gazprom and
the Armenian Energy Ministry own 45% each in the company and Itera
owns 10%.

The Razdan thermal power plant is the largest in Armenia, with a
capacity of 1,100 megawatts, of which up to 800 megawatts is used
during peak production in winter.

The plant was handed over to Russian ownership in 2003 as payment for
Armenian state debt. To attract investment to modernize the Armenian
energy system, in 2004 the republic’s government announced plans to
sell the incomplete fifth power-producing unit at the plant, with a
capacity of 300 megawatts.

SYMBOL OF FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OF ARMENIA AFFIRMED

Noyan Tapan
Apr 17 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 17, NOYAN TAPAN. FFA Chairman Ruben Hayrapetian affirmed
the symbol of the National Championship of Armenia before start of
the 2006 Football National Championship of Armenia. The author of
the symbol is designer Naria Karapetian. The Football Federation of
Armenia, to which the right of the symbol belongs, endows football
clubs and mass media to use it.

VARTAN OSKANIAN: WE HAVE REACHED A STAGE WHEN WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SHOW NECESSARY POLITICAL WILL

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 18 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 18, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “We have reached a
stage when we should be able to show the necessary political will:
without it we see no prospect for the peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh problem,” RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
declared in his April 18 interview to journalists. According to the
Minister, the bellicose statements voiced by Azerbaijan that find
their manifestations on the contact-line just cause anxiety.

“It is very important that the European Parliament, the European
structures, other mediator countries set this issue more seriously
before Azeris for them to understand that there is no alternative to
the peaceful negotiations,” he mentioned. The Foreign Minister informed
that OSCE Minsk Group American Co-chair Steven Mann will pay a visit
to the reigon on April 20. Asked why the Co-chairmen do not visit
the region together, he answered that there is no special problem
here, their schedules just do not coincide. In any case, according
to Vartan Oskanian, the Co-chairs themselves say that their separate
visits should not be commented upon in another way. He mentioned that
the Co-chairs may pay a joint visit in early May. Vartan Oskanian
informed that no separate meeting between him and Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadiarov is envisaged at the April 21 meeting of CIS
Foreign Ministers. For the present, there is no agreement about the
next meeting between the two countries’ Presidents, either. “There
is no decision yet but I can confirm the fact that the Co-chairs
separately raise this issue. It is difficult to say, whether in
late May or in early July, but I can confirm that they have already
started to think about it,” the Foreign Minister said. According to
him, the Presidents’ meeting will be justified if the separate and
joint visits of Co-chairs to the region are efficient. “If there
is no progress after Rambouillet, it is senseless to continue the
meetings without carrying out an intermediate work. First we should
wait for the Co-chairs’ visits and only after them we can see,
whether it is worth organizing a meeting between the Presidents,”
Oskanian mentioned. Touching upon the issue of the society’s being
unaware of the principles of settlement, Vartan Oskanian said that
it is the principle of territorial integrity that has dominated
by now and only recently “the issue was placed on the plane of the
territorial integrity and self-determination”. “First to fix the right
of self-determination and only then to move forward has become the
most important task for us. What “to move forward” will mean, what
manifestations it will have, this, of course, will be seen in the
future. I think only after it we can notify our people. But today the
main task is to get this recognition, I think it will be easy after
this,” the Foreign Minister declared. As he affirmed, today there is
noticeably more comprehension in this issue than ever. According to
the Foreign Minister, it is still too early to speak about returning
territories: “Today the issue of principle for us is that the issue
of return of refugees is bilateral and this is not only Azerbaijan’s
problem. So, no matter what solution this issue is given in the
future I think it should be adequate for all sides”. Asked whether he
considers possible that the optimism that the year 2006 can be pivotal
for the Nagorno Karabakh settlement finally will not be justified,
the Minister was not able to give a definite answer. According to him,
much will depend on the events of the next month, on the approaches
to be manifested before the next meeting between the Presidents. “Only
after this we can orient ourselves more exactly”.

ARMENIA DIAMOND PRODUCTION -60.4% IN 1Q06
By Jeanette Goldman

Diamonds.net, NY
April 16 2006

(Rapaport…April 16, 2006) Armenia’s cut diamond production dropped
60.4 percent in the first quarter of 2006 to $38.8 million, according
to the Armenian Trade and Economic Development Ministry.

Sales of diamonds fell 66.7 percent to $41.9 million, and exports
dropped 63 percent to $39.5 million, reported Interfax on April 13.

The ministry blamed disruptions at Shogakn, Armenia’s largest
diamond cutting plant, for the drop in production. Shogakn produces
approximately 40 percent of Armenia’s cut diamonds. Armenia’s minister
of gemstones and jewelry, Gagik Mkrtchian, anticipates the plant
will resolve its ‘internal problems’ shortly and return to full
production. In 2005, Armenia produced $248.5 million in cut diamonds.