Author: Chaltikian Arsine

"PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY OD ARMENIA’S NATURAL TREASURES" EXHIBITION TO BE HOSTED IN USA

Noyan Tapan
March 20, 2008

WATERTOWN, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian
Library and Museum of America (ALMA) and Armenia Tree Project (ATP)
are organizing a juried exhibition of photographs of "Armenia’s natural
environment". The exhibition, entitled "A Photographic Journey of
Armenia’s Natural Treasures," will be displayed in ALMA’s Contemporary
Art Gallery from September 11 through October 9, 2008.

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT "RESOLUTION ADOPTED IN UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS OUR DIPLOMATIC AND POLITICAL TRIUMPH"

Azeri Press Agency
March 20 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Elbrus Seyfullayev-APA. Today Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev and his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva have attended the holiday
festivities organized in front of the "Gosha Gala" Gate – in the
center of Baku City.

APA reports that President Ilham Aliyev delivered a speech at the
event. He said Novruz was a sacred holiday for Azerbaijani People
and spoke of the history of this holiday. Touching upon the economic
reforms implemented in the country, the head of state emphasized
that the economic growth rate in Azerbaijan was on a high level. To
the president, solution of social problems is always in the focus of
the government’s attention. Aliyev said that Azerbaijan carried out
huge and historical projects in the region and added that economic
indicators of the country increased twice over the last 4 years.

According to Ilham Aliyev, there are ad hoc programs on each sphere
for the continuation of economic advancement and implementation of
new projects in the country.

Along with the economic achievements, the head of state also shared his
views on internal and external policy of Azerbaijan. To the President,
Azerbaijan’s reputation rapidly increases across the globe.

Touching upon the adoption of "resolution recognizing Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity and demanding Armenian forces’ withdrawal from
occupied territories" in the UN General Assembly, President Aliyev
called it diplomatic and political triumph of Azerbaijan.

The head of state also shared his views on Nagorno Karabakh conflict
and underlined that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity was not a
subject matter. Ilham Aliyev stated that the Government attached
particular attention to the army building and added that the war was
not over yet and we were simply in cease-fire regime.

President Aliyev noted that energy security of Azerbaijan had
already been maintained and stressed that Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipelines were the historical achievements
of the country. The president stated that the Government also
pays special attention to further development of non-oil sector in
Azerbaijan. According to Ilham Aliyev, development of culture in the
country, major repair and rehabilitation operations in historical
sites of Baku as well as construction of new museums and theatres
will be continued henceforth.

At the conclusion of his speech, the President of Azerbaijan
congratulated the People of Azerbaijan once again on the occasion of
Novruz Holiday.

MAYOR OF STEPANAKERT BANNED OUTDOOR TRADE

KarabakhOpen
20-03-2008 12:34:30

Recently boxes with produce sold on pavements near shops have
disappeared.

The deputy mayor of Stepanakert Georgy Hairyan told Karabakh-Open.com
that by an order of the mayor outdoor trade is banned except for
special places, such as the marketplace, stalls, other.

In answer to the question how the city hall is going to deal with
people who arrive from regions to sell organic food on the Square
of Victory, Georgy Hairyan said a marketplace will be set up in the
backyard at 4a Isakov Street where farmers will sell their produce.

According to the deputy mayor, so far nobody has been punished
for violating the order. There are records but the commission on
administrative issues has not studied them yet, said the deputy mayor.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT LIFTS SOME EMERGENCY RESTRICTIONS

Voice of America
March 13 2008

Armenian President Robert Kocharian has lifted some of the restrictions
on the news media imposed earlier this month under a state of emergency
after opposition protests led to violent clashes with police.

Mr. Kocharian’s decree, which is to take effect Friday, permits news
media to report on government actions and to comment on policies. It
also permits distribution of political leaflets and other campaign
activities. But it continues a ban on what it calls "false and
destabilizing information."

Mr. Kocharian imposed a 20-day state of emergency after clashes
between riot police and protesters killed eight people and wounded 131.

Opposition leaders charge that voting in last month’s presidential
election was rigged in favor of Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan,
who won a landslide against former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

In Washington, a White House spokesman says the administration
continues to follow the situation with concern. He urged a swift
solution to the crisis.

SERZH SARKISIAN STATED THAT HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS ARTUR BAGHDASARIAN "MAY NOT COINCIDE WITH THE ATTITUDE OF THE PRESIDENT TOWARDS HIM"

Mediamax
March 12, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Prime Minister, Armenian President-Elect Serzh
Sarkisian stated today that his attitude towards Artur Baghdasarian
"may not coincide with the attitude of Robert Kocharian towards the
Leader of "Orinats Yerkir" party".

Mediamax reports that Serzh Sarkisian said this today at the meeting
with the students of Armenian State University of Economics, answering
the question on how acceptable the signing of a coalition agreement
was with Artur Baghdasarian, whom earlier the Armenian President
described as a "betrayer".

The President-Elect stated that the cooperation with Artur Baghdasarian
aims at attracting more efficient political forces to the process of
state administration.

90 PEOPLE ARE IMPRISONED, 6 ARRESTED AT PRESENT

Noyan Tapan
March 12, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 12, NOYAN TAPAN. As of March 12, 90 people have been
imprisoned on the fact of mass disorders, a preventive punishment
not connected with arrest has been chosen to another 4 defendants,
6 people, who are suspected, have been arrested. Vahagn Haroutiunian,
the senior investigator of especially important affairs of the Special
Investigation Service, said at the March 12 press conference.

According the preliminary examination, it was found out that the
actions of mass disorders had been organized in advance by first RA
President Levon Ter-Petrosian and his supporters within the framework
of a united program.

The examination motivated that a task to destabilize the situation
was set before the participants of the disorders, some people were
recruited for that purpose for a certain sum, besides fire-arms,
specially adjusted instruments, metal and wooden poles, clubs, iron
hedgehogs were used.

A separate group functions in the group of prosecutors created for
exercising control over examination’s legality by the order of the
RA Prosecutor General. The separate group carries out analyses. As
Hakob Karakhanian, the Prosecutor of the Armavir region, said, "before
our eyes the political mania turned into a crime." According to him,
concrete people by a concrete order were intended for carrying out
actions planned in advance against the police forces: they threw stones
at the policemen, then when the latters were defending themselves with
shields, they shot in the direction of their feet, it is not accidental
that the majority of 180 policemen had feet fire-arms injuries.

According to H. Karakhanian, the method of neurolinguistic programming
was used to the participants of mass disorders, use of certain codified
words with the respective accentuations, such as homeland, family,
we have won, they are Turks, and others, there is also evidence on the
case on use of psychotropic medicines. According to the law enforcement
bodies, today shots of alleged firing at the people are spread, which
are montaged: shots in different times, in different situations have
been united into one video material. The RA Prosecutor General has
applied to the UN representation with the request to conduct expertise
of these shots with the help of international experts.

ISTANBUL TO HOST CONFERENCE TITLED "TRUTHS AND LIES IN ARMENIAN PROBLEM"

Azeri Press Agency
March 3 2008
Azerbaijan

Istanbul. Mais Alizadeh – APA. Turkish Women Lobby Circle will
organize a conference on the subject of "Truths and lies in Armenian
problem" on March 20 in Grand Cevahir Hotel, Istanbul. APA Turkish
Bureau reports, circle’s leader Betul Akman, Professor of Yeddi Tepe
University and Haberturk TV’s Presenter Erol Mutercimler will address
the conference. Yusuf Hajioglu, Chairman of Turkish History Institute
will make a report "Where is truth in Armenian issues?"

Azerbaijani scientist and pro-rector of Turkish Giresun University
Aygun Hashimova and retired ambassador Omer Engin Lutem, Eurasian
Strategic Researches Center will deliver speeches on the subject.

170M DRAMS ALLOCATED IN 2008 FOR PERFORMING FREE HEART OPERATIONS FOR POPULATION’S VULNERABLE STRATA

Noyan Tapan
March 11, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 11, NOYAN TAPAN. 170m drams (nearly 548 thousand USD)
has been allocated from the 2008 state budget for performing free
heart operations for members of families registered in the Armenian
insecurity evaluation system and having 36 points and above. As Noyan
Tapan correspondent was informed by Ruslana Gevorgian, the Adviser
to the RA Minister of Health, this year it is envisaged to operate
on 110 patients.

It was also mentioned that patients can apply to any hospital
performing heart operations, where special commissions, after checking
the documents introduced by the patient, will make a decision on
performing an operation.

VLADIMIR PUTIN INVITES SERZH SARGSYAN TO RUSSIA

arminfo
2008-03-10 15:57:00

ArmInfo. The incumbent President of Russian Vladimir Putin and the
newly elected President of Armenia Serzh Sargysan had a phone talk,
Monday.

The governmental press service of Armenia reports Russian President
warmly congratulated Serzh Sargsyan on final confirmation of the
presidential election result by the Constitutional Court of Armenia and
his election to the post of president. V. Putin confirmed his earlier
invitation to the newly elected president of Armenia to visit Russia.

The Columbian, WA
March 7 2008

In Our View: War to End All Wars

Friday, March 07, 2008

A memorial in Vancouver’s old Army barracks, two blocks south of the
traffic circle at Fort Vancouver Way and East Evergreen Boulevard,
lists 83 Clark County men who died in World War I, starting with
Webster S. Albertson and ending with Gustave Young.

On a national basis, however, WW I is `The war we forgot.’

That’s how Newsweek magazine recently described it in reporting on
the death last month in Tampa, Fla., of Harry Landis, age 108. His
death left only one American veteran of World War I still alive. On
Thursday, that veteran, Frank Woodruff Buckles, 107, of Charles Town,
W. Va., paid a visit to President Bush in the White House. (Story,
Page A2.)
Newsweek told the story of how little this country has done to
memorialize the 112,000 Americans who died in the `War to End All
Wars,’ which the U.S. entered in April 1917, the war’s third year.
The war ended at 11 a.m. Nov. 11, 1918.

Of course it wasn’t the war to end all wars. Complicated in its
alliances and grievances – and unnecessary relative to other wars, at
least – World War I ignited geopolitical fires throughout Eastern
Europe and beyond for decades. It led to a redrawn map of Europe,
gave rise to Nazi Germany, created the still-raging controversy over
Armenian genocide, set up the British occupation and renaming of
today’s Iraq, and more.

World War I is the forgotten war because it was fought overseas
before movie newsreels and radio were part of the American fabric. At
this point, says Newsweek, a privately funded museum in Kansas City
`is the only national institution with plans to commemorate the end
of the `Doughboy’ generation’ after Buckles dies.

Bush on Thursday told Buckles, `One way for me to honor the service
of those who wear the uniform in the past and those who wear it today
is to herald you, sir, and to thank you very much for your
patriotism.’

As combat veterans like Buckles know, and as stated on the title card
of the 1930 movie `All Quiet on the Western Front,’ based on the
World War I book of the same name, `This story is neither an
accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death
is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it.’

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