Author: Chavushian

DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER OF ARMENIA: BY ITS HYSTERICAL STATEMENTS AZERBAIJAN IS TRYING TO BLACKMAIL THE WORLD COMMUNITY WITH A THREAT OF A NEW WAR

ArmInfo
2010-04-16 12:34:00

ArmInfo. Any compromise to an aggression may just cause its appetite.

The Armenian parties as well as the world community understand it
very well, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said
in an interview with INTERFAX.RU.

When commenting on permanent militaristic statements by leadership of
Azerbaijan, Shavarsh Kocharyan said: ‘By its hysterical statements
Azerbaijan is trying to blackmail the world community with a threat
of a new war. It is insincerely calling on the world community and
the intermediaries to study attentively the history of the conflict.

Everybody remembers this history – the force approach which Azerbaijan
was armed with form the very beginning, and which led to serious
consequences, blood and treasure of the parties to the conflict.

Azerbaijan is the culprit and responsible for the consequences of the
conflict, and at present it is also trying to come forward from the
position of force. The Azerbaijani leadership seems not to effeminate
chronic suicide syndrome. One can have illusions and be a victim of
his own illusions, but to turn nations into a victim of its illusions –
is a crime. Baku has been proving that human life, including the lives
of the people of Azerbaijan, costs nothing. Baku’s refusal of the
intermediaries’ challenge to remove snipers from the front lines in
order to avoid additional human victims – is another evidence of it>.

COUNCILMEMBER PAUL KREKORIAN HONORS 97-YEAR-OLD MICHAEL HAGOPIAN

NOYAN TAPAN-ARMENIANS TODAY
APRIL 16, 2010
LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES, APRIL 16, NOYAN TAPAN-ARMENIANS TODAY. Councilmember
Paul Krekorian, Council President Eric Garcetti, and others, will
commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 23.

About this is reported by Asbarez.

During the event Paul Krekorian and Eric Garcetti will honor
97-year-old Michael Hagopian, a survivor of the Genocide and founder of
the Armenian Film Foundation. He has dedicated his life to the visual
documentation of the Turkish extermination of 1.5 million Armenians in
1915. In all, his work encompasses nearly 400 interviews of survivors.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Assembly
April 16, 2010
Contact: Press Department
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434

LEGATE OF ARMENIAN CHURCH, ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA JOIN
INTERFAITH COMMUNITY IN CONFRONTING GENOCIDE

Senator Feingold Reiterates Importance of Genocide Affirmation

Washington, DC – Last month, representatives of nationwide religious
groups appealed to Congress to re-focus its attention on the genocide
in Darfur. Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Legate for the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of North America joined fellow members of the
Interfaith Sudan Working Group, a coalition of Jewish, Muslim and
Christian organizations working for lasting peace in the troubled East
African nation. Following a prayer breakfast at the U.S. Capitol, the
group delivered copies of the children’s fairy tale book, Humpty
Dumpty, to all 535 Members of Congress, signifying the fragility of
the situation in Sudan.

"April is a particularly important month and it is heartening to know
that it has been designated as Genocide Prevention Month in
recognition of the fact that the Holocaust and the start of the
genocidal atrocities that befell the Armenian, Ukrainian, Cambodian,
Rwandan, and Darfurian peoples all took place in April," stated
Archbishop Vicken Aykazian. "It’s a shame that at the beginning of the
21st century genocides are still taking place," continued Archbishop
Aykazian. "If the Armenian Genocide was recognized in the beginning of
the 20th century, maybe those genocides wouldn’t have followed."

The interfaith group met with Senator Russ Feingold (D-MN) a stalwart
for human rights and advocate for anti-genocide policies. Archbishop
Aykazian thanked him for his efforts on Darfur and for his
cosponsorship of S. Res. 316, the Armenian Genocide resolution.

Senator Feingold told the Assembly that "this horrific tragedy took
the lives of 1.5 million Armenians and forced more than 500,000 from
their homeland. I have repeatedly called for the U.S. Government to
officially recognize the Armenian genocide. And as a cosponsor of a
Senate resolution recognizing the genocide, I was pleased last month
when the House Foreign Affairs committee passed a similar resolution."

In addition to their efforts on Capitol Hill, the Interfaith Sudan
Working Group placed a compelling piece in the Roll Call newspaper, of
which the Assembly was listed as a supporter during the same week of
the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s passage of the Armenian Genocide
resolution. The coalition’s anti-genocide activities were also
highlighted in an article in The Hill newspaper.

Sponsored by the American Jewish World Service, faith leaders who
participated in the prayer breakfast and book delivery included: Rabbi
David Saperstein, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism;
Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, AME Pastor; Co-Founder, My Sister’s Keeper;
Galen Carey, Director of Government Affairs, National Association of
Evangelicals; Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocese of Armenian Church
of America; Bishop David Jones, Episcopal Church; Imam Johari
Abdul-Malik, Director, Community Outreach, Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic
Center; Kirk Betts, Board Chair Emeritus, Lutheran World Relief; Dr.
Steve Colecchi, Director of the Office of International Peace and
Justice for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; and Ruth
Messinger, President, American Jewish World Service.

"The genocide in Darfur is a vivid reminder of how the consequences of
inaction and genocide denial continue to have profound repercussions,"
stated Taniel Koushakjian, Assembly Grassroots Director who
participated in the coalition’s work on Capitol Hill. "Our continued
efforts also send a powerful message to genocidal regimes – that we
will not be bystanders, but rather upstanders."

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public
understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a
501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

NUMBER 024-0811
DATE April 11, 2010

SUBJECT Renewing its vow "From the People, To the People", the ARS
receives the "Mesrop Mashtots"

Medal of the Holy See of Cilicia

CONTACT Hamesd Beugekian, tel: 1-617-926-5892, email:
[email protected]

ARS CEB International Office PR # 24

RENEWAL OF THE ARS VOW: "FROM THE PEOPLE, TO THE PEOPLE"

DURING A GATHERING IN BEIRUT

The ARS receives the Mesrop Mashtots Medal during the celebration of the
Centennial of the ARS

and the 80-th Anniversary of the ARS in Lebanon

A splendid event was held at the UNESCO Palace in Beirut, Lebanon, under the
auspices of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, to
celebrate the Centennial of the ARS and the 80th Anniversary of the Armenian
Relief Cross of Lebanon (ARCL – ARS Lebanon). The Chairperson of the ARS
Central Executive Board, Vicky Marashlian, was in Lebanon to participate in
this and subsequent events. The gathering was assisted by Bishop Kegham
Khacherian, Prelate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Lebanon,
representing Catholicos Aram I; the spiritual leaders of the Armenian
Catholic and Evangelical churches in Lebanon; Parliament member, Hagop
Pakradouni, representing the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon; Lebanese
Minister of Industry, Abraham Dedeyan; Science and Education Minister of
NKR, Mr. Vlatik Khachatryan; Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia in
Lebanon, Ashot Kocharian; Chairperson of the ARF Central Committee of
Lebanon, Hovig Mkhitarian; Chairperson of the ADL in Lebanon, Avo
Dakessian; parliament members, representatives of the Japanese and Iranian
embassies and the UN Population Fund in Lebanon, representatives of state
and Armenian institutions and bodies, benefactors and a vast number of ARS
members and supporters.

Following the anthems of Lebanon, Armenia and the ARS, opening remarks were
offered by Maral Harboyan, who mentioned that the Centennial of the ARS and
the 80th Anniversary are landmarks in the awakening of Armenian women and,
as such, they enrich the Armenian nation. She underlined that the ARS
succeeded in keeping pace with changing times and serve its nation on
different levels and in various fields. She also emphasized the fact that
the strength of the ARCL lies within its volunteer membership, serving the
goals of the organization.

Taline Kelbashian, Chairperson of the Regional Executive Board of the ARCL,
delivered her message in Arabic, noting, that during its early years, the
main goal of the ARCL was service and support of the Armenian deportees
reaching Lebanon. Eventually Armenians settled in Lebanon, which led the
ARCL to embark on organizational work and the establishment of its various
chapters. The ARCL embarked on educational and health projects and programs,
working toward raising the social and intellectual level of Armenian women.
In 1987, with the establishment of the Araxie Boulghourdjian Socio-Medical
Center, a host of new fields of activity presented themselves to the ARCL
and the organization spared no effort to serve the needs of the local
population for 80 years. Kelbashian underlined the fact, that future efforts
must be concentrated on educating the needy on how to become
self-sufficient.

The keynote speaker of the evening, Seta Khdeshian, Director of the Social
Justice Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, started by
noting, that following the 1915 disaster, efforts of deported Armenians to
get on their feet and develop their communal lives, lead to the formation of
organizational and national awareness factors — and the ARS was one of
them.

After a brief historic overview, Khdeshian said that the ARS and ARCL
responded to the calls of the liberation movement of Artsakh, the
destruction following the earthquake in Leninakan and the independence of
Armenia, and returned to Homeland to serve their compatriots. She also
talked about the role of the ARCL during the civil war of Lebanon and the
establishment of the Araxie Boulghourdjian Socio-Medical Center that was
first established to care for the wounded in the Bourdj Hammoud district of
Beirut, later to become a center providing a variety of medical and social
services. Khdeshian confirmed, that the ARS and ARCL owe a good part of
their success to the Armenian nation, to the party that gave birth to it,
and to the church; she emphasized that all three continue to support the
efforts of the ARS in serving its humanitarian goals.

Khdeshian concluded by underlining that, in the pursuit of our nation’s big
dream of a united Armenia, the ARS cannot despair or retreat in the face of
difficulties but must strive to safeguard the Armenian language and culture,
which was the call passed to all of us by the women of 1915.

The ARS Central Executive Board’s message was delivered in English by
Chairperson Vicky Marachelian, who mentioned that the ARS is a unique
organization that pursues pan-Armenian and humanitarian goals. She said that
the ARS survived for an entire century because it has the trust of the
societies it serves because of the volunteerism of its membership. She
assured that the ARS will continue to serve, based on its slogan "From the
people, to the people", by making additional efforts to establish
cooperation with international organizations in order to reach new heights
in the service of our nation.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia in Lebanon, Ashod Kocharian,
congratulated the ARS and ARCL on their 100th and 80 th anniversaries, then
read the congratulatory message sent by the ROA Minister of Diaspora,
Hranoush Hagopian, in which the minister confirmed that the ARS was
successful in realizing numerous educational, cultural, social and
benevolent programs in Armenia aiming to safeguard the moral and spiritual
values of the Armenian nation. Kocharian also read the Diaspora Minister’s
Order 194, offering the ARS an official Honorary Message, recognizing the
services rendered by the organization to the Armenian nation.

Following the showing of a documentary about the ARS and ARCL activities and
before the conclusion of the event, Bishop Kegham Khacherian, Prelate of the
Armenian Apostolic Church of Lebanon and representative of His Holiness
Catholicos Aram I, took the podium and started by mentioning the fact that
the establishment of the ARS and ARCL was in response to the countless needs
created by the Armenian Genocide. He underlined the fact, that the ARS
succeeded in raising the role of Armenian women within our communities and
society in general. After reading the Encyclical of Catholicos Aram I,
addressed to the ARS, Inc. Central Executive Board, he bestowed the "Mesrop
Mashtots" Medal of the Catholicosate of Cilicia on the Armenian Relief
Society, in the name of His Holiness.

Photo 1.- Bishop Kegham Khacherian offering the "Mesrop Mashtots" Medal to
the ARS, Inc. Chairperson Vicky Marashlian.

Photo 2.- ROA Ambassador Ashot Kocharian delivering the congratulatory
message of the Armenian Minister of the Diaspora to the ARCL Chairperson
Talin Kelbashian.

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN MEETS ANCA REPRESENTATEVES

armradio.am
13.04.2010 18:48

President Serzh Sargsyan’s visit to the United States continues. On
the sidelines of the global security summit in Washington President
Sargsyan had a meeting with members of the Armenian National Committee
of America.

The meeting covered issues connected with the preservation of the
Armenian national identity, the Armenia-Diaspora relations and the role
of the Diaspora structures in the strengthening of those relations.

The interlocutors also touched upon the current stage of normalization
of the Armenian-turkish relations, President’s Press Office reported.

401 ARMENIANS LOST WITHOUT TRACE

Aysor
April 13 2010
Armenia

There are 401 Armenians missing without any trace; today stated
Ashot Astabacyan, the communication coordinator of the Red Cross
international committee.

According to the speaker the photos and special information about those
people have been gathered for the later expertise, around 323 people.

ARMENIA-TURKEY RECONCILIATION, KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT-TOP PRIORITY ISSUES IN WASHINGTON

news.am
April 12 2010
Armenia

Before leaving for the U.S., Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan stated that in the course of Washington visit staple of the
talks will be the normalization of relations with Armenia and Karabakh
conflict settlement.

"Beyond participation in the Global Nuclear Security Summit, I will
meet with U.S. President Barack Obama. I sent my Special Envoy to
Yerevan and Baku to convey my messages to Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents. We will have a chance to discuss our activities with
Washington. We wish OSCE MG Co-chairs to step up peacemaking efforts
in the region and yield results. I spoke to OSCE MG Co-chairing
presidents Obama, Medvedev and Sarkozy. We will touch upon the matter
in the course of bilateral meetings," Erdogan said.

April 12, Sargsyan-Erdogan meeting will be held in Washington.

According to Turkish media, the meeting will start at 6.30 p.m.

ARMENIANS DO NOT WANT WAR, NA SPEAKER STATES

news.am
April 12 2010
Armenia

The Armenian people does not want war, but if Armenians are forced
to war, they are ready to struggle with dignity, Speaker of the RA
Parliament Hovik Abrahamyan stated at an official dinner given in
his honor by Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri.

The press service of the RA Parliament informed NEWS.am that Speaker
Abrahamyan began his speech by quoting Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese
American artist, poet, and writer: ""You may forget the one with whom
you have laughed, but never the one with whom you have wept."

According to Abrahamyan, the words faithfully reflect the
Armenian-Lebanese relations. "For many of our nationals that survived
the Armenian Genocide in Turkey early last century this hospitable land
proved to be not only refuge, but also a native home, which enabled
them not only to save their life, but also grow a new generation. This
is evidence of the Lebanese nation’s civilized position and of its
right attitude. That was reflected by the Lebanese Parliament’s
recognizing and denouncing the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey
on May 12, 2000, when you were Speaker of the Parliament," Abrahamyan
said.

Speaker Abrahamyan also pointed out that Lebanon is an Arab country
Armenia has signed a friendship agreement with.

Speaking of regional problems, Speaker Abrahamyan, pointed out that
the President and other officials of Azerbaijan make regular bellicose
statements. "The Armenian people does not want war, but if we are
forced to war, we are ready to defend our dignity," Abrahamyan said.

ERDOGAN HAS SUGGESTED SARKOZY TO CROSS THE ARMENIA-TURKEY BORDER TOGETHER

Tert.am
12.04.10

Turkey wants to see peace in the region, Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan told journalists at the airport before departing for
US to participate in the World Nuclear Security Summit.

In reference to his meeting with US President Barack Obama, Erdogan
said that the main topic on the agenda will be the normalization
with Armenia.

"In US I will meet also Obama. The priority topic will be the
developments in the Armenia-Turkey normalization process. I sent
my special delegate to Yerevan. I sent him also to Azerbaijan. I
conveyed my message to [Serzh] Sargsyan and [Ilham] Aliyev. In US
we will have a chance to evaluate our work. We would like the OSCE
Minsk Group to spend more active efforts for the establishment of
peace and tranquility. We touched upon the issue also with Obama and
[Russian Prime Minister Dmitry] Medvedev and [French President Nicola]
Sarkozy," Erdogan was quoted by Turkish media as saying.

While speaking about his recent official visit to France and his
meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy, Erdogan mentioned that he
had suggested him to cross the Armenia-Turkey border together.

"I told Sarkozy that the opening of the border is not a problem. If
the Minsk Group fulfills its obligations, we can take a car or get
on board of train and cross the border together," said Erdogan.

CB is not going to limit anti-crisis refinancing of Armenian banks’ loans

10.04.2010

ArmInfo. The Central Bank of Armenia is not going to limit the
anti-crisis refinancing of the Armenian banks’ loans received from
external stabilization resources, Chairman of the Central Bank of
Armenia Artur Javadyan said today when asked by ArmInfo to comment on
the information that the CB has suspended the refunding of the
SME-support credits issued in the framework of the Russian
stabilization loan.

Javadyan said that the CB has not stopped the financing.

"The money received from Russia is not over yet. Let’s not forget that
we are also involved in WB and KfW programs. So, we are not short of
resources," he said.